…

She blinked twice, feeling an odd sense of dejavu. It was just like when he asked her to marry him.

"But…" Amu sputtered, obviously flustered. "I mean…there is no reason for us to go on a date when we are already engaged." She frowned, crossing her arms. "Then again, a man is suppose to greet, date, propose, and then marry the girl…you greeted, proposed, and are now dating? What an odd man, Ikuto."

"I suppose I am," replied the prince, still smirking at her. "However, it makes sense for us to at least know each other better before marrying, does it not?" He glanced out the window and saw his advisor speak with a blue haired girl. "Some people work the traditional way." He thought of Kukai and the princess he had dragged outside of the castle earlier. "Some people have their own way of showing their affection." Ikuto turned back to his fiancée. "And there are people like me."

"So you admit you are not normal?" Amu asked, raising an eyebrow. "If half the ladies in the land knew of your odd ways of courting, they would be nowhere near as interested in you as they are now. You cannot simply grab me by the arm and state you are taking me out. I did not accept that when you pathetically proposed and I will not accept it now."

"You really are something," remarked Ikuto. "Very well; we will not go on a date at this very moment. However, this does not mean I will not request you go with me later on."

Amu frowned as he began to walk away. "You say 'request' like I will have a choice; that is the same tone you used when you 'requested' that I marry you." She spun on her heel and began to walk back to her chambers, only to spot her new friend race by with mud splattered all over her dress. "Emiko, what happened to you?"

The crimson redhead spun around, looking at her with a panicked expression, before recognition formed on her features. She relaxed. "Oh…nothing important; I was just returning from my outing with Kukai, that is all."

"Did it end badly or do all your dates end with you looking like that?" Amu asked as she pulled her friend into the closest room. It happened to be the princess's.

Emiko blushed lightly, astonishing the seamstress. The princess had such a personality; Amu did not think she would be the one to do something as girlish as blush.

"It was really not a date," murmured Emiko as she stripped out of her dress, rummaging through the dressers. "We…we were just getting to know each other better, that is all."

"Mhm," replied Amu, not looking convinced as she sat on the bed. "And how did this result in you being covered in mud?"

"We may or may not have been playing pranks on the people in the castle," said Emiko as she pulled out a simple lilac-colored dress. As she put it on, she saw her friend's raised eyebrow. "Oh, alright; I admit it was a casual date, but I do not expect it to go anywhere."

"Why not?" Amu questioned. "He is loud and childlike at times, but he seems like such a nice character. And even though I am engaged, I must admit that he is not as unappealing as he could be."

The princess sighed as she sat on the bed next to Amu. "I know the duke has very attractive qualities and that he is very handsome, but…I told you that night, Amu. My mission is to find my brother a wife, and then deal with the stranger my parents want to sell me off to." She frowned. "I simply cannot engage in a relationship." Emiko sighed, ignoring her friend's saddened expression, before she turned to the seamstress. "Enough about me, though; we were in the village earlier and heard about the prince's fiancée supposedly punching Hotori Tadase?"

Amu blushed and told her friend what had happened that day, including when Ikuto expressed his desire to take her out. "What do I do, Emiko? It is not as if find him unattractive, but I feel as if…as if part of me does not want this life, but another part of me does." She pulled up her knees, hugging them. "I do not understand at all."

Emiko sighed. "You feel confused as to why you were chosen to be involved in the prince's life because you believe there are others who would want this life more than you do." Amu nodded. "I know that feeling. I do not want to be a princess at times, but that is because there are many things about the royal life that I want no part in. However, there are also aspects that I benefit from." She looked at the seamstress. "You do not love Ikuto even though you are engaged to him, but you feel as if something could be led to stronger feelings. And you agreed to marry him because it would benefit your family."

"Yes, I know this," said Amu. "But…surely, it would be better for the prince to marry someone of purer blood? There are plenty of other girls out there; girls, who are richer, more sophisticated and mature and surely more beautiful than I am…"

And Emiko suddenly understood. "You believe you can give Prince Ikuto a chance to be loved, but you think he will not return the feelings."

