10. Miniature Complications

Yoru was on the brink of cracking as he dug his paws into his dark curls and clawed at them, beyond vexed. Taking significant pride in his feline characteristics, the mini chara was tempted to rip the pair of prized cat ears from atop his head in hopes of gaining if even a moment of silence.

His persecutor's voice cracked across the open sky behind him. "Yoru!"

And with it followed the other two minions. "Yoru, stop – desu~!" "Yeah, are you trying to avoid us?"

That idea sounded quite tempting as Yoru caught a passing breeze, carrying him above skyline and away from the group. Eventually, frowning with as much exasperation that equaled his master, he turned reluctantly to stare at the three candy colored charas.

"Rin, Miku, Shu," he called behind him, his mood lightening slightly by their sound of protest, and continued on before they could hackle him further, "Can't you three fly faster? We've been out here for over an hour."

Ran was the first to recover from the mild insult, mistaking the look of indignation for only apt determination. In her optimistic eyes she only saw enthusiasm radiating from Yoru. She shook a pom-pom in the air, carrying enough energy in that one movement for the entire group. "Yes! We should hurry!"

More athletically challenged than the other three, Sue struggled after the group, heaving heavily pained 'desus' and wishing for the comforts of her tiny kitchen housed safely within her shell. She turned to Miki open mouthed and distressed at Ran's exclamation, her cap tipped completely to one side. "Wha – What is it we're looking for again – desu?"

Miki glanced sidelong at her physically spent sister and whipped out her sketch book, reaching out to realign Sue's hat. "Here," she said promptly, revealing the hastily drawn outline that was still less than perfect from the real item.

Lined in signature charcoal was the design of a simple cross, the same height of any of the charas from head to toe. The only thing it lacked was its polished silver coating that would have made it gleam brilliantly in the summer shine.

Squinting, Sue took in the image before sighing her disappointment. She did not doubt the tiny artist's ability to capture an image with flawless precision and it was because of this fact that confirmed Sue's fears: despite covering a three mile radius, the cross had remained perfectly elusive. Realizing the futility of their search thus far, Sue's head bent in utter defeat and she lifted a small hand to the back of Miki's shirt, seeking some means of comfort as they carried on.

"Why couldn't we have been charged with finding a cupcake instead – desu?" Sue complained quietly.

"Or some kind of sculpture," Miki agreed, to which Sue nodded her head vigorously, sending light green curls whipping in curt agreement. Up ahead, Yoru was flipped on his back, sunny side up, basking in the warm sun rays and having momentarily given up on their search. To their surprise he added to their list of complaints.

"A ball of yarn. Maybe something shiny…"

There was shuddering in a nearby bush as Ran's head poked out beneath the foliage, ignoring the leaf plastered in her hair. "Ikuto was the one who dragged us into this mess, Yoru! If he hadn't arrived than this would have never happened!"

Appalled by the unexpected barb, Yoru dropped from the sky, alighting before Ran with both paws on his hips. "Ikuto?" he squeaked in disbelief as Ran dusted herself free. "We were just coming to visit with good intentions" – 'Lie,' all three girls thought in unison – "when Amu overreacted!"

"Amu was not overreacting!" That was a lie too. "She was only trying to defend herself from that cat!" Ran stabbed her point home by throwing a pom-pom in Yoru's face, chocking him for a second.

Yoru grunted in surprise, irked by the gesture, and acting on instincts he swiped at the decoration with newly sharpened claws. It was an effortless movement as he watched it fillet beneath him, the pink ball exploding into countless strands. Like a switch all further protests from both parties was halted immediately as they watched what was left of Ran's pom-pom flutter to the ground in utter silence.

Neither moved…and it was then that Yoru realized the gravity of his mistake.

Slowly, with the greatest of caution possible, Yoru peeked underneath his dark lashes to look at Ran. He recoiled instantly, the level of malice escaping her pink orbs so high that he nearly felt one of his nine lives ripped away. And if he didn't do something now, the other eight would be in jeopardy as well.

Inhaling, Yoru knew this would be the most courageous moment of his life. Or the stupidest.

"Ran," he began but that was as far as he got as she suddenly bowled into him, knocking out two of his lives.

Ran was in complete outrage as she tackled him in the sky, sending them both kamikazing out of control in the open air as she thwacked him with as much fervor as possible with her remaining pom-pom. A ball of unstoppable energy though she had, Ran was absolutely incapable of proving much damage with her choice of 'weapon', rendering her harmless, but it did not discourage her from pummeling him with as much force as possible as they whizzed about the area.

