Alex's notes: Hello everyone~ Ahh, yes. I'm Alexandrya, & this is my first fanfic.
This was meant to be a one-shot, but I just couldn't stop writing and it became too long, thus I made it a short-story. I tried to keep everyone as in-character as possible, but I'm sorry if I slip up, I'm not used to using characters that aren't mine. I hope you enjoy it anyway! Oh, and just so you all know; I'm referring to Episodes 35, 49, and 60 in that order in the first parts of the story. I'll put a '*' so you can see what I'm talking about in case you haven't seen or don't remember those episodes. Also, please keep in mind that since everyone's older now in this fan fic they've all matured a bit and are coming to terms with their 'would be selves.', namely Amu. Also, about the Charas… I couldn't leave them out, but at the same time, their just kinda there… they don't have a huge significance. Sorry!
On a final note, please review! I don't care if it's a short feedback comment or a thorough analysis. I love reviews; they help me get a better view of how I'm doing on writing, and are also fun to read. So don't be shy!
Warning: Contains spoilers for the manga up to chapter 38 and a few anime filler episodes as well!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!
Summary: Waiting is never easy. But if you learn to deal with it, it can reap rewards. Two people meet again at a ski resort after five years of separation. How will one get the other to reciprocate their feelings? Is reciprocation even the issue? Amuto, AmuxIkuto
When the snow brought you back
Chapter 1: Closets can bring people joy!
A feeling of numbness that overcame me… and perhaps him, too. That absence and sudden uncertainty that led to who I am now, and to this new feeling in my life. I'll never forget it. I'm sure he won't either.
It was the week after graduation from high school. I was eighteen. Tadase, Nagihiko, Rima and I had been planning a trip for a long time. After awhile, it was decided we'd take a skiing trip, like the one we had taken when we were in elementary school. I think we chose the mountains just for that extra feeling of nostalgia, but no one ever mentioned it.
Yaya, although she was a year younger than everyone, was coming too of course. Along with Kukai, and Utau as well, who were both twenty. I guess you could say it was a reunion. And well, this was all nice and dandy and all, but I'll cut to the chase. That was only about 50% of what I was excited about. The other half...
Well, to explain that, I'd have to explain what happened a few years back. Back when Easter had used that device to make Ikuto transform into the death rebel, I suppose I could say that I was too naïve to understand myself. I had transformed with Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia into Amulet Fortune, and Ikuto, the Seven Seas Treasure. With the support of everyone, we defeated Easter at the top of the building that night with few problems. But the unfortunate fact was that Gozen got away. After we defeated his company, Gozen had disappeared without a trace. Worried for his safety, Utau convinced Ikuto to leave for awhile, and he set off to America so we could rest at ease knowing that no one from Easter would go after him. He was to stay there until we were all positive that Easter had disbursed and cleared out completely.
That was five years ago, and I hadn't heard from him since. I think Utau has, but I never asked because I feared she'd bite my head off if I did. During those five years, I had plenty of time to decide where my true feelings lie. As time went on through middle school, my crush on Tadase faded nothing into a strong sense of friendship and admiration for him. I realized that I had only liked Tadase because of his outside Prince-like character façade. His true inside character, the strong, kingly, belittling, and demanding side of him, was not something I was prepared to handle. It was too different than that of his façade, and I eventually decided that I should not fall for the outer shell of him. Of course, it took me awhile to wean myself off of him, but I eventually did it. These days, Tadase and I are extremely close, almost like siblings.
But, I probably would have continued in liking Tadase and wouldn't have made the choice I made now, if it hadn't been for Ikuto's absence. After he left, it gave me more than enough time to think about how I felt. With his presence gone, I realized who Ikuto was to me. He was kind of like the guardian who could be seen, unlike a Guardian Character. He was always there to save me, and was there when I needed someone to talk to at times. I always felt comfortable enough to be myself around him, not having to use that old 'cool and spicy' character when I was with him. He was even one of those few people who noticed my subtle changes from time to time.
Whenever he spoke to me in a serious manor when I was younger, he spoke in such a way that taught me a lot in a very simple fashion, needing only a few words to get his point across. For example, the time he had broken his violin string and had brought me to *Kotone's violin shop. I remember that I was going to repair her violin with Suu's Remake Honey, but Ikuto taught me that sometimes things are better done yourself or else you won't learn anything. When I thought about it a little, it made me happy that I didn't use Remake Honey on my cousin *Shuu's wedding cake.
