Disclaimer: I do NOT own Shugo Chara!

Ikuto's POV

Seeing Amu sitting and crying like that broke my heart. I didn't know what to do so I just let her cry into my chest. Her tears were cold against my normally warm chest and I nuzzled my face into her soft pink hair. We sat like this for I don't know how long, but I was glad I could be there for Amu this one time.

"Are you okay?" I murmured softly into her ear. She nodded and I felt her small hands clutch my shirt tightly. "Forget the kiddy king. He doesn't know what he's doing. Just move on Amu. Find a new guy to fall for!" I encouraged her and heard her laugh a little.

"A new guy? Like who?" she teased and pulled away from my chest. I grinned and helped her up.

"Hmmm, I don't know. Like me?" I laughed and she giggled along with me.

"I don't know? Why do you think I'll fall for you?" she smiled and I turned serious this time.

"Because I like you Amu." She froze and her smile locked in place. I walked past her and lay down on her bed, anything to avoid seeing her expression. A light blush crept it's way to my cheeks and I hid my face in her pillows.

"Are you serious Ikuto?" she chimed and I turned over, using an arm to cover my eyes.

"I'm serious. I like you Amu...no...I love you. So forget about Tadase." I confessed and took a peek. Amu still had her back turned to me and I was scared to know her reaction. Would she be freaked out? Does she reciprocate my feelings? Will she hate me after today? I was full of fears. Eventually, enough time passed and I was feeling too anxious. I hopped off her bed and saw her sitting at her desk quietly, poking at her chara. I sighed and scratched the back of my head, ruffling my hair. "Just forget it Amu. If it's a burden for you then it's fine. But just know I'll be here if you need me." And with that I reached for her door handle. Yoru followed me from behind. Just as I was turning the doorknob and opened the door, I felt something grab my shirt. Amu had stood up and stopped me from leaving.

"D-don't go...Y-you're not a burden to me." Amu said quietly. I turned back to her and she released her hold. Startling me, she walked towards me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Just let me think about it for a bit Ikuto. But stay here." she pleaded and I couldn't say no to the girl I love so I led us back to her bed.

"I'll stay with you. Are you going to skip tomorrow?" I asked her. She nodded and lay down. i lay next to her and she latched onto my arm like before. However, this wasn't the same as the time she pulled my consciousness away from me. This time, it was tender. Cautious. Affectionate, but scared. I let her hold onto me for as much as she needed until she fell asleep. Eventually, the sun went down and the moonlight was just barely peeking in through Amu's curtains. When I was certain Amu was asleep, I wiggled out of her grasp and replaced my spot with a pillow. I quietly snuck out of the room and headed downstairs.

Amu and I didn't eat dinner yet so I'll make something quick for us to eat and then she can go back to sleep. My stomach growled in agreement to my thoughts and I made my way into her kitchen. Since I'm not exactly the best cook, nor do I have a cooking chara like Su, I just stayed simple. Ramen. Shrimp-flavored of course. I am a cat after all. I let the noodles boil and threw in an egg for protein. When it was done, I set out two bowls and dashed back upstairs to wake Amu up. But when I opened the door, she was already awake and sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What smells good?" she inquired and her fox ears and tail popped out. "Is that shrimp ramen?" she sniffed at the air and smiled.

"Y-yeah. You fell asleep in the afternoon and I thought you might be hungry eventually so we're having ramen for dinner. It's not the healthiest, but it'll do the job." I joked and smiled as well.

"Hmmm. Well you thought correct." Amu commented and raced down the stairs. I laughed at her eagerness to eat. By the time I made it down the stairs, she was already at the table, wolfing down her noodles.

"Woah woah woah! Slow down Amu! You're gonna get fat like that!" I laughed and sat down at my bowl across from her seat. I took three bites and looked up only to find her bowl already empty. "WTF?! Who are you? Utau?" I stared at her in disbelief and she laughed.

"You never know!" she smiled, but the grin on her face quickly turned into a wide yawn. I chuckled and scooped her up off the chair, bridal-style.

