This is a tribute to one of my favorite childhood stories: Little Red Riding Hood. This story inspired me to create a fluffy romance to possibly my most beloved pairing, Amu and Tadase. I know I have my Mage Master fic to work on, but I was so inspired to write this story, so I did. As said in the summary, this is a two part story. I wanted it to be a oneshot, but felt that this would either make me rush the plot or just make the content too long that it would bore my readers to death. I will update the second part as soon as I can. So until then, please rate and review, I would so appreciate it!

Disclaimer's Note: I do not own any of Shugo Chara!'s canon characters.

Her Innocent Wolf

Part 1

The crisp air of the autumn morning hung thick as the sun arose from its night time slumber. Its gentle rays awoke life as they shone on the land, revitalizing the energy lost during the cold of the night. Dawn was an ever so magical time of the day, as one pinkette always made sure to be part of. Amu Hinamori always got up before the sunrise and would make her way towards the woods to enjoy that unique smell as sunlight gradually spread across the trees and shrubs. It was a scent of a new life, a new hope. And in the autumn, with the colors of red, orange and brown intertwining with the bedazzling yellow light, it was certainly a sight to behold.

This particular morning was, as the pinkette described it, "The most beautiful autumn dawn yet". Amu walked about the forest path, enjoying the sight of leaves falling from their branches as she made her way towards her grandmother's house. She had decided to take this opportunity to visit her beloved relative. The girl had nothing to do at home and found that providing her widowed grandmother company would bring more meaning to her day. "If she wasn't so sickly, she'd probably enjoy viewing the woods along with me.." Amu said softly.

She felt saddened at the thought of anyone missing or, heaven forbid, skipping such opportunities to marvel at nature's beauty such as this dawn. It seemed unheard of in her innocent opinion. As she made her way to her grandmother's house, she heard a rather loud snap of a twig. She paused, looking about for any sign of trouble. She was no stranger to wolves. They were a fearsome animal, cunning, crafty, and deadly. One of Amu's friends had fallen prey to a wolf and was killed while she, too, was walking through the woods.

The pinkette's honey-gold eyes scanned for any sign of ash grey pelts or of mahogany fur. But she found nothing of the sort as she looked around. After a few seconds, she let herself relax, sighing in relief. "Thank god.." she muttered. There were no wolves in sight, so she felt safer. Still, what did cause that noise?

Amu tried calming down by telling herself that it could have been a hare that stepped on the twig, or perhaps a fox. Foxes weren't as dangerous as wolves and Amu found them quite friendly. Yet after a few more steps forward, she heard leaves rustle. It wasn't the wind that was making them quiver.

The breeze is too gentle to make the leaves shake that much. The pinkette felt a trickle of sweat slowly trail down the side of her neck. She wiped it off and, with a deep breath, continued on the path to her grandmother's house. Her hearing was sharpened from the feeling of paranoia she was experiencing. Every rustle, every tweet, every sound she heard. She listened to them all. Someone, or something, was following her. Definitely. Amidst all the other noises, she singled out that single rustle, that single, constant rustling that seemed to be following her. She turned around.

"Who's there?" she told the forest, as if expecting a reply.

She waited for a few moments, eyes scanning the nearby trees and shrubs for anything out of the usual. When nothing appeared, she let out a huff and returned to her walking. The minutes passed by. The rustling noise was still present. She paused again and called out to whatever was following her, only to be answered by silence and the absence of the loud rustling of the leaves. This process happened several times until, out of newfound agitation, Amu turned around again, this time catching a silhouette dive into a nearby bush. The pinkette felt a vein twitch in her head. "That's enough.." she whispered hotly. Picking up a rather large rock, she threw it into the bush. There was a loud, somewhat wooden thump, followed by a hushed groan. "Show yourself. There's no point in hiding. I know you're there." Amu shouted, her fear quickly dissipating.

She waited a moment, then cautiously took a step back when a figure stepped out of the bush and shade. Her eyes widened in surprise at what, no, who she saw. Her stalker was a boy, seemingly her age. His hair was a glossy blonde, with mahogany-red eyes that sparkled grandly in the light. His stature was slim but well built and he looked more feminine than masculine. For a boy, his face could've easily out-beautified any girl. It was fair, healthy, and even had a radiant glow to it. His attire was a simple white, long-sleeved shirt, a pair of brown shorts, and brown school shoes.

