Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara

-Thank you all for the reviews!!! : )

- I added another new character in this chapter. Tsukasa will be here. Sorry if I keep adding. He's probably it for now, I just need him in here. It's the same old thing. He's a noble, a rich guy, and Tadase's uncle.

-Yoru's here and there will be a Miru part in this chap.

-There's still Amuto in here and the other pairings might come in again soon. Such as Rimahiko and Kutau : )

-Thanks again to all the reviewers for all the reviews, sorry if I updated a bit late too. : D Now, on with the story!!

Getting Lost & Long Time No See

It's been a few days since the encounter with Kairi. Miki was in the gardens along with Su, Ran and Dia. They were wondering how Amu was doing. So far, the only thing they've got from Kairi that helped was that the Yamabukis didn't know that Amu was with the royals, and that she was being taken care of.

"You think they'll find out about Amu-chan?" asked Ran silently

"Can you not think that way Ran? It's kind of making things worse. Let's not think of this backfiring on us again. We've had enough bad luck." Said Miki, thinking negatively on things was the last thing any of them needed right now.

"I can't help it. I'm worried about Amu-chan." Said Ran

"We all are~desu, but worrying to much wont help either." Said Su with a smile, as she made some tea while waiting for the others to arrive.

"Plus I don't know how long we can put up this act." Ran said, and she was right. It's only been a few days, but to them it felt like they've been acting for weeks. Now that they knew where Amu was, they wanted to see her, real bad.

"We all miss her Ran, so for her sake we have to make sure they don't find anything suspicious with our actions." Said Dia calmly

"That wouldn't be so hard…." Said Miki. She doubted that the Yamabukis could ever figure anything out on their own without somebody making it obvious or telling them about it.

"That's true, considering this is Saaya were talking about here." Rima's voice came in hearing range and when they all turned around, she was right there only a few steps away from them, and Nagihiko was right beside her.

"Rima-chan and Nagi~desu! You're here!" said Su excitedly

"Hia, gomene we were late today, but since everything that's happened most of us had to do twice the work." Said Nagihiko

"Ah, no surprise there." Replied Miki and then she asked "So? Where are they?"

"If you mean the evil witch and her mom, then they're all gone for now." Said Rima. Saaya and Lady Yamabuki have been taking many leaves from the mansion ever since Amu's disappearance.

"Are they trying to find her again?" asked Dia with worry

"Yes, but there's no need for that look Dia." Assured Rima

"But what if they do figure it out~desu?" asked Su with the same worried tone

"They wont. Because of Kukai and Daichi's help, they'll tell us right away if there's been some complications around town." Said Nagihiko "Not to mention Yaya-chan, Tamari-oneesan and Rhythm-san."

"Right, we're all prepared. Plus that Kairi guy told us not to panic." Said Rima

"Sanjo-san might really be able to help in our account." Said Nagihiko "Nobody else knows him but us, so it's a big advantage."

"The help from the royals is another thing. That's not something we get everyday." Said Miki. She also thinks that Kukai's connection with Utau is something they got lucky with.

"All we have to do is stay calm and at most, do our part." Said Nagihiko "I'm sure everything will be back to normal in time."

"Don't worry about Saaya, she'll never figure this out on her own. She's as dense as a rock. The only reason we got caught the last time was because someone told her about it." Said Rima

"I'm not sure I want things back to normal though…." Muttered Miki

"Eh? But what about Amu-chan? Are we just going to leave her there Miki? We can't do that!" said Ran

"No I never said I didn't want Amu-chan back. Of course, I want her back Ran. Just…I just don't want things well…normal." Said Miki

"Why? What's so wrong about having Amu back and getting things back to normal?" asked Rima a bit confused

"What does normal mean to you guys anyway?" asked Miki

"Well, all of us together again~desu." Said Su

"That's just not it Su. Normal means Amu-chan comes back here and that's not such a good thing." Said Miki "I want things to change, she deserves better. If she just ends up coming back here then what would be the difference, it's like a repeat of everything all over again."

"I guess that kind of normal does stink…" muttered Rima. Would things even change when they get her back?

