Goose: Hiya! I'm out of my hibernation~
Dwarfy: That was quick.
Goose: Yes, yes it was. But I'm SO BORED.
Dwarfy: There's less than a month left of summer vacation...
Goose: Yes, less than a month of BOREDOM. Anyway... hi, Sugar Crumpet! I finally wrote it :D I own nothing!
Utau walked briskly down the street, her head held high, with a very official, businesslike attitude. Sunglasses covered her stunning violet eyes, and she coldly ignored the stares following her. She head people whispering all around her, wondering if "the famous Utau Hoshina" would want to join them for dinner.
Of course I wouldn't, Utau scoffed to herself, I'm a famous idol. Do they honestly think that I have time to fulfill the requests of every single fan? Sometimes, the ignorant stupidity of people amazed her. Especially that one girl: Amu Hinamori. She was so innocent, so oblivious, convinced that life would always be fair. The real world would eat her alive.
Well, it's not like the Hinamori girl mattered, anyway. She and her Guardian friends were just bumps in the road, minor obstacles set between Easter and the Embryo. After Easter catches the Embryo, Utau would be free. Ikuto... that's all that mattered, Ikuto. She'd give up singing to save Ikuto. Heck, she'd give up anything to save Ikuto. And yet, she was losing him. Very slowly, she was losing her brother and the only person she had ever loved to none other than Amu Hinamori.
A gentle sobbing snapped Utau back to reality as she walked past an old alley. Curiosity got the best of her, and she slowed to a stop and peered through the darkness of the alley toward the source of the noise. There, sitting in front of a wall and hugging her knees to her chest, was a small girl. The girl had big eyes and bouncy brown pigtails, and couldn't be any older than three or four.
Noticing Utau's shadow in front of her, the girl looked up in shock. Utau could see a tear-stained face with fear sketched all over it, and Utau had the sudden desire to comfort this girl, even though she had no idea who she was. She wanted to smack herself for it. Surely, her parents were looking for her right now? And anyway, there was work to be done. But to leave this poor girl alone...
Maternal instincts (that she didn't know she had) drove Utau to walk quietly over to the girl and kneel down so that they were eye to eye. The girl looked strangely familiar, yet Utau could not figure out who she had seen before that this little girl reminded her of. It was probably just the little sister of some crazy fan that went to all of her shows or something... Utau quickly pushed it out of her mind.
Looking the girl directly in the eye, Utau spoke very gently. "Hello. My name is Utau Hoshina. Are you lost?" The little girl looked up at her in shock, awe replacing the fear in her face. Of course, Utau thought, she's a fan. Now I'll never get rid of her. Little kids, they always mess everything up.
"Utau...chan?" the girl spoke in barely above a whisper, yet Utau could still hear the adoration in her childish voice. "Are you really Utau-chan?" Utau could not help but smile, and she nodded.
"What is your name?" she asked, hoping that she could get a last name so she could take the girl to the police station. It would result in some publicity, of course, but there was something about this girl that had Utau wanting, no, needing, to take care of her. But what the child said next was shocking.
"Ami Hinamori."
Utau couldn't believe it. The little sister of her worst enemy, here? And Utau was being so nice to her, nicer than she'd been to anyone in her life, except Ikuto? But maybe... maybe it was a different Hinamori. Was Hinamori that uncommon of a last name? She knew that Midori Hinamori was a writer, and Tsugumu Hinamori was a photographer. Maybe they had relatives that had a daughter? But that would mean the girl was still a relative of Amu Hinamori...
Related or not, Utau couldn't just leave Ami in the dark alley. It was early afternoon now, but in a few hours it would be dark, and the streets were dangerous at night, especially for children. Sighing, Utau reluctantly grabbed Ami's hand.
"Come on, Ami-chan. I'll take you to the police station, and they can help you find your parents. You're lost, right?" Utau spoke so kindly, she shocked even herself. Man, if Ikuto could see her now, she'd never hear the end of it... Ami nodded slowly and stood up, and the two of them walked out of the alley and down the street to the local police station. Again, Utau was followed by whispers.
"Who do you think that girl is?
"Do you think she's Utau-sama's daughter?"
