I closed the front door to my grandmother's house, and stared at the long, uphill walk that lay ahead of me to Seiyo Elementary, my new school. I sighed, and slung my too-big bag over my shoulder. As I walked, I noticed that my uniform was much too big, with the end of my sleeves covering my hands, and still leaving a little behind. I was forced to get the largest size uniform since I was transferring in the middle of the year. My skirt was staying up using a series of safety pins, and it reached down to just a few inches above my knees. True, I was incredibly short for a fifth grader. False, I wasn't as smart because of my small size. I noticed a few curious stares from some passing girls as I struggled to climb the hill. I saw one girl with long, purple hair in a high ponytail stop and watch me struggle for a moment. She slowly walked up to me, her lovely red cape flowing behind her.

"Do you need some help?" she asked. I stared up in amazement. Could this be one of those famous Guardians I had heard so much about?

"Um…" I began nervously in my cute, high-pitched voice. "Sure. Thank you."

The girl seemed surprised at my voice. She offered her hand, and I gave her mine. She almost dragged me up the hill, since I was so slow. When we were finally at the school doors, the late bell was ringing.

"Oh no!" I cried. "I'm late for my first day!" As I tried to run, the girl held me back.

"It's alright. I'll give you a pass," she smiled. She slowly toured me around the school, until we got to my classroom. She opened the door, and all the students were looking at her in awe.

"Sorry to bother, but I have your new student right here," she said as I walked in. All eyes were on me. The girl winked and closed the door, leaving me to face the huge crowd.

"Oh, well, now that you're here, let's introduce you to the class!" the teacher announced. I slowly walked up front next to her desk, and stood up straight. I tried to smile lightly, causing my dimples to flash.

"Class, this is our new student: Maggie!" the teacher pointed to me. I smiled again.

"Hi! I'm Maggie! Nice to meet everyone!" I greeted happily. When I did a full smile, I also showed that my front tooth was still missing. It had fallen out very late, and was still in the process of growing back in. I quickly covered my mouth with both my hands, and my sleeves hung over like a Japanese kimono. All the boys in the room froze up like ice cubes. So did I.

"You're…" one of the taller boys began. "SO CUTE!" they all finished in unison. I heard the girls growling in anger, and I immediately cowered back. Bad idea. The guys immediately had me surrounded, and were taking turns pulling my long red hair.

"Ow! Stop it!" I cried in my high-pitched voice. They all froze.

"What an adorable voice!" they said in unison. They continued to pull and tug my hair, and I quickly burst through the crowd and out the door. I closed it behind me in a desperate attempt to get away. I only got a few seconds head start before they were out and running toward me. I was a horrible runner, and it was clear that this wasn't going to end well. That was when I ran into two girls. It was the same girl from before, and a younger-looking girl with cute bows in her hair. They seemed surprised at my appearance, and even more so when they spotted the stampede trailing me. I quickly hid behind the tallest of the two, much to her shock.

"Hey! That's not fair, using a Guardian as a body guard!" one boy called. The girls were quickly on the case.

"What's the meaning of chasing out new student around the halls? It's rude and very disturbing. Please return to your classrooms right away," she said sharply.

"But-" one of them began, only to be cut off.

"TAAAAADASEEEE!" the shorter one called. A boy with blonde hair quickly rounded the corner.

"Make them go away! They won't leave her alone!" the shorter girl said, first pointing to the boys, then to me, clutching at the other girl's cape. His eyes widened in surprise, and he cleared his throat.

"Please return to your classrooms. I'm sure our new student doesn't greatly appreciate this frightening welcome," the boy said professionally. He turned to me after they all left, and bent down until we were at eye level.

"What's your name?" he asked. I let go of her cape, and stood up straight.

"Maggie," I said as calmly as possible. I actually achieved my goal, and my voice sounding older and more mature. They all seemed surprised at how easily I went from helpless little girl, to mature, young lady.

"Oh. My name is Tadase, and these are Nadeshiko and Yaya. It's nice to meet you, Maggie," Tadase held out his hand. I stared at it for a moment, then grabbed it and shook it firmly. He, again, seemed surprised at my firm grip, which was the total opposite of how a girl my size should have been. I released his hand, which stayed frozen for a second. I shook Nadeshiko and Yaya's hands, too. I found out that Nadeshiko and Tadase was in my grade, and that with permission, would let me transfer to their class.

