I do not own Shugo Chara.

Chapter 1: "Worthless"

A certain pink-haired girl walked down the hall. Amu turned the corner, lost in her thoughts. Since she was in this state, she decided to go to the roof. The girl always went there to: sort out thoughts, be alone, get away, pretty much for anything. As she was about to turn, the pinkette collided with someone.

"Ah, sorry Hinamori-san," apologized the high school's prince. He stood up; and offered his hand to help Amu up with his over-friendly smile plastered onto his face.

"I don't need your help," she said, roughly pushing his hand away. He slowly retreated away; shocked at being rejected. The girl huffed; with a roll of her eyes at his expression, she disappeared up the stairwell. The wind rushed towards her as the door opened. Amu breathed in the spring air. She always felt better up here. The pink-haired girl walked over to the edge, and gazed at the people below. They didn't have a care in the world. She clutched the railing harder. The girl envied them so much. She looked away; not able to stand it anymore. Amu sat against the ledge, wondering how things got this way. The girl stared off into the sky remembering the past.

Flashback

"Daddy, Mommy! Look at the picture I drew for you!" exclaimed a tiny Amu, who just burst into the living room. Her parents looked up at her entrance. The little pink-haired girl put the picture in front of her face to show them. It was a portrait of her family and home with a smiling sun.

"Why that's such an ugly drawing!" gasped her father, a short plump man with short white hair. He always had a friendly smile on his face.

"Dear, at least it's better than seeing that thing's horrid face," replied her mother, a tall skinny woman with medium-length red hair. She always had a tight, closed-lip smile.

"Sot true," the man praised. The couple laughed. The little girl looked depressed. Her mother noticed this.

"Did you really think that picture, if you can even call it that was any good?" the mother asked. Amu looked up. She continued, "It's almost as worthless as you." The tiny girl dropped her creation, and ran to her room. She could hear her parents laughing. Hot tears streamed down her rosy cheeks.

End Flashback

Amu snapped back to reality when the warning bell rang. She quickly realized her face was wet. The pinkette wiped away the droplets; rushing to the door to make sure she made it to class on time. When she reached the bottom step, Amu slowed down to a walk. Her class was at the end of this hallway.

A couple of girls leaned against their lockers as she passed. This always happened, but she liked it this way. Amu was always so cold towards everyone; so that no one could get close enough to hurt her. Of course, nobody knew the reason why she was distant to them. That's why she was nicknamed the "Ice Queen."

Amu walked into the classroom; nobody dared to breathe. She sat down and sighed. Everyone went back to normal. They settled down when the teacher came in. The day rushed by as Amu looked at the sky through the window.

Before she knew it, the final bell rang throughout the school. All of the other students ran out cheerfully. Amu slowly rose, reluctant to go home. She packed up her things one at a time. Amu walked away from her classroom with her head down. She hated going "home." Could it even be called that? No one in that household made it feel like a home. It was always a prison to her.

Amu walked along the pathway. It was a good distance away from school, but her parents said it was to stay away from the 'commoners.' She looked ahead of her to the very large house coming into view. As long as you never knew the pain the house hid, it seemed like a castle. The place was very elegant-looking. There was a long winding pathway that went through the grand park in the center of town, and continued to the hill a little ways off. The place was surrounded by trees and flowers. Next thing seen was the house. Statues and fountains littered the yard. The house truly did resemble a castle especially the highest chamber. That's where Amu's room was located.

The pink-haired girl finally reached the front door. She opened the door to the sound of nothing. Amu sighed; thinking she was safe from her parents. She tiptoed her way across the hall to the stairs. Suddenly, her parents called her from behind. Amu turned to face them with waist-length pink hair in front of her face.

"Thing, why are you within our line of sight?" the woman of the pair said through clenched teeth.

"Darling, don't let her talk. My ears can't take that voice of hers," shuddered the man.

"Fine, but she'll have to receive punishment," replied his wife. She continued, "Michi, take her to that room. We'll go into the viewing room."

"Yes, madam. How many lashing?" asked their servant.

"200 hard lashings," replied Amu's mom with that tight smile of hers. Amu's parents turned to go take the elevator to the viewing room. That's where they went to watch her beatings. Amu had her wrists tied together and was blindfolded. Michi lead her down the stairs to the dungeon. There, she was hanged against a wall, her face towards the wall. The servant then apologized.

The first crack of the whip sounded as it hit Amu's back. She didn't show any emotion; that would only please them. Then, after about 50 lashings, the blood seeped through her clothes. After another 50, she was flipped to her front. The lashings continued. Amu could hear their laughter. Then, one of the whippings caught her off guard. She gasped aloud. The servant stopped, but continued after a pause. Finally, the whippings ceased. A beep sounded within the room.

"Now, you worthless piece of shit, crawl up to your room! Don't you dare get a drop of your filthy blood on any of our things!" scolded the cruel woman. Amu's father just sat there nodding with that friendly grin of his. Michi removed the rope and blindfold as Amu just looked towards her escape. She walked to her room. Once she reached the door, Amu silently entered and closed it. The bleeding girl slid down to the floor.

"I am worthless."

Thank you for reading my story. I know it is seriously messed up, but it gets worse. I just hope you stick with it until the end. I am going to be working on the length. I'm thinking about having Ikuto show up in the next chapter. Please feel free to criticize as harsh as you wish, but give some advice too. Help me along.

-XOHikaru