Below The Surface (A Shugo Chara Fanfic)

1000

"I u-uh, I-I mean," she stutters. Her aqua eyes are as wide as saucers as he holds her arm. Anger courses through Ikuto's veins, hand in hand with sorrow and self hatred. He looks into her eyes and his breath catches. Her eyes are full of fear. He becomes aware of everything and comes back to his senses. First is that he's hurting her.
He instantly lets go of her arm and steps back. He notices her legs shaking slightly, unsteady. They buckle and she falls to her knees. Her Guardian Chara, Tia, moves off her shoulder and swims to in front of her. Concern is clear on her face as she tries to comfort her.
"Mariana," Ikuto whispers. His legs give out and he falls to his knees in front of her. She flinches at the sudden movement, but doesn't move away. He sits with his hands on the ground in front of him, head bowed in sorrow. Silence overtakes them and Yoru floats to Ikuto's side.
"Nikaidou," says Mariana quietly. He looks up in confusion. Tia looks at her in silent question and Mariana is looking out at the field.
"He tripped and bumped my shoulder," she continues. Ikuto and Yoru just stare at her in silent question as confusion blossoms in their minds. Mariana turns to face him with a gentle expression. He feels his heart beat in his chest as her turquoise hair falls into her eyes. The kindness that shines through her makes him feel as if breathing a single breathe could ruin it.
"In consequence, I landed on my wrist and twisted it," Mariana finishes softly. Her voice is rose petal soft, but holds so much more. He finds himself staring in complete bewilderment, trying to figure out how to describe her voice. Mariana's aqua green eyes meet his and they just look at each other. Her eyes widen a fraction as a blush colors her cheeks. Ikuto can't help but smirk when she looks at her hands.
He takes a moment to study Tia, trying to figure out what her dream is. Obviously it's based around the water, but why would her Guardian Chara be a mermaid? Tia flicks out her tail once before looking at him quizzically. Ikuto smirks at her before standing up.
Mariana looks up at him and he puts one hand in his pocket out I habit. He extends his other hand to Mariana, who looks slightly surprised, but happy. She smiles kindly and takes his hand. Even though her hand is smaller, it fits perfectly with Ikuto's. He pulls her up with a quick, but gentle, tug.
He discovers just how light she is as she stands, only to have been pulled a little too far and falling against him. Ikuto and Yoru both widen their eyes in surprise. Ikuto can see Yoru thinking out of the corner of his eye. Mariana opens her eyes and looks to see what she landed against. She looks up into his violet eyes and her cheeks go beet red.
Their hands are still together, Ikuto holding up Mariana's. Her right hand rest just below his collar bone, by the shoulder. Ikuto's left hand is on the side of her shoulder in attempt to steady her. Their faces are only inches apart, bodies flush against one another. Ikuto examines her round eyes, her nose, mouth, just everything about her face. He barely registers that he's moving closer to her, but doesn't know how he can stop himself.
"Ikuto!" yells a voice. He freezes as his mind clears. They both blink a few times, realization crossing their faces. Mariana blushes and worry dances within her eyes as she leans back. Ikuto doesn't let her go, but he does look to the voice. Amu, Tadase, Kairi, Yaya, Rima, Su, and Mikki all show up behind the X-egg. Tadase instantly responds.
"Yaya! Rima! Go! We'll finish with the egg!" he orders. Ikuto mentally smirks at the ruffle covered outfit for Tadase's transformation. Amu is in a transformation with the pink chara, Ran. The cheerleading outfit makes him smirk. Kairi isn't very well known to him, but his transformation as Samurai Soul makes him look like a real opponent.
"Wait! I'll go! Rima can help back here," yells Kairi. Anger burns like fire in his eyes. Slight humor makes its way to Ikuto's eyes, only making Kairi clench his Katanas harder. Tadase hesitates, but agrees non the less. Kairi immediately breaks into a run, Yaya only seconds behind.
Ikuto doesn't move an inch, but awaits the inevitable. Kairi runs fast, one arm back and the other in front. Both ready to defend against him. Ikuto doesn't know what the boy plans, but he knows the swords have no purpose in Kairi's plan. Kairi is mere seconds away from them and Ikuto moves his hands.
