This chapter took me much longer than I would have liked. There were many reasons for the delay, including slight Writer's Block, my new story Alluring Nightmare (read?), Animal Crossing New Leaf, my new addiction to the game Candy Crush, and also the fact I have a life (shocking right?). I'm not 100% fond of how this chapter came out, but it's necessary to set up for what will be happening soon. I own nothing, and enjoy! This chapter takes place a week after the last, in case of confusion.

Utau's eyes fluttered open suddenly. She blinked many times, focusing on the world around her. She found herself gazing up at the ceiling, the fan spinning rapidly around her. She turned her head, looking at the room surrounding her. She recognized it as Yukari and Yuu's living room. As she attempted to move into a sitting position, she discovered an excruciating pain in her stomach. She cringed and remained in her resting position. Slowly, she lifted the bottom of her stomach, revealing bandages surrounding her stomach. Memories suddenly flooded her mind. She remembered Gravatus lifting the gun toward Kukai and her instinctive action to save him. She also remembered seeing a figure right before she lost consciousness.

"Father!" She exclaimed quietly. She knew that it was him. The dark-blue hair was way too similar to her brother's hair for it to be anyone else. She wondered where he was now. Could he be staying here also?

She soon heard footsteps descending the steps. She was completely stunned to recognize the blonde-haired boy. There were many gashes across his face. Last she remembered, Tadase had stormed out, and Kukai had to go out and find him, but he had come across Aruto instead.

"Tadase…" Tadase turned, nearly dropping the bowl of cereal he was holding. His shock quickly changed into a small smile.

"Utau, you're awake?!" He asked.

"Oh, I don't know, am I awake? I'm not really sure, considering I'm speaking," She muttered sarcastically. Tadase smiled softly, sitting down beside her once she curled up her legs.

"Well, I'm certainly glad to see you're up. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," She lied, ignoring the pain. "How long was I out for?"

"A little more than a week," Tadase informed her. "A lot has happened since you've been out. We found…"

"My father." Utau faced Tadase eagerly. "Where is he?!"

"Well, similarly to your brother, he tends to just come and go. He's the reason you're here now. Nikaidou-Sensei's sister was able to perform some sort of blood transfusion and your father supplied the blood," Tadase explained. It didn't surprise Utau that he wasn't predictable. How could someone predictable be absent from her life for eleven years? However, it was refreshing to know that he helped her live.

"He shot me, Gravatus I mean. My father saw that, didn't he?"

"He saw it all, even when Gravatus shot Natsumi."

"Who's Natsumi?" Utau wondered. Tadase lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Nagihiko's mother," He whispered quietly. "Gravatus's ex-wife. She was with Aruto-San and was shot. Unlike you though, she wasn't as fortunate…"

"Oh god, Fujisaki lost his mother?!" Utau exclaimed. Tadase nodded glumly.

"He's shaken up by it, but he's doing his best to stay strong." Utau thought for a moment.

"Poor kid. It sucks he has to be related to the Tsukiyomi family; we're a beacon for trouble to come." Tadase's eyes widened slightly. Il and El floated over to Kiseki.

"Tadase, where are you going?" Amu's voice was always recognizable. Tadase turned to her, and to Utau's dismay, he uttered a small smile. Nagihiko stood beside Amu, shooting Tadase a smile.

"Huh? I was just getting cereal." He held up the bowl to prove his point.

"Tadase, where did you get that cut?" Nagihiko asked.

"I already told you yesterday," He reminded him. "I was taking a walk to get more groceries, but then I tripped and-"

"Tadase, we want the truth," Nagihiko interjected. Utau watched the group of them. She wasn't surprised that they didn't trust Tadase, due to his constant departures.

"I swear, I'm not lying, I-"

"Don't be an idiot Tadase." All eyes turned to face her, in complete surprise, with the exception of Tadase.

"Utau, it's great to see you up!" Nagihiko exclaimed. Amu grinned, and hugged her tightly. Utau cringed in pain.

"Ow! Amu!" Amu quickly let go.

"Sorry… Right, your stomach…" Utau gritted her teeth, attempting to relieve the pain to no avail. Utau sat up straight, and glanced over at Nagihiko. He smiled at her, but Utau knew that he couldn't be feeling so bright on the inside.

"How are you feeling?" Nagihiko asked kindly.

"Amu made the pain a bit less tolerable, but it could be worse, as you would know," Utau muttered, saying the last part quietly. His eyes darkened, having heard her.

"I, um, guess you're all caught up?"

"Yup. Fujisaki, how are you holding up?"

"Fine," He answered bluntly. He didn't seem too eager to discuss his mother's death. "You have to let Ikuto know you're awake! He hasn't slept since you fell unconscious a week ago. Kukai, as well, has been extremely worried.

