It has been a while and I am sorry for the wait. Gomen. But, because of my lack of time from having way too much chemistry homework, being lazy, AND not really knowing what to write, it has come to this day that I finally fell like it and have time.
Ok, for those of you who actually read the author's notes ( I admit I don't always read them) the goddess Kukai and Mika are researching is the Goddess Yasu. I accidentally put her mom's name in there instead of the goddess's in one of the chapters.
Also, my CUTE LITTLE SPACEY THINGS THAT SIGNAL THERE"S A BREAK IN THE PAGE DIDN"T SHOW UP!!! So gomen also since there was a little confusion.
Pictures have been added to my deviant account!!! Just go to my profile and (hopefully) the link will take you to the picture. They're not the greatest in the world but they're ok.
Disclaimer: Shugo Chara characters and things belong to peach-pit! If they were mine, I wouldn't have given Tadase PINK eyes. Mika and her charas belong to muah. And the song featured in here isn't mine either.
And now for your all of your patience and waiting I would like to introduce…
THE RECAP!!!:
I smirked at my triumph but suddenly felt the air rush at my face. That's when I realized my chara-nari had worn out. Both Ikuto and I were falling at an alarming rate towards the ground. Sora flew down with us as Ikuto kept a hold on my arm, quickly pulling me into his hold.
"I'm gonna kill you when we get home Sora!"
The ground was coming at us fast when I felt Aya's chara-change kick in. I pushed away from Ikuto as Tadase's barrier stopped us from being creamed. I bounced of it and leapt for the light pole. Aya was floating there and we went home. I didn't want to deal with Amu or Tadase anymore than I already had today. The sun was setting and layered thunder clouds were at the horizon near the moon when I got home. I could already here the thunder when I finally fell asleep that night.
CHAPTER V
The night air was cool and hushed as everyone on the block finally went to sleep in their beds to have a good nights rest. But, walking along the sidewalk, was a couple holding hands and watching as their small little daughter ran up ahead and waited for them. As soon as they got to her, she would run again to stop a little ways away and wait for them.
She had a small smile on her face but it slowly turned to a grin as she started dancing around her parents, enjoying the night freedom and alone time she had with her parents.
"Race me daddy! Race me!" she said, twirling around her parents to stop in front of her dad. "To the swings!"
Before her dad could say anything, her mom said softly, "Keep it down dear. People are trying to sleep."
The small girl's grin fell a little until her dad let go of the mother's hand to kneel down in front of her. He covered his mouth from the side with his hand so the mom couldn't tell what he was saying.
"On 3, ok?"
The little girl shook her head and whispered, "On SESQUIPEDELIAN!" ( meaning to have a tendency to use long words) She quickly turned and ran away, heading for the park with her dad right on her tail.
"You cheated!" He said. The girl ran faster as the park got closer and closer until she jumped up on the swing with her feet on the seat, laughing cheerfully and proudly at her success in beating her dad to the swings.
"I beat you!"
"Yeah, you did kitten. You must be super fast to have beaten a rocker like me." The dad's face showed a goofy grin as the girl held the same one.
"What is your reward for beating me tonight?"
"Push me really high so I can touch the sky!" She said pointing up into the air.
He put his hand under his chin as if thinking about something. "I don't know. I do have other business to take care of." He suggestively smiled towards his wife but was brought back to his little girl as she cupped her tiny hands together and made a puppy dog face.
"Please daddy?"
The girl's mother appeared and leaned against the pole, watching the two with a small smile on her gentle face. She nodded her head in approval and the girl clamped her hands together around the swing chain.
"Remember daddy, really high!"
The man nodded his head. "I'll help you get as high as you want."
*Flash*
The same girl lay in the park grass next to her parents, who sat on a bench, watching the red moon seemingly floating in one spot for the past hour. She stared tensely at the moon and seemed to be thinking as hard as a 6 year old could.
"Mommy?'
"Yes dear."
"Why does the moon glow red?"
"Why do you ask me?" She turned to her mom, adjusting herself so that she leaned on her elbows and rested on her stomach.
"Well, didn't grandpapa study stories and … and …mytogogy?" The dad chuckled at the girl's mistake. "I believe the word's mythology."