His right hand goes to the middle of her back and his left moves to near her hip. Mariana blushes uncomfortably. He loosens his hold on her. If she wants she can run off, but she doesn't. Suddenly, Kairi is there. Ikuto doesn't see what his plan was, because he lifted Mariana bridal style and after hearing the 'pop', jumped into the nearest tree at the last second. Mariana wraps her arms around his neck in surprise.
Ikuto lands gently on a tree limb. He looks down at Mariana to see her eyes are closed. A chuckle makes its way out of his mouth and she opens her eyes. A blush colors her cheeks and he puts her feet down. She carefully lets go and tries to balance on the branch. She takes one step and almost falls.
"Mari-chan!" yells Yaya. Kairi burst forward, ready to catch her, but doesn't get the chance. Ikuto shoots out his hand and grabs her wrist. Steadying her on the tree, she moves over and leans into him. His blue cat ears twitch once in surprise. He can feel her hand grip onto his shirt as she tries to keep from falling. They're approximately 6 or 7 feet high. Not much of a jump for Ikuto, but a long way down for Mariana.
Her hold on his shirt makes her knuckles white, as if she's holding onto her life. Ikuto isn't sure what else to do but puts his arms around her. He looks out at the rest of the Guardians, completely ignoring Kairi and Yaya.
"Heart Spiral Special!" yells Amu. She throws her baton and it encircles the X-egg with a pinkish glow. With a flash the egg is back to normal. It returns to the boy and everyone moves out of view, so they don't need to explain their outfits. He looks around, slightly confused, but gets up and leaves none the less. As soon as he's walked out of view everyone moves from their hiding spots.
"Ikuto! What are you doing with her!?" calls Amu. Ikuto looks down at the pink haired girl, sorrow like a knife in his chest as she glares at him. He moves slightly and Mariana's grip tightens on his shirt. He looks at her and feels reassured. Su floats into view by Amu and he looks at Mariana's cast. Anger flares deep within him. He chuckles deeply.
"You idiots. What kind of friends are you?" he asks in an amused voice. He was anything but amused, except he wouldn't let them know that. Mariana looks up in surprise. He looks her straight in the eyes, trying to hide his feelings, but not very successful.
"Hey! What do you mean by that!?" yells Yaya in her baby like voice.
"We're better friends than you could ever be," says Rima with a hint of anger. Ikuto chuckles and turns to the group with a challenging look. His tail flicks back and forth in annoyance.
"Oh really now? What about her arm then? An injured wrist really is a shame," he says quietly. He looks back at Mariana with a smirk.
"Did you know your 'friends' here could have fixed it the entire time?" he asks questioningly. Her eyes widen a fraction and her grip loosens enough that he holds her right hand. Looking at the cast, he sighs as if remembering a fond memory.
"That 'Remake Honey' of hers can fix a lot," he gestures to Amu and realization flashes through her eyes. She clenches her fists and scowls at him. Su looks between her and Ikuto with a worried expression.
"Ikuto! Stop this foolishness!" yells Tadase. He moves to Amu's side. Ikuto clenches one hand into a fist, his expression blank. Mariana looks between the Guardians and Ikuto in confusion.
"Ikuto... what do you mean? Are you saying that, they can fix my wrist... but won't?" asks Mariana. He looks her in the eyes, and the confusion and hope is enough to make his breath catch in his throat. She turns to the others in confusion.
"He's lying. Right?" she asks. Ikuto looks away, the hurt in her voice like broken glass in his chest. Mariana looks to Kairi.
"Tell me this is a joke, that you wouldn't hide anything like that from me," tears form in her eyes as she tries to meet his eyes desperately.
"Please Kairi..." she whispers, just loud enough for him to hear. Kairi meets her eyes and nearly drops his Katanas. He looks away, confirming what Ikuto said to be true. Guilt radiated off of all of them as they wouldn't meet her gaze. Mariana turns to run, but is reminded of where she is when she starts to fall. She cries out and closes her eyes as a single tear squeezes from her eye. It shines like a gem in the sunlight.
