Hey, how is everyone doing? :D School starts soon and I wanted to finish one of my stories before it started but that's not happening. :'(
Thank you to these reviewers:
xxxUtauloverxxx, kittyallstars, xAmuIkuto, The Ever-Blue Alchemist, Taeniaea, RomanticaKH1, shippofan2k, AmberAlpha, Animefreaksrock96, Sukiya62, OliviaLively, lilpopsplash, NellyLuna252, Katarina-chan
I'm so busy lately~ xD
Hope you enjoy this chapter! (:
(I always feel like I'm saying the same thing at the end of my A/N -_-)
X-x-Flashback of Chapter 11-x-X
"So are you saying they're both…gone?" Amu whispered, not believing this.
"No! They're going to come back, I know it!" Ran said confidently.
"It's all my fault…" She trudged to her desk and held the two eggs in her palms.
"Su…Dia…come back," she sobbed as she collapsed to the ground, weeping.
X-x-End of Flashback-x-X
X-x-X
Just Some Comfort
To say Amu felt horrible was an understatement. She felt like absolute hell. Every time she moved, she felt this jabbing pain in her stomach. She felt sore to the point she didn't want to leave her bed. The sunlight wasn't helping—it just made her headache worse. And every time Amu saw her charas, she was reminded of Su and Dia, who had returned to their eggs for eternity. Well, that's what Amu believed. She resisted the urge to cry each time she thought of them, though it was difficult.
As Ikuto commanded, she didn't go to school for a few days. Not because he had told her though. She would've anyways without him uttering a word about the matter.
Unfortunately, she had to return to school someday. Today, she received a letter from her school stating that she was reaching the limit of how many days she can be absent before she had to attend summer school. Now that was something she wanted to prevent at all costs.
That's why she was awake this early in the morning as she slowly got up from her bed. She yawned but clutched her head at the throbbing pain. It was like a needle was digging into the side of her skull.
Ran entered the bedroom with a plate of food. Amu didn't know how her chara had done it without Su's magic but she somehow accomplished this feat. It wasn't as bad as before—pretty decent actually.
"Amu-chan, maybe you should rest today as well," Ran suggested, placing the plate on the table.
She shook her head. "Can't. I don't want to waste any more days. Besides, I've had enough time to recuperate." She threw her top to the side, exposing the upper part of her body. She unraveled the bandages plastered around her stomach, wincing at the pain.
"Even if the attack wasn't entirely intentional, it still hurts like a bitch," Amu muttered, mostly to herself. She examined the wound and was glad to see that it was healing properly. After she placed new bandages over her wound in a hasty fashion, she grabbed her dress. "Ah, crap, I'm going to be late." Guessing that this was their cue, Ran grabbed her stockings while Miki grabbed the keys.
Ten minutes later with a piece of toast in her mouth, she flew down the staircase and zoomed out the door, locking it behind her. She scolded herself for not wake up sooner. Amu didn't exactly fancy running when her legs and stomach hurt. Biting her lip, she endured the pain and rushed past the school gates. The bell rang just when she zipped into the school, ignoring some stares from random students.
"Made it," she huffed, stopping to catch her breath. This time, she took her sweet time in walking to her homeroom, despite her charas' protests. She knew she was going to be late so why bother rushing? Upon reaching the room, she opened the door and felt all eyes on her.
"You're late, Himamori-san."
"I don't care," I mumbled, trudging to my seat. I sneaked a glance towards Rima's direction and as expected, she was staring at me. She didn't break the eye contact though, surprisingly. Amu plopped down into her seat and buried her head in her arms that were on the table. She shut her eyes, drowning out the racket her classmates were making that just worsened her headache. Her charas looked on, worried that their owner will overwork herself. She must've felt their stares because she lifted her head up.
"Ran, Miki, leave. Go wherever you want. I'll be fine."
"But Amu-chan!" they cried.