"Thank you for helping me," I thanked with a smile. I let my teeth show, and Yaya giggled.

"You're still missing your front tooth?" she asked. I nodded. She giggled again. Tadase glared at her. Huh. So I had the same effect on the school's Prince as every other boy? Well, he was clearly mature enough not to run around chasing me. That was good. But, honestly, I didn't like any of the boys here yet.

"Oh, Tadase, I've heard that a lot of the girls here call you Prince," I pointed out. Nadeshiko and Yaya immediately pulled him around a corner, and I could hear a maniacal laugh. My eyes widened. I saw Nadeshiko and Yaya land on the ground. Tadase stepped out from behind the corner, fire in his eyes.

"I am no mere Prince! I am the King! I will rule the world! HA HA HA HA HA HA!" he yelled. My jaw dropped so low I was sure it would fall off.

"Uh… Tadase…" I said, barely able to speak. Suddenly, his eyes returned to normal, and he froze in shock. I made an effort to close my jaw, but it failed. Tadase cowered back and curled into a ball.

"I-I'm sorry…" he apologized weakly.

"What just happened? Do you have two personalities or something?" I asked curiously. They all just stared at me. I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I can only assume that you're dream is to rule the world, then… since you basically screamed it to the whole school and all…" I quickly figured out. They on nodded. I sighed.

"Wow… I wish I could chase my dream like that… I'm wondering if it's ever even going to come true…" I said doubtfully. They all frowned. I got a raging desire to be able to find my dream, to stick to it, and to reach it. That would be the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me for sure.

I don't really remember all of what happened after that, I just know that I got an immediate instinct, and I ran out the door as fast as I could. I just kept running until I reached a suspicious clearing. I felt this instinct growing to the point where I was sure it would overflow.

"What is this feeling?!" I demanded. I shook my head violently.

"Tell me what this feeling is!" I yelled. Suddenly, an shining egg appeared in front of me. It was a light, pale blue. On it was a picture of a pair of ice skates. I had always loved to ice skate. I had always been horrible at it. My dream was to be a professional, even though it would never happen. Suddenly, the egg began to crack. It popped open, and small, shining figure was in the egg's place. My eyes widened in amazement. She was a girl with midnight-black hair, and she wore a cute ice skating dress with a shiny, brand-new pair of figure skates on. Her hair was left down and flowing, down to her waist. Her shining violet eyes met mine, and her strawberry pink dress flowed behind her as she floated up to me. She looked past me at the Guardians who were chasing after me. They froze the second they saw the small girl floating in front of me. She focused back on me.

"My name is Isabell. I'm your Guardian Character. It's nice to meet you!" she greeted in a high voice that matched mine. The Guardians all ran up. Just as she floated past me, I noticed a cute pink tiara sitting nicely on the top of her head. She floated over to the shocked Guardians.

"Hi! I'm Isabell! Nice to meet everyone!" she greeted them.

"She has a Guardian Character!" Yaya gasped. Isabell smiled, and floated back behind everyone. Much to my amazement, I saw that each person had their little floating person. She greeted each one, and shook their hands. She floated back to me, all of the other floating people following her.

"Maggie, these are the Guardian's characters," she said, pointing to them all. They each took turns floating up to me and telling their name.

"I am Kiseki!" said the little King character. "I am the King! My goal is world domination!"

"Tadase, I assume he's yours?" I asked, pointing to Kiseki. He nodded sheepishly.

"I'm Pepe-chan!" greeted the baby. "I'm Yaya's character-dechu!"

Yaya smiled.

"And I am Temari. I belong to Nadeshiko," the little girl dressed in the pink Kimono bowed. She was clearly Japanese. Each character floated back to their owner.

"Wait… Guardian Character… Guardian…" I slowly pieced it together. "Oh! I guess that to be a Guardian you need to have a Guardian Character."

Everyone nodded. I immediately wondered if they would make me be a Guardian, too.

"If you'd like, you may join the Guardians," Tadase offered, his eyes lighting up. He seemed to almost sparkle.

"I will, but why are you trying so hard to sparkle?" I replied. They all froze.

"You're the first one ever not to melt, faint, or even blush when he does that!" Yaya gasped.

"Then I'm assuming you did too?" I asked, nodding toward Nadeshiko and Yaya.

"Well, I did a little bit, but I really don't like Tadase," Yaya said with a wink.