He even tried to make me hate him to ensure that I stayed away from him when Easter was after him by upsetting Tadase at my house that time when he had stayed over for a few days. He wanted to make sure that I wouldn't get caught up with Easter like he did, and that was the only way he knew how to do so. I may not have understood it then, but that was probably one of the nicest things he had ever done for me.
And following a long while after he'd left, it hit me: I'd always liked Ikuto without even noticing. And the signs had always been there, but I'd never been able to come to terms with myself on them! The quickening of my heart beat when he was close to me, the way I stammered and my face turned an uncontrollable shade of red when he said something or came in any form of contact with me. The reason why I had always thought of both him and Tadase when I was thinking of the people I liked, and the reason why *Koyomi had told me I had to choose between two things that I desired. I had always discarded my thoughts of Ikuto as him just being a person who was good at invading another's thoughts, but now, I understood that I actually liked him.
When I had finally figured that out, I felt so dense. I had wasted the small amount of time with him, and by the time I grasped who Ikuto was to me, he was already gone. Since I'd figured out that aspect myself, I became more conscious of the other pieces of me as well. I'd started taking jogs now and then with Ran and being more honest with the people around me, and I began to try and improve my drawing skills with Miki while building my ability to think things through calmly. My cooking skills had developed too with Suu's help, and I realized with the help of Dia that I could almost always find the answers I seek within myself, and that I could sing really well if I tried! But I decided that I would only sing for fun.
The reason why this reunion meant so much to me was, for one, it was one of the few times I'd ever get to spend with all of my friends at the same time, and two, because Utau had told me Ikuto would be returning from America to join us. Once she had told me this two weeks prior too the trip, I had become even more ecstatic. I marked my calendar every day, and my mood had boosted to a constant euphoric tone as I waited. When the day finally came, I was so happy that it was almost out of character for me.
"Amu-chan… are you sure you're okay? You've been acting weird ever since we got on the bus. And when we were on the boat too…"
"O-okay? Of course I'm okay! Never been better!"
"But people don't shudder when their 'okay'. And you're never this excited about anything. Ever."
"Y-yeah well, what do you know anyway? For all you know, I could be at my maximum point of jubilance! Don't kill the vibe!"
"Whatever you say, Amu-chan…"
We were all on the bus, at long last. Two weeks after finding out Ikuto was returning, the hours of waiting were finally coming to an end. I was in the second to first seat by the window, sitting next to Nagihiko, who was eying me suspiciously. And I couldn't blame him, since I was so excited (and nervous) that I was shuddering in my seat with some creepy foreign smile planted on my face. Heck, I was probably scaring him.
"Amu-chi must be on something today…" Yaya, whispered to an apprehensive Rima, the two staring at me from across the other seat.
"H-hey! I heard that! I am not on something!"
"You must be since you have the jitters. What, did you have too much coffee this morning or something?"
"I guess you could say that…" I murmured, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath. I tried to calm down, and it eventually worked until the bus abruptly began to move. I opened my eyes with a sudden 'eep', hopping a little in my seat, and the shuddering resumed, but in less quantity. I didn't notice the bus driver shift into gear, so it startled me a little.
"Amu-chan, what's wrong?" Ran floated up beside me, a worried expression on her face. Miki, Suu, and Dia all had the look as well, staring down at me from the top of the empty seat in front of me.
"Oh, the bus just startled me, that's all! I've really been looking forward to this trip so I'm just a little jumpy…" Although this was true, I hadn't told anyone about my discovering of how I felt about Ikuto. Even my own guardian characters were unaware of it, which is probably why they thought something was up when I acted so jumpy. They usually knew the reason why because I normally told them everything, but this one time I had decided to keep it a secret. Secrets were almost non-existent between the five of us, but I decided it would be better not to tell anyone because I hadn't been sure of what to make of it myself. At least, not until two weeks ago.
"You're probably the most excited out of all of us then, because I'm bored." Rima mumbled almost nonchalantly. But I just smiled at her, knowing she didn't really mean it. Rima was just better at keeping a straight face than I; and was probably just as excited as I was. Well, maybe not as excited, but a lot more so than usual.
