Author's Note: Hey maannn. So I've decided that maybe not for all chapters but for some, I'm going to include the songs I listened to in order to get the right feel for the events that occur. So yeah, I'll let you know at the top of each section which song(s) really inspired the emotions in each part!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! Nor do I own Peter Pan and Neverland :'(

Chapter 6: Birds With Maps and Nameless Princes

-Life In Technicolor Instrumental by Coldplay-

Kukai bellowed out Tarzan calls as he leapt in between trees and flipped over logs. Nagihiko was quick on his tail, jumping and twirling and leaping and even galloping on occasion. His long hair whipped behind him as he pulled off his shirt, throwing it at the auburn-haired boy in front of him.

Even Kairi was jumping around and participating in the race. He was zooming through the woods in front of Kukai, determination set in his eyes as he breathed strictly with his hand tightly gripping his shirt.

None of them noticed Ikuto beating all of them, jumping from tree to tree above them. He swung from tree branches and dove through leaves, sweat lining his forehead from the sizzling sunlight that was cremating the earth.

Amu ran as much as she could without hurting her ankle too much. Ran was able to use some special Chara power to take care of the pain temporary, just so the pinkette could participate in the race. She was almost passing by Nagihiko, blushing in the meantime at the sight of all the boys discarding their shirts.

The fresh air rippled through her clothing and tossed her hair. It blew against her cheeks, cooling them off and providing a protective shield from the burning sun. She breathed hoarsely, a grin breaking on her face as she easily bounded past Nagihiko. Running was no problem for her. It was the heat and the obstacles that posed as a problem.

She hurdled over a tree trunk and dashed by Kukai, leaving him in the dust as she gained on Kairi. She couldn't remember a time she felt so free - so like a child. The child she had forgotten that she still was.

She laughed as Kukai shouted something unintelligible at her, clearly not too happy about being passed by a girl.

Before she knew it, Amu was neck and neck with Kairi, who never refused a challenge. Their breathing was nearly in sync as they lunged for the river just yards in front of them. Kukai and Nagihiko's cheering echoed through the forest and bounced off the trees surrounding them.

Ikuto, who had already reached the river, sat on a tree branch with one leg dangling off. He watched in keen amusement as the two runners mad-dashed to the 'finish line'.

Their stubbornness making it impossible to quit, Amu and Kairi lunged off the riverbed in unison and plunged into the ice cold water.

The rush of liquid tingled and prickled Amu's burning skin, splashing delightfully through her hair and seeping into her clothing.

She emerged from the water with a grin, still breathing heavily as she watched Kukai leap in, followed by Nagihiko.

Ran cheered from the sidelines, hovering by Ikuto, who was never really considered a contestant, more like the ref when it came to these races.

"Ooohhhhhhh that's nice," Kukai sighed. He released a deep breath. He pushed his fingers through his hair to slick it back before wiggling his eyebrows at Kairi, who had to nod in agreement, the ghost of a smile quirking up his lip.

"You need a room, Kukai?" Nagihiko joked before splashing the auburn-haired boy. He dove under water, swirling around and whipping back up to the surface with his deep, violet hair a knotted mess. For once, he didn't seem to mind. He would mind in two seconds, though, but for the moment he wanted to enjoy the chilly bliss the water offered.

Amu plunged under again, swimming so low her stomach nearly brushed the rocks at the bottom of the river. Small, colourful fish swam nearby in schools, not seeming to mind the presence of a human. Amu even waved to a couple, who appreciated being acknowledged.

Pushing off the rocks with her feet, the pinkette broke through the crystal clear water, rubbing the droplets from her face as she inhaled the cool, river breeze. "This is so nice! Why don't we just camp out here for the rest of our lives?"

"I would not mind that one bit, Hinamori," Kukai replied distractedly, too comfortable floating on his back to fully participate in a conversation.

"But then we would never truly appreciate the river for what it offers," Nagihiko pointed out while picking a leaf from his shorts, "as we would be too used to the luxurious water."

Kairi nodded in agreement and added, "It's a nice treat." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before gingerly descending into the water to go exploring.

