When I came to school the next day, I wasn't excited to be there anymore. I didn't know how to get out of the mess I was in. How could I have fallen for Uncle Nikaidou's trickery? Why was he suddenly like this? He was never like this before...
"Ream?"
"Huh? What?" I asked as I looked up.
"Pay attention to class please," said the teacher.
Everyone laughed.
I shrunk in my seat. "Sorry..."
I looked over at Kukai and he gave me a worried look before going back to paying attention to class. Then I looked over at Mai. She was smirking. I sunk further in my seat.
I knew being with Easter would help me understand my Guardian Character more, but I didn't want to hurt people in the process. I felt like I was being used, which was probably the case, and I felt that Uncle Nikaidou lied about the Guardians stealing the Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key, but I didn't know for sure. There had to be some proof somewhere other than in other people's words.
The bell rang for lunch and I was quick to get up and leave. I didn't want to be cornered by Mai and I certainly didn't want to be around anyone at this time. I just wanted to be alone to think about my next move; a solution to this problem that wouldn't harm many people.
"Ream!"
I stopped and reluctantly turned around.
"Yes?" I asked.
"What's going on? You're usually paying attention to class," asked Kukai.
I gave him a curious look for a moment, wondering if he watched me during class everyday so far, but I pushed passed that thought for a moment. If I didn't answer soon enough, he'd become more curious.
"Nothing," I answered, making a small smile.
He looked at me long and hard.
"Come with me," he said as he grabbed my hand and started dragging me down the halls behind him.
"Kukai! Kukai! Where are you taking me?" I shouted.
I felt my cheeks flush red as I realized that people were staring, so I shut up quickly and tried to keep up with him.
"I'm taking you to the Chairman, who I earlier called the principal of Seiyo Academy. I didn't want to tell you he was the Chairman of the Guardians and first, but now it's fine to tell you," he explained.
"What?" I asked, completely confused. "So you lied to me?"
"No, I didn't lie. He is the principal, but we know him as the Chairman because he was the one who first started the Guardians. He was the very first Kings Chair," Kukai replied.
"Oh," I said, not sure how else to reply.
Kukai suddenly stopped in front of a door and knocked. I half expected him to burst through the door and into the mysterious room from how fast he was walking.
"Come in," a masculine voice said.
Kukai opened the door and dragged me into the room behind him, put me in front of him, closed the door, and introduced, "This is Tsukasa Amakawa, the Chairman of the Guardians."
He looked so young... younger than what I would've expected, and he had short-ish, light brown hair. His eyes were soft and kind, which was something I wasn't used to. It startled me, and for a moment, I was in a daze; just staring.
"You must be Ream, correct?" asked the Chairman.
"U-uh yes!" I replied a little too loudly. I blushed and quickly looked down to my feet, embarrassed from my outburst.
He chuckled and I looked up shyly.
"You too," I replied. I looked back at Kukai. "But why did you bring me here?"
"I wanted to introduce you to him since you're our potential new Guardian member," he said as he grinned.
I half smiled at him and looked over at the Chairman. "So... can you still see your Guardian Character?"
"No, I can't," he quickly responded, "but I'm able to see other childrens'."
So that makes him just like Uncle Nikaidou...
"Are the Guardian's the only ones in the school with Guardian Characters?" I asked.
He motioned to a chair and I sat down with Kukai sitting beside me while the Chairman sat across from us.
"Yes, that is the case. Though that doesn't mean the other children don't have the opportunity to have theirs born. The time for those characters to be born just hasn't happened yet," he explained.
"Oh," I replied, looking down at my shoes in thought.
I looked up at him again. "I made a wish. I wanted to be more social and less shy." I looked to Koori on my shoulder. She flew out from it so she could be seen better and bowed respectfully.
"My name's Koori," she introduced before going back to my shoulder.
The Chairman nodded.
"So, when a child makes a wish, is that how a Guardian Character is born?" I asked.
The Chairman nodded again. "Many children know, or don't yet realize, what they want to be when they grow up, but the ones who wish for what they want get their Guardian Character, who is like a guide almost. However, if you don't believe in them, they'll turn into an X-Egg or disappear."
I looked to Koori. Amu had said something similar.
"I haven't been told much about the Guardians," I admitted to the Chairman. "I don't know if I want to join. I understand that they're trying to save people's dreams and Guardian Characters, but I can't help but feel there's more to it."
I didn't want to lie, and I guess it wasn't really a lie since there was more to what was going on between Easter and the Guardians, but I didn't like not being able to tell the whole truth.
The Chairman stared at me for a long time without saying anything. He had this look in his eyes that suggested he knew more than what he was letting on; like he could see right through me.
"They're also looking for the Embryo," he finally admitted, "and they're trying to get the Dumpty Key back from Ikuto."
My eyes widened. Both the Guardians and Easter were wanting the Embryo, and they both wanted the complete set of the Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key!
But why?
"Embryo? Dumpty Lock?" I said after regaining my composure.
The expression on the Chairman's face hadn't changed. It was like he knew that I would already make some sort of connection between what I knew and what I had just been told. It was a bit unsettling.
"The Embryo is an egg that appears when an X-Egg has been cleansed. Supposedly, it grants the wish of whoever catches it. The Dumpty Key is a part of the complete set of the Humpty Lock. If both of them are together, than something very interesting and eye opening will happen," he explained.
"So the Guardians have a wish they want granted?"
"Yes," the Chairman replied.
I stayed quiet for a while as I went into thought. Just what could the President of Easter and the Guardians want so badly?
The bell rang, which snapped me out of my revere.
"I better go," I said quickly as I got up. "It was nice meeting you!"
The Chairman nodded as I rushed out the door.
