(due to the fact that I didn't make this clear earlier, let me clarify on what day it is in the story. Monday was the day I got my uniform for Seiyo and the day I made the wish. Tuesday was my first day of school at Seiyo, when I found my egg, met the guardians, and when Azami hatched later that evening. Wednesday was 'The Big Race,' and now today is Thursday! And just a forwarning, I won't necessarily go day by day later on in the fan fic, but I'll keep you updated on how much time passes if I do skip longer periods of time. Also, just so you know, you may see a scene very similar to one from the anime, as in the scene with Hinamori and class at the high jump. It's not the same scene. We're just learning how to high jump in P.E. class in this fanfic.)
"Aww, great. The high jump. Do you think you can give me some help, Azami?" I whispered. Right now, all the fifth graders in my class were sitting on the ground in front of the high jump. Our P.E. teacher was busy explaining exactly the best way to high jump, as well as how high-jumping worked in competition. Over to our right, some fourth graders were trying their best at the horizontal bar, though it appeared only a couple could do it, and even they did it badly. Behind us, on the track, a sixth grade class was practicing for the mile. Unsurprisingly, Kukai was among the top runners.
"Sorry." replied Azami. "You've gotta do some things for yourself. Including the high jump." she smiled wickedly. I think she was actually going to enjoy watching me fail. Then again, it probably would be kinda funny. Knowing me, I'd probably just end up getting stuck on the bar. Somehow.
Next to me, Hinamori looked up to Ran, her athletic Shugo Chara. "Will you give me some help?" she whispered. Though we were sitting at the back of the class, we still didn't want to be caught talking to something no one else could see.
"Nope! Azami's right - you guys should do it yourself once in a while! Do your best!" Ran replied cheerily.
Amu sighed. "Figures."
Now, the class was starting to line up. Since we had been sitting in the back of group, we managed to get at the back of the line as well. Maybe, if we were lucky, then we'd have to go back to class before the line actually got to us. Amu and I chatted a bit as the line moved slowly forward. After each person jumped, the teacher would give them tips, then make them jump again until they got it right. When about five people were left to jump before me, I saw my chara stiffen. Out of the corner of my eye, I also noticed the surprise of Amu's three charas.
"I sense something, Miyuki-chan." Said Azami.
Hinamori grabbed my arm and spun me to face her, whispering, "My charas sense an X-egg! I've gotta go!"
"I want to go with you!" I said.
"Well..." Hinamori started. "It'll look kinda weird if we both ask to go to the bathroom. Unless you can think of a better excuse."
I felt a pain in my right arm at that moment. I looked down to see a set of long and deep little scratches in the soft underside of my arm, running parallel to each other. The marks were very, very thing, and I saw Azami next to my arm, smiling wickedly. Despite the small size of my dragon chara, she still packed quite a scratch attack with those little fingernails of hers. Already, after only a few seconds, a little rivulet of blood was beginning to trickle down my arm. That's how deep she'd managed to cut me.
"What was that for?" I whispered angrily. Hopefully, no one else was paying any attention to me.
She didn't answer. Instead, I felt a chara change come on. Amu, who had been looking concernedly at my arm, now noticed the change and watched to see what I would do.
"Sensei!" I called out, the chara-change guiding my actions. "I just cut myself kinda badly, but I don't know how. See?" I showed him my arm with blood trickling down it, proving that I wasn't lying. "Could Hinamori-san escort me to the office? The blood is making me feel..." I partially shut my eyes for a moment and breathed deeply in, as if trying to get a hold of myself. "...makes me feel funny." I finished as the chara-change ended. The kids in front of me in line backed off, though whether grossed out or afraid of the blood I didn't know.
"Aah, umm, yes, both of you may go... just keep away from me!" said the PE teacher. It was obvious that he had some sort of fear of blood. Funny for a PE teacher, who probably has to deal with cuts and scrapes all the time, to be afraid of blood. Amu and I dashed (with me obviously not bothered too much by the 'funny feeling' I had faked earlier) off in the direction of the school, which just so happened to be the direction that the charas sensed the X-egg coming from. As we rounded the corner to make it to the front side of the school, Kukai stepped out from behind the corner.
"Come on!" He said. "You guys take too long! I asked to go to the bathroom as soon as Daichi sensed the X-egg. Now let's go!" He dashed off, pulling Amu by one arm and me the other, not realizing that he was grabbing around my arm where I was bleeding. It hurt, and I felt the flow of blood increase as his firm grasp applied pressure to it.
"Ouch! Kukai, let go! Please!" Kukai slowed down and let go, shocked by the small amount of desperation in my voice. Only then did he realize that his hand was covered in blood. My blood.
"What happened, Miyuki?" He asked, too shocked to remember to put the '-san' on the end. He wiped his hand on the grass to get rid of the blood, though his hand retained a bit of a pinkish tint.
