Sorry for the long wait! School had kept me busy, but I finally managed to post the next chapter. Oh, and thanx again for the reviews, Sun Wukongoku and Ichito1485.

Ichigo: Whhaaaa! You came into my room!? *Glares at Ikuto*

AnimeKoneko: *Sweatdrops* Looks like she finally read the previous chapter.

Ichigo: Jerk!

Ikuto: *Shrugs* Don't blame me, blame the writer.

AnimeKoneko: Crap! Damn you, Ikuto! *Runs away from a murderous Ichigo*

Ikuto: *Shrugs* AnimeKoneko doesn't own Tokyo Mew Mew or Shugo Chara.

"Jeeeeeezzzz! Why am I always late for school!? This is becoming a habit!"

The red head bounded down the street, only slightly managing to steer clear of pedestrians. Masha uttered several squeaks as he bounced around in her schoolbag. She hadn't gone to bed that early and had no one to blame but herself. Well . . . maybe not just herself. An image of Ikuto appeared in her mind.

Ugh! I shouldn't be thinking of him!

Ichigo erased that picture from her mind and tried to concentrate on the path in front of her. She quickly rounded a corner and gasped when something hard crashed into her, knocking her sideways till she fell down right in the middle of the road. The Mew slowly sat up and rubbed her head, feeling extremely dazed, hardly managing to distinguish anything.

A honking sound snapped her back to reality and her eyes widened in horror when she saw that a car was heading straight for her. She couldn't move an inch and watched defenseless as the vehicle came closer and closer. Time seemed to stand still when she felt strong arms lifting her up from the ground and carrying her safely to the other side. Ichigo narrowed her eyes and gasped when she noticed a familiar face: Ikuto!

The lynx boy was holding her bridal style, looking down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Ichigo blushed madly and as quick as lightning jumped out of his arms, her back turned to him, looking downwards. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Touching her face, Ichigo realized how warm her cheeks are.

Stop blushing!

The pink Mew straightened and turned around stiffly, knowing she owed Ikuto a sincere thanks. She couldn't help but stare into his beautiful eyes, getting lost in their depths. It was hard for her to utter the correct words.

"T-thank y-you."

Ichigo looked down at her feet.

Why do I feel so weird around him suddenly? Do I feel guilty for judging him so quickly? He did save my life after all.

Ikuto shrugged.

"Don't mention it."

He turned his head sideways and looked at the opposite sidewalk where the accident had occurred. The boy that had crashed into her shakily got back onto his feet and bent down to pick up his bike. Ikuto narrowed his eyes and with an expert leap he jumped right over the road and landed neatly in front of the stunned boy.

"Yo," Ikuto said, lowering his head to look the child straight in the eye. "You must be more careful while riding your bike. Someone almost died today."

Ichigo's eyes widened when Ikuto looked back at her from across the road. She tried to tell him that it was her fault as well, but she couldn't form the words. It was as if her tongue was knotted. The boy gaped at her and lowered his head, uttering an apology.

The lynx boy returned next to her side again when the boy had left, looking down at her out of the corner of his eye. Ichigo felt very uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze and nervously bit her lower lip, not making eye contact with him.

"I can help you get to school faster," Ikuto said, Yoru appearing beside him. "But it might get bumpy along the way."

Ichigo hardly listened to him, her eyes fixed on the strange little creature that floated near Ikuto's head, looking at her with a playful gleam in his yellow eyes.

"Kawaii!" she shouted, grabbing Yoru and squeezing him with all her might, rubbing her face against his.

"Ikuto! Help me-nya!" The little chara struggled frantically in the pinkette's hands, but she was way too strong for him. The lynx boy looked on with a silly expression on his face.

"D-did you even hear what I just said?" he asked, sweat-dropping.

Ichigo's eyes widened when his words finally sank in.

"Oh no! I'm late for school!"

She gave Yoru a quick kiss, released him and bolted past Ikuto. The lynx chara dizzily made his way to Ikuto's side again, a faint tinge of pink visible on his cheeks. Ikuto shook his head.

