I was just going over the chapter before publishing it. Then all of a sudden I lost the entire chapter and a majority of my plans. Feel pity for me. I'm really glad you all voted for all at once. Because if I lost nine chapters instead of one, I might not be able to continue the story it'd be too painful for a while. I had finished this chapter late Saturday night, but then lost it. All I had to do was go through the chapter and make sure that there were no mistakes and I was half way through it. I lost it. If I lost nine chapters I would have cried.
I also lost the outline I made for the entire story. I redid the outline and I'm pretty sure that it's pretty similar to how it was before. I think I kept all the main points. I actually think that this chapter might be a bit better than the first version that I had lost.
Amu walked along the hallway of her school. She was working with the Guardians again but she was not a member. That was good, she didn't want to be a member. She had told them that when they had first approached her. She had not wanted to join because it was bad enough how everyone saw her as untouchable. They all loved to talk about her and spread rumors, pretending to be in the know, but none bothered to come up to her. She was just starting to have people to talk to and she didn't want to jeopardize that.
However she didn't know them like she did now, so she didn't want to appear vulnerable to them. When she was a child she had been made fun of for her pink hair and yellow eyes. Kids would say that she dyed her hair and she would tell them again and again that she didn't but they wouldn't listen to her. The first time since being in the school people were talking to her and she didn't want to jeopardize it.
However she had simply said that she didn't like the capes, in honestly she thought the capes were cool. They hadn't understood and though they were right it seemed a silly reason it didn't matter. She said no and that should be enough even if she gave no reason.
She was so used to doing what others wanted because she was so afraid of rejection. Ikuto however listened to her. When she just said no he'd do what he wants to anyway, but he had said before that he'd never do anything she really didn't like. She knew the words "Ikuto, I mean it-stop." Would stop him dead in his tracks. He loved to tease her but he was always careful not to cross the line.
There was a line that he dare not cross. They never spoke of it but it was a line. He'd approach the line but never cross it. She knew he was waiting for her to cross the line, to give him permission to and she also knew he'd wait as long as it took. They took their relationship slow, there was no need to rush it.
The Guardians had crossed so many lines when they decided to announce that she was the newest Guardian-the Joker Chair even though she had said no. How many times she said no. After that the entire school expected it and she went along with it. She was glad for her friends but that didn't help the matter.
Amu quickly sidestepped one of her fanboys. They had gotten more aggressive over the year and some really had an obsession with her. Not to say that about Seiichiro, he was actually pretty cool except for the fact he's a bit hyper. However the little boy, now a fifth grader, is pretty good. During the time she had ran into him after running away from her father.
Amu panted holding her knees hiding under a tree as it rained. She was fourteen, today. Wet, hiding in a park in the middle of rain under a tree is not the way most people want to celebrate their birthday. Neither was getting the crap beat out of her by her father.
She was bruised up really badly, he was practically demented. Luckily she was wearing a long sleeved blood red shirt and black jeans, She wore her egg carrying case with her Charas eggs in them and two parts of hair held in mini pigtails with black X clips.
"Hinamouri Amu?" Amu turned and saw the small little boy with a bowl cut and glasses holding an umbrella. Amu raised a bubblegum eyebrow, and then her honey eyes widen as she recognized him.
"Yes, your Seiichiro Suzuki right?" Amu asked, her Cool & Spicy on full force.
"The Cool & Spicy Hinamouri Amu remembers my name!" He said and stars were in his eyes as he all but screamed.
Amu smiled a bit, usually it would be a bit annoying but she always had a soft spot for him, once she was a little kid who got bullied. And unlike most she honestly thought that he wanted to know her. Plus his talking gave her something to think about besides her newly changed to X Characters and the bruises on her body.
"Of course I know your name, I'm not stupid, Seiichiro-kun." She said and chuckled under her breath as she saw him swoon and almost feint.
"Could I...could I..." Seiichiro asked blushing and Amu watched him quietly. "Could I...call you Amu-chan?" He asked and just as Amu opened her mouth "I am so sorry! Wishing to talk to you so familiarly!" He said and was about to have a panic attack and run away.
