…
Amu blew her hair out her face as she walked out of her bedroom, smoothing out her ruffled pajamas.
She looked up when she heard her sister's voice; Ami was walking out of the bathroom, half-dressed, and talking to herself…at least, that's what someone who couldn't see Charas would say.
Amu eyed the little Chara with the marigold floating next to her sister before she turned to Ami and said, "Morning, Ami."
The thirteen-year-old looked up at her in surprise, her eyes wide. "Oh, uh; good morning, onee-chan!" She glanced quickly at her Chara, who assured her that she couldn't be seen unless it was a character bearer. Amu made sure not to look in her direction.
"You seem frazzled," stated the pinkette, raising an eyebrow and smirking as if she didn't know why. "Do you mind moving? I need to use the bathroom too, you know."
Ami blushed and nodded, stepping out of the doorway. Marigold frowned, saying, "Your sister seems sort of rude, doesn't she?"
"She's always like that," whispered Ami as her sister brushed past her. "Amu is actually really sweet once you get to know her."
The sixteen-year-old proved by her point by smiling and ruffling the brunette's hair before shutting the bathroom door behind her. She felt satisfied knowing that her younger sister would defend her so easily; she would do the same for Ami.
After taking a quick shower and blow-drying her hair, Amu dressed in her school uniform* and headed downstairs, making sure her Charas were in their eggs in her bag so Marigold wouldn't notice them. For some reason, she didn't want her sister to find out about other Charas just yet.
"Good morning, Amu-chan," greeted Midori cheerfully as she handed her eldest daughter a plate of eggs. The pink haired teenager thanked her mother, glancing at her sister who wore a somewhat sickly expression as she stared at the eggs on her plate. "What's wrong, Ami? Do you not like your eggs?"
"N-No, they're delicious," exclaimed Ami quickly, looking over at Marigold before shoveling her breakfast into her mouth.
The corners of Amu's mouth quirked upwards; she couldn't eat eggs for a while after the birth of her guardians either. She quietly ate her breakfast as well before glancing at the clock and seeing the time.
"Ami, we should get going or we'll be late," said Amu, wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve as she stood. Her sister turned towards the clock and her eyes widened, stuffing her toast into her mouth as she hurried to put on her shoes. "Bye, Mama, Papa."
"Bye-bye," replied her parents as their daughters headed out.
The walk to the school didn't take long and soon, the two sisters said their goodbyes before heading into the different buildings.
Amu sighed and opened the flap of her bag, allowing her four Charas to fly out and complain that it had been dark. "Well, sorry but I don't want Ami to know about you guys yet."
"Let her adjust to having a guardian," reasoned Dia, nodding approvingly.
"Wow, the school is so big," exclaimed Ran, looking around as she and her sisters followed their bearer through the corridors. The school itself was dark and gloomy with a depressing feel to it, like all schools everywhere, but the people were vibrant and loud with their diverse personalities.
Amu nodded, acknowledging her girly Chara as she passed by several of her classmates and ignored the beginnings of confessions from boys. She sighed as she entered her first period classroom, already looking forward to the end of the day as she made her way to her seat near the window.
The guy from the day before, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, wasn't there yet but Amu had a feeling he was the sort of person to regularly skip class.
And so, as the teacher walked in and fell over his own shoelaces as he called out role-pronouncing Amu's last name wrong-she was proven correct as the blue haired boy did not show up once during the whole class.
For some reason, the pinkette was slightly disappointed but she shoved away the feeling, telling herself that boys were a bother-oh, how her father would love hearing that from her-and that she should just concentrate.
She sighed and rested her chin on her palm, gazing out the window as she absently wondered how her sister was doing.
…
Ami slapped her hand over her mouth, her cheeks reddening as the marigold in her hair vanished and everyone turned to her.
She didn't understand what had happened; she had just been quietly working on the worksheet when the cute blond boy, Hotori Tadase as she had learned, leaned over and smiled as he remarked how he liked the flower clip on her uniform.
The compliment gave her a warm feeling and the next thing she knew, Marigold had shouted something and she was suddenly standing on her chair, singing the musical scale (do re me fa so la ti do) and exclaiming she hoped that everyone was working hard on their papers or else she wouldn't find them cute.