"Mariana!" calls Kairi. He shoots forward as Ikuto turns to jump. Kairi catches her first and Ikuto lands one limb down. He somehow caught her bridal style, landing on one knee. Standing up, he puts her feet on the ground. She opens her eyes and looks at Kairi. Upon realization of who it is, she pushes him away.
"Don't touch me," she mutters through tears. Ikuto can only hear her because of his increased sense of hearing. With that she turns around and runs away. Ikuto responds immediately, dropping to the ground to follow her. Amu cuts him off and he freezes in his tracks. She glares at him as Yaya, Rima, and Tadase run after Mariana.
"Don't even bother. You've already done enough Ikuto," she snaps. She lowers her baton and looks him in the eyes. Sorrow, confusion, and hurt creating a pool of emotion in her golden eyes. He stands up straight, casually putting a hand in his pocket with a scowl. Mariana turns a corner and they all disappear from sight.
"How could you do that Ikuto?" Asks Amu. He looks down at her again.
"You hurt her. She didn't deserve to cry... why did you do it?" her voice slowly gets quieter until she's barely whispering. She looks down at the ground sadly.
"What happened to you?" she whispers. He stiffens. She no longer means just Mariana. This is something more. The 'pop' snaps him out of his stupir. Turning around, he walks away without a word. He replays the whole scene through his head and despair makes his shoulders slump.
'What have I done?'
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

I run as fast as I can to get away from everyone. I even leave Tia behind for a little while. She catches up with me somewhere along the way. I barely know where I'm going since I can't see through my tears. I hear people calling me, but don't bother to separate the voices.
How could they keep that from me? I thought things would be different, that everything would be ok. As all these thoughts run through me mind I realize, I've only heard one explanation. I didn't stay long enough for them to explain their side. I slow to a stop and put my back against a tree. Tia swims over and I can see a bead of sweat going down her face before she wipes it away.
"What have I done Tia? I should have stayed and let them explain," I sigh. Sliding down the tree, the rough bark grips my cape for a few seconds at a time. A reminder that I'm one of them, but to what degree? A few stray tears are still falling from my eyes as I sit on the grass. The bark lets go of my cape and it drifts back down over my shoulders.
"Mariana-san!"
"Mari-chan!"
The whole group comes into view, they're no longer in their transformations. All the charas float ahead and I cower against the tree. Didn't I want them to find me? It was the whole reason I stopped here, but really, I don't want to talk to them yet.
The charas all speed past followed by the others. I let out a breathe of relief. Unfortunately it was too loud. Kairi looks to my spot in question. His eyes widen and he skids to a halt. Amu is first to notice and stops a few feet away, causing everyone else stops.
"Kairi-kun, we need to catch up with Mari-san," says Rima. He pays no heed to them. He breathes out in relief.
"There you are Mariana-chan," he says quietly. They all look over to me in surprise and the charas come to a halt. I pull my knees up and rest my head on top with my arms wrapped around. I hear their footsteps on the grass as they walk towards me. I realize that someone is sitting on either side of me, I assume the rest are standing. I feel a hand on my shoulder, but try to shrug them off.
"Mari-chan, at least talk to us," pleads Amu.
"Pleeeeeeaaaaase," begs Yaya. I realize Yaya is standing somewhere in front of me and Amu is to my right.
"Why?" I ask quietly. I don't get a response. Knowing I was either too quiet or muffled, I shuffle around a little so that they can hear me better.
"Why didn't you tell me? Was I just not worth it? Did you think of how much attention would be drawn to me?" I ask. My voice cracks as tears reform in my eyes. I pull my knees tighter to me.
"Mariana-san... we're sorry. We've all been so worried about you, it didn't even cross our minds," Tadase apologizes sincerely. I don't respond, not sure what to think.
"Mari-san, why would we lie to you?" asks Rima. She's on my left, sitting beside me. I let out a slightly frustrated sigh. What do I do now? I wanted to hear them explain I guess...
"Mariana-chan..." says a voice gently. My breath catches in my throat silently. I look up, thinking I'll just regret it later. I lift my face enough that my eyes peek out over my knees. I look in front of me sadly. Kairi is on one knee in front of me, and the distance between us almost makes me jump. He's so close that I have to look directly into his blue eyes.
