The Troubles with Cat-Sitting
Been working through a writer's block and a 40 hour job that's been taking all my energy away:( Anyway, I thought it was time to update my story! Tak och hejdå
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Amu Pov:
"Ok, so when you take A-B, divide it using ... then subtract the overall equation with C, you get D as the answer. Is everyone following with me?" Yuu Nikaidou asked his class of clueless six graders as the former EASTER employee turned Seiyo Academy home-room teacher finished writing out the algebraic formula on the chalkboard.
However, a certain pink-hair heroine wasn't even paying attention to her teacher; instead, she had her head resting on her arms as the girl slept peacefully on her desk, completely oblivious to what important mathematics she was missing out on.
"HIMAMORI!!!! WAKE UP!!! YOU'RE THE ONLY STUDENT FAILING MY CLASS!! " Nikaidou screamed incoherently as Amu abruptly woke up and nervously scanned the classroom, only to find that all of her fellow classmates were negatively judging her, including her fellow guardian members joining alongside the harsh comments being thrown at Amu's will.
"Oh Amu, we are so disappointed in you! You clearly are not qualified to be the JOKER anymore so we are giving your position away to someone who deserves it!" Tadase meanly stated as a theatrical red curtain pulled back to reveal the new JOKER.
"WHAT!!!! NOT YAMABUKI SAAYA!!!" Amu screamed out loud as bouquets of flowers were carelessly thrown at the annoying red head, who's maniacal laughter filled the classroom as a tunnel vision of darkness suddenly took over Amu's vision.
...
BRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGG
"Huh???????? WAIT!!!! WHERE AM I?????" a frantic Amu screamed as the girl scanned the unfamiliar room she was currently sleeping in, clutching her chest as her heart beat rapidly and sweat fell down her face. Peering towards the corner nearest the room's only window, her four Shugo Charas were quietly snoozing in a woven basket; the natural sunrise was peaking throw the sheer curtains and gave the formerly dark room a light glow.
Getting out of the unfamiliar futon she woke up in, Amu walked over to the window and pushed the curtains back to reveal a steaming hot spring surrounded by rocks and snow, with a picturesque mountaintop in the background as the sun slowly rose up in the sky.
"Oh, that's right. I'm on vacation right now; man, is school really stressing me out that much???" Amu tiredly thought as she stretched her arms above her head, yawing loudly as she went to the private bathroom connected to her room to wash up and prepare for another relaxing day at the onsēn.
As she grabbed her flip phone off the dresser, Amu looked over her missed messages from the previous days: her fellow guardians were sending pictures from their activities during the week off of school, with Yaya taking selfies with Kairi and her baby brother (the younger girl probably came up with some sort of blackmail method to get the former JACK'S chair member to agree to babysitting), Rima and Nagihiko posing at various attractions in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Tadase, Utau and Kukai skiing together at Kukai's grandpas shrine.
"Man, it looks like everyone is having a great time! Hmm, I wonder how Ikuto is doing? Wasn't he going to daycare this past week?" Amu tiredly thought as she went about brushing her hair and teeth, undressing into her yukata as she headed towards the communal dining room for breakfast with Ami and her parents.
There was only one day left of vacation, to which no one wanted to prepare for.
...
Yoru Pov:
December 27th: Friday Afternoon.
The blue cat Chara dangled in the ceiling panels above the BUNNY ROOM classroom, where Ms Anna and Ms Shiro were preparing the students for nap time. The lights were turned off and a soft, melodic hum of a violin/piano soundtrack could be heard coming from the portable radio as the two teachers tucked the toddlers into their assigned cribs, making sure to cover the children with their blankets from the frigid cold outside. Stuffed toys were dispensed amongst the exhausted tots as mobiles were turned on and curtains pulled back to cover the daylight's soft, yellow glow.
"I'm going to rock Ikuto for a bit, Mariko. Do you have the rest of the students covered?" Ms Anna respectfully asked her co-teacher as the short, plumper teacher sat in a rocking chair near Ikuto's crib, gently cradling the much larger teenager in her hold as she positioned his head under her neck, supporting a bottle of milk as the boy drank contently; Ikuto's eyes were slowly drooping as Ms Anna combed her fingers through his blue locks and hummed a quiet tune to a children's nursery rhyme.
"Yes, it looks like everyone is all good! I'll go on my lunch break now, if that's ok? Ikuto has been getting better with the nap time routine so I don't think he'll cause much trouble today" Mariko whispered at Anna as the taller teacher went to collect her trench coat on the coat rack near the classroom's door, quickly putting it on herself as she grabbed her backpack from an empty cubby and went towards the rocking chair to check up on her fellow coworker.
"Ikuto has been doing so much better with the school schedule. I can't believe he's already been here for one week! Time sure is going by fast" Anna quietly chuckled as she bounced Ikuto in her arms, gently shushing the boy as he whimpered sadly.
"Mr Amakawa is pleased with how much progress Ikuto has made just from being here. He definitely isn't the easiest kid to care for, but he sure is the cutest!" Mariko laughed as she tenderly pinched Ikuto's cheek; the teen made sure to push the older teacher's hands away from his face in annoyance!
