Yami: *moping in dark corner*

Ikuto: What's with her?

Amu: She's depressed. It's been almost a year since she last updated and is fairly sure that all of her readers hate her guts and left. Not to mention she only got 3 reviews for the last chapter, which only depressed her further.

Ikuto: Well its her fault for not writing any new chapters.

Yami: I've been busy! I've had a bunch of homework and projects for school along with other afterschool activities and a bunch of other stuff! And whenever I tried to write something else came up or I just couldn't think of anything!

Ikuto: Surely you haven't had all that stuff all year? What about when you didn't have homework and afterschool activities?

Yami: Um...

Ikuto: *whispers to readers* In other words, she's been watching anime and playing video games in all of her spare time. What can I say, she's a crazed and obsessed otaku.

Yami: Hey! That's not- okay it kind of is, but-

Ikuto: Excuses are excuses, and you have no excuse for not writing.

Yami: ...You're right. I'm sorry, readers. Please forgive me!

Amu: Yay, she's not depressed anymore!

Yami: Anyways, here is the chapter. Sorry if it sucks, which it does.

Amu: Yami does not own Shugo Chara! or any of the characters.

Master of Shadows

Chapter 3

Ikuto's POV

Darkness everywhere… a woman clad in white… silver moonlight… the melancholic notes of a violin… a flash of pink… a soft smile… deadly amber eyes… the images swirling around my head. There were times I wanted to scream, and there were others that I wanted laugh. Then everything went dark once more.

"It's so beautiful out here, isn't it?" a voice asked, calm and distant. The voice seemed to call out to me, beckoning me into the light. I felt something caress my cheek gently and sigh.

That's when I woke up. Oh, it was that dream again. Why do I keep having it over and over? That's when I realized that something was going on; the dream never ended like that. Something was wrong, I could feel it. I could sense another presence nearby, and I could tell that it was really close. Eyes still closed, I pretended to still be asleep. Instincts kicking in, I immediately slowed my breathing (which had sped up within the last minute) and listened in earnest to what was going on around me.

I was on high alert, my mind quickly processing every single piece of information my senses gathered. Leaves rustled in the wind all around me. The breeze ruffled my already wayward hair as the scent of cherry blossoms filled my nose. A petal landed lazily on my cheek. But all these things did not tell me what I wanted to know. What I wanted to know was who or what was here. Was it a friend or an enemy?

Just before I started to panic, I heard a soft sigh and a gentle, "What am I going to do with you, Ikuto?" as a delicate hand brushed the petal from my cheek. A moment later, soft fingers gently tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. One thing is clear now: she isn't an enemy. How did I know that it is a she? Simple. The tone of voice was way too feminine to be a guy. There was no hint of a threat in her voice, and how could someone who meant me harm caress my cheek like that? If she was an enemy, she would have hurt me when my defenses were down.

Deciding that I was in no apparent danger, I open my eyes to find a girl with pink hair sitting next to me with her eyes closed, a relaxed smile on her face. It was that new girl! Her name is Hinamori Amu, isn't it? I guess now would be a good time as ever to get to know her. Or at least find out what she's doing here.

"What are you doing?" I ask bluntly, pulling her out of her reverie. Her golden eyes open lazily and stare into my own sapphire ones for a couple of seconds, dazed. After blinking a few times, her eyes went wide with recognition, and her cheeks turned red.

"Umm… I… I w-wasn't doing a-anything," she stuttered with embarrassment. Her gaze avoided mine as she turned away from me. "Nope, I-I don't know w-what you're talking about!" Standing up, she said, "I should probably get going, now. I mean, I shouldn't really be skipping on my first day. That would be bad…." She turned to leave.

Liar. "You know, you shouldn't watch people when they sleep," I said, stopping her in her tracks. "Some might start thinking that you're some kind of weirdo." She turned back towards me with her fists clenched. Ah, the look on her face was priceless! Her cheeks were bright red, first with embarrassment and then anger.

"I am not a weirdo!" she exclaimed indignantly. "If there is anybody here that is a weirdo, it's you."

I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Oh and why is that?" I asked, smirking.

She was silent for a moment before answering stubbornly, "I have my reasons."

I rolled my eyes. "And those reasons would be?"

"Well, I mean, what kind of person randomly decides to take a nap in the middle of some random field?"

"Me."

"What?" she asked, confusion in her eyes.

I mentally sighed. Do I have to explain everything to her, or is she just that dense? "Me. You asked, 'What kind of person randomly decides to take a nap in the middle of some random field?' And I'm answering your question. I'm the type of guy who decides to randomly take a nap in the middle of some random field." Why was I even discussing this with her?

"See? You are a weirdo!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at me. Realizing how childish she was acting, she quickly pulled her hand away with a blush and said, "Anyway, you shouldn't do that. You could get sick or something…" she trailed off, her eyes worried.

