Oh, poor sweeties!

I've been terribly inconsiderate, haven't I? I haven't updated in ages and, if it makes you all feel better, it has been eating at my conscious for just as long. I really wanted to update, honest I did. It's just, certain unhappy events took place, leaving a certain fanfiction writer drained of much muse and inspiration for an extended period of time. Sometimes, when I tried to type out this chapter, I'd feel my hands freeze, and then I'd close my laptop.

It was...an unpleasant period in my life.

But like any person, I've bounced back - finally - and managed to finish this chapter! It's not as long as the first two, I think, but remember that I'm still recovering from the unhappy event. A personal thanks to the kind viewers thoughtful enough to send me kind, encouraging PMs. They helped me, really they did.

Oh, but I've kept those of you patient enough to read this long enough. On with the Chapter! As always, reviews are always warmly welcomed! Enjoy, sweeties.

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own any of Shugo Chara!'s canon characters.


Golden Petals and Sunrises

The day began ungodly early at the Glass Turtle. Tadase was quite certain that even the sun was still asleep when his door was slammed open with a loud bang. "Yoohoo! Tadase-chi! Up and at 'em! Time for breakfast!" came the excited giggle of Yaya, "Amu-chi sent me to be your alarm clock since you're new here! Isn't she great?" He didn't bother with a reply, seeing as half his brain was still snoozing. All he could muster to do was get up – like a drunk person would – and wobble towards the feathery ball of energy that was his fellow employee.

"Y-yes, she is, Yaya-san." Tadase murmured drowsily.

"I know, hehe! Oh, but she's not so great if she catches us being late! Let's go!" the ginger Harpy grinned.

With strength he had not expected her to have, Yaya slung the Kitsune over her shoulder as if he were a sack. The sudden jerk snapped all the sleepy out of Tadase, leaving him blushing in embarrassment. "W-wait! Hold on, Yaya-san! I still have to change out of my sleepwear!" he protested.

"Do that later! Breakfast first! I'm still in my jammies, too!" Yaya pointed to her rubber duck print shirt and pajamas. Her hands tightened around his waist, eliciting a small yelp from the blonde, and shot out of the room. Tadase didn't even have time to scream when Yaya all but leaped over the second floor's railings, soaring towards a large, open window up ahead on outstretched wings. "Watch your head, Tadase-chi! Wouldn't want to lose it!" the ginger laughed.

He braced himself as they flew through the opening, his head just inches from making contact with the wooden panes. Once out, Tadase realized that they were now over the garden. He could see Amu and Rima setting up the table below, while Kukai and Nagihiko brought out the food. The smell of freshly-fried bacon and cooked beef drew out a bit of drool from his mouth, although he quickly wiped it away with a sleeve. "I think we should land now, Yaya-san." he told the Harpy girl.

"Yeah, about that… I'm kinda, not too good with landings," Yaya smiled.

Tadase felt himself pale with the realization of what was to come. "Do you mean..?" he faltered, "We're going to.."

"Crash land? You got it!" came her nervous chuckle.

With that, they plummeted to the ground.

He felt the ginger's arms wrap around him tightly as they made their fast descent. "I probably should have told you about this earlier!" she shouted. "Sorry!" Tadase looked down and met Amu's gaze – one that was a mix of both shock and irritation. "Oh, gods, Yaya! Not again!" he heard the pinkette shout.

"It's okay! I can handle it!" he shouted at the monsters below. Using the wind for support, Tadase quickly switched his position with Yaya so that he was beneath her. He then turned to face the ground and focused hard on a single patch of it. His eyes began to glow and quickly encased him and Yaya in a golden aura. As soon as it completely covered them, they quickly came to a halt just inches from hitting the grassy earth.

