The Troubles with Cat-Sitting

This is a continuation of the previous chapter. Please Enjoy;)

...

Amu Pov:

Ikuto's crying hasn't stopped since Tsukasa, Amu and Yoru hurried the boy into the bathroom; they tried to figure out what was upsetting the teen so much! First, they thought he was hungry and offered a bottle of milk; Ikuto turned his nose up at that. Then, Tsukasa checked Ikuto's diaper but quickly noted that was not the issue either.

Tsukasa passed Ikuto over to Amu, who continued to cradle the boy in her arms as she rocked him back and forth whilst sitting uncomfortably on the floor.

"Shhh, Shhhh Ikuto, it's ok! You're ok" Amu whispered as she helplessly tried to soothe her friend. She ran her fingers through Ikuto's blue locks, bouncing him up and down as he continued to cry loudly.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Yoru asked worriedly as he watched from above.

Tsukasa stood near the sink basin, trying to figure out all the possible explanations as to why Ikuto was so upset. Then, all of a sudden, a familiar voice croaked-

"Mama, mama" Ikuto cried into Amu's shoulder.

That was it! Tsukasa started to understand as he looked sorrowfully at Ikuto. It was almost the holidays; families would be together, celebrating the joyous festivities together. However, that was never the case for the Tsukiyomi household: with Souko Tsukiyomi's continued depressive episodes, Utau's concerts and busy schedule and an abusive stepfather to deal with, Ikuto rarely celebrated the holidays with his family. For the most part, as far as Tsukasa could recall Ikuto was always by himself (save Yoru who acted as company).

Of course he would miss his mother, who disappeared on him all of a sudden one day. To be fair, Souko left in order to focus her attention towards the ongoing dispute directed at the EASTER company; she left to fight for her son and all the injustices done against him.

However, whilst Tsukasa had been busy previously looking for baby supplies in the aisles, he didn't notice Ikuto who woke up from his nap and looked around curiously at all the kids bouncing alongside their parents in the store.

...

Ikuto Pov:

The world was confusing, at best to Ikuto. He vaguely remembered being in a room he was unfamiliar with but his mom, little sister and his friends were there to comfort him (at least that's what his mom told him- Ikuto could barely remember his name save any other important memories.)

Then, it seemed that day and night started to go by fast! One moment, Ikuto would wake up in his mother's arms being cradled as she sang a lullaby to him. The next, these people called "nurses" would take him away where they would strip him, bathe him, feed him and make him take gross medicine on a spoon!

Soon after, it would be night again but he couldn't sleep; it was difficult to close his eyes as so much around him was changing and disappearing.

He did recall his birthday being particularly upsetting: the boy named Tadase and the girl with pink hair called Amu were there beside him, clapping their hands happily and singing "Happy Birthday" to him as his mom and sister, Utau fed him bites of a tasty treat called a cupcake. Then, in a moments flash the nurses took his friends and sister away as he was forced to lie on his bed and have his diaper changed by not only the nurses but by a man he somehow remember named Tsukasa. They were all nice to him but Ikuto hated the idea of being held down, stripped and cleaned "down there" by people who he couldn't remember nor was entirely comfortable with (plus Ikuto didn't like that his sister and friends suddenly left him to endure this humiliation!)

Then, they came back with smiles on their faces as if nothing happened (but their eyes don't look happy, they look sad. Were they crying?) Soon after, Tadase and Amu played with him while he was sat on his bed (he heard the word "hospital" and figured that's where he was), but they clapped their hands, sang songs and made him laugh so he was ok.

In truth, Ikuto didn't feel ok. He felt scared, lost and anxious. He had all of these emotions bottled up inside of him, ready to explode right out! Tears continued to stream out of him as if he were a river of sadness continually flowing, and never seeming to stop and let him rest.

Once he was brought home by his mother and sister, they guided him to his bedroom and allowed him to sleep as much as he wanted; they wouldn't wake him up constantly like those nurses would! Then, his mom would come in whenever he started to stir and gently soothe him, making Ikuto feel better once more.

It was snowing that day Souko Tsukiyomi left; Amu came to care for Ikuto and he was happy because he liked Amu but he was confused. What happened to his mom?

Once Ikuto had woken up (the stroller ride was bouncy and he especially felt tired right then), he blinked his eyes and looked around; there were all these children with their adults. They were happy, holding toys in their hands as their parents smiled down with pride and joy. When he turned his head, Ikuto noticed a man and woman holding a little boy's hand (the man had a much younger girl in his arms) and they all trotted to the music area; the little boy pointed out an instrument that looked like a child's violin. The man smiled at the boy and the woman clapped her hands together as they encouraged the little boy to try to play the instrument.

What happened to Ikuto's father? Where is his mother? What exactly happened to Ikuto?

...

Amu Pov:

"He's missing his mom. I think the holidays are reminding him about her; I don't know if Ikuto fully understands what's happening around him" Tsukasa sadly shared to a distraught Amu and Yoru.

Amu couldn't believe it; the holidays were supposed to be a happy time for people. Yet, as she had learned throughout the year of being friends with Ikuto, Amu came to realize that her friend/lover probably didn't get to celebrate with his family. Ikuto had been a puppet to the EASTER cooperation for years, always being forced to commit acts against everyone's "would be selves" just so he could remain safe. His father disappeared when Ikuto was a little boy, the only known whereabout of Alto Tsukiyomi's existence having rest with his precious violin.