"Hey, shut up." She said and he looked at her in surprise. She looked away from him, "you can call me Amu-chan if you want. I don't care, you need to learn to calm down." She said simply looking at him again and he smiled brightly.
"Thank you Amu-chan! I have to go now, my parents are expecting me. Hopefully we can talk again!' He said before heading away. Amu watched him go for awhile smiling before shivering in the cold. But she couldn't go home.
"Where are we going to go~desu?" Su asked and Amu looked at her four Charas. Each had changed to X Characters one by one and when she got home the last one had transformed into a X Character. But none of them left, they stayed with her.
"I'll go to the Royal Garden. Go into your eggs guys, no need for you to get wet to." Amu said and all four looked at each other before looking back at Amu and shaking their heads in the negative.
"No way Amu-were not leaving you alone." Ran said shaking her black and dark pink pompoms as she cheered "No way! Not going to happen! No!" Amu laughed at the dark cheerleader's antics.
"Okay, let's go." For the first time they all went to sit on her instead of flying. Ran sat on her head, Miki on one shoulder and Su on the other, and Dia sat on the egg carrying case. She walked and didn't bother running since either way she would be soaked.
When Amu got to the school the gates were closed and Ran knew what to do and did a Character Change, turning both her black X clips turned into hearts with a black X over each of them. She easily scaled the wall, there was no one to catch her so she had to be careful. Getting down the Character Change was undone and she headed to the Royal Garden. She was dripping wet and squeezed out the water of her hair and shirt. She was still soaked and her clothing and hair stuck to her. The Charas were all also soaked.
Su pulled out a bowl and whisk and giggled as she put the whisk in the bowl and stirred a few times before using the whisk to throw up what was in the bowl. In a flash of green light they were all dried. Amu smiled at Su and then a flash of blue light she was in a simple black pajama pants and shirt, she was holding the egg carrier case.
"Time to sleep." Dia said and Amu nodded. She looked over at at the table that they all would sit at and have the Guardian meetings. Amu had already gone over the idea to quit the Guardians with her Charas and they all agreed that she should. Especially since her father was getting worse and she had to keep them from knowing. The red hand marks and the black and blue bruises she could see on her arms and knew was on more parts of her body just made it all the more strong.
Amu had added a yellow diamond, half moon, strawberry, and metal X charms to the chain on the egg carrier case. She unclipped the gray heart with a crown on it clip and took out her resignation letter that she had written and put them on the table, using the clip as a paperweight.
Using her cell phone she set her alarm for ungodly hour. She laid on a couch and the Charas went to their eggs and they slept.
When the cellphone rang Amu woke up groggy. So did her Charas and with a flash of blue she was dressed in her normal version of her uniform and her back pack.
"When did my backpack get here?" Amu asked as she looked at it.
"We went when you fell asleep." Ran said motioning to her younger sisters. Amu felt her eyes water as she hugged them.
"Thank you guys. I love all of you." She whispered as she hugged them, no matter what they'd always be with her. "How about you sleep now?" She asked and they went into their eggs, this time to really sleep.
"Amu-chan!" Amu turned to see Nagihiko and raised an eyebrow.
"What is it Nagi-kun?" She asked walking over to him. The fanboys looked shocked, they had been trying to get her attention and she simply sidestepped them and shot them down in five words or less. All he had to do was call to her and she came right away.
"Do you think I could talk to you after school? In the Home Ec room?" He asked and Amu nodded and he was gone within a second and Amu just shook her head and headed to class. She bit her lip, she knew she had to tell the Guardians and so did her Charas. They were all very quiet and stayed in their eggs, none were looking foreword to lunch.
They had chosen to tell the Guardians at lunch because they figured then they couldn't freak out too much since they had class. Plus if it got very bad she could run with Ran or even fly with Dia and the only one who would have a hope of catching her would be Kukai and he'd probably be too shocked to follow until she would already be gone.
Amu was sitting at the table in the Royal Gardens and everyone was eating. Amu didn't take a bite and her Charas didn't join Kiseki's meeting. No one really noticed anything, but Nagi and Temari but they pretended not to notice either. But they kept their gaze trained at the silent pinkette and her equally mute Charas.