"I don't like it when you're frowning at me, all worried." She smiled a little and gently pushed them. "Go. I'll be fine." Reluctantly, they left. Sighing, she laid her head on the desk once again, her body completely drained of energy.
Soon after, the bell rang, causing everyone to stand up. Before everyone dashed out of the classroom, Nikaidou said, "I'll see you all later! Oh, and Himamori-san, stay behind for a bit."
Amu, who was eagerly waiting to escape this room and continue on with her day, groaned and meandered her way through the students to the front of the room. She waited until everyone left before speaking. "What, Nikaidou-sensei?"
Rima did in fact leave the room but she backed up against the wall to the left of the door.
"Rima, what are you doing?" Kusukusu asked.
She shushed her chara as she began eavesdropping on Amu and Nikaidou. She didn't like how she was deliberately listening in on their conversations but she didn't have a choice. She needed to find out what happened to Amu last year.
"I heard what happened a few days ago with the Embryo," Nikaidou started, studying his student's reaction.
"And?"
He bit his lip. "Are you going to continue doing this? In the end, your friends will be—"
"If this is what we're going to discuss, I'm leaving." She gave him a curt nod and turned on her heel. Rima cursed under her breath and was about to make a run for it before Amu spotted her but Nikaidou's words stopped both girls.
"They're hurt, you know. The people who used to be in the Guardians."
Amu looked over her shoulder at her teacher, wary of his words. What was his true motive behind this? "And do you think I care?" She almost laughed out loud. It was becoming so easy for her to lie to others…
And to herself.
Those words stung Rima to the core. Deep inside, she knew Amu didn't mean it but her words sliced through her heart. Not wanting to hear any more, she walked towards her next class as her chara followed quietly, worried about her master.
"Hinamori, you and I both know that you're lying. Don't try to put up that cold front."
Her body turned around in a snap. She winced—maybe she shouldn't have moved that fast. Amu glared at her teacher. "Same goes for you. Drop that nice act, Nikaidou. I don't know what you're planning but I'm not amused."
"Hinamori, I'm not a part of Easter anymore. I quit."
"And that means I'm not obligated to talk to you. Later, Nikaidou." She turned to walk out the door.
"Just hear me out!" She halted, allowing him to talk a bit longer. "I'm just warning you. It's not too late. There's always a way out of every situation. This one is no exception. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here, Hinamori. As your teacher." He grinned at her, even though he knew she couldn't see it.
Silent, she left. She scoffed, mumbling to herself. "What's with all that optimism?" But she couldn't resist smiling. 'Thanks, Nikaidou.'
X-x-X
It was lunchtime and Amu practically kicked open the door to the roof. She went over to the far corner and slid down the wall. She stretched her legs out and leaned her back against the cement wall. Her eyelids drooped as she slowly slipped in and out of consciousness. She still felt like crap but at least she could doze off for a bit.
The breeze blew past her, blowing her hair into her face but she didn't care. At this moment, Amu felt like she was at complete peace. She was able to forget the pain, Easter, Rima and the others, her family…
Amu felt tears coming but didn't bother to wipe them away. A lone tear escaped her eye as it gradually slid down her face. She didn't want to do this anymore. Every day, she's been losing hope and confidence.
I should just give up.
"Why are you crying, Amu?" A gentle voice broke the silence. Her eyes snapped open as she looked up. In front of her stood Ikuto, who was staring down at her solemnly. If Amu didn't open her eyes, she never would've believed it was the same person who constantly teased her. His tone just didn't match his personality. But now, she was starting to doubt that…
"What are you doing here?"
Ignoring her question, he asked, "Are you in pain? Is that why you're crying?" Even though he asked that, he felt like that wasn't the reason for her tears.
"Why are you suddenly so nice to me?" She narrowed her eyes, wary of his intentions.
"Someone has to take care of you," he pointed out, sending a smirk her way.
Her heart thumped loudly against her chest as he cheeks flushed. Why was he suddenly so nice? She retorted meekly, "I didn't ask you to."
