MagicalGirl4: Just wanted to give a shout out to a recent reviewer, ReaderPanda09! It's been years since I've gotten a review so I was nervous to read it, but I ended up getting really happy. You're so welcome! Reading your comment definitely gave me more motivation to write this chapter. :)
Enjoy this update everyone~
Chapter 19
Chiisai Mall
It's a Shugo Chara World!
"It all disappears so easily, there's no point in trying hard."
"Stop being hesitant!"
.:Amu:.
We couldn't have come to shop at a busier time.
It happened to be today of all days that's crowds of people wanted to commit to their weekly shopping. Or perhaps it was the fact that this mall was more modest than most. The five of us stood against a wall of the central complex, overlooking the masses. Rima and Akiko were on either side of me, while Nagihiko and Tadase were beside them.
I wore black-ripped jean shorts, and an indigo off the shoulder long sleeved shirt. I stood comfortably in my white ankle boots, and adjusted my hair clip that pulled my fringe out of my eyes.
Shortly after, I let out a complaint, everyone else agreeing with me.
"Hmph, these crowds of people need someone to lead them! They're too scattered," declared Kiseki, while the other chara's looked at him tiredly.
It's not like the amount of people was a huge problem, but navigating the mall, especially since I hadn't been here before, made things a little difficult.
"Well, it is peak hour," Nagi offered, sticking his out head. "It'll die down soon enough."
"It better, it like it's not supposed to house this many people," Rima commented.
"I guess this place is called 'Chiisai' for a reason then," Akiko joked, earning a critical look from Rima, while Tadase chuckled. The brunette laughed nervously. "Uh, but we really should get shopping soon."
I nodded, moving away from the wall. "That's true. We only have two more hours left until we need to go-"
Rima and Akiko had a mischievous look in their eyes. "Go and see Ikuto, right?" they said together.
I took a deep breath, refusing to let their teasing get to me. "Uh, yeah…" I stammered, crossing my arms. "Why do you have to say it in a tone like that anyway?"
"You know why," Akiko grinned, propping her hands on her waist. She looked at everyone else, and then Tadase. "So, what's the plan for today?"
Tadase stepped forward. "Well, like I said to Hikari-san before the rest of you arrived, I was wondering if we could go shopping for formal wear."
This caught the chara's attention.
"Ooh, formal as in elegant dresses, desu~?" cooed Su, doing a little twirl. Her sister's joined in on her excitement, Kusukusu spinning along goofily.
Nagihiko said to Tadase that he thought that was a good idea, while I blinked at the two of them, genuine curiosity spiking in my voice, "Eh, formal wear? What for?"
"You didn't mention that part to me…" Akiko muttered under her breath.
Nagihiko and Tadase looked to each other, and then to the three of us. "Don't you remember?" Nagi asked.
Rima, Akiko and I gazed back at them blankly.
"Seiyo Middle School's holding a festival next Saturday night. And there's going to be a dancing event," he explained, with Temari right beside him, nodding firmly into her kimono.
But we girls were stunned at this revelation, and silence spread between the five of us.
"I'm really surprised that it's the boys who know about this," whispered Rima, leading Akiko and I to agree.
"Kaede-sensei mentioned it in homeroom earlier this week!" Nagihiko defended.
I laughed and rubbed my neck. "Ah, right… I would've been daydreaming if she was talking."
Nagihiko seemed as though a brick fell on his head. He and Tadase looked to Akiko for some hope.
Akiko clicked her tongue. "Yeah… I've been way too busy to even notice anything like that."
Two bricks fell on their heads.
Rima's eyes darted to the side. "I'd heard little about it, didn't know it was coming up soon though."
They finally collapsed in defeat.
"Oh well, so there's a dance event…" I begin, trying to reel them back. "But why should we even participate?"
Nagihiko, of course, had good reason to be willing to join the event, and good reason to rebuttal. "It'd be fun," he said with a grin, Tadase nodding cheerfully beside him.
I remained unconvinced, and my chara's noticed my lack of enthusiasm.
"Oh come on Amu-chan, it will be fun!" Ran insisted.
"Mm, you'll get to dress up," Dia giggled, hands clasping around each other.
My face reddened at their comments, but I didn't know whether to budge or not. I hadn't really danced in front of any of my peers before, and knowing that the five of us especially would attract attention at an event like this was making my nerves jumble about.
"Well… I don't see any harm in going," said Akiko, who was smiling softly.
For some reassurance, I looked at Rima, who seemed to be in the same position as me.
"It's just a chance for you to show off," Rima mumbled, eyeing Nagihiko.
Nagi smirked and brought his head closer to her. "What was that?"
"I didn't say anything, purple-head."
Akiko turned to us, putting her hands together. "Please, guys? It's not every day that our school does this."
I pursed my lip, unfolding my arms. Akiko hadn't been to a real festival before (a festival on Earth at least), and it'll be her one chance to try it out. Nagihiko also really wanted us to come, and I couldn't just leave him to go ahead without all his friends.
A smile suited my face, "Alright… I'll go, for you guys."
My chara's jumped into the air at this, with Miki immediately mentioning that I'll have to have some serious style put into my dress to make up for my lack of dance skills. I wanted to make a gripe then and there and take back what I said, but seeing Nagi and Tadase's faces brighten kept my mouth shut.
Akiko also looked happy, but she still wanted approval from Rima.
The shorter girl opened one eye to look at her. "… I'll see, maybe by the end of today I'll reconsider."
This made the rest of us happy. It was better than a flat out "no".
"We should get to considering what to wear then, and Mashiro-san can decide another time," Tadase said.
We all agreed with this, but at the same time I wished we had gone somewhere more familiar. With other malls, I was aware of what stores sold what, and where I could find something more my style. For this centre though, it'd have to take some time looking around…
"We should split up to make things easier, don't you think?" I asked. "The girls can look for dresses while the boys look for… um, whatever you guys are thinking of wearing." I was doubtful they were going to were something like tuxedos. It's not that formal, right?
Akiko was about to say something, but quickly retracted. "Ugh, dresses…?"
I tried to interpret by what she meant by that, but was distracted by Tadase. "Sounds like a good idea. We can be more efficient that way," he stated.
Rima didn't react much to this, but I doubted she'd want to go with the boys to look for clothes.
"Let's go then," I said with smile, motioning towards one end of the mall. "We'll look over there and meet back up here in an hour and a half."
Akiko darted her eyes between me and Tadase and Nagi, being strangely unresponsive. Her mouth was pulled into a line.
"Good idea. We'll see you then," Tadase regarded, he and Nagi walking off in the direction that I pointed to.
As soon as the three of us were alone, Rima wanted to make a point. "You're oddly silent," she said to Akiko, an eyebrow raised.
Akiko exhaled deeply and slouched. "Ahh, I just don't know if I regret my decision in coming or not."
I whip my head around to face her. "Huh, but you're the one who asked me to go?!"
She scratched the side of her face. "Yeah, but… I kind of glossed over the fact that we need to wear dresses."
Rima's gaze on her heightened, "And what's so wrong about that?"
Her mouth went lopsided. "I've sort of come to resent them."
Our willingness to browse through the mall for dress wear thankfully wasn't dwindling, but there was definitely reluctance from the two girls beside me.
"We're doing this for the boys, and that's final!" I remember saying as we marched off.
Rima was becoming increasingly interested in changing her mind the more we looked through different stores, but she still held on to what she said previously. Akiko had an explanation for this, and stated it in a joking manner: "If you manage to say yes to something, it's a guarantee Rima will too".
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at her.
I already knew I had a small influence over Rima's decision making, which was helpful in getting her to participate in the event. Akiko on the other hand was still lacking in that area.
"This is taking way longer than it should," Miki murmured behind her sketch pad, watching the three of us trying to decide which store to go to.
