Author's Note: Hello, everyone. Gomen about the "two-chapter" update thing.. I promise to do it this weekend instead. XD Anyway, plenty of updates before I start the chapter; One, I've decided to make this fic shorter. 30 Chapters is simply too much and I don't want it just Ikuto and Amu sitting around doing nothing in hiding. A few chapters, but that's pretty much it. So, this fic will now be approximately 24 chapters or so. Maybe shorter, maybe an extra. I'm currently piecing in my head and going over the plot points I intended so I can make sure it all fits in accordingly. Two, I'm seriously sick with a bad cold, which explains why I haven't updated. I've had it for nearly a week now and am most likely going to have it for another, but while I got the strength, I wanted to update now. Three, I've decided to also take out the lyrics in every chapter. I found it got annoying after awhile and I don't want this to suddenly become a song-fic. So, those are gone and will be taken out when I edit the chapters. That's pretty much it.

Thank you, and hope you enjoy the chapter!

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CHAPTER 9: 30 MINUTES OF RUNNING

Amu and Ikuto walked quickly through the streets of downtown, stopping only at red lights and to look back occasionally. So far, there was no sign of Easter's henchmen or Yukari Sanjou, and for right now, it was likely to remain that way. Even so, there was an aura of fear. The streets were dead silent, and although it was still early, the subdued area wasn't really helping Amu's hay-wired nerves. Her body was still shaking like an aftershock after an earthquake, tremors running down her small form. Ikuto wrapped his arms securely around her shoulder's, his hand trailing up to caress her face as they walked. She relaxed somewhat, his silent comfort helping her more than words could right now. She knew that words wouldn't really be effective with his fear, either. Fear she knew he had, yet fear he tried to repress so casually.

Amu glanced up at him to look at his face, and saw that he was staring straight ahead, eyes narrowed in determination. But there was fear. A lot of fear. He was afraid, like her. Like her, he didn't know if they would make it through this alive. She reached out for his hand and gingerly rubbed it before taking it in her own. Ikuto didn't look down at her, but his eyes softened, and Amu managed herself a small smile of reassurance as they stopped at yet another red light.

She didn't question where they were going; the details could wait. It didn't matter where they went, as long as they got themselves away from Easter's watchful eyes and could breathe while they still had the chance. Their time was running out, and every little second they had left should not be taken for granted.

The eleven-year-old pink-haired girl did not know the light had turned Green until Ikuto tugged her gently to pull her out of her thoughts and they began heading farther away from their very lives here, where they had lived. Ran, Miki and Su were inside Amu's bag, their small heads peering out sadly at Amu. She knew that they knew what was going on, knew exactly how she was feeling, and for once, they did not pretend to be happy or encourage Amu that things would be okay. Because like she and Ikuto, they didn't know either. Ran's pom-pom's were held delicately at her sides, her head down to her chest. Miki was drawing in her sketchbook like always, but her desire to draw seemed to have dispersed, and she gave up easily, sighing and putting it away. Suu was sitting with her knees to her chest farther into the bag, her back to Amu's eyes.

The impact of the fear of Easter had taken a definate effect on them too.

"Hey, Ikuto?" Amu broke the silence, unable to stand it any more.

"Hmm?" Ikuto didn't look at her.

She held his hand slightly tighter. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"The train station," He answered her, finally lowering his head to gaze at her. "I've got quite a load of money on me from Utau, so we'll be able to take a train out of the city. Once we are, they'll have a harder time trying to find us. I also want to make sure we're not in one place for too long and move around a bit to confuse them. It'll help us survive longer, and it might be our only chance."

Amu nodded slowly, and returned to her thoughts. About now, she'd be heading out to go to school if it were a school day. She allowed herself a glance back, catching the school's silhouette in the distance. How she wished she could have told Tadase and the others. How she wished she could speak to Naheshiko again, one last time, now that they were both gone away. And while Nadeshiko would return, she most likely would not. And Kairi... he'd come back to her only to never find her. Rima.. she and Rima had started to become so close, and now she would never get to learn more about her. Yaya, Kukai.. she could only imagine their faces realizing she was not coming back. And Tadase..

