My Patch of Ice and Blood

Chapter 4

Nana and Quartz Together With Me

I sit home, alone in a way. Ikuto promised to stay outside if I want him to. I sip some green tea and stare out the window in my room, the lock containing a heavy amount of duck tape. I scribble on my right arm and start tracing the word 'filthy' with a letter opener Mommy accidentally left. As the blood drips, I feel a sudden draft and a hand clutches the letter opener, jerking it out of my hands. I blink and look up to Ikuto, in which the grit teeth and pulsing forehead returns from last night. "Didn't you say you'd stay out?"

He huffs. "Didn't I include that there were exceptions?" I shake my head, making him sigh and cross his arms, the letter opener hiding behind the left arm. "No suicide attempts."

I growl, making Nana jump (don't think she disappeared on me people). "I'm not trying to commit suicide, dummy. It's called having fun."

He winces as if that actually hurt him. He shakes his head and glares at me. "Stupid! Don't call that fun!"

I chuckle. "But it's the truth," I shrug. "I cut myself up all the time!"

Yoru files in with a tuna fish, most of the meat gone. "That's nothing (chew, chew) to be proud about!"

I stand out of the chair and Nana comes over, looking kind of worried, and then faces the boys. "She does it to…uh…neutralize herself, I think she said." I nod proudly and Nana giggles. She hugs my thumb. "See? She won't give up life! Not now, not ever!"

The smile is wiped from my face and I look down. Well, I 'tried' once…wait, that wasn't me! I didn't want to do it! I grit my teeth until I feel one aching badly. Nana squeaks and tries to part my jaws, but Ikuto walks over and pulls my lower jaw down, pushing the forehead up with the bottom of his right palm. I blink stupidly and he rolls his eyes, releasing the jaw and removing the palm. "I still don't get why I have to watch you."

"Have to?" I blink. "Jeez, if you don't want to, you shouldn't."

He narrows his eyes towards me. "What about you, huh?" I blink. "Do you honestly want to cut yourself up? Have the X-Negative go out of control?" I blink. Okay, why is he using it in the contest of an actual item? I shake my head and nod. He looks down. "Then, you're stupid."

I huff and shrug. "Who cares? I am who I am."

I stare at the carpet with the brown-contact eyes. This isn't me, but I really do like cutting myself up so I can become used to pain in places so I'm not slowed down in a fight. This hair…is not mine. These eyes…are not mine. I shake my head and plop onto the bed, huffing. Nana floats over my shoulder. "Maki-san, why don't we go somewhere fun?"

I smile at her. Honestly, she's not bad. "Like where?"

"Like…" she flies up in front of my face at the distance I don't have to squint or cross my eyes. "A music store?"

I smile. I do like music. You know, I actually do wish I could find my IPod. Something cracks and I widen my eyes to look over to the towel. The other egg is broken on the floor. "Oops! Sorry, my bad!" I move my gaze next to the window, right above where Ikuto is leaning against the sky-blue walls and another Guardian character the same height as Nana, same skin color, but everything else is uniquely hers. She has teal hair and eyes, a little teal dress flowing to the knees having crimson leggings underneath and teal ballet shoes. Her teal hair flows to her knee-pits, so it's up in a right side ponytail. The ponytail is held with a small teal quarter note clip and an IPod, silver, behind her back. "Found it!"

I smile and she flies over dropping it into my hands. She waves and twirls. I face her with a soft expression most don't really see these days. "Where?"

"Oh, I was out when you guys were out chasing each other!"

I have a bleak expression shoving the smile off. "I see…"

She presents a small hand. "I'm Quartzite by the way."

I smile and pat her head lightly. "I'm Maki; it's nice to meet you Quartzite!"

She giggles and flies next to Nana. "Hey…can you do Character changes and Transformations?"

I raise a brow and Ikuto huffs. "Character changes are when your Guardian Character shifts your present self to someone different, depending on what they are."

I twist my head to Yoru, and back to Ikuto. "So you get cat ears and a tail? Sorry, but that seems like you got robbed."

He rolls his eyes. "This is going to be fun…"

I face Nana and Quartzite again. "So, which is which?"

They giggle. Nana says, "I'm your wish from your eighth birthday!"

"I'm your wish from last J-"

I cover Quartzite's mouth. "Don't reveal my birthday in front of the stalker!"

"Are you still holding me against that?" Ikuto asks in a rather bored voice.

I rip a book off the brown bookshelf Mommy probably put in this morning while I was sleeping. "Shut up!" I chuck it. "Aren't you supposed to be outside?"

He sighs and jumps out the window, probably landing on his feet below. I slam the window shut and the glass shatters slightly, so I groan and kick the wall. I smile at Nana and Quartzite. "Can either of you fix this?" I recall last January, when my birthday is held. "Oh yeah, that's probably you Quartz."

She smiles at the nickname and flies over, taking out a bottle of glue and squirting it, the glue mending the glass and she polishes it quickly. I huff out a held piece of air and turn to Nana, jabbing an index finger. "So you're my wish to be better at everything athletic." She nods and I turn to Quartz. "You're my wish of being…being…" I look down, a bit disheartened. "Like my parents…"

She nods. "Creative in every art!" she smiles. "That's how you always picture them!"

