So, as you can see, I renamed this! It was previously 'Behind Blue Eyes' soo hope you're not confused or anything. Haha.

I do not own Shugo Chara!

Chapter 3

She hadn't stopped trembling nervously all morning, which her friends noticed instantly. They continuously sent cautious glances in Amu's direction while they sat around a large, round table, discussing what acts of community service could be done in the village.

Apparently, Ikuto hadn't done anything terrible like murdering someone or kidnapping, but he had assaulted a paparazzi, and his manager figured that the best way to truly apologize was by giving service to a town or village that needed it most.

Amu had no idea why she had agreed to let a stranger stay in her house. Before she knew who it was that was coming to Seiyo, she had been talking with Tsukasa about the visitor. Since Seiyo was so small, had no visitors, and the hotel was no longer running, there wasn't a place for this person to stay. Tsukasa had approached her, nearly begging her to help him with his problem. She, of course, didn't see anything wrong with that, since if the man tried anything, she could yell out to a neighbor and guaranteed, they'd dash over with pitchforks.

But this was a whole different story.

Amu knew this person. Knew him more than anyone else.

She was glad she had managed to escape the house with Yoru earlier that morning, before Ikuto woke up. After dropping Yoru off at school and running a few errands, Amu went straight to town hall to attend the meeting. Of course she left a note on the kitchen table telling Ikuto that she would be out for an hour or two. It was only polite to do so.

"How about helping you with paperwork?" Tadase offered while looking over at Tsukasa. One of the problems with living in a small village is that there wasn't much to do for community service. There were no highways to make sure everything was running smoothly, no traffic jams, construction... nothing. Nothing ever happened in Seiyo.

Slowly shaking his head, Tsukasa sighed quietly. "I don't have paperwork to do. And I doubt that would be helping the community."

While everyone pondered different ideas, Nagihiko made eye-contact with Rima and smiled softly at her, making her scowl and point her chin in the air, turning the opposite way.

"Maybe if Tsukiyomi-san was actually at this meeting, then maybe he could put in a few thoughts." Utau stated. That wasn't really the reason why she wanted him to be in the same room as her.

Amu rested her chin on the palm of her hand, leaning her elbows on the table's surface. "He should fix up the hotel." she huffed, desperate to get him out of her house.

Tsukasa's ears perked up as he turned his eyes to her. "That's a good idea, Amu-chan!" He exclaimed excitedly with a grin on his face. His sudden outburst made the pink-haired girl nearly jump. "Who agrees that we should have Tsukiyomi work on the hotel?"

Not coming up with any other ideas, everyone nodded in agreement as they starting chatting amongst themselves.

"And Amu-chan, since it was your idea, you can help me plan out what needs to be done to the building!" Tsukasa stated. "You, I, and Tsukiyomi will be a team from now on! Sound good?"

It felt like she was slowly evaporating into thin air. Amu froze with wide eyes, staring into space. It was bad enough he was staying in her house, but being a team-type-thing with him just wouldn't work out. How Amu could say this to Tsukasa, she didn't know. Anything said would raise questions.

Tadase also froze. He was the only one who knew about Amu's past with Ikuto. "Uh.. Tsukasa-san, could I also be a part of this project? I think I could bring some good ideas to the planning."

Once Tsukasa gave him permission to, Amu immediately mouthed, 'thank you' to Tadase. At least having a friend nearby wouldn't make it too weird... hopefully.

MEANWHILE...

The house was so small. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, small dining room, and a living room. No office, entertainment room, weight room, laundry room, guest room... wait, no. He spotted the guest room at the end of the hallway. Short hallway that it was.

Ikuto walked back into the living room and looked out a window at the tire swing in the front yard. His apartment back in Tokyo was bigger than this place. Not to mention nicer. But this is what happens when you beat up a nosy paparazzi.

He sighed while sinking into a nearby couch and stared straight ahead. His throbbing headache was subsiding finally, but he was still tired and wanted to go home, eager to get this community service over and done with.

It wasn't just the village that he didn't like, but also the people. The gleam they had in their eyes made Ikuto think they were either going to kill him or eat him, he couldn't figure out which one. It was after a few questions with no answers coming from his side that resulted in him being thrown into the bar with drinks all around.