"I'll go visit them then," Utau announced, standing up slowly. She did her best to conceal the pain she endured from that simple action, and continued to walk up the stairs. Once she reached the top, she panted heavily.

"Oh, you're awake." Utau glanced up, seeing Lulu with her hand on her hip. To say the least, Utau loathed her. Not only did she like her when Lulu worked for Easter, but she hated how she acted around Kukai.

"Oh? Why the lack of enthusiasm?" Utau wondered with mock hurt. "After all, I was shot in the stomach, after saving the love of my life." Lulu frowned.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to- Oh, Utau!" Yua came out of her room and hugged her. Utau tried to pry her off, but it hurt much less than Amu, since Yua hugged her from the back.

"YAY UTAU-CHI IS AWAKE!" Yaya bellowed, hugging her tightly as well. Now, Utau's stomach was causing her immense pain. She winced in pain, as the weight of Yua and Yaya forced her to topple to the ground face first.

"Did everyone just magically forget that I was shot?" Utau muttered quietly. She shoved Yua and Yaya off, and slowly stood.

"UTAU!" Kukai yelled, running over to her. Utau groaned slightly, knowing she was going to receive another tight embrace, although the fact that it was Kukai made it better.

"Don't hug her tightly Souma; her stomach is probably hurting." The voice alone made Utau smile warmly. Ikuto stood by the doorway to his room, smirking inwardly with his arms crossed. Kukai nodded, and gently embraced her. She rested her head on his shoulder, appreciating the gentleness. She noticed Lulu roll her eyes and walk away, making her smirk.

"Holy shit, I missed you so much," Kukai whispered. "I-I was so worried…"

"Let's go somewhere private," She whispered back, ending the hug and taking his hand. He nodded, following her to a room. As she walked into her room, she exchanged a glance with Ikuto. She mouthed "father" to him, and he nodded. A smile crossed her mouth, as she closed the door, allowing it to just be her and Kukai. She faced him, looking forward to speaking to him again.

"Okay, I've been practicing how to say this in front of a mirror, even to Ikuto and Nagi, and now here I am, totally blanking out…" Kukai laughed nervously.

"What are you looking to say?" Utau wondered, though she knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Well, first off, I need to thank you. You, most likely, saved my life. Was it stupid? Yeah, probably, but still, I'm extremely grateful. I don't…" He glanced at the ground. She watched him. "Utau, if…if you had not made it, oh god, I don't even know what I would do. I basically lost it after you were shot, my sanity. So, next time, don't save me, because without you, I'm lost, and I realized that too late…"

"Hello? Yaya, Fujisaki, Tadase? You aren't lost without me. You could always turn to Lulu if you are in need of affection also." Kukai sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You're always going to hold that over my head, aren't you?"

"Yeah, basically." He scratched the back of his head.

"Well, it's time for me to apologize for that. Once I went out with her, I knew it was a mistake. I was completely upset by your…you know. Not to try to guilt you or anything; I'm in the wrong for thinking this was a good idea. I love you Utau. I can't love anyone else the way I love you, and I never want to. When I thought you were… gone, I felt such guilt. I thought I would never be able to tell you all of this, and even let you know that I loved you again. They say that you never know what you have until it's gone. So, now that I got a taste of what that's like, I'm never letting go of you…sorry. So, whatever fights happened between us, let's just pretend that they didn't. Besides, it's a bit difficult to strip with an injured stomach." Utau watched him, and noticed how nervous he was. Sweat was pouring down his face. She smirked at his fright. He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow at her reaction to his statement.

"I'll accept that, but don't act so nervous. We're quite casual around each other, so you don't really need to be nervous." He inhaled.

"That's the thing though." She raised an eyebrow. "I don't really want to be so casual with you. I want more. I want to be in a serious relationship with you. I don't really know how other couples transition from casual to serious, but this is how we're doing this. So, um, what do you say?" He spoke quickly, his cheeks bright red. Seeing his nerves only further reminded Utau of the age gap between them. Kukai always acted like the older brother of everyone, but now, he acted like a little kid. She couldn't deny that it was adorable.

"Sounds nice. I'm in." Before Kukai could react, Utau kissed him. She wrapped her arms around him, having missed this immensely. She sat on his lap, her eyes closed. Underneath her lips, he grinned, and kissed harder. Suddenly, nothing else mattered besides Kukai. He was her oyster, the world around her. All she wanted to do was be with him and no one else.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Utau almost ignored it, until, out of the corner of her eye, she recognized the older man. She immediately separated from Kukai, facing the two people; her family. She watched her father, studying him slowly. Kukai watched her for a moment, before becoming aware of Aruto and Ikuto.

"You're the kid who helped me find Easter?" Aruto wondered, facing Kukai. His face was completely crimson. He nodded quickly. "Hm, I wouldn't have imagined you dating my daughter. I didn't know she would be the type to date."

