Next chapter all ready! Much quicker than I have recently been working... enjoy the quick update :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!
A Stray Cat
The meeting was over, and though the main topic was about the increasing X-egg's, we found ourselves incapable of doing anything about them, we finally decided that we'd just have to be on our toes when it came to fighting them, always being prepared, and when it came to the source of their increases we'd just have to keep our eyes open.
Rima left quickly after the meeting, taking Kusukusu with her. The others lingered around the Royal Garden a bit, slowly beginning to gather their things and make their own ways home.
I couldn't afford to linger, I had to get home quickly and start my second task for the day. Grabbing my school bag I slung it over my shoulder beginning to head toward the entrance of the green house.
"Come on Brena, Mena, Erilo!" I called out in a general direction, unsure where in the green foliage my chara's were taking part of one of Kiseki's meetings.
Brena and Mena shot out from under a clump of leaves, hurrying quickly toward me, looks of relief evident on their faces.
"Wait peasants!" Kiseki cried after them, poking his head through the plants. Erilo popped out beside him and slowly floated toward me, seeming less relieved then the other two. "The meeting's not finished yet."
"But Aquen's leaving…" Miki murmured, popping out beside Kiseki and glairing at him. "They have to leave."
"What?" Kiseki cried in shock, seeming surprised that they would leave when I called them.
"Aquen's more important to them than you're meetings." Pepe muttered around her pacifier, popping out on the other side of Kiseki.
"What!" Kiseki roared, eyes widening in horror at the thought that it was possible that someone was more important than him.
"Come on Aquen." Brena urged, lowering her voice and caster fugitive glances at Kiseki. "Let's go." Mena nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"Then let's go." I tugged the school bag strap further up my shoulder and continued walking toward the door, Brena and Mena following quickly behind.
"I am deeply sorry I couldn't stay for the whole meeting, please forgive me." Erilo gave Kiseki a deep bow. "Until next time." With that she straightened and turned.
There was silence from behind then Kiseki stated, "You all should be more like that peasant."
"No." Was the chorused echo from all the chara's.
"Bye everyone!" I called to the four Guardians from the door. They waved back as I slipped out walking a bit quickly toward the school gate.
"Let's get home!" Brena cried, pumping her fist in the air. "We need to get working!"
"You're really into her plan…" Mena pulled out a note book from one of her large short pockets and slipped a pencil out of its binder. "Though we can't do all that much as chara's."
"You don't have to do much." I reply to Mena, smiling at my chara's. "I just thought it best to tell you guys."
"Why?" Mena demanded.
"Uh… for support I guess… you are my would be selves!"
"Very true Aquen!" Erilo tightened her hands into fists, her determination to help growing with every second. "We must help Aquen achieve her goals! Don't worry Aquen; we will be with you in the fiery dragon's den! No house hold chores will conquer us! We will defeat them all!"
"I doubt hose hold chores will be that exciting." Mena grumbled frowning at the excited chara, who ignored her comments completely, still waiting to slay the chores we would have to do.
"You seem better desu!" I turned around quickly to see Amu's chara Suu floating behind me, a large smile on her face.
"Very energetic." Miki nodded thoughtfully, stroking her finger on her chin.
"You didn't have to worry Amu!" Ran cried out waving pink pompom's in the air.
"Ran!" Amu growled as she caught up to her chara's, glairing at the pink chara.
"Oops." Ran shrugged and chuckled nervously.
"You were worried about me?" I stopped my walk toward the school gate and turned toward Amu and her chara's.
"N...no… not really." Amu turned her head to the side, frowning.
I allowed a small smile to turn the corners of my mouth. It was nice to know that Amu had worried about me. Though she claimed she hadn't been worrying.
"I'm doing better." I turn around and continued down the path running along the side of the school building, leading toward the front. "I was just really tired yesterday."
"I see…" Amu walked along beside me. Our chara's hung back, following behind.
"So…" I cleared my through nervously. What could I say to Amu? What should I do, I was still shy when it came to talking to people, even if Brena had been born. "H… how are you doing?"
"Hmm… fine." Amu replied nonchalantly.
"Uh… in the meeting today," I continued, trying desperately to think of conversation topics. "Tadase mentioned you guys doing a lot of stuff for the school… I didn't realize the Guardians did that much to help the school."
"We do a lot of that kind of stuff." Amu shrugged. "I don't think the students know half of the stuff we do behind the scenes, though it can be tedious." Amu sighed, shoulders slumping. "Sometimes so many things can pile up."
I nod as she talks, grateful she was saying so much about the small topic. We came to entrance gate and walked out onto the side walk, I half expected Amu to leave now that we had left the school but she continued to walk beside me.
"Now that I think about it…" Amu murmured thoughtfully. "When Kairi was here we hardly ever got overloaded with work."
"Who's Kairi?" I asked, Amu blushed and looked away, playing thoughtlessly with a strap on her school bag.
"The Jack who took over after Kukai left." Ran interjected for Amu.
