Chapter 4

School

ShadowCat: In this one, we FINALLY meet Ikuto! *smiles evilly and shifts eyes over to him*

Ikuto: You shouldn't do that. It's bad for your system.

ShadowCat: Put a sock in it, Furball.

Ikuto: What? A lady who can resist my charms?

ShadowCat: *rolls eyes* Conceited, much?

Ikuto: I will make you want me by the time this story ends!

ShadowCat: Good luck with that. Anyways, I have a perfect ending and epilogue for this story.

Amu: Uh…ShadowCat doesn't own Shugo Chara…though we are her puppets right now…

I woke up this morning to Mizuki tugging on my ears. "Come ON, Katsumi! Did you forget about school?" "Wha-?" I replied, bewildered. I looked around, blinking. Then it was like a bubble popped in my brain. "Holy smokes!" I cried, throwing on my uniform. I grabbed my backpack and creeped to the stairs, hoping not to wake my drunk father. As I got to bottom, I breathed a sigh of relief. Made it! I walked over to the snack cabinet and grabbed a granola bar. I threw on my jacket, granola bar clasped between my teeth. "DAMMIT, GIRL!" I heard a voice shout from behind me. I spun around, and saw the drunken bastard glaring at me over half-closed eyelids, his words slurring. "HOW DAREYOU LEAVTHE HOUSE LIKE THIS!" He hurled a piece of glass at me, from a beer bottle. I tried to duck, but it struck me just under my left cheekbone. I hurried outside, hearing glass against wood as I slammed the door. I put my hand to my face, and pulled it away as soon as I felt a sting. I glanced at my hand. It was stained crimson. "Damn." I hissed. I took off running down the street to the drugstore. I made it there in record time and opened the door. The little bell they put on the handle for god knows why jingled. I hurried through the sterile white aisles and found the bandages. "Here." I said to the man at the counter as I shoved a dollar bill towards him. I saw curiosity in his eyes. I don't know whether it was because of my white hair, which, in case you haven't noticed, isn't exactly the most common hair color in Japan-or any other country in the world now that I think about it, or the cut on my cheek. Either way, he kept quiet. Either he was well paid, or he saw this kind of thing often. I wonder what it'd be like to be a cashier. But I digress. "Katsumi…It's 7:55!" I looked at my watch. "HOLY CRAP!" I cried. I quickly put a bandage on and ran outside. School starts at 8:00 for heaven's sake! I made it to my school, again in record time (man, any more records and I'm gonna be famous!), and got to debate. Worst class in the world, except for math—MATH! I had just gotten transferred to the advanced first hour class! I skidded down the now-empty halls to the other side of the school. I stopped just outside Takanishi-sensei's class and calmly pushed open the door. Two minutes late. "So I see our new class member finally got here. Class, this is Hikono Katsumi. Hikono, sit in the second row from the back behind-"The door slammed right behind my head. "TAKANISHI-SENSEI! I'M HERE!!" A voice yelled. A boy with orange hair and bright blue eyes frantically yelled. "Sorry! I was on my way here and then realized I forgot my homework and then got back outside and it was cold and had to get my jacket and pack my lunch and needed to find my duct tape-""Sit down, Daicho." Takanishi said harshly. She cut the boy off mid-sentence! Then again, he probably would've rambled on all day if allowed. I mean, duct tape?! "Go take that empty seat, Hikono." She said. I walked towards my seat, hearing whispering around me. And about me, to boot. "Did you see that? Didn't even flinch when Daicho-kun slammed the door!" "Man, she's hot! You gonna ask her out?" Man, was I used to this, though. I'm considered "cool". You know how I didn't flinch? That's not because I'm cool. It's because I have terrible reaction timing for loud noises, I'm not even kidding. And my name means "victorious beauty". Ugh. I sighed inwardly and plopped my books down on my desk. I checked out my surroundings. Left, a window. Front, no one I recognized. To my right was Daicho. He was hurriedly scribbling down the math problems on the board, looking up, and then down to write them, and then almost jabbing his eye out with his pencil. I turned to look behind me. Midnight hair, sapphire eyes, and a cross necklace. He smirked at me. I whipped my head around so fast I almost jabbed my eye out myself. It was him. Ikuto. The person whose life I'd saved. The person who didn't utter a word to me. And the person who'd opened a gateway for me, from which I knew I could never turn away.

