A/N: A big thank you goes out to Sabrina and Bonnafied. You guys are the best :)


The Broken Life

The Arranged Proposal


I sat there in my vanity chair, feeling like some sort of movie star. A group of ladies surrounded me and professionally painted my face with all sorts of makeup. Another two ladies were busy on my hair and my nanny, Monica, was overlooking everything to make sure it was all going well. My butt was sore by the time my thick hair was all curled completely instead of just at the ends, like it typically did. I didn't make sense, to waste all of this time to get me ready to eat.

Of course, my parent's always wanted me to look my best when I was around Hiten Craine and his family. I could never understand how image could mean so much to a person. Image was just a way to represent you, to show dominance and place in a socio-economic structure. Did anybody care about personalities and feelings anymore or had that become too idealistic? If my life kept going this way, if other's lives were going down this path as well, what would become of the world?

With a sparkling silver headband in my hair, I was told to stand. I obeyed to the commands, like a dog on a leash. That was how I felt, most days, like some dog being ordered around and tugged by a leash. If I did something against the norm they'd tighten my collar and shorten the leash. I blinked into the mirror, admitting that I did look gorgeous – but that was just appearance. I stripped out of my clothes, the girls giving me sour looks before leaving, and pulling a white strapless gown up to my busty chest. The look in the eyes of the girls was jealousy, pure envy, and I couldn't help it. The world was an ugly place, maybe that's what I was being protected from?

The gown had a corset back, which Monica pulled tight on my model-like figure while I held up the heavy mass of hair. Once she zipped it I dropped my sunset locks and she immediately began pushing them in place to look as pretty as possible. At the bodice, there were silver traces of a line in an abstract spider web design with silver sequins sparkling. Monica raised an eyebrow in awe. "I must say, Ayame, you look like something Aphrodite would be depicted like."

Wonderful, she was comparing me to Aphrodite. It was meant to be a sweet gesture, I know, and it was nice to be called the most gorgeous goddess known to the ancient people (also taking on the name Venus in Roman mythology) but it was the message she represented, too. Aphrodite was about everything sexual and slutty, which I knew nothing about. The thoughts crossing my mind made me blush, slightly. Was everybody my age this naive?

"Thank you Monica." I said politely.

"Hiten will be speechless." Monica smiled. Handing me a sparkling silver clutch, Monica ushered me out of my room and down the stairs to meet my parents. When I got down there they nodded approvingly, not wasting their words on complimenting me. I was sure they needed to suck up all their compliments until it was time to have dinner and woe the Craine family. It made me want to knock some sense into the two of them. I was their daughter, it was important to tell me I looked pretty. I could hear it from everybody in the world but I wasn't going to believe it until the words came out of their very own mouths.

A part of me knew I'd never hear it, though. The couple was too stubborn, too busy, to deal with the likes of me. I was somebody who was meant to bring them a common bond with other couples, a reminder and note to the world that they were human after all. The final touch was the four inch platform-like sparkling silver peep-toe heels I slipped on. My one shapely leg was viewable from the long slit that went past my knee, giving the elegant dress a sexy side (as if the cleavage wasn't enough). Monica quickly decked me out with the finest diamonds: necklace, bracelets, ankle and nose. The nose piercing was something I had done in spite of my parents, my sixteenth birthday wish, which they couldn't deny. From my seventeenth birthday, Monica had snuck me out to get my belly button pierced. It was a sweet gesture and nobody notified my parents.

"Enough of this standing around gibberish, we need to get going! For goodness sakes, we have places to be. The Craine's will be expecting us and are probably early upon their arrival, as usual." My mother rushed everybody around. I sighed as I let myself be helped into our black limousine. I hated how the vehicle looked, I found it rather unappealing. If it didn't come with so much space and interesting things located on the inside, I was sure nobody would take a liking to it at all.

In my opinion, we arrived at the dining place all too soon. The sign on the outside read 'Mystic'. The name was intriguing to me and, for once, I was ready to eat at the place my parents had chosen. They usually picked high-end snobby restaurants. This one, although maybe no less rich and sob filled, seemed to have a little more character. I still felt over-dressed, even in the restaurant. All eyes were on me, and I really wasn't lying.

I paid no attention to the people, however, as I glanced around the place at all the interesting artifacts. That place had a variety of symbolic historical pieces. I looked, in awe, at the fancy fountain that was located in the middle of the restaurant. There were small carvings engraved into its concrete form of gods and goddess from Greek. The next layer, it was those most important to Roman. The third layer held Egyptian ones.

"This artwork is outstanding." I breathed in amazement.

"Isn't it though? This is my favorite piece in the entire place. I like how these important figures were based and they're all categorized by the group of people who founded them. Of course, the Greek and Roman's were to be kept together, since the close relationship. After all, Roman's did take over most of Greek's ideals which caused the whole Greco-Roman thing." A boy came up behind me to talk. I turned to face him, in a slight state of shock, and he smiled.

