Chapter Six – Time to Hunt
The marzipan was sitting on the desk staring at me when I woke up. I stared at it with fatigue filled eyes; it didn't even look like me I mused as I pulled myself out of bed lazily and trudged towards the desk picking up the figure gently. The only similar feature between us was the color of our pink hair. And even that was a couple shades off.
The marzipan figure stared at me intently with its beady black eyes. I blew a few pieces of stray hair out of my face and sighed. I was probably going to have to pay him back for this I thought with a hint of frustration.
x
After brushing myself up a bit, I found myself in front of Utau and Kukai's room. I raised my hand to the door but quickly brought it back down to my side.
Stop being such a coward and knock on the damn door, I thought to myself irritably.
I quickly knocked on the door and bit my lip nervously. Why was I even nervous in the first place? It was just Utau and Kukai. The door flung open, removing me from my thoughts, revealing a toothy, completely childlike grin.
"What's up Amu?
"Uh good morning…is Utau there?"
"Nope, she went out with Ikuto just a while ago, but why don't you come in."
"Okay."
He held the door open and motioned me to come in.
I took a seat on the nearest possible couch the door and he took the one adjacent from me.
"Is something wrong?" he asked after a beat of silence.
I shook my head rather unconvincingly.
"No…uh-
"I know I'm not Utau, but if it'll make you more comfortable I could put on one of her dresses and possibly find a blonde wig."
My lips parted to form a smile.
"Ah you've finally smiled! I was starting to get worried; you've been dejected since yesterday. Speaking of which, did Ikuto bring you the cake?"
I bit my lip as I nodded my head. Here came the nerves.
I didn't even understand what was compelling me to do this.
"That's kind of why I'm here."
"About the cake? It was the flavor wasn't it? I told him to go with the safe stuff-
"What does he like?" I interjected.
"What does he like?" repeated Kukai. "Are you talking about Ikuto?"
I nodded my head.
"Are you two dating?" he smirked.
"No!" I choked out. "It's…a thank you gift."
"Yeah, I figured. Just thought I'd tease you a little.
"Well since we're talking about Ikuto, this is going to prove to be difficult. Gift wise, I doubt he dislikes anything."
"Great…"
"I know you guys have spent some time together while Utau and I have been doing stuff. Did he seem interested in anything then?"
I shook my head again.
"It's not like we're friends or anything," I muttered. "How would I know what he'd like?"
Kukai suddenly leapt from the couch and grabbed my wrist pulling me up from my seat.
"W-what are you doing?" I exclaimed as he led me out of his room in a mad dash.
"Utau called me a while ago and said she was going to be in one of the local shopping outlets. We'll spy on him from there and maybe you can get an idea."
"It's just a stupid gift!" I exclaimed once more, digging my heels into to the ground to get him to stop running.
To my relief he pulled to a halt, allowing my legs some time to rest.
"If it was just a stupid gift then you wouldn't have come to me for advice."
"I needed to hear a second opinion. How would I know what that perverted devil likes?"
"Plus you would've had already left if you didn't care," he added with a knowing smirk.
"You held on to my hand as tightly as you could and ran as if your life depended on it," I mumbled sourly.
"Do you want my help?"
"Y-yeah, but-
"No buts; let's go."
x
This was so wrong.
Yet here I was following this devil.
Letting out a miserable breath, I turned around to face Kukai who seemed to be having the time of his life.
"Kukai, I don't want to-
Instead of replying, he grabbed my hand and pulled me and began running.
"Ah, hurry up! We're losing track of them!"
I turned my head to see the devil and Utau entering one of the local stores in the plaza. The two of us followed behind them with enough distance so we weren't deemed as suspicious. Once inside the store, Kukai left me for a moment by the front door and returned as soon as he had left with a hat in his hand.
"Put this on."
"A hat? It's summer."
"Your hair stands out too easily."
I caught a glimpse of my hair in the window reflection and with a sigh stuffed my pink locks in the confinement of the furry hat.
"That's better. Okay, this is your chance to follow him around and see what his interests are."
"What about you?"