"I did not, sorry to disappoint," Nadeshiko said simply.

"Oh. But, please, how will I join the Guardians? The chairs are all already full. There is a King, Queen, Ace…" I said, picking out each face. It quickly occurred to me that there was no Jack.

"Wait, isn't there a Jack, too?" I asked. I heard running footsteps from the distance. A soccer ball appeared through the trees. A older, tall boy appeared chasing after it. He has messy, red hair.

"Hey, I heard someone calling for the Jack?" he winked. I turned to look at him. I could just feel my bright blue eyes sparkling, and he dropped the ball.

"Oh, so this is the Jack," I smiled. He blushed, just barely, and walked up to me.

"Kukai! Nice to meet ya!" he greeted, holding a thumb up. He held out his hand to be shaken. I took it, and squeezed it as hard as I could. He smiled, and returned my squeeze. I frowned in concentration, and squeezed harder yet than him. He winced, and pulled his hand back.

"I win," I announced, smiling again. Just then, Kukai's character floated out.

"I'm Daichi!" he said and smiled. Isabell greeted them both.

"Oh. So you have a chara, too," Kukai smiled in surprise. "SO, then can you Chara Change, or even Transform?"

I stood there, staring. Isabell whispered in my ear.

"Oh. Thank you, Isabell. I assume we could. Isabell?" I said, turning to her. She nodded.

"Chara Change!" she winked. Before I could think, a pink tiara was on my head.

"Jump, skate, spin!" Isabell cried, and a pair of ice skates appeared on my feet. Despite the fact that they were meant for ice, I able to glide easily over the grass, hovering about an inch over the ground. I began skating around over the grass faster that physically possible, and I created my own wind gusts. They were so powerful, the Guardian's capes almost flew off. I continued to speed ahead, blasting through the thick trees, until I got to the clearing. There, I saw everyone outside for break. I pumped my legs and feet faster, and sped by them all. I saw the group of boys with a piece of paper tacked to a tree, with ways of winning my heart written down. I jumped, and spun just slow enough for them to see me over their heads. I grabbed the paper, and made off with it. They were in shock as I flew back. I raced back to where the Guardians were, and stopped in front of Kukai.

"…What just happened?" he asked.

"What do you mean? I just basically skated around the whole campus," I said.

"No way! Only about 7 seconds have passed!" Yaya protested. My jaw dropped.

"Really? Well, I swiped this from that group of boys from earlier," I smiled fiendishly, holding up the poster. Kukai and Tadase's eyes turned fiery.

"What?! They all like you?!" they yelled. I nodded once. Their eyes turned more fiery. They raced off toward the group of boys.

"They aren't seriously jealous, are they?" I asked in shock. I saw Yaya's jaw hanging on the ground, and Nadeshiko's face frozen in a mask of shock. I was going to take that as a yes.

"I'm fairly certain every boy in this school likes you, Maggie," Isabell sighed. I mimicked her. It was hard to have every single boy like you, and like absolutely none of them. I shrugged, and immediately realized that I had been away from class for more than half of the day. I began to panic.

"I have to get to class! I've been gone all day!" I cried, and began to run. I stared at the skates that lingered on my feet, and skated as fast as I could into my classroom. I took my seat, and pretended like I had never left. Before anyone could look, I was already copying down the notes.

"Eh? Maggie, when did you get in here?" the teacher asked.

"Oh? I've been in here the whole time. Have you really not noticed me?" I lied smoothly.

"No, actually, I didn't. Well, that sudden gust of wind made me notice, so, let's get back to class," the teacher concluded. I continued to get constant stares, despite the fact that my seat was in the very far back. Some were desperate glances from boys, and some were despising glares from girls. All in all, I wasn't too comfortable. When the final bell finally rang, I gathered my things as quickly as I found possible. Isabell helped me, and we were the first ones out. But something was still bugging me. If I were to join the Guardians, which chair or suit would I be? I didn't know the answer, but a little voice in my head (by which I mean Isabell) told me that I would find out tomorrow at the fall assembly. I planned to wash and dry my clothes repeatedly until they shrunk, and repeat this until they finally fit. As I was spacing out on my walk home, I scarcely noticed yet another group of admirers on my tail. It wasn't until I was about a block from my house that I noticed them. I turned around, and caught just a glimpse of them before they had hidden behind a wall. I shrugged, pretending I hadn't seen them. I knew if I went home, they would be constantly watching me. So, I decided to take a detour. But I would have to tell my grandma, since I was staying with her. I pulled out my expensive-looking cell phone, and dialed my home number.