"I know." He chuckled to himself, as if that was funny, and knelt down in front of Amu. He extended his hand and cautiously touched her cheek. She flinched, not from disgust, but from the electric shock she felt when his skin made contact with hers. But then again, this wasn't the first time it had happened…
With his thumb, he wiped her tears away from both her cheeks. She stared at his eyelashes in a daze as his eyelids drooped. Subconsciously, he rubbed her cheek back and forth in an affectionate manner. The tears were long gone but he persisted.
She snapped out of her trance though as she registered the scene. Hesitantly, her hand reached up and placed it over Ikuto's hand, which was on her face. Surprised, he gazed over at her golden orbs as a new surge of hope ran through him.
Only to have it come to a screeching halt when she pried his hand away from her cheek.
"Tsukiyomi, you're acting really weird today," she commented, biting her lower lip as she glanced the other way.
Regaining his senses, he lamely replied, "I just…" He was at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say?
An eerie silence lingered as the two teenagers looked in the opposite direction of each other. Amu was in a frantic state on the inside—though she doesn't show it—as she tried to interpret Ikuto's gesture. Was it just teasing? As for Ikuto, he was scolding himself for not keeping his feelings in check. She couldn't find out. Not yet.
Ikuto sighed and stood up, stretched his arms. He grabbed Amu's hand and hauled her up as well. Unfortunately, this action caused Amu to clutch her stomach as she felt another shot of pain. Ikuto cursed and wrapped an arm around Amu, holding her up.
"That's why I told you to stay at home this entire week, idiot."
She growled at him for calling her an idiot. "There's no way I could've done that. I'm not skipping school because of a scratch," she reasoned, trying to walk towards the door.
"Scratch? Amu, can't you just listen to me this once and stay home?" he angrily said, yanking her back, causing her to fall into his chest. She protested as she attempted to shove him away from her. Instead, he led her back to the edge of the roof.
"Hey, let me go, you jerk!"
"Don't you remember what I said on my note?"
"Yeah, you called me an idiot."
Paying no mind to her grumble, he continued. "I said that if you came to school this week, I was just going to bring you right back home." He grinned at the shocked pink-haired girl.
"Unbelievable. But still, you can't do that, Tsukiyomi!"
Smirking, he chara-changed and leaned down near Amu's face. Even though he's done this countless times, Amu couldn't help but blush and get sucked into his azure pools. He inched towards her ear, remembering to breathe heavily on her skin just so he could feel her squirm.
"Watch me."
X-x-X
Piles of paper were stacked onto a mahogany desk in an orderly fashion. The room was barely lit, save for the sun shining through the only windowed wall in the room. Sitting in a chair was an aged man with his right leg crossed over his left. A knock resounded and a few seconds later, the door creaked open.
"Just as you ordered, we've gathered all the X-eggs into one room. Preparations for our new plan should be completely finished within a couple days."
He nodded with satisfaction. "Good. You may leave now."
"As you wish, Kazuomi-sama."
The door gently closed as the man looked out the window at the city. A smirk made its way to his lips as an evil cackle escaped his lips.
"Soon, it'll be complete. The Embryo will be mine." He swiveled around once before standing up. He pressed a button on a machine and spoke into the intercom.
"Grab the keys. I'm going down to the cellar."
He grinned evilly as he began making his way out the door. "That Hinamori brat has been too disrespectful lately. I should teach her a lesson or two."
X-x-X
"You're such a bastard."
"And this bastard saved your life."
Amu chucked her alarm clock at him. Fortunately for him, he was able to evade her assault. "What has that got anything to do with this?"
"Amu, just rest."
She continued to gripe silently as she pulled the covers over her head. Ikuto shook his head and chuckled. He strolled out her bedroom—only to back up a few steps. His eyes landed on the basket on her desk that held her charas' eggs. Ran and Miki hadn't returned so their eggs were missing, Ikuto noticed, but the green and yellow eggs remained closed. He glanced at Amu and saw that she was still under the covers. He went over to her desk and gingerly poked the two eggs but there was no reaction from the two.