"All because we have different tastes," I said with a scoff.
Akiko's eyes were grazing a passing store, and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Wait, let's go here!"
Rima squinted at the shop front. "Really, this place?"
Akiko nodded. "Yeah, it looks little bit like Amu's fashion style, but there seems to be plain stuff too-" The blond was about to make another comment, but Akiko stopped her, "Plain stuff for me, I mean."
Rima halted, and then nodded, gliding into the shop. We followed after her, Kusukusu having a small fit over her standoffish demeanour. Once I stepped through the shop's threshold, I noticed a section of punkish clothes, and I was immediately drawn to it.
Akiko smirked upon seeing my face, "Told ya so."
She followed me while Rima went to observe a silky yellow dress on the other end, unable to spot anything that caught her attention.
While I was flicking through the rack in front of me, I tilted my head toward her. "So… why is it you don't want to wear a dress?"
Akiko rubbed her neck, eyeing a pastel pink skirt in front of her. "Well… it's not like I'm not able to wear one at all, it's just… I grew up attending high-profile balls; you know…" her voice went low, "Being a princess and all."
I continued scrolling through the clothing, pretending not to be surprised by this.
"And they were like a constant thing- I got sick of them for a while. And I always had to wear something long and dainty." She made a face, her eyebrows scrunching up.
This made me stop my searching, and I turned to her with a sympathetic look. "What we're going to go to won't be that high-profile though. It's a school event; you don't need to go all out."
Akiko rubbed her arms. "Heh, I guess so…"
She was still glancing at the skirt beside my rack, so I handed it out to her. "Here, you can wear something like this instead. Try it on."
Her face flushed, but she didn't take the skirt right away. "W-what? I can't wear that…"
"Sure you can, it might be a bit girly, but it'll suit you."
Ran floated up to me, a smug expression on her face, "Even though Amu-chan'd like to try it on herself." The rest of my chara's agreed with her.
I grinded my teeth, "Ugh, I didn't say anything like that. Besides, I found this really cute one!" And I tugged on a black and red checked piece of fabric, not revealing the whole thing. From what I could see it had minimal but nicely placed black lace, encapsulating a bit of lolita-fasion. But it still looked like gyaru, which was a plus.
Akiko hesitantly held onto the skirt I was giving her, and she was soaking it in. "It… it is cute. I'm going to have to find something to match it though."
"More pink then!" Ran laughed, and Akiko went red.
After a while, I had decided I'd buy my dress in a few days' time. I was short on money so I'd have to wait until next week for allowance.
Happy with my decision (and promising to myself I'd come back for my dress), I checked the watch on my wrist. We had about half an hour to get back to the boys.
Rima was still looking through more gowns, skimming along simple but elegant pieces. It looked as though she wanted to choose between either a soft yellow or solid blue. And right behind her was Akiko, finally willing to buy her skirt, but also wanting a top to accompany it. She was searching for something a little less bright and more subtle.
"We got thirty minutes left," I said to the two them, and they darted their attention toward me.
"Hmph, and I still haven't chosen…" Rima uttered, holding both dresses in hand.
"We still got plenty of time, and you could always come back another day," I suggested.
Akiko turned around, still holding her skirt. "I'm just surprised you want to come along after all."
Rima glanced away, putting the two dresses back on the rack. "I thought it'd be better to go with you guys then be by myself at the festival." She then eyed Akiko and the piece of clothing in hand. "I didn't think you'd choose something pink."
Akiko huffed, more red coating her cheeks. "Amu chose it for me. But I guess I'll look good in it."
I beamed. "You will, don't worry about it."
Moments later, and Akiko had actually bought it along with a top. She didn't let me see what she had chosen for a complete outfit, so I supposed I'd have to wait until next week.
The three of us then strolled out of the shop, eager to meet up with Tadase and Nagihiko. But to be truthful, I was the one most eager. We only had a few minutes left until Ikuto started performing, and there was no way I was missing out on that. Akiko and Rima argued we still had time, but my chara's knew exactly why I wanted us to hurry.
"Don't say anything…" I said under my breath, each of them giving me a teasing expression.
From behind me, I heard Rima whisper to Akiko: "It's pretty obvious why she's acting like this this."
I grumble inwardly. Not you too!
Akiko was silent, and then let out a laugh. "Ah, of course, why didn't I see it before!" she announced, roping her arm around me. "Amu just wants to meet up with her special someone~"
Heat invaded my face. "Hey, cut that out!"
Rima and her shared a laugh, while I sighed, glad that I wasn't being strangled by Akiko, and that they were bonding.
"Amu-chan," called a voice.
It happened to be Nagi, who was waiting casually next to Tadase.
Damn, they would've seen Rima and Akiko teasing me…
"A-ah, hey guys! Are you ready to get going?" I said abruptly.
Nagihiko nodded, peering at Akiko's shopping bag. "Did you find anything to wear?"
I shook my head, and noticed that Tadase and Nagihiko's hands were empty as well. "Rima and I decided what to get, but we'll buy them another day."
Akiko shyly brought up her bag. "But I bought something."
I glanced at the bag in hand, and my mouth curled into a smirk. "Akiko bought a pink skirt."
She darted her gaze towards me, eyes rounded in betrayal.
Tadase leaned in, watching her in surprise. "Pink? I wouldn't expect you to choose that colour."
Akiko grumbled and put the bag behind her back. "I was pretty much forced to pick it…"
A tiny stab of guilt went through me, but I ignored it. I knew Akiko had liked the skirt, but she was just hesitant to admit it. Although, everyone's comments about her not seeming like the type to choose pink was probably a bit much…
"So, uh… maybe we should go now?" I asked, wanting to break the tension and pointing at the mall's exit.
"Sure, where exactly did he say he was performing?" Nagihiko asked, already moving toward the doorways.
"He said that he'll be near the open grass area. It's not too big I think so it should be easy to spot him."
Nagi grinned. "Great." And then he paused, and said in a quieter voice, "I bet you're excited to see him."
My heart jumped at the sight of Nagi teasing me. Was everyone after me today?!
.:…:.
Tadase had overheard what Nagihiko said to Amu.
He set himself back, not reacting to it at all.
Amu managed to notice his silence, as well as his blank expression.
Well, at least it wasn't everyone… she thought to herself.
But his face still bothered her a little.
It was true that he had been ignoring everyone's comments about Ikuto and Amu, but Amu wasn't the only one who had noticed.
Akiko had too, and it made her content to see him avoidant. But she also saw Amu's slightly concerned expression while gazing at him, so she sought to correct this.
"So, what's going to be happening at the festival? What'll the dance be like?" she asked Nagihiko. The group turned her attention to her, curious as well.
Nagi smiled at her. "The dance itself will be in the hall, and it'll be mostly for fun. There's a competitive side to it also, but you'll need to have a partner, and register both of your names for the type of ballroom dance you want to participate in."
Amu perked up. "Do you want to compete in it Nagi?"
He shrugged, although not disappointed. "I don't really think anyone would want to be my partner. I don't mind though."
Rima stared at him for a moment, and then looked away, blinking rapidly.
"That's okay," Akiko said. "We can all dance together and have fun!"
"Well, there will be six of us is Souma-kun decides to join, so there will be an even number of boys and girls to pair up," Tadase pointed out.
Akiko laughed. "Even if there were an odd number of boys and girls, the boys could still pair up, and so could the girls."
Nagihiko blinked at her. "I… don't know if they'd let us do that though."
Akiko frowned. "Huh? Why not…?"
Everyone stared at her.
"In Dream Land we get to do that, it's weird they don't let you guys..." she mumbled, her eyes scanning theirs. "They either dance with friends or their date."
Ah, that explains things, they thought together.
Rima looked at her. "It… seems like Dream Land is a much more open minded place then."
Akiko appeared even more bewildered. "Open-minded…?"
