Title: Don't Bother Me
Author's Note: I actually like Tadase, to which I may be one of the few firmly entrenched Amu/Ikuto shippers who would admit that openly. He's been given a bad rap by some people, and I know, having initially dismissed him myself, but Peach Pit came through in the end, especially based on the last couple of chapters in the manga. Thus, out of respect for Tadase, he will have his OWN role within my story, not as a love interest. Even though I still like Tadase, I'll be frank: Amu/Ikuto/Tadase has got to be one of the strangest love triangles I've ever read or watched about in anime. I just can't do one like it in my fanfic, and honestly, I don't like to write love triangles anyway as someone's just going to get hurt in the end.
What else? I admit to confessing a secret love of Nagi and Rima, am Nagi/Rima all the way, no one can change my mind on that one. Their Queen's Waltz was so cute! Same thing with Kukai/Utau. Energetic Kukai can handle Utau's intense competitiveness very nicely. Two great pairings, and I WILL promote them. As for Yaya and Kairi, I like them individually, but I can't say I'm for any particular pairing with either of them, and contrary to popular notion, not everyone has to get together with someone. They're also the youngest, and they can wait...
One last thing: I've been watching and reading Kaze No Stigma. Yay, more pervy inspiration for writing about Ikuto...I think many people would like the story if they wanted to look it up. The three main characters are very appealing and helped me in my ongoing personality sketching for both Hansuke and Sayaka.
Next chapter is another Ikuto one! Thanks for reviewing, kaaayyytteee! I hope I continue to write Ikuto in-character as best I can.
Chapter Six
Finally, this long overdue moment had come crashing down on me with considerable force: the meeting with the Guardians. So why did its arrival have to turn out as it did? Why did Kukai practically kidnap me from practice, much to the annoyance of my rhythmic gymnastics club? I didn't care if Hotori Tadase-san, the King of the Guardians, had issued an order to Kukai to pick me up and see me on demand that day. We'd already agreed to convene together right after my practice was over at six o'clock that night. Yes, late for them, yet the group seemed to be interested enough in me to want to inconvenience themselves for my sake. After all, I figured this active solicitation was to only be expected as Seiyo Academy's student council extending help toward a recent former student.
As I neared the school gates with Kukai, I once again drank in the larger-than-life quality about my old school. Most likely, the reason behind its formidable atmosphere could be traced to the decidedly castle-like design of the six story, peach colored main building, complete with a huge domed planetarium in the back almost hidden in the school's extensive grounds even after one took into consideration the wonderfully robust athletic facilities hogging a large portion of available space. Off to side, a similarly castle shaped greenhouse called the Royal Garden crouched like a faithful retainer to the school. Every student here knew that the Guardians held their "secret" meetings on student council matters in that Royal Garden.
How could I afford to attend this very prestigious private school after describing its numerous expensive features? Thanks to Amakawa Tsukasa-san's generous assistance in the form of a scholarship for the last two years of elementary school, I didn't have to worry about tuition. The principal of Seiyo Academy had somehow heard of my difficult financial situation with Hansuke following our parents' passing on and leaving us with very little to live on. At first, we protested out of pride and wondered how in the hell had this relative stranger known such a closely guarded secret. We'd both worked hard to always be on time with the monthly payments, although the time where we would've needed to humble ourselves before other family members was swiftly approaching. To be fair, Amakawa-san did stipulate I would need to accept the scholarship in return for playing competitively with the rhythmic gymnastics club. In the end, the arrangement worked out well, but I decided a less expensive public school would be more appropriate for middle school instead of attending Seiyo Academy's version.
The answer as to why I'd been so summarily summoned by Hotori-san appeared in my line of sight as soon as I walked with Kukai behind me in to the Royal Garden, where, sure enough, a colorful flower garden thrived and even a small fountain somehow got snuck in. It was Hotori-san himself, the vertically challenged (only 5'1"), cute, and femininely attractive boy whom numerous lovestruck fangirls constantly confessed to. In proper Shoujo manga style, elaborately styled blond hair with a thin ahoge covered his head below a tiny golden crown that I knew from personal experience did not belong there in a normal situation. His red-violet eyes flashed with a far different attitude than the semi shy politeness he usually displayed to everyone. Yet another indication things weren't quite right: he pointed a golden scepter at me angrily from a short distance away and succeeded in unnerving me a little, a feat hard for the quite agreeable and likeable Hotori-san to accomplish very often. Impressive, especially since he'd managed to tackle this task all while still in his decidedly nonthreatening boy's school outfit for Seiyo Academy: blue Tartan shorts, black blazer, blue tie, and white shirt. The slightly goofy yet highly coveted blue Tartan cape for male Guardians had been transformed into something, well, kingly.
