Hi low! Gotta love spring break….. What not to love? a spring break full of cloudy weather where it's not even nice enough to step outside however lucky for my readers it means I'm on the computer more which means frequent Updates! One plus ne? So as I grow more accustomed to cabin fever I'm also coming up with new chapters so you guys may or may not see a few more (depends on if the weather decides to clear and warm up) So anywho enough about my rant on the weather let's continue the story!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara… nope I do not!.... Okay to the story!
By the time they were finished with their papers the study was a mess. Books and Articles were sprawled all around the tables and floor and all four girls were also sprawled out on the floor relieved that the blasted essays were done now they could actually enjoy the rest of their Saturday! …. After they cleaned up the mess they made.
Yaya rolled off of a large map and rolled in back up, "That was pain-fuuuul I hate essays!"
Amu stared at the ceiling her essay still on her mind. In truth she saw the Tsukiyomi curse as the star crossed love between the king and queen and in the end, like Romeo and Juliet, they paid for it with their lives. Amu sighed and wondered if such a strong feeling of love was worth it. She sat up and started helping the others clean up and gathered up the research papers that Notori-san had published on the subject accounting to the ancient curse as an ill-fated love. Amu liked it because it had such a fairy tail feel and wondered what it would be like back then.
"Amu you're daydreaming again…" Nadeshiko pointed out. Amu shook her head, "No still recovering from the long hall." She laughed
"Are you sure you're not worried about Iku-chan Amu-chii?" Yaya teased. Amu then realized since the Notori explained the story of the Tsukiyomis she hadn't really thought about Ikuto. She then headed outside and started looking for him. She searched through the gardens and the gazebo where they had brunch and ended up in near a small pound with a small bench. On the bench Notori was sitting quietly and dropping bread crumbs in the pond to the hungry koi fish that were darting to and fro trying to catch the next bread crumb before the others.
"Notori-san!"
Amu jogged up to him a little out of breath from frantically searching the mansion's grounds.
"Amu-chan? What are you doing out here?" Notori asked a little surprised. Amu caught her breath and looked around then back at Notori with a pleading look in her eyes.
"I'm looking for Ikuto. I completely forgot I had him with me today." Amu said feeling even more guilty as the words slipped her mouth. Notori looked thoughtful, "I haven't seen a cat around today maybe he went home before you did. Animals have a good sense of direction."
It was possible, Ikuto wasn't an ordinary cat and he might have gotten bored from waiting for them all day. She then tugged subconsciously at her dress. Notori smiled and stood up, "How about we go inside. I'm sure Nadeshiko and the others are beginning to worry about you."Amu nodded and they both walked in silence through the garden. Notori was the first to break the silence.
"So was the information I gave you useful?" He inquired thoughtfully. Amu lifted her head toward him and smiled, "Very, the life of the Tsukiyomi family was like a fairy tail."
Notori smiled sadly and nodded, "Only the end isn't exactly happily ever after."
Amu looked at him curiously but then returned to staring at the ground. It was a thick blanket of emerald green grass with the occasional flowery weed popping out of the ground. Amu couldn't help but find each little one as a pleasant surprise. She became lost in her own thoughts closely studying each little weed and nearly forgot Notori was with her until he spoke again.
"You know something Amu-chan?"
Amu snapped her head to him quickly, an automatic reaction that made her blush, "Wh-what?" She stuttered embarrassed that she got so lost in her thoughts.
"I think that the legend is more real than what the written history says." He smirked, "I find it very possible that a sense of magic exists in this world…"
He paused then turned his head toward the setting sun. Amu followed his gaze and was surprised at how late it was. But she also took note at how majestic the sunset was. It was the very thing that transformed Ikuto from a cat into a human each night. That little thought reminded her that what Notori-san was saying was not just possible, but very real.
"Wouldn't it be boring if everything in the world be explained so simply?" Notori continued, "You know Amu-chan my grandfather always said 'anything can be easy but nothing is ever simple.'" Amu averted her glance from the sunlight and her eyes met with Notori, "What do you think he means?"
Notori smiled radiantly. A smiled that Amu knew well from Nadeshiko. She hadn't really noticed but Both Nadeshiko and Nagihiko really resembled Notori-san.
