Me: hey people! here's my new/next story! anyone reading this that's read any of my other stories (don't worry, i'll finish them) i hope you enjoy this new adventure! containing Shugo Chara! characters! ^^ i don't own any of them, so don't say i do and try to sue me!
SIDE NOTE: any words with a * sign, there will a defenition at the end comments.
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Aristocratic Hate, Democratic Love
Amu Hinamori is sixteen, headstrong, and a dreamer. Her home is Athens in ancient Greece. All her friends and her older sister are married. So when her father tells her that she is going to marry, not for love but for profit, she is defiant. She has heard all the stories of love at first site, and is determined to not let that happen to her. Her betrothed is Ikuto Tsukiyomi, the eldest son of one of the two most powerful aristocratic families in Athens and one of the most beautiful men in Athens. When war and change comes, can Amu still bring herself to despise her betrothed any longer? Just how thin is the line between love and hate for this headstrong, dreamer?
Aristocratic Hate, Democratic Love Chapter one
In Greece, on top of a little hill in the city of Athens, there stood a house. A modest home of wood and stone. Beside was a little barn, where the sounds of stirring horses and cattle could be heard. A vivacious young rooster strutted out of the barn, blinking up at the sun coming up over the hills. He threw his head back and gave a mighty crow, one of which could be heard by the towns people below. The rooster gave a start as a thump could be heard from the inside the little house.
"Ouch…"
A girl with strawberry blonde hair lifted herself off the floor where she had just fallen into a sitting position. A green bird flitted wildly around her room chirping in an almost excited manner. The girl held the back of her head gently; she looked up at the startled bird with light brown, almost amber eyes. She jumped as she heard a knock at the door of her room.
"Amu? Are you alright? I heard a thud."
"Yeah, dad. I was just startled, that's all," Amu answered.
She could a muffled sigh from the other side of the door. "At least try to be careful, okay?"
"Yes, sorry. I'll be more careful from now on. Promise."
"That remains to be seen," Amu's father laughed, "Hurry down to breakfast."
Amu heard her father walk away from the door. Amu sighed and looked back at the now-calmed bird. She sighed once more and said, "Come on Sue. Let's go before Miki gets ticked and tries to eat you again."
Amu chuckled as Sue fluttered franticly as Amu put on her favorite red-and-black plaid peplo*. She smiled and held out her hand giving Sue her cue to fly on to her finger and from there, Amu's shoulder.
Amu's nose was greeted with the familiar marble dust of her father's studio. She gave a light sneeze and went down the ladder that led to her room into the kitchen. The kitchen contained a small stone oven and wooden table. Amu looked down as a blue-grey cat intertwined between her feet.
"Good morning Miki." Miki purred as though answering Amu's greeting. The strawberry-blonde girl sat down in her chair at the small, two-person table in cheerful manner.
"You look cheerful for a person who nearly gave herself a concussion, Amu," her father teased.
"Good morning to you to, Dad," Amu replied, brushing off his teasing jab. Her father laughed. He set a plate of food in front of her and kissed the top of her head, still chuckling.
"Seriously, good morning Amu. How is my little Athena today?" Amu couldn't help her smile growing larger at the endearment given by her mother. Every time he used her nickname, she felt a tiny bit happier.
She took a bite of food, and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, Dad," Amu said in earnest shock, "Your food tastes good, for once."
"Hey! My food has always tasted fine!"
"Really?" Amu asked in a playfully snide voice. There was a short silence and both of them laughed. A whinny was heard from the small barn behind the house.
"Ah, I'd better go feed Ran before she starts kicking in the door," Amu said still chuckling. She picked up Miki beckoned to Sue and headed out to the barn. She opened the door to reveal five stalls where five horses stood either dozing or whinnying for their breakfast. Amu walked up to a red and white paint that was beginning to kick the door. She stopped as Amu walked up to her. But only for a moment as she started kicking at the door again a second later. Amu laughed for the third time that morning
Sue settled on top of the red paint's toll and chirped. Miki situated herself on Amu's shoulder and purred. Amu went into the feed shed and brought out bales of hay for Ran and the other horses and promptly fed them before letting them out to graze in the pasture around the bend from the house.
When she had done both, she sat in the field quietly watching the horses grazing, her mind drifting. She began to think of her friends that had left her just that year and her sister. "I wonder how they're doing?" she murmured absently. Her friends Kukai and Nadeshiko had both left Athens for family reasons and her friend Rima and her older sister had been wed recently, were living with their husbands and Amu hadn't had a chance to go and see them yet. She sighed. Sue came and sat on her shoulder. She gave her a little love peck and whistled a pretty tune. Amu smiled a quiet smile. She got and stretched before whistling to the three grazing horses and picking Miki up.
