Okay, so the asshole that was going to fix my laptop told me that it wasn't worth fixing! But in my mind if it ran fine before, so he should just fix it. Anyway since I told everyone I'd update during march break, so I downloaded Microsoft Word to my other computer and I'll try to remember what I had written. Here goes!
Thanks for the reviews, everyone!
Mokona- There's just numbers, so it's easier to lie out the rest of the story.
mangareaderlover- I can't tell you that, yet! But you're on the right track! :P
Hanami Kimori- Haha! I never really thought of it before you reviewed! But I guess they'll have to use ladders.
Also a heads up, there won't be any Amu's POV for a while now, and after this chapter there might rarely be any POVs. So, here is Chapter 5!
#*# Ikuto's POV #*#
Amu left!? I thought as I wandered back to my room. I felt something run down my cheek, so I toughed my cheek and found it was wet. I must have started to cry, I thought and I put my head down.
When I made it to my room, I lay on my bed, and looked to the ceiling hoping that answers to all my unasked questions would appear. When I finally decided they wouldn't appear, I turned over on to my stomach and let sleep consume me. I had a weird dream; it might have ever been a flashback.
~*~ Flashback/Dream ~*~
"Amu!" I yelled, as the pink haired beauty ran away from me. She stopped at the sound of my voice, and whipped her head around, giggling. She was so pretty with her hair dancing in the wind, I thought.
"Yes?" she laughed in her 7 year old voice, and kept running in the direction she was previously heading in.
"We can't go into the forest! It's too dangerous!" I shouted as loud as my 8 year old voice would allow me.
"But that's where you always play your violin!" She told me and vanished into the forest. I followed her, and tried to find her.
"Amu. Amu! AMU! Where are you?" I was getting so worried. It was true I always played my violin in forest, but my mother told me today, for some reason, that we weren't allowed into the forest.
"Jezz! I'm right beside you. You don't have to yell so loudly." She said trying to sound sarcastic as she popped out of a bush beside me. I rushed over and hugged her really tight, maybe to tight. I wasn't sure.
"I-Ikuto!" she stuttered in shock.
"Don't you dare do that again! Do you know how worried I was?" I stressed to her and let go of her. She giggled, nodded, and ran off in the opposite direction of the meadow, where we usually go.
"What did I just tell you!" I yelled, running after her. I easily caught up to her, but she did the most unexpected thing she could possibly do. She turned, almost a complete 90-degree angle, and ran even deeper into the forest.
"Where are you going?" I shouted, started to gasp for air, and then continued after her. I wasn't getting any more worried than I already was, well until I heard Amu. She was giggling, but then it abruptly stopped, and she gasped. The sound only made my legs move faster.
After what seemed like hours of running, I got to Amu. The scene before me made my blood boil. Two tall men dressed in black, probably hired from a noble family because they had a crest on their pocket. I had to squint to see it properly but it looked like a crescent moon with a lotus flower over it.
"Ikuto! Help me!" Her screams echoed through the forest, and she struggled to get out of one of the man's rough grasp. I ran over and kicked the man holding her in the shin.
"Ah! You little bratty pest!" he shouted in agony and loosened his grip on Amu. She pulled herself out of his grasp, ran over to me, and tackled me with a hug.
"You have to promise you'll never leave me! Okay Ikuto! You have to promise!" She cried into my crest. I nodded and hugged her tighter, but one of the men came over and roughly pulled Amu away from me. She screamed and cried. I tried to get Amu back, but the man not holding Amu came over and threw me against a tree a couple feet away. I hit the tree so hard I almost lost consciousness, but I couldn't move. I could only watch and listen to the scene before me unfold.
"No! Ikuto, help me!" She screeched, as a new set of tears started streaming down her face. "You wouldn't leave me, you promised! Ikuto you promis-" She was cut off because the man holding her pressed on a pressure point on her neck, and she fell limp in the man's arms.
Then the other man walked over to, knelt down to my level, and looked at with an apologetic look, almost like he was forced to do this.