I nod. "So you can cook, draw, paint, mend things, and the songs?"

Quartz nods. "I'm your wish to be more cultural!"

"How's mending things cultural?" Nana wonders.

Quartz shrugs, "Everything else is."

Quartz hands me my IPod and I flip through all my songs, all of which American and in English. Now, I know how to speak English very well, it's just a lot of people here barely know it. I blink and look down at the American book Magic or Madness lying there, so I pick it up and lay it on the desk. I slump down onto my bed and look down at the silver chain, the pendant that was once there still missing. "So how does this chain work?"

They smile. "That's for character changes and Transformations," Nana explains. "When a pendent appears, that means the Guardian Character with that symbol has put a Character Change on you, in the special cases a Character Transformation."

I push up, being giddier today. "Okay," I state enthusiastically, "let's try it!"

Nana flies up first, her eggshells closing her in and flying into me. A light purple glow appears and suddenly, I'm wearing what she was. I blink and I hear a low whistle, turning to see Yoru and Ikuto in the window. Speaking of which…HOW DID THEY GET IN THE FIRST TIME? I look down to see the skirt is mid-thigh, and the wind comes in, so it's billowing a bit. I grow red in the face and pick up the book once again. "PERVERT!"

"Yoru whistled!" Ikuto defends before catching the book. "Jeez, jump to conclusions, why don't you!"

I grunt and turn to Quartz. "Race you to the Bathroom."

"You're on!" Quartz laughs.

I race through the door while she flies, and we both skid into the bathroom, one of us actually skidding in the air (you know). Nana quickly comes out and Quartz goes into the egg, flying into me and a teal glow coming. Next thing I know, I'm like her, except the black hair is longer. I blink and remember it was also longer with Nana's transformation. I blink and Quartz comes out, my hair remaining long. I gap and grab for scissors, but…I threw them at the dry-wall didn't I? I race out and slam into a closed door. I grunt and jerk the handle of my door with no result. I place one foot on the wall and yank. "Eh…" Nana blinks, eye brow raised and her face twisted with confusion and slight uncertainty. "I don't think you should be doing t-"

Too late.

The handle snaps off and I fall backwards, sliding back a bit and hearing a tear somewhere at the back of the dress. I blush and stand, feeling for the tear. Of course, it's where my underpants are. I push my dress out of the way in front of me slightly and look down, seeing I wore the light purple, thin underpants. I scream and try to cover up the tear, blushing like crazy. Ikuto rushes out of the room. "What's w-"He blinks as I try to cover up the rip. He chuckles for a bit and hands me that towel, so I wrap it around the area and stand, sighing with slight relief and feeling something nibbling my ear. I widen my eyes once I realize Ikuto is not at the door and scream again, jerking away and covering it.

"PERVERT!" I accuse.

"Actually you had to see that coming," Quartz blankly states.

I huff. "Jeez, when did my life become so D*MN confusing?"

I trudge into my room and slam the door. I rummage through my closet and something catches my attention. I take out some white, sleeveless shirt with a high neck and shrug the dress to the floor, slipping that on and prying out a knee-length black skirt, sliding that on, and remembering I never had shoes on today, so I examine my feet to see they're slightly cut, but I shrug and slip my feet into white, knee length combat boots I bought myself last month due to school issues. I tug the chain once to make sure it's secure and look around, grabbing my IPod off the bed to see it's on. I raise a brow and look around, seeing there's a note. Huh? I click it. You have a Doctor's Appointment at 3 tomorrow, Sweetie-Mommy. I'm wide-eyed. I scream and chuck it at the wall. I'm not mentally ill for crying out loud! The door opens and I hear Ikuto groan.

"Are you going to be screaming in and out all day?" he wonders.

I clutch my fists, glaring at the floor. Jeez…I know she wants 'the best for me', but I swear it on my soul I'm not mentally ill. All I want is to be able to sing, to dance, to be able to at least be energetic in the mornings so I can be like my dad…fun. Suddenly, Ikuto's tongue runs up my cheek and I raise a brow. He stares at me with slightly sympathetic, very curious eyes, and I look down again to see that the carpet is slightly damp with tears. It's to be expected. I've never really handled Daddy's death well. He walks over to the IPod and picks it up, setting it on the desk. Nana comes over with Quartz. "It's a doctor's appointment," Nana reminds me.

"Yeah!" Quartz cheers. "We'll be there with you!"

I dig my nails into my palms. "That's not what she meant…"

They blink and Ikuto crosses his arms, tilting his head a bit. I wipe at the cheek he licked and, since he's some form of cat, excuse him mentally for it. "You cut yourself for fun. You have to expect that."

I gasp and take a step back, looking up at him. I grit my teeth and hold my head, the heat coming back. "That's not it!"

"Then what is it?" Yoru wonders.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Quartz scolds.

"Let her organize her thoughts for a bit!" Nana adds.

I sigh. Well, at least I should give that a shot. Okay…here it is, readers…