She nodded rapidly. "Yeah, that! He said there was always an ancient story behind logic and science that would always defy our logic and science."
The mom looked away, trying to recall anything.
"Hmm…there is this one. But, I don't remember it all that well." She looked to her husband for help.
"Don't look to me. It's your turn to tell her a story." He made a goofy grin and hugged her as she sighed tiredly. She cleared her throat and began, gazing at the moon.
"There once was a time where goddesses and gods ruled over the universe. Each one had something special and unique that belonged to them and them alone, whether it was power over something like water to the ruling of a planet. But, there was who stood out among the crowd. She was at home on the moon and was rumored to have been the meaning of beauty, wisdom, kindness and all things pleasant to the god's eyes."
The little girl's eyes shone brighter and brighter as her mom continued on with the story.
"…but then one day, she vanished. There was no trace of her after one night." She leaned back against the bench as the little girl continued to watch her mom.
"You still didn't answer my question mommy. Why does it go red?"
"Well, the moon turns red because it's looking for her. Once every year, on one night, the moon searches the earth in hope to find the goddess."
"So it's trying to find its mommy?"
She nodded and gently smiled. "In a way, yes."
"Is that why the moon looks so sad?" Her parents looked at her, surprised.
"You think she's sad? She may just be feeling something else…" her dad tried to say nervously, not really even sure of what to say.
"I would be sad. If someone took away my mommy or daddy, I would be sad…really sad."
They all sat in silence. A light wind shook at the trees making a rustling sound echo through the empty park, a faint squeak from the swings as they barely moved.
"Would you be sad if someone took me?" Again, the parents just sat on the bench, unsure of what to say. I mean, how could a 6 year old think up such things? The dad leaned down and picked up the small girl with a smile.
"Of course we would silly." She sniffled, looked between her dad and her mom, who moved to hug her too.
"And anyways, as long as I'm around, nobody will ever get you. You're our new moon, our Mika. We'll be here to protect you no matter what." She smiled, wiping away the gathering tears from her eyes. They all got up from the bench and walked to their house, each holding one of Mika's tiny, fragile hands.
A person stood by the swings, holding onto the chain belonging to the swing the little girl had just sat in earlier and watched the small family walk away. Her black hair swayed with the breeze. She put a hand to her eye and wiped away a tear.
'I guess you lied to me just like everyone else did.'
TT~TT TT~TT TT~TT TT~TT TT~TT TT~TT
It was almost noon the next day (Sunday) by the time Mika got up. She silently went downstairs still in her pajamas to the now box-free kitchen to see that her mom was struggling making food.
Her mom's name was Mitsu and she had her short black hair in a tiny ponytail that spiked out while her silver eyes sparkled at the sight of her daughter. She wore a Chinese styled green top with dark wash jeans and dark gray Mary Janes.
"Good noon Mika. Did you have a good night's sleep?" Said her mom, who gave her a big hug but quickly returned to the grilled cheese so it didn't burn.
"Are you sure making a grilled cheese is the best thing to cook? You remember last time?" Mika asked a little worriedly. The last time her mom attempted to cook a grilled cheese, she nearly burned the house down. Mitsu dismissed it with a wave of her hand.
"Don't worry honey. I looked up the directions online. But just in case, the fire extinguisher is in arms reach next to the fridge." Mitsu finished up the first grilled cheese, proud nothing was on fire, but it was burnt.
"Don't worry mom. You'll get it next time." Mika said watching her mother. She didn't say it encouraging but she didn't mean to be uncaring either. With her mom, she tried to be herself, but too many things recently had caused her to go into her own little world. Mitsu looked at Mika sadly, also remembering something.
"That's exactly what Faia used to tell me."
Mika stepped back, overcome with an all too-familiar feeling of guilt at the mention of her dad. 'Why does she keep bringing him up?!'
Mika walked away.
"I'm going out for a walk after I get dressed." She mumbled and went to her room.
"Wait, Mika. Just-!" The sound of a door slamming cut Mitsu off. She returned to the burnt sandwich made for her daughter and looked at it gloomily.
