Hello, all! I'm so glad that this story is getting such a good response. Although, there are some things that I've been thinking about, and have decided to do this early on in the story, so that I won't run into any problems in the future.

Warning: Incest

This is obvious since Amu is Ikuto's niece, and she is his love-interest. Of course, it doesn't start right now. At the moment, I'm going to focus on building their relationship, before material that includes incest (although not heavily), is introduced. I really hope that this didn't ruin the story for most of you, and if it did, sorry. But this is how I planned it to be after reading Lolita — although that does not include incest. *sigh* I'm sorry, again. But for those of you who are okay with it, or who are still deciding, I promise that the story will remain on my promise to make everything about it, tasteful.

Well that's all for now. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review to the story and its material, at the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original characters of Shugo Chara! I only own my own characters, and the use of the plot since it is inspired by a novel.

Lolita was originally written by Vladimir Nabokov. This is my adaptation/version of it.


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Lolita

Chapter 2: My Sister's Daughter

*By Chibi Star Vamp*


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"Amu, this is your uncle, Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

The mysterious little girl, Amu, looked back at the identified blue male that was still standing at her door, and staring at her. While she continued to glare at him, her expression lightened the slightest bit now that her mother had identified the statue-like stranger that had entered her room.

"Uncle?" She repeated. Utau nodded her head.

"Yes. Your uncle — my brother. He's come to visit us." Utau said. "And it's lunch time. I want you to come downstairs to eat with us. You can finish doing your homework, later." Utau said.

The little girl, Amu, sighed at her mother's comment. Without protest, she placed her pencil inside of her book, and then closed it shut. Moving off of her bed, she placed her book inside one of the drawers of her white-colored nightstand, and closed it before heading towards the door.

"Yes mom." She said in a tone that vaguely reminded Ikuto of the way that Utau would respond to their mother, when they were younger. However, there wasn't that robotic tone to it that she had in the days of their childhood. Instead, the little girl's voice hinted at her annoyance. It wasn't cold and emotionless, or automatic. It sounded like a person's voice — because it was.

It was obvious that Utau was raising her child using techniques that were similar to the way she was raised, but different at the same time. She still implored that strong concept of self-control that they both grew up on, but it was clear that she was allowing her child to have the freedom to express herself.

As the little girl stood in front of him, Ikuto continued to stare at her. He hadn't even moved a centimeter from his spot. But his breath was caught in his throat as he realized how close to him she was, and the subtle scent of blueberries wafted into his nose. Funny, he expected something more flowery and bubblegum-like to be her scent — because of her hair color. But that didn't mean that the scent didn't suit her. In fact, since it was such a contradiction to her looks, it made her all the more interesting and unique.

"Hello." She said to him. It took him a while to register the fact that she was speaking to him, but once he did, he struggled to answer her.

However, he pushed through.

"Hello." He said; managing to remain his usual tone-of-voice, and sound normal.

"It's nice to meet you Uncle Ikuto. Now, can you move, please? I want to go downstairs." She said to him.

"Amu!" Utau said with a look of disapproval on her face. There was a light frown on as she looked at her daughter. "That's rude — the least you can do is introduce yourself to him properly." She said. Amu sighed and rolled her golden-amber eyes; much to Utau's displeasure.

"Why should I? I know he's my uncle, he knows I'm his niece. No more information is needed. Now if you'd excuse me…" She paused as she lowered herself a little, and managed to slip under Ikuto's arm; her head lightly brushing against it. His head followed her as she stood in front of her mother. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Utau's disapproving look faltered the slightest and changed a bit more into sadness as she watched her daughter walk down the hall and to the door across her room. Sighing as it was closed, she turned back to Ikuto with an apologetic look.

"I'm really sorry about that." She started. "Amu's a little problematic, at times." She said.

"She rebels?" Ikuto asked; having regained enough of his composure to carry-on with a simple conversation. It was especially easy to do since the little girl and her distracting presence was no longer around.

"Not entirely." She said with a sigh. "She's a really good girl. Good grades, leveled head, and uses common sense. However, she does have her moments where she does things that cause headaches…" Utau stated as she began to walk back down the hallway, and headed to the door next to the little girl's room.

"Then she's the adopted child?" Ikuto asked.

"No. Why would you ask that?" Utau asked him as she opened the door. Quickly glancing up to look at it, Ikuto saw that it was another little's kid's room. Only this time, it was set-up for a much younger child, and there were three beds there.

Noticing the confusion in his eyes, Utau spoke. "We're planning to adopt again. There's this little group of children at the orphanage that we've both become attached to. We're currently working hard to get them everything that they'll need to live comfortably, next year." She stated.

"Ah." He responded. It made sense that Utau would want to adopt, again. She always wanted a large and happy family, when they were younger — a family different from their own. And Kukai, he knew, was an adopted child himself. It only made sense that the both of them would have their own child, and open their home to other children. However, why they only chose to adopt little kids, he'll never understand.

Switching gears, he responded to her previous question as she placed the basket inside the room.

"Downstairs in the living room I saw a picture of a blonde girl." Hearing his response, Utau nodded her head. Straightening her spine, she sighed.