The pink haired girl's eyes widened slightly, as if she was realizing this herself, but then blushed lightly and nodded. "I would not say I love him, but there is some sort of emotion there. He is surely enchanting, but I wonder…" She chuckled. "A relationship between a commoner and someone of royalty? Why, that kind of thing only happens in fairytale novels written by delusional fools."

The princess bit the end of her thumb, a pensive expression on her face. She was clueless when it came to things like love and relationships, and did not want to give false advice to her new friend.

"Well," started Emiko. "You said he plans on taking you out later?" The soon-to-be-queen-of-Easter nodded slowly. "It is quite obvious, no? Let him take you on an outing or two to allow yourself to feel a normal relationship. Surely being taken out on a date will help you determine if you truly have feelings for him, and if he is interested in you as well." She smiled encouragingly. "In fact, I think you should be the one to ask him."

Amu's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. "W-what? I cannot simply ask him out! It is against everything I believe in! A girl is supposed to meet a man that charms her, and…"

"You said it yourself," cut in Emiko. "That only happens in fairytale novels. There is a reason the prince chose you to be his fiancée, Amu. Perhaps you need to remind yourself that you are not like the other princesses and ladies-in-waiting. Believe me; they are not as perfect as they pretend to be." She saw her friend's resolve wavering. "I know; I will help you get ready so he will be awed by your beauty!"

Before the seamstress could protest, the princess whisked her away to the baths to be cleaned and readied.

…

Ikuto sighed as he slowly shut the book he had been reading, leaning back in his chair as he stared at the ceiling of the royal library. His thoughts drifted from this and that; he thought of how pleased Kukai seemed earlier, rambling about his successful date with Princess Emiko as he practically swaggered the corridors in his mud-stained clothes.

Then, reminded by the word 'date', Ikuto's thoughts drifted back to his somewhat reluctant fiancée.

She continued to amaze him as she rejected his lousy date request, comparing it to his first attempt at proposing. Like the proposal, the date request had been half-hearted and she had seen that. She practically stated that even though she was not interested in him, she still wanted to be treated properly in their relationship.

Now, the prince realized he had to come up with a way to impress the seamstress. He felt unfamiliar feelings inside him stir at the thought of the pink haired girl, though he did not find them unpleasant. He knew he was falling for the girl, though he barely knew her. That was why he planned to take her on a date, so he could confirm that he did indeed have feelings for her.

"Prince Ikuto, your fiancée has been searching for you," said a maid, her voice soft as he nodded in acknowledgement. Though he was not looking at her, she still curtseyed before leaving the prince and the seamstress alone.

"Ikuto," started Amu, wringing her hands nervously. "I feel as if I barely know you, though we are engaged, so I would like to know if you would like to accompany me on an outing."

"Why, Amu," said Ikuto, straightening in his seat as he rubbed his tired eyes. "Are you asking me on a…" He turned to her and his voice betrayed him.

She looked beautiful, even more so than usual. Her hair was held back in a ponytail that hung over her right shoulder, a simple flower clip holding back her front curls. She was dressed casually in a pair of brown riding pants and white blouse, accompanied with chestnut colored riding boots. It was nothing extravagant, nothing like how she had been dressed at the ball, but it still left him breathless as he was reminded of how beautiful she truly was.

Seeing his stunned expression, Amu blushed and wondered if the princess had overdone her outfit. Still, it was amusing to see the prince like this and she couldn't help but give him a small smirk.

"Yes, I suppose I am asking you on a date," she said, snapping him back into reality as she acknowledged his unfinished remark. "Unless you would rather stay here and listen to Kukai exclaim how he went on a date with Emiko."

Ikuto chuckled softly, remembering the pleased look in his friend's eyes. "No, I try not to be around him too much when he is as energetic as he was earlier. I would be delighted to accompany you on a date, Amu." He looked over her outfit once more. "I assume we will be riding somewhere? I suppose I must change…"

The seamstress eyed him critically. He was dressed casual, in plain black pantaloons with a dark blue shirt. "Your current attire is acceptable, I suppose; there is no need to dress extravagant for where we are going." She turned and began to walk out of the library. "Please meet me outside the palace gates when you are done gaping at me."

Ikuto quickly shut his mouth, grateful she had left or she would have surely seen the pinkness on his cheeks. He could not recall a time where a girl such as she had put him in his place as easily as she did. Normally, it was him who left others speechless and feeling like fools. This girl was special indeed.