Amu doesn't eat anything, her stomach is too tangled to talk and taking a deep breath she waits till they are all eating or drinking and she finally says.
"The reasons my Charas became X Characters and I quit the Guardians is because my papa has been abusing me since mama and Ami died." Amu said and everyone either chocked or spit out their drink.
"Wha-what?" They all chocked out.
"After Mama and Ami died Papa has lost it. He has an almost split personality. It came from sake, and liquor and who knows what else. " Amu said looking them all in the eye. "I don't want any of you to do anything. I'm already emancipated and am out of his house. Don't call the cops or anything okay?" Amu asked looking them all seriously. "Don't interfere-I'm only telling you guys because it would eventually come out." Amu said simply and everyone looked at her.
"Okay, we won't. It's your choice Joker, uh-I mean Amu-chan." Kairi said correcting himself and Amu nodded happily.
"Thank you Kairi-kun." Amu said with a smiled before getting up. "I have to go now, thanks for the meal," she said and walked away and all her Charas went into their eggs. They all wanted some alone time and to give their owner some alone time.
Amu was walking when suddenly she was pulled up into a tree and freaked out until she realized it was Ikuto and she relaxed against him. She had told him she planned to tell them and he had been very supportive. He kissed her knuckles and held her close, Yoru and Mamoru had gone into their eggs to give the two complete privacy. He stroked her hair softly.
"How'd you get here? Don't you have work?" Amu asked and he smiled at her gently.
"I'm on lunch break, I'll eat the bonton box that you made for me during one of my fifteen minute breaks." He said smiling gently as he kissed her forehead. "The more important question is how are you doing?" He asked and she sighed.
"I'm okay-I think, they took it better than I thought they would." She said with a bit of a smirk and he smiled and hugged her closer. "Ikuto, Nagi-kun wanted to talk to me after class okay?" She said and Ikuto nodded.
"Okay, I'll see you after work, do you want me to cook tonight? Some sea bass?" He asked and she smiled.
"That sounds delicious. I'll see you after my shift." She said and they held each other until he had to leave to go back to work. He kissed her forehead and she headed to class since lunch would be over soon.
Sitting at the table everyone had lost their appetite, all felt guilty. Yaya was almost ready to cry and Kairi patted her back and even the Charas were silent. Kairi felt bad for the pinkette, he didn't love her in a romantic sense anymore but saw her as a guardian angel that snapped him out of everything and he didn't want anyone to deal with that.
"I wonder if that's what Amu-chi was going through that made her Charas X Characters. Ikuto-chi must have saved her from it then." Yaya said simply and Tadase nodded, within days he had saved her from what they had over a year to do.
All felt varying degrees of guilt but Rima easily felt the most. She felt like it was her fault. When her father had been arrested she had been hurt. Very hurt. Her hurt had lashed out as anger at Amu and because of that she had pushed her away. If she hadn't and realized Amu had nothing to do with it and if anything it should be Amu pushing her away instead of the other way around, then maybe when Amu was in trouble she would have come to them to help. She had lost her father, her mother in every way but physically, and her best friend and the last was completely her fault. Some best friend she was.
Kusukusu came up to Rima and made a silly face trying to get Rima to laugh but Rima didn't, she didn't even smile but at least she didn't cry.
They were a group of kids who had taken down an entire company with the help of two other people who were kids to. And they couldn't even tell when one of their own was in trouble.
After school Amu was waiting in the Home Ec room and saw that Nagi was already there and he had Temari with him. He looked at her sadly, "I hate it when I'm right." He said simply and continued when Amu looked at him confused. "I asked you to come here because I was going to ask if something was going on at home." He said and Amu nodded. "I could never have imagined this."
"I guess I beat you to the punch." Amu said simply and Nagi let out a humorless laugh.
"Yes, but you don't deserve being hurt that way Amu-chan." He said looking at her seriously.
"I know I don't and I've finally gotten out of it," Amu said nodding simply. "I'm safe now though, and I truly love Ikuto. I'm not afraid of being hurt anymore. I'm not afraid to sleep if I don't have my bedroom door locked." Amu said sighing gently.
