I am so sorry that it has taken so long to update this story! It has been so busy in life lately that I have not have time to update! First of all, thank you to all the reviews! It means so much and motivates me to continue. Second of all, this chapter is a little slow but emotional on certain levels. I'm still not sure if I like the outcome of this chapter, but if something comes to mind I might alternate the chapter.

Thirdly, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all get what you asked Santa for this year and that you have an amazing holiday season. As my present to you, here is a new chapter of Life After Death! I hope you enjoy!

―――

Life After Death

Chapter 6

Bios Delta

―――

"Mama, tell me about your friends again." Kai whispered tiredly, yawning as her mother pulled the covers over her body and tucked her in.

Amu smiled, sitting on the bed's edge. "Kai, you need to go to sleep."

"Mama, please." Kai pouted but Amu shook her head, running her hands through her daughter's soft pink hair.

"How about I tell you a story of me and someone I love dearly Kai? Is that good enough?" Amu grinned, tickling her baby girl, who shrieked in laughter.

"Yes Mama!" Kai giggled, eyes opened, curiously peering up at Amu.

"Once long ago, I met this man- and he had blue hair with beautiful matching blue eyes. We didn't like each other at first, in fact we were supposed to be enemies, but I could never be his enemy, because you see Kai, somewhere along the way I fell in love with him. He was mysterious, annoying and impulsive at times, but he was gentle and loving under his outer exterior. We fought alongside, and in the end- I understood why he was the way he was." Amu smiled, and caressed her daughter's cheek, pausing and resonating in her memories of Ikuto.

"Do you love daddy?" Kai asked.

Amu smiled sadly, "Me and daddy love each other, but baby girl I can't love him the way I loved that blue haired man."

Kai frowned, confused. "Mama, aren't you suppose to love daddy?"

Amu blinked away the tears and shook her head, "You're too young to understand Kai, but one day you will understand, but for now you need to sleep."

"Mama, what don't I understand?" Kai persisted.

Amu kissed Kai's head, pulling away and going to turn the light off but paused, "Kai, one day you will learn that something's aren't as simple as loving your father just because we had you. We love you baby girl, but..." Amu shook her head. "I'm sorry baby girl, but goodnight."

―――

Ikuto didn't know what he was going to say to his cousin, but Dash needed to have a talk. They needed to get this handled and under control because one, it would make everything easier, and two- they needed to figure out how the hell to act for Kai. Dash was her father, and Ikuto knew that Dash hadn't fully figured out what being a father meant. It meant putting her first instead of Amu, just like how Amu put Kai first before her love life. Before himself or Dash, whatever was going on between them anyway.

"Dash." Ikuto called, following his cousin down the condor.

Instead of stopping, Dash kept walking while ignoring Ikuto. He was too upset to talk to anyone, especially Ikuto. It always irritated him when Amu told him she loved Ikuto, and it wasn't fair to him. Dash was the father of her child, he had been there for her, and was the only one who understood completely what it meant to be in captivity in the Day Walker facility. Not Ikuto. It had been him, and Dash just wished Amu chosen him instead, but in her honey orbs, she seen him as the father of her child and a friend. Nothing more.

"Dash!" Ikuto called again and this time Dash pivoted and glared at his cause.

"What the hell do you want Ikuto? To boast about her loving you after all these years?" Dash snarled, taking Ikuto by surprise.

"What the hell man? What in the world makes you think I want to brag about that, it isn't my fault." Ikuto defended.

Dash shook his head and chuckled, "Of course it is. Even after everything me and Amu have been through, she chose you. She chose to love you, to come back and wait for you. She will never look at me the way she looks at you. Never talk about me the way she talks about you. I will never be loved the way she loves you."

Ikuto stared at his cousin as if he was crazy. Dash sounded crazy, very crazy. He loved Amu, but Amu didn't love him because she loved Ikuto. Dash wasn't happy about that and it was made clear when suddenly Dash's fist collided with Ikuto's nose, causing the blue neko to stagger back in surprise. Dash had a feral look in his eyes as he glared at Ikuto, and it was then Ikuto decided this wasn't a friendly conversation.

