Guys After Chicks

Shugo Chara

Thank you for the reviews.

While driving, Ikuto sees Amu guiding baby chicks across the street. Prior to meeting the animal rights saving girl, he thought that chicks were nothing more than useless baby chickens. Will a new female roommate change his perspective on chicks, forever?

Ikuto stood beside the aisle containing items varying from Garden magazines to Pop Rocks, placed on the same shelf beside on another. The cover of Garden Magazine revealed a woman in her late forties, dressed in a small straw hat with a pair of gardening gloves –which in Ikuto's opinion, looked more like Mickey Mouse's- that kneeled before the camera with a smile formed from wisdom and experience. Her eyes were squinted from the blinding sun behind her, but she looked happy regardless of the weather although squinting seemed to be the least of her issues in this picture. It was obvious from the pen scribbled mustache and rude comment pertaining to her womanly features that a bunch of ten year olds had gotten to it.

Kukai had agreed to pay for gas, on Ikuto's behalf, though this was mainly a distraction from the real case here. Kukai knew his loner-of-a-friend enough to spot his anxiousness a mile away. If anything, Kukai knew Ikuto wanted to be away from the girl before speaking about her, but now the bronze haired male questioned the reasons to his friend's behavior himself.

Ikuto flitted through the magazine, though he wasn't quite sure why. Kukai finished up and finally appeared before his buddy.

"What's that?" Kukai asked, referring to the magazine as he chugged down a Gatorade. Ikuto shook his head in frustration and set the thing down. Kukai peered at it and whistled.

"Well, what do you know? America can draw after all." He chuckled at his own joke, before overlooking the Pop Rocks. "Ah, remember when we used to get these? Geez, it feels so long since we bought a pack. You remember, right?" Ikuto did remember, after school at their private academy was over, they strolled over to 711 and grabbed a couple of Pop Rocks. Then they'd either go to the park, or cemetery or even a ditch if they were bored enough. Perhaps that was why Ikuto never found girls as satisfying as his friend did, but that was beside the point.

"Kukai," Ikuto stated, already irritated by the guy's low attention span. It seemed as if he never changed since high school. "Can you not stay focused for a second?" The guy put the Pop Rocks back on the shelf and turned to him.

"Geez, Ikuto, lighten up. I'm just trying to have some fun is all." He smiled a grin that was so carefree it sang to the world. Ikuto felt even more agitated.

"This isn't the time to look for something to do. We already have something to do." Ikuto obviously was referring to the girl in his car, but he'd be damned if he were to mention her directly. Kukai shook his head.

"Dude, honestly. What were you thinking when you picked her off the street? Sure, I get the whole cussing out and all, but kidnapping a girl is hardly your style." Ikuto sighed, now shaking his head in return. He knew it would be a bad idea to confide in Kukai. It would only bring him questions for answers he didn't have, but he hardly had a choice. It wasn't like he could talk about this to just anybody.

"I know, I know. I'm just trying to set everything straight." He didn't know how to explain what he'd done to Kukai. Heck, he didn't even know what to say to himself! Taking her was an impulse, a reflex almost. He supposed after he witnessing her car crushed was when he just decided to drag her off, but he could only think it was a pity gesture. Perhaps deep down he really was giving her sympathy.

Kukai looked over to the black Lexus outside, before turning back to Ikuto. "Anyway, it's been taken care of now. Maybe we should get back before she thinks we've locked her in the car. Keys." Kukai held his hand out for the item, one Ikuto didn't have. He cursed.

"Shit!" Ikuto bolted out of the store, Kukai following after his reckless friend. He ran to the car, before pulling the driver's seat open. The keys weren't moved and the doors were still unlocked. The only thing taken was the girl.

Amu could only see the tips of blonde hair, even through the tinted windows of the Lexus. The girl was standing straight up, not giving Amu even a glimpse of what she knew would be a glare through those dark shades. The blood drained from her face as the girl waited outside the vehicle for a response. Amu didn't know how to react to such a thing, feeling all her nerves cut off as she sat, staring blankly at the door.

The girl, however, crossed her arms and bent down to place her face at the window. Amu sighed. It wasn't that blonde chasing after her. It was another blonde girl, with a baby face and perfected cool look. She looked cute, like those girls you'd find modeling the teen section at a funky trendy clothing store. Her eyes though were the true killers. They gazed at a person so clearly, without the faintest hint of wavering. After some time Amu felt she couldn't just sit and stare at her like this.