"Amu sure is spirited today! That's good; she can snow board twice as long when we get to the ski resort!" Kukai exclaimed from the bus chair diagonal from me, next to him seated a calm peaceful Tadase by the window. Utau sat silently alone in the seat behind me, she was probably looking out the window trying to block out our constant chatter.
"Amu-chan, I had no idea you were this excited about the ski trip!" Tadase observed, smiling sweetly at me.
"Yeah well, I guess I was just holding in all the enthusiasm for awhile…"
"The more enthusiasm you store up, the more energetic you'll be!" Kukai proclaimed loudly, a look of excitement suddenly appearing on his face as he got an idea. "Amu! We should team up when we have a snowball fight! With your sudden burst of energy and my wits, we'll surely beat the others!"
"That might actually be a good idea… hey, wait! What do you mean by 'wits'?! Are you implying I'm not as smart as you!?"
"Hehe, you would be the one to catch that extra comment." He chuckled, covering his mouth to prevent an outburst of laughter. I sighed blissfully and relaxed in my seat, looking out the window as the others continued to chatter with one another. This was definitely what life was supposed to be all about. Spending time with the people who are most important to you, and enjoying all the time you have with them. We hadn't even arrived at the mountains, and yet I was already having fun.
As I relaxed in my seat, I found my thoughts wandering to Ikuto again. What he might look like now, if his personality had somehow changed, how much taller he may have gotten, and perhaps the stories he'd bring back from America. Utau had told me he was supposed to meet us at the resort, so this would be the last time I had time to think about what I was going to talk about. I was worried it might be awkward after not seeing him for five years, so I had thought up various things to talk about so that I could vanquish the silences that might come.
"Amu-chan is keeping secrets from us…" Miki inquired, floating next to me as I gazed out of the window, taking a trip through in cloud nine. I was startled by her sudden accusation because it was so accurate. I had been able to keep my behavior under control, but now that I was actually on the bus and going to the resort, I had let myself slip-up. Miki caught onto things a bit too quickly.
"W-what do you mean Miki? I'm not keeping anything from anyone."
"Mhmmmm…" Miki responded in a hushed tone, a sly all-knowing grin on her face and crossed arms as she floated a little closer to my face. "Amu, don't forget, I'm your more level-headed would be self. I don't make excuses, and that includes excuses for the way you've been acting. I hope you don't think I haven't noticed that ever since Utau told you Ikuto was coming back, you've changed a little. Dia's noticed too, and although Ran and Suu have yet too notice the cause or when it started, they know something's up. So spill. What's the deal?"
"I – I, um, I…" I glanced at Nagihiko seated next to me; he was too busy helping Yaya in teasing Rima about something to notice my conversation with Miki. I looked back at her expecting expression, my other three charas starting to float near her.
"Well… How do you say it…? I um…" I prattled a little, avoiding eye contact with my Guardians. I'd worked so hard to keep this my little secret, and Miki had just snatched away my hush-hush topic…
"Amu-chan, you can tell us anything without having to worry about us blathering it about it, you know that by now." Dia commented insightfully.
"She's right, Amu! Come on; tell us what's on your mind!" Ran said encouragingly.
"We can help; desu!" Suu chimed in.
I sighed. There was no escaping these guys. But honestly, I was a little relived finally to tell someone. Just because I kept it a secret from everyone that I had fallen for that cat-eared kid, didn't mean I didn't want them to know. I just thought it was for the best. But still, now didn't quite seem like the time, what with all the other people around. Someone could be eavesdropping without my noticing!
"Okay guys, I promise to tell you all. But only after the ride, okay? I don't want to be overheard."
"Promise?" Ran asked, sounding a little doubtful.
"I promise!" Smiling, I held up pinky finger to her, and she gripped it with both of her hands as we shook on it. But the moment was killed when I suddenly felt an unidentified object hit my head. It hit the floor with a soft *tish* sound, and I looked down to see that a hacky sack was the item of my oppression.
"What is the meaning of this!?" I roared; picking up the hacky sack and glaring at Kukai, assuming it was him who threw it.
"I wonder, what is the meaning? To be or not to be… to eat or not to eat… to throw something at Amu or to not throw something at Amu… is this meaning of life? Perhaps." He crossed his arms and grinned with false innocence; even Tadase couldn't help but laugh a little.
"To kill Kukai or not to kill Kukai. That isn't a question; it's just a way of life!" I shouted as I threw the hacky sack at Kukai's face, he caught it effortlessly but his grin grew.
