“BakabakabakabakabakaBAKA!!!!!” Ran cried out, beating Yoru repeatedly with her tiny fists as the cat Chara tried desperately to escape her wrath. “You broke Amu-chan! Fix her! Fix her NOW!”

“Owowow!” Yoru wailed under the cheerleaders assault, looking baffled at her accusation. “Me?! I can’t fix her! I don’t even know how she broke in the first place!”

“She’s not a toy, you know.” Ikuto commented dryly as he examined the pink haired girl-turned-catgirl more closely, making her mewl curiously when he leaned in a little too close as she tilted her head to the side curiously.

He pretended not to hear when Miki scoffed and muttered ‘That’s rich, coming from him…’ under her breath.

“Is Amu-chan okay, desu?” Suu asked worriedly, flitting around Amu’s head and making the girl’s fuzzy pink ears twitch sporadically as her honey-brown eyes watched the Chara in innocent wide-eyed wonder.

“If what you told me is true, then she should be fine.” Ikuto sighed. “You just need to wait for the side-effect to wear off, and she’ll return to normal.

“How long should that take?” Miki asked.

“About two or three days.” Ikuto responded distractedly, fighting back a laugh as Amu sniffed Suu curiously.

“THREE DAYS?!” Ran wailed in horror. “We can’t wait three days for Amu-chan to be normal again! How are we supposed to take care of her when she’s like this?! She can’t even talk!”

“Mew?” Amu blinked in surprise as she stared cross-eyed at the accusing finger Ran was pointing at her nose.

“And I don’t think any of the Guardians can help, either.” Miki sighed in a depressed sort of way. “What are we gonna do? Amu-chan needs someone to help take care of her…” There was a brief pause before three sets of eyes, as one, turned to study Ikuto and Yoru with pointed looks that had Ikuto’s stomach dropping to his shoes.

“No way.” The blue haired teen said firmly. “Find someone else to do it.”

“But there is no one else!” Ran protested at once. “Besides, it’s Yoru’s fault! You need to take responsibility of your Chara!”

“Nyah?!” Yoru said indignantly at that accusation. “How was I supposed to know this was gonna happen?!” The cat squawked and ducked behind Ikuto when Ran responded to that by throwing her shoe at the blue haired Chara.

“Whether you knew or not, this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t tried to Chara Nari with Amu-chan.” Miki reminded the cat smugly as Suu retrained Ran from physically dragging Yoru back out into the open. “Come on, it’ll be easy! Amu’s parents are out of town at some convention, and her sister is staying with Amu’s cousin and his wife for the week. None of them will be back for nearly a week, and Amu’ll be better by then so no one will ever have to know!”

“Somehow, I doubt it will be as easy as you say…” Ikuto said dryly, watching Amu pointedly as she shakily walked out into the main road. Shrieking in panic, Suu and Ran quickly rushed to herd the girl back to the safety of the sidewalk.

“Urk…” Miki said in frustration. “That’s why we need your help! There’s no way the three of us can keep Amu from getting hurt when she’s like this! Come on, you’re men, right? It’s just three days, for crying out loud!” Ikuto frown, not appreciating having his masculinity questioned by a being that could fit in the palm of his hand. And judging from the indignant ‘Nyah?!’ Yoru gave from his shoulder, his Chara obviously felt the same.

“Fine.” Ikuto sighed. “But remember that you asked for our help, meaning you have to explain this to her-” Here Ikuto flicked his thumb at Amu, who was batting happily at her Charas with her hands as the two tried vainly to get her out of the road before she got hit by a car. “-when she’s better again. I don’t want to hear her shrieking about me being a pervert again…”

“Deal.” Miki agreed instantly. Turning away from the Chara, Ikuto headed purposely to where Amu stood in the middle of the road, picking her up bodily and carrying the girl back to the sidewalk as she stared up at him in surprise.

“Let’s go.” He said to the Charas, walking towards Amu’s home at a leisurely pace as the pinkette’s Charas sighed in relief and followed the teenager holding their owner.

“Meeew?” She questioned to Yoru, who was hovering next to Ikuto’s head.

“We’re gonna take you home now.” Yoru explained to the girl, who looked even more confused at his answer. “That’s the place where you live and sleep and stuff, remember?” Amu blinked in response, making Yoru sweatdrop. “Never mind, you’ll understand when we get there. All you need to know is that we’re gonna be takin’ care of you until you remember stuff again, nyah!”

