I do not own Shugo Chara. Thank you to all who reviewed…it makes me happy =D

Now to move on.

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"I was so tired last night that the irony escaped me." The sun had hardly peaked over the earth when the foursome had started back out on their journey. They knew that things would be a little more slow going now that there wasn't a run away farm wagon.

"Irony?" Kukai raised an eyebrow, fighting back a yawn. After last night he had come to the conclusion that sleep was in order, so when Utau had yanked the sheets and left him to the cold, telling him that it was time to get up, he had been rather unhappy. Most of the morning grumpiness had worn off, but he knew he would remember the piercing cold suddenly put his body into shock.

"Yes. A thief catching a thief. Isn't there some brotherhood thing on that?" This one time, she had opted to leave her hair out of pigtails instead letting it loose. She felt it swing around her waist.

"He wasn't a thief, remember? He was just fetching that girl so he could elope with her…what was her name?"

"Yavara. But you didn't know that at the time. You thought that you were apprehending a thief." She tried to suppress the satisfaction that he hadn't remembered her name. She really didn't know why she disliked Yavara so much. Perhaps the fact that the girl assumed she was better then her? But didn't that make Utau at fault as well?

"Oh, well, you were nervous. I didn't want you to worry." He shrugged and looked away. Utau felt suddenly embarrassed that he would actually do that for her. And immensely guilty. She knew that she did few things that wasn't for herself.

Was there something she could do to pay him back? She would have to make sure not to be quite as bitter for a while. It was the most that she could really offer at the moment. Of course, the thought that she was the one who had volunteered to lead him to their destination, could be considered enough.

But the truth was, Utau was a good person and she didn't know it. Perhaps it was her cynical view on the world that restrained her from realizing this, or perhaps she didn't believe in herself enough. Either way you looked at it, she was unaware of how compassionate she really was.

Utau blew hair out of her face, rolling her shoulders back a bit. She was sore. Perhaps because of her brawl with a man that was 3 times her size. She wanted to believe that it was due to the fact that the beds had been lumpy. She had been prepared to argue about the price of the rooms with the elderly lady, but Tadase and Rima had persuaded her against it.

"I cant believe that we have to walk all the way to…um…"

"Madue." Tadase supplied.

"Madue. This trip will take forever!"

"Stop whining." Utau commanded. Kukai rolled his eyes. "We could borrow…"

"Absolutely not!" She snapped, stealing a glance at Rima to make sure that the girl wasn't already plotting how she would take the horses. The last thing Utau needed was for a the children she was watching over to end up in jail.

Rima sighed, and continued to walk. Although she wouldn't admit it, Utau knew that it would take too long for them to travel by foot. But where there was a will, there was a way. Or so she had decided.

"He really likes to steal stuff." Tadase muttered, bouncing on his toes, and looking at Kukai with a rather odd pinkish gaze.

"Yeah, well, don't let it get around." Kukai told him wearily. "And don't mention it outside of the four of us."

Tadase nodded obediently. "Will you teach me how to steal stuff?" He asked cheerfully. His smile faded a little at the withering glare that Utau directed his way. He moaned.

"Utau is like a mom."

"Someone has to keep you in line." Utau bluntly replied. Tadase sighed in defeat. "I guess. But still…it would be fun to know how to steal stuff."

"It's wrong to take other people's property." Although she was addressing Tadase, her eyes were on Rima.

"You let Kukai!" He pointed out.

"Kukai is seventeen. He can do what he pleases."

"So, when I'm seventeen, you'll let me steal things?"

"No."

"But you just said -"

"This is going to be a long journey." Utau muttered.

OoOoOoOo

Utau couldn't remember how old she was when her mother packed her up, and her flowers, and walked many, many miles to a city that was much larger then her own tiny village.

Young. She was very young, but the exact age was not burned in her memory.

But the rest of the journey was. How her mother made her wear her best dress (in a time before she wore black) and braided her waist long hair. And then they walked for what seemed like forever, and when Utau couldn't walk any farther her mother picked her up and carried her, even though she was already carrying thousands of flowers.

And after several days they came to the large city. It was so huge and unfamiliar that Utau hid behind her mother. The clambering streets and shouts of the people, the smells and noise, it was all unfamiliar to young Utau, who had never left her quiet and peaceful forest village.

Her mother skillfully moved through the people. Utau was shocked. "How mama?" She asked quietly. "How did you know how to move through those people?" Her mother tenderly stroked her hair.

"Another time, love." That time never came.

She pulled out the flowers and set them on a booth. The were surrounded by all the most beautiful flowers of all different colors. Her mother's green thumb had produced a wide variety.

But Utau's favorite had always been the Misty Blue's. Although tiny, they seemed to shimmer and supposedly they were magic. At least, that was what her mother said.

Utau hadn't been sure at the time, of what they were doing. But when a man walked up and bought a dozen white Roses from her mother, Utau had started to understand. The reason her mother grew so many flowers was because she needed to sell them.

Because daddy was fighting and they needed to make money.

