Shimai
姉妹
Sisters
Riiiiiiinng. Riiiiiiinng. Riiiiiiinng. Riiiii - click!
"Hey! You've reached Ami's phone but I can't pick up at the moment. Please leave a message after the tone and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! K, thanks, bye!"
Beep.
"…Ami…I know you're not picking up. I've called you more than thirty times already." A sigh. "Look, can't we just talk this out? I won't tell you to come home. I just want to know where…just call me back, please?"
And with that, Amu flipped her phone shut. For a while, she gaped blankly at the contraption in her hand. This. This…thing was the only connection she had to her little sister right now. Ami, her little sister. You know, that little bundle of singing joy? Yeah, she's grown up. Into a fine girl, Amu might add. Yes, Amu was quite proud of her little sis. Hinamori Ami, now fourteen, in her second year of junior high. Her kindergarten uniform long traded for the signature dress jacket, white shirt, red tie, and plaid skirt combo that were a part of Seiyo Academy's dress code. Her light brown hair no longer in short, curled pigtails but now varying in style daily, just like how Cool & Spicy Onee-chan use to…well, still is doing.
She was bright, she was pretty, and she was glowing with potential like the sparkles in that golden gaze of hers. Those eyes that were the common trait she and her Onee-chan shared. The only thing that never changed, even now.
The toddler was gone, however. Ami was almost a young lady now.
And Ami was indeed popular, though she wasn't Cool & Spicy like how she wanted to be when she was little. Just like how Onee-chan is. But she had soon realized it was more fun to be herself and was happy with it. And Amu, too, of course. Being Cool & Spicy was not always a fun job.
The girls admired her. Wanted to be friends with her. Wanted to walk and smile like she did, dress fashionably like she did, sing sweetly like she did. Wanted to be noticed like she was. Wanted to be just like her.
The boys adored her. Wanted her phone number. Wanted to know if one of them could walk her home safely, show her their affections with well-meaning gifts, chat and hang out with her. Wanted to be noticed by her. Wanted to be special to her.
You think by now, she'd be suffocating from all the attention.
Hmm, but no, Ami was doing just fine.
Was.
Where is Ami, you're wondering? Oh, yea, hah, "Where is Ami?" is the right question. "Where is Ami?" is what Cool & Spicy Onee-chan here would very much damn like to know as well.
And if you want to know the main reason why Ami is currently not locatable at the moment…
"Hinamori Ami, you will come out of your room at once and go down and apologize to your father!" Hinamori Midori yelled, standing outside her younger daughter's bedroom with her hands on her hips and her angry, bespectacled gaze glued to the star-shaped nameplate that Ami's name was so nicely printed on as it hung from its support by a nail embedded into the wood of the closed door.
Thud. The nameplate shifted a little to the left. That was the second time she got a response like that.
Midori lifted her hand and slapped against the door a few more times, ignoring the pain that was coming into her palm. "Ami-chan! Stop acting like a child!"
"Then you and Papa should stop treating me like one!" came her furious scream from inside.
Her mother sighed and placed her aching hand on the door knob. "Ami-chan, it's not that we're treating you like that. It really isn't."
"No! That's exactly how you're treating me!"
"Ami-chan-"
"Go away!" Thud. And a muffled sob followed. Oh great, now she had two crying adults (or babies, what's really the difference?) in the house right now.
"Ami-chan! All I said was that I would like for you and Minami-kun to give yourselves more time before starting a relationship. We have nothing against Minami-kun. He is really a nice boy, I know that. And Papa knows that. Papa is just…reluctant, that's all. But still, can you wait a little longer? Get to know him a little first and let us know a little more about him first?"
"I do know him! We've been classmates since 5th grade! He might look a little tough but he's really nice to me! You don't understand! You don't understand how I feel at all, Mama!"
The older woman heaved a sigh again and began to massage her temples with her free hand. Really, this little girl of theirs. When did she become so rebellious? Sure, she's always been stubborn about the things she wanted but they've always managed to come to some agreement or reconciliation in the end. It was no problem to Midori that she wanted to start dating guys. It's just that this "Minami-kun" was…looked rather like a delinquent, or kind of not at the same time, let's just say. But that's not the point.
