A/N: Finally! a longer update! Thank you top all who have been reading, but please review because then I feel ike there's no one who likes this story. If you truly like this story, please just write like a one word review? Because just a simple "Wow!" would motivate me a lot. But for now, please enjoy this chapter! Disclaimer: I do NOT own Shugo Chara!
Chapter 7: Answer, pt. 1
Amu's POV
School was FINALLY over and I don't have to endure that torture with the baka kiddy king anymore! I sighed in relief on my way home and Kiyu-chan flew out from her hiding spot. I smirked and chara changed with her. This way, I could just leap or run back home, much faster. I laughed with Kiyu-chan when I reached the door and undid the chara change. My hand reached for the door handle, but the door opened before I could even touch it.
"SURPRISE AMU-CHAN!" my mom was inside with my dad and Ami.
"We're bwack Nee-chan!" my little sister ran over and hugged my leg. I pat her head and smiled brightly.
"Welcome home, Ami! Okaa-san, Otoo-san!" I greeted them and we all group-hugged.
"Glad to see you safe Amu. I hope Ikuto did a good job!" my mom joked and the said man came walking in.
"Of course! I kept Amu out of trouble and the house is still in pristine condition." he reported and smirked before leaving to give us some private time.
"Tch, cocky bastard." I muttered under my breath before smiling again and turning back to my family. "Welcome back! I missed you guys!" We all hugged again before sitting back down on the couch to relax. Ami sat on my lap and my parents sat on either side of me.
"Well, what happened while we were gone Amu? Did you do anything?" my mom asked me.
"Yeah! Nee-chan got a boooyfweeend!~" Ami sang and my dad fixed his eyes on me.
"Whaaat!? NOOOO! My little sparrow is leaving me!" he cried and ran into the bathroom to "run away." I sweatdropped at my father's antics and sighed.
"I do NOT have a boyfriend!" I .cleared up and huffed. My mom looked at me with wide eyes and I bit my lip.
"But what about Tadase? I thought he was your boyfriend." she questioned me.
"Uhh, yeah. About that, we broke up." I murmured softly. Ami looked to me confusedly.
"Ami, please go to your room." my mom ushered her out of the room after seemingly to understand the sensitivity of this particular topic. My mom came back, just as calm as ever and sat next to me again. "Please explain Amu. If this affects your happiness, I need to know about it." she spoke sternly, but draped a gentle comforting arm over my shoulders. I stared down at my hands and brought my knees up to my chest, leaning against my mother.
"Well, it started the day you left. I went to wait for Tadase at the usual spot so we could walk to school together." I started and a look of despair washed over my features. My bangs over shadowed my eyes and my hands trembled. "I saw him in class, and asked him where he was in the morning, but he just said something came up. Then, after school, I was waiting for Tadase to come out so we could walk together." By this time, a single tear had slid down my cheek. " I saw some weird girl with blue hair clinging to his arm when he finally came out. And she was our senpai. I was shocked Okaa-san!" I cried and my mother pat me on the back soothingly.
"Shhhh. It's okay Amu. Please continue so I have a valid description of what happened." She urged me on and I nodded slightly.
*sniff sniff* "Yeah.." I mumbled and wiped my tears before continuing. "The girl introduced herself as Umi-chan and she's apparently our senpai by one year. She claimed that Tadase was...was her boyfriend. and Tadase tried to deny it, but still said he had agreed to be her boyfriend. Apparently there was a reason, but I didn't want to hear more. Even if there was a special reason, he shouldn't have agreed!" I cried and tears started pooling in front of my eyes again. "I tried to calm down, but then Umi...she...she...WAAAAH!" I cried my heart out and clung to my mother's arm. "That stealing sleaze ball kissed him! And my "beloved" boyfriend didn't push her away!" I screamed in frustration and shock. My mother held me tightly as I cried into her sleeve.
"It's okay Amu. You'll find someone new and live a better life. Just get past him and move on. I'm sure there's someone better out there that will dedicate their heart all to you." she soothed me as I sniffled, but reluctantly looked up into her gentle brown eyes. She smiled warmly and I hugged her tightly.
"Thanks, Okaa-san." I murmured.