Just the memory made him cringe. He wasn't an alcohol-lover, nor an alcohol-liker. What made him drink so much, he had no clue. He also wasn't used to herds of villagers charging towards him as soon as he stepped out of his vehicle. Wait a minute... where was his car?

Ikuto groaned. He'd have to search for it later.

Before any more thinking could be done, the front door opened, revealing a small boy with blue hair and golden eyes.

A silent staring contest began with only the ticking of a clock and the rustling of the wind in the trees as background noise.

Eventually, a gleaming item Yoru was holding behind his back caught Ikuto's eye. A … crown?

Noticing Ikuto's eyes on what he was hiding, Yoru proudly presented the crown to Ikuto with a mischievous smirk on his face. "I stole this from the stupid kiddy-king." He stated.

Kiddy-King

Those two words seemed to ring through Ikuto's head. The nick-name sounded so familiar...

Pushing the thought aside, he decided to at least talk to this little boy. "Kiddy-king?" He repeated.

Yoru nodded as he waddled through the dining room, placing the crown on the table before he wandered his way over to the fridge. "He's a dummy who always bullies little kids. But, I play pranks on him to get my revenge. I'm Yoru, by the way. Mom went to a meeting, so you'll see her later."

Clueless to how to converse with such a small kid, Ikuto said the first thing that came to mind. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"School is done. You don't have any kids, do you?" Yoru guessed while straining to open up a bottle of water.

"No," Ikuto reached over and helped unscrew the cap and handed the water bottle back to Yoru, "obviously not." The two sat at the dining table in silence, Yoru drinking his water and Ikuto just sitting there.

Suddenly, Yoru placed the water down, gazing at Ikuto with wide eyes. "I have a brilliant idea! Since I don't have a dad and you don't have any kids, we should be buddies! We can relate!"

Ikuto was confused as to how two people could relate from that. If they both didn't have fathers, then they could be buddies... but, this? "Uh... sure." He replied, hesitant.

Nodding at his achievement and how genius he was, Yoru happily slid off his seat and hurried down the hallway to the washroom.

The blue-haired man had to smile ever-so-slightly at how cute that boy was. He was full of life, smart for his age, and mischievous. He had a feeling they would indeed become good friends in the nearby future.

"Yoru, sorry I'm late! I'll make din...ner..." The feminine voice wandered off as Ikuto turned in his seat to see a pink-haired girl standing at the front door, slowly closing it behind her while the rest of her body was frozen.

Ikuto figured this was Yoru's mom and decided to stand up to greet her properly. "Hey, I'm Tsukiyomi Ikuto. You're... Hinamori Amu, right?"

Amu could feel her heart pressing loudly against her ribs, nearly cracking the bones as she gazed into his midnight blue eyes. Her cheeks started going pink as her words got jumbled in her mouth. Then it dawned on her. Why didn't he recognize her? Especially if he even knew her name.

"Why are you... acting like this is the first time... we've met?" She asked gingerly while awkwardly carrying a bag of groceries.

At first, Ikuto also looked confused. "Do we know each other?"

It was amazing how those words could sink your stomach completely. Could make you feel confused whether you should be grateful or upset.

"I'm sorry. A few years ago I had brain surgery and lost my memory." the blue-haired male explained with a soft chuckle as he rubbed his head, as if remembering the pain he once had before the operation. "Were we friends before?"

Memory loss. That could be why he hadn't come looking for her for all these years. He didn't remember her... at all. Which meant he had no clue about what had happened between them. She stood in front of him as a stranger.

Realizing she had yet to answer his question, Amu quickly replied. "N-no, I don't know you. Excuse me, I have to get dinner r-ready." She said, bending her head low and not making eye-contact while hurrying into the kitchen, brushing past him.

Ikuto frowned. That girl was so weird. He then glanced down the hallway where Yoru was emerging from. "How could that cute child belong to such a strange girl?" he asked himself quietly.

"Let's watch a movie, buddy!" Yoru stated cheerfully while pulling Ikuto over to the living room. "Scary ones are my favorite. Which ones do you like?"

Funny. Ikuto thought. They're my favorite too.

They were definitely going to be good friends.