The halt had been so quick, so sudden, that the force of it caused a wave of air to blast through the garden. It sent several plates into the air – all of which Rima hastily caught – and had Amu staggering back a foot or two. But he did not notice this, for he was too focused on keeping his aura on. Carefully, slowly, he lowered Yaya and himself down, releasing his aura only when he felt the ground on his feet. He let out a sigh and sat down with a thump. The whole ordeal was just a bit too much for him, not when he had just woken up.

"That could have been a disaster," he chuckled weakly.

He looked up to see Yaya hovering worriedly over him, spewing lightning-fast apologies about being too reckless and not accounting her bad landing skills. The ginger hadn't meant any ill will to him, he knew that. She was only trying to make sure he wasn't late on his first day. Tadase assured her with a smile that he was fine, and that the whole experience was quite interesting – in a good way. A little frightening for a few seconds, but still interesting.

"Tadase-kun! Yaya! Thank goodness you're okay!"

He saw Amu run towards them, worry painted on her face as she crouched down. He felt her hands, warm and soft, gently cup his face to check for injury. He felt his face redden with the sudden contact, but he said nothing. She did the same with Yaya as well, albeit with empty threats to ground her from flying for a month. "Honestly, of all the times to do that, Yaya." Amu groaned in annoyance.

"Hehe, sorry, Amu-chi!"

"Yes, well, 'sorry' isn't going to cut it. No desserts for you today."

"Whaat? But Amu-chi…"

"Nagi, Rima, make a note of that!" the pinkette pointed to her employees. Both nodded in reply and went to resetting the table, sending Yaya amused grins as they did. Yaya's tearful whines fell on deaf ears as Amu moved back to him. When she caught his gaze, he noticed her expression soften. "I'm sorry about that, Tadase-kun. Perhaps I should've sent Kukai up instead.." she said, "It was just, Yaya was so eager to wake you up and…" He shook his head and offered her an understanding smile.

"No, it's fine, Hinamori-san. You needn't worry. In all honesty, that was the most unique wake-up call I've ever gotten." When he saw a look of horror flash in her face, he quickly added, "I mean that in an amusing, good way." At that, the pinkette let out a sigh of relief and helped him up. "Well, savior of breakfast, I think you more than deserve a double portion of meat on your plate for your heroism." Amu smiled, guiding him towards the table as the others sat down to eat.

"That's kind of you, but I think I'll settle with eggs and salad for now." Tadase took his seat beside the pinkette and reached for the bowl of leafy greens. But the pinkette snatched the bowl away and plopped a plate of cooked beef in front of him instead. "Have you forgotten, Tadase-kun?" she said as she poured some salad into her own plate. "I promised I'd help you put some meat on your bones, and let me tell you, you need meat to gain meat. Veggies can wait."

Tadase had remembered, yes. That didn't mean he was happy about it. Although the idea of him never being confused for a girl delighted him, if it meant he had to eat more meat – of which he tried to avoid – perhaps he'd be better off looking like a girl. A meal not starting with vegetables was a poorly enjoyed meal for him. Yet, as he saw how serious Amu was, and how intently she stared at him, he had no choice but to oblige. He needed to be in good graces with her if he ever wanted to convince her to go to the Seiyo meetings.

Reluctantly, he took three large slices of beef and placed them on his plate. He reached for some mashed potatoes – a less healthy vegetable – to balance it out, but he looked to Amu for approval. She made no show of disapproval, which meant the Kitsune was free to put two big spoonfuls of the stuff.

He ate his meal with a polite smile on his face. Delicious as the food was, he still wished he could have eaten the vegetables first. The beef sat uncomfortably at the bottom of his stomach, no cabbage or lettuce to cushion it. He tried to distract his unhappy stomach by looking at what everyone else was eating. Apart from him, everyone seemed to be enjoying breakfast fully. Kukai was the most obvious, as the dragon's plate piled up and down with his constant placing and gobbling of food. Yaya, though banned from the creamy donuts and muffins, munched ravenously on the drumsticks she had – a sight that sort of bothered Tadase, seeing as Yaya was technically a kind of bird – with delight.

