Wow I hate science fair, I just finished my board and it looks like shit, and I can't do anything to help it because I was the idiot to wait until the last day. I'm really depressed right now but writing always somehow cheers me up so here's chapter 37!
Utau's P.O.V:
"Ikuto! Ikuto!" I shouted, roaming the nearly empty streets. It was pitch black in the city, except for some of the street lights that were still lighting the roads, all the rest were broken.
"We have been searching for hours, where the hell is he hiding?" Rima complained, walking in front of me and checking up and down the streets.
"Are you sure the news report said it was near here?" I asked, she nodded and I sighed. "Of course that doofus got caught, let us just hope he is not spending the rest of eternity in a jail cell."
"He could have gone back to Hell." Rima looked at the sky thoughtfully.
"No way, he does not go somewhere if he does not have a proper hiding spot." I said.
"It is not like he cannot find a place to hide in Hell." Rima scoffed.
"He would hide somewhere that is familiar to him, he has not stepped in Hell for at least two centuries, he would not go there." I snapped, taking a step towards her, she quickly flinched back. I stepped back and cleared my throat. "I am sorry, I am worried about him."
"It is okay, if it was my brother, if I had one, I would be worried too." She smiled at me, I could not help flashing a smile back at her before running down the streets again, looking for that idiot.
Amu's P.O.V:
"Bye Tadase, I'll see you tomorrow!" I shouted as I walked through my front door, my parents instantly came up to me and grabbed my arm, dragging me to the living room. Ami was sitting on the couch, a cold scowl on her face.
"What happened?" I asked, they simply pointed at the screen and I stared at the screen, seeing a drawn picture, resembling Ikuto.
"Apparently, Tsukiyomi Ikuto is wanted for the murder of three young girls." They said, my eyes widened. Why would he murder three girls, there is absolutely no...
It can't be, did he kill those girls to eat their souls?
"Nope, because if I simply kill you and take your soul, it wouldn't be as tasty." Ikuto wouldn't do that, he would rather wait for a good soul instead of getting a bad quality one right away, he wouldn't kill those girls. I tried to run out the front door but something grabbed my wrist, and that something was my little sister, Ami.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked, a blank look on her face.
"Ikuto didn't commit those murders." I said.
"Can you tell me that with any doubt?" She eyed me carefully, I stayed silent. "See?"
"It's a gut feeling, just let me go." I tried pulling away, but her iron grip kept me in place.
"He has gone insane, there is nothing proving that he won't go for you." Ami's tone was harsh, too harsh for my liking.
"He wouldn't." I hissed.
"You keep repeating that but you remain unsure yourself." She said, my anger grew.
"Let me go, and quit acting like that!" I shouted, tugging away but I was too weak.
"You are not going anywhere, you are to stay away from that boy." My mom said, glaring at me.
"You can't do that!"
"We are your parents and what we say goes." My father argued with me, Ami finally let me go and I growled, running up to my room. I have to see Ikuto, I have to ask him if he actually did it, but how do I get out? I stared at my previous escape route, the window. Without hesitation, I opened it and climbed out, I'll face the consequences when I get back.
This time, I simply dropped down to the ground without a scratch, but a sharp pain in my legs because I didn't bend my knees when I fell. I began to walk down the street, thankful that I didn't take off my coat when I got home.
"Look who decided to show up for the search." I heard behind me.
"Ikuto!" I quickly exclaimed, but when I turned around, I saw Nagi standing there with a sad smile, I sighed in disappointment.
"I am sorry to have gotten your hopes up, but I can help you search for him." He said.
"Thank you, so you saw the news report as well?" I asked, he shook his head.
"Utau called everyone, told them to look all over the city, Rima and her have the center of the city covered." He said, I nodded and we began to walk around.
"This was his usual hangout when school was up, I'm not sure if it is anymore." Nagi and I stood in front of the abandoned building of the school, he flew us over the brick fence because I told him this was where I found Ikuto two times before.
"Never hurts to try, so let us enter." He opened the doors, it seemed no one bothered to put the chains back up since I kicked them. There was a large puff of dust when we walked in, we both began coughing but it faded after a short while. We checked all the classrooms, bathrooms, and even the two janitor closets.
"He's not here." I said as we both walked out, Nagi carefully closed the door.
"Do not lose hope, for that is all we will ever have in the end." He said, I laughed and punched his shoulder.
"Stop being so poetic at such a terrible moment, though it did lighten the mood a little."
"That was the point." He flashed his angelic smile and I smiled back. I heard buzzing and Nagi took out his phone.
"Yes? No we did not find him, Amu was looking for him too and I bumped into her. Okay, I'll ask her." He used his hand to cover the mouth piece. "Did your parents see him on the news, if so, how did they react?"
"They did, they told me that I am never allowed to see him again." I said, my heart twisting and turning. Nagi explained everything to Utau and hung up.
"She says we should wait until tomorrow to continue the search, it is getting dark and your parents might worry." He said.
"No! We have to find him, he might be in trouble!" I shouted.
"Amu, he can take care of himself pretty well." Nagi tried to place his hand on my shoulder, but I quickly jerked away.