"We were told to tell to forget all about Amu and let this girl take her place." He said sadly, and pointed to the photo in his hand. In the photo was a girl with green eyes and reddish- brown hair. He put the photo on the ground, and I watched him walk away with Amu and I blacked out completely.
~*~ End of Flashback/Dream ~*~
"No, Amu!" I shouted and shot up in my bed. Looking around frantically my eyes fell on a weeping girl sitting in a chair beside my bed. My eyes softened and I calmed down.
"What's wrong Rima?" I asked. Her head shoot up, she ran over, and hugged me.
"You remember! Tell me you remember our best friend." She asked frantically.
"Yeah, but why are you here, and how did you come to that conclusion?" I asked again, after my first question was ignored.
"Well, Utau and I were coming to check on you because you looked like your life had been sucked out of you when you walked past us in the hall." She told me, "and you were talking in your sleep. You described every bit of your dream, almost as if you were telling someone about it. Then Utau ran off saying you were remembering"
I nodded my head, slowly processing everything. So Amu was my best friend in the past. I guess that's why it felt so natural to laugh with her in the park and also why I can't remember anything before I was 9 years old. Someone must have made me lose my memory. Maybe that's why Amu can't remember anything before she was 11 years old. The only question I have is why can I remember everything when I was 10 but Amu can't?
"You still haven't said why you're here." I reminded her.
"Oh, Utau told me to stay and watch you to make sure you don't hurt yourself or something like that, while she gets your parents." Just as she finished telling me that my parents rushed in.
"Mother, and father," Utau tried to tell them, "Amu is the founders' granddaughter!"
"That can't be true!" Aruto exclaimed. Utau tried the use her eyes to plead to our mother.
"Please Mother!" Utau begged after her eyes didn't work.
"Utau, I know I helped Ikuto and yourself see her, but she can't be the founders' daughter." Mother told us, but I could tell through her voice that she was wavering.
"Why?" I finally asked when my voice returned.
"Because Saaya is!" father exclaimed with the clear intent to end the conversation but Rima wouldn't let him.
"How many mattresses did it take before she felt the pea?" Rima asked trying to hide to urgency in her voice.
"Thirty six." My father answered.
"She isn't the founders' granddaughter, nor is she even a true princess!" Utau said raising her voice with irritation.
"Yes, I know, but she won, so we're making an exception." Father told us. Anger boiled in my veins.
"Do you really want me to get married that fast? Well, I'm NOT marrying the imposter!" I roared.
"You will marry Saaya in 3 years, and no complaints!" Father told me sternly before leaving the room.
"Ikuto, dear, Amu is-" My mother tried to tell me something, but I was not longer listening.
"Mother, Don't say it!" Utau yelled and ran off with Rima trailing behind her. Mother sighed sadly, gave me a look that said 'I wish you would have listen to me', and then left closing the door behind her.
)i( Normal POV )i(
For the next couple of months Utau, Rima, and Ikuto refused to come out of their rooms. Amazingly, Rima got her parents to let her stay at the palace for a while. Their meals had to be brought to them. All their other friends didn't understand why they were acting the way they were because none of them had met Amu before.
*!* One Year Later *!* (Still Normal POV)
Ikuto, Rima, and Utau were still locked in their rooms refusing to come out of their rooms. The only difference was that they were starting to come out for the occasional meal, but they didn't, however, talk to anyone. Everyone has gone home except Rima because her parent's told she could stay as long as she wanted. Their friends came to visit and try to get them out of their rooms, but there has been no success so far.
One day, Kukai got Utau out of her room. (A/N: Congrats, Kukai!)
"Utau, come on, let's go somewhere!" Kukai shouted through the door. She opened the door a crack to see who it was. Then she opened the door fully, which revealed the elegant mourning dress she was wearing. Kukai gawked at Utau because she was wearing a strapless, black, floor length dress*.
"Fine, but I'm going to get Rima first." She scowled at him before walking briskly to Rima's room.
