Found & Lost

Summary: Amu made herself Ikuto's most important happiness and possession, and there was no way he was going to lose her.

Ages for this story:

Ikuto: 19

Kukai: 18

Amu, Nadeshiko, and Tadase: 17

Yaya, Kairi, and Rima: 16

Special Note: Yes, in this story…the guardian charas are NOT humans. I know it's weird that for teenagers they're still keeping up their duties as guardians, but please…just bare with me. I like Amu a bit older because it just seems that much more prudent for her to end up with Ikuto.

Another special Note: This is my second fanfic. I decided to make a new one because my other story has gotten a writers block, and until I have any ideas for that story…I will continue this.

It's a bit short, but this is a thinking process. Here's chapter one.

He was always the mysterious type. Sly, gorgeous, and serious. Nothing ever appealed to him except the satisfaction of getting what he wanted. Though he had everything he wanted, irony pulled him back. What he didn't want the absolute most -he had in possession.

He was not free. He was bound to strings, pulled down roughly by the wires his stepfather had tied him with. He envied birds, coveted their freedom to fly. But, he wasn't free, so all he had in mind was the cat.

Cats were sneaky; he could escape majority of the time spent with Easter to just relax. But just like always, he'll get pulled back. Although he got what he wanted, there was no doubt that his life was filled with chaos and darkness. His life was filled with shadows, period. A black cat, suited him more.

He thought nothing can bring him happiness. But I was sure, his happiness was coming a whole lot sooner than expected.

"Ikuto nya," he purred, his adorable voice reached Ikuto's ear.

"What is it Yoru?" he asked annoyed.

"Nothing…nya." They were both tired… they've been working non stop recently. His stepfather wanted nothing more but to have that Embryo in his hands so he could provide it for Gozen. Ikuto's been collecting more than enough X eggs, but he would always be interrupted by people younger than him.

Ikuto had nemeses one to three years younger than him, all still in high school, for he had graduated just a year before. He met them not too long ago in a park he often played his violin in. It was not too long, just a couple of weeks ago.

There was one person he had no idea why but, despised him more than anyone else in the group. It was a boy named Hotori Tadase, the blondie. For some reason, the urge to just merely hate him to the core was evident as Ikuto felt the undying need to just kill him.

Then there was one person he had no idea why but, caused him to dislike her less than the others. It was a girl named Hinamori Amu, the pinkette. For some reason, the urge to not hate her was there -he tried desperately to not attack her at the least.

Ikuto had absolutely no idea why that was. But as he lay there on the grass, arms behind his head, and eyes above the sky…he couldn't help but think about it. Deliberate over his emotions and find a more reasonable explanation due to why he treated the two -Amu and Tadase- differently from the others.

For Tadase, he wouldn't give him any mercy -not one bit. He just wanted him dead, period.

For Amu, he would give her mercy. He wanted nothing more but to be gentle with her, period.

He couldn't understand how that could be!

Cat instincts? -What the hell was that?

Amu and Tadase were the same as the others, but something about them -his feelings he had for them- just separated them from the group. But, why was it those two? They didn't seem to be special in anyway, so why was it those two?

Tadase didn't do anything horrible to him, but if he did, it was just his job. Ikuto could accept that -that's why he didn't feel the need to go all out on them. Heck, if he could, and feel the strength to do so, even he would do horrible things to himself.

Amu hadn't done anything nice to him at all! All she's been doing was attack and curse at him, that's hardly a person someone should feel gentle towards to. And, the first time we met she called me a cosplayer, neko, pervert, majiggar -what the hell? So why was it that he hated Tadase for doing something he himself would do? Why was it that he was being easy on Amu for doing the same things Tadase has been doing?

It just didn't make sense!

Was it because Tadase was a pretty boy and Amu was a pretty girl? Hell, he just made no sense of himself. The brunette boy named Kukai was also a pretty boy, but that didn't do any effect on him. Amu wasn't any different either, he met a lot more pretty girls, he didn't treat them any different.

So what the hell was it!

I knew…obviously, but I wasn't going to tell him that! If I did, then the whole story would change, the relationship and the outcome would mangle up into something I never wanted it to become. What kind of a guardian angel would I become for Ikuto and Amu if I practically ruined their happy ending?

Ikuto rolled over, and closed his eyes. He didn't want to think anymore -in that moment he thought thinking was purely overrated. The wind picked up, but he didn't let it faze him as he snoozed into a deep slumber. He just needed to escape that darkness, he wanted to just be free, and the best place for freedom was there in his dreams.

I made my way to Amu. The little girl was on her bed reading. I was taken a back, I've been watching her for years, didn't want to seem rude but I didn't expect her to something as drastic as studying.

Amu was a smart girl, 4.0 student, and I was proud at that. But, though she gets good grades, I never once saw her study. Learning just came to her naturally, it wasn't that she cheats or has a photographic memory, it was just that she learns what she learns -nothing more to it.

"I can't believe I'm actually studying!" I smiled a bit, that was Amu for you.

Her charas flew behind her, and they greeted me with smiles. Surprisingly only those three charas knew that I was around, but strangely enough they couldn't hear me talk…I would say words but they would think I was just mouthing them. I guessed later that they could only see and touch me, but hearing me was impossible. Strange…

Ran, Miki, and Suu hadn't told Amu about me. I tried to give them a mental picture that letting Amu and anybody else know I was there was prohibited. Lucky enough, they understood me, and our little secret grew untold.

"Amu, Amu. Fight. Fight." Ran cheered, throwing her pom poms up in the air. "You have to study, this is the first time you've been spacing out in class."

"She's right desu," Suu chimed in, stroking a small part of Amu's cheek with her puny fingertips. "Is it about that boy we met weeks ago? Ikuto?"

I smiled, she was thinking about Ikuto? So she wasn't the only one thinking about someone. I wondered why though…I stifled a laugh, of course I knew why.

Miki and Amu groaned all together. "Ugh!"

"That annoying CAT!" they both screeched, almost in sync.

"I know!" Amu agreed as well. "Ikuto is just…ugh! I can't believe that he's doing that to other people's not hatched charas. It's just so…wrong."

"I wasn't talking about the big cat! I was talking about that annoying Yoru. He acts so cocky, not as much as Kiseki but…," Miki's voice fainted down, she couldn't bring herself to say anything more about Ikuto's chara.

"Ah Yoru is okay, but Ikuto isn't." I rolled my eyes, if only she knew.

"Whatever you say Amu, but I'm telling you… Yoru is much more worse." I rolled my eyes, if only she knew who's much more worse than Yoru.

"Okay desu, let's not bother Amu-Chan with her studies." Suu shooshed them away with a wave of her hands, then she grabbed her broom. "In the meantime, I'm cleaning desu."

With that, Amu went on with her studying and the three charas went off doing themselves their own tasks.

With nothing to do, I fled into the sky…absolutely bored, wondering when things will progress. I bit my lip, I was so lonely. Minutes passed silently and I just floated around in the sky, I drifted to where Ikuto lay.

A smile was on his face, then drifted into a concerned frown. I placed a ghostly hand on his forehead, frowning. I knew why he was frowning, and it hurt me as well.

"You'll be fine," I assured.

Then his words grew warm, then cold as he said those two names that confused him to death.

"Amu," he whispered warmly. "Tadase," he growled, his eyes tightening restlessly. I laughed at his child like behavior, shaking my head lightly as I took my hand away from his untouchable skin.

"If only you knew," I whispered.

If only he knew what was going to happen…