“Mew meew?” Amu said, brightening considerably. Ikuto rolled his eyes at the ‘conversation’ wondering again just how hard this was going to-

All thought process in Ikuto’s mind stopped instantly when Amu nuzzled his neck with a purr. Stopping dead in his tracks, Ikuto’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as shock froze his blood cold before embarrassment and another emotion that Ikuto did not want to consider in Amu’s current condition warmed it back up again.

“Yoru.” Ikuto managed through gritted teeth. “What is she doing?”

“Thanking you for helping her.” The cat explained through a muffled laugh. Somewhere behind him, Ikuto could hear Amu’s Charas laughing as well. Perfect…

“Tell her to stop.” Ikuto said, choking slightly in shock when he felt Amu licked his neck. “NOW.” Yoru did as Ikuto told him to, laughing madly as he explained to Amu that nuzzling was not the way to say thank you to someone as Ikuto waited impatiently for his blush to subside.

This was gonna be the longest three days of his life…

“Does it ever bother you?”

Blinking in surprise at the sudden question, the demigod shot his companion a curious look, his eyes narrowing with slight suspicion when he saw how uncomfortable she was.

“Does what ever bother me?” He asked in a sultry tone, giving the pink haired girl one of the smiles he reserved especially for her, the one that never failed to bring a faint blush to the human’s face. Sure enough, traces of pink soon dusted the young girls face, which she quickly hid by ducking her head to shield herself with her hair.

“T-the things they say.” The human explained, fidgeting slightly. “About you. And us. They think there’s more to us then this.” The blue haired god’s smile fell away at that, knowing exactly what the girl was asking. He wasn’t blind to the fact that his brethren frowned upon the young girl’s presence in their midst, after all, and clearly they had been giving her a hard time about it recently and putting ideas into the girl’s head.

A part of him wanted to demand to know exactly what this, as she so eloquently put it, was. Maybe there really was more then this to their relationship, or maybe he privately wanted there to be more. As tempting as the thought was, the cat god pushed it aside almost immediately. Even after all these years, it was still too soon for anything like that, after all. He didn’t want to force the child into anything she wasn’t ready for.

“No.” the dark haired god said, with just enough force behind the word to show his companion that he meant it. “It doesn’t bother me. Not in the slightest.”

“It should.” the girl said quietly. “It bothers me to hear them saying things like that about you. I mean, you saved my life, and all I’ve been is a burden to you.”

“Fool!” The demigod snapped, angry for reasons he didn’t really understand himself. “If you were a burden, then I wouldn’t have let you stay here!” the girl flinched slightly at the scolding, before glaring defiantly at the immortal across from her.

“Just because you don’t see me as a burden doesn’t mean I’m not one!” She countered heatedly. “Whatever great power you thought you saw in me must have been a mistake! Name one useful thing I’ve gone in the three years I’ve been here, just one!” The cat god matched the girl’s glare with one of his own, which softened as a familiar smirk took it’s place. Almost instinctively, the girl froze up with panic, her eyes widening dramatically as her companion reached over, grabbing her by the back of her head to pull her off-balance so that she fell on top of him.

The human flushed brightly when she realized what a compromising position the two of them were in, and quickly scrambled to try and distance herself from the god she was currently lying on. He, however, would not have any of that, and stubbornly pulled her back into his chest by the grip he still had on her head.

“Wh-what are you-?”

“You’ve yelled at me whenever I do something stupid.” The god said, cutting off the question the girl was trying to stammer out. “You’ve made me laugh when nothing else could. You’ve given me something to worry about other then myself. You’ve talked to me like an equal. You’ve been concerned for my safety. You’ve trusted me, in spite of all that’s happened. You’ve given me something to look forward to when I return home. You’ve hit me whenever I deserved it. You’ve worked so hard to accomplish what you have, and you’ve made life the most interesting it’s been for me in years and years.”

Tilting the girl’s head up, the demigod met her wide eyed gaze firmly with his own cocky smirk. “That’s just ten of the many useful things you’ve done in the time you’ve been here. Don’t let me hear you belittling yourself anymore, understand?” The pink haired girl nodded mutely to her companions question, a bright blush glowing on her face as she did so. The god’s gave the response a satisfied purr. “Good girl.” A beat of silence followed this, until the human shifted awkwardly.

“W-well?” She demanded, her voice tight with emotion.

“Well what?