Amu sighed happily while lifting her legs to float on her back. People these days needed to start enjoying the simple pleasures nature offered. It seemed everyone was too busy nowadays. Either that or they refused to revisit their childhood and act like a kid again- adventuring and rough-housing.

Her gaze finally noticed Ikuto. He was lounging in a tree with his arms behind his head, legs crossed, eyes closed, with Ran floating beside him. The Shugo Chara was going on about something Ikuto clearly found uninteresting, though he threw in a nod every now and then.

"Yo, Ikuto," Amu called tauntingly, "are you too cool to join us?"

An azure eye cracked open and slid down to her.

He smirked before closing it again. He didn't respond.

Amu stuck her tongue out at him while Nagihiko chuckled from beside her. He leaned forward to brush his fingers through his hair while Kukai swam over to them.

The boy with auburn hair grinned toothily, an eyebrow slowly raising in a challenging way. "You want to race, Hinamori?"

Did she want to race? In this world, Amu didn't have to worry about keeping her reputation and constantly keeping cool. Amu smirked and accepted Kukai's challenge. For the first time since waking up in Neverland, she felt as if this place may actually be the best thing to happen to her.

She threw away any self-conscious worries and decided that from this point on, she'd enjoy being a kid while she still could.

- Light by Hans Zimmer + Passenger by One Republic (Piano Cover)-

The trees tingled with the light scent of melons and pears as they rippled calmly under the sun. A refreshing ray of light poured into the forest opening, rippling over Amu's skin.

She stood in the forest clearing, gripping the stick in her hand tightly as she swallowed slowly.

Her stomach churned at the realization that she was almost getting used to this foreign land. She found it normal for living, enormous bears to walk beside her on their hind feet. They would never attack, but would sometimes attempt to converse. Amu still hadn't learned to speak bear, which made the furry animals grow depressed as they sulked off into the forest after their conversation failed to be reciprocated by the pinkette. She felt kind of bad for failing to speak with these creatures, but the guilt quickly wore off once it dawned on her that she wasn't supposed to be talking to bears.

A dreadful emotion crept into her stomach at the realization that she may never see home again. The ability to return home felt out of reach and like a hopeless wish, especially considering that she had been training with Ikuto but it felt like she hadn't learnt anything.

What she wanted was to crumble to the ground and become one with the earth. This was Neverland. It was probably possible. All one had to do was jump in circles while chanting about carrots and ice cream and voila, earthbound eternally.

A small arch appeared in Amu's brow as she shuffled her shoes against the grass. Her eyes peered downwards in wonderment. Nonsense, it couldn't be possible.

Gripping the stick in her hands tightly, her honey-coloured eyes flickered up to watch Ikuto, who had been helping her with her footwork. Easier said than done with her ankle acting up. They were practicing with sticks instead of swords, which comforted her slightly.

Ikuto stood a few feet away with one foot in front of the other, turned so his side was directed towards her. His attention was caught on something else, the deep sapphire of his eyes glazing over as he sunk deeper into his thoughts. His eyebrows creased slightly and his jaw clenched.

Amu could have sworn she even saw his ear twitch.

Before she could even unhinge her jaw to speak, her nose was flush with his chest and he was pressing his fingers to her lips to silence her. His body heat trickled through Amu's clothing. She reminded herself to keep breathing. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as she peered up at Ikuto while he watched the trees, a firm expression set on his face. She had to admit that, despite his odd characteristics, he wasn't a bad guy. Not bad looking, either. Not to mention it was impossible to hate him when he smelled so good.

At school, sure she had been popular, but it was in an infamous way - a way that made all guys practically fear her. These circumstances also made it difficult to make friends of the female sex as well. They either hated her for being a common name spoken around school, or they admired her from afar but always left her to be on her own. So to have an attractive, mischievous boy stand flush with her was just bizarre. Human contact wasn't something she was particularly used to.

Realizing she had been staring, Amu diverted her flustered attention away from Ikuto and back to the trees.