Tadase, her first true love; Or rather, first infatuation. She never loved him like she loved Ikuto, but... even so, the thought of never seeing him again hurt her. To never again see his blond hair and maroon-colored eyes... to never hear his evil laugh when called "Prince"... every little memory was valuable and dear to her, and how she wished she had not taken a single moment for granted.

The tears were impossible to hold back yet again as these thoughts overwhelmed her. They trickled rapidly down her cheeks and onto her shirt collar. She stopped, unable to walk any more. Ikuto stopped with her and kneeled down in front of her when he realized she was crying.

"Oh, Amu.." He whispered miserably. Amu used her sleeve to try and stop the tears, but it was no avail.

"I-I'm sorry," She choked. "I know I must seem like such a little kid to you, Ikuto, b-but... "

"Hey, hey," Ikuto cut her off gently, running the back of his hand across her right cheek. "It's not a weakness to cry, I don't see you as a baby or a vulnerable little girl just because you're showing you're scared. Even the strongest people let their barriers break sometimes.."

Amu sniffled. "But why.. why don't you, Ikuto? Aren't you scared, too?"

He gazed deeply into her golden irises. "Yes. I am scared. I just have a stronger barrier from all of the practice and experience. I used to cry when I was little. It just feels like I can't possibly cry any more than I did years ago."

Amu's eyes widened through the tears. He was finally opening up to her. "And.. why did you cry when you were younger, Ikuto? What happened?"

Ikuto's eyes narrowed slightly and for a moment Amu thought he was angry at her. "My mother... betrayed me, Amu. I'll be able to tell you what happened eventually, but not now. Not today. When I'm able to face the truth, I'll be able to tell you."

Amu wanted to know more, and wanted to get him to tell her now, but knew not to test him or his heart. He'd tell her when he was ready. And she believed he would. Nodding, she let Ikuto lead her along and looked up in time to see them approaching the station. Once there, they stopped.

"Do you have your friends' phone numbers, Amu?" Ikuto asked suddenly.

Amu blinked at him. "Y-yeah. I.. I brought them along with me in my bag. Why?"

Ikuto nodded his head and Amu turned around to see what he was inclining his head at, and saw a telephone booth a foot from her. Amu's eyes widened as she realized what Ikuto was saying. "C-call them? But.. should I tell them?"

"Yeah," Ikuto muttered. "They need to know. And when you call Tadase.. I need to tell him something."

Amu's golden spheres grew rounder as they widened further for a split second before narrowing and she crossed her arms. "Ikuto, this is no time to gloat.."

He smirked. "I wasn't going to." He grew a frown again. "I wanted to ask a request of him, to watch out for my sister for me."

"...Ohh.." Amu's eyes sparkled with tears. "Utau.. she's probably going to be worried sick.."

"She'll be fine." Ikuto reassured. "After all, she's dating that one friend of your's, now. What's his name.. Kukai.."

"What?" Amu asked stupidly. "Kukai and Utau? Dating? Wha..."

Ikuto laughed, and Amu nearly dropped her mouth open at how it sounded. So gentle... so genuine.. so pure. "That was my reaction too."

With difficulty, she rearranged her features into a smile, making a vow to herself that she would make sure Ikuto could laugh like that again. She would make it happen.

"I'll call them." She decided. "It's best they know, anyway."

She turned to the phone where Ikuto had indicated and rummaged in her pockets for the little change she had. Depositing it, her fingers fumbled as she called Rima, the one who was most likely to be home right about now. She nearly sighed in relief when Rima picked up. "Hey, Rima, it's Amu."

"Hi, Amu." Rima sounded somewhat cheerful. "Is everything okay?"

"Not quite." No, not at all. Not quite was a tame way of putting it. "Listen.. Easter's... put a death sentence on both me and Ikuto head's, the boy who works for them. We had to leave. I don't know if I'll be coming home, but I wanted to let you know that I'll call you as soon as I can once we get into hiding."

"Easter's after you and Ikuto?" Rima sounded scared. That only made this worse. "But you shouldn't have left! We could've helped you!"