"I love the imagination and creativity behind such fictional things." I sighed dreamily as my gaze began to drift off. "It's the fact that they can do anything that gets me. They don't let anything hold them back and they do what they feel like doing. It may start a war, or mess with the way life is supposed to naturally flow, but it's rebellious and interesting."

"I can understand where you're coming from." He nodded in agreement. His eyes flashed around the place and landed on my glaring parents. "Look, I probably should get back to work before your old man and woman castrate me. If looks could kill… but this place is full of historic, you should take a better look around sometime."

"I'll try." I smiled lightly, not knowing why I felt so drawn to the boy in front of my eyes. I had been around Hiten for years and I didn't feel this strong gravitational pull like I was now. I couldn't comprehend my feelings and pushed it to the back of my head. Ignoring my parents impatience, I used the tip of my figure to trace along an artist's depicture of Mars, the Roman god of war. I looked up but couldn't spot the history buff anywhere in the crowded area. He was gone.

"You appear to be deep in thought." A familiar spoke rose to my ears. I turned my head to see the boy my parent's were waiting on. Hiten sent me this smile that was meant to be charming but only turned out to be slightly creepy. Even though I had anticipated this moment the whole day, I didn't want to accept the fact that the time had come to make pointless conversation with the boy, yet again. "Mind if I escort you to the table?"

'Yes.' I thought bitterly but shook my head no and sent him a small, sweet smile. He was all too eager and gab his elbow out towards me, bent so that I could slip my hand in to warp around his arm like a loving couple would do. I wanted to spit acid out of my mouth and into his eyes with the way he was looking over me, ravishing everything there was to see. I shivered slightly, trying to ignore the creeped-out feeling that was shooting down my spine.

The look in his eyes was dark and lustful, it scared me. My voice came out sounding nervous as I spoke up. "So, have you ever been here before? It looks like a pretty interesting place and the art is wonderful. The details injected into this place amaze me."

"Well, you amaze me Ayame. No matter how much art they throw into this dampened old place it will never match your beauty." He replied, trying to have a slick tongue. He came off sounding like some weird rapist. Which, thanks for the compliment by the way? Dampened old place? He sure did know how to compare a lady to a thing of the uttermost gorgeousness, didn't he?

After what seemed like an eternity, our interminable walk of shame was over. Hiten pulled out my chair for me and pushed me in. Our parents and surrounding couples swooned over the adorable gesture and I tried to smile but only in a sad attempt to hide my grimace. Within a minute we had our waiter at our table with a friendly, gorgeous smile and a notepad.

The boy from earlier… his intense blue eyes landed right on me. "Hi I'm Koga and I'll be your waiter today. I'm sorry, miss, but I wanted to warn you… don't let any owners see you; they might try to change Aphrodite's said appearance that's all over this place. Besides that, what can I get all of you charming people?" He quickly placed menus in front of us like a pro poker player dealing cards. "As you can see we have an assortment of drinks available, both alcoholic and non. The wine is incredible, shipped in from France itself, and everybody gets their water to start them off."

I couldn't take my eyes off of the boy as everybody ordered. The way he looked at me made my stomach tighten and twist itself into this giant knot. I felt like his dreamy gaze was paralyzing me. Hiten continuously shifted uncomfortably, obviously not liking the whole situation. He would have to learn to deal with the fact that I wasn't his girlfriend, though.

"And what can I get for you to start off while you look over the rest of the menu to decide your main course? You'll find the salads, soups, and appetizers right above the drinks." Koga's voice rang out over the table. His voice… it was so sexy. It was a good medium between deep and average. It was just the right tone of sexy and sounded like he was a singer. His voice reminded me of the lead singer from The Maine, a band that Monica had snuck CD's to me of.

"I'll take a Caesar salad. You know, as in the guy that was brutally stabbed by his best friend in a harsh set up?" I sent a dazzling smile over to the waiter and he let out this whole-hearted sexy laugh that made my stomach go crazy. What was wrong with me?

"This isn't the time for flirting Koga, you have other tables to worry about as well." A raven haired girl commented sourly as she sent a sharp glare my way. Koga raised an eyebrow but didn't give her a response. In a bitter mood, the young woman stomped away. What had gotten into her? We weren't flirting, were we? I didn't even know how to flirt.

"I, for one, agree with the young woman. I'd hate to wait all day for my food." Hiten spat with venom in his voice. Oh, boy, here comes the overprotected boy that I wasn't even in a relationship with. I rolled my eyes and rested my elbows on the table.

"Ayame! Elbows off the table! That is no way for a proper young lady to act!" My mother scolded me. I scrunched up my nose and quickly jerked them off of the table, in a haste, to stop the nails-on-a-chalkboard voice. The waiter, Koga, shot me a sympathetic look. The glances between the two of us stopped. I sighed and averted my gaze to pristine white silk tablecloth. The appetizers and/or salads came and went, with rolls, and eventually our main course was served.