"Someone's sleepy. You can sleep and we'll talk tomorrow. Relax. I don't need an answer immediately." I carried her upstairs and kicked open the door to her room. "Good night strawberry." Amu had already fallen fast asleep in my arms and I set her down on her bed. After pulling her blanket over her, I pressed my lips to the top of her head softly and pulled away. I was surprised when I felt her grab my wrist.

"Stay...Ikuto." she murmured. I turned around and found her eyes closed, but her grip didn't loosen at all. I smiled and crept under the covers with her. I held her in my arms and we slept with her hugging my chest tightly.

Amu's POV

When I woke up the next morning, my face was met by a broad chest and warm arms wrapping around me. I looked up and yawned, with my fox ears a tail popping out. I stretched and wiggled out of the person's grasp. I saw blue cat ears and a long blue tail poking out from the corner of my eye and instinctively hugged the person next to me.

"Good morning to you to my little Mesu kitsune!" (A/N: female fox) Ikuto spoke and I shook my head, burying my face deeper into his chest.

"Noo! Lemme sleep some more!" I whined and snuggled into his arms. I heard him chuckle lowly and pet my head.

"So are you skipping school today?" He commented and my eyes flew open.

"Waaah!" I screamed and we fell off the bed due to my wild and meaningless struggling. I was on top of Ikuto and our lips were literally one inch away from meeting. I could feel his breath billowing against my skin. Ah! Oh uh, s-sorry!" I blushed and nervously scrambled off him. My Chara change was long gone and I quickly grabbed my uniform.

"I'll make you breakfast Amu!" Ikuto yelled after me as I raced into the bathroom to get ready. I ignored his last comment and quickly changed. I emerged from the bathroom in my violet skirt and purple bow. My anklet was attached on my right ankle and my cardigan was tied around my waist. "Down, Amu-koi?" Ikuto called for me and I ran to the table.

"What smells so good? And don't call me Amu-koi!..." I hesitated. "Yet..." I added on to my thoughts and sat down.

"Whatever you say, Amu-chan." he placed a plate of hash browns and bacon in front of me. "Bon Appéti! Today's breakfast consists of delicious hash browns and bacon. Would you like some ketchup with that?" Ikuto joked. I laughed and nodded.

"Why thank Ikuto. Yes please!"

"As you wish mi'lady." Ikuto continued the act and drew on my hash browns with the ketchup. He made a heart and a ~ trailing behind it along with my name. I happily bit into my food and wolfed it down quickly. "If you don't hurry up, then you're gonna be late for school Amu-chan." Ikuto broke his act and that familiar smirk took over his features. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my bag.

"I bet I can run there faster than you now, with Kitsu-chi!" I challenged him and his eyes narrowed.

"Would you like to test that theory?" he smirked and his ears and tail popped out. My eyes twitched as my own fox ears popped out and my tail waved behind me.

"You're welcome to anytime Tsukiyomi." I smirked back and ran out the door. My first move was to jump onto the roofs of the houses and leap from roof to roof. Ikuto quickly caught up and smirked as he kept in time with me. He started to pass me a little and I increased my speed. I sprinted across the roofs and stretched my legs out for longer leaps. I stuck my tongue out at Ikuto who frowned and struggled to catch up. Soon enough, he was right on my tail (metaphorically) and we were neck and neck again. I grinned and sprinted even faster, using my full chara change's power. This time I left Ikuto far behind me and dropped to the ground to run the rest of the way rather than leaping off buildings. I stopped at the school gate and canceled my chara change. I scanned my trail looking for the familiar midnight blue hair, but I didn't spot him until 3 minutes later. He zoomed up next to me and canceled his own chara change. I laughed as Ikuto collapsed and leaned on me for support while I was only barely sweating.