'That's weird.' He peered over at the lump on the bed as he thought back to a conversation he had with Amu's charas.
"Why aren't they coming out?" He nodded towards the eggs in Yoru and Miki's hands.
"Uh…they just need to rest. Especially Dia."
An idea struck him. There was no way that could've happened. But that was the only explanation he could think of. Knowing she wasn't asleep, he gently nudged her shoulder, earning a snarl from her. She flipped the covers back and glared at Ikuto.
"What do you want? I was just about to fall asleep, bastard."
Cutting to the chase, he asked, "Amu, what happened to your green and yellow charas?"
She visibly stiffened as she fell silent. She turned her face away from his field of vision as she pulled the covers up to her neck. There was no way she was going to let him see her in a more vulnerable state than she already was in. "They returned to their eggs."
That was enough to confirm his suspicions. 'If only I was there to comfort her…' He sat down on the bed beside her head. He couldn't see her expression but knew she was silently weeping. Ikuto brushed her bangs and stroked her hair.
"What are you doing?" she mumbled, her heart pounding against her ribcage.
"Nothing," he answered in a nonchalant tone.
"Stupid cat." She stubbornly faced the wall as his caresses lulled her to sleep.
X-x-X
"What's with the long face, Fujisaki?"
Nagihiko looked up from the floor and saw Kukai jogging towards him. "Oh, Souma-kun, what brings you here?"
He came to a halt in front of his friend. He plopped down on the bench beside him and played with the basketball he was holding before. "I was about to start walking home when I saw you sitting here by yourself. What's up?"
"I was just thinking about something…"
"Let me guess. Is it Hinamori?"
"Yeah…" he trailed off, crossing his fingers together. "I'm worried about her. She hasn't come to school for days."
"Well, you can't blame her. Kairi's sword kinda pierced her stomach," Kukai said in an understanding tone. "How does Sanjou feel about this?"
"Terrible. He hasn't been his usual self. Sanjou-kun is ashamed of himself for hurting Amu-chan that badly."
Kukai sighed, leaning back against the bench. He spread his arms out in a relaxed manner. "That's to be expected. I would feel the same." He took a peek at his friend and noticed his frown. He clapped his back, jolting the purple-haired male out of his daze. "Wanna play a game of basketball? I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, by the way," he added. He bounced up from his seat and dribbled the ball down to the court.
"Honestly." Nagihiko chuckled and ran after Kukai.
"Heh, knew you couldn't resist!" Kukai yelled, shooting the ball up into the air and watched it land in the hoop. Nagihiko caught it as it came down and dribbled it down the court. Excited, Kukai chased after him. "So how are you things with Mashiro?"
"W-What are you talking about?" he cried, blushing.
Kukai stole the ball from the distracted boy and ran the opposite direction. "Oh, come on, it's so obvious you two have a thing for each other." He threw the ball from faraway and watched it swish through the basket. "Yes! Three points."
"Is it really that obvious?" he mumbled to himself.
Kukai rolled his eyes. "And I thought you weren't dense. So are you going to ask her out any time soon?"
He shook his head as the ball bounced from Kukai to him. He gladly accepted it and sprinted down the court. When he came close to the hoop, he jumped up and rammed the ball into the hoop—a perfect slam dunk. "Unfortunately, now's not a good time."
"Why?"
He went to retrieve the ball and passed it to Kukai. "Because of Amu-chan."
"Oh. That makes sense actually. They were best friends, after all."
"Hey, why do you think Amu went to Easter's side?"
"Half the reason I made you play basketball with me was to keep your mind off Hinamori and this whole Easter business," he pointed out, going in for a layup.
"Yeah, I know and I appreciate it but I still wonder. What do you think?"
"Hmm," he said, bouncing the ball slowly in place. "It must be a pretty decent reason because Hinamori would never join Easter willingly."
"But what though?"
"Easter must've threatened her. What's the one thing Hinamori would do anything to protect?" Kukai wondered out loud, throwing the ball at the basket. It missed, hitting the rim and sprung back into the grass.
