My Sweet Heart
You'll find the one you love...
Author's Note: Well, here's my Valentine's Day one-shot for this year. It turned out to be pretty long - currently my longest one-shot. Hope you like it!
Important Note: This one has been touched up just a little bit as of July 3, 2009.
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Pairings:
Amu X Ikuto
Rima X Nagihiko
Kukai X Yaya
Nikaidou X Su (as friends)
Miki X Yoru (Only a mention)
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Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, episodes and scenes fromShugo Chara! (although I wish I did). The only things I own are the ideas for and in this story and the story itself.
"I think your chocolates turned out great, Amu-chan!" Ran exclaimed waving her pom-poms. Amu and her charas were walking to school. They were almost there.
"The mixture came out perfectly, desu," Su cooed. She loved anything having to do with cooking. "See what you can do with a little practice?"
"And this time you did it without Su's help," Miki added. "I'm proud of you Amu-chan."
The girl smiled. "Thanks a lot you guys. Cooking these chocolates went a lot better than that time with the tart." She thought back to the first time she tried to bake something. She had been with her friend Nadeshiko in the school's kitchen, making a fruit tart to give to Tadase for his birthday. Then Ikuto showed up and well...everything went wrong from there.
Ran shook her head. "Yeah, I know. That was a disaster."
"It wasn't really Ikuto's fault though," Amu replied as she switched her bag from one hand to the other. "He was trying to jump out the way of Nadeshiko and Temari's crazy chara-changed attack."
Miki shivered. "That was crazy."
"And then he showed up on my balcony the next night and brought us a bag full of sweets to replace the ruined tart." A faint blush appeared on Amu's cheeks at the memory. "And anyway, we made cookies for Tadase instead. So everything turned out all right in the end."
"Tadase is going to love your chocolates, desu!" Su said with a smile.
"Uh, yeah..." Amu trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished. See, the thing was, that she had originally planned to give the chocolates she made for this Valentine's Day to Tadase. And she hadn't told this her charas yet, but when she had gotten up that morning, she thought about a few things and well…changed her mind. Before her parents, sister and charas were awake, she had thought long and hard about the two boys that she liked. Tadase was the leader of the guardians and seemed just like a prince. A handsome prince. And she got excited and her heart started beating fast whenever she was around him. He was one of her first crushes, but she had judged him before she knew his real personality. So yeah, he was cute and all but she really didn't feel the same for him anymore.
Now, Ikuto on the other hand… Well at first he had made her nervous. Really nervous. And at times he acted like an irritating, annoying and perverted jerk who teased her all the time. Then at other times, he showed her that he could be kind, gentle and…very sweet. Ikuto was always there to catch her when she fell and it almost seemed like he cared about her – when he wasn't being irritating. So, she decided to go with her feelings and give her homemade chocolates to Ikuto. There was one problem with her recipient though. She hadn't seen him for weeks and he never stayed in one place for very long. How would she ever find him by the end of the day?
"Hey, Amu-chan?"
The girl snapped out her thoughts and the sound of Ran's voice. "Eh? What is it?"
"We're here, desu."
A few yards in front of her was Seiyo Academy's front gate. "Wow, that was fast," she murmured before walking in. Many of the students were milling around on the front lawn chatting about crushes and confessions. Some were discussing the Valentine's celebration that would be held later that night and others were looking up at a large banner that was draped around the school's tall, central tower. It read: 'Happy Valentine's Day at Seiyo Academy!' It had loads of pink and red hearts, glitter, sparkles and a dish that had mini chocolates spilling over the top of it.
Amu sweatdropped. "Overdone much? I wonder what idiot thought that up."
"Hey Himamori!"
"Don't tell me…" Miki trailed off. Amu slowly turned to her left. Sure enough, her crazy former-enemy-turned-school-teacher, Mr. Nikaidou was running towards her. "Wonder what it is this time…" Miki said dryly.
Nikaidou finally caught up and stopped in front of them to catch his breath. "Hinamori-san, what do you think of the school's holiday banner?" He pointed at the overdone decoration on the tower. "It was my idea. The rest of the faculty loved it!"
Amu sweatdropped again. "So it was your idea…"
Nikaidou smiled proudly. "Uh-huh. Great isn't it? You guardians just have to decorate the gym now for the party. And speaking of school – " He broke off and looked down at his wristwatch. "Don't be late for class, Hinamori. First period starts in 3 minutes."