"But you've only begun talking to each other only a few weeks ago, right? That doesn't mean you know each other well enough."
"You never said no to Onee-chan when she and Ikuto-onii-chan started dating! She even hid him in her room for a few nights and didn't tell you anything!" Ami countered, a strong sense of confidence backing her statement, though it really…really didn't.
"Ami-chan, that was different. They already did know each other pretty well. " 'Somewhat', she had to add mutely to herself. Midori, of course, did not approve of Amu keeping secrets from her (especially not one that was that big) but she knew Amu had a good reason behind it. And when she had spoken face to face with the young man the very first time, when he was sitting side by side with her daughter while Amu spewed the reasons on why she had to give him shelter, she could tell. Just by looking at him, she could tell that this boy…this man whom her daughter had tried to sneak out of their bathroom by the hand was not a bad person at all. Minami-kun, however, is more on the iffy side. "Ami-chan, it's not that we're saying no. We didn't immediately say yes when Onee-chan asked us because we also thought she needed a little more time before she was truly ready, too."
"Stop it! You just don't want me to grow up and have my own life! You just want to keep me here so that I can be a little obedient girl to order around as you please!"
Midori resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Ok, now she was just being ridiculous. Ami obedient? Please. And since when have they ever been "authoritative"? As for all she knows, they've been quite lenient with their children. Sometimes too lenient, in fact.
Or maybe that was the problem. Ami was a bit spoiled, as her older sister occasionally points out. They often had to appease her temper tantrums with some sort of promise or material compensation. She wasn't like Amu, who didn't like to impose her troubles on others so openly, even if they were her family. But then again, Amu was the big sister. Amu already knew responsibility the moment baby Ami had spilled juice all over the floor. Amu knew how to hold in her frustration to rightfully pick up after her younger sibling's accidents without so much of a light frown and how to convince her otherwise when certain things shouldn't be going a certain way.
And then it hit her.
Who'd be better to resolve this problem quickly than that person herself?
Exhaling a breath, Midori finally released her hold on the door knob and stepped back. "Young lady, you know very well that is just nonsense! But if you're going to keep acting like that then also take the time to think things over. I need to finish the laundry. Come down when you're ready to talk."
"I won't talk with you! I hate you! Just leave me alone!"
The brunette woman shook her head and jumped when there another large thud! hit the door but said nothing more and walked off to go find the telephone.
To be honest, Midori felt bad for pushing the task on Amu again when she had already moved out and started her own life as an independent individual…and was about to get married in less than three months, no less, but she was sure Amu could make Ami calm down and see reasoning. No one else would've been able to do so.
And besides, Amu was also the only person in the world who can outmatch Ami's incredible stubbornness with her own.
Isn't their Mama just proud for having these two lovely daughters of hers?
Riiiiiiinng. Riiiii- "Hello?" asked the phone-altered voice on the other side of the line.
"Amu-chan."
"Mama? What's up?"
"Are you busy right now?"
"Not really. Why?"
"It's about Ami-chan."
"…What did she do now?" Midori grinned feebly at the slight exasperation in Amu's tone. It was to be expected but it didn't make her feel any less guilty about what she was going to say.
"Well, she brought a boy home today…"
"…Ok."
"He's…um, not exactly her type." No, really? "But they said they wanted our permission to see each other. And we told her that she should give it some more time. Y'know, get to know him a little better before they actually start going out. Ami-chan says that they've known each other since a while back but then told us they only began talking to each other only recently."
"……" So the silence meant she was either too dumbstruck at Ami's instant confession over the brevity of this so-called "relationship" of theirs or trying her best not to groan at how typical it was for her mother to call her up on this. Or maybe something else. This was one of the few things Midori could never be sure of when it came to her own Amu but she was positive about one thing. "And she got mad?"
"Yes, she's in her room right now. Sulking." She couldn't help but smirk amusingly.
"And Papa went to go cry in the bathroom, I'm guessing."
Midori wished she could laugh. "No. He's hiding in your old closet. He did try to climb onto the roof so nobody would get to him but it didn't work."