"That was Amu when she was a little girl." Utau confessed; much to Ikuto's surprise. "She had the prettiest blonde hair. So long and soft and beautiful… but when she came back from summer camp, a year ago, she had that short pink hair…" Utau said; her eyes glistening.

"I remember thinking that it was wig; some sort of joke. As a child, Amu did want to become a comedian, and she always enjoyed playing petty pranks on Kukai and me. But when she said that it wasn't, and I pulled on her hair… It was shocking, honestly. She came back from that summer camp with pink hair." Utau sighed once again; it was heavier than before, and an attempt at her calming herself down.

"She wants to go back this year, but… after what happened last time, I'm still deliberating it — at least that was her only major change, in the past year. Overall, she's the same as before." Utau stated.

"That's good." Ikuto said.

"Anyways, let's head downstairs to eat. The food's getting cold." Silently Ikuto nodded his head and moved away from the doorway to allow his sister to head outside the room. He was about to take his first step to follow her, but froze when the little girl, Amu, suddenly came into his line of vision.

She paused for a moment and turned her head to look at him. He was frozen still with shock as he looked at her, and watched as she moved back a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't like you." She said to him in that voice that was sweet and yet harsh, at the same time.

Then she moved and was gone.

He could feel his heart continue to beat harshly. An image of her face appeared in his mind, and he once again placed his hand over his heart, and dug his fingers into the material of his shirt. His teeth clenched together tightly as he felt a familiar, painful feeling in his heart that he hadn't suffered through for years.

He took in a deep breath.

Crap…


He needed to stay away from her, he concluded.

There was no way that he would be able to maintain his sanity if he stuck around that little girl. She caused him too much pain. Just by the form of her body and the look of her face, she caused him too much pain.

He honestly couldn't understand why Fate was being so cruel to him. After all, he's gone through so much pain and suffering in the early years of his childhood, and just when he thought that, as an adult, he'd have a much easier time dealing with his problem, Life throws at him a replica of its origin.

He hated it so much.

He hated the fact that she… she…

He sighed. He was annoyed — miffed at the world for dealing him another crappy card. And this time, it was worse than before. This card was not only the worst that had ever been dealt, but it was forbidden.

Goddamn… He sighed.

It was as he took in a deep breath to calm his nerves that he realized that he was still in the little children's room. His nose inhaled the sweet scent, and he mentally cringed.

The similarity was astounding…

I need to go… He thought as he swiftly turned on his heels and began to rush down the stairs. His long legs got him down to the ground floor in a matter of seconds. I can't stay here. I need to go — I need to leave and never come back.

But just as he was about to make a swift escape through the front door, it opened. His eyes widened and he stood, shocked, as he looked at Kukai.

"Ikuto?" Kukai said.

He didn't respond. Instead, he felt annoyed at the fact that the man was blocking his exit. Why, oh why, couldn't he have arrived back at his home, later? If Kukai had waited another thirty or so seconds to open the door, he could've already been inside his car, and getting ready to drive-off to a place far, far away from that household.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Kukai asked; a smile slowly forming on his face. It was obvious to him that it was a greeting smile — he expected him to stay.

"Kukai?" Utau said as she walked into the hallway. When her eyes landed on her husband, she sighed. "What took you so long? You should've been back here over an hour ago." She stated. Her eyes formed a light glare and she frowned at her husband as she made her way over to him.

"Sorry, Utau," Kukai said. "Nadeshiko's appointment lasted longer than I thought." At this, Utau sighed.

"I told you, you should've been there at least an hour early. You can't leave at the exact time of the appointment." She said to him. She disliked how her husband wasn't as punctual as she was, but then again, maybe that was why she preferred him over every other male that she had met in her lifetime…

He was the opposite of her.

And she very much enjoyed that.

"You were right — I'm sorry." He said with a grin. Utau frowned. She knew what he was doing. She knew that he knew that she enjoyed seeing that boyish grin on his face. It was one of her weaknesses.

"Hmph." She huffed; turning around. "Just come in and eat. Amu and I have been waiting long enough, thank you."

"What are we having?" He asked her.

"Something simple."

Kukai sighed. "I don't think I have enough room for something simple." He said. Having been married to Utau for over a decade, he's been through many of her cooked meals learning that Utau's definition of something simple was not anything like his. Her definition was his definition of dinner.

"Just get in here." Utau said with the side of her lip raised into a smile.

"Okay, okay — we'll be right there." He stated. Utau gave him a final nod of acknowledgement before disappearing into the dining room. It was then that Kukai turned his attention back to Ikuto. "Are you staying for lunch, Ikuto?" He asked.

Before he could answer, another voice did.

"No. He's leaving." It said.

It made him a statue. His blood froze in his veins, and for a split second he couldn't do a single thing. That voice…

Moments later, the little girl appeared at his side, once again. From the corner of his eye, he could see the top of her pink head, and her undeniable scent was filling his nose. He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his jeans; they were shaking.

Just from her presence, his body was shaking.

"Really?" Kukai asked.

Amu nodded. "He bolted down the stairs and would have been out of the door if it were not for you arriving…" She stated. She tilted her head up to look at him. His jaw clenched; he couldn't look at her. "Good ahead. Leave — you know you want to." She urged in her annoying voice.