After telling Yoru where he was going-the advisor had smirked when he stated who he was going with-Ikuto walked out of the palace and saw his fiancée waiting patiently.

"Did I keep you waiting long?" He asked, taking her hand and kissing it softly as his way of greeting.

Amu blushed lightly, ignoring the flutter in her belly as his soft lips grazed her skin.

"N-No, not at all," she replied, giving him a small smile.

"So, may I ask where we are going?" Ikuto looked around as he asked this, clearly searching for horses or a carriage.

The seamstress noticed this. "It is a surprise, and no; we will not be riding there. I just thought it would be better to wear something like this rather than an uncomfortably, itchy dress." She began to walk down the path towards the village, making him raise an eyebrow as he followed her.

He was about to ask why they were heading into the village, when she stopped by the docks. A handsome man with green hair greeted her as he set down a heavy-looking crate.

"Hey there, Amu," greeted the man, hugging the seamstress. It was clear that they knew each other very well, and for some reason, this bothered the prince. "I haven't seen you since your surprise announcement the other day."

Amu chuckled, rubbing her arm. "Was it really the other day? It feels like a lifetime ago, to be honest."

The man smiled warmly at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "So, what can I do for a beautiful girl like you, Amu?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "If the prince is not treating you right, remember; I am always here for you."

Ikuto frowned but his fiancée merely giggled as she slipped out of his grasp.

"You and Rhythm are such flirts," remarked Amu, playfully hitting his arm. "You should watch what you say or Ran will blow a gasket. She may seem playful and innocent, but she can be quite fiery when she wants to be."

The man inhaled sharply, shaking his head as he chuckled. "Don't I know it; that woman honestly scares me at times. Nevertheless, you failed to answer my question."

Amu gestured towards the large ship standing nearby. "I was wondering if Dia and Ran told you about my plans; I contacted them only shortly before…" She faltered when the man began to laugh.

"You should have seen them when they got your letter," he exclaimed. "Yes, they have taken care of everything. You're quite lucky we all love you dearly, Amu, or else we may not have pulled it off." He grinned cheekily at her. "Now, I'm willing to lend you one of my spare boats but I don't want anything to happen to it…and that means being part of some story you tell to your kids as to how they were born."

The pinkette let out a sigh of relief as she threw her arms around the man. "Oh, thank you, Daichi!" And then she realized what he had said and pulled back, hitting his shoulder as she turned a bright red. "Oh, you!" Daichi merely continued to grin as he pointed at a spare lifeboat in the water, before kissing the girl on the cheek and heaving the crate onto the large ship.

Ikuto, feeling forgotten, cleared his throat to get his fiancée's attention. She turned back to him, looking startled. "And…what was that about?"

Amu blushed. "Oh, I apologize; I should have introduced you, but I assumed you already knew him. That was Daichi; he's engaged to my friend, Ran, and he also happens to be Kukai's cousin."

The prince nodded, recalling the other energetic boy that played with him when they were mere children. "Yes, I remember him now; his parents were not pleased by him wanting to marry a commoner?"

The seamstress smiled sadly, nodding, but her expression changed quickly as she began to walk towards the lifeboat. "Shall we continue with our date?" He looked skeptical, eyeing the worn-out boat as he followed her.

"And what exactly are we doing?" Ikuto asked as she climbed into the boat.

She merely held up a picnic basket and smiled. "How do you feel about having dinner on the water?"

Amu giggled at his dumbstruck expression and offered him a hand to help him in. He ignored it, climbing in himself. She reached for the oars and he expected her to hand them to him so he could row, but she continued to surprise him as she began rowing herself.

After a few moments of silence, they were out farther away from the docks though not too far away in case trouble came knocking.

The pink haired girl relaxed her arms, letting out a sigh as she stopped rowing, and looked over at him. "Are you hungry now?" Still surprised by the events that had occurred for the last few minutes, Ikuto silently nodded. She took out the picnic basket and placed it between them, rummaging through it. "I know you must be quite used to the exquisite food the palace has to offer, but I can confidently say that you will be pleased with the variety here. My friends, Yaya and Su, had thrown together this picnic basket for us. I will have to remember to thank them next time I visit the bakery…"

"How did you pull this off?" Ikuto asked as she handed him a sandwich. "There was rarely any time between the time I left and when you had appeared in the library."