My eyes widen in surprise and I can feel a blush on my face. Thank goodness I'm hidden. I feel Amu pull her hand away, but barely notice. Kairi has an arm resting on his knee while the other one keeps him steady.
"K-Kairi..." I whisper. My voice is barely audible and tears threaten to spill over. He looks at me sadly, regret like a never ending river as it flows downstream.
"When you became hurt, we didn't know what else to do. We ran you straight to the nurse without thinking. We didn't realize what would happen afterwards, we just wanted you to be ok," he looks down, as if the memory brought him pain. He says something quietly under his breathe, but I can't tell what it is.
I look away and let out a shaky breath. A hand goes under my chin and my eyes widen in surprise. Kairi lifts my face and I look at him in slight surprise.
"Please Mariana," He whispers. A single tear runs down my cheek as I stare at him. What was I thinking? They really are my friends, and I shouldn't have doubted them from the start. I jerk my chin from his grip and launch into a hug, catching him off guard.
"I'm sorry Kairi. I never should have ran off like that, I should have let you explain," I cry into his shoulder. He puts his arms around me in a caring embrace. Resting my hands by his collar bone, I cry silently into his shoulder, muttering apologies over and over again. Kairi just holds me silently.
When the tears finally subside I take deep, calming breathes. I look up at Kairi, soft concern and happiness clear in his expression. He opens his eyes and looks into mine. I blush slightly, having been caught staring, and look the other way. I realize that the others are no longer here.
Where'd they go, more importantly, when did they go? The thought of them seeing what just happened makes my face flush in embarrassment. Kairi tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and I turn to him in surprise.
"You don't need to apologize. We were turned against each other, it's not your fault," he soothes. I look into his eyes, looking for any sort of emotion. Behind his care though, it's guarded. What is he thinking about? I suddenly realize how close we are.
"U-uh, Kairi? You can let go of me now," I say awkwardly. He processes my words before a blush forms on his face. He removes his arms and I awkwardly shuffle over a bit. We don't look at each other out of pure awkwardness. I clear my throat and fiddle with the hem of my skirt.
"So, when did the others leave?" I ask. He pushes his glasses up his nose and they catch the light of the sun.
"Well, Amu-san and Rima-san both left your side shortly after I started talking to you. Based on their disappearance, I would say shortly after that," he says in a calculative way. I nod, holding back a relieved sigh. Kairi stands up and offers me a hand. I smile and take it, he helps me stand while returning my smile.
"The others should be back at the Gardens by now, lets meet them there so we can sort this all out with them," he says gently. I nod and we walk in silence. A bird chirps cheerfully somewhere in the distance as a lone cloud travels across the blue sky. It seems... Peaceful. I could use a little peace nowadays.
We reach the gardens and I take a reassuring breath. We walk in and instantly get bombarded.
"Mari-chan! We're sorry! We didn't want to make you upset!" exclaims Yaya. I smile at her fondly.
"It's ok Yaya, I was just surprised, really," I assure her. She hugs me and I chuckle lightly. Amu steps up to me and Su smiles her adorable little smile.
"Mari-chan, if you still want to get your wrist healed, me and Su would be happy to do it," she offers. Tadase stands by her side.
"Of course, you will need to keep the cast on for the minimal amount of time the doctor said, but you would still be able to use it around us or on your own," he informs me. I smile happily at them.
"Actually, how about tomorrow? I need to figure out what I can and can't do with an injured wrist so that people don't find out," I reason. Su nods and Amu smiles.
"Good thinking Mari-san," says Rima. I smile at her in thanks. The charas float over, including Tia and Musashi. Tia sits on my shoulder while Musashi goes to float over Kairi's. All the other charas start asking questions. I have a hard time keeping up, so I just explain what's happened since they left... minus the hug.
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

We walk at a steady pace through the hall, just like after lunch. It's the best way to get through the halls right now. People still look at me and whisper, but it's less frequent. Kairi is on my right and Tia sits on my left shoulder, Musashi floating alongside so they can chat. I still haven't done anything, but I don't think it's a good idea to complain.
"Mariana-chan," I look over at Kairi. He isn't even looking in my direction, but I can tell he's been thinking.
