Disclaimer: I do not own shugo chara!

Amu and the shopkeeper Musashi stared at the figure of the retreating girl who just handed the violin over to Amu.

"That….was…..Strange." Musashi finally said after a moment and fixed his glasses, "Well I guess my services are no longer needed but please do return if there is anything else you need." And snapped out of it and flicked her head toward Musashi and nodded, "Ah my assistant is late." He mumbled and walked toward the counter and picked up an ancient looking phone and dialed a number. Amu walked toward the door just as Musashi started lecturing someone on the phone, "Ah! Kairi where are you? I sent you for lunch hours ago!"

Amu chuckled and slipped out of the store. Ikuto stood up trotted over to her, "You bought it!" He said with a laugh. Amu managed a smirk and slid the violin case's strap over her right shoulder just as Ikuto pounced on her left. "Actually I got it for free."

Ikuto purred pessimistically for a second, "Free?"

"Yeah this weird girl came in and just shoved it on me" Amu said still a little bewildered.

"Are you sure it's even a violin in that case?" Ikuto said hopping of her shoulder. Amu paused and started toward an outdoor table and lifted the case on the smooth glass plate of the table and opened the case in it was an Almond colored violin all the strings were there and in good condition Ikuto hopped on the table it didn't have any fine tuners except on the "e" string and the tuner was brass instead of silver. It looked really old Ikuto tapped the belly with his paw and leaned his kitty ear to the "f" holes and lightly plucked the "a" string with his claw which left off a rich melodic sound he looked in the "f" holes and finally sniffed it, "It's in good condition" he said expertly. Amu was fascinated watching him examine the violin. It was even more entertaining because he was a cat.

"It needs a little tuning I'll do that tonight." Ikuto said. Circling around the case and sniffing the long bow, "The bow is new…" He said curling his tail around his legs, "There is no rosin on it."

"Wow Ikuto you know a lot about Violins." Amu said closing the case. Ikuto scratched his ear, "…. I guess I do…."

After securing the zipper on the case Amu swung the case on her shoulder, "Well since we have a violin let's go do something else I'm not ditching school for nothing."

"So let's look for a job for you." Ikuto purred as he sat on her shoulder. Amu grimaced, "But that's not necessary now that we have a violin for you to play!"

"Well if it hadn't been for the fact that your Dad is excepting you to take 'violin' lessons we could go play but the fact of the matter is your father is expecting you to find a job to pay for your lessons as well as the violin so in order to keep the façade going you still have to find a job."

Amu grimaced again, "Well how was I supposed to know some random person would just hand one over to me?" She pouted but suddenly a loud roar came from her stomach, "uhh?"

Ikuto chuckled, "Okay We'll start the job hunt as soon as we eat."

Amu groaned. They turned around to start walking to find a place to eat when a luscious chocolate smell enticed both of them to stop and turn toward the scent. On the corner of the cross roads before Amu's street, a small café was giving off the delicious odor. Amu recognized it to be the building she saw the other day only this time it was fully furnished and the sign that was incomplete now read, "SuuPrize Bakery/Café"

Amu and Ikuto noticed it was a little slow but there were some people sitting in the now furnished lobby on the tan tiles and someone was standing behind the pastel rainbow counter taking an order. Amu opened the door and it made a bell overhead jingle charmingly. The person at the counter who was ordering walked over to the side with a bright smile and a chocolate cupcake with a strawberry on top and something in a paper coffee mug. At the counter Amu and Ikuto saw a young woman not much older than 20 with curly light mint green hair loosely falling out of a makeshift bun. She was dressed in girly Lolita clothing and had a bright innocent smile on her face, "Hello, There~!"

Amu and Ikuto stared back at her in surprise, "Um… Hello" Amu managed to say at last.

"Can I get you anything, maybe?" The chipper lady asked in a soft voice.

Amu and Ikuto looked at the previous costumer who looked like he was thoroughly enjoying his cupcake.

"We'll have what he's having!" Amu said brightly, "All righty just sit down, right there. I'll get that for you, right away. By the way I'm Suu Himeko."

Suu hurried about the counter expertly making the drink and a small bowl of milk for Ikuto and placed the cupcake on a light green plate, "Sorry for the wait, I'm sure!"

Amu and Ikuto perked up. Ikuto slipped off her shoulder and unto the counter and happily licked the icing off the cup cake.

"Some one likes chocolate, I see." Suu sang, "What's his name, this little fellow?"

Amu took her coffee happily and started rummaging for her wallet, "He's Ikuto."

Ikuto licked his lips and started on the milk.

"My! He's a pretty one, Ikuto" Suu said. Amu handed her a ten and Suu walked toward the cash register and handed the change to Amu, "So what are you and Ikuto up to, today?"

