The fourteen old girl lay sprawled on her strawberry-cream colored bed, crying. Clink, clink came from her white double doors. Jessica looked up from her fluffy white pillow and wiped her eyes, not that it would stop the salty water from prickling in her eyes again. She sniffled and got up from the bed. Walking to the doors she pulled them open. Unaware to her a white teapot with a purple lid and rim came in followed by a white teacup with a chip on its rim.
"Hello? Is someone there? Who is it?" asked Jessica, still sticking her head cautiously out the doorway and looking from side to side into the gloomy hall.
"You can call me Temari-san!" said a female voice from below her. Jessica's pupils became distinctly smaller as she slowly looked down. What she saw was a teacup with dark-purple eyes and a chipped teacup looking at her.
"I thought you might like a cup of tea. We have oolong, jasmine, bancha, green, houjicha, gyokuro, joujicha and sencha." it said.
"Yup!" said a younger feminine voice coming from the china cup. Contained in it were varieties of teabags. Jessica backed away from the tea set.
"B-but you...erm, I I mean... I-," Jessica stuttered until she had backed into her wardrobe that had not been there moments before.
"Oof. Please, be careful ma’am." said a quiet voice behind her. Jessica wheeled around and fell onto her bed in shock. The wardrobe had brown eyes with swirls in them.
"This is...no, it has to be genjutsu or ninjutsu...or perhaps a summoning?" The purple haired woman said to herself, trying to calm herself down. The wardrobe leaned onto the bed as if it were her shoulder: popping the other half of the bed and Jessica into the air.
"All jutsu including Kekkai Genkai are disabled in these castles grounds, so here we are!" she sadly but plaintively said. Jessica had fallen to the white carpeted ground still in a state of shock.
"I told you she was pretty Temari-oneechan!" Matsuri exclaimed as Temari poured some houjicha tea into her emptiness.
"Yes, yes Matsuri-chan. Here, this should do." Temari said, only half listening to the girl. Matsuri hopped over to Jessica who was still on the floor. "Don't spill it!"
"Arigatogazaimasu." the human girl said. Right when she was about to take a sip of tea Matsuri said,
"Watch this!" the cup took a deep breath and then blew bubbles out the top of the cup.
"Matsuri!" Temari snapped.
The cup looked guilty said, "Moushiwake arimasen." Jessica drank some of her tea. Its sweet taste now tasted bitter in her mouth as her sad feelings blended with it.
"That was very brave of you, what you did miss." Temari said to the human girl, trying to comfort her. The wardrobe Akane, nodded.
"We all think so." She said. Jessica slowly shook her head.
"But I've lost my father, my family, my dreams...and just...oh, everything!" she whimpered. She pulled her legs up against her chest and rested her head between her knees.
"Do cheer up, ma'am. It'll turn out all right in the end. You'll see." The teapot chided. Jessica looked up at the teapot, startled.
"Oh, sumimasen. I'm just blabbering away when there's supper in need of preparing. Come along Matsuri-chan!" Temari apologized. The tea set hopped out the door.
"Ja ne!" said the teacup as it spun in the air in between one of its hops. Jessica stood up and un-ruffled her red and white dress. Akane approached her.
"Well now, what shall we have you be wearing for tonight's dinner? Let's see what's in my drawers..." she said. Her doors flew open and a moth or two fluttered out. Akane blushed embarrassed, and slammed them shut. "My apologies!" One door opened as she used her gold arm/handle to reach inside and pull out a kimono. It was light blue with a sakura blossom design on it, a black obi, and a pink bow the same color as the sakura. "You'll look so stunning in this!"
"That's very kind of you, but...I'm not going to dinner." Jessica quietly stated.
"Oh, but you must!" she said, looking shocked. Deiara had waddled into the room since one of the doors was ajar.
"Konbonwa, madam. Your dinner...is ready." She bowed.
-To the large room where they were going to have dinner-
"What is taking so long? I *hic* told her to come down so why isn't she here yet?" hissed the raccoon-dog as he drank sake. Temari shifted uncomfortably on her glass tray.
"Please, try to be patient master. The girl has only just lost her father and her freedom all in one day." she said.
"Erm, master, have you thought that, perhaps, this girl could just happen to be the one to break the spell?" The candlestick, Kankuro, nervously asked. Shukaku whirled around and stared at the candlestick with his malicious yellow eyes.
"Of course I *hic* have. I am not a fool!" the demon barked.
"Good then! You fall in love with her, she falls in love with you, and viola the spell is broken and we'll all be humans again by midnight!" Kankuro optimistically exclaimed. Temari sighed and wacked him on his base with her handle.
"It's not that easy, Kankuro. These things take time."
"But the rose," he said, "it has already begun to wilt..." Shukaku exhaled deeply and sat down.
"It's no use. She's *hic* so pretty, and I'm so...well, look at me." he said downheartedly. Kankuro and Temari looked sadly at each other.
"Oh, you must help her see past all of that, master." she said. She poured some sake into his large cup.
"I don't know how."
"Well..." Temari haughtily said, "you can start by making yourself more presentable. Straighten up, try to act like a gentleman!" The Ichibi sat up properly and straightened his face quite formally. Kankuro joined in.
"Ah, yes. When she comes in, give her a dashing, 'nice guy' smile. C'mon. Show me the smile!" he said. The demon bore his fangs in a disturbingly scary and yet funny grin. If the objects had hair it would have spiked out of control.
"Geez, don't frighten her!" Temari exclaimed.
"Impress her with your shogi and go level!"
"But be gentle and nice to her."
"Give her many compliments."
"But be sincere."
"And above all..." started Kankuro, The household objects finished together, "MIND YOUR TEMPER!"
"Geez, you don't have to *hic* yell!"