"Ahh! Now thanks to you, we'll be late!" Amu yelled at him before taking off at a high-speed run. Ran and Miki followed hurriedly after her.
"See you later, sensei," Su sweetly said before flying after her owner and friends.
Nikaidou smiled and waved back at Su before turning to head back to the main school building.
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After the last class was over, Amu gathered up her things, put on her long coat and then started with her charas towards the royal garden.
"I thought classes would never end," Ran complained.
Miki raised her hand. "Same here."
Su twirled in the air. "At least we have the party to look forward to, desu!"
"I'm not going."
Ran, Su and Miki turned to stare at Amu, who had stopped walking. "What do you mean 'not going?'"
"Just what I said," Amu answered. "I'm going to go check in with the guardians, then run an errand. You can stay at school with everyone else if you like."
"But what about the chocolates, desu?" Su asked.
"Yeah! You were going to give them to Tadase at the party!"
"I changed my mind this morning," Amu replied. "I'm not giving them to Tadase. I-I don't like him that way anymore."
Ran and Su just stared at Amu with their mouths open. "I don't get it."
Miki floated up to Amu's eye level. "It's Ikuto isn't it?" Su and Ran looked from Miki to Amu.
Amu gave a small smile and nodded. "Yes it is. This morning I decided to give the chocolates I made to Ikuto."
Ran tilted her head to the side. "I thought Ikuto drove you nuts."
"He does...but I think his teasing is more of an outer act. Like my 'Cool & Spicy' routine. Which was shot out the window months ago."
Su shook her head. "That it was, desu."
"But why can't you go to the celebration?"
"I have to find Ikuto first before I can give him these chocolates." She patted her jacket pocket to make sure the gift was there. "So I have to miss the big event, not that I mind too much. I hate stuffy, overcrowded places. I want you three to go and have a good time though. Just don't mention it to anyone yet, OK?"
"All right," Miki responded. "Don't worry. Just focus on finding your valentine."
Amu blushed a little. "Come on, guys, let's go." She resumed walking and her charas followed closely behind her. Within a few minutes, the royal garden came into view. The girls made their way up the path then opened the door to the guardian's hangout. The inside was decorated with streamers and balloons in various shades of red and pink and lights and ribbons adorned all the indoor trees. "Only one member of the guardians could have put all that together," Miki noted.
"Nice job on the decorating, Yaya." Amu continued on down the hallway until she got to the main platform. All of the guardians were seated, discussing the festivities. Rima noticed Amu right away. "Hi Amu! Look who's here." She pointed to the boy standing next to Nagihiko. The boy gave her a thumbs up. "Yo, Joker! What's up?"
"Kukai! When did you get here?"
"Came over a few minutes ago," the previous Jack replied. "Just wanted to wish my friends a Happy Valentine's! And give a gift to my special someone." He glanced over at Yaya, who smiled back and held up the box of chocolate that he had given her.
"That's wonderful, Kukai! So what? Are you two a couple now?"
Both Yaya and Kukai looked away and blushed. "That's embarassing..."
Miki looked around for Daichi and didn't see him. Or Kusukusu or any of the others. "Hey, where are all your charas?"
"In the back room," Nagihiko answered. "They're getting everything in order to decorate the gym."
"Can we go find them, Amu-chan?" questioned Ran.
"OK, guys. Have a good time." Her charas happily flew off to get ready with the others.
"What do you mean 'have a good time?'" Kukai asked. "You are coming to the party aren't you?"
"Well that's what I wanted to..." Amu trailed off. She looked sideways at Tadase and noticed a large box next to his chair. "What's in that container?"
"Chocolate," Kukai replied with a grin. He clapped his hand down on Tadase's shoulder. "King here got one from almost every girl in school."
"Souma-kun!" Tadase looked away blushing. "It's not that big of a deal!"
"You're really popular, Tadase!" exclaimed Yaya. "A lot of girls are after you! But you like one in particular right?"
"Um…" Tadase glanced quickly at Amu and then back at Yaya. "Well…"
"Aw, don't pressure him, guys," Nagihiko chimed in. "Let's focus on getting the Valentine's Day gathering set up. The gym has to be converted into a party hall in about three hours' time. Are you going to -?"
"Who are you going to give your chocolate to, Amu-chi?" Yaya interrupted.
Amu shifted her feet. "That's what I wanted to -"
"Yeah, who is it?" Kukai asked.
