A/N Hey everyone! Sorry for the long update wait, we went camping so no internet :( That and this chapter just wouldn't come out like I wanted to. It took me a million rewrites to get to this point so I hope it's decent enough for all of you. I had to research the penalties for child abuse and I hope I got it right. Anyway, enjoy.
Frozen. Ice cut her veins and Amu fought with every fiber of her being, urging her muscles forward, screaming at her brain to get her out of there, screaming, screaming, screaming. But she couldn't move. Frozen. Frozen in place like an iceberg in water. Frozen.
Heart pounding in total and agonizing fear, Amu's breath hitched as she felt her father's thudding footsteps edge closer. Swiping like a cougar, he ripped the crutches from her quivering arms and sneered hatefully, murder blazing in his crazed black eyes. The shadows of the room danced and laughed as Tsumugu threw one of the crutches across the room and prodded the other painfully into her stomach. "You didn't tell your papa you were going to the hospital Amu-chan." He sang crazily, twisting the wooden crutch into her stomach with newly found vigour. "You know papa doesn't like it when you leave without telling him." Grinning sadistically from above her, his face morphed into that of a murderer in a flash of panic. Jabbing the crutch into her abdomen he relished in her scream of agony and watched in twisted joy as the tears sprung from her eyes like an anguished spring.
"You're mama never got to go to the hospital you know. She died ten minutes after we got hit. Ami left soon after. They could have saved her…they could have saved her if it weren't for you!" stabbing the crutch over and over all over her abused body, Amu bit her lip to keep her sobs in.
Bruises erupted on her skin and Amu cried out like an animal as the crutch jabbed her broken ribs with the strength of an elephant. Gasping in pain, she whimpered pitifully. Pulling her knees to her chest, she curled up in a ball and tried to cover her head as the hard blows rained down at her, never ceasing, never changing in power, never stopping. Cringing as the next jab struck her in the hip, Amu let loose a terrified shriek as her father grabbed her skirt and flipped it. Sneering down at her, he took hold of the crutch and exaggerating the time it took for him to aim, stabbed it up her legs so that it hit the opening of most private region and squeezed through.
Gurgling on her screams, Amu's breath hitched before she howled like a savage, Amu could barely think past the lightening pain that flew through her like waves of agony. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed her legs together in an effort to dull the violent throbbing in between her legs and threw her arms behind her. Desperate to get away, she started crawling as fast as she could on her hands, but could only go so far on a broken leg and damaged ribs before her father grabbed her broken leg and squeezed, pulling her to him violently. "Nuh-uh-uh Amu-chan. I'm not done with you yet." Dropping her head to the floor, she could only look up at him sadly with tear-laden eyes, hopelessness shining through, but pity being the most prominent emotion.
Guilt laden fury twisted Tsumugu's expression as he kicked her with all his strength in her side. "DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" he roared, a jittery shiver running up his spine.
Amu stayed silent, refusing to scream, and continued to stare at him in an expression so full of heartbreak and aching that Tsumugu screamed in pain before bringing the crutch around in a powerful swoop and smashing her head. "Go away! Go away! Go away!" he screamed tearily as a single cry tore through the air as Amu's emotional eyes faded to a dull yellow before closing completely, her curled fist falling gently to her side.
Tsumugu stared at her lifeless body as though in a dream, before leaning forward to pick his daughter up by her arm, jerking it at an awkward angle. Marching determinedly up the stairs, he barely gave any thought to the banging sound of Amu's body colliding harshly with the steps or her head that lolled around like a lifeless doll's. "I have to punish you Amu-chan…I have to punish you…" he muttered over and over to himself, the maniacal glare in his eyes heightened as he tried to convince himself that what he was doing was right. He had to punish her, she was a murderer. And murderers had to be punished. "I have you punish you Amu-chan…I have to."
Kicking open Amu's long shut door, he threw his still unconscious daughter into the room before slamming it shut. Locking it carefully, Tsumugu grinned viciously as the cold click of the lock hitched in place, they were alone, no one could interrupt them now. Walking into her closet, he grabbed the closest thing to a rope he could find, the closest being a jump rope, and stalked towards his daughter like a cougar closing in on its prey. Roughly grabbing hold of her arms, he tied both wrists together before wrapping the rapidly shortening plastic rope around the post of her bed. Satisfied that she wasn't going anywhere, he brought his hand up to his face before bringing it down whistling through the air before striking Amu's cheek in a sickening crack. Blurry eyes fluttering, Amu moaned as the pain in her body struck her brain and she jolted back to life as a second hand slapped her face.