Ikuto's POV
I left to give some time to Amu and her family so they can catch up, but I felt uneasy. I curled up and relaxed on Amu's bed, when my cat ears appeared on my head and perked. From downstairs, I heard crying. I guess Amu is telling her mom about Tadase... I sighed and covered my ears so I wouldn't have to listen to Amu's heartbreaking sobs. I wish I could help her, but I'm not too confident about my feelings for sure yet.
"Ugh..." I groaned when the door suddenly opened, revealing Amu.
"Yo, Ikuto. Mom's calling you down for dinner. And she says you're welcome to stay if you want." she spoke briskly and turned away quickly, but that doesn't mean I didn't notice her expression. She had tear-stained cheeks from crying and her eyes were slightly puffy and red. Her cheeks were puffed and flushed, and Amu's hair was slightly ruffled. The pain was clearly evident on her face, so I couldn't help but hug the pitiful heartbroken girl. "Wha-? Ikuto?" she exclaimed panicking.
"Shhh, Amu. It's okay. Just let me stay like this for a few minutes." I murmured into her hair. I felt her shoulders drop as she sighed and pried my arms off from around her.
"Not now. I'll talk to you later, after dinner." she whispered and rushed down the stairs.
"Amu! Ikuto! Food's ready!" Midori called from downstairs and I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair before following after Amu down the stairs. I sat down across from Amu like I always do, but she avoided eye contact.
"Itadakimasu!~" we all clapped our hands together before digging in.
"Yummy!" Amu's little sister cried happily, splattering soba noodles everywhere. Midori smiled at her youngest daughter and Amu's father was still no where to be found. Amu was cleaning up Ami's mess and kept a slightly stoic, but painful face.
"Oh, don't mind Ami or my husband Ikuto. Just enjoy the food!" Midori smiled and motioned for me to eat.
"Oh, yeah. Thank you for your kind hospitality Midori. I really appreciate it." I smiled and shoved a forkful of noodles into my mouth. We ate in silence aside from Ami's giggles and noisy eating.
"Thanks for the meal, I'm done." Amu stood up abruptly and put her dishes in the sink before hurrying upstairs. I watched her retreating back and hurried to finish.
"Thanks for the meals Midori-san. Your cooking is really good." I flashed a quick smile and mimicked Amu's movements, leaving Ami and her mom at the dining table with confused faces.
"Amu!" I called for the pinkette and stopped in front of her door. I cautiously knocked, not wanting to get attacked and tackled again. "Amu?" Just as I put my hand on the doorknob to enter, her voice rang from inside.
"Don't come in!..." she paused as if to continue, but it was awfully long.
"Ummmm, are you done yet Amu?" I asked through the closed door. My hand was still clenching the doorknob, ready to open it after the safe signal, so I didn't expect Amu to open the door from the inside and I fell in front of her right at her feet. She rose an eyebrow at my OOCness and I laughed nervously. "Ahem." I coughed and quickly stood back up.
"Pffft, who knew the mighty Ikuto would be groveling at my feet." Amu smirked as she chara changed.
"I-I wasn't groveling at your feet!" i protested and also chara changed.
"Oh? Then why were you flat on your face at my feet?" she countered.
"Uhmmm...I fell when you opened the door?" I tried and her smirk only grew.
"Anyways, you can come in now. Sit on the bed." she commanded me and our eyes twitched as our chara changes canceled.
"The bed? Why do I have to sit on the bed?" I questioned her.
"Just do it, baka neko." Amu pushed me onto the bed and instantly covered me with the blanket.
"HEY! AMU! Let me outta here!" I tried freeing myself, but I felt her tying me up like a burrito.
"Just stay there for a little bit. I'm going to go take a bath so be patient. We'll talk when I'm done." she ordered me and I heard the door shut closed.
"It's soooo hot!" I complained as beads of sweat started forming on my forehead already. But my attitude soon switched as I yawned after chara changing. "But it's nice and warm...maybe I'll take a nap." So, being the feline I am, I fell asleep.
No One's POV
Amu stepped out of the shower twenty minutes later only to find Ikuto sleeping curled up on her bed.