Forgetting his act of chivalry, Yoru shouted at her lunatic behavior, trying to explain that she could just conjure up another one if she wished but Ran ignored him (and the fact that he was completely right) as she streaked after him with vengeful spirit.

From above, the remaining sisters were in two different states of helplessness. Miki, finding herself torn between loyalties, watched the chase in distress. Her sister, or the chara who had stolen her heart with his quick knave and feline charm? She glanced at Sue for help but found the cook distracted by something else, her head tipped to the side, the green clover winking.

"What happened again?" Miki heard Sue murmur thoughtfully to herself as she tried to recall the events prior to now, and Miki turned away in dismay, heaving a sigh. With resignation and knowing that Amu would later be dumbfound at Miki's aid for the enemy, Miki tightened her cap against her brow, pocketed her sketch pad, and zoomed down to help her sister, joining the fray.

It was at that exact moment that Sue popped up her head, a smile of absolute delight on her face as she remembered what had occurred before hand. "That's right!" And then remembering the present, Sue swept after the noisy squabble, not completely sure what she would do to Yoru when he was caught. ...Put icing on his nose? Oh yes, that would be quite the revenge!

As Sue congratulated herself for thinking of such a malignant punishment she left behind the memories she'd conjured up seconds ago.

Having just seen her parents and younger sister off to the festival, Amu threw herself onto her bed in an unfashionable slump and took in the sudden silence of her house. She reminded herself halfheartedly of the mountain of dishes that needed to be done below and rolled onto her side, half closing her eyes as she did so, when she felt an unexpected pinch in her side. Exclaiming loud enough that it drew her charas from their eggs, she fished inside her pocket and pulled out the small cross she had ran across earlier on her way back from the grocery.

Rubbing its surface until it gleamed, Amu found herself reflected in the silver planes. She turned it slightly, distorting the picture of the girl that stared back at her. The image made her laugh at the silliness and she continued to twist it at different angles, when she was halted by a small sound. She sat up, kicking her legs forward so the momentum pulled her into a sitting position, and listened. Off to the side her charas took up the habit and sat around the cross, making faces and giggling at their comically warped reflections.

Amu let them be to strain her ears. There it was again, a light 'plinking' as if something was tapping against glass.

She looked for possible sources and found her windows bare of anything but sunlight and fresh air, and then turned to her sliding door, the curtains drawn in front of it. As if realizing its presence had been noted, the tapping increased enthusiastically, and Amu hopped to the floor to pull back the covers.

A cry of surprise escaped her as she jumped away, acting as if the curtain revealed something only of her nightmares.

Flirtatious, cat like nightmares – which he was as Ikuto perched comfortably on the dais, one leg drawn up to his chest as he continued to flick pebbles at the glass surface.

His teeth shown against the smooth planes of his face, grinning. 'Open the door,' he mouthed outside, shuffling the projectiles soundlessly in his palm.

Immediately, she threw her hands up to her face in an abrupt 'X', wildly shaking her head. The lock was thrown down and she'd put a bat in the space behind the door when Ikuto had made it obvious that visiting her back door was a favorite hobby. No! She refused to let him in this time!

But like always Ikuto slithered his way around her protest and, expecting this response, he arranged another pebble on the flat of his perfect nail and sent it flying with more force than the previous ones. The sound was sharp as it collided against the glass, Amu wincing instinctively, and when she looked up disbelief etched her face as she saw the newly branded crack in her glass.

As he prepped another pebble for launch Amu shot to her feet, gasping, and dashed to the door. Satisfied, Ikuto dumped the remaining pebbles and stepped down, gliding to the entrance and leaning his forehead against the glass just above Amu's head. He mouthed something in silence to her on the other end and Amu found it distracting to have his breath fog against the glass, realizing her cheek was just protected by the door.

Noting the spots of color starting to form on her face Ikuto lowered himself, adjusting his height so they were face to face. He continued to speak, exhaling the perfect amount of CO2 that it all but covered his eyes that continued to watch Amu. Embarrassed by the gaze Amu's hands went into a blur, the bells at her wrist sent into a crazy jingle of motion as she threw the bat to the corner of her room and flung up the lock.

She stabbed a finger at him as he slipped inside, Yoru at his shoulder. "If Papa finds that damage…!" she began threateningly but Ikuto caught the accusing finger and pushed it to the side, unconcerned.

