AN: Yes, I have finally delved into the wonderful world of Amuto, but I have been a fan of the pairing for many years and I hope you will enjoy my story~
Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara, the characters I use in this story or the cover art but if I did own Shugo Chara then Amu would have easily ended up with our beloved cat hybrid boy. I mean really? Who would go for a prince over a pirate? A king over a thief? Prince Charming over Sinbad? If you chose any of the first options then I really do not understand you people...
Also, this contains the pairing of Ikuto and Amu and if you don't like the pairing then please leave now because I love my stories and would rather not have you bad mouth them over a simple pairing.
Each chapter will be named after the stars in the Leo constellation in correlation to Ikuto and the title of the fanfic.
Chapter 1- Regulus (Alpha)
Amu sighed in annoyance as she walked home from school, her bag tossed carelessly over her shoulder and a scowl on her face. She couldn't comprehend why teen girls her age cared so much about what they wore, their makeup, style of hair, how they looked, and basically being just pathetic creatures of vanity. They cared above and beyond what they should when it came to appearance and foolish popularity within their school. Amu knew that just because someone might have been popular and "Queen Bee" in their school doesn't mean that the popularity would transfer to college or real life.
Sure she didn't leave the house unless she looked somewhat good, not a ragamuffin but she didn't obsess over such useless things. Amu preferred to consider things of more importance. Nature was one of them. She did love to take the long way home just to see the fields along the riverbanks, the flowers that sprouted here and there, hear the whistle of the wind and the trees rustling. Or the skies, going out to the small terrace outside her bedroom to see the stars shining so vividly in the dark night sky, bringing light and hope into her life.
She shook her head, it was no wonder she didn't fit in at her high school…
A small blur of white crossed into her vision and she blinked quickly, clearing the blurring that melted into water from her eyes. Looking up she saw that the grey-ish white sky had finally brought forth what everyone waited for during winter, snow. She smiled briefly as a small flurry blew around her with the wind, a shiver going up her spine but it only filled her with glee as she spun around with her mouth open and tongue out, trying to catch the snowflakes, mostly in vain but she loved trying even if it was or seemed childish.
Amu sighed happily as a few landed on her tongue, melting on contact but the touch of cold was engraved in her memory as she giggled. She settled back into walking home but her spirit felt higher, lighter, the only thing missing was a friend, someone that she could talk to, and someone to understand her…
Laughing humorlessly, she knew that would be difficult to find when she's brought out of her musing by an odd sound. She froze, straining her ears to see if it happened again. It felt like forever until she heard it once more but the noise floated weakly to her ears. Looking around for what could have caused the odd sound she spied a cardboard box at the entrance of an alley, a plain brown cardboard box with its four lids splaying out.
Amu couldn't see what was inside the box but her curiosity got to her and she couldn't resist the urge to go closer. Her footsteps were quickly becoming softer as she tried to step lightly so if there was something in the box she wouldn't spook it but the soft snow gathering on the ground also served to muffle the sounds her shoes made. She stood a few inches from the box and with some hesitation she leaned forward and peeked over the edge of the box.
Amu gasped as shock and anger coiled in her chest. A small cat with black fur that had a blue shine to it in the light was curled in a tight little ball in the box, shivering and thin. It was like the cat hadn't seen a good meal in weeks and for someone to mistreat a helpless creature this way, to leave it to die with no more protection than a dishrag lining the bottom of the box was just…cruel, heartless and Amu wanted to torture the person that did this.
She kneeled beside the box and tentatively reached inside, carefully gathering the small ball of fur in her hands, flinching at how cold it was. Her fingers trembled with how careful she had to be as the cold from the cat's body seeped into her skin. She unzipped her jacket and placed the cat inside, cradling it to her chest before zipping it up to her chin and adjusting her school bag on her shoulder, taking off towards her home.