"Come on, Yoru."

The chara snapped out of his day-dreaming and nodded.

"My own heart: UNLOCK!"

After his transformation, Ikuto ran after Ichigo, quickly catching up to her. She had no idea he was chasing her and yelped when she felt herself being lifted up into the air. Ichigo struggled in his arms and Ikuto winced when her nails dug into his skin.

"Sit still, Ichigo," he said through gritted teeth. Ichigo realized that he was wearing the same outfit as before, even his cat ears and tail.

Ikuto jumped over roofs, taking short-cuts. ( Note: He's carrying her the same way as he had carried Amu)

He grumbled from time to time about her weight and she just shot him a glare. The lynx boy smirked at her reaction. Ichigo had no idea why he was helping her: Saving her life and giving her a lift to school. She looked up at him, a blush starting to form on her face.

He's actually really nice.

But when she thought about that statement, a picture of another blue-headed boy flashed into her mind.

I had thought the same thing about him and look what happened. How do I know Ikuto's not just the same?

She turned her face away and stared at the path in front of them, her troubling thoughts haunting her the rest of the way.

Ichigo sighed with relief when Ikuto placed her on the ground again, right in front of the school gates. It was pure luck that most of the kids were already in the school building, so no-one will spot Ikuto. She looked up at him shyly.

"T-thanks a-again."

He shrugged and lowered his head to look her in the eye.

"I don't mind," Ikuto said softly, causing an invisible shiver to go down Ichigo's spine.

What is with this boy? He has the ability to put any breathing person in a trance.

There was a lot of questions that she wanted answered from him, but Ichigo knew that now was not the time. With a quick farewell she spun around and dashed through the gates, not looking behind her, afraid he might notice how much she was blushing.

This is almost how Aoyama made me feel . . .

A lump formed in her throat when she thought about him again. She didn't want Ikuto to be just like him: A cheat!

Ichigo sighed and plopped down onto the chair.

I made it! Thanks to Ikuto.

A loud caterwauling startled her. She looked up and saw one of her classmates standing in the doorway. The girl looked excited. Her eyes were sparkling and it was hard for her to stand in one place. Several others crowded around the girl asking questions.

Ichigo frowned.

Did I miss something?

"A new student will be joining us," one of her classmates explained when she noticed Ichigo's puzzled look.

Another one?

She looked sideways and gasped when she saw the empty seat beside her. Ikuto was missing.

Where is he? Is he skipping school on his second day?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the teacher came into the classroom. The class settled down, all of them looking at the door, waiting to see the new pupil. The teacher cleared his throat.

"I have received news that Ikuto Tsukiyomi won't be attending this school anymore. His parents have decided to place him in another school closer to their home."

What!? That can't be right. He didn't say anything . . .

Almost all the girls uttered sad sighs, unhappy that their Prince Charming had to leave them so quickly.

"Well, as most of you already know, we have a new student that would be joining us today instead," the teacher continued, beckoning with his hand to the open door. The children gasped when the new student revealed himself.

"I told you he was cute!" the same girl that had looked so excited a minute ago whispered to her friend. Ichigo frowned and looked at the boy more closely.

He had lively green eyes, messy brown hair and a huge grin on his tanned face. This boy was definitely cute and the pink Mew smiled while she looked at him. Her grudge against boys flew out of the window when she first set eyes on him.

"This is Souma Kukai," the teacher explained. "He's also a transfer student and would be a part of this class from now on."

The teacher told Kukai to take the now vacant seat beside Ichigo. She blushed like crazy when he made his way toward the empty seat. Before the brown-haired boy sat down, he turned sideways and smiled down at Ichigo.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Kukai."

He offered her his hand. She gulped before shaking it.

"Nice to meet you too. My name is Ichigo."

Well, finished with chapter 4. So sorry that it took so long, but I have a really busy schedule.

I'll try to post chapter 5 as soon as possible, but if I take too long, please don't be too mad.

AnimeKoneko Out!