….
I got two votes for Tadase being the nice guy. Two votes after voting is closed. -_- You got to admit, that is just funny. Also a anonymous reviewer, who just put down as Chloe said that I shouldn't let the reader's vote. Now I understand what you mean by I have to be happy with the story first and foremost. I agree with that, and it's not like I'm asking you guys for every detail. There are just things that I am open to doing either way so I put it to a vote, the only details are ones where I either am indifferent to it or I want to do both ways. But I understand what you mean Chloe, trust me I don't put a sentence in here that I feel pressured to put in. However it is impossible with me to ever be 100% happy with any of my stories. One day I'll be like "yeah this is awesome, best one I've written yet!" and another I'll be like "I wrote that? It sucks! I so have to rewrite this one day." And I'm not talking about the first being when I first write it and then looking back years later. I'm talking within days of one another, or sometimes I'll hate it then a day or two later love it.
Also I'm giving a shout out to Hinalove11 for your review for chapter 18, I never got a review like that. It's kind of on my bucket list for to get a review like that, along with get to triple reviews, write a story for every one of my fandoms, and other things. So I really want to let you know how much your review made me grin like an idiot. Every review I get makes me grin like an idiot but especially that one.
Amu let out a sigh as she entered the apartment. However with so many X Eggs in the past few months, it was nice to see an Egg that was meant to be here. She idly wondered what kind of Character Seiichiro-kun would the fight and then a hectic day at the grocery store as everyone bought as much candy as they could to make sure that they had enough for their Halloween parties and trick-or-treaters.
She smiled at Ikuto and he was reading a file for next week and put it down when he saw her and smiled at her. Amu smiled back and went to sit beside him and laid her head against his shoulder.
"What's the matter Amu?" Ikuto asked slightly worried.
"Nothing, just tired. It was hectic at work and at school there were a few more X Eggs." Amu answered and Ikuto immediately took her arm and began searching her for any injuries. "I'm fine Ikuto, none of the Eggs even hatched." She promised but Ikuto still insisted on going over her and making sure that she sustained no injuries.
"But, the one boy-Seiichiro-kun, he has a Egg now. It's the first time I was actually able to see someone's egg without there being an X. A Egg that is supposed to be here." Amu said smiling gently and Ikuto smiled to before his eyes widen.
"Who's Seiichiro?" Ikuto asked looking at Amu quietly.
"He's a boy about two years behind me, I'd sometimes stop him from getting bullied." Amu said shrugging and Ikuto smiled deciding to tease her.
"Should I be worried?" He asked and held back a chuckle as Amu looked at him confused. "Will this Seiichiro-kun be competition for me if I don't watch myself?" He asked with a smirk and could barely hold back his laughter at Amu's face.
"Of course not." Amu said easily looking at Ikuto, "he's a little kid I make sure that I stop from being bullied." She had actually gone up to the two most likely bullies of him one day and stopped them. "I was made fun of for my hair and a lot of things when I was younger, I wouldn't ever let it pass on someone else. Besides, you know I only love you Ikuto." Amu said and Ikuto smiled warmly at her. If there were such things as angels he defiantly had one sitting beside him. No matter how many times he heard the L word from her lips he'd never get tired of it.
It was strange to call Seiichiro a little kid when he was closer in age to her than Ikuto. But there was something about him the just made him seem fragile like a little kid and to also seem to need protecting. He was like a little brother to her, and as any older sister knows about her little brother that even as both of you grow up no matter how old he gets you still see him as your younger brother and someone who you have to protect.
"I know Amu, I was just teasing." He soothed kissing her forehead.
"Why do you always tease me?" She groaned but Ikuto just smirked, he knew she liked it. Just like she liked him being perverted.
"It's how I show affection," he whispered before biting her ear. Pulling back he smirked at the sight of her blushing cheeks. "By the way, Tadase called to invite us to a Halloween party at the midget's house on Saturday. Do you want to go?" He asked and Amu looked at him surprised before smiling and nodding.
"Hey, Ikuto," Amu added biting her lip, "won't it be our first party as a couple?" She asked and Ikuto smiled.
"Yes, it will be." He nodded using his thumb and finger to pull her head up and look deeply into her eyes. "How about we go in couples costumes, Amu-koi?" He whispered before kissing her lips gently.
