Dare Me To Dream

Shugo Chara

Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter.

Natsuya801923, gna, xX Mana-Hime Xx, GrossGirl18, hihihi, Tsukiyomi Yuji, littleblackneko.

Amu, an ordinary girl with no special talent. Ikuto, a boy with an extraordinary gift. One trying to belong and the other striving to break away, can these two find their true selves within one another?

Chapter Two

Her Start

The girl with vibrant golden eyes looked into the giant school building in amazement. It was the very building she had passed so many times when she was younger, the exact same school she had wished to attend since the very first time she laid eyes on it; but even that was such a long time ago that she could no longer recall.

Standing before such a place radiating elegance and strength, the young girl could only stare in fear, excitement, but mostly a reoccurring urge of insecurity. She was, though extremely thrilled, baffled as to why she was accepted, or how she was even found in the first place, to a school like Seiyo Academy.

Everyone knew Seiyo High was one of the top school's in the country. Not only for having students with such great academics, but the very building held kids who possessed a certain talent like no other. It ranged from students who were sporty to creative to intelligent beyond recognition. Seiyo was a place one could only gaze upon in respect.

So when that letter arrived at her mailbox, coated in ribbon of the school's very colors –gold, purple, and ivory- it was stated that Amu had been chosen out of the very hundreds of her old high school classmates to transfer to the glorious gifted academy of Seiyo High. She was speechless at such a note, believing they must have had the wrong girl. Still, not supposing this was a mistake or just some dream that would eventually end, Amu felt the need to fit in. How else would she survive in such a place without some sort of belonging?

Having had a month to prepare in advance, Amu had, to some extent, tried to find a talent or gift she may have by chance missed during her childhood. After plenty of smacks from various objects of the sport teams, criticism shouted by the art department, and glares whenever she zoned out on the debate team, Amu was sure there was absolutely nothing special about her. Amu was just your everyday, girl next door, who on occasion barked out a few witty comments. Actually, Amu thought at times that, that was the only reason why they had asked for her. Were the people at Seiyo High that desperate for a girl who was labeled as, "cool and spicy"?

Taking a deep breath Amu looked over for about the millionth time what was to be her daily schedule. She didn't exactly want to be walking around the halls with a paper smacked in her face –which would pretty much scream new kid- so she made sure to memorize the room numbers, periods, teachers, and classroom -which was a miracle in itself for Amu's case- for this very day. Now, stashing the welcome letter and map of school into her bag, she walked through the open gates alone.

The campus itself was very different from Amu's old school. Behind the great brick wall that surrounded such a building was a wonderful garden of sorts. The inside lining of the wall had various plants and flowers sprouting from the dirt, and plenty of fresh and still dew covered grass lay around the cement walkway. In the very center of the front entrance, before the white staircase and lion statues, was a giant fountain. Carved out of some sort of smooth marble, Amu looked into the crystal clear water. She was surprised when she didn't see any coins along the bottom, and wondered if the teachers actually took the time to remove everyone's wishes.

Amu sighed at such a scene, and turned to look over the students. The boys, dressed in fine black pants and an ivory colored collar shirt, looked much more like refined gentlemen than high school boys. They each had on a tie around their neck, with gold crosshatch lines over it. There also seemed to be a thinner line behind the gold ones; a dark plum purple that only appeared when you were close enough to touch the fabric. None of the boys wore a school blazer –which was to be expected, since it was still a hot August day- and they all carried a black school bag. Some also came equipped with a computer bag or sports gear.

The girls, however, seemed even more dazzling than the guys. They wore a long ivory shirt with a black sailor like collar, along with the same tie style as the boys; they had a black skirt under the shirt, with purple socks that reached thigh high. The standard girl shoes seemed to be brown horse riding boots, a fashion statement almost every female seemed to belong to. Amu looked down at herself, adoring the exact same uniform. She had chosen to wear dark pink combat boots, with black straps to keep them secure. Amu suddenly felt different, wearing such punk like things when it was clear everyone here strode with bright and prep like colors.

Amu knew what was happening. She was that outsider again, the new girl who couldn't fit in any sort of clique right. She didn't understand what was wrong with her, or what made her so different from the rest. It seemed as if ever since fourth grade came and she had once again moved out of town that everything about her began to change.

