The Troubles with Cat-Sitting

Bonjour! Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Please continue to support my story by reading and liking it! :)

merci!

...

December 8th: 18:00 (6pm)

The temperature is below average with increasing aggressive winds billowing the streets and snow flakes continually dropping from the sky.

Sunset has already begun as the darkness of the night sky slowly starts beginning for tonight.

...

Amu Pov:

As Amu nervously looked at the clock on the wall, she debated about staying at the Tsukiyomi house for another night in part due to the terrible weather conditions being presented at the moment. However, school is tomorrow and she did want to get home and see her family; her school uniform was also home too.

"~Amu, should we start going home now? We might be able to make it home before the snow gets worse!~" Ran asked as she, Miki and Suu looked out the window in the living room. The three Shugo Charas were also concerned to walk home in the cold, and probably would prefer to just stay at the house with Tsukasa and Ikuto again.

"I don't know, guys" Amu sighed with disappointment as she slouched on the brown leather couch, hearing the tv reports of the negative weather conditions in the background. Just then, Tsukasa walked into the room holding a tray of two cups of cocoa (including four doll-sized cups for the Charas) and placed the tray down on the coffee table.

"Here you go, everyone. I thought some delicious cocoa would help warm us all up from the cold!" Tsukasa happily said as he handed the cups out to the Charas, then to Amu.

"Thank you, Tsukasa. By the way, how is Ikuto doing? Is he asleep?" Amu curiously brought up as Tsukasa joined her on the couch. He slowly sipped his hot cocoa, wiping away a streak of whip cream above his lips.

"Ikuto was asleep once I left his room; I think today was, unfortunately a trying day for him to handle. Ikuto has always been one to hold his emotions in ever since he was a boy. Now, I think with the peculiarities of his current state of being he is slowly starting to become more comfortable expressing himself; he's finally allowing the years of sadness to come forth." Tsukasa shared, staring absentmindedly into his near empty mug.

Amu couldn't think of anything to add; her sudden quietness displayed what everyone who loved Ikuto had felt regarding the teen. Tsukasa, observing the depressive atmosphere quickly changed the topic.

"Are you ready for school tomorrow, Amu? Have you caught up with all of your studies?" Tsukasa politely questioned as he went to collect all the empty cocoa mugs to be washed for later.

"I am! I'm doing good in all my classes, even with the X-Eggs looming around."

Tsukasa giggled, having well known his time of capturing and purifying X-Eggs in his youth. As an adult, he could favorably look back and see how the purity of a child's "egg", so to speak would shape their personalities later in life; especially thinking about his time spent oversees assisting a very young Ikuto in search of his father. Once Ikuto's own egg had hatched and Yoru arrived did Tsukasa start understanding how his young companion really felt.

Just then, a static-like sound came from the baby monitor sitting on the stand next to the couch. A small, whimpering cry was heard as Tsukasa and Amu listened to the monitor for anymore disruption.

"Ah, I think our little kitten woke up! I should go check on him and make sure everything is alright" Tsukasa sighed as he made his way in the direction of the staircase.

"I'll go with you, Tsukasa! I think I'm going to go home soon so I want to say bye to Ikuto before I leave" Amu interjected, standing up from her seat on the couch. She turned towards the four Shugo Charas resting quietly near the window.

"I'll be back in a minute guys. After we're done with Ikuto, let's go home" Amu said while making her way upstairs behind Tsukasa.

...

Opening the door, Tsukasa and Amu peered into the bedroom to see if Ikuto had woken up. The sound of shuffling blankets and a low, muffled cry made it apparent that the teenager was awake.

Walking towards the crib, Amu looked down at Ikuto while Tsukasa went to turn the bedside table lamp on for a little extra light. From what Amu saw, Ikuto was lying on his back crying up at the ceiling; Amu smiled sweetly and took hold of Ikuto's free hand, his other arm holding his toy cat from the hospital. His pacifier sat fallen near the pillow Ikuto's head laid on.

"It's ok, Ikuto. Did you have a nightmare?" Amu asked her friend while offering a gentle squeeze into his hand. Ikuto looked directly at Amu, his tears glazing his blue eyes and falling down his cheeks.

"How about we get him out and you can rock him for a little bit; does that sound ok, Amu?" Tsukasa kindly suggested as he started to pull the crib bars down towards the ground, allowing access for Tsukasa to pick Ikuto up safely from the crib.

"Thats ok! Maybe I can read him a story?" Amu said as she looked around the room for any storybooks available. Near the closet doors was a small bookshelf containing a few books, most being toddler-age appropriate with only a few adult novels neatly stacked against each other. Finding the story "The Lonely Kitten", Amu grabbed the book and sat down on a small wooden rocking chair Tsukasa had previously pulled from the upstairs storage closet and brought to use in Ikuto's room.

"Here you go, that's a good boy Ikuto! Now let's wipe those tears away; Amu is going to read to you!" Tsukasa sweetly whispered into Ikuto's ears as the man helped position Ikuto comfortably into Amu's arms. Wrapped in a blue cotton blanket, pacifier in mouth and cradling his cat toy, Ikuto laid his head against Amu's shoulder as she slowly rocked Ikuto back and forth and read the story out loud.