"Is that a declaration of war?"
"You bet it is."
"Bring it!"
Suddenly, everyone brought out their own hacky sacks (accept for Utau of course, who was still gazing out the window, seemingly unaware to the clash that was about to occur.) and aimed at me. I let a small squeal escape as I ducked for cover, protecting my head from the barrage of hacky sacks. After the attack had ended, I hastily picked up one of the sacks that had landed near me and thrust it at Rima, who had the expression almost as outraged and startled as the guy from the painting called 'the scream'. She glared at me, picking up the sack I'd just thrown at her and aiming with as much accuracy as she could muster.
This was going to be a long ride.
***
And as it turned out, was a long ride. After about 15 minutes of war, the bus driver yelled at us and told us to sit down. All of us let a tranquil atmosphere fall upon us. Yaya was the first to fall asleep. As she drooled against the window of the bus, her slumber was followed by Rima, and then Tadase. Eventually, one by one, everyone fell asleep once we were two hours into the ride. Accept me, that is. I couldn't sleep. But I wasn't surprised that everyone was tired already, we had all woken up at four in the morning so that we could be ready to leave by five. First, we'd taken a flight to Aomon, which took about two hours. Then we took a boat to Hakodate, which only took about thirty minutes, and then we took another flight to Furano which took another two hours. After that, we caught the bus that would take us up to the mountain. I had been so scared on the planes that I didn't have time to be as excited and happy as I was on the boat or bus, seeing as I wasn't used to planes because I hadn't been on an airplane since I went to go see my cousins wedding almost six years back.
With an hour to go until we reached our destination, I took the time I had alone to day dream. Do I even need to describe my thoughts? Everyone should know what I was thinking about by now.
As I looked out the window, I noticed the bus was making its way under some thick looking clouds. After it finally drove under, I realized that the thick clouds were nimbostratus clouds. Though it bared no special features or shapes, and seemed to be just a flat blanket of dark grey covering the vast sky, it made up for it in the snow that fell. At first it was just a few dots here and there, but as we approached the foot of the mountain and made our way deeper into the clouds, the flakes began to fall a bit more fiercely. It was just a little, but enough to enjoy. I smiled at this.
"Amu-chan looks peaceful, desu…" Suu floated up next to me, rubbing her eyes softly. She smiled that sweet, innocent smile that seemed to be her trademark.
"Yeah, it's just nice to see snow fall. It's calming…" A comfortable silence fell after that. Suu hovered over to sit on my shoulder, watching the snow outside the window fall with me.
"Hey, Amu?" she asked after a few moments had passed.
"Hmm?"
"Since everyone's asleep, you could tell me what's on your mind right now and get it over with. I'll tell the other three later, if you want."
Before I replied, I stood up slightly and looked around. Rima and Yaya were still sleeping, and Kukai was leaning Tadase messily as the two snored softly. Nagihiko was dozing peacefully against his seat, and even Utau, who hadn't said a word for the whole ride, had her head leaning to one side in a relaxed sleeping position. Everyone was still sleeping, the coast was clear. This was the best time to tell them and get it over with, while still making sure no one else could hear, since I didn't know what my situation would be once we got off the bus.
"Okay, I only going to say this once, and I'm going to say it really fast so be sure to catch it!"
"Understood, desu!" Suu complied, paying attention with intensity. I spoke in something even quieter than a whisper, in a voice for only one person to hear.
"The reason I've been acting so weird is because…"
"Yeees…?"
I felt a light blush go run my face as I tried to find the words to say it out loud.
"I - I… um… the truth is," I stammered uncontrollably for about ten seconds before Miki finally stopped me.
"Amu-chan, you haven't stammered that much since elementary school. If you can't say it now, then I might as well just wait and see what you're so excited about when we arrive at the resort. At least then maybe you can calm down."
I looked up to see Miki floating over my head, frowning as expected and her arms crossed yet again. I thought about it really quickly, and I figured that she probably had figured out why I was excited. Wasn't it rather… obvious? There were only two reasons to be excited: One was the fact that I got to spend three days with all my friends at the ski resort, and the other was the fact that Ikuto, someone I hadn't seen in a long time, was going to be there. It really wasn't that hard to figure out, at least for my Guardians anyway.