"I aimed in a discrete corner. You can hardly see it," he replied, and from their vantage point, no matter how hard she tried, she saw he was right, and abruptly shut her mouth. "Plus, if I have to pay for it, I can formally introduce myself to your parents." The extra comment tightened Amu's lips further and she stalked away from him, retreating to her desk. Naturally he followed after.

As the two began their customary banter, Yoru noticed the charm surrounded by Ran, Miki, and Sue and floated over. He recognized it within an instant and rapped a knuckle against it with a litany of excited 'nyas' following.

"Ikuto – nya~! Say, Ikuto, look at this!" He tried to swipe it from beneath the girls but as one they picked it up and flew over to Amu, who turned in surprise, distracted from Ikuto.

"That belongs to Ikuto!" Yoru announced devotedly, walking onto Ikuto's outstretched hand and shimming up to the crest of his shoulder. "He lost it a few days ago by the school!"

"Amu found it earlier today– it's hers!" Ran defended and Miki shook her head in agreement. "It fits her style anyhow!"

The charas immersed in the intense squabbling, Amu looked over at Ikuto with questioning eyes and lifted the cross to show him. With his chin resting lazily against one fist, Ikuto glanced over in response from the other side of the room, holding Yoru by the tail.

His eyes widened only slightly at the object, indigo orbs brightening with familiarity, but he remained unresponsive and lifted his attention instead toward the pile of trinkets scattered across her desk. He began to reach for one.

Spotting which one his fingers were about to wrap around, Amu exclaimed in shock, catching Ikuto's attention and halting him when he was halfway to the item. He threw his own look of wonderment at her. "What?" From where he was it looked like any favorable charm that she would have plucked from the shelf but just out of sight, located right in the shadow, was the small engraving of a crown.

Of all the trinkets to seek Ikuto's choice was unknowingly bound for the one Tadase had bought Amu before vacation. The carving had been personally requested by Tadase as he'd paid for it at the front desk.

Sent into a vortex of sticky-sweet bliss from the gift, Amu had felt obliged to express her gratitude when Tadase had turned to her and dealt the killing blow.

"From your prince," he'd explained shyly while batting his large, ruby doe eyes, and it had sent Amu reeling with incapacitating joy so overt that the store clerk had been left wondering of the brief manifestation of hearts as they'd rained down on him.

That entire dream would shatter if Ikuto found out. "Don't touch that! Ikuto!" she cried in absolute horror and acting out of sheer panic, she wound back her arm and catapulted the cross with enough speed to break the sound barrier. "Take this!"

Ikuto merely blinked at the fired missile as it raged toward him. One second he was in danger of being impaled, the next it was flying past him. Ikuto was genuinely surprised she'd had enough skill to display such accuracy – Amu's throws had been atrocious in previous occasions, struggling to get even ten feet from her.

He smiled. He must have really done it this time.

Meanwhile, as they'd watch the cross wink from existence, all four charas had felt a burning sense of loyalty spear through their chest and wanting to prove their worth, they'd rushed out the window in a flurry. With the chase ensued the charas had abandoned their masters for the day, leaving them to deal with their own half hazard relationship.

Unfortunately for Yoru, he hadn't imagined that the search would ever turn into a fight for survival as the chara finally managed to slip away from the group, diving headlong into a tree.

The wood bit mercilessly into his back as Yoru scrambled up against the side of a branch, ears straining for any sign of the girls. Any loud movement would mean utter annihilation for he and his six remaining lives, trying desperately not to hyperventilate as he fought to calm his breathing.

Of them all to antagonize it had to be the one with unbeatable stamina. As much as he found her cheering irritating, Yoru would have rather been subjected to hours of prattle and pom-pom waving from Ran than the chase she was giving him now.

He started to levitate upward, intending to search for them, but a pointed edge prevented him, knocking him square on the skull. He rubbed his head, an expression of annoyance beginning, when he saw what it was and his heart nearly stopped. Nestled just above him in the loose bramble was the cross, propped against the trunk and winking invitingly at him.

Eyes shining Yoru started to untangle it from the leaves, careful not to stir his surroundings too much and lifted into the air with Ikuto's treasure tucked safely beneath his arm. There was no sign of the girls.

A peaceful flight back home. How nice…

"There he is!"

"And he has Amu's cross too!"

"That means we're done searching – desu!"

Miles from Amu's home Yoru turned tail. Ikuto was going to owe him the finest tuna after this.

And it better be a big one.