"Um, I'm sorry for following you like that.." the boy suddenly spoke. His voice was light, with a charming, almost hypnotic tone. Amu couldn't help herself and smiled a bit numbly in response. What a pretty boy…

And then she remembered why she threw the stone. Her smile vanished as quickly as it came and was replaced with a scowl. "And what reason did you have to stalk me around like that?" she demanded, her eyebrow arched accusingly and her arms folding up to her chest. The boy looked away for a bit and kicked a rock away with a foot. "I don't know. I was just wandering around the woods and then I sme- heard you talking to yourself." he answered politely. "I guess I ended up following you. I've never seen you in these parts before."

Amu's frown lessened. "I don't normally go this deep into the woods this time of the day. And what would be so interesting about me that you'd follow me?" she said. It surprised the pinkette when the boy's face flushed a slight pink. "You had such a pretty face, I couldn't help but stare…" Amu felt her face heat up at the answer.

"W-well, why couldn't you just come out and introduce yourself instead of scaring me stiff with your noisy stalking?"

"I…um, don't know how to really start a conversation. I don't meet a lot of people often."

"You can practice now. I'm Amu Hinamori, who are you?" Amu held out her hand out.

"I'm Tadase Hotori. Nice to meet you." Tadase replied with a curt bow.

The blonde walked up to her slowly and gently took her hand in his to plant a soft kiss on it. Amu instinctively drew her hand back, her face heating up even more. "I was expecting a handshake…" she said dumbly. Tadase looked at her curiously and then chuckled. "But it's customary to kiss a lady's hand in greeting." Amu simply nodded, still too shocked to say anything. During that silence, she noticed a small bump on the blonde's neck. She pointed at it with a finger. "Was that from my…?" Tadase gingerly patted the small swell and nodded weakly. "Yeah. Though I must say you have great aim. If I hadn't moved away, it would've fallen on my head and knocked me out."

The blonde flinched when the pinkette drew close to him. She put her fingers on the bump on his neck, her cool skin a welcomed sensation to him. "I think I have something for it." Amu said. She opened her satchel (that she had brought with her from home) and fished out a small canister of cold water and a handkerchief. She poured the liquid onto the cloth till it was damp and then carefully placed it on the bump. "Sorry about that. You know, a girl's got to defend herself." Amu chuckled nervously.

"I wouldn't mess with you." Tadase agreed.

She dabbed the kerchief a bit more on the bump before putting it back in her satchel. "So," she said, "what brought you out here so early in the morning?"

"I came to watch the sunrise. I always wake up to watch the sunrise." Tadase answered happily.

"Really, now? I thought I was the only one doing it." Amu mused.

"You watch the sunrise, too?" Tadase's eyes widened.

"Every day." she answered with a smile.

Amu saw a grin appear on the blonde's face. Tadase let out a happy chuckle and smiled at her brightly. "I'm happy to know I have found a kindred spirit." he explained. "I think this bump was worth it." Amu couldn't help but laugh at the boy's charm. He joined her in laughter and both parties let out hearty guffaws and chuckles. It took a while before their laughter subsided. At the end of their laughs, they started up a new conversation while walking down the path side by side.

"Oh, so your grandmother lives on the other side of these woods. You're such a kind person, considering your grandmother's welfare like that." Tadase grinned.

"You sure like flattering me a lot, you know that?" Amu cocked an eyebrow at him.

"It makes you smile when I compliment you and I am attracted to your smiles." Tadase shrugged, his face once again flushing a faint tint. Amu laughed at him good-heartedly. She too was blushing, but she was too proud to admit it. "Why don't we stop by the meadow first? Your grandmother likes flowers right?" Tadase pointed over to a separate path up ahead. "It'll be just a small detour. It won't take us that long."

Amu felt unsure about the idea. She had never gone to that meadow before and was ignorant about any dangers the place harbored. Not to mention I'll be going with an almost total stranger. Yet when she locked gazes with Tadase, all hesitation seemingly vanished into thin air. "Alright, but make it super quick. I want to get to grandma's as soon as possible." she finally said.

