The Drifter
Summary:
I'm a princess. And he's a Samurai. How will we ever be together? Amuto. R&R.
Author's Note:
This was bugging the crap out of me. Literally. Aside from the awesome music that made Artistically Sensual, this one came from the inspiration of… well, kimonos and well… sword fighting and well pretty much everything else that I love about this period. This story takes place roughly in the Feudal era of Japan. I guess the best reference is almost that of the mangas that have princesses and priests and emperors and the like. Give or take a few series… I'm not sure. But anyway, this is not going to get really political unless I'm absolutely positive on the hierarchy of Japan's Imperial Court. If you guys have any information regarding it, please do tell me or send me a PM with the links.
Again, I am testing the waters, but I think everyone will love the idea of Ikuto being the Samurai, if you didn't already figure it out. Hehe. What could be sexier than that? I really just LOVE the idea of toying around with Amu and Ikuto in different settings, and this is another one of them. I've been planning and working out who should be what so… some of the characters might take some time to show up, but in the first chapter, I believe you will be ecstatic to find your faves. ;)
Again, I had no one beta read this for me. And again, PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE! :3 And this is a sort of treat for you all, since this story is like… literally rough but I already have this sure thing plot going through my head, just like I do with Artistically Sensual and Together We Unite. Oh my. I'm going to have a handful. ); This is my sort-of-early Valentine's gift for you all. I'll write a regular, actual Valentine Oneshot soon. So look forward to it. :)
Total Word of Chapter Count: 4697
Misc. crap extras: 565
Disclaimer:
Shugo Chara and all related characters and elements are the property, copyright and trademark of Peach Pit and no ownership or claim on said property, copyright or trademark is made or implied by their use in the work(s) of fan fiction presented here. This fan fiction constitutes a personal comment on the aforesaid properties pursuant to doctrines of fair use and fair comment. This fan fiction is non-commercial, not for sale or profit, and may not be sold or reproduced for commercial purposes.
Chapter 1: Scruffy Savior
"Where is hime-sama?" one of the servants asked the caretaker of Amu.
"Amu-hime seemed to have ventured off to the garden," the caretaker sighed, a tad annoyed.
"Dia, she's always like this, isn't she?" the servant nodded in agreement.
"You're right about that, Ran; after all, we've known her for as long as we can remember, right?" Dia smiled weakly at her sister, patting her head. "It just happened that Amu-hime isn't exactly the most… sheltered girl here, it's more Ami-hime that's sheltered than Amu-hime."
"I agree." Ran looked toward their large garden, the cherry blossoms coming into full bloom. A gentle breeze blew by, causing the flower petals to float down to the lush green grass. "But… isn't Tadase-sama coming today?"
Dia nodded. "Well, he insisted that Amu-hime come to his home so that he can show her a demonstration of a dance by a famous dancer as a gift. I wouldn't be surprised; after all, Tadase-sama is the Ouji of the Hotori Clan. There are even some rumors that their father, who is also a fellow daimyo, might take over for-"
"Ah, there's Amu-hime!" Ran pointed. Behind the branch of flowers stood a girl blended into the surroundings of pink with her own pale strawberry-colored hair. "Hime-sama! We've got to get you ready for the trip to Tadase-sama's!"
Amu looked up from where she sat, her kimono placed delicately around her as she sat under the sakura tree with her book. She took a flower petal and stuck it into her book as a bookmark before getting up to wave over at Ran to reply.
"All right, give me a minute!"
She was excited, but she had been so absorbed into her book that she didn't realize that it was time to go. Where did all the time disappear to? But she was excited to see her Tadase, who has been showing signs that he wanted her hand in marriage for quite some time now. She had always admired Tadase from afar, and when they finally met one day at an extravagant party at one of the region's shoguns, she met him accidentally there. Since then, they hit it off and began to make so many plans to meet up with each other more and more. It was mainly Tadase that came over, seeing as he is a man and not a woman, where women were looked down upon to go wandering the streets, especially those of her status without a carriage.
She hurried over and sat down before the mirror. Ran began to brush her long hair and changed her out of her plainer kimono and into her more elegant one.