She shouldn't have said that. Maybe I'll mess with her for a bit. Smirking, I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Aw, does Amu care about me? Does she possibly have feelings for me?" That did it. I watched with amusement as her cheeks turned a dangerous shade of red from a combination of embarrassment, self-consciousness, and chagrin. All of the while, I was gradually backing her up against the tree.

Her back hit the trunk of the tree, but I don't think she noticed. "Shut up!" she yelled, blushing like an idiot. I winced slightly, but luckily she didn't notice. With a smirk, I decided to continue messing with her. I'm not about to stop; I'm enjoying myself too much.

"And why should I? You do like me, don't you Amu?" I emphasized her name. She shivered slightly as my breath tickled her ear and neck.

"I d-don't even know you that well. I-I mean, I just m-met you today," she stuttered slightly, her cheeks growing redder than I thought was possible.

"I can change that, if you like," I whispered huskily, trapping her against the trunk of the tree. Slowly, I leaned toward her with my lips slightly parted, as if I was going to kiss her. She watched for a moment, horrified, and then she closed her eyes tightly. I heard small gasps and a couple giggles coming from behind her. Quickly glancing up, I saw her three Guardian Characters over by the trees watching the drama. Up in the shadows in the tree above us, I noticed my own Guardian Character, Yoru, cackling his head off. He knew what I was up too and silently encouraged me to continue.

I heard her sharp intake of breath when our lips were only moments before touching. I couldn't take it anymore. With a chuckle, I couldn't stop myself from saying, "It looks like someone is getting a bit too excited. You know, you look really stupid doing that." Her eyes shot open and were soon filled with rage as she realized what I was doing.

"You are unbelievable! I can't believe you did that!" she yelled, nearly bursting my eardrums in the process.

"Now, Amu," I cooed, "you shouldn't take your anger out on me. It was your own stupidity that you should be angry at. I can't believe that you actually fell for it." I chuckled again and gave her my infamous smirk. Cheeks burning, she shoved her way past me and started to head deeper into the woods. "Wait, where are you going?" I asked, no longer joking around.

"I'm going to class. I'm already late as it is. I'll just tell the teacher that I got sick or got lost or something. As long as I'm away from you, I don't care," she grumbled as she stalked away in the wrong direction.

"You're going the wrong way," I pointed out.

She paused for a moment. "I knew that," she muttered indignantly, immediately turning the other way.

I sighed. "Do you want me to walk you back to the school? Because, in all honesty, you seem like the kind of person who gets lost easily."

She faced me again and scrutinized me. Deciding that I must have meant it and wasn't messing with her again, she sighed. "That would be nice if it's not too much trouble. But no funny business," she warned.

"No problem," I smirked slightly before letting it fall. "Come on, let's get you to class," I motioned for her to follow me, and our feet fell in step as we walked back in companionable silence.

XxXMasterXxXofXxXShadowsXxX

"Hinamori-san, I'm so glad you could make it," Tadase exclaimed. From my resting place in the tree, I watched as Amu made her way over to the table where she received many warm welcomes.

"Hi guys," she said shyly, taking a seat. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to stay long. I have something important to do later."

Tadase smiled politely. "That's okay. The meeting shouldn't be too long, this time." After they all passed around snacks and exchanged gossip waiting for when it was time to start, Tadase finally began. "Okay, I guess we better get started since we all have busy schedules. Souma-kun, could you please report on this week's activity?" Tadase stated in a business-like manor, motioning towards Kukai.

Kukai leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "It's been really calm around here, thankfully. There haven't been many X-Egg sightings recently, and Easter has been pretty quiet. They seem to be lying low and trying to not attract much attention at the moment. I don't think they're going to try anything again just yet after their last failure."

"Just because they're quiet doesn't mean they're not a threat. Just because they're not doing anything that we can see doesn't mean they're not planning something big," Rima piped up. I glanced over at Amu, expecting to find her confused. Instead of the questioning expression that I had expected from her, I noticed a quick flicker of… something.. cross her face before it went back to a composed expression. What was it that had crossed her face? Or had there even been anything at all? Passing it off as my paranoid imagination, I continued to listen in on the conversation.

Tadase nodded in agreement. "You're right, that certainly is a possibility. We'll just have to keep monitoring the situation and act accordingly if necessary. Anything else anybody would like to add?"

"These cookies are amazing!" Yaya exclaimed, munching on her seventh cookie.

"Yaya-san, you're going to get fat if you keep eating so many sweets," Nagihiko said calmly, sliding the tray of cookies to the other end of the table before Yaya could get any more.

"You're so mean," Yaya complained lightheartedly, puffing out her cheeks. Everyone else just laughed.

"Well, if that's all, then I guess this meeting is adjourned for today," Tadase said, stacking his papers neatly. Everybody stood up and stretched and gathered their belongings, preparing to go home. Amu was the first one to leave; she had said a quick goodbye to everyone before quickly slipping out the double glass doors. Everyone else took their time before heading home. After a few minutes, everyone was finally gone with the exception of Tadase, Kukai, and myself. "Oh, Souma-kun, do you think you could stay behind and help clean up? If I recall correctly I do believe it's your turn this week." Tadase called out just as he was about halfway out the door.