"So he's also an ex-Jack." Mena stated and scribbled something down into her note book.
"Why did you hardly get overloaded with work when he was around?"
"He always had things sorted out." Amu explained, her blush fading away. "He knew what jobs we should do on what days so we wouldn't be bogged down."
"He must have been a good Jack."
Amu nodded. "He was."
"Even if he did work for Easter?" I started at the sound of the unfamiliar voice; it was deep, a male voice, and it sounded very lazy and laidback though carrying strange undertone of exhaustion. I looked around for the speaker, but no one was behind us or in front of us.
Amu looked up, eyes widening. "Ikuto!"
I jerked my head up toward the area Amu was looking up at. A boy, older than Amu and I, sat easily on top of the wall running parallel to the side walk, watching through half closed eyes down at Amu and I.
"Yo, Amu." He lifted one hand in greeting.
"Long time no see nya!" A small cat chara zoomed out from behind him waving enthusiastically down at Amu.
"A cat chara!" Brena exclaimed excitedly, eyes widening at the new phenomenon she saw, a wide smile stretching across her lips. The cat chara floated backward, eyeing Brena warily.
"What are you doing here?" Amu cried, point an accusing finger up at Ikuto.
"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Ikuto smirked.
"Just answer the question!" Ran cried, backing up Amu.
"School let out." Ikuto sighed and cocked his head to the side. "I'm not being suspicious."
"But I haven't seen you in a long time, no one has, where have you been?" Amu questioned glairing up at Ikuto.
"Ah Amu…" Ikuto pushed off the wall, landing lightly on the ground before Amu, I took a step back, not sure if I should trust this Ikuto or not. He leaned closer to Amu, his face inches from her, totally oblivious to anyone else. "Did you miss me?"
Amu's face flushed and her eyes widened. "You… you perverted cat!" Amu shrieked, jumping away from Ikuto and setting her hands on her blushing cheeks. "Of course not."
Ikuto smirked and straightened, smiling at Amu who had turned away from him.
"Ikuto and Yoru…" Mena floated up to my head level, reading something she had written down in her notes. "Utau's brother, working for Easter."
"Oh…" The conversation with Utau flooded back to my mind. "Ah!" I took a step forward; Ikuto glanced over toward me, his smile fading. "Do you know anything about the X-egg's?"
If he worked for Easter he must know something.
Ikuto's gaze hardened, his eyes locked with mine, narrowing slightly. I stood still, holding my breath, not sure what I should do. His gaze slipped from mine and noted the three chara's hovering around me.
"You're almost as confused as Amu." He muttered.
"B…be quite!" Amu snapped.
"You!" Erilo zoomed before me taking a confident stance. "Answer the question!"
"Heh." Yoru humped, floating leisurely beside Ikuto. "If you're so mean maybe we won't…"
"Who are you?" Ikuto demanded, raising an eyebrow at me suspiciously.
"She's an honorary Guardian desu." Suu replied for the still flustered Amu.
"Hidak Auqen." I added.
"Hidak…" Ikuto murmured thoughtfully. "I see." He smirked and shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Tell you're dad he's doing a good job."
"My dad?"
Ikuto just kept smirking. "Well then, see you later Amu." He said, his attention turning to Amu. Two black cat ears and a long black cat tail popped onto Ikuto. My eyes widened in shock, and Brena gave a little shriek of amazement.
Ikuto jumped upward, landing gently on the wall he had first been sitting on, crouching there momentarily.
"W… wait!" Amu called, reaching up a hand toward him. "Where are you going?"
"Just going to retrieve something of mine." He straightened and smirked at her. "It'll be nice to know you're worried about me." With that he jumped forward and disappeared behind the wall.
"What!" Amu shrieked. "I will not be worried about you!" She called loudly dropping her hand to her side and balling her hands into fists in annoyance.
"What an impertinent guy." Mena muttered, scratching down some things in her note book.
"You have no idea." Miki sighed and shook her head.
"That guy," Amu muttered, her cheeks still holding a rosy blush. "I won't ever understand him…"
"What did he mean?" I asked, trying to keep the uneasy feeling rising in my heart at bay. Amu turned toward me, cocking her head to the side in question. "What did he mean by telling my dad he's doing a good job?"
Amu's eyes widened a bit, everyone remained silent.
"Maybe…" Amu began hesitantly. "Do you know if… he has any ties to Easter?"
"What!" I cried. "To Easter I…" I didn't know, it was possible, and Ikuto had mentioned him after I asked about the increasing X-egg's. Was that Ikuto's hint at the answer? Could my father possibly have something to do with the X-egg's?
"No!" I answered the questions clouding in my mind out loud. "He can't have anything to do with them!"
I turned angrily, walking quickly away from Amu and toward my house.
"Aquen!" Amu called out after me, but I ignored her.
I had to get to the bottom of Ikuto's claims.
Not much to say...Hi and bye Ikuto... more doubts are put in place, and enter the story the focus of the plot! See you reader's next update!