He gulped down the clog forming in his throat.

Damn… He thought. Inside his pockets, his hands were shaking. He clenched and unclenched his fingers; as if he were squeezing a rubber toy with as much force as he possibly could. He could almost hear it squeak under the amount of pressure that he was putting on it. And imagining the sound of that squeak had blocked out all noises. Until—

"Why the hesitation?" She asked once again. He wished that she would stop talking. That voice of hers was annoying. "Weren't you practically running to the door? Surely it wasn't because you heard my father coming home."

"Amu, stop." Kukai said. He gave his daughter a stern look before moving his gaze up to Ikuto; his eyes apologetic. "I'm really sorry about that, Ikuto." He started. "She probably just misinterpreted the situation." He stated with a bit of a nervous grin on his face.

Amu rolled her golden-yellow eyes.

"Father, please…" She said; taking another step in front of him. She was now directly in front of Ikuto, and the blue-haired male slowly and casually took a step back. The movement only caused him to get a whiff of the scent of her hair. His fingers clenched more tightly. "You weren't here when he was practically sprinting down the hallway and heading towards the door. Did you miss the way he looked at you when you entered? It's obvious that you foiled his plans to leave. I bet you, right now, that all he wants is to push you aside and go to his car."

She turned to look directly at him.

He kept his head straight and looking at a confused Kukai, whose eyebrows were furrowed due to his daughter's statements. But he could feel her gaze on him, and every now and then he would catch glimpses of her eyes.

"You want to leave." She said softly. Her voice made him gulp; his fingers clenching even tighter than before. "Go ahead — leave." She stated.

Amu took the initiative and even grabbed onto her father's arm, and moved him away from the door. Briefly she glanced at the other little girl beside her father. She tore her eyes away from the child, and continued moving her father until he was fully on the side of the door, and a clean exit was provided.

Once again she stood in front of Ikuto; noticing how he still refused to look at her, but was staring directly outside.

"Blue skies. Green grass. Open roads. Miles on end. I bet that car of yours can get up to at least 30mpg, right?" She questioned. "And I doubt it doesn't hold almost a full tank. If you leave now, it'll be hours before you run out of gas and are forced to stop for more — by then, this house will be a thing of the past. Go ahead. Leave."

"That's enough Amu." Kukai said. "It's rude to tell a person to leave the house. I want you to go into the dining room and eat your lunch."

Amu crossed her arms, and began to walk. "Fine." She said; without hesitance. And then as silently as she came, she walked down the hall, and turned a right to enter the kitchen and then the dining room.

She could hear her father's voice as he murmured apologies to the statue-like man.

"I'm really sorry about that, Amu is… she… problems… good…"

His apologies made her scoff.

Fool… She thought. If only her father could see what she was able to see. If only her father wasn't so blinded by incomplete paradigms, then maybe he could truly see that man. He'll learn, eventually. She thought as she entered the dining room.

She wasn't surprised by the look on her mother's face as she sat in front of a clear plate.

"What's taking so long?" Her mother muttered.

"Dad's talking to that man." She said; causing her mother to jump slightly and her eyes to widen as she realized that she was no longer the only one in that room.

"Amu, when did you get in here?" Utau asked.

"A little while ago." She responded as she took her seat, directly across from her mother. Pushing her chair in, she looked over the display of food — still warm — that completely covered the center of the table. "I'm starving. What are we having?" She asked; since the food on the table was covered-up by tin tops.

"Rice, vegetables, and meat — along with either water or, just for today, some soda." Utau stated.

"Soda? Is that because your brother is here?" Amu asked.

Utau sighed. "Go get your father and sister." She stated.

Amu sighed. She was just about to stand and do as her mother said, when she caught the sight of shadows forming in the doorway. Looking up, she watched as her father walked in, along with the other child — and that man.

She rolled her eyes as she retook her seat, and lifted the cover of the rice. Her mother was going to scold her, she could tell, but was too distracted by the man as he took a seat next to her father; one seat away from the other child. She sighed as she noticed just how easily her mother was distracted by that man.

I knew he wouldn't leave…


Lunch had been annoying, in her opinion. The entire time was spent with her mother asking that man various questions, and him answering in a soft, barely audible voice. Several times her mother had asked him why he seemed so nervous. Never did he answer. But she knew. She was a very bright child, and could tell just what was making him nervous.

Even now, as she played a game of soccer with her father, while her mother, the other child, and that man were seated on the porch drinking lemonade and eating light sandwiches, she could see that he was uneasy, and noticed the way his muscles tensed whenever his eyes shifted their view.

Stop staring at me… She thought as she twisted her body and managed to get the ball away from her father. She quickly glanced up to look at her goal (two trees in the backyard that held a large white swing between them), before looking down at the ball once again and glancing at her father. He seemed to be struggling keeping up with her.

Quickly she glanced back at the man. Her mother was chatting it up with him; a smile on her face as she, surely, told him stories of her life after she got married to her father. The other child sat there, silent, and with a smile on their face as they heard the stories.