Amu shook her head. "After Emiko had practically violated me by dressing me up and down like a doll, she had made Yoru run down to the village and ask that they prepare this for us. They knew him but refused to take his word for it so he ran back and I had to write a letter for them since Emiko forbade me from leaving the room. I feel guilty for having him do all that."

Ikuto remembered how exhausted his advisor had looked earlier. "I am sure he does not blame you, Amu." He bit into the sandwich and was immediately comforted by the delicious homemade meal. "You seem awfully close to that Daichi man; I am surprise you and I have not met before since he grew up playing with Kukai and me in the palace."

Amu shrugged as she swallowed her own bit of food. "Honestly, we only met a few years ago when he met Ran at the docks. It was love at first sight, you could say. He is very open and inviting to others so it was only natural that there was less awkwardness around him. As to why you and I have never met before, it is no secret that he is not a fan of the royal lifestyle. He most likely wanted to avoid his two lifestyles clashing together by avoiding confrontation as much as possible. I think he personally does not care what his parents think, as long as he has Ran by his side."

She looked up at him. "But enough about that; the point of this date is to get to know each other better."

Ikuto nodded. "You are correct, Amu. So please tell me about yourself."

The fifteen-year-old finished off her sandwich as she thought. "Hm, I am not quite sure to be honest. It is always quite hard to describe yourself when you must. What exactly do you want to know?"

The prince replied, "Anything you feel comfortable telling me about."

Amu tapped her chin. "Well, you already know about my family. There has been only my father, mother, sister, and myself. We are not very rich, but we are not exactly poor either. As you know, Ami becomes ill quite easily so my parents constantly worried over her because she was so young and catching diseases at a young age normally leads to death. They fretted over her frequently, so I became quite independent. When I was twelve years old, my childhood friend, Miki, offered me a job in her shop, along with a place to stay. Not wanting my parents to worry about me too much, I agreed and I ended up staying there."

"So I moved into that part of the village, and I met several people over the years. Life was lovely, though I was really not doing much. Of course, there were downsides like Tadase's unwelcome advances and rude customers like Lady Utau, but it was nothing important."

"And what of hobbies?" Ikuto asked. "Surely you must have had time to do something fun."

"Of course," replied Amu. "Growing up the Amulet family, I have become familiar with different talents. I am nowhere near as talented as them, but I have developed a skill for art like Miki, cooking like Su, athleticism like Ran, and singing like Dia. I suppose you could say I have a habit of helping others and forgiving too easily. I cannot overlook someone upset, even if I do not like or know them. Miki complains that I also forgive too easily because I told her of when one customer had struck me for making a comment on her dress, insulting my name, but I had insisted not to press charges against her." She stopped and reached into the picnic basket once more. "Would you like dessert? It seems Dia packed chocolate covered strawberries."

"Will I get to feed you?" Ikuto teased, succeeding in getting a blush out of her.

"Perhaps if you are lucky," murmured Amu as she handed him the container of strawberries. He smirked at her, but did not make any further comments. "Anything you would like to know? If not, I would like to know more about you. It is only fair."

"You are correct," replied the prince, biting into the sweet fruit. "I have no horrible past, really. I grew up quite fine, learning things a prince must learn. To be honest, it was dreadfully boring at times. My parents were normally busy ruling the kingdom, though they did make time for me. I did not have many friends since most males in the land are incompetent fools and the females tend to have a habit of trying to kiss me." Amu snickered. "My only companions growing up were Yoru, Kukai, Daichi, and…" He hesitated. "…and Tadase."

Amu spit out the strawberry she had been eating into the water, coughing for several moments before looking at him. "You were friends with Tadase? I thought the two of you hated each other!"

Ikuto sighed. "Our parents were close friends in their youth so the two of us were constantly around each other. He often called me 'big brother' and tended to follow me around like a puppy." He smiled fondly, remembering how much the blond used to look up to him.

"But…but what happened?" Amu asked, leaning forward in curiosity. She felt like Yaya, wanting to know the dirt on somebody, but this was such a shock; she had to know what happened! "How did the two of you become…like you are now?"