Eyes widening, Amu tried to crawl away but gasped in horror as she discovered her hands were bound. Shaking her head wildly, blind panic swooped in her mind and she shrieked, pulling and tugging at her bonds, struggling with all her might to get free. From the corner of her room, Tsumugu merely smiled cruelly and laughed. "You can try all you like Amu-chan, but I will never let you go." Tipping back his chair like a drunk he giggled, "Never, never, never." He sang cheerily, smacking his hand down on her desk like it was the funniest joke he'd ever heard.
Sagging her head down in defeat, Amu tried to set her leg out in the least painful direction but stopped once she realized that no matter what she did, her entire body would still be crying in pain. Jumping up from his chair, Tsumugu walked forward and cupped his fingers around his daughter's bruised chin, tilting her head up and clenching her face tightly as he saw her defiant stare. "Bad girl." He spat viciously, knocking her head back against the post with all his strength.
Howling, Amu brought her right leg up in an attempt at retaliation and cried when her foot connected with her father's thigh, eliciting a howl from his throat and a fist to her face. Slamming her head down against the bed, her father's fingers wrapped around her tiny throat and squeezed. Gasping for breath, Amu tried to wriggle out of his grip, but couldn't find the strength to even bring her arms up. Wheezing now, Amu stifled a cry and instead chose to close her eyes.
Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad. Once she stopped breathing, it would be all over. The pain, the fear, the guilt, everything. Everything would just go away. Away, away, away. Already drifting off, Amu began to accept the harsh reality that this would be where she died. It was okay, she wasn't sad; it wasn't like she had anything to live for anyway...
Suddenly, a wave of fury and righteousness swept over like a flood and jolted her awake with a rush of determination. Scents, sights, touches, voices, laughter, memories rushed into her mind like a tornado and flashes of cocky grins and sweeping blonde hair flooded her vision. Lazy cat tails waving in the wind, purple hair dancing in the wind along with a cake and sweets. A hysterical joke cracked in her mind and an image of a crown swept her vision. Pirates with blue hair and smirks, heart fluttering and her first kiss…she DID have something to live for, and she wasn't going to let this man take it all away from her. Snapping her eyes open, Tsumugu stepped back at the raw energy that sparked in her gaze and the sheer determination that poured off her. Grabbing his hands now, Amu pressed down and pierced her father's gaze with her own.
"Let me go!" she screamed, bringing her fist up as hard as she could, her father's nose cracking at the impact.
Stumbling away in blind pain, Tsumugu roared before charging at her, kicking at her chest over and over. Ignoring her cries of pain and boxing her ears when she wouldn't stop screaming. Pulling at her hair, the deranged man smashed her head against the bed-post over and over until blood poured from her scalp like a river and Amu stared around the room with glazed eyes, mind barely focused and vision blurring detrimentally.
The pain in her broken leg however brought her back to life as she screamed for all she was worth as her father stomped on it as though there was no tomorrow. Furious at her incessant screams, he ripped open the door to her closet and reached out to grab her pink and black studded belt from its hanger to whip her unmercifully until Amu's lips were chapped and bloody, her throat raw from screaming.
Crack!
Crack!
The belt tore through the air like a bolt of electricity as it struck her chest. Furious that she wasn't screaming more, Tsumugu leaned forward and ripped the thin shirt from her bruised torso. Desperately trying to turn away from him, Amu threw her head back as the next cracking of her belt brought forth a gushing of blood and an all new level of pain she had never experienced before.
Twisting her face pleadingly, Amu swallowed whatever pride she had left and begged. "Papa…please…" she murmured her throat barely able to formulate the words without choking on her own fluids. "Please stop…" she begged, pleading with her hurt eyes and watching as he looked back at her, already desensitized to the sight of blood and pus covering his daughter.
Ignoring her, Tsumugu merely wiped his hands on his jeans before stalking forward again. "Now let's try this again Amu-chan, this time, no screaming." Looking purely insane now, Amu closed her eyes and clenched her body, wishing for someone, anyone to walk in right then and take her away. Take her somewhere far, far away where she would never have to see the man who had once loved her, now beat her within an inch of her life.
The banging on the front door startled her from her pleading and Amu's desperate eyes locked onto her door as though hoping whoever it was would be in front of her. The banging increased in intensity and the beginning of voices reached her ears. "AMU!" Kukai's distinct voice caused a shining light to burn throughout Amu's body and hope crackled in her gaze. Kukai. Kukai was here, Kukai was here! Kukai! Sobbing with relief, Amu sagged in on herself before her face was caught in between her father's fingers. "You bitch!" he snarled, hatred burning in his unforgiving eyes.