"I was wondering about earlier, how you acted the way you did. I know about your school life in Canada, but I can't see wether it connects with how you reacted or if it was something else," he states blankly. I watch him in confusion.
"Um, can you repeat that?" I ask quietly. I'm not stupid, I just don't understand the hidden question. He stops and turns to me, a calculating look in his eyes.
"What drove you to act the way you did?" he asks. I turn and continue to walk slowly.Tucking my hair behind my ear, I avoid eye contact. I become very aware of my surroundings and clutch my things nervously. Kairi walks up beside me, confusion etched across his face. He tries to make eye contact for a moment before putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Mariana-chan-"
"I'll tell you when there aren't other people around... if at all," I interrupt. My voice is monotone and I don't slow my pace. Kairi is taken aback for mere moments before following silently. We are both lost in our own thoughts as we walk to the gardens.
"Mari-chan! Kairi-kun!" calls out a cheerful voice. We turn around and I smile at Yaya and Pepe. Yaya jogs up to us happily.
"I hear we're working on more social problems today, is that true Kairi-kun?" Yaya asks in her baby voice. Kairi thinks momentarily, crossing his arms.
"I believe so, of course I could be wrong," he answers. Yaya whines about doing any work at all and I hug my things tightly. Social problems? What does that mean for me? We continue to walk as Yaya complains and talks about some 'kawaii' toys she saw in a store the other day. I also found out kawaii means cute in Japanese. Learn something new everyday. Upon reaching the Royal Gardens, Tadase confirms our thoughts.
"It has been a month since we've dealt with the student problems directly. Today we will hear the students out and tomorrow we will go through the paperwork," he informs us. We all nod and he smiles kindly.
"Any questions?" I put up my hand and he looks at me silently, waiting for me to continue.
"Since this is a social event, what, exactly, will I be doing?" I wonder quietly. He gives me a reassuring smile and Amu puts an arm on my shoulder like you would an arm chair.
"Don't worry Mari-chan, all you have to do is sit there and look pretty... until asked otherwise," she rushes at the end. I give her a doubtful look.
"Mari-san, you only need to talk to us for the Royal Decree to be finalized. It's a little like court for the students," she informs me blankly. I sigh and nod in understanding. Everyone smiles reassuringly and we walk up to the gazebo. Everyone starts to move things around and I stand by the side in confusion. They push back the table and arrange the chairs in a certain way.
"Um, what am I supposed to do?" I ask. Kairi walks over after placing a chair.
"The chairs are arranged in rank. The King and Queens chair are set in the centre, since they make the final decision. Ace and Jack are next. Ace goes diagonal of the Queen and Jack is opposite, diagonal of the King. Then the Joker. The Joker is placed beside the Ace, so they may converse their decision before informing the Queen," he informs me. I take a moment to process all the information.
"So where does that put me?" I look up at him, my eyebrows furrowed. He smiles.
"To keep balance, you'll be placed beside me," he smiles kindly and I return it. I look back to see even my chair has been placed. Everyone walks over to their chairs and I stand beside Kairi. Tadase nods to Kiseki and sits down. We all sit as Kiseki leads the charas to the doors. I lose sight of them behind the fountain, but I hear the door open. Two girls walk in, stopping at the foot of the stairs, and I hear the door close.
I sit as straight as I can, like everyone else does. Turns out the girls are representatives for the school band and choir. I didn't know the school had either of those, but I haven't really been here that long. They want to set up a performance in the gym and need to have the consent of the Royal Court. I instantly smile at the idea of music.
When we were to pass our judgement, I just nodded. I didn't want to give away how happy I was or draw any attention. Tadase informed them that their request shall be passed and that a leader shall be assigned at a later date. The girls eyes shine brightly with joy as they leave and I can feel my heart go out to them.
They send in the next students like they were told and I recognize Masumi. He looks agitated and avoids contact with the boy who came in with him. I look to Kairi to see his reaction, but his expression is blank. I hesitate, but take a deep breathe and close off my emotions from them. They both look up to us and Masumi instantly locks eyes with me.
I try not to let my expression slip, but I can't help remembering his Guardian Chara. He seems to get a little nervous and scratches the back of his head. When Tadase speaks he looks away.
