706/You Got A Problem

You Got A Problem
Date of Scene:	13 December 2015
Location:	Plot Room #3
Synopsis:	Amu's family is attacked by thugs... but Ikuto comes to help?
Cast of Characters:	Ikuto Tsukiyomi, Amu Hinamori

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Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
It's late morning on a Sunday-- day off from school! Here at the shopping district of Uminari City, one can find a shop selling just about anything. Lots of teenagers are taking the opportunity to shop on their day off. Boys and girls both, they form small groupings that meander up and down the strip, talking and/or giggling about this and that.

But there's someone who's shopping for something that isn't found in shops. Eyes track the groups of young people from the shadows, as if judging. Those eyes are looking for something in particular...

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Ooo-neee-chan!" comes the voice of a small girl in pig-tails, all bundled up in warm weather clothing and gloves. Ami Hinamori is busy walking along a half-meter brick wall, hands held out to either side as she balances. Ran flies just in front of the girl, pom poms at the ready, cheering Ami on. And at the far end, the afore-named Onee-chan is busy watching her sister with arms held out.

"You can do it, Ami-chan," Amu says, joining her chara in encouragement. Behind her float Su and Miki, both watching happily as the girls play in the midst of the Uminari district. Nearby, their mother is busy using her phone to try and find directions to the place they are supposed to meet the girls' father for dinner.

"Oh, blast it, where is that place?" asks Midori uncertainly.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
The shadows seem to smile... or at least, the one within them does, as he sees the woman and her two young children. He moves, and as he comes out into the light, he's revealed. It's a scruffy-looking man with brown hair and mussed clothes. Though, that might be hard to see, consdering he's cunningly approached from behind the three humans and three Guardian Characters.

He'll get some attention when he attempts to grab the older woman by the arm. "You look like you're lost, little lady..." That is not a nice tone of voice, NOT AT ALL. It'd be a miracle if he could see Ran, Miki, and Su, but he doesn't seem to even be paying Amu and Ami any mind.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Ami reaches the end of the line, and leaps into her sister's arms. Amu laughs and whirls around with her little sister held close, just in time to see her mother getting grabbed.

"Hey, let me go!" Midori yelps. "Amu-chan, run!" she manages to yell out.

Ami, meanwhile, squirms out of her confused sister's arms and rushes towards the bad guys, yelling, "HEY YOU BIG MEANIES, LET MY MOMMY GO!"

"Ami-chan, no!" Amu calls after Ami in horror and fear. She tries to catch Ami, but it's too late, the tiny tot has grabbed Midori's hand and is trying to tug her free of the bad man's influence.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
It's true, the man isn't alone. There's another man with him, who exits the shadows just after the first man grabbed hold of Midori. And then suddenly there's a HIGH SPEED TINY TOT! The first man doesn't even bother with the girl; it's the second man who comes forward. "Scram," he grouses, and reaches down. He grabs hold of Ami's arm a makes a whiplike gesture, flinging her back and away from Midori, in Amu's general direction.

Suddenly something black slides into Amu's field of vision. It dips down low, and Ami lands against it. And an arm wraps around the girl's waist. Oh no! Has a third thug come into the fray? Are things about to turn catastrophically bad for Amu and her mom and sister?!

No, everything's fine with Ami. If Amu looks, it's a familiar head of blue hair that she's getting a back view of. Scruffy blue hair, short but long enough to cover his ears. Dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt, slacks, and round-toed boots. All black.

It's Ikuto.

He sets Ami on her feet and then straightens. He doesn't look back at Amu, and he doesn't speak to the thugs.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Ami-chan!" Amu screams in terror as her sister goes flying. But then there's a figure in the way, and she comes up short. Fear locks her in place as she watches her mother get manhandled horribly. What should she do? Can Amulet Heart possibly hope to stop this? Fighting magical terrors is one thing, but these men are big, and strong, and terrifying to Amu Hinamori.

As Ami is set on the ground, Amu is freed briefly from whatever holds her in place, long enough to rush forward and wrap her arms around her sister. "Ikuto, help her," she begs, once she realizes who it is.

Midori, meanwhile, is not about to go quietly into the night. She kicks and thrashes, desperately trying to get free.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto turns his head just enough to look at Amu over his shoulder. And he smirks, just for a moment. Just until he looks back to the thugs. It's the first thug that speaks, the one who has hold of the now-struggling Midori. "You got a problem, kid?"

Ikuto quickly replies, "Yeah. You."

