So, at this point, everyone knows that I was forced to remove Lemon Island and its mature content due to the Eliminator Forum vicious attacking and trolling me. I'm going to move ALL my mature stories to a new website. If you're just as sick of this as I am, please join our cause to bring freedom back to Fanfiction!

Avenger Forum link, remove spaces and *: www. fanfiction. n*e*t /forum/Avenger/119079 (All information can be found in the Supporter forum.)

The Rebellion Forum link, remove spaces and *: www. fanfiction. n*e*t /forum/The-Rebellion/114259/ (Most forums are banding together here.)

Petition for an MA rating link, remove spaces and *: www. change. o*r*g /petitions/fanfiction-net-we-want-fanfiction-to-create-a-ma-rating

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Anyway, I have MOVED this story COMPLETELY to another site. You can find this STORY and all its subsequent UPDATES here: h*t*t*p*:/archiveofourown. o*r*g*/works/700710/chapters/1291216

I have the same penname there as I do here: ParadiseAvenger

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And Makimono-kun drew some EPIC FANART that can be found here, just remove spaces and *: h*t*t*p*:/makimono-kun. deviantart. c*o*m*/art/S-T-A-N-D-S-T-I-L-L-355489106

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Hinamori Amu rolled over in her bed, burying her face in the pillow. Crushingly, the fabric still smelled of Ikuto's hair and fresh tears burned in her eyes. He had been so close to her, sharing her bed and her space, standing right there in the shower naked while she changed her clothes on the other side of the glass. He had been so close, but she had never… She sniffled, clutching the pillow closer to her chest, wishing it was his lithe catlike body. What she wouldn't have given just to embrace him, to hold him, to comfort him…

The first time Amu saw Death Rebel, a part of her heart broke for Ikuto. Why hadn't she realized what was happening to him? Why hadn't she realized that Easter was torturing him, using him, destroying him? He was living in her bedroom when the transformations first began. She should have realized! He had been returning to her room battered and injured, unable to remember where the injuries had come from. What was happening was so glaringly obvious, but she hadn't… realized… She hadn't been able to help him. She hadn't been able to protect him.

The trauma and darkness in his heart was used to break him apart at the seams. His secrets, his pain and suffering, his past, his fears and regrets—all the things that hurt him in his life were cruelly pulled to the surface to envelope him all at once. Even his precious violin, left to him by his father, could no longer help him. In fact, the violin was another tool in the destruction of his heart and soul. Then, his pain was only amplified by the dark energy of the X-Eggs. Thus, from his broken spirit, Death Rebel was brutally born.

Seeing his beautiful sapphire eyes so dark and dead, expressionless, his pale face as smooth as a porcelain statue, broke her heart. The only emotion Death Rebel's cruel possession allowed him to show was pain, agony, and hurt as he struggled against the transformation. Then, the tuning fork made that sound like a cry and Ikuto lost what remained of his heart to the darkness. When he had attacked Amu and Tadase, destroying his precious memories without a care, Amu hadn't even seen a glimpse of the Ikuto she knew beneath that anguished mask. He wasn't even trying to fight anymore.

Inside Death Rebel, Tsukiyomi Ikuto was dying.

His heart was being tortured and broken, shattered but still forced to beat.

Death Rebel was slowly and painfully killing him.

Amu choked back a sob, not wanting to wake her guardian characters. It didn't help that Ikuto's sweet kitten, Yoru, was sleeping only a short distance away in the basket with the others. Amu tried so hard to put up a brave face for Yoru day in and day out, trying to assure the little creature that Ikuto was going to be alright. If he heard her crying in the night, he would know just how worried she was for Ikuto and he would go out into the darkness again, searching in vain for his lost owner. She didn't want that to happen to Yoru and she didn't want more to worry about.