But while her mother seemed more than elated at the fact that the man was there, he didn't seem to care. He was emotionless and stoic as he sat there, ridged, and listened to her stories. Every now and then he would take a sip of his lemonade, before setting it down. It was when he had the lemonade in his hands, and was drinking it, that he looked at her.

It was always a quick glance — a momentary shift of the eyes that occurred in a split-second before he tensed, and turned his gaze back to her mother.

Stop staring at me… She thought. Turning her attention back to the game, she kicked the ball and made it land directly on the bench. The chains that held the swing jingled momentarily as it slightly bounced.

"That's game." She said to her father once he made his way over to the bench. Kukai was breathing heavily as he looked at the ball, and then at his daughter. A smile on his face.

"You're getting better." He said to her. "If you keep this up, I might have no choice but to make you team captain, this year." He stated. Inside, Amu felt a sense of pride swell up inside her, before it quickly deflated. She scoffed; moving her hands across her forehead and wiping the beads of sweat that were there.

"Do what you want." She said. She didn't miss the way he lightly frowned at her before she turned around and began to head to the porch.

Her eyes landed on that man.

I'll show them — all of them.

"Hey! Mom!" She called out. She watched his reaction; the way his muscles tightened, how his nails dug into the wood of the chair, and the way he clenched the lemonade glass tightly. Did you see that? She asked in her mind. But it was clear that her mother, whom the silent question was directed towards, didn't see the way that man quickly replicated a statue, at the sound of her voice.

"What is it, Amu?" Utau asked as she turned her head to look at her child.

"Can I have some lemonade? It's really hot, and I'm sweating." She stated. She glanced at the man sitting across her mother; his gaze lowered towards the ground.

"Sorry Amu, there's no more." Utau said.

Amu huffed. But secretly, she wasn't upset. In fact, it was perfect. After all — her mother was right. There was not a single drop of lemonade left.

Except in that man's glass.

"It's alright." She said. "I'll just share with someone." Then without warning, she went over to him and grabbed his drink. She made sure that she blocked his view of her mother as she placed the glass that he had been drinking from, to her lips, and began to drink from it.

It was then that he finally looked at her.

His eyes looked at her, and locked into her own before moving down to her mouth. Since the glass was clear, he could easily see the way her tongue circled the reachable edges of the glass, before they settled on the edge where she was drinking from. He didn't miss how it had been the exact areas where his mouth had been.

It was an indirect kiss.

He sighed and stood from his seat. He hovered over her, staring down at her face as she continued to drink from his glass, and watched as she took in the last bits of the lemonade, held a piece of ice in her mouth, and then released it back into the glass.

She then removed the glass from her lips and gave out a sigh; licking her lips afterwards.

"Yummy." She said. Then she grabbed one of his hands with her free hand, and opened his fingers by placing her smaller ones inside of his hand. It was surprisingly easy to pry his fingers open, and once she did, her small hand was flat against his own. She ran her hand against his, before removing it and placing the glass in his hand. "Thanks for the drink." She stated.

With those as her parting words, she turned around and moved the glass sliding door aside, and stepped into the house. Closing the door behind her, she turned her head and glanced back at the man.

He was still motionless, but she could see the way his chest rose and fell heavily.

Open your eyes, mom, and see…


"I need to go." He stated.

"What? Why?" Utau asked.

They were currently inside the living room and watching the sports game that was going on, that afternoon. While Kukai and their second daughter were fully invested in watching the home team take on the visitors, she and Ikuto had been seated on the long couch and were chatting. Or at least, they had been chatting until he told her that he had to go.

"You've only been here for two hours, Ikuto — can't you stay a little longer?" She pleaded with him.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He responded.

"But why? I thought you were going to stay here all day. Why do you suddenly want to go?" She asked; a frown on her face. She disliked the fact that, after over a decade, she only gets two hours to spend with her brother. Two hours was not enough to make-up for all the lost time.

There was still so much that she had to discuss with him. They were barely over the first year of her marriage with Kukai — closing in on her pregnancy with Amu. She would only allow him to go once she told him of all the important things that he had missed out on, and she managed to uncover some more things about what had gone on with him in the past years.

After all, she only knew the basics — things of which she learned from newspaper articles and the television. Besides what every other one of his fans knew about him, the only new personal thing she's managed to learn was that he was forced to get married.

And that was all. She didn't know the bride-to-be's name, how this happened to be, or how they were both dealing with the situation. Not to mention that if her older brother was getting married — with force or by choice — she wanted an exact date and time so that she could attend the occasion. After all, Ikuto had been the only person there when she and Kukai got married; the least she can do is be there to support his marriage.

Ikuto sighed.

He never liked trying to explain things to Utau. As a child, she never understood why it was that he needed to remove himself from the area, and quickly. Then again, that was somewhat of a blessing in disguise.

But that didn't change the situation. In fact, it made it a little bit worse.

"It's… personal." He said.

"Personal?" Utau repeated. Then, a small light bulb went off in her head. "Oh…" She said softly. "It's about Amu, isn't it?" She asked. She noticed the way the he flinched and looked away from her. Sighing, Utau stood from her seat. "Let's go to the den." She stated.

"The den?" He asked.