"Her friends?" Nagihiko mused.
Kukai shook his head. "Could be us, I guess, but I don't think so."
A new revelation struck the both of them like lightning. Kukai gaped as he sputtered out, "Her family."
Nagihiko clenched his fists. "They wouldn't dare try to do that."
"Maybe they threatened Hinamori and said they would harm her family if she didn't obey them. Does her family know about this?"
"I'm not sure…" Nagihiko trailed off, not liking the afterthought he had. "I think there's more to it than that. Could Easter have—"
"Kukai! Nagi!"
The voices of their charas alarmed the two teens. Temari, Rhythm, and Daichi were zooming towards them at full speed.
"Quick, there's a whole mass of X-eggs nearby!"
X-x-X
Amu remained unconscious in her bed as Ikuto watched her slumber. He played with her pink locks, wondering about Amu's reason for joining Easter. She looked so pitiful to him. The more he looked at her, the more comfort he wanted to give her.
"Amu-chan!"
Ikuto glanced towards the balcony and saw her two charas and Yoru fly into the room.
"Amu-chan, why'd you suddenly disappear?" Ran exclaimed, fuming. "I was worried sick!"
"Shush," he ordered. "She's sleeping."
"Oh, Ikuto, why are you here?" Ran asked, as if she just noticed him there.
Miki slapped her forehead and shook her head. "Geez, Ran. Anyways, that's not the point. There are lots of X-eggs at Hoshina Utau's concert."
"Utau's?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yeah nya! And Utau told me to tell you that you have to come. Same for Amu nya. It's the director's orders."
"Amu, too?" He gazed at her, watching her breathe in and out deeply. He didn't want to be the one that woke her up. He stood up and motioned for Yoru to come.
"Shouldn't we wake Amu-chan up?" Ran asked nervously. "If the director says she has to be there, then—"
"I'll take care of things. You two stay here and watch her." Ikuto's ears and tail popped out and he leapt from the balcony. Yoru waved farewell before following his master as well.
"Ikuto, wait!" Ran shouted hopelessly.
"This is bad," Miki said, sitting on the bedside table.
"If Amu-chan doesn't listen to Kazuomi, something bad will happen to them…" Ran clutched her head and wailed. "Ah, Miki, what should we do?"
"We'll wait," Miki said firmly. "Amu-chan needs to rest. Let's trust Ikuto and see what happens next."
X-x-X
"What is it that you desire? What is it that you seek?" Utau sang, peering over at her large audience. One by one in a wave effect, their hearts' eggs were extracted from them. It was even more than the last time. She didn't understand why the director needed more X-eggs. He clearly said that he didn't require any more the last time she sang.
Just what is he trying to accomplish with this many X-eggs?
Utau narrowed her eyes. And what was the reason for Amu to fight on Easter's side? She vaguely remembered something she heard from employees—Amu and her group called the Guardians were the biggest obstacle against Easter a couple years ago. But now…?
A blast of golden energy zipped past Utau's head, causing her to lose concentration. She stopped singing, which caused the people's eggs to stop coming out from their bodies. Letting out a growl, she snapped towards her left and spotted the culprit.
"You again?"
"Stop this immediately," the blond commanded in a firm tone.
She scoffed. "Who are you to order me around?" She motioned for her devil chara to come forth. "Iru, we're character transforming."
"All right! Let's go, Utau!"
As they transformed, Tadase summoned his scepter. He gripped it tightly until his knuckles grew white. He peered across the audience, feeling pity wash through his body. Just what did they do to deserve their eggs being yanked out of their hearts?
"It's on, kid." She lunged towards Tadase with her weapon, taking a swipe at his chest. He leapt into the air as he sent an attack towards her, which she easily dodged. He surveyed the stage, looking for a familiar person. If Utau was performing a concert, is it possible that she's here as well?
