Hinamori Amu calmly walked down the hallway and pressed the down button on the elevator. As she waited for the doors to open, the pinkette adjusted her standard white uniform, only her shaking fingers betraying how nervous she was. With a chime, the elevator slid open. She stepped inside and pushed the button for the lowest floor.
The young woman ghosted a hand over her amber eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. Of course, no one else was in the elevator; she'd overslept. Everyone was probably already down there, eager to get their jobs.
The doors slid open, revealing a large room filled with a crowd of people all in white. Amu stepped out of the elevator, looking around with interest and excitement. Most people were gathered around the desk or waiting in an orderly line behind it, but there was also a couple of groups who were sitting around at the tables and reading their information packets, having already received their job assignments.
At the end of the line of eighteen-year-olds (eighteen was the eligible age for working) stood a man with blue hair and stunning dark eyes. Amu blushed a little as she went to stand behind him. Wow, she thought, allowing herself a moment to be shy. He's so handsome. Then she set her lips into a smile and stepped closer to him. "Hello," she said cheerfully as she turned to look skeptically at her. "I'm Hinamori Amu. What's your name?"
"Tsukiyomi Ikuto," he said curtly, looking at her like she was stupid, as if that name was supposed to mean something to her. Although it did seem familiar…
Amu pushed back her annoyance and made her smile even brighter, just to spite him. "It's nice to meet you. What job are you hoping to get?" she asked. He was still just staring at her like she was missing some important bit of knowledge that she was obviously supposed to know; she continued anyway. "I'm fine with whatever I get, but I'm sort of hoping for cooking."
Ikuto calmly pulled up his sleeve and showed her the blue star-like marking on his wrist. Then he tugged the sleeve back down, all with the same stoic expression. Amu took a step back, her cheeks burning with shame. Oh my- I can't believe- he must think I'm… I'm…
How horrible was she, to talk about what she wanted to do with her life to someone who was destined to die? Tsukiyomi Ikuto, of course. This year's Chosen. There were so many, she didn't hold onto the names, but now she remembered. There had been somewhat of a stir over how young he was.
But then again, she remembered, the Choosing was completely voluntary, and, of course, the families of the Chosen were given extra food and money for their loss. And it was an honor, after all- the greatest honor imaginable.
She bowed deeply at the waist. "My apologies. How thoughtless and insensitive of me." He accepted her apology with a nod and turned back around. Amu was silent for a few seconds. She bit her lip, torn by indecision. Then she quietly repeated her earlier question. "What job are you hoping to get?" He was obviously getting one since he was standing there in line.
Ikuto turned back around to look at her, apparently surprised she was still trying to talk to him. The line moved, so they took a couple of steps forward. "I dunno," he said with a shrug. "Something in the arts." Then, surprisingly, his lips moved into something that faintly resembled a smile. "That's the first time in a month that someone outside of my family has spoken to me about something normal."
Encouraged, Amu took a step closer to him. He looks even more handsome when he smiles. "So you've got your mother and father. Do you have any other family?"
Ikuto nodded. "A sister."
"Really?" Amu said, delighted. "I've got a sister, too!" The young woman told him about Ami and about herself; gradually she managed to tease some information from him about himself- how he loved music and art, and how his sister was the most precious person in the world to him. Then, immediately, he looked embarrassed that he'd said such a thing to a near stranger, but she just said quietly, "I think that's sweet."
"Next," the sorter called.
Amu looked at Ikuto and bit her lip. "Can I see you again? Can we meet for middlemeal on break day?"
"Miss." The sorter sounded annoyed.
Ikuto hesitated, and then said, "Okay. Go on, now, Amu." He nodded at the table. "They're waiting for you."
"Meet me at the second floor cafeteria," she blurted over her shoulder as she approached the table. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized, and bowed. "Uh, Hinamori Amu."
The sorter ran his finger down the list, and the pinkette held her breath. "Cooking." He handed her a packet- probably of recipes- and Amu couldn't keep a smile off her face. She thanked him breathlessly and stepped aside, clutching the packet to her chest. Heart pounding, she pinned the kitchen badge, certifying that she had a cooking job, to her shirt, and then flashed Ikuto, who was up next, an encouraging smile. She sat down at a table and opened her recipe book.
Amu arrived in the kitchens on floor six at promptly eight-o-clock, just after morningmeal. Her stomach fluttered with excitement and just a little bit of nerves, but she needn't have worried. The top chef grinned at her as she welcome, calling out a loud, friendly "Welcome!" She stepped into the room and approached him with a tentative smile; he took her hand and pumped it up and down. "You must be our new chef, Hinamori Amu!" He had a warm face and voice, and Amu immediately liked him. Not that many in the commorancy were mean-spirited. If anyone started to get that way, they immediately volunteered for the Choosing or asked Healers for life-ending drugs, because they were obviously no use to the commorancy and were starting to wear down.