Nagihiko rubbed his forehead. "We have different customs to you, ones that are a little more unfair."
Akiko still looked confused, so Tadase turned to her. "I'll explain it to you another time," he promised.
Amu felt sympathetic as she watched things unfold. Having girls dance together, or boys dance together as friends may seem like something normal to Akiko, in fact, people at her school did it anyway as friends. But people of the same gender dancing because they're dating… it'd probably make her angry as to why somedidn't allow that.
Amu felt her phone buzz, realising it was most likely a reminder for her to get going.
"Uh… we have five minutes left, we should probably-."
"Oh, damn, let's go then," Akiko insisted, waving off the previous conversation for another time.
They left the spot they were standing at, and followed after Amu, who was starting to get desperate in finding Ikuto. She was embarrassed that she hadn't been there earlier, and felt anxious that Ikuto may be feeling saddened they hadn't shown up yet. She pushed through anyway, finally through the sliding doors that led to outside.
Once she walked through the doors, she saw him clear as day, stationed not too far from the exit. He was kneeling on a concrete platform, already gathering interest from passer-by's as he opened his violin case.
She beamed and bounded over to him.
"Heh, Amu-chan sure is enthusiastic about this," Miki muttered, her sisters agreeing with her.
"We can't keep up with her again!" Su giggled.
As Ikuto brought out his violin on the platform, he twisted around right on time to see Amu running up to him.
"Hey!" she called, landing on her feet with a bounce.
His eyes lit up. "Amu," he said, feeling a little speechless.
He peered behind her, seeing the rest of the group walk up to them. He gave them a wave, and looked back at Amu, who fidgeted in place.
"Ah, sorry I wasn't able to get here earlier, I would've but…" she said, flicking her focus elsewhere.
"It's alright, no need to be sorry." He stepped down from the platform, and stood close to her. "I'm just happy you're here now."
She gazed up at him, and tried not to get too distracted by the pleased expression on his face.
The others soon approached, with Tadase in the lead.
"Ikutonii-san," the blond greeted amicably.
"Hey," Ikuto replied, patting him on the shoulder. "How was the trip here?"
Tadase laughed and shrugged. "It didn't cause us too much trouble."
Like always, Amu's heart felt warm watching the two of them talk. One day it'll eventually become commonplace, but seeing both Tadase and Ikuto get along now felt priceless; especially considering how they were acting toward each other less than six months ago.
Ikuto then said hello to Akiko, Rima and Nagihiko, the former pointing to his violin. "Shouldn't you start performing, Tsukiyomi?" she asked.
He readied himself, holding the violin up to his chin and resting the bow on the strings. "Actually, I'm about to. So if you don't mind…" He looked at the group expectantly, and they promptly stepped back from the platform.
Akiko rolled her eyes with a smirk, while Amu's face brightened.
Ikuto glanced at her one last time, before closing his eyes and smiling. His bow slide across the strings, and out resonated a mellow, but graceful sound.
Amu felt a hushed air settle around them comfortably as they listened, Ikuto's very existence being the centre of the newfound serenity.
Lots of people stopped to watch him perform by now, and her heart filled up. The gazes of her friends and people around them were all trained on him, listening to his song. She noticed that they were intent, and happy to be guided by such a heartfelt instrument.
Then, her breath hitched as she watched him, seeing how happy to be performing in front of so many people. It had reminded her of when she found him performing alone. He was calm then too, but there was something sad about his performance, from the sound of his violin to how lonely he seemed. And now, the sun shone down on him, and he was playing a gentle tune that encouraged company. He was surrounded by others who loved his performance.
Tears couldn't help but swell in her eyes when she realised how much had changed- how much he had.
Ikuto too felt at peace as he played. He sensed the eyes of Amu and many others as they listened to his song respectfully. Soon enough, he wanted to see Amu's face, so he opened his own eyes subtly, and caught her stare. He didn't know what he had done this time, but her face went rosy. He chuckled inwardly and continued playing, letting the joy wash over him.
He knew Yoru was also enjoying the sound, either humming along with Amu's guardian characters, or by himself. The cat chara wasn't too far from him nowadays, but he still liked to part from his bearer every now and then. In fact, thought of his bearer having a new guardian character didn't faze him, he was actually curious.
Ikuto had grown more curious about it too, despite feeling apprehensive as well. It seemed like the more he played around the egg, the higher the chance it had of moving, as though it was dancing to the song.
Well, whatever it was doing, it must have been having fun like everyone else.
As the bow brushed against the strings more briskly, song then started to build, gradually becoming lighter and louder.
Playing something gentle and light-hearted is what used to happen long ago, before Easter took over his life… before Aruto had left.
But now that all that darkness had escaped him, he could play his true song- one that meant he was free.
Even though he was still searching for his father, he could express himself however he wanted. And through that expression he found how much people appreciated listening; as though they felt as free as he did.
The song was nearly coming to an end.
The more Ikuto's fingers pressed down on the strings with the final notes, the more the sound of his violin and the people around him heightened a particular emotion within him. He couldn't name it, but it all came circling together, creating something whole. The people felt connected, perhaps even healed, and he had it admit…
He did as well.
After more songs were played, Ikuto's violin case was eventually filled with yen.
He was squatting on the platform, satisfied with the turnout. "Not that bad, huh?" he asked his chara, who was also looking at the money.
Yoru grinned cheekily and nodded, his ears flopping about.
Ikuto then brought out his wallet, and was able to put most of the yen into it, while some of it went into his pockets. He fitted the violin in the case, and then shut it with a satisfying 'clunk'. After doing so, he began to walk over to the group of pre-teens who sat on the grass.
They were soaking up the sunlight and drinking cans of juice, each one originating from a nearby vending machine.
"Didn't you want one, Amu?" Nagihiko asked, seeing that her hands were empty.
She tucked them under her legs. "Well I did… but I decided I should save my money in the end," she admitted, remembering that she was trying to save up for her dress.
Ikuto had reached them by then and managed to catch their conversation. "I could always buy you one if you wanted," he said, stopping in front of her.
Amu took out her hands to protest. "Eh, no, it's fine!"
But he already reached for his wallet.
"Wait, with the money you just got?!" she argued.
Ikuto chuckled. "It's alright, really. The juice doesn't cost much anyway."
Amu's chara's then 'ooh-ed' and looked at her teasingly.
"Ikuto-kun's being so generous to Amu-chan," Miki said in a hush behind her hand, a smirk on the corner of her mouth.
They giggled and nodded their hands, while Amu scoffed.
She threw over gaze to her friends to see their reaction, and mostly it seemed they wished to just be the bystanders in the situation. Rima had an interested expression, Nagihiko was distracting himself with his juice, and Tadase seemed as though he wanted to cut in. Akiko on the other hand was looking at Amu smugly, which caused her face to flare again. Akiko then motioned her eyes at Ikuto forcefully, and thus the pinkette gave in.
She turned to him, her arms folded.
"I suppose you could buy some for me…" she murmured. "I actually am thirsty…"
Ikuto stood up, catching the yen in his hands. "What flavour did you have in mind?"
Amu put a finger to her chin. "Um..."
Ikuto then started walking to the machine. "We can decide together."
The middle-schooler got up with a start. "Ah, okay!"
As Amu ran after him with her chara's in suit, Akiko did a tiny fist pump and turned back to the group.
Rima rolled her eyes at Akiko's celebration, and then stared at her juice. "She's too kind for her own good."
Akiko looked at her. "You mean Amu?"
"Of course I mean her," she said before taking a sip.
"And of course you'd say that," Nagihiko pointed out. "If someone was offering their own money to buy something for you, you wouldn't argue."
Rima stopped drinking and gave him a side eye, "Because it's more efficient that way."
He let out a short laugh. "Well I guess that's the difference between you and Amu-chan."