All eyes turned on her, making Amu nervous. "It's kind of..." How could she explain the situation in front of everyone? She didn't really want to lie but what could she say? "Yeah, sorry, Tadase. I've changed my mind. I don't like you anymore so I don't want you to have this chocolate and I'm giving it to Ikuto instead. Yeah, that would go over real well. As far as I know, Ikuto and Tadase hate each other."
"You're right. I think we should get started on the decorations," Rima suddenly spoke up. She rose hastily from her chair and went over to Amu. "We need time to plan out everything. Amu and I will go over there right now to get a head start. You finish the planning and meet us there." She turned to Nagihiko. "I'll be waiting at the event tonight, Nagi." She smiled and gave him a quick wink before she grabbed Amu's hand and dashed out of the garden with her friend in tow.
"You'll have a good time tonight, Rima," Nagihiko murmured as he watched her leave.
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"What was that all about?" Amu asked when the door of the garden closed behind them. "You never ever talk that fast."
"I could see you were getting uncomfortable back there," said Rima, who started walking away. Amu sprinted to catch up. "I don't want to pry but…who are you going to give your chocolate to? If it was Tadase, you would've given it to him there and then."
"It's just complicated. I was going to give the chocolate to Tadase but this morning I thought about a few things and well..." Amu sighed and looked down.
"Don't feel bad that you've changed your mind. You have to be with the one who makes you comfortable." Rima looked back at her friend. "Who is your special someone? Does he go to this school? And most important, does he make you happy?"
"No offense, but I don't want to say who it is yet. No he doesn't go to Seiyo and...yes." A faint, pink blush crept onto Amu's cheeks. "The only thing is, I really don't know where he is at the moment. That's why I was planning to go and find him after school. Why I wasn't going to be at the party tonight."
Rima looked a little bit disappointed for a moment then nodded her head. "It's fine. I'll cover for you at the event."
Amu smiled. "That would mean a lot to me, Rima. Thank you. And my charas will be at the party too. I don't want them to miss out on the fun just 'cause I have to go running all over town looking for my valentine." Amu rolled her eyes in mock annoyance.
"OK, no problem. I'll see you later." Rima turned and started running toward the gym where the guardians would be decorating shortly. Amu watched her go, then ran in the opposite direction, hurried off the school grounds and started toward the first place where she thought Ikuto would be – the park.
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It took her about fifteen minutes to arrive at her destination. She had run most of the way there. "I hope he's here," she thought before walking through the park gates. She was surprised by what she saw. There was a big event going on at the park for Valentine's Day. Many couples were on picnics and there was an amateur band playing on the stage to the far left. Some people had spun the park into the spirit of the holiday by hanging up red and pink bows, lights, streamers, and heart banners. She didn't know that there was going to be a big event at the park. She thought most couples perferred to be alone or on singular dates away from crowds of people on this holiday. Apparently some liked big gatherings. Disregarding that thought, she began her search. She wished she could've done a chara-change with Ran to make it quicker. But her little pink chara wasn't there, so she had to look for Ikuto by herself.
Amu checked every corner carefully, high and low. She strolled through the clusters of people, scanning for any sign of him or his chara. Usually, Yoru loved to hang around these big events. She studied the area for a few more minutes then went looking in the farther sections of the park. "Where can Ikuto be? I hope he's here at least..." She stopped when she got to the clearing where the platform was located. A faint smile etched onto her face. "This is where we performed our duet that day at sunset." Amu sighed. She hadn't realized until now, how much she missed Ikuto's violin playing. She peered over to the elegant benches. "And that day with the ice cream...wait, that was embarrassing. And it's also near the stage at the far end of the... Wow, this place has a lot of memories with Ikuto."
She moved on, searching for another twenty minutes. Finally, her quest ended when she got to the front stone plaza again. The air had gotten slightly colder and Amu wrapped her arms around body for warmth. "I guess he isn't here. Maybe he had to stay home or go shopping or something." She looked up at the sky. It was coming up on nightfall. "I guess I won't find him tonight," she murmured to herself sadly. "I can't go searching the whole city for him." She exhaled, her breath coming out in a small white cloud. Amu reached in her bag to retrieve her scarf. She pulled her hand out and a single drop of water landed on her knuckles. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "This Valentine's Day didn't work out so great after all." Amu wrapped the scarf around her neck to keep warm, then went back through the gates, turned to the right and kept walking. She didn't really pay attention to where she was going, just letting her feet take her wherever they wanted to go.