Amu closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Rima, but the Guardians would be unable to help me in this situation, it would only get you guys killed. See.. they want the Humpty Lock, basically me, and not you guys. As long as you're out of their way they won't hurt you. It's me and Ikuto they want."

"But doesn't he work for them? He's our enemy, isn't he?"

"No," Amu said defiantly. "He's not our enemy. He never was. Easter's been using him from the beginning to get the Embryo, and when he opposed them, they decided to kill him. And since we're the holders of the lock and key, they plan to take me out with him."

"Amu.." Rima's voice was breaking on the other end, something Amu didn't like to hear. Rima, who acted so tough and collected, reduced to tears? It felt like the world was ending. If it was this tough with Rima, she hated to know how hard it would be to tell Tadase and the others. And she didn't think she would be able to handle telling them...

"Rima, I promise.. if there's any way of coming back, I definately will. For now, I've got to do things this way. It might be the only way I can stay alive. Please understand. Please don't cry. Promise me that you'll tell the others for me, and promise me that you and the Guardians won't do anything reckless like try to find me or help me, okay? I don't want anyone else in this mess."

"I promise." Rima answered slowly. "You better call, though, Amu, otherwise, I might not be able to stand sitting here and doing nothing. I'm going to go call the others and meet them so I can tell them now."

"Hold on," Amu replied, "Don't call Tadase. I'm going to call him myself. Please tell Kukai, Yaya, Nadeshiko -- when she comes back -- and Kairi if you see him again about it though. Maybe Nikaidou-sensei, too. My parents don't know anything about it. They think I've gone on some cruise or something, and I hope it stays that way."

"I'll try to keep it like that." Rima reassured. "Thank you for telling me, Amu. Be safe.. and call soon, okay?" Her voice cracked again.

"I will. I promise. You take care, too."

"Ikuto, too." Rima included. "If he's with you, I may not know him directly, but I know how he is around you. He'd give his life to save you."

Amu sighed. "I know."

"Good bye, Amu.."

"'Bye, Rima.."

She hung up, hands shaking as she repressed the emotion. She could not break down again. Not yet. She had to be strong, just like she'd been strong when she'd told her parents the lie, that very last lie. She needed the courage to do this again. One last time.

She dialed Tadase's number, and looked back at Ikuto, motioning him to come over. He obeyed at once, knowing it was Tadase she was calling now. He answered almost immediately.

"Hello?"

"Tadase-kun.." Amu's voice was somewhat strangled.

"Hey, Hinamori-san! How are you doing?"

"N-not good," She said truthfully. "Tadase.. we have something to tell you.."

She could practically see Tadase's confused look in her head. "We?"

"Ikuto.. is here with me. And before you start yelling and ranting and what not, please hear me about and know I'm telling the truth. Please don't interrupt until I'm finished. I can only make this quick, but... Easter is after me. As in, out to kill me. They got a death sentence on Ikuto as well, and we had to leave. We're heading for somewhere out of Tokyo, but I don't know where yet. I promise to call you once we're in the clear and update you from there. The others already know, and I told my parents a lie that they bought. Please don't try to find me or get involved, Tadase-kun. I don't want anyone else involved."

"... I see.. this is something you need to do on your own.."

"Yes." She breathed a sigh of relief, happy he understood.

".. But it's something you can't take on your own."

"I have Ikuto with me," She reminded him. "And no matter how you feel about him, you know that he'll protect me with his life. He's proved that already."

Tadase said nothing.

"And.. actually.. he has something he would like to say to you."

"All right, put him on."

Amu handed the phone to Ikuto who smiled briefly at her before turning serious. "Hello, Tadase.." Amu was surprised to hear no mocking or sneer in his voice that he always had when speaking to Tadase. It sounded.. fond.

"Yeah, it's a real threat." Ikuto was saying. "They've attacked us twice already, and will probably try to get at us more. That's why we're moving quickly, so I can only talk for a few minutes. I know our relationship hasn't been good lately.. and I know you hate my guts more than anyone, but.. I'd like to ask a favor of you... a favor that's not coming from your enemy, but from your friend."