They passed the gardens and casually walked inside. Yaya, Rima, and Nadeshiko had just entered the foyer when they entered. They walked up to them all three seemed out of breath, "Did you find Ikuto?"
Amu shook her head. They looked at Amu dejected, "We looked everywhere and we can't find him anywhere!" Yaya explained.
"We think he went home before you guys." Notori said lightly but then turned his attention to the grandfather clock in the next room, "It's late I'm sure your parents are worried about you girls so why don't you girls head on home."
"But, what about Ikuto?" Yaya asked not satisfied.
"I'm sure he's fine Yaya-chan. He's a cat, they can take care of themselves." Nadeshiko said surprising everyone, "Plus you want to get home soon Amu-chan. Tsumugu-san will be worried about you. You've been gone all day."
Amu nodded, "Your right Nadeshiko." Amu said looking again at the fading sun through a window hoping that Ikuto did make it home. They gathered their things and the servents surrendered their clothes and they changed back into what they had on before they entered the massive house. Amu then noticed that none of the boys were around.
"Where did the guys go?" Amu inquired from Nadeshiko. Rima and Yaya shot a curious glance at Nadeshiko the same thought on their mind.
"Oh they go to the downtown plaza and hang out every Saturday," She explained, "They probably left right after we went into the study."
All three chorused an "Oh!"
Nadeshiko walked them out to the foyer and waved goodbye at the door, "Bye everyone I'll see you on Monday!"
"Bye-bye Nade-chaaan!" Yaya sang as she headed into the direction of her house, "Bye Rima-tan, Bye Amu-chii!"
"Bye Yaya!" Rima and Amu waved watching her head the opposite direction toward her house. Rima noticed a hint of worry on Amu's face. Rima turned to Amu and looked at her sternly, "Amu don't worry I'm sure he's fine." Rima reassured
"What?" Amu snapped and blushed, "I-i-it's not like I'm really that worried."
Rima sighed and shook her head, "Amu we've been best friends since pre-k! You' can't fool a fool!" She then stubbornly crossed her arms, "If you're really worried about Ikuto then just say so! It's not like he's just-a-cat."
Amu blushed and smiled at Rima, "Yeah, thanks Rima."
Rima smiled and headed off to her house waving good bye as she disappeared leaving Amu to walk home alone. Amu felt so lonely on her trip home after Rima left she felt the cold sting of the wind chill she hadn't noticed before. Then again it had always been like that. Ever since her mom died her friends had been the buffer between her and all the stings in life and they supported her no matter what. A smile tugged at Amu's lips, she had really good friends.
Amu looked up and realized she was already on her street just a block from her house. She then began to worry again. What if Ikuto didn't make it back? What if he's lost somewhere….What if got hit by another car!!!
Amu's worry turned to panic as she raced down the street and skidded into her drive way she noticed that her father's white sedan was in the drive way. He was home already! She raced to the door and fiddled with her keys and before she pulled the right one out the door opened. Saaya was on the other side. She didn't grimace at the sight of Amu as she usually would, she smirked! What in the name of good is going on?! Amu thought to herself.
"Somebody's in trouble~." Saaya mocked as Amu walked in. Amu swiveled through the house and spotted what she feared. Tsumgu was standing in the kitchen with a dark expression confirming what Amu feared. Saaya slammed the door closed and Amu could feel the smug look on Saaya's face.
"Saaya-chan, please excuse us…" Tsumugu demanded more than asked.
"As you say Tsumugu-san I wouldn't disobey you!!" She then skipped obnoxiously toward the hall and gave Amu one last smug look before disappearing around the corner. Amu heard her foot steps up the stairs and her room door close in the distance.
"Amu, come here please." Tsumugu said coldly. Amu approached the kitchen island where Tsumugu was sitting. A million thoughts swirled in Amu's head of what this could be about. Maybe Sanjou-sensei had owned up to her threat and called him about the code-blue. The her worst fear crossed her mind Tsumugu caught Ikuto in human form trying to come into the house and when Ikuto who was usually oblivious to when he changed back was caught trying to get in through the balcony and Tsumugu mistook him for a secret boyfriend… Amu tried not to think about it but before she could control her thoughts she burst out in panic, "Where's Ikuto!?"
