Chapter 49: New Beginning of an Old Ending

"So what hotel did you have in mind?" Ikuto said as they walked home.

"What hotel…?" Amu repeated confused, as it settled in her brain. "What?! I wasn't serious I mean…you can't even..."

"Nah... Although, we should go somewhere sometime…got any plans for the summer I'm not aware of?" He shrugged it off, satisfied with her pink blushing cheeks, almost matching the color of her hair as it tousled in the winter wind.

"Uhm…well…no, I mean I should get a job but…"

"Don't worry about a job."

"Why?"

"Just let me know what you want and I'll get it." Ikuto said, as if things were easy for him now.

"I'm not going to mooch off your parents?!"

"Why do you think its always my parents…did it occur that during the year I was gone, that maybe a good-looking fellow like myself, with my musical ability came into some money?"

"…" Amu let her comment slide on the fact he sounded more like a prostitute then a musician with that statement. Although it really hadn't ever occurred to her that he had actually made his own living out looking for his dad. "…Well no I hadn't."

"Either way, I think we should go."

"What about the others?" Amu said absently.

"…well they could come. But I'd rather it just be us."

"Oh." Amu said not having realized what Ikuto was getting at. "Like just the two of us…"

"Well you spend enough time at my apartment, I didn't think the change was that drastic. I just think the city here gets a little boring. Don't you want a bit of adventure?"

"How about adventure…with a bit of relaxation?" Amu said. Honestly after all that had happened she wanted relaxation. It wasn't that she didn't want to keep the Lock, or not be a graduated Guardian still…but so far she was the only one with four chara that they'd found. She liked having the Lock…and knew it was safe with Ikuto too. But she needed a break. She still had a half a semester and finals and she just wanted peace.

"Sounds fair. So did you decide on a hotel yet?" Ikuto said with his most flirtatious smile.

"Ah…uh…ah…um…" Amu blushed, as she felt a flustered feeling in her stomach. Why did he always have to do this?!

"Hahaha! You actually thought I was serious again!" Ikuto said bumping his arm into her shoulder.

"That was mean!" Amu said crossing her arms.

"Sorry I couldn't resist. Thank Amaya for that one." Ikuto gave her a wide smirk.

Amu mumbled.

"So have you seen the tree yet?"

"Tree?"

"The downtown Christmas tree that's lit up." Ikuto raised a brow.

"Well I passed it earlier but I really didn't take a good look."

"Lets go now before we head back." Ikuto said. Amu nodded and followed. They stopped in front of the large tree in the downtown square. Amu smiled as she saw Ikuto's eyes reflect the thousands of tiny lights, and shiny bulbs.

"Seems like I'm not the only thing who likes shiny things." Amu said sheepishly.

"I just think it's nice. I used to always want a Christmas tree like this as a kid."

Amu noticed the seriousness in his gaze. "You never had one?"

"We did when I was young. After my father left, Christmas just felt less and less like a family thing. My mom took over Easter for a while, but it kept her busy. When she couldn't do it anymore when she got ill my step-dad came in and everything was business and then my sisters' career only helped him so. My father's debt he put us in before he left. I never knew he did in his attempts to keep us hidden from …well them. I kinda think now my mom was sick…because she was lonely. I never saw her happier since he's returned. "

She wondered how much Ikuto might hate Kage's family for that. "I never knew. I mean I knew you struggled. I saw that. I just didn't understand the fullest extent of it...I mean I though I did…but I guess I always had a family to spend time with. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's better now. Plus I get to spend time with you, which is fun." He shrugged.

"Fun?"

"You're like a different kind of family I guess."

"Well I should be more than a friend."

"But not exactly that family… A good in between."

Amu liked the sounds of it, but she couldn't help but wonder why his face had gotten so serious.

"Here." He took out a small box from his jacket.

Amu looked at the box. A gift? But she'd left hers back at the house. And, it was only Christmas eve. And…a box this small? What if he'd gotten her something expensive and…

"Open it." He said looking away.

She opened it. Inside was a ring with a garnet stone on it and two smaller diamond stones.

"It's not a Ruby I promise. Also didn't steal it."

"What-" She looked at it.

"Well I just thought you'd like something nice. I mean red is kind of your color but the ruby was out of the question, and…" He trailed off.

"A ring?" She asked.

"Well it's nothing really. I just thought you'd like it."

"I do." She put it on. She moved it side to side.

"Told you, you like sparkly things." Ikuto teased.

"Shush." Amu said tossing her head up to look at him. "You didn't need to do this. I don't' need this stuff to be happy."

"I have nothing else to do and I wanted to, so Merry Christmas. Want to head back?"

"Mhm." She nodded.