"We don't know where he is, and you all can stay so calm!?"
"I suppose you and Ikuto were in a rough patch last time you saw him."
"What makes you say that?" I calmed down a bit.
"The guilt in your eyes, the worry trailing in your voice, the way you are trembling now is enough to give it all away." He had a bit of a mocking smile plastered on his lips, but I guess he was right.
I did feel guilty, I felt like his disappearance was all my fault. Maybe if I had just kept my big mouth shut, he would still be here, teasing my like always. I'm so stupid, how could I give it away that easy? This is all my fault, no matter how much I try to deny it.
"It is, it is all my fault that he left." I whispered, staring down at the sidewalk with my fists clenched. "Everyone is worried about him, and if I had just-"
"You are over thinking things, it is not your fault." Nagi tried to convince me.
"Yes it is, you weren't there, you wouldn't know anything." I snapped. "First my sister and now him, I am such a terrible person." Ami's crying face returned to mind, the last thing I saw before she went missing, it burned into my head and I couldn't get it out. Then I saw Ikuto's smile, the one he left me with before he jumped out my window, I didn't even know back then that was going to be the last time I would see him without knowing when the next time would be.
I fell to my knees, my heart was dripping with despair and I couldn't think straight, all that I could think of was the two of them, their images haunting me. I raised my hands and stared at them, slipping the gloves off.
"Does everyone in my life want to get away from me?" I chuckled, yet my tone was filled with sorrow, throwing the gloves off to the side. "Dammit." I said one, punching the ground to see that my fist had become numb, as did my entire body, almost as if my blood stopped coursing my veins.
"Amu, please-"
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" I shouted, punching the ground repeatedly, switching fists each time. I finally finished and my knuckles were bloody and bruised, a crack forming in the cement.
"Dammit!" I shrieked one last time, about to give my final blow until Nagi grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand back.
"I am sure Ikuto would not like to see you inflict pain on yourself." His tone was harsh, he has never spoken like that to me before. My lip quivered, he knew he hit a soft spot but I also knew that was his main intention. Nagi wasn't trying to be mean, he was just trying to stop me before I did some serious damage on myself. He wanted to replace the anger and rage with misery and gloom, because then I wouldn't hurt myself.
"I still can't cry, I must be truly pathetic person then." I looked up at him, his expression softened and he quickly pulled me up, trapping me in his tight embrace while I just stood there, motionless.
"Your eyes are heart-breaking." He mumbled, his arms pulling me even closer. I understood what he was saying, because it felt like my heart was broken.
Nagi dropped me off in my bedroom, then flew away and I fell on my bed, I guess my parents didn't notice my absence. I stared at my hands, covered in dried blood and purple blotches. I'm surprised I didn't break my hand, but I guess relieved at the same time. Thank goodness it was winter, that way I could easily cover them up with gloves. Luckily, Nagi even reminded me to not leave my gloves there, so I quickly stuffed them on my pocket and he took them home.
Right now, Ikuto would probably appear out of no where and ask me 'what's got you so down' or something like that, and I wouldn't mine if he did. Without realizing it, my eyelids suddenly got heavy and I fell asleep, cuddling with the pillow Ikuto slept on this morning.
I told my parents I was going to one of my friend's houses, and fortunately, they believed me. Instead, I went to the mansion to see Utau, maybe she gained more information over night or something. I walked into Utau's office to see her sitting there, as if she was expecting me to arrive.
"I suspect that you came here to see if I got any information about Ikuto?" She had a playful smirk tugging at her lips, I nodded and sat in the chair that was in front of her desk. "You were the last to see him, so you tell me."
"How do you know?" I asked.
"He spoke to me before he left, he told me that you were not spending as much time with us this past week then you usually do. Worried, he decided to go out and pay you a visit and that was the last time I saw him." Utau explained. "Now it is time for you to explain your side of the story."
"Well..." I told her what happened when he came over, every last detail. "The smile he gave me was plastic, completely fake, but I don't understand why it bothers me as much as it does."
"So Ikuto threw a little tantrum because something he owns is being stolen from him." Utau frowned mockingly.
"What do you mean?"
"Ikuto is jealous because you are dating Tadase." My stomach flipped, was that really the reason that he left?
"That couldn't be it."
"I do not mean that he loves you, I mean that he is not used to you spending time with someone else besides us. Besides, I would not be one to judge if I was in the same position a couple of weeks ago." In such a dire moment, Utau would be the one to tease and taunt me.
"T-That was totally different." I stammered, crossing my arms over my chest and looking to the side to avoid her smug grin.
"Really? How so?" She cocked her head curiously to the right, just like a dog would.
"Well...just shut up." I groaned and she giggled. "How are you so calm when you don't know where your brother is?"
"I am worried, I am just a great actor. It does not help to keep thinking about it anyway." She answered.
"What are we going to do?"
"There is nothing we can do, the only thing we can do is wait for Ikuto show his face again." Utau leaned against her chair, kicking her legs up and resting them on her desk.
"I don't think I can just sit back and watch how this plays out." I admitted.