As for my friends… they had never been let on about the fact that I liked Ikuto, so how would they get that notion? All the times that I'd spent with Ikuto in the past were when it was just the two of us and our Guardians. No one else had been there to witness my reactions, accept my Guardians. It was impossible for anyone else to notice.
"Ehehe, well…" I chuckled nervously under Miki's expectant stare, but before either of us could say anything, I heard Utau stir behind me.
"Amu… what time is it?" She asked drowsily. I twisted in my seat so that I could face her before replying, resting my arms on the top of my seat.
"You've all been sleeping for two hours, so it's about one. We should be there in about thirty minutes, I think."
"Oh, so you were the only one who didn't fall asleep?" She asked, eyes narrowing.
"Yeah, I'm really just not tired today!" I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head. Why did it have to be Utau who I had to be conversing with?
"You're excited about seeing Ikuto." It wasn't a question. Darn it. Why couldn't it have been a question? Better yet, why didn't I lie and say I'd fallen asleep?
"Yeah, I mean I haven't seen him in five years so it's no surprise. I'm sure everyone else will be happy to see him too!" That sounded consolable enough.
She sighed, closing her eyes before speaking. "Amu. Let me set something straight. You can have your way with Ikuto as much as you want, so long as you don't hog him. You may not realize it, but even though I'm his sister, I've been deprived of him just as much as you, or anyone else who may miss him. I am first priority when it comes to Ikuto, since I'm family." I nodded, and she continued. "But… my view of Ikuto is just as a big brother now. So…" She trailed off for a minute. Same old Utau. I understood what she was saying; that she was no longer going to chase after Ikuto as a boyfriend or anything close to that. I wondered: Was her way of giving me permission to be around him without her being bothered by it? She probably wasn't going to finish that sentence, so I went ahead and took the liberty of ending it for her.
"Okay, Utau. That makes plenty of sense since you're his sister. I understand." She didn't reply. She just turned and resumed looking out the window. I slid back into my place in my seat. When I thought about it, I was really happy that Utau was able to come. With her singing career in almost constant demand, I had been surprised when she hadn't hesitated in coming with us.
After that short conversation, everyone began to stir again. Nagihiko blinked a few times before giving out a small yawn. Yaya stretched out so much that her first smacked Rima in the face, giving her an unpleasant awakening. Their bickering caused Kukai and Tadase to awaken, and the two boys had to constrict Yaya and Rima as they fought amongst each other grumpily. In the end, we all wound up switching seats so the two could stop fighting and just go back to sleep. Nagihiko now sat with Rima, and I sat next to Yaya away from the window in a seat across from Tadase. Utau and Kukai were now in the same seat, Kukai could be heard poking fun at her ramen eating skills every once in awhile. Kukai and Utau had grown quite close since the whole Easter meltdown thing. I always saw them as sort of a perfect-match couple, and I even had a notion that they might have been dating without telling anyone. But I never pressed for answers, knowing I might lose my head in the process.
"Yaya sure hasn't changed much has she?" I sighed, looking over to Tadase who was just as rattled as I was.
"Nope, she hasn't. It's just as in elementary."
"Still, having to switch seats like this is so…"
"Extravagant?"
"Yeah."
"Well, on the bright side we're about to arrive at the summit of the mountain." He turned his head and pointed out the windshield of the bus, revealing the scene that had gone unnoticed to me due to all the commotion. We were driving along the side of the mountain, a rail at the side of the cliff to prevent falling. The road was narrow and covered with a very thin layer in contrast to the mountain beside it, which was coated in a thick, pure blanket of white. Not a single trace of green could be seen in the pine trees that dotted alongside the mountain, and a very soft wind was blowing the still falling snow around the mountain. It was as if we were driving through the mountain of a snow globe. If one looked far enough, they would be able to see the chair lifts that covered the other nearby mountains, each one bringing the people in them to and from the summit.
The road ahead was beginning to expand a bit as we got off the mountain side and approached the summit; we suddenly took a turn into a tunnel that went into the center of the mountain. It was dark, with only a few lights here and there to help you see, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw once we cleared through it.