Rima and Nagihiko opted to actually use the silverware on the table. They neatly cut their food with the grace of an aristocrat, soundlessly chewing and enjoying the food in the own way. Although, as Tadase took a closer look at Nagihiko's plate, he found the meat the Tsuchigumo was eating wasn't beef or chicken, but something that looked oddly…human. Is it human, Tadase thought with a shudder. Nagihiko looked up to meet the Kitsune's worried look and gave a kind – if not slightly sly – smile. "Everything all right, Tadase-san?" Nagihiko inquired.

Tadase quickly nodded and stuffed his mouth with meat to prevent himself from replying. It would be better if he simply did not question it. Who was he to judge the diet of a Yokai? He moved on last to Amu's plate. To his surprise, the pinkette only had a single muffin and a glass of milk to eat. The remnants of salad were obvious on her plate, but that didn't make her meal any heavier. She ate slowest out of the bunch, too, for she would pause between bites to sip at her milk or look out into the ocean before them. What she was looking at, Tadase couldn't say. His stare remained on her for the rest of the meal, only looking away for a bite of meat on his plate.

Suddenly she jerked up in her seat and a small grin spread across her face. "It's here!" she said loudly, causing all others present to stare towards the horizon. Tadase did the same too, and he felt his jaw slacken at the sight that greeted him.

From the darkness of the distance, a small ball of yellow light peaked through. As it did, streaks of orange and pink stretched out like lightning, alighting the sky in a gentle blue hue. The sun had finally awoken and with its wake, the darkness was banished into the crevices. He, like the rest of the monsters, watched intently at this slow but beautiful transition. The sun rose up beyond the watery outline and floated higher, higher into its cloud-dotted home. As soon as it did, a burst of light engulfed everything before it, temporarily blinding any who laid their eyes upon it. And then it vanished, leaving the shimmering light of Earth to bring those under its light into a new dawn.

Tadase had seen sunrises before. He sometimes got up just in time to see it rise up over the buildings of the city, like a giant street light illuminating the dark alleys of the concrete jungle. This, however, was another thing entirely. Here, in the absence of any tower or building, Tadase saw the sun in its entirety, and how its light rippled in warm colors across the ocean and sky, as if to embrace the world in a life-giving embrace. "Woah.." he whispered.

He heard Amu laugh, and he turned to see her beaming at him. "Gorgeous, isn't it?" she said. From where the pinkette sat, the sun seemed to engulf her in a warm light, lighting up the gems and glass on her being. It was like looking at a star, and Tadase could only utter a soft, "Yeah." in reply. Even when Amu returned her gazing at the sunrise, his eyes stayed on her until the very end of it.

His stomach ceased all its complaining by then.

~••~••~••~••~••~

The rest of the day went by without much incidence. After breakfast, he had changed into suitable clothes and was brought to the receiving room by Amu. She spent a good hour helping him familiarize with all the accounting books he'd be in charge of, adding a joke here and there to make it "less boring" – a feat she did well, as he sometimes had to bite his tongue to prevent an un-gentleman-like snort from escaping his mouth. "Other than that, you just have to greet customers that come in and call me if they have an appointment for a commission," were the last things the pinkette told him before vanishing into the Baking Room.

A few customers came throughout the working hours. Most simply bought the pre-made items in the Display Room, in which Nagihiko handled the touring of. A few came to claim previous commissions they had ordered and handed the payment to him as they left with their pieces.

The day went by in a flash and Tadase found that his work here was many times easier than what he did back at Seiyo. Just an hour before closing time, a figure walked through the door. He had asked for Amu, and introduced himself as an Otter Yokai by the name of Nikaido Yuu. He had explained to Tadase that he always ordered from the Glass Turtle every month, specifically to make bird statuettes made of gems. This month Nikaido wanted a Turquoise Parakeet. Tadase had found the man's taste a bit…odd, but otherwise found him endearingly hilarious.

