Because of You

January 3, 2011

Cookie: Hiya! It's pinkkittyninja and XxSingingAgonyxX! And this is our first collab story!

Ikuto: like anyone cares

Sylvir: -glares- …...

: Whoa! WOAH! Easy with the language!

Sylvir & Cookie: -thinks- where did she come from? /She didn't say anything!

Amu: O_O

Cookie: ^.^ rated T for tacos! let's move on to the summary now shall we?

Sylvir: -..-

March 15, 2011

Sylvir: Did you readers read about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan? It's so sad! When I heard about it in school, I was like...

Cookie: O..O Calm down...take deep breaths..in..out...in...out.

Sylvir: SEE? Cookie's a cold-blooded alien creep who doesn't have a heart like I do! And she-

Cookie: Okay, okay.

Sylvir: I know something to cheer you up! Cookie! Go hang out with Ikuto and Amu.

Cookie: No. T-T

Sylvir: -imitates Cookie- I broke my toy elephant! I broke my toy elephant! -whines-

:What? You, BROKE your toilet? And now you're using a BUCKET?

Sylvir: O..O what..?

Cookie: Okay guys & girls! This is how it's gonna go, ok? Sylvir has typed the first chapter, and I edited it. Then in chappie 2 I'LL type it up and SYLVIR edits that! So now you guys can see both of our writing styles in the same story! Isn't that awesome?

Ikuto: Not really...

Sylvir: SHUDDUP! Anyway, I hope you like our story! We're hoping it'd be from 10-30 chapters, so stay tuned! And this is my writing you'll see in this chapter!

Cookie: Ok, we don't own Shugo Chara, and if we did-

Sylvir: None of the characters would survive! ^-^

Cookie: Sorry for the long chat ppl and enjoy the chapter!

Sylvir & Cookie: ONWARDS TOWARD READING :D

Disclaimer- We do not own Shugo Chara or "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars

Heartbreaking Discovery

Amu looked in to the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. Her boyfriend, Tadase Hotori who she had been dating for 2 years now just called a few hours ago to ask her if she wanted to take a walk to the park. Amu had of course accepted. It was snowing outside and everything was white and sparkling. It's perfect for a date, she thought.

When I see your face

There's not a thing that I would change

Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are-

"Yeah, I'll be down in a jiffy. Bye." She hung up and grabbed her purse. Then she quickly ran down the stairs and opened the door. Tadase smiled his princely smile and quickly pecked Amu on the cheek.

"You look extremely beautiful today, Amu." he said as he opened the door to the passenger seat for his girlfriend. She smiled and replied, "So do you, Tadase. I'm glad I found you."

He suddenly slammed the door, a little bit too hard. Amu turned to look at him quizzically and he turned and sheepishly smiled. "Sorry, my bad."

~BOY~

A few minutes later, they arrived at the park. It was beautiful; there was snow everywhere and still it continued to fall. It was already past New Year's, but the trees still had ornaments and decorations strung around it. The park was only just a park, but today it seemed to look like a Winter Wonderland.

For the next hour, Amu and Tadase spent their time walking through the park holding hands and chatting. They also stopped to admire some decorated trees as well. As they sat on a bench, talking about their favorite memories from high school, Amu suddenly realized how could she was and started to shiver.

"Tadase?" she asked. "Can you get me some hot coffee? I'm a bit cold now."

"Amu, you're cold? Why didn't you say so? C'mon let's go to that shop over there." he said concerned. He lent out a warm, welcoming hand. Amu stared at him and stubbornly shook her head. "No."

"Aww, but you said you were cold right? Let's go get some coffee then." he argued playfully.

"No, no, no. I want to stay here and admire the beauty of the trees and the pure white snow." she told him. "Can I please stay here, while you go get some hot coffee for us?" Tadase paused for a moment, deciding on to keep arguing or not. He looked uncertain.

"Okay…then. I'll be right back, alright Amu?" He gave Amu a quick peck on the cheek and ran off towards the direction of Dunkin' Donuts. "Be careful!" he called.

"I will!" She watched him 'til he rounded a corner and out of sight. Amu sighed and took out her phone and randomly started taking pictures of her surrounding to pass time. Soon enough, her boyfriend came back panting, with a cup of hot coffee in each hand.

"Thanks, Tadase!" She said, before taking a drink from the hot coffee.

"Be careful…you might burn your tongue!" he cautioned.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm too cold too care."

"But I care, A-" WHOOF! WHOOF!

"Misty, stop! You'll knock over…oh." She didn't finished her sentence. What came next was certainly not expected.

"Tadase!" she squealed, immediately letting go of her dog's leash and leaped in to his arm's and surprisingly, the cup of hot coffee didn't spill. Tadase's cheeks turned pink and his eyes were wide. As the girl hugged Tadase, she caught a glimpse of Amu, who was just sitting there with disbelief plastered on her face.

"Ohhh! Tadase, who is this?" she asked while twirling a piece of his hair in her fingers. Even though she asked it sweetly, her eyes suspiciously looked over Amu.