She bit her pillow, stifling the sounds that tried to escape her. What was it about the night that made her emotions come pouring out? She just couldn't hold them back, no matter how hard she tried, not once the darkness fell outside the glass. The night was her weakness and also the time she felt as if she could show weakness. The night was… The night reminded her of Ikuto. Night was when he appeared on her balcony, when he came skulking in and sneaked into her bed, when he teased her, when he offered her compensation or the bad things he did during the day. Night was…

Amu sobbed helplessly, her voice ragged. She couldn't hold it back. Desperately, she buried her face in her pillow, crying helplessly. Sobs tore from her throat, muffled thankfully by the pillow. Her small body shook with the force of her cries, trembling and shaking, her teeth chattering.

Then, she became aware that someone was gently stroking her rosette hair and her cheek. Her first thought was of Ikuto. Eagerly, she sat up, his name caught on her lips, but his tall thin body wasn't sitting on the side of her mattress. Her room was empty of him save his small little guardian, Yoru. The small creature was perched on Amu's shoulder, stroking her hair with his little paws. When she sat up, he saw the tears on her face and faltered.

"Amu, nya," Yoru whispered.

Amu cradled him in her hands, stroking his fur with her fingertips. She was unable to speak, her words caught behind the flood of tears pouring out. Yoru snuggled into her hands, lost, his golden eyes gleaming in the darkness as he stared desperately up at her.

"Amu, nya," he said again, gently, soothingly.

Fresh tears welled in Amu's eyes. Even now, when Yoru had lost so much more than she had, he was trying to comfort her. He was so much like Ikuto in that moment—sacrificing so much for her, protecting her even if he'd be punished later, helping her even when he shouldn't have. Now, Yoru floated up to her cheek and snuggled into her throat, his small paws pressing at her pulse as if to assure himself that she was alive. Amu cupped her hands over him, dipping her chin to nestle into his warm fur.

"You should sleep, Amu," Yoru whispered. "It's late, nya."

"I know, but… I can't," she confessed.

Yoru was quiet, his little body trembling. Then, he spoke the words Amu didn't want to hear. "Do you think… Ikuto is alright, nya?"

"I hope so," she whispered, her eyes filling anew.

What if he didn't even have a bed where he was? What if he was sleeping on cold concrete, naked and beaten? What if he was starving? What if he was bleeding? What if he was… crying?

As if sensing her depressing thoughts, Yoru pushed against her cheek until she lay back down against the pillows. Then, he snuggled under her chin and began to purr. Amu found her eyes drooping, the warmth of his little body seeping into her and the purring was so soothing. She wondered if he slept like this with Ikuto. He must have because Ikuto was always so alone, with only Yoru at his side. Now, even Yoru was apart from him. How lonely was he? Tears rolled down Amu's cheeks and she cuddled Yoru closer.

The kitten continued purring and Amu cried in silence. She wasn't sure when she managed to fall asleep, but she was suddenly waking up to bright sunlight and a new day. Yoru was still snuggled against her, breathing softly against her throat. Her own guardians were still asleep in their eggs. For that she was grateful because she didn't want them to see as she lifted Yoru in her hands and pressed her lips to the top of his head. She didn't want them to see that she was thinking of Ikuto as she did it.

Since it was morning and no longer night, she swallowed her tears.

…

In hindsight, when Amu heard the first notes of the broken violin, she should have called the other Guardians for help. But, the moment Yoru heard the notes, with a shout of Ikuto's name, the little creature was off. Amu had called after him, her own heart skipping beats at the thought of finding Ikuto, but he didn't come back to her. In that moment, foolishly, she thought that she would be enough to stop him. Maybe she even thought she was enough to save him, her alone. So, she didn't call the other Guardians and she raced after Yoru, shouting. In hindsight, she wished she had because then maybe… things wouldn't have happened the way that they had.

But she hadn't called the Guardians. No one even knew where she was, no one even knew she had gone after Ikuto, no one ever knew except the people there that day. In a way, in hindsight, she was happy that she and Ikuto were alone in what happened between them. It would have been so much harder on Ikuto's already-battered heart if there had been witnesses to his greatest crime. But, she couldn't help wondering if things would have gone different had Tadase or Nagihiko been there to help her. Honestly, though, she had been trying to let those thoughts go because it was in the past and nothing would change what happened.

It was the park where Amu had first heard Ikuto playing the violin on a moonlit night, his face like a ghost. Now, Death Rebel stood beneath that gazebo, playing the violin in a painful twisted way, his body swaying as if he was ill. All around him, X-Eggs swirled and danced, multiplying, growing larger with each note.

"Ikuto!" Amu shouted, joining Yoru at the base of the steps, gazing up at him. "Ikuto!"

It was as if he didn't even hear her voice nor did he see her. His eyes were like blue glass, blank and expressionless save a distant sort of agony seeping through the veil. His long fingers danced across the strings, the bow sliding back and forth smoothly, but the music he played seemed somehow ragged as if he was sobbing.

"Ikuto, nya!" Yoru shouted and flew immediately to his owner's side.

Ikuto didn't see or hear Yoru either. All he heard was the sound of that godforsaken tuning fork and all he saw was his step-father's wretched face. His friends had been taken from his sight, even his guardian had been taken from his heart. He was alone, trapped within that forced transformation, lost within the darkness.

Amu turned to her small guardians and said, "Ran."

"Y-yeah," the little pink cheerleader said, nodding her head.

Then, Amu felt the familiar connection spread between them like a braided silken rope. The heavy but beautiful lock hanging around her neck blazed to life, beating with a heart of its own. She also felt the lock reach out for the key, the key Ikuto carried. Whenever the Dumpty Key and Humpty Lock, Amu and Ikuto, were close together, the two parts wanted to join—to become a whole. But Ikuto was in no condition to turn the key within her lock. Amu was alone in her heart.

The transformation between her and Ran was sudden, almost jarring. She found herself suddenly standing there, feeling the cool breeze on her bare thighs and belly. A small shiver ran through her, but she pushed it away. All mattered right now was if she could somehow reach Ikuto, somehow bring him back to her.

"Ikuto!" she called, Amulet Heart lending strength to her voice.

A sort of light came into his blue glass eyes and, for one swift moment, he seemed to be looking right at her. His chapped lips parted slightly as if to speak her name, but no sound escaped him. Then, the moment passed and Death Rebel continued to play.

Then, she saw him. She had been so focused on Ikuto that she hadn't even noticed that his step-father was seated on the bench beneath the gazebo a few feet away. He was smirking cruelly, holding that gleaming tuning fork in his hands, and watching. "If it isn't the bratty little girl," he hissed out. Then, he lifted the tuning fork and struck it hard on the side of the bench, the terrible sound ringing like a cry through the park.

Ikuto crumpled, his hand pressing to his head tightly. Then, he straightened himself, his face as smooth and blank as someone who was already dead only there was no peace in his expression. He was trapped in a living hell, unable to live but unable to die.

"Ikuto!" Amu shouted.

Kazuomi grinned. "Why don't you kill her, Ikuto?" He struck the tuning fork again.

Ikuto raised the violin above his head, the shape melting and shifting, transforming. Then, he held the scythe in his hands, the hideous weapon gleaming in the afternoon light. The scythe was as big as Ikuto, casting a long shadow as if he was going to cleave his own body in half. He staggered towards her a step, the scythe seeming to drag him down.

"Ikuto," Amu whispered, backing away a few steps. Miki and Suu were bottled up against her back, clinging to the long red ribbons of her Amulet Heart transformation. "Wait, you don't want to hurt me," she pleaded.

"Ikuto, nya!" Yoru shouted and launched himself at his owner, clinging to the strands of silken blue-black hair framing Ikuto's face. "Stop, Ikuto! Don't do it! Stop listening to him, nya!"