"Hime-sama, when do you think Tadase-sama is going to ask for your hand?" Ran giggled.
Amu blushed. "I-I don't know… whenever he feels is right." Really, Amu really hoped that it would be today, but something about the dream last night told her otherwise. Something about today told her that something important was going to happen today. She noticed the change in title. "Ran, since when have you used 'Hime-sama' rather than my name?"
"Amu-hime, it's not right for this personality of yours to come out now," Dia sighed as she pulled out the elegant kimono and began to help her dress.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Amu huffed, wearing her favorite "X" shaped hair ties at the end of her braids. She seemed to have forgotten the little issue with her name…
"You're at the age nowadays that you should be getting married," Dia said as she fixed the kimono. "You are sixteen after all."
"Yeah, you're at the lovely age where many men will come asking for your hand in marriage," Ran said as she cleaned up the room before getting ready to help Dia, should she need any.
Amu frowned slightly. Mildly, she recounted the number of offers that she had received.
None.
"I hadn't received any, what on earth are you talking about?" Amu conflicted. "I may be of age to marry, but no one has really asked for my hand in marriage formally."
"Well, then the time for it is probably very soon, your suitors just haven't found the right opportunity to propose," Dia commented as she finished, standing up again to admire her work. "I'll be right back a moment, Hime-sama." Dia left.
Probably to change, Amu thought. One who is the caretaker of a hime must dress appropriately, especially when going to the presence of an Ouji…
Dia quickly came back, and excused Ran to prepare the rest of the carriage.
"Are you ready, Hime-sama?" Dia asked. Amu wondered when they decided that they ought to change how they called her, but decided against asking again.
* * *
Sitting inside the carriage has always been one of Amu's favorite times. It was the only time that she was able to leave her home and go to the outside. Of course, she had already often enough snuck out of her home to see the world outside, her curious mind and eyes already saw half of the town… the other half when she snuck out with Ran.
But where they were going, was a region she hadn't gone to. Her father was the daimyo of her region, which gave her the title of being called a princess. She was of high class, rarely going out to see the peasants, the farmers, and the merchants. She loved looking through the trinkets that she often saw as well as the stores she sees with many books inside. Her warm honey hues looked over the townsfolk, seeing how well that her father ruled this region. As long as she was anywhere in this region, she was safe.
About half an hour passed before they finally came to a stop. Dia appeared worried.
"Strange… we weren't supposed to stop so soon," she muttered, peeking out of the sheets that covered the carriage.
"What's going on?" Amu asked softly.
Before Dia could answer, she roughly closed the blinds, pulling Amu close to her chest. Suddenly, she heard a loud grunt and then a shout.
"Give us your treasures and the hime, and no one will get hurt!" the gruff male voice said.
"Never!" shouted back one of the guards.
Amu had never felt so scared before. What was going to happen?
"Final warning, hand over the darling girl and the loot, or we'll force you to give it to us!" Another voice shouted. His voice was no better than the male before him that spoke.
"What's going to happen to us…?" Amu whispered. She clung to Dia, scared stiff that she might be taken away.
"Shh… and I don't know…" Dia replied, but she held a tighter grip on her Master.
They continued to listen to the exchange.
"No, we will not," the other guard said firmly. Suddenly, the carriage was knocked over due to the sudden thrust forward by the horses as they neighed in surprise. Amu screamed as they fell to the side, Dia shielding her from any harm, but still keeping her well-hidden should the men come forward and unveil the blinds.
Amu could hear several men laughing at their coming demise.
"We'll protect Hime-sama and Dia-san, no matter what!" the guards shouted together. She could hear their feet running toward where they had fallen.
She heard several shouts as men charged. She heard slashes and the sounds of bodies hitting the ground. Abruptly, the blinds were ripped off and rough hands came in and pulled them out. Amu screamed and Dia shouted, "Let her go!"