"How can the Royal Court be of service?" Tadase asks in a powerful and firm voice. He must have character changed for this one. Both the boys stand respectfully.
"We have a... disagreement that needs to come to terms, but need the Royal Courts assistance," says the one boy carefully. He has black hair that's cut short and brown eyes. I examine Masumi and realize he has vibrant green eyes that pop in contrast to his near red hair. His hair is short in comparison to most of the guys at the school, but still reaches about his eyes. Tadase nods for them to go on.
"You see, I'm head of the running club and captain of the football team," starts Masumi.
"And I'm captain of the lacrosse team," finishes the other boy.
"Now the problem is that my runners are at risk because of the lacrosse team," says Masumi. The other boy gets irritated.
"Well the soccer team won't compromise," he shoots back. Now they both are getting agitated. Tia comes over and sits on my shoulder.
"They both seem a little, out of sorts, don't they?" she states. I only give her an almost imperceptible nod.
Masumi and the other boy start to argue but get intercepted.
"Quiet," Rima says. She didn't say it loud, but it got their attention. They glare at each other before turning back to us.
"I think we've heard enough," she says in a very bored tone. Tadase nods in agreement. Kairi turns to me slightly.
"What do you think?" he whispers.
"I think that they should switch. either that or go half and half. For the running club, they get the track to avoid injuries and the lacrosse team can use the field over there," I motion in the general direction. Kairi nods in agreement before turning to Tadase.
Yaya and Amu finally agree on something and Yaya turns to Rima. Kairi and Yaya chat with Tadase and Rima for a moment before leaning back into their seat. Rima and Tadase talk with each other and look back to the boys. They are glaring at each other when they aren't looking nervous.
"It's decided," states Rima.
"During the running clubs weekly meeting, the lacrosse team is to practice in the park field," he starts. Masumi smiles smugly and the boy scowls.
"Furthermore, on Mondays the football team has the field. On Fridays the Lacrosse team does, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays you are to share the field by splitting it down the middle or decide on a team to use the park field," he orders. Both the boys seem surprised, but don't argue. they leave and send in the next students.
The entire time goes by pretty much the same. We solve conflicts, organize events, and other things. Nothing really interesting, but I had Tia to help me stay entertained. I learned a lot about the school, and it made me feel like I fit in a bit more. We finally finish the last case and wait. When the door closes, we all sigh in relief. Yaya is first one up.
"That was boring, lets do something fun!" she exclaims. I share a questioning look with Amu and Yaya smiles.
"I say we all go to a movie tomorrow," she says with a wink. I smile, a movie would be nice, but then again I don't know what I would watch. I frown and fiddle with the hem of my skirt.
"Is there something wrongs Mari-chan?" Asks Yaya. She gives me the puppy dog eyes and I mentally chuckle.
"Will there be any movies in English?" I ask doubtingly. Kairi smiles.
"There is a theater owned by some Americans that show both English and Japanese movies," he informs me.
"So we'll go there," states Amu happily. Talk of the movie keeps up as we put everything back into place. We decide to watch an English movie shortly after our meeting. We all wave and say our goodbyes at the front of the school before walking our separate ways. Me and Kairi chat idly about nothing in particular and Tia talks to Musashi. Before long, we reach my house and say goodbye. I walk inside and instantly the smell of food reaches me.
"Momma, I'm home!" I call. She walks out of the kitchen, flour on her apron.
"You're just in time, dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Can you go get your father from his study?" She asks. I nod and take off my shoes to go get my father. I walk in to find him studying some papers and a blue fish on the screen of his computer.
"Papa, dinner will be ready in a few minutes," I say. He looks up from the papers, startled. He smiles instantly though as soon as he sees me.
"Hi seashell, is it really that late already?" he jokes. I chuckle and we walk to the kitchen to set the table. I run upstairs and change quickly before dinner and Tia decides to rest inside her egg. I smile and go back downstairs to have dinner with my parents. We joke and laugh about the weirdest things, but I enjoy being with my family. Dinner ends quickly and I help clean up before going upstairs to lay on my bed. Today has been tiring, I can't wait to relax and see the movie tomorrow.