Tsumugu's dark mood suddenly disappeared, "Huh? You don't know where Ikuto-kun is?"
Amu suddenly realized that the trouble had nothing to do with Ikuto and she let out a sigh of relief, "Actually when I went to go study at Nadeshiko's house I took him with me and I haven't found him since."
"Oh!" Tsukumugu's mood darkened again, "Amu-chan, why didn't you tell me you where there? I was worried!"
It then dawned on Amu that she hadn't even given the courtesy of a note to her father telling where she was, "Ah! I'm so sorry!"
"Amu-chan…. Please don't make me worry like that for all I knew something horrible might have happened and I had no contact with you!!" He began to tear up, "FOR ALL I KNEW YOU WERE ON A DATE WITH SOME BOY!!!!!"
Amu sweat dropped and chuckled nervously, It's weird that that's his worst case scenario but it's not far from the truth….. She then cleared her throat and regain her composure.
"Dad I'm sixteen!" Amu insisted, "I can take care of myself! Plus how am I ever to progress in life if I can't even have contact with the opposite se-er gender!" Whew almost stepped on a land mine with the "s" word
Tsumugu stared at her not saying anything. Then he surprised her when he sighed, "I know, I know, I just can't help but worry!" He looked at her with the same eyes he gave each of his patients analytical and observant. The look Amu knew she couldn't get anything past, "Okay Amu, how many have you met already?"
Amu sweat dropped. Absolutely nothing, "Well be glad I only met them recently." Amu laughed. He didn't laugh along. Amu cleared her throat, "Um… about four, one I met on the way to school," Technically "and the other three are Nadeshiko's twin brother and his two friends all of them are really nice!"
"Which one are you dating," Tsumugu pressed without a single hint of humor. Amu could have sworn she saw steam coming from Tsumugu's head, "Um… none of them. We're all just friends…."
The steam halted and Tsumugu smiled brightly, "Well it better stay that way!"
Amu sweat dropped at his reaction. Then Tsumugu's expression changed and realization dawned on his face, "Oh yeah Amu-chan, you said you couldn't find Ikuto-kun…"
Amu sighed and stared at the marble top of the island, "Yeah, Nadeshiko's dad suggested that Ikuto might have come home. Are you sure you didn't see him?" Amu lifted her head her little bit of hope barley scraping the surface. Tsumugu nodded and Amu dropped her head in disappointment. Tsumugu shifted in her chair and sighed, "Well I figured as much."
Amu snapped her head up to Tsumugu, "What do you mean?" Amu asked almost desperately.
"I figured since he was a run away in the first place he might have just wander off one day." He stood up and pulled a small box out of the fridge, "Cats tend to do that. They're pretty independent creatures and when they do become attached to something they always go back to it." Tsumugu unfolded the box and revealed a strawberry chocolate cake. He cut it in half and slid one half in front of Amu, "I'm sorry Amu-chan… But if you really want a pet maybe well find you another cat."
"NO!" Amu snapped and lept up, "Ikuto wasn't just a cat!" tears began to well up in her eyes and she sniffled a little, "Ikuto was my friend! More than just a pet I-i…lo…." She started crying and ran out of the kitchen. She stormed up the stairs and slammed her room door shut she stared at the ground and slumped to the floor.
What was I trying to say? Amu thought sadly, Do I love Ikuto?
She curled into a ball and rested her head on her knees and she continued to cry for a little while.
She suddenly shivered and realized it was cold in her room. She lifted her head and noticed the balcony door was open. Her eyes automatically drifted toward her bed and there Ikuto was, fast asleep. She was surprised all that noise didn't wake him up. But she was glad he came back.
She pulled the covers over him and retrieved a futon from her armoire and laid it on the floor next to the bed. She shut the balcony door and locked it. Then turned off the light and settled in the futon.
The room was quiet and all that could be heard was the ticking of the clock and Ikuto's soft purr. Amu smirked. His snore was even like a cat's.
However, it soothed her and soon she lulled into a quiet sleep.