The prince shut his eyes, shaking his head. "Tadase was very territorial back then, and I see that has not changed. He became jealous and possessive easily; if he found something or someone he liked, he eventually either lost complete interest in them or became straight out obsessive." Ikuto sighed. "He was not obsessed with me, but he was very protective. He hated it when I was with Kukai or one of the others, but played it off by hiding behind his prince character."

"It was not causing any trouble to anyone so I ignored his behavior for years. When I was merely eleven, one of the princesses visited the palace with her parents. She was very charming, though I had no interest in her. Tadase, however, did. He soon became smitten with her, though she barely paid any attention to him. She constantly tried to woo me, though she repeatedly failed. We were out in the courtyard when she became frustrated and hugged me suddenly, demanding to know why I did not return her feelings. Tadase happened to walk outside just as she kissed my cheek, shouting her love for me, before dashing away."

"Tadase became furious and his princely mask dropped at once as he stormed over to me, accusing me of stealing his girl. He shouted at me, telling me he would never forgive me as he chased after the princess. She refused to listen to him and she left with her parents the next day. Apparently, they had been trying to convince my parents to form an arranged marriage. Tadase thought she had been crying because I had rejected her-which I had-but only after I told her I loved her or something ridiculous like that. A few days later, he stopped talking to me because the princess rejected him once again. She had exclaimed she would only love me and nobody else, and this made him quite upset. Ever since then, he has called me things like a 'black cat of misfortune' and a danger to women everywhere. And it is all because Princess Betty decided she preferred me over him."

Ikuto finished his tale and his fiancée stared at him in shock.

"So all of this bitterness towards you is because he got rejected?" She exclaimed, looking skeptical. He nodded and she huffed, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, and I thought he was an idiot before. Now I am quite glad you proposed or else I might have ended up marrying that monster."

The prince made no comment on that as he held up a strawberry to her lips. She looked up in surprise and he smirked. "You did say I could feed you, so open."

Amu blushed. "I said if you were…mmph!" She was cut off by her fiancé placing the strawberry into her mouth, careful not shove the whole thing in, and looking at her expectantly. Still blushing, she slowly bit into the juicy fruit and swallowed. "Are you happy now?"

Ikuto continued to smirk as he shook his head, making her huff again.

"It is getting dark; shall we return back to the palace?" Amu asked, already reaching for the oars. She was stopped by her fiancé pulling her into his lap. "Ah, Ikuto!"

"Let us watch the sunset together," he said quietly into her ear, making her shiver in delight. "No one will miss us if we are gone for a few minutes longer."

The seamstress thought to argue but realized how comfortable she was in the prince's arms, and stayed silent for several moments. They stared at the colored sky, waiting for the sun to finally set as they adjusted to the feeling of another person so close.

Both of them decided the date was a success by the warm feeling spreading throughout their bodies.

…

I don't own Shugo Chara!

Hm, not sure what to say about this chapter. I was going to put in additional, dramatic content but decided I should stop leaving cliffhangers for once and leave you with a fluffy ending.

Of course, that just means I've delayed the drama about to occur. We've gotten ridden of Tadase, but let's not forget that Utau was also part of this equation.

I was going to put in the date for Emiko and Kukai, but decided you all probably want to see some Amuto instead so I just briefly mentioned it. Again, she may or may not end up with Kukai because of the "mission" her parents sent her on.

Okay, I have never been on a date or been in love and I know pretty much nothing about the Middle Ages so I just made up everything for the date. I assume they could have chocolate covered strawberries somehow and that you're supposed to feel all warm and giddy if you're on a really good date.

ALSO, we see why Tadase hates Ikuto so much. It's really not that much different from canon; there's some weird misunderstanding on Tadase's part and he suddenly stops being so clingy to Ikuto and hates him with an undying passion and all that stuff. I couldn't help but make the princess's name "Betty" because that's his dog's name and I figured it was fitting.

The chapter is a little longer that I thought it would be, but not by much.

AGH, SCHOOL IS STARTING SOON; SOMEONE BUY ME A TIME TURNER AND GO BACK TO LATE JUNE!

Anyways…don't hesitate to tell me about any mistakes you found or what you thought of this chapter. I'm open to any advice you might have!