"Can't be, she's too young. Sister, maybe?"
"Who cares, she's cute! And Utau-sama is being so nice! That's rare! She's usually so cool!"
Utau walked on, once again ignoring the whispers that seemed to follow her everywhere. Ami, however, was awestruck at all of the attention her idol was getting, and seemed to be enjoying her fair share of it. Utau could tell that the girl was the type to sing along in front of the TV. She could tell because she used to be one of those girls.
About five minutes later, Utau was speaking to a police officer. Apparently, nobody had called looking for an 'Ami Hinamori,' so it was likely that she had just gone missing. After being asked several questions, it was discovered that Ami's sister, Amu had been going out to 'meet' some friends, and Ami had decided to follow her. 'Meet' because Utau knew better, and could tell that Amu was really going out to fight X-Eggs.
The policeman sighed. "I'm afraid that until we get a call, we can't do anything." Utau was shocked. What kind of police officer was he, not helping a lost child? This was why Utau had never trusted the Seiyo police department. "Anyway," the policeman continued, "can you watch over her until we get a call? We'll contact you when we do."
Utau highly doubted that she would get a call, but she had no choice but to agree, though she did so rather rudely. As the policeman wished her a nice day, she turned around huffily and led Ami out of the station and down the street. She figured that she had no choice but to take the girl home, so she marched angrily in the direction of her apartment.
"Utau-chan?" Ami asked timidly. "What's going on?"
Utau flinched, wondering how to explain this situation to the small girl. She settled for silence, and Ami continued to follow her around like a lost puppy. About ten minutes later, they arrived in front of a tall, plain-looking beige building with 'Easter' printed in large letters above the door.
"Easter?" Ami said with big eyes. "What's that?"
Utau hesitated for a split-second before saying, "It's the company I work for. These apartments are specifically for employees, but you're going to stay with me until your parents come looking for you." She figured that this was a reasonable answer. As long as she didn't tell the girl that Easter was a company that destroyed the hopes and dreams of children worldwide, she should be okay... maybe.
Walking through the revolving glass doors, she nodded briefly to the other Easter employees sitting in the lobby before quickening her pace and heading towards the elevator. Forcefully pressing the up arrow next to the elevator doors, she tapped her foot impatiently while Ami looked up at her curiously. The elevator finally came and she stepped aside to let Ami in, following close behind herself.
There was nobody else in the elevator, and the dull white walls were reflected by the shiny metal doors. She quickly pressed the button for the top floor, and they both felt the familiar lurch of the elevator beginning to move. They both stood there in silence, and the elevator rose to the top of the building uninterrupted.
Stepping out into the hallway, Utau heard someone calling her name.
"Utau! Utau, over here!"
Utau turned to see Yukari Sanjo walking quickly towards her, her usual mischievous smile in place.
"Utau! Remember, you have a recording to go to tomorrow morning at ten! Don't forge- who is this?"
Yukari was looking sternly down at Ami, who was now hiding behind Utau's legs to avoid the gaze of the stern woman.
"She's just a girl I found," Utau lied. "The police haven't gotten any calls for a lost child, so they asked me to take care of her for a while." She knew that if Yukari found out that this girl was Amu Hinamori's little sister, she would try to use that as an advantage over the Guardians.
Yukari frowned. "Those useless policemen, they never do anything right. She won't interfere with the recording tomorrow, I hope?"
Utau shook her head. "Of course not. I'll make sure she stays out of the way." Yukari nodded in satisfaction, then quickly slipped into the elevator just as the door was about to close.
Utau looked at the closed doors for several moments, thinking, before turning on her heel and marching down the hall to her apartment. She took a black key out of her pocket and unlocked the door, and, shoving the key back into her pocket, stepped inside.
It was a simple apartment with beige carpet and white walls. There was a bedroom, a kitchen, a dining room and a bathroom. The bedroom had a TV, but other than that, she had nothing that would keep a small girl entertained. However, this didn't seem to be a problem, as Ami was excitedly exploring the small apartment, fascinated.
"Utau-chan!" Ami cried, turning to Utau with sparkling eyes. "Can I sleep with Utau-chan tonight? Please?"