Luckily for her, their teacher had stepped out of the classroom for whatever reason and Ami removed her hand, still blushing as she said quietly, "Sorry for disturbing you; please don't mind me," and sunk back down into her chair.
Once everyone had returned to their previous actions, Ami turned to glare at her guardian, who gave her a sheepish look, before she sighed and looked back at her worksheet.
To her surprise, there was a crisp white envelope with a golden seal sitting on her desk.
Ami blinked, looking around and wondering who could have passed it to her, but seeing no one. She shrugged and carefully opened the envelope, reading the contents and becoming confused.
Apparently, she had been invited to have tea with some group called the Guardians in some place named the Royal Garden. The girl next to her glanced over and gasped.
"Ami-chan, you got the Royal Seal!" She exclaimed, making everyone turn back to her with wide eyes. "Oh, you're so lucky! I wish I could get to have tea with the Guardians!"
The brunette blinked. "The what?" She asked, earning gasps from everyone as they suddenly swarmed her desk and informed her rather rapidly about everything they knew about the Guardians.
"They're like the school's superheroes!"
"They're so cool too! They're all in different grades but they're still best friends!"
"Hotori Tadase is in the seventh grade like us; he's the King!"
"Fujisaki Nadeshiko was the Queen before she moved to America, but she'd be a tenth grader at the high school!"
"Souma Kukai was the Jack before he graduated and gave the position to someone else; he's in the tenth grade too!"
"Sanjo Kairi replaced Kukai-kun as the Jack just a few months ago; he's in the eighth grade."
"Yuiki Yaya is in the seventh grade like us; she's the Ace!"
"Mashiro Rima, that tenth grade transfer student, is the new Queen."
Ami blinked as she absorbed the sudden information, glancing over at the blond haired boy next to her; Tadase simply smiled at her before returning to his work, making her blush lightly.
"Um, I guess I'll go then," she said, smiling at the gathered crowd. "Who can say no to a chance like that, right?"
And so, that was how the seventh grader found herself in front of a beautiful greenhouse with a somewhat nervous posture. She glanced at Marigold for reassurance and received an encouraging thumbs up so Ami took a deep breath and walked into the greenhouse, admiring all the lovely plants she passed by.
Then she approached a small table that was surrounded by people she mostly recognized from school; some of them were wearing the uniform and others were wearing the ones from the high school.
However, what caught her attention was the fact that she could see several guardian characters floating around. Her topaz eyes widened in surprise as Tadase led her to a chair, sputtering.
Soon enough, she was given a long explanation of the purpose of the Guardians and what exactly guardian characters were. She was told about some powerful magical device called the Humpty Lock. She was also formally introduced to each of them and their guardians, allowing her to see their true personalities.
Sanjo Kairi was expectedly cold and calculating, which contradicted the energetic and childish personality of his girlfriend, Yuiki Yaya. Mashiro Rima looked extremely adorable, but her personality was cold and frank. Tadase was, of course, welcoming and warm just like she thought.
Ami smiled at each of them, even if they didn't all return the gesture. "That's nice and all, but surely I'm not the only person to have a guardian character here other than you guys so I'm wondering what makes me special enough that you'll invite me to have tea with you?"
Tadase returned the smile, and she drank out of her teacup so that he wouldn't see the blush painted on her cheeks.
"Well, that's true," agreed the blond. "But we were informed of a new student surfacing and showing traits that would meet what we are looking for the Joker position. Hinamori-san, we'd like you to become a part of the Guardians." He reached under the table and brought a folded red cape with a small lock on top of it.
Ami's mouth fell open as she looked around the table for confirmation, and she received nods in return. Well, Yaya and the Charas nodded; Kairi and Rima gave her blank stares that were on the edge of glares.
"You want me to be a Guardian?" She repeated, shocked. "Like…with the capes, helping people, and everything?" Again, she received nods. "Marigold, what do you think I should do?"
Her Chara simply pointed at the marigold in her hair. "I'm born from your feeling to bloom into a strong character, remember? Do what your heart is telling you to do if you want to achieve that goal!"
Ami nodded and turned back to the Guardians, exclaiming, "I'll do it!"