Amu didn't seem to share the Kitsune's sentiment however, and practically grimaced when she saw the client who had called for her. She told Tadase that Nikaido always said her name wrong. "He keeps calling me 'Himamori'. For gods' sake, it's 'Hinamori'!" she had hissed after the Otter man had left.

"Maybe he does it on purpose?" Tadase suggested.

"Oh, I know he does it on purpose! He's the biggest clutz I know, but he's no idiot." Amu huffed.

"Why don't you just tell him?"

"You think I haven't? The guy won't listen to me no matter what!"

The pinkette let out a sigh as she flipped the door sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED'.

"Still, he pays on time and he orders expensive pieces, so I can handle a little name mispronunciation.." she shrugged. The pinkette walked over to where he was and leaned on the counter with a tired groan. He kept quiet as he watched his boss unwind before him. He tried to think of something to say, but it was for naught. What could he say? He didn't have anything to talk about, unless Amu somehow loved tea as much as he did – which he highly doubted. He was only just settling into this comfortable silence when Amu suddenly jerked up, narrowly missing his chin with her head. "Oh my god, I forgot about the mineral delivery!" she shouted.

"Pardon?" he cocked his head to the side.

"No time to explain! I need your help! Let's go!" Amu told him, quickly running out of the shop before he could say a word.

His immediate reaction was to follow her, which was harder than it seemed. Dragons weren't particularly the fastest runners in the monster world and Tadase had personally bested several in contests of speed, so it shocked him to find himself actually struggling to keep up with the pinkette. Their figures were blurs as they shot through the crowded streets of the town. His eyes were kept locked on Amu's fleeing figure, afraid he might lose sight of her if he wasn't careful. Monsters and Yokai let out startled gasps or shrieks as they weaved their way through them.

Tadase shot them an apologetic look, but he had no time to stop and explain. Eventually, they found themselves in Shirai's airport. Amu slowed a pace or two when they entered the building, but she was still speeding her way through. When she suddenly stopped in her tracks, Tadase skidded to a screeching halt. Unfortunately, the deceleration of his run was not fast enough, which had him colliding with her in a rather loud, painful manner. Both of them let out similar shrieks of surprise as they tumbled, rolling a few feet forward from the sheer momentum of the impact. When they finally stopped, they crumpled into a groaning heap.

"Oww.." Tadase winced, feeling pain in all his limbs.

"Y-you got that right. Anything broken?" she got up slowly, painfully and offered him a hand.

Apart from a possibly roughed up elbow, he was okay. He was only glad that Amu seemed more or less unscathed. When they had fallen, he had instinctively rolled them around so that only he would hit the ground, shielding her from the other rolls by pulling her close to him. Needless to say, she was better off than him.

"Woah! That was freaking hilarious! You two looked like a couple of bowling balls!" a voice suddenly boomed.

Tadase turned to see who had said such insensitive words, a small growl forming in his throat. He was beaten to the punch though, as Amu charged at the man who said that with a very powerful headbutt. Said man let out an "Oof!" but otherwise withstood the assault. "Almost sent me flying there, Amu-chan! Your tackles getting better!" he laughed in a way that reminded him of Kukai.

The guy, now that he thought about it, kind of looked like Kukai, too. Apart from the green, spiky hair, orange reptilian eyes, and slightly paler complexion, the guy was pretty much like Kukai's twin – one might go as far as to say the two just swapped eye and hair colors.

"I'll send you flying next time, you rock geek!" Amu laughed as she hugged the Kukai-lookalike.

Tadase sent Amu a look of confusion. They knew each other then, Tadase wondered. The pinkette brought the guy towards him, mirth shining in her eyes when she saw his look of befuddlement. "Tadase-kun, this is Daichi Souma. He's Kukai's cousin," she introduced. 'Daichi' gave an exaggerated bow before clapping Tadase in the back, almost taking him down with the force. Now he was sure they were related.

