Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!

Tadase is a part of Easter's kingdom because he and Ikuto are friends in this story.

Chapter 2

Thinking About You

"Alright, take a break." Hotori Tadase said, sheathing his sword.

Ikuto did the same, the two taking a break of sword-fighting practice.

Ikuto sat on the grass, looking at the sky, thinking about the strange princess he had met the day before.

"Something on your mind, your highness?" Tadase sat next to him.

Ikuto kept his eyes on the sky. "Tadase…that princess…is it true she'd never left her home until yesterday?"

Tadase nodded. "That's what I hear. Her parents are very over-protective of both their children." He looked confused. "Why do you ask?"

Ikuto shrugged. "Just curious. I've left home several times, so I find it weird that she had never left home at all. How do her subjects greet her?"

Tadase thought back on what he had heard from his visits to town. "According to our subjects that had visited there, there is a balcony over-looking the main village in their kingdom where she makes daily appearances." He smiled at his friend, amused. "Why the curiosity? Interested in your fiancé?"

Ikuto stood. "I'll be in my room, call for me when it's time to practice again." He then headed to his room, thinking. 'A sheltered life up until now…it must be lonely.'

Amu sat on her bed, braiding a lock of her hair, thinking. She sighed. "This is crazy."

There was a knock at her door. "Your highness? May I come in?"

"Yes." Amu called back.

Rima entered her room with another palace servant, Nagihiko. Rima curtsied while Nagihiko gave a slight bow before approached her, closing the door behind them.

Amu smiled at her friends. "Hello."

Rima sat on the edge of Amu's bed, smoothing out her skirt while Nagihiko stood next to the bed.

"Want to hear some news?" Nagihiko asked, smiling. Daily, sometime after lunch, her two friends would come into the young princess's room and tell her all about things they had heard when going into town that morning, as well as the usual palace gossip. It was Amu's way of keeping up with things in the world outside of the palace.

Amu smiled and nodded. "Go ahead."

"I overheard another servant saying that she heard the queen mention that prince Ikuto will be come here tomorrow." Nagihiko said.

Amu froze. "Why?"

Rima smirked. "What's wrong with him visiting his fiancé?"

Amu frowned. "I never agreed to be his fiancé!"

Rima shrugged. "The day you were born, the day he met you, it was decided."

Amu blinked. "Met…me? He met me when I was a baby? He would have been six…"

Rima nodded. "Yep. But he hadn't seen you since then until yesterday."

"How do you know this?" Amu asked, surprised by this information.

"There are servants here from when you were a baby, of course those stories would be traveling around at this time." Nagihiko shrugged.

Amu looked out her window. "…why didn't he tell me?"

Rima raised an eyebrow. "According to you, you gave him the cold shoulder most of the time. Why would he tell you when you were acting like that?"

Amu put her face in her hands. "…I don't know how to act around him. I want nothing to do with him, but at the same time I want to know how HE feels about this whole arranged marriage deal."

"Well, he's coming over tomorrow, so ask him then." Rima suggested.

Amu sighed, lowering her hands from her face. "…I hate having my fate decided for me. They can't expect me to be okay with this after only knowing about it for a week. I want to meet a guy on my own, fall in love, like a normal girl."

"Well, you aren't normal, you're a princess." Rima bluntly stated.

Amu rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." She crossed her arms over his chest. "Whatever. I just don't ever want to see him again."

"Not even to return this?" Rima had jumped off her bed and made her way to Amu's desk, holding up the neatly folded, now cleaned, handkerchief that Ikuto had given her the other day.

Amu gasped, blushing lightly. "Rima!" She chased her friend around her room until she retrieved the cloth from her.

Rima and Nagihiko laughed.

"You should at least return it to him." Nagihiko smiled.

Amu sighed. "Fine. But I won't like doing it."

"Because you want to keep it?" Rima teased.

Amu blushed again. "RIMA!"

Okay, so this was short and not very plot-helpful, but it had to be written to set up the next chapter. Review please!