"You're jealous." Ikuto noted.

"Even my daughter loves you." Dash snarled. "She is my daughter."

"I know that." Ikuto nodded. "Which is why you should be careful. Is this how you want Kai to see you? Beating up another family member out of pure jealousy? Is that the example you want to set? What would Amu say?"

"Don't you dare bring them into this asshole, not my family." Dash barked.

"I'm family too Dash, and it's not my fault Amu loves me. Me and her have been in a different situations that brought us close." Ikuto added. "Just because you two had sex doesn't mean you're in love. Or the fact you have a daughter means that you have to love each other. It means you have to be responsible and smart. You need to be there and set a good example for Kai, and prove to Amu that you can provided for them."

Dash advanced forward, pushing Ikuto back aggressively, "You don't get to come in here and tell me what the fuck to do. I've been doing this for three years before your ass got involved, so don't act as if you know." Dash then took another swing, getting Ikuto in the cheek.

"Does that make you feel better?" Ikuto spat, punching Dash right back.

"You have no clue." Dash smirked as the fight ignited.

―――

Amu felt as if she was floating, like there was no gravity holding her down to the Earth's surface. In a way there wasn't, but she was completely aware of everything around her. Sure she couldn't pry her eyes open, but she could hear Kai's whimpers for her to wake up and feel the warmth of Kai's small body against hers. Amu was aware of the voices speaking around her, of the clock ticking in the corner of the room. It was frustrating how she couldn't move, or even open her eyes, but she felt the pain in her veins.

She was paralyzed, couldn't move a damn muscle. She was in pain, feeling as if someone had thrown a strike match onto her and that she was lit aflame on the very bed she laid on. It hurt, it burned, and she would scream in pain if she could but couldn't. She couldn't even move the muscles in her jaw. This was the very definition of torcher, pain at its finest and not being able to cry out for help. It also pissed Amu off knowing that this was meant for Kai, that this would have killed her baby girl. Now it changed everything if someone was after Kai, it meant that blood was about to be spilt because Amu was not merciful. She was protective of Kai, and if someone wanted her baby girl dead, Amu would kill that person.

Amu Hinimori was not the same innocent girl who wouldn't hurt anyone but help them. She was changed, the game changed. It was kill or be killed, and Amu was not about to let anyone she loved get killed and if that meant she had to be a little blood and dirt on her hands, so be it.

"Ran." Dia's voice called. "Did you figure it out?"

"With Su's help, yes we figured the antidote." Ran cheered. "It's fast acting."

"Well, let me see it." Leah's voice sternly demanded. "Someone please get Kai."

"I will." Kukai said, and Amu felt the warmth of Kai's body being pried off of her, despite Kai's futile attempts at latching on.

Distantly, Amu felt the feeling of a hand brushing her pink hair away from her face. The touch was gently, even Amu could tell that in her state. Her arms felt something wet on her arms, and she felt it wipe a spot on her arm. Amu knew this feeling, it was burned into her memory, the feeling that she was about to be injected with something.

"I'll be quick Amu." Leah's voice gently said, and the familiar pinch followed through.

Amu's body instantly reacted to the injection, the burning receded at a rapid pace and so did any of the pain the Amu had previously felt. All in all it felt as if this suffocating weight had been taken off her shoulders and now she could finally breathe. Opening her eyes was another story, she opened them once and the intensity of the fluorescent light above her head temporarily blinded her, so she tried it once again, blinking multiple times until her eye sight adjusted.

The feeling of moving her limbs was amazing, to actually be able to stretch and to actually feel. Like a cat, Amu stretched every inch of herself that she could and sat up to meet the eyes of her friends, of her family. The first one Amu looked for was Kai, who was in Kukai's arms watching her with wide eyes before her pink lips broke out into a smile.

"Mama!" Kai yelled out happily from Kukai's arms.

"Kai.." Amu whispered, getting up and enveloping her daughter into a tight embrace once Kukai handed her over. "Baby girl, I'm so happy you are okay."

