Shugo Chara: ✤The Guardian {| Book 1 |}

XVIII. A Royally Insane Introduction

I was now approaching the Royal Garden, the place of legends where the Guardians meet every lunch hour to discuss school-business and drink tea. It was the place of my dreams, and a place where I thought I'd get within 3 feet unless I were to make a complaint- which of course I would be too shy to do in the first place.

As we approached the clear castle in the sky, I could feel my bones tightening with every step. But it was the sounds of my charas bickering that didn't make me feel so alone. Speaking of alone..

"Where's Amu-chan?" I asked no one in particular, my charas halted their movement to look at me in question. "Don't tell me she pulled out." I mumbled to myself, but of course with my charas' connection to my heart they already knew what I was thinking.

"OOOOOOF~ COURSE NOT!" Luna sang her way over to me, the stiff look on her cute face was jarring. "I can feel your hearts connecting and Amu's charas would never let her be so foolish as to not show up."

As usual, my chara was reassuring me, I gave a firm nod. Soleia flew up to me from who knows where, balancing my invitation on her head. I quickly swiped the envelope before it could topple over just as I heard some voices approaching us.

A stricken Amu walked over to join us, she grasped the invitation with a grip like it was her lifeline. Of course a blush covered her cheeks, probably from what her guardian character Ran was chirping. In tow was a new chara of hers, she was blue and even more stoic than Luna. They could have a stare-off. "H-Haruka!" Amu sputtered.

"Amu-chin!" I greeted the girl in return, her face wrinkled in response. "Are you okay, you look kinda-"

"I-I'm fine!" She cut me off, though by the looks of her face she seemed to be just as nervous as I was.

I cleared my throat. "It's okay to be nervous Amu, so am I." Amu looked over to me, the grimace on her face warmed at my reassurance. "So I see you got a new chara."

Amu scoffed, I could read the reluctance on her face. "Yea, you would not believe what I went through to catch her too." She muttered. "I almost ran around the whole campus."

A small laugh left my lips, as I imagined Amu chasing her chara. "Don't laugh!" She stifled. "I like your new chara too, very pretty." She muttered.

"She is a mouthful, but so am I."

"You're right about that." Amu quipped.

I sprung to life, clutching Amu by her the chest to which Amu stiffened at such a surprise hug. "Amu take it back~ I've had such a weird day today and now my friend is making fun of me."

Amu jumped at 'weird day' and her eyes met mine. "Weird day...? So you've been having those-"

"Character change?"

"Character change." She repeated back with a solemn nod. Both of our hands flew to our mouths at the magical trigger word, luckily our charas were too distracted with each other to notice it.

From the corner of my eye I could see our Guardians interacting with each other. Ran and Soleia feeding off of each other's energy and Amu's new chara  with Luna seeming to challenge each other in philosophy somehow.

I shifted my body and stood beside Amu so that we were both facing the clear greenhouse, all around us were carefully maintain plants with exotic flowers, each one glowing with life. It was like a fairy-tale Parliament and within the glass doors held the kingdom's royal council.

Amu and I looked to each other and then back to greenhouse. I took her hand in my mine, and to my surprise she softly gripped it back. Her hand is so soft... I quickly erased the thought before I could go off like a fangirl.