The moment she got back she went into her bag and pulled out a gift.

Ikuto was already back in his room trying to unbutton his shirt with one hand; he'd only managed halfway when Amu entered.

"Look, I guess since we're not really giving gifts tomorrow I figured…"

She held out the box.

Ikuto smiled at it and took it. He managed to unwrap it with ease and opened it up. He took out the gift.

"It's a recording device. I figured that you could record your music and maybe publish it or something. Or if you're practicing…people like your violin playing so…"

"It's great. I just don't think I'll be playing the violin for a while…"

"Why?" Amu said, and then noticed his' motion of trouble for taking his shirt off over his cast on his arm and shoulder. "Oh…" She dropped her head. How stupid could she have been?

Ikuto chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'm only worried about having to be clothed for the rest of my life…"

"It won't be on forever." Amu said.

"Well until then…wouldn't that be a tragedy?" Ikuto smirked.

"Wouldn't what be a tragedy?"

"Me being clothed all the time."

Amu looked away as her face turned red. "Do you need help?"

"No, I'll get it." Ikuto said. He hated having to rely on someone too much. He'd feel like a child if Amu had to take it off for him.

He managed to get it halfway off when he fell backwards on his bed.

"Ikuto?" Amu got up and walked over. She leaned over him wondering what he'd been doing when-

"Uhmph!" He pulled her down.

"I should have seen that coming." She said. For how many times he seems to pull her down with him…

"Surprise." Ikuto said with a cocky, lopsided smirk.

"What's wrong? Couldn't undress yourself?"

"Why do you want to do it?" Ikuto said suggestively.

"…ahem…only if you need me to."

"It'd help." Ikuto admitted. If he was going to go down for not being able to take off his shirt…

"Well then sit up." Amu said, wondering why this felt awkward. She'd never really taken off Ikuto's clothes before. She helped him take off the shirt, and when she did she saw the bruises and scratches left from their battle on his back. His spine still had a dark purple bruise.

"How do you even walk around like this? Doesn't it hurt?" She bit her lip.

"You have bruises too."

"I do but…" She had a few bad ones on her elbows, knees and her own back but nothing like that.

"You have that burn mark on your chest. I have a bruise on my back." I'd say we're even.

"I didn't break anything."

"You…" Ikuto trailed off. "You had things happen that I should have stopped. That burn…"

Amu wondered how much Ikuto blamed on himself. Her burn was still singed…but the X-mark hadn't even shown up as a whole... just a few lines of scars. "You couldn't do anything about it…Kage was…well he wasn't Kage…he was Cracked Kage…I don't…" She wanted to finish she sentence, but the feeling of his forced lips; his hand burning that feeling into her chest gave her a hollow feeling she disliked to recall.

"I saw you. That room was like an interrogation room from my step-father's endeavors. I saw the whole damn thing. Ruby did it to make me suffer. She didn't think I'd actually make it in there. Kage … I get he's…well he could be different now. They're humans, but we…we can all become monsters. I can't forgive him for that, but he has his mark now on you…me? Well I just was careless enough to let you-" He cut himself off.

Amu sighed. Ever since they'd become girlfriend and boyfriend Ikuto had taken on the task of taking responsibility for her even more so than ever. Most of the time this meant saving, or watching out for her when danger approached but honestly…she appreciated it…but she hated seeing him torment over it.

Then again, she'd tormented with the idea of having to support all of the Guardians considering her role as Humpty Lock keeper. Was it bad that she didn't blame herself for his injuries…when really he'd been looking out for her? It was her faut…wasn't it?

She absentmindedly traced her fingers over his bruises.

Ikuto sat slouched, his feet over the side of the bed, moved his back straight at her touch.

"I think…that for a while. Or maybe always…we'll keep giving each other these bruises, as long as we keep trying to protect each other or put ourselves in danger." She said, her fists by her side now, sitting behind him on the bed.

Ikuto turned to her with a wide-eyed look.

"What?"

"That was terribly insightful Amu."

"Well…it is true." Amu said looking away.

"Well I don't mind it so much. Bruises will fade. Arms will heal." He shrugged.

"Just don't run off."

"Why do you always say that?" Ikuto asked, raising a brow.

"…well….because you've done it before. I mean you stayed…but your father did it and-" She held her breath. Did she say too much? Her father didn't really run but…leaving…leaving just didn't seem like the answer.

"I'm not my father." He said, not defensively as much as securely.

"…but if you were protecting me then…"

"If something happens we'll fight it first. If I leave, just go running to Tadase or something."

"He has Yasuko! That's not fair…" Amu said. "I don't want to have to run to Tadase anyway…"

"Wow, can you record this for me? I'd love to show this to him." Ikuto smirked.