Little did Kukai know Utau had a plan.
"Rima, it's me! Let me in." Utau shouted to her friend through the door. "We have to talk."
Rima cracked the door open to make sure it wasn't Nagihiko, again. When she saw it was really Utau, and not Nagi trying to mimic her voice, she opened the door wider. She was also wearing a strapless, floor length, black dress* because both of them found it appropriate to wear black.
"Do you mean, what I think you mean?" Rima asked with excitement.
"Yes. We are going to bring Amu back!" Utau exclaimed to her as she entered the room, but stood at the doorframe.
"After you're done packing come to my room." Utau told Rima before she exited the room.
The two girls packed for hours, no one had any idea what they were doing, and everyone knew better then to ask.
It was eleven o'clock, and the moon was close to the center of the sky. Everyone in the palace was asleep except for Utau and Rima.
"I left a note telling them the general idea of what we are going to do, and the request you told me to add." Utau told Rima, when she got to her room.
"But not where were going, right?" Rima asked.
"Right." Utau clarified, "But we need to change, and then we'll meet at the front gates at midnight." Utau told Rima and handed her a dress. Rima nodded and ran off with the dress Hisae gave Utau to give to Rima.
When the clock struck midnight, Utau and Rima were at the gate, and waiting for the carriage. The carriage came they were getting on, but not before complimenting each other's dress.
"Beautiful dress!" They complimented each other. Utau was wearing a purple, floor length, strapless dress* and Rima was wearing a gold, floor length, strapless dress with black accents*. After the compliments they proceeded to get on to the carriage.
"Before we leave can we stop somewhere?" Utau asked the elderly man. He nodded, and rode off to the place where Utau had asked him.
When they got to the Hinamori household, they entered through the unlocked door, and saw Hisae crumpled on the floor crying.
"What's wrong?" Utau asked, gently lifting her off the ground.
"Arashi hand cuffed, and put tape over Amu's mouth!" She said starting a fresh set of tears, "And forced her to go with him."
"Didn't they leave a year ago?" Rima asked.
"What! No! Didn't Souko tell you?" Hisae practically screamed.
"I didn't think she was going to tell us something about that." Utau said quietly remembering how she cut off her mother.
"Well, what did you tell Souko to tell us?' Rima asked, looking away from Utau who was staring intently on the floor.
"Technically, she was supposed to tell Ikuto, but I'll tell you." She continued. "Arashi's job offer got held back and for once in his life he actually gave Amu a choice. There was a condition though, and it was that who ever she was going to live with had to come and meet Arashi. He gave her ten months to find someone. She asked Souko, but she said you guy wouldn't listen to her, no matter how many times she tried. So, Amu wanted to try again but Arashi had had enough, and you know the rest."
Both, Utau and Rima were shocked. They had a chance to save Amu, and they blew it. Just because they thought Souko was going to tell them about the founders' granddaughter.
"I can't believe we did that!" Rima said loudly, and looked to the ground, trying not to cry.
"Yeah, I know!" Utau agreed. "But didn't you know he was going to her by force?"
"Yes, but not that forcefully!" she said hysterically.
"Well, we're going to bring her back." Rima said bluntly.
Hisae blinked a couple of times, looked up from the ground, and saw who she guessed she was talking, was really who she was talking to.
"My, I knew your friend and yourself would look wonderful in those dresses." She complimented them, and acted as is someone had flipped a switch.
"Thanks, but do you, um, know what kingdom they went to?" Utau asked in a daze because she was shocked at the sudden mood change.
"I'm not sure what the name is, but I do know it's the third kingdom to the east of this kingdom." Hisae told them before they boarded the carriage, and watched the carriage vanish into the distance.
~*~ the Next Morning ~*~ (At the Palace.)
Ikuto peeked outside his door to see everyone rushing around urgently. His curiousity got the best of him as he looked for someone he knew, so he could know what happened. When he finally spotted someone he piped up.