"Calm down minna, I don't think it will end up that way. We need to focus. If the royals are really willing to help then things would turn out better eventually." Said Dia

"I'm sure everything will be fine~desu." Said Su

"Right, we have to do this for Amu-chan!" cheered Ran happily

Miki smiled to herself and then she looked at all her friends. They were right, Amu was going to be fine, she just had to be. They learnt to trust Kairi and they knew that they were really trying to help. Everything will be fine….for sure.

Meanwhile….at the palace

During the days that Amu had been in the palace, Ikuto and her were practically inseparable. All the time that Amu would feel ill, Ikuto would volunteer taking her back to her room, reasoning that guests had to be treated with care. Amu just bought it and went along with it, but Utau and the others in the palace could see something was up.

Ikuto would often neglect his duties in meeting the princesses, until he had no other excuse to use. Lucky for him, Tadase, Kairi and Utau would help him make new ones. As odd as that is, they preferred that rather than doing any other hard work. Ikuto didn't mind and he wasn't the only one making excuses, at times, Utau was too.

Utau and Tadase, even Kairi didn't mind this, but unfortunately for them, others did. The four of them were called to the throne room today and they left Nikaidou and Yukairi to take care of Amu, now that they were here though how they wish they never went there….

"Ikuto, are you listening?" asked Aruto as he looked at his son, who was, in obvious cases, ignoring him.

"Hm?" asked Ikuto

Aruto sighed "Ikuto please…will you just listen?" he asked

"What is it?" Ikuto asked again

Before his father could answer, someone else had interrupted. "He's clearly neglecting his duties sire." This voice belonged to one of the messengers of a noble that happened to be a friend of the king and queen. Now what was the problem? Simple, he was a pain, at least Ikuto thought so. He just so happens to have paid a visit and then this terror suddenly ensures.

"Ikuto hasn't been doing anything wrong." Protested Utau

"Oh please princess, he's been ignoring his duties as a prince. You should know, you have been acting as such as well." Said the man

Utau rolled her eyes and replied "I haven't been asked to do anything else but to meet and greet a bunch of selfish arrogant guys."

"These 'guys' as you'd like to call them are bachelors, princes you have to chose form." Said the man again

"I think you should keep things not related to you out of your concern." Said Utau, this guy was so close to getting it.

"That's enough Utau." Warned Aruto "We do not intent to start a fight here with him. He is a loyal messenger."

"Sure he is…." Muttered Ikuto

"That's enough now." Another voice entered the room and in came a man named Tsukasa. He looked so much like Tadase, because he was his uncle. Tsukasa came in and smiled at Ikuto and Utau. "That's enough, you may leave immediately. I sent for you to deliver the message of my arrival, not to cause them trouble."

"But…." Started the messenger as he was about to protest

"No more of this please, just leave now." Said Tsukasa kindly

"Yes of course, right away sir." Said the messenger, and soon he was out the room in no time and Utau smiled.

"Tsukasa-san, so nice to have you here today." Said Utau with a smile, a grateful smile that said 'I am so glad you got here on time.'

Tsukasa smiled back and then he glanced from Ikuto then to Aruto. "What seems to be the problem here Aruto." Asked Tsukasa

"Nothing big my friend, just Ikuto and his stubbornness again." Said Aruto with a sigh

"My,is that so?" said Tsukasa with a light laugh. He glanced from Tadase then to Ikuto "Is that true now Ikuto-kun."

"Do you think it is?" asked Ikuto. He never had to speak formally in front of Tsukasa unlike any of the other noble and rich families around and he was grateful for that.

"Hard to believe. Is that really the case?" asked Tsukasa

"Yes it is. Both my son and my daughter have been neglecting their duties, Tadase even." Said Aruto
"Tadase, what have you been up to?" asked Tsukasa. He wasn't angry though, he was curious.

"Nothing, I've just spent some time with Utau-chan and Ikuto-nii." Replied Tadase

"I see…" Tadase knew that Tsukasa didn't really buy that excuse, Utau and Ikuto knew too, but they'd talk to him about that later.

"Tsukasa, what brings you here?" asked Souko kindly

"I came to check on Tadase and your children as well, I didn't know I'd fine you in this state." He told them

"I apologize for your troubles Tsukasa." Said Aruto "But things aren't going well lately."

"Yes, I can already see that quite clearly my friend." Replied Tsukasa with a light smile "If you'd like, I would volunteer to speak with the children myself."