There comes a moment in everyone's life where you stop breathing. When your brain goes blank and you cease to think. The time when your heart beats erratically before escalating to the point where for a moment, it stops completely. The click of a knife being flipped open sent floods of panic and fear running through Amu's system like a blanket of frost. The click echoed in the dead silence of the room and from behind a glistening blade, Tsumugu grinned.
Tired of smashing the door with his fists, Kukai watched as Ikuto character changed with Yoru and brought back his claws to slash the doorknob violently. Not bothering to open it, Ikuto kicked it down with his leg and burst through the house like a bullet. Running in behind him, Utau scanned the room quickly, trying to locate her best friend. A bloodcurdling scream coming from the floor above led them sprinting up the stairs and a new, terrified fear coursing through their veins, pumping in their blood and giving them a righteous energy. Roaring in outrage, Ikuto brought back his claws and attacked the locked door with a furious vigour. "AMU! AMUUU!" he yelled desperately through door, pounding on it with his fists to bring it down.
Praying to God that she was okay, Ikuto shoved the door open with his shoulder and burst through like a dangerous missile, fully intent on beating the son of a bitch within an inch of his life, Ikuto stopped dead in his tracks, heart pounding so loud he could hear it in his ears. From behind him, Utau choked a gasp and Kukai paled dangerously. Standing over Amu's bound and abused body, Tsumugu stood like a madman, knife buried in the oozing flesh of her torso, a maniacal chuckle escaping his lips. "Hehe…hehe, Amu-chan's dead… Amu-chan's dead! Dead, dead, dead." Giggling and muttering to himself in a crazy fashion, Tsumugu barely had a chance to pull out his stained knife before a furious Kukai leapt at him, roaring in outrage and attacking him viciously. "You BASTARD!" he screamed vehemently, ducking under the older man's armed swipe only to be slashed on his forearm, blood pouring out of the long gash with a vengeance.
Narrowing his eyes and hissing in pain, Kukai knocked the knife out of the older man's grip, sending it flying into the corner of the room. Grabbing his arm, Kukai twisted it behind the bastard's head and growled as he heard him whimper in pain. "You think that hurts?" he hissed hatefully, "Just you wait 'till I'm done with you, you sorry son of bitch." He spat vengefully in his ear, twisting his arm harder as Tsumugu tried to jerk out of his grip.
Running for all he was worth, Ikuto frantically tried to untie the barely conscious girl from the bed with a frantic panic. Cursing at his lack of progress, the blood began to ooze from Amu's broken body onto his knees and Ikuto choked in horror before losing his patience and slashing the jump rope loose.
Catching Amu's limp body in his arms, Ikuto could feel the sting in his eyes as he grazed over her naked torso and gingerly touched the flayed skin with what could only be described as gentle disgust. "Amu." He choked, shaking her shoulders and trying everything he could to get her to open her eyes. "Amu, please wake up. Please get up. Utau's calling an ambulance, you'll be alright. You just have to stay awake. Please Amu…please." Full out pleading right now, Ikuto stared intently at her worn face before hugging her gently to his chest, her feeble breaths seeming to dim by the second. "Wake up perverted kid! There's still a lot you have to do! You haven't found your true self yet and you haven't even graduated yet. You haven't beaten the idiot at a soccer match and you haven't sung a duet with Utau. And I…I have to make you fall in love with me. You can't leave me!" he exploded, exposing his vulnerability for all the world to see. Thoughts running all over the place, Ikuto could barely control himself as his emotions ran everywhere and nowhere, bringing his heart in turmoil and eliciting a spring of tears in his pained sapphire eyes. "Amu, wake up!" he screamed, throwing his head down to her face, shoulders shaking.
As though needing all the energy in the world, a frail hand quivered as it lifted to the air to rest roughly on his neck, a small, peaceful smile spreading across her face. "Stupid cat, I already fell in love with you." She murmured, eyes rolling around in their sockets before glazing backwards, her head falling back in his limp arms.
Staring wide eyed at the young girl in his arms Ikuto froze. Mind shut down completely, all he could feel was the girl in his arms. The girl who had done so much for him, the one who brought him into the light, the one who saved him from his prison, the one who brought love into his life, Ikuto felt his heart shatter into a thousand shards, flying across the world and laying there, dead on the ground. Somewhere in the back of his clouded mind, Ikuto heard Utau's frantic screaming and the dialing of numbers.
"Please! She needs an ambulance now!" she was pleading.
Somewhere, he heard Kukai disarming the pathetic bastard and grabbing hold of him, screaming insults as he did.