"Hahaha! Look at what a mighty catch we managed to capture!" one of the men sneered. He laughed and Amu smelled the rotten breathe that came from him. Instantly, her fear from earlier evaporated and she glared at the man holding her wrist. "Oh? The little hime has some spunk! And look men, if it isn't the Amu-hime of the Hinamori Daimyo. How much do you think they'll be willing to pay for her?"
"LET HER GO!" Dia shouted again, but cried out in pain as a blade was pressed to her back, silencing her.
"DIA!" Amu exclaimed. At the surprise from Dia's shout, Amu kicked the man that held her prisoner in the shin, causing him to shout out in pain and releasing his hold on her. Rapidly, she gathered up the hem of her kimono and began to run. She had never felt so glad for all that running around her father's estate, that exercise came in handy. She could hear shouts behind her and she ran harder.
I'll come back for you, Dia, I promise I will! She thought as she continued to run, the heaviness of her kimono beginning to weigh her down.
She had to find somewhere… anywhere, ANYONE that was willing to help. She wasn't going to be able to keep running and she could hear the men behind her catching up to her.
When she turned the corner, she bumped into a strong chest, and just as she fell began to fall backward, a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist and held her close.
She flushed instantly. "S-Sorry about that… but could… could you let go of me?" She tried pushing at his chest, not bothering to look up.
Before the stranger could answer, the bandits caught up, breathing heavily as they surrounded the pair of them.
"Oh, I had been hoping not to cause you trouble…" she murmured. She looked up and found herself staring at a young man with a scruffy beard around his face. He had long hair that was in dire need of a haircut, and a large hat that covered the rest of his head. The only thing that she realized that was really seeable was his flashing, deep sapphire eyes that sent strange shivers up her spine. Suddenly, she felt safe.
"Kind sir, I would like that you return what is rightfully ours," one bandit said. It seemed like this man was the leader.
The stranger looked around him, as if counting how many men surrounded him before he spoke. She was surprised that from this scruffy looking man came a voice that was as rich and as deep and soothing as the sound of the best instrument in the land. Even his low voice sent another shiver up her spine.
"But she's much too pretty to be with the likes of you," he said. She heard something sharp being flicked and her eyes shot down to his side. And on his hip rested a sword that she knew wasn't one used for farming… it was a samurai blade. She flushed as his compliment, but she realized that it infuriated the men around them, and she squeezed his shirt.
"W-What did you just say? She's our property!"
She could have sworn that she saw him smirk.
"I think not." At that instant, the men lunged forward, releasing their swords from their sheaths and she heard him only saying one word… well, more like one sound.
"Tch." His eyes shot to her and in that moment, she seemed to understand what his eyes conveyed. Squeezing her eyes shut and grabbing hold of him tightly, she felt herself being protected as the sound of the sword was released from his own sheath along with many dozens of clangs that the sword came in contact with.
He picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all, and in mere moments, the fight ended and she felt her feet being set on the ground.
"You can open your eyes now," he murmured in her ear. She opened her eyes slowly and came in contact with his sapphire ones and instantly flushed again. But before he could say anything, she looked at the damage that this swordsman had just did. Surprised, she pulled away from the safety of the stranger's embrace and examined her attackers. They were all only knocked unconscious.
"How'd you do that?" she asked in awe.
He chuckled, "That was only a party trick." There was a short pause before he picked her up again, causing her to squeal in surprise. "Cute," was all he said before he took off in the direction she had run from. Suddenly, she remembered Dia!
When they came in sight of the knocked over carriage, he set her back down and watched as Amu ran over toward Dia.
"Dia, Dia? Are you all right?" she called, gently shaking her caretaker. Luckily, the kimono was thick enough that it left a very thin and light scratch against her back. Dia looked up at Amu and smiled.
"Ah, I'm fine, surprisingly," she said softly as she sat up before standing up and beginning to dust herself off. She glanced at the dead guards and sighed. "We'll have to rent out another carriage to get home… our destination…" She stopped talking when she noticed the samurai standing nearby, looking around for any more bandits. "Are you the one who saved her?"
He stopped looking around and faced her. "Yes, I am."
"We'll reward you when we get back home, and you are hired to be our guard during our travels." Amu looked shocked and paled. Why so suddenly…?!