Amu's eyes immediately sparkled and her face brighten. "That would be great." She said and blushed, ever since she was little she always wanted to one day go to a Halloween party in costumes that matched with her significant other.
"Any ideas as what?" He asked with a smile, "I've never been very creative with this stuff so I'm good with anything." He said and Amu smiled even brighter. How she looked in that moment, had Ikuto honestly cared about what they would go as he'd willingly keep his mouth shut until next year to have her keep looking like that.
"Romeo and Juliet." Amu said immediately and Ikuto's eyes widen. He never pegged her for a fan of Romeo and Juliet, what with the ending. She was a happily-ever-after kind of girl.
"Really? Why?" He asked and nearly slapped himself when her face fell. "I love the idea, Amu, I'm just curious as to why you picked it." He said and she blushed, which was like holding catnip in front of him.
"It was the first romance I ever saw," Amu whispered, "I was read fairytales and saw them but Romeo and Juliet was the first romance I saw when I truly understood everything that was going on." Amu said before sighing, "I can still remember how I felt the first time I saw Romeo kiss Juliet." She said putting her hand to her heart with her eyes closed completely taken away to the sweet memory.
Smiling Ikuto caressed her cheek. Amu blinked up at him with her deep honey-golden eyes and Ikuto's own oceanic orbs swam with warmth. "That's a sweet thing Amu, I think Romeo and Juliet would be a perfect costume for our first party as a couple. There were those who didn't want us together at first, but I have to say I prefer our ending." He added and Amu nodded letting out a giggle. "Though I am curious now, what fairytales did you like? Cinderella?" He asked since all girls liked Cinderella.
"No way." Amu said shaking her head and scrunching up her face as Ikuto blinked in surprise, "Cinderella was my least favorite fairytale. She gets made fun of and forced to work and then is saved by some guy who can't even recognize her without her shoe? Come on, and the chances of her feet being the only ones to fit that makes no sense. If he was really in love with her, he should be able to tell it was her without a slipper." Amu said shaking her head at the wrongness of it all.
"Now I'm really curious of which ones you liked," Ikuto said with a smile.
"My top three were Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and Rapunzel." Amu said with a smile and Ikuto chuckled. "What's funny?" Amu asked looking at him inquisitively.
"You won't believe me, but those are my favorites to. I used to have to watch them with Utau-nee-imoto and Tadase-nii-imoto." Ikuto explained, Utau would want to watch them and Tadase would be happy to do anything as long as Ikuto would do it to, so Ikuto agreed only if Utau promised not to hug him while he was watching it. He had given the excuse that he doesn't like to be touched while watching movies. Which was obviously untrue since whenever he and Amu watched movies he would snuggle her, but he almost always snuggles her.
"I watched them when I was younger, I liked Beauty and the Beast because it was nice to see that no matter how you look on the outside you can find love, no matter what. Snow White because she was so kind and nice but her stepmother hated her just for the sake of hating her but she still got her happily-ever-after, and Rapunzel because even though she was held up in a tower far away she still found love." He said and blushed as Amu looked up at him with sparkling eyes.
"You really are a romantic." She said before kissing his lips gently and Ikuto wrapped his arms around her.
"Yes I am, Mamoru's Egg came out then. He was my wish to protect those I loved and find the one that I was meant for. But he didn't hatch and when my dad left he went back into my heart, he didn't come back until I found my dad again." Ikuto said with a smile and Amu stroked his hair comfortingly and Ikuto smiled at her.
"When your father left he took a piece of you, so I had to go back to sleep until you found it again." Both humans jumped at the sound of Mamoru's voice. Turning they saw him floating there with a gentle smile. The other Charas had left when they heard Ikuto start talking about Mamoru's Egg going back into his heart to give their owners privacy.
"But I was never gone, I was still in your heart. Don't you think there was a reason that the first time you saw Amu, when she fell on top of you, that you were suddenly interested?" The green eyed neko asked with a smirk. "If you could have only heard me Ikuto," he added with a chuckle, "but you weren't ready and neither was she. But you did pretty good without me, though I was there to give you a push every now and then." He added with a wink as Amu started to giggle.
"So was it you that pushed him to somehow find my house like a stalker?" She teased and Ikuto, very lightly-extremely lightly-blushed.
