Below The Surface (A Shugo Chara Fanfic)

Chapter 10

"What happened?!" yells Amu. Kairi looks at the path in confusion, anger, and sorrow. Yaya looks at him sadly. He missed her explanation, as he had rushed out after Mariana only moments after she left.
Kairi saw her slow down for that moment, and knew she heard him coming. When he called out to her, she ran away. Kairi stopped in his tracks, too confused and hurt that she wouldn't even acknowledge him. Musashi looks to the other Guardians and explains what just happened. They all look shocked.
"Why would she run away?" wonders Rima out loud.
"More importantly, where did she run to?" questions Tadase. What did Yaya say to her? Yaya wouldn't say anything cruel or hurtful... right? Finally coming out of his stupor, Kairi looks at the ground, his eyes closed.
"What did you say to her?" asks Kairi quietly. Yaya looks at him, slight fear in her eyes. Not wanting to tell Kairi what she told Mariana. Luckily Amu steps in.
"Yaya said nothing wrong. Mari-chan rushing off was because of her own reasoning, not Yaya," she speaks up.
"That still doesn't tell me what she said to Mariana-chan," states Kairi. They all stiffen.
"It doesn't matter right now. We need to find her before she gets herself lost," says Rima. Kairi looks at her slowly, comprehending what she's saying.
"You're right, there's no way she knows her way around the school yet! She's only been her for a week!" exclaims Amu. Everyone seems to realize just how little that is and nods. They decide to split up. Tadase and Amu to the west, Yaya and Rima to the east, and Kairi to the north. So they split, each rushing off into their areas, calling for Mariana, hoping she's okay.
Ikuto happens to be up in a tree when he hears Amu and Tadase talking.
"Where could she have gone?" wonders Amu.
"Was she even paying attention to her surroundings?" Questions Tadase. They exchange worried glances.
"Where do people go when they're lost or confused?" asks Su. All the Guardians scatter within view of each other.
"Mariana-san!"
"Mari-chan!" they call. Ikuto sits up straight. Mariana left? He positions into a crouch and looks at Yoru. The little chara nods with a grim expression. Ikuto hears the pop and uses his cat-like abilities to travel unseen. They travel around the grounds, keeping out of sight, until something reaches his ears. The sound of a harp and singing reach out to him and he turns in that direction.
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We found out that I can make my harp larger if I want to, it just took the right thinking. I run my fingers along the strings. Tia and I sang the one thing that couldn't change. Our lullaby. As we sing the last few notes, I blink to clear tears out of my eyes.
I feel much better. Although I wouldn't change anything in my life now, I'm just not ready for the attention of a relationship yet. As much as I enjoy spending time with Kairi, I don't like him that way. I wonder if he actually feels that way for me, or if Yaya is just jumping to conclusions. I sigh loudly.
"Why are you sighing? There's no need for a pretty girl to be sad. Especially dressed like that," says a familiar voice. I look up in surprise to see a smirking Ikuto. He's in character change, since he's standing on the railing by the machine, cat ears and tail in broad daylight. Realizing he's talking about my outfit, I blush furiously and look down. Light emanates from me as we change back. Tia swims in front of me, the harp gone.
"Ikuto, Yoru, why are you here?" she asks calmly. I never tire of her very melodic and soft voice. Ikuto hops down from the railing and walks over. His cat features shimmer and fade away. Yoru looks at Tia's tail dreamily for a moment, but then focuses again. I would smile if I weren't so embarrassed.
"It's simple," Ikuto says in his deep voice. "We overheard that Mariana-san disappeared and the Guardians are looking for her. We decided to find her first. Your singing lead us here."
My eyes widen a fraction and my blush deepens. My hair falls into my face and I clench onto my skirt. Ikuto calmly puts his hands in his pockets. With minimal sound, he walks wordlessly until he stands before me. I stare at his black shoes, not wanting to look up. I see him pull a hand out of his pocket before holding my chin lightly. He lifts my face so that I look at him. His face is only a mere foot away from mine, violet eyes looking into my aqua ones. His expression is blank, but his violet eyes betray him showing small amounts of concern and care.
