Heyy guys! After a *ahem* minor absence, I have finally made a second chapter. Sorry for the wait! Of course, if I had more reviews, I would've been motivated... *hint* *hint* *nudge **nudge* Oh, and another thing, I think I might need to add an OC every now and then. Just to help the plot along of course. ;D

Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way... *sigh* but a girl can dream, can't she? (:

WARNING: The horrible grammer, spelling, and plot have been known to cause seizures to those who are literate. Readers are to be emotionally prepared before preceeding.

Without further ado, please enjoy. :D

+the Joker's Despair+

+Chapter 2: Black Cats+

.:: Begin ::.

"Yo, Amu." a deep voice seemed to say from the branch of a Sakura tree from directly above.

Lifting my gaze upwards, I found myself staring into the eyes of a black cat... technically speaking of course.

"AH!" I let out a shriek of surprise and leapt a few meters back.

As if I didn't have enough problems to worry about!

Seemingly amused, like he always is, Ikuto chucked to my dismay and proceeded to jump from the branch he was hanging on. With much grace, said cat landed in front of me, taunting me wordlessly.

Leaning towards me with his head a mere inch or less away, his breath rolled off my cheeks in a wave of warmth. It was becoming a little hard to grasp what he was saying at this point in time.

"Your mind occupied by something? Something like me perhaps?" he donned a smug smile.

Thoroughly irritated, I swung a fist or two at him in a sorry attempt to decapitate him. With much ease, he avoided the move with a side-step.

"Damn bastard!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, a blush still lingered on my cheeks. Of course, this being Ikuto, he didn't stop there. Before I was able to pull my arm back, he grabbed it and pulled me towards him. Berating myself for being so stupid, I asked myself again and again why I didn't think of this earlier because it was so damn obvious! This guy couldn't stop teasing me for a millisecond.

Time seemed to stand still for hours on end, when in reality, it had only been mere seconds.

"You never cease to amuse me, Amu. Did you know that?" he whispered into my ear as he started to loosen his grip.

And in the blink of an eye, he seemed to have disappeared.

It took me a while to completely grasp what had transpired there. All the while, my guardian characters were trying to reach me. The attempts were futile, to say the least.

"Augh! That jerk has done it again!"

Of course, I hadn't fully realized what he had done there at the time. What he had accomplished was make me forget all of my worries, if only for a short moment...

"I'm home!"

It really wasn't necessary to announce my arrival. Honestly, it was a force of habit. Ever since the arrival of the new school term, mother became totally absorbed in her work, along with my father. Because of this, both of them often worked overtime.

So naturally, Ami became my responsibility, along with all the work that comes with it. I clean the house up, cook dinner, wash clothes, all of those and more, since mother can't do them anymore. Fortunately for me, Ami is out most of the time. Today, I believe, she's stuck with singing lessons.

Deciding that it was too lonely inside the house, I thought it best to take a stroll outside. Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia were a little too tired to think it fun so I was the only one making such a trip. As I was exiting my room and heading for the door, the phone started to ring.

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.

"Oh, Amu, I'm glad you're back home already." a woman replied back.

"Mother? What is it?" I inquired.

"Listen, Amu, there's something I need to talk to you about right now. Do you think you can walk to the mini coffee shop at the end of the block?"

I could tell by her voice that it was an urgent matter.

"Alright, sure, I'll be there soon."

Feeling my stomach constrict painfully, I knew something bad was heading this way as I made my way down the street.

Not feeling particularly enthusiastic about this, I slowly pushed the door to the mini cafe open.

"Ring ring."

The tiny bell from above the door frame signaled my arrival.

Alerted by the noise, my mother turned her head towards me.

"Amu! Over here!" my mother waved me over.

I ordered a hot cup of caramel macchiato as the waiter made his way over to take my order.

"What is it mother? What's wrong?" I bit my lip, bracing myself for the worst, patiently waiting for my mother to speak.

I was silently praying that my mother was just playing a stupid prank, although I highly doubt it. Still, nothing was going to stop me from silently hoping that the "EMERGENCY' was just my dad slipping on a banana peel and braking his back, thus, keeping him home for a few days. That I could handle, in fact, it has already happened quite a few times this past year or so.

"Amu," my mother dropped her gaze from mine and folded her fingers on the table in front of us. "I don't know how to tell you this but, I'll try my best to explain it to you."

My mother seemed really melancholic now. I held her hands in mine, pained to see her like this.

"Your father and I have agreed to a divorce."

My eyes widen by inches and my jaw dropped quite far.

"WHAT?"

My poor mother looked as if she were near tears.

"W-w-what? H-how could it be?" I managed to choke out.

This was a little too much. I love my parents, and they seemed to love each other as well. So why was it that such a thing would happen?

"Y-your," my mother was definitely crying, at this point."your father has had an affair with a woman for a while now. Until recently, I kept my mouth shut for both you and Ami's sake. I thought that maybe, if I waited patiently, your father would drop that woman. But it's become painfully obvious that it won't work out that way. At this point in time though, I'm afraid that it's all for naught. So, I've decided that we'll move to a different city. Where? I'm not sure. But somewhere far away. That's why I've been working so hard, to earn enough to support all three of us. "

Tears were flowing freely from my mother's face, and I suspect that it wouldn't be long before the same would happen to me.

I sat still for quite a while, trying to absorb the information. I didn't even bother saying a polite, "Thank you." to the waiter that placed my coffee on the table. I even let the coffee get cold. All of this were completely trivial to what was going on in my life.

There was only one thing that raced through my mind now...

"What have I done to deserve this?"

.:: End of Chapter ::.

And that's a wrap people. How do you like the story so far? Reviews are appreciated. Constructive criticism is fine. NO FLAMES THANK YOU. I'm painfully aware of how much I suck. * sigh *

-Xxhikari-no-tenshixX