Hello, fellow Shugo Chara! lovers! I'm really sorry about the exceptionally long wait between amuto stories. I've been obsessed with other fandoms… however, I have returned to this one after rereading the series. Please enjoy this oneshot - in which I own nothing but the poor attempt at a plot! I'd like you to note that Amu is in the summer of her third year of high school, and for you to adjust Ikuto accordingly to a late-college age.
Amu sighed into Ikuto's chest as they rested in the shade of a tree in the park. The soft branches of the willow swayed gently in the wind as Ikuto pressed his lips softly to the top of her head. She smiled up at him and cuddled closer to him, enjoying the perfect, breezy day. Ikuto smiled back at her, wishing that the moment would never end.
Of course, the moment that you wish that something would never end, it does.
Such was the case of Amu and Ikuto's perfect day. Just as the happy couple was settling into a state of bliss, a yell pierced their bubble of peace. "Yo, Tsukiyomi-kun! What're you doing here?"
Ikuto looked up, a glare in place on his face for whoever dared to his happy moment. His glare turned to an expression of resigned frustration when he recognized the human approaching him. "What do you want, Inu?"
Amu, sitting up, glanced at Inu. "Is this a friend of yours, Ikuto?"
"Sometimes," Ikuto muttered, shooting aforementioned male a dark look.
She smiled at Inu, deciding to ignore Ikuto's sudden bad mood, and said, "Hi, I'm Amu."
Inu flashed her a cheeky grin. "So you're Amu-chan, eh? Nice to meet you." He switched his gaze back to Ikuto, who had put a protective arm around Amu's waist. "So, what's up, Tsukiyomi-kun? What brings you to this park?"
"My feet," Ikuto shrugged.
"Besides your feet, I mean," Inu said exasperatedly as his comrades came up behind him.
Ikuto shrugged and said nothing, merely tightening his grip on Amu's waist and causing her to cast him a questioning look. He communicated to her that he'd explain later.
"Hey, Inu," Tokage said, appearing at his shoulder, "what've you found under the tree?"
"Ah," Ryuu said, smirking, "you've discovered the illusive Tsukiyomi-kun. That explains why you're talking to yourself."
"Not entirely to myself," Inu grinned. "Meet Amu-chan." He motioned to Amu, who still had Ikuto's arms wrapped protectively around her.
Both Tokage's and Ryuu's eyebrows went up at the sight of her, mainly due to the fact that they had never heard about Ikuto having a girlfriend. "Kitsuni's not going to be pleased," Ryuu snickered, grinning widely.
"You haven't got a shot with her either way, so I hardly think that it matters," Tokage shrugged.
Inu calmly bopped the two of them over their heads and asked Ikuto, "So, why haven't we heard more about your girlfriend, Tsukiyomi-kun?"
Ikuto again shrugged and said nothing; he then released Amu, stood up, and took her hand. "Ready to go?" he asked, pulling her to her feet.
"Not yet," Amu smirked, challenging him. "I'd like to be introduced to your friends, first."
The three comrades raised their eyebrows, glancing at each other. They'd never seen a girl disagree with Ikuto before, much less tell him what she wanted to do. They grinned at each other as Amu and Ikuto held a silent argument, sparks shooting between their eyes and scorching the grass below them. The two eventually worked out an agreement and turned to the three waiting college boys. Ikuto cleared his throat before saying, "Guys, this is my girlfriend, Hinamori Amu. Amu, these are a few guys from high school and college - Inu, Tokage, and Ryuu."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Amu smiled, holding out her free hand to shake each of theirs. "I haven't heard a word about any of you."
"Same here, Amu," they each grinned, raising their eyebrows at Ikuto. "Of course, it's normal for Tsukiyomi not to say anything, right?"
Amu gave the three of them a strange look. "What are you talking about? Ikuto never shuts up. He's always teasing me."
This led to three looks of great surprise to be shot in her direction. Before they could say anything, however, Ikuto leaned down and whispered into Amu's ear, "Please, please, please can we go now, Amu?"
Amu nodded, deciding that it was best to agree now - she'd gotten her way for a little while, so she should take her small victory before he began doing something perverted to her. She waved goodbye to the three boys as Ikuto roughly bade them farewell and half-ragged her away from them. He remained silent for the entirety of their walk back to her home and the quick hop up to her balcony. She sighed slightly as she let him into her room; he sat down on her bed and pulled her into her lap.
After a few minutes of utter silence - in which Ikuto spent quite a bit of time smelling her hair - Amu asked, "What's wrong, Ikuto?"
"What are you talking about?" Ikuto asked, faking a laugh. "I'm fine."
Amu gave him a look that clearly stated that he must be kidding. "You've been completely silent ever since we ran into your friends at the park, Ikuto. You're almost never quiet anymore - not since we started dating. Please," she whispered, giving him a look she knew he was powerless to, "tell me what's wrong."
Ikuto bit his lip and looked away from her before answering, "Sometimes I think that Yoru left too early, Amu."
"What do you mean?" Amu asked, looking up at him in surprise.
"I just… I can't…" he sighed heavily, unable to piece his words together.
Amu remained quiet, allowing him to collect his thoughts.
"I'm not really sure how to say, this, Amu," Ikuto whispered into her ear. "It's just hard for me to show the world the side of me that you see."
Amu wrapped her arms around his neck. "Look at me, Ikuto." When he did, she asked, "Why are you so nervous about letting your friends see who you are?"
"I'm not really sure if they're my friends," Ikuto shrugged.
"They seem to like being around you," Amu stated. "Don't you like being with them?"
"Sometimes," Ikuto said, shrugging for the umpteenth time that day. "I'd rather be with you, though."
"But Ikuto," Amu asked, biting her lip, "don't you want to have more friends to count on? If we broke up, who would you turn to?"
"But we won't," Ikuto replied, holding her more tightly, "will we?"
"I don't think so," Amu answered, averting her eyes and blushing, "but what if we did? Who would you turn to - or would you just withdraw from the world?"
"The second one sounds about right," Ikuto laughed slightly, smirking.
"Fine," Amu sighed. "I'm just surprised that you have such a hard time making friends. You're a pervert and a tease, but you're really a great guy."
"Maybe," Ikuto whispered, placing a hand on her cheek and closing the space between their lips, "it's because I'm only me when I'm with you."
The end~!
I apologize for its shortness, fluffiness, and OoCness.
And, yes, the entire point of this oneshot was for Ikuto to use that last line. ^^
Please review and let me know what you thought about this - even if it is to yell at me for my horrid attempt at a plot.