I grabbed my wound and tried to cover it with one hand, hoping to stop the flow of blood. The blood just kept on coming, the flow stronger thanks to Kukai. Azami really can cut deeply. I thought. These little scratches are almost as deep as knife wounds. By now, most of my arm was smeared with blood, and a steady stream of it trickled down my arm. "This was Azami's idea of getting both Amu-san and me out of gym class." I told Kukai. My vision swam for a moment, but the feeling left quickly. I didn't want to worry Kukai or Amu, so I didn't mention it. "Anyway," I continued, "Let's find that X-egg!"
I took the lead, running past the front main entrance of the school without even noticing who was coming out of the doors.
"Ah? Mizuki-san is that you?" There was only one person in the world who called me Mizuki-san. Nikaido.
"Oh, and Himamori-san and Kukai-san. What a surprise! I was just coming out to get the rest of my class. What are you three doing out here?" He finished as Amu and Kukai stopped in front of the door. I had run a few feet past the front door in my rush to get to the X-egg, so I backtracked.
"We were... uhh..." Amu stammered.
"You see, Miyuki-san hurt herself," explained Kukai, "And Amu-san was escorting her to the nurses office. I was on the way to the bathroom, so I decided to come with them and make sure Miyuki-san got to the office alright."
"Oh? Is that so?" said Nikaido said, apparently ignoring the fact that I had run straight past the doors of the school before. "Well, please be careful. We wouldn't want you getting hurt, would we, Miyuki-san?" Nikaido said as he walked off towards the sports fields. It seemed like that last question might have had more of a... double meaning to it, but I didn't think about it too much. We ducked in the doorway until we thought he was far enough away that he wouldn't turn back and see us, then ran to the other side of the school. There, sitting dejectedly with her back against a tree was someone that I recognized from Kukai's grade.
"Imari! Are you okay?" asked Kukai. "We're supposed to be running the mile! What are you doing over here?"
"I just can't run." said the girl, Imari, unexpressively. "I love to run, but I can't. My asthma takes away all my breath, and all I can focus on is trying to breathe. I'll never be able to run..."
"Kukai, look!" Dachi said, pointing to the area above Imari's head. There, floating darkly, was an X-egg. This was my first time seeing an X-egg, and my first thought was that it was aptly named. It was basically just a black egg - though it was a dull black, unlike the sleek black of Azami's own egg - with a big white 'X' on it.
Suddenly, the X-egg took off, flying off a little ways and facing us warily.
"Useless!" It said.
Kukai turned to Amu, who nodded in recognition of some unspoken understanding.
"My own heart!" said Amu, making some odd motion with her hands, "Unlock!" Suddenly, her body began to glow, so bright that I couldn't look directly at her. I noticed Ran enthusiastically float down in front of Amu, waving her pom-poms before her egg (a pink one covered with hearts) appeared and closed around her. While still averting my eyes somewhat, I saw Amu reach out and actually bring the egg into herself, before the light dissipated. Amu looked totally different than before. Now Amu was wearing a pink, cutsie cheerleader outfit, complete with pom-poms, a long red ribbon, and a visor with a large heart pin on it. It actually didn't look too bad on her, though I have an inborn dislike of anything that pink and girly.
"Chara-nari: Amulet Heart!" she finished, looking ready for a battle. The egg, looking a bit intimidated, flew off in the other direction.
As Amu dashed off to follow it, Kukai shouted out to her. "Try and drive it this way! Me and Miyuki will try and corner it against the wall!" He shouted. Amu gave a shout of recognition before jumping into the air. High. Very high. I really couldn't believe it: Amu was flying! What I wouldn't give to chara-nari with Azami so I could do the same! Though I'd lost sight of the egg, Amu sped up high in the air, apparently intent on getting in front of it.
"You might want to chara-change." Kukai said to me, watching Amu's pursuit of the X-egg. I turned to him, and noticed that he had a little star in his hair. Exactly like the one Daichi had on his headband. I guessed he had already chara-changed.
I looked over to my own chara, and she nodded. I felt the familiar sensation of the chara-change come on as my eyes and necklace turned red once again. Kukai looked to me and noticed my chara-change, though didn't comment. By now, Amu was already chasing the egg back this way. The little X-egg seemed to be panicking from being chased, and was staying close to the wall, coming straight towards Kukai and myself.
"Okay, here's the game plan." Kukai said as the egg sped towards us. "I'll stop it from coming any farther in this direction. You move a little ways from the wall and keep it from leaving that way. Then, with Amu following it from the other direction and its other escape route blocked by a wall, there will be no way it can escape. Got it?"
Me, being in my dragonish chara-change, simply ran in the direction he had told me. "Maybe!" I shouted back. It was a good thing that I was feeling like an obedient dragon at the moment, seeing as if I hadn't been in the mood to take orders, I woudn't have.
I was barely in my position when the egg flew blindly towards Kukai. He tried to jump up and kick it towards Amu, but the egg swerved just in time and headed in my direction. As it flew at top-speed towards me, I simply stood and glared at it with my red eyes, trying to put power into my stare. About ten feet away, the egg noticed me and slid to a complete stop about five feet away from me.
"Use... less...?" It said, trembling slightly. I had it transfixed in an evil glare, and it seemed afraid. As it should be.