"Tell me, Mariana. What happened?" he asks quietly. I stare into his eyes, not knowing if I should tell him. I look to the side to think, slightly biting my lip in thought. He moves his thumb slightly so as to release my lip. I look back at him in surprise.
"It's alright. Who would I tell?" he asks in a reassuring voice. I sigh and look down, his slender fingers slipping from my chin. I fiddle with my skirt, straightening it out.
"I suppose. Well... as it turns out, a friend likes me," I start. I look at him through my lashes and his expression is blank. He walks over to the seat beside me, silently he sits down, legs crossed and attention on me.
"The problem is... I don't think I'm ready for a relationship, or that I even like them that way. Except, maybe I do, but I don't think I do. Things just feel complicated," I explain slowly. He uncrossed his legs and looks at the stars that are projected onto the ceiling. He just stares in thought and I observe him. He's lean, very tall, but you can tell he still has some muscle. I think I'm around chest height on him. His dark blue hair falls into his eyes so as not to hide them, but not too prominent either.
His deep violet eyes hold a slight sad, distant look that never seems to leave. He isn't gaunt, but he isn't chubby or baby faced either. His cheekbones show and cause him to have a slight narrow face. He leans forward, resting his arms on his legs, and I jump. He looks at me, his eyes looking through me.
"I was once in a situation like that, and a few others. Things always feel complicated," he leans back in his chair, crossing his legs and putting his hands behind his head, "but you'll live."
I blink at his casualness and smile a little. He closes his eyes and Yoru floats over.
"You don't happen to have any food right? preferably fish, Nya," he says, eyeing Tia's tail. Ikuto doesn't even open his eyes.
"Yoru," he warns. Yoru's ears flatten a little. I smile full on and laugh lightly. He looks at me questioningly as I reach into my bag. I pull out a chocolate bar and break a piece off. He sighs happily and takes it in his paws. He immediately starts to nibble on it and I look at Ikuto. His eyes are open and his head's slightly turned to look at me. I feel a blush creeping up on me and push it away. I break a piece off for Tia before breaking the rest in half. I put my hand out, letting Ikuto choose a piece. He eyes them and takes both.
I chuckle to myself, unbothered by his ways, and pull out another one. Yoru finishes his piece and I break one more off for him. I look at Tia in silent question, she shrugs and I set a piece aside for her. I take the rest and bite into it. Some things just can't beat chocolate. We sit there, silently eating chocolate. Nothing wrong, or confusing, just a comfortable silence. I start to wonder if I should follow Kairi's advice, but Ikuto isn't bad. As far as I know, he just keeps to himself. He finishes his chocolate and silently reaches over and breaks a piece off mine.
"Hey," I say in surprise. He smirks.
"Hay is for horses," he responds before popping the chocolate in his mouth. I look at him in surprise for a moment before smiling and eating the rest of the candy bar. I tuck the wrappers into my bag before just sitting back in the chair. Ikuto is slouched in his seat, legs extended, hands behind his head, and eyes closed. I look at Yoru and see chocolate on his face. I smile and grab a tissue from my bag.
I hand it to him and motion to where the chocolate is. He nods and rubs the tissue on that spot. He looks back at me with a smile and I nod. He moves to a different section of the tissue and rubs it on his face gently. I laugh quietly as he closes his eyes happily. I look up at the starry ceiling, just forgetting for once. Everything is normal. It doesn't last forever though.
"Mariana-chan! Tia-san!"
Kairi. I look at Ikuto and see his eyes open and looking at the door. He's just waiting for the inevitable. I stand up and grab my things. I don't want to cause any more trouble, especially not between these two. Ikuto looks at me in surprise as I wave a goodbye. I turn to leave, but a hand wraps around mine. I look to see Ikuto's left hand around mine. He pulls me over a little and I let him. I hear Kairi calling from outside and look at the door. Ikuto stands up and I realize I made a good guess.