The hours passed silently and quickly and soon the sun rose over the horizon and the sun light touched Ikuto's skin. He jerked up from the sudden burning sensation and like it had before, it shrunk him down into a cat. The gold lights that had been his clothes dissipated and turned into fur that covered his body and the burn tickled away and left Ikuto as a cat. He shook his head and noticed Amu still wasn't back in her bed. He felt guilty for leaving her alone and hopped down off the bed and headed to the balcony door. It was closed. He was sure he left it open last night. He heard a soft moan and flipped around suddenly and saw Amu asleep on a futon on the floor.
He realized that instead of waking him up and tossing him on the floor she chose to sleep on the floor. He smirked and licked her hand. She softly murmured, "Ikuto"
It flattered him and he curled next to her. The door then creaked open. Ikuto shot up quickly and saw Tsumugu walk in.
Tsumugu smiled and bent down and patted his head, "So you came back after all."
Ikuto meowed, Well duh!
Tsumugu scooped Amu up and tucked her in her bed, "You must really like Amu-chan then."
Ikuto Meowed again You could say that
Tsumugu petted Ikuto's head again, "that's good." He stood up and Ikuto noticed he was dressed already, "I leave Amu in your hands Ikuto-kun!" He then dismissed himself and walked out the door Ikuto listened to him leave until he heard the sound of the sedan pull out of the driveway and down the street. Ikuto then curled up at Amu's feet. He watched her sleeping face carefully, his sapphire orbs not breaking their gaze for a moment. Amu's lips tugged into a smile. Ikuto smirked he was glad she was having a pleasant dream.
A few more hours passed with Ikuto watching Amu dream and day light hit its peak and shone through the windows brightly. To Ikuto's disappointment it roused Amu out of her sleep.
Amu groggily looked around her noticing that she was in her room and it took a few moments for her to realize she was in her bed and not on the futon. She looked around and saw Ikuto on the foot of her bed curled up comfortably.
"Ikuto…" her face began to light up.
"Good morning." Ikuto said lazily, "Miss me?"
Amu's expression darkened for a moment. Then she stubbornly turned away from Ikuto and hopped off the bed, "N-not really. D-didn't even notice you were gone!"
Ikuto smirked knowing she was bluffing from her cute stuttering, "So you missed me that much?"
"No way!" Amu yelled loudly and threw her pillow at Ikuto, "Get over your self! I knew you'd be perfectly fine on your own!"
Ikuto lithely dodged the pillow and curled next to Amu smiling coyly, "So are you not the least bit curious as to what I was doing? Or where I was…"
Amu held a stubborn pout but then she let her eyes drift toward him, "Maybe a little…"
Ikuto smirked, "Only a little?"
Amu sighed, "Okay! I'm reaaally curious!" She retorted turning toward him fully.
"I thought so…." He smirked then paused, the memories from the day before flashing through his mind. Amu noticed his sudden change in demeanor and dropped her stubborn pout.
"I saw Utau yesterday…" Ikuto began. Amu flinched involuntary. Then she wondered, If he met Utau why did he come back?
"What happened?" Amu asked her voice shaking a little betraying her.
"I followed her and the sorcerer to a concert they used it to search energies. They were looking for something ..…" Something flicked at the edge of his memory but then he shook it off, "Utau's voice made me change back into a human. I was able to stop them for the time being, but they escaped."
"They," Amu began to realize the extent behind that, "You mean Utau is working for them?"
"I doubt voluntarily," Ikuto added, "But yes."
Amu stepped off the bed and paced the room for a bit, "So what now? What can we do?"
Ikuto Hopped off the bed and unto Amu's shoulder, "There is one thing I can do…." He settled under her long strawberry pink locks, "and something you can help with."
Amu bent her neck so she could face him, "What's that?"
He licked her on the nose and she blushed, "I need a violin."
Yay! Chapter 12 is d-o-n-e!!
Whoopie! We are currently at the standings of 126 Reviews! Yay! Cookies for everybody!! Well I actually am almost done with the chappy maps for this story and It's gonna be about 30-31 chapters long!! I actually started chappy maps after chapter 8 (serious writers block that I couldn't overcome) well anyway I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I hope to see you all next chapter! Please review!
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