And that answer she had been waiting for came not long after: "…Alright, I'll talk to her."
"Thank you, Amu-chan~!" she squealed, plenty of hearts popping up in the background.
"Yeah, yeah…" Amu sighed, not wanting to know or imagine what other embarrassing things could happen if she didn't fix the issue with Ami soon.
To her surprise, it was Ami who called her first before she even got a chance to dial her little sis's number.
"Onee-chaaaaan~!" the young brunette wailed. That didn't seem to have changed much either.
"Yes, Ami?" Amu replied with a flat look as she casually turned the pages of the latest fashion catalogue she received earlier from the modeling agency she worked for. Yes, Amu is a model. An editorial one to be exact. Nothing big.
"Onee-chan! Mama and Papa are both idiots!"
"Ami-chan, you're being far too loud and rude," said a tinier voice beside the stressed Ami's. No doubt it was her own guardian character who went by the name of "Sei", standing for "star" as it was always Ami's biggest dream to becoming a singer just like her beloved idol, Hoshina Utau. The thought of this miniature would-be self that Ami aspires to be brought back fond memories of her own Charas and she couldn't help but smile sadly when she thought of them. How much fun they had together. How much anguish and hardships they've stood through together. How much encouragement and support they had given her.
Fortunately, Ami broke her trend of thoughts with an irritated retort before she really got teary-eyed over it.
"Oh, be quiet, Sei! You're no help!"
"Well, fine then! See if I care about you! Beeeeehhh!" Amu could picture the face Sei was making, her tongue stuck out in indignation at her owner's cranky attitude, and then withdrawing back into her own egg after hearing the faint pop! sound that she was still so familiar with whenever her Charas would hide themselves from her wrath. God, she missed them.
"…Really, Sei is so annoying. Anyways, you won't believe what happened today!"
'Oh, I'm sure I can,' the pinkette mused, her previous smile now gone. "Try me."
"Well, this boy confessed to me a while ago and I've been really interested in him, too! We've been in the same class for two years and he's kind of…a little of the bad boy type but he's really nice! And I wanted to let Mama and Papa know before saying yes so I decided to invite him over to dinner tonight and things wound up just being a…a disaster! Because Papa totally broke down while we were eating and just ran out of the room to who knows where! Oh my god, it was so embarrassing…"
"Mmhmm."
"And then Mama suddenly had to act all motherly and say "Well, I'm so glad you've come to like our little Ami-chan…"" Ami made a hurling noise and Amu had to choke back a giggle. ""…but we'd like for you two, and us, to get to know each other better before you start dating." I swear, I wanted to cry and jump off a cliff or something!"
Amu winced at the choice of words. That was a bit too drastic, even for Ami. But then again, she was a raging teenager. "Ami-"
"I don't understand why they won't say yes! I mean, they gave you the OK when you and Ikuto-onii-chan started dating, right?"
Her jaw dropped and a small blush colored her cheeks. Oh no, now she's bringing them into it? "A-Ami, that's-"
"And you two are five years apart! Minami-kun and I are in the same grade! And it's not like he sells drugs around school or smoke pot or any-"
"Alright, alright. I get it." With a hand pressed over her eyes, she shook her head and let it rest against the edge of the sofa she was sitting against. She had to use her stern "Onee-chan" voice. Ami could really get carried away with her ranting sometimes and if you didn't stop her early on, you'll be stuck listening to it until she is done. And Ami is never done.
For another thing, Amu did not want it to involve both their love lives in this more-complicated-than-it-should-be matter. Thank god Ikuto was not at home right now. It was bad enough that he'd tease her about anything but in the presence of her baby sis? About boys? No, no, no…
"So…what should I do?" the girl asked timidly.
"…Well, first, you have to apologize to me," Amu said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Why?"
"Because you never informed me about this "Minami-kun" when you should have. Just because I moved out of the house doesn't mean I'm not your big sister anymore. I'm disappointed in you, Ami." She wanted to sound angrier but couldn't bring herself to.
"Oh…I'm sorry." And that's why.