Once we exited the tunnel, my heart leaped into my throat at the sight of the resort itself. We had arrived at the other side of the mountain that had been hidden from us before as we had made out way up. To imagine it, one could think of an upside-down ice cream come with one side of the center bitten off, leaving only a big indent in it. The resort was surrounded by the mountain, with only one side exposed to the outside world. And on that side, you could see everything. And I mean everything. The white trees 2000 feet below, the many roads to take to get up here, and the giant lake at the center of the view at the very bottom. The sky was outstretched in a dark grey blanket, but even though it as a depressing color, it was still breathtaking. I also noticed that the chairlifts started at the side of the mountain and seemed to spiral up toward the very top of the mountain, while on the other side there was a chairlift coming down bringing a load of up to four people with it.
The resort itself was something to be in awe at as well. It was huge, but not extremely tall, as the roof of the indent itself wouldn't allow it. In other words, it wasn't very tall, but it was quite wide. At maximum, I estimated it was probably only about three stories, but each room was probably spread out evenly. It was covered with snow as well, which surprised me since the snow only had one way of coming in. As we drove down from the little hill we were on, I caught a glimpse of a hot spring in the center of the resort before we finally were on level with it all.
"This resort is right under the summit of Seraph Mountain. Well, Amu? What do you think?" Tadase asked me. I turned to him, speechless. When we had been planning on where we wanted to ski, Tadase had told us all to leave it to him because he knew the 'perfect place'. So this was what he meant…
"A-a-amazing!" I shouted in astonishment. It was the only thing I could think to say at the time. Yaya stirred beside me, and once she got her first look out the window she let out a miniature scream equivalent to that of an excited three year old.
"Tadase-kun, when you said 'I know the perfect place,' you weren't kidding! Look, Pepe!" she grabbed her guardian that had been resting in her lap and pushed her face up against the window. "That lake's huge!"
"It's stunning…" Even Utau let out a little compliment. Kukai whistled before saying, "Now that's mind-blowing." Rima and Nagihiko sat in their seats quietly; too shocked from the view to utter a word as they gawked out the window.
"I'm glad you all like it!" Tadase remarked happily, a smile of accomplishment on his face.
"From this day onward, Tadase will be our new personal travel agent! All in favor of this statement, say 'I'!!" Kukai proclaimed, and we all gave a hearty "I!" as we thrust out fists into the air in agreement. Tadase blushed, looking down to the floor modestly. "You guys…"
"No, Tadase, Kukai's right! You deserve every bit of praise for surprising us like this!" I insisted, grabbing his hands and smiling at him genuinely.
"Amu-chan…"
"Tadase, how did you find out about this place? I've never heard of it." Nagihiko asked.
"Well, I came here once when I was little and thought it would be a good place to come back too. It sure has changed, though. The ground used to be bare inside the dome, but now it's covered in trees."
As we all continued chatting, the bus turned into its designated parking zone. The bus driver got up and told us the ride was over, then proceeded to help us get all of our luggage out of all the compartments on the outside of the bus. Once we had all of our stuff, Tadase lead us to the front counter where he the receptionist brought us to our reserved rooms. The elevator took two loads of luggage and people at a time, with Utau and I being the last to board. After everyone had gone up and it was our turn, I felt the question that I didn't want to think about pop into my head – where was Ikuto? I hadn't seen him when we arrived, and he was supposed to be here before us. What if he wasn't coming after all…?
"Um, Utau?" I began as I pressed the second floor button in the elevator with my finger.
"What?"
"…never mind." I mumbled; looking down the floor as the elevator brought us up. I couldn't ask. It might make my feelings obvious to the others, so I decided it was best to keep my mouth shut… but at the same time I was dying to know where Ikuto was!
When we finally settled outside our rooms, it was time to decide who stayed with whom. There were a total of four rooms, and we all decided to split up with two rooms per person, with one room being a bedroom with only one person since there were seven of us.
"No, there's no way I'm going to stay a single night in the same room as Nagihiko!" Kukai protested when we suggested the two stay together on one. "Don't think I forgot that time you put that skirt on me. Why can't I just share a room with Tadase or Utau!?"
"Because Tadase and I already decided that Utau and Amu-chi should share one room while Rima gets the one alone!" Yaya explained; a look of irritation on her face.
"Why do I have to be the one who has to be alone? I wanted to be with Amu. Or someone. I think Yaya's just trying to isolate me because of what happened earlier on the bus." Rima accused.
"What!? I am not!"
"I bet you are."
Meanwhile, Nagihiko and Kukai were in an argument of their own.
"You think I carry skirts with me all the time or something!? Why would I bring one to the summit with me!?"
