Morg: Heyo! Let's keep on keeping on! I know it's crazy that I'm updating again, but as I said in 'Unspeakable', it's my one year anniversary so I'm giving you guys a gift!

Shrimpy: I don't think that's how it's supposed to work…

Ikuto: Fairly certain that your readers should be gifting you.

Amu: Yeah, I hate to do this, but I agree with those two.

Morg: Oh, well I'm going to update this chapter anyways.

Shrimpy: Maybe they'll gift you with reviews!

Ikuto: Only if you gift them with lemons first though.

Amu: That is so not true!

Morg: Hmmm…

Shrimpy: Just remember!

Ikuto: You don't actually own anything!

Amu: That's what I've been trying to say!

~Human by Night~

The first village that they visited was the only one that Ikuto had been in before. Once again on his leash, Ikuto was taken to the two places he'd been to before. Amu had told him previous to entering the town that she needed to see Kukai and Utau before she set off on her journey so that they knew why she was missing and also because it was smart to have someone know when you were going away and why you were doing it.

Both of her friends had wholeheartedly agreed with her plans to travel and bid her a safe journey. After they left them, Ikuto and Amu walked through the little village until Ikuto was content before they started on their journey to see many more places. Ikuto's tail twitched in anticipation. He couldn't wait to learn more about his country and since Amu now knew his secret, he didn't have to worry so much about trying to behave more like a panther and less like a man, though he hadn't been doing the best job of it in the first place.

Amu felt her cheeks heat up. There was no doubt in her mind that her face was a dark red color, but there was little that she could do about it at the moment. With Ikuto right beside her and his tail going crazy, she was being repeatedly hit by it. "Ikuto, please calm down."

The panther cocked his head over to give her a questioning look just as his tail swooped in to tap her again. Amu jumped a bit before taking a small step away from him. The questioning look stayed on his face as he turned more to face her. The panther king took in the embarrassed face and hoped that the girl that was traveling with him wasn't beginning to regret being beside him.

"You have to stop swishing your tail so much. You keep… hitting me… hard… on my butt."

Ikuto's head went from up and curious to down and almost embarrassed. His response made Amu giggle. She couldn't help but step forward and pat the top of his head. "Don't worry about it so much. As long as you aren't doing it on purpose then it's okay."

With a short nod of his head, Ikuto responded before pushing up off his haunches and beginning down the path they had been walking before the pause. Never had he been more thankful that his face was covered with fur and hence she could not see the blood that had rushed to his cheeks. This feeling was one that the king had never felt before. Playing with the better looking women of the court, married or not, was something that he took pride in. From simply touching her butt, without knowing, with his tail had sent him down the path of embarrassment, but at the same time his mind began to work. What other things could he get away with in his panther form that he'd never be allowed to do as a human? Cuddling in her bed was one thing for sure. When he'd turned into a human and she'd woken up, Amu had refused to even let him sit on her bed until he talked with her for a while.

His mind was quick to work up the rules to his own internal game. This trip didn't have to be so boring as they walked between towns. At least not for Ikuto the panther. As a man, however, he was going to have to be on his upmost best behavior so that Amu wouldn't cast him aside. Not that he was only pretending. The cursed king really did want to change things for the better.

Now that he was no longer hitting her, Amu watched the way her pet panther walked and the way he took in his surroundings. It was obvious to the pinkette that he was thinking about something and not really paying attention anymore. It couldn't possibly be the village that they'd just left considering that her village was one of the better ones. Moving silently like one that lived in the woods and hunted for food, Amu snuck up on her panther and unhooked his leash. They were clear of the village and most likely wouldn't meet anyone else while they walked. Even if they did come upon someone, all Ikuto and Amu had to do was hide amongst the trees and wait for the coast to be clear. That was one thing they agreed upon before they'd left; they wanted to travel without bringing attention to themselves. The less the people of Ikuto's country knew of the girl with pink hair traveling with her pet panther the better. Things were going to be tricky since they wanted to go into the villages, but Amu was certain that since they'd be sticking to the worse parts of every village, news would not travel to the rich. The last person they wanted to meet along the way was Tadase.

Now being free of his leash, Ikuto took a moment to race around and stretch out his legs. Granted he had been walking for a while, but during that while he felt like a pet on display. Now he was a wild panther again. Sort of.

Watching as Ikuto played, Amu smiled. The king was definitely comfortable around her. Granted no one else would know it was actually King Ikuto if they saw 'Midnight's' litter performance. Still, he knew that she knew who he really was and for him to still act the way he was meant that he liked her enough to relax more around her. Now that she knew the truth, she could really tell that there was no possible way that he was a real panther. Even the way he walked on four legs, albeit he was getting better at it, was a little odd. Like he didn't know what to do with the extra appendages. Amu wished she could know what it felt like to be an animal during the day. However, saying this to Ikuto was probably not the right thing to do considering he had told her it was a curse.

Seeing the serious look in her eye despite the smile that she wore, Ikuto decided that he wasn't the only one that got to play the games he was playing. One half pounce at Amu woke her from her trance and got her to actually look at him. Ikuto got down and swished his tail again.

"What are you doing?"

Ignoring her question only because he had no real way to respond, Ikuto kept his position and just waited.