As soon as she did so, a crash broke from somewhere deep in the serene forest. Twigs snapped and leaves rustled and Amu stepped closer to Ikuto. They unconsciously shifted so Amu was protected by Ikuto's outstretched arm, his position rearranged so his shoulder blocked her view. Amu hadn't realized his other hand had been resting at the back of her neck until he moved it.

Ikuto removed his hand from her mouth and put a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet. He started off towards the patch of trees where the noise had emerged from. Without turning around he outstretched his arm backwards, the palm of his hand face-up to tell Amu to wait where she was.

The pinkette nearly reached out and grabbed onto his arm to pull him back. She folded her hands in front of her to keep from doing so. She took to nibbling her lip as she watched his graceful self disappear into the trees. He really didn't seem to fear anything. Either that or he wasn't afraid to get hurt. She almost admitted that she was envious of that character trait - almost.

After what seemed like ten minutes of him being gone, Amu swallowed the lump of dread in her throat and pressed on after him. It shouldn't be too hard to find him. Just look for something that looked like an over-grown blueberry. Plus, if she got lost she could always ask a bear, or any other animal, really.

However, the further she ventured, the more worried she became. Her heart was rapping against her chest. Climbing over rocks and fallen trees, she was glad to have a few fresh scrapes speckle her skin to keep her attention away from the eerie silence of the forest. A bead of sweat gathered in her hairline. She pushed her bangs back before tripping over a rock and landing in a bush with needles poking into her back.

Shrieking, Amu waved her arms like a mad man before lunging out of the prickly bush and stumbling backwards, tripping over the same rock and landing on her back.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't quite used to all this forest yet. But soon, she would master the art of walking ten minutes without falling.

Cringing at the pounding in her ankle, the pinkette didn't even attempt to stand up on her own. She would just wait until a crane rolled along and pulled her up. Until then, she'd continue to stare at the orange sky and the emerald leaves that danced above her.

Not long later, she heard footsteps. Then a chuckle. It was a little higher than Ikuto's voice, which made Amu frown as she lifted her head to see who was there. Her crane had arrived to pick her up. A hand appeared in her vision.

The setting sun created a halo-effect on the boy's golden hair. His soft, ruby eyes watched her carefully as he beamed down at her. His whole appearance screamed 'innocent.' He nearly took her breath away. For a moment she didn't know what she was expected to do and just stared at the hand until it registered in her mind what it was there for.

Amu flushed in embarrassment as she diverted her eyes and wrapped her fingers around his, letting him pull her up.

"That was quite a fall," he commented good-heartedly. "I'm actually pretty impressed."

The pinkette staggered to stand straight as she chuckled unsurely before taming her hair.

The charming stranger reached over and plucked a twig from her tresses before she got to it.

Amu's blush spread quickly upon making eye-contact with the blond again. His polite smile made her insides flip, bounce, and turn to mush. To prevent herself from appearing like a bigger fool, she swallowed and tried to make conversation.

"Yeah…I'd like to say that I don't fall very often, but it seems that since coming here I've been tumbling all over the place," She admitted with a brief eye-roll.

"Oh, so clearly it's not your fault. The forest is just out to get you because it doesn't know you yet," the blond put in teasingly.

Trying to hide her shy smile, Amu nodded, her cheeks coloring to a baby pink, "Something like that."

He offered her his arm for her to take hold of, raising his eyebrows questioningly. "Shall I guide you so you don't fall any more?"

If she hadn't been swooning before, Amu certainly was now. Of course she would never admit it, though. So instead of lunging for his arm like she wanted to, her façade kicked into play and she scoffed lightly and crossed her arms, despite the small, friendly upturn of her lip.

"No thanks, prince charming, I need to learn to walk properly on my own."

"You don't walk often?" He joked.

"Not since getting this sprain, nope," Amu replied dully, grimacing down at her shoes.

It seemed like this stranger was about to say something more until he appeared to be distracted briefly as his posture automatically straightened. After a beat he looked back at Amu and smiled, starting to step away.

"I just remembered I have to get going… but are you going to be alright?" He asked, seeming incredibly patient despite the need to hurry on off.

Amu glanced around and wiped off her butt. With a nod, she said, "Yeah, I should be fine."

The blond gave her one last prince-charming smile before nodding and hurrying off.