"Kukai!" He called. Kukai looked around at the sound of his name, but didn't notice Ikuto, and ran off. Ikuto sighed and continued to look for another person, determined not to leave the perimeter of his room.
"Hey! Yoru!" Ikuto shouted louder than before, catching the attention of Yoru.
"What's up?" Yoru asked jogging over to Ikuto. Ikuto judged, by the way Yoru didn't say 'nya' at the end of his sentence that something important happened.
"What happened?" Ikuto asked.
"I got to go," Yoru said looking around, "but read this." He shoved a piece of paper, with ink scribbled on it, into Ikuto's hands before running off. Satisfied, Ikuto went back to hiding in his room and read what was on the paper. The note read:
Dear everyone,
Rima and I have left the palace grounds, by the time you read this,
but we have left the kingdom all together, and are determined
to find her. We will not return until Amu is with us!
Don't worry about us, and for the sake of my sanity do not,
I repeat DO NOT, come looking for us.
Also, tell Ikuto to have faith in us because will bring her back with no harm done.
We Promise.
Sincerely Your Lovely Princesses,
Utau & Rima.
When Ikuto finished reading the letter, he looked to the ceiling hoping, once again, that the answers would be written on it. He reread the letter before a thought hit him. 'Everyone was rushing around out there because they are trying to stop Utau and Rima.' Ikuto thought. His eyes widened, he dashed out of his room, leaving the note in his wake, and sprinted to his parents' room.
When he got to the door he knocked briefly, and then waited. When the door didn't open he started to bang on the door, but only for a brief moment because he heard shuffling. The door opened and revealed Souko and Aruto.
"Yes? What would you, dear?" Souko asked him.
"Don't try to stop Utau and Rima!" He told her desperately, hoping she'd understand.
"Why not?" Aruto jumped into the conversation.
"She doesn't want you to!" Ikuto yelled.
"She needs to come back, and pick a suitor." Aruto told him.
"You want her to get married just as fast as me!" He shook his head; know his father was just trying to change the topic. "She's trying to find proof that Amu is the founders' granddaughter."
Souko sighed.
"Let your father and I think it over, okay?" She asked.
"Fine," Ikuto gave in, "But if you make the wrong choice I'm not leaving my room."
He finished, and walked back to his room.
~*~ With Utau & Rima ~*~ (While Ikuto is talking to his Parents)
They were travelling through the first kingdom. Their first thought was that they would stay, but that change, instantaneously, when they saw the condition of the village. The roads were fine, maybe recently paved, but the buildings and the vegetation, well there wasn't any. On top of that the overall description would be a ghost town. The shutters on window were falling off, no one was walking on the sidewalks, broken windows, and walls were covered in cracks and mold. The carriage suddenly stopped moving.
"Is there a problem, sir?" Rima politely asked the elderly man, trying to hide how scared she actually was.
"The horses need to rest." The man replied.
"How l-long w-w-will that t-t-take?" Utau stuttered, not even attempting to hide her fear.
"They'll need a day to make it to the next kingdom," he continued, "But to get to the next village maybe 2 hours."
Both the girls sighed with relief, and neither of them left the carriage.
"How many villages are in this kingdom?" Rima asked Utau, trying to change their focus.
"About 5." Utau responded. Rima nodded.
Within the next three hours, Utau and Rima were heading to the next town. When the carriage stopped, the driver turned to the girls.
"We will need to stay the night because the horses are exhausted." He hesitated a couple times, and occasionally glanced out the window behind Utau as he told them. The girls, however, didn't notice his looks, nor did they look themselves as they jumped out of the carriage. Their feet landed on the ground, Rima looked around at her surroundings, then immediately leaped back into the carriage.
"Oh my god!" Rima gasped at the sight through the window before her. Utau, who was still brushing the dirt off her dress, hadn't looked up, yet.
"What?" Utau asked, looking up. She almost screamed as she jumped back into the carriage. This town was worse then the last. The roads were unpaved and had droppings from rodents all of the place, there were rats, and bugs hovering over piles of something unknown to Utau and Rima.
"We have to stay a whole NIGHT!" Utau screamed.
"Maybe we can find our way to the palace?" Rima suggested. Utau nodded, and exited the carriage, carefully watching her step.
"We're going to look around!" Utau shouted to the driver, who nodded in response.
The girls' tip- toed their way around the town until they came upon a friendlier looking stop, so they could ask for direction. They walked in causing the bells, attached to the door, to ring and announce their arrival.
"Bark! Bark! GROWL!" A pitch black shepherd growled, and leapt forward towards them.
"Enough!" A boy yelled, and the dog stopped in its tracks. A door at the back of the room swung open, revealing a boy around the same age as Amu, with black hair in a similar style to Tadase's hair only a bit longer, and he had bright blue eyes. He was as tall as Ikuto; Utau realized when he got closer.
"Sorry." He apologized. "She can be a bit protective, and not very use to unknown people."
"That's fine." Rima said first.
"We haven't had many visitors in this village and our king lets the villages rot." The boy said.
"Why don't you do something?" Utau suggested.
"Yeah, if you got everyone to help, I'm sure you could clean this place up a bit?" Rima added, but he just shrugged his shoulders.
"What's your name?" He asked obviously trying to change the topic.
"Rima," she said pointing to herself, "and Utau." She finished pointing to Utau.
"No last names?" he asked sarcastically.
"No." Rima bluntly said, before Utau could jump in.
"Now tell us your name." Rima glared. The boy laughed nervously still under Rima's glare, and held up both hands showing he meant no harm.
"Fine, Fine." He reassured quickly. "My name is Hisoka."
"What are you hiding?" Rima asked. He looked at her strangely.
"Your name means 'Secret'" Rima told him. Utau nodded faintly, but something about that name feel vaguely familiar. He laughed again, but it was still shaking.
'Okay. Now, you're definitely hiding something." Utau stated.
"H-How did y-you know?" he stuttered, and scratched the back of his head.
"Because our friend, Amu," Utau tried to tell him something but he interrupted her.
"You know Amu?" He asked. Both Utau and Rima nodded their head hesitantly.
"She came through here a couple months ago." He informed them.
"You still remember her, even after one meeting?" Rima asked.
"Um . . . yeah . . . we . . . sort of . . . talked." He blushed.
"That's all?" Utau said shocked that the boy who reminded her of Ikuto would blush over something so small. He looked to the ground.
"That's it!" Rima laughed, not believing what she just heard.
"Well, she played the piano." He gestured toward the old, oak grand piano.
"Still, you don't have to blush." Rima said bluntly.
"Well, she was pretty." He told them.
Utau fumed, and grabbed him by the collar of his nicely tailored shirt.
"She's taken!" Utau spat. "Don't be getting any ideas." She gave him a glare that could've split him in half, but he only struggled to nod.
"Calm down," Rima said, putting a hand on Utau shoulder. Utau dropped him on the ground, the dog a few feet away started to growl again, and Utau angrily stomped out of the shop completely forgetting about the direction. Rima apologized and ran after Utau. That night they slept in the carriage, after searching the whole village and were unable to find an inn.
When they woke up they felt like they were moving. Utau looked around and saw beautiful trees and mountains through the window of the speeding carriage.
"We have entered the next kingdom," the driver said, "There are about four villages in this kingdom."
Utau nodded, told Rima, and then focused her attention to the beautiful scenery racing by.
*~* At the Palace *~*
Ikuto woke up early and went directly toward his parents' room. When got there he knocked several times impatiently. He huffed and was about to walk away when the door opened.
"Good morning, Mother." Ikuto greeted the woman at the door that was in a night gown.
"To answer the question you're about to ask. Yes, we will wait for Utau and Rima to come back." She smiled, and closed the door. Ikuto sighed and went back to his room.
"Now, all I have to do is . . . Wait." He said to himself before drifting off into a light sleep.
* I have Pictures on my profile!
That was Chapter 5, I believe.
Hope you Liked it.
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