Akiko shrugged at their exchange. "She just doesn't want anyone to go through the trouble of doing something for her, even though she could do it herself."
Rima frowned. "Then she's lucky Ikuto's so forward, otherwise she'd have to do everything herself."
Akiko was about to rebuttal, but she had to admit Rima had a good point there.
She then felt a presence shift beside her, and realised that Tadase had been quiet this entire time.
He then sighed audibly, and this caught Akiko's attention.
"Tadase?" she said, bringing him back to reality. "You've been kind of quiet…"
He blinked at her, taking in his environment. "Oh… Sorry about that, I was spacing out."
She shook her head. "It's okay; it just looked like you were worried…" Then she bit her lip. "Are you worried?"
Tadase blinked rapidly, and he had to look away. "No, no I'm not. I…" Why were his ears getting hot? "I was thinking over something."
"Oh…" Akiko murmured, playing with her fingers.
She couldn't help but think, "Ugh, things have gotten so awkward between us since Friday night".
She felt like it was because she confronted Tadase and practically demanded that he tell her his private feelings. Which was totally a selfish move; she was getting ahead of herself for whatever reason, and wasn't thinking of how he perceived the situation. Now he probably didn't feel like talking to her!
Akiko wanted to bury her head in her hands, but that would've seemed suspicious, so she just hugged her knees.
Before she could sulk again, she saw Rima giving them a critical look.
"What," Akiko said, her statement muffled behind her arms.
Rima's face flattened, but she didn't break eye contact. "It's nothing."
"Really? Because it looked like you were watching us," Akiko said again, now opting to lean back on her hands.
This ended up catching the attention of Nagihiko and Tadase, so they too listened in.
Rima shrugged and turned away, wanting to defuse the situation. "Maybe I was, so what?"
"… You make a good point there…"
"You didn't make it obvious you two wanted privacy anyway."
Both Akiko and Tadase's faces went pink, while the former shut her eyes. "Okay, we get it."
Inwardly, Rima found herself smirking. They were so obvious, she speculated.
Akiko huffed, not able to look Tadase in the eye. She felt like getting up and going for a walk; just sitting there would only make her anxious.
But before she could, she saw Amu and Ikuto returning.
Amu was holding a yellow can; it looked to be pineapple flavoured Fanta. She looked happy with her choice, albeit a bit flustered.
"We thought you were going to get juice?" Akiko asked.
Amu shrugged. "I was, but I saw the Fanta not too far from it."
Rima mumbled under her breath, "So that's why you took so long…"
"I didn't even think you would like pineapple," Akiko said again as Amu sat down.
"I thought so too," Ikuto pointed out, who stood still. "I suggested she get strawberry flavour at first, but…" he said, his mouth twitching into a grin.
Amu playfully glared at him, her cheeks puffing up.
The rest of the group watched blankly, confusion casting onto their faces as they were left wondering what Ikuto was implying… until it clicked for Akiko. She snickered, and put her hand against her mouth. Amu swivelled her head around to glare at her too.
Of course Ikuto would say it in front of Akiko, she thought exasperatedly. "I didn't feel like getting it," she explained, calming herself down.
That seemed to be enough for Rima, Nagi and Tadase, but Ikuto and Akiko still had impish grins.
"See ya, strawberry."
She tried to hide her embarrassment from them once she recalled the memory.
Honestly, they were going to be the death of her.
Half an hour later, their soda and juice cans were all empty.
The group had resorted to lying on the grass and watching the clouds above. Neither of them felt motivated enough to throw their empty cans away, so they held on to them while they talked.
Amu wondered where the chara's had run off too, and thought they were either playing a game or following Kiseki's orders. Now that Yoru was back he was bound to create more mischief, so going along with what the king chara told him to do wasn't going to be an option for him. Fortunately for Kiseki, the discord that followed Yoru would probably make everyone else want to keep some order, even if Rhythm tended to win over everyone else's charm.
She knew that out of all the chara's, at least Dia and Temari would be the ones to keep the peace.
Ikuto then yawned and stretched on the grass beside Amu, and a mental image of a cat pinged in her mind. She giggled to herself, finding that while he's changed so much; his cat-like behaviour hadn't at all.
He opened one eye to look at her, hearing her laughter. "Is there something amusing?"
There was a light-tone to his voice, so while he seemed bothered, Amu knew he was keen to know what she found funny. "Not really," she sang back.
Ikuto chuckled and propped himself up. "Well whatever it was, I'm glad it made you happy."
He grabbed for his violin case and stood, stretching once more.
"Wait, are you going to leave now?" Amu asked, also sitting up.
He smiled at her. "Yeah, have to. I've been gone from home since early this morning."
She quirked a pink eyebrow at this; he was being oddly vague, and since when did he have to be anywhere at a set time?
Yoru noticed her confusion, so he floated up next to her. "We're gonna go get some groceries, nya!" he chirped. But Ikuto shot him a pointed look, and his ears drooped.
Amu snorted, "Grocery shopping?"
The teen sighed. "Yeah, there's no food in the house, and it's my turn to get it."
Amu wanted to giggle. There was something strange about Ikuto doing something so ordinary, but she knew that he had his own life that he had to tend to. Then she realised another thing – she didn't know much about Ikuto's current home life. She wondered who he had to return to, and it was most likely his mother he was living with.
"Have fun with that," Akiko joked.
Amu snapped out of her thoughts. She looked up at Ikuto, and smiled brightly at him, although she felt a bit let down.
"Bye, Ikuto. Have a good night," she said, then glanced at Yoru with a giggle, "Both of you."
Yoru meowed happily and licked his lips. Ikuto chuckled, seeming to know exactly why his chara was so excited.
"Tell Souko-san I said hello," Tadase said, to which Ikuto nodded.
"I will, she'll be happy to hear from you," he regarded.
Amu looked between the two of them, trying to remember where she's heard that name before. Then it came to her – she was Ikuto's mother.
"Ah, Souko…" she murmured, pulling at the grass beneath her lightly.
Ikuto turned to her again, smiling. "Yeah… I'm sure you remember her. She was at Nikaidou's wedding."
Amu avoided meeting his eyes. She recalled the name but not her face. Truth be told, she was positive she didn't even talk to her.
Tadase noticed her troubled expression. "She mostly stayed behind the crowd that day. She has long blonde hair, and…" He stopped short once he saw her eyes widen in recognition.
"Ah, yeah!" she said, her eyes shining. Then her voice turned shy, "She was pretty… Why didn't you introduce me?"
Ikuto gave a small shrug. "Didn't feel like it was the right time…" His mouth then curled into a small grin. "But you'll meet her one day."
Amu felt her heart warm. From what she'd heard about Souko, she was kind and gentle. The middle-schooler could wait to meet her; there wasn't any hurry to begin with, although it would be nice to know someone else from Ikuto's family, aside from Utau.
"I see…" she said, squeezing the grass now.
Ikuto finally moved to make his leave, not forgetting to give the group a wave. "See you guys another time. Bye, Amu," he said to her especially.
She waved back, and saw him exit the park, with Yoru still waggling his tail from the teen's shoulder. She sighed happily, and hit the ground again, laying her arms out wide.
Rima, Nagihiko and Tadase watched her after they stopped waving, and giggled at her starfish pose.
Akiko followed in suit, hitting the ground and shielding her eyes from the sun. A small laugh escaped her, and she was on the edge of asking them "What now?", but a shiver went up her spine.
No one was expecting her to speak, so she stayed silent, though it wasn't like she had much of a choice as her voice was caught in her throat.
A second later, and an impeding sense of dread filled her stomach. The clouds above her started to go fuzzy, and her face felt numb.
"No…" she breathed.
Amu swivelled her head to face her, breaking through the haze. "Hm, did you say something?"
"Uh…" she mumbled, blinking rapidly.
Now the others were looking at her.