Amu shoved him lightly on his arm and he fell onto the bed, on his side, not resisting her push.

"If you did…I'd go after you."

Ikuto's eyebrows raised.

"You did it for your father…so if you were an idiot and left I'd drag your ass back." Amu said.

"That's why I love you." Ikuto pulled her down beside him and bit playfully on her ear as he always did as a foreplay tease.

Amu recalled that feeling the first time he'd done that to her when she was completely off guard. Somehow he always surprised her, even though she could have probably predicted every ear-bite, pull-down, bed-sneak in that had ever occurred if she really tried.

Ikuto tried to move over her, but is arm failed him in its confinement cast.

He groaned. And laid back onto the bed, his hair tousled, his arm against his lean muscular chest, and his eyes drooping somewhere between unimpressed, and seductive.

Amu wasn't used to seeing him so helpless. She smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing…" She sang out, as she leaned down and decided it was her turn to try to take control. She kissed him on his cheek. "You just look so helpless…like a poor helpless kitten…"

"Me? Helpless?" He raised a brow. "…Never…I just need some of your body heat again."

Amu tried to hide her blush. It's not like she was some kind of human sauna. Before she could protest he moved his own mouth against hers and locked her, by grabbing the back of her head with his good hand, into a fiery kiss.

Next thing she knew she was over him, in only her bra and underwear, and she hadn't the faintest clue how he'd managed to get them off of her.

"Did I…"

"Well I'll give you some credit, but I'm quite ambidextrous." He said with his cool gaze.

"And then what help did you need for your own shirt?" She repeated wondering how much of this game he'd already planned.

"I'm just returning the favor." Ikuto's smirked creeped onto his face, as Amu's face went a little stunned.

"Well doesn't your back hurt."

"Nah, my bed's quite comfy." He arched up and met her face. "Plus…It's no Hotel…but I think here could do just fine…"

Amu wanted to resist. Amu always felt irked a little by his ability to flirt seamlessly and draw her into those deep blue cat-like eyes. The streetlight outside was all that lit the room and he did look dangerously feline.

"Just don't hurt yourself anymore than you have to."

"Was that a challenge?"

He saw her face go red, even in the dull lighting. "Im serious." She mumbled.

"I never miss seeing that serious look." He said teasingly as his lips met hers again, and his hand crept his way up to her bra. She felt her lips moan a small breath at his touch.

She relaxed a little and put more pressure onto his body, and his lack of persistence was made up for by a grinding motion as his working hand pulled her in closer.

She thought it would be strange on top looking down on him, but the dark night masked the room in a cool atmosphere. Her hands went through his hair instinctively. Soft like fur. Always. He got ready.

His hand moved farther down and she started to feel something in her core. She heaved heavier breaths as Ikuto's …hand….was surprisingly useful on its own.

"Amu." His eyes caught hers in another cat like-entrancing stare. She met his stare and continued with a kiss.

Ikuto felt himself getting bigger. He tried to position himself as best as he could.

Amu wondered how much more complicated things would get, only for a moment, before she felt Ikuto guide her hips down onto him.

She rolled her head back restraining her self from a loud moan. She caught herself, his hands on his chest, his bare skin against hers as his thrusts moved with her grinds.

"Ik…Ikuto…" She moaned. She felt so primal with him. A year or two ago she would have thought she would do something like this, but with Ikuto she knew it was right. Maybe it was the fact that she'd ended up being the Guardian of the Humpty Lock, and he'd ended up the King of the Dumpty Key had meant that it was…well meant to be?

His own head arched back as his thrusts increased.

It wouldn't be long.

She felt herself heating up. The sensation, right be fore the tremble.

"Ahh." She said as she reached the top.

He met her not more than a moment after.

She fell beside him with a small bounce of the bed.

"Merry Christmas." He said as he took her into a strong embrace, wrapping his arm around her, his face pressed softly against hers. She always noticed how he held her so tightly she could barely move if she wanted to, but still curled up against her like a big cat. She was happy though, like this. She looked to the clock by his bed, for once not protesting that he'd trapped her in his arm-. It was 12:00.

Soon it would be a new year. A new start, hopefully for not just the graduated Guardians, but a few other people who needed a good new start too.

SO I'm thinking that that summer vacay might be a good point to start a new fan-fic of. Answer all the unanswered questions ~ a little less fight a little more fun & casual story line….but still some fight…what is Shugo Chara without a bit of fight?

Anyway I hope readers enjoyed this story, I'll be starting the next (and probably final) one soon. Probs give a nice pre-view/title reveal on this one's last chapter if ppl are interested in it! Thanks xx0xx!