"You, commoner! How dare you keep me waiting! What took so long?" Hotori-san thundered at me. I cast a sidelong glance in Kukai's direction. My best friend had moved to my right, smiling the whole time as if this behavior was totally normal, thereby significantly upping the annoyance that had already begun its slow climb within me.
A tiny voice boomed from next to Hotori-san: "Answer Tadase like a good and loyal subject should! I, Kiseki, cannot allow Tadase's subjects to withhold information from him."
Oh, it's Hotori-san's Guardian Character, I realized, staring with interest at the regal little figure that had just appeared from behind Hotori-san. Kiseki wore a frilly blue shirt and pants, a fur-lined red cape was draped on his back, and a golden crown sat atop a royal purple head that was styled similarly to his owner's. His eyes were a striking blue, burning with indignation at my not having instantly responded to his owner, at last causing me to comprehend the obvious source of this strange personality alteration in Hotori-san.
Most likely, telling the simple, straightforward truth would be the best method to diffuse the Character Change that Hotori-san had undergone. So Hotori-san wanted to be a domineering, selfish king as he would be self, eh? "I go to another school, so we had to walk a little to get here." I turned to Kukai, dimly wondering how Hotori-san had been "provoked," adding with smug satisfaction as a way of taking advantage of the situation in order to extract my revenge against Kukai: "I won the running contest. When this meeting is over, you have to return to my school to retrieve my things for me."
"We can't have discontented new subjects, can we? Too troublesome," Hotori-san's Guardian Character remarked as if he really did have subjects to please. Guardian Characters really went whole hog when it concerned acting out their roles, huh?
"Yes, good advice, Kiseki, Souma-kun can take care of Takeda-san because I order him to as my Jack," Hotori-san indicated with ease, sweeping a hand toward me as a way of signifying the dismissal of the topic. I was very pleased with this intervention and remembered Kukai informing me of the Jack's main purpose: to serve his King faithfully.
To my rising irritation, Kukai simply widened the already broad smile stretching his face and stepped over toward the large, round, white table with five matching chairs surrounding it couched in the center of the lush garden's smooth marble floor. On top of the table rested – no kidding - the full complements of a tea party. Wow, aren't these bad-ass kids just up to no good in their meetings, I thought with a suppressed grin, then started when I once again came into a belated conclusion. Where is everyone else?
As if Fumiko was reading my mind – who knew, maybe she could as my would be self – voiced my question aloud rather cheerfully. I still couldn't become accustomed to the sheer oneness of Fumiko's personality in both her thoughts and actions. How would you like your secret innermost hopes and dreams plainly broadcast to anyone with a Guardian Character?
"Where is everyone else? Aren't there four Guardians? I can't wait to meet you all!"
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing, too, Fumiko," Daichi echoed.
Great, weren't the two Guardian Characters just regular telepaths today? Like Yoru, Daichi had instantly gotten along with Fumiko, although my reaction to Daichi's liking Fumiko wasn't colored with as much surprise as it had been with Yoru and Fumiko's unlikely rapport. Would she leave a favorable impression with the other Guardian Characters she'd be presented to?
"We're here!" a soft, pleasant female voice announced behind us, the sudden words startling Hotori-san enough to lose the scepter and crown, the symbols of his Character Change. He simply looked embarrassed at his regal, high-handed display of power. "I had to grab my scones from the Home Economics classroom."
The six of us whirled around to confront the last of the Guardians to show up. There they stood framing the doorway, two Guardian Characters at one side of each girl. Naturally, like Hotori-san, I was casually acquainted with them through Kukai long enough to remember their names: Fujisaki Nadeshiko-san, the Queen of the Guardians, and Yuiki Yaya-san, the Ace of the Guardians. Both girls, Yuiki-san being the noticeably shorter than Fujisaki-san's 5'4", the same height as Kukai, wore the female version of the Seiyo Academy uniform: red Tartan skirt, black blazer, red tie, white shirt, along with the equally distinctive red Tartan cape for female Guardians.
Of course, individual preferences took command to provide our eyes with customization among the homogenous quality of the Fujisaki-san's long, flowing dark purple hair tied up in a swinging ponytail had been secured by a red ribbon with sakura flower ends. Her golden honey eyes lingered proudly on the platter of scones in her hands. Yuiki-san's orangish brown hair had been drawn back in pigtails with big red ribbons. Her brown eyes hungrily drank in the appealing scones.
Fujisaki-san's Guardian Character was robed in a pink traditional Japanese kimono, complete with wide hanging sleeves just like a beautiful royal princess. Her violet hair, also a ponytail held back by two pink sakura flowers, the violet eyes carefully watching our odd assortment of a group from above the huge kimono sleeves held to her face by the hands underneath the cloth. How odd, I thought quizzically. It's as if she's trying to be secretive or mysterious with that gesture.
