Title: Don't Bother Me

Author's Note: In case anyone's wondering, there will be no Amu in this story. I respect her own unique position in Shugo Chara that I just don't want to do love triangles or comparing between two very different characters when it comes to the Humpty Lock. As Sayaka is a little older than Amu, the Guardians won't have nearly as much interaction with Sayaka (at least until the conflict with Easter escalates), and there won't be other love interests for her among the Guardians. Just Ikuto/Sayaka all the way. A simple love story with, of course, a predicable, sweet ending.

Chapter 2

"We have to talk, eh?" I flatly echoed back my best friend's ominous words. The full realization that Kukai, one of the most open, good-natured people I'd ever known, would keep anything important from one of his closest friends, unnerved me to no end.

Because of this uneasiness, I refused to face Kukai again until I calmed down. "I'm sorry I wasn't totally honest with you..." my best friend began, his words trailing off painfully. I then heard his entreating footsteps edge toward me very cautiously. Luckily for the both of us, dusk had just fallen, so the increasing darkness hide the self-conscious blushes that must've adorned not just my face but also Kukai's in this tense silence.

"Let's do this talk somewhere a bit less public," I snapped petulantly as soon as I felt Kukai's hand on my shoulder. I quickly repented my blunt words the instant I spun around on the ball of my heels and confronted the nervous frown scrunching up his reddened features. "All right, I'll quit giving you a hard time. You seem to be having enough trouble as it is. This story must really be a doozy."

"Yep," Kukai affirmed, draping a friendly arm around me as a way of reestablishing the camaraderie between us.

& & &

Although I did cook, I only bothered with simple dishes because I mainly completed this task for my sake alone after my parents had died in a fiery car crash two years ago. Hansuke, my twenty-one-year-old brother, worked long hours as a personal assistant to an executive at a corporation called Easter. He earned good money for his age, which was a big reason why I was allowed to go live with him in his two-bedroom apartment on the second story of a small apartment complex. However, before Hansuke was shouldered the responsibility of taking care of me, he lived the life of a carefree young man with many friends, including Kukai's older brothers. This association paved the way for Kukai and I to become good friends, too.

Kukai and I didn't talk much while we prepared spicy curry and rice for dinner, but our stillness didn't mean we both weren't stewing over the recent brush with that Ikuto guy. When we sat down to finally eat, I opened my mouth to blurt out: "Okay, what the hell are Guardian Characters?"

My impatient directness caused Kukai to shake his head a little and chuckle. "There's not much to tell. See, all kids have an egg within their soul. These eggs normally can't be seen, yet...if you wish for something, from the bottom of your heart, strongly enough, then your egg may become visible, giving birth to your own Guardian Character."

"Like the cat one I saw with Ikuto tonight?" I guessed.

"Yeah," Kukai confirmed, looking a little uncomfortable. There seemed to be some kind of antagonism between Kukai and Ikuto, but for now, it wasn't my place to dredge up the reason for this bad blood since I was such a newcomer to the Guardian Character scene.

"Don't you have a Guardian Character, too?"

Kukai nodded, considerably relieved by my deliberate change in subject. "His name is Daichi. He was born from my desire to become good in lots of sports. Sometimes, Daichi can be a little...over the top, so he'll stay home when he's like that."

I couldn't help laughing at Kukai's somewhat embarrassed expression. "If Daichi is that energetic, I can't wait to meet him!" My delight then rapidly descended down into disappointment. "Too bad I don't have a Guardian Character."

"Are you sure about that? Maybe you just missed the egg. After all, only those with a Guardian Character should be able to see them."

Startled, I let my chopsticks clatter to my half-eaten plate. My eyes met Kukai's, and we both mentally came to the same conclusion: recheck my room. Simultaneously, a faint but definite thud could be heard from my room. Alarmed by the possibility of an intruder, I charged toward my room and entered it just in time for me to flick the lightswitch and thus properly illuminate the threat contained therein. Before me, Ikuto was in the process of opening the glass door to the balcony outside my room. Yoru floated behind Ikuto, holding a simple white egg in his paws.

"What are you doing here?" I cried.

Ikuto merely resorted to his mysterious smirk. "Sorry, Sayaka, I need this egg more than you."

In the meantime, Kukai appeared by my side, a deep scowl on his face. "Ikuto, leave her out of your dirty work for Easter!"

"You work for Easter...like my brother Hansuke?" I asked, stunned.

Ikuto's face remained infuriatingly impassive, yet he didn't deny Kukai's accusation. Personally, I couldn't believe that a company would employ teenagers to commit cat burglary on holders of Guardian Characters. Considering Ituko's catlike Guardian Character, I almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

"If Sayaka is smart, she'll stay out of my way and just let me take her egg," Ikuto warned me, fully opening the balcony door. That snide remark snapped out my stupor and pushed me right into the territory of cold anger. How dare this cat asshole nonchalantly invade my sense of privacy like he had a right to!

As if to add salt to the wound, Ikuto held out his hand to Yoru, who obediently dropped my egg into the open palm. "This is the embryo, isn't it? It sure looks like it might be," he murmured thoughtfully, his tongue flicking out to lick my egg suggestively.

"What the hell are you doing to my egg?!?" I protested, too caught up in the moment to pay much notice to his "embryo" comment.

My feet propelled me into a flying tackling leap that hit Ikuto hard. Down the both of us crumpled into an awkward heap on the floor, appendages twisted together, our faces too close for comfort, especially since Ikuto was the one on top. Ikuto's carefully controlled mask shattered, pure astonishment at my sudden attack shining through.

"Are you okay, Ikuto, nya?" Yoru cried, hovering about us solicitously.

So Yoru really cares about Ikuto. How sweet...I thought sarcastically.

Fortunately, Kukai managed to catch my sailing egg before it could land and crack open. The assurance that my egg was safe allowed me to at last do something I'd been itching to do all along: smack Ikuto across the face.

"You weren't very cute when you did that," Ikuto complained in a bored voice, the indifferent mask surging back up to the surface. He glanced up at Kukai, who'd adopted a defensive stance with the egg.

"Ikuto.." Kukai growled.

"No fighting, no fighting!" I yelled desperately. "I don't want my brother to kick my ass if he finds this place all torn up!"

The boy above me simply smirked. "No fighting for your brother's sake? All right, you win for now, but remember, Sayaka, you could have ended any more unwelcome visits from me had you given up your egg."

In one fluid motion, Ikuto stood up and slipped through the balcony door. Yoru threw me a parting dirty look for my conduct toward his master. After a moment, I uprighted myself and cautiously peered outside.

Ikuto had already vanished.

"How does that weirdo get around?" I marveled at Ikuto's long-legged grace.