It wasn't until after he disappeared did Amu realize she didn't ask him what his name was. She nearly beat herself up over this but the blood on her hands reminded her that she was already pretty beat up as it was. She really needed to stop falling.

Only about thirty wobbly steps into her trek to find Ikuto, she spotted him resting on his hind legs, leaning over something.

Amu backed up and hid behind a nearby tree, peering around the trunk to get a better look at the scene in front of her. A large bird with white and deep green feathers lay on the ground. For a brief, terrifying moment Amu thought Ikuto was getting ready to kill it. Upon closer inspection, she realized he was removing something from its wound.

Feeling a little safer, Amu re-emerged into the open and unconsciously made her presence known by cracking a twig under her shoe. This caused Ikuto's gaze to shoot up and over his shoulder, his eyes travelling down her body to rest on her scraped up knees.

"What, did you get into a war?" He asked dryly. He smirked at her furious glare before he turned back to the bird he was aiding who seemed to be laughing at the interaction between the two.

"N-no!" Amu huffed angrily, "I just…tripped…a little."

"A lot."

"No, a little."

They both knew Amu was losing so neither of them continued their spat.

Instead, the pinkette peered over Ikuto's shoulder while stepping closer.

"What…happened?"

Ikuto wiped the bird's blood from his fingers as if it were merely water. "This guy crashed through the branches up there," he nodded to the tree branches looming above them, "and got skimmed by a rock. He's fine, just needed some directions."

Amu frowned, "Directions?"

"Yup."

They both sat in silence as Ikuto checked over the wound. Finishing up, his hand grazed the top of the bird's head affectionately, smoothing down his feathers and examining him closely and gently in search of any more wounds.

Watching in silence, Amu felt her respect towards Ikuto grow. He was unconsciously displaying a softer side to him that didn't make an appearance very often. Until this point, she viewed him just as the slightly-perverted, constantly up to no good flying boy who loved making her blush. Surprisingly, he had depth to him.

The bird stood up and shook out its wings, seeming as good as new.

"Now, if you're needing to look at your map, pull over some place safe. Don't continue to fly," Ikuto advised, picking up the bird's map and glasses from the ground.

Once the glasses were put in place on the bird's beak, he nodded gratefully to Ikuto before unrolling his map and leaping off the ground, soaring high into the warm sunlight, where he vanished into the sky.

Amu stared open-mouth and wide-eyed at the sight. It was such a large, majestic bird. But…it needed a map?

"Birds here need maps..?" She clarified. Her eyes were still fixated on the sky.

Ikuto stood up so he was beside her. He wiped his hands off on the front of his pants and glanced down at her, sending her a weird look out of the corner of his eye.

"…Yeah," he replied as if it was common knowledge. "What, and the birds from your world don't?"

"W-well, no, of course not!"

They stared at each other long and hard, Amu flabbergasted and Ikuto with an expressionless front, yet his eyes seemed to be studying the pinkette to confirm that she was sane. Though appearing to be of the same human race, they felt like aliens next to each other.

Finally, the blue-haired one spoke. "You may be a little insane. Birds can't fly without maps."

"I'm pretty sure they can!"

"Well…but that's you, and you claim to know a lot of things. Like how to trek through the forest, for example."

"I have a messed up ankle, it's not my fault!"

Holding up his hands to show his surrender, Ikuto nodded with slight impatience. "Okay, fine, yes, it's the ankle. And anyway… yes, Neverland birds need maps 'cause they aren't exactly the brightest things around. …Kind of like Kukai."

Amu rolled her eyes with a soft laugh, "Hey, he's been a great doctor." Her gaze turned to the scratches on her hands, then to the marks on her knees. She was going to have to pay Kukai an extra visit that evening. Surprisingly, she didn't mind these 'doctor's checkups', as Kukai was probably the easiest person to talk to. With him, it didn't even feel like she was getting any medical treatment done.

The two started on their way back to the training circle, Ikuto leading the way so Amu wouldn't be wandering blindly while plummeting to the ground every other minute. Though something told her that he was purposely taking the difficult route.