"Second, I want you to make up with Sei. Don't be so mean to her or she'll run away. You don't want that happening, do you?" Actually, they just can't have another Eru floating around again. It's too troublesome.
"…Ok, fine." Amu grinned triumphantly. She knew Ami was pouting, not at all happy that she had to be the first to reconcile with her equally obstinate Chara but she also knew the girl will come to realize how important their bond is. Just like how she did.
"Good. Then I want you to go down and apologize to Mama and Papa."
"What?! Why?!"
"Ami, be rational. You know Mama and Papa were only worrying about you. I don't know about this Minami-kun so I can't judge but they didn't say that you absolutely can't date him, right?"
"…Well…yea, but-"
"So then what's the problem? You can still hang out with him until they say yes. You just can't be a couple yet. And how well do you know him?"
"I know him quite well! He has an older brother who takes care of him because his parents are real jerks but that's not his fault! He also hates math like I do. And he, um, he has this really cool earring…" From there, Ami broke into a fit of giggles and Amu rolled her eyes.
"Is that it?"
"No! …He also told me he'd like a motorcycle so he's saving up money to buy one and that I can be the first to ride with him when he gets it! Isn't that so cool?" the eighth grader exclaimed with excitement.
Yeah, sure, if you plan to die on the highway while you're still young.
"I don't ever want to see you on any kind of -cycle with anyone whatsoever." Bluntly stated.
Ami scowled. "Onee-chan, you're no fun at all!"
"Tough luck." There was a momentary pause as she searched for the right words to continue. She's really starting to dislike this Minami kid…ok, maybe "dislike" is a bit strong but she certainly doesn't like him, that much she knows. Though if it's for the same reasons that her parents have, she's not sure. Or maybe it was and there was just something more behind this growing apprehension bubbling inside her. Shaking her head, she pushed that anxiousness down so it wouldn't betray what she really wanted to say. "…Look, I'll work something out with Mama and Papa-"
"Really?! Onee-chan, you're the best!" As expected from that my-pace personality Ami has.
"After I meet Minami-kun, alright? So why don't you invite him over next weekend when I come by and we'll just see how things go. But you have to promise me to talk with them, understand? Otherwise, I won't do anything to help."
"…"
"Ami, come on. You may think you like this guy but what if he's seriously not like that? Have you thought of it that way? Even if you both mutually like each other, you never know if he might do something that gets you hurt one day. We just want you to be careful. You know that." Great, now she's getting all semi-corny about it. That was not how it was suppose to come out.
But it seemed to have convinced Ami. After all, she knew her Onee-chan wouldn't lie to her about these things. That she spoke from her own experience, which she would rather prefer not to.
"O…k. I'll talk with them about it. But you have to help me, k? Promise?" There was such a desperate, tiny plea in her voice that brought about a warm yet very hesitant smile on Amu's lips, though she didn't realize it at first.
So she won't ever be rid of the soft spot she has for Ami. Hmm, well, that's fine with her.
"I will. I will. Don't worry. Now go on and do what you're supposed to do…Oh, and until next Saturday, no hugging, no holding hands and NO kissing, get it?" Almost immediately after those last words came out, Amu's hand went and covered her mouth in surprise at the add-in. What had possessed her to say that?
"Huh?! …But you and Ikuto-onii-chan do it all the time!"
Her amber orbs widened and cheeks went pink as she tried not to stutter while snapping back, "N-No we don't! That's…That's because he's the pervert! It's not like I…but we don't do that all the time! What are you talking about, Ami?!" Ugh, why does her Cool & Spicy mode always get ruined whenever he's mentioned? It's unfair.
"Liar," the brunette responded smugly. "I saw you guys practically swallowing each other's faces for like an hour and being all lovey-dovey in your room when you stayed over last month."
"Wha-what-?!"
"Oh, and can't forget the "I love you more than anything, Ikuto…" part. You really should lock your door if you're going to be cheesy, y'know. Papa would've cried a flood."
"You spied on us?!" Amu shrieked into her phone, unaware that the front door of her apartment was opening.