"Pay attention or you're going to die," Utau warned, closing the distance between them as she swung her trident. Luckily for him, his scepter was in front of him so he didn't receive any major harm. However, his weapon was flung into the air from the force and he himself was sent flying to the ground. He groaned in pain and tried to get up but his enemy loomed above him.
"Hinamori Amu isn't here, if that's who you're looking for. She's supposed to be but that's not any of your business, is it?" She pointed the trident at his neck as she glared at him. "This ends here. Any last words?"
"As if," he spat, causing her to prick his skin with her trident as blood ebbed out slowly. "You're not going to win."
"I wonder about that." She raised her arm, positioning herself to make the final blow. "See you never." Just as she was about to pierce his stomach, recognizable pins were flying towards Utau. Letting out a 'tch,' she did several back flips, narrowly avoiding the assault. She landed on her feet as she gazed towards the side. "Not another interference."
"Hotori-kun, are you okay?" Nagihiko yelled worriedly, rushing over to his side along with Yaya and Kairi.
"Sorry we're late, King!" Kukai yelled apologetically. "But we're now here to save the day!"
"Don't be stupid, you idiot," Rima said, pushing her comrade aside. She boldly marched towards her opponent. Her eyes became slits as she sneered. "Didn't think you would return."
"I could say the same about you, twerp." Utau sent her a snide look as she stepped into an offensive stance. "Unfortunately for you guys, I want to finish this as quickly as possible since I have no time for fun and games."
"Such big words for a small girl," Kukai remarked, snickering.
"What was that?" She snarled, eyeing the brunette with hatred. She twirled her rod in one swift motion before pressing onto the balls of her feet, ready to strike. "You're dead meat, kid."
On the stage behind a curtain, Ikuto stood with his arms crossed in his transformation. He observed the fight quietly, contemplating about something.
"Ikuto, should we help nya?" his chara questioned.
"No. She can handle it herself."
"Let's at least get the X-eggs out of the way nya!" Yoru urged, noticing the restless mood of the eggs. Like people, they had feelings and right now, they were irked by the fact that they're being ignored.
He sighed. "Fine." He hopped into the air, announcing his presence. The Guardians—particularly Tadase—glanced over at the feline with mild astonishment.
"Ikuto!" Utau cried, surprised. "When did you get here?"
"Now's not the time," he responded, gathering the darkened eggs in one spot, successfully trapping them in this ball of energy. He was halted by Nagihiko and the two girls of the group.
"Sorry, but you're not going to touch those eggs this time around."
Unbeknownst to them all, Hoshina Kazuomi watched from afar with a few employees standing guard behind him. He frowned upon noticing the absence of his pink-haired worker. He wanted to confirm something but the girl he was looking for was not there.
"Where the hell is that girl?"
Back with Ikuto and Utau, the two were somehow able to defend themselves from the Guardians despite the odds. Suddenly, drops of rain fell from the sky one by one as it turned into a light drizzle. Out of the corner of his eye, Ikuto noticed the director. He cursed and leapt away from his fight.
'Why is he here?'
Noticing his gaze, Nagihiko looked to the right and spotted Kazuomi. His eyes widened as he yelled at his friends to stop. They complied, including Utau, who was surprised to see him here of all places. Usually, he would be hiding out at the main Easter building, away from the danger while his underlings did the dirty work.
"So we meet at last, Guardians." He smirked, stepping out into the open.
"You're the one behind this?" Yaya proclaimed, jabbing a finger at the man.
"Why are you here?" Utau seethed, despising the very man in front of her.
"Shouldn't you be nicer to your father?" he mocked, leering at her. Tadase and the others were shocked by this revelation.
"Stepdaughter," she corrected. "And don't make me laugh. As if I'd consider you my parent."
"You sure talk too much. Is it to make up for your lack of ability to do anything?"
"Excuse me?" she said, whipping her head around, her eyes flaming with anger. The Guardians watched uneasily, not liking the looks of this. "You bastard, take that back!" She charged at him, whipping out her spear.
