Chapter 1: A New Kind of Rival
"It's kind of nice now hmm..." Ikuto said leaning against the tree, as he sat eating his lunch.
"How so?" Amu asked leaning against him.
"No worries. No more fights. No more traveling." He shrugged a bit.
"True...kind of peaceful...but do you think..." Amu started.
"What?" He looked over to her.
"Well... I mean never mind...I guess it doesn't really apply for you..." Amu said trying to shrug it off.
"No tell me." Ikuto said straigtening up.
"Well I was wondering if we don't...well if I don't use my shugo chara as much if they'll start to disappear...you know because we're getting older." Amu twiddled her fingers.
"Amu..." Ikuto was surprised. Ever since they had defeated the Cracked Lord, Ikuto had been happy with Amu and his family since his father was back. His mother and him had been spending more time since her divorce from his step-father. He hadn't realized that Amu had been worrying about other things...he probably would see Yoru forever because of his lineage...or at least be able to see them. Still he'd forgotten that Amu really depended on her shugo chara...and with them she got to have the the Lock. Maybe she worried that without the Lock he wouldn't need to be around her so much...with his Key...or have to protect someone else...
He looked down at her, she was still staring at her hands downwards.
"Amu if theres any way I could make sure they never leave I would. But I don't think my father has a shugo chara...I think we can still see them. Maybe if we're lucky you'll be able to see them too...you have a gift Amu... I think that maybe with your Lock...and ability to use it maybe you could be granted as much. But they're here still right?"
Amu looked up at Ikuto, who was giving her a half-smile, with caring eyes.
"Thanks." She said, slightly surprised by how considerate he was being...but she guessed he'd probably struggled on his own at the thought of loosing Yoru. She learned on Ikuto's shoulder as they sat in what they figured was the last of the fall weather. Cool Winter weather was creeping up on them and -
Amu heard something. A noise... music? It was faint but she could hear it...in the wind that it blew into her hair. Ikuto was falling asleep but she could hear it...
She got up and turned to look past the tree they were learning against, and saw a small group of people huddled around a picnic bench. She wondered who-
Then it parted...people moved just enough for her to see a boy sitting on the top of the table, strumming a guitar...but the boy was...Kage? Girls sat around and listened to him like little fan-girls but then he- he caught her eye.
Kage looked up at her from his guitar, just shifting his eyes towards her. He gave her a small grin and got up and left from the picnic table slinging his guitar behind him.
Amu wondered what that was about when she turned around and walked into Ikuto who had been standing behind her unknowingly.
"So...seems I'm not the only musician at this school anymore." As his eyes trailed Kage walking back to the school.
Amu wondered what to say. Was Ikuto jealous? Or was Kage doing this on purpose...
"Hmm...maybe we should have just killed him when we had the chance..." Ikuto shrugged.
"Why would you say something like that?! At least he's nicer now." Amu was surprised by Ikuto's hostility.
"He looked at you Amu. I'm starting to think that kiss he gave you was more than just messing with your head." Ikuto went to pick up his bag when Amu stopped him and clung onto him.
"I don't want him to kiss me...He doesn't remember it anyway...I'm with you not him so stop it." Amu said desperately. She didn't want Kage to change anything between them. Kage was nicer now...but that didn't change how she felt for Ikuto.
Ikuto was surprised and looked down at Amu who was clinging to him. He really was an idiot, wasn't he? Making Amu suffer over his jealousy... He just couldn't get over Kage...he'd gone from loner to now some kind of...we'll he'd become like he'd been. He really shouldn't worry about it...Amu with him and thats all that mattered. He returned her cling with a kiss.
Kage was looking at them from the arch of the school entrance. He'd seen Amu...ever since he'd come back after his concussion, he'd been drawn to her. But it seemed Ikuto and Amu were inseparable... he'd noticed other girls had taken interest in him...a girl named Amaya who never failed to linger around him...but for some reason he felt like his past intertwined with Amu and for that reason he hoped his future would too...
Little did Kage know...someone else had his eye on him. And it wasn't Amaya.