~In This Forest~

~Chapter 1: This Strange Forest~

Amu: New story again?

Kim: Guilty…

Ikuto: Don't you have other stories to finish?

Kim: Yeah, but I just had to start this one! IT'S SO TEMPTING!

Ikuto: Whatever, can we just get this over with?

Amu: Patience, Ikuto. We'll get around to it!

Kim: I agree with Amu! Patience!

Ikuto: You have no right to tell me that. You don't own us, remember?

Kim: Don't remind me.

…..

Legend had it that anyone who had made his or her way into the Dark Forest would never come out. Many have tried to prove this myth wrong, but they all have failed. Some have even tried to hunt them down but to no avail. Little is known about this forbidden forest, but it is known that supernatural creatures reside in it. They are ruled over with an iron fist by the Forest King. No one knows what he looks like, but people believe he is a terrifying man. The creatures in the forest were happy. Pesky humans didn't bother them, so they were left in peace.

Little did the inhabitants know, one day, a girl would enter their territory. She would be the only person to interrupt their peace and change their lives.

…..

The pinkette sat in front of her dresser mirror, staring at her reflection. A sigh left her lips as she stared at herself. Today was the day that her life would change. Today, she would no longer be "free" anymore. She'd be a caged bird, unable to leave the prison that she was held in.

Her bubblegum pink hair had been twirled into a braided bun and makeup was on her face. It was barely noticeable, applied to make it look natural. The wedding gown she wore had a sweetheart neckline with a big white bow that was tied to the side underneath her chest. Underneath the bow, the dress transformed into ruffles. The train of the dress was long. She would definitely need help with that. The veil did not cover her face, yet. The veil was decorated with bits of snowflake like designs.

Someone knocked on the door. "Amu, are you ready? It's almost time for you to walk down that aisle."

Amu groaned, "Yeah, I'm ready." Underneath her breath, she muttered, "To face hell."

She got up, opening the door. She walked past the person who had asked her if she was ready. Her eyes looked over the decorated home. It was pretty, covered with roses and hydrangeas everywhere. A big chandelier hung from the ceiling, dripping with crystal lights. She stopped in front of the front door. She knew outside, the garden would be decorated even more. It would look completely magnificent, even with the scary, looming forest next to it. The flowers growing there would be thriving. Fairy lights would be twinkling in the darkening sky, and the gazebo would seem to light up as the sun set. The scenery was too perfect to be real, like something from a movie.

Too bad the bride herself didn't get to admire the beauty of her wedding.

After all, once she reached that gazebo, her fate would be sealed.

…..

Tadase gulped, staring at the wooden doors. Ah, his beautiful wife would be standing behind those doors. In just a matter of minutes, she would be his. He was thrilled. It had only been a month before when he had proposed. They were both from very rich and well-known families that had been waging "war" against each other for a long time. Yet, he had fallen in love with the enemy. Who could resist Amu Hinamori? She was beautiful, even if she tried not to be.

When the whole world had found out that they were engaged, it had erupted into cheers. His parents had been angry but agreed it was for the best. Now, they sat in the front row, teary eyed. Their son was growing up. Amu's parents didn't seem as happy. They had disagreed to this marriage the whole way through, but they didn't want to see their daughter unhappy. Amu's little sister was nowhere to be found. She sat there, pouting, a few minutes ago.

Tadase shrugged. Her little sister was hardly a concern at the moment. She probably went to the ladies' room or was somewhere controlling her sobbing. Only a few more minutes now… Tadase thought to himself. Then, you'll be mine, Amu.

…..

Amu groaned. How exactly had Tadase convinced her parents that she wanted to marry him?! She hardly even knew the man, for god's sake! Why'd he even come barging into her life? She was living a perfectly good life. After all, she was going to inherit her family company. Sure, it would be boring, but at least, she would be free. She didn't even want to leave Ami! Ami, her little sister, would most likely be pouting or crying right now. The two sisters had such a strong bond; it was almost impossible to separate them that day.

That stupid blonde had gone and had his wishes granted, not caring about the results. How selfish. Amu wondered briefly who would ever marry him out of love. Okay, maybe that was a bit too cruel…

…..

Finally, his wait was over. The song played, signaling the doors to begin to open. This was it, Tadase thought. He was finally getting the girl of his dreams.

…..

Before the song played, Amu turned her head to look out the window near the door. The Dark Forest stared back at her, beckoning to her. That was the ticket to her freedom. She had planned everything out… Now, she was going to set that plan in motion. Abandoning her spot by the door, she sprinted to her room. Grabbing her suitcases and ripping her dress to reveal a lighter white dress underneath. Ditching her veil and the dress behind, she took off her heels, holding them in one hand. She looked around one last time before moving out the door. Amu moved fast through the house, looking for the door.

When she found it, she saw a small figure in front of it. As she neared it, the figure turned out to be her little sister. Ami stood by the door, glancing around frantically. She had been the one to help Amu with her escape plan.

"Ami." Amu whispered as she neared.

Ami looked up, surprised. Then, she smiled. "Thank god, you're here. I didn't know if you were going to make it."

…..

Confusion flickered across Tadase's face as he stared at the blank spot. His bride wasn't there. He grew angry; a scowl emerged on his face. He looked terrifying. The guests stared at where Amu should've been, confused too. Amu's parents felt a smile curl on their lips.

