Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara/Shugo Chara Doki, but I can fantasize, can't I?
Notes: The idea for this story isn't new; I just never got to start writing it—until now, that is! It was originally going to be a Kuukai x Amu, but after getting Nagi-kun's ending on the Shugo Chara DS game, and re-watching Shugo Chara episode twenty-five (the one where Nadeshiko leaves and Nagi-kun and Amu hang out), I changed it to Nagihiko x Amu. :)
I'm sure I don't have to explain the honorifics to you otakus ;) but -
Ichi, ni, san: If I'm not mistaken, it means, "one, two, three" respectively, in Japanese.
Katakana: One component of Japanese writing.
Enjoy~
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The Cootie Catcher
By: Aishitewu
"Amu-chi, Amu-chi, pick a number!"
I blinked rapidly as a piece of notebook paper, sloppily folded into a pyramid shape, was practically shoved into my face. Instinctively, I stepped back, my eyes widening to the size of dessert saucers. "Yaya!"
Yaya, Rima (who was silently and, unlike Yaya, productively working), and I were at the Royal Garden, organizing information on various students that Tadase and Nagihiko were out collecting by "socializing". If you ask me, I found it all creepy and stalker-like, but hey, as a Guardian, you have to know who you represent, right?
"Hey, you're taking so long to pick a number!" Yaya whined childishly. She was annoying sometimes, but with the pouty expression she was shooting at me, I couldn't help but lose to her cute babyishness.
But what was that paper thing she was telling me to pick a number from?
Ran, Miki, and Suu all floated to their usual spot above my shoulders, peering curiously at the folded paper. "What is it?" They whispered amongst each other before quickly losing interest and going back to play random Chara games with Kusu Kusu.
"Uhh, I will, I will, but," I said, reading the numbers "1, 3, 4, and 7" written in different colors on the flaps, "what's the whole point of it?" Seeing Yaya's face twist in an even more immature frown, I quickly added, "I-I didn't mean that like the whole thing's stupid or anything, but I haven't seen those things before."
Yaya raised an eyebrow and asked in her forever-singsong tone, "Really? It's a…" She took a dramatic pause and spun while Pepe twirled next to her in the air. I saw an unsmiling Rima stop writing and look up before shaking her head slightly and muttering an unheard statement (probably one of disapproval). I gave her a small, awkward shrug.
"…magical cootie catcher-dechu!" Yaya and her Chara chorused, finishing their dance with a messy pirouette. A stumbling, apparently-dizzy Yaya continued, "You pick a number, and then I open and close the cootie catcher the number of times you said. Then you pick a color and each letter that spells that letter 'opens and closes' it. Lastly, you pick a color again, but this time, I open up the flap the color's on and whoever's name is under there, you will get a kiss with him! It's so cute, and romantic!" She spun yet another time, eyes glazed over with a dreamy twinkle, while Pepe pushed her mouth (or rather, pacifier) out and made "chu" sounds.
K-kiss?! I stared at her and that piece of paper of hers incredulously.
Rima, who undoubtedly heard Yaya's explanation, spoke from where she sat. "That's silly. I doubt that a piece of paper could be accurate in such a prediction." she objected calmly.
"I agree with Rima…" I told Yaya hesitantly, carefully watching her expression. The pout was back.
"You guys are thinking too…Kairi-ish!" She retorted insistently while Pepe vigorously nodded above her shoulder.
"You mean reasonably?" Rima remained her cool, collected self as she returned to lose herself in the Guardian work.
"Rima-tan's being mean! Mean, mean, mean!" Yaya complained, stretching out the syllables of the blonde girl's name. "Rima-tan, stop being mean just because you got Tadase-kun!"
A dark red shade appeared under Rima's long, wavy hair and onto her face. Mashiro Rima's outer composed exterior: successfully penetrated.
She stood up and stomped over to Yaya. Yaya only blinked at her, unafraid but curious as to what the Queen's Chair would do. Rima reached up and grabbed Yaya's cheeks with her fingers, spreading them out and squishing them as she uncharacteristically scolded, "Shut up. That's not why!"