Amu was different after that year, she was sure of it. She began trading in her dolls and frilly girly outfits for journals and punk rock clothing. When she had hit her rebellious stage, it was clear to Amu that she was most likely not ever again going to become that once beloved and treasured princess her parents bragged about. No, that role was now assumed by Ami, Amu's younger sister who began second grade as of two weeks ago.

But it wasn't as if Amu hated herself for the way she had changed over the years. There just seemed to be something about her, something she couldn't understand. There were times when all she wanted was to put on the girliest dress she could find, pamper herself in the lightest makeup and sing to at least one of those corny love songs. Just at the thought of seeing herself do that put Amu's stomach in motion, but that other side of her –the one she had buried deep within herself- craved to do such a thing, but believe it or not, even a touch cookie like Amu's outside punk character was too cowardly to do such a thing.

So whether or not Amu was being honest to herself, she stood alone before the working fountain as what she thought was the loner punk kid. She felt like one of those students who hated life or whatever it was, despised the school with a certain sort of hatred, and cut themselves off from the rest of the world. Yes, Amu felt like one of those people indeed.

Wishing for some sort of recognition, Amu was suddenly bumped by a hasty kid. The boy turned to her, unlike most of the other students walking along, and gave her the first smile she had received at Seiyo High.

"Ah, sorry! Didn't mean to hit you," the boy answered, before continuing on to the front doors. Amu could see the red sports bag he had with him, along with the soccer ball he tossed between his hands. Finding his entrance rather quick in pace, she looked up to find a giant ticking clock in the center of what appeared to be a high tower. It was already time for the opening ceremony to start.

"Crap," Amu mumbled, before grabbing her new school bag and finding her place in a sea of students making it to the building. It was time for her start.

"Students, we congratulate you to another year at Seiyo High's Academy, Home of the Gifted."

There were several claps and hollers from the kids, all of which seemed excited and privileged to be in such a school. Again, Amu was awed by the difference in this school and her own. At Tsukasa High, all the kids seemed wary and tired to be back, but here it was just the opposite. The crowd roared with a sort of laughter and justice, the kind Amu had never seen upon a group of students.

The announcer, who Amu was now sure had to be the principal, steadied everyone's chanting, but just like any other school, the sound was slow to die down.

"I am pleased to announce that after all these years of wonderful memories, we still rank in the top ten best school's in the country." More uproars and shouting fell over the auditorium as Amu struggled to hear what was going on. Towards the back of the room, she could just make out the principal move away from the podium and gesture to the center stage. A group of girls dressed in stockings and sparkled sea green leotards bounced out and began a routine, while students up front started to play their instruments over the yells.

Amu watched, seeing as this school began to feel less and less like anything she had ever seen before. In-between breaks and refreshments, there would be some sort of act preferred from the students; whether it was a girl performing flips on a mat, or a musical performance played on the piano, everything was perfected and shown in the lightest way. It was amazing how student orientated this Seiyo Academy was, all having to revolve around a kid's special talent. Amu couldn't help, but be awestruck by such gifts they possessed.

"And now we have our violin genius to the stage." Amu could tell there was something different with the crowd. A certain silence began that emitted curiosity and shock all at once. Amu heard a few hidden giggles from the girls, and wondered what was about to happen. The audience erupted in whispers and gossip, just as the principal spoke to another teacher, and he smiled to everyone warily.

"Yes, how about we give a hand to Nadeshiko Fujisaki." The principal looked over now at a girl dressed in a purple kimono, designed with gold orbs and ivory swimming fish. She sat to the side stage, gazing upon the man, before taking the spotlight. The crowd reawakened with shouts and excitement as Fujisaki revealed a fan and began an elegant dance.

Amu was too occupied to pay attention though, wondering what had happened to the violin player. It was clear Fujisaki was not that the alleged student –hence the fact that she didn't possess the instrument- and everyone seemed to have created a different aura at the mention of such a person. The crowd didn't exactly seem to detest the violin playing student, but there was obviously something very different and amazing about them.

The principal stood whispering to one of the teachers in front, when Fujisaki released a dove from some part of her kimono. She let it fly around the room, gliding between the students and faculty, when it returned to her. She bowed and the crowd clapped again.

The principal returned and overlooked us all, seeming to suppress a sigh of disappointment. He shook his head, before placing on another smile. "I hope you all enjoyed our opening ceremony." The audience cheered once again.

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