I, like, just had a lot of ideas for this story. :D But I'm trying to think of who will play James. ._. Any ideas? I think I practically used every possible Shugo Chara! character that could fit his character. Actually, none of them fit James sadistic character -.- *sigh* So troublesome… XD
Thank you to these reviewers:
CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL, ShugoCharaLuvr, xheyxhaleyx, Amuto-4eva, Midnight-Monster, X Ikutos luva X, xxToxicMemoryxx, Foxgrl18, Elya424, XxDiamondForeverxX, EdLovesWritting, Sunsetamuto, Sukiya62, The Ever-Blue Alchemist, MaikaKitsune18, sunsetamuto, FlowerFairy9751
To xxToxicMemoryxx, when I got an email saying you reviewed my story, I was like ":DDDDD". Then I checked the mail and I realized you only wrote four words. ): I felt sad afterwards. ): Then I checked the reviews on the review page of this story and realized you wrote a longer review. xD I didn't even scroll down the email thing because I was on my iPod. xD Thank you for your kind review!
To XxDiamondForeverxX, when I got your review, I was like, "WHOA! :O" Because I didn't think a good author like you would review my sucky stories. xD But thanks, partner ;D Hope you are doing well! I know it'll be fine. (:
To Kurai Tenshi-1214, although you didn't review chapter 8, I want to thank you (again) for your long and wonderful review. ^_^ And your review made me realize that I haven't updated this story in a while. ): But here's an update! ;D And it's gonna have a BIG cliffhanger ;O
I was truly happy when I got this amount of reviews. Lately, I haven't been getting much and I understand because it's due to my lack of updates. But I got more than the last chapter and I hope I get the same amount or more for this chapter. (:
Thanks to you readers for bearing with me for practically a year or two of slow updates XD Be prepared for a somewhat Amuto-filled chapter :3 I hope -.- Unless my mind changes some stuff but I doubt it. (And this author's note is getting too long… xD)
Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way.
X-x-Flashback of Chapter 8-x-X
The rest of the night was a daze for me.
I remembered Tsumugu's shocked face when he saw mine. Luckily, he didn't notice the hickeys or paid no attention to it. I remember taking a bath and slipping into my pajamas. Then I had fallen on my bed, my thoughts a mess.
Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the hottest guy of the school and could be of the whole world, kissed me, Hinamori Amu, on the cheek. And twice!
I was in shock. I wonder how I'm going to face him tomorrow. Should I play it cool?
I shook my head furiously. I'm thinking way too much about this! Well, I should at least have a decent outfit for tomorrow…argh, just go to sleep, Amu!
I missed Ikuto already and I wish he can hold me forever.
X-x-End of Flashback-x-X
X-x-X
Erratic Heartbeat
Amu's POV
Subconsciously, I dressed up a bit more than usual for school today. I slapped my forehead and scolded myself. Why should I get dressed up when there's no special occasion? It's not like I'm trying to impress Ikuto.
…Screw it, I am trying to be a bit more dressy today because of him.
Last night seemed like a blur to me. I was sexually harassed by drunk teens right after shopping with my friends to prepare for the Halloween Party. (I'm not going though.) And then Ikuto appeared out of nowhere and saved my virginity. (Sounds weird but it's true.) And then we had a "date" I guess.
My cheeks burned as I kept replaying the scene in my head. The part where Ikuto kissed me. (Oh the cheek, though.) I slapped my cheeks lightly and shook my head, ridding my heads of these thoughts.
I glanced at the mirror one more time and frowned. I was wearing a dressy top with a mid-thigh skirt. My hair was curled and I had put on some make-up. (As Ikuto promised, I found cover-up on my desk this morning. But I still don't know how it got there…) Am I trying too hard? Actually, just what am I trying to accomplish with this?
Sighing, I left the room since I was running late. I grabbed a banana, mints, and gum (I really am trying too hard just a little.) so my breath won't stink. I hopped into my car and drove to school quickly. Once I parked my car, I stepped out of it and sighed again.