"Hello?" my grandmother's voice answered. I smiled.

"Hi Gramma, it's me. I think I'm going to be late tonight. I told a friend I would meet them at the park," I lied. She bought it.

"Oh. Who's your friend? I'm surprised you have one already," she replied. I froze. I wasn't ready for this question. I thought, then saw Isabell float over me in worry. Then it hit me.

"Her name's Isabell. She likes to skate, and she's going to teach me how!" I exclaimed falsely. She gave me permission, and I hung up. I continued walking, until I got to the park. Sure enough, that group of boys was still behind me. Now what would I do? There was no girl from school named Isabell waiting for me here to teach me to skate. So I was surprised to see Kukai and Nadeshiko sitting on a bench, talking. I froze momentarily, then continued walking as if I hadn't seen them. If they wanted to talk to me, I would let them say it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kukai's head turn.

"Hey, it's Maggie!" he said, walking up to me. He slapped me on the shoulder, and I winced back.

"That hurt you know," I whined. As I did my best to make tears well up, he began to freak out.

"W-what?! I didn't hit you that hard! D-don't cry!" his hands were all over the place. I smiled, and turned around. I flicked back my hair.

"It's called faking. You couldn't even tell?" I teased. He froze, and sighed. I was surprised he couldn't tell the difference. Nadeshiko was there in a second.

"Kukai, that wasn't very nice. You deserved that humiliation!" she slapped him on the arm. I turned around to see him rubbing it slightly. She must hit hard.

"Are you ok, Maggie?" Nadeshiko asked me. I nodded. She sighed in relief.

"Want us to walk you home?" Kukai offered. "To make up for my hitting you." I considered this. Isabell nodded. I smiled, and accepted his offer. Their eyes lit up. As we walked, I noticed Kukai kept his arms behind his head. I saw his eyes wander over to me once in a while, and he would hold his arms stiff as possible. Though I didn't quite understand it, I figured I would soon enough. As I thought, I noticed Isabell stop dead.

"Isabell, what is it?" I asked.

"There's something… no, someone. They're not here to be nice. It's not those boys from earlier. It's worse," she said, frantically spinning around, looking for the threat. Suddenly, a figure dressed in black was directly in front of us with Isabell in his grasp. His navy blue hair was accented by a pair of cat ears and a tail. I was quick to notice a cat chara by his side. He gripped Isabell harshly. She was struggling to get free.

"Isabell!" I cried, running toward the guy. I was immediately restrained by Nadeshiko.

"He's trouble. Let us handle him," she whispered. But I couldn't just stand by doing nothing. I met Isabell's eyes, and she nodded lightly.

"Chara Change!" she yelled. I smiled.

"Jump, Skate Spin!" she finished. The skates appeared. I saw everyone's eyes widening. I took one stride, and I was going as fast as could be again. I circled the blue-haired guy repeatedly, until his eyes were lost of my sight. I took a chance, and grabbed Isabell from his clutches. I kept her cradled against my stomach as I ran, so he couldn't grab her as easily. She was curling into me, clearly scared. The guy was quick to make chase. I surprised at how fast he was, with those cat-like reflexes. But I managed to keep an edge. Until I tripped. I tripped over the curb, and skidded, flipped, and rolled across the street until I hit the other curb. My uniform was badly torn, and I was bleeding in multiple places. I didn't pay any notice the pain. I was still focused on getting out of there with Isabell. I struggled to stand up, and I panting. I clutched my arm where is was bleeding, and I held onto Isabell as I continued to run. But eventually, I got tired. I ducked into an alley, and sat panting.

"Maggie…" Isabell whispered, rubbing my face. She did her best to apply pressure to the bleeding spots on my leg, but she was too small. It wasn't long before that guy found the alley. I held my breath as he walked down it, but eventually, I had to exhale. I was still gasping in pain when he rounded the corner to where I was curled up. Isabell stood over me protectively, and I held her back.

"Go away, and leave Isabell alone!" I exclaimed weakly. He didn't listen. He bent down, and examined the places I was bleeding. As his hand drew closer and closer, I tried to back into the wall. But to my surprise, he set it on my head.