"I'll watch from afar and see what Utau is up to."
Nodding my head, I ran off to where I had last seen the devil disappear to.
"Just in case," I murmured to myself as I grabbed one of the sunglasses off the rack and placed it on the bridge of my nose.
I spied on him from the aisle right behind where he was standing. Luckily the shelves were relatively short and I could see him. Unfortunately for me however, I was too short to actually see what he was doing and so I was only able to see his head and catch a few meager glimpses on his actions.
He seemed to only walk around, picking up things only to show Utau. Sighing, I followed him into the next aisle as secretly as I could; mentally taking note of the fact that this was no longer the 'elegant' chinaware Utau was interested in.
When he made a grab for a strawberry shaped mug, my breath suddenly hitched. Is that what he wanted?
He examined the mug a little further before chuckling as if the mug had whispered to him a clever joke.
With an arched brow, I elevated myself on my toes and leaned forward. Why was he laughing?
Shaking his head, he put it away and strode over towards Utau who was holding a rather large bag in her hand.
"The owner made some other store suggestions that we could check out."
"Let's go then."
"You're not tired yet?"
"Not particularly. I seem to find interesting things as I browse," he replied sparing a glance at the aisle he had just occupied.
Nodding her head, the two of them left the store.
x
"Did you find out anything?" asked Kukai leaning against the wall, his gaze directed at a group of hungry pigeons.
I let out a sigh and shook my head.
"It's okay Amu, you still have time to find out."
"I guess," I muttered not caring to add that we'd been at this for over three hours.
"They're going to another store. Let's go."
I glanced at the store and shook my head.
"I'd rather not…at least not this one."
"Ah…okay. I'll be inside watching over Utau then. If anything happens, just yell and I'll come running out."
My lips parted to form a small smile.
"Okay."
When he disappeared, I released a large sigh and readjusted my position on the ledge of the fountain in the center of the plaza.
I didn't have to do this. I could just leave then call Kukai that I was just feeling sick.
"That's so stupid though!" I groaned causing several onlookers to hurry past me.
My cheeks tinted bright pink with embarrassment; I kept my head down – my bangs almost covering my face.
"Pane signora?"
Looking up, I saw a middle aged man pushing a cart of bread.
"Ah…sí."
The man smiled, creases forming by the side of his eyes. As he busied himself with wrapping my bread, I racked my mind for the Italian phrases I had learned when I was accidentally given a semester of Italian a year ago. I never thought it would be remotely useful until now.
"Um…Quanto…costa?" I asked holding up my bag just in case I had butchered the word.
"Quattro euros."
I quickly fished through my bag for the amounted coins and handed it to him.
"Grazie," I said when he handed me the warm loaf of bread.
"La vostra accoglienza."
I looked down at the loaf of bread in my hands and sighed. Why did I buy this?
A lone pigeon wandered towards me and waited in front of my feet; its beady eyes staring patiently at the bread. I pulled out a small chunk of the bread and tossed it to the floor. The pigeon picked it up eagerly with its beak and flew away.
Seeing this exchange, a few more birds wandered towards me and waited patiently just as the other pigeon had. Once more, I tore out several more chunks and tossed it to the floor where it was quickly picked up. After this, all the birds that were scattered around the small plaza, flew towards me and waited at my feet patiently.
"Okay, I get it," I said laughing when a few began to coo.
As I was tearing out the chunks of bread, from the corner of my eye, I saw the devil leave the store he and Utau had been shopping in alone. Panicking, I threw the bread down and ran to hide behind the vendor who was a few feet away from where he had sold me the bread. My sudden reaction caused more than half the pigeons to take off in terror attracting the attention of almost everyone in the plaza, as well as the cursed devil.
He merely grinned and entered the store on the opposite side of the shop he had been in.
I quickly followed in pursuit and entered the store only to be surrounded with hundreds of violins. I stared around in awe. Rows of violins hung on the wall; the sunlight reflecting from the window to illuminate the entire store. My mind instantly reeled back to the garden in front of the apartments; as though a spell had been cast which only allowed you to walk forward.