She leaned over to the driver's seat where she turned the keys in the ignition. The car roared to life as Amu sighed; pleased the two guys had left them in the first place, and opened up her car door. When no alarm went off, she knew she made the right decision.

The cold winter's night air finally touched Amu, as it had been unseasonably warm earlier, and she trembled for a moment before gaining her composer. The girl's arms where simply crossed as she gazed down at Amu, no significant expression on her face, and Amu suddenly wondered if she posed like that to keep from freezing to death. That gray wool shirt didn't seem thick enough to withstand these winds.

Amu silently praised herself for actually having worn a sweater and zipped it up before getting out of the car. She could see this girl clearly now; about five foot with long dirty blonde curls hanging from her back. There was almost a look of bewilderment on her features, but it disappeared before Amu could confirm anything. It was silent as the high wind whistled around them, and it seemed both girls cringed inwardly.

"So…is that convertible…?" Amu gestured to the red car, which now had the hood up and windows closed. Amu knew that was the smart thing to do, unlike her fellow men that simply left their captured girl with keys inside the Lexus. The small girl sighed.

"Yes, we were the ones coming after you earlier." It seemed almost a struggle for her to even recall all this. "I'm very sorry for my friend's behavior before. She's usually not that…well, she doesn't…" The girl fumbled for a word to say, so Amu helped her out.

"She's reckless, huh?" The petite blonde nodded and looked up at Amu with liquid gold eyes.

"You know the kind?" Amu almost laughed. She happened to have just met one.

The wind blew again and this time the young girl placed wool gloves against her ears. The air seemed to speak for itself, and quite frankly Amu was beginning to freak out. She looked at the young girl.

"Do you, um…" Amu wanted be polite and invite her to the Lexus, –it had an amazing heater- but she wasn't exactly obliged to do that. After all, it wasn't her car; her car, the one that was crushed and sat dead on the side of the road along ways.

She bit her lip and glanced back at the convertible. "Uh, maybe you should get back to the car. Your heater works, right?" The baby faced girl shook her head, and Amu was about to argue further when she spoke again.

"No, I promised myself I'd make it up to you." She stared at the Lexus, before peering back at Amu with those eyes. "Your friends won't mind if you move over to my car, will they?" Amu scoffed at her statement.

"Friends? Yeah right." Her lips pursed at even the idea of that actually happening. Amu knew there was no way she would ever become friends with them. Then again, Kukai wasn't that bad…

She looked up at Amu to ask a question, before shrugging it off. She seemed to prefer the silence and respect of privacy.

"Well then, let's just wait for a while. I still have to make it up…" The girl muttered now, holding her arms as she made her way to the driver's seat of the car. Amu hesitated, wondering if she could really trust her. She thought, before shaking her head. She had already given herself over to two men, what more could happen?

As soon as Amu sat in the leather seating she knew she made the right decision. The car, despite looking very weather functional, happened to have an amazing heater. She sighed in content as the heater curled over her feet, suddenly turning her numb cold nose hot, before a tingling sensation between the two contradicting airs mixed. Amu's tense muscles seemed to relax as the car warmed up, and both girls sat in relief. Amu was the first to speak up.

"Okay, so…I don't get it." She started out rather bluntly, and though she felt almost rude for putting it out there, she couldn't stop the words from unraveling. "You keep saying you feel bad and you want to make it up to me. Do you believe in karma or something?" The girl shook her head.

"I don't believe in some crap like that," she practically hissed. When the air began to grow hot in the car, she turned down the heater and flipped through her hair. "Life is unfair and it's just something we all have to live with. If something like karma existed, I'm pretty sure world peace would be achieved as well." Amu nodded, before thinking up more questions.

"Alright, but that doesn't explain why you want to make it up to me." Amu clenched and unclenched her hands uncomfortably. "I mean, it wasn't even your fault or anything. If you don't believe in karma, are you just pitying me?" Amu hated the thought of someone feeling pity for her, as she did for the animals. For some reason, she was convinced she didn't give them pity, but a strong helpful hand. She refused to give them something that wouldn't help.

"I have a motto I follow by. Something like karma," she said, gripping onto the steering wheel and looking out. "You know that saying; treat others the way you want to be treated? It's like, say, someone saved your life. Then your indebt to that person, right?" I nodded, knowing that's usually how the movies went by. "I guess you could say that's what I'm doing; returning the favor." The car's engine seemed to be much louder in the silence between them, and Amu wasn't sure if such a thing comforted her or tensed her up again.

Amu was about to ask something else, when another car pulled up from behind them. It screeched to a halt, the black Mercedes something of taste, when the driver came out.