The second thug growls, "Don't mess with us, you snot-nosed brat! You wanna fight?" The blue-haired teen says nothing... but smirks.

"You little..." the first thug growls, literally flinging Midori at Ikuto. He's hoping that having a full grown woman shoved at him will unbalance the boy. He is, however, doomed to be disappointed.

Ikuto stands his ground, emitting a quiet grunt as Midori hits him. But when the thugs charge, he quickly steps around Midori. Might leave the poor woman to fall on her butt on the ground, but at least he's blocking the thugs. "...Run," he says quietly to the three ladies.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Midori stumbles into Ikuto, but even that brief catch is enough to help her steady. She flails her arms wide, then sinks to her knees when he steps in front of her. Eyes wide, she pulls out her phone and begins dialing the police.

"Momma," Ami says, rushing out of Amu's arms again to hug Midori Hinamori.

"Mom, run!" Amu says, rushing to her mother's side as well.

Midori, eyes wide, nods at her elder daughter, then hands Amu the cell phone while it's still ringing. Midori scoops Ami up and turns to run away. Amu glances at the phone, then at her charas, all of whom are staring dumbfounded at the horror of the situation.

"Hi, police?" Amu says into the phone. "There's three guys here that were trying to take my mom. My friend is trying to fight them, but please hurry!" She gives the location and her name hastily into the phone. But can Ikuto really fight all three of them!?

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Yoru doesn't seem to be anywhere around, either. That's bad, because that means Ikuto can't Chara Change. That means it's just him and his wits against these guys. He's fast, though, even without that. He dodges back quickly from a punch from one of the thugs. Though as he notices Amu's not moving, he frowns. He frowns even more when he realizes what she's doing. Crap, he can't get caught by the cops.

So he does something significantly more dangerous. He shoves one of the thugs into the other. Then he smirks. "Can't even deal with a fifteen-year-old. Someone ought to revoke your man cards." Then he... runs into an alley. the thugs, of course, follow. Because they are stupid. But Amu might catch something as they disappear behind a building.

A glint of metal from the last thug's pocket...

Amu Hinamori has posed:
That glint of metal can only mean one thing, and Amu's eyes widen in terror. "Ikuto," she breathes.

"What?" asks the person on the other end of the line. Amu, in a panic, hangs up the phone on them, then rushes towards the alleyway Ikuto has disappeared into, terrified on his behalf. She's probably just asking to be the victim of these three, but she can't leave Ikuto to fight them alone. Not when they have knives.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Amu will quickly find Ikuto has either made a horrible mistake or a very bad judgement call. The alley is a dead end. And there at the end, he's dodging around one of the thugs. On the bright side, though, Yoru's there. "GET 'EM IKUTO! GET 'EM-NYA!" he cheers from slightly above and to the right of the blue-haired boy. The Guardian Chara is flailing around in the air-- and is that a pair of fans he's holding in his hand-paws? It's hard to tell.

When Ikuto looks to the end of the alley and sees Amu, he freezes, and his eyes widen. Unfortunately the second thug also happens to see it, and turns to look at her. "Oh well. Hi there, sweetie." And he starts to turn to Amu. Just one problem... this was the one with the knife...

"...Che'." this from Ikuto. He dodges down, underneath the man he'd been dodging around, and makes for Amu. "Watch out!" the first thug calls as Ikuto moves. Even without Chara Changing, Ikuto's fast.

He gets between Amu and the thug with the knife, and blocks their way to her. "...I knew you were a moron, but even I didn't think you were this stupid," he comments to her. "Why didn't you run?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Tch," Amu replies to Ikuto, even as she steps back and raises her arms defensively. "I couldn't just leave you! That guy's got a knife!" she points at the man. But Yoru's here, and that means he can fight. Right?

"What do we do?" Amu asks Ikuto uncertainly.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
"You are going to run," Ikuto replies. "I can deal with these guys. They're not a problem."

"Izzat right, you little snot?" Courage borne of greater weaponry is always the most brazen. But the thug takes a few swings at Ikuto. He can't dodge, not with Amu behind him. All he can do is raise his arms...

Yes, that is a sound of pain. And the sound of ripping cloth. It's just his arms and the injuries are not very deep. Yoru calls out, "Ikuto!" And at that moment, cat ears and tail appear.

Then Ikuto does something that might be considered rather stupid. He turns his back to the thugs. Though there's a purpose behind it. He's trying to grab hold of Amu. If he can pick her up, he'll leap up, onto the roof of a nearby building. There will be no way these toughs could follow up there.