"No… No I didn't," she said.
Amu looked at her in confusion, but eventually turned to the sky again. Her chara's spoke to her as she lay comfortably, but Akiko didn't feel the same sense of comfort.
This wasn't fair.
For the first time in a while, everyone was having fun and enjoying their time out. There wasn't any part of Akiko that wanted to ruin this moment.
She just couldn't bring herself to admit she sensed Dark Energy.
Thoughts piled into her head, trying to weave her out of the situation – after all, it may be a false alarm. The last time she sensed Dark Energy while they were out, the Prince of Darkness didn't appear until two hours later.
She rolled to her side with a soft groan, and started picking at the grass.
"Hikari-san?" echoed Tadase's voice from in front of her.
Her face flushed as she glanced up at him, but she ignored it. She was being too obvious.
Her hands planted themselves on the grass, and she got up. "Uh, sorry… That was kind of weird of me."
He tilted his head, his hair falling with it. "That's alright, but… Are you sure something's not on your mind?"
She stared into his eyes, trying not to blurt out any of her insecurities from her already overloading brain.
"Nope, I'm okay, just tired."
Lame excuse.
"Hm, alright then…" Tadase said. "Maybe we can all go home soon?" he said to the other three.
Nagihiko shrugged, deciding to lie down next to Amu. "I don't mind, though I was just starting to get cosy."
"That makes two of us," Amu said with a beam.
Akiko huffed, and tried to divert the conversation. She appreciated Tadase's concern, but right now, leaving would probably do more harm than good for her.
Rima rolled her eyes at them. "I might need to be home soon. Mama didn't exactly like me being home late the last time we ventured."
A stab of guilt went through Akiko. The last time would've been when… they went to her house to get fixed up. "We can stay for just a bit longer if you like. I like it out here," she said to Tadase.
That didn't seem to convince him. She was about to play along further, until the swell of the Dark Energy came back, only more forceful. It began gnawing at her head the more she tried to push it back.
If it was affecting her this much, it might be close.
Akiko wished it away, although, it'd terrify her more if it suddenly stopped. She remembered what she learnt and has learnt, and it was that Dark Energy is tricky – if you are extremely close to it you won't be able to sense it.
Then that was the final straw.
"I need to say something," she confessed to all of them.
Tadase became still, his body already tensing. The other three stopped conversation, and saw Akiko's forehead crease.
She bent down her head, and her voice became small. "I can sense Dark Energy."
Shortly after, Amu, Rima, Nagihiko and Tadase had found themselves following Akiko's lead through the park. However, she didn't seem like much of a leader in this scenario. Her steps were cautious and jumpy, but they had her until the chara's were able to pick up the Dark Energy.
As soon as Akiko told them, Rima wanted to know how she could sense it was there, but Akiko was insistent that it was that she knew. "Although," she said, that "it could be a false alarm, but this time it feels definite".
Tadase had thanked Akiko for telling them, then immediately suggested they start searching in case there really was any danger.
Amu's stomach continued to lurch as they trudged on.
Fighting today wasn't something she had in mind. Even she knew Akiko felt regretful about telling them. But for everyone's sake, she tried to keep her breathing steady.
Nagihiko strode next to her, "We'll be fine," he whispered with soft eyes. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it."
Amu thanked him for the reassurance in her head. She breathed in deeply and exhaled, her heart beat configuring itself.
From beside Amu, Dia jumped.
Her eyes had shifted into alert, which caught the attention of Amu and the group.
"Dia?" Amu said.
"I can feel it now…" the chara murmured, gaze drifting off to a wooded area beside them. "The Darkness."
Akiko stared at the nearby trees with her, and then finally gave a firm nod. "We have to head there."
Amu swallowed hardly, but welcomed Akiko's regained strength.
Everyone else seemed to receive the same confidence, while Amu pushed for her nerves to become her strength. As she gripped her hands and squinted at the trees, scrounging for something to ignite her, the knowledge that the Prince of Darkness was manipulating dreams sent a flash of anger down her spine. At that moment, she wanted nothing more but to rid the Darkness that plagued them. The presence of her friends and their dreams did the same. It was up to all of them to look after each other.
Amu's change in attitude made her chara's look to her, all of them smiling, except for Dia.
"Let's go," the girl said through gritted teeth.
Ran, Miki and Su let out a small 'whoop' at this, while Dia remained silent.
Her friends heard her words too, awe and determination on their faces. They began to advance toward the trees once more, hope filling their insides.
As Amu followed them, Dia gently touched her shoulder. "Amu-chan, I want you to remember that, despite all that's happened, your radiance remains bright." This caught the bearer off guard, but before she could thank her pig-tailed chara, she continued, "This is proof of that radiance."
Amu shyly glanced away. "Thank you, Dia. You're right…"
She hadn't really given it much thought before. Ever since her anxiety about the situation had gotten worse, there was always a way she had bounced back. It had been her friends that had helped her most of all, but her own strength, her own radiance hadn't been credited. Without it, she wouldn't be feeling this way.
Soon enough, the group of middle-schoolers reached the woods. There wasn't any hesitance to step inside them; although Amu pointed out that it was eerily darker the moment they walked through.
Her chara's heard her mention the scenery, but weren't up for giving much response. The Dark Energy was started to pierce into their senses, as well as Akiko's. The other chara's ahead weren't saying anything at all. Tadase, Nagihiko and Rima didn't need to speak of their tense posture. They already knew.
Amu examined the area out of curiosity and apprehension, watching as the light seeped through the branches and vanish the longer they walked. Many twigs and branches were settled on the dark dirt, spreading away from the vines that snaked and twisted around trunks.
"If we run into him…" Akiko started, twisting her neck to face them.
Tadase was right behind her. "Then we're going to need to plan how we're going to face him."
Nagihiko put a hand on his chin. "I might be able to take him on again. But I'll need help."
Amu was about to say that Nagi shouldn't give himself up like that, until Akiko interjected.
"Then we'll do it like last time. Me and you versus him," she offered.
He agreed with her.
"That means Amu, Tadase and I can take care of the X-eggs," Rima said.
Tadase nodded, as did Amu.
With everyone's fortified gaze focus on each other, the pinkette felt more fire surge through her. They were going to be fine; it was going to be okay now that they had a game plan. All that was left to do was figure out her character transformation.
If there were a lot of X-eggs, she'd need to become Amulet Clover. It worked wonders the last time they fought him since it covered a wide area. But… what if they needed Amulet Heart? It was a quick and offensive form, something the rest of them might need as well. Besides, there were five of them, unlike last time. If she chose a transformation with more punch, it wouldn't do any harm.
Then Tadase had snapped a stick, and Amu flinched.
Her squeak made everyone rotate to face her, eyes wide.
She gulped, and scratched her head. "… Sorry about that."
Their expressions held forgiveness, all except Akiko.
Amu noticed that her jaw was slack and her face was pale.
"Akiko…?"
The brunette's voice broke. "It's gone, I can't feel it anymore."
Another branch then snapped behind Amu, and she screamed. The group whirled around to look at the source, and find the body of a boy their age.
He had a hollowed face.
What was once two bright caramel eyes were now a blotchy brown. His mouth was pulled back into a smile by his decayed skin, which failed to attach to itself to him correctly. It was a pale green that flaked around his cheekbones and temples, quivering when he moved toward the five.
Nagihiko and Tadase stepped back, their faces twisting into terror.
Rima was frozen, her breath turning short.
Amu's heart rocketed against her chest, eyes trained on nothing but the boy.
Akiko had been charging light in her hands the moment she saw him.
Another figure limped out from behind a tree. It was a girl. She appeared exactly like the boy did; only her mouth was pulled down, and her eyes were a dull blue.
"Wh… what…" Rima whimpered.
Amu latched her vision toward her, then the rest of her friends.