"Hey there…..guy? Guy, yeah, guy. Nice to meet you!" Daichic took Tadase's hand and shook it aggressively, nearly making the Kitsune squeak in pain. "Um, y-yes, the feeling's mutual, Daichi-san."

Amu went on to explain how Daichi was in charge of sending the shop crates of various materials, all of which Kukai and her used to create glass and gems. She also added that it was because of that reason that she had rushed out so fast. Daichi couldn't wait too long for them due to other commitments he had, and he couldn't just leave crates of minerals in the airport, so he'd have to return next month to give them the materials.

"We can't afford to lose a shipment right now. We're running low on materials and we have way too many commissions to risk going without extra." Amu signed a sheet of paper Daichi had given and waved a farewell to the dragon as he left to catch his flight. This left her and Tadase with five large, if not huge, wooden crates full of heavy minerals. "Think you can handle some of them?" Amu raised a brow at him, an impish grin on her face. He couldn't help but return a rather mischievous smile of his own.

"I believe so, Hinamori-san." And with that, he snapped his fingers. The crates were engulfed in the same aura he had used earlier and effortlessly floated several feet off the ground. To Tadase, who had been carefully practicing his levitation skills for decades on end, the crates weren't even close to a challenge for him. Amu seemed impressed by it though, as she ducked under the crates that now hovered with a gleeful spark in her eye.

"That would have taken me an hour or two to lift them by myself!" she chuckled. She gave him a light pat on the shoulder and winked at him. "Seems your pretty face is just a façade, huh, Tadase-kun? Think you can handle lifting me, too?" she laughed. And although he knew she was just joking, Tadase indulged her implied dare and engulfed her in his aura. She let out a small squeak when she was lifted off the ground, but ended up laughing as he placed her gently atop one of the crates.

"Now you're just showing off." she said with a smile.

"Is my strength to your liking?" he looked up at her bemusedly.

He had to bite back a chuckle when the dragonette's face became tinted with light red. She spluttered a bit before stuttering a shy, "W-well, yes. I like it very much. It's very ho – handy." There it was, he told himself. It was really hard to put it into words – which was comical due to his wide vocabulary – exactly how Amu's fumbling, shy side amused him so, how he wanted to see more of it every time it happened. Ah, but feelings aside, this was good. A person showing a side they didn't often show others meant a certain amount of trust had been established. To Tadase, this meant he was one step closer to fulfilling his mission. The more trust he gained from Amu, the more likely he'd be successful coercing her to attend the meetings – or in the very least explain why she hadn't.

Now, with him to set the pace, the walk back home was starkly slower and calmer. As he balanced the crates and Amu in the air, he dared to do some small talk, try and establish more common ground with the pinkette.

"If I may ask, why do you all start the day so early?" He looked up at the pinkette who was lying stomach down on the crate. "I mean, I have no complaints about it, if anything it's a good practice, but why before sunrise?"

Amu peeked down from her elevated perch and smiled brightly. "Oh, that. It's simple, really. We do it for inspiration." When he gave her an uncertain look, Amu patiently continued.

"We're artists, Tadase-kun. We make art, and art is a crossroad between inspiration and skill. Skill, we've got plenty of, not to mention our dedication to our craft. But inspiration.." She suddenly leaped from the crate and down towards him. He immediately caught her in his arms, a flabbergasted look on his face. She laughed and gently tapped his forehead. "Inspiration is spontaneous and unpredictable," she winked, sticking out her tongue playfully as she got down to walk with him.

Tadase watched her, a slight blush on his cheeks, as she walked ahead to pluck a daffodil from a bush. She went on to take several blades of long grass and a few dandelions. He watched as her hands wove these seemingly insignificant items and turned them into a pretty crown. "Nature is the best source of inspiration. Who better to inspire an artist than the greatest artist of all?" she said and showed him her creation. "No monster, no god ever thought of making a flower or leaves. Sure, they can create them, but it was Nature that taught them how. Everything that is has always been the product of nature's artistic genius! Just look," she pointed at the yellow petals of the daffodil.