“You’re going to let me go now, right?” The girl stressed the last word pointedly, narrowing her eye suspiciously at the god and making the immortal grin in responce.

“Hmmm… maybe later.”

“…Pervert.”

“Sticks and stones.”

Slowing to a stop, Amu sat gracefully on the bench overlooking the beautiful pond where village children came to play, running and laughing as their nannies tried frantically to reign them in and keep them from harassing the family of swans that swam primly on the pond’s surface. The pond sat beside the village’s little schoolhouse, where young noble children were educated in the mornings, meaning most of the maids were probably waiting to retrieve their older wards as the younger ones played. The pink haired girl watched with a sad smile as the young ones shrieked in glee as they evaded their caretakers.

I wish I could be like that. Amu thought enviously to herself. Was there ever a time when she didn’t have to conform herself to the expectations of others? As a child, her tutors had always taught her to behave properly, to make her parents proud. And after her sister was born even more pressure was put on her to set a good example for young Ami, to be an upstanding young woman everyone could admire. Amu couldn’t remember ever getting the chance to play with friends, or doing something just because it was fun. Sometimes Amu felt more like a puppet or a doll then a human being, always obediently doing as she was told and going through all the motions that proper young ladies go through without ever really feeling anything. Sometimes I wonder if I even know who I am anymore… the girl thought sadly, her grip on her parasol tightening as that thought stung at her chest.

Would she ever get the chance to find herself? Probably not. She already knew how the rest of her life was going to play out; At sixteen she would be presented to society, and begin looking for a husband. After finding someone of suitable stature, She would be married and have children, who would be raised mostly by nannies and nursemaids as she preformed the duties expected of her as a wife until her dying day.

The thought alone nearly made Amu cry out in frustration.

“Nee-san! Nee-san!” jolted out of her thoughts by the familiar voice, Amu looked up just in time to see a blur of pink frills and laces collide with her knees. Banishing any more thoughts of the future, Amu smiled back softly as her little sister grinned toothily at her. “Yay! Yay! Nee-san came to pick Ami up today! Ami is so happy! Ami likes it better when Nee-san picks Ami up and not Nanny! Nanny is always so mean and stiff all the time!” Fighting back another smile at the rather accurate description of the proper woman charged with their upbringing, Amu stood up gracefully and offered her younger sister her hand, which Ami took eagerly.

“How were your lessons today, Ami?” the pink haired girl asked as she began to lead her sister back to their home. She ignored the wide eyed looks of awe her sister’s classmates gave her, since she didn’t want to think about the reasons behind them. She’d done enough thinking of that sort today, right now she had to play the role of ‘Big Sister.’

“Alright.” Ami said vaguely, making a face. “But I didn’t like etiquette classes. Music lessons were fun, though! Wanna hear the new song we learned today? It’s all the way from the East Kingdom, Nee-san!”

“Really?” Amu asked in feigned awe, watching in amusement as her sister’s face practically glowed as she loudly sang out the words of the song. Amu winced internally when she saw how much attention her sister’s singing was gartering from the others on the road. Being the center of attention always made her panic, since it put that much more pressure on her to behave in the way that was expected of her. Knowing this, Amu decided it was time for a little intervention. “Would you like to stop by the Candy Shop for some sweets before we head home, Ami?”

“Really?!” Ami asked excitedly, the singing stopping at once. “Yes, please!” Letting go of her sister’s hand, Ami raced ahead eagerly, cheering happily about candies as she dashed around the flow of traffic.

“Ami, not so fast!” Amu scolded, before sighing softly when she realized her sister couldn’t hear her. Amu began to follow the young girl when a chill of apprehension stopped her dead in her tracks.

Tensing, Amu looked around herself cautiously, examining all the faces that passed for any signs of malice, anything that could’ve triggered the strange, sudden sensation of being watched by a predator. For a moment, her eyes landed on a figure across the street at a small bistro, features masked by the hood of the dark cloak that cast shadows on the stranger’s face. Before Amu could think to get a closer look, though, the figure was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. Surprised, Amu searched the crowd for any signs of the person, finding nothing. After hesitating a moment long, Amu shook her head in dismissal and walked away in the direction her sister had gone in.

She never noticed the dark figure in the shadows of a nearby alley, watching silently as she disappeared in the crowd. The stranger seemed to consider something for a moment before turning away and heading deeper into the darkness, his cloak trailing behind him as he faded into the shadows around him, with only a stray black alley cat to bear witness to his departure.

