Amu ran. She ran and ran, but still she couldn't escape, the terrifying shade in a perpetual chase. This scene of eternally running was too familiar. Familiar, but still disturbing and hellish.
She sat up with a start, gasping. There were salty tracks on her cheeks, left behind by her frightened tears in the night.
Just a dream.
Her hands massaged her tired eyes. She fell back to the bed.
Just another dream.
"Yo."
"Leave me alone," Amu moaned, turning to glare at the intruder. "I-Ikuto?" she yelped. She still remembered vividly how he had saved her from a precarious jump into the ocean. The thought was none too comforting. She pushed herself to the far end of her bunk, away from the amused pirate.
Ikuto smirked. "Told you you'd warm up to the name."
Amu fumed openly. She looked away to keep from achieving eye contact with his dark, penetrating blue eyes… Stop thinking those schoolgirl thoughts.
She rolled her shoulders to give an illusion of nonchalance, still looking away, and said with a contemptuous tone. "So, Pirate, why'd you come down here?"
"I have something to show you," he said, looking purposefully bored.
"What?" Amu said, curious.
"A closer view." One nimble hand found Amu's wrist and tugged. Suddenly, their faces were inches apart. His smile was cocky and his eyes held that devilish sparkle that made him so… Attractive?
"Idiot!" Amu wailed, smacking him upside the head.
"Ouch," Ikuto mumbled, rubbing the soft spot.
"Thanks for nothing!" Amu stood and strode off.
"Hey, hey, wait up!" Ikuto caught her with ease. His hand alighted on her shoulder. "Don't you forgive me?"
"What do you want?" Amu sighed heavily.
"Come and see."
Ikuto strolled up to the deck, hands in pockets. Amu scampered after him, only to be distracted by the sounds of a playful sparring match between Kukai and Kairi.
Kukai wore a confident grin; he posed dramatically and lunged with great battle cries. Kairi, on the other hand, was quiet and unassuming. His saber was always aloft and ready, but he seemed so small facing Kukai.
Kukai leapt at his opponent with a bellow, "Kukai-style… Golden Victory Thrust!"
There was a great gasp from the audience as the redhead flew through the air, his victorious smile already in place… But Kairi wasn't there. He had somehow slipped to the side, and calmly put his saber at an angle, right in the way of Kukai's flailing feet.
The thud that followed sent giggles through the crowd. Kukai lay face down, tripped by Kairi's blade.
Kairi gently tapped Kukai's neck with the very tip of his sword. "I win," he said.
Kukai rose laughing. He shook Kairi's hand and bowed to the crowd.
Amu had almost forgotten Ikuto until he gently led her away. They stopped before the mast. Both stared at it for a moment. Behind them, Kukai called for a rematch.
"Can you climb that?" Ikuto asked. His eyes were on the shroud, a thick web of ropes attached to the mast.
Amu gulped; though she might have climbed up the side of the ship, climbing into open space was much more intimidating.
"As I thought." Ikuto looked quite self-deprecating.
"Well then, I guess I'll just go back down…" Amu didn't like the way Ikuto's eyes mocked her behind that belittling mask.
"Oh, no, you must get up there somehow…" he paused as if in deep thought, "You know, I could carry you, out of the goodness of my heart."
"N-n-no!" The image in her mind did not please the princess at all.
He pounced on her, practically tying her arms around his neck, treating her like a lifeless sack of flour.
As they scaled the mast, Amu considered choking Ikuto.
Up in the crow's nest, he let her down, and she spun to see what she could see.
The sight took her breath away. She could feel her eyes grow with incredulous awe. The sky and the sea were so purely cerulean.
Yoru mewed, rubbing against their legs. How he'd gotten up there, Amu could not guess.
"Up with you," Ikuto commanded. His fingers were at her waist, which made her squeak, and he hoisted her up onto the very rim of the little basket.
Amu screeched aloud. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU STUPID PIRATE?"
"Hey, hey, stop struggling! I've got you!" Ikuto yelled above Amu's audible terror.
Abruptly, Amu froze. She hadn't even been conscious of her body's feeble combat to counter Ikuto's hold. Her chapped lips sealed.
"I've got you," Ikuto repeated cautiously. Indeed, his hands at her waist were like iron against her skin. Slowly, he moved to put his entire arm around her, offering a little more safety.
"You good?" he asked.
"Maybe," Amu answered, attempting and failing to find her cool voice among all her impulsive panic.
"Now, look, there," Ikuto instructed. He pointed along the expanse of turquoise swirls of sea and sky. The barrier between the two was unclear until Amu spotted the dark strip that Ikuto now motioned to.
"Land?" Amu asked. Joy and surprise mixed into a sweet softness in her face as she smiled openly to Ikuto. Her exhale became one with her laugh.
"Yes, Sparrow, Land," Ikuto agreed. Years fell from his face, and for one blissful moment, they both saw each other as they truly were. The moment was broken by a shock of energy that traversed them both, and Amu grabbed for something, anything to stabilize herself, one hand already on the locket, which pounded furiously. She was falling.
There was a great scramble as Ikuto lunged for Amu, Amu flailed about, and Yoru yowled, because, at some point, Ikuto had inconsiderately stepped on his newly groomed tail.
Time hung in the air as Amu's hand finally found Ikuto's and he pulled her back into his arms. She clutched him tight, pulling him ever closer, to make sure of the world's solidity once more.
Ikuto breathed into her hair, successfully ignoring Amu's unromantic scrabbling at his chest. "Sparrow, please stop restarting my heart like that. You'll be the death of me."