Ikuto hesitated, his chalk-pale face clearing a moment. Some light came into his eyes, some expression. "A… Amu…?" he whispered.

Tears welled in her eyes and she stepped towards him. "Yeah," she murmured, holding out her hands to him. "Ikuto, it's okay. Fight him."

Kazuomi smirked. "You think your voice can reach him, girl?" He struck the tuning fork again, the sound screaming through Amu's head and Ikuto's heart.

Ikuto doubled over, his hand pressed to his mouth as if he was going to be sick. He hit his knees, the scythe clattering on the concrete. He dug his free hand through his hair as if trying to hold his skull together. A ragged cry escaped him, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his teeth gouging into his lower lip.

Without a care, Kazuomi struck the fork again. "Kill her."

Amu glared at him. "You're a monster!" she screamed at him. "Why are you doing this to him?"

Kazuomi didn't dignify her with an answer. He struck the fork once, twice, three times. "Kill her. That's an order, Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

Ikuto lurched to his feet as if he was a puppet on strings, grasping the scythe once again. He walked towards Amu, down each step smoothly and easily. His face was so cold, so blank, expressionless. His heart was caged and she couldn't reach him.

"Amu, nya," Yoru shouted, his little face stricken with panic. "The tuning fork! Let's get it!"

Amu nodded, her head jerking down, and she summoned the Heart Rod desperately to her hand. Without the patience to cry out the name of her attack, she flung the rod at Kazuomi. It struck his hand and the fork clattered to the ground, sending out more horrible ringing cries.

Ikuto screamed out, his voice raw and ragged.

Yoru was at his side in an instant. "Ikuto! Ikuto, nya!"

Amu leaped to catch the Heart Rod as it flew back to her. "Miki! Suu! Get the tuning fork!"

The two guardian characters raced towards the fork, streaking towards it. Yoru joined them, seeing that there was nothing he could do for Ikuto right now. Together, the three grabbed it and Kazuomi, who wasn't able to see them, was stunned to see the fork lifting from the ground. Within an instant, the three had brought the tuning fork to Amu and deposited it into her hands. She clutched it to her chest, praying this would be enough to break Kazuomi's grip on Ikuto. Kazuomi wondered, too. Together, they both watched.

Ikuto was crumpled at the foot of the stairs, gasping for breath. He was doubled over, clearly in great pain as his heart warred with the forced transformation. For a moment, it seemed he was going to be able to pull through, but Kazuomi only needed the fork to control him completely.

Bitterly, Kazuomi snarled, "Kill her. I gave you an order."

The words shot through Ikuto like a wound, his cat ears flattening against his head. "N-n-no," he choked out. "Pl-please… s-st-stop t-t-t-this…"

Amu's eyes filled with tears. "Ikuto," she whispered.

"Fucking kill her!" Kazuomi shouted, his voice as loud and painful as the sound of the tuning fork.

Amu watched, her heart breaking for him, as Ikuto raked his nails into his palms, dug his teeth into his lower lip, gouged his fingers into the injury she knew Tadase had left in his shoulder as if the pain could help him keep control. He was on his knees, blood splattering on the concrete, his blue eyes red-rimmed with agony. "St-stop," he pleaded. "N-n-n-no."

Kazuomi grinned cruelly. "She's a nuisance, always purifying the eggs and getting in the way," he hissed. "And she hides you from me, Ikuto. If you weren't her friend, she could live. It's your own fault so put her out of her misery. She's only suffering because of you."

"Shut up!" Amu shouted at the man, tears rolling down her face. "Shut up! You're a liar!"

Kazuomi grinned wider. "Do it, Ikuto. Do it."

"I-I-I c-c-can't-t," he choked out, desperately fisting his hand in his shirt. "S-st-stop!"

"Kill. The. Bitch."