"But first, we must know your name…?"
Amu saw his chin move and instantly knew that he was smirking, his eyes glinting with mischief that she knew that was not there before. "I'd like to get cleaned up first before I accept any sort of jobs that requires me to guard hime-sama over there." Amu felt like he had just picked on her right then and felt angry enough that she wanted to whack him.
"All right, but first, you'll have to help us back to our home," Dia said with a sigh. She watched with surprise as the man walked over to the horses and petted them to calm down. He lifted up the carriage with ease into its rightful position and bowed in a mocking manner that Amu felt angrier. Before she could retort anything, Dia grabbed Amu's hand and pulled her onto the carriage as the temporary blinds covered the carriage. Then she heard the horses being manipulated so that they turned around and began heading home. Before doing so, she heard someone coming up to the carriage and talking to the man guiding the horses… after a few minutes of an exchange, the horses were then knocked into a fast gallop.
"We're going to have to pick up the pace… this route is filled with bandits," the man said through the wall of the carriage.
When it fell silent, Amu whisper-shouted, "Why'd you stop me from yelling at him for being so disrespectful?"
"Because he saved our lives," Dia stated simply.
At that, Amu fell silent. She couldn't deny that he had saved her life, but she just didn't like how rude he was towards her. She really wanted to smack him, at least, for his… his… irritating personality. But while the ride was indeed long, this gave Amu time to think about the man a bit more thoroughly.
He was a traveling ronin… he should be under his own daimyo, but he was not, so he's a wanderer. And from the looks of it, it looked like he's been traveling for quite some time, by the look of the beard and his hair that desperately needs to be cut off or something… she wasn't sure how old he was, given that the beard made him appear much more older than what he probably was. She was a little afraid that the man might be… be… handsome. She didn't want to admit it nor did she want to see it… but she was itching with curiosity to see what he looks like after he cleans himself up a bit…
Before she knew it, they had arrived at their destination, and Amu found herself surprised when the stranger pulled aside the blinds, and helped them down from the carriage.
"Amu-nee-sama!" her little sister exclaimed as soon as Amu entered the threshold.
She was caught off guard by the surprise attack by her sibling, catching her in the mass of a kimono that she wore, surprisingly.
Amu laughed and held her sister tightly, squeezing her as soon as she realized that she was suddenly now safe, and she haven't felt this relieved in long time.
"Amu-nee…?" Ami asked softly, her young girlish voice quiet and concerned.
Moments later, Amu's parents came out.
"Ousama, Joousama!" Dia exclaimed, bowing instantly at their appearance.
Tsumugu and Midori were dressed in elegant robes of silk, in many layers that fit their title. Tsumugu was dressed more casual than he would usually, seeing as he is at home and he had no plans for the day to go out anywhere except spend his time today sitting on the balcony to paint.
Midori took a glance at Dia and paled. "Dia-san, please go get changed and have Ran take a look at your injury… it may be small, but it's better to have it treated than to let you get sick. A doctor is has already been sent for."
Dia nodded and left their presence as the doors of their home was shut. Tsumugu looked up from worrying about his daughter for a moment and said sternly, "Had I known that the route you had taken to the Ouji's home was full of bandits, I would have not let you go…" He looked up and found himself face to face to the ronin that had saved Amu's and Dia's life.
"I must thank you, Ronin-san," Tsumugu bowed.
"I was only doing my job," he replied smoothly.
"As your reward, you are to board here for as long as you like… Ah?" He paused when Midori whispered something in his ear after she had come back from seeing to Dia's condition. "And we will pay you for your services as you serve under us as a personal bodyguard."
The stranger smiled. "Thank you, Tsumugu-sama, it's a pleasure to be serving the Hinamori Daimyo."
"Now, is there anything we can help you with…?"
Ran came running out just as he was about to make a request, "I would like to get cleaned up before I formally accept the employment… and perhaps some food while we converse."
"Certainly, certainly! Ran, go and tell the cook to prepare a quick meal and fetch a blade and sissors." Heartily, he took the stranger away from the front yard with Ran dashing off first, leaving Amu still hugging Ami.