"You sorry son of a bitch, how could you? Look what you did!" he was scared.
Somewhere, somewhere deep in his subconscious, Ikuto heard it all, but nothing registered. All he heard was the sound of Amu's staggered breaths and her voice repeating over and over again in his head.
"I already fell in love with you."
Love, love, love, where was love without Amu?
"Please don't leave me."
Men in white uniforms appeared in Amu's pink room as though by magic and tried to take hold of the unconscious girl in his arms. Glaring furiously at the two paramedics with all the hatred in the world, Ikuto snarled. "You're not taking her anywhere."
"Sir, you have to give her to us, she needs medical attention!" the emergency doctor protested, trying again to take her from him.
Snarling like an animal, Ikuto jumped up, Amu still in his arms, before running down the stairs. "She's not going anywhere without me." Ignoring their protests Ikuto gently placed her on a stretcher and watched a pretty paramedic attach an IV to her arm and roll her into the ambulance, allowing Ikuto to hop in with her and hold her hand tightly as the sirens went off and the car zoomed down the street. Passing roads and streets until they finally arrived at the large hospital.
Before he could even process it, Amu was gone from his sight and Ikuto found himself once again in the waiting room, this time, the fear of death heavy in the air.
Ikuto sat down.
He didn't move until Kukai and Utau ran into the room, out of breath and teeming with worry and agitation. "What happened?" Ikuto asked, life refilling his voice and the sudden need to know what happened to the bastard who beat his love overtook him as his gaze pierced Kukai's with a primal need.
Glowering at the thought of Tsumugu, Kukai ran his fingers through his hair before slamming down into the chair next to his friend. "After Utau called the ambulance, she called the police. They came to pick him up ten minutes after you left and we had to sit around and answer some questions before they dropped us off here."
"And her father?" he asked coldly, needing to hear something that could offer him the slightest bit of comfort.
Utau was quiet for a moment before answering. "We talked to an officer and he said that depending on the court's decision, he could either get off with jail time and parent termination rights, or get off scott free since he doesn't have a previous criminal record and if Amu's injuries aren't extensive."
Disgusted shock boiled in Ikuto's eyes and he could see Kukai growling as well. "He fucking stabbed her Utau, what the fuck are they talking about?"
Narrowing her eyes, Utau crossed her arms and leaned back on her seat. "I know that Ikuto, which is why the officer said that Hinamori Tsumugu has a very good chance of going to jail."
"And Amu?"
Kukai looked off into the distance, a look of apprehension on his face. "If the court takes away his guardian privileges, then she'll have to find a new home, but that's pretty likely so they'd have to start by finding any family relations."
"And if they can't?"
"Orphanage, foster care. They have to put her somewhere right?" Kukai replied, trying to play it off cool, but the shaken look his eye exposed him for what he was really thinking.
The once palpable anger and outrage that followed the three like a plague suddenly gave way to a rush of worry and anxiousness. The reality of the situation had finally caught up to them. Their best friend had just gotten stabbed in the chest by her deranged father who had been abusing her for some time now. Amu was in the emergency room currently undergoing potentially life threatening surgery and if the three of them hadn't arrived when they did, Amu could have died.
The Hinamori Amu that everyone loved and cherished would have vanished from this world, dead. And the grim reality of it all was that just because she was in a hospital, didn't mean she was A-Okay. The stab wound alone would have been enough to kill her, let alone adding the multiple lacerations, broken bones, torn muscles and various wounds to the head to the count. Danger currently clouded the young girl's chances of living and the three people who considered her to be like family were currently drowning in fear.
For Kukai, he hadn't felt fear in a long, long time. To be honest, he didn't think he could remember a time where he had truly been this afraid. Because right then, Kukai felt like an earthquake had hit his heart and his blood had frozen over in absolute terror. The thought that his little sister could die at any minute terrified him more than words could say and Kukai punched the arm rest of his chair out of helplessness. If there was anything Kukai hated more than fear, it was helplessness. And he had never felt more useless in his entire life.
In all of his eighteen years of life, Ikuto had never been so worried for someone as he was right then. Grasping his smooth blue locks in his hands, he pulled at his scalp so that the surge of pain could distract him from the jaw breaking anxiety that plagued his thoughts and gnawed at his heart. Amu. Amu. Amu. Amu! Without Amu he didn't have a heart. In a world that imprisoned him and shunned him, Ikuto had found solace in a fiery, sweet and sour girl with abnormal pink hair who judged him for him and didn't run away when she saw how twisted he really was. He had fallen in love with her from the minute he knew her and now that the chance of her leaving this world forever was right around the corner, Ikuto didn't know what to do with himself. Squeezing his forehead in anger, Ikuto scowled before feeling a steamy liquid burning in his eyes. He didn't know what he would do if he ever had to let her go.