They made their way to the fork in the road, the path on the right leading to her grandmother's house and the other towards the meadow. Amu hesitated again. She turned to the right path and stared at it for a while. "Come on, Amu." Tadase's charming voice called. She turned to see him already walking down the left path and, with one more look at the path she had planned to take, hurried after him.

On their way to the meadow, Tadase decided to engage in a game of tag, gently tapping her shoulder and chuckling, "Tag, you're it.". Amu, being a lover of games, gave chase right away and hounded him till they arrived in the flowery plain. She completely disregarded the lovely plants and pursued the blonde across the meadow. When she'd leap at him, Tadase would easily swerve the other way and dodge her. Amu had to admit that for a fourteen year old boy that looked so fragile, Tadase was like a deer. She found it hard to catch up with him and ended up giving up chase and collapsing on the grass. She rolled around a bit and tried to catch her breath. She watched as Tadase came back to her, and then lie down on the grass beside her. He looked at Amu sympathetically.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You were pretty fast."

"But obviously not fast enough to catch you…"

"You're the fastest girl I've seen run."

"Stop flattering me." Amu sighed tiredly.

"But it made you smile, didn't it?" Tadase pointed out.

Indeed, she was smiling. But upon Tadase pointing it out, Amu quickly hid it with a frown. This caused Tadase to chuckle again. Amu rolled her eyes at him, but offered him a smile to show him she wasn't mad at him. Her eyes wandered across the meadow until it settled on the flower beside her. "How pretty….." Amu admired the white petals on the daisy. The daisy was her favorite flower. It was also her grandmother's favorite flower. Her eyes widened. Her grandmother, the flowers.

Amu bolted up frowned at Tadase. "Oh no! I have to get flowers for my grandma!" The pinkette began to pluck every flower in sight while arranging them into a small bouquet. "Help me out, Tadase."

The blonde nodded in response and quickly plucked the flowers beside him. When they had managed to gather a whole lot, they both combined their flowers into a big bouquet. "I have something to bind it." Tadase said. He bent down and collected a few flower stems, quickly weaving them around the bundle to tie them together. "There!"

Amu whistled as she inspected the new bind. "Wow, this is awesome!" Tadase just grinned at her compliment. "Oh, that's nothing. Watch this." Tadase told her. He gathered a bunch of flowers together and weaved them into a dainty crown. His fingers skillfully tightened the stems, so as to keep the crown from breaking apart, and placed it on Amu's head. "This is from me to you." he said shyly, his cheeks once again blushing.

Though it was only made out of flowers, Amu felt like she had been given a solid gold crown. She smiled at him and playfully punched him on the shoulder. "Thanks." she said.

With that settled, they turned back to the path. Amu was still determined to visit her grandmother. She was already late, but a late visit was better than no visit at all.

As they made their way down the forest path, the pinkette noticed something strange: she couldn't hear the usual sounds the woodland animals usually made. She didn't see the meadow larks that usually flew through the trees, nor the squirrels that busily scampered on the branches. She felt a little unsure of herself. She inched closer to Tadase as they walked. The blonde had noticed the troubled expression on her face. He gently nudged her with his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Amu?"

"It's awfully quiet. The forest would usually be teeming with noise, but I don't hear anything."

"Is that something to worry about?" Tadase arched an eyebrow.

"Of course! My mom always told me that when the forest is quiet, it usually means a wolf is around." Amu explained.

She noticed that Tadase didn't seem nervous at all hearing about this. He seemed unaffected, unafraid. "Well if there is a wolf, I'm sure it certainly won't hurt you." Tadase finally spoke. Amu frowned at him. This was no time to be joking. "But wolves are dangerous. Mom says they're ruthless hunters and that they're mean and nasty-" Amu was cut short. Tadase glared at her and clenched his fists. "That's not true!" he shouted.

Amu cringed at his sudden outburst and took a couple of steps away from him. Tadase looked at her and immediately regretted his choice of action. He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. It's just that…" Tadase looked away for a while. "Wolves aren't bad. They hunt because they need to eat. They're actually very loyal creatures who care for their family…and loved ones." he said sadly. "I hate it when people make up ridiculous rumors about the poor animals."