"Well, I'm sure they're all fine. And since I need to head into town today anyway, I'll go drop by and say hi to Rima," she murmured.
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Amu cantered into the city on Ran's back with Miki in a small backpack and Sue flying near Ran's head. Amu carried six separate rucksacks for groceries. She slowed to a trot as she came towards the city walls. Sue came and sat on Ran's head as they slowed down.
They stopped in front of a vender stand selling goats' cheese and olives. Amu jumped off Ran and walked in dignified manner up to the vender. He was a young man with dark orange, curly hair and light brown eyes. He grinned a grin that was partly stupid and partly happy.
"Hello Ms. Himamori," the vender greeted cheerily. He had known Amu for a long time now and had always known how to get under her skin.
But Amu just brushed off the man's teasing jibe. She was too old now to let trivial stuff like that get to her. So she simply replied, "Good morning Mr. Nikaidou. I'm here for the usual, and I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Why? Is your father going to die if he doesn't get his cheese and olives?"
"No, but I might if he continues to cook without it." Amu smirked and Nikaidou laughed. Sue flew up to him and sat on his shoulder. She gave him a love peck. Amu had to role her eyes at the site. For some reason, Sue had always taken a liking to Nikaidou and he had never minded. It was her showing him that she had a crush on him. Well, that was Amu's explanation for Sue's reaction towards the kind vender.
"So, a block of cheese and a jar of olives?"
"If you would," Amu nodded.
The happy vender filled one of Amu's rucksacks with the items of her purchase. She thanked him, hopped back onto Ran and went on her way. Sue gave a farewell chirp to Nikaidou and followed after Amu and company.
Amu made a few more stops before she went into a small neighborhood of brick and stone houses. "Now, which one was Rima's…?" she muttered absently before stopping in front a particulary well-kept looking brick house. She dismounted Ran once again and approached the pretty little home. She knocked on the door and heard the barking of a small dog. The door opened to reveal a short girl with long blonde hair and a childish face. Miki gave a quiet hiss at the tiny, yapping dog that ran out the door towards Ran and Sue.
"Hi Rima!" Amu smiled. It had been almost three months since she had last seen her tiny friend. Rima smiled back.
"It's been a long time, Amu," she greeted back. She called to the little dog who was still sniffing Ran's leg, who in turn was beginning to ignore the annoying dog.
"You're not busy are you?" the strawberry blonde girl asked the pure blonde. Rima shook her head smiling.
"Kairi just left for work. He takes his job very seriously, you know," Rima explained.
"That's Kairi for you," Amu sighed and shrugged. She herself hadn't known Kairi personally. She had met him only once, and that was at his and Rima's wedding. But even then, one thing had been very certain, and that was that Kairi was a very straight forward, honest person. If he made you a promise, he wouldn't go back on it even if that promise killed him.
"What does he do anyway?" Amu asked.
"He's in the military," Rima answered indifferently. She had never been into wars and tragedies. She preferred comedies and happy, peaceful times. Amu couldn't blame her either. Rima's family had never been very happy. There was always a war blowing up between her parents. "Why don't you come in, Amu?" Rima asked.
"Thanks, but I don't want to leave Ran all by herself. So could we go for a walk? If you have time, I mean."
"Sure, that's fine. The house can survive without me for a while."
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Amu and Rima talked for at least two hours after picking up two shaved ices and two cups of wine. When the two of them had finally parted ways, it was near lunch time. Amu trotted Ran out of the city limits, and nudged her into a light canter up the rest of the hill.
"I'm home dad!" she called, walking through the door.
"Welcome back. Where were you?" her dad groaned from the door. Amu went into the kitchen. Her father was laying his head on the table, waiting for his lunch.
"I met up with Rima," she said simply.
"Really?" Her father lifted his head a little bit. "And how was she?"
"Well. She's started settling in with Kairi, which is good. She really is head over heels for him."
Amu's father laughed. Amu turned around contemptuously. "Why are you laughing at me?!" she asked irritated.
"You sound like her mother, Amu," her father explained. Amu blushed and turned back to her groceries, and began to make lunch. Sue came over and supervised Amu's cooking. There was a moment of silence.
As Amu's blush began to die down, her father commented, "You know, you're the only one out of all of your friends that isn't married yet."
Amu flinched. "I haven't found anybody yet."
"That's the problem, Amu. You can't marry for love because you haven't anyone."
Amu froze completely. I don't think I like where this is going. She said nothing though, so her father continued, "Because of this, Amu…"
Amu waited tense, but she knew what her father would say. "I've set up an arranged marriage."
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Me: oh dear. chapter 2 in the making! but until i post, please review. stroke my ego or give me critiscism; i don't care! just tell me what you think! (accepting flames as well) so anyways, i'll see you lovely people later!
peplo: this is what Greecian women wore before the Persian influence.