"Oh brother…." Muttered Ikuto. There was nothing wrong with Tsukasa to be honest. He just had a bit of hyper personality. Not to mention Tsukasa's love for cats, which wasn't an advantage when it came to Ikuto or Yoru….

"Would that be alright with you Ikuto-kun?" asked Tsukasa

"Fine." Replied Ikuto. He wasn't fond of this, but it beats getting nagged by his own family.

"Alright, I'll meet with you all at the gardens. I just have a few more words for your parents. Will that be okay?" asked Tsukasa and this time, he wanted Utau and Tadase's opinion on it too, even Kairi's.

"That would be fine Tsukasa-san." Said Utau with a smile "Come on Tadase, Ikuto, Kairi let's go."

Ikuto simply walked out of the room. He was followed by Kairi, after giving a small bow, and Tadase after giving Tsukasa a grateful smile. As the four of them walked outside, Utau sighed and spoke.

"Finally, we're free of that torment." She told them

"You should already be used to this." Said Ikuto in a bored tone

"Who ever said I wasn't? I just don't like it." Replied Utau

"It's a good thing he came here on time." Said Tadase

"Yes, things could have gotten…complicated otherwise." Agreed Kairi while he adjusted his glasses.

"Now what do we do?" asked Utau

"Why don't we go see how Hinamori-san is doing? We were talking with her before we were called right?" suggested Tadase

"Alright, let's get going. It beats standing around here." Said Ikuto simply and he started walking

Utau walked behind him and she rolled her eyes at his response. "Sure it does. He just cant admit it. Typical Ikuto…" she muttered to herself

"Say something Utau?" asked Ikuto

"Darn him and his hearing!" thought Utau and then she replied "Nope, what makes you say that?"

"Hn. I thought you were talking to yourself. I guess I must be hearing things." Replied Ikuto sarcastically

Utau ignored the sarcasm and just continued walking. She couldn't convince him of anything for now, but she won't give up on it. But for now, they all kept silent as they walked towards Amu's room once again.

Somewhere In Town….

Yoru walked along the path of the huge crowded market. He didn't want to admit it. It was embarrassing and he knew he'd find a loophole somewhere. That's what he told himself about an hour ago when he first got to the town of Corinth. But the sad truth was….

"I can't believe it! I'm actually lost~nya!" said Yoru with a sigh. He looked around him and he couldn't recognize anything. He was soon muttering something to himself when he suddenly heard a voice from behind.

"Yoru? What are you doing here just standing there?" Yoru turned around and he saw a very confused Miki staring at him.

"Miki~nya!" said Yoru happily

"Yeah it's me. Now, what are you doing here again?" she asked him

"I'm….well you see….I'm kind of lost~nya…." Replied Yoru, soon enough Miki started laughing.

"Your…lost?" she asked again

"Come on, it's not funny~nya. I can't get home like this." Replied Yoru

"Alright, I know….sorry about that. I just….I thought you knew your way around here, since your not pure royalty and all." Said Miki as she stopped her laughter and turned to look at Yoru.

"I've been here lots of times before, but things change~nya. I got out less and this place just keeps getting bigger." Replied Yoru. Since he had to stay with Ikuto most of the time, he was stuck.

"I see, not all things are peachy at the palace after all isn't it?" asked Miki, she was curious now.

"No, it's kind of boring~nya, especially if Ikuto and Utau aren't around." Said Yoru

"Looks like their pretty busy huh? What are you doing here then?" asked Miki again, he never did answer her first question.

"They sent me out to go get groceries. They have a meeting with their parents today and I had nothing better to do~nya." Said Yoru as he looked around the busy town

"I take it you aren't near done with the grocery shopping aren't you?" asked Miki "Have you even started?"

"Nope, kind of got lost~nya." Said Yoru

Miki smiled again and then spoke "Come with me. I'm about to go shopping myself, I know where you can get the stuff you need."

"Okay, thanks~nya." Said Yoru. Miki just smiled and led the way to her favorite store.

Miki led Yoru to Rhythm's place. She walked happily with him until they reached their destination. Miki smiled and called out. "Rhythm-san, are you here?"

Rhythm suddenly came to meet them and he greeted "Hey Miki-chan long time no see, it's nice to see you again." He told her and gave her a hug. When they broke away, Rhythm noticed Yoru.