"Mama." Kai whimpered, hugging her mother tightly. "Please don't go to sleep again. I was scared you'd never wake up, and I need my mama to tell me my bedtime stories, to make me happy."

Amu laughed, a tear escaping her eye as she kissed Kai's forehead, not paying attention to the people in the room watching the interaction, "I'm not going anywhere Kai, I promise you that."

"Amu." Leah called, gaining the mother's attention. "How are you feeling?"

"Other than pissed off, I feel brand new." Amu said, and her motherly tone took on a new edge. "The people who tried to hurt her, tried to kill her will not get away with it."

Leah sighed seeing the hostility, "Violence is never the answer."

"No, it isn't. But it's what they deserve." Amu sighed, and looked over at her old friends. "Thank you for being here when I woke up, and keeping Kai entertained. Where is Dash?"

Utau answered right away, "Ikuto went to go talk to him."

Amu's eyes widen, "Shit. Kukai, take Kai."

Kukai didn't even get to respond before Amu placed Kai back into his arms and raced down the hall. It stunned everyone how Amu acted, how she was trying to contain her anger in front of her daughter and set a good example. Amu on the other hand knew that Ikuto and Dash were not talking, because she knew if Dash had the chance he'd start a fight, he'd provoke Ikuto and try to pin it on the older male. Jealousy was an ugly thing, a very ugly thing.

Amu had been right. Right in the halls Dash was punching Ikuto right in the stomach and Ikuto punched right back until Dash knocked him over and kicked hard. Amu didn't hesitate to run and intervene before someone could stop her. She got right in Dash's face, glaring and shoving him back as hard as she could even if it was useless. He wouldn't budge, but he stopped to stare at her emotionlessly.

"Get out of the way." Dash ordered.

"No." Amu defied. "Stop it Dash, you aren't like this! You aren't this type of man!"

Dash laughed and shook his head, "Suddenly you know me? Suddenly you care, or is it the fact that Ikuto- the man you love, lays on the ground?"

Amu narrowed her honey eyes, "Are you stupid? Or are you just fucken crazy? I have always cared, but you don't go around beating the life out of a person Dash! He can't even stand!"

"HE'S TAKING YOU FROM ME AMU!" Dash yelled into her face, and it was silent. The pair of parents having a stare down that was intense. The tension was thick, and suffocating,

Amu though, remained impassive. "I was never yours to begin with Dash. You need to understand that."

Her heart broke when Dash's face distorted into hurt. She knew her words were painful, but it was the truth. The truth she always told him but he always denied it or pushed it to the side, never fully accepting that she didn't love him. Now he needed to face that, either by accepting it or being slapped in the face with the truth. It wasn't fair to him or to their daughter, and Amu couldn't allow this make believe family to keep going, she couldn't pretend anymore. Dash needed to love Kai more than he loved her, because Amu knew, wither Dash would admit it or not, that over time he saw Kai as a mistake and neglected her from time to time. It pained Amu to see Kai try to reach out to her father but get denied, which was why Kai latched onto Amu, not that she minded her daughter always at her side. But a Kai needed her father, not just her mother.

"You don't mean that." Dash whispered, grasping Amu's wrist gently.

Amu shook her head and carefully pulled her wrist away from his touch, "I do mean that." Amu whispered tentatively, "What we have isn't love, it isn't nothing more than a friendship. I am Kai's mother, and you are her father. You need to be there for her, because you haven't been for a long time."

"But we had a child together, doesn't that mean something at least?" Dash whispered, caressing her cheek.

Amu once again shook her head no, "We had sex by force, and if it wasn't for them we would have never had sex. We would have never been in this situation we are in now but we are. We are parents, we are not in love-"

"I am in love with you." Dash said defensively.

"No." Amu objected. "You're obsessed. This isn't love Dash, you are obsessive and it scares me."

Something flickered in his eyes, Amu saw it. Like a switch, the hurt and pain flipped to something feral something wild and untamed. Crazed. In the next second Amu was pinned to the wall, Ikuto coughing still and Dash in her face.

"Why can't you love me!?" Dash yelled, and distantly footsteps ran towards them. "What is it with him that I don't have? What is wrong with me?"