…
"Say, Ikuto, nya…why did you go up to that pink haired girl yesterday, nya?" Yoru asked as he and his bearer relaxing on the roof of the school. "You never talk to anyone at school, nya; what made her so special?" He had missed the first part of the school day, but had reunited with Ikuto shortly before lunch when they encountered Amu.
The blue haired teenager did not open his eyes, enjoying the warm sun over his body and giving him a relaxed feeling. "She was…interesting."
In reality, he had seen right through that façade she had put on; he could see in her eyes that she had been nervous about being the new girl and her hands had turned into fists when she sat down, expressing her anger and annoyance at herself. Someone with his…occupation had a rather keen habit of sensing those things about people and their emotions.
The fact that she didn't even try to flirt with him may have helped just a bit as well.
Of course, he had wanted to make sure and since she had decided to eat under the tree he had been relaxing in, it made things easier. His earlier suspicions were confirmed when she reacted much differently than her "Cool n' Spicy" persona suggested.
Yoru stuck his nose in the air. "Well, I thought she was cold; she slammed the window in my face, nya!"
Ikuto chuckled at the memory. "It's not as if she could see you, Yoru; you should have known the window was closed."
"Hmph; who's side are you on, nya?" The cat Chara complained.
Before Ikuto could reply, the door to the rooftop was slammed open and two people came out into the light.
Ikuto sat up in surprise, wondering if he had been so distracted that he hadn't been paying attention. He recognized Amu, her face flushed, and he recognized his classmate, Souma Kukai, laughing. Their hands were intertwined for some reason.
Amu struggled to catch her breath as she rested her hands on her knees, only looking up to glare at her classmate. She had been feeling depressed, as if some sort of negative energy nearby had sapped her hopes and dreams, when Kukai had suddenly appeared in her face, commenting that pretty girls shouldn't frown, and he took her hand, exclaiming that the best way to avoid stress and depression was to exercise.
The next thing she knew, Amu was being dragged around the school by someone she barely knew. Ran had been so excited by the sudden act that she forgot to Chara Change and help her bearer.
Kukai laughed at the look she had. "Sorry, Hinamori-san, but you looked so upset earlier and it bothered me to see such a pretty girl like that!"
A blush covered her cheeks, cleverly disguised by the present redness from the sudden physical labor. "Okay, fine, but you didn't have to drag me around the school like a rag doll!"
Amu straightened, moving the hair from her face as her Charas finally appeared, looking relieved to have found their bearer (they had been distracted by something and lost track of her earlier).
Kukai's eyes were immediately drawn to them and they widened as he exclaimed, "Wow, you have four guardian characters?"
The pink haired teenager blinked, stunned. "You can see them? You're a bearer too?"
He nodded, flashing a huge grin as a green haired Chara suddenly appeared. "Yup; this is Daichi! He was born when I was little." Daichi flashed a matching grin, greeting her.
"Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia," introduced Amu, smiling slightly. "And yes, I do have four. I gave birth to them back when I was twelve." Her Charas greeted Daichi and Kukai, though they were surprised their bearer was being so open to a stranger; first that Ikuto guy, and now Kukai?
"If you can see Charas, you closed that window on me on purpose then, nya!"
Amu and Kukai turned towards Yoru, who was glaring at the pinkette with annoyance. Ikuto shook his head slightly as he finally stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself.
"Yo," he said. Yoru still looked upset.
"You closed a window on me, nya!" He repeated, rubbing his nose with his paw as if it had just happened.
"You closed a window on him?" Kukai asked, glancing at the pinkette. She rubbed the back of her neck, a sheepish look on her features.
"I didn't realize someone would try to come through it," she said defensively, answering his question.
Kukai laughed before turning towards his classmate; he knew that Tsukiyomi Ikuto had a bad history with his friend from the middle school, Hotori Tadase, but he personally had no reason to hate Ikuto so there was no need for him to act hostile.
"Yo, Tsukiyomi," he greeted. The blue haired male gave him a simple nod to acknowledge him; they weren't friends, nor were they enemies.
Yoru was still complaining about slamming into the window, and Miki finally sighed.
"Jeez, you're such a whiner," she said flatly. "I thought cats were supposed to be cool and collected."
That shut up the little Chara immediately and he glared at her. "We are, nya! I mean, I am!"
