The reason these chapters are popping out so fast is because I've been trying to write it for so long and Amuto is my personal obsession. Yes, I love Delena (Vampire Diaires), too, but nothing ever compares to Ikuto and Amu! They're just so damned cute!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!

Chapter Two

You're waiting for someone
to put you together.

Ikuto wondered if Amu's moping would stop before he retired for the evening. The entire day, she'd sat on the bed in the corner of his room, tears pouring down her cheeks though there was a ferocious gleam in her eyes that had him avoided being in the cabin at all. She hadn't taken the clothes that Utau had offered, though she must have been feeling the chill at some point, what with her still-damp clothes. Yet all she did was sit there, crying and probably wondering what she was going to do while trapped on this ship, what she could do to protect herself.

He was half right, at least.

Despite her tears, Amu was plotting her escape once again. Though fear rolled through her like a wave and she wanted nothing more than to lie back to wait for her father's fleet—which was no doubt coming to rescue her and not far behind—she wasn't able to just take this injustice sitting down. She would fight this pirate, even if it killed her. Unfortunately, she realized that, with the way her stomach was revolting, she would have to wait to do something about it after the sun rose. Because she was sure that it wasn't hunger calling to her.

But Ikuto had no idea what she planned, practically forgot that she had already tried to escape on sheer willpower alone. He was too used to meeting well-bred women that sat back and accepted their fates, waited for the men in their lives to make decisions and fight for them. He had no idea what he was in for, the kind of trouble this girl could cause. Would cause. And his assumptions were definitely going to get him into trouble. He was only putting the weapon of surprise in her hands, after all.

Now, however, he was exhausted, having been constantly on the move for the better part of the day. Since they'd lost two crew members at the ambush—if they weren't at the next port, they were caught; everyone on the ship knew the path they were taking—he'd been helping wherever it was needed, giving the other men—okay, and Utau—breaks whenever it was necessary. Besides, he had Amu waiting for him; the others were not so lucky. If it meant he got to keep her, he would do a lot more than help with the sails.

And who wouldn't want that little hellion waiting for them? The defiance and fury that so easily exploded from within her made her different than other women he'd..."courted". Whenever those big amber eyes flashed at him, he was ready to beg, something he'd never done before in his life, had refused to do. The fact that she could send him to his knees with just one hard look...he didn't know what to do about it. The power she wielded so easily, without even knowing it, made him uneasy, but there was something telling him it was worth it. It would all be worth it.

Sighing, the captain turned towards his cabin, grateful if he could just get half a night's sleep. For weeks, the Dumpty Key's call had been too much, slamming into his dreams until it was all he could focus on.

As long as no crisis occurred with the others on the ship—Utau and Kuukai, if he were to point fingers—then he would be able to sleep well into the morning and maybe even eat more than just an orange. Surely, they could take care of everything without him.

The moment he opened the door, however, Amu flew past him, knocking him aside and shocking him with her speed. She ran towards the side of the ship as if the devil himself were after her, almost to the exact spot from where she had dived into the sea before.

Fury, bright and true, lashed him, forcing a possessive growl from his throat. If she thought he was going to let her get any farther from him than he had earlier in the day, she was seriously going to have to rethink her idea. There was no way in hell he was letting her jump to her death into waters growing colder—and more shark-infested—by the minute. Besides, they were too far away from land for her to actually make it. She would drown sooner than reach anywhere that she might be recognized.

He was at her side in a flash, ready to grab her by the back of that damn wedding dress, soiled with sea water. "Amu, don't even—"

Then she threw up. Violently.

She's sea sick, he realized, barely able to contain his laughter. He'd been so worried for her safety that he hadn't even thought that she could possibly get sick. But of course she was; how often were princesses on ships, anyways? There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she could count the number of times she'd been on a ship using one set of fingers. If those fingers were missing.

Gently rubbing her back as she expelled the complete contents of her stomach, Ikuto whispered soothingly to her, encouraging her to just let her body do what it had to, that she would feel better in a minute. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought that Amu actually relaxed slightly.

I'm going to have to break her of this whole vomiting thing, though. She's gotta get her sea legs, that's for sure.

After several moments of her retching up nothing, he slowly drew her back, intending to guide her back towards the cabin that they would share. For a few steps, she allowed him that privilege without seeming to know what she was doing, but then she stopped, squirming to get away from him.