"Utau, stop!" Ikuto gripped her forearm, pulling her back. She struggled against his hold but she wasn't able to release herself. "Don't do anything rash."
"Good thing he was here or something bad might've happened…" he trailed off ominously. "You should thank your brother."
"Brother? You two are siblings?" Kukai exclaimed. His jaw dropped, followed by the rest of the Guardians.
Utau sent the brunette an icy glare, ordering him to shut the hell up.
"There's just one problem. Where's that Hinamori? Didn't I say she had to be here?" the director asked, glancing at the Tsukiyomi siblings.
Ikuto grimaced before speaking up. "Amu is—"
"—right here."
All of them looked up at the roof of a building. In all her glory stood Amu in her character transformation with Miki. Lithely, she jumped off the three-story building and landed on the floor, barely making a noise. She erected herself before taking deep, confident strides towards the two groups. She reiterated, "I'm right here."
"And here I thought you weren't coming. Who knows what would've happened," Kazuomi insinuated, sending Amu a knowing glance. She merely glared back before facing the Guardians. Kairi wouldn't make eye contact with her since he was ashamed of himself for injuring her. But he felt some relief since she was able to walk about without clutching her stomach.
"Why?" Ikuto whispered, low enough for just the two of them to hear.
She disregarded his question—she was slightly annoyed at him for not waking her up. Thankfully, she made it in the nick of time or Kazuomi would've done something terrible to them.
"Finish them off," the director commanded.
Amu hesitated for the first time that night. There's no way she could hurt her friends. Last time was an exception because she wasn't in complete control of her body. But now…
"Now," he ordered, "or else."
Wordlessly, a giant paintbrush appeared in her hands. She drove straight into the Guardians, surprising all of them. The end of her tool was able to jab Kukai in the stomach, sending him skidding across the ground.
I'm sorry.
As their fight ensued, Kazuomi watched with an evil grin upon his lips.
Ikuto stayed at his spot while Utau stalked off, obviously mad at Amu for taking her spotlight. He glowered at his stepfather with pure contempt on his features. Does he enjoy watching others suffer? He was the absolute worst.
"Sapphire Net!" The net extended wide out and snapped shut around its victim, Yaya. She wailed and thrashed about in its hold.
Sorry, Yaya, but I have to do this.
Her fingers clutched onto her paintbrush as if her life depended on it. The rain had grown heavier, dampening her hair. Surrounding her was her five friends from the past. There was no way she was going to lose. She's not going to risk endangering them any further.
She cautiously turned around, gazing at each pair of eyes with the same fiery determination.
She hated to see her friends hurt but she hoped they'll understand why she was doing all this. One thing's for sure…
She wasn't going to give in to her weakness. She had only one goal that night: to complete her mission and avoid harm befalling them.
All of a sudden, a bright glow illuminated the sky, attracting the attention from everyone. She glanced up, wondering what it was. In the pouring rain lighting up the rest of the world, it seemed, was the Embryo, appearing in front of them for the second time.
Kazuomi cackled quietly. "It's true, then! Every time that brat and lots of X-eggs are together in one place, the Embryo appears."
Before anyone could make a move, the egg zigzagged here and there before stopping in front of Amu's face. She was taken aback but didn't move to grab it. She couldn't have anyways for it had flown off again back into the sky. Whirls of wind circled the egg. In a flash, it grew, blowing rain everywhere.
Most of them fell to the ground due to the force. Utau was pushed back into Kukai, sending the both of them flying back. Tadase, Kairi, and Yaya were able to cling to the ground. Ikuto had grabbed Amu into a hug, worried that she'll get hurt from the Embryo.
"Hey, let me go!"
"Don't struggle. It's bad enough that you got out of bed. You really shouldn't have," he chided, hugging her even tighter.
Her blush grew. "I-I had to."
Before Rima could fall face-first, she landed on top of Nagihiko, who shielded her fall. He wrapped an arm around her protectively and rolled over so that she was on the bottom. She blushed but didn't say anything as the egg energy continued to flow from the egg.