Yuiki-san's Guardian Character was rather baby-looking, much to my amused self, given how...immature she could be from the few times I'd met her. Unlike the fifth graders Hotori-san and Fujisaki-san and sixth grader Kukai, Yuiki-san was only a fourth grader, and this year had been her first as a Guardian, whereas Hotori-san, Kukai, and Fujisaki-san already had at least one year under theirs belts.
The baby Guardian Character had darkish orange-brown hair in two pigtails like Yuiki-san's. Dressed in a get-up consisting of a pink, long-sleeved onesie with feet, a white bib, and a pink and white hat with bunny ears, and a big red bow on the left side, she completed the look by sucking on a yellow pacifier in her mouth.
"Hello, Takeda-san, I see you've already met Kiseki and Daichi," Fujisaki-san called and moved forward with her companion Yuiki-san and their two Guardian Characters. In fact, Fujisaki-san glided across the garden, a suppleness no doubt acquired from her years of learning from her mother how to do Japanese traditional dances in intricately beautiful ceremonial garb, and this pastime no doubt explained the presence of her graceful Guardian Character.
"Sayaka-chan, you're early!" Yuiki-san exclaimed with a noticeable childish enthusiasm. Nope, no mystery about why she had a baby would be self. At least no one would be bringing up my kidnapping in great detail.
I also couldn't seem to shake the exasperating, cutesy honorific of "chan." Really, the only person here whom I could justifiably address on a first name basis would obviously be Kukai, and bluntly, "chan" is not something I ever used. It was either just the first name, or the standard, always safe "san" with last name combo for those I didn't feel as comfortable being that familiar with. Ikuto was probably the new exception to my current honorifics policy. Not only did still I not know his last name, I wasn't going to deign to acknowledge his existence with any semblance of politeness between us by utilizing "san." I wanted to convey insult, not closeness.
"Please, Yuiki-san, Sayaka is fine by itself." I guessed Yuiki-san would be the next allowance just by utter wearisomeness of the "Sayaka-chan" bombardment and then finally doing something about the situation.
"Okay...Sayaka." Yuiki-san's voice trailed off as the slight disappointment registered on her face. She absolutely loved her little pet honorifics for anyone she could get to go along with her scheme, but brightened abruptly at realizing she could ask the same privilege of me: "Will you call me Yaya?"
A simple, automatic "sure" was all that leaked out of my mouth. Better to nip the problem in the bud with an acceptable compromise now rather than later.
Meanwhile, upon Fujisaki-san placing the tray of wonderful smelling scones on the table, the four Guardians and I had seated ourselves. I glanced at each of the four in front of me. The Guardians were popular because of the prestige of being a Guardian, so many rumors abounded about what they were actually like. Through Kukai, I encountered the Guardians once in a while and interacted with them, thus rendering my image of them into a more human frame of mind.
"As Fujisaki-san said, Takeda-san has been introduced to both Daichi and Kiseki," a properly reined in and recovered Hotori-san recapped matter-of-factly as we dug in to the scones and tea. I supposed he was in charge of the meetings because of his position as King. "Let's have Fujisaki-san and Yuiki-san each take a turn introducing Takeda-san their Guardian Characters."
"Takeda-san, this is Temari," Fujisaki-san chimed in, pointing at her Guardian Character, who winked at Fumiko and I.
"Sayaka, this is Pepe-tan," Yaya concluded the greetings as Pepe waved a hand smilingly our way. Yep, Yaya had whipped out another cutesy honorific.
"Pleased to meet all of you! I'm Fumiko!" my Guardian Character burst out before Hotori-san could steer the conversation toward her direction. For lack of a better reaction, my face reddened, and I cast my vision downward toward my lap.
"Could it be that Takeda-san is really shy, even after all those stories we've heard about her from Souma-kun?" Fujisaki-san dared to speculate ensuing a fairly uncomfortable lull.
If I was going to save any lingering shred of self-dignity, I would wait to compose myself before confronting the apparently amused Fujisaki-san about taking liberties with what my reputation actually consisted of. Kukai had the good grace to not laugh at me. I could be violent if need be.
A thump, the kind of noise where you know something not good is coming your way, filled my ears. "Yes, Sayaka is very shy, and I would know," a smooth, cool voice agreed with Fujisaki-san. This time, I knew I didn't have any desire to look back up.
It was Ikuto.
Some scrap of a chair occurred, and Hotori-san hollered, "Tsukiyomi Ikuto!"
So Ikuto did have a last name after all.