"It's in the basement." She said. "It's perfect for private conversations. Come." She said to him. Ikuto silently stood and followed his little sister as she led him to the opposite end of the living room, where there was a dark brown wooden door placed.

When they reached it, she took out a key from the pocket of her pants, and unlocked the door. He raised an eyebrow at this.

"Kukai doesn't like the kids going down there. There was an incident there, a few years back, and since then we've always been careful with the kids." She stated as she opened the door, and flipped the light switch placed next to the door, inside the carpeted stairwell. The place was illuminated with light in under a second.

"Is that what made you so sad, earlier?" Ikuto asked; referring to Utau's comment on spending time with children before it's too late.

Utau closed the door behind her once Ikuto was inside, and led him down the stairs. She sighed. "Yeah… Nadeshiko locked herself in here for a week. We thought she was at summer camp, during that time, but it turns out that she locked herself in when she was searching for a luggage bag." She said; shaking her head at the memory.

"Why didn't the camp report that she was missing?" Ikuto asked.

"I don't know. It's a lousy camp, I guess… Another reason why I don't want Amu going back there this summer — if they're so careless that they can't even inform the parents of a child missing for a week, I don't even want to know what would happen if I sent them back there, again. It might be more horrible than before…" She murmured.

She flipped on another light switch and revealed a carpeted, mini-living room. The carpet was a darkish red color, and the furniture held a motif of brown, polished wood. There was also a fireplace and a large, flat screen TV placed over it; with a large bookshelf against the adjacent wall. The furniture was positioned so that the one sitting in either the large brown recliner or its matching loveseat, had a clear view of the entrance and the TV, at the same time.

It vaguely reminded him of his father's den, except there was a certain comfortable element to it. Everywhere there were pictures of the family — Kukai, Utau, and their two children.

There were also trophies and achievement awards in the names of the children, framed on the walls, equally.

Yep. It may resemble the one his father has, but in no way does it have the same vibe. In fact, he was certain that he could spend numerous hours in that room, comfortably, and never want to leave. There was just something about its atmosphere…

They both sat down on the loveseat. The leather sofa was surprisingly soft and comfortable, and the leather didn't get in the way, at all.

"Listen, Ikuto," Utau said softly. "I know that you may feel uncomfortable about Amu, but I promise you that she isn't usually like this — she doesn't normally invade a person's personal space like that." She stated. He tensed as the memory of how she had drank the lemonade in his glass, entered his mind.

God… that annoying brat…

"Don't let her crawl under your skin. She's just that way because she's testing you."

"Testing me?" He asked.

Utau nodded. "Amu doesn't fully trust anyone — not even Kukai and me. From time-to-time, she tests the people around her in a way that she seems fit. I don't know why, though — all I know is that she would put herself or others in situations that test the person's personality. I guess that she was quickly able to determine that you were a rather… closed and silent person, and her tests for you involve getting into your personal space — as close as she possibly can." Utau stated.

Ikuto could hardly believe it.

"Is she really that vigilant?" He asked.

"Yes. Ever since she was little, Amu's been able to notice things about people that even I can't pick-up on. It's like… she's a computer and is able to do the most accurate analysis of a person just from looking at their face, a single time. She's been able to learn more about a person in a single look than I can after spending a whole month with them." She stated.

His breath was caught in his throat. His fingers, which were on his lap, were slowly shaking.

"How… how much can she learn about a person?" He asked Utau. Utau wasn't sure why Ikuto would ask her such a question, but decided on answering it, anyway. After all, maybe the more he learned of Amu's behavior, the less-intimidated he would become by her — and the closer he would be to staying longer. It was a win-win situation for her.

"Mostly what makes them tick. At first she'll do a small test to see if you'll take the bait—"

Me leaving…

"—then once she collects and saves the data from that, she begins the real examination. She'll put you in another situation that really requires a lot of willpower to pass—"

Sipping from my drink…

"—and this will go on for a little while until she finishes her testing. After which, she'll either accept you into her life or completely shut you out. So please, don't be intimidated by Amu. She's not that social of a person and this is her way of deciding who she should trust." Utau said.

But Ikuto didn't hear her. He was too busy processing the information that he had just been told.

That little girl…

She was testing him. She was purposely invading his personal space to see how long it would be before he cracked. That little girl was being manipulative and testing his patience.

It only strengthened his resolve to leave the house.

He wasn't sure of what she was capable of, or what she might learn. If that little girl was smart enough to know exactly what she needed to do in order to drive him crazy, then she was certainly a smart enough child to know exactly what she may learn, and find a way to use it against him.

He was already being blackmailed by his father — he didn't need to add that little girl into the situation.

I need to go — now!

"I'm sorry Utau, but I really need to go." He said as he rose from his seat.

"But Ikuto—"

"No. I'm sorry. As much as I would like to stay here a little bit longer and spend more time with you, I really have to go. You see—" He couldn't believe what he was about to do. It was something that he had never done with Utau, and had hoped that he never would need to. But the situation had suddenly morphed into something that could easily threaten his career, and now he had to adapt to it to ensure that everything would remain the same. "—I'm actually on a business trip, and have to get to my meeting. I was only able to stay here for a few hours, and have already extended my visit a little too much."

He felt sick to his stomach.