"Amu-chan!"
I turned to the voice and found Daichi jogging towards me. I gave him a smile. "Hey, Daichi, what's up?"
"Nothing much." His eyes widened a little.
"What's wrong?"
"You...look really cute today," he complimented with a light blush.
I bet I was blushing too. "Thanks."
"Your hair is pretty when it's curled. You should have it like this more often." His fingers combed through my hair gently, making me feel slightly uncomfortable. I also felt bad because I knew Ran liked Daichi.
"Let's get to class," I suggested. He agreed and we soon heard the bell.
"Crap," he muttered. He grabbed my hand and ran towards the entrance. While we were sprinting towards homeroom, I glanced at his hand in mine. I felt like such a bad friend towards Ran. I have to tell Daichi that I can't accept his feelings and to move on. I should set them up on a date or something...
He opened the door as both of us tried to catch our breaths. Nikaidou-sensei looked up at us and wrote something on a sheet of paper—probably the attendance sheet.
"That's one late for both Saito-san and Himamori-san."
I looked down and noticed that his hand was still clutching mine. I blushed a bit before pulling my hand back. He turned to look at me, a blush on his face as well. He muttered an apology to me before we retreated to our assigned seats.
My heart pounded rapidly as I saw my classmate, who was also my savior from the last night. I sat down and took a peek from under my bangs. Ikuto was glaring at...whatever he was looking at. I tried to see what he was glaring at but his gaze was directed towards the chalkboard. I gave him a puzzled look but he didn't turn to look at me. I felt a little upset and started to doodle in my notebook.
"Hi, Amu."
I looked up and smiled. "Hi, Rima."
"You look cute today."
A blush instantly spread across my cheeks. "Thanks."
"Any special occasion?" I saw her glance towards Ikuto and my blush increased ten-fold. Dammit, dammit, dammit!
"I just thought I would try something different." Then I remembered something. "Oh, here's your cover-up. I think it's yours?" I said it as a question since I wasn't sure if it really was hers.
"Oh, thanks. I was wondering why Ikuto just came into my room and took it."
I arched an eyebrow questioningly at Ikuto, asking with my expression if that was true or not. He muttered something under his breath and turned away. Rima had a triumphant smirk on her face. I shrugged to myself and returned to my drawing.
As the announcements were said, I stole another glance towards Ikuto. The second I did, I wish I hadn't.
He was gazing right back.
I swore he would give me a heart attack one day since my heartbeat accelerated to an inhuman speed.
His hand slid a piece of notebook paper towards me. My eyebrows furrowed and I noticed one word in neat handwriting scrawled on the paper.
Hey.
I arched an eyebrow. I wrote back quickly and pushed it towards him.
Since when did you pass notes?
He smirked slightly and wrote back.
Since now.
Since you've "given up," does that mean you'll treat me like a normal classmate from now on?
He scribbled down his answer. Maybe.
You're so vague. In more ways than one.
I know. And I plan to keep it that way.
I huffed quietly and turned away, not bothering to respond. I felt the piece of paper nudge my arm and I glanced down at it with curiosity.
You look cute today.
Saying my face turned pink would be an understatement. I'm not even sure what color it was. All I knew was that my face felt extremely hot and my heart was beating erratically.
Um, thanks.
You know, you seem really close with that Saito kid.
Was he possibly...jealous? Although the chance of that being true is less than one percent, I can't help but feel overjoyed that he would actually care if I was with another guy.
We're just friends.
Friends don't hold hands like that.
He saw our hands linked together? I lifted my head and noticed Ikuto glaring holes through Daichi's back. My cheeks flushed even more, if that was even possible. I'm almost sure he was jealous and that made me so happy.
Don't worry; we're nothing like that. It just happened. He was just helping me make it to class so we won't get in any huge trouble.