"I can't believe you're still acting like that especially when you're about to get married soon," Ami continued, enjoying the rare chance of making her "cool and composed" Onee-chan freak out. "Maybe we should switch places if you're not ready? I wouldn't mind giving up Minami-kun and marrying Ikuto-onii-chan instead. At least Mama trusts him."
"Ami, you-!"
"Oh, Mama's calling me. And I was just joking, silly. Haha. So I'll see you next Saturday, ok? Remember, you promised me!"
"Ami, wait! I'm not done speaking to you!"
"Bye, Onee-chan! I loooooove you! Hee hee."
"Ami-!" Click. Beeeeeeeeeeep.
The pink-haired woman pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it with an expression of utmost shock and fury.
That. Little. BRAT! She hung up on her! "URGH! I swear, I will get her back for this!" she roared, flinging her cell to the floor and watched partially satisfied as it bounced several times across the carpet before stopping flat short of the wall.
"Oooo, someone's mad, isn't she, Amu?" came a smooth, hot voice right next to her ear.
"AHHH!" Startled, she started to back away only to get her waist caught in the tight grasp of the owner of that smooth voice and soon pinned to the ground by his strong hands. She blinked up at the smirking face of her fiancé, delight dancing within that deep blue gaze of his. "Wha-when did you get back?!"
"Amu, that's no way to greet your husband when he just rushed home to see his beautiful wife."
"Ikuto, we're not-mmph!" She was cut off when he suddenly took her lips with his own, crushing them with fierce longing. She resisted for a moment, struggling to push him off but to no avail as he had her body straddled beneath him. When he finally pulled back, she gasped and glared at that obnoxious grin plastered over his face. "G-Gah! Can you please not attack me every time you come home?!"
A thoughtful look crossed his features. Oh god, now he was acting cute. It's really hard to resist blushing when he does that. "I can…but I won't. Cause I know you love it like nothing else," and he began to nuzzle her neck, planting kisses all over.
Amu threw her head back in defeat and sighed. "You're more impossible than Ami is."
"Is that why you're mad?" Hmm, he didn't like it whenever someone else gets her so worked up. Only he was allowed that special privilege of getting under her skin and watching humorously as she blows up like a volcano over it. But if it was Ami, it couldn't be helped. "What happened with her?" He lifted his head a little to peer into her honey-colored eyes, surprised to see a bit of melancholy now flickering back and forth inside them.
Sighing again, she pushed up into a sitting position and rested her head against his chest as he laid back and wrapped his arms around her smaller form.
"Amu…what happened to Ami?" Ikuto asked again, tilting his head to see the troubled expression etched upon her visage.
She snuggled into him, taking in his scent to help calm the rapidly colliding thoughts in her mind. What was making her feel this disturbed? "She…she got confessed to by a boy. And I think he's a delinquent from how she and Mama described him."
"…So?"
"So? So? Is that all you can say? So?" The former Joker pulled back and glanced up at him with a frown. He, however, didn't understand why this bothered her and just blinked.
"…Then would you rather have a girl confess to her?"
"What?! No! Jeez, Ikuto, why can't you be serious for once?" She pouted and playfully slapped him across the torso to which he smirked and lithely grabbed her hand, drawing her closer to him so that their faces were mere centimeters apart, causing her to turn several shades of red.
"Hmph, cute." He gave her a light peck on her lips, sending a shiver down her spine. That's more like it. She worries too much. "Well, aren't you happy for her?" he said, quickly bringing back the subject so they can just put it aside as fast as possible. He was quite tired and wanted to go to bed.
She averted her eyes and began to toy with a loose button on his shirt. He watched her with mild fascination, his stare fixed on the pale rose bangs slightly covering her eyes, waiting for an answer. When she still didn't give him one, he lifted his own hand and took hold of her own, startling her out of her mid-trance but not enough to get her to lift her head.
"Amu."
"…yea…and no."
"Hmmm. Why not?"
"Because…"
"Because what?"
"Because…because she's too young!" his lover exclaimed, turning back to him with a distressed look that took him aback. Never has he seen her make that face before. It was different from all the rest he knew so well but before he could have a chance to decipher it, she continued in frenzy, "She's only fourteen and, and she wants to get with this Minami…person she barely knows except for the fact that he's planning to buy a motorcycle and will let her ride it when he does get it! And oh yeah, did I mention that he's on bad terms with his parents as well? See! What does that tell you about him?"