"Amu-nee-chan, let me go please," Ami whispered. She was afraid that if she let go, her sister might do something drastic.
"Ah, sorry," Amu said, putting her sister down before taking her hand and walking toward where her father had most likely taken the stranger.
A few minutes later, Ran ran toward her and said softly, "Hurry, we must get you cleaned before the meal… especially after that horrible incident."
Amu only nodded mutely, unsure as to what to do. She was about to let go of Ami's hand, but she held on firmly. "Ami-sama, let go of your sister's hand," Ran said gently.
"No!" Ami sensed that something was wrong with her elder sister, who was always usually with this attitude that made her admire her elder sister and now, she felt that her sister needed her more than ever.
Ran sighed. "I guess I have no choice, you'll both have to take a bath. Come along." She guided the pair into the bath and for a half hour, Amu relaxed her tense muscles, finally easing out of the sense of frigid fear when she had seen the bandit hold the knife up to Dia's back, a moment before at her neck. She looked at her wrist and flinched when she discovered that there was a bruise of the man's hand imprinted on it. She drowned it under water, hoping to soothe the pain and she watched with a smile as Ami played with the bubbles that were formed thanks to their bath. Her father had somehow managed to find a merchant that made such things as these "bubbles" and it served often to amuse both her and her sister when they bathed. Joining in her sister of playing with bubbles, she relaxed further still until Ran called that it was time to get out.
* * *
The stranger found the land rather immense and calming. It was very well cared for and even the servants were smiling and humming as they walked by. He realized that they really liked their masters and had no complaints whatsoever about them, despite them cleaning the immensely large home.
The servant girl with red hair and pink eyes (unnatural, but then again, he had seen his fair share of strange colors) was called Ran and had given him a small blade to shave and a pair of scissors to cut his hair. Ran said that there were two baths; one of the men of the household and one for the girls of the household. There were an equal number of males and females in the place, and found that he wasn't that surprised. He heard that the servant quarters were in the back of the building, behind a large hedge that everyone seemed to call it the rose hedge.
After his bath and he had thoroughly washed himself clean, he sat before the mirror and chuckled in spite of himself. He was hairier than he had expected after an entire year of traveling… or more, he wasn't sure; he had lost count a long time ago.
Should I shave first or cut my hair first? He thought, taking a good look of himself. With the towel wrapped around his waist, his chest exposed well-toned muscles that were fit for a swordsman of this day and age. Mildly, he remembered the scars that were along his back… and some along the front of his chest as he looked in the mirror. He touched it, tracing it as he sighed. He decided to shave first, so that cutting his hair would be easier. After finished shaving, he touched the smooth skin and smirked characteristically.
He took the scissors then and began cutting his hair in the style that had fit him before he had gone traveling for as long as he did. When he finished, his midnight blue hair shimmered as the sun hit his hair and he got out of the bathroom, donning on the robe that would be his replacement until he could wear the kimono that was made in the fashion of the Hinamori Clan. Until then, this kimono would fit him just fine, black with a faded pattern in the fabric with a white robe underneath.
He picked up his swords and placed them at his hip and stepped out and headed in the direction of the room that Tsumugu had told him to go when he finished cleaning up.
* * *
When Amu finished her bath with Ami, she was refreshed and feeling much better than she had before… as if all of her stress had gone away with the bath. Ami went off with Ran to check on Dia and Amu headed off into the room that Ran told her that she ought to go to. Before she did, however, she stopped by the kitchen.
"Suu, what are you cooking?" Amu asked, peeking into the kitchen. She smelled delicious food being made, almost ready to be served.
The blonde jumped in surprise and her emerald green eyes turned toward Amu's way and she smiled warmly. "Amu-sama, you mustn't do that while I'm cooking!" she exclaimed in her warm, gentle voice. It was hard for her voice to ever sound like it was angry or anything else than cheerful and very welcoming.
"Sorry," Amu looked apologetic. She smiled weakly before smiling fully and bouncing back into the kitchen to sit at the stool that was before a bar and Suu pulled out some snacks and placed it before her.
"You mustn't spoil your appetite so soon before dinner, so have a taste of what's to come for your meal," Suu said as she picked out a piece of chicken and gave it to Amu before scooping the plate away.
As Amu squealed in delight at the deliciously cooked poultry, Suu said, "You must be off now, Ousama is expecting you."
Amu sighed as she confessed with a whisper, "Actually, I'm kind of scared to go there…"
Suu looked over at her master, surprised. "Oh? And why is that?"
"Because a man had saved me from a group of bandits which started a series of events that led him to start working for us, but he said that he wouldn't accept it until he's cleaned up to formally accept it."
Suu seemed thoughtful as she continued to cook, but spoke up after a short pause, "It's best for you to go, Amu-chan, otherwise, your father might become very angry with you for keeping him and his guest waiting."
Amu nodded reluctantly and walked toward the room. She slide the door open and for a moment, thought she was in the wrong room before she realized that he was wearing the same sheathed swords as the ronin from earlier.
"Amu, come sit over here," her father patted a sitting pillow next to him, and in front of him was a gorgeous dark wood-colored table that was high enough to eat on, play games, and even have their meal on should they choose to.
Amu obeyed and sat down, finally taking a good look at the stranger.
If she wasn't next to her father, she would have dropped her mouth open in shock and surprise from how good-looking he was. He had such nicely trimmed hair that seemed to have shaped into feline's ears on the sides with his bangs covering some of his sapphire eyes. His beard was gone, revealing a nice clean shaven man that made him appear many years younger than what he had been originally. She could finally see the smirk that she had seen several times underneath the beard when they were faced against the group of bandits. Without his hat, cloak, and worn-out kimono, he seemed sophisticated, rough yet graceful, sharp yet dull… it was as if he was all of those things, but was not. She could even smell something… different about him in ways that she can't exactly describe.
"It's good to know that you can clean up rather well," her father said, grinning.
The male in front of her smirked. "Of course, otherwise how do we gentlemen get the ladies?" Amu felt offended, but something felt off about his statement. He was aloof, stoic, and joking most of the time. The only time she saw him become serious was when he was defending her… and that was with her eyes closed so she didn't really see him… "serious".
Her father laughed and said, "How rude of us, you know our names, but we do not know yours. What is your name, may I ask of you?"
A flicker of something akin to conflict flickered across his face and Amu wondered about it. In that brief moment, what was he thinking about to show such an expression?
But the conflicted expression faded and came into its place was only a smirk, "Just call me Ikuto."
"No surname?"
He shook his head. "My surname is indeed important… but you only need to know my name for now."
Her father agreed with a nod and seemed thoughtful before he spoke up again, "I have a favor to ask of you, instead of the job offered earlier by my daughter's caretaker. It is indeed a job, but of a different level."
"Oh?" Ikuto raised an eye-brow, curious. His smirk still remained on his face. Amu felt that it must be so characteristically part of him, that she could no longer try to imagine what he would look like with a genuine smile.
"I would like you to become my daughter's bodyguard instead."
Author's Note Part 2:
Okay… Uh… I felt that it was appropriate in this story that we would use honorifics and a bit of Japanese phrases here and there. Not actual ones, but of people things. I'll try to use their "titles" as much as possible, to give a sort of feel of Feudal Japan. Here, in the endings of each chapter, I'll list the ones I've used in the chapter so that you can understand. If you already do, then you can skip this part. Haha.
(it may or may not be entirely accurate, so do not think that these are the actual translations.)
Hime – Princess
Sama – Highly respected honorific (sort of like master or someone whom you worship/admire)
Daimyo – a sort of Shogun/Great powerful, territorial lords (From Wikipedia)
Ouji – Prince
Ronin – Samurai
Ousama – King/Emperor (in this case, I wanted to emphasize that Amu's dad is the "king" of their land property)
Joousama – Queen
Nee-sama – Respected Elder sister
Nee-chan – dear sister/precious sister
-chan – a sense of endearment