Of course if Amu struggles that's going to leave Ikuto's back open to attack...

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Ikuto!" Amu screams in fear as he takes a knife to the arm. Fear pins her to the spot, and all of her Charas look equally worried for him. But even they don't now how to react to this. It's too much. It's too real.

Then Ikuto lifts her up, and Amu instinctively wraps her arms around his neck, holding on rather than sturggling and making things difficulty.

When they reach the roof, Amu's eyes are wide with a mingled fear and determination. No longer in immediate danger, she begs, "Su!"

"Chip, Syrup, Whip!"

Amu tears a strip from the hem of her own dress, heedless of the fact that he got his blood on her, then tears the strip in half. Unconcerned that she's now ragged and bloody, she balls the first strip and presses it to his injury, then wraps the second around it tightly and ties it off, all with an efficiency that a doctor might be jealous of.

"Miki?" Amu asks the blue chara.

"It looks good, Amu," confirms the more medically minded chara. Su looks very pleased with their work.

Amu breathes a sigh of relief, then looks up at Ikuto. "That was very brave of you," she tells him honestly. "Thank you."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto hisses slightly as he places Amu down on her feet on the roof, his ears and tail disappearing. And immediately, Yoru is landing on one of Ikuto's arms as he raises it to check the injuries. The feline Chara begins to lick at the wound on Ikuto's arm. None are really that bad. It seems even the thug wasn't willing to seriously harm a teenager. Lucky for Ikuto.

And then Yoru has to either move or get tied to Ikuto's arm. He choses to move. However he hovers just over Ikuto's arm. As it turns out Ikuto's already got his arm raised, so binding the injury is easy. "...Thank you," Ikuto replies. A pause, and he looks at Amu. "...Your mother is going to be worried when she sees that."

Another pause. Sirens are being heard approaching. "...Come on. Let's get out of here. I don't want to be here when cops arrive." He turns, and heads to the edge of the roof, hopping over to a nearby building. It's not a huge distance, so it shouldn't be a problem for Amu.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu shrugs at Ikuto's concern. "My mother will be worried until I call my dad, either way," she notes. But then they're moving, and she blinks in surprise.

"Hop, Step, Jump," Ran calls as Amu leaps the distance to the next building. Sure, she probably could have made it on her own, but Amu isn't taking chances.

"I'll just tell her the truth," Amu says as she catches back up with him. "The guy who saved us got stabbed with a knife, so I tried to stop the bleeding. She'll understand>"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto gives Amu a look over his shoulder. "I wasn't stabbed. He barely cut me," he replies. But he smirks nonetheless. "You were worried about me." OK, now he's teasing her.

Now, Ikuto is nothing if not a bad influence. And he knows she should really go home. But he has another idea. Because he's horrible. Also because he wants to go somewhere familiar to recover.

So he cants his head in a direction. "Come on." He begins to head for the edge of the suburb. Where's he going? Does he expect Amu to just follow him?

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu blinks at the accusation. Was she worried about him? "Of course I was worried!" she yells after him hotly. "They had a knife!" She huffs and gives chase, not because she wants to chase him, but because she isn't even thinking about it. "Where are we going?"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
"Downtime," Ikuto replies to Amu's words of where they're going.

Yoru turns to Amu and pipes up, "Aren't you stressed out-nya? You go home like this and there's gonna be crying and babytalk-nya."

For his part, Ikuto said nothing else. He just started leading Amu across the city. He kept to roofs, walks across the tops of fences and walls, rarely touching the ground. On the bright side that means there's no one around to see either of them.

What lay at the end? It's a deserted area, and as Ikuto hops down off a wall easily, he finally stops. Before him? The remains of an amusement park, still in decent condition. But all the lights are off, and no one is there.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu wrinkles her nose at the image, and gives chase after the cat. "Downtime?" she asks, not certain of what he means. With Ran's help, she has no trouble keeping up, nor of making the leaps and walks across fences. Her balance isn't quite what Ikuto's is, but as long as he doesn't intentionally try to get away from her, she manages.

When they reach the deserted remains of the amusement park, Ran removes her influence almost immediately to instead live in awe of the place. "What is this?" Amu asks confusedly as she looks around at the darkened, almost spooky park.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
"An amusement park," Ikuto replies. His voice is oddly quiet. And he missed a chance to tease her. "They're eventually going to tear it down." Pause. His hands are in his pockets as he looks out over the deserted, still park. "...We used to come here a lot."