Amu wished she had a three-way line so she could hear what Tadase was saying in response to this. The fact that Ikuto wasn't smirking or showing any kind of amusement or self-righteousness made her think Tadase was not getting angry at him.

"I want you to keep an eye on Utau for me. It hasn't been past Easter to attack those that I care about, and I don't want anything happening to my sister."

Amu gasped slightly. So this was why.. Easter could come after Utau... make her suffer for no reason. Amu's breath hitched.

"Thank you, Tadase. I appreciate it. I'll let Amu finish talking to you before we go. And.. goodbye. Take care."

Ikuto handed the phone a little too quickly back to Amu before she could regroup and when she spoke again her voice was somewhat breathless sounding. "T-thank you, Tadase-kun."

"You're welcome, Hinamori-san. Please be careful and call any and every chance you get whether it's me, Utau, or any of the other Guardians. We'll contact each other and keep up on you."

Amu smiled. "I'll be fine. I will be okay."

"I know you will. Ikuto's with you." Tadase whispered. "And.. tell him.. to be safe, too. I can't wait for the day the both of you come back home where you belong."

Damn the tears again. Amu swallowed and choked them back, nodding her head. "Yeah. We'll come home soon."

"Good bye, Amu-chan."

"G-g-good bye!" Amu stammered, shocked that Tadase had said her first name. Before she could regroup, the call had ended, and she hung the phone back onto it's place with an almost hollow feeling inside. She turned back to Ikuto, who was looking around the station alertly.

"Tadase says to be careful." Amu told him. Ikuto nodded, and gently seized her hand, walking quickly with her to the ticket booth.

"We need to get out of here," Ikuto whispered sternly to her.

"Why?" Amu's heart quickened in fear. "Is Easter..?"

"I saw two of the employees that know me quite well heading out of that McDonald's on the other side. They'll know all about the death threat on me and will probably call for the guards if they see us. Once we board the train, we'll be fine." He explained. He turned his attention to the woman who was watching him expectantly.

"Two tickets for Kyoto." He answered simply. The woman nodded and pulled out two, handing one to each of them.

"Enjoy your ride." She responded before grabbing a bag of chips and opened them. Amu and Ikuto went into the tunnel ahead and swiped their tickets before heading onto the platform. A few people stared at them as they waited for their train, and Amu knew this scene must look strange, a twelve-year-old girl hanging out with a seventeen-year-old boy. Ikuto, however, seemed to care less about these stares and kept throwing looks around the station every so often. Amu knew it was to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Train's coming." He said suddenly. Amu looked up at him.

"Huh? I can't hear it."

"I do."

"How the hell can you hear a train if I can't?" Amu asked accusingly.

"I'm a cat, remember? My senses are sharper than your's."

"But you're not chara changed or transformed!"

"I don't need to be," Ikuto noted seriously. "The transformation abilities have been with me so long they mingled with my real ones. Haven't you always wondered why I could jump down from high places and not even get a sratch?"

"Yeah.." Amu whispered quietly and trailed off. She could hear and see the train coming now, but wasn't sure if it was the one they needed to board.

"It's ours," Ikuto said, as if he had read her mind. Amu stared at him, eyebrow raised.

"Don't tell me.. even your eye sight is like a cat's?"

He smirked as the train stopped directly in front of our platform and the doors opened. "Yeah." Rolling her eyes, she and the neko-boy boarded the train and took a two-seater farther in the back. Amu got the window seat but Ikuto didn't seem to really car. His left hand was under his chin, eyes focused, deep in thought. Amu squirmed nervously next to him, realizing that this was the first time she and Ikuto would be alone for possibly months or years, without parental supervision or anyone to get between them. She could feel her face was hot and hoped Ikuto wouldn't look at her and see her most definitely blushing. As she looked around, she saw their car was very nearly empty save for a sleeping old man with an open newspaper on his chest. For something to do, she drew her back around to her waist and peered inside to find her three charas sound asleep. Smiling slightly, she looked back at Ikuto.