"Enjoy your lunch, Mariko! I got things handled here" Anna happily stated as she watched Mariko leave the classroom, putting her attention back on the teenager in her arms as she took the empty bottle away and placed it next to the nightstand near her, repositioning Ikuto onto her shoulder to be burped as she patted his back and hushed his cries.
"Shhh, you're ok Ikuto. You've been doing such a good job at school this week; now, it's nap time so why don't we close our eyes and snuggle in the comfy blanket!" Ms Anna soothingly hushed to a distressed Ikuto as she continued to pat the boy's back, allowing for the gentle motion of the rocking chair to ease the tantrum occurring as she readjusted him in her hold once more.
Up towards the ceiling, Yoru sadly watched from above as Ms Anna attempted to calm Ikuto down; if the cat Chara didn't think that his owner couldn't see him, then Yoru would have gladly assisted in caring for Ikuto like he had done in the past, accident or no accident required for his services.
However, Yoru knew that Ikuto couldn't see him anymore.
It was this past Monday that Yoru noticed the lack of attention Ikuto was giving him: the cat guardian chalked it up to the fact that his owner's attention span was comparable to that of a baby's, but even talking to Ikuto seemed to become a hassle all on its own!
In short, Yoru depressingly knew that he was becoming invisible to Ikuto.
...
December 23rd, the past Monday.
The afternoon sun was beaming down on the glistening snow in the play yard as children of all sizes ran about in a hustle, chasing each other or kicking balls as teachers observed the kids.
The smaller tots shuffled about in the snow; some of the kids were building snowballs and making characterized indentations in the white substance while others sat on the chilly ground and either ate the leftover slush or played with toy cars and trucks, attempting to trudge their play vessels through the makeshift roads built in the fluffy, glittery snow.
As for Ikuto, Ms Anna carried the teenager in her arms around the courtyard and showed the curious boy different sections of the playground; the tree in the middle of the yard, whose leaves have since fallen off and was covered head-to-toe in frost, or the various play structures where a multitude of children hiked up the stairs and poles to played amongst each other down the slides or in the tunnels.
"Look Ikuto! Do you see that snowflake? It came down from the sky" Anna happily shared as she pointed out the various snowflakes falling slowly down.
"SNO~~~~" Ikuto giggled as the teen reached a hand out to catch one of the tiny flakes, though his gloves prevented any sort of success from occurring as the snowflake quickly melted away on his palm.
"It's SNOW, Ikuto! You're so silly!" Anna laughed as she tickled the boy's sides, Ikuto giggling loudly as he playfully squirmed in her hold. Readjusting the boy on her hip, Ms Anna brought them back near the buggies and placed Ikuto down onto the snow-covered ground; the teen awkwardly moved about the yard, crawling on fours as he made his way towards the toddler's play structure.
However, a concerned Yoru hovered above his owner's head trying to get the boy to pay attention to him: the cat Chara waved his large paws in front of Ikuto's face repeatedly, crying out loud as he chanted his owner's name repeatedly.
It seemed as though Ikuto couldn't even hear Yoru anymore.
As Yoru watched helplessly from above, Ikuto paying no mind to the tiny cat-human creature floating above his head, the anxiety that coursed through the guardian character's tiny body riveted and burned through his invisible veins as Yoru felt his body go on fire!
He would have to ask Tsukasa what to do, if he could do anything to save his existence. Ikuto couldn't be done with him already, right?
...
Back in the present day...
"Ok, all nice and clean again! It's always good to have a fresh diaper before taking a nap, right Ikuto!" Ms Anna jokingly stated to the teen on the changing table as she threw away the soiled diaper and wipes in the nearby trash bin.
Readjusting the boy's black ripped denim jeans, Ms Anna picked up Ikuto, grabbing his pacifier off the nightstand and gently guiding it towards the teen's mouth; the suckling quietly whispered in the distance as Ikuto rested his head on the small teacher's shoulders, his eyes dropping slowly as Anna placed the boy in his crib.
"Goodnight, Ikuto. Let's rest our bodies now; here's your kitty and blankie." Anna hushed the boy as she covered the teen with his blanket, the toy animal in his hold as Ikuto turned onto his stomach and allowed for Ms Anna to pat his back in a rhythmic motion. The lullaby from the radio played in the background as Ikuto dozed off quickly.
With all of the students fast asleep, Ms Anna went about quietly cleaning and organizing the classroom for afternoon playtime as Yoru flew down near Ikuto's crib; the little blue cat Chara sat on the crib's bars and keenly watched his owner sleeping soundly.
"~Ikuto, I know you're still in there. Please don't forget who you are! You still want to find your father and be free from EASTER; you can't do that until you stop acting like a baby. Please come back!~" Yoru cried to the boy in the crib as the little guardian wrapped his paws on Ikuto's cheek, licking the surface (like a cat) with tears falling from his big blue eyes.
As the classroom remained silent for the next couple of hours, an abundance of snow fell from the sky in flurries; yet, the sky turned depressingly dark as the clouds covered the sunshine and a chilly wind blew down the streets.
...
Sorry that this is a shorter chapter, but since I've been on a hiatus due to work I felt I needed a short, transition chapter to at least help the story move along.
Hope you all are doing well and here's to the everlasting Shugo Chara fandom :)