"You're sick Dash." Amu whispered. "You need help."

Dash wasn't prepared for Leah injecting him with a sedative, and Amu wasn't prepared to support Dash's full body weight. Amu watched as Dash closed his eyes as he stared at her heartbrokenly, but she couldn't feel bad because he needed the help. He needed mental help, and that meant Leah had to work her magic and help him.

"I got him." Leah said.

"You can't carry him."

"That's why we are here to help." Kukai and Nagihiko said.

"Where is Kai?" Amu asked instantly noticing that her daughter was not in the arms she left her in.

"With Utau in the main lobby. Leah had us go there. We heard the commotion and came through." Nagihiko answered, moving with Kukai to carry Dash by the arms and Kukai carrying him by the legs.

"Ikuto, you okay man?" Kukai asked. Amu's attention instantly snapped onto Ikuto who nodded and stood up. "Why didn't you kick his ass."

Ikuto sighed, "It wasn't worth it Kukai."

"Leah." Amu called for the doctor. "You can treat him right?"

Leah nodded grimly, "I can, but it could take a while. You and Kai need to keep a distance from him."

Amu sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Things just get worse and worse."

Leah smiled sadly, "It will get better, but now I think you two need to talk." Leah motioned to Ikuto before looking at Nagihiko and Kukai. "Let's go to the basement boys."

Ikuto and Amu were left alone then in the hallway, standing in an uncomfortable silence. Ikuto thought, didn't seem to pay much attention to it as he made his way to Amu, watching her expression carefully. This was the first time he gotten alone with the pink haired beauty for years, and he was going to make the most of it. Amu lifted her gaze into Ikuto's piercing blue ones, taking in the eyes she loved. The outer edge of his right eye was bruising, no doubt that he gotten a black eye. It was something that surprised Amu, that Ikuto didn't fight back the way had before. In Easter, Ikuto fought back the moment he obtained his freedom, but here- he didn't.

"I didn't fight back because I'm weak, but because I understood something was off. I didn't understand what it was until now." Ikuto gently said as Amu caressed his bruising face. "How long did you know about his state Amu?"

"A while." Amu answered honestly. "I had hoped it was just a phase, but I learned it wasn't when he picked me over Kai. A parent should never pick love over their child, but he did. He became more and more controlling, more touchy feely and it became clear within time. Dash was sick, but you physically being here set him off and we couldn't put it off any more. Dash is a danger to us if he is not treated and I hope to god he can get better."

Ikuto nodded, "You care about him."

"Of course I do. Just because I don't love him doesn't mean I don't care. He isn't only the father of my daughter, but he was my friend. He just needs to see there is a bigger picture and find his way again. He's just a little lost." Amu smiled sadly. "I missed you."

Ikuto felt his heart leap, and in that moment all his pain was forgotten. He gently pulled Amu into an embrace, hugging her to him. He missed having her in his arms, having Amu yell at him and push him away madly blushing and calling him a pervert. It was in this moment Ikuto saw how much the girl in front of him had matured. Not once didn't she push him away or yell at him or say one name. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her own embrace, and it felt as if Ikuto was at home in her body warmth, in Amu's arms.

"I missed you too." Ikuto whispered as he kissed Amu's forehead. "It killed me when they said you were dead, and I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Amu inquired, looking up at him. "Why in the world would you be sorry? Nothing is your fault Ikuto."

Ikuto shook his head, "I left you for so long, and when I came back home. When I came back here for you, you weren't here. You were gone and it killed me knowing that there was this possibility that I wouldn't get to see you laugh, or blush, or talk and yell. I knew then, the moment I laid the rose on your casket. I knew.."

Amu placed a hand on his cheek, looking into his blue eyes questioningly. Her touch was so gently, and caring that Ikuto couldn't resist leaning into, "You knew what Ikuto?"

Ikuto leaned down, brushing his lips gently against Amu's, "I knew that I was completely in love with you Amu Hinamori and that there was no denying it."