"Nagihiko told me about your break down, so I can understand where you are coming from. I will tell you this, Ikuto is not running away from you, he is running away from his true feelings." She reassured me, but I couldn't settle the gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach.
"I wonder how far he'll run." I murmured.
"As far as his denial will take him." Utau stood up, walking out of the office. I quickly got up and followed her, wondering where she would go.
"Is there a reason you are following me?" She asked.
"Curiosity and boredom." I said simply, she laughed and walked into the kitchen. Maybe Utau was being a bit too carefree, I prefer her when she is always stern and yelling at people then this.
It seems this is effecting her as much as it is me, Ikuto held a special part of our hearts and with one wrong move, it would slip through his fingers and crack on the floor. I quickly ran up to Utau and wrapped my hands around her waist, hugging her tightly while pressing my face into her back.
"W-What the hell are you doing, A-Amu!?" She exclaimed, I could feel her muscles tense underneath my touch.
"You're see-through just like glass sometimes." I chuckled into her thick sweater, I looked up at her without moving my head to see her eyes covered by her bangs. "You are more than worried."
"Shut it."
"You don't want to admit it."
"Shut up."
"I can tell because I feel the same."
"Amu, I said be quiet."
"You don't want to admit that you're petrified." I finished.
"I said shut up Amu!" She quickly turned around and instead of pushing me away, she rested her head on my shoulder with her hands around my neck. "Why did he leave without a word, I do not want to lose someone else!" She sobbed.
"I know, I know." I stroked her head, resting mine against it. We stood there for a couple of moments before she quickly pulled away, wiping her eyes and fanning them with her hands.
"Do not tell anyone about this, or else you're dead meat!" She snapped.
"That's the Utau we all know and love." I beamed, she seemed a bit surprised because of the blush rising on her cheeks.
"That idiot will come back, either by his own free will or me dragging him by his feet." I laughed at her comment, but her face was completely serious. "I am not joking."
"It was still funny." I punched her shoulder playfully, she opened the fridge and pulled out some milk, drinking it straight from the carton. I stared at her with a disgusted expression and she pulled the carton away from her mouth.
"This is putting me on the edge, do not judge me." She frowned.
Tadase's P.O.V:
I walked into the throne room, seeing Saaya with a devious smirk on her lips, Lulu on her side.
"Hello Tadase, what a pleasant time for you to join us." She greeted me.
"Who are you and where is Saaya?" She laughed loudly at my question, but it was not supposed to be a joke.
"I am simply in a good mood, and you want to know why?" She asked.
"I'm scared to."
"Ikuto went missing, so now we can start-up our plan without the worry of him interfering." She clasped her hands together in front of her wide grin, Lulu also seemed a bit giddy.
"Does that mean I can finally know what it is?" I asked, she nodded eagerly and called for someone, the doors opened and I turned around to see a guy that looks exactly.
"Meet your doppelgänger, Tadase two!" She exclaimed, walking over to him and resting her elbow on his shoulder.
"What are we supposed to do with him?" I felt a bit strange talking in front of him. Suddenly, his pupils turned into slits and turned a dark crimson.
"I had one of the witches make a potion that made you look like anyone you wanted to, so I gave it to a demon and told him to want to become you." I was finally catching up, now I knew her intentions.
"You want her to confess to him, that's why you wanted me to make her fall in love with me."
"As long as she tells this guy that she loves him, he will simply take her soul out and then I shall capture it. You will do it tomorrow, the sooner the better." I can't believe it, I knew the time was coming but I didn't realize it was already so soon.
"But she doesn't love me, this won't work." I fought back, not sure I still wanted to do this.
"Amu is a nice girl, she will simply say she loves you back, it does not matter if she actually means it. Besides, she likes you, those feelings count as long as she says that she loves you, well, him." Saaya pointed her thumb at my twin, who remained silent during all of this.
"B-But-"
"No more, now leave." She shooed me away with one wave of the hand before turning around and walk towards Lulu.
"I won't do it!" I shouted, she stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around again, a sickly sweet smile spreading on her lips.
"What did you just say?" She asked, her eyes closed and the smile remained.
"Her death will affect everyone around her, and I don't think I can inflict that much damage on innocent people." Once I finished, she marched up to me and grabbed my neck, raising me off the ground.
"Innocent? That species is a pact of animals! They deserve pain, they deserve everything that I will serve to them! Besides, do you want your precious girlfriend to die!?" She shook me, I kept kicking my feet while she held me, her eyes boring holes into my head.
"If she dies...then everything they all worked for...including White Mask...will be gone." That was my final argument before being dropped back on the floor, feeling light-headed, heat growing my neck.
"That is how you feel? Fine, White Mask!" She shouted, the young girl instantly appeared in the room, standing beside me. "Place him in the dungeon, make sure he does not escape." She instructed her, White Mask grabbed the back of my shirt and dragged me out, I tried to run away but I couldn't win against her. The last thing I did was glare at Saaya before the doors shut, seeing her evil grin plastered on her face.
GUYS, GUYS, GUYS! I ACTUALLY GOT FULL CREDIT FOR MY SCIENCE BOARD, I'M SO HAPPY! Haha anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Please R&R!