Akiko had jumped of all of them. She roared, "Run!"
Amu dived for Rima, who was planted to the ground. She grabbed her hand and pulled, running forward. She could only hear the sounds of their shoes smashing against the dirt and their chara's frightened gasps, but Amu didn't dare to look behind her. She saw a clearing ahead, one that would hopefully guide the others.
Nagihiko and Tadase had stayed behind.
"Hikari-san!" Tadase screamed.
He watched the girl throw light at the lifeless duo. Her aim had been pointed near their feet, to which they stumbled back.
"Where's Rima and Amu?!" Nagihiko shouted, seeing that they had run off.
"Go, get out!" Akiko told them, conjuring a shield of light. "I'll stay behind you guys, just go!"
Nagihiko didn't think for another second, and then sprinted off.
Tadase was more hesitant to go along.
"I'll follow you, we need to find them!" she screamed again, her eyes wild.
Tadase then threw himself forward, and began running too.
Akiko caught up behind him, and saw Nagihiko jumping ahead, dodging the trees.
She swept her sight all around her, seeing no sign of a black looming figure, nor the X-characters of the dead-looking kids.
"There's a clearing here!" Nagihiko shouted.
"Nagi!" they heard Amu cry.
"Amu!" Akiko called.
"Everyone, transform now!" Tadase ordered.
Nagihiko clenched his teeth. "Temari!" he called. "My Heart, Unlock!"
The kimono-wearing character flew to him, and together they forged a fuchsia light. "Yamato Mahime!"
Tadase followed in suit, beckoning Kiseki. "My Heart, Unlock!"
Amu darted to Ran, as did Rima with Kusukusu. They rehashed the chant, and then pink and yellow light surrounded the pair.
Amu saw the snippets of herself, and her friends transforming. Her chest turned warm and then glowed, the rush of Ran's intensity filling her body.
"Character Transformation!"
She can't remember if she heard herself say the rest of the line, nor if anyone else did. It's like exhaustion was already beginning to pull over.
"Good job everyone," said Akiko, her hands above her head, holding together a shield.
Amu's vision was restored as she blinked hard. Her friends, the trees, the sky, everything came into focus. At least they weren't being barraged by any X-characters yet.
"Was that a…" Rima began, gripping her bowling pins.
"A person that the P.O.D. took their Egg from, yes…" Akiko muttered, her eyes boring holes into the dirt.
A 'thwip' then rang out, and the group turned to see Yamato Mahime standing tall. She had her fan spread out, a calm but fierce glint in her eyes. "We need to be careful. Hikari-san, do you feel the Dark Energy still?"
"No… but that means he's-" She looked up.
They all did.
And they all saw the dark shadow watching them, silently.
Akiko snarled at him, strengthened her shield.
Amu summoned both of her Heart Rod's, a fire burning within her. "What do you want?!" she shouted at him.
The shadow turned to her, he's metal helmet clinking with the movement.
He then pointed at them, or more accurately, the ones standing beside them.
The lifeless bodies slumped towards them, soft groans slipping from their mouths.
"What is this?" Tadase demanded.
Akiko widened her shield, surrounding the group from above and from the side.
Amu watched them closely, scrutinising their slow and unassuming movements. She waited for an attack, but saw that they were defenceless. They had no X-egg.
"Where… where are their Heart's Eggs?" she asked.
The shadow then floated down, and hovered above the bodies.
"Inside them," he answered.
The bodies began to gurgle and grunt, as though exercising a large amount of effort. They swung forward and stretched out their arms, their heads hung low and with no intent to move. They groaned, and Dark Energy burst from their hands.
Waves of ink pressured Akiko's shield, pulsing against it and trying to take hold of the group. The brunette was taking all of the brunt, the shield cracking with every hit. She shrieked in anger, but not a moment later and Tadase had used his Holy Crown, golden light merging with white.
Nadeshiko scowled. "This is just cruel," she said, zipping away from the combined shield and straight for the bodies.
"Nadeshiko!" Amu cried, watching her flick her fan at the boy.
"Robe of Feathers!"
Wine coloured fabric then tugged at the boy's arms, his entire body being bound by the thick cloth. Akiko and Tadase relaxed, the load of Dark Energy fired at them now halved. The girl beside the boy saw him struggling to break free, and aimed her fire at Yamato Mahime.
Nadeshiko moved away swiftly, the evil matter not once touching her. The girl groaned once more, her face becoming contorted and desperate.
Now that Akiko and Tadase were set free of the barrage, they kept their sights on the boy, whose arms snaked out from the binding material. Darkness streamed from his hand, a voice coming out garbled. Tadase used Sacred Ray, along with Akiko's Light Energy attacks, but the wails of the boy didn't cease.
Amu's heart panged as she watched them fight. Their cries sounded strained, as though a deep pain was resonating inside of them.
She barred her teeth at the Prince of Darkness, who was passive in the situation.
"Rima!" she shouted.
The blonde nodded, summoning her bowling pins. She twisted them, and flung them at the ebony figure. "Juggling Party!"
They chased after the Dark Prince, while the target himself dived back and forth, avoiding them smoothly. He even shot X-energy at the bombardment, deflecting them as they successfully turning to dust.
"Spiral Heart!" Amu resounded, both of her Heart Rod's joining Rima's pins.
They curved at him, skidding dangerously close to his armour. Although they looped around him and joined the copious Juggling Party, he was able to slide by them. Amu tensed, willing her pink rods to capture him.
Pink glitter then separated from them, and began to attach itself to the figure.
He cursed and began peeling it away, not noticing a bowling pin heading for his helmet.
With a loud 'clang', the bowling pin struck his helmet.
He was swept back, buffeted by even more pins.
Rima smirked, and then looked at the bodies fighting the others. She went to grab for her ropes to tie them up, but found something else appear in her hands. It was a sturdy plastic, yellow in colour. It was like a large ring, with pink stars on the outside. As she studied it further, she saw that it was a hoola hoop.
She shrugged, and began spinning it around her wrist. Another appeared on her other wrist, and she charged them up together. An orange glow surrounded them, and before throwing them at the bodies, she shouted, "Hoopla Rush!"
The hoops launched themselves from her wrists and veered towards the bodies. They bounded into the air and circled around them, shrinking in size and constricting them.
Akiko, Tadase and Nadeshiko darted their gaze to her, in surprise and gratitude.
Now that they had stopped firing Dark Energy, the group glanced at the Prince of Darkness, who was covering from the bruises left by Rima's pins and Amu's Heart Rods.
"That's odd; you're normally spouting all kinds of hot air. Got nothing to say today?!" Akiko shouted.
Her hands gathered Light Energy, and the others expected her to throw it at him. Instead, she leaped into the air, her body suspending itself in sky. White light began to circulate around her like silhouette.
"Hikari-san?" Tadase gasped.
"What did you do to them?!" she shouted again, ignoring Tadase. The aura around her was becoming brighter by the second.
The Dark Prince managed to laugh at her, removing the final particle of dust from his arm. "Oh, so now you're going to show your Dream Land form? Well done, although it won't change the Decayed."
Hot fury was dancing in her eyes, not yet turning white. She slashed at him, but he dodged.
On the ground, the bodies were moaning in discomfort, trying to loosen the grips of Rima's hoops.
"Get ready, everyone!" Tadase said.
Amu summoned her Heart Rod's again, bringing them out in front of her. If worst comes to worst, she'll need to fling them away with Magenta Lasso or hit them with Spiral Heart. She didn't want to hesitate, her friends were at risk after all, but so were these kids.
Whatever the Prince of Darkness had done to them, they would all make him pay.
"You monster, you're vile on every level!" Akiko shouted.
Thinking over how he forced Darkness into the bodies of these children made her sick. The result was horrible; they had no free will and where practically overflowing with malice.