"I'm not going to hurt your chara. I'm sorry. I'll help you," he said. I was genuinely surprised. His face seemed so… honest. So peaceful. It was sweet and irresistible. he stroked my face once, and pulled me up. My legs were wobbly and couldn't hold my body up. I shook, and fell to my knees. The guy had my hand, and was pulling up again. But this time, me scooped me right into his arms.

"Put me down. I don't want to be carried," I protested. But my voice sounded so weak, I knew I couldn't walk back. He sighed.

"Don't try and hurt yourself again. I'm Ikuto by the way," he introduced. He smiled. I tried to return his smile, but the pain was too much. I continued to wince slightly, and clutch the places I was bleeding. Before I could say anything else, I was overwhelmed by pain, and I passed out, right there, in Ikuto's arms. The next thing I remember was hearing running footsteps. I was too weak to open my eyes or move, but I could still hear. It was Nadeshiko and Kukai. Their voices sounded horrified.

"Oh my!" Nadeshiko exclaimed.

"What did you do to her, you dirty cat?" Kukai demanded.

"Helped her," Ikuto replied simply. "She was all curled up in the alley like this after she had fallen, and I just carried her over here. You should be thanking me, not accusing me."

I remember him carrying me almost all the way home, and Isabell, Kukai, and Nadeshiko were with me the whole time. Isabell was curled up by my side, unharmed. She would occasionally whisper something in my ear, like what was going on, or where we were going. All I could do was sigh out, acting like I understood. When I was outside my front door, I finally felt stronger. I weakly climbed out of Ikuto's arms, and thanked everyone for helping me. I had to act as strong as possible so my grandma wouldn't worry too much. I opened the door.

"Gramma, I'm home," I said strongly. I was quick to slowly climb the stairs to my room. I closed and locked my doors, and examined myself. I was covered in cuts, bruises, and a few places that were still bleeding. I limped into the bathroom, and locked the door again. I used Band-Aids to cover the cuts, I washed off the places that were bleeding, and I put cream on the bruises. As I held pressure to the bleeding areas, I decided to take a bath. As the tub filled up, I slowly took off my clothes. I looked at each piece as it came off. My skirt only had a few stains, though my knee was bleeding badly. My jacket had multiple tears and rips, and the tie had come off completely. I threw everything in the washing machine while I was in the bath. I carefully climbed into the hot water, trying to ignore the screams of protest from my body. The cuts stung at first, but the pain was soon dulled my the hot water. It felt heavenly. I let myself sink back into the tub, until half my face was underwater. I kept my nose out to breath, and let myself sink deeper into relaxation. Isabell dove in, wearing her bathing suit. She swam around in the water, and she wasn't very good. Since she was primarily an ice skater, she sucked at swimming. I had to lift her out and set her on the edge of the tub. She sighed. I got an idea. I filled up a cup with water, and left her to it. She somehow froze it, and she was ice skating while I soaked in the tub. When I was finally feeling good enough to confront my grandma, I got out and dried myself off. I put my hair up in my towel to let it dry, and slipped on a pair of pajama pants and a too-big shirt. I slowly walked downstairs.

"Gramma, what's for dinner?" I asked. She turned.

"Oh, Maggie. Did you take a bath?" she smiled. I nodded.

"Well, I was going to make some pot roast. It should be ready in about an hour," Gramma said. I nodded, and went back upstairs. I opened up the window, and climbed onto the roof that was covering the overhang above my window. I sat there, facing away from the busy streets. I was staring into the countryside. There were some trees off in the distance, and some snow-capped mountains even farther than that. I stared at the open, road-free fields. How nice it must be to run in those fields, surrounded by nature. I was so deep in thought, I didn't notice Ikuto until he blew on my neck. My hair stood on end, and I turned around immediately.

"Well, at least your reflexes still work," he teased. I blushed, and turned back.

"If you want Isabell again…" I started. He sighed.

"I said I didn't, and I said I was sorry. won't you believe me, even after I saved you?" he said in his dreamy voice. He sat down next to me.

"Ok, fine. Apology accepted. Thank you for… saving me, I guess," I said stubbornly. He laughed.

"You're acutely stubborn, you know. It's quite cute," Ikuto said slyly. I froze up with blush, and sighed.

"Yeah, so what if I am?" I shot back.

"Nothing. I was just pointing it out. Nothing wrong with being stubborn."

I didn't believe him.

"Oh, sure. Anyway, what did you want?"