The pinkette bit her lip. She had offended him. She stopped walking, which caused him to stop too. Tadase turned to her for a reason why she had stopped, but was answered by her arms wrapping around him. She gently embraced him, slightly squeezing him as she did. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…" she whispered to him. Tadase was too surprised to react at first, but he eventually nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist to hug her back. "It's alright. I'm sorry for shouting at you." Tadase said. He felt a little disappointed when the pinkette broke away from him, but couldn't help but smile at her own grin. "Let's get going?" Amu told him. Tadase nodded happily and they resumed their trek towards her grandmother's house, both of them walking closer to each other than before.

It was late noon by the time they arrived at her grandmother's house. The cozy little cottage was built beside a little stream that trickled near the cottage's fenced lawn. The moss that grew on the building's stone blocks gave to it an aged, regal look. Small flowers grew on a windowsill garden and swayed gently in the breeze. A black smoke puffed out of the cottage's chimney and exhumed a lovely scent of cookies. Amu always loved coming here.

She could tell by Tadase's awed look that he did too. She bent down and unlatched the lock on the little gate and ushered the blonde inside the lawn before locking the gate. She led him down the stone-studded path, up onto the porch where a rocking chair was, and then to the doorway and gently rapped on the wooden door. "Grandma, are you there? It's me, Amu!" she called.

After a few seconds, a sweet, elderly woman's voice replied. "Amu, dear? Is that you? Come in, come in. The door's unlocked."

She nodded at Tadase and opened the door. Her grandmother's home had a simple charm to it. It was a one room cottage, so they could see every part her grandmother's house. To the far left was the kitchen, where pots and pans hung neatly on the walls above a small oven and stove. A little countertop in the middle revealed a large plate of freshly baked cookies. In the center of the room was the dining table, where a pretty little vase with withering flowers was. On their right was where the chimney was, its cobblestone bricks gleaming handsomely. A few pictures stood on its mantle, most of which were composed of her and her grandmother together. One picture showed of her late grandfather smiling cheerfully.

A couch and a recliner stood beautifully in front of the fireplace, with a cute table to complete the set. Amu found her grandmother at the far right of the room, the old lady resting in her small canopy bed. The pinkette smiled when her honey-gold eyes met her grandmother's sky-blue ones.

"Grandma Kiyomi!" she giggled.

"Amu, my beloved granddaughter!" Grandma replied.

The pinkette dashed up to the old woman's bedside and gave her a gentle hug. She inhaled the nostalgic scent of flour and dirt that was her grandma's natural perfume. She always loved how her grandmother smelled. After pulling out of their hug, Grandma lovingly placed a kiss on Amu's cheek. "It's only been a month and yet you've grown so much!" Grandma exclaimed, running a wrinkled hand down Amu's cheek. "Why, you're practically a lady now."

The old woman's eyes, still sharp despite many years of wear and tear, spotted Tadase. The blonde was awkwardly standing by the doorway watching them. "And who's this young gentleman?" the old lady inquired. "A friend of yours?" Amu turned back to Tadase and smiled at him, motioning with a flick of her head to come to her. The boy obliged and made his way to her side. Grandma gave him a quick look from top to bottom and then grinned happily at him. The old lady pursed her lips into an "o" shape and said, "Ooh, what a dashing young man! You remind me of my husband, the dear old thing." Grandma giggled. She reached out to Tadase's hands and squeezed them gingerly in her own, feeble grasp before letting go.

"It's good to see such a handsome fellow like yourself with my granddaughter. She doesn't have many friends, you know." Grandma laughed. Amu's face lit up with embarrassment.

"Grandma!"

"Oh shush dear. You barely talk to anyone in your town unless you have to. That aside, you'll soon need to find someone you'll spend the rest of your life with." Grandma sighed.

"Grandma, please!" Amu pleaded.

The elderly woman just chuckled and turned back to Tadase. "Now tell me, what is your name?" Grandma mused. The blonde straightened himself up and gave a curt bow. "My name is Tadase Hotori, ma'am. It was an absolute treat to meet your granddaughter. She's very kind, ma'am. She suggested that we get this for you." Tadase showed the elderly woman the bouquet he and Amu had gathered. Grandma let out a delighted squeal and eagerly took them from the boy. She stroked the petals of a daisy like one would stroke a child's cheek. "Daisies…My favorite." Grandma crooned. "How thoughtful of you to give these to me my dears."