'I guess he's going to be a sore subject for her. But he always will be if she keeps blaming herself for what happened.' She sighed and bit into the sandwich. 'Yuck…'
Footsteps were heard as Mika walked down the steps and to the door without a word wearing a short-sleeved hoodie shirt black and grey striped with a darker grey colored shorts with a white chain looping around as a belt. Her black boots with white straps and her wrists adorned with a black studded bracelet on one and a white one on the other.
"At least eat something before you go." Mitsu tried to talk with Mika but it didn't seem to work.
"I can make you something?"
"I'll find something around." Mika said quietly.
"But Mika-"
"Just give me some time. Call me if you need me."
Mika went out the door into the sunlight and sighed, closing the door and walking away.
"What happened Mika-chan?" Sora sat on Mika's left shoulder as Aya sat on her right.
"Obviously something happened with her mom. Think with that tiny brain of yours sometime Sora. It'll help you someday."
Mika continued down the sidewalk, ignoring her charas and the various people around her.
"I, at least, use mine more than you use yours." Aya laughed smugly.
"Then why do you have to ask what happened? Its obvious her mom mentioned her dad." Aya continued talking to Sora but Mika paid no mind to them.
'Dad…you said you'd be there for me, but you weren't. And then I ... it's all my fault.'
Sora looked over at Mika who still seemed to be lost in thought.
"It's not as bad as before. Her heart only aches a little, not as much as earlier." Sora gave a small smile and Aya nodded.
'My heart aches every day. I'll have to deal with the guilt all of my life. It will never go away.'
"Mika-chan! Watch out!"
"You're gonna hit the-!"
BAM!
"…pole."
Mika rubbed her head angrily and glared at the pole for being in her way, then at Aya who was laughing hysterically. Aya pointed to Mika's forehead where a faint red mark started to appear.
"Are you alright Mika-chan?!" Sora floated worriedly around her master's head as Mika got up and kicked the pole, than walked away.
"Stupid dumbass pole." She muttered under her breath, a little embaressed she had walked into a light pole. Someone chuckled and Mika turned around to see who had watched her walk into a pole.
'Out of all of the people?!!?!'
There, standing a few feet from Mika, was Ikuto with a hand covering his mouth, keeping him from full out laughing.
'My pride seriously hurts right now.'
Ikuto eventually stopped and the two neko charas high-fived then started to talk about fish. -- _ --'
Mika looked around and saw she was nowhere familiar. There was a whole bunch of trees, hills, a fountain in the middle of a walkway with benches and trails that led elsewhere.
"Sora, where are we?"
"You're deep in the park. Not many people wonder around to come here. Too busy with their lives." Ikuto answered but mumbled the last part.
"I didn't ask you. Now go away." Mika said irritated, just wanting to be alone right now, away from everyone and anyone. But with her luck, there was always bound to be someone who didn't get the memo.
"What if I don't want to?" Ikuto stepped closer to Mika as she leaned against the pole. He seemed to be interested in what led the girl to want to be alone all of the time. Normally, girls would have a whole pact with them when something bothered them… but Mika seemed to push everyone away.
"Why would you not want to? I would love to be somewhere else than here." She sighed and closed her eyes.
"Somewhere other than here, huh?" Ikuto smirked and pulled his hands from his jean pockets to walk over to face Mika. "Anywhere?" He asked again, his smirk growing.
Mika nodded, still wrapped up in her melancholy moment until the ground from beneath her feet disappeared. Ikuto grew cat ears and a tail subsequently allowing him to jump from light post to light post and then rooftop to rooftop unnoticed. Mika's body tensed at being close to a guy.
"Let me go. I can chara-change too. Hell, I could even fly to where you're abducting me to!"
The charas laughed at Mika's misfortune and Sora smiled lightly. She watched the two intently as she struggled to get free, which she should be helping with but decided not to, and Ikuto tried to keep a hold of her without dropping her.
Eventually they arrived at a single story broken down building. It was located on the outskirts of the city with tall grass growing up to two feet high, having not been mowed for a long while. A hill was seen passed the building but with shorter grass somehow. A small monarch butterfly fluttered in front of Mika but landed on Ikuto's nose. He angrily stared at it.