Tsukasa was actively listening in the background, setting up the necessary supplies on the changing table for when Amu was finished with the story so that he could quickly change Ikuto once more before he fell asleep.

"The Little black kitten found his family; his mama and papa, brothers and sisters missed him so much. They all ran to the little kitten and meowed happily as they celebrated his return! The End" Amu stated as she finished the book and closed the cover. Setting the book aside, she cradled Ikuto in her arms as she smiled down at him, wiping some tear streaks away and humming a tune to a lullaby.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep. Go to sleep, little Ikuto. Close your eyes, shut them tight, and dream your dreams all night"

As Amu continued to sing she noticed Ikuto's eyelids batting together, then slowly closing as she rocked him back and forth. Tsukasa went back to the duo and started to take Ikuto into his arms, untangling the boy from his blanket as he wrapped Ikuto's long legs around his waist and supported his head. Bringing the boy to the changing table, he laid the teen on the foam mat and buckled him in carefully, then proceeded to change Ikuto's diaper as Amu went to put the book back on the shelf and tossed the blue blanket onto the crib.

"Amu, can you bring me the pacifier please?" Tsukasa asked as he went about discarding the soiled diaper in the nearby trash bin and reaching for the baby powder.

"Oh yes! Now where did I last see it?" Amu asked out loud as she retraced her steps back to the rocking chair and looked around for the fallen object. Looking down, Amu saw the pacifier resting against the rocker's edge; she picked it up, wiped any residue off on her shirt sleeve then went to give it back to Ikuto. She gently placed the pacifier back into Ikuto's mouth as Tsukasa finished putting the new diaper on and adjusted Ikuto's pajama bottoms once more.

"Ok, all nice and clean again! Let's put you back to sleep, Ikuto" Tsukasa gently said as he picked up the boy from the table and laid him down in his crib. Pushing the bars up, Tsukasa adjusted the blue blanket to fit over Ikuto's body as Amu turned the lamp off, allowing for darkness (save the little nightlight) to enclose the room.

"Goodbye, Ikuto. I'll see you again soon; rest well!" Amu whispered softly as she fixed the hair out of Ikuto's face and bent down to kiss his forehead. As his eyes closed, a soft snore could be heard from Ikuto as Tsukasa and Amu tiptoed out of the bedroom and closed the door carefully.

...

"Wow! The snow is so pretty, it's all shiny and sparkly!" Amu gasped as she walked down the street with her Shugo Charas close behind. Despite the chilly atmosphere, the falling snow flakes alongside the soft, piled snow on the ground made the environment scenic.

After a gust of wind blew right past the girl, Amu carefully redid her scarf to cover her neck and adjusted her mittens to her freezing hands. They were almost home and Amu thought that she would not mind running immediately to the bathroom for a hot bath and a glass of cold milk to join her.

"~when are we going to see Ikuto and Yoru again, Amu?~" Ran asked quizzically. The little pink Chara floated right beside Amu's ear as Miki and Suu were on the opposite side.

"Maybe we'll stop by again next weekend; we should also bring the Guardians with us too, if Tsukasa says it's ok." Amu said as she turned the corner onto her home street. Walking up to the front door, Amu turned the handle and went right into the little mud room to take her shoes off.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back, Amu!" a cluster of voices vibrated throughout the house.

Multiple footsteps could be heard coming from the upstairs as Amu went about taking her coat and scarf off, holding the clothing items in her arms as she and the Charas walked into the adjoined living room and kitchen. Midori Hinamori, Amu's mother was cleaning the dinner dishes at the sink as she turned her back to greet her daughter.

"Hello Amu! How are you sweetie? Did the visit go well? How is Ikuto doing?" Midori kindly asked as she scrubbed the dishes, Amu having come to join near her.

"He's doing ok, mama. Ikuto is making progress, but he isn't really talking yet. He's not really himself, yet" Amu said as a hint of sadness rushed over her. The news about Ikuto's accident was made public to Amu's friends and family; the issues he presented, however were kept a secret.

Midori sensed some grief from her daughter and dried her hands off on her apron, giving her daughter a smile and wrapping her in her arms for a comforting hug. Midori knew the peculiar problems Ikuto was facing; Amu didn't want to keep anymore secrets from her mom, especially remembering the time between her mom, Ikuto and Amu when Midori discovered the teenage boy sleeping in Amu's room for a few nights.

"He'll be ok, Amu. I know it's tough right now to deal with, but Ikuto is a strong boy. He proved it when he survived the accident; he'll prove it again once he gets past all these hurdles of healing. You are doing a wonderful job wanting to help and support him through all of this!" Midori stated as she continued to hug her daughter warmly.

Amu returned the embrace as she, her mother and the Charas sat in the kitchen quietly; the sadness they all felt still lingering in the air as the snow flakes dropped from the sky.

--

I definitely wanted to include a sweet moment between Amu and her mom (I think Midori would definitely be an understanding and supportive parent through all of this lol)!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! More are soon to come :)

au revoir.