She kept on walking, she didn't know how long, until she got to the busy intersection of streets that made up one of Tokyo's main plazas. Amu made her way slowly through the crowds of people going over her thoughts. "This isn't getting me anywhere. Maybe I should just go home. I won't find Ikuto tonight. I don't know why I thought I would." Amu glanced at the square's clock. It read 7:45. "Well I could make it in time for the end of Seiyo's Valentine party. I don't really want to deal with Tadase right now though." She stopped and leaned against the window of a nearby store. "I hope everyone else had fun at school and exchanged their gifts. I ended up not giving my chocolate to anybody. I guess it's just -"
"That's not fair, Mina!"
"Yes it is!"
Amu looked over to her left. Two girls were arguing over what seemed to be a necklace in another store's window display.
"Why don't we buy two? Then we can each have one."
"I'm not showing up at the same place with you while wearing the same piece of jewelry. Nu-uh. Not a chance."
Amu smiled wryly. "That's a petty thing to fight over..." Her thoughts trailed off as she looked over the girls' heads. Directly ahead in the crowd, she spotted... "No way! Ikuto!"
She pushed off from the window and broke into a small run being careful to avoid the people around her as she went. Yes, it was definitely him! He had his violin case over his shoulder and was walking pretty fast. "I found him after all." She slowed her pace when she was about a few feet away from him. Then she walked like that for a few seconds before reaching up and tapping his shoulder twice. He started and turned around quickly. Amu tilted her head sideways and smiled. "Hey you."
His expression softened as his gaze settled on her gentle face. "Hey yourself. I didn't expect to see you here. Something wrong?"
Amu held up her hand. "No, everything's perfectly fine." She paused and added in her mind, "Well, it is now." She looked around Ikuto. Normally his cat chara was hanging around next to him. "Where's Yoru?"
"He went to go find your charas. I think he has a thing for Miki." Ikuto didn't mention, however, that he was planning on dropping by Amu's house later that night.
Amu giggled softly. She found she was having a hard time keeping from jumping two feet in the air. "Yeah, I've noticed too. Think something'll happen?"
"Who knows? Anyway, what brings you to this side of town? If I remember correctly, you live a few miles over that way." He pointed over his right shoulder.
"I was trying to find you. I searched the park earlier, but you weren't there."
Ikuto smirked. "Oh? You were looking for me?"
"I-idiot! Yes, I was looking for you! I just thought you'd be in the park since we've..." Wait a minute! What was she saying?! She didn't want to say all that! Amu kicked herself mentally and decided to just finish. She was already embarrassed anyway. "...met there so many times. And it seems like one of your favorite places to be."
"I haven't been there in ages," Ikuto replied. "I was actually on my back to Ea..." He quickly stopped himself and looked away.
"Where?"
"Never mind. It's not important. So, why did you need to find me? You certainly went through a lot of trouble."
Amu sighed and shuffled her feet a little. "You know what today is, Ikuto?"
He knew very well what day it was, but he decided to play along anyway. He turned back to her. "No, what?"
"It's Valentine's Day. And...well...I have something for you."
"Oh? What is it?"
"I don't really want to give it to you here. It's kinda too busy and crowded on this street," Amu replied. "Not a great atmosphere either."
"You know a better place, then?"
Amu thought for a minute before coming up with an answer. Her face brightened as she looked back up at him. "Yeah. I think I do."
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When Amu and Ikuto got to the park, the party there was still in full swing. In fact, there were more people gathered around on the lawn than before. Amu didn't want to be around all the people so she searched out a place at the back of the park where they'd be alone with no one to eavesdrop on their conversations. After walking around for a while, they finally settled on a place near the gazebo at the far right end of the park. Ikuto walked ahead of her and chose to sit under a large maple tree. He took the violin case off his shoulder and set it down on the grass before sitting down. Amu took a seat next to him.
"Are you sure you don't want to sit on a bench?"
"Yes. It's peaceful right here," Ikuto replied. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as if he was resting.
Amu looked from Ikuto to his violin case. She stared at it for a few minutes while pondering an idea in her head, before turning back to Ikuto, her mind made up. "Ikuto, could you play your violin?"
He opened his eyes and tilted his head to look at her. "Why?"
"Because I'd like to hear it," Amu said. "You play it so well. Please? For me?"
Ikuto held her gaze for a few moments. He didn't really want to, but if it was for her... He closed his eyes and inwardly sighed, giving in to her request. Ikuto stood up and flipped his violin case over. Then he gently took it out and stepped out from under the tree to get a distance. He placed the violin under his chin with his left hand supporting the top. In his right hand, he held the bow which was hovering inches away from the strings. "Just for a few minutes, all right?"