…..

Shouts echoed through the house, Tadase's voice was the most apparent voice. Ami looked up at Amu, who nodded. "Go! I'll distract them!" Ami whispered, opening the door for Amu. Amu smiled at her sister, hugging her tight.

"I love you, never forget that." Amu whispered. She slipped through the door, making her way slowly to the edge of the forest. From this angle of the house, no one could see her.

Ami smiled, looking at Amu's retreating figure. "I love you, too." She closed the door, locking it. The door was a secret Amu and Ami had found when they first stayed at the house. No one knew where the door was except for them and the servants. Thankfully, the servants would never rat Amu out. They loved the girl way more than Tadase. Covering it with a curtain, Ami stared at it. Perfect, you couldn't even tell it was the same door anymore.

As approaching voices came, Ami turned to face them. She found the stairs, running up them. Ami was wearing a wedding dress and a pink wig. Hopefully, this would be enough of a distraction. If you looked closely, you would've seen that Ami was shorter, but it was minor. Ami's dress trailed behind her, making it a bit harder to move. Shouts rang out clearly now.

"I found her!" Someone screamed. Ami smirked. They fell for it. She ran down hallways, and then went to the front door. Bursting through it, she made her way over to her parents' car. Her parents stepped on the gas as soon as Ami was safely inside.

"Is your sister ok?" Midori asked Ami.

Ami nodded, smiling. She took off the wig. "She's perfectly fine."

…..

The wind blew her bubblegum pink hair, causing it to fly crazily around her face. The white dress that she wore flowed around her small figure. Amu lifted her face up to the sky, closing her eyes. She sighed in contentment as the feeling of the breeze brushed softly on her skin. She glanced down at her feet, looking at the grass and flowers. As her eyes darted around the flowers and grass, she finally settled back on the flats she was wearing. As the wind slowly set down, she glanced at the forest in front of her. Ah, finally, a new place to call home, somewhere quiet and peaceful. She tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear, smiling brightly. She took a deep breath, picking up her suitcases and bags. Then, she took a step into the forest.

…..

"My lord, someone has entered the Forest." A bowing vampire said to the man sitting on the throne.

The man shrugged his shoulders, yawning. "Who is it this time?" Honestly, too many people have entered that slowly he began to care less.

"A girl, she is carrying suitcases and a bag." The vampire replied.

The man sat up, raising a brow. "She brought belongings with her? Follow her." His eyes narrowed. "We're going to find out what exactly she is doing here… in my territory."

…..

Amu trekked through the forest, still searching for the perfect home. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, she found a tree. She knocked on it and found out that it was hollow. Her eyes widened. So, there was once an inhabitant here. She smiled at the thought. This meant she had even less work to do. Whipping out a knife, she carved a rough outline of a door. Working quickly, she got the door carved quickly. She quickly smoothed out the edges, adding hinges to one side. She opened and closed it, testing out the door. She smiled, walking in the tree. Time to get comfortable.

…..

"She has made camp inside a tree, my lord." The same vampire reported to Ikuto.

Ikuto ground his teeth together, putting his face into his hands. He groaned. This new girl was annoying, persistent. She wasn't going to leave despite the rumors… was she? "Call Nagi now, Kukai." He barked at the vampire. The vampire bowed as he exited the room.

As Kukai walked out of the room, he bumped into just the person he was looking for. Kukai apologized as Nagi righted himself quickly. Nagi looked at Kukai, raising a brow in question. "What?"

"Someone has entered the forest." Kukai snarled out. His emerald eyes flashed red for a second. Would their peace be disrupted again after so long? "A girl has made her home inside our home, our territory." He growled.

Nagi's eyes narrowed. "Have you guys already started following her?" He received a simple nod. "Of course, the King probably already issued the order. Have we done anything yet?" This time, Kukai shook his head. Nagi glanced at the door that Kukai just exited. "Is the King calling for me?" Kukai nodded. Nagi waved to Kukai as he entered the throne room.

He bowed low. "You called, Your Highness?"

…..

As Amu stared at her home, she walked up to one side of the tree. She had carved a window and was in the process of adding curtains. Vines crawled up around the tree, so it framed the new window nicely. Amu tapped her finger on her chin, thinking. As she stared at the window, she heard a rustle. Something ran by quickly. Something that looked like a human, but at the same time not. Amu narrowed her eyes. She stayed where she was, holding her breath. She was tempted to poke her head out the window, but she knew that was a bad idea. After all, didn't all horror movies emphasize that?

Something knocked on her door. Amu turned to stare at the door. She walked closer to it, tensing. Should she open the door? She opened it a crack, peaking out. Nothing was there. She frowned, shaking her head.

"What a strange forest. Maybe the rumors were true, after all?"

…..

Kim: So, how was that for a first chapter?

Ikuto: You let Amu get married to Tadase…

Kim: No, she was engaged, okay? Technically, she's not married to him yet.

Ikuto: Shut up, you almost gave my Amu away to Tadase!

Amu: I don't see what the big problem is.

Ikuto: …

Kim: Please R&R about what you think of the first chapter and who or what you think was outside Amu's window!

Ikuto: Yeah, and review if you think Amu belongs with me.

Amu: Shut up. I don't belong to you. I'm my own person.

Ikuto: Mhmm… right, whatever floats your boat.