"Pretty much every time Ikuto let himself relax enough to be around you I was giving tiny pushes. But it wasn't easy since if he got too close Easter could have hurt you." He added and his thoughts went to a certain green Chara and his hand itched for his sword at the thought of her being hurt. "But take it from the Chara which is pretty much his romantic and protective sides, everything he did even when it seemed mean and cruel, was honestly because he was trying to protect you." He said and Ikuto blushed darker. Amu turned her compassionate honey-gold eyes to Ikuto and stroked his face. Glancing up Ikuto smiled at her, those times were dark. Depressing times as he tried to make Amu hate him so she'd be safe because if Easter ever figured out how much he truly cared for her she'd be in danger.
That never ending battle of the fact that he was dangerous and that if he really cared for her he should ignore her and the fact that she was Amu and how could he ignore Amu? From her pink hair, honey-gold eyes, creamy skin, sweet smile, that adorable blush she seemed to always have around him and that Cool & Spicy attitude that always dropped so fast around him. Everything about her pulled him in like a moth to the flame and he knew being near her could be both their ruin but she was too addicting. The first glance when he opened his eyes from a nice dream and saw her curious, confused, adorable face and he was hooked.
Sensing the heavy stuff was over the other Charas all came back as Ikuto scooted Amu into his lap. "Do you have any homework?" He asked nuzzling his head against hers.
"Already did it during break." She answered and he made a slight purring sound in response. "But I will have to get up soon to make dinner." She added and Ikuto groaned before pouting and Amu chuckled. "You can still cuddle me while I cook, it'll just be crowded." She said and Ikuto instantly perked up and had a happy kitten like face on. He wasn't often innocently playful but when he was, he was adorable.
Jumping up Ikuto carried Amu bridal style to the kitchen where he gently set her down and then he firmly wrapped his arms around her waist. Sweat dropping Amu chuckled a bit as the Charas came in. Su went to happily sit on Amu's head and the red X clip that held her braid turned into a green clover. Dia and Ran went and sat on Ikuto's shoulders while Miki and Yoru both went onto the egg carrier case, and Mamoru laid out on Ikuto's head.
It was hard to move around the kitchen as Amu and Su tried their best to make an omelet, rice balls, peach buns, and green tea. The fact was there just wasn't much space with the island there but without the island there would be almost no counter space. The entire time the entire back of Amu's body was pressed against the front of Ikuto's body. While the oven was on Ikuto pressed his back against the island, it wasn't exactly comfortable but it was better than having Amu near the oven unless she was needed to. She was putting herself at an inconvenience for him so he wasn't going to make it anymore than it already was. Plus he didn't want his little strawberry to get burnt.
After dinner Amu took a shower and dressed in her nightgown, even though it was pretty early. Amu wore a knee length icy pink night gown that had sleeves that went to her elbow and three buttons in a darker pink. She picked up a spare sketchpad and pencil as well as her customary milk. She sat on the chair and began sketching scenes from her memory of Romeo and Juliet.
She was in the middle of drawing Romeo kissing Juliet, the first moment she truly believed in real love and not just fairytales when she heard Ikuto's voice. "Oi, that's pretty good." He said moving his hands down to rest on her shoulders. "Is that what our costumes will look like?" Ikuto asked and Amu shook her head in the negative.
"Not unless you'd like them to, I was just sketching out what I remember off the top of my head of Romeo and Juliet." Amu said, the pants were a bit poofy and she wasn't planning on these to be the costumes.
Her finished milk bottle rested on a coaster and Ikuto suddenly lifted her into his arms before carrying her over to the couch. "I need a better vantage point to be able to see than." He said with a wink and Amu giggled before kissing him. He was in his own pajamas of navy sleeping pants and a black, loose shirt.
Smiling Amu turned to a fresh sheet of paper and started to sketch out a male and female figure. Miki, loving to draw, brought Amu some colored pencils and sat on her head as Amu suddenly had a blue spade on her head like a barrette, the other Charas floated over all of them to be able to watch.
In the end they made a plan for the two of them. The Juliet costume was red and black. It was floor length and mostly black and the middle was the red. It was flowing and had long, loose sleeves which along to tops of the arms all the way to the end was red and the rest was black. On her head was a headdress of dark red with a cloth coming down of black. She held her hair in a bun underneath the headdress, and black kitten heels. Ikuto's would be wearing navy pants, black knee high boots, slightly poofy sleeves black long sleeved shirt with blue going in streaks down his arms.