I, the neutral one at this point, burst out giggling, earning a glare from Rima and a wide smile from Yaya. Tadase and Rima—King and Queen. It was a pretty cute mental image.
"I was counting on you to be jealous," Rima grumbled, releasing Yaya and directing her words to me. "Even though you said you guys are only good friends now."
"Hey, I meant it." I did. After a…tough realization, I found that I valued Tadase like a friend too much to see him as anything more. And Tadase, being the pure-hearted person he was, accepted it. I still see him looking at me with that loving sparkle in his pink eyes, but I knew that he'd find someone soon.
"That's right; Amu's got her eye on someone else now! And I'd like to know who that someone else is, so please pick a number! Please, please, please?" Once again, back to the cootie catcher.
I sighed. I didn't currently have my eye on some other person. At least, I thought I didn't. My feelings were just too complicated to understand… But that wasn't the present subject. I looked at the paper pyramid. I didn't believe in the magical properties that Yaya claimed it to have, but really, there was no harm in it, right? Plus, despite the rational impossibility of the result actually happening, I was…interested.
"Fine. But not because I have faith in its 'magical abilities', okay?"
"Sure, sure, about your doubt in its magical-ness!" Yaya's eyes just about screamed "yay!" Of course, she cheered it in the next second. "Yay, Amu-chi! M'kay, so pick: 1, 3, 4, or 7?"
I decided on "3", in reference to Ran, Miki, and Suu.
"Ichi, ni, san." Yaya sure was energetic when it came to this… "Okay, colors are next! Green, blue, pink, or red?"
Ran, Miki, and Suu had suddenly flown back to my side in their curiosity.
"Pink, Amu-chan, pink!" Ran danced as she shook her pom-poms in the sky.
"Blue symbolizes a calm mind." A smirking Miki nodded, arms smugly cross over her chest.
"Green's the best, desu!" Suu chirped, sweet as can be.
"I'm going with red." I laughed as all three Charas gave me disappointed looks before floating away, leaving behind an aura of dissatisfaction.
"R-e-d," Yaya murmured, fiddling with the cootie catcher. "All right, last thing! Pick a color from: black, yellow, purple, or white!"
"Hmm, yellow, for Dia," I was, stupidly enough, anxious for the outcome… I swiftly added in a false uncaring tone, "I guess." Cool and spicy.
"Hehe, okay!" Yaya, just as eager as I was (only I refused to show mine), nearly ripped the paper in lifting the flap marked "yellow". Her dark amber eyes broadened and before I knew it, my ear was being attacked by a barrage of ecstatic squeals. Wincing, I unsuccessfully tried to snatch the paper from her hands. From the corner of my eye, Rima glanced up with what looked like interest. "So cute! Ran, Miki, Suu, come, come, look, look!"
Ran, Miki, and Suu excitedly whizzed by me. I swear I felt a slight breeze as they passed by. Their hungry eyes could've devoured the paper as they scanned it…and gasped simultaneously.
"And you said Rima was being mean," I griped, frowning. "Seriously, c'mon, you can tell me who I got. You guys are being way too overdramatic and making a big deal out of—"
Yaya thrust the paper in front of my face, cutting me off. There, in black marker katakana, was…
"F-Fujisaki Nagihiko?!"
E-ehh? Nagi-kun? My best friend's twin brother? I mean, I've been looking at him a bit closer ever since the day he went with me to the loveknot temple but… No, no, no…
So why was I blushing so hard?!
"Hehe, we're not the ones making a big deal out of it," teased Yaya, pointing out the deep shade of tomato-red that was darkening with every second that passed by. "Are you imagining the kiss?"
I stammered unconvincingly, "No, I…I-I'm not!" I mean, I wasn't, but all thanks to Yaya, the unwanted images were flooding into my head.
It didn't help that my Charas, Yaya, and Rima were all giggling at my antics.