Rhythm then turned back to Miki and asked "Boyfriend?" he pointed towards Yoru as he asked his question.

"What? N-no!" replied Miki and her face became flushed

"We just know each other~nya!" replied Yoru almost at the same time

Rhythm laughed, amused by their reactions, but he soon let it go. He asked "Alright, what would you want today Miki-chan? And sorry for the accusation."

"No it's alright." Replied Miki, but did they honestly look like a couple to him? She shrugged it off and continued "Just a new list of groceries again, pretty much the same old stuff actually."

"I see…" he relied a he took a list from Miki. He then turned to Yoru "And you sir?" he asked

"I have a list from the cook at home." He took out a list from his pocket and then handed it to Rhythm.

Rhythm looked at the lists and he soon spoke "I'll be back, it might take a while though. These are too many to do quickly."

"That's fine, we'll wait for you here." Replied Miki and Yoru nodded in agreement

Rhythm nodded in return and soon he was gone. Miki and Yoru were left alone to talk. Yoru decided to start the conversation between them "So…how's it going~nya?" he asked

"Fine, same old stuff actually." Replied Miki "Nothing's changed that much. Except for that issue with Amu-chan."

"Oh yeah, did you know about it already~nya? About her being, you know…with us?" asked Yoru

Miki nodded and replied "Yes, we all do. So, how is she?"

"She's doing well~nya. She's taken care of." Said Yoru
"That's nice…" replied Miki. She was happy for Amu, this was just about the same stuff that Kukai told them all about.

"Ikuto never leaves her alone~nya." Said Yoru

This immediately caught Miki's attention. Did he just say that? "Eh? Can you repeat that? He never leaves her alone?" she asked

"Yup, he's always with her. Never leaves her behind~nya." Said Yoru

"But what about all the things he has to do? Like all of his other duties?" asked Miki. She was very occupied with this new information.

"Well, Ikuto's been trying to ignore all of it~nya. Utau and Tadase have been helping him out, along with Kairi." Said Yoru "They spend time with Amu a lot~nya."

"So….Amu-chan….is never alone. And the prince has been neglecting his duties for her?" asked Miki, she was in a state of shock. She had a hunch about Ikuto before, she just never thought it was real.

"Sure looks that way~nya, and he doesn't seem to mind either." Said Yoru

"Well this is new…" replied Miki. She started thinking of the events that have been happening lately and thought "First that news about Kukai and Utau-hime and now Amu-chan and Ikuto-san….this is getting interesting…."

"Miki? You okay~nya?" asked Yoru, he noticed that she was suddenly spacing out.

"Hm? I'm fine, this is just a bit of a shock to me." Said Miki

"It is for everyone, I mean Ikuto never pays attention to girls~nya. Amu was the first one." Said Yoru

Miki smiled, looks like things may be changing after all. And, if they were lucky, this type of change would be for the better. Still, she could clearly see the problem in this picture… Miki shrugged it off and let the thought fade away. "I shouldn't be thinking of stuff like that now…"

Soon Rhythm arrived with all of their stuff. "Sorry for the wait you two." He said to them while he placed the stuff down and started checking f he got everything right.

"Daijobu, it wasn't a long wait." Said Miki with a smile as she was finally out of her thoughts.

"There I'm sure I got everything right here. If I missed something, feel free to come back and whatever it is that I missed will be on the house." Said Rhythm as he got up to face them

"No problem Rhythm-san." Said Miki with a smile "But I'm sure you didn't miss anything, you never do."

"Ah, but there's a first time for everything right? You never know." Said Rhythm

"Thanks a lot~nya." Said Yoru as he handed the money to Rhythm

"Not a problem." Said Rhythm. He handed Yoru his change and spoke "Feel free to come back anytime."

"I will. But for now, I gotta go~nya. Ikuto will be looking for me and I'll get killed if I don't get back on time." Said Yoru

"Take care of yourself, and can you tell Amu-chan we miss her?" asked Miki

"Sure thing~nya, she'd like to hear that." Said Yoru

"Okay. Thanks Yoru, I owe you one." Said Miki

Yoru smiled at her and soon he turned to leave. "I wonder if he finds his way back without getting lost again…" mumbles Miki to herself and she smiled at the thought

"Well, that was rather interesting." Said Rhythm

"Maybe for you." Replied Miki

"I know that, you know it was a shock right? I never thought someone from the palace would be back here again. Especially with Amu-chan's case." Said Rhythm

"Kukai told you?" asked Miki

"Yup, he stopped by. I was with Temari and Yaya-chan." Said Rhythm with a smile "Ami-chan was taking a nap at that time so she didn't know."

