Gin-Nee:It happens to all of us at one point or another. Thank you for saying so. I hope I don't disappoint.
xXDrEaMsXCoMeXTrUeXx: Unfortunately, it's not. But that's a very good suggestion.
insulife: Yeah, she does overdo it a little sometimes. I'm glad you liked it, and I love cake a lot. Wait; does this mean you can't eat brownies either? It's interesting that you asked. My favourite character in SC is Ikuto, but I like to think I'm not an extreme fangirl. He was the one that got me reading the manga and watching the anime. I like to pair Amu off with Ikuto more than the others, because she's who he wants, and who am I to deny him? But Amuto, even later, is actually my least favourite pairing out of Rimahiko, Kutau and itself, Rimahiko fast becoming my fav. Apart from these three pairings, which are basically canon, and possibly Nikaido/Sanjou, I don't really like trying to mash any other ones together. Yay! Fudge! And wow, this was a long answer.
FrozenForeverInHisHeart: Thank you so much. Well it is one of the three you guessed, and if you look at the title, you'll guess.
MyForbiddenDestiny: That's alright. The fact that you were caught up in the story that much delights me. Thank you! Well, you know that chapter when Amu meets Nagi for the first time and they go to the temple where they're supposed to wish for whoever they like to like them back or something? Nagi says that he has someone he likes but can't tell them because of certain circumstances or something and is just watching over them. It's obvious that he means Amu, especially since Rima hasn't appeared in the manga yet. And of course you're excused from reviewing on the earlier chapters.
Morningstar04: Well, all you have to do to find out is read on.
magickalfantasy: No reason whatsoever. :)

Disclaimer: I wish it would be otherwise, but I do not own SC. Look elsewhere to sue, any lawyers who have way too much time on their hands and have the equipment to trace my account back to my address and quibble over an anime. Sad, sad people. Then again, I'm the one writing the disclaimer...

-lll-

Through the Night

"Ikuto~nya?" Yoru whined. Ikuto grunted to show he was listening. "I'm bored~nya!" the Chara announced. Ikuto didn't reply. Yoru stayed silent for a little while, watching people pass by on the street below. Of course they were on the roof of a random house. Where else would Ikuto go to take a nap?

"Ikuto~nya?"

Grunt.

"Can we do something~nya?"

Silence.

Yoru sighed, scratching the back of his head. Then, he got an idea. "I know~nya!" he exclaimed.

Grunt.

Yoru pouted slightly at the less-than-enthusiastic response but continued anyway. "There's that sheet-thing that we got today~nya! It looked interesting~nya," Yoru hinted.

Silence.

"It's homework anyhow~nya. I know that we never really did any before~nya, but this would be like killing two birds with one stone~nya!" Yoru said enthusiastically. His stomach gave a loud growl. "Or eating two birds in one sitting~nya," he said thoughtfully.

More silence.

"'Cause, I mean, doing the thing would be better than just lying there and not doing anything~nya," he continued. "And if we do go to school tomorrow, at least you won't get into trouble~nya! Or as much trouble~nya."

Ikuto sighed and sat up. "Fine."

"Really~nya?" Yoru asked joyously. Ikuto gave him a 'no duh' look, and reached for his bag. "Yay! Something interesting~nya!"

Ikuto didn't say a word.


Name: Tsukiyomi Ikuto

Age: 18

Gender: Male

1. Do you believe in love? Probably.

2. If love had a form (may be an idea or metaphor), what do you think it would be and why?

Love... it would be like the moon. It's always there and almost always taken for granted. People look at the moon, yes, but they never really see it. They think that love is some big once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, but it's not. It always surrounds you in the form of friends and family - the bonds that are so often ignored, belittled and carelessly broken. People wait their whole lives to find what they call love and don't notice that they're practically drowning in it already.

The moon doesn't glare like the sun. It has a soft, beautiful light that guides travellers through the darkness of the night. It illuminates the world and casts shadows simultaneously. As such, love brings both security and insecurity, strength and weakness, fear and courage, vulnerability and invincibility. And sometimes, just like the moon, love can be lonely.

The moon always changes from day to day. This doesn't mean that it isn't there or it grows any more or less powerful. Part of it is just hidden until it is time to come out again.

To extend the metaphor even further and add personification, the moon receives its light from the sun and revolves around the Earth. The Earth is a scarred planet, slowly being destroyed by forces not of itself. The sun is a dazzling star, round and whole, providing warmth and a strong light. The Earth probably couldn't help but admire the sun. And there, connecting the two, is the small, unassuming moon.

It isn't sickly sweet. It isn't something fancy or loud or attention-catching or expensive or celebratory. The moon, and in turn love, is something simple and yet inspiring. It is a light that doesn't burn, something so pure and somehow so sad that what is basically a round rock in the sky can pull at the heartstrings. It is mysterious and untouchable, yet its light bathes us every night of our lives.

Simply, for love, the sky isn't the limit. It is boundless.


"That's so sweet~nya!" Yoru exclaimed. Ikuto looked at the piece of writing. Did he really write that? It didn't sound like him at all. "Are you going to hand it in~nya?"

Ikuto stayed silent for a few moments before finally muttering a "No."

"What~nya?" Yoru was rather shocked. After all, they did just spend quite a while just writing this.

"I don't feel like it," Ikuto said, scrunching the piece of paper into a ball and throwing it onto the street.

"But... Ikuto~nya..."

"I don't feel like going to school tomorrow," he told the cat-Chara. Yoru sweat-dropped. Without another word, Ikuto hopped onto his feet, cat-ears and a tail popping up on his body as he Chara-Changed with Yoru. Ikuto jumped down from the building and began walking away, leaving a sighing Yoru behind.

"Oh man~nya," he complained before following his bearer to wherever he was going next.

Some time later, a certain pink-haired girl with three Charas wandered across the street when a certain piece of paper blew into her face. Her golden eyes grew wide after she read it and, for some inexplicable reason, she stowed it into her school bag next to her own sheet. Ignoring the curious gazes of her Chara, she went home with a head full of questions.

The moon, huh?

-lll-

A/N: One chapter to go, and then this will be completed. Wow. I hope you've enjoyed this, everyone!