The flowers went quickly. Some people wanted them because they were beautiful. Others for their wives and lovers. And still others to put on tombstones, and others still who wanted to give them to friends and family.

Utau didn't think it was possible, but soon there were no more flowers left for her mother to sell. It had been a whole day, and night was upon them. Her mother picked up Utau and whispered in her ear "Close your eyes and sleep." And so Utau did just that, and she woke in the middle of the night to find that she was in a small bed and her mother wasn't anywhere to be seen.

In a panic she flew off the thin sheet and quietly patted towards the door. She stopped when she heard hushed voices speaking. She peered through the door, just able to hear what her mother and another woman (who looked remarkably like her mother, but a tad older) were saying.

"…Not coming back." The older mother said. Her mother shook her head in a way that Utau would have called rebellion, except her mother didn't look rebellious.

"I told you not to come back here anyway." The woman said again.

"That was a long time ago when you said those words. I was hoping you would reconsider."

"I wouldn't have if you didn't have that girl in your arms. She looks more like him though." The voice had been tender at first, but Utau could feel the contempt leaking through. Her mother said nothing in response.

Utau had wanted to run to her mother, to grab her and hold on tight and ask what was going on and why they were here. But something told her not too. Some instinct that she had been born with explained to her that if she really wanted answers, she would have to listen.

And so she did.

The woman was speaking again, though not as gruffly.

"What did you name her? The girl, I mean."

"Utau."

"That's a good one." There wasn't any sarcasm or enmity laced in the words. The woman, it appeared, really meant what she said. "It means "to sing," does it not?"

"Yes. She has your voice. Sings like a lark." Her mother sounded a little timid, but also loving. Utau couldn't help but be confused. Was this person family? But she had no family outside of her mother and father. Her father, she knew, had been and orphan. And her mother…?

She had always assumed that it was the same with her mother.

"Souku…I…" The older woman didn't finish. Her mother shrugged her shoulders. "Do you mind if I leave Utau here while I gather supplies for the trip back to the village?" There was a tense moment of silence, and Utau thought that maybe she had missed something.

"I don't know. You wont leave her here and run off will you?"

"No." Her mother didn't sound angry or hurt at the suggestion. She gave her response with little emotion, and hardly any facial expression. Utau didn't know what to feel. There was obviously something going on, but Utau didn't know what. She was to young to put the pieces together.

"Fine." The older woman bluntly replied. "But if you don't come back I'm not taking care of her. She's going to the orphanage, and I'll not see her again."

"I don't believe you." Her mother then walked out the door.

Utau went back to the bed and sat on it. There were things to ponder, but her mind wouldn't work. It was as if her brain had turned to cloud mist and there was nothing that she could except sit on her bed and swing her feet.

The older woman opened the door and peered in, catching a glance at Utau. "You're up, I see." The woman peered at her closely. Utau stared back. Yes, she decided. She looked exactly like mama except older with glasses. But her face was a little more rough, too.

"So, what's your name?" The woman asked, even though Utau was pretty sure that she had already been told her name. She wondered if maybe the woman was forgetful. The she wondered if perhaps the woman was just trying to make conversation.

"Utau."

"Are you thirsty?" Utau nodded. The woman nodded in a way that said 'follow me' and walked out the door. Following dutifully, Utau patted after her.

"So tell me young miss," The woman began, as Utau drank the milk. "What is it you like to do?"

Utau pondered a moment, tilting her head. The woman hinted at a smile, and Utau thought that perhaps she had done something funny, but couldn't think of anything that would have made the woman laugh.

"Climb trees." She answered, and after a slight pause she added "And sing."

The woman's eyebrows went up. "And what do you like to sing?" The woman had a light voice, she noted, when she wasn't near Utau's mother. It made Utau smile, because it was something she thought sounded loving and kind.

"Anything with words?" Utau tried. The woman threw her head back and gave a big belly laugh. She had a nice laugh, and it made happiness spring at her belly. The woman had a nice smile, she observed. The woman, she then concluded, must be nice.

"What should I call you?" Utau asked, in an attempt to figure out who the woman was. The woman paused a moment, as if considering the question. Finally, she spoke with some hesitance.

"Anything you like really. You could call me Sky, or you could call me my real name. And if your mother lets you, you could call me Grandma."

"Grandma!" Utau asked in excitement. "You're my grandma? I've never had a grandma before! You're my very first!" She flung her tiny arms around the woman, who wasn't as sturdy as she looked. The woman - or grandma rather - laughed again.

They chatted, and even though Utau was young she felt like she had known "Grandma" all her life. Her mother finally came home, and Grandma's sour face returned. But Utau didn't mind, because she knew all about how grandma used to sing, and how her "stage name" was Sky. And how she loved spring, and most of all how she shared Utau's love of Misty Blue's.

"Hello." Her mother seemed distant, as if rather dazed or shocked to see Utau and grandma together. In a fit of emotion, Utau flung herself and cried "Mommy!" Her mother hugged her back, combing hair out of her eyes.