"I think this will look good." Ikuto said and Miki nodded. Amu smiled placing everything on the coffee table before letting off a yawn and Ikuto smirked picking her up bridal style. "It's late, time for bed." He said carrying her to the bed. The pinkette really exhausts herself on a day to day basis; school, work, fighting X Eggs, cooking the meals, and being in a committed relationship. That wasn't even going into the emotional toll that she was going through with her family situation, the fact that she was a fifteen-now but was fourteen also-year old girl living away from her family home and with her boyfriend, and slowly trying to rebuild her friendship with the Guardians.
He moved the blankets and crawled into bed with her, spooning her and smiled slightly as she smiled. Their Charas all bade them goodnight before going into their Eggs, Ikuto always found it interesting that the girls' Eggs seemed exactly the same as before but just with a big black X over them.
The two of them closed their eyes and slipped off to sleep holding each other comfortingly.
It was time for the Halloween party. Technically it wasn't Halloween but it was Saturday and the easiest time to have a party. Amu, being easily afraid of things like that, was glad that she had asked Nagi who had assured her it was more of a costume party over a traditional Halloween party.
Amu and Ikuto were both dressed in their Romeo and Juliet costume. It had been much help of all the Charas as well to make it. Amu had resealable, deep pockets in which one side she put Ran and Su's Eggs and the other Miki and Dia's. Ikuto carried a sword on his side which beside it had a compartment that he put Yoru and Mamoru's Eggs. The six Charas flew happily beside them all in their own costumes as well. It had taken many hours of hand sewing by Amu to make each of them their costumes.
Dia was dressed as a pop star with black pants, a hot pink shirt that was long in the back but in the front showed her stomach with a lilac star on her chest and she had let her hair down but she kept her headband and yellow diamond with a black X. Ran was dressed as a vampire with a Gothic black and pink ball gown, black lips and a bit of red coming from both corners of her mouth. She had kept her hair in pigtails but only in miniature ones by her pink hearts with a black X and let the rest of her shoulder length dark pink hair fall freely.
Yoru and Miki, as well as Mamoru and Su, decided to coordinate their costumes with each other. Miki and Yoru were a dead wedding couple, Miki wore a stereotypical dress and veil that was dirty as well as using powder to make her skin look ashen blue and a lot of dark eyeshadow all along her eyes. She had taken off her hat and held her hair in a bun and held her veil by her spade with a black X. Yoru dressed in a torn and dirty tuxedo with the same makeup as Miki. Mamoru and Su were much more sweet and dressed as a samurai and Su in a green kimono, her headdress missing but she wore her clover with a black X to hold up her hair.
Entering Rima's house was a bit awkward for Amu. Everything screamed "Rima" and she missed how close she was to the petite girl. She had been avoiding Rima, not like she did for the entire year but while she was talking to the others she found it hard to talk to the blonde girl because the fact of the matter was that Rima's father was in jail and Amu was a reminder of it. The first time she tried to bridge to Rima the girl had thought her strange for smiling and laughing when nothing was funny. Than the ensuring fight between girls and guys, something that she and Rima had no part of and were dragged into, had caused Dia to become a X Character the first time because of what she heard those boys say.
The living room had cobwebs and obviously fake paper monsters on the walls but that was it. The school decorated more scary than this, there were plenty of flowers and such but it felt more along the lines of Autumn instead of Halloween, which suited Amu just fine. It was a pretty intimate group. There was Tadase dressed in royal blues and purples as a king, which was just too ironic, talking to Kiseki. It seemed Amu and Ikuto's Charas were the only ones in costumes She saw Yaya, dressed as a mermaid, talking admitted to Kairi, dressed as a werewolf, at the snack table. Nagi came over to greet them dressed as a baseball player and was just replying to Amu's comment of how beautiful everything looked when they heard the door opened and they all turned.