"It is an honor to meet you, Senior," Amu said cheerfully.
"We also got another chef today," he continued, gesturing towards a girl that looked vaguely familiar to her. "Mashiro Rima." That was right- she'd seen her around before, but they didn't live on the same floor. Amu flashed her a smile.
He went through the older chefs and introduced them one by one. "And I'm Nikaidou Yuu." Then he paused. "Enough dawdling now. Someone show Amu and Rima around the kitchen. Everyone else, get started on middlemeal." Yuu, meanwhile, continued on, directing everyone on what to cook for the next meal.
The young woman who'd been introduced as Shinku gestured for the two newbies to follow her. "You may remember from your outlines, but the vegetables are stored here and the fruits are stored here." She tapped the doors as she walked by. "The meats, which, as you know, are only served at eveningmeal, are in here, and these cabinets are for herbs and spices. Cheese, yogurt, milk, and butter are in here." Shinku's soft voice had a regal elegance to it which impressed Amu; she decided that she would also like to get to know Shinku, who couldn't have been more than a year or two older than her. The blonde, doll-like woman finished the tour, saying, "The ovens are over there, the nonalcoholic drinks are in here, and the alcoholic drinks for special occasions are kept here." She glanced back at the two girls. "You both should be having some tonight with your families." Shinku nodded politely and walked away.
Amu bit her lip and then turned, smiling, to face Rima. "Hi, Rima! It's nice to meet you. I'm Amu."
The petite blonde girl merely replied, "Hmph. How stupid." She walked off, her nose up in the air.
"Eh?" Amu practically shouted, earning looks from all around. "How rude." She fumed for a moment before calming herself. "Well, it's not my problem." The pinkette glanced around, trying to remember which place stored what food. Oh, well. It would come with time. She began to search for Yuu, to ask him what her assignment was, and, after a few seconds, found him flipping through a recipe book.
"Ah, Amu!" he exclaimed, looking up and adjusting his glasses. Amu remembered that glasses had been all the rage a couple of years ago. Of course, no one needed glasses; they all had perfect vision. But accessories were very popular since their clothes were all the same. Looking around, she saw that Shinku wore red ribbons to tie up her hair, and, in fact, Amu was in the habit of wearing an X-shaped hair clip that had been her mother's before her. Shaking herself from her thoughts, the young woman turned her attention back to her Senior. "Would you please prepare a couple loaves of bread? With sesame seeds? Thanks."
Bread- it was fairly easy to make. They were testing her skills at following a recipe, coordination, and intuition to know when something was fully cooked. Amu nodded and immediately set to work. She was a little bit nervous, but once she actually got started, the world disappeared, and she knew exactly what to do. Cooking came as naturally to her as breathing.
Once the loaves were in the oven, Amu looked around the spacious kitchen, and was filled with awe. This is what the Chosen brings to all of us; food and life from the Chooser. She remembered the stories about the days before the commorancy, when everyone lived aboveground and no one was perfect. There were blemishes and defects and no cures for sicknesses. People would starve because they didn't ask the Chooser for help, because they were too proud to offer their lives as payment to Him. They thought they could do everything on their own. But then the commorancy was formed and all of the faithful moved underground while the aboveground was smote by the Chooser. And the Chooser was good to the commorancy, and each Chosen's life brought health and prosperity to everyone for a whole year. She got a chill as she thought of the young man she had met, Ikuto. She had never actually known the Chosen before.
Amu knew he was going to die.
But look at all the good he will bring, she thought, staring at the kitchen's plentiful store of food.
Somehow, it didn't make her feel any better.
Amu typed out the code to get into her family's rooms and pushed open the door, her face practically glowing. "Amu!" yelled a girlish voice, and a small body slammed into her.
Amu laughed and returned her little sister's hug. Ami was ten years old, eight years younger than Amu, with curly brown hair and a specialty in singing. She was, in Amu's opinion, the cutest girl alive. "Hi, Ami."
"Amu, honey," Hinamori Midori said warmly, smiling and opening her arms for a hug. "Congratulations." Amu broke free from Ami and embraced her mother while her father fluttered around them, crying and saying, "My little girl! My little bird! My baby is all grown up!" Midori held her daughter at arm's length and looked at her. Finally, she said, "A chef. Just like you wanted. We're so proud."
Amu blushed. "Thank you."
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist as Ami said sweetly, "You're the best, Amu. It's so great that you got the job that you wanted. Can I come visit you?"
The pinkette let out a small laugh. "You know you're not really supposed to do that."
"Okay," Ami mumbled into Amu's shoulder. "That's fine. But Amu will definitely bring me home a couple of sweets from the kitchens, right?"
"Maybe." She smiled indulgently at her little sister, and Midori took charge. "All right, everyone. It's time for eveningmeal!" Normally, Amu would still be working, but since it was her first day and all, she got to come home and celebrate with her family. At their eveningmeal, they would be allowed to have alcoholic drinks and desert as well.
