Ok, so I'm back from a long day of school and ready to write again! Ugh. So many things happened today...

So now that Ikuto has met almost all the starting arc's characters, I'll be thinking up some different twists while I'm "listening" to lectures in class. It's about to get exciting, yay!

"Jump, Ikuto! You have to jump!" Rin was frantically zipping around Ikuto's head and yelling in his ears. "You have to believe you have the power!"

So not helping

Ikuto merely closed his eyes and laid back, hoping that this all just wasn't real.

I wish I had the courage to be myself. Ikuto's wish echoed in his head as he fell and a glowing padlock-like object shot from Amu's grasp, flying toward him.

Catching the lock, the world around him started glowing. The red gymnast went back into its egg and seemed to merge into his chest.

Feeling light again, he landed softly on the ground, jumping and naturally doing a flip. He smiled jumping again, looking down at his outfit, a gym vest and workout pants of a professional athlete and a red headband and shoes to match. This is so unlike me, Ikuto thought.

This is what it feels like to be in a character transformation, Ikuto. It has 120% of the strength of the simple character change we did before. He could hear a voice, Rin's voice, in his head.

What the heck, this can't be real. Ikuto shook his head, looking down. Big mistake. Looking down, Ikuto sucked in a breath. This is too high, I'm gonna fall!

And fall he did.

"Character Change," a faint voice said

Suddenly, he felt the wind quite around him and opened his eyes. Rose petals floated in swirls around him and he lightly fell the rest of the way down, still managing to land gracefully on his behind.

Ouch, that hurt.

He looked up to find Nadeshiko holding a giant traditional fan, cherry blossoms and slim branches adorned its folds in beautiful pink and bold brown ink. She held the giant fan, about three times her size, in a single small hand, and had quite a different aura to her. She seemed more agitated, to say the least, bordering crazy, and much less composed. She also had a small creature floating next to her just like the red gymnast that had appeared from the red egg and the pink cat that had come with the pink-haired girl. It appeared to be dressed as a miniature dancer.

"Amu, you know it's against the rules to steal hearts' eggs! And what in the world do you think your doing stealing the Humpty Lock?" Nadeshiko yelled at the pink-haired cat. "I'll never let the likes of you get the Embryo," she said darkly as the cat smiled.

Then, the smile turned to a sneer as her hand expanded into a giant pink paw. She swatted at Nadeshiko and Ikuto and, Nadeshiko summoned a giant current of wind to block the attack. As the dust settled after the impact, Amu was nowhere to be found.

Nadeshiko' fan shrank back to its original size and she seemed to calm back down to her normal composed self.

Then, she sighed, and then, with a huff, said, "That damn cat got away again."

After a pause, Nadeshiko turned to him and smiled. "Are you okay, Ikuto?"

She took out an embroidered handkerchief and wiped a smudge of dirt off his cheek. "I'm sure that you have a lot of questions. Why don't you wait and come meet me in the Royal Garden, tomorrow?"

That night, Ikuto collapsed onto his bed and lied down on his back, staring at his own hands spread out in front of him, fingers splayed. He was thinking about the day's events. He looked at the egg that Rin had retired to for the night and at the other two, unhatched. I wonder when they'll hatch, Ikuto thought, and what they'll be like. Then, he drifted off to sleep, peacefully.

Ikuto rubbed his eyes as the morning sun filtered through his bedroom window. Yawning, he sat up.

That was a strange dream, Ikuto thought to himself while getting dressed for school.

"That wasn't a dream," Rin said excitedly, bobbing around Ikuto's head, "That character transformation was amazing, definitely not a dream."

Ugh. Ikuto face palmed. Whatever. He didn't have time for this; he had to leave for school soon or risk being late.

Grabbing his satchel, school case, and a slice of toast, Ikuto bolted out the door while shoving the meager breakfast into his mouth.

Ikuto plopped down into his seat just as the last morning bell rang. He noticed an envelope, sealed and adorned with the Guardians' official stamp. Opening the envelope, he found a neat letter with gracefully looping cursive that must've belonged to Nadeshiko.

Dear Ikuto,

We, the student council "Guardians" of Seiyo High School Academy, would like to formally invite you to the Royal Garden after school today. We would like to discuss with you the matters we discussed yesterday. We hope to see and hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Vice President,

Nadeshiko

He read the letter and then slapped his forehead. Crap. He had forgotten all about the meeting. If he wanted to know what the heck was happening to him, he'd have to attend. With that thought, he barely survived through the long school day with girls whispering rumors and boys slapping him on the back for his confession at the assembly.

After school, Ikuto prepared himself for the meeting. He walked up to the entrance gate of the Royal garden. He was nervous. He didn't belong there and had no reason to be in the Royal Garden. The Guardians had better things to do than to have small chats with him and his little magical friend. Then he felt a lock in his pocket and decided to return it. Maybe he could get an explanation while he was at it. He opened the gate nonchalantly as his indifferent exterior emerged. Then walked in as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

After arriving, he was greeted by all four of the Guardians drinking tea and talking pleasantly. He was first greeted by an over-enthusiastic Yaya, a little character flying next to her as well. In fact, all of the Guardians had these characters with them, mini copies of themselves in strange outfits. Tadase had a royal looking character with purple hair and a crown, Kukai had a spikey haired soccer player, and Yaya had a baby dressed in a bunny costume. Nadeshiko was also sipping her tea with her character sitting on her shoulder drinking a small cup of tea as well.

"Wow, so you do have a Shugo Chara!" Yaya jumped around him childishly while observing his little red gymnast character with curiosity.

"Shugo Chara?" Ikuto replied, dumbfounded.

"Oh," Kukai replied, sticking a small sandwich in his mouth, "we haven't told you yet, have we? They're our Guardian Characters. They look after us and our hopes and dreams."

Ikuto merely gaped. Was it that wish? The wish to be able to express himself that triggered the eggs to appear, that made him confess in front of the entire school? He sighed, overwhelmed at the situation.

"Ikuto," Nadeshiko said, finally deciding to join in after finishing her tea, "we have an important request to ask of you."

Ikuto looked at her strangely wondering what the Guardians could possibly want from someone like him, then realized the lock still in his pocket. He held it up and then set it on the table, getting up to leave. His job was completed.

"I noticed the other day that you had three Chara eggs," Nadeshiko said.

Ikuto paused and turned around. Clearly, they weren't done with him.

Sorry this took so long to write guys. I've been busy for the past couple of days and managed to squeeze in some time (basically during passing time between periods and lunch breaks) to get this chapter in. The next chapter will be longer and will be done on the weekends! Again, make sure to review and comment your thoughts and opinions. I look forward to any advice and reactions. Even the smallest of comments are welcome (I tend to make some spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes here and there…)!