A/N: So, here you go, the latest chappie of Beautiful Destiny. So enjoy, I guess and I don't own anything. (I'm sorry; I soooo tired! T_T)
~Ikuto POV~
"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked Utau, highly skeptical. She pouted, insulted by the fact that I judged her skills, but why would I not? The so-called "best jewelry store in the world" she dragged me too me too appeared to only be a shack. The entrance door hung to the side, wide open, and the widows clung to several black, rusted bars for protection, I presume. Paper littered the front steps as well as the ally way beside it, giving it an eerie feeling. I could not comprehend why this place would be in the best part of town.
Since it was Utau's brilliant idea to buy Amu the charm bracelet, she found it only fair that she helped me buy it also. Whether it was because I could hardly keep my eyelids opens when she announced this proposal or because I only contained two more days until Christmas Day, I accepted. I only wish she had asked later in the day, so that I could refuse.
"Of course it!" she pronounced, out stretching her arms in a manner to make the shack more appealing. Her affords were pointless. "I shop here all the time."
"I see why…" I stated more of an insult then a compliment. "Maybe we should just check somewhere else."
"No! You are going inside whether you like it or not!" she, then, proceeded to drag me into the store, grabbing my arm and tugging with all her might, which was not much. I sighed.
"Fine, let's get this over with." I gave in, carefully making my way up the fragile stairs as Utau followed, obliviously pleased.
Once we entered, I quickly took back what I said. The outside may look suspicious, but the inside clearly explained why this store was in the richest part of Osaka. It was huge! Snow-like wall-to-wall carpeting was the theme of the jewelry store; the counters that lined the wall appeared to be made out of crystal, as did the many vases that sat perched on marble counter tops in every corner. A chandelier hung in the middle of the place, felling the store with light and adding to its elegance. The long narrow container that held even more diamonds in it had an old-style cash register off to the side of the black, marble counter. Beside that sat a flat screen monitor and in front of that was a twenty-something, blond woman, typing vigorously on the keyboard. She was attractive enough, but not nearly as beautiful as Amu.
The women glanced up to only meet Utau's warm gaze. She happily ran over to Utau, arms out stretched.
"Utau-chan, darling!" she exclaimed, pulling my sister in to an embrace. Utau hugged back. "Back so soon?" she asked rhetorically, pulling away.
"Well, you know me." Utau replied as the girls giggled. 'Must be an inside joke.' I thought as the blood women's blue eyes landed on me. A small, noticeable blush crept on her face. 'Here we go…" I thought, inwardly rolling my eyes.
"Uh…w-who's this?" she asked, directed to Utau, but eyes still locked on me. "A boyfriend, maybe?"
"No, no, this is Ikuto, my big bro." she reassured and step in front of me, signaling to the women to focus on her. I almost busted into laughter at Utau's demanding character, but held it in. "That's why we're here; he needs a Christmas gift… you know, for his girlfriend." she continued, notoriously smirking when the hope vanished from the women's eyes.
"Oh…well, umm… w-what is it that you had in mind?" she asked, trying her hardest to mask her disappointment.
"A charm bracelet." I answered this time.
"Yea and it has to have something moon related on it." Utau chimed in, stepping around the woman and over to the glass case in the center of the room, looking inside it.
"That's pretty specific…," the woman started, index finger moving to the edge of her chin. "let me check in the back ." she said finally, moving swiftly towards the back of the store and disappearing downward, which, I had just noticed, was stairs, hidden by a silk, black curtain.
"What's her name?" I asked, stepping beside Utau, mostly tired of calling her 'the blonde women'.
"Misiki, but does that really matter?" she responded, calmly, peering into the counter.
"You two look so close…" I explained, remembering their hug moments earlier.
"You remember the last time I came home with new jewelry?"
"Utau, I don't listen to you." I answered, thoughtfully, propping my elbows up and rested my chin in my palm.