Clenching and unclenching her fist, Utau tried not to let loose a bloodcurdling scream but could barely contain her wild emotions. Her best friend was in an operating room and it was all her fault. She should have known. She should have helped her! She should have noticed the odd looks Amu bore on her face when she thought that no one was looking. She should have recognized the signs when Amu tried to extend their outing that day after their volleyball match as long as possible, should have known she was trying to evade going home. She should have known! If Amu died Utau would never be able to forgive herself. Amu was the only person who had ever tried so hard to know her and really discover who the true Utau was. Even when Utau was hell-bent on defeating her and hated her with everything she had, that annoyingly angelic chara borrowing rosette just continued to push harder and harder until that hard wall that she had tried so hard to keep up just came crumbling down. Amu was the best friend she'd ever had. And now that everything was starting to be alright and Easter was gone, Utau couldn't lose her.
It was three hours when a nurse called out for Hinamori Amu and was bombarded with desperate pleas and questions from three sleep deprived teens. Holding up her hands in an effort to calm them down, the nurse looked away regrettably. "I don't know about Hinamori-san's condition, but I was asked to inform you that she's out of surgery. It took a lot out of her, but her chances are looking better."
"How long until we know how she'll be?" Kukai asked impatiently, the energy rolling off him in waves.
Shrugging noncommittally, the nurse turned around to return back to her station. "It depends on the severity of her wounds. I'll come back to you if anything of importance happens." Walking away, the three of them collapsed dejectedly back into their seats, trying to get comfortable for what would most definitely be a very long night.
Twelve-thirty a.m. and Kukai's head was lolled on his shoulder, mouth wide open and sleeping soundly, with Utau's head curled up under his neck, his arm wrapped tightly around her in a comforting way. Both were asleep, trying to regain their lost energy and escape their fears and worries, if only for a little while.
Ikuto on the other hand, was wide awake, head resting on his open palm, just staring at the white wall in front of him, replaying every memory he had of Amu and him together in his mind. Wanting to recapture their ups and downs, her laughs and smiles, sneers and shrieks. He wanted to absorb her, her cheeriness, her light, her determination, he wanted her. He wanted to hold her. But instead, he was stuck in a dingy waiting room at midnight waiting for a princess who might not ever wake up from her curse.
Just as he was about to doze off himself, a chubby nurse with perky red hair strode into the room, a tired expression glazing her eyes. "Hinamori?" the minute the four syllables fled her lips, the two sleeping teens jerked awake with a shout and opened their eyes expectantly at her. "Is Amu okay? Is she fine?" Utau shot out energetically, staring pointedly at the startled nurse.
Coughing to cover up her surprise, the nurse nodded. "Hinamori-san is awake now. Her condition is still uncertain but the doctors say there's a good chance that she'll heal with time. If she can get through the night then we'll know for sure. If you'll just follow me, I'll take you to her room." The three of them eagerly matched her stride and hurried impatiently towards Amu's room. "It says here you're her siblings?" she asked, as though not quite believing it herself.
"That's right, is there anything we need to know?" Utau asked quickly, jabbing her brother in the ribs when a confused expression covered his face.
"I'll need your guardian to sign a few papers and fill out a few sheets-"stopping in the middle of the hall, Ikuto turned to her, "Our parents are out of the country and since I'm eighteen, I can fill in as her Guardian. If you could give me a copy of her medical form along with the forms that would be nice." Nodding, somewhat dazed, the nurse pointed to the furthest room down the hall and stuttered. "I…I'll be right back." She scurried off, her hips swaying as she did until she rounded the corner and couldn't be seen.
Pushing open the green hospital door, Ikuto smiled in relief as the peacefully sleeping face of his favourite middle schooler took up his view. "She's safe." Utau murmured, emotion reflecting in her eyes.
"She'll be alright, the Hinamori Amu I know is a fighter." Kukai added, dragging a chair over to sit down next to her.
Nodding, Ikuto grabbed her hand and squeezed, eyes widening when a tremor ran through Amu's hand.
"Ikuto?"
A/N Amu's awake! Next chapter, the Guardians come for a visit and go ballistic ad the details about the court hearing come up. The next few chapters will basically be Amu getting better and trying to sort out the whole where-is-she-supposed-to-live issue along with getting her father tossed into jail or an insane asylum. Whichever the court sees fit.
Til next time!
Ray-chan