Amu's eyes slightly widen as Ikuto captured her lips completely with his, kissing her with a passion she never experienced before. Sure Amu had her share of kissing guys, but none would ever or could ever compare to Ikuto. There were many times Amu dreamed of this moment, imagined the feel of Ikuto's lips on her lips, and finally she got to feel that. She got to feel this feeling, and it was something Amu could see herself getting adictate too. Ikuto could feel Amu's response, her need in her kiss and the longing to it. Pulling her closer, Ikuto held her close, kissing her more slowly before she pulled away herself.

"All these years I couldn't wait to come home, to see your face or the others. I spent three years in a hell hole, spent a year on the run, and I just wanted to come home but I couldn't. I couldn't put you or the others in the way of danger and I tried so hard to keep you guys out of it but I couldn't. You all still got sucked in, and if you get hurt it will be my entire fault." Amu shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if this was a mistake, coming back here, coming back to my old life because this isn't my life anymore."

Ikuto sighed, "We can protect ourselves Amu from those people. We are capable of fighting for ourselves and each other, and honestly I wish you came home sooner because then maybe we could have helped you, we could have been there more-"

"You don't think I thought of that? There was so many times I almost grabbed Kai and came here but Dia stopped me. They were all smashed, Ran, Miki, Su and Dia… but they were reborn with new goals, new dreams." Amu smiled. "Ran was born out of the dream of freedom, giving me endurance. Miki was born out of the dream of creating. Su was born out of maternal instinct and Dia was born out of the protectiveness in me, the dream of giving my daughter the life of security and safety."

"You've changed so much." Ikuto whispered, leaning his forehead against Amu's. "You're grown, a young women who's been through so much that you should have never been through. Forced to convince a daughter-

"I don't look at it like that anymore." Amu admitted. "I love Kai so much, and in honest truth she's the one who kept me going, who gave me hope. Kai is my world Ikuto, and that won't change. She has to come first."

"And I understand that Amu." Ikuto said, intertwining their fingers tighter. "I understand that Kai comes first and I'm willing to give this a try, and put Kai first."

"You can't be her father Ikuto." Amu stated.

Ikuto nodded, "She understands that I'm her uncle."

"And how would it look if her mother and uncle started a relationship?" Amu questioned.

Ikuto raised an eyebrow, "We explain to her Amu, she can accept this Amu, after all your daughter is in love with the idea of you finding love."

Amu bit her lip and tilted her head to the side slightly as she looked up at Ikuto, a smile gracing her lips softly, "We should take this slow Ikuto… after all we have time. We can work our relationship out slowly."

"Can we?" Ikuto asked dubiously.

Amu nodded, "I'm not going anywhere Ikuto. Not this time cause I will fight like hell to stay here, with you, with Kai. I want to see my parents, my sister but I can't- not yet so I will fight like hell to get that. I am not going to disappear on you so please stop acting as if I will suddenly evaporate."

"I can't help it Amu." Ikuto breathed.

"I'm not going anywhere Ikuto." Amu whispered standing on the tip of her toes. "I promise you that because even after all these years, I love you."

"I promise you Amu, that I will always be there to protect you and Kai, no matter what." With that Ikuto captured Amu's soft lips once again and held onto her as if she was the one thing keeping him from drowning. And he wasn't about to let her go again.

―――

I remember
Do you remember me?
Can you recall the day you met me?
I remember
Do you remember me?
Say once more that you love me

―――

A/n

I hope you all liked the ending, it's been a while since I wrote some Amuto. Sorry for the lack of other characters, but I felt the need for this to happen between Amu and Ikuto. Any thoughts of what could happen between the two? Or what will happen to Dash?

Once again I hope you all have a great Christmas!

Please leave a review about your thoughts! It would be amazing to reach 68 reviews!

Please check out some of my other stories!

While You Were Away ((UPDATED))

Crimson Hearts ((Vampire Knight and Shugo Chara crossover))

The Other Sister

Lost Child

Lost Time Memory

Game of Life

In the Flesh

Rock-a-Bye Baby

Ships in the Night

Walking On A Wire

Cruel Clocks

Tale As Old As Time