"Ayame, there's something I must confess to you…" Hiten spoke in a serious tone, just as I was preparing myself to rip into the juicy steak that lay before my turquoise eyes. Everybody at our table was smiling; I didn't understand what was going on. Hiten got out of his chair and leaned on one knee next to me, pulling out a small black velvet box. My stomach twisted but not in the way it previously had; now it was twisting like I was going to puke. "You are a gorgeous woman and I think you'd make a wonderful wife to me. To live a life with you, forever, would be incredible. Ayame, as my beautiful best friend, would you marry me?"

Oh, no. I looked in horror as he opened that stupid box and the ring sparkled spitefully at me. Everybody in the restaurant was quiet and watching. My mouth dropped open and my answer was the loudest and rudest response I had ever heard in my life. "NO!"

Suddenly the place was buzzing with gasps and talks. Hiten's face turned into shock, then narrowed into fury. My mother flew out of her seat, quicker than I'd ever seen her move before, and grabbed me by the wrist. She drug me to the bathroom and pulled me inside. As soon as the door was closed she sent a loud and sharp smack to my cheek. I was stunned by the painful sensation stinging my now pink cheek as I looked, stupefied, at my enraged mother.

"What the hell do you think you're doing out there Ayame? Have you completely lost your mind? Hiten has offered to marry you, YOU, of all the women in the world. You should be honor with the highest regards! First you flirt with the waiter boy, then make a mockery out of him? At least he was asking you politely! Here's the thing though, Ayame, I've already signed a paper willing you into an arranged marriage with him. Whether you like it or not, you are engaged!"

Those words stung more than any hit. It didn't smack my face or grip my arm forcefully; no, not at all. The words she spoke had sent an exploding tip arrow straight into my heart. The pointed tip was rammed into the deepest part of my very being and exploded everything I ever knew. I wouldn't find true love, like those girls in the movies, I would become the little house pet trophy wife I never wanted to be. I looked at my mother, standing before me, and took in the monster that I never wanted to be but the one that I'd become. All hope for a normal life was lost.

I was engaged.


Koga


"Looks like you should pay more attention to who you're flirting with before you do it." Kagome, my co-worker, laughed hatefully. The girl hated the idea of me even looking at another girl. Her brown eyes had been burning up ever since Ayame stepped foot into the place. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, with long trailing curls and long toned leg being exposed in that sexy dress and high heels. She really did look like some form of a goddess.

"She was just a girl, Kagome, mind your own business." I spat sourly, knowing I didn't want to go back to the table and ask if anybody wanted dessert. As soon as I saw the boy getting down on his knee, I had high-tailed back to the kitchen. I didn't want to hear the rest of what was to be said, especially in that proper dialogue he was using abundantly.

"Just a girl? You ran away pretty damn fast when that boy starting to propose to her so when you say she's just a girl I'm going to call you out on that as a lie. Who is she and where did you meet her? Oh, let me guess. She probably goes to that nasty club you work at, am I right? What, does she work as a stripper there for your alcohol bar?" Kagome pressed.

"You, need help." I commented. "I've never seen that girl before in my life until today. She's probably just visiting the town because Hiten lives here, that's the guy she's getting engaged to. However, I hope she knows about the dirty stuff he does. He's not a good man."

"What are you going to do, tell her that in hopes she ditch him and come running into your arms?" Kagome's tone was harsh and far short form sweet. I rolled my eyes at her insisting comments and questions that pried into my love life.

"No. I believe she has a right to know but it's not exactly in my place to tell her, either." I spoke breezily and shrugged while filling up some drinks to drop off at a few of the tables, just so I wouldn't have to make them a little later. "Look Kagome, don't you have something that you should be doing right now instead of interrogating me?"

"Whatever Koga, you're so self-absorbed that you think I'm trying to hear more and more about your life. You're so pathetic." She snorted and I rolled my eyes, shaking my head, as she tried to seductively saunter off. It wasn't working and she was trying too hard. Now that pretty little girl from earlier… her hips swung sexily without having to even try. I cursed as I felt the soda I was filling up spill over my hand. With a growl, I emptied it into the sink, wiped off my hand, and repeated the task – succeeding this time.

When I emerged from the kitchen area I noticed that the girl's table was very quiet and she wasn't touching her food at all. Before she had looked so famished and hungry, now she looked like she was at a loss of appetite. Maybe she did know about Hiten's over life, after all? The only reason I knew was because people tell do act stupid when they're drunk. They're willing to brag to a complete stranger, even if it is a bartender. They'll tell you of all the dirty deeds they've done, of the horrible criminal they are, as you stand there and realize he's too rich and powerful for you to do anything about it.

"Sorry, sweetheart." I whispered to myself, knowing the gorgeous girl, who looked sad, couldn't hear me. I did feel a fire-filled passion burn in my stomach when I noticed that it looked like somebody had hit the side of her face. Pushing my emotions back, I was able to go the rest of the night without any problems and the table left a more than healthy tip. The girl didn't look at anybody and didn't say anything but the ring was on her finger.