[Series] Tegorella - Prologue
Title: Tegorella
Author: Knowmonsta
Pairing: TegoPi; T&T, Ninomiya Kazunari/Unknown Male
Characters:
Cinderella - Tegoshi Yuya
Prince Charming - Yamashita Tomohisa
Wicked Stepfather - Ninomiya Kazunari
Older Wicked Stepbrother - Akanishi Jin
Younger Wicked Stepbrother - Kamenashi Kazuya
King - Takizawa Hideaki
Queen - Imai Tsubasa
Royal Town Crier - Chinen Yuuri
Baker - Masuda Takahisa
Tailor - Kato Shigeaki
Stable Boy - Yabu Kota
Genre: AU/Romance/Fluff
Rating: PG
Summary: My fic for the JE Fairy Tale Fic-A-Thon. Tegoshi Yuya plays a boy who is isolated from the rest of the world by his stepfather and two stepbrothers. Yamashita Tomohisa is the bored Prince of the kingdom who is forced to have a party to liven things up. Will the story have a happy ending?
Prologue - Alone (2003)
Tegoshi Yuya sat by his father's grave, sighing as he did so. He plucked at his tattered pants and sighed once more: his stepfather was so cheap he couldn't even buy him a new pair of pants.
"They've taken everything father," Tegoshi said to the tombstone. "They've taken every bit of it, even my half. I'm now living by his rules."
Tegoshi looked bitter.
"Can you believe this? They make me do everything! They make me hand wash the floor, clean the dishes, cook, do the laundry, run their bathwater, and bathe their dogs! And I swear stepfather's cat is trying to kill me in my sleep!"
Tegoshi took a deep breath.
"I don't even sleep in my bed anymore," he said. "Stepfather sold it. I have to sleep by the fireplace in the basement on that hard cobblestone. However, if you put straw on it and then throw a blanket over it, it's not so bad. The straw makes a nice pillow as well.
"I barely eat anymore. Stepfather gives me whatever's left in the kitchen. It's usually the scrawniest chicken wing or the smallest piece of fish. Massu attempts to sneak me and Kota a sandwich every now and then. He's really nice.
"It's so hard to believe that all of this has happened in a week since you've been gone, isn't it?"
Tegoshi bit his lip, willing himself not to cry.
"For now, I'll try my best to deal with it. After all, I'm fortunate to still be alive and living in my house, even if it isn't mine. But I'll never accept it. One day, I will get back what's rightfully mine."
Tegoshi stood up and brushed off his pants.
"I promise you I will."
~*~
Tegoshi returned to his Victorian styled home and quietly shut the front door. Now if he could just make it to his 'room' downstairs before -
"- and where have you been?"
Tegoshi froze. Crap.
"Umm . . ." he said, turning to look at his stepbrother Kazuya. "I just went out for a walk."
"Really?" he said, slightly raising his voice and Tegoshi felt nervous as he realized that he was trying to alert his stepfather. "You went for a walk."
"He went for a walk?"
Tegoshi shivered as his stepfather Ninomiya Kazunari came down the staircase.
"Y-yes stepfather," he replied, quietly.
"Funny," Ninomiya began. "I don't remember telling you that you could leave."
"I was done my chores for the day, so -"
"- I had more for you to do," Ninomiya cut in. "Next time, ask."
"I'm sorry," Tegoshi replied, softly. "I'll ask next time."
"Good," Ninomiya replied. "Now it's getting late and we're hungry. Go cook dinner. Everything is set up in the kitchen already."
"Yes stepfather," Tegoshi said quietly, walking into the kitchen.
Kazuya smiled to himself. If Tegoshi was miserable, he was doing his job.
~*~
"Honestly," Tegoshi said quietly as he cut up yet another potato. "Can they even at all of this?"
Tegoshi continued to cut up vegetables until he heard a squeak. He turned and smiled at the white mouse on the floor.
"Hello," he said, moving over to the pantry and pulling out a small piece of cheese. "I was wondering when you'd show."
He sat the piece of cheese on the floor next to the mouse, washed his hands, and continued to cook.
"You'd better get out of here before someone sees you," he said and the mouse left immediately, as if he could understand Tegoshi. Tegoshi smiled.
"I'll see you later, Winter."
~*~
As usual after cooking, Tegoshi set the table and headed outside toward the stable.
"Good evening Yuya-san," the stable boy Yabu Kota said to him as he looked up from the horse he was grooming.
"Good evening Kota," Tegoshi replied, grinning at the younger boy. "How was your day?"
"Alright," Kota replied. 'But I expect yours was bad."
Tegoshi laughed.
"Noting out of the ordinary," he replied. "Kazuya rat me out and Ninomiya-san scolded me."
"Sound normal," Yabu replied.
Tegoshi nodded.
"If only my father knew how things were now."
"He does know," Yabu replied. "And he's not happy."
"How do you know?" Tegoshi asked, bewildered.
"The stars are being covered by the clouds," Yabu replied. "And they've been covered since the day he passed."
Tegoshi nodded.
"I think you're father wants you to be seen," Yabu replied, pointing to the edge of the stretch of sky visible to them. "See how that small star on the end is trying to peak out?"
Tegoshi nodded once more, looking in the direction of Yabu's finger.
"Well I think that star is you," Yabu replied. "And it hasn't given up on shining, so don't you give up either."
Tegoshi smiled and hugged Kota.
"Thanks," he said, ruffling his hair. "You can go inside now, I'll finish out here."
"Are you sure, Yuya-san?" Yabu asked and Tegoshi nodded.
"Go on," he said. "It's getting dark and stepfather shouldn't have you out there so late. And I saved you something from the kitchen. It's not much, but you won't starve."
Yabu smiled.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed, running off to the house.
Tegoshi smiled. For Yabu's sake, he always ate the smallest portion of the leftovers.
As he began to tend to the horse in the stable, he dwelled on Yabu's words.
"It hasn't given up on shining, so don't you give up either."
"You're right, Kota," he whispered. "I won't give up."
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I hope you liked it! Chapter One should be out soon!