"Move away from it so I can purify it!" shouted Amu. I tore my evil gaze from it and dashed towards Kukai. Before the egg could recover its senses, Amu had started her purification.
"Negative heart! Lock on!" She said, making a vague heart shape with her hands. Waves of light spilled from her hands, engulfing the little black egg. The egg gave one last cry of "Useless!" before reverting to what I guessed was the form of a normal egg of the heart - a cream colored egg with a little symbol on the front. The egg floated back to it's owner, then seemed to sink into the girl's chest. The girl, Imari, slumped down as if she had passed out.
Amu changed back into her original form, while mine and Kukai's chara-changes faded. As soon as the power stopped coursing through my veins, stars danced before my eyes. I looked down to my arm to see that the bleeding had increased again, due to my running to and from my designated spot for egg-capture. Not only that, but it looked like the claw marks were widening. Great, I thought, Do dragons have poisoned claws or something? Because those little scratches shouldn't be bleeding this much, even if they were deep. It wasn't bleeding enough that I thought I was gonna die or anything, but it was enough that I was starting to feel light-headed from it. But I didn't say anything - I'm a prideful girl, and whining about a little blood was completely un-dragonish. Azami saw my wound and actually looked concerned, but said nothing.
Kukai ran over to Imari, with Amu following close behind. I reluctantly followed, jogging slowly as I felt more blood pump out of my body. Kukai shook Imari roughly, waking her up as he and Amu crouched down next to her.
"Huh...?" Imari said as she looked around, sleepily. "What happened? Why am I here? And why are you here, Souma-kun?"
Kukai gave her an encouraging smile. "We saw you come over here while we were on our way into the school, and we wanted to make sure you were okay. But you know, if you really love running, you should never just quit. Even if it's hard, if it's something you like, then you should keep at it. Got it?"
"Uhh... yeah. Thanks!" Imari said, perhaps surprised that Kukai had know so well what was troubling her. "Now... should we get back to class?"
"Ah! You're right!" said Amu. "I don't want to get a detention for being late to class! Let's go, Kukai-kun, Miyuki-san!" Amu and Kukai turned around as Imari got up from where she had been sitting. It was only then that they noticed that I wasn't acting right. My vision was darkening around the edges, and I could feel myself swaying. My ears started ringing, tuning out the concerned calls of Kukai and Amu. I tried to tell them that I was fine, that they didn't need to worry, but it came out more as a mumbled slur. I even saw Azami calling out to me out of the corner of my eye, but I could hear nothing over the ring in my ears, and her actions seemed to be in slow motion. Finally, after a period of time that could've lasted anywhere from a few seconds to solid minutes, I blacked out.
(Third person P.O.V.)
"Miyuki-san" shouted Amu, kneeling down beside Miyuki's limp body. She had just suddenly collapsed, and Amu didn't know what to do. Amu remembered the cuts Miyuki had, and flipped her arm over to check. To her surprise and slight disgust, a solid flow of blood was now coming from the scratches. She looked up to Kukai and Imari who were standing around Miyuki, speechless.
"Come on, Kukai! We need to get Miyuki for the nurse! I think she's lost too much blood!" said Amu. Azami flew down to Miyuki's arm, looking at the cuts with a strange mixture of worry and pride on her face. Mostly pride, though. She liked to know that, even as a little chara, she could do this much damage.
"Oh - Right! I think I can carry her!" Kukai said. He was the strongest of the three people surrounding Miyuki, as well as a being taller than her, due to his age. With some effort, he managed to pick up her limp body in his arms, carrying her as a prince might carry a princess. He ran towards the school, with Imari and Amu at his side. He ignored the blood that was getting on his P.E. uniform, focusing only on getting Miyuki to the nurse as quickly as possible. Imari and Amu held open the doors for him as he ran inside the school, heading for the nurse's office that wasn't too far away.
He pushed open the door with his back and barged into the room, shouting, "Please, my friend Miyuki just passed out outside. She's lost a lot of blood. Can you help?" The nurse was shocked. Normally, incidents at a school were minor. Sometimes little cuts and scraped, but nothing that bled this much. Every now and then she had to deal with broken bones, but the young girl nurse hadn't seen something like this at a school before. By now, Amu and Imari were standing behind Kukai, both with looks of worry on their faces.
"Could you please set her on the bed over there, and leave the room? I'll need some room to work, and you all need to get back to class." instructed the nurse. "Can you show me the wound, and what caused it?"
Amu pointed out the scratches on Miyuki's arm once she had been laid on the table, but said that she didn't know what the scratches were from. The nurse looked suspicious, but quickly shooed the three people out of the room so that she could properly bandage up the arm. Imari, Amu, and Kukai took one last look at Miyuki's pale face before reluctantly going back to class, wondering if Miyuki would be okay.
Ah-ha-ha-ha! Don't you just love cliffies? I'm sorry, but I get wicked enjoyment out of putting my main and supporting characters through situations like this. Be expecting more in the future. (this wicked enjoyment might explain the lack of morals in Miyuki....)
Anyway, thanks for another review from Kitty Obsessive Disorder! As always, glad you're still enjoying it! And to everyone else who reads this, please review!