"Whatever! Anyway, I got the most expensive thing in the store for only twenty dollars because I befriended her." she boosted.
"You are an animal." I murmured sarcastically and she poked her tongue out at her as she continued with her suspecting of rings.
Moments later, Misiki returned with three different rectangular boxes in her hands. As she sat them on the center in a perfect row, Utau stood up right beside me.
"These are the closest thing to what you requested." she began, opening each black box, showing off the jewelry. "You could also costume make the bracelet; only twenty dollars extra with a wait of two weeks.
"No thanks." I responded. I already had little time to buy the gift, let alone wait two weeks. I directed my attention to the boxes, started with the one in front of me. That one seemed very plain. It had a full moon dangling in the center but that was it. The extra space would be for extra charms. I did not partially like that one; I had a few days to buy the present, let alone but charms to go on it.
The next one seemed slightly better. There where three charms: a full moon, a half moon, and crescent moon, all silver. They seemed to be going in order. Still, it was not what I imagined myself slipping onto Amu's delicate wrist, not nearly close.
Finally, the last box, and when I glanced at it, I instantly became enchanted. Yes, it had a single, silver full moon in the center, as did the first, but instead of it ending there, more charms hung from it. A silver cross hung closely beside it, and in the center was a sapphire stone. On the other side of the moon charm was a gold crown with the same type of stone in the middle of it, just like the cross. Two flowers ended the bracelet, one on each side. The one to the left beside the crown was pink, while the other deemed midnight blue. The bracelet itself seemed to contain a weird vibe that attracted me to it even more.
"How much…?" I asked, pointing at the third box. The blonde-Misiki smiled widely.
"Oh that's a lovely chose," she praised. "We usually sell it for about $99.99."
"You could have just said 100 bucks." Utau hissed, irritated. Misiki only giggled nervously, probably sensing the irritation herself.
"Now what?" I asked, finally turning away from the jewel and towards my sister.
"Were you not paying attention earlier?" she asked, I unable to tell it rhetorical or not.
"Utau, I told you I don't listen to you." I reminded anyway.
"I have this under control," she whispered with a nudge to my side, unfazed by my remark. She glided over to Misiki on the other side of the counter, draped her arm around her shoulder, and gently pulled her away from the counter. 'Did she expect me to take the box?' I thought, confused by her suddenness.
Eventually, Utau returned with Misiki tailing her trail. Utau picked up the box I chose and handed it over to Misiki.
"What are you-?"
"Misiki-chan's going to wrap it for you," she interrupted as Misiki walked away, box in hand. "and it only cost $27.98." she whispered, smiling proudly.
"How did you…?"
"You have no faith in me; I'm hurt." she exaggerated, faking tears.
I ignored her, but still coughed a chuckle as Misiki returned with the newly wrapped gift: baby blue paper with a white bow on top.
"I hope I chose the right type of gift wrapping paper." she stated, shyly, and sat the box in front of me.
"It's perfect." I assured, handed her the right amount of cash, and picked up the box. Again, her blush became noticeable, and I rolled my eyes inwardly.
"Well, umm, t-thanks for your business," she stammered and Utau and I made out way towards the door. "I hope your friend likes it." she called when we were half way out.
"Oh, don't worry; his girlfriend will love it." Utau called over her shoulder, smirking evilly. I turned around to watch the blond women expression turn sour and I freely chuckled. Yes, Misiki gained the title 'blond women' again. It would not matter anyway; I would never see her again.
~Christmas Night in Amu's world~
~Normal POV (for the first time! o_o)~
Amu happily hummed to herself as she patiently drummed her fingers on the wooden coffee table. She could hardly wait until Ikuto 'appeared', as she called it. Their first Christmas had her extra excited. Her mama once told her, before meeting her cruel fate, that you could only have a first, first. Again, Amu was very smart; she knew you could not have a second first, but she missed the deeper meaning behind it all. Until now, that is; she knew exactly what her mother meant.