Utau hesitated, but she didn't really have much of a choice. She couldn't make the girl sleep on the couch, and she definitely wasn't going to sleep there herself. It was getting late, so there was no way she could improvise. Reluctantly, she nodded, causing Ami to cry out with joy and run up to her, hugging her legs tightly. Though she was surprised at first, Utau slowly felt a small smile spread across her face. She took Ami's hand and led her into the bedroom, where Ami laughed and jumped up onto the bed.
Utau smiled lightly again before moving over to the dresser, where she found an old T-shirt that was long enough for it to work as a nightgown for Ami. Grabbing her own pajamas, she locked herself in the bathroom to change. When she came out, Ami had already put on the oversized T-shirt and crawled under the covers.
Utau sat on the bed and looked into Ami's large eyes peering up at her. She couldn't help but feel a little bit awkward at the situation, but again, there was nothing she could do about it until the police got a call. Sighing, she rested her head on the pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin before turning to Ami again.
"You're going to have to come with me tomorrow the the recording," she said, "because I can't leave you alone here."
Ami nodded, but a look of worry flickered across her face. "Why haven't Mama and Papa or Onee-chan called?" she asked, worried.
Utau smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure they're worried about you. Those policemen are useless idiots, remember that."
Ami nodded with a serious expression. "Policemen are useless idiots, got it."
Laughing slightly, Utau reached over to turn off the lamp on her bedside table, and just minutes later, fell asleep.
Utau woke the next morning slightly confused. It took a few seconds to remember why there was a small, brown-haired girl curled up next to her, and then a few more to realize that nobody had called about her yet. Groaning, she stepped lightly onto the floor and crept silently into the kitchen to avoid waking Ami up.
However, before she could put two slices of bread in the toaster, she heard a delighted shriek. Moments later, Il and X-Dia came zooming frantically out of her bedroom, Ami running happily after them.
"Utau!" Il complained. "Do something about this little brat! Kick her out! Why the hell is she here, anyway?"
Dia studied Ami's face carefully before smiling gently. "Her heart is sparkling," she whispered. Il glared at her with a look of disgust obvious on her face.
"Utau, get rid of her!" Il demanded. "Dia has been taking all of my spotlight! Gimme a turn for once! C'mon, Utau!"
Of course, Il was ignored, and she felt frustration build up inside of her. She had always been Utau's number one Chara, and now she had been pushed aside and was now treated as nothing. Why couldn't stupid El have stayed? Then Utau wouldn't have taken in the stupid replacement Chara.
Ami, on the other hand, was paying more attention to Il than anything. Apparently, Dia's expressionless personality bored the young girl, while Il, who was loud, mischievous and independent, entertained her to no end. This pleased Il greatly; it felt good to have someone appreciate her again.
As the digital clock under the microwave changed to read 9:30 in the morning, Utau frowned. She had just realized that she had nothing that Ami could wear outside, for the clothes she wore yesterday were still incredibly dirty from sitting in the alley. But there was...
"Ami!" Utau called. "Come with me."
Utau led Ami back into the bedroom, where she opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and reached into the very back. She pulled out a small pinkish purple dress that was a little too big for Ami, but better than nothing, though she was a little reluctant to let her wear it. That dress had been the last birthday present she had ever gotten from her father. He disappeared before they could celebrate another together.
Ami, however, was hugging it to her chest and spinning around happily. Utau left the room, closing the door behind her, to give some privacy. She could still hear Ami singing one of her songs happily. The idea that music with such terrible results could cause a child to be so happy- it made her feel nauseous.
Ami opened the door Utau was leaning against, causing her to stumble slightly before regaining her balance. Glaring down at Ami, her expression faltered when she saw her dress and the look on Ami's face. It was the exact same look Utau herself had worn when she first tried on the dress: delight and pride from earning the right to wear something so magnificent (in the opinion of a toddler).
Utau walked to the front door of the apartment and slipped her feet into her shoes. Beckoning for Dia and Il to follow, she grabbed Ami's hand to prevent her from wandering off and set off.
When she arrived at the recording studio, it was 10:06. Yukari was furious with her for being those mere six minutes late. ("Those are six minutes that could have been put to good use, Utau! You're so irresponsible sometimes!"). Like she had any right to talk.