"I wanted to make sure you didn't die or anything. If you had, I would have to bury your body and remove any evidence," he winked. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever…" I mumbled. Although I was still my small, cute self, I didn't seem to have the same effect on Ikuto. If I did, he certainly didn't show it. While I wasn't looking, a small cat chara flicked me. Why hadn't I noticed him before?

"Hey, who are you? And why did you flick me?" I demanded. He giggled.

"I'm Yoru, ~nya!" he introduced. "Ikuto's chara! ~nya!"

"A cat? That's kind of weird," I said, examining Yoru. Suddenly, Ikuto's face was just inches from mine. His eyes were narrowed, and he was smirking. I began to blush.

"Oh, now that's not very nice," he whispered. I could feel his breath. His voice sounded so irresistible; I really had to focus to keep from getting closer. Isabell was having the same reaction from Yoru copying Ikuto. We looked at each other. Ikuto's face began to get closer, and I began to freak out on the inside. I was surprised when he blew on my neck. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I jumped up in surprise. When I landed, there was but a small corner of the roof under me. As my arms flailed, I felt myself beginning to fall back. Ikuto was fast-acting. He had his arm on my back, and he grabbed my hand. He pulled back, maybe a little too hard. I fell flat on him, much to the protest of my still sore body. I went out for just a few seconds, and when I opened my eyes, I was laying with my head on his chest, and his arm was around me. I immediately tried to push myself off him, but his arm didn't budge.

"Don't tell me you're not enjoying this," he said, eyes still closed. In truth, I was loving it. But there was no way in heck I was staying here. I finally squirmed out, and I was more sore than ever. I stiffly tried to climb back into my window, but Ikuto grabbed my shoulder.

"Need some help?" he asked with a smile. I wanted to say no more than anything else in the world, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get back in by myself. I nodded slightly once. He pulled me back, and jumped down through my window. He hung half-way out the window, his arms open.

"Now, just fall into my arms. Think of it as a trust exercise!" he called up to me. The last thing I wanted to do was fall and hope he caught me. But what choice did I have? I took a deep breath, and stood up. I tried to stand straight, but I had to hunch over a little bit. I closed my eyes. I began to let myself fall back off the edge, and I was flying through the air for about a second before he caught me. It was a surprisingly soft landing. When I opened my eyes, Ikuto's head was directly over mine. He set me down, and I brushed myself off.

"I suppose I should thank you," I said stubbornly. He laughed.

"You're welcome, Sunshine," he winked again. I turned away and blushed. Sunshine? Was that my nickname now or something?

"Maggie, time for dinner!" I heard Gramma's voice from downstairs.

"Coming!" I called back. When I turned back, Ikuto had vanished. I was amazed at how silently he could move. I was quick to head downstairs and eat. The pot roast was dry and bland, as usual. I forced it down to make Gramma happy, though I hardly enjoyed it.

"Maybe you'll like it more if you add some gravy," Gramma suggested, passing the gravy boat. I shook my head. I was one of those 'insane' people who didn't like brown gravy. Strictly white gravy. I had never liked a lot of things, like spaghetti, meatloaf, meatballs, French toast, and peanut butter. People called me insane for that. After I ate, I helped out with the dishes, and went upstairs. I wasn't as sore now, though the bruises and cuts remained. I went over to the washing machine and pulled out my clothes. I hung them to dry, and lay down on my bed. It had been a very long day. When I rolled over, I heard something that sounded strangely like paper being crushed. I sat up to see a piece of paper neatly folded into a square. I unfolded it carefully, and found Ikuto's handwriting.

Sunshine,

Hope you aren't doing anything stupid. Remember, your grandmother doesn't know about anything today, so I suggest you keep it that way. I left something for you that might help with your uniform problems. Your chara should know where it is. See you soon.

~Ikuto 3

I stared at the paper in disbelief. When had this gotten here? Immediately, I began looking for Isabell.

"Isabell!" I called throughout the upstairs. She came floating out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel with her hair wet.

"There you are. Did Ikuto leave something when he was here?" I asked.

"Yes, he did. It's under your bed," she said simply.

"Oh. Thanks!" I ran into my room. She flew back into the bathroom. I reached under my bed, and found a small package wrapped in paper. As I unwrapped the brown paper, I saw an assortment of colors. Thread? Then I saw a folded piece of paper with sharp objects sticking out. Needles? It was a sewing kit. But why? It occurred to me that my uniform had gotten a little ripped. He must have given me this to fix the rips and tears. But something else occurred to me; how would I explain the bruises and bandages? I rushed into the bathroom and started digging through the drawers. Isabell floated up, surprised.