"This cat..." she muttered after ripping the blanket and rope off of the said cat. "Oh well." Amu changed into her fluffy, warm dark purple pajamas before proceeding to poke Ikuto on the cheek. "Oi! Wake up Nekomini."
"Mmmm, nyaaa~ Gimme five more minutes." he murmured. A vein popped on the pinkette's head and she smacked the sleeping catboy's arm.
"No. Wake up and take a shower Ikuto. I'll get you some clothes while you're showering. I'm not gonna sleep with some stinky cat." Amu bluntly made her point and Ikuto yawned widely. He outstretched his arms and legs and sat up sleepily.
"Ok, ok. But then that means I get to sleep with Amu-chan?" he winked and his navy blue tail swayed behind him.
"Fine, but go take a shower." she kicked him out of the room and threw a towel in his face. Ikuto headed down the hallway and jumped in while Amu ran to her mom.
"Okaa-san. Do we have any clothes Ikuto can wear?" she asked.
"Clothes? Hmmm, he might fit into your dad's old clothes, but they may not be to his tastes." her mom pondered and turned to her purse. "Here's some money, you can go run to the mall to buy him some clothes." Midori smiled and handed Amu 10,000 yen.
"Uuuh, Okaa-san? Isn't this a little much?" the pinkette raised an eyebrow to her mother's smiling face who only shook her head and pushed her daughter out the door.
"Now you better hurry Amu."
"Hai, hai. I'm heading out. Be back soon." Amu waved and her mom shut the door behind her. She sweatdropped and chara changed with Kiyu-chan. "Ahh well. Let's go shopping Kiyu-chan." Amu smiled and sprinted across the roads to the mall. "I guess I'll start with shirts." Amu's fox ears and tail disappeared as she scanned the racks for clothing that might suit Ikuto. Eventually she settled on three graphic tees and two collared shirts. Mostly black, blue and white. Now for jeans... she thought and swung the bag of shirts over her shoulder as she rushed to her next goal. Thinking casually, Amu picked out a few pairs of jeans and two belts. Hmm, this might not be enough and I still have 7,000 yen left. I'll grab him a hoodie or jacket of some kind. Maybe a scarf too for the cold weather. Amu pondered and grabbed exactly what she thought. "I'm pretty much done here." she murmured to noone in particular until she passed by a little trinkets shop. Inside, she spotted a few necklaces and bracelets she liked. 2,000 yen left...Hmmm, might as well. Amu searched among the accessories and found the perfect ones. Two black leather bracelets that had a hole to attach a charm to, two necklaces and two charms for the bracelets. Of course, she had gotten one necklace with a dark pink four-leaf clover and one with a silver cross. The charms she chose were a red fox and blue kitty. She smiled to herself and threw the stuff in the bag, handing the cashier all the rest of her money.
"Let's go Kiyu-chan." Amu smirked outside the mall and chara changed, sprinting all the way back home. She laughed as the wind whipped her in the face and a rush of exhilaration ran through her veins. She stopped in front of the house and walked in after catching her breath. "I'm back." Amu called through the house. Her mother was distracted doing dishes in the kitchen and Ami was already asleep by this point. Amu's father was still sulking and Ikuto was upstairs.
Amu ran up the stairs with her clothing bags in hand and rushed to her room. "Ikuto! I got some clothes for you." she kicked open the door and jawdropped at the sight that met her. Ikuto was standing in her room, a towel around his waist, and, aside from a loose towel hanging around his neck, topless while calmly drinking milk. The way water dripped from his still wet hair down his neck and abs. His abdomen muscles were clearly defined and his back muscles were also very clear. He was definitely built and she just wanted to reach out and touch she snapped back to reality as her face instantly flushed and she shut the door again.
"Ah! Amu! Welcome back. But can I have the clothes?" Ikuto asked awkwardly from inside the room.