"…That he's just a rebellious kid who wants a motorcycle?" The blue-haired man shrugged.
"Noooooo! That he's one of those guys who wander around the street at night to pick fights with other gangs and stuff like that!"
"Amu, I think you're being a little too overprotective."
"And why shouldn't I be?" she demanded, now glaring and inwardly cursing at that ever-present calm façade. He has a younger sister, too. He should at least know what it's like to be worried. "Should I just idly stand by and let this guy with this "really cool earring" he wears-" she imitated in her best Ami voice possible, causing Ikuto to break into a laugh and her to huff at the interruption. "Ikuto!"
"Pf-fft, what? "Really cool earring", she said? What's so wrong with that?"
Glowering, she folded her arms, slid out of his embrace and turned her back to him. "You know what? Forget it."
"Amu, don't be like that." He reached forward to touch her but she only moved further away, refusing to glance towards him. "Amu-"
She held her hand up and shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. I'll…I'll just work this out on my own somehow." Her breathing suddenly became unsteady and he could see that she was failing to hide it. "I know you're tired. Just…just go take a shower and I'll reheat your dinner."
"Amu, look at me." His tone was serious now and Amu gulped when his arms roughly and quickly encircled her waist before pulling her back against him. She, however, still wouldn't look him in the eyes even when his hand gently grabbed her chin and forced her to turn his way. "Amu, the reason you're upset is not because Ami got confessed to by a boy or the fact that he seems to be a delinquent-"
"Oh, yes it is," she stated rather firmly and even hysterically.
"Fine, it is then. But that's not all there is to it, right?"
"…"
"You don't want Ami to like any boy." Amu's eyes widened. There. He said it. So clear and to the point that it almost instantly released all the tension that was housed inside her aching chest, melting away the stronghold she so desperately tried to keep up. She suddenly felt weak and exhausted, not able to comprehend this wave of emotion overtaking her body and can only bring herself to raise her eyes to Ikuto's to let them drop again at the moment they met.
Amu opened her mouth to say something but then stopped. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't say anything.
Was that it? Was it not only because she was being overprotective of Ami but also because she couldn't accept that Ami would like someone? That she could possibly love someone other than her family? That the Ami she helped raised and watched over since she was 8-years old had a new subject of adoration whom she would give her heart to? That same heart that was so captured in awe by her older sister, her Cool & Spicy yet doting and loving Onee-chan, who treasured Ami so much back? Was that really it?
"…I-Ikuto, I-I…" She continually opened and shut her mouth, her hand reaching into her hair to grip onto it only to realize it made its way over to cover the mute shock coming out of her lips. "…I-I…"
"It's okay, Amu."
She shook her head, a mad-like grin wavering uncontrollably as she did. "No…no it isn't! Ami, she…Ami is-"
Ikuto seized her by the shoulders and kissed her, hard. In her moment of confusion and utmost apprehension, she didn't fight it. Her eyes fluttered closed. She let his tongue slip through and eagerly wrestled it with her own, wanting so badly to get away from the turmoil she was feeling as her arms wound their way around his neck and pulled them deeper into each other. Wanting to forget everything but this man who she fell so madly in love with all in one passionate kiss.
And it worked. Temporarily, but it worked.
Gasping for air when her lips parted from his, she regarded his smirk with a lazy, affectionate gaze through half-closed eyelids. He's too good at this, lessening her worries in only a matter of seconds by simply hogging her attention as if he was the only one she should spoil. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her say it, even though he already knew what she was thinking. Instead… "Hmm, I wonder why I'm not surprised that you know how to handle this better than I do."
Her catboy continued to smirk, letting his hand roam under her shirt and further up her back, making her tense up in the process. "Hey, just remember I'm not the one with the complex, Ms. Siscon."
Amu glared at him and flicked him on the nose, grinning when he frowned at the painful contact. "Says you, lolicon. And I do not have a siscon, jerk."