"How should I know? Maybe you have some sort of secret skirt fetish that no one knows about..."
"F-fetish? I have no such fixation!"
And soon enough, everyone was arguing about who got what room. Quelling everyone seemed impossible, so I pulled a whistle out of my luggage bag and let it rip away at their ear drums until they all quieted down. All eyes on me, I heaved a great sigh before going on with my explanation.
"Okay, since it's obvious that Rima and Yaya would claw each other throats out, and Kukai and Nagihiko have some sort of skirt issue going on, Rima will share a room with Utau and Tadase and Kukai can share one while Yaya will share the last room with Nagihiko. I'll take the last room alone, Capeesh!?"
"Humph, I'd rather stay in with Kukai. He's more talkative then Rima," Utau said; a frown on her face.
"Fine! Fine! I don't care anymore, so long as you all stop arguing! You're all giving me a headache!" I held out my hand to Tadase, who in turn gave me one of the several rings of keys he had been holding while waiting for everyone else to quiet down. Each one had ring had two sets of keys to one of each room, accept mine of course, which probably only needed one since I was going to be the only one residing in it. I turned away from them and headed for my room down the hallway, with my four guardian characters following me.
"Um, Amu-chan! There's something I needed to tell you!" Tadase called after me as I walked away.
"It can wait until lunch, Tadase. We'll all meet outside the lobby in an hour. You can tell me then."
My room was western styled and very plush. It had its own kitchen, small living room, balcony and one bedroom. The bathroom was nice too, since it had both a shower and bathtub. In the small living room there was a couch with a low end table in front of it, facing a large plasma T.V. The bedroom had queen sized bed pushed into one corner of the room, leaving just enough space to sit in front of the fireplace beside it and perhaps read a book on the floor.
"Wooow, this sure is nice and cozy!" Ran commented as we entered.
"Look at this! The little refrigerator is so cute!" Miki commented as she floated by the kitchen.
"Hmm, that reminds me, what I make for breakfast tomorrow…?" Suu wondered out loud.
"No need to worry Suu, they serve breakfast here." Dia assured her.
"Okay… so long as it tastes good, I suppose."
Whilst those four chatted amongst themselves, I unpacked my luggage and hung my clothes in the closet in the bedroom, and then decided to go ahead and take a shower to help calm myself and unwind a little. After that, I decided it would be best to wear something warm, but casual, since no one was going to ski or snowboard until the next day and we were probably just going to throw snow at each other all day. So I put on a white t-shirt and above it, a red V neck knit sweater that's sleeves were so long only the tips of my fingers could be seen. I then put on a pair of black stockings, and over that, a red skirt that reached wasn't too short, but wasn't too long either. And finally, I put on a black half-sleeved ruffled jacket and some white boots. Wearing a skirt and stockings wouldn't be a big deal for me, since I was quite used to it snowing back at home, and even then I wore skirts in such temperatures.
I checked myself in the mirror once more, giving my pink hair, which had grown to my mid-back over the past five years, a quick brush before leaving the bathroom. With about twenty minutes left until it was time to meet up with everyone again, I realized this was probably something I shouldn't have done, since the moment I left the bathroom and took a seat on the couch I was bombarded with the demands of my guardians.
"Amu! Are you gonna tell us now? Huh? Huh?"
"Please tell us, desu!"
"I'm anxious. Spit it out!"
"Tell us what's on your mind, Amu."
They had me surrounded; and there was no point in trying to avoid the inevitable. So I spilled.
"Alright… I'll tell you." Ran, Miki, Suu, And Dia all took a seat on the end table in front of me, looking up at me with excitement in their eyes. "Go on then!" Ran urged.
"Okay, where should I start…"I thought for a quick second before continuing. Should I even go down the road of explaining everything, or just cut straight to the chase?
"Short or long version?"
"Short!" They all said in unison.
I fumbled my fingers a little as I brought out the courage to mumble out the message. "I…I like Ikuto, I think." I averted my gaze from them after that last part, and silence filled the room.
"…What?!" Ran shouted, standing up all of the sudden in shock. "Where's that coming from!? Ikuto's been gone for five years, I don't see how you could just grow a liking for him while he's been away for so long." Miki and Suu groaned, smacking their foreheads as Dia just blinked once in confusion. "Ikuto? You mean that blue haired boy who was the cause of that whole Easter crisis?" I nodded subtly, remembering that Dia wasn't around at almost any of the times I had been with Ikuto.
