Hey, guys! I came up with this idea a few months ago, and decided it would be fun to do. This is going to be a Halloween fanfic, but I'm going to do it over the entire month of October. This is the first chapter, and the last one will be on Halloween. It's gonna be really fun! Hope you guys like it!

Porcelain

Chapter 1

Our lives were so normal,
simple as could be.
Who would've thought
they could shatter so easily?

This is a bad idea.

As Amu stared at the dilapidated house standing before her, her boyfriend, and her other friends, that was the only thing she could think. Why did I agree to do this? This is an awful idea!

But she remembered why. She remembered her lapse of judgement very clearly.

"Hey, guys, we should go to a haunted house!"

Kukai's exclamation came randomly, with no provocation whatsoever. Amu was lying on the couch, snuggling into Ikuto's side with his arm around her. "You mean like the House of Horror?" Amu questioned, curious as to what brought this on.

Utau, who was currently under Kukai's arm, scoffed. "Please. We all know that it's fake. It would be a waste of time."

Before Utau had even finished her sentence, Kukai started shaking his head. "No, not like that. I mean like a legitimate haunted house. You know that abandoned house at the very end of Seiyo Street? Well, I've heard rumors that the place is haunted. Really haunted. How cool would it be if we went and checked it out?"

Ikuto hummed in something like interest with an undertone of approval.

Utau rolled her eyes. "No. That's stupid. You know that we're just going to be walking around in a dirty old house. It'll be more boring than a sponsored haunted house."

Kukai grinned at her, a challenge in his eyes. "You're just scared."

Utau froze. She turned slowly to look at Kukai. There was a spark in her eye. "What?"

Kukai answered nonchalantly, "No, I get it. I should've guessed a real haunted house would've been too much for you. I probably would've had to have you crushing my hand the whole time-"

"I would not!" There was a slightly blush on Utau's face, but it was far out-shadowed by the fire in her eyes. "I bet that I would have to drag you all the way through the house!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Obviously!"

"So what do you say?"

"YOU'RE ON!"

Seeing that Utau was obviously on board, Ikuto decided it was his turn to convince Amu. From the way she was biting her lip, she would probably be slightly more difficult to convince than Utau had been.

"What do you think? It could be fun."

Amu wasn't convinced. "Yeah, and dangerous. Didn't he say it was an old house? The foundations or floor could be rotten. Someone could get hurt!"

"It hasn't been abandoned that long. I'm sure it isn't that bad."

"But there could be wild animals in there! What if one of us got bitten by a rabid raccoon?"

"You know what I think?" Ikuto's voice dropped to a whisper and he leaned close to Amu's ear. She shivered as his breath tickled her ear. "I think you're nervous about being alone with me in a dark place."

Amu's face turned as red as a strawberry. "A-as if!"

Ikuto had to stop himself from chuckling. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. Amu closed her eyes, her blush still evident on her face. After a few seconds, Ikuto pulled away and looked deep into Amu's golden eyes. "Please?"

She shouldn't have been allowed to make a decision at that moment, she realized in hindsight. Stupid Ikuto had made her brains turn into mush. She probably would've agree to anything he suggested at that moment.

Amu's fogged mind had thought that with Utau and Kukai there, nothing too bad could happen, right?

Like she said. She shouldn't have been allowed to make a decision.

"Um... Are we sure this is a good idea, guys?" Amu's voice was timid.

Ikuto turned to look at her quizzically. "Of course. Why?"

Amu shuffled her feet, squirming a little. "I don't know... We still don't know what's in there. Someone could get hurt by rabid animals or poisonous spiders or..." Or something worse.

"Or ghosts?" Ikuto teased.

Amu blushed furiously. "No! Of course not! That's ridiculous! I'm just worried that someone could get hurt!"

"By ghosts or werewolves?"

Amu blushed even harder. "No! Someone could fall, or the floor could collapse!"

Ikuto chuckled deep in his throat and leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." A smirk graced his features.

Amu wasted no time before pushing him away, turning her back to him.

"Seriously though, Amu. You don't have to worry about anything. I'll be right here the entire time." Ikuto gently touched the small of her back, and Amu felt oddly reassured by that. She still didn't understand how the same man who aggravated her to no end could set her at ease just as easily.

"Okay." Amu paused for a moment. "I'm not scared."

Ikuto smiled at her back. "Of course not."

Amu glanced at Utau and Kukai, who were currently arguing about who would run out of the house first. I hope this was a good idea.

Ikuto wrapped his hand around the old, rusty doorknob. "Are you ready?" The question was addressed to all three of the teenagers, but he looked directly at Amu as he asked. She swallowed hard, preparing herself. Kukai and Utau stared at the door, excited about their competition.

Ikuto turned the rusty knob and pushed against the door, which refused to open. By the grimace on his face, it was obvious he wasn't happy about that. He promptly pressed against it with his shoulder, putting all his weight into it.

The door burst open, letting out an ungodly scream. Dust from the floor blew up in a storm, forced into the atmosphere by the sudden intake of air. When it settled, Ikuto smirked back at the three people behind him. "Let's go."

Done! So, what do you think? Good, decent, eh, bad, oh-my-good-Lord-what-possessed-you-to-write-something-so-awful? I won't know unless you tell me, so please review, fave, or follow! Happy October, everyone! XP XP XP