"You're not even a loli anymore, old woman." He stuck his tongue out at her and laughed heartily at the livid look that came upon her face shortly after.
"I hate you." Amu again tried to get out of his hold but no chance. She cursed herself since it was her own fault for melting into the hug. Why is she the one who always ends up on the unfair side of the bargain?
Ikuto grinned deviously as he pulled her closer, suppressing the sound of pleasure from escaping him as he buried his face into her neck. "No you don't, Amu." The utter of her name caused her to shiver and her grip on his shoulders loosened. "Say you don't hate me," he murmured seductively. He could feel her body temperature rising. She must be so red right now.
The rosette groaned exasperatingly. "Ok, fine! I don't! Now can you please stop?" He only chuckled and gently bit down on her exposed collarbone. "Eek! Ikuto!"
'Oh, shut up already, you stupid girl!' was what he wanted to say but he finally obliged and withdrew, his smirk still in place. "You're no fun at all," he teased, wanting to see her pout again and maybe even call him a pervert. He was really disappointed when she didn't and even more perturbed when her expression dropped. "Amu?"
"Ami said the same thing when I told her I didn't want to see her riding that kid's motorcycle." Oh, "that kid" now, huh? And she says she doesn't have a sis con.
"…"
"Ikuto, what should I do? I said I'd try to talk with her to my parents this coming Saturday when he comes over for dinner again but I…can't!"
"How come I'm not invited?" he asked, completely ignoring her dilemma.
"You have a concert in Hokkaido, remember?"
"No."
Amu frowned sternly at him before her look changed to a sad one. "Ikuto, we've been over this. I said I'd make it up to you for missing just this one out. You still don't believe me?"
Ikuto smiled at the sudden solemn face. He doesn't know why but when she shows her honest, most sincere side to him, it's almost as if his insides are brimming to the point of spilling out every emotion he feels whenever he looks at her. She seems so delicate and so lost that he just wants to hold her and never ever let go. Not to anyone. Not even Ami. He was wrong a little, he knew it. He was selfish, yes, he knew it. He knew he shouldn't be fooling around when she needed him in a crucial moment but…he knew she would forgive him when he shows he's sorry in whatever form of apology. And if she could forgive him every day for all the little mishaps and flaws during the rest of the life they will live together, then he knew she can eventually forgive the boy who will one day take her baby sister away.
And he was sure of it. Why? Cause he's the complex expert, duh.
Bringing his arm around her shoulders, he drew her flat against his chest and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Amu blushed at the sudden action but relaxed, nonetheless, sighing contently as she did. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget. You can be quite air-headed, you know." Ugh, and he totally had to ruin the mood.
"Yea, yea, I know," she replied bitterly. A complete day of being his personal slave. How the hell did he get her to agree to that? "So anyways, what should I do about Ami?"
"Simple. Just do what you said you would do."
"No!"
"Are you going to break your promise, Amu?"
Damn him. He really knows her too well. She made a mental note not to promise him anything for the next few weeks. "…no. But I still won't do it!"
"Hmmm. Do I need to convince you again?" he asked slyly, his fingers slipping under chin. "Well, Amu?"
"You'll take any opportunity to kiss me, wouldn't you, you pervert?" He didn't need to answer and just crashed his lips into hers.
And so…though Amu tried to find any reason on why Ami shouldn't be hooking up with delinquent boy at all, she had no choice but to relent to the fact that she couldn't stand in the way of wanting her sister to be happy. Even if it was with a punk she doesn't know and now slightly despises after thinking about him and her together for a little less than twenty-four hours.
Oh wait, scratch that. It's been a few days already and there's nothing slightly about it anymore. She downright hates his entire freakin' existence now.
And all it took was one single, frantic phone call she received from her mother, at exactly the moment she came home after seeing Ikuto off at the airport, to make her mind turn 180 degrees on ever giving Minami-kun a chance to get back into her good graces:
"Amu-chan! Ami-chan ran away!"
A/N: *GASP* …Bad Ami! Very, very bad!
…Um, ok, so…wow, this is 15 pages. O.O;; I honestly did not think it would be that long (I didn't even think it would take me this long to write it) but it is. Um…yea.