"Sure, no problem!" Kukai yelled cheerfully back.

Tadase gave him that pretty-boy smile of his. "Arigatou, Souma-kun. I'll leave it to you then." Then he was gone.

I slipped down from my spot in the tree just as Kukai turned around. "So you were listening in, huh?" he asked nonchalantly. I just nodded. Kukai strode over to the broom closest in the corner and got a broom.

"Need help?" I asked, even though I had no intention of doing so.

Kukai just laughed. "You and I both know that you won't do anything. I highly doubt you've cleaned anything successfully your whole life, Tsukiyomi." Kukai joked, sweeping the area around the table. Hearing a slight commotion, I glanced up to find Yoru chasing a few birds through the trees inside the giant glass dome. That's pretty much what the Royal Garden was: a giant glass room full of vegetation and flowers with a walkway through the garden along with a few fountains and ponds. Although, only a few selected people were allowed inside. The Royal Garden acted as the main meeting place for the Guardians.

"Hey Kukai," I began, "why do you think Tadase invited her to the Royal Garden this afternoon?"

"By 'her', I assume you're referring to Hinamori." Kukai paused in his work. "I don't know. He probably did because she has three Guardian Characters. None of us have that many. She must be powerful. The King might think that she'll be able to help us in the future. It's not like he tells us everything that goes on in his mind. I can ask him for you if you want, but I wouldn't worry about it." He continued his work.

I thought for a moment, still unsure. "I don't know, Kukai. I expected her to be confused about what was going on, but she didn't even bother to question things. Not to mention the fact that she got out of here pretty quickly."

"You worry too much. She did say that she had other things to do. Besides, she has Guardian Characters of her own, so she might know a bit about X-Eggs and such. I wouldn't be too surprised. You're too paranoid for your own good, Ikuto. You need to loosen up a bit."

Instead of arguing, I just kept quiet. Maybe he's right. I mean, I am paranoid, but I can't help it. I've got good reason to. It's been five weeks since I escaped from that place. I'm surprised they haven't sent any agents after me yet. There's no way they'd just let me walk away. I know too much. That is why I need to constantly stay on my guard. But I guess that doesn't mean that I have to question every person I see. Besides, Amu seems too young and innocent to be one of their agents.

"You know, if you're not busy we can hang out tonight, play video games at the arcade, check out girls at the mall, that kind of thing. I think you could use a guys' night," Kukai offered, putting away the broom.

"Thanks man, but I'm not really in the mood," I said, leaning against a tree trunk.

"All the more reason to go," he insisted, grabbing his bag.

I shook my head. "Not today, but maybe some other time. I'm busy anyways, not to mention homework on top of that. Nikaidou-sensei sure is a slave driver," I joked, the weight in my bag seeming to get heavier as I thought of the homework load.

"Ha, only when you make him mad! He actually likes the rest of us. You just get on his nerves more," Kukai said good-naturedly. "Alright, another time then. You be careful, Ikuto," he looked at me meaningfully. He reached the door and called out to his Guardian Character, "Come on, Daichi, time to go home!" Then the two were gone.

"We should probably go home as well, nyaa~!" Yoru chimed, floating down to rest on my shoulder.

"Fine, let's go," I said, patting his head and giving him a treat, which made the little cat Character meow with delight. Instead of taking the front door, I climbed up to the top of the nearest tree and sneaked out through the open window that I had come through.

Before leaping down from the roof, Yoru inquired, "Hey, Ikuto, isn't tonight one of those nights…?"

"Shut up, Yoru," I commanded, annoyed that he had to remind me. Yoru shrank back in fear, sorry he had said anything. After a moment, I regretted getting on to him. He was just trying to help in his own way. "Yeah, it is," I murmured and scratched his head, letting him know that he was forgiven. Then I Character Changed and leapt off the roof, calmly making my way home.

Yami: I told you it sucked.

Amu: It did not suck. You're just too hard on yourself is all.

Ikuto: Just be sure you get the next one out quicker. A lot quicker. *glares*

Yami: Hey now, don't be mean. You know I have low self-esteem problems with very little faith in my work. Besides, I've already started writing the next chapter, so this one shouldn't take nearly as long.

Ikuto: Okay then, let's make a bet since you think it won't take as long. How about this? If you can post the next chapter within the next three months, I'll dress like a girl and pretend to ask the Kiddy King out (Tadase). If you post after the three months, then you become my personal slave for the day and I can torture however I want. Sound fair?

Yami: YOU'RE ON!

Amu: Oh gosh. This won't end well... Anyways, please R&R if you have a heart! (Yami-chan might feel encouraged to write more quickly the more reviews she gets.)