The Troubles with Cat-Sitting

こんにちは!Hello everybody and if you are a returning reader, thank you for coming back for more trashy, slightly-amuto story of mine:)

...

December 22nd, Sunday in the morning.

While walking back to the Tsukiyomi house for a last visit before she left with her family for Sapporo, Amu Hinamori couldn't stop thinking about how she will miss spending time with her friend, Ikuto Tsukiyomi. As she crossed the street holding a paper bag with a white cartoonish outline of a Taiyaki fish on the front, Amu continued to think of how fast the last three weeks have flown by!

The pink heroine vividly recalled the sad state of being that Ikuto had been at when he was stuck in the hospital at the beginning of December- he could barely talk and was completely dependent on the people around him to take care of his basic necessities; in truth, Amu tried not to think about how "normal" Ikuto would handle the scenario he was forced into now (he would probably faint if he knew that his future self would be comparable to a baby).

Coming up once more to the front door of the house she came to recognize lately, Amu rang the doorbell and stood back in patience. Having instructed her three Shugo Charas, Ran, Miki and Suu to stay back at her house in preparation for the family trip, Amu quickly noticed how quiet the atmosphere around her suddenly was. The sound of birds chirping in the snow-covered trees, water droplets splashing onto the ground from hanging icicles alongside moving cars on the streets surrounding the display of modern-styled Japanese houses was a warm, almost comforting feeling for the elementary school student as she breathed a sigh of content.

The door opened slowly and the familiar face of Seiyo Academy's chairman came into view.

...

Tsukasa Pov:

"Good morning Amu! It's great to see you again; are you leaving today for your Sapporo trip?" Tsukasa cheerfully asked the girl as he made space for Amu to come into the foyer, take her shoes and outdoor clothing off and walk into the living room alongside the older man.

As he was just cooking previously in the kitchen before Amu arrived, Tsukasa donned a deep blue apron with a picture of a shark near the front pockets (get the reference;). He was also wearing a beige, long sleeve shirt and brown slacks, with white socks protecting his feet from the continuing cold front that plagued inner-city Tokyo's weather. In his hand, Tsukasa was also holding a black spatula he had been using for the pancakes he was making for breakfast, with some remaining batter stuck on the front piece of the cookware.

"Actually it's tomorrow now! Mama and papa thought it might be better we wait out till Monday so that they don't have to worry about traffic and the chance that our flight might be delayed; they said that flying these days seems to have gotten worse, especially on the weekends!" Amu briefly mentioned as Tsukasa guided her to sit at the dining room table in the adjoined living/kitchen room section. Ikuto was already seated in his high chair next to Amu's own seat, a simple puzzle piece set spread out on the high chair's tabletop with a picture of multiple cats in a luscious garden.

He was very distracted by the puzzle to not even notice Amu pulling out the chair and sitting herself down. She gave him a poke on his shoulder blade, watching the teen as he instinctively moved his body away by the sudden contact.

"Hi Ikuto! How are you doing? Oh wow, are you working hard on that puzzle?" Amu jokingly inquired as Ikuto looked up to see his friend suddenly right next to him! The teen giggled happily, clapping his hands together as he reached his arms out to Amu for a hug. The girl reciprocated the affection as she squeezed Ikuto tightly round his waist, displaying a huge grin while Ikuto chanted her name out loud in his usual baby-talk manner.

"Amu, kitty!" Ikuto proudly exclaimed as he pointed out a semi-completed picture of one of the cats in his puzzle. Amu chuckled to herself as she helped Ikuto to complete his work whilst Tsukasa flipped the remaining pancakes onto a plate.

Turning the stovetop off, Tsukasa placed the spatula down and carried the pancakes towards the table in personal accomplishment.

"Ok, the pancakes are done and there's a fruit bowl with apples, peaches and kiwi too! Also, thank you for bringing the Taiyaki, Amu! I know a certain someone will be more than delighted to have a chocolate piece after breakfast!" Tsukasa laughed as he playfully patted Ikuto's head, the boy looking up quizzically at the man's display of affection.

Ikuto knew the word "chocolate", but didn't quite make the connection to "Taiyaki" as of now. He was still slowly learning the fundamentals of the Japanese language each day.

With all the food brought to the table and Ikuto's bowl of warm oatmeal near Tsukasa, the older man and Amu clapped their hands together and prayed in unison.

"Thank you for the food!"

While Amu grabbed herself two blueberry pancakes and scooped some fruit onto her plate, Tsukasa spoon-fed Ikuto his oatmeal (the man thought that pancakes would be a choking hazard, after recalling an incident where he had to perform the Heimlich on Ikuto after the teen couldn't swallow a hambagu steak piece).