He doesn't feel the same way you do. You can just tell from the way he treats you.
I'll make it clear that I only see him as a friend.
Good.
My eyes widened a bit and I looked at Ikuto but he was facing away from me. I looked down at my hands and smiled to myself.
He was jealous.
X-x-X
Normal POV
After school, the Tsukiyomi siblings made their way to Ikuto's car. As soon as they were out of the parking lot and away from the students of Seiyo, Kukai started his teasing.
"Ikuto and Hinamori sitting in a tree~ K-I-S—"
"Talk again and I'll rip your head off."
Rima had shotgun and was smirking at Ikuto with amusement. She found teasing her brother about her friend to be quite entertaining. She wondered what Amu would do if she brought Ikuto up in a subject... She then saw images in her head of a bright pink Amu at school. So guess she's going to ask Amu at school about Ikuto, huh?
Kukai gasped in mock horror. "How could you say that to your brother?"
"Kukai, shut up," Utau said, looking out the window. At times like these, Ikuto was really thankful Utau was on his side. "And why would Ikuto choose her? She's so...average."
Ikuto frowned. 'Not true at all.' Ikuto thought she was amusing, kind, and beautiful. But he's never going to admit that to his family.
"I find Amu-chan to be a very nice girl with unique qualities, unlike most girls at school. She's one of the few people I've met that are actually innocent and kind, inside and out."
"Fujisaki has the hots for Hinamori?" Kukai nudged him with his elbow. "Ikuto, guess you've got some competition!"
Nagihiko rolled his eyes. "Kukai, you know Rima is my girlfriend and my feelings won't change."
"They better not," Rima retorted, crossing her arms and pouting.
Nagihiko smiled at her from behind. "Yeah, they won't. Promise." His hand grasped onto her shoulder in a reassuring manner. Rima smiled a bit, using her right hand to cover his large hand.
"Aw, you two are so cute," Kukai cooed.
Rima shot a glare at him. "Talk again and I'll kick you out of this country."
Kukai gaped in mock horror. "But I'm your favorite brother!"
Nagihiko chuckled quietly and Rima was rolling her eyes.
They reached their mansion-like house that was surrounded by trees. The siblings piled out of the car.
"Still, Ikuto was probably ready to just rip of Saito's head! You should have seen his face when Saito touched Hinamori's hair!"
A backpack-sized boulder was thrown at Kukai, who dodged it in the nick of time. He was howling with laughter. If Ikuto could blush, his blush could give Amu's blush a run for its money.
"And you were glaring at Saito-san with flames in your eyes when he held Amu's hand today in homeroom," Rima teased.
"Rima, shut the fuck up," Ikuto growled.
"What's all the commotion about?" Souko asked, stepping out of the front door.
"Ikuto has the hots for a girl~!" Kukai sang. Ikuto made a move to kick him but Kukai jumped up and was by Utau's side in a blink of an eye.
"Ikuto, don't attack your sibling," their mother chided. "But tell me about this girl you're interested in." She was smiling widely at Ikuto, who in return groaned. With lightning speed, Ikuto entered his house and most likely hid in his room from the endless teasing his brother gave him.
Ikuto sighed, brushing his hair back. He got his iPod and indulged himself in classical music as he plopped down on his sofa.
"Just what is she to me?"
His thoughts were scattered all over the place. He found Amu very amusing-especially her reactions to his teasing-and different from other girls, like Nagihiko said. But what about her makes her stand out from the rest of the girls? Sure, she's pretty (Ikuto would know since his opinion matched every guy in school's opinion) but he's seen prettier ones before. Is it because she's immune to his "ability"?
He rolled over onto his side.
'What is she to me?'
X-x-X
"You have to bring this Amu-chan to our house some time! She sounds simply wonderful!" Souko clapped her hands together, beaming at her adopted children.
"But Souko, she's a human," Utau pointed out in an annoyed tone.