"Be calm, you don't want your anger to get the best of you again," the shadow taunted. "Remember where that got you last time, your Highness?"
She charged at him again, but missed by a mile.
"As reckless as ever," he retorted.
"You're cruel," she spat, facing him. "-taking advantage of people like this. I won't let you get away with it!"
He snorted. "If you're so angry, then why don't you reveal your true form?"
She growled, while light started to form around her chest, silver cloth replacing her blouse. Her eyes began to turn white, but as she glared at him, a thought made her halt. She remembered that he said the exact same thing to her the first time they fought.
The light died down, but still supported her weight in the air.
"Why do you want me to be in Dream Land form?"
"You really have no idea?" he laughed. "It's because I want the Embryo. Once the two of us are both in true form, it will appear, just like how it does for that angel boy. How stupid is Zen to not tell you that?"
She frowned, "Don't say his name."
Inwardly, she cursed. In all the commotion, she forgot that Embryo was tied to him, just as much as it was tied to her and Hikaru. Whenever it appeared, Akiko felt affection flood her. It was a warm feeling that she couldn't deny, the same emotion she experienced the day she was born.
The Dark Prince surely had a similar reaction to its presence; it would explain how he was able to tell where they were going to be located next.
She clenched her fist, Light Energy ever present. "You make no sense. Summoning it would be too risky."
"It's a risk I'm willing to take," he said plainly. He raised his arms, gesturing to the both of them. "It won't reject me. I was created with it, just like you. We're part of it, like it is part of us, two halves of the same whole."
He rushed forward, close enough that she could see into his helmet. A bright blue eye was visible behind the grate, its innocence reflected in the sunlight.
"Isn't that right, Princess Araceli?"
He blinked away as soon as he appeared.
Akiko threw out her light, thrashing wildly, but it hit nothing.
The Dark Prince reappeared on the ground, right on time to see the ex-Guardians fighting desperately.
Amu's Heart Rod was ricocheting off the heads of the Decayed, their bodies flattening against the ground, before being brought up by the Darkness again. Rima's hoola hoops were doing the same, while also deflecting their energy blasts. Tadase fired Sacrey Ray whenever he could, mostly being working together with Nadeshiko, and shielded her, just as much as she did the same.
The Decayed then came together, exercising immense effort. The Dark Energy in their hands turned to gas, and it billowed toward the group. They covered the faces, hacking and coughing hoarsely. Nadeshiko struck her fan at the smoke, cherry blossoms sprouting from the ground.
"Dance of the Cherry Blossoms!" she called, directing her fan upward.
The blossoms shot from the ground, flying into the air. They circulated around the black cloud, the two winds spiralling higher and higher into the sky, until they were both out of sight.
The shadow cackled, and jumped in front of the now paralysed Decayed. He held onto their shoulders, and looked into the group's eyes. "We'll be taking our leave now."
Another black cloud surrounded them, disappearing right before them.
"No!" Amu cried, flinging her Magenta Lasso at them.
But it was too late, they had already evaporated.
Shock took over the group, their muscles coming to a freeze. All that was left of the trio was a puff of smog, and pieces of rotten flesh on the grass.
They were running out of the park in civilian attire. Chisaii Mall was transforming into but a lone figure in the distance, the kids not caring to look back at it. The park was also long gone behind them, the afternoon sun beginning to illuminate their shadows.
"We got to do everything we can to find him again!" shouted Akiko, digging out her phone from her shorts. In her other hand was a plastic bag she collected; inside of it was the skirt she recently bought.
"How are we going to do that?" Amu panted, right beside her.
"I don't know…" Akiko replied, twitchily dialling Hanako's number.
Tadase was behind them, his forehead creasing tightly. "What he did… It's…"
Akiko put her phone to her ear, watching him carefully.
"It's revolting," Tadase said, sweat lining his face. "How could someone do that?"
"People with no sense of morals," Nagihiko answered, jaw clamped.
Amu's legs were starting to feel like mush, but the concrete she stomped on placed her back into her hardened reality.
It was worse than what they thought.
They made it out unscathed, but the Prince of Darkness had taken people victim, and it was more than enough already.
Amu didn't know how they were going to fix this. They were able to get Saaya back to normal, but what about the people they just fought? What about the people who lay sick in bed because of the Darkness in their body? How could they fix any of that?
Tears were welling in her eyes, but she rubbed them away, focusing on the path ahead.
"Hanako!" Akiko said into the phone.
Amu heard the shakiness in her voice. From the sound of it, it sounded like even Hanako jumped at the brunette's volume.
"We-…" Akiko couldn't speak. Her breath was turning short and thick. "Hanako, it- there was-."
Tadase saw her panicking, and then reached out to grab her shoulders. She stopped immediately, as did everyone else. She wouldn't meet his eyes, instead opting to look at the other side of the street.
Her words were turning into ramble. "The Darkness, there were people- they couldn't-, shit…"
Tadase silently prompted her to look at him. She did.
He saw that her eyes watery and her lips were trembling. He wanted to pull her closer, but inhaled and exhaled, motioning for her to copy him.
She did so, and her shoulders stopped tensing.
"Akiko, please, tell me slowly," they heard from within the phone.
"Hikari-san, I'll take it from here," Nagihiko offered, walking up to her.
The girl hesitated in handing it over, but she finally relented. As soon the phone was in Nagihiko's hand, she leant against Tadase, sniffling. Amu rubbed her back, and the brunette turned to face her. Amu's eyes stung again as she gazed at the tears on her cheeks; if someone else was crying, Amu felt like doing it too.
Akiko then abruptly separated from Tadase, and hugged the pinkette. Amu hugged back, basking in the warmth. She tried to force her tears to soak into her ducts, but that didn't seem to work out well.
Right next to them, Rima and Nagihiko were talking to Hanako.
"They… they could use Dark Energy?" Hanako repeated.
Rima sighed, her expression distant. "Yes… Akiko said we needed to find the Prince of Darkness, probably to get to them."
"Well, she's right about that."
"Is there anything we can do to make that happen?" Nagihiko asked, watching Amu and Akiko hug. He could feel their despair from he stood.
"I don't know… Zen might know what to do though. You need to get over here."
Akiko and Amu heard this, so they parted. Their eyes were still red, but a force was behind them. Tadase, Rima, and Nagihiko reciprocated their gaze. Akiko then reached for Amu's hand, and held it tightly. They turned to each other, and Amu nodded. She was ready to go to Zen once more.
Akiko was frantic as she set up her room for the portal. Amu was watching her grab herbs, flowers and candles from within her draws. She placed candles on the floor like last time, and while they were yet to be lit, Amu could still catch their strong lavender scent. The four main and largest candles were stationed around Akiko's circular carpet, each of them now being surrounded by flowers and herbs. How had Amu not seen them before last time?
Once Akiko was done placing them, she stood up and dusted off her hands. "Uh, I'm going to say a prayer now, but… you're going to need to be out of the room for me to do it."
Amu stuttered out an agreement, and then hurriedly walked out of the room. The door was closed behind her, and she let out a sigh. Her fingers tapped rhythmically against her legs, but that wasn't enough to stop the anticipation building inside of her.
The others were downstairs with Hanako and Katsu, most likely eating or drinking something that Hanako made. It was good to see the duo again; Amu felt herself becoming more comfortable each time she saw them. Although they had a welcoming presence, they still understood the urgency of the situation and provided for the middle schoolers quickly. Luckily they didn't stall when they entered the house.
Amu heard Akiko saying something from inside her room. It was muffled by the door, but she didn't try to pry any further.
When she was done, she opened up the room, and Amu was met with the familiar dim lighting and rich smell. The flowers and herbs were no longer in place, but she didn't seek to question it. Ran, Miki, Su and Dia were waiting outside, bidding Amu and Akiko good luck.
"We might need the luck," Akiko muttered, kneeling on the ground.