It was better for Tsukasa to play it safely with Ikuto's chewing abilities now, even if it meant a constant repeat of the same dishes. In truth, so long as Ikuto liked his usual variety of meals then that was all that really mattered! Less tantrums meant less headaches for Tsukasa.

"Say, where is Yoru at?" Amu asked as she curiously looked around the room for any sign of the cat chara's presence.

"He's taking a little cat nap upstairs. Poor Yoru, he's been so helpful staying awake at night to help Ikuto. Since the accident, I can tell that Yoru has been worrying not only about Ikuto's wellbeing but also how his future may hold up" Tsukasa sadly exclaimed as he continued to scoop the oatmeal onto the little silver spoon, guiding the utensil towards Ikuto's awaiting mouth. However, some of the meal ended up falling onto the pink bib Ikuto was wearing and plopped onto the high chairs plastic table top as Ikuto worked hard to swallow the remaining oatmeal that was already in his mouth.

"What do you mean, Tsukasa? Are you saying that Yoru could disappear all of a sudden because of how Ikuto is now?" Amu asked with concern as she halted her breakfast, her golden eyes staring nervously at the man across the table.

Feeling the sudden tension between the adults, Ikuto started to whimper as he worriedly looked back and forth between Tsukasa and Amu. Then, as his eyes filled up with water did Ikuto soon start crying in his high chair thereafter; the boy rubbed his eyes together as his face turned tomato red and became soaked with his own tears!

"Oh, it's ok Ikuto! There's nothing to be upset about! Let's take a deep breath now, buddy" Tsukasa comfortably cooed as he attempted to quiet down the distressed teen. Tsukasa's larger hands gently rubbed the boy's fingers as Amu patted Ikuto's shoulder, gently rubbing circles on his back while Ikuto continued to cry.

"Amu, when it comes to guardian characters they appear when a child has an unfulfilled desire, or something that they wish to become but can't make come true on their own. Yoru was born when Ikuto expressed his desires not only to find his father, Alto Tsukiyomi but to also become "free" of the expectations placed upon him due to Alto's disappearance. Even though Ikuto has the mentality of innocence and a childish personality, which are important traits needed to be able to see the characters, that doesn't necessarily mean his former desires are active anymore."

Cough cough cough...

Tsukasa coughed suddenly, taking a sip of water from his cup before finishing his thought. Amu held her breath, awaiting the man's answer as she continued to comfort Ikuto next to her.

"In a sense, Yoru may no longer be needed if Ikuto doesn't desire either for Alto or for his freedom. Yoru's purpose would then have been fulfilled and he'll go back into Ikuto's "heart", thus ceasing to exist" Tsukasa finished as he took a napkin and started wiping Ikuto's tears away.

In truth, now Amu wanted to burst out crying right at that table.

...

Amu Pov:

"So Yoru might disappear because Ikuto changed? I guess that also means Ran, Miki and Suu will leave me too at some point. Even Dia hasn't come out of her egg yet, but is there a chance she won't hatch again?" Amu sadly thought as she stared absentmindedly at the blank wall in front of her, with Ikuto sitting in front of Amu playing with his toys on his play mat in the living room.

While Tsukasa offered to clean up the mess from breakfast, Amu sat with Ikuto as the teenager played with his building blocks and baby dolls. The curtains on the windows were pulled back to display the falling snowflakes outside, with the trees billowing in the cold wind as passerby huddled into their coats for warmth.

"Amu, Amu!" Ikuto whined to his friend as he attempted to garner Amu's wavering attention towards him, flailing his arms around in front of the girl's face. Ikuto was happy that Amu came back to play with him today, but he was starting to become upset at how inattentive she was acting towards him; usually Amu would be delighted to help build a tower or play PEEK A BOO with Ikuto, but all the girl did once the duo went to the living room was sit in the armchair and stare at the empty wall!

"Amu!!!" Ikuto cried as he started to wail loudly from the lack of attention he was receiving. As the tears fell down Ikuto's face, Amu snapped out of her trance and went to quiet the boy, cradling his bigger body in her arms as she sang soothing lullabies and ran her fingers through the growing blue tresses.

"Shhh Ikuto, it's ok. Shhhhh" Amu hushed silently as she cradled Ikuto in her hold, the teen hiccuping and whimpering as he sucked his thumb in comfort.

"Is Ikuto giving you trouble, Amu? Maybe it's time we take a nap, don't you think Ikuto? Amu has to go back to her home soon so that she can get ready for her trip, so why don't we say goodbye and go rest in your crib for a little bit?" Tsukasa gently stated as the man went down on his knees to the floor and pushed some hair out of Ikuto's soaked face. Of course he wouldn't be happy to have nap time be earlier than usual, considering the time was only at ten in the morning, but both Tsukasa and Amu could tell the teen needed some extra rest right now.