"Ha." Mika smugly said. "That's for holding me against my will."
"Mhm." Ikuto blew away the butterfly and dropped Mika on her butt. "And that's for being a pain in the ass all way here."
Mika gazed around the clearing. "It's abandoned."
"Yeah, buildings get that way when nobody hangs around it anymore."
Ikuto walked to the building and stepped lightly inside with Mika and the charas following.
Mika inwardly gasped and her eyes widened as she saw almost every type of instrument in the building. It had looked much smaller from outside but in reality, it was ginormous inside. The floor was covered with hardwood and a set of shelves wrapped itself around the whole wall of the building, but everything was covered with dust. Nobody really had been there for years. Sunlight from outside was even blocked by an accumulation of dust layered on the window panes. From the left, the string instruments were placed closest to Ikuto and Mika followed by the woodwinds, percussion in the corner, keyboards in the other corner, and finally the brass section to their right completing the circle.
In the center of the entire building was an island with a flap that you lifted to get inside. A small rug covered the hardwood floor inside of the island.
"Do all of the instruments work?" Mika asked. The charas all floated away to play on the instruments. Ikuto nodded his head as Mika moved silently towards the back of the building. She marveled at each instrument in a quick glance but headed to the grand piano in the corner.
It was a glossy white even with the dust covering the surface, very rare. Her red eyes, once radiating awe quickly changed to sorrow.
'Her eyes…' Ikuto thought as he too stared at something, Mika. Her eyes showed so much sadness and grief just by looking at a piano. It would never be erased from Ikuto's memory because it was so similar to how he felt, yet different.
"What is this place?"
"Dunno. Found it awhile back with everything in it."
Aya, Yoru and Sora stopped jumping on the drums and floated to Mika. She ran a hand across the keys, pressed on one key lightly and it rung beautifully.
"Play us a song!" Aya yelled.
"Yeah, Mika-chan!" Sora joined in.
"Play us a song! Play us a song! Play us a song!" The three chanted.
Mika shook her head stubbornly. "I'm not good anyways."
"Why not?!"
"I told you, I'm not good. I haven't played in ages." She turned and walked to the drums to inspect them. Aya and Yoru groaned, disappointed, and floated outside to go play but Sora stopped at the door to look back at Mika.
Ikuto suddenly appeared infront of Mika
"Why don't you play?"
"I told you, I'm not good." She moved onto the next instrument.
"You have to be. A pretty girl obviously can play pretty well." He smirked as Mika looked away, trying to catch the cymbals she almost dropped.
"I'm not pretty. Have you seen my freakishly evil red eyes?" She inquired.
"I play the violin and I think I'm sexy. Don't you think so?" He smirked again as Mika fumbled lightly and continued on to the next instrument, trying to ignore him.
"I'm taking that as an absolutely."
"Yeah. Absolutely not. You're-you're…" Ikuto stood face to face with Mika.
"I'm… what?"
Mika sighed in frustration and turned her back to him. 'So immature.' She thought. She glanced back to see he had vanished.
A key played on the piano and Mika looked to it. Sora floated above the key.
"At least one?" She pleaded with her big blue eyes. 'She can never say no this face!'
Mika tried looking away but muttered a quick fine. She wiped away the dust on both the seat and the keys so she could smoothly move her fingers across it.
"Sing too?"
Mika raised an eyebrow at Sora.
"PLEEAASSEE???"
She sighed. "You're pushing your luck. But only this once," Mika holds up index finger in Sora's face. "Only once."
Sora smiles sweetly and triumphantly nods. Mika inhaled and exhaled, pressing down on a few keys letting the piano flex it's voice. Then, she began.
Asaki yumemiji towa ni nageki mo sesu
Mika's voice echoed gently throughout the building as each key followed suit.
Tsuki no hikari kokoro terashidasu
Moyuruhana no mai michishirube
Karamitsuki ayamachi no uta mune o shimuro
Hatenu kawa ni te o sashi nagasou
Omoi tsumeta koto no ha ai ni somete
Mika closed her eyes as Sora twirled and swayed in the air above the piano. She slowly played each key and to the next key, flowing in harmony.