The ball that Ikuto created around the mass of X-eggs was destroyed, allowing tens and tens of eggs to escape its incarceration.
With one last blast of energy, another light was emitted from the Embryo, blinding everyone for a short period of time. When the light dissipated, the rain wasn't as violet since the wind had died down. More importantly, the X-eggs were being purified. Every single one of them, just like last time.
X-x-X
The rain had grown stronger and the occasional lightning and thunder appeared. It was around two in the morning and Amu couldn't sleep a wink.
Just hours ago, the Embryo had cleansed the X-eggs but no one knew why. After that, Kazuomi left since there was no other reason for him to be there. Amu left quickly after since she wasn't too keen on the idea of fighting the Guardians when there was no need.
She clutched her pillow in an iron-like hold as she tried to drown out the sounds of thunder. Usually during these times, her charas would try to comfort her. Su, so warm and gentle, would make a cup of tea, hoping it would relax Amu's soul. But now…
She's not here. Get a grip, Amu.
She didn't have a heart to wake up Ran and Miki as well. They, especially Miki, were worn out from the fight earlier. And Amu didn't need their consolation…right?
A large clap of thunder struck, scaring the hell out of Amu. She shivered, swallowing her tears down. She'll just have to survive another few hours… She'll make it.
I won't.
I'm scared.
Mom, Dad, Ami…I really need you guys right now.
The balcony door was violently thrust open, alarming Amu. She removed her pillow from her clutch as she gazed at the dark figure outside her room. Lightning appeared, giving her enough light to perceive the form by the door.
Her eyes grew large as she uneasily stood up. Was it really him? Why would he be here in the middle of the night?
"Tsukiyomi, w-what are you doing here?" Amu stammered, her body shaking from the next thunder strike.
Without uttering a word, he closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around Amu. She squirmed around since his soaking wet clothes made her cold. On the contrary, his hands were warm. She felt them on her head and back, instantly warming her very soul.
"Why…?"
"Because I knew you were scared of thunder."
Amu allowed the endless tears to fall from her eyes as she embraced Ikuto back. She sobbed, soaking his already damp jacket. She didn't just cry because of the thunder—her tears fell because everything had been going so wrong for her. Will anything good happen in the future to her?
After a little while, he pushed her away so he could take off his wet jacket. He gently guided her to the bed and the both of them laid down on it. His arms wrapped around her waist once again while he whispered soothing words in her ear.
"You know, Amu, it's okay to rely on someone. You don't have to act so tough. Whether it's me, your charas, or your family, we're here to help."
"My family isn't here anymore," she easily responded in an emotionless tone.
They took my family away from me.
'They're dead?' Ikuto thought, stroking Amu's hair. Since when? How much more did she have to suffer?
"Thank you…Ikuto. If you weren't here, I would probably be awake all night because I'm such a coward." She laughed humorlessly, clutching the front of his shirt. "I kind of feel like the thunder is a bad omen since so many things has been wrong this past year."
"Don't say such stupid things like that." Ikuto kissed the top of her head, sending Amu's heart to race. "Sleep, Amu."
"I could never sleep until the thunder was over," Amu admitted.
"Well, I'm going to change that." He lowered his body a bit so his head was right in front of Amu's. He leaned into her ear and began humming a calming melody. Soon after, she was lulled to sleep. He smiled, continuing his song as he also succumbed to sleep.
Little did they know, an event in the very near future will wreck Amu's world once again, causing her to shed further tears of anguish.
X-x-X
My butt hurts from sitting so long. But it was worth it since I was able to get this done before school started! :D
The fight didn't turn out as epic as I hoped it would. :/
The song that Utau sang is "Black Diamond" by Nana Mizuki. I just used English translations.
Okay, this is the last update before school. I still have to finish my summer reading, clean my backpack, and practice violin. ; ^ ; This seriously sucks. D;
But I really hoped you liked this chapter. (:
What was your favorite scene?
Please review! [: