Strawberry Rain
Renee Donaldson
"This way Amu!" Ran shouted.
"It cuts through all the streets ahead!"
Amu had been out with Rima and Yaya longer than expected, and would soon be late for dinner…again.
"Pick up the pace! Pick up the pace!"
Amu was not compelled to hurry as she saw that Ran was gesturing towards a dark alley way, nestled in between two shops in the crowded market. Garbage bins lined the weathered brick walls. There was a very eerie feel to the place.
"Gives me the creeps." said Miki, hovering close by Amu's shoulder.
"Me too."
"I'm not sure this is a good idea ~desu." said Su in her lullaby voice.
But dusk was almost upon them, and the sky glimmered a smoky indigo. She really needed to get home. Amu could see the sliver of light struggling to reach her eyes at the end of the infinite alley. She decided to make a run for it.
"Come on." she said to her charas, a challenging glint in her eye, and she was off.
Amu ran, the sound of her foot falls echoing off of the ancient walls. It was hopelessly dark in the alleyway, even with the setting sun over head, but Amu could see that little bit of light, and continued towards it.
Suddenly she fell. Amu had tripped over something. Probably a stray trash bin she hadn't spotted in the blackness. But it was not a trash bin. Amu felt something cold and damp around her ankle. She turned and saw a scraggly figure, silhouetted in the receding light of the market.
"Well hellooo, It's not often I get visitors." the words were drawn out and slurred together.
Amu struggled to free her leg, but the other was slammed down to the pavement.
"I see that you're in a hurry, but how's it sound you spend the night with me?"
With that the silhouette lunged at Amu. She screamed.
"Get away!"
"Aww, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Amu swatted and punched all in vain. She screamed again. She wasn't heard. Then she saw her chance. The silhouette leaned up, stretching his arms. When she felt his weight lessen she pulled herself up from the ground and started to run.
"Hey! I'm afraid I can't allow to leave here!"
Amu's leg was pulled from under her, and with terrible impact her body slammed to the ground. All she could see was moving darkness. All she could feel was a weight on top her, feeling a hundred times heavier than it did before. All she could smell was smoke and alcohol. All she could hear were distant cries of "Amu!" Without thinking, without knowing why, she screamed
"Ikuto!"
"Naww naww, that's okay I'm Ikuto right?"
"Ikuto! IKUTO!"
"Naww, you know I'm Ikuto."
"Wrong." said an unseen voice.
Amu saw its bearer elegantly light down on the ground through watery eyes.
"That would be me."
Amu hadn't noticed, but as the black cat had spoken, the silhouetted man had stood, challengingly.
"Well would ya look here. Pretty boy thinks he can…" he was cut off mid sentence.
Amu managed to pull herself into a sitting position. She was in huge pain. She cried. She saw the two fighting figures. One staggering and swaying, the other, moving with speed and grace.
Finally the staggerer slumped to the ground, defeated. He turned towards Amu and weakly reached out. Ikuto lept in front of her, his stance like that of a cat, threatening its opponent. He curled one arm around her back. His ears were layed back, and he hissed menacingly at the silhouette. It drew back. And with that Ikuto swept Amu into his arms, leaping up the wall, and holding her close to him as he bounded over the roof tops.
Amu woke to midnight blue hair brushing her face, the smell of chocolate, and rain, a content smile. But as her eyes flickered and she lifted her head, the face pulled back, and he quickly stood.
"Here." he said handing her a steaming bowl. And with that he left the room, his hair shadowing his face in the darkness.
Amu looked around the room (which hurt a lot), and immediately noticed that it wasn't hers. She was laying on a little wooden bed-made perfectly, the sheets totally flat-with a dark navy quilt. The walls were a deep blue and bare. The side table held a short lamp and digital clock, its bright green numbers flashing 9:39. Her shoes, socks, jacket, leg warmers and tie were folded next to it. A dresser was on the opposite side of the room, next to a wardrobe. The window to her left streamed in almost-moon light. A short bookshelf-one shelf full to bursting, the rest empty-was pushed against the wall next to the door. A white violin case was dimly illuminated by the light at the bottom. She didn't recognize the room, but she knew who's it was.
Meanwhile…
Ikuto picked up the phone in the hall and quickly dialled the number.
Stupid, stupid, stupid…
It wrung four times. Then he heard a very small voice say,
"Hello, Mashiro residence."
"This is Tsukiyomi. Tsukiyomi Ikuto."
"What?"
"Listen, I need you to call Amu's house and say she's staying over night at your place alright?"
There was silence on the other end. Then like so many people had been before, he was surprised by the bluntness of her reponse.
"Why should I?"
"Because I need you to."
"I see no good reason."
"I can't explain."
"…Fine."
She hung up. Ikuto just hoped she really would call.
Ikuto opened his bedroom door. Amu was laying on the bed, like he had left her. About a third of the soup was gone, the bowl on the side table. Her eyes were pinned to him, her head slowly turning as he circled around to the other side of the bed. He kept his face down, his eyes invisible.
"I'm sorry." he said quietly. His tone was strange. He almost sounded…angry?
"For what?" she gazed up at him, curious. The pale moon light made her face look almost skeletal. He looked away.
"I didn't get to you fast enough. You were hurt."
"You're not to blame for anything."
"Hmph,"
Suddenly, Ikuto felt a soft hand grab his wrist. He looked down, and he saw her there. Sitting on his bed, her tiny hand around his wrist. She was staring at nothing in particular, a determined look on her face, but she also looked as if she might…cry? They remained this way for a while, both looking at the floor. They could hear the tiny whispers of breath coming from their sleeping charas. They could here the low hum of traffic outside. And there was one more thing they could here. Not actually, but in their heads.
Music.
They both remembered that day. He made it, she heard it, she sang to it. That was the first time she had seen him give a very real and honest smile.
Ikuto quickly turned and picked Amu up off of the bed. He held her close to him, and she pulled him closer. She smiled into his shirt, and breathed in rain and chocolate. He smiled into her hair, and breathed in strawberries and cinnamon. He collapsed onto the bed, her in his arms. She rolled to the side, and they lay facing each other, foreheads touching.
"You were a terrible singer." he said, his trade mark smirk hinting on the edges of his lips. She smiled and sighed.
"I know what you mean now."
He just looked at her, confusion written plainly on his face.
"All the times you said those things. Those teases. I thought it was just to make me angry. And I guess that was part of it, but now I see what you really mean by it. All those times you said it, and I didn't hear you. Well now I'm answering."
She just looked at him for a moment, totally content like this.
"I love you, Ikuto."
He stared for a moment, realizing that she was right. Then he smiled.
"You are the very worst, most terrible singer that has ever walked this earth."
He paused to brush a lock of hair from her face.
"And I love you just the same."
And so they lay. Just like that. In a sort of dazed euphoric half-sleep. Their arms wrapped tight around each other. They were each aware of the others breathing, totally in sync. The moon cast a white, half-glow on them, illuminating that wondrous thing we call
love.
Ikuto woke with a start. He heard a muted banging from downstairs.
"Open up!"
He turned and saw that Amu was awake as well. She looked at him, confused.
"Open up! We are armed officers! Open the door!"
"If I told you to stay here would you?" he asked her. She said nothing. With that Ikuto got up off of the bed and left the room. Part way down the stairs he heard foot steps behind him.
"Of course not." he said with a smirk as he lifted his head to see Amu close behind.
The two crept down the stairs, until they reached the narrow foyer. Ikuto quickly turned. He leaned down, their faces only inches apart. For a moment he just stared into her eyes. There was a true look of bravery on her face.
Then so gently, barely a touch, he brushed his lips against hers. Her cheeks flushed.
"Stay behind me."
He turned and armed only with his hands, slunk towards the door with silent feline grace.
The rest happened in an instant.
A smudge within a painting. A tear within a tapestry. A blur within a memory.
The door was flung open and a police officer made a grab for Ikuto's arm. He dodged it with ease. Another stepped in and the two attempted again but again with just a slight twitch he avoided it. Then a third grabbed him from behind. The other two joined in, and Ikuto gave up his strategic game. Now he just struggled.
Another officer stepped in and put a hand on Amu's shoulder.
"Miss Hinamori?"
She smacked his hand away, purely outraged. She launched herself at the other officers.
"Get away!" she shouted.
The other officer tried to hold her back but she made a punch for one of the others.
"Don't touch him!"
One of the cops with Ikuto moved away and held Amu back with the other.
"No! Stop! He's done nothing! Nothing!"
They reached for each other, again and again. At one moment their finger tips brushed. Their eyes met. And then they were finally pulled away. For a moment all six just stood.
"Amu."
And then he was pulled into the night.
"Ikuto!"
The cruiser drove into the distance. She was in her father's arms. He was crying loudly. She was crying silently. Her mother was talking to two officers, often shooting her concerned looks. Rima cried,
"I'm sorry Amu! I'm sorry!"
She closed her eyes. She tried and failed, to smell rain and chocolate.
She stood on her balcony, staring at the skyline. Her charas sat silently on the railing. She knew that out there somewhere, he was there. She would find him, she would. Because she now realized that when he had said that to her, "Stay behind me." he didn't just mean that. He meant for her to be behind him, to love him, to be with him forever.
"Hey!"
She looked down to see standing below the house six of the people she most wanted to see.
"We're going," Kukai continued.
"To get him back. And you're coming with us."
And then the rain began to fall. And then she smelled it. Rain, and chocolate.
And then she knew.