I reach about his chest height. He switches his left for his right hand and pulls me closer. I just look at him in surprise. With one final pull, I almost trip and end up against him. His right hand holds my smaller left hand. He interlocks our fingers and they fit perfectly. My other hand is up by his collarbone from my attempt to not take huge impact. His other hand is on my side. I blush furiously and Tia looks in surprise. He moves our interlocked hands to our sides and moves his face closer to mine. His cheek brushes against mine as he whispers into my ear.
"I'm still telling you about myself on Saturday," he whispers in his deep voice. I don't even breathe. I just stand there, blushing like crazy. I hear Kairi call my name again and Ikuto moves back. He unlocks our hands but still holds mine until the last moment. I immediately try to tame the blush on my cheeks and he smiles softly. His ears and tail show up with a shimmer and he goes off somewhere in the building. I blink a few times and shake my head. I look at Tia and she nods. With a deep breathe, I walk outside again.
"Mariana-chan!"
"Kairi!" I call in reply. I walk out the gate and see him turn in my direction. Relief floods his face at the sight of me. It's only him and Musashi.
"Where are the others?" I ask. He looks at me in surprise.
"Looking for you. We didn't know where you went and thought you were lost," he explains. "More importantly, are you ok? You ran off when we called you."
I can hear the sadness and see the concern flood his deep blue eyes. I start to feel guilty. I look down at the ground sadly.
"I'm fine. I just needed time to think by myself," he doesn't say anything. probably still doubting that I'm okay.
"What I did and how I reacted were irrational. I should have stayed and talked it out," I apologize. He sighs and turns to Musashi.
"Can you go let the others know that we found her and that she's okay?" he asks poiltely. Musashi nods before floating off. Kairi turns back to me.
What did Yaya even say to you?" he asks. I realize they didn't tell him, and I don't want to do it. I rack my brain for something. Anything.
"It... Wasn't that important. I can't even remember what she said, but it just brought back a few memories."
Remembrance flashes through his eyes and sadness shows shortly afterwards. I don't really want his sadness right now, so I try to lighten the mood.
"Did you know about the planetarium here? I accidentally switched it on and it's beautiful," I smile. Kairi seems to realize what I'm doing and smiles. So we start chatting about the planetarium and work our way back to the gardens. We get there with just enough time for Kairi to get his things, me to apologize, and head to class. We pass by Madoro and he smiles at us. I smile back before cowering in on myself from all the people.
As class goes by I sometimes catch Kairi giving me concerned looks. I start to feel uncomfortable and look down at my table. The next time I catch him, I raise an eyebrow in silent question. A slight blush rises to his cheeks before he pushes it away. Looking back to the front he stops and I silently breathe out in relief. Class flies by and soon we're on our way to the gardens again.
I look down in thought the entire walk. I finally stop when I bump into something, I don't even have time to react before a hands around my waist. I bumped into Kairi, again, and he caught me... again. I blush lightly and look anywhere but him. He notices my discomfort and makes sure I'm standing before removing his hand. I realize we're at the Royal Gardens. Kairi opens the door and motions that I go first. I nod a thanks and walk ahead.
"Ohio Mari-chan! Kairi-kun!" yells Yaya from the table. I give her a small smile and a wave before going up the steps. Tia goes to the pond and dips her tail in the water. She smiles happily and picks up her brush. I sit down and look at the table in thought. When a piece of paper is put in front of me, I fill it out without too much thinking. I look up and hand it to Tadase to look over like usual, but everyone's looking at me in silent question. Tadase takes the paper and looks over it quickly before looking at me one more time.
"Mariana-san, are you sure you're okay?" he asks gently. I nod and force a half smile to my face.
"Why do you ask?" I question. Tadase and Amu share a look.
"Well, you wouldn't respond to our questions, and you ran off earlier today..." Amu trails off, not sure if she needs to continue. I plaster a smile on my face.