"Is she starting to look for her?" asked Miki. She knew Amu hasn't visited in a while so Ami must be worried. But of course, they just couldn't tell her anything yet.

"She has. We told her Amu-chan was busy with work and would stop by when she had the time." Said Rhythm, then he sighed and shook his head "I never liked lying to her, but in this case we have no other possible alternatives to choose from."

"We have to put up our own kind of act, and it's no walk in the park. But we have to do it for Amu-chan's sake. She needs some time away from Saaya and her freakish mom, so it's all worth it." Said Miki

"Speaking of them, are they out again?" asked Rhythm

"Yes, and we are so grateful for that. If they weren't then things could go down hill. We don't like having them around. You know how bad it is to have to see them everyday?" asked Miki

"I can just imagine." Said Rhythm with a light laugh "How's Saaya handling this anyway? Anything new on her?" he asked

"Same old. She's half happy about it and half pissed off. That girl has problems…" Miki muttered out the last part but he still heard her anyway.

For the remainder of Miki's time on the town, she stayed and talked with Rhythm a lot. She also happened to stop by near Kukai's place and they had a talk of their own too. Once the sun was about to go down, Miki didn't need someone to remind her that it was time to head back. She said her goodbyes to her friends and started walking back to the mansion.

Miki got back to the mansion and she met Dia at the door. Dia gave her a smile and spoke "Good timing Miki, they aren't home yet and Su is just making tea for us."

"Ah, looks like I got back on time." Said Miki with a smile

"Yup, hurry, let's get to the garden and join the others shall we?" asked Dia

"Sure thing. I'll just put these in the kitchen. Su must still be there." Said Miki as she help up the groceries.

"Oh I didn't notice this time's list was this much. Do you need any help with that?" asked Dia as she offered her hand to take some of the bags.

"No it's okay, you can go Dia. Tell the others I'm here instead. I'm fine with these, it's really not that much." Said Miki

"Are you sure?" asked Dia with a questioning look, she really did think they would be hard for Miki to carry all on her own.

"Positive." Replied Miki with a smile

"Alright, but ask for help if you need to okay?" asked Dia

"Don't worry Dia, I will." Said Miki

Dia soon left and Miki went for the kitchen. There she saw Su and they both started putting the groceries in their proper places. While doing all this, Miki found herself stuck in a thought. "I wonder if Yoru got home already…?"

Back at the Palace

Ikuto was inside Amu's room again…no surprise there. And Tadase, Kairi and Utau were with her too. They were inside Amu's room as soon as they got freedom over their talk with the king and queen. It confused Amu as to what happened and she never got the chance to ask earlier because Nikaidou and Yukairi were there.

"Eh Utau….what happened earlier? You seemed really relieved after you got back from that talk with your parents." Said Amu

"Oh that, it was nothing. It was just such a relief to get out of there." Said Utau

"Did something happen?" asked Amu confused

"Nothing, I was just this close to hitting that messenger that came by. He was starting to go overboard. He has to learn to keep some things to himself you know." Said Utau as she remembered the earlier events that happened

"Messenger?" asked Amu, she seriously had no idea what she was talking about

"It's a good thing that Tsukasa-san came by." Said Utau with a smile

"Who's he?" asked Amu. She's been asking but rarely getting any answers out of anyone.

"He's a relative of mine Hinamori-san. He came by and we were lucky that he did." Said Tadase as he gave her a smile

"I see, so he came by suddenly?" she asked again

"Yes, he knows us better than anyone else at most, with the exception of our parents of course." Said Tadase

"What about Ikuto? What happened to him?" asked Amu. Ikuto hasn't quite been himself since that talk.

"He's just a bit upset about it. It's just what happens all the time. We're forced to do things we don't want to that's all." Said Utau as she looked at her brother

Ikuto was spacing out, half of it was because of what happened and half of it was just because he couldn't figure out what was taking Yoru so long to get back. It's been hours and he wasn't back yet. "How long does it take a person to go grocery shopping anyway?" he thought to himself.