"I believe I've proved my point! Foxes are faster than nekos!" I flicked his nose and pulled away. Ikuto leaned against the wall and disappeared into the shadows of the trees after pinching my cheek. I frowned and stuck my tongue out again at him before turning around towards my school. I ran in and instantly met up with Rima and Utau arguing once again about who was my best friend. "Why hello my lovely friends. Kukai is my best friend!" I interrupted and made a bold declaration before running away to slide into my seat in the classroom. I did glance back once to see the two girls burning in jealousy and anger.

"Kukai!" They screamed in anger and sprinted off...at least Utau did. rimna just stomped toward my classroom with burning eyes. Kitsu-chi circled around my head and I poked her nose. We chuckled and she dove back into my bag before Rima or anyone else could see her. I just waited for class to start and finish quickly. I wanted lunch to come already.

Timeskip...Lunchtime

Classes ended and the bell rang to signal lunch. I darted out of the classroom and up the stairs to the roof. My ears and tail popped out as I dashed through the halls fast enough so noone could see me run. It felt nice to be the first to the rooftop. Kitsu-chi canceled the chara change and hid in my bag as Nagi popped up.

"Hello Amu." he greeted me and I waved to him.

"Hello Nagi! Great day today isn't it?" I smiled and lay down on the cool concrete.

"It is nice today." he commented and sat down next to me. Seconds later the door was kicked open to reveal three people: Kukai (with messy hair and a desperate expression), Utau (with messy hair and burning eyes), and Rima (with perfectly nest hair, but sweaty uniform and burning aura.)

"Hinamori! Fujisaki! Help me from these two burning demons!" Kukai called frantically. "These two are ready to rip me apart!"

"Hahaha! Sorry Kukai! That might be my fault." I laughed at his pathetic state.

"What?! What'd you say Hinamori!?" he had tears falling like a waterfall from Utau pinning his arm behind his back.

"Hmm? Utau and Rima were arguing over who was my best friend again, and I said you were my best friend Kukai! After all, I've known you for the longest time aside from-" I cut myself off mid sentence and my mouth froze open.

"Aside from who Amu?" Nagi stared at me curiously and I withdrew. My fists were clenched at my sides and I was trembling. Not from fear, but from anger. Anger that was immeasurable. Everyone took a few steps back and I was about to lunge past them all when Ikuto suddenly appeared and gripped me from behind.

"Amu, Amu, Amu. You didn't bring a lunch bento today, so I made you one." he held a bento in front of my nose and I took a sniff. A smile took over my features and my scary aura was blown away. I chara changed unconsciously and snatched the bento from Ikuto's hands. My tail waved and lashed behind me and my ears were perked happily. I plopped down on the ground and immediately dove in Ikuto's cooking. He may be an annoying little neko, but his cooking skills are seriously amazing! Kukai and Utau were gawking at me like idiots with wide eyes. Nagi still hao n his smile like he was oblivious to everything that just happened. And rima's eyebrow was twitching as she crossed her arms and tried to stay indifferent.

"Ahhh! Your cooking is seriously the best Ikuto! You should've brought more!" I smiled and finished the bento is seconds.I was laying down and Ikuto was smirking like the neko he is until the door opened again to reveal a very specific blonde.

"Hey minna!" the annoying kiddy king had stepped in. My eyebrow twitched. The fur on my ears bristled. And my tail lashed out in anger. I was about to leap up when Ikuto suddenly pinned me down onto my stomach.

"Get off me Ikuto! Release me this instant or I will claw your eyes out!" I hissed rapidly.

"No way Amu. Calm down first. Think it through rationally!" he hissed back. I growled in frustration and my tail lashed out roughly against Ikuto, but he didn't flinch. I writhed around some more trying to get the neko to loosen his grip, but my efforts were in vain.

Ikuto's POV

After the stupid kiddy king walked in, I noticed Amu twitch. Before she could do anything, I pounced first and pinned her down. I knew that once she got started, none of us present would be able to stop her. I struggled to keep her down since she kept moving, but I didn't loosen my hold at all. Considering her new chara, Amu is now stronger than I am but with just the right skill she can be held down. I turned my head to Tadase and shot him a glare.