"Do we really have to walk across a log?" Her voice came out shaky as she stumbled to keep balance on the slippery log beneath her feet. Ikuto was easily leading the way with his hands in his pockets and a graceful bounce in his step.

"There's a creek underneath. You could walk in that, if you want."

"No, I mean, there's got to be an easier way! I didn't walk across this log on my way over here!"

"Ew, you walked through the water?"

"Ikuto," Amu sighed, exasperated. When she looked up from the ground, her eyebrows slanted, "We're not training anymore?" They had reached Hangman's Tree - the Lost Boy's hideout.

Hangman's Tree was a large, eerie tree with a plump, black trunk covered with bare branches. Any smart person would dub it dead and turn around instantly once coming across it. What they didn't know of was the doorway hidden in the trunk. It opened up to reveal steps leading down to a cozy fort which was actually quite comfortable for being underground. The Lost Boys only risked returning to the fort at sundown, just in case a passer-by happened to see them disappear into the tree.

Ikuto pushed open the secret door, holding it open for Amu as he nodded to the cuts on her legs. "You're going to need those cleaned up. We can continue training another day."

The welcoming warmth of the hideout pulled Amu inside and down the stairs. It took only a moment for Kukai to notice Amu's scrapes. He had his medical gear out in an instant and before she knew it, Amu was sitting on her bed with Ran flying around in a panic.

"Oh, Amu-chan!" The chara exclaimed compassionately. She pressed her tiny hands to her cheeks as she stared at the sight of the cuts on Amu's legs with wide eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have let you train on your own." She floated over to where Amu sat and patted her affectionately on the head.

"I declare we go on an adventure." Kukai stated suddenly. His eyes remained fixed on Amu's hand as he cleaned up the dried blood. He sat across from her on her bed situated furthest from the door in a little nook all of her own. They claimed it was for her own protection to have her bed in a separate room. That way if anyone were to break into the hideout, the boys would be the first to be alerted and they could start attacking while Amu was kept safe. At first she figured her bed was isolated because they didn't want her escaping during the night. Upon getting to know these boys better, she now knew they really were concerned for her safety..

"Right, an adventure with gimpy over there?" Ikuto inquired sarcastically from his bed. He lay on his back with his arms covering his eyes, the hint of a smirk appearing briefly on his lips.

Amu's eyes turned dark as she glared at the wall keeping her from hitting the blue-haired teen. He didn't have to say her name for everyone to know of who he was implying. "You're the gimpy one!"

A nervous chuckle forcefully bubbled out of Ran. She lightly rested on Amu's shoulder and started playing with her hair to hopefully aid in the calming-down process.

"What kind of adventure would this be?" Kairi asked calmly. "It may conflict with our schedule."

"What appointments could we possibly have?" Kukai asked, slightly exasperated.

"Well…" The green-haired teen pushed his blankets down before he sat up straight, reaching over to grab his glasses and slide them back on. "Chief Kiseki, I'm sure, has been expecting us for quite some time."

This piqued Amu's interest as she moved to peer out her doorway, her hand accidentally pulling out of Kukai's grasp and hitting his arm.

"You've got to stop hitting me, woman." Kukai whined. He rubbed his arm for emphasize while Amu rolled her eyes and set her hand back down for him to finish cleaning it up.

"So you mean…we can go hunt Indians?" Amu asked excitedly.

Nagihiko exchanged looks with Kairi before shrugging, both boys nodding.

"I don't see why not," Nagihiko confessed. He turned his attention away from his recipe book and inspected Ikuto, who hadn't removed his arms from his eyes.

"Ikuto, wake up," The purple-haired teen snapped.

"I'm up."

"Shall we pay a visit to the Indian camp?"

A moment passed as all occupants of the hideout went silent and listened.

Sliding his arm off his face, Ikuto pushed himself up on his elbows and smirked at the boys.

"I'd say Chief Kiseki must be awfully lonely without us."

Author's Note: Thoughts, opinions, requests? Let me know! And I feel like one of you guys needs someone to talk to. (Yes, I may just be going insane, but really.) So if you need to vent about something or whatever, I'm here!