"I'm fine, really. I've just been thinking about my old life," I assure them. It's not really a lie, but it's not the whole truth either. They give me skeptical looks and I finally look to Kairi. His deep blue eyes look at me and he nods, knowing my past. Rima looks at me with understanding before nodding. Yaya looks between the two of us before giving in and nodding at me. I turn Tadase and Amu, silently pleading that they accept my answer. Tadase nods with a small smile, but Amu looks at me with a slightly distant look. I can see her inner battle at work, but even she gives in. No one bothers me for the rest of the meeting as we do our paperwork.
Yaya is first one out the door after the meeting and I can't help but laugh to myself. She walks back in a few moments later and grabs her bag from her spot before running back outside. This sends me into full on laughter and even Rima smiles. We all walk to the front of the school grounds before saying our goodbyes. Amu and Tadase walk off together as Yaya rushes home. Rima waves a goodbye from her parents car. I wave goodbye before realizing that it's just me and Kairi.
"Mariana-chan, would you like some company for the walk?" he asks nicely. I don't answer right away. I try not to think too long and decide that I won't accomplish anything avoiding him. I turn to look at him with a smile and nod. He smiles and we start to walk. We slip into silence within moments. Eventually he sighs quietly.
"What did Yaya say to you Mariana-chan? It's been bothering you all day," he says sadly. I slow to a stop and look to him. His sad, blue eyes lock onto mine as he waits for an answer. I look back sadly. I don't want to lie, but I'm scared of what he'll say if I tell him. I avert my gaze and cower in in myself. I have to make up my mind.
"She said... that..." I start. I don't know what to do. I look at Tia pleadingly and she nods. I hear the pop and stand up straight, looking Kairi in the eyes.
"Yaya told us about that boy. When she relayed how he was acting during their classes, it struck a chord and my memory's flooded my mind," I explain calmly. I have to say, not that bad an explanation. I hear the pop and look to Tia in thanks. Kairi just looks at me and I fidget with a piece of thread on my skirt. He smiles softly at me and puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Mariana... you don't need to be sad anymore. Your past is your past, but things are different. I will be here for you," he says quietly. I look at him with wide eyes.
"Kairi..." I say under my breath. Slight fear comes to me, but looking at Kairi, I realize something important. I can trust Kairi. He has been here for me and won't dishonor my trust. Even if he does like me, I can't complain about what a great friend he is.
My fear gets replaced by happiness and care. I smile genuinely at him. Without warning, I step forward and put my arms around him. He doesn't hesitate to put his arms around my back. Within his comforting embrace, I can feel all the worry we've both been feeling disappear. I lean my head on his shoulder, not caring who sees. With a deep breath I break off the embrace. I smile at Kairi, looking right into his blue eyes.
"We should get going, momma's going to assume the worst if I'm not home in time," I say. He nods and we turn to continue our walk. This time we talk about anything and everything. Yaya's hatred for work, the upcoming soccer game, whether it's called football or soccer. It's an enjoyable conversation and ends shortly within sight of my house. Me and Tia wave goodbye to Kairi and Musashi from the front door before they turn and walk away. I open the door and my mother scurries out, a smile on her face. I roll my eyes at her and the excitement radiating off of her.
"Really momma. He's my friend, what do you want me to say?" I asked. Her smile changed, it was still happy, but less excitement.
"Oh Mariana... I suppose I have to be patient then, don't I?" she sighs happily. I look at her in confusion. Before I can ask her what she means, she goes back into the kitchen. I sigh and shake my head. Tia chuckles and starts for the stairs, I follow after taking off my shoes. I look around my room from the doorway.
My bed is a single against the middle of the left wall. The duvet cover and pillows are a matching set. Blue with a type of water Lilly on the ends of it. A chest sits against the end of my bed. Its some light colored wood with a slightly curved lid. Beside my bed is a white table with a little drawer and an area to store things. I have books in the open space and on top of it sits a light blue lamp and a digital clock. The far wall is glass and leads onto the balcony.