"Oh yeah..." Amu muttered. She took a deep breath before opening the door again and facing Ikuto. "Here. You could've worn my dad's clothes, but I didn't think they'd fit your style. Not that I really know what you would wear. So I got you some clothes. My mom gave me the money. Oh I also got us matching accessories because I thought they were cute!" Amu rambled on and seemingly forgot she was in front of a pretty much naked Ikuto. While she talked, said guy was going through the clothes and smirking at the clothes. Two pairs of jeans were partially style ripped and the third pair had a bunch of buckles and pockets. One ripped pair was light blue and the other two were black. The two collared shirts were solid colored, one white and the other black. The graphic tees were his favorite though. One was navy blue with a white kitty wrapped in yarn and below it said, 'Adorable?' On the back was a hissing kitty that said 'I don't think so.' Another tee was white with a dark blue cross to the side with a silver cross lining the blue one. In the middle was a broken bleeding heart. The last tee was black with a white cat silhouette like on Yoru's egg and looked like it was wrapped in chains. The two belts Amu had bought weren't too chunky. One was a plain white and the other was plain black.
"Heh, Amu? These are pretty cool, but what should I sleep in? And you forgot boxers." Ikuto laughed as he pointed out these important facts. Amu face-faulted as she realized she had totally missed the obvious and Ikuto was left snickering away.
"Well...for now just go with these!" Amu shot at him. "I'll wait outside while you change." Amu grumbled and slammed the door behind her.
"Hehe, clever clever Amu." he chuckled and pulled on the navy blue tee and loose black buckled jeans. "I'm done amu. You can come in now. And did you not notice you had left and come back in your pajamas?" Ikuto pointed yet ANOTHER pathetic fact that made Amu face-palm.
"Ugh, whatever. Here." Amu tossed a black leather bracelet, kitty charm and silver cross necklace to Ikuto and he swiftly caught the three items. "You can link the charm to the bracelet, and if you want you name or something engraved in the leather, just tell me. I have a matching set, but my charm is a fox, of course, and my necklace has a four-leaf clover. Think of these as my present before we start the dramatic talk." the normally cheerful and air-headed pinkette droned on sarcastically at the end and sat down on the bed. Ikuto smiled gently and sat down next to her. He draped an arm around Amu's shoulders and she relaxed, completely dropping her hard tough front. Tears instantly pooled in her eyes and the heartbreak returned to her. Ikuto pulled her into his arms and she cried into his chest.
Ikuto's POV
"Amu..." I murmured to the sobbing girl in my arms. I didn't know what to say, but I felt I needed to be there for this girl. This girl who was currently crying her heart out and trusting in me. I wanted to protect her. Keep her shielded from anything that might hurt her, physically or mentally. My arms unconsciously pulled her in tighter, closer, to me and I nuzzled my nose into her soft hair. "Amu...I'm sorry to have made you wait." I spoke softly and inhaled deeply. "I have an answer and I do have feelings for you. I want to protect you Amu. Please trust me." I pulled away and stared into her teary honey-golden eyes. She attempted a faint smile as she wiped away the tears, but her smile didn't last. She let the tears flow, but didn't whimper. Amu simply wrapped her arms around my midsection and pulled herself close to me again.
"Trust you? After a heartbreak, that's a hard request." Amu whispered quietly, but I could still hear her. "But, if you truly treasure me Ikuto, I want to hear you say it. Just three words." she pleaded me.
"...I'm not 100% certain yet though. But if it'll help, I am 98.5% sure about my feelings Amu...Please just trust me." I asked her desperately, but she refused to listen and nuzzled her face into my chest, constricting me with her arms and keeping me rooted in place.
"I can't trust you fully yet Ikuto, Please just say it. Please?" Her tears grew and I felt them soak my shirt again. I sighed and bit my lip. I know I like Amu, but saying them is a big commitment. I want to help, but I don't know if I'm ready for that commitment...
"I'm sorry Amu. Please just give me a little more time. One more day?" I begged her. She nodded slightly and relaxed in my arms.
"Then just sleep with me for now. I'm going to use you as my comfort pillar until I find someone." Amu finalized and I nodded. We went under the covers and Amu curled into a ball against my body. I wrapped my long arms around her to keep her warm and to give her a sense of security. She quickly fell asleep and I felt her breathing deepen.
I whispered, "I'm sorry Amu. I'll give you a final answer tomorrow." and drifted off into darkness.
A/N: Thank you for reading! And please stay tuned for my next update. I'll try to make it ready by this coming Saturday after my finals! So please review! ^^