"If I were you, I would leave immediately kiddy king. Unless you want to get YOUR eyes clawed out." I seethed out through my teeth. It took my own willpower to keep myself from leaping up and socking the said blonde in the face. He nodded and quickly shut the door behind him as he ran down the stairs again. I turned to Kukai and made eye contact.

"Help me out here Kukai." I said quickly and Utau let him go. He rushed over and held down Amu the same way I was and I let go. The moment my hands were gone, Amu tried to jump up and escape, but Kukai held her down.

"Arrrgh! Kukai! Let go! Don't listen to the baka neko!" she screamed and I dug through Amu's bag until my hand found a certain little chara.

"Kitsu-chi, please undo the chara change." I commanded her and held her so she couldn't escape. She stuck her tongue out at me, but Amu's ears and tail eventually vanished and she stopped struggling. I nodded to Kukai and he got off her. Amu sat up calmly and pouted at me before sitting down and staring out through the fence.

"You could've at least let me slap him once..." she muttered and I smirked.

"Now now, Amu. I can't let you do that otherwise I would have no reason to punch him." I countered and she burst out in laughter. Nagi and the others just stared at us in confusion and Amu explained in 5 words.

"Tadase is a lying cheater." she spoke abruptly and everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"So if Tadase is explained why is my brother here?" Utau piped up.

"Me? I'm here to help out my little mesu kitsune." I said and everyone fell down.

"Wait...mesu kitsune? Who's the fox?" Kukai spoke in confusion and Utau slapped the back of his head.

"Who else you dumbnut. Does Ikuto help anybody else out?" my sister scolded her boyfriend icily.

"Aww, that's cold Utau. Don't you love your nii-san anymore?" I crept to her side and slung an arm over her shoulders. She shrugged away from me and smirked.

"I'll always love you, nii-san!"

"Sorry to break this mushy-gushy moment, but I think Amu has some explaining to do. Including the matter of who's her best friend!" Rima shouted and surprised us all.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Just lemme rest for a little bit." Amu said nonchalantly. She laid down on her side and curled into a ball, falling asleep just like that. Rima's and Utau's eyebrow twitched and they turned their gaze to me.

"If Amu won't explain..." Utau started.

"Then Ikuto can explain for her!" Rima finished. They creeped toward me with an evil aura in their eyes and I sweatdropped.

"Sorry guys, but your classes are about to start! I'll take Amu home!" I quickly said and scooped her up off the ground. I chara changed and leaped off the school building with Amu in my arms. I ran for the house as quickly as I could and jumped onto Amu's balcony. After leaving her on the bed, I headed downstairs to crash on the couch.

"I love you. So forget about Tadase." The words that I had said to Amu echoed through my head. After I confessed to her. It's true that I hold feelings for Amu and I don't ever want her to be hurt like that again, but I'm not sure if I love her as a sister or... I seriously need to pull my own feelings together. I can't break her heart too! I let out a groan of frustration.

"I can't believe I confessed like that, but don't even know my own feelings..." I murmured to myself.

"I know. I knew it already Ikuto." a voice that I know all too well came from the staircase and I bolted up. There she was. The same pink-headed fox that I've known for practically half my life.

"A-Amu..." she walked towards me and sat down on the floor with her legs crossed. She didn't meet my face, but rather looked down.

"It's fine Ikuto. When you said you loved me, I'll admit I was happy...No, I was ecstatic." she spoke with a steady voice, as if she were thinking deeply about what to say. "But no matter how happy I felt in that moment, I don't want to pressure you into staying true to your word Ikuto. Sort out your own feelings, then come back to me. Whether you love me as a sister or a...lover. I'll understand. I can wait for your answer, Ikuto." she smiled up at me and I could do nothing, but sit there. Frozen. Amu stood up and gave me a hug before going back upstairs.

I can wait for you answer, Ikuto. Her last words that came with her last smile. That smile looked so full of pain... Why? Tell me, Amu...

A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope this story doesn't suck much! Review!