Amu smiled and felt it was rude to count the change in front of her so she quickly stuffed it in her wallet, "Job hunting." Amu said with a smile.

"Oh really!" Suu chirped, "I think I can help you, with that!" She smiled, "I just opened and I'm currently taking applicants for a part time job at the cashier. You see I'm the only one who works here, you see!" Amu and Ikuto sweat dropped, wondering how in the world she was running a business by herself.

"I'll just go get a resume, from the back!" Suu announced and turned around to walk to the back but tripped she would have landed face first on but Amu managed to catch her in time. Suu smiled shyly and chuckled, "You're hired!"

Amu helped her up, "R-r-really!" Amu smiled brightly, "Thank you so much Suu-san! I won't let you down!"

"Please help me up, will you?" Suu asked politely. Amu blushed, "S-sorry but really this will help me out a bunch!"

Suu smiled as Amu pulled her into position, "Oh well it will help me a great deal, as well!" Amu smiled and walked with Suu to the back to fill out the application with Ikuto trotting at her heels.

"By the way I never got you name dear, did I?" Suu said opening the lime green door to the back, "What is it, you're name?"

"Oh I'm Amu Hinamori." Amu said as she walked to the back. Everything was spic & span and cute! Amu couldn't help but admire at a heart shaped whisk with a green clover ornament on top and the handle was green as well with a green ribbon tied near the wire of the whisk, "That's so cute Suu-san!"

"Ah! It's my favorite spatula, that one" She said taking it down from its hook, "It makes my special Recipes!"

She lightly handed it to Amu who marveled at it with little stars in her eyes Ikuto smirked at how cute Amu looked and hopped on her shoulder purring.

Amu smiled and handed it back to Suu who smiled and nodded, "Now where did I put those applications, somewhere?" She hung the whisk back in its hook and started shuffling through a makeshift desk. Amu and Ikuto sweat dropped at the large pile of papers and envelopes that were scattered across the desk. Suu pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Amu, "If you bring this back tomorrow filled out with a parent or guardian's signature you can start work as soon as tomorrow after school."

Amu's face blanked, "What makes you think I'm underage?" Amu chuckled un-humorously.

Suu put her hand to her face and smiled brightly, "Why, a baby face like yours screams 'I'm 16', that is."

Amu sunk, a little soul was popping out of her mouth. Ikuto bit her ear to snap her out of it and she shook her head, "All right then. Thank you Suu-san!"

"You're very welcome, of course~!" Suu smiled. The bell in the front of the shop rang and Suu ushered them out of the back room, "I look forward to working with you!"

"Me too, of course~!"

Amu and Ikuto walked out of SuuPrize and noticed it was still early afternoon and there was still time to kill before Amu "went home". They walked down the block wondering what to do when Amu wandered into a park. Ikuto jumped off her shoulder and trotted next to her enjoying the warm day.

"So what do we do now?" Amu asked flatly. Ikuto purred and pointed his paw toward a shaded area of the park where a bench was sitting nicely under a red cherry tree, "How about some lessons?"

Amu looked at him with a flat expression, "Umm…."

"Don't be a scardy cat!" Ikuto sauntered toward the bench and sat precociously waiting for Amu to follow him, "Verbal instructions are not hard and we'll review when I turn tonight so come on."

Amu reluctantly walked over to the bench and took the violin out, "Get the bow." Ikuto instructed after he took in the blank look on Amu's face, "Haven't you ever seen a violin be played?" Amu blushed, "Not since…."

Ikuto's ears pressed down on his head, I did it again!

"It's all right, the bow is the long stick with the white hairs on it." Ikuto instructed.

"Oh!" Amu said pulling the bow from its shelf. The hairs were loose and Amu looked at it distraught, "Oh no it's broken!"

Ikuto muffled a snicker, "It's not broken." He flicked his tail toward the small metal end of the bow, "That's the tension screw you turn it to tighten the hairs." Amu looked at him confused, "Put down the violin and twist the screw to the right. Amu did as she was told and her face lit up as the hairs pulled it into place to make a firm stiff band all the hair were uniform almost one.

"Wow the hairs straightened!" Amu marveled and studied them, "What are they made of?"

"Hair" Ikuto replied. Amu's eyes enlarged and she stared at Ikuto utterly shocked, "H-ha-HAIR! REAL HAIR!"

"Yeah.." Ikuto smirked thoroughly amused, "Its horse hair. It's the only kind that has small bristles that allow the bow to make the strings vibrate which makes the sound."

Amu looked at him amazed, "Wow." She lifted the violin up from it's neck and mimicked what she thought was the right way for violin's to be positioned balancing the violin on her shoulder and lightly resting her chin on the chin rest. Ikuto was surprised she had such good posture for never even touching a violin before, "Good" Ikuto purred, "Only…."