“BakabakabakabakabakaBAKA!!!!!” Ran cried out, beating Yoru repeatedly with her tiny fists as the cat Chara tried desperately to escape her wrath. “You broke Amu-chan! Fix her! Fix her NOW!”

“Owowow!” Yoru wailed under the cheerleaders assault, looking baffled at her accusation. “Me?! I can’t fix her! I don’t even know how she broke in the first place!”

“She’s not a toy, you know.” Ikuto commented dryly as he examined the pink haired girl-turned-catgirl more closely, making her mewl curiously when he leaned in a little too close as she tilted her head to the side curiously.

He pretended not to hear when Miki scoffed and muttered ‘That’s rich, coming from him…’ under her breath.

“Is Amu-chan okay, desu?” Suu asked worriedly, flitting around Amu’s head and making the girl’s fuzzy pink ears twitch sporadically as her honey-brown eyes watched the Chara in innocent wide-eyed wonder.

“If what you told me is true, then she should be fine.” Ikuto sighed. “You just need to wait for the side-effect to wear off, and she’ll return to normal.

“How long should that take?” Miki asked.

“About two or three days.” Ikuto responded distractedly, fighting back a laugh as Amu sniffed Suu curiously.

“THREE DAYS?!” Ran wailed in horror. “We can’t wait three days for Amu-chan to be normal again! How are we supposed to take care of her when she’s like this?! She can’t even talk!”

“Mew?” Amu blinked in surprise as she stared cross-eyed at the accusing finger Ran was pointing at her nose.

“And I don’t think any of the Guardians can help, either.” Miki sighed in a depressed sort of way. “What are we gonna do? Amu-chan needs someone to help take care of her…” There was a brief pause before three sets of eyes, as one, turned to study Ikuto and Yoru with pointed looks that had Ikuto’s stomach dropping to his shoes.

“No way.” The blue haired teen said firmly. “Find someone else to do it.”

“But there is no one else!” Ran protested at once. “Besides, it’s Yoru’s fault! You need to take responsibility of your Chara!”

“Nyah?!” Yoru said indignantly at that accusation. “How was I supposed to know this was gonna happen?!” The cat squawked and ducked behind Ikuto when Ran responded to that by throwing her shoe at the blue haired Chara.

“Whether you knew or not, this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t tried to Chara Nari with Amu-chan.” Miki reminded the cat smugly as Suu retrained Ran from physically dragging Yoru back out into the open. “Come on, it’ll be easy! Amu’s parents are out of town at some convention, and her sister is staying with Amu’s cousin and his wife for the week. None of them will be back for nearly a week, and Amu’ll be better by then so no one will ever have to know!”

“Somehow, I doubt it will be as easy as you say…” Ikuto said dryly, watching Amu pointedly as she shakily walked out into the main road. Shrieking in panic, Suu and Ran quickly rushed to herd the girl back to the safety of the sidewalk.

“Urk…” Miki said in frustration. “That’s why we need your help! There’s no way the three of us can keep Amu from getting hurt when she’s like this! Come on, you’re men, right? It’s just three days, for crying out loud!” Ikuto frown, not appreciating having his masculinity questioned by a being that could fit in the palm of his hand. And judging from the indignant ‘Nyah?!’ Yoru gave from his shoulder, his Chara obviously felt the same.

“Fine.” Ikuto sighed. “But remember that you asked for our help, meaning you have to explain this to her-” Here Ikuto flicked his thumb at Amu, who was batting happily at her Charas with her hands as the two tried vainly to get her out of the road before she got hit by a car. “-when she’s better again. I don’t want to hear her shrieking about me being a pervert again…”

“Deal.” Miki agreed instantly. Turning away from the Chara, Ikuto headed purposely to where Amu stood in the middle of the road, picking her up bodily and carrying the girl back to the sidewalk as she stared up at him in surprise.

“Let’s go.” He said to the Charas, walking towards Amu’s home at a leisurely pace as the pinkette’s Charas sighed in relief and followed the teenager holding their owner.

“Meeew?” She questioned to Yoru, who was hovering next to Ikuto’s head.

“We’re gonna take you home now.” Yoru explained to the girl, who looked even more confused at his answer. “That’s the place where you live and sleep and stuff, remember?” Amu blinked in response, making Yoru sweatdrop. “Never mind, you’ll understand when we get there. All you need to know is that we’re gonna be takin’ care of you until you remember stuff again, nyah!”

