"It'll be okay, Ami-nee-imoto." Amu promised gently as she placed a wet rag on her little sisters forehead. "Sissy will take care of you, sissy is here." She cooed lightly as she stroked the three-year-old's face along her forehead and down her cheeks and chin gently. Ami had a fever and their parents were gone for a meeting with both their companies.
"I'm so cold, sissy." Ami whispered as Amu replaced the blankets back up to her little sister's chin.
"Do you have any idea of anything else to do guys?" Amu asked looking with bright eyes to her Charas.
"It'll be okay Amu." Miki whispered looking sadly at her owner. "The doctor told you she just needs rest. You and Su made chicken noodle soup and the medicine will help. She'll be fine by tomorrow." The level-headed Chara promised.
"I know it's hard~desu." Su whispered patting Amu's head, "she'll be fine. Desu."
"You've done good Amu!" Ran cheered, right in front of Ami to make her smile.
Amu sighed and touching the glass of water at the bedside table felt it was warm. "I'm going to get you some fresh water, I'll be right back." Amu whispered kissing Ami's cheek.
"Okay, Amu-nee-san." Ami whispered and Amu smiled gently.
"Come get me if anything happens." Amu added walking downstairs. The bedroom door had barely shut when Ikuto and Yoru entered the bedroom from the balcony door.
"What's going on?" Ikuto asked seeing a little kid in Amu's bed.
Ami only groaned but the three Charas all turned shocked. "Amu's little sister is sick." Miki said and Ikuto looked worried.
"That doesn't sound good~nya." Yoru whispered and Ikuto nodded before kneeling beside the girl.
"Who are you?" Ami whispered looking up at him.
"My name's Ikuto, I'm a friend of Amu." He said with a smile and Ami immediately relaxed before her eyes brightened.
"Great Chara! Kitty Chara! Eneko-san" She giggled around her slightly scratchy throat and Ikuto smiled, so she was that young. He did a Character Change with Yoru. "Kitty ears!" Ami giggled and Ikuto shook his head.
"Uh...it's Ikuto. Heh, why don't you just call me Neko?" He asked when she kept pronouncing his name as Eee-nee-ku. "What's the matter though, little one, you not feeling well?" Ikuto asked and Ami smiled at him just as Amu entered the room and seeing that smiled gently.
Ikuto looked shocked as Amu kneeling beside him and gently let Ami take a sip of the icy water. "You didn't tell Ami that you had a kitty boyfriend." Ami giggled and Amu froze.
"He isn't my boyfriend Ami!" Amu said freezing as Ikuto wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Why are you telling your little sister a lie, Amu-koi?" Ikuto whispered looking hurt at her, if she was his girlfriend it would seem painful. "Are you ashamed of me?"
"Why are you ashamed of Neko-nii-san, sissy?" Ami asked with wide eyes at her pink haired older sister.
"Neko-nii-san?" Amu asked looking from her sister to the bluette.
"I told her she could call me Neko since she can't pronounce my name." Ikuto explained, "but I don't' know why she's calling me her older brother."
"Your sissy's boyfriend, won't you be my big brother, pweas?" Ami said with big brown eyes.
"If you want to, you can." He said easily and Amu watched him quietly with a gentle smile. He was being so good with Ami. "Where are your parents anyway?" Ikuto asked as Amu kept stroking Ami's face.
"They are at a meeting." Amu answered not looking and looked up when she heard Ikuto start to play his violin.
"This will help her relax~nya." Yoru explained. Amu glanced at the cat Chara and smiled gently as she glanced over at Ikuto. After awhile Ami fell asleep and Amu smiled gently as she stroked her little sister's face, she was starting to cool down.
"Thank you." Amu whispered as she finished making sure Ami was okay. She froze when she felt Ikuto wrap his arms around her waist.
"You'll be a good mother one day." He said which caused her to blush.
"You'll be a good dad, not many guys would know what to do, or even bother helping." Amu whispered as Ikuto chuckled.
"One day we can have kids and be good parents together." He whispered in her ear causing her to blush profusely and push to get away.