"Shut up," Amu growled. Her fingers found a hard object underneath Ikuto's shirt. Surreptitiously, she felt its form. Tadase's key! It was pounding in rhythm with Amu's lock. Ikuto noticed Amu's fascination and raised his eyebrows.
"So young, yet so perverted."
"EH?" Amu pulled away and, anger overriding fear, began to climb back down to the safety of the deck.
Ikuto leaned over the railing of the crow's nest. "I'm just saying, Amu, you're the one who touched my chest with such interest, and not the other way around." He paused before adding, "Not that you have much there to look at!"
Kukai guffawed and Amu turned crimson. Profanities flew from her mouth, until she saw Hikaru staring at her in wide-eyed wonder. She checked herself and continued to vent in whispers so that Hikaru wouldn't hear, but Kukai did, and he collapsed in a fit of obnoxious laughter.
"Smooth, Amu, very smooth," the redhead chuckled.
Amu didn't say a thing.
"Nikaidou! Land to the northeast!" Ikuto landed gracefully beside Amu.
"Right on schedule," Nikaidou nodded.
"How long?"
"Two days? Maybe less."
Ikuto was pleased by the estimation.
Forgotten, Amu joined Rima at the bow. "What is that land?" she asked softly.
Rima blinked. "You mean, you don't know?"
Amu shook her head.
Rima frowned. "I guess you could call it a private island. We go there during the winter sometimes. It's close to the mainland, so we can buy supplies and all that. We call it, 'Souko's Isle.' "
"Who's Souko?"
Rima's frown deepened. "Ikuto's mother."
"You mean the island belongs to Ikuto's mother?" Amu exclaimed.
"Not anymore. Ikuto's the owner now."
"Why? What happened?"
"It's really not a nice subject. It'd be better if Ikuto told you," Rima sighed.
"Rima," Amu begged.
Rima gave in, "Ikuto's parents… Well… They're both dead, okay?" Amu bit her lip. Rima continued, "Back when Ikuto and Utau were young, Souko was kidnapped. Their dad, Aruto, tried to save her. Neither of them returned."
The pinkette let it sink in for a moment before continuing. "Souko was kidnapped? Kidnapped by whom?"
Rima shook her head. "I can't."
"Rima!"
"No. We're not supposed to talk about it."
"Rima! Please? I won't bother you anymore if you tell me!"
"Fine, fine," Rima caved. "Souko was kidnapped by Kazuomi Hoshina, King of Easter."
"What?" Amu gaped. She'd met King Kazuomi, even visited the land of Easter. It was plagued by constant rain and so very green.
"Easter?" someone murmured behind them.
Amu jumped and spotted Hikaru watching them. She relaxed at the sight of his familiar eyes, so blue, so wide… and filled with terror.
"Hikaru? What is it? Hikaru?" Amu dropped to her knees, put an arm around the shaking little boy.
Hikaru's eyes emitted fat tears. Amu had to support him, since his knees seemed to have given out. He was mumbling softly, his eyes fixed on a place only he could see.
"Hikaru? Hikaru!" People were starting to gather. Amu looked up and saw bafflement in the younger faces. Ikuto, Nikaidou, and Tsukasa looked grim. Utau clung to Ikuto's arm.
Rima moaned something that sounded like, "…Crap."
At that word, Hikaru became very still. Then all hell broke loose within him. "Don't make me go back! I don't wanna go back! Don't make me! Don't let them take me!" he shrieked. His body rocked in spasms within Amu's grip. He tried to kick free, but she only held him tighter.
"Help me!" Amu cried. She didn't know why, but she was crying, too.
Tsukasa knelt and reached for the whimpering boy. "I'll take him." With Hikaru in his arms, he disappeared into the crowd.
Amu watched them go, her tears still flowing. The others shared her shock for only a moment.
Ikuto gripped Rima's shoulders. He was livid as he shouted, "What were you thinking? You know how Hikaru is!"
"I didn't see him! I didn't!" Rima fought back.
Unnoticed by all, Amu smothered a gasp of pain. The locket was burning. But this burning wasn't energetic or excited like before, but slow and angry and hurting.
Ikuto continued, "You know it's forbidden to speak of Easter! So we could prevent this from happening!"
"She asked me!" Rima screamed.
"Who asked you? Who?"
"Amu did!"
At that, all the fight went out of Ikuto. He glanced at Amu, suddenly very tired. "Alright. Everyone back to work!" he called.
No one moved.
"I said, back to work!" Ikuto commanded.
Everyone scurried away. Rima, released from Ikuto's grip, slunk off. Nikaidou quietly replaced her at the helm. Utau paused, her concerned eyes resting on Ikuto.
"You, too, Utau," Ikuto said. The blonde nodded and left, not without reluctance.
Ikuto rubbed his temples. He was about to leave, but he turned back to scowl darkly at Amu. "Amu, with me."
"But-!"
"Now!" With that, he stalked off.
And now we give you the usual, egotistical rant:
I am so glad I picked this chapter up. It was originally going to end after Amu climbed down from the mast, but, since I'm such a genius, I added Hikaru's little tantrum. I promised you DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA, so here it is! It was originally only about 1,100, but the DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA added another 700 words! Yay!
I hope you like it. I'll admit my attempt at romantic glances between Ikuto and Amu failed miserably, but hopefully a scary, angry Ikuto + a tortured Hikaru + DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA make up for that. I hope. *crosses fingers*
I make no promises regarding whether I'll update soon or not. That way no one can get mad at me.
~Willow