She eventually grew bored with tapping and Rima's soft snored seemed less adorable at the moment. She decided to check up on the particular person that just so happened to be on her mind. She happily leaped up and sprinted to Ikuto's room. Once in front of the door, she quietly peeked her head through the door. There he was, in all his sleeping glory. She could not help but blush.
Amu entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her as she paced over the bed and sat next to him. Even unconscious, he was gorgeous. She giggled, very fangirl-ish, waving her arms around, giddy. She calmed herself and sighed in content. Her eyes went back to the boy and she gently brushed away a strand of hair from his eyes. She smiled; even thought his messy look attracted her, she much preferred the hair not covering his eyes.
It was not just his looks that she loved; there were thousands of reasons. Like the time when Ikuto rescued Utau from perverted drunks: she liked the fact that he treated his sister so nicely, even if they fight sometime. Alternatively, the fact that everyone he mets instantly loved and worshiped him. She loved it all. 'Sometimes,' she thought as she unconsciously leaned closer to his face…his lips… 'I believe I am not deserving of someone like him…' Amu thought, obviously pained, and moved in even closer. 'How is it even possible for Ikuto to agree to save me; he probably has better things to do.'
She would not dare bring this up to Ikuto; she already walked on pins and needles from just requesting his help, putting his life in danger. Now she wanted to tell him that it is weird for him to be as close and open to her as he was? She could not! She secretly cursed that attitude of hers. The attitude that prevented her from expressing herself freely.
Now she was even closer, her pink lips barely brushing against his. 'I wonder…' she thought, honey eyes locked on his flawless face. 'Just one…little kiss…that is all…' she concluded, slowly, just about the fill the little space that remained.
"Perverted Girl." Ikuto whispered suddenly. Amu flew up, surprised, eyes wide with shock.
"I-I-I-Ikuto, when did you w-wake up??" she asked, trying to appear casual, but failed miserable.
"Just now, you know, before you tried to steal my lips' innocence." she stated, smirk in place, as he sat up also.
"Y-you don't know what you're talking about!" she accused with a 'humph' and crossed her arms.
"So you wasn't about to rape my mouth?" he asked innocently.
"How would you know; you were asleep."
"Yea, but I clearly saw you about to kiss me." he stated. Amu just rolled her eyes, still blushing brightly. An idea crossed Ikuto's mind and he creped his way over to the pinkette
"But you know," he murmured, seductively, without even trying, in her ear. "I wouldn't have mind."
"Jeez! Leave me alone!" she shouted and scooted to the edge of the bed, crossed her arms, and turned an all-new shade of red.
Ikuto laughed quietly, but it stilled earned a glare from Amu. "C'mon, Amu, don't you want you gift before you shut me off from the world?"
Her head quickly turned towards him. "I said no gifts," she reminded, but her eyes were glowing. She scooted back over to him.
"Well, you'll be glad I ignored your request this time." he teased and reached for his pocket. When he felt the filmier box-shaped nudge, he sighed in relief. He had tested this experiment two days earlier, when he first brought the charm bracelet. He realized that if he simply placed the item he wanted to transfer to the fantasy world inside his pocket, it would be with him when he woke up. He could not figure out why he had not figured that out earlier, but then again, his logical thinking had died out since Amu entered his life.
He pulled out the box and hid it behind his back. "You have to close your eyes," he teased, smirking playfully.
"Oh please, Ikuto." she huffed, lady-like as ever.
"Nope," he shook his head, popping the 'p'. "You have to close your eyes or no present for you."
"Fine!" she gave in and shut her eyes. Ikuto slid closer to her and gently lifted her wrist. He saw the skepticism cross her face and he smirked even more. He twisted her hand, so that her palm faced upward, and placed the box gently on top.
"Open your eyes." he gently commanded in her ear, sending tingles up her spine. She did as he requested and slowly opened her eyes and stared down at the box. She gasped as Ikuto pulled away from her ear and stared at her expression.
"I-Ikuto…" she began, but stopped, caused by the lump forming in her throat. She lifted the lid slowly and uncovered the bracelet. She hitched another gasp and Ikuto smiled proudly. "It…it's…oh, Ikuto…." she looked up to meet his gaze.
"'Ikuto' isn't an adjective, Amu." he chuckled.
"But it's so…how did you…and…wow…" she sighed, just unable to find to correct words. Ikuto chuckled again and cupped her cheek.
"So you do like it?"
"Love it," she confirmed, smiling widely. "Will you do me the honors?" she stuck out her hand, passing the box to Ikuto.
"Of course." he took the bracelet out of the box and carefully clipped it around her wrist. When it was successfully on her wrist, a place where it would remain, she giggled goofy-like.
"Teehee, thank you~." she said, through laughs and looked down at her wrist, admiring her new procession.
"No prob….And one other thing." he started.
"Yes?" she asked, looking up from the wrist. He blushed; it would probably help him if she did not stare at him with those eyes of hers that caused his heart to race.
"U-umm…well, umm,"
"C'mon, Ikuto~!" she exclaimed, coping his earlier slang.
"Okay, okay," he sighed. "What I'm trying to say is…that…" he sighed again. "I'm in love with you, Amu Hinamori."
She stared up that him in disbelief, before smiling. "It sure did take you long enough."
"Yea, I guess it did." she sighed, laughing a bit, smiling also.
"I love you too, by the way…,"she informed.
"I kinda got that." He murmured as he began to lean in closer. Amu quickly realized what he was up to, but did not complain. She leaned in also. Just as they were about the crash into each other's lips, and Amu got a feeling that she had tried this before, and just like her attempt, would be interrupted, Rima busted into the room.
"Onei-chan!" she started, breathless.
"Rima, I'm busy." Amu sighed, irritated, and looked towards her sister. Ikuto could sense something was wrong, not just from Amu and Rima's bickering, but something else.
"But, Onei-chan, its back!" she explained, eyes full of fear.
"What?!" Amu leaped from the bed as Ikuto hopped up too. "Rima are you sure?"
"Yes!" just as the word left the young girl's lips, a huge rumbling shocked the tree house cause Rima to fall to the floor. Ikuto caught Amu just before her head landed to the hard floor.
"Rima!" Amu pushed away from her boyfriend, and dashed to her sister. She helped her up, checking to make sure she was okay.
"What's going on?" Ikuto asked, joining the girls.
"It's here; that thing I told you about." Amu explained her eyes filled of terror for, not only herself and her sister, but for Ikuto.
"The bad thing." Rima added, picking herself up, dusting off her white Sunday dress.
"Well what can I-" he started.
"The only thing you can do: help us!" Rima stated, irritated. She was not going to die off by some unknown thing while Ikuto just sat around and gaze at Amu.
"Rima, don't be rude." Amu cautioned, standing up as while, as the tree house shook again, this time not as forcefully.
"Anything I can do to help, tell me." he stated, getting back on subject.
"Well first-" Rima started, but it was too late; Ikuto was beginning to awaken.
'Oh no!' Ikuto screamed inwardly.
"See you around." Amu whispered, tears daring to fall from her eyelids.
In a flash, Ikuto was gone, away from the love of his life's world, and back to his plan little world. Ikuto jolted forward and checked his surrounding. Amu and Rima were nowhere to be found.
"Amu…" she whispered into the air as white droplets began to fall from the sky, melting as soon as the crystals hit the ground.
Rini: I am so freaking proud of myself. True the ending was a bit rushed, because I'm sleepy, but other then that, this is pure gold!
Ikuto: Keep dreaming.
Rini: Why must you crush my dreams?
Ikuto: Well, it does give me a cheep thrill.
Rini: Anyway, I tired.
Ikuto: Yea, you said that already. Wanna just wrap up this chappie?
Rini: Sigh, sure. Later people. I hope you liked it and don't forget the review. *Yawn*