|*|*|*|

Lunchtime. So far, Tsukiyomi Ikuto (Yes, I finally figured out his full name) had been in every single one of my classes. Even the ones that he wasn't in before. Needless to say, I'm kinda creeped out. We're allowed to eat lunch outside, so I took my ramen and sat under a sakura tree. I was just starting to eat when I heard a crash and then a voice. "Ow…" I turned to look, and it seemed Daicho had just tripped over a tree root. I sweat-dropped. "Oops. Uh, hey! Sorry about this morning…you know, the whole door incident." "Um…OK?" I replied. "Oh, we haven't been introduced! My name's Daicho Masashi." He said, sticking out his hand. "Ma…sashi." I replied skeptically. Masashi is a name meaning "elegant" in Japanese. As far as I could tell, he was anything but elegant. He winced. "Yup. 'Parently I don't live up to my name." "Right…anyways, was there anything you wanted?" "Do you mind if I sit here?" "Yes." He plopped down right next to me anyway. "I'm sure you've heard of the Protectors?" Boy, did I ever! They were the most popular life forms in Seiyo High! Any word of them got around faster than the flu in the winter. "Yeah. What of it?" I asked, a little curious yet suspicious. "Um…we'd kinda sorta like you to…possibly join?" "What?!" I snapped. And then it hit me. Daicho was in the Protectors! "Why?!" "Um…we'll explain when you get to our meeting today after school." "Hey, who ever said I agreed to go?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Oh. So you're not accepting? 'K." He replied, looking a little crestfallen. "Exactly." I replied sharply. Just then, I heard an echoing voice. "Character Change!" "Just kidding!" I said happily. "I'd love to come! Being invited to be one of the Protectors? Amazing!" I smiled. Curse you, Mizuki! She pulled a fast one on me! "You would? Great!" My character snapped back. I groaned inwardly. Daicho started to walk away. "Wait!" I called out. "Why on earth haven't you guys asked me before?" "We weren't sure about you." He said. "How come you decided to ask now? And why you?" He blushed to the point that it looked like someone had painted his face red. He looked at his feet and muttered something I couldn't make out. "Huh?" I asked. "I drew the short straw." He said while his face turned even redder, and then took off across the courtyard.

|*|*|*|

The last class of the day. Debate. I know it sounds exciting, but really, it's just an excuse for the teacher to drone on and on about whether or not Jerusalem should be a country or not. I sat down in the seat next to the window that Hagiwara-sensei had assigned me. I stared out the window while Mizuki started wrestling to pick up my pencil to draw with it. I heard a dragging noise from next to my head. "Mizuki, quiet down, will you?" I hissed. It still persisted. I turned my head. "I said cut it-"My eyes widened. The cat chara Yoru was dragging a piece of paper along the surface of my desk. I raised my head and looked to my right. I should have known. Tsukiyomi Ikuto smirked at me. I lowered my head again. "Ikuto told me to give this to you, nyah!" The chara said to me, dropping the paper down in front of me. I tried to ignore it, but he kept pushing it towards my hand. "C'mon, he really wants you to read it!" "Like hell he does." I muttered, but opened anyway.

You mad about last night?

Ikuto's handwriting was small and cramped. I almost tore it up right then and there, but something stopped me. "Mizuki, pencil." I said sharply.

Yes.

I scribble back. Why on earth wouldn't he think otherwise? I shoved the paper towards the chara. "Here, Kit-Kat. Tell him not to bother writing back." I turned my head back towards the window. I heard scribbling from the next desk over, and then the chara trying to bring the paper over.

His name's Yoru. And are you sure?

Yoru, huh? Night. Fitting, I guess.

YES. Go away.

The rest of the conversation went as follows:

Oh? Is that why you've been ignoring me all day?

Why would I not, even if I actually knew you?

I don't know a lady alive who hasn't fallen for me.

Is that so? My name's Hikono Katsumi. There you go, you officially have.

So you're sure you're still mad.

YES. Why the hell are you even in all my classes now anyway, you psycho Cosplay stalker!

At this, the bell rang. "C'mon, Mizuk—MIZUKI, WE'RE GOING!" I snapped at her. She was playing tic-tac-toe with Yoru! I slung my bag over my shoulder and left to go to the Protector's meeting. I quickly walked through the hall, Mizuki floating beside me. "He's not that bad, Katsumi! Sure, he may be mischevious, but once you get to know him, he's not so bad!" "Who're you talking about, Yoru or Tsukiyomi?" I snapped. "Both, I suppose." "You know not to get to close to people! That spells trouble with a capital L-O-V-E." "That's what you think. But I'm your other side, the one that trusts people…remember?" I stayed silent and headed towards the door, aware of Ikuto and Yoru trailing a few yards behind me.