Not once in his lifetime had he ever lied to his little sister. She was never a person that he had to lie to. Utau and he shared everything when they were younger, and had been completely honest with one another since the day she was born, and he told his new baby sister that her life wouldn't be one that she wanted, but that he'd find a way to make her happy.

It was in that moment, as she smiled up at him, that they trust was established. And now he was breaking it after two-almost-three decades of nothing but pure honestly.

It was sickening how he was the one to do so, being as how he was the one who started it.

"Oh." Utau said; a look of realization coming over her face. "I see… well, I'm glad that you took the time to come visit me, Ikuto. It was really nice to see you again." She said with a smile on her face. It made the fact that he had just lied to her, all the worse. She accepted it as if it were the truth — because she believed that it was.

He wanted to take it back, but what was done was done. If he told Utau that he just lied to her, she would never trust him again. She'd begin to question the strength of their relationship.

And the last thing he wanted was for his sister to become distant with him, and no longer want anything to do with him.

So it was better that she not know that he had lied.

"It was nice to see you too, Utau, and your family. They seem to be perfect for you."

"You know you're my family, too, right Ikuto?" She asked.

He nodded his head.

"I'm glad you think that…" He said softly.

"Come on. I'll walk you upstairs and see you out." She said with a bright smile on her face, as she began to head towards the stairs.

Behind her, he followed silently. With the millions of things that were currently running through his mind, the main one was that, finally, he would get to leave this house. After which he can find a hotel room and stay there for the rest of his week.

Yes his original plans had been ruined by that little girl, but at least he would soon find peace in a place far, far away from her.


"Leaving already, I see."

She saw him freeze.

They were still in the stairwell and had turned the corner, when they spotted her. She stood there at the top of the steps, with her body straight and her arms crossed as she looked down at the two adults — her eyes fixated on the blue-haired man that was behind her mother.

"Amu, you know you're not supposed to come anywhere near here without Kukai or me." Utau said as she gave her child a bit of a displeased look.

"I know. But I was looking for you, and Dad said to come check the den. I figured that since you were already here, and he knew that I was here, then it was safe to come down here. Although, I'm glad all I had to do was open the door." She stated. Her gaze then moved back to the man.

"Funny. I thought that you would stay a little longer." She said as she looked directly at him. However, his head was titled so that some of his hair covered his eyes. It was obvious that he did not like it when she was around.

"Amu, stop that. You really need to stop testing people. You have no idea how uncomfortable it makes them." Utau stated as she went up the rest of the stairs.

"Oh I know, Mom." She responded.

Utau gave her a stern look.

"Then stop it." She stated. She didn't like her daughter being aggressive towards others and making them not like her. Amu could very easily be a social butterfly with a countless amount of friends, and yet she chooses to gain more enemies. She had no idea how many people have come to complain to her about her daughter…

It was disheartening, and made her believe that she was a bad mother — something she was desperately trying not to be.

Amu sighed.

"Don't worry, Mom. You know as well as every other person does, that I don't do anything bad — just small, minor things." She stated.

"But what you do makes people hate you." Utau said bluntly. "I don't want you to not have friends or people who care about you, Amu. But if you keep testing people, that's exactly what's going to happen…" Utau silently said; making sure that Ikuto couldn't hear what she was saying to her daughter.

Amu remained silent and still. Her face didn't show any hint that she was moved by her mother's words. Instead, she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"As if I care." She stated.

Utau frowned.

"Amu—"

"Nagihiko is looking for you, Mom. He says that he needs help changing his clothes." She stated. She didn't miss the way her mother frowned deeply at her before she began to walk towards the stairs that led to the second floor of the house, and heading to go help out the other child.

But she stayed there, in front of the door. And when she was certain that neither her father nor her mother would see her, she entered the stairwell, and closed and locked the door behind her.

Now it was only her and that man. And it seemed that he finally knew this too, with the way his fingers clenched the wooden railing, more tightly. Her knuckles were a light shade of white.

"It's about time that you left." She said to him. "I've been wondering how long you would last here — two hours is a new best. Usually people are only able to stay here for an hour. Mom says it's because I drive them all away with my attitude, but I think it's because they're all weak." She said to him. Still he refused to look up at her. Instead, he kept his head low.

And that was bothering her.

While, no, she didn't like when he stared at her without her looking at him, she wouldn't mind him looking at her when she knew that his eyes were on her.

Like with the cup.

That was the first time that he had ever, truly looked at her, and it allowed her so much power over him. With him seeing what she was doing, it allowed her movements to be all the more effective.

And she adored that.

So she went down a few flights, until she was almost directly beneath him, and she bent her body forward, closer to his own. She then used her head to lift his own, and then she was finally looking into his blue eyes. She smiled up at him, and heard his breath hitch in his throat, before he gulped.

"It's rude to not look at someone when they're speaking to you, you know." She said to him in a soft voice. And she knew that it only affected him even more, and that he was most likely battling with his inner demons.

Her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"I don't like you." She repeated. "And I want you to leave. Why? Because I know you — I know how you are." She stated. She saw his eyes widen.

"W-what…?" He asked.