The snow was falling faster and thicker, chilling the air and making it harder for her to see. Snowflakes caught on her lashes as her breath puffed into clouds and trailed behind her. As she ran she felt the cat shivering against her, its pounding heartbeat was felt through her shirt and she took it as a good sign, it was strong, a fighter.
When she reached her front door she barely took the time to take off her shoes at the doorway, tripping on the step but catching herself and racing up the stairs to her room. Amu heard her parents call her from the kitchen and living room along with her little sister's garbled call as her dad looked up from watching TV with Ami on his knee and her mom looked up from the carrot she had been slicing up on a wooden cutting board, but she didn't stop or look back, only offering a hurried "I'm Home!" before she closed the door to her room behind her.
The moment the door was closed her school bag fell from her shoulder and hit the floor with a muffled thud. Amu was off in a flutter around her room, racing like a hummingbird from one thing to another as she gathered blankets onto her bed. Shaping them like a nest and unzipping her jacket to pull the cat she had found free and bundled it in the blankets before heading off to the next thing.
She nearly tripped on the cord of the electric heater as she twisted and turned trying to find it. With a barely restrained growl under her breath she turned the heater on and positioned it to face the bed with the hand that wasn't cradling the foot she had stubbed in her minor attempt at stunt work. Amu kneeled next to the heater and watched closely as the visible coils glowed an orange-ish color as it slowly warmed up.
She sighed in wary relief as she began to feel warmth emit from the grated vents. Reaching out with a delicate, if not timid, touch, she gathered the blankets in her hands and ran the fabric over the midnight blue/black fur of the cat, trying to warm it up faster as the warmth from the heater would take a while to kick in. Tilting her head as she allowed herself a moment to actually look the cat over, marveling at the color of the fur and taking a moment to feel it between the pads of her fingers to realize it was naturally that color and not chemically treated.
She had yet to see the cat's eyes but with a moment of investigation, and manipulation of blankets, she found out that the cat was male. He was beautiful and to her pride she felt its heartbeat through the blankets growing stronger and his breathing became easier. It just didn't make any sense to her why anyone would abandon their pet.
How did Amu know that he had belonged to someone at one point or another? She wasn't sure but she doubted he got into that box himself with nothing but a measly dishrag to keep him warm. Amu pressed a soft kiss to the cat's forehead after he stretched and curled into a tighter ball in the blankets, seeming to finally react to the warmth from the heater.
Reluctantly pulling her hands away from the blankets and his fur, she stood up, dusting off her knees more out of habit than there actually being anything on them. She turned and looked out the sliding door to her small balcony when a shiver ripped up her spine.
Outside the softly falling snow had turned to a fast flying blizzard in the matter of minutes. All that was out there was a world of white and grey and if you were lucky you could get a glimpse of something a yard away or blurry outlines if the flurry let up for half a second.
Amu sighed quietly, somewhat in relief as she looked back down to the little ball of fur sitting on her bed, bundled in fluffy blankets and warming up with the heater set at the foot of the bed. She didn't exactly know if he would have survived if she had been out there during the blizzard with him. He was already chilled to the bone when she got to him and a sense of dread filled her as she thought of what would have happened to him if she hadn't decided to take the long way home that day.
A soft knock at Amu's bedroom door broke her from her morbid wonderings. When she turned to look over her shoulder she saw the cautious faces of her parents and little sister peeking through the small crack between the door and the doorway. Pressing a finger to her lips with one has as the other beckoned them to come in.
She saw the questions in their eyes, well other than Ami, there was just childish curiosity and confusion in her wide eyes, but before either of her parents could open their mouths and say anything she pointed to the bed where the cat was still lying bundled up in blankets in front of the electric heater with only its midnight colored head peeking out. For a while her mother and father did nothing but gush over the sleeping cat with hushed voices and starry eyes. Amu knew they wouldn't be able to resist once they saw him, having a weakness for adorable things and he definitely fell into that category. Plus they would never suggest throwing him back outside into the freezing blizzard that was currently raging through.
Of course they still wanted to know where and how she found him, a tale which by the time she was done with they seemed none too pleased but to no fault of her own. They were furious with whoever had left him out there and with a blizzard on the way no less. Her father quickly decided, knowing her mother agreed that the cat would be staying with them.
They would be his new family as no one that abandoned such a cute little kitten deserved a second chance (her father's direct quote). Amu's mom hurried back downstairs to prepare a meal for their family's newest edition along with finish dinner as her father held Ami in his arms, cooing to her as he showed her the cat. Amu found it a little amusing as she sat on the edge of her bed next to the nest of blankets, that when the cat awoke he would probably be overwhelmed by all the people now jostling to show him affection.
Absentmindedly she ran her fingers through the blue-ish black fur tuft between his ears, content but smiling softly as she felt the vibrations of his purrs beneath her hand. He father broke into "awws" at the cuteness of the moment. Surprisingly it was Ami that brought up a valid point Amu had all but forgotten when she tugged their father's sleeve and pointed at the cat, asking for its name. Amu hadn't really considered that till now but forcefully rejected all the ridiculous names her father suggested, ignoring the absurd way he pouted and told her in a childish voice that caused Ami to laugh, that Amu was so mean.
Her mom had walked through the door by that point with a tray in her hands. She sat on the other side of the bed across from Amu and handed her a bowl of the stew she had been making before Amu had burst through the front door. Amu accepted with a soft thank you before blowing on it and taking cautious sips, sighing happily as the warm stew created a comfortable heat in her chest.
She vaguely listened to her parents going back and forth suggesting names or rejecting ones they had offered as she turned her head to look out her window. The storm was still billowing with a vengeance but it was easy to see how much darker it had gotten, the electric heater quickly becoming the only source of light in Amu's small room. As Amu squinted, leaning forward slightly, she could make out the faint twinkling light of the stars.
All of the sudden the name came to her as her head whipped to look from the feeble light of the evening stars outside to the ball of midnight colored fur just beside her amongst the rainbow of colored blankets and quilts. "Ikuto…" Her honey colored eyes widened as the name fell effortlessly from her lips, barely louder than a whisper.
Her parents almost instantly stopped their own conversation, blinking and looking from their daughter to the cat that seemed to have mesmerized her. "What was that Amu?" Amu didn't look away from him as she spoke, not lifting her eyes from the blue-ish black furred head.
"His name is Ikuto, Ikuto Tsukiyomi." Her mother had a look of realization cross her face as she looked from her daughter to the window she had been looking out of just moments before and smiled softy, watching as Amu reached out to brush her fingertips across one of his ears. "I think it is the perfect name dear."
It was then that Ikuto decided to open his eyes, staring up into Amu's honey ones with the deepest shade of blue eyes she had ever seen. She would have sworn that they were indigo in their depthless appearance. Ikuto's gaze was steady, not blinking as he seemed to be sizing her up but whatever he had been looking for he had either found and liked or not found and been pleased as he closed his eyes again, curling up against her outstretched hand, which she had forgotten about.
Their moment seemed to have gone unnoticed by Amu's parents, they appeared to have not noticed him open his eyes at all from their lack of reactions, but Amu was frozen. The look in his eyes… It was so human, like he was able to see into her soul and pick apart each thing that made her who she was. Amu shook her head as she heard her mother ask if she was alright, not knowing why Amu had been looking at Ikuto, staring more like, with such shock.
They really hadn't seen his eyes then, she reasoned. Hadn't seen the blue, nearly indigo, shade of his eyes nor the calculating way in which he studied her. The vibrations of his purring made Amu blink, sighing as her nails scratched softly behind his ears and she wondered if she just imagined the whole thing. Amu attributed it to the stress and excitement she had experienced, setting her empty bowl on her nightstand and lying back as the sounds of her parents' low voices, her sister's garbled words, the softvirring of the electric heater, Ikuto's loud purring, and the blizzard billowing outside lulled her slowly to sleep.