"Just because I told you that you'd be a good father didn't mean I was asking you to be the father of my children." Amu said blushing as she crossed her arms.
"Yes, that's exactly what it means."
"No it doesn't, if it did than, Tadase-kun asked me to be his wife and have his children. But telling someone that they will be a good parent or spouse doesn't mean you want them to be with you." Amu said and waited for him to make some perverted, teasing comment but he didn't'. Looking over her shoulder she saw that his eyes were hidden by his bangs. "Ikuto?"
"So the kiddy king wants my little Strawberry?" Ikuto whispered holding Amu closer which made Amu look at him shocked. What was he saying. "And you like him back," Ikuto added with a soul deep sigh. "Does he love you like I do? Does he need you like I do? Can he save you like I do? Can he cheer you up like I do? Can he make you feel?" Ikuto whispered and his body trembled slightly. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. You like him back. Later." Ikuto said and turned around to leave.
"Ikuto?" Amu asked following him as he opened the balcony door.
"I'll leave you alone, Ami-nee-imoto will be fine." Ikuto said and was about to take a step when Amu took his arm and he turned to see her but she was looking away.
"Who are you to say who it is that I like?" She growled as her hand tighten on his arm. "I never told you that I liked Tadase-kun, sure before I had a big crush on him." Ikuto flinched as the four Charas looked at the two with worried looks. "But that crush dissipated a while ago. Even when it was still there, you always thought I liked him much more than I really did." Amu added before looking up at him with almost angry eyes. "Don't you dare ever assume what my feelings are Ikuto, and don't talk like your going to leave and not come back." She growled and tugged on his arm to lead him inside. It wasn't a hard tug, he could of easily dislodged her if he wanted to but even though he could physically his body wouldn't obey, and he couldn't find the desire to do that anyway.
Leading him to the chair near her desk Amu sat down and Ikuto keeled in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist and used her lap as a pillow as she stroked his head. "I stopped liking Tadase-kun a while ago, but I do like someone else, maybe even love." Amu whispered as Ikuto froze but she kept stroking his hair, the hair that was just like cat's fur. "Someone who is good, he doesn't want anyone to know. He plays the villain so others don't have to and works for the real villains so that he can stop him. He's my pirate." She added and Ikuto looked up at her shocked as she continued to stroke his hair and was looking away.
"You always saved me Ikuto, you always were there for me when I needed someone. It was dangerous for you, but you still saved me. You cared for me even when I didn't understand what was going on, or when I told you that I hated you." She said the last part and a teardrop slipped from her and landed on Ikuto. He looked up to see her crying slightly. He brushed the teardrop away with his thumb.
"I never hated you, I said it and I honestly thought I did at the time but it was always the heat of the moment. Maybe it's true when they say that love can easily be mistaken for loathing. Your even sweet to my little sister." She said with a chuckle and Ikuto joined her.
"You called me your little strawberry." She whispered as he looked up at her through his lashes. "If I am, than your my cat." She said with a shrug and a blush and Ikuto chuckled.
His little strawberry is so shy. She said she was his, and said he was hers. She was his now.
"Of course Amu-koi." Ikuto whispered kissing her cheek.
"Amu-koi?" Amu asked shocked, freezing.
"Yep, were dating now, strawberry." He said with a smirk.
"Wait, what? Dating? Dating as in...d-dating?" Amu whispered looking at him with wide eyes.
"Yep, your mine now. You said so yourself and I'm yours." He smirked as she blushed even darker. "It's getting late, I have to head home, I'll check up on you and Ami-nee-imoto tomorrow, Amu-koi." He added the last part just to see her blush darken even more.
"I...I didn't give y-you permission to call me Amu-koi." Amu muttered before he left. Ikuto sighed, perhaps he was celebrating a bit too soon. "Just call me Amu, we never used honorifics, even when we first met." She said blushing and Ikuto chuckled.
"True, we are closer than honorifics." He said as he approached the door again. "Like a married couple." He added with a smirk and closed the balcony door and jumped off before Amu could react. Thanks to Yoru's cat hearing he did hear a scream and the laughter of Ran, Miki, and Su as he headed home.