Souko would fall into a deep depression and be coerced into remarrying the head of EASTER, making sure that Ikuto would never be the sole owner to what could have been a wonderful organization. EASTER stole the hopes and dreams of many children, including Ikuto's.

Amu looked at Ikuto in her arms as she wiped some of his tears away with her finger. She wanted to cry for him, but felt it would only make the situation more complicated. Amu had to be strong; not only for Ikuto, but for herself too!

KNOCK KNOCK

The arm hairs on Tsukasa and Amu (and Yoru's fur) raised in alarm as they heard the familiar sound of the bathroom door.

"Be right out!" Tsukasa proclaimed as he turned to the kids still sitting on the floor.

"We should probably go home. I'm sorry, Amu for disrupting your holiday shopping" Tsukasa said sadly.

"It's ok, Tsukasa. I understand; I think it'll be best that we go home so Ikuto doesn't get anymore upset" Amu kindly stated. She had helped Tsukasa with putting Ikuto back into the stroller and buckling him in, closing the canopy to try and provide adequate cover to the crying teen. Yoru had placed the pacifier from earlier into Ikuto's mouth; the boy quietly suckled on his soother as Amu opened the bathroom door and Tsukasa pushed the stroller out.

... ...

"Amu, look what we found! This would be perfect for Ami!" Ran happily exclaimed as she, Miki and Suu retreated back to their owner after having been instructed to find a Christmas toy for Ami.

It was a small child's microphone made of plastic (similar to one Ami already possessed), however what made this one different was that it was an official Utau Hoshina branded microphone- the quote stating "Be the Star you Always Wanted to Be! Sing alongside Utau Hoshina to her latest catchy songs!" The microphone was purple and black with different pushable buttons on the handle to change songs. Little blue butterflies decorated the handle and, on the box was a picture of Utau in her iconic black strapless dress.

But this was Utau before she quit EASTER and rebranded herself; this was the old Utau who hated Amu and the Guardians and was deeply in love with her big brother, Ikuto Tsukiyomi. Luckily, after a previous confrontation with Utau, the girl managed to change her perspective and sing for her own joy rather than EASTER. Now, as she was working to get more independent gigs for herself, Utau had recently formed a relationship with former Guardian Member, Kukai Souma and made attempts to reconcile with Souko Tsukiyomi.

"This looks good guys. Thanks for your help!" Amu politely responded to her three Shugo Charas.

"Is Ikuto ok?" Miki asked suddenly as everyone turned their attention to the boy in the stroller. Ikuto's eyes were red and watery but his pacifier prevented any loud cries.

"He's ok, just feeling a little sad is all" Amu shared as she smiled down to her friend whilst giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Well, we found this near the music area! We thought Ikuto might like it" Ran said as the three Charas presented a small, toy piano. It was also Utau Hoshina branded, but the piano was toddler sized with black and purple decorating the exterior; the white piano keys contrasted against the small blue butterflies adorned throughout the instrument.

"That's very sweet you all remembered Ikuto plays the piano!" Tsukasa happily said as he took the boxed piano and held it in his arms. In embarrassment, Amu didn't know Ikuto played anything else besides the violin; maybe Yoru shared this secret knowledge with her Charas when she wasn't listening?

"Should we go to the check out like now, everybody?" Tsukasa asked as he adjusted the stroller to turn the other direction.

"Yes. We're ready!" Amu and the four Shugo charas happily chanted.

...

The winter storm started to pick up towards the evening, with winds becoming chillier and snowflakes falling down more prominently. The group had gotten back to the Tsukiyomi house before the storm came; on their way home, Tsukasa had insisted on treating Amu and the Charas to some Taiyaki from a nearby vendor.

"It's so cold right now; these will warm us up quickly!" Tsukasa happily commented as he paid for the treats and escorted everyone back to the house.

Once all shoes and coats were off, Amu and Tsukasa brought Ikuto to the living room to relax, gently putting the boy down on his play mat once more. While Amu heated the Taiyaki up in the microwave, Tsukasa quickly changed Ikuto's diaper once more and offered a bottle of milk to him. As Tsukasa cradled Ikuto on the couch, bottle in hand and Tsukasa's other hand supporting Ikuto's blue head, Amu came with a plate of warm Taiyaki and set it on the coffee table.

The Charas quickly helped themselves to some servings as Amu chose red bean for herself, custard for Tsukasa and a special chocolate flavored Taiyaki for Ikuto. As she broke the treat into small, bite-sized pieces she offered bits to Tsukasa as he gently fed Ikuto in his arms.

"Isn't the Taiyaki yummy, Ikuto? Does that make you happy?" Tsukasa sweetly asked the boy as he continued to serve the bites. Amu sat next to the duo, gently wiping chocolate sauce off of Ikuto's face as they all sat together on the leather couch, embracing the warmth and temporary peace that had befallen to them.

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Glad I could bring some Taiyaki into this chapter! Also, on Ikuto's Wikipedia page, it actually says he plays not only the violin but the viola and piano too! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as more updates are soon to come! Hejdå och tack !!!