"I'm not," Utau interrupted, snapping out of her trance. "I made a vow never to date, but Kukai was different… Besides, Ikuto has a girlfriend too!" Ikuto narrowed his eyes at Utau, who simply smirked. Aruto turned to Ikuto, surprised.

"You met her actually… Amu."

"Huh, you're dating the Amu Hinamori; the one who was Easter's greatest antagonist? Interesting…"

"Father… I…"

"Utau, how are you feeling?"

"I-I'm good…" She was in complete shock. How could her father be standing right there? The man she had lost for eleven years was finally back.

"I'll, um, catch you guys later!" Kukai awkwardly stood up and left the room. He was completely ignored.

"I know I owe you both an explanation. I didn't really answer anything when I saw you last, Ikuto. It's a bit complicated. It was essential that I had left. However, I cannot explain now. I just came to check on you Utau. I'll be back soon." He turned toward the door.

"How am I supposed to know you'll be back soon? I don't know what that word 'soon' means to you, but certainly, eleven years doesn't define soon for us."

"I know," He whispered, continuing to leave. Utau tried to open her mouth to continue, but Ikuto covered it quickly. Utau looked at him surprised.

"We have to be patient. As you may have gathered, he isn't exactly the type to stick around," Ikuto explained. Utau snorted loudly.

"Oh really? I would have never guessed." She crossed her arms, and sighed. "Ikuto, I'm sick of waiting around. We waited eleven years. Isn't that enough?"

"I'm with you here," He muttered. "I'm just glad I didn't wait more than a week for you." Utau smiled softly.

"Anything else life-changing happen? Tadase told me about Fujisaki's situation. That must be horrible for him."

"It doesn't seem like one thing goes right for him. We have gone through a lot ourselves, but it's still difficult for me to imagine how he copes with this." The doorbell suddenly rang. Utau turned to Ikuto eagerly, but he shook his head.

"He was just here," Ikuto pointed out. Utau nodded, sighing. She followed Ikuto down the stairs. Amu had walked forward and opened the door. Nagihiko smiled at the Tsukiyomi siblings, and Tadase merely acknowledged their presence.

"Hello? How can we help you?" Amu greeted politely. A man stood at the door, looking around at the inside. He had dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. Utau could place something familiar about the man, but she didn't know what. Tadase's eyes seemed to widen.

"My daughter is staying here, and I would like to see her." His voice slurred, making it obvious he was wasted.

"Your daughter?" Ikuto questioned, standing beside Amu. She smiled up at him and slid her fingers through his, unbeknownst to the man.

"Where is she?" The man bellowed.

"We don't know who your daughter is," Utau muttered, her arms crossed.

"Her name's Rima Mashiro, and I know she is here!" Utau suddenly remembered how Rima felt toward her parents. They always fought constantly, and Rima always talked about how she was grateful to be apart from her parents.

"Oh, Mashiro-San? She goes, well went, to school with me, but I haven't seen her in months. Sorry, she isn't here," Nagihiko lied smoothly, walking over to the group.

"You're lying!" He spat angrily. "He told me otherwise!" He stuck his finger at Tadase. Tadase averted eye contact.

"Tadase-Kun?" Amu wondered, cocking her head to the side.

"I don't think you received the correct information. She isn't staying here."

"Where is she?!" Rima's father repeated, louder this time. There was a slight whimpering coming from underneath one of the chairs.

"If you weren't so wasted, you could clearly tell Fujisaki is telling the truth," Utau muttered. He snarled.

"Tell her that if she doesn't show up at her house within three hours, she will endure serious consequences." Rima's father walked out the door, slamming it behind him. Ikuto locked it, sighing a breath of relief.

"Well, that was weird," Ikuto muttered.

"What consequences are he referring to?" Amu wondered.

"Tadase, you owe me an explanation now." All four of them turned, suddenly seeing Tadase pinned to the wall by a figure much shorter than him. She looked absolutely steamed.

"M-Mashiro-San, I-"

"I want the truth," She hissed, holding him up tighter. "Why did you tell him where I was?! You know how much I hate my parents; why would you just lead him here?!"

"The truth would be nice Tadase," Ikuto agreed.

"I-I didn't want to. I-I needed to, in order to find out something important, and-"

"What did you want to find out?!" Rima demanded, pushing him harder.

"Rima, you shouldn't push him so hard; I understand you're upset, but…"

"Upset?!" Rima turned to look at Amu, glaring furiously. She didn't let go of Tadase. "I trusted Tadase, because, you know, we're friends and after all of this we should trust each other. I need some explanation for this, Hotori. Talk."

"Tadase won't speak to some petty commoner," Kiseki pointed out. Rima shot him a glare, even making him back down.