Plus, Amu had plans to leave at about noon to finish her packing back at her house, so she was already intending on wrapping things up at the Tsukiyomi house pretty soon anyhow.

Ikuto's reaction to Amu leaving for awhile, though would remain a question if the boy were to not even notice her absence or be completely hysterical once she walks out the door!

"NO, NO!! AMU NO GO!" Ikuto howled as Tsukasa attempted to pry him off of Amu, proving to be a challenge as Ikuto held onto Amu's shoulders tightly and had nearly pulled her towards the ground. As Tsukasa wrapped his arms around the teen's waist and gathered the larger boy to rest on his hip, Ikuto screamed into the man's shoulders while reaching his arms out towards Amu for comfort.

Tsukasa sadly looked at the elementary student with complete exhaustion in his eyes, almost as if he were begging Amu to not leave him with Ikuto as he was.

"How about I help with Ikuto's nap, then I can leave afterwards?" Amu kindly suggested as she squeezed her friend's hand.

"Thank you for the offer, Amu: I really appreciate your help, though I guess we didn't have much of a choice since Ikuto worked himself up like this" Tsukasa sighed tiredly as he carried Ikuto up to his room, Amu following close behind.

Turning the bedside lamp on as the group went into the bedroom, Amu started to pull down the crib's bars while Tsukasa placed Ikuto onto his changing table and turned the mobile on for distraction.

"I'm going to check Ikuto's diaper to see if he needs to be changed. If you don't mind turning on the mobile attached to the crib, that would be great! You'll know it's turned on once it starts playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" Tsukasa mentioned briefly as he pulled Ikuto's pants down and undid the diaper while Amu worked to get the device started. Ironically the crib's new play toy was the exact same design as the one on the changing table, only with slightly different colored cats twirling about in a clockwise direction.

The soft hum of the lullaby could be heard as the plush cats twirled around slowly, with Amu soon closing the curtains on the windows to cover the sunshine from outside. She could hear Tsukasa quietly shushing Ikuto as he shuffled with undressing the boy.

"Shh Shh, Ikuto; let's try to calm down now. Well, it looks like your diaper is clean so let's go ahead and try to rest. We'll see Amu in a week from now so let's wish her well!" Tsukasa softly commented to the teen as he fixed the boy's clothes and carried him to his crib, pulling the bars up to keep Ikuto locked in (fortunately for Tsukasa, Ikuto hadn't learned how to climb out of his crib yet so the bars were remaining as an effective barrier from keeping the larger boy from falling out accidentally)!

With the bedroom lights turned off and a soft glow of darkness emanating from the closed curtains, Tsukasa tucked Ikuto into his blanket and guided his head to lay on the fluffy pillow as Amu placed a striped blue pacifier into the teen's mouth and brought the toy kitty to rest in his hands.

"Ok, I'll see you next week sometime Ikuto! Try not to give Yoru and Tsukasa too much trouble!" Amu kindly said as she placed a kiss on Ikuto's forehead, pushing his hair out of his eyes as the boy looked up innocently at his friend. Stepping back from the crib, Amu and Tsukasa made their way towards the open door until they heard a sudden cry coming from the crib!

...

Ikuto Pov:

Like hell Amu was going to leave him!

Ikuto didn't understand what the difference between a week vs lifetime was, but he definitely knew that he wouldn't see his favorite pinkette for a long time!

Without being able to speak properly like Amu or Tsukasa, Ikuto had to manage communicating with the adults around him using the few words he knew, and by crying loudly till someone paid attention to him!

"AMU!!!!! WAAAAAAHHHHH" Ikuto cried as he sat up in the crib and shook the bars about, the rattling sound becoming increasingly prominent as the teen screamed his head off. Amu and Tsukasa turned their attention to the distressed teenager quickly, but Ikuto noticed through his blurry vision that Tsukasa was saying something quietly to Amu with his hand rested on her shoulder (though Ikuto couldn't make out the words due to his cries).

"AMU PWESE!!!!" Ikuto howled as he reached his arms out to the girl through the bars, bouncing up and down repeatedly as Amu looked at him sadly across the room. While the teen continued to scream his head off, Amu snuck out of the room (with Tsukasa's gentle encouragement) and dashed to the front door, tears running down her face as she headed towards her home.

Meanwhile, Tsukasa stayed in the bedroom and attempted to nap Ikuto as fast as he could! By the time Ikuto fell asleep, the time sat at 11:15 AM.

...

Kinda another short chapter, but I definitely wanted to get it posted as soon as possible so that some progression to the story could be seen! Plus I love sharing baby Ikuto to the world! :)