It was Utau and Kukai, Kukai was dressed as a robber complete with black pants, black and white stripped shirt, black gloves, a black beanie and a black mask over his eyes. Utau was dressed as a half angel, half devil. She wore a knee length dress that one half was white and long sleeved and the other red and short sleeved, the red was very tight while the white was flowing and on her feet she wore one red spiked heel and a white heel that though it was the same height as the red looked sweeter. On her head she wore a headpiece that had one red horn and the other a white halo that was only half done.
"Everyone's here." Nagi said since he had helped Rima plan the entire thing and brought them more into the fold of the party as they talked easily. Ran and Daichi went off to see the snacks and well as Rhythm invited Dia to come look at the plans for the party. It was in the middle of talking that Amu felt a tug on her dress and turned to see Rima holding onto her clothing like she used to.
Rima was dressed as a princess with a long lilac gown, tied at the bodice with gold string and her normal bowed headband was replaced with a tasteful silver tiara. "Can I talk to you?" She asked and Amu nodded squeezing Ikuto's hand before leaving. Ikuto, curious, turned to see what was going on but when he saw Amu be lead away by Rima he smiled. Nagi and Rima hadn't told him what they were planning but he had a pretty good idea and supported it completely. Amu missed the midget.
Rima lead Amu over to one side of the huge room they were using as their party space. "Have you been avoiding me? Why?" Rima asked looking up with big doe eyes at Amu and she could feel herself melt instantly.
"Rima-chan, your father is in jail because of my family, and your mother is probably worse than before. I'm a reminder to that. I didn't want to push you. Remember when you first came to school? I was remembering how scared I was and I tried to talk to you but you didn't like it. I figured you'd come when and if you wanted to." Amu explained rubbing her arm.
Rima's eyes watered and it was real. She wasn't faking, Amu knew she wasn't. It was hard to explain how she knew since she didn't know how but she knew that she could feel the pain in Rima.
"I'm sorry Amu-chan!" Rima cried and hugged Amu and Amu's heart both broke and melted at the same time as she patted Rima's hair. "I shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have acted mean to you. If anything you should have been made a me. My dad's still alive and your mom and sister aren't." When Rima said that Amu froze. "Please forgive me? Your my best friend." Rima said looking at Amu with her big golden brown eyes.
"Rima-chan..." Amu sighed patting the girl's head. "I forgive you for striking out at me, I don't forgive you for the other things." Rima felt her tears start to leak. She tried to think of a way to get Amu not to hate her, to forgive her. She forgave her for part of it though, right? Maybe it would just take more time. "Listen to me," Amu said with a chuckle and that got Rima's attention, "let me finish." The pinkette reprimand.
"I don't forgive you for the other stuff because it's not your fault. You don't need to seek forgiveness for that. Even if it was your fault I'd forgive you, your my best friend after all." Amu said with a wink and Rima's face light up and she hugged Amu tightly and Amu, laughing, hugged her back.
"Amu-chan, will you join the Guardians again?" Rima asked looking up at Amu with big eyes.
"Not the puppy dog look! Okay, okay! I'll rejoin." She accepted and Rima smiled even brighter and Amu went back to the others, Rima holding onto her skirt the entire way. It was still just as adorable as it was before.
Reading the others Amu gave Ikuto a quick kiss on the cheek before whispering to him. "I'm going to rejoin the Guardians."
Ikuto smiled serenely at her and kissed her forehead in approval. It would make her happy, Amu was many different things, had many different sides, and one of those sides was the Joker.
Chapter 20, I haven't gotten this far before. After this there are only seven chapters left and then that is it. Well, not counting the epilogues and bonus chapters.
Also, when Ikuto calls Utau and Tadase Utau-nee-imoto and Tadase-nii-imoto I am not sure completely if that is the proper way to call them. I'm pretty sure it means little sister and little brother but I'm not positive. I don't know what the tan means when Tadase calls Ikuto Ikuto-nii-tan either. Anyone who knows if you wouldn't mind telling me. I want to have as few mistakes as possible but I can't if I don't know I made a mistake.
I was in the middle of writing this and I realized I never explained what Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia's Eggs look like since they aren't normal X Eggs in my head. I just froze in my typing when that happened. Also, I don't know that well what is normal food for Asia and even when I do I don't know what they are called so I'm really keep having them make the same food over and over. But seeing as this story spans months hopefully it isn't that noticeable. Heck, last chapter it ended on September twenty fourth and now it ends on October thirty first.