If only to help settle her stomach, he allowed her the small bit of space she wanted, completely releasing her from the hold of his arms. He watched her as she steadied herself, shaking slightly.

When she would have fallen, still trembling on her feet, he reached out a hand to hold her up, genuine worry on his face. She forced herself away from him as if he were diseased. "D-do not touch me!" Amu stammered, wiping at her mouth with one gloved hand. "I...I do not w-want to be here!" she cried, tears bright in her eyes. She cut a seething glare towards him. "Why did you have to kidnap me? I was just about to get married and I have never even been on a ship before and you just took me here without even thinking about my discomfort and..." Her voice lowered as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "And I hate you for this! Whatever you want from me, I will never give you. Never."

He blinked at her, shocked to say the least, his hand still where it had been when he'd reached out. The reason why he'd taken her was pretty cut and dry, at least in his mind. Even she had to know how beautiful she was. Besides, hadn't she noticed what he took other than her? He might have gone in for her, but he'd ended up with something else much more important.

A mocking smirk alighted his face as he stalked towards her, a small flame of fury coming to life within him. No matter how strong she pretended to be, he knew she was terrified of something. And he had noticed that she was frozen solid at the "I do" portion of her own wedding ceremony. If he didn't know better, he'd think that Amu was afraid to get married but also afraid not to.

"Well, Princess," Ikuto said pleasantly, though she was backing away from him, trying to keep a good distance between them. As if that were going to happen. "I think you might be scared of me. Or, maybe, what being on this ship with me entails?" When her eyes darted, ready to make a break for it, he was there, boxing her in. He took her chin between his fingers, gently this time, and murmured, "I saw you at your wedding, you know. You were scared stiff. You didn't want to marry Prince Charming. You weren't ready to. And you think that I'll just drop you back off at his doorstep?"

Gold eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to rebut. He cut her off easily.

His own gaze focused on her open mouth before flying back up to her eyes and she started to back away once again. It only made him move closer, nearly snarling at her. "Ever since that night in the maze, I've wanted you, Amu. I decided then and there that you were going to be mine. And I rarely change my mind." Letting go of her face, he leaned back, giving her room to breathe. It was like a switch had gone off within him; one second, he was furious, the next, emotinoless. "I'll make you a deal, Amu. Once you can tell me what you really want, I'll do it. Simple as that. Whatever you truly wish, I'll grant. All you have to do is give me a chance to show you what this"—he motioned widely with his arm—"freedom really feels like. I won't force you into anything, I won't let any harm come to you." He paused, extending his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Disbelief flooded her eyes, followed by trepidation. "What...what if I do not believe you when you say you will not force me into anything? I just want to...go home. Can I not be allowed that?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously, his jaw tensing. "That's not part of this deal. The fact that I'm making you any deal doesn't mean it's because I have to." He pointed over her shoulder towards the open ocean, crowding closer to her once again. "If you jump into the ocean again, when I get you back on this ship, you'd better believe that I'll give you a punishment that you won't be likely to forget." Standing straight with his arms crossed over his chest, neither his eyes nor voice softened. "So, Amu, do we have a deal?"

Amu stared at him, shocked to say the least. He had never been so...outright with her. And something in his face told her that he would definitely follow through with his threats. He could just as easily take away his offer, make her do whatever he pleased. They were miles from shore, so she had no means to escape. Until she could run, this was the best thing coming her way. "I...I just have to let you show me this world? Then you will do as I ask?" Her voice was small, quiet. She was scared and that was all there was to it.

He nodded, gaze filling with mischievous determination. "As long as you really want whatever you're asking me to do, I'll do it."

Glancing down at his hand, she sighed before putting her dainty grip in his. Clearing her throat, she said, louder than before, "Then I believe we have a deal, pirate."

"One more thing," he whispered, waiting for her eyes to meet his. Tugging on her hand until she fell into his chest, he said, "You have to call me Ikuto." With that, his lips came down on hers swiftly, making his point abundantly clear. He planned to have her in the end, and she would need to grow used to the idea.

For a moment, Amu was frozen, as if she had never been kissed before. She just stood there, mouth semi-open while his lips moved over hers. Then her hands flew up, shoving at his shoulders and chest, trying to turn her head away. She opened her mouth to say something, probably to berate him, and his tongue swept in. She let out a small sound before her fingers curled into his shirt slightly.