And then suddenly everything springs to life. Lights across the park light up, the rides begin to move, and music begins to play. As if knowing what she would probably ask, Ikuto replies, "There's still power, it's just shut off. It'll stay on for a while, until the breaker trips."

He turns to her then, finally looking at her. There's a smile on his face, but it's lopsided. It's as if he just can't smile straight and properly. But at least it's not a teasing smirk or that attempt at an evil smirk he always does when he's trying to be evil. "So you have a little time. What will you do with it?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu's expression hardens at Ikuto's explanation, and she looks away from him, just barely sending her gaze to the side. "Tch," she says, "Amusement parks are for little kids." She sticks out her tongue at him, then says, "I don't have any reason to be here, and my parents are--" she trails off, then panics and reaches into the chara box where she put her mom's phone. pulling it out, she speed dials her home address, then looks relieved. "Hey, mom!" she says. "No, I'm fine, that guy who saved us is a friend of mine and he got a little hurt so I'm with him right now, okay?"

Amu smiles at the phone, then says, "Yeah, I'll be home before too long, don't worry. Love you!"

Then she hangs up and pockets the device again.

The stress dealt with, she turns and glares at Ikuto. That glare softens to excitement almost instantly, however, as a little bit of her history comes back. "I've never gotten to pick what we ride on," she explains, then runs off to get in one of the rides.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto stays quiet as she insists that amusement parks are for little kids. And when she calls her mother, he still remains quiet. And then that statement of not ever picking what to ride. Oh, he knows why. Between Utau and Tadase...

"Ami always did, ne?" he notes quietly as Amu turns. She'd said her sister's name when the thugs started hassling them, so he knew it. Ikuto closes his eyes, exhaling a breath in a soft laugh. "He'd have gone through the house of mirrors a hundred times if there was enough time in the day..."

However, as Amu moves to get on one of the rides-- and Yoru comes in to follow Amu and her Characters-- Ikuto finds a bench and sits down, propping an ankle over the other leg's knee.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
For almost thirty minutes, Amu and her all of the Charas--Yoru, too--race from ride to attraction to game, playing and laughing and having the time of their lives. For this brief moment, Amu is allowed to act like the eleven-year-old she is, and she relishes in not having to be an adult. Here, there is no Easter, no Youma, no X-Eggs, and no schoolyard friends to impress. It's just Amu and the rides.

Eventually, flush with excitement and enjoyment, Amu rushes to the bench and grabs Ikuto's hand. "Come on," she says to him with a giant smile on her face. "You have to ride one, too. Pick one, any ride!"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto just watches Amu and the Charas have fun, an oddly peaceful smile pulling at his lips. It really does remind him in all the right ways of the times Tadase, Utau, and he went here in the past. Maybe that's why he's drawn to Amu... because she reminds him a little of Tadase. Trusting and always wanting to believe the best of people...

...And there went his good mood. Blah.

Suddenly Amu's tugging on his hand, and he blinks. Already half on his feet when he realizes he's being pulled up by Amu. "...What?" Though he smirks. "Watching you is tiring enough," he teases. It's a gentle tease, though.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Ohhh no, you don't get out of it that easily!" Amu replies to Ikuto. "I bet you never got to pick what rides to go on, either," she says, as she pulls him to the center of the park, then motions to everything there. "So pick one!" she tells him. "You have to go on at least one. I won't leet you leave until you do."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto's pulled along, looking quite lost, until Amu stops in the center of the park. There really is only one answer. But jeez it's an embarrassing one! When he was younger he could excuse it. Now he's older-- and bigger! It's clear from the side-eyeing that it's not a thing he wants to share. At least, not at first.

But then. Amu's shared a lot of herself here too. Besides, she could learn a lot from Tadase if she were to ask... or if he told her. It doesn't seem he has. Which strikes Ikuto as odd. Maybe it's just too painful for him to remember.

There is still that question to answer. It's an easy answer, but hard to say. So instead he smirks at Amu... and then takes off! Mind, he hasn't let go of her hand, either. He will if she pulls her hand free, though. But if not they'll end up...

...At the teacups. Not the log flume. Not a roller coaster. Not a fast, scary ride. A slow, sedate one that went around in circles. He's got a thrilling enough life, he doesn't need to be flung around every which way to get a thrill.

Ikuto steels himself for the laughter, and then turns to look at Amu. "...Surprised?" The smirk is still there. But it's a bit sharper than normal...