Amu didn't get it. The panther that was actually a man who was in fact the king had lost his mind. He was behaving stranger than usual, which was already saying a lot. "Ikuto, I don't know what you want from me."

Watching as she turned slowly and started walking away, Ikuto wasn't about to not let her play. One more bound and he slammed his paws against her back hard enough to make Amu stumble a bit but not fall. He darted away and turned quickly to face her in the same position as before.

Amu was still confused. What did the damn cat-man-king want from her? She took a step towards him, intending to check to see if he was alright, but Ikuto darted away and then faced her again in the same stance. Then it hit her. "You want to play?"

The panther yipped a yowl before darted for her but then running away again. Amu decided that perhaps this was a game of tag and she was it. Ikuto had already tagged her. If it was a game he wanted then Amu was more than willing to teach the king how to lose to a girl.

Darting faster than Ikuto thought she could move, Amu got in his face and brushed one finger along his brow. "You're it! Catch me if you can."

Ikuto watched, stunned by the fact that she'd managed to do that so easily, as Amu leaped from being in front of him and up into a low branch over their heads. She bounded away through the trees and Ikuto had to scramble to just keep sight of her. Luckily he could smell her scent on the trees that she touched and was able to follow her path even though he couldn't always see her. Damn girl was way too fast.

If she hadn't been concentrating on what she was doing, Amu was certain that she'd be giggling up a storm and laughing harder than anyone could ever imagine. Ikuto would have been able to catch her in no time at all due to the aches in her sides, but she kept her composure. There was no way that she was going to allow that cat to get her.

XXX

That night they lay exhausted by the small fire that Amu had built. She had some clothes out and ready for Ikuto to change into as soon as he turned into his human self, but at the moment they were both too tired to do anything. Amu had kept them moving in the right direction while they played their game, causing them to cover more distance than Amu had been planning for the next few days. It was no wonder that they lay panting next to the fire.

He could feel midnight approaching. Ikuto had transformed enough times now that he could feel his body preparing for it to happen. Since he knew, he heaved his tired body up from the ground, grabbed his clothes in his mouth and trotted off into the woods.

Amu had opened her mouth to say something when he got up, but the moment he grabbed the clothes that she laid out for him, she decided not to say what she'd been about to say. Human Ikuto was going to be showing up any moment and he could talk back when she taunted him about losing their game. Panther Ikuto hadn't been able to catch her, though he did a much better job keeping up than she thought he would.

Midnight came and Ikuto felt the sparks starting to shoot across his skin. Everything tingled until he stood in his human form. Luckily, all the clothes fit so he was able to return to the campsite in his normal attire. "Man, am I tired."

A smile stole its way onto Amu's mouth and she couldn't help its presence. "Well, you did try your hardest to keep up. I suppose you deserve a good night of sleep."

One glare made Amu gulp. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the king. His glare turned into a smirk as he moved closer to the pinkette. "One word from me and your life is over."

The fact that his words were harsh but his eyes were soft sent Amu into a fit of giggles. "You still sound scary."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Oh don't get so defensive! I've been with you in both forms since you were cursed. I can tell when you're angry and when you're faking it. Right now you are a big faker!"

Ikuto sighed and sat down opposite of the fire from Amu. "I guess you've changed me. For the better or for the worse, I'll let the country decide. Don't get mad at me though, when they come knocking on your door if they don't like the changes."

Amu stuck out her tongue at the almost boyish king. He was so young, hardly older than she was and sometimes acted just like his age. Though, she'd noticed that he could have that look that said that he was used to running a country and making hard decisions. Amu was very thankful that she didn't have to deal with what he did on a daily basis. "So is it cool to be an animal or do you hate it?"

"It has its ups and downs. Sometimes it is the best thing in the world. Like today, I had so much fun using my senses and moving through the trees. It was almost like I was battling the trees. Dodging one branch could mean slamming into another. Just like battle practice at the castle, only I'm a panther and my enemies are the trees."

Amu couldn't help but laugh at that. The man had a point. There were ups and downs to everything but at least he was looking at things in a positive light, especially since his situation was not the best. "I can teach you how to fight if you want me to."

Ikuto cocked his head to the side. "In my human form I can protect you without a worry. I've been training since I was born. In my panther form I should be able to scare away people without having to fight them."

"What if that doesn't work? What will you do then?"

"Eat them."

Amu laughed again. She was really glad that she'd learned the truth because Ikuto made a wonderful companion. "What if they get you first?"

"If you really want to train me that badly then we can start tomorrow." With his eyes already closed, Ikuto began drifting towards sleep with Amu still watching him from across the fire. The girl was more petite than he, even with more clothes on. The fire wasn't going to keep burning all night so Ikuto decided to do the one thing that he promised himself he wouldn't. "If you get cold you can always just lay next to me. I won't touch you, at least not in that way."

Amu stared at the man for a moment before shaking her head. "Tonight I'll stay over here, but the nights are going to continue to get colder so I may have to take you up on that offer for both of our sakes in the future. For now, let's just call it a night."

Ikuto had no trouble following Amu's suggestion since the moment he closed his eyes, he was out like a light.

.

Morg: So his training begins and I'm sure this chapter seemed like it was pointless, but you'll see in later chapters that I make everything happen for a reason!

Ikuto: Lies.

Amu: How do you know?

Morg: Anyways! Review!