Smiling against her lips, Ikuto increased the pressure on her mouth, his arms winding around her to bring her closer. Her mouth moved hesitantly against his, though it didn't match his nearly frantic pace. When her tongue lightly brushed against his and he realized that she wasn't completely in control of herself, the pirate couldn't hold back the groan that bubbled from his throat.

At the sound, Amu stopped all movement, but it didn't last long. As soon as she started squirming against him, Ikuto reluctantly released her, watching her with laughing eyes. "Princess," he mumbled huskily, eyes flaring, "did I just take your first kiss?"

A blush spread brightly across her cheeks just as she shouted, "Do not ever do something so...so...ugh!" Spinning away from him, she stomped back to the cabin, throwing the door open with a flourish. What was left of her skirt fluttered as she disappeared into the darkness of the room.

Ikuto followed after, smirking to himself. He was definitely going to enjoy having this princess on his ship.

A warning to the people,
the good and the evil,
this is war.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the Monster of the Seas, has taken her, Your Majesty. He eluded capture, but we have guards stationed at every port in the kingdom. We have let neighboring kingdoms know, as well, and..."

Tadase couldn't hear much more as he stood outside of the study, but the informant continued explaining the situation to both Tadase's father and Amu's. The kings were deep in conversation, then, discussing their possible maneuvers at this point. The young prince could hear them murmuring about how they could send out laws that made it impossible for the ship to dock, to buy anything from merchants in their kingdom. Until Princess Amu was returned, they would be as ruthless as the Monster of the Seas was rumored to be.

But they would be hurting the princess as well. She wouldn't be able to eat what she needed, especially since she was nothing more than a prisoner on the ship. She would be the last one afforded a meal, they reasoned. Besides, then she might be simply killed, her body sent back to the kingdom as a show of power. Will they really risk her life? Tadase wondered.

They could send all their fleets after the ship. If they could take it over, they would get both the pirate and the princess. Two birds, one stone, as the Hotori king said. Then the wedding could go on as planned, the kings wouldn't have to worry about their livelihoods after they died. And they would go down in history as the men who had finally captured the Monster of the Seas.

But they couldn't stand a chance of Amu being injured in the fighting that would no doubt ensue. She was fragile and hadn't known an injury in her life. Not to mention the risk of Tsukiyomi using her as hostage; they would be right where they had started.

Except Amu might not be in adequate..."shape" to be returned as a proper bride. That was what they had to be prepared for, Tadase heard. If Ikuto had taken her in the way he had implied at the wedding, there was no way that they could make the prince marry her. She could be impure.

They think that I would not take her anyways? I should have been able to protect her before. I should have kept her at my side. That's what a real king-to-be would have done.

Neither of the men knew of Tadase's struggle to accept that it hadn't been his responsibility to protect Amu on their wedding day. No, it had been the guards that had failed to do their job and they were the ones to be punished. How could they have expected Tadase to be able to watch over her while protecting himself? He was the sole heir to the Hotori kingdom; he had no siblings that might be able to take his place. He was also the son of one of the most powerful kings in the region. He needed to be protected, more so than Amu, whose younger sister could easily be trained into queenhood. Besides, she was a woman and wouldn't be in charge of an entire nation, anyways.

"...he also took the Dumpty Key from the altar, Your Majesty. If he were to find out that he also has the Humpty Lock on that ship, he could take both kingdoms without much trouble."

Tadase froze at that last part. How was the Dumpty Key—something originally belonging to the Tsukiyomi clan—able to give control of the kingdom? He knew that the Humpty Lock was the heirloom of the Hinamori royals, but how did the key to match the lock work into the equation? Only the lock meant royalty, since the Hotori's were the rightful heirs to their kingdom. The Tsukiyomi's had only been advisers to the kings of old, as far as he was aware.

But as the men's frantic whispers increased, Tadase became positive that something else was going on, something that he wasn't aware of. And it was time for him to find out what.

Turning away from the study, he strode with purpose out of the castle. He would find the best men in the region and set sail before the kings knew what was going on. He would go get Amu and some answers.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto, I will know what you have to do with the Dumpty Key. Count on it.

The songs, respectively, are:

Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon
and This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars

I realize that this was a short chapter, but I didn't want too much to go on throughout it. It's only been a day, after all.