He heard Amu talk about him and asking Utau how he was doing. His sudden spacing out was replaced with another smirk on his face. Ikuto went over to Amu as she continued talking to Utau, Tadase and Kairi and then he hugged her from behind….again.

"Ah!!! Ikuto!!!!" yelled Amu "Get off of me you perverted cat!"

"Oh, now you're calling me a cat too Amu?" asked Ikuto as he continued to hug her

"Ah! Get off of me!" Amu was trying to push him away, with no such luck on her side no matter how hard she tried.

"I think you're like a strawberry Amu, cause your hair is pink." Said Ikuto "And you're just as cute."

"Nice metaphor." Said Utau sarcastically

Amu blushed at his comment and then she soon snapped out of it and replied "Stop comparing me to fruits!"

"You're comparing me with an animal aren't you?" asked Ikuto

"That's because it's true, you are like a giant cat." Replied Amu

"And you're like a cute little strawberry." Said Ikuto with another smirk

As the two of them continued their little banter, Utau was watching them with amusement in her eyes. She was starting to get used to this and she found that, watching Ikuto and Amu banter like this isn't so bad, it's quite entertaining for her.

Tadase and Kairi sweat dropped. They didn't know Ikuto acted like this from time to time and this was a bit of a shock. "Um….Utau-chan, is he always like this?" asked Tadase as he faced a smiling Utau

"Yes he is, and by the way Tadase, are you just giving up? I'm not encouraging you or anything, but it just got me curious." Said Utau as she faced Tadase and turned away from Amu and Ikuto for now.

"Give up?" asked Tadase

"Yes, on Amu I mean." Said Utau

"Oh….well no I won't, but I won't force her to like me either." Said Tadase with a small smile

"I see…" replied Utau

"That's a very brave move." Agreed Kairi

"But I still won't give up, it will just be up to Hinamori-san to decide in the end." Said Tadase

"Yes you do that, Ikuto could use a little push anyway." Said Utau

"This is the first time he's acted so odd. I wonder what my sister would say if she saw this right now?" Kairi asked

"Sanjo-san would probably laugh at this kind of situation, seeing as no one ever sees Ikuto like this…ever." Said Utau

"Hinamori-san seems to be an effect on him. If only he'd be like this in front of the other princesses, then his highness wouldn't get too much complaints." Said Kairi, but he also understands the situation quite well. Ikuto didn't take interest in any of those girls. Kairi doubted that he ever will "How odd, such a unique personality she must have to have caught his interests…" he thought to himself

"Ikuto-kun just doesn't take interests in mere princesses does he now?" a sudden new voce popped into the room. They all turned to look at who it was and saw Tsukasa inside the room approaching them.

"Eh?!? Tsukasa-san?!?" all of them said in unison except for Ikuto, who kept calm, and Amu, who was in a state of shock.

"Ohaiyou all of you. Yoru-kun just got back and he's in the kitchen giving the groceries to Nikaidou-san." Said Tsukasa with a smile

"What are you doing here?" asked Ikuto with a sighed "Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"I did knock, but no one would answer and then I heard yells and stuff." Said Tsukasa "I came to see things for myself. And then I found you here, you seem to have fun, don't you?"

"Eh?" asked Amu as she glanced at the people around her

"Oh and you must be Amu-chan aren't you?" said Tsukasa as he approached Amu and gave her a smile. "It's nice to meet you once again."

"Once again?" asked Ikuto

"Yes, you might not remember me anymore Amu-chan but we've met before." Said Tsukasa

"Eh? Really?" asked Amu in shock, she didn't remember him.

"Yes, it's been a while. I would have never thought that you'd be here. It seems to me like Aruto and Souko don't know about you yet." Said Tsukasa

"What do you mean by that Tsukasa-san?" asked Utau

"Simply put, you are Hinamori Amu…aren't you?" asked Tsukasa and they all stared at him in shock.

Who was Tsukasa anyway? When did he meet Amu? How much did he know? Were they going to get another helping hand? Looks like things just got complicated all over again…

Authors Note: Thanks again for all the reviews everyone! Please tell me what you think of this chapter. Review pls. : )