Amu pulled the bow across the strings diagonally which made a whittled whisper Amu looked at Ikuto dejected again. Ikuto sweat dropped, "Not like that…"

Amu sighed, "What did I do wrong?"

Ikuto smirked, "Well first of all you need to put rosin on the bow." Amu cocked her head, "What's that?"

Ikuto sniffed around the case and tapped the middle pocket, "There's some in here." Amu placed the violin's bow down and opened the middle and took out a pouch she then placed the violin in the case and opened the pouch she pulled out a gold honey colored bar wrapped in a cloth Ikuto admired that the bar was close in color to her eyes.

"It's a bar of soap…." Amu said flatly. Ikuto couldn't hold it anymore he burst out laughing at Amu who blushed embarrassed.

After Ikuto managed to compose himself he looked at Amu's cherry red face with a smirk, "I think we need to go over a few basic details before we start on 'how to play' first I need to instruct you on 'what's what'."

Ikuto carefully explained each component of the violin from the scroll to the brass bar and what each piece was for and its purpose after Amu fully understood each element she blushed at how ditzy she sounded calling the rosin bar, a bar of soap.

Ikuto then instructed her to take her position with the violin. Amu did the same as before and stood still waiting for further instructions, "So what next?"

"You have your bow wrong." Ikuto pointed out, "Move it over the "f" holes and parallel to the bridge." Amu moved it as she was told and Ikuto instructed her to pull it down keeping her arm in a box shape. Amu did and a rich sounding "d". Amu lifted her head and smiled, "I did it!"

Ikuto shrugged, "It's just an open note." But he was really amazed at her, her pressure on the strings were neither too hard nor too soft. Amu pouted at him. Ikuto looked at the sky, "It's about time we head home you're already late." Ikuto pointed out. Amu fluster and quickly put away the violin and bow and zipped it shut, "Yikes!" she slurred as Ikuto hopped on her shoulder and he and she headed toward the house.

They arrived just as Tsumugu pulled in the drive way. Tsumugu got out of the car and greeted Amu and Ikuto, "Hey you two… it's unusual to see you so late?"

"Oh! Uh…." Amu tried to explain quickly. Tsumugu already noticed the violin, "I see you found one." He half smiled, "But where so quickly?"

"Pawn shop." Amu said quickly. It wasn't a lie.

"Oh!" Tsumugu said, "Is that why you're so late?" Amu nodded and pulled the application from her pocket, "And I found a job!"

Tsumugu took the paper and studied it, "That new café that just opened down the street?"

Amu nodded, "The same!"

"I went in there this morning!" Tsumugu pointed out. Amu gulped hoping Suu hadn't mentioned her being in there this morning too and praying that her father wasn't in there when she was, "The poor owner is in there all alone! Alright I guess." Tsumugu laughed and handed the application to Amu, "Fill it out and I'll sign it when you're done."

Amu smiled brightly, "Will do!"

She, Tsumugu, and Ikuto walked in the door but Amu rushed in her room noticing Ikuto was getting a little heavy on her shoulder once she slammed the door shut and slugged to her bed Ikuto finished transforming and his weight caused her to fall on the bed and he was on top of her. Leave it to Tsumugu to walk in at that time. He took a brief glance at Amu and Ikuto blinked shut the door for a moment giving Ikuto enough time to slide under the bed and Amu to correct herself and when he opened the door Amu was sitting on her bed acting like she was ready to open the violin case, "Yes dad?"

Tsumugu looked around the room swiftly with a little question mark popping out of his head, "B-b-b-but you! I-i-i-i-I saw?"

"Saw what?" Amu asked innocently. Tsumugu placed his hand on his forehead and rubbed his temple, "I'm working waaaay too hard." He walked out of her room shaking his head, "I need a vacation!"

Amu smiled as she watched her dad retreat and close the door behind him once Amu heard him go downstairs she sighed in relief, "That was a close one!" Ikuto crawled out from under her bed and rested his head on his hand and his elbow on the floor looking up at Amu, "This is going to be fun…"

Amu blushed and opened the case, "Well if my dad catches you we need some sort of an alibi…." She leveled her eyes with his and he looked at her suspiciously, "Hello Tutor."

…..

…….

………..

Oops… I accidently used some of my own dialogue… LOL oh well I love the element it gives it. ^^ I had a little fun with the 'violin lessons' I was having flash backs when I first started to learn and made the same comments as Amu so I put it in there for kicks and giggles LOL But I hope you enjoyed it and please review.

For the sake of the polls (read comments on previous chapter) I'm not going to do the special thanks but I will do a shout out.

THANK YOU ALL WHO READ, REVIEWED, AND FAVORITED MY STORY! I REALLY, REALLY, REEEEEEAAAALLLLYY APPRECIATE IT!