I turned around just as the laughter got even more uproarious. "My, my, everyone's joyful today." An all-too-familiar voice remarked behind me.
And it certainly didn't help that the boys had returned.
"Amu-chan, are you okay? You're really red…" Nagihiko stepped closer, and I instinctively backtracked. He blinked, puzzled by my behavior.
"I-I'm fine," I lied, and shot my Charas, Rima, and most especially, Yaya, a "not-a-word-out-of-you" glare.
Nagihiko was still looking at me, ocher eyes concerned. A deep, rich blend of gold and orange, and perhaps a bit of brown…
Wait, what the heck was I doing?! Shaking my head, I looked away, ignoring the not-so-subtle chuckles from the conspiratorial Rima and Yaya.
I was not going to let a piece of paper triumph over me.
"S-so, you guys got new information on students?" I asked, quickly shifting the spotlight onto another subject.
Tadase nodded. "Yup, we talked to a few different cliques and got their perspective on…" His voice trailed off, or rather, I stopped listening. My thoughts were sucking me in, not letting me forget the evil cootie catcher's prediction.
"…whoever's name is under there, you will get a kiss with him!" The words echoed in my head, making the kiss a tormenting vivid image, getting clearer and clearer…
Why was I able to imagine that, and…and why was I liking what I saw? Why was I making such a big deal out of it anyway?
Why, why, why?
"…well that's all the work for today. Thank you everyone, for working hard!" Tadase dismissed, sending everyone off with a smile.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and stiffened. Relax, Amu, it's not Nagihiko… Look what that stupid pyramid paper's doing to you… I whirled around and met the mischievous smirk on Yaya's face. "It's gonna happen, Amu-chi!" she sang, using the cruel cootie catcher as a pestering puppet. "Tell me about it tomorrow!" She skipped away, her and that paper epitome of all things evil.
"Grr." I shook my fists indignantly.
"Won't you let me walk you home, Amu-chan?" Nagihiko appeared before me, grinning warmly at the sight of my fists.
"Say yes," Ran, Miki, and Suu whispered in my ear. I brushed them away and stared down at my shoes. Doki, doki—even my heart was being mean today. But, I did kind of want to walk with him, now that I thought about it…
It would be…safe, wouldn't it? We were friends, no matter what Yaya's cootie catcher said.
"O-okay."
--
"Tell me, Amu-chan, what's on your mind?" Nagihiko stared up at the sky in thought. "It seemed as if Yaya-chan was part of it…"
I considered lying to him to avoid any problems, but Nagihiko was too much like Nadeshiko. They both knew me well—too well.
Besides, I didn't have to mention him.
"Uhh, well," I began reluctantly, carefully avoiding meeting his gaze. "Y-Yaya made this paper thing called a cootie catcher and… Whoever the paper said at the end, it was inevitable that I-I would… That person and I would…kiss."
"I see," murmured Nagihiko, listening closely.
"And I told myself that it w-wasn't true, that a kiss wasn't going to happen… But then Yaya told me who I got and…"
I took in a deep breath as the realization dawned onto me.
To be an honest girl. To be true to myself.
"…I started hoping for the kiss to happen."
"Ah," came Nagihiko's quiet, pensive answer.
I shyly looked up, our eyes meeting. "I-I think I like him…more than a friend…"
I could tell that he knew. A small smile was slowly creeping onto his face, and I could feel some force tugging at the corners of my lips, too.
"Then why don't you kiss him? I mean, I know you didn't believe in the cootie catcher being right and everything, but…if you want to make it happen, then you should make it happen."
He was already leaning in. I didn't mind, I was being pulled closer, too.
"I think I will."
And we kissed—a short kiss, true, but oh-so-sweet…
That stupid piece of folded paper had triumphed over me.
Oh, who am I kidding? It wasn't stupid.
Not at all.
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Note: Heehee! NagiAmu may not be canon, but I will always love and support it the most. ;)
Reviews are very much loved~