Miyuki: Can either of you guess what song I'm thinking of? Winner gets a bag of catnip.
Amu: Isn't that more of what Ikuto would want?
Ikuto: Uh... the Numa Numa song?
Miyuki: Really? The Numa Numa song?
Amu: Meikyuu Butterfly?
Miyuki: *shoves bag of catnip in Amus' hands* Psychic! I actually didn't expect you to guess correctly.
Amu: *pushes bag of catnip into Ikutos' chest* H-Here! I have no need for it!
Ikuto: *eyes go completely black* *tail sways back and forth lazily*
Amu: *blushes* W-What? Again?(for explanation, see Catnip, by Starflower-Gem)
Miyuki: heh heh heh. You didn't notice I cut the bag before I handed it to you? There's catnip all over you.
Brett: Amry does not have anything to do with Shugo Chara, Shugo Chara Doki, Shugo Chara Party, or any of the characters. AKA: Amry does not own Shugo Chara. Please support the official release.
Amu was staring at her desk. She was suspicious of the underside, for the fear of finding one again. Amu opened her bag, took out her assignments and scrawled her name at the top. She tapped the lose papers together to even them out, then put them on the teacher desk. After she handed in her homework, she went back to her desk and sat down. Amu bent down to look at the bottom of her desk, and, sure enough, a note was taped to the bottom of it. Angrily, she ripped the note off the upside-down surface and sped-read it.
You're running out of time.
Hurry and give me the goods before I have to use violence.
You've been warned!
Ever since last month, Amu had been receiving anonymous letters with four main points: 1, ? would take away everything precious to her, 2, she should deliver something that she had no idea of what it was, 3, ? could trap her somewhere "dark and small" and 4, hurry up before this person used violence. Her and her friends had tried to figure out who had sent the message, but the notes were made with cut up letters from a magazine. They also never had fingerprints. But the notes kept showing up, and no-one could figure out who was sending them.
School zoomed past that day. Nothing interesting happened at all. Amu let out a small sigh and continued walking home. She heard someone panting behind her, and found Rima doubled over and sweating. Amu sweat dropped. "Have you no athletic talent? You've barely got out of the school grounds!" She muttered to her blonde friend.
"I barely ever used to walk. Remember, my parents used to drive me. Be happy I have permission to walk home now." Rima panted. "I'm happy they got divorced, but I can't walk every day this far!" This comment provoked Amu to sweat drop once more. "So, Kairi figured out a way to find out the letter sender. He said he e-mailed you with the instructions."
"Just me?"
"Yep." Amu suddenly slouched and grew depression lines on her head.
"I'll never figure it out alone."
"You're not that stupid!"
"Y- I mean n- I mean I can't do this alone."
"We're all trying to help you, as best we can. By the way, Kairi also attached his research and list of suspects. And Tadase found a small knife that could have been used to scratch your desk." Amu remembered the awful scratching on the bottom of her desk. It had said:
Hurry, Hurry!
Little Strawberry
Rima said she was home, and Amu had to walk home alone. All the way, her charas' tried to cheer her up.
"It's okay Amu! We'll get through! Everyone is helping us! See?" Ran cheered her on. Her shouts were echoed by her other charas' through a chorus of agreements.
"We'll make it." Dia said, whose comment agreed with by the nodding Miki. Su 'desu' ed. When they got home, Amu went straight to her room to check her inbox. Her computer, being exceptionally slow, started up at a snail's pace. To pass the time, she went and laid on her bed. Her chara's were still talking to her, but she wasn't listening. She stared up at her ceiling and kicked her feet. She sighed loudly and rolled around. She got off her bed, only to jump back on with a face full of pillows. Seriously, being stalked like this was stressful. A knock on her balcony window snapped her out of depression. She already knew who it was. Amu got up, strode across the room, and opened the window. There stood Ikuto. He stood there, and didn't say anything; instead, his eyes spoke. Are you okay? Have the letters stopped? But louder then all was "Do you want me to come in?" So in reply to the last silent worry, she nodded. He stepped in, and then asked her the other questions in his deep voice.
"Well, the letters haven't stopped, but Kairi sent some instructions on how to figure out the sender, along with his research plus a list of suspects."
"Oh. I wish I could help you more. All I did was track the scent of the letters down to someone at your school. By the way, have you told your parents yet?"
"No, they would just make a big scene of it." Amu said looking away.
"Amu, I've told you this once before. Your parents, even if you don't realize it, have always been there for you." Amu blinked to hide tears, and when she opened her eyes, Ikuto was no longer in front of her. "I will also be there for you." his voice was now behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist. "I will do everything to protect you. I will go to the ends of the Earth to make you happy." a ping interrupted the romantic moment (Miyuki: Curse you ping. Amu: You wrote it. If you don't like it, then fix it.) and the teens looked at the computer. Amu squirmed out of Ikutos' loose grip to check her inbox. But there was no e-mail from Kairi. Instead there was an e-mail from 'anonymous'. Ikuto moved Amu's hand to click on this.
Strawberry, you have officially run out of time. Since you have failed your half, I will come by tomorrow to carry out my part of the deal that was previously decided to happen if you did not succeed.
-Anonymous
"I-Ikuto?"
"Yup?"
"Will you stay the night?"
"Why?"
"I'm scared." Ikuto was surprised. She wanted him to stay the night.
"Yes. If it makes you happy." Amu got under the covers (she's already in her pj's), and told Ran to get the lights. Ikuto shut off her computer, and cuddled into her bed. Amu soon fell asleep, intertwined with Ikuto. But, her life is definitely not all happy. That night, the land of nightmares claimed her.
Amu's dream started out nice. She was lying in a field with Ikuto. Then a black eye covered the sky. It was like a small black dot to start off, but it grew. It got bigger and bigger, and covered almost the whole sky. Dream Ikuto was holding onto her the whole time the dot was growing. Then when the dot finally covered the entire sky, it got so dark she couldn't see Ikuto. She could feel his grip, but she couldn't see him. She shouted into the blackness, "Don't leave me Ikuto! Please, don't go, I'm scared! Ikuto!" Then Amu woke up.
She woke to Ikuto shaking her, cradling her. "I'm right here. I'll never leave you alone. It's okay." He whispered in her ear. When she calmed down from her demonic dream, she realized she was shaking, and that tears were streaming down her face. Ikuto still held her, consoling her with his warm hug. She did not bother to struggle away from his grip. Instead she found herself being lulled to sleep by his rhythmic heartbeat. Soon enough, she was unconscious in his arms.
Miyuki: Aww!
Ikuto: She fell asleep in my arms. *SMIRK*
Amu: *Still asleep*
Miyuki: You guys are so cute together!
Amu: *wakes up* Huh? What happened?
Ikuto: You fell asleep on me... your sleeping face is cute.
Amu: (obviously only half with it) Pervert... It's no wonder I fell asleep after you went crazy. This time Ran couldn't save me... (for explanation, see Catnip, by Starflower-Gem)
Miyuki: I would like to say thank you to Starflower-Gem, for inspiring (don't ask how) this story with her story, Catnip.