I still do not own Shugo Chara

Still wish I did

Fan Girls rejoice…

…Ikuto will actually be in this chapter

Warning: This Chpt is longer then the others

Way longer

Enjoy

Chapter Three

An Old Friend's

Reappearance

I was lost in thought when suddenly a voice cut through my concentration.

"You always were good at playing piano Akki" I sit up and look for who'd said that. The voice sounded familiar somehow… "Up here smart one" the voice says with a laugh. And suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks. I bolt off the piano bench and look up. I know that sarcastic voice anywhere. "How long have you been up there…Ikuto?"

"The whole time" was the snarky response.

I sigh. "You were playing my song. I had to come listen." He continued. "Come down here…" I command. "I can barely see you." He laughs. "You come up here" he says teasingly. I sigh. "And how am I supposed to do that?" The stage was pretty high up. Even so I new I could make the jump. I just didn't feel like showing off my abnormal leg strength. Ikuto laughs. I roll my eyes. Same old Ikuto. "Fine I'll come to you." I step back. Next thing I know he's right there…giving me that mischievous smile that all cats seemed to have. "It's been a while Akki" I smile. "A while? More like years." "I guess that's true. How many years? Five? Six" he continues. I sigh. He's baiting me. "Try seven."

He smiles.

But it's not the kind you'd give to an old friend. More like the kind that could kill you if looks were lethal. "Seven years is a long time. Especially if you just disappeared." He says. I look away. "Yea I guess" I mumble. "What happened?" I impulsively reach back and grab my ribbon. I see him smile out of the corner of my eye. "You still wear that old thing?" he asks laughing. I feel my cheeks go bright red. "So what if I- "Ikuto!" a tiny voice cuts me off.

I suppress a laugh.

"What was that?" I ask through the rolls of laughter. Ikuto sighs and turns around. A tiny cat boy is reveled. "Yoru I told you to be quiet." He says. Yoru, paying no attention to Ikuto's discontent, floats over to me. "Who's this Ikuto?" he asks pointing. "What you don't talk about me?" I ask with a smirk on my face. Ikuto narrows his eyes. I suppress the laughter that bubbles up at the thought I was embarrassing him. Ikuto grabs Yoru by the tail and pulls him back. Yoru lets a little screech loose when Ikuto fixes him with a devil's freeze stare. "Yoru…shut up and go find something to do" he says as he drops his tail. Yoru gulps and complies. He floats off before Ikuto has a chance to tell him where to go.

"Awwwww what'd ya do that for?"

He returns his attention to me. "And we were getting along so well." I say, laughing. "Aw well I guess I just want you all to myself" his voice breaks through my laughter. I roll my eyes. He narrows his. "Lighten up" I say. Like that would ever happen. He sighs. "You never were a serious person. Interesting to see after all this time that still hasn't changed." I smile. "Nice to see the only thing that's changed with you is your height." "What?" I walk over and compare heights. "You're finally taller. The little shrimp has finally grown some." I say, smirking. He blushes and backs up. Hehe. Same old Ikuto. I still can get under your skin. Even after all these years I can still make you blush.

"Where did you go Akki?"

Ikuto breaks the awkward silence. "What?" "Don't 'what' me. You vanished from the hospital. And then any and all record of you vanished as well. You pretty much dropped of the face of the earth." He says. I drop my gaze. "Well?" … "You know I'm not good with serious questions." I mumble as I turn to walk away. Some things were better left unsaid. He runs up and grabs my wrist. "Ouch! Let go!' I whip around and yank my arm out of his grip. I can feel my fresh cut twist and bleed. He seems surprised by my venomous response. I rub my sore wrist and he mumbles an apology. I sigh. "Don't apologize. You just want answers." I drop my wrist and look at him. "Sadly…I don't intend on giving you any."

"Somehow I knew you'd say that"

I give him a half hearted smile. "That's because you know me so well." I reply. "Or at least I used to" I drop my gaze. "You might as well give up. I'm not telling you." I say quietly. "Why?" "Because you don't need to know. It's none of your damn business." I reply angrily. Ikuto stares for a sec and then says "I probably don't want to know right?" "Exactly." An awkward silence falls between us. Why now of all times did this happen now. It's not that I don't want to tell. It's that I can't. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the blood running down your arm would it?" Ikuto's voice cuts through my thoughts. "What?" I pull my arm up and without thinking yank my sleeve back, revealing all the cuts and scars that laced there way up my arms. The ones on my wrists were bleeding pretty badly, thanks to Ikuto yanking my wrist. Ikuto didn't seem fazed by the blood. But he looked surprised when it became clear it wasn't just mere wrist slits. The scars went all the way up and around my arm. Most were in places I couldn't cut myself. "Akki…what's going on? And don't tell me nothing." He says. He was serious. I pull my sleeve down and do the only thing I could. I turn tail and run.