Amu nodded, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. "That's fine."
Ikuto waited for a few seconds as if counting a pace and then started playing. It was the same melody, "Yuuki no Uta," that he had been playing that day at sunset. She soon became lost in the rythmn and Ikuto was surprised, but pleased when she started to sing along.
La la la singing a song
Lifting your head and following your heart
Singing...
I will never give up
There's nothing I can't do
A song of courage
I won't lose to anyone
I have my dreams
Striding on with pride
Walking down the road that belongs to me
I strongly believe in my dreams
La la la singing a song
Oh oh here comes another obstacle
Keep my head high and never give up
This path only I can travel
Arts like these are meant for the experts
But everything's riding on me this time
If you'll only trust in me...
And lead me to you....
Ikuto moved the bow all the way from one side to the other creating a slow, graceful slide finish to end the song. He stayed in the playing position for a few seconds before lowering both the violin and the bow.
Amu clapped softly. "That was great, Ikuto!"
"You seem to like that particular melody," he commented. "And your singing wasn't half-bad this time." He bent down to place the violin back in it's case. "That was actually the first time I've played it in weeks."
"That tune was beautiful! Why don't you play more often?"
Ikuto sat down next to her again. "Unless I'm feeling bored...or lost..." he hesistated slightly on the last words, "...I never have a reason to." He smirked in her direction. "You've seemed to change that."
Amu's cheeks turned a faint pink. "Is that so?"
He nodded and then leaned back against the tree trunk. "So, you wanted to tell me something? I mean, we came all the way over here on your request. And I played that song just for you, also on your request."
"Well, I had a really tough decision this morning..." She trailed off and was silent for a moment. She had to build up her courage for what she was about to say.
"And?"
"And I think I chose the right answer." Amu's blush became more noticeable as she took the chocolate out of her pocket. She held it out for Ikuto to take. "This is for you. Because...I...I like you."
Ikuto's eyes slightly widened in suprise at her statement. And then slowly, very slowly, his expression of suprise turned into a smile. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. He reached and took the box from her, then undid the package and lifted the cover. Twelve little mini chocolates in all sorts of shapes were packed neatly in the heart-shaped box. He lifted one out and bit into the creamy inside. Amu watched him, anxiously waiting for an answer.
"Did you make these yourself?"
"Y-yes."
"Hmm, they're really good," Ikuto replied. He set the box down on the grass next to his violin case. "Oh, and before I forget..." Ikuto trailed off as he reached into his pocket. "This is your gift." He held out his hand and flipped it over to reveal a small box of chocolate wrapped in a pretty ribbon. "I see to remember that you asked me once 'is there a girl that you like?'"
Amu blushed a deeper shade of red and took the box from him. "And?"
"You're the girl I like."
"T-truthfully?"
"Truthfully. All teasing aside."
"Thank you very much, Ikuto," Amu responded. Suddenly, a loud crackle sounded in the distance. Ikuto and Amu looked up in time to see a pink light stream go up and then burst apart into a heart shape.
Amu's face lit up. "Oh wow! I didn't think they'd do fireworks! That makes the night perfect!"
Ikuto watched her contently. "I take it, you like fireworks?"
She leaned back against the tree as a few more red bursts split apart and sparkled in the air. "Yeah. Ever since I was a little kid." Amu placed her hand on top of his, leaned up and gave Ikuto a quick kiss on his cheek and then laid her head on his shoulder. "You know, earlier today I wasn't happy at all. But everything ended up all right. Thanks to you."
Ikuto smiled and laid his head on top of hers. "Happy Valentine's Day, Amu."
She smiled too. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ikuto...my sweetheart."
Author's Note: So, there you go. An Amuto one-shot that's romantic, cute and full of fluff (I hope). After writing my last Shugo Chara! one-shot, "Halloween Night," this was fun to do. Hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Side Note: Lol, this was funny. I had all the ideas for this before Shugo Chara! Doki!! Episode 70 aired, so I thought up the idea for Tadase getting chocolate from almost every girl in school, before the episode came out... And the episode ended up having the same idea in it! Except it was a huge box used to hold it all, not a huge bag. O.o That was wierd. Funny, but creepy.
Side Note #2: I made up the ending to the song "Yuuki no Uta." The lyrics are in English in this story, but if you want to hear her sing a part of it in Japanese, refer to Shugo Chara! Episode 49.
Anyway, please R & R!
~Queen Crystal