On the right wall is my desk, it's the same color wood as the chest. On top sits the basket where I put Tia's egg at night. I also have a small file cabinet for my music sheets on the corner. On the ground beside it are two bulky black cases. They're not that big though, just bulky. The larger one holds my flute and the smaller my piccolo. Beside me on the left is a small closet with a full length mirror beside it. On the left wall is a doorway that leads into my personal bathroom. I have the obvious along with a glass shower. The glass is made in a way that you can only see the outline of a person when inside. I look at my bland cream walls and lean against the doorway.
"Hey Tia, what do you think of painting the walls an ocean blue?" I ask. Tia observes the room and smiles.
"I think it would look lovely," she says. I smile and look at her. She's looking at the ocean as the blue sky becomes streaked with orange, pink, and yellow. The colors aren't prominent like some would think. They are soft and natural like pastel. I walk out to the balcony and uncover my harp. It's in near perfect condition still. Sitting on the stool, Tia swims over and we look at the setting sun.
As the last rays disappear I smile and turn to my harp. I wait a few moments before playing our usual greeting. I wait a few seconds. Usually he responds the first time. As I'm about to play them again, he plays the notes. I put my hands down for the moment and wait. He has the choice of song today, I'm not up for picking one. He only takes a minute to think of one.
He starts to play a slow song. I realize it's an old classic that you would suspect for ballet. He starts to play the first verse again and I play along a little hesitantly. It's been a long time since I've played this one, but I think of how lucky it is our taste is the same. I smile and run my fingers along the strings in bliss. His violin reaches for the high notes no problem. My harp remains on the same key the whole song, but I don't even care.
The sound twirls and drifts through the air in a graceful dance, luring the tired people into a peaceful sleep. Lights flick off one after another and I smile to myself. As the song reaches the end, his violin plays a very delicate, but complicated, string of notes and ends with a special softness to it. I sigh happily and look to Tia who's lounging on the railing in bliss.
I put the cover on my harp and smile to the figure in the park. He doesn't lower the bow from the strings, instead he just stands there in wait. I nod and he takes only seconds to play our lullaby. Smiling, me and Tia walk back inside. She closes her egg and I whisper a goodnight to her as I get ready. Laying down in exhaustion, I let the music carry me into my dreams.
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Kairi enters the apartment and takes off his shoes. Walking with Mariana didn't exactly lead away from the city, but it was a longer route. He sighs and walks into the kitchen, Musashi close behind. After some searching, he finds some chicken pot pies and preheats the oven. He takes them out of their boxes and places tinfoil around the edges of the crust so it doesn't burn. When he's satisfied, he puts them in the oven.
He sets a timer and walks out to the spare bedroom he's borrowing. His sister won't be home for another hour, just the right amount of time for the pies to cook. He lies on the bed and puts his hands behind his head in thought. Staring up at the ceiling he thinks of today. What did Yaya say to Mariana? Was it even from what she said, or did it just push her over the edge? Musashi floats over to the desk beside the bed and looks at Kairi.
"Something troubles you," he says it more than asks, but Kairi nods anyways. Without looking at him, Kairi starts to explain.
"She was fine until Yaya-san talked to her. After that, Mariana-chan ran off. Even when she said she was okay you could see the worry in her aqua eyes. She was distant all day until I talked to her, but what bothers me isn't just that she pulled back. She seemed to avoid contact with me. What did Yaya-san tell her?" he wonders out loud. Musashi closes his eyes and tilts his head down in thought.
"I don't think we are going to find out any time soon. Everyone seems bent on keeping it a secret, but Mariana-San didn't lie about remembering her past," Musashi states. Kairi finally tears his gaze from the ceiling and looks to Musashi. The chara crosses his arms and continues.
"The only catch is that it wasn't the whole truth," he finishes. Kairi sits up and thinks. Determination shines in his blue eyes as he tries to put the pieces together. He's a smart guy, he should be able to do this. She ran off, avoided him in her own way, something to do with her past. Did Yaya really say anything about Madoro? His head was telling him that it's a possibility, but he had a feeling that she just said it to get him off her case.
