I do not own Shugo Chara…..

Chap 5

Amu jumped out of his hold and ran as fast as she could to hide behind a big rock. Her cheeks were bright red; her breath was nearly gone.

Cautiously, the startled girl peeked out from behind her haven and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." She smiled and relaxed, when suddenly a voice said from right behind her, "What are you looking for?"

At first, Amu didn't pay any attention and answered, "Shh! He'll find…" she turned around to see the young man looking completely composed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she yelled and tried to get away.

"Nope! You're not getting away again." He said and looped an arm around her waist, yanking her against him. Amu collided with a solid chest. Her arms, which had been thrown up in the air to keep her balance had somehow landed perfectly around his neck. She looked up at him, locking gazes for several minutes.

"Ikuto….." she murmured.

Ikuto smiled.

Too late, Amu realized how Ikuto was holding her. She flushed and attempted to free herself from his grasp. Ikuto grabbed her arms and pulled her closer. "No way." He smiled, eyes glinting, "I like it." He pressed her towards him. "Don't you even think about moving them." He sighed and murmured into her ear. His breath was warm on her neck when he said, "You're still warm." He breathed in her scent, "and you smell good too." He grinned mischievously, "I might just eat you right now. No one is here you know…."he allowed the comment to hang in the air and brought her even closer. The way he tugged at her made Amu actually process what he said and she blushed—badly. Her heart raced as she felt the breath on her neck slightly move closer to her lips. His face stopped, hovering barely a centimeter above her lips. Amu closed her eyes.

"Just kidding." Ikuto quietly teased, pulling away from her.

Amu, realizing that she had just been tricked, burned crimson and wrenched herself out of his hold. She turned her back to him and crossed her arms, "Jerk!" she shouted, "You're still that perverted cat-boy from back then!"

"Aww….now she's mad at me…"Ikuto whined.

"Any girl would be with that stunt you pulled!" her cheeks were getting redder and redder by the second. She stubbornly kept her back to him. Ikuto's smile was a mixture of mischief and fondness. He quietly walked up behind her and lightly rested his hands on her shoulders. He bent to say in her ear, "You may look different, but you're definitely my Amu."

The girl jumped and half-turned towards him. The expression on her face was so cute, that it took all that Ikuto had to not kiss her. He smiled and held her gaze.

Amu turned away, "W-what was that for?"

"Is there a law against smiling?" Ikuto retorted.

"When it's you, yes! You're usually scheming something."

"I'm not that twisted you know." His eyes glinted, "Remember when you stayed up all night smiling while I slept?"

Amu's cheeks couldn't be redder. She whirled around, defiance sparkling in her amber-colored eyes. "I couldn't sleep because you were sleeping in my bed!" she yelled, "With half the stuff you did to me before that, nobody would be able to sleep!" she shouted.

"So you're saying I kept you up all night?" his eyes sparkled suggestively.

Amu was too red, "PERVY CAT-EARED COSPLAY BOY!"

Ikuto smiled, "Am I now?" he asked innocently.

"Don't give me that! I know you're not innocent in the least! Hmph!" she turned away from him.

Ikuto smiled I missed this he thought and sighed, putting his hands behind his head, "Well, I guess that means you want me to leave. You'll be walking home all by yourself, alone." He half-opened one of his eyes to see her reaction. She said nothing, which was exactly what Ikuto wanted to see, "Well?"

Amu sighed, "Fine. Just do whatever you want." She said tiredly and walked away.

Ikuto grinned and walked silently behind her as the sun began to set further into the horizon. Game time. He thought, smirking. Nonchalantly, Ikuto bumped the lid off of a trash can. Amu whirled, fear in her eyes but kept walking. Ikuto then purposefully shuffled his feet along the gravel to simulate the sound of pursuers. Amu didn't even bother to turn around and broke into an all-out run. Ikuto grinned and went after her.

The girl ran into a dead end and whirled around. "Who's there!" she demanded. Ikuto smiled and stepped out of the shadows, "You sure you don't want me to walk you home?"

"Ikuto! You did all of that?" she demanded once again, "Just to ask if you could walk me home?"

Ikuto smirked that frustratingly attractive smirk, "I just wanted to see your scared face." He bent down low, "It's cute."

Amu flushed, "W-what? I have half a mind to slap you! Why would you do something so selfish!"

Ikuto gathered her up into his arms and whined pitifully, "Is it a crime to scare girls for fun?"

"Yes!" Amu said, struggling violently. Ikuto only grabbed her tighter.

"Stop moving." He calmly said, "What do you think will go through people's minds?"

Amu momentarily stopped and blushed. She smiled and relaxed, shaking her head in unbelief, "You're still the same, aren't you?"

Ikuto smirked, "You noticed?"

Amu laughed and put both hands on his chest. She didn't meet his eyes. In response, Ikuto drew her closer, "See how nice it is when you don't struggle?"

Amu laughed lightly, "Oh be quiet you! I'm just glad that you're back." She smiled. "How long will you be around for?"

There was a sweet expression in Ikuto's eyes. Amu didn't even see it.

"Well, I forgot something here that I wanted to take with me before I set off. I'm not going back without it, because it is something very precious to me. As long as it takes me to find it, that's how long I'll stay."

Amu looked up at him, "I-I hope you find it." She smiled, a bit taken aback at the strange look in the young man's eyes.

He smiled. "I know I will."