I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.
I shove my hands in my pockets for warmth as I walk through the blizzard of snow, my hood pulled over my mess of pink hair and a wool scarf tightly wrapped around my neck. I maneuver my way through the piles of snow in my newly-bought snow boots as I attempt to make it to the movie theater.
The storm hit so fast and so hard, it caught almost everyone in town off-guard. No one had expected the minor storm warned on the news would turn out to be a dangerous blizzard. And of course, I am scheduled to work today.
The wind blows so hard, I feel worried that I might get blown over. All I want to do right now is get into the safety of the movie theater and stay there until hopefully the blizzard subsides. Once I finally reach the building, I hurry inside before the next gust of wind is able to hit me.
I shiver with coldness and kick off my boots by the door, pulling my hood down and testing to make sure I could still feel my fingers.
"Having fun out there?" I hear the familiar voice across the room, surprised to find Ikuto already in uniform behind the counter. He never gets here before me!
"Of course not!" I exclaim, rushing over to the counter in hopes of warming up a bit. "It's so cold!" I say, feeling myself shiver again.
"Poor Amu." He pouts playfully and I scowl at him, then walk into the back room to get changed. Stepping out moments later, I feel myself shiver yet again.
"Ahh why'd they make these uniforms so light and airy?" I complain, walking up to stand beside Ikuto.
"For the warm seasons, of course." He grins softly.
"Then what about the cold seasons?" I ask, looking up at him. He pauses for a moment, then shrugs. "No one's going to see any movies today, so what's the point of us even working right now?"
"I don't really mind it." Ikuto smirks.
"How do you not mind it?" I ask with disbelief.
"Well obviously because I'm here with you." My face turns bright red and Ikuto leans closer to me, smirking. My heartbeat quickens but for some reason I can't look away. After a moment, Ikuto chuckles and leans back. "I have to admit, I do love that blush of yours." I feel my face heat up again and I quickly look away, embarrassed. Why does Ikuto have to say things like that? They get me all worked up but for some bizarre reason, I like it when he does that.
"Popcorn?" My eyes fix on the medium-sized bag of popcorn Ikuto holds in front of my face. I smile softly and nod, remembering that I rushed out the door this morning forgetting to eat breakfast.
I take a couple kernels and pop them in my mouth, Ikuto doing the same. Both our gazes linger on the door to see if anyone would enter; a habit that I think every movie-theater employee develops, and possibly every other worker.
After a good thirty minutes without seeing any customers, I sigh and lean on the counter. "It's this damn blizzard." I mumble, annoyed.
"Yeah, but at least we're being payed anyway." Ikuto points out and I nod, agreeing.
I flinch as I hear cracking noises coming from outside the theater. Curious, I walk up to the door and take a look into the storm. It's tough to see anything other than the endless falling snow, but I somehow make out where the sound is coming from. Directly across from the movie theater, a limb of a tree struggles from the weight of the snow on top of it. Worried that the snow would cause a bunch of limbs to fall, I silently pray that everyone will be safe from the dangerous blizzard.
I return to behind the counter, taking a breath. "How come you got here so early today, Ikuto?" I ask, trying to make conversation.
"I wanted to get here before the storm got to it's peak." He states simply, making me jealous of his easily thought-out logic.
Suddenly I hear a huge, loud crack right outside the door and see a bunch of snow fall at once, then see some shifting of branches behind the screen of snow blocking my vision. Just seconds after, the lights in the movie theater disappear, leaving Ikuto and I in complete darkness.
Instinctively, I scream at the sudden change, alarmed by the darkness and quickly grabbing onto something so I know I am still where I was moments before when the lights were still on.
"Amu, are you okay?" I hear Ikuto ask a couple feet from me, panic in his tone.
"Y-Yeah..." I stutter, embarrassed.
"I'm coming over there, hold on."
I hear Ikuto's feet shuffle across the floor and come near me, then I feel him wrap his arms around me. Surprised by his sudden embrace, my face flushes completely and I abruptly feel glad that the lights are out so he isn't able to see my embarrassing blush.
"I got ya." He says and I can hear the smirk in his voice.
"W-What are you doing!?"
"Aha, I can tell you're blushing by your stutter. You're so easy to read, Amu~koi, even in the dark."
"H-Hey, d-don't call me that!" I yell, embarrassed and flustered. It doesn't help at all that he's still holding me, and I can't stop focusing on my rapid-beating heart. "L-Let go of me, Ikuto..."
I can almost here him pout, "Aw, but I don't want to loose you, Amu~koi."
"I-I won't go anywhere, just let go!" I order, annoyed and flustered.
"Fine," I hear the grin in his tone as he pulls away. I can faintly see the outline of his face from the window's light, but not enough to see his expression. Suddenly, I feel a breif wave of unsureness, feeling as if I wasn't secured or protected anymore. But just as soon as the feeling came, the feeling disappears.
Trying to ignore the sudden feeling of fear, I squeak quietly, "D-Doesn't this place have a generator?"
"It does, but I think it only generates the movies and makes them keep playing, not out here in the lobby." Ikuto says, and I slightly see his body lower and him sit on the floor. Not wanting to be the only one standing, I slowly sit beside him. Without even realizing it, I gently press my shoulder to his for comfort. I faintly see him grin, then I blush but I don't move away from him.
"I-I wonder what Utau's doing..." I say, trying to divert his attention from me.
"She said something about a date."
"Oh that's good!" I smile softly, glad she and Kukai are getting along so well.
And that's that. There's not much left to say on the topic, so I find myself blushing again as my thoughts return to me and Ikuto's closeness. Without even realizing what I'm saying, I ask, "S-So Ikuto... have you ever l-liked anyone?"
There's a pause, then I faintly see Ikuto smirk. "Yes, I have. In fact, I like someone right now, but I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about this person." He places a finger to his lips as my eyes finally adjust to the darkness and I feel a sudden surge of disappointment, but I can't pinpoint why.
"I-I see..." I mumble softly, suddenly upset.
"What about my Amu~koi? Does she like someone right now?" He leans closer to me slightly and I blush, surprised.
Do I like anyone? I feel like I do, but who is it? Well maybe I've felt this way for a while, but I'm still really unsure what these feelings are...
"I-I... I might like T-Tadase-kun..." I stutter out, not intending to tell Ikuto but finding myself doing so anyways and my face turns bright red. It feels almost like a suggestion, like I'm not sure myself so I'm rattling off a random name and seeing if it works for me.
There's a long pause, then Ikuto repeats my previous two words. "I see."
~Chapter End~
Eeeek sorry for being kinda late! I'm having a bit of writer's block at the moment so please bare with me! Well thank you all for reading this chapter and I hope you review and tell me if you liked it or not!
~AmuletFortune98