"That's true but this is the first time Ikuto's really interested in a girl," Souko reasoned.
"He's totally in love with Hinamori! You can so tell."
"Kukai, your life is in danger if you continue to tease Ikuto," Rima warned from the couch while playing with her hair.
Kukai laughed and hollered, "Tsukiyomi, it's true!"
He earned a growl in response from upstairs.
Souko giggled quietly and resumed cleaning the house. The rest of the siblings either went to their bedrooms or hung out in the living room.
Knowing Ikuto could hear, she thought, 'I'm so glad you finally found someone, Ikuto.'
She heard a groan in response from his bedroom. She smiled and started to chat quietly with Aruto, her husband, who just returned home.
X-x-X
Amu's POV
I was humming a random tune while taking my shower. I lathered the scented shampoo on my hair.
I still couldn't forget what Ikuto wrote on the paper today.
'You look cute today.'
My eyes squeezed together and my hands clapped my two warm cheeks a few times. It was shocking and embarrassing! Should I dress up tomorrow as well? No, that might seem I'm desperate or something. Ugh, this is so confusing!
But I was really happy when he told me that.
I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. Tsumugu was out with his friends so I had the house to myself. I walked out of the bathroom and headed for my bedroom while adjusting the towel around my body. I continued humming and realized it was the tune from the music box.
Ever since I received it, I've been listening to it quite a lot. Practically every chance I get to listen everyday. I'll probably listen to it now while doing my homework.
I let my damp hair flow freely down and I opened the door to my bedroom. I sighed quietly and looked up.
It took me all my strength to do anything but scream bloody murder.
"W-What are you doing in my room?" I stammered, immediately covering my chest with my arms. In my room, was Tsukiyomi Ikuto, who looked to be ready to leave the room via balcony. His eyes were wide and he slowly stood up straight.
"How did you even get up here?" I asked in disbelief. He couldn't have climbed up here through the balcony since the closest tree wasn't that near the balcony.
"Rima told me to return this," he said, pointing to my notes from school. "She insisted I just leave it in your room."
"You could've gone through the front door," I pointed out. Strangely, I'm not mad at him. I'm just surprised.
"I didn't want to interrupt whatever you were doing so I kind of just snuck into your room."
Subconsciously, I flushed. The last part of his sentence sounded like we were forbidden lovers or something.
"Also, your dad might not have been pleased to see a boy in his house, am I correct?"
"Good point." But something dawned on me and I narrowed my eyes. How did he know? For all he knew, Tsumugu could've preferred his daughter to have a guy over her house. (Highly unlikely in my situation.)
There was an awkward silence between us and I shifted uncomfortably between my feet.
"Um..." I started. Way to go, Amu, that's such a smart thing to say!
"Are we still going this Saturday?" he interceded with a question.
"Well, I already bought the stuff I needed to get so I don't need to leave town this weekend."
"Are you going to the Halloween Party then?"
I shook my head. "I think I'll pass. And thanks for offering me a ride, even if I'm not going."
"Then are you free this weekend?" he questioned with a bit of hope.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Remember I told you I was going to show you something this Saturday during our conversation over the phone?"
I nodded slowly. "I think so."
"I still want to show you that place. Will your father mind if I borrow you for a day?"
My face went pink at that. "H-He doesn't care much as long as I don't return too late."
"Good." He had a small smile on his face that made my heart race. "I'll pick you up on Saturday around 5?"
I nodded. "That's fine."
"I'll take my leave then." Before I could mutter anything, he was gone. I rushed to the balcony and didn't see any trace of him. He couldn't have possibly disappeared so quickly.
Unless he was considered part of the supernatural like...
Vampires.
Tadase-kun's story about the "cold ones" made the hairs on my back stand on end. Were the Tsukiyomis called the "cold ones"? Oh, I wish I knew!
I sat down on my bed, letting out a deep breath. I hurried and changed into my pajamas. It was so embarrassing just now since I was only in a towel in front of Ikuto, a really hot guy.
