Chapter 1~ Family Treasure
The day that Tsukiyomi Ikuto his life changed forever, Ikuto didn't know this at the time. His heart didn't miss a beat as he took the box from his mother and put it on his desk. He was irritated, Who wouldn't be irritated to have a dull, ugly music box in their room? His father said that the box should be in a museum. but his Aunt Bethany left it to Ikuto in her will so here it is, making everything else in his room look plain and sort of- childish.
The music box had been in Ikuto's family ever since a long ago ancestor called Rollo had brought it home from one of his world trips.
"Rollo was a great traveller," Aunt Bethany always said, opening her blue eyes wide as if being a great traveller was as remarkable as being a fire-eater i a circus.
The box was about as big as a shoebox and had four short legs. Its lid was smooth, shining black, quite plain except for a narrow, oval-shaped ring of real silver in the centre. Its sides, however, were painted with amazingly detailed scenes, and this was what made it old fashioned .
The long side at the front was a town filled with houses, shops and people. The long side at the back was green and peaceful, with a castle on a hill, a queen in a long blue gown, a dragon flying high in the sky and a river winding down from the misty mountains. One of the short sides was a coast sea and golden sand. the other was mainly forest, where tall trees rose from a sea of lacy ferns and shadows seemed to flicker with the stripes of tigers.
Ikuto lifted the box and turned the winder in its base three times, counting under his breath. As the music began, he heard his mother moving around in the spare room next door, and signed. He wanted to forget that Hinamori Amu, his family friend's daughter is coming to stay.
his mother wasn't looking forward to Amu's visit either. She hadn't said so, but he could tell. And Ikuto's father had, as usual, made his feelings very clear.
"Why can't Midori and Tsumugu take the girl to Greece with them?" he demanded, when the news of Amu's visit had been broken to him.
"She won't go," Ikuto's mother had said calmly," She doesn't want to miss her singing lessons. And-"
Ikuto's father gave an explosive snort. "The surely there's someone else who can take her?" he demanded.
"No Kazuomi, there isn't," said Ikuto's mum. "Midori's brothers can't possibly take her because they are too busy working. The twins are still in India. Suzanne and Martin can't take Mutt because of Martin's allergy-"
"Mutt?' roared Kazuomi, "Who's-?"
"Amu's dog," said Ikuto's mum, lifting her chin."Amu won't go anywhere without him."
Kazuomi stared, speechless. Then he turned to look at Tiff, the dignified black cat dozing in a puddle of sunlight under the window.
"Oh, Mutt won't bother Tiff," Ikuto's mother said confidently. "Mutt's a tiny little thing. And he'll sleep upstairs with Amu."
Kazuomi had groaned, Ikuto had gloomily faced the fact that the matter was settled.
Kazuomi Tsukiyomi was the manager of the Tsukiyomi company. He was a big, untidy, impatient man, who had no living relatives except his wife and son. He liked his home to be comfortable refuge, and he loathed any kind of intrusion. But he loved his wife very much, and he knew that, for her, blood was thicker than water. She is sure to be a Tsukiyomi.
And if mum hadn't been so determind. Ikuto thought later, wondering at the mysteries of fate, if mum had caved in and told dad, okay, if it upsets you so much we won't have Amu after all...
Then Aunt Bethany's music box would have kept its secret for another eighty years.
Ikuto remembered they day where Aunt Bethany gave his mother the music box.
"No, we wind the box three times, no more,"she always said, speaking especially to him."We never turn the key while the music is playing. We never pick up the box while the music is playing and we never close the lid until the music has stopped."
Then she lifted the box, turn the key three times, put the box down again, and opened the lid. The chiming music would begin-soft, sweet and strange. When Ikuto was little, it always looked to him as if the tiger shadows were moving, and the painted people were dancing to the tune.
Ikuto had seen Amu a couple of times at school. Though they're in the same school, they hardly spoke to one another. Amu sang very well, Ikuto's mother said. It had been discovered that she had an extraordinary musical talent. As if that makes it okay to act like she's better than everyone else, Ikuto thought sourly.