"Ne, Ikuto?"

He turned his head half-way towards her, but didn't respond, so she continued. "Back at the station.. when you talked to Tadase... what all did you talk about?" She asked curiously.

"He said he'd keep an eye on Utau for me, and call me if something were to happen to her." He said slowly.

Amu raised her knees to her chest, still staring at him. "Is something likely to happen to your sister?"

"Not really." Ikuto said. "But with Easter, I don't like to take any chances. They might try and get her alone so they can question her. Sanjou will most likely do that. But I doubt they'll actually hurt her. They will try to persuade her to join them again, if anything. I was their only hope left for the Embryo, and now that I'm gone, they need more help."

"The Embryo.." Amu whispered, and Ikuto looked at her with inquiring eyes. "Why.. why does this Gozen want the Embryo for, anyway? What terrible things does he want to do with it?"

Ikuto looked at her for a moment longer before sighing and turning his head slightly again, his hand still beneath his chin. "I don't know. There are many things he could do with it. He's never come out and told any of us, and I rarely see him. But I do know that what ever it is won't be good. But I've had a theory. I think he wants to permanently find a way to keep children from getting Shugo Chara's all together. To stop their existence."

Amu gasped. "You.. you don't really think he could do something like that..? Destroy our.. our would-be-selves?"

"Who knows.." Ikuto said quietly. "He's been looking more and more evil lately, and he's been much meaner too. He's the one who agreed with the director to put this sentence on us. But it was mainly the director who did that."

"Director?" Amu asked. "And who's the director?"

Ikuto's eyes hardened, his hand under his chin forming into a fist, teeth clenched. Amu knew she had pressed on the wrong topic and knew that who ever this director was, he had a huge effect on Ikuto. There was silence for a few moments as she struggled to find a way to calm the atmosphere. "Um.. remember when.. when you bought that stuff for me after ruining the tart?"

Ikuto smirked, obviously remembering the things after that part. "Yeah. The time when I found your weakness."

Amu blushed and crossed her arms, staring up at the train ceiling. "Eh, um.. I asked you.. what your wish was, then, but... you couldn't tell me.. and I was.. wondering.. if... you.."

Her question faltered, but Ikuto reached over seized her chin with his thumb, tenderly and romantically, so she turned her face towards him. His eyes were intense. "You.. you really want to know, Amu?"

The way he'd said her name was so seductive, Amu found herself blushing like hell. "Uh, um... y-yes, Ikuto. I really... want to know.."

He continued to stare at her with intense, seductive eyes, and he leaned forward into her. "I want the Embryo.. to fulfill my one and only wish.." He leaned in closer to her, so that their faces were nearly a centimeter apart, lips very close together. His hot breath hit her cheeks. Amu waited, hardly daring to breathe. "My only wish... which is to finally be free of that hell that is Easter."

Amu's eyes shined with re-provoked tears. "Ikuto.."

His lips planted against hers softly, a warm, tender kiss. He licked her bottom lip and Amu opened her mouth slightly to allow him entrance, where he grazed her inner wall slowly and purposefully before running his tongue along her bottom teeth and exiting, kissing her lips again before pulling away. "That is my one true wish."

Amu moved closer to him so that she was nearly in his lap, their faces close together again. "I'll make sure it happens, Ikuto. I'll be the one to free you from Easter. I promise."

He smiled, a smile so pure and loving that again it took Amu's breath away. Right now, she was peaceful in seeing that smile, a smile she had waited to see upon his face for the longest times. The dark times were near -- they were already here -- but the smallest light that was a time like this gave her hope, the hope that she could achieve both her dreams and Ikuto's, fulfill the promise between them. That bond between them could make her go on, and it was enough.

"I love you," Amu whispered, laying her head against his chest. "I promise.. I'll make your wish come true.."

Ikuto kissed the top of her head, letting her in his lap. "I love you, too, Amu. I believe in you."

Belief was all that they had now. Hope.

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Oww my hands.. LMAO! Okay, there will be another chapter tomorrow. :) Hope you enjoyed, and R&R!