"Well, start acting like it," replied Miki, her nose in the air as she turned away from him making him irritated as he tried to get her attention; he didn't like being ignored or brushed off so casually. Unbeknownst to him, Miki had a smug smirk on her lips; playing hard-to-get was her favorite game.
Meanwhile, Amu was sitting on the edge of the roof, facing the boys as she swung her legs casually. Ikuto was leaning against the wall, not really listening as Kukai rambled on and on about miscellaneous things.
"…and then the goldfish jumped into the shoebox and started doing back flips…"
The pinkette giggled lightly as she spotted Ikuto shaking his head. "You're not the kind of person to get close to people, are you?
Ikuto glanced at her before a wicked grin crossed his handsome features. "No, but it'd be a pleasure getting close to you, strawberry."
Amu blushed, glaring at him. "You really are a perverted cat!"
"I try," was all he said, smirking.
Kukai finally realized that no one was listening to him so he cut himself off as a great idea formed in his mind. "Hey, you know; we should become friends!"
The other two teenagers stiffened. "I don't have any friends," they said together as Ikuto's poker face and Amu's Cool n' Spicy mask slipped into place. "Ran/Yoru."
They glanced each other as they Chara Changed before disappearing, Ikuto into the shadows and Amu into the sky.
"Well, that was weird," remarked Daichi.
Kukai stared after them, still grinning as he looked over at his Chara. "It's just a minor setback, that's all. Those two look like they need friends, and I am the man with a plan who's gonna get it good and done!"
He giggled like a schoolgirl with a crush, running down the stairs to put his 'plan' into action.
Meanwhile, Amu was swinging her legs as she sat down on the park bench with a wistful expression, watching the little kids nearby giggle and chase each other around.
Her Charas were nearby, looking at her worriedly. They knew she had always had trouble making friends and was constantly picked on as a child because of her naive attitude and abnormally pink hair. She was used to pushing people away, though she usually blamed it on her poor social skills.
Amu looked up, smiling sadly at her four companions. "I'm fine, really," she said. "I just…"
"You don't want to get hurt again," finished Dia understandingly, flying over and sitting on her bearer's shoulders. "It's hard, Amu-chan, but you have to let people in eventually because you're only hurting yourself right now."
"I know, I know," replied Amu, sighing as she pulled up her knees and hugged them to her chest. "I just realized…we missed the rest of school."
"It's only one class, and you can say you weren't feeling to well and make up the work tomorrow," said Miki. "Though I don't suggest you start making it a habit."
The pinkette watched as the little kids ran over to the nearby ice cream truck, dragging their mothers with them. A small smile began to form on her face when it suddenly became very cold. Her eyes widened when she saw the nearby people collapse, turning a grayish purple color.
Amu jumped to her feet, her heart beating wildly against her rib cage as she looked around frantically.
"Amu-chan, look," exclaimed Ran, pointing up at the sky with horror.
The sixteen-year-old obeyed her Chara's command and her heart jumped to her throat as she saw a dark cloud forming. She recognized the shapes as eggs; they were guardian eggs.
Except they all had an X on them.
…
I don't own Shugo Chara!
Gah; I hate school sometimes. And writer's block too.
Anyways…I know it seems rushed that Ami joined the Guardians and Amu became sorta friends with Ikuto and Kukai (meaning she's not brushing them off and starting to get comfortable around them), but let's not forget that she became Amulet Heart in the first episode and joined the Guardians before the fifth.
So…a horde of X-Eggs appear out of nowhere, brought out by someone (oh, I think you guys know who), and Ami has the Humpty Lock.
How will Amu get out of this mess?
So…my school's homecoming dance is tomorrow and all of my friends are going, except for a handful. I don't plan on going either; I honestly don't see the point of buying an expensive dress, wearing painful heels, putting on the mature face paint known as makeup, spending hours of fixing your hair, stressing over finding a date, only to go to a sweaty and stuffy gymnasium filled with people you'll probably end up hating if you don't already.
The only school dances I ever went to was in the sixth grade (when I thought it would be fun, when I all I did was stand by the window for three hours, wishing I had brought my book or something) and in the eighth grade for our graduation (that one was actually sorta fun).
I'm not much of a party person, now that I think about…
Off topic, sorry. I hope you liked the chapter; don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about it or if you found any mistakes.