“Mew meew?” Amu said, brightening considerably. Ikuto rolled his eyes at the ‘conversation’ wondering again just how hard this was going to-

All thought process in Ikuto’s mind stopped instantly when Amu nuzzled his neck with a purr. Stopping dead in his tracks, Ikuto’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as shock froze his blood cold before embarrassment and another emotion that Ikuto did not want to consider in Amu’s current condition warmed it back up again.

“Yoru.” Ikuto managed through gritted teeth. “What is she doing?”

“Thanking you for helping her.” The cat explained through a muffled laugh. Somewhere behind him, Ikuto could hear Amu’s Charas laughing as well. Perfect…

“Tell her to stop.” Ikuto said, choking slightly in shock when he felt Amu licked his neck. “NOW.” Yoru did as Ikuto told him to, laughing madly as he explained to Amu that nuzzling was not the way to say thank you to someone as Ikuto waited impatiently for his blush to subside.

This was gonna be the longest three days of his life…

“Does it ever bother you?”

Blinking in surprise at the sudden question, the demigod shot his companion a curious look, his eyes narrowing with slight suspicion when he saw how uncomfortable she was.

“Does what ever bother me?” He asked in a sultry tone, giving the pink haired girl one of the smiles he reserved especially for her, the one that never failed to bring a faint blush to the human’s face. Sure enough, traces of pink soon dusted the young girls face, which she quickly hid by ducking her head to shield herself with her hair.

“T-the things they say.” The human explained, fidgeting slightly. “About you. And us. They think there’s more to us then this.” The blue haired god’s smile fell away at that, knowing exactly what the girl was asking. He wasn’t blind to the fact that his brethren frowned upon the young girl’s presence in their midst, after all, and clearly they had been giving her a hard time about it recently and putting ideas into the girl’s head.

A part of him wanted to demand to know exactly what this, as she so eloquently put it, was. Maybe there really was more then this to their relationship, or maybe he privately wanted there to be more. As tempting as the thought was, the cat god pushed it aside almost immediately. Even after all these years, it was still too soon for anything like that, after all. He didn’t want to force the child into anything she wasn’t ready for.

“No.” the dark haired god said, with just enough force behind the word to show his companion that he meant it. “It doesn’t bother me. Not in the slightest.”

“It should.” the girl said quietly. “It bothers me to hear them saying things like that about you. I mean, you saved my life, and all I’ve been is a burden to you.”

“Fool!” The demigod snapped, angry for reasons he didn’t really understand himself. “If you were a burden, then I wouldn’t have let you stay here!” the girl flinched slightly at the scolding, before glaring defiantly at the immortal across from her.

“Just because you don’t see me as a burden doesn’t mean I’m not one!” She countered heatedly. “Whatever great power you thought you saw in me must have been a mistake! Name one useful thing I’ve gone in the three years I’ve been here, just one!” The cat god matched the girl’s glare with one of his own, which softened as a familiar smirk took it’s place. Almost instinctively, the girl froze up with panic, her eyes widening dramatically as her companion reached over, grabbing her by the back of her head to pull her off-balance so that she fell on top of him.

The human flushed brightly when she realized what a compromising position the two of them were in, and quickly scrambled to try and distance herself from the god she was currently lying on. He, however, would not have any of that, and stubbornly pulled her back into his chest by the grip he still had on her head.

“Wh-what are you-?”

“You’ve yelled at me whenever I do something stupid.” The god said, cutting off the question the girl was trying to stammer out. “You’ve made me laugh when nothing else could. You’ve given me something to worry about other then myself. You’ve talked to me like an equal. You’ve been concerned for my safety. You’ve trusted me, in spite of all that’s happened. You’ve given me something to look forward to when I return home. You’ve hit me whenever I deserved it. You’ve worked so hard to accomplish what you have, and you’ve made life the most interesting it’s been for me in years and years.”

Tilting the girl’s head up, the demigod met her wide eyed gaze firmly with his own cocky smirk. “That’s just ten of the many useful things you’ve done in the time you’ve been here. Don’t let me hear you belittling yourself anymore, understand?” The pink haired girl nodded mutely to her companions question, a bright blush glowing on her face as she did so. The god’s gave the response a satisfied purr. “Good girl.” A beat of silence followed this, until the human shifted awkwardly.

“W-well?” She demanded, her voice tight with emotion.

“Well what?