None of it seems to fit right. There's too many pieces missing. He sighs and gets up. He changes out of his uniform before walking to the balcony. The lights of the city flashed and glowed in the dark night. The signs reflect off his glasses with their neon yellows and pinks. His mind wanders to the weekend. He actually enjoyed the time, and spending it with Mariana.
He looks at the cars and people with a sad smile. Mariana is different, not just because of her chara. He doesn't know what to think of her, but when they're together he can relax an forget about his troubles. If anything happened to her... Kairi blinks and shakes his head, clearing the thoughts from his head. If something happened to her, it would be no different than if something happened to Tadase or Rima. She is his friend, so why do things feel different?
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"Mariana! Wake up!" cries my mother. I open my eyes and look at my clock. It's an hour before I need to get up. Momma appears in my doorway and I look at her in silent question.
"The car broke down, I can't drive you to school today," she explains sadly. I snap awake and gasp. If I want to make the meeting, I have to walk. I jump out of bed and rush into my bathroom. I quickly poke my head out the bathroom door.
"Thank you momma!" I yell. She smiles in amusement at my sudden awareness. I close the door and start a very fast shower. I have probably never taken a faster shower in my life. I blow dry my turquoise hair and dress in the uniform, including my red plaid cape. I brush my hair and teeth as fast as I can without doing damage. I strap the bag around my waist before carefully moving a sleeping Tia and egg into it. I grab my things and rush downstairs. Momma hands me a waffle and I smile appreciatively before taking it.
"Thank again momma, I'll see you when I get home!" I call back. With that, I close the front door and start to walk. The sun is only just starting to rise. The golden rays glow on the street and light the way for me. I find myself slowing down just a little to enjoy the warm feeling of the sun in the chilly morning. Frost lightly covers the grass and I can see it melt as I get closer to the school. I feel my bag move and know Tia's awake. She swims out and sits on my shoulder, wiping sleep from her eyes. She blinks and notices out surroundings.
"Why are you walking?" she asks quietly. I smile.
"Good morning to you too sleepy head. Momma says the car broke down and I decided to walk to school," I explain. She thinks for a moment.
"I see, and good morning," she says nicely. I chuckle quietly and continue walking. The sun is officially up and the golden glow of the sunrise fades away. I walk up to the school grounds and sigh in relief. A car pulls up behind me and I look to see Rima get out. I smile at her and she gives me a half smile.
"Morning Rima, sleep well?" I ask kindly. She holds back a yawn.
"Ohio Mariana-san, and a little too well actually," she jokes. I chuckle and we both walk to the gardens. When we reach the table I find we're the lat ones.
"Ah, right on time," says Kairi. I smile and take my seat next to him as Rima takes hers.
"Ohio Mariana-San, Rima-san," greets Tadase. I wave with a smile and Rima just nods.
Now that everyone is here, I have news," says Tadase. I feel myself get curious.
"What news? What's going on? What's happening?" rushes Yaya excitedly. KusuKusu snickers in her cute little way and I chuckle quietly. Tadase smiles and continues.
"At lunch today, the Guardians will have a visitor to the Royal Gardens," announces Tadase. I blink in surprise. A visitor? I wonder who. Yaya's leaning on the table, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Who knows what she has going on in her mind. I look back at Amu and see some curiosity in her eyes as well. I start to think about who could be visiting but get interrupted when a stack of papers is put in the center.
"In that case, we better start these papers so we're not behind by the evening," Kairi says in a business like voice. I sigh and Yaya whines in displeasure. After quickly dismissing Yaya, she quiets.
"Yes chairman," me, Amu and Yaya say in unison. Tadase smiles and laughs quietly at us.
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This chapter is dedicated to my friend Sora for all the comments on each and every chapter ;) thank you very much and I'm glad to have reached double digits in this story ^-^
Word count: 5, 191 words