He first saw her upon a rock.
It sounds ordinary and dull however it was infact the opposite. Bubblegum pink strands framed her chubby face as she heartfully blew into her flute.
Everyone in the playground stopped and stared at the little girl, barely the age of five - not paying attention to anyone apart from herself.
Ikuto was stunned. He wanted to know her.
He puffed out his chest and crossed the pebbly playground on a mission.
"You blow too much."
That was the first thing he said. She stopped playing abruptly and stared at him with large honey eyes.
Then she glared. And it was fierce. Not like how Ikuto would have imagined the angelic looking girl to act. He was confused.
"I know how to do it!" She burst out snappily, waving the flute up and down in her chubby, little hand. Her red overalls slipping over one shoulder at the movement.
"No, you really don't." The eight year old countered, a little snarkily if he was being honest.
That didn't help. Oh not at all. If Ikuto had known he wouldn't have said anything.
"You're STUPID! STUPID STUPID STUPID!" She began chanting angrily, Ikuto stepped back in alarm. The reaction was beyond his understanding. What had he done?
Before he realised what was happening, she began to whack him with her flute. Thank the lord it was plastic...but it still hurt. He began to yelp and shoved her back by her shoulders on instinct.
He immediately regretted it as the little girl toppled backwards off the rock and landed flat on her bottom.
He held his breath and stared.
And stared
And-
Oh no.
The waterworks started and suddenly he felt a million times worse for pushing a girl around three years younger than him.
It was loud and he couldn't help but cringe.
Her eyes were glassy and her flute was forgotten on the pebbled ground beside her.
"Amu!"
Suddenly she was picked up by a women - who Ikuto supposed was her mother - and rocked gently.
"What's wrong Amu?" The lady cooed out softly.
"H-he he hit me!" Amu burst out with her bottom lip trembling as she failed miserably at sending evil daggers Ikuto's way, (Looking more like a grumpy little kitten in Ikuto's opinion).
Ikuto wasn't too good at dealing with confrontations and in this particular situation, between flight or fight- or rather try and defend himself or stare wide eyed for a few seconds and then run- the latter was definitely the one he chose.
—
As he climbed over the wired fence that surrounded what he called home, accidentally cutting the side of his pinky and tumbling to the other side rather ungracefully - he sighed.
His mission had failed very much and he was very, very disappointed in himself. He pouted up at the misty grey clouds before kicking the rubbish bins that were always placed annoyingly in front of his door.
But that was okay, He was okay. Plan number one failed, alright. But there was still plan number two, three, four, five and six and seven and-
"Big brother? Stop smiling like that! You look like a creepy pedo!"
Ikuto didn't even care that his sister kept pestering and teasing him about being a 'pedo'. (Even though he wasn't and it was completely absurd to think an eight year old could kidnap other children or something...whatever)