Tadase bent down and observed the intricate patterns that marked the corona of the plant. It was indeed lovely, and he would have never taken the time to appreciate it if Amu had not pointed it out.

"There is no better teacher in the arts than Nature, Tadase. Remember that." She wagged a finger at him, to which he nodded quickly to. "Therefore, isn't it obvious that we take inspiration from her? One can argue we can just go looking for it – and we do, mind you – but what better inspiration to look at than the beautiful painting that is the sunrise? It's a daily exhibition by the greatest artist in the world!"

Amu looked fondly up to the darkening sky, its blue colors streaked with the pinks and oranges of the sunset. "Best of all," she turned to Tadase. "Nature doesn't charge a dime. I wouldn't dare insult such a kind invitation. That's why we get up so early. Every sunrise is different. It's symbolic, it's poetic, and it has been the source of inspiration for many of our pieces." Her voice became a soft sigh as she seemed to relive the experience. "Sunsets are nice as well and we watch it every other night. But….there's just something about the sunrise that really sets my heart ablaze with inspiration."

"Know what I mean?" she smiled at Tadase.

He could only smile at her, and walked up to her. He carefully took the flower crown from her hands and admired it some more. "I believe so. I'm not really an artist but your explanation was enlightening." he said softly. Then, as gently as he could, he placed the crown atop her head. The daffodil matched her eyes, what with their brilliant, golden glow. He smiled to himself as he realized another thing about the floral crown. "A daffodil suits you," he commented. "It symbolizes inspiration and creativity, you know. Kind of like you."

He saw the pinkette's eyes widen from his words. They stared at him, a mixture of shock and then melancholy. Her smile lessened for a fraction, and if Tadase didn't know any better, she seemed almost sad.

But that fraction came to pass and a blush once again graced her face. "Does it?" she whispered. When he nodded, she giggled at him and secured the crown on her head. "Thank you for the compliment, Tadase-kun."

The way she looked at him sent his heart beating faster than he would have liked. He wouldn't be surprised if he had a blush to match her own at this point. If his uncle were here, he was sure the older Kitsune would be prodding all kinds of fun at him. And why wouldn't he? Tadase had never blushed because of a woman, much less a woman who was the reason he was here in the first place, one whose persistent avoidance of required meetings had him dragged way out of his comfort zone and into an alien environment. Yet here he was, a well-groomed Guardian reduced to a blushing kit with just a smile.

He let out the breath he did not know he was holding gave a curt bow to Amu.

"You're welcome, Hinamori-san."

There was no further conversation after his words, the duo walking side by side in a pregnant, comfortable silence. Occasionally they stole glances at each other. When their eyes met, they'd smile or perhaps laugh. At some point, Tadase thought of starting a new topic, but he quickly dismissed it as he noted Amu had become lost in her thoughts looking at the sky, whose sunset colors were beginning to reveal the gleaming twinkle of stars. He kept his silence then and contented himself to simply enjoying the art she had told him about. And indeed, it was gorgeous.

It was at that moment, however, when his eyes were upon the starry sky, that Amu looked at him. Her honey-gold eyes studied his happy face and she too felt his happiness. Her hand went to touch the daffodil on her head. Its soft, velvety texture was all too familiar to her touch.

A wave of nostalgia washed over her, leaving the pinkette with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.


There you go, sweeties!

How was it? Do tell me. Was it too rushed? Perhaps it was rocky in its transitioning? I'd love to hear you constructively criticize (or compliment, haha) any part of the chapter. If you found a grammatical error somewhere, feel free to tell me! I'd appreciate it very much! Rate and Review! See you in the next installment, sweeties. ( ó㉨ò)ノ