Those words seemed to tear into him, each one prying s harsh sound from Ikuto's throat. "I can't," he whispered, teeth gouging into his lower lip so that blood ran down his chin. "I-I-I-I love h-her…"

The moment of confession that should have made Amu blush and stutter, caught between her love for Tadase and her care for Ikuto, was ruined by Kazuomi's harsh words, by Death Rebel, by the whole situation. But it was only going to get worse.

"Then break her," Kazuomi snarled.

For one desperate moment, Ikuto stared at Amu. Tears had gathered in the corners of his sapphire eyes, blood painted his chapped lips, and his face was like chalk, bloodless and pale. "A-A-Amu," he gasped out. He seemed to want to say something else, but then he doubled over, a ragged cry escaping his mouth. Then, his body turned into a pile of rags and he collapsed. The scythe smashed down inches from his fingers.

"Ikuto!" Amu rushed to his side, the tuning fork sliding from her hands and clattering noisily on the concrete.

At the sound of the tuning fork, Ikuto was yanked to his feet. His hands closed on Amu's bare shoulders, fingers digging into her painfully.

"I-Ikuto," she whispered, her cry echoed by Yoru's.

Still gripping her thin shoulder with one hand, Ikuto bent slowly, his fingers trembling, to pick up the scythe. Once he had gripped it in his hand, he pressed the cold metal to the bare flesh beneath her throat and above her breasts. The sharp edge cut into her, a few drops of blood rolling from the paper-thin wound. But, as Ikuto fought against the control, his body shaking, the wound grew deeper and more jagged, spreading across her chest.

Amu closed her eyes, unable to fight him. She couldn't fight him like this, not when he was already trying so hard not to hurt her, not when he was under his step-father's control. The full length of the scythe's blade sliced across her small body from collarbone to hip, tearing the thin girly fabric of Amulet Heart's top. The fabric slipped open, exposing her small chest, but Amu didn't move to cover herself. Ikuto's eyes were blind to her presence anyway and his slender body blocked the view of her nudity from Kazuomi.

"Ikuto," she whispered. "Don't do this. You don't want to hurt me."

A soft cry escaped him, his fingers digging deeper into her shoulder, the scythe drilled deeper into her naked chest. It felt as if he was trying to burrow into her body, into her heart. At Amu's back, Yoru and Miki and Suu waited to see what would happened between them.

From the bench, Kazuomi rose and circled them. If Kazuomi got the tuning fork… Amu closed her eyes, fighting back tears. There was nothing she could do to stop him. She couldn't pull away from Ikuto while he was fighting back Death Rebel. But the others…

"Guys, the fork," Amu whispered, wincing as her voice made Ikuto flinch.

Immediately, the three raced to the tuning fork and grabbed it, heaving it off the ground. To Kazuomi, it seemed as if a ghost was coming to the girl's aid, maybe the ghost of Ikuto's shattered heart, and he was still surprised by the sight, but not surprised enough. This time, rather than being stunned, he grabbed the fork from the invisible helpers and held onto it tightly, just in case they had the power to take it back from him.

Amu sobbed, seeing it in Kazuomi's hand. "Ikuto," she whispered. "Please."

"Ikuto, nya," Yoru whispered, his eyes on his owner.

"Break her," Kazuomi said again, growing impatient with this charade.

Ikuto dug harder into Amu's body, as if clutching her. Crimson blood seeped into the waistband of her pink pleated skirt, tears rolled down her pale face, and the cold air prickled her naked flesh, but still… She hurt more for Ikuto than she did for herself.

"Break. That. Bitch." Kazuomi snarled and struck the tuning fork.

With that, Ikuto was lost, but he didn't kill her. For that reason alone, Amu knew some remnants of Ikuto's heart remained underneath the façade of Death Rebel—even under such a strong control. He didn't kill her, but… as Kazuomi had ordered, he broke her.

X X X

And I removed the original mature content that continued from that point due to the trolls. Please join the cause to bring maturity to Fanfiction again. Or read this story and all its updates in its original version on Archive of Our Own.