"Rima!" She screamed, staring at the red convertible. Amu paled as she recognized the blonde, even without the shade, digging piercing violet eyes into the back of the blonde girl named Rima apparently. Rima paled and gestured to Amu.

"Get down!" She hissed, the second time Amu had heard her voice so vicious. Amu did as instructed, laying sideways on the passengers seat. She had a view of the gas station now, where she stared at the two guys inside the store. A few moments later, Ikuto ran out and towards the car, Kukai at his heels.

"Shit…" Amu mumbled, while Rima released a few curses as well. She moved the gear and the car rolled backward, just when Utau touched the window. She shrieked when the car jolted back.

"Rima! What the hell were you planning to do with my car?" The angry blonde shouted at her friend, even as everything sounded distant through the glass. Rima quickly pushed on the gas and drove forward, exiting the gas station without so much as a glance back. The pigtailed blonde yelled and hollered to her friend as she drove off, before storming off back to the Mercedes.

Amu could hardly believe what was going on. Still hidden against the seat, she felt everything that had happened today was so surreal. The car crash, her car, the guys her took her in, and now this Rima. She had never felt so confused in her life.

After Rima seemed to calm down she slowly parked down a random side street and just sat there, staring at open road. Then she peered down at Amu. "You can sit up now. I'm pretty sure Utau wouldn't have figured it out by now." Amu sat up, though it wasn't only from fear of that pigtailed angered chick. She now regretted running into those boys. She couldn't quite place it, but she left as if she had just ditched a good new friend of hers for someone better.

Rima shook her head in disgrace, as if she felt disgusted by Amu's actions; and for a moment, that's what Amu believed. For a moment she felt a great gust of betrayal in her gut, though she knew it was hardly even worth worrying about. Rima looked at Amu.

"I'm sorry for taking off like that. I just couldn't risk her seeing you. Knowing Utau she'll…" Rima trailed off, before giving me a wicked smile. "Well, you know what I mean." She referred to our previous conversation on bold and rash people.

"No, it's fine." Amu nodded, trying to reassure myself this as well. "I was trying to get away from those guys all day actually. I'm glad I finally am." She bitterly said the words, not so sure how honest she was anymore. Amu tried to ignore the thought.

Rima stared at her for a moment, before looking back at the dark night road lit only by the car's headlights. Amu almost felt a great gratitude toward Rima. She was the kind of girl that wasn't nosy or asked questions. She let her think in peace as they sat together in the dark, both running from people they didn't want to confront at the moment.

It was then that Amu was able to think about her car again, and the rent that was due tomorrow. She had missed her job interview, which probably meant she already was unqualified to work there. Amu wasn't sure how much she had left in savings to hold her; maybe a good solid month or so.

All these thoughts brought back the horrible memory of her cruddy life. She was starting to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have so much time to sit and think Things like that only brought back horrors of yesterday and tomorrow.

Rima started the car without a word, and gazed at me.

"Your friends…er, those guys. They will be looking for you, right?" Amu shrugged, rolling up the sleeves of her sweater. It was too warm inside now for extra layers.

"I suppose, but it's not like I need to be found." What Amu needed was to get her car back and fixed for cheap. Taking the bus everyday to work would only lessen the change in her wallet. Rima looked at me, leaning over the wheel.

"You look rather distressed," she pointed out, before taking another look down the road. "Is there somewhere you need to be?" Amu thought about asking Rima to drop her off at her car, but there really was no point in her leaving Amu with something that didn't run. Then again, if she didn't pick it up now, she'd fear it would definitely have disappeared by morning. She only hoped the policemen had decided that tonight they could leave things as is.

Amu sighed, knowing the chances of that were low. Now she'd have to go on a wild goose hunt for her car at one of the shops. Amu quickly told Rima the address, which the girl didn't question once, and she drove her back to the apartment. Amu almost cringed at the sight of her pathetic living status, but Rima didn't seem to mind much.

"Thank you for driving me home. I really needed it." Amuwas sure that the silence was now a positive thing, and was once again glad to have met Rima.

"I'm glad I was of help, but if I may ask, what is your name?" Amu smiled, though she knew revealing one's name meant they most likely planned on seeing you again.

"I'm Amu Hinamori," she announced, feeling that thrill of power and triumph as she did. It brought back memories of freshmen year and hundreds of other events.

"I'm Rima Mashiro. I'll be seeing you again, Amu." She stated bluntly, before reversing out of the tiny lot and disappearing down the road. Amu stared back in wonder, feeling a strange sense of relief.

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