"So you do speak…" She said softly. Then she smiled at him. "And yes, I know your little secret. You think I can't see you for who you really are. From the way you looked at me, I knew just what made you tick. The one thing that can very easily break you… And I love it."

She was certain that his heart sank to his stomach.

Just from the look of pure shock in his eyes, she knew that he finally realized that she knew. She knew his greatest weakness, the one thing that could absolutely ruin him if others found-out about him. And she knew that he knew that she was smart-enough to know just how much weight she now carried, and how easily she could use it to her advantage.

She had never been an idiotic child. From the moment of her birth she showed a clear understanding of things, and how they worked. How? By testing it, testing it, and testing it again.

She enjoyed looking so deeply into something, and finding out its inner workings, that it satisfied her greatly once she found that she had complete control over it. And studying this man, and testing him, she had done just that.

She controlled him.

He was her play thing, and she could very easily break him.

"Amu!" She heard. The muffled sound came from the other side of the door, and she easily recognized her father's voice. She sighed. Time to leave… She thought.

"You should go now." She said to him as she began to remove herself from beneath his tall stature. But as she moved, she noticed how he moved. His head followed her body as she began to walk back up the stairs, backwards, and unlocked the door. "I'm giving you ten minutes to leave — car and all. But it was fun playing with you." She said. Then she opened the door, and stepped out — leaving it open so that it doesn't look suspicious.

She hurried to where her father was; at the front door where one of the few friends that she had at school, Miki, was standing. She was a girl with blue hair and blue eyes. She had a tomboyish style with the slightly baggy blue jeans that she wore, and the white male dress shirt that she had on. Her long blue hair was hidden behind the blue, large artist beret that she always wore, with a large blue spade placed on the left side of it. Her usual blue, somewhat spade-shaped artist bag was slung over her torso, and she had a small smile on her face.

"Hello Amu." She said. Amu smiled.

"Miki." She greeted. "Hello."

"Are you ready to go to the park today?" Miki asked her.

"Actually, I just need to change my clothes a little." She stated; tugging on the edges of the shorts that she was wearing. "Do you think you can wait a little while?" She asked.

"Of course." Miki responded.

"Great." Amu said. "Come in, please." She said. As Miki entered, she began to walk up the stairs. On her way, she caught a glimpse of that man finally exiting the stairwell to the den. Miki noticed as well.

"Who's that?" Her friend asked her.

Amu took a moment to ponder how to respond to that. She wanted to call him her toy, but she still wasn't sure whether she would get to play with him often. So she decided on calling him what he really was.

"Some guy."


He felt as if he couldn't breathe. His chest was tight, and the hand that was there dug into his clothing, and bunched the fabric of his cotton, navy blue shirt that he wore on that day. His head was pounding, with his mouth slightly agape.

Never in his life had he experienced such a shock.

Never in his life would he have assumed such a thing to happen. Every time that he had imagined a situation similar to it happening, not once had it hit him as a possibility that a little girl would be the one to hold the ability to bring him to his downfall.

A little girl…

Life was a bitch.

He could feel his heartbeat beneath his fingertips, and that was the only thing ensuring him that he was alive, and had not died and gone to Hell. For, to him, that was the only way that his body could process the information — to make him believe that he was just experiencing a terrible nightmare, and in a few moments, when he awoke, all of it would disappear and he'd wake-up either in his room, or in the back porch of Utau's home.

Yet as time passed, he slowly processed that he was not dreaming, but fully awake. His mind had not been playing cruel tricks at him, but simply been so stunned, itself, that it could not separate fantasy from reality.

And now it had. Now he could clearly see that his worst nightmare has become his reality…

His life.

This was actually happening to him.

His body started to shake, and his throat was dry. He swallowed a large lump of spit, and as it went down his throat, he took in a deep breath. His hands clutched the nearest thing and he found himself digging his blunt fingernails into the plaster wall outside of the staircase. How he got there, he was unsure.

His breaths came out quick and heavy; causing him to get slightly light-headed. His blue eyes were shut, painfully, as he tried to keep himself calm.

But it was a failed battle. He was suffering from an anxiety attack; something he hasn't had since that day, as a child.

Kami… He thought as his legs gave-out, and he kneeled in the stairwell. Why do I have to be tortured this way? Haven't I suffered enough? Haven't I dealt with enough tragedy in my life? Why? Why must I be cursed?

It was getting harder to breathe, and he could feel his grip on the material world, loosening by the second. He was certain that at any moment, he would stumble back into the staircase, begin to roll down the stairs. Maybe then he would find a little peace, he mused, unconscious and lying on a floor.

He couldn't. He simply couldn't.

He still wasn't ready. Even after all these years, he still wasn't ready to enter a situation that resembled the one of his past, in the slightest. Fate, however, saw otherwise and decided to torment his prematurity.

How? It sent in a copy — a vision of his past.

It was clear to him, the similarities, now that the little girl had gotten close to him. And it was killing him — stabbing him in the heart as he realized this. He knew, then and there, that it is his downfall. If he didn't leave the house soon, he had no clue just what it is that he might do.

"Ikuto?" The soft voice of his sister reached his ears. But he could not be able to turn to her. He was too focused on the headache that he was gaining. "A-are you alright?"