The old woman slowly arose from her bed and got off. She slipped on her house slippers and gently brushed past the two towards the dining table. "Kindly help me with these old flowers, would you Tadase? I want to put these flowers you've gathered in this vase." Tadase was quickly taking out the old flowers in a flash, being careful not to drop any as Grandma told him to throw them in the garbage bin.

While he went out to dispose of the flowers, Grandma called Amu to her. "Please get the cookies, would you dear?" the elderly lady said. Amu nodded and brought the platter of chocolate chips to the table.

"Now tell me, how did you meet such a gentleman like that Tadase boy, dear?"

"Oh, well, we just met today actually. While I was on my way here, I met him by chance and….well, I told him about you and he suggested we pick flowers for you."

"Did he now? My, how considerate of him! Where does he live?"

"I don't know, actually. He just popped out of the woods on my way here. He kind of followed me in the beginning." Amu chuckled nervously.

"Dear me, why would he do that?" Grandma gasped.

Amu looked away, trying to hide the small blush on her face. "He said that he thought I was pretty and wanted to talk to me, but was too shy…" she muttered. "He only talked to me when I threw a rock at him in anger. I thought he was a wolf or something. He might as well have been, he followed me almost soundlessly. Only the small rustling he made gave him away." Grandma looked at Amu, the playful gleam in her sky blue eyes shining even brighter now. "A wolf, huh…" Grandma thought aloud, her eyes hazing in deep thought.

Amu felt worried. Had she said something funny? The pinkette tapped her grandmother on the shoulder. "Grandma? You okay?" she inquired. The old woman came back from whatever thought cloud she was on and grinned brightly at her granddaughter. "Oh yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about things." Grandma replied.

"Things? What kinda things?" Grandma playfully flicked Amu on the nose. "Old people things. You wouldn't understand." the elderly lady replied happily. Grandma walked over to a glass cabinet and took out a trio of plates. She arranged them on the table and went back to get three glasses. "That Tadase is a real sweet boy." Grandma suddenly said. She walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a pitcher of milk from the fridge. "I don't think he'd be the kind to hurt you. He seems very loyal…"

After pouring some milk into each glass, Grandma straightened up and placed her hands on her hips. "He'd make a fine husband for you." she declared. Amu, who had been distributing the cookies to each plate, abruptly froze and looked at her grandmother in a mortified way. Her cheeks were now a bright shade of red. "Grandma! I'm too young to think about that stuff!" Her grandmother merely wagged a slender finger at her and sat herself down on a chair. The old woman took a cookie and dipped it in the white, creamy liquid. "One is never too young to think about their future. Especially when such a great opportunity just walks in the house." Grandma said. As if on cue, Tadase returned from his flower disposing and greeted the two ladies.

"Sorry it took so long, Mrs. Kiyomi." Tadase said.

"It's fine, my dear. Oh, and call me grandma. No need to be so formal here." Grandma laughed.

The elderly lady motioned for the two empty seats in front of her. "Now sit, both of you. Have some milk and cookies." Both teens obliged and sat down, each one taking a cookie to dip into their cold glass of milk. A light conversation was soon started up, about the woods and its many faces during the seasons. Amu explained that her favorite time to see the trees was the fall, when their leaves would change color and paint the forest with a crisp, rejuvenating air. Grandma preferred summer, for that was when all the daisies were in full swing and that she could pluck as many as she wanted to. Tadase, on the other hand preferred the quiet winter, when the forest would rest from the constant life it nurtured. He also added that it was when the wolves would howl beautifully into the night, explaining that the animals did not do it for hunting but mainly for attracting mates, mates that they would be loyal to for a lifetime. Amu's eyes widened in fascination at the boy's beautiful stories of the creatures she was taught to fear. She would smile at him every time he snuck a peak at her, and he in turn smiled back. Grandma watched the two of them extensively and couldn't help but smirk at the pair.

"My that is interesting, dear. Do tell me more."

And that's the end of part one! I hope you enjoyed this part. I made it kind of light for the start, so I could drag you into reading it till the end. I hope it made you go "aww" or just grin wildly. I'm really trying to create those kind of fluffy scenes. Anyway, expect a lot more drama and tension in the second and final part. Stay tuned, because I'll certainly update soon.

Please rate and review, by the way. Reviews are what keeps me going when I get stuck in a rut.