"Mother…"

Grandma shrugged. "You can't help but love your grandchildren." Both their eyes misted, and Utau wasn't sure why. Nothing about the scene tugged at her heart, or made her think of sadness. This entire thing, she thought, was rather confusing.

They had to leave, of course. But just before they did Utau grabbed a Misty Blue and gave it to Grandma. The old woman suddenly began to cry. The tears just poured down her cheeks in a waterfall. Utua could tell that it wasn't sorrow, and so she suspected that the tears were ones of happiness.

Her mother and grandmother hugged each other before they left. She didn't understand how meaningful it was.

And months later, Her mother got a letter. Her mother cried and cried and cried and Utau couldn't do anything for her. And finally, mama had explained that they could never see grandma again, because grandma wasn't here anymore. She explained that Grandma had died and that she couldn't come back, but they would see her again one day.

Utau made a terrible mistake then. Once her mother had said this, she asked "Is that what happened to daddy?"

Her mother's eyes pooled even more and her voice was shaky when she replied "We don't know what happened to daddy."

OoOoOoO

That memory ran through Utau's head as she passed the woman selling flowers at the end of the street at a small village on their journey. She felt oddly chilled when she saw a young girl with watchful eyes behind her mother.

She paused a moment, debating on her next move. She could ignore them, or she could purchase a few flowers. What could it hurt? At the same time it was wasteful spending. In the end, she finally gave in and trotted to the flower booth.

"Do you have any Misty Blue's?" She asked. The woman gave a nod and gestured with her head to the bucket filled with them. Utau chose one, and just one, then paid the woman. She added some extra cash and told her to "Keep the change."

"Their good luck, you know." The little girl told her, with solemn brown eyes. Utau gave a wry smile. "Supposed to be, anyway." The girl gave a vehement shake.

"Not supposed to, they are. " She gave a nod and stared at Utau. Not able to stop the words until she had blurted them out Utau retorted, "That's what my mother said, and they never brought her any."

Suddenly feeling very rude, and rather disgusted with herself, Utau shook her head. "I apologize. You're right," She winked at the girl. "They're good luck."

The woman who was selling the flowers smiled at Utau. Utau shrugged and turned away. Kukai and the two gypsies would be in the village looking for an inn. She didn't want to keep them waiting.

She couldn't help but smile when Tadase trotted up to her. "We found a place to eat and sleep!" He announced, and Utau winced at his noisy report. She cocked her head, trying not to show the relief she felt at finding a place to sleep. They were lucky that they didn't have to sleep on the side of the road or in the woods.

"Alright, lead me to the place." Tadase grinned as he took her hand and trotted to the inn. It was worn, but it looked a little more trusting then the one they had stayed at the previous night.

"Got it for a low price too," Tadase informed her, as if it had been him instead of Kukai who had figured it out.

Speak of the devil, she mused, here he comes. Kukai's red hair couldn't be missed as he walked to the two of them. He gave her a cocky grin, and she just smirked at him. He was pleased that he had found this place, but she herself was rather unimpressed. It didn't take great skill to find a place to sleep.

As if reading her face, his emerald eyes did their playful dance and sighed, as if to say "What an ungrateful girl!" Utau was tempted to laugh, but she instead kept up her serious face, opting not to give him the satisfaction of her smile.

Dinner was rather uneventful, on account that everyone was tired from walking. Tadase almost fell asleep while eating his soup, and Utau finally ordered he and Rima to bed. That just left she and Kukai alone to dine together. It reminded her of the day that they had munched on ramen together, and she had a sudden ache for home.

"How much longer will the journey take?" Kukai asked her, slurping up his soup in a rather rude manner that she suspected was purposefully done to annoy her.

"Walking, we have at least another week."

Kukai shook his head. "I have a deadline. I only have another five days."

"We can make it in three with horses."

His eyes pleaded with hers to steal some, but she shook her head again. "I cant Kukai. It's against my belief, and I don't want Rima and Tadase to think its okay."

"Their gypsies." He reminded her. "They probably have seen enough thievery that they're unaffected by it." Still, she shook her head. He sighed.

"I suppose we could buy them." He sounded glum. Utau gave him a coy smile. He raised his eyebrows in question, taking the bait. "I'm very good with striking bargains. I could probably get a horse for cheap."

He pondered this a moment. "Worth a shot." He finally caved. He spooned the rest of his soup into his mouth. "Tomorrow I'll see if I can find a person who sells horses. And if you don't mind, I was wondering if you could get some supplies here for the rest of the journey."

Although she knew it was absurd, she felt rather touched by the fact that he had asked. He hadn't ordered her around like a slave, giving her orders. Not like Leroy and Malcolm and all the other people she had worked with since her move to the capitol.

"Of course." She replied, not hinting at her sentimental emotion.

She stood up and stretched a bit. "Well, good night." She told him as she left the table. She couldn't help but give a ridiculous smile as he replied "Night, Princess. Don't get killed by any interlopers!"

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Well, please leave a review, and a happy Thanksgiving to all of you!