"Ran, you're slow!" Miki shouted, Suu nodding in agreement.
"What? How am I slow!?"
"You never noticed Amu's attraction to Ikuto…?"
A light went on in the attic of my head. "Eh? You knew?" Suu looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"Of course we knew. It was obvious Miki and I, you and Ran are the only two who didn't notice."
"Ran is the slow one after all…" Miki mumbled under her breath, but it didn't go unheard.
"Slow!?"
"I was the only one who didn't notice?!" I exclaimed, not counting Ran in this statement.
"Yep. It's kind of sad, actually. Suu and I noticed it, but we also knew you didn't even notice it yourself. For the last five years he's been gone, we just figured you'd never understand yourself!"
My head dipped a little in disappointment, "Well actually, I noticed it two years after he left, so…"
"That's still a sad pace." Miki commented, smiling a little. "But the fact of the matter is that you've finally noticed!"
"But now all Amu-chan has to do is confess!" Suu chimed in harmonically.
"C-C-C-CONFESS!? I'll do no such thing!" I stammered, shocked at Suu's proposal. Honestly, I'd never really thought about telling Ikuto how I felt. My mind was clouded with so many happy thoughts of him coming back that I didn't think of anything else. But now that Suu had brought that up, I suddenly found myself thinking all the thoughts to that of an infatuated teenage girl – Did I want to confess? If I did, how would I do it? …What if I confessed and he rejected me? And thus ruining what could have been a perfectly awesome friendship!? My face was turning red just thinking about it…
"Amu-chan… steam is rising from your ears…"
"FUWAH!" I jumped up from the couch, picking up two throw pillows and thrusting them onto either side of my head.
"She was joking."
"…Oh." I set the pillows back down and sat on the couch.
"Anyway," Dia persisted, "What do you mean you'll do no such thing? What's the point of liking a person if you never tell them? In the end, you'll only suffer from keeping it bottled up."
"Well, I guess I kind of overreacted but, I don't want to tell him yet. I want to at least try and find out if he likes me before I say anything. And plus, he's only just arrived in Japan today, so I wouldn't want to overwhelm him…"
"Aw, that's our Amu, always thinking of others! Or, at least most of the time." Ran cheered happily, dancing around the table.
"S-shut up ran!" I stopped my protest when I heard the door of the room buckle a little. There was a shic noise before I heard the door open, and the room became really quiet. Could it be Tadase? No, he didn't have keys to my room, and even if he did, he would have knocked first! But it could also be room service… but they normally only came in during the morning hours. I had only checked in thirty minutes ago, so it couldn't be that either!
I quickly, but silently, stood up and dashed in the direction of the bedroom, Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia following me and hiding under the bed while I went into the closet and shut the door lightly. There was the sound of feet softly scuttling across the floor, and then a plop noise coming from the direction of the living room. There was a zipping sound, and then the foot steps continued. Pausing every once in awhile. And with every continuation after a pause, the foot steps slowly made their way closer and closer to the bedroom… When I heard the foot steps finally stop near at the doorway of the bedroom, my heart began to pound ferociously, and with the blood pumping through my veins at an alarming rate, I ducked my head in my legs, covering my head with my hands.
Tip…
Tap…
Step…
Step…
Whoever was in here was approaching, and I had no clue what to do. Was it a burglar? Or maybe a Kidnapper? Or even worse, some sort of rapist!? Or maybe it was just some weird fan of Utau's that somehow followed us here and knew I was connected to her. Okay, so that last one was a little out there, but it was possible! The person stopped when they reached the closet door, and I heard the door knob turn. I closed my eyes to brace for whatever would happen… and then I heard a voice say my name.
"…Amu?"
My heart stopped. How did this pursuer know my name!? Was I being stalked!? I opened my eyes and lifted my head a little to see who was addressing me. When I saw who it was, I felt all the feelings of relief, happiness, and stupidity all come crashing down on me at the same time.
"…Ikuto!?"
Alex's notes: OH yeah. Twelve pages of juicy juiciness, with 00.02% of amuto included! (Or 35 pages, depending on how you want to count it.) Even thought it had little amutoness, it was still fun to write. *-*
Ah, but what an unhealthy dose that must have been you all. It was for me too. But fear not! The next chapter should be released soon, &I promise it gets better from here. x]