I followed the devil's head throughout the store inconspicuously as best I could. He walked up to what seemed to be the owner, and two began to talk animatedly. Curious, I leaned forward only to lose my balance and cause my demise. The stands fell down in a domino effect causing every head in the store to turn and stare at me. Eyes wide, I stood frozen in my place as the devil and the owner approached me.
"Signora, are you okay?" asked the owner peering at me through spectacled eyes.
"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. "I'll pay for any of the damages I caused!"
"No, no" he chuckled. "Don't worry about those. Instead let's focus on the cut on your arm."
Looking down, I saw a small cut with bubbles of blood forming at the top. The owner disappeared to the back, leaving me and the devil alone. Hands jammed into his pocket, he focused his azure eyes on me.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah…I-I had an optional assignment for my history class…it was to discuss the culture of any country. Being in Florence, I decided I might as well start."
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"There are many stores that are closer to the apartments. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume you were following me."
Scoffing, I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Your ego is impressive."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Anyways, did you come here alone? You were by yourself at the fountain feeding a bunch of pigeons when I saw you earlier."
"Kukai wanted to watch over Utau, so I tagged along."
Luckily, I was saved from another round of conversations when the owner came back to us with a band aid in hand.
"That long for a single band aid," joked the devil.
His friend flushed.
"It's hectic back there. Anyways, here you are."
"Ah…thank you. Out of curiosity, do you two by any chance know each other?"
The two of them began chuckling.
"Amu, this is my very close friend, Asoka. He, Kukai, and I have been buds since middle school."
"Pleased to meet you," I said holding out my hand.
"Likewise. By the way, Amu, have you heard Ikuto play the violin before?"
"No."
"You must. His playing is very magical as though he is creating an alluring spell."
"I'm really not that-
"Don't be modest. Here, let me get that model you were so curious in and you can play us something."
"I didn't know you played," I mumbled when Asoka disappeared.
"Believe it or not, it's a great stress reliever for me."
Asoka returned with a fragile appearing violin in his hands.
In a fluid motion that seemed all too elegant, the devil took the instrument, placed it under his chin, and played the strings.
I found three magical things in this ancient city: the garden outside the apartments; this tiny violin shop; and the devil playing the violin.
x
Ikuto POV
The violin hit my side with every step I took.
With every hit, Amu's face flashed into my mind. Her wide golden eyes, her relaxed facial expression. I shook my head, causing the image to disappear. Sighing, I fished my pocket for the keys as I approached my door.
However, before I could open it, a little silver box caught my attention. Picking it up, I pulled off the top to see a note. Frowning only slightly, I opened it to see Amu's name printed in elegant handwriting at the bottom.
This is my thank you present for the cake you gave me the other night. I wasn't too pleased to have to find you a gift, so don't go doing anything like that again. What you do with the gift at this point is in your hands; I've done my duty.
-Amu
P.S. You should stick to playing the violin. I am reluctant to say this, because I'm not too fond of you, but your playing is very magical.
P.S.S I didn't know what to get you…and this 'thing' kind of looked like you.
P.S.S.S. Don't get too cocky. I still don't like you.
Grinning, I pulled out the card to see a small keychain of a cat with dark blue hair playing a star patterned violin.
"Silly girl," I mumbled entering my room.
A/N
Hello my lovely lovelies (:
Before you all chuck tomatoes at me, let me explain my ordain e.e
Basically, I have had severe computer problems. When I bought my laptop, I thought it would've made my life easier…quite the opposite actually. I wrote up two chapters for this story, only to have my computer catch a virus and have everything virtually erased. -.- So I retyped one chapter and saved an extra copy on my USB. My computer then got something called an FBI virus…which once more deleted everything. Good thing I had a backup , right? T^T WRONG… my aunt's dog destroyed it…
So here it is finally…one chapter for Amore Destinato.
Thank you to my patient readers/reviewers:
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I'll try my hardest to update before Thanksgiving break is done, but I've come down with a flu T^T I'll try my hardest though!
Till then,
Neko-Meme