AN: Well, it's about time I got this up, right? I was going to update yesterday, but my laptop has been having some problems connecting to the internet quite a bit lately. (but I'm working on it!!) Anyway, here's chapter 1. And Shugo Chara chapter 42 is coming out soon!! Amuto fans unite!!!
"Get up!" Amu shouted at Ikuto. He was still lounging in their bed at one in the afternoon. She'd let him sleep in since he had a long night performing at the club yesterday, but enough was enough. He was getting up now and she would make sure of it.
"No," he mumbled into the pillow he had securely pressed against his face with his arm. It was warm and comfortable beneath the bed sheets though it would be even more so if Amu joined him…
Amu sighed and reached forward, grabbing the pillow and yanking it away. Ikuto scrunched his eyes closed and covered them with his arm along with a loud groan.
"Get up," Amu growled at him.
"No."
"Yes!"
"No."
"Yes!!"
Ikuto shook his head.
Amu rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, feigning irritation. She was actually quite amused with his act. But still, that didn't change the fact that he needed to get up. Realizing that she still held his pillow, she got an evil little idea. Lifting the pillow high above her head, she mustered up all of her strength and brought it down with much force on his face. It didn't get him completely since his arm was in the way, but the effect was the same.
Lifting his arm away, Ikuto looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. She just smiled innocently, hiding the pillow behind her back. He shrugged and closed his eyes once more.
'He's asking for it,' Amu sighed mentally. 'And his arm's not in the way anymore so this shot will be better.' Lifting the pillow once more, she wacked his face once more. Ikuto's arm quickly shot out and grabbed a hold of the pillow before she could pull it away. He pulled her down onto his chest so quickly that she didn't even have time to catch her breath. One of his eyes cracked open as he looked up at her, amused.
"Why are you trying to damage the merchandise, Amu?" he asked with a smirk, gesturing toward his face with the hand that wasn't holding her captive. Her face grew red and she pulled the pillow away from him while managing to sit upright. She repeatedly hit him with it all over; his chest and face being the main targets. After she'd hit him all over his upper body and few giggles escaped her lips, he decided it was time for the game to cease. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down once more. The pillow slipped from her fingers as she went along willingly.
She rested her head on his chest and he kept one arm securely fastened around her while the other peacefully rested on her head.
"So," she began. "Are you up yet?"
Chuckling, he responded, "Yeah. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to leave the bed."
"Fine," Amu sighed. "Just make sure you're dressed and fed by five. You have to perform at the club tonight and I don't think that they'd appreciate it if you were late again."
"Yes, mother." He lifted her face to see her reaction. Her face was light pink with embarrassment, but she didn't try to squirm away from him or stutter.
"So cute," he said quietly, looking at her fondly. Now her blush increased and Ikuto smirked at his accomplishment. He'd made it a daily activity to make her blush deeply at least twice every morning. Lightly pushing her head back to his chest, he settled down peacefully with her. He loved the mornings they shared. These moments made him truly appreciate just how lucky he was to have her. He heard her sigh in content which in turn caused him to smile without her seeing. And it made him extremely happy that she enjoyed being with him as well.
The silence that surrounded the couple was comfortable. As usual, it was broken all too soon. Amu pulled away from him and smiled.
"Well, get up already. I'm not a morning person either, but at least I don't act like a baby about it."
Ikuto stuck his tongue out at her. She giggled before sitting up and dangling her feet over the side of the bed, having a few inches between her toes and the ground. Ikuto sat beside her in the same position, but his feet touched the floor easily with a few inches to spare. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.
"Well, good morning to you too," he murmured into her hair before breaking into a large yawn.
She smiled, jumped off the bed, turned to face him, and grabbed his hand. Gently pulling off as well and leading him towards the doorway, she replied, "Morning, Ikuto." He grinned and tightened his hand around hers.
They entered the kitchen and Amu finally let go of his hand. She walked to the door to get the newspaper, only remembering it now. Ikuto went to get himself a cup of coffee.
Amu opened the door to the apartment she was sharing with him and bent over to pick up the paper. But when her hand was halfway there, it froze as she read the headline written in big bold letters that she couldn't seem to look away from. Refusing to believe what her eyes were showing her, she quickly reached forward and picked it up.
'Prisoner Escapes from Local Jail'
Amu quickly skimmed through the rest of the article. It said that the detailed information hasn't yet been released to the public and that if anyone thinks the matter of their safety could be possibly affected by this matter, they should come down to the station for further details. Amu was numb by the time she was finished reading. Turning back into the house, she shut the door behind her and walked toward the kitchen, mind blank and fingers trembling.
When Ikuto saw her enter the room, his concern immediately flared up.
"Amu?" he asked, walking up to her. Her eyes were glued to the paper she was holding in front of her. Frowning, Ikuto placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and carefully plied the paper from her fingers. A feeling of dread grew within him as he read it for himself. He placed it on the small dinner table and wordlessly turned to Amu, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"It's okay Amu," he whispered as she shook with silent sobs. He lovingly rubbed her back, desperately trying to quench her fears. "It's probably not even him."
"But it could be," she cried. He cringed at the raw fear in her voice. "And he could cause so much harm to the both of us."
"I'll be fine, Amu," he cooed. Her sobs quieted down though he could tell she was no less afraid. "I'll always protect you."
Amu lifted her tear stained face to look at him. Though he wouldn't completely show it, he nearly broke his heart to see her so upset. She nodded in response to his words and lifted her face up so that her lips could meet his, never saying a word.