"I don't know, Dear. She must have been some sort of fangirl and had followed me here. I bought her a cup of hot coffee because I worried that she would be cold."

"You poor thing," The blonde girl sympathized while looking Amu over as if she was a lost puppy. "Well, hurry along now, you shouldn't be staying in the park on such a cold day wearing that. Tadase is already taken. There's no need to waste your time here." Amu stared down at her feet with her arms hung limp at her sides. Amu had dropped the cup of coffee on the ground and the brown liquid was quickly staining the white snow. She turned and began walking away. The blonde girl called after Amu, "My name is Lulu by the way." she added. "What's yours?"

Amu clenched her jaws together tightly and tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill out. She was angry that her boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend had cheated on her with that blonde haired girl- Lulu. Yet at the same time, she was overwhelmed with sadness and it made her feel like someone had just ripped her heart out. Amu just wanted to curl up and cry, but she knew she couldn't. At least not in front of them.

The tears blurred her vision and made everything look like an artist's palette. Pull yourself together and call someone to pick you up, her mind told her. She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve and pulled out her cellphone, then dialed a number that she knew by heart.

Please pick up, she thought. Please…this is very urgent. C'mon…please…

"Amu?" the voice on the other end asked. "Hello? Amu?"

"Huh, oh yeah. I need you to pick me up from..(hiccup) from…the park." Amu answered, half expecting Rima to ask what was wrong. But she didn't this time. The voice on the other end paused, then said, "Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes, alright?"

"Thanks, (hiccup) Rima." the heartbroken girl murmured and then hung up. Amu sat on the bench lost in thought going back in her memories and trying to remember if there was anything odd about Tadase when they were together. And then everything clicked together. When he slammed the car door, it must have been that he was feeling a bit of guilt for dating Lulu behind Amu's back. And then Amu remembered the times when she called him and he didn't pick up. He must have been with her, she thought bitterly.

"Amu!" a familiar voice called, "Amuuuuu! It's Rima. Hello? You there?" Amu's head snapped up and her eyes wandered around until they found Rima, who was sitting inside her car, waving her arms trying to catch her friend's attention.

"Sorry, Rima." she huffed, "I didn't realize you were calling my name," she said while closing the car door of the passenger seat. A small "humph" was her reply but when Amu turned to look at her best friend, she could clearly see that Rima wasn't mad. She sighed in relief.

"Amu? I didn't get to ask you on the phone, but what happened?" she inquired. She took one look at Amu and knew at once that she had asked the wrong question. Her friend's eyes grew distant and became watery with tears. Rima understood that Amu had probably broken up with her boyfriend. No. Tadase had most likely been caught by Amu with another girl. Yes, that was probably it.

Rima didn't bother comforting her even though she had a clear understanding of what her best friend was going through right now. She wasn't the type of person you would go to for comfort. Rima just wasn't good at that kind of stuff, because when she was younger there was nobody to comfort her.

Back in elementary and junior high, her parents constantly fought and it shredded her heart to pieces to see them that way. She had tried to make them feel happy, to pay attention to her again, but they had pushed her away. She knew that they didn't mean to cause her pain, but the rejection…it was the first time she had really felt true pain then. But now, somehow, she had grown used to it, the fighting. And Rima had also become used to being cold toward others and learned to put up a wall between her and the rest. She had warmed up a lot more once she met Nagihiko Fujisaki, the boy who she was currently dating, and Amu as well.

Rima turned into the driveway and stopped the car. Then she flipped open her phone and dialed in a number.

"I'm in your driveway right now. Mind if we stay over your house, Nagi?"

"Yeah, sure." he replied. "I'll unlock the door for you guys."

"Get some movies out and…some popcorn or ice cream too."

"…right."

"Okay, bye." She ended the call and got out of her car. "Amu? Do you need help getting out?"

"No, I'm fine" she croaked. The car door opened and the pink-haired girl staggered out.

Nagihiko opened the door of the house just as Amu and Rima got there. He was taken back in horror by the sight of their friend in such a state but he quickly composed himself.

"Hello Rima, Amu," he smiled, "I've got the food and movie ready. Shall we go in? I mean it's a bit cold to be standing out here."

"Yeah, let's go in, Amu." Rima said and grabbed the pinkette's hand.

~BOY~

They watched some laugh-your-ass -off comedies and ate some popcorn and ice cream. Amu was at first still a bit teary-eyed and stiff, but in the second comedy she was back to normal. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 3 o' clock. I should get going now, she thought.

"Rima, Nagi?" murmured Amu. "I promised Mom that I would stay—"

"It's alright Amu, we understand," Nagi spoke. "You haven't seen your family for such a long time because of living in the dorm and all...and your the only one who still has a family...I mean..."

"Go," Rima urged. "You don't want to arrive late, do you?"

"Okay then, see ya guys later!" She gave her friends a hug and left.

A while after their friend's departure, Nagihiko noticed something. "Rima?"

"Hmm?"

"How is Amu going to get home? Isn't it kind of cold to be walking?"

"Oh, yeah...let me call her." She dialed in Amu's number and a second later she picked up.