"I'm glad you have someone Amu-chan, and Ikuto-san obviously truly cares about you. If you have someone like that never let it go without a fight." Nagi said and Amu smiled softly knowing that he was thinking of Rima.
As she's walking to the gate she sees Mamoru playing with a cat. "Mamoru?" She asked and he turned to her before flying over.
"Hello Cherie," he said as he followed them.
"Amu, I'm heading to home~desu." Amu turned to her green Chara and nodded.
"Okay Su, I'll see you later." Amu said with a nod and the other Charas went into their eggs.
"Wait up Boo! I'll go with you." Mamoru said following her seeming to take no notice of the others and Amu headed to her work.
Amu worked in the grocery store, technically the uniform was supposed to be black pants, yellow polo shirt, and green apron with a name tag. However she changed it up by sewing black frills to the hem, arms, and neck of her shirt. She saftypinned skulls, cat heads, hearts, diamonds, spades, clovers, stars, and half moons to her apron. She wore her egg carrier case and a section of a hair in a ponytail with a black X clip.
After hours of restocking shelves, directing customers on where something was located, she was done. She gratefully changed back into her school uniform, and exited the store. Looking up she saw Yoru.
"Yoru? Why are you here?" She asked as walked home.
"Ikuto sent me to walk you home, or fly you home." He said sitting on her head. Her Charas had come out. Yoru and Miki went to sit on her head while Dia and Ran each sat on her shoulder. As Amu entered the house she could smell cooking fish.
"That smells good." Amu called and Ikuto popped his head out with Su sitting on his head and on the side of his head was a green clover much like the star Kukai got when Daichi Character Changed with him.
"Welcome home, dinner just finished." He said with a smile as he dished out the food. Once he had dished everything else his clover disappeared. Amu giggled as they ate.
"It's delicious Ikuto." She said kissing his cheek. After dinner Amu cleaned up as Ikuto showered. In the bedroom Su was knitting while Mamoru played with the yarn, Yoru was playing tag with Ran and Dia as Miki drew. Amu was just finishing cleaning as Ikuto came out he was wearing black pants with blue clouds o them and a simple black shirt that had the blue clouds on them to.
Smiling Amu finished and went to take a shower as well. As she did that Ikuto worked more on his composition. Coming out Amu was dressed in a blue nightgown. Ikuto was in the middle of the writing so Amu went into their room. She saw near the bed the suitcase that they hadn't bothered to find a place for yet.
Figuring that she should move it now she picked it up when she felt a hard spot and was confused. Opening a compartment that she had forgotten about she found a lyre. Her lyre.
Her grandmother had played the lyre and her mama had insisted she learn it to. Amu hadn't understood at first, since it was her mama's mother and she never bothered to learn it. Amu used to hate it and she couldn't take it for awhile. However one day everything just clicked and she loved it.
She began to play because it was fun, instead of having to practice for an hour playing the lyre and an hour singing she sang and played the lyre at the same time for fun for hours and hours. When Ami was born she resented her since she would have to stop playing the lyre and singing to go and clean up the messes Ami made.
When Ami said her first words "big sister" Amu had thought, in her child's logic, she had to pick between the lyre and her sister so she choose her sister. She put the lyre in the suitcase and never touched it again.
Stroking the instrument lovingly Amu looked at it and wondered to play it. She hadn't in so long and suddenly she felt a very powerful need to. They say it's like riding a bike just like singing, when she sang with Ikuto that was the first time she had in years.
Holding the lyre easily she began to play. The Charas all stopped and watched, Ikuto hearing it left his composition behind and went and was shocked as he saw Amu playing the lyre. Playing it well. Where had she gotten a lyre?
The song was achingly sweet with just enough pain to make you pay attention but it ended so sweetly to. A kiss on the pinprick.
One thing was for sure though, his Amu sure is full of surprises.
I don't know what the honorific chi means but if it wouldn't apply to Ikuto for Yaya to say and anyone knows could you tell me? And possibly what it does mean?