Ignoring her manager's rant, Utau told Ami to wait in one of the chairs nearby. Ami happily did so, content with playing with Il while Utau was Character Changed with Dia. Il was rather pleased with this outcome as well, for now she had something to do besides aiming kicks at Dia (which never hit their target).
When Utau sang, she felt as if she was using her voice to create a whole new beautiful world, just for herself. This type of singing, though, was forced, and her world became tainted and gray. Only the lone butterfly in this world would give her hope that one day, both she and Ikuto would be free. The butterfly, no matter how many times the smoky flames of this hell would engulf it, would always emerge the way it was before. Utau took this as a sign that one day, she would break free of Easter and things would go back to the way they were before.
The last note of her song faded away and she opened her eyes. She glanced over at Dia, who was staring off, her eyes clearly showing that her mind was elsewhere. As the diamond hair clips disappeared, so did a good amount of the power she felt from the Character Change. It made her feel weak, and she didn't like it. If she was ever to become like that butterfly, she would have to be stronger. And to get stronger, she would have to make sure nobody would get in her way.
Nobody get in my way. So much for that idea, Utau thought glumly as Ami pulled her down the street towards an ice cream stand, crying out that she wanted a strawberry cone. Utau agreed, though hesitantly, for she was afraid that her dress would get stained. She eventually managed to convince herself that, due to the color, a stain wouldn't show up very much and that if she washed it as soon as she got home, the dress would be fine.
Just as she was handing the money over to the cashier, Utau heard a vaguely familiar voice.
"Hoshina Utau?"
Whipping around, Utau came face to face with a tall boy with slightly tanned skin, messy hair and light green eyes. He was holding on to a water bottle and had a green-haired Chara floating beside him. She had seen him before, but she never found out his name. She remembered that the last time she saw him was when she and Amu had Character Transformed with X-Dia and El, respectively.
"Aren't you one of those Guardians Hinamori Amu hangs out with?" Utau scowled.
The boy nodded, looking at her suspiciously. "I used to be, but I graduated. I'm Souma Kukai, by the way."
Kukai. That was his name. She had heard Amu and the other Guardians call him that several times before, but he was no threat, so she didn't bother to remember. What confused her, though, was that he had actually come up to her, the enemy, to introduce himself. It seemed a bit bizarre, to say the least.
Ami was looking up at Kukai with admiration. "You're Onee-chan's friend, right? Utau-chan, is he your boyfriend?"
Kukai spit out his water (managing to shower his Chara in the process) while Utau yelled indignantly.
"There's no way this interfering kid would ever be my boyfriend!" she explained harshly.
Kukai frowned. "Isn't this Hinamori's sister? Why is she with you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
Before Utau could answer, Ami gave a little gasp of surprise. A large blob of ice cream had fallen out of the cone and onto the white collar of the dress she was wearing. Groaning in frustration, Utau quickly scooped the girl up into her arms and sprinted away without saying another word.
After putting the dress in the washer, giving Ami a new T-shirt to wear, and getting a glass of water from the kitchen, Utau noticed that there was a new message on the answering machine of her phone. Hitting the button, she listened carefully in case it was any of the Hinamori family.
"Hi, Utau-chan! This is Midori Hinamori speaking! I'm calling to talk to you about our daughter, Ami-chan. We spoke with the Seiyo police department, and they told us she was with you and gave us your number. Anyway, we talked it over, and decided that Ami staying with someone as famous as Hoshina Utau for a while would be a great learning experience for her! We'll drop off a bag of clothes and other belongings this afternoon!"
Utau's glass of water crashed to the floor, but she didn't notice. She was to busy trying not to scream.
Goose: And behold, you, my dear readers, have just read the longest chapter I've ever written. Ever.
Dwarfy: -throws confetti-
Goose: Yes... I be so happy~ Because it's over 3,500 words~ And I know that might not seem like a lot, but it is to me. Yay. Anyway... as some of you may have noticed, when I start a story, I'll update every week or so, but as time goes on, I'll update less and less frequently. But I'm trying to fix that! So... my long and complicated plan will hopefully work out. Maybe. I hope...
Dwarfy: Review if you feel like it.