"Hello? Rima?" she asked, "Why'd you call? Did I leave something at Nagi's house?"

"Uh, no. I called to ask if you needed a back home because it's cold today. We don't want you to get sick."

"I'm at the mall now actually," she paused to open the door before continuing, "I need to buy my sister something. I forgot to tell you. Do you wanna come?"

"No, I'll pass." Rima replied. "Just call me 5 minutes before you leave and I'll come pick you up, okay?"

"I'm fine I'll—"

"It's like three forty-two now. The sky will be dark by the time you leave. I don't want my best friend getting hurt." she said, firmly. Amu sighed in annoyance knowing she lost.

"Fine...Rima..." she mumbled, "bye."

"Alright then, bye!" Amu smiled and hung up. She sighed and walked into the mall. Inside, it was decorated with red and gold. Hmm...what should I get Ami, and Dad and Mom? She quickly decided upon buying her father a new scarf and her mother a beautiful necklace, but she wondered on what to get for her younger sister. Well, she does like cute things...like stuffed animals...I suppose I could...hmm...maybe...She stopped for a second and turned around searching for the store with the cute plushies. Oh, there it is. The store was located right where she was standing and she felt slightly embarrassed for not realizing sooner. Alright, I hope they have stuffed owls here...

-Flashback-

7 years ago, when Amu and her family were traveling in America...

"Onee-chan, did you see that? That pretty birdie?"

"Yes, Ami. I did." she replied calmly and turned back to her book. "Do you know what 'that pretty birdie' is called?"

Her sister shook her head making her pigtails swing back and forth. "No, tell me!"

"That bird is a spotted owl and they are endangered right now."

"Onee-chan?" she asked. "What does 'endangered' mean?" Amu smiled at her little sister.

"It means that there are not many of them left."

"I still don't get it. Tell me more!" she exclaimed. Amu put down her book and turned to look at her sister.

"You know how we always see those little brown birds?" Her sister nodded her head. "If there are only a few of them left in the world, then they are endangered. And if there are no more of them, then they are extinct."

Ami's eyes widened. "Like the dinosaurs? Will it happen to the pretty birdie too?" Amu didn't answer. "The pretty birdie is going to die, Onee-chan?"

"It depends..." she answered.

"Oh, well I'm going to make sure that never happens! I will protect the pretty birdies no matter what!"

"That's nice, Ami. I'm sure you will!"

-End of Flashback-

Amu smiled as walked out of the shop with her sister's present safely tucked inside the gift bag. Luckily for her, the store did have stuffed owls. A whole shelf of them. Amu picked had found a spotted owl plushie that was marked, "Limited Edition." She was secretly worried that her sister might have already gotten it, but a store employee told her she was the first to purchase one of new limited edition items that they had put out just today.

"You can pick me up now," she said into her cellphone. "I'll be waiting at the side entrance."

"Okay, Amu. I'll call you when I get there."

"Okay, bye!" The pinkette slid her phone back into her coat and sat on the bench. She looked around and saw a poster with Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the 21-year-old male celebrity, on it. Out of boredom and curiosity, the young woman got up and walked over to read the colorfully printed words. Hmm...interesting...It's about some romance movie and they need someone for the female role. And yeah, okay. Says auditions are open for girls (or young women), around the ages of eighteen, nineteen, and twenty. Auditions will be held in this mall and he will be there to watch it...And they need to be able to sing...

Her phone began singing "Vanilla Twilight" and she automatically turned her head away from the poster. Amu quickly gathered her things and walked outside. She tried to keep her face blank as she walked over to Rima's car, but as she reached to close the door, Amu couldn't help but let the edge of her lips curl up in a devilish smile. She had the perfect plan to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend.

An absolutely perfect plan.

Cookie: SUSPENSE!

Sylvir: Mwahaha-

Cookie: That doesn't suit you. T_T

Sylvir: I know..

Amu: Awwwwwkkward sileeence!~

Sylvir, Cookie & Ikuto: It wasn't before you said so.

Amu: -pouts- Fine! Whatever!

Ikuto: Someone go comfort her.

Sylvir: Why comfort her?

Cookie: She's perfectly intact.

Ikuto: Look at her.

-all turns to look-

Amu: -in the emo corner with dark storm clouds looming over her-

Cookie: o-o...

Sylvir: Cookie...being the NICE person you are, you're going to go comfort her RIGHT? -smiles creepily-

Ikuto: -chuckles-

Cookie: ...she looks perfectly fine to me. OH! -turns to Ikuto and smiles- why not YOU comfort her? ^-^

Ikuto: -starts to back away- no thanks...-runs off-

Cookie: -chases him-

Sylvir: -grabs Rima-

Rima: HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR? I WAS WATCHING TV!

Sylvir: -runs off after Cookie-

Rima: -glares- just REVIEW okay? -curses-

Cookie: I HEARD THAT!

Rima: alright whatever...just R&R -grumbles a 'thanks'

Cookie: Thanks for reading, people! We'd like all the support we could get! :D

Sylvir: R&R!

May 15, 2011