Amu joined her. "You really think so?"
The brunette hesitated. "… I don't know if we're going to be given a solid solution or even one at all. It's hard to tell."
Amu tensed her hands. "Even so… I think we'll be able to find a way to fix this. Saaya got better; we can probably help those two people as well." As for the people who lay sick in intense care, Amu didn't know what to think. But if they could start small, from Saaya to two other people, maybe they could heal the rest too.
Akiko appreciated the sentiment. "I hope you're right. And if we find something, I want to be able to use it quickly."
"Same," said Amu with a nod.
Akiko smiled at her, and then brought her hands together. Amu closed her eyes, listening to Akiko whisper another prayer in Dream Land language. She felt her hair flew up, and weightlessness take over her. Light shone brightly beyond her eyelids, and no less than a moment later, she could feel her bare feet against a cold floor. Reaching for her clothes, she found soft fabric in between her fingers.
The same white dress as before had replaced her outfit, and she scrunched it fondly.
A voice called out her name. Her golden eyes fluttered opened, and she saw Araceli.
"Hey," the pinkette greeted, letting go of her dress. She found it hard to not look at the room she stood in. Although it was technically the third time she had been here, the infinite emptiness it held still managed to gnaw at her.
"You feel alright?" Araceli asked, watching Amu's flickering gaze. Her arms were behind her back, and her white hair seemed to flow gently despite the lack of wind.
Amu shrugged, now looking her in the eye. "Yeah, last time was more disorienting, but at least I know what to expect now."
Araceli stifled a giggle. "Good." She then turned away from her and stared at the void.
Amu looked with her, and jumped in surprise to see that Zen was already in front of them.
"Araceli, Hinamori Amu," he regarded hardly.
Amu noticed his expression was grave, and no longer did he have a kind smile on his face like last time. He must've known they had bad news.
"Zen, the both of us came here to… ask for help," Araceli admitted. Her voice wasn't steady as last time.
"I'm aware. I myself witnessed what happened."
Both Amu and Araceli flinched.
"What? But how-"
"I felt your presence as you tried to show your true form," he revealed, eyes narrowed at her.
"Oh…" Araceli muttered, all of a sudden becoming distracted by the ground.
Amu stood there uncomfortably, knowing it wasn't her place to defend her.
Zen then took a deep breath, and slowly, the strained lines on his forehead eased.
Amu stared at him. "How could you see what happened there at all?" she asked, trying not to sound too sceptical.
Zen smiled at her. "Dream Land is able to view Earth through invisible windows, but only if a powerful energy signature occurs. This is how we could see you transform for the first time into Amulet Heart, and into Amulet Fortune."
Amu gaped at him, not at all expecting that.
He stopped smiling, and instead held a semi-grim expression. "However, the situation from what I saw is only going to become more serious. It will be best if you two intervene now."
"How are going to be able to do that?" Amu asked again, her voice rising. If there was a possibility to help, she would jump at the chance to go through with it.
"… I believe there is a way to purify the Decayed on a grand scale."
Araceli raised an eyebrow at him. "Decayed?"
"That is what the Prince of Darkness referred to them as. You were there, Araceli," he said pointedly.
Araceli retraced and shut her mouth immediately, not able to face him.
"Even so," said Amu, wanting to bring back the focus. "I want to know how we can purify them."
Araceli looked at Amu, seeing the fight rise within her. She was lighting up now, with no hesitation in her voice. Araceli wanted to feel the same way.
"To do that, we will be upgrading the Humpty Lock," he said, reaching out his hand to Amu.
Amu followed the movement of his hand, then saw a bright light emanating from below her. She gasped once she saw the Humpty Lock resting on her chest, its exterior changing into a pure white.
When the light had died down, the Humpty Lock had returned to its normal appearance. Amu felt its weight on her, wondering what Zen had done. She brought up her hand to touch it, caressing the edges of the four-leafed crystal.
"What I just did will allow you to cure the Decayed," he explained. "If you say "Corrupted Heart" rather than Negative Heart, it they will be purified."
Amu gripped the Lock tightly, and lowered her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she broke into a smile. "Thank you…" she whispered, now clutching it with both hands.
Araceli watched her reaction, unable to say anything. She then looked at Zen, who seemed content.
"Secondly, Araceli, you will need to be on high alert for any traces of Dark Energy. I doubt the Prince of Darkness won't try to use more Decayed to lure all of you."
Araceli looked at Amu, and the other girl agreed with him.
"Thank you, Zen," the Princess of Light said with a bow. "We'll be leaving now to do our job."
"Good. I know you'll do well," he said, smiling sincerely.
Araceli didn't reflect his attitude, and instead faced her back to him. Amu followed her lead, watching as the girl began to walk away, her jaw clenched and body posture stiff. Before long, more light flooded Amu's vision. She could feel herself walking further and further away from Zen, a sleepy haze overwhelming her.
Soon enough, the haze around her cleared.
She found herself sitting in Akiko's room once more.
Said girl was beside her, standing up. Her back was still stiff, and her hands were balled.
"Akiko…?" Amu said.
She didn't respond.
Amu looked at the floorboards, noticing their scuffs and careless scratch marks. The girl's shopping back lay discarded on the floor too, the pink skirt spilling out of it.
"So how do you think we're going to be able to help the people in hospital?" Akiko asked.
Amu tried to meet her gaze, but couldn't find the girl's eyes behind her hair.
"I… I don't know…"
Akiko scoffed. "Which means we'll have to figure out our own way," she sighed, finally turning to Amu, allowing the girl to catch a glimpse of her.
Amu saw that she was noticeably bothered, with her eyebrows and mouth pulled down. Then her expression changed – it was a smile, but distant one.
"We'll do better than what Zen can give us, I'm sure of it," she said, reaching out her hand.
Amu gazed at it, then her. She grabbed it hesitantly, a weight pulling on her heart.
"We… should tell the others about the plan," Amu said as she stood, and the brunette nodded.
"Yeah, we will. We'll say "Operation: Purification is a go!" right?" she laughed.
Amu smiled too, although she could tell Akiko wasn't being genuine.
"First, we heal the Decayed we fought today. Then, everyone else, I know we can," Amu confirmed, her voice turning soft.
Akiko smiled again, and this time, she meant it. "Yeah, you're right…" She then put her hand on Amu's shoulder, and squeezed. "Thanks, Amu."
The pinkette giggled in return.
…
"I found it, my feelings inside!"
…
Amu: Jeez, another battle this chapter? Didn't we go through enough last time?
MagicalGirl4: Yeahhh, sorry about that. You guys certainly went through a lot, but I wanted the stakes to be kept up since then. The story is starting to take a more serious turn, so I wanted to show that.
Ikuto: You could've at least had the decency to end it on a happier note.
MagicalGirl4: Oh don't worry; by next chapter everything will be resolved. I'm writing the story so by the end of every tenth chapter, grand conflict will occur and certain things will be realised.
Utau: So next chapter's end will definitely be happy, right? I hope I don't have to get pulled into more drama.
MagicalGirl4: Uh, aha, about that…
Amu: Wait, don't spoil anything! You'll ruin it!
MagicalGirl4: Darn, you're right. Looks like you'll have to find out when I decide to write next, Utau.
Utau: (visibly unimpressed)
MagicalGirl4: And now we'll now transition into...
SCMS! FUN FACT!: There is a structured timeline for this fanfic, one which you would've noticed if you read the mentioned dates April 18th and 28th in Chapter 16. This means that the school year started on a Monday, on the 6th of April. And in 2009, the 6th was actually on a Monday, which lines up with the year that the Guardians would have graduated and started middle school!
This was by complete coincidence, but it was a happy one (plus it makes mapping out my fic with specific dates a lot more fun).
MagicalGirl4: Thanks for reading this one everyone! Stay tuned for the next update!