Surechigai ga kokoro morokusuru
Ibasho mo nai mama kaze wa fuku
Akai michi ashidori omoku yami ni mukau
Ichido nagaseba nido to kaeranu
Yubi ga tsumabuki sadame ai ni somete
Ikuto stood leaning against the door frame, also with his eyes closed, silently listening to the angelic tune he was sure no one had heard in a long time.
Ikutsu akenai yoru o kasanete
Yagate ai no nageki mo kieyuku no ka
Hatenu kawa nit e o sashi nagasou
Iro wa nio hedo itsuka chiri nuru mno
Ai ni somete…
Mika's voice ended in a whisper as the piano slowed and eventually stopped. Moments passed quietly until Ikuto lightly clapped. Mika jumped at the sudden clapping noise, went to turn around but tripped over the piano seat.
"…stupid seat." Ikuto chuckled and went to her.
"Laugh now 'cause it'll be the last time before I rip out your vocal cords!" She got up and dusted herself off.
"Such nasty comments after such a performance."
"Shut it cat boy."
"I thought it was delightful!" Sora interjected. They walked outside as a wind blew, creating a wave of grass sweeping across each other, over and over.
"Aya, charact-ah!"
Once again, Ikuto beat Mika to the finish line as he held her bridal style and jumped back into the city. Although Mika felt very uncomfortable, obvious at how much she still struggled to get away, she eventually gave up and crossed her arms, looking ahead instead of back at Ikuto.
"Who taught you to play?"
"Why do you care?"
Ikuto didn't answer.
"My dad." She said calmly. "When I was young."
Sora flapped her adorable chibi wings and landed on Mika's head.
"You said you played the violin, right Ikuto? Who taught you?" The question came on deaf ears because Sora didn't get a reply. The whole way back was silent as no one talked, excluding the neko charas.
It was late afternoon by the time Mika and Ikuto got to the park, almost to Mika's house. But, Mika still needed Ikuto to explain something that they couldn't talk about at her house.
"Why not at your house?" Ikuto smirked asking.
Mika didn't answer Ikuto this time and she went to sit down on the park bench, Ikuto sitting beside her now. Little kids ate last minute ice-cream before having to go back home to their parents and their cozy homes. Their parents watched them like hawks yet still kept on conversing with other parents with no disruption.
"Tell me about the Humpty Lock." She demanded.
Ikuto frowned in response to the demand, not wanting to talk about anything close to this.
"I did say I'd tell you, didn't I?" Mika nodded.
"Ask the kiddy-king. He'll tell you everything and more."
"Why don't you just tell me?"
"And why don't you just leave it alone." Ikuto said irritated, placing a hand over his face.
Mika stood up, got up close to him and glared coldly.
"Tell me. Now."
No answer.
Then, something struck her. She was getting too comfortable with him. She told him about how her dad taught her to play the piano, let him hear her sing, and then let him carry her twice. It was the beginning but she couldn't do it. 'What if- what if the same thing happened?' She merely frowned and her eyes seemed to dull. She walked away without a word, not even waiting for Sora and Aya to come with her.
'I can't trust anyone. Not after what happened with him. Girls hate me without even getting to know me; boys are out of the question …not even Ikuto is an exception to that. All the people I let in hurt me in some way…it's just not worth it. It just isn't.'
Ok, 10 pages and 4,816 words.
This one was a little depressing writing and it might be a little boring. It was mainly a filler chapter with Mika and Ikuto starting to get to know each other.
The next chapter will be more exciting!! I Promise!!
The song used in this chapter was 'Aizome' by Noto Mamiko. Look up the piano version and that's what the piano sounds like. Here the original version too cuz it's a great song!
And also some random thing you might not really care about: My crush read part of the story from my rough draft book!!! ///
He said it was good but I was so mad at him for reading it when my rough drafts always suck. Let's just say NOBODY has even read a WORD from my book until him.
(SIGH)
Not sure how long it will take me to update but I do already have the next chapter finished. So I will try to get it in whenever.
Remember, you no reviewey, I no updatey. SO please REVIEW!
~Mika-chan