"What's wrong, Maggie?" she asked.

"I have to find some of Corrina's old makeup! I'm sure she left some when she left…" I continued digging. Isabell tilted her head.

"Who's Corrina?" she asked, puzzled. I turned to her.

"Oh, that's right. You weren't born until after she left. She's my older sister. She left to go college, and study to become a Gym teacher. Personally, I think she's insane, but, she seemed pretty confident. She'll be coming back to be an intern here at Seiyo in a few months," I explained. I missed Corrina so much. She was the only one I could turn to when I needed something. Since Mom had died, it had just been Gramma, Corrina, and I. But now it was just Gramma and I. I continued digging until I found her old bag of makeup. I tore it open, and dumped the contents out on the counter. I looked through it until I found the acne cover-up solution. I also pulled out some powder blush. I needed to cover up the bruises as best I could. I took everything I would need into my room, and lay it on my bed. My clothes were dry by now, so I retrieved those. I examined the makeup, sewing kit, and my uniform. I opened up the sewing kit, and threaded the needle. I had learned how to do this from my Mom when I was little, so that wasn't a problem. I started with the shirt. It took me a moment to realize that the tie was gone, and I rushed over to my dresser. I wore ties outside of school, because I found that they went well with any outfit. I pulled out a plaid one, but the color was a little off. It was a little more orange than the original, but it would work. I clipped it into my uniform, and started sewing. It took me about 20 minutes to fix all the holes, and rub out any stubborn stains. When I was finally done, it felt like hours had passed. I was just hanging up my uniform when the doorbell rang. I was surprised when it was for me.

"Maggie, there's some kids here to see you," Gramma called. I panicked. I was still in my pajamas, and I had barely even combed my hair.

"Um, keep them occupied for a second so I can get ready!" I called back. I heard my grandma's voice trail off as she gave them a tour of the house. Knowing her, this would take forever. I reached into my dresser and pulled out the first things my hands touched. I touched a short-sleeve rainbow shirt, shorts, and striped leggings. I pulled them on as fast as I could. I was lucky that I didn't have any bruises on my arm, cuts covered by bandages. I didn't have time to do anything else, so I quickly and messily braided my hair. I picked up a few things off my bed and floor, and rushed downstairs. I slowed after a few steps from pain, and walked down. I wandered around the house until I found Gramma showing the library to Nadeshiko, Tadase, and Kukai. They all smiled. They were still in their school uniforms. They seemed surprised at how much better I seemed, and I led them upstairs. I finished hanging my good-as-new uniform, and pulled up a chair for myself. Everyone sat on the bed, and I plopped down in my chair.

"So, what brings you guys here?" I asked, trying to sound as fine as possible. Nadeshiko noticed the bandages on my arm, and a bruise between my shorts and leggings.

"We needed to make sure you were doing ok," Nadeshiko answered. I saw Tadase's eyes full of concern, since he hadn't been there when it happened.

"Oh, I'm doing fine. I fixed up my uniform, cleaned myself up, and I'm good as new! Like it never happened!" I replied cheerily. I slyly left out the part about Ikuto.

"That's a relief," Kukai sighed.

"What exactly happened?" Tadase questioned.

"Well, we were walking home, and… well, some weird guy tried to take Isabell. I just tripped running, is all. No big deal!" I replied. Tadase wasn't buying it.

"There's no way you could have gotten all this damage from tripping. It had to be more serious than that," he saw right through me.

"N-No, really… that's all… I ran a little ways, but that's about it…" I continued trying.

"About? Maggie, what are you not telling me? And why were you running? And who was the weird guy who tried to kidnap your chara?" Tadase's questions just kept coming. I wasn't sure how to answer any of them.

"Uh… um…" I stuttered. I was horrible at answering questions under pressure. I started to shrink back in my chair a little bit, and it was almost like Tadase's seriously pressuring stare was just pushing me back farther. Little did I know that Ikuto was listening on the roof. But I would momentarily.

Suddenly, Ikuto appeared in the windowsill. He was just standing there, smirking, with Yoru at his side. Everyone's eyes widened, mine included. I thought I was ready to scream at the top of my lungs. But I was frozen. What was he going to tell them?