"Rima-Chan." Nagihiko put a hand on her shoulder. She attempted to pry his hand off, but he didn't budge. "He will explain himself, but drop him." Sighing in anger, Rima let go of Tadase, watching him drop to the ground. He panted, and stood up rapidly. All eyes turned to Tadase, expectant for answers.

"I-I was searching for something. W-Well, at first I was looking for your father." He gestured toward Utau and Ikuto.

"We found him now, so that doesn't explain anything," Utau muttered.

"I-I was desperate to find him. It was stupid, but I thought if he came back, everything could go back to how it was. I thought I might not be treated as lower by you two and as a sibling again!" He looked directly at Ikuto and Utau. They exchanged glances.

"I don't see how my father fits in," Rima muttered, her voice calmer now. Nagihiko's hand continued to rest on her shoulder, and he massaged it gently.

"I asked many people about Aruto's location. I gave them anything they wanted, money, or, in your father's case, information. He was one of the people I came across for information. After discovering Aruto's whereabouts, I was searching for information regarding the switch Gravatus mentioned." He nodded toward Nagihiko. "Yesterday when searching, I came across your father and, in exchange for information, I gave him our address. I couldn't say no. I had already agreed, and I tried to say no, but then…" Tadase gestured to the gash upon his cheek.

"Oh my god, you've gotten hit all of these times?!" Amu exclaimed. Tadase didn't say anything.

"The strip money…" Nagihiko realized. "You used that money to give for information?!" Tadase nodded slowly. "Did it help?!" Tadase didn't reply again.

"I thought you were my friend," Rima whispered, her voice sounding hurt.

"Mashiro-San, I tried to not say anything," Tadase pleaded. "I'm not saying I should be forgiven, but I tried, I really did. I am your friend. I care about you, I didn't know it was your father when I first spoke to him…"

"Why couldn't you just make up an address than?! You didn't need to see him again! You could have gotten away with it. Anyone else would have protected me."

"Mashiro-San-"

"I don't want to be in your presence, the presence of a traitor." She pushed Nagihiko's hand off, and turned toward the stairs, tears building up in her eyes. "I now understand why no one loves you, why Amu ditched you for Ikuto. You are a bastard." Tadase's eyes widened, as Rima stormed upstairs.

"The nerve of her! How dare she…"

"Kiseki, don't. She's right…" Tadase stared at the ground.

"You gave him the address, but received no information for the switch?" Amu whispered. Tadase nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry. I was so stupid. I just wanted to do something useful, make myself stand out. I acted in desperation and my own weakness. I won't do it again, and I'm not asking for forgiveness, but I just want you all to know. I know I've acted horribly these past few weeks, and, well, this is why, my constant departures."

"Tadase, you are useful," Utau pointed out. "Who else can lead the guardians and protect us from danger?"

"I haven't protected anyone; I couldn't save you or Nagihiko's mother…"

"No one could have," Nagihiko reassured. Tadase looked up at him, surprised. "I couldn't have expected you to save her. These things just happen, and you can't blame yourself. Believe me, blame is what I've been doing to myself all this week…" He sighed. "Tadase, I know you feel guilty. I know you want to make us forgive you. We can't just magically forget it didn't happen. I'm sure you understand Rima-Chan's anger. That being said, I haven't lost my trust in you permanently. Tadase, please don't let me down."

"I won't, not again," Tadase whispered, smiling weakly at Nagihiko.

"We should check on Rima," Amu suggested. The others nodded, following her, with the exception of Tadase. "Tadase, you aren't going back out, alright? You're staying right here."

"What Mashiro-San said, is it true? Do you think of me that way?"

"No, not at all," Amu promised, walking up the stairs.

The four of them walked over to the girls' room, and knocked on the door. Yaya opened it, smiling at them.

"Hey kids!" Yaya grinned. "What happened down there anyway? There was a lot of yelling."

"We'll explain later," Nagihiko promised. "Is Rima-Chan in there?"

"No, she isn't," Yaya told them. They nodded, closing the door. Amu walked backward, stepping on a piece of paper. She knelt down and picked it up. She read it, her eyes widening.

"Guys, we have a problem!" Amu exclaimed, showing them the paper. The three relatives glanced at Amu, reading the paper.

I can't take any chances. I have to go see what my father wants. Sorry. ~R.M.

Cliffhanger! Dun dun dun, what's going to happen to Rima when she sees her father? Also, I would like to justify Tadase's actions further. It sounds horrible what he did, and it is, but part of the reason has to do with the stress of the whole dark world. Tadase is completely lost and unsure of what to do with himself, as mentioned when he spoke to Tsukasa a few chapters ago. That being said, I am aware that Tadase might seem OOC. He will improve, I promise. Anyhow, you know the drill! Review/Alert/Favorite! I promise, I will post a better chapter next time. However, chapter 12 is going to be big. *cough cough* what?