They walked through the front doors of the police office in silence. All around them, people scurried about and the building was quiet lively. Ikuto had his arm around Amu's waist and gently tugged her in the direction of the head police officer. His name tag read Tsukina Jun. He had a cleanly shaven face and looked to be barely thirty.
"Um excuse me, Tsukina-sama," Amu said quietly in her beautiful voice. He turned around to face her and frowned at the look of pure fear in her eyes. Glancing at her companion, the chief of police concluded that the blue haired man was hiding his own fear behind a mask of cold indifference.
"Yes?" Tsukina replied, glancing at them both again. "How can I be of service to you two?"
"I'm Hinamori Amu," the girl continued. "And this is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. We wish to know more about the prisoner that escaped."
Tsukina frowned. "We are actively working on the case as I speak. What else would you need to know?"
"We feel that the prisoner may be the one here that is an acquaintance of ours."
"How so?"
"Around a year ago, we had been associated with a man named Gaito. He wished to cause me, and in turn Ikuto, pain. We were wondering if the escaped convict is him."
"Ah," Tsukina said in understanding. He gazed at them both again. "Do you promise not to mention this to the public in any way?" They both nodded and the police chief sighed. "Then yes, it is Gaito." Seeing the fear in the Hinamori girl grow and Tsukiyomi's grip around her tighten, he quickly continued. "We are working as hard as possible on this case. If for whatever reason you feel that you are in danger, please come back here immediately. We will be able to protect you. But in the meantime, I think it would be best for you both if you went on with your lives like normal and tried to ignore this. Gaito will be contained in a matter of days, I can guarantee it. I have complete faith in my team here." With that, he turned around and walked away, heading off to further investigate this case.
Amu and Ikuto walked toward the doorway leading outside. Feeling the sunlight hit her face, Amu found it easier to calm down. Ikuto however grew no less stiff and remain silent.
"Why didn't you say anything in there?" she asked as they began their walk back home.
"Huh?" he asked, pulling away from his thoughts. Amu repeated the question, concerned for him. "I was just busy thinking."
"Well, that's significant," Amu joked halfheartedly. Ikuto pulled up a corner of his mouth in an attempt at smirking, but it fooled neither of them. They walked on in silence; Ikuto never taking his arm away from her. And she had no objections to it protecting her in the best way it could.
They were surprised to find the hallway full off boxes when they tried to get to Ikuto's apartment. It seemed that the greatest amount of boxes were next to the door beside Ikuto's.
"Ooh, new neighbors!" Amu squealed excitedly. Ikuto smiled at her behavior, the thought of Gaito pushed out of his mind momentarily. The door opened and a head popped around it. A man slightly older than Ikuto with silver hair gazed at the two of them, his eyes alight. His gaze lingered on Amu which Ikuto of course noticed.
"Hi," he said, stepping outside with a friendly wave.
"Hiya!" Amu greeted, waving back.
"Yo," Ikuto said shortly, not taking his eyes off of the man before him.
"You must be my new neighbors." He extended a hand towards them. "I'm Kirai."
"And I'm Amu," she said, taking his hand. Kirai shook it firmly and offered his hand to the man next to her.
"Ikuto," he said, not making any move to take his new neighbor's hand.
Kirai drew back his hand awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, looking at them both. Amu glanced quickly at Ikuto out of the corner of her eye. She'd have to have a little talk with him about his manners later.
Turning to Kirai and giving him a warm smile, she said, "I think it's about time for me and Ikuto to get going. See you around, Kirai!"
"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "and soon too."
"Soon," Amu agreed. Ikuto frowned deeply at her, his irritation quickly building. Well at least this matter brought him away from the subject of Gaito.
Kirai waved goodbye to them and turned back into his new apartment, locking the door behind him. Sitting on the couch in the living room was the one and only Gaito. He had a reflective look on his face as he gazed at the wall.
"What're you thinking about?"Kirai asked, not really interested.
"What Amu and Ikuto's reaction would be if they knew I was next door."
"Hmm, amusing." The conversation was quickly boring Kirai more than usual and he turned his back on his annoying father.
"So, how's Amu liking you?"
"We just met," Kirai responded dryly. "I may be a woman magnet, but even I can't work miracles."
"So, she hates you then?"
"No! No girl has ever hated me… except for that one old bird-feeding hag at the park, but that doesn't count. Amu seems comfortable with me around." A wicked grin appeared on his face. "But that Ikuto kid didn't seem fond of me."
"How much does he hate you?"
"Quite a bit though we've only just met. He was glaring at me the whole time. Truthfully, it was kind of annoying. I mean, how can I seduce a girl if some weird kid has his eyes fixed on me? Wait a minute, is he secretly gay and was just admiring my beauty!?"
"No," Gaito said, slapping his forehead hardly. "He's with Amu romantically. Why on Earth would he be gay then?"
"Well, maybe he isn't from Eart-"
"Kirai!"
His son immediately closed his mouth.
"Ikuto's not gay in any way so would you just shut up about it!?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Kirai mumbled.
"Thank you!" Gaito exclaimed, irritated with his son.
"I guess people get more unpleasant with age," Kirai said under his breath.
"I heard that!"
AN: And that's that. Please review, okay? I checked my visitor traffic to this story and found that a whole bunch of people read, but don't review. So, please? For me? :) And I expect the next chapter to come out in a few days; probably around the Shugo Chara update in English (July 3). If the scans are late, I'll still update anyway... if I get some more reviews. I got around 20 favorites for this story and only 5 reviews. I'm not going to set any certain number of reviews since I don't like doing that, but please? It would mean a lot!!!