“You’re going to let me go now, right?” The girl stressed the last word pointedly, narrowing her eye suspiciously at the god and making the immortal grin in responce.

“Hmmm… maybe later.”

“…Pervert.”

“Sticks and stones.”

Slowing to a stop, Amu sat gracefully on the bench overlooking the beautiful pond where village children came to play, running and laughing as their nannies tried frantically to reign them in and keep them from harassing the family of swans that swam primly on the pond’s surface. The pond sat beside the village’s little schoolhouse, where young noble children were educated in the mornings, meaning most of the maids were probably waiting to retrieve their older wards as the younger ones played. The pink haired girl watched with a sad smile as the young ones shrieked in glee as they evaded their caretakers.

I wish I could be like that. Amu thought enviously to herself. Was there ever a time when she didn’t have to conform herself to the expectations of others? As a child, her tutors had always taught her to behave properly, to make her parents proud. And after her sister was born even more pressure was put on her to set a good example for young Ami, to be an upstanding young woman everyone could admire. Amu couldn’t remember ever getting the chance to play with friends, or doing something just because it was fun. Sometimes Amu felt more like a puppet or a doll then a human being, always obediently doing as she was told and going through all the motions that proper young ladies go through without ever really feeling anything. Sometimes I wonder if I even know who I am anymore… the girl thought sadly, her grip on her parasol tightening as that thought stung at her chest.

Would she ever get the chance to find herself? Probably not. She already knew how the rest of her life was going to play out; At sixteen she would be presented to society, and begin looking for a husband. After finding someone of suitable stature, She would be married and have children, who would be raised mostly by nannies and nursemaids as she preformed the duties expected of her as a wife until her dying day.

The thought alone nearly made Amu cry out in frustration.

“Nee-san! Nee-san!” jolted out of her thoughts by the familiar voice, Amu looked up just in time to see a blur of pink frills and laces collide with her knees. Banishing any more thoughts of the future, Amu smiled back softly as her little sister grinned toothily at her. “Yay! Yay! Nee-san came to pick Ami up today! Ami is so happy! Ami likes it better when Nee-san picks Ami up and not Nanny! Nanny is always so mean and stiff all the time!” Fighting back another smile at the rather accurate description of the proper woman charged with their upbringing, Amu stood up gracefully and offered her younger sister her hand, which Ami took eagerly.

“How were your lessons today, Ami?” the pink haired girl asked as she began to lead her sister back to their home. She ignored the wide eyed looks of awe her sister’s classmates gave her, since she didn’t want to think about the reasons behind them. She’d done enough thinking of that sort today, right now she had to play the role of ‘Big Sister.’

“Alright.” Ami said vaguely, making a face. “But I didn’t like etiquette classes. Music lessons were fun, though! Wanna hear the new song we learned today? It’s all the way from the East Kingdom, Nee-san!”

“Really?” Amu asked in feigned awe, watching in amusement as her sister’s face practically glowed as she loudly sang out the words of the song. Amu winced internally when she saw how much attention her sister’s singing was gartering from the others on the road. Being the center of attention always made her panic, since it put that much more pressure on her to behave in the way that was expected of her. Knowing this, Amu decided it was time for a little intervention. “Would you like to stop by the Candy Shop for some sweets before we head home, Ami?”

“Really?!” Ami asked excitedly, the singing stopping at once. “Yes, please!” Letting go of her sister’s hand, Ami raced ahead eagerly, cheering happily about candies as she dashed around the flow of traffic.

“Ami, not so fast!” Amu scolded, before sighing softly when she realized her sister couldn’t hear her. Amu began to follow the young girl when a chill of apprehension stopped her dead in her tracks.

Tensing, Amu looked around herself cautiously, examining all the faces that passed for any signs of malice, anything that could’ve triggered the strange, sudden sensation of being watched by a predator. For a moment, her eyes landed on a figure across the street at a small bistro, features masked by the hood of the dark cloak that cast shadows on the stranger’s face. Before Amu could think to get a closer look, though, the figure was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. Surprised, Amu searched the crowd for any signs of the person, finding nothing. After hesitating a moment long, Amu shook her head in dismissal and walked away in the direction her sister had gone in.

She never noticed the dark figure in the shadows of a nearby alley, watching silently as she disappeared in the crowd. The stranger seemed to consider something for a moment before turning away and heading deeper into the darkness, his cloak trailing behind him as he faded into the shadows around him, with only a stray black alley cat to bear witness to his departure.