"All right!" Ami cheered. "Treats!"
Amu's family was fairly close to the surface, only the second floor down. However, not even they had ever seen anything outside the commorancy. And who would want to? After all, the aboveground was a barren wasteland. The four of them walked down the hallways of the living sector until they came across an option to go left to the work sector or right to the cafeteria and the living sector elevators.
Turning to the right, they pushed open the doors of the cafeteria for floor two and each grabbed a tray. "Eat healthy!" reminded the signs. "Don't take more than your share!" Obediently, all of the people in line took one portion of meat, one of vegetables, and a glass of water. Amu felt special as she selected an additional glass of wine and a piece of chocolate cake. The only other times she'd had special occasions like this was when she and Ami had entered classes at age eight, and every year on her creationday.
"To Amu, who is now an adult!" Midori said, raising her glass of wine.
"To Amu!" Ami and Tsumugusu responded. The glasses clinked. Everyone drank, Ami sipping happily on her cider, but Amu made a face when the wine touched her lips.
"What is it?" her dad asked.
"Ugh," Amu coughed. "It's sort of gross."
"That's right," her mom commented as she cut up her meat into slices. "This is the first time you've had wine, isn't it?"
Amu shrugged. "I guess I just don't really have a taste for it. I'll just stick with cider on special occasions." Yuck. She couldn't imagine why everyone liked it so much.
Still, the chocolate cake more than made up for the taste of the wine. Yum!
"That was so good!" Ami chirped as Amu pressed the up arrow on the elevator. "I'm so full!" The four of them entered the elevator and held it open while another family, the Soumas, got in.
"Hi, Kukai." Amu grinned.
"Hinamori!" Kukai exclaimed and ruffled her hair. "So you're a cook?"
"Yes," Amu said happily. "You're a fitness coach?"she asked, looking at his pin; their parents started to chat in the background. Amu was happy that Kukai got a job that fit his energetic personality. "You must be happy. You love kids, and running around. It's a perfect fit!"
The doors slid open and her mom reminded them, "Come on, now. It's almost eight-o-clock. We don't want to be late."
"Right," Kukai said with a wink. "See ya later, Hinamori!"
They stepped into the giant room and faced the man on the throne. In just a few minutes, the room was filled. Amu caught sight of Ikuto in the crowd, standing with two people who must have been his parents. She wanted to wave, but he wasn't facing her, and, of course, that would be improper. What little noise remaining soon ceased, and the room was perfectly quiet as the figure on the throne rose. Then, a strong voice called out, "All glory and honor to the King!"
"All glory and honor to the King!" the crowd dutifully chanted. "All glory and honor to the Chooser! May the Chooser protect our King!"
King Hikaru raised his hands. "Let us all celebrate! Our children have once again become adults. Job day is always a time of joy and honor."
"It is an honor to serve the commorancy," Amu said along with the other eighteen-year-olds, feeling a thrill to say those words at last. She heard Ikuto's voice and Kukai's voice and Rima's voice say them with her. "It is an honor to serve the Chooser."
"But of course, we could not all live so happily and safely without the sacrifice of others."
"It is an honor to give my life for the commorancy," Ikuto's voice said alone, quiet and clear in the silence. "It is an honor to give my life for the Chooser." Amu wondered why she hadn't recognized his voice when she met him; he'd said those words every night for a month now, the month since the Choosing had taken place. But tonight it struck a chord in her- something deep and lonely and it felt like her soul was reaching out of her body and aching for something and-
Then the crowd called out, "Long live the King! Praise the Chooser!"
Amu tried not to cry.
Author's note: Well, here's chapter 1. First off, I don't own Shugo Chara. The title comes from Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet; Shinku comes from one of Peach Pit's other works, Rozen Maiden; and the word "commorancy" was taken from Diane Duane's So You Want to Be a Wizard series, specifically, book 8, Wizards at War. So basically, I own nothing.
I don't even really own the idea. I know it's certainly been done before, the idea of a "perfect" society, but I just started working on this last year and haven't stopped since. Hopefully, even if I don't add anything new to this topic, it will at least be an interesting/enjoyable read. I also wanted to provide a more serious side to the amuto pairing while still developing their relationship and trying to keep them as them. As this is (obviously) an alternate universe, some characters might be slightly out of character at certain parts of this story. I'll try to keep them as in-character as I can.
Lastly, regarding the religious aspects of this fic: there will be a lot. It is a central theme of the story. The views expression in this fanfiction are not necessarily my views. I happen to be Roman Catholic, but this religion where they worship the "Chooser" is not based on a real, existing religion in our world. It was more that I wanted to see what kind of religion might develop in a society like theirs and how it would affect their lives. I sincerely hope that no one is made uncomfortable by this, or thinks that I am somehow trying to shove religion/religious values down their throats, as, again, this is entirely fictitious.
Thank you! Reviews would be greatly appreciated.