Well, I forgot what spurred my inspiration for this one but I think it was just another random plot bunny that just hopped into my brain one day and so I decided to put it down on my ideas list. And I love sisterly relationships and there's not enough fics out there just mainly focused on these two so I made one (I didn't expect to put that much Amuto in it but eh). I started this in…December? Or November? I dunno but I was busy with school so that's why it took so long to actually finish the whole thing, er, half of the whole thing. And of course there's going to be another chapter! I can't let Ami be MIA! Amu would kill me. lol
So…hopefully, there isn't a lot of OOCness. I tried my best to portray the characters as they are but I'm not really good at that so please forgive me.
On Ami, it's very ambiguous on what her character would be like when she's around Amu's age so I had more freedom with that. She's still cute and spoiled but now she's got a touch of a daredevil in her and this "Minami-kun" shows that part of her pretty well, I think (haha, Ami is as daring as her Onee-chan, so cute). I really don't like using any OCs for fics but had to for this one. Otherwise, it wouldn't have worked. Oh, and don't worry, Minami-kun is a good kid. Everything about him will be covered in the next chapter. For now, he'll just simply be Ami's unapproved boyfriend (Amu: WHAT BOYFRIEND?!). xD;
In Amu's case, which I thought would be the hardest to write, it really wasn't so difficult at all. At least her older sister attitude wasn't. But when she's with Ikuto, I'm kinda iffy on how I did. I didn't have her show a lot of her stubborn side, just lots of angry moments. But hey, they're engaged and have known each other for a long time so I think that can justify for it. You can't expect her to be that stubborn towards him like she was when she was just twelve and barely knew him. She's almost 22 (if my math is correct) in this fic and well, if you're still that uptight with your lover you've known for 10 years, there's something wrong in the relationship. Besides…an honest Amu in front of Ikuto is cute. And I at least kept the easily-flustered Amu intact. That was a must. Hehe
Oh, and uh, her siscon was just something I pulled out for convenience. It isn't that serious or canon or anything. But she's really close to Ami so I thought it'd be fun to try. *smirky*
Finally, on Ikuto, I think I've got his playful, naughty side down right. At first, I was worrying if he seemed too carefree and/or too possessive of Amu but I have reasons to back it up. One, Easter is done and over with. It does not exist anymore (cuz I knocked it down, HAHA!). That's all that's needed to be said, right?
Second, in this fic, he's a renowned violinist whose schedule is so busy that he doesn't even have time to call her during the day (and she's a model, too, so she's probably as busy as he is). So he comes home late and can't help but just want to spend what little time he can spare with her. Reasonable, right? Add the fact that he's about to marry his girl in a few months and all she's thinking about is some kid her baby sis has the hots for when they should be having their usual tease wars. I mean, c'mon, Amu, you dope. Lol I kid.
And I think him being an expert on complexes (or knowing enough about them to give advice/point it out) is not so surprising. He has a sister who has a bro-con and a girlfriend who has a siscon. And he was a lolicon. *cackles* Yea.
Um, yea, I think I've rambled enough. All the things I'm not sure about anyways. Let me just say this now, I won't be updating this fic anytime soon. I'm sure the next one will be even longer than this one and that just takes time and I'm about to start school again next week so do the math and please be patient. I'll be working it bit by bit so it won't be completely forgotten or anything.
As for those waiting on my updates for "rewind, pause, forward"…I'm having writer's block. I didn't abandon it. I just need more time. Plus, I want to start some other fics I've been planning (which will have shorter chapters so it'll be easier to update) for SC! so I'll update whatever I finish first.
Ok, I think that's all. Hope you liked it! Reviews and critique greatly appreciated! Here's a preview of the next chapter:
"Ami…I just want you to know…
…
…you're grounded for life."
xD
Yep, that's all I'm giving you. Evil, aren't I?
Mwuahaha!
K, bai.
Disclaimer: Shugo Chara! is the copyrighted property of Peach-Pit. All original characters/plots/ etc. of this story belong to the author, Xiao Jie. This fan fiction has been created solely for entertainment purposes.