Life was so cruel.
X-x-X
On Wednesday, a new orchestra member was added in. And guess who it was?
"Ok, so we have a new student joining our orchestra today. He'll be among the first violinists so if he needs any help, you guys can help him." The new member thanked the conductor and took his spot.
The whole time, I was gaping at him. Since when was he interested in joining the orchestra at our school? He's famous so there's no need for him to.
He looked at me and gave me a smirk and a wink. Oh god, I could feel my cheeks heating up.
Oh the things Ikuto could do to make my face resemble a tomato.
I was so nervous while playing the accompaniment part that I made several mistakes along the way. Even though the director let it slide, I was frustrated at myself.
All through practice, Ikuto kept staring at me from time to time.
On Thursday, I went into the music room to practice piano after school since I didn't have a piano at home. I have to ask Tsumugu if I can get a keyboard or something...
I checked to see if anyone was here. Nope, coast was clear. The thing is, practicing in front of people was not my cup of tea. I would prefer if nobody would hear me practice.
I played the songs I had to for the orchestra for about half an hour. I put the music away and then I fiddled around with the notes. Secretly, I was trying to play the melody I heard from the music box. It's hard to play by ear but there's no sheet music. So far, I have half the song down in my memory. Maybe I should bring my music box in for practice...
I twisted my head to release the tension in my muscles. My eyes laid on the door and my eyes went wide as saucers.
Why was it that I'm seeing Ikuto everywhere?
"I just had to get my violin. You can keep playing if you'd like."
"No, I was about to leave anyways." I gathered my stuff and stuffed it in my backpack while he collected his violin.
"You play piano well. What was the name of the last song you were playing?" he asked curiously.
"I don't know, to be honest. It's from this music box I have."
"Music box?" He gave me a questioning look as we walked out of the music room. I initially thought it might've been Ikuto who gave me the present and he even played violin himself. (He's very talented at it by the way-he was named concertmaster at the end of rehearsal.) Maybe it wasn't him...
"Yeah, I received it as a birthday present."
"Who gave it to you?"
"I don't know," I quietly whispered as we reached the parking lot. "I would like to know who but maybe I'll never know." I exhaled deeply, closing my eyes for a few seconds.
"It's a nice tune though," he commented.
"Yeah, it is," I softly agreed. I reached my truck and turned to look at him. "Um, see you tomorrow?"
He nodded. "Later, Amu." He winked and walked away, leaving my face pink once again.
Before I could stop myself, I called out, "Ikuto!"
He turned around. "What is it?"
"Um..." My fingers twiddled around nervously. "Why did you join the orchestra?"
He gave me a long look that made me uncomfortable. What felt like eternity, he finally responded. "Because someone else joined it so I thought I would join it as well."
"Someone...else? But no one joined it recently."
"There was one. See you." He waved the walked towards his car.
I sat in my car, puzzled. Who was he talking about? Who recently joined the orchestra?
My eyes widened and I looked in the rearview mirror in my car. My face was very red indeed like the inside of a watermelon. At this newfound revelation, many new questions sprung up in my mind and I wondered if he was kidding or not...
The "someone" he was talking about...
Was me.
X-x-X
Originally, I was going to include the really exciting part in here but the chapter came out too long. 22 pages. xD I was going to just upload the whole chapter but then I became the stupidest idiot on the entire earth.
I deleted the chapter from my iPod. I had tears and just wanted to bang my head on the table. I had the chapter in my email but not the exciting part! D: It's not that long but it was intense man! DX
But I will hopefully update this again before Tuesday, the day school starts. T.T
I want to update Crossing Paths on my birthday, September 10th. Except I have major writer's block. T.T I just can't put the ideas down on the computer! DX Eh, I'll think of something.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was fail. DX
Next chapter will be much better and with major Amuto moments! :DD
Please review! :] They brighten my day and motivate me to update! :D