Utau watched with horrified purple eyes as her brother began to bang his head against the wall. She had never seen him do such a thing. Yes she's seen Ikuto become ill, before, but never like this.

What is going on? She thought. But she had no time to ponder on the events as he began to fall forward.

"Ikuto!" She shouted. She immediately ran to him, and caught his body as he fell onto the carpeted floor. It was clear by the expression on his face, and the heaviness of his body that her brother was unconscious. He had fainted. "Oh my god…" She said aloud as she tried to put his body into a more comfortable position in her arms. "Why… why is this happening?"

"Utau! Is everything alright?" Moments later, Kukai stood at her side. He had headed there after hearing the distinct cry of his wife. It immediately worried him, and he couldn't help but rush to her location. Luckily, he had been in the living room so it did not take much to find them. However, he did not expect the scene he came upon. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Utau said. "He just fainted."

"Do you want me to call an ambulance?" He asked as he began to pull Ikuto into his arms. He was glad that he worked-out regularly. Ikuto was not a lightweight male, and he knew that Utau wouldn't be able to move him the rest of the way up the stairs, if she tried.

"No." Utau said; surprising Kukai. He would've thought that she'd want to get him medical attention, immediately. He was her older brother, after all. And not once had she stopped mentioning just how much she loved him, and would do anything that she could to ensure that he was healthy and happy. "I think it's best if he just stays here. Besides, Ikuto never liked hospitals. Sending him to one would just put him in a worse humor." She stated.

"Okay then." Kukai said; not one to argue with his wife about her side of the family, when it was clear that she was the expert when it came to them. He groaned slightly as Ikuto was placed on his back, and he jumped forward to get into a standing position. Ikuto was heavier than he looked.

"Put him the guest room. I'll be down in just a few moments with some tea." She said. She and Kukai began to head in opposite directions as he walked further down the staircase, and into the basement. The guest room was remotely set-up down there.

But it was nonetheless homey than the rest of the house.

"Alright." The man disappeared as he turned the corner and began to walk to the den. Meanwhile, Utau scurried to the kitchen. A frown marred her face.

She hadn't remembered it immediately, but now she did. Her brother had an anxiety attack. What the cause of it was, she could not decipher, and she remembered little of it from when the two were young. She did, however, remember that one of the things that soothed him was jasmine tea with wild-berries and dashes of honey along with a single drop of hot milk.

The sweetness, for some reason, calmed him.

She easily retrieved her tea kettle, and filled it with hot water. She placed it on the stove and let it begin to boil while she retrieved the missing ingredients.

Ikuto… She thought as she found the teabags. Thankfully, there was one left in an otherwise empty box. What caused this? She racked her mind for possibilities, but couldn't determine anything that might cause the attack. Perhaps it was just stress, she told herself. He was overwhelmed with the current events going on in his life, and the pressure had finally caught-up with him.

"Hey mom…" Her daughter, Amu, began as she entered the kitchen.

"What is it, Amu?" Utau asked as she began to cut the berries into small pieces. While they held more flavors when they were whole, the berry essence only needed to be mild, and weren't that important. For flavor, her grandmother, who taught her the recipe, had said they were for.

"I'm going to the park with Miki." Amu said. Her eyes quickly landed on the boiling pot of tea. "What are you doing?"

"Making some tea for Ikuto." She said. She got-out the wand for the honey, and drizzled some of it over the chopped berries. She wished she had the time to freeze the honey on the berries; it allowed the fruits to absorb the taste and become so delicious. But Ikuto was waiting for her in the guest room, and she would not waste time on small things that aren't necessary.

"Tea?" Amu repeated; her curiosity piqued. "Why?"

"He has a headache. Don't worry — I'll be sure to get rid of it."

Lies… Amu couldn't help but think. She knew that he had no headache. He had shown no signs of it, earlier, and appeared to be in full-health those times that the two have been in the same area. There had also been nothing to occur that could have caused his head to begin pounding. He had no headache. It was something else, and she had a feeling she knew what it was…

"That's good. Well, I'm off — I'll be back before dark." She stated as she began to exit the kitchen, and return to her previous position beside her friend.

On the way out the door, she could not help but wonder just in what state that man was. How was his posture? His appearance? Was he sweating? Vomiting? Perhaps even screaming or cursing wildly? Or was he calm and just with a simple headache? She wished she could examine her effect on him, further, but knew that she should not get close to him until he was stabilized.

After all, it was no fun breaking a person down if they had already crumbled.


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.

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End. I know that some of you were hoping for some Rima and Nagihiko moments, and I apologize that those moments will not occur, but the reason is not only because Rima, as a whole character, is not being used; there is more to it than that — something of which will be revealed in around the next two chapters. But I promise that I will include their original essence in order to fill your need for them. Any who, what did you think? I would really like some critique on this chapter because it made me nervous, and I got quite a few blanks writing scenes that I wanted to add, but ended-up taking out. I think it's better, but a review or two (or more) would be the perfect way to show that my efforts were not… frivolous. So, please review!

Next chapter: Flashbacks. A look into Ikuto's life from when he was a child, including some hints as to why he reacted so strongly to Amu being close. Any guesses?

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp