Chapter new.

~~Amu's POV~~

This place was great. When I was in the room Nadeshiko and I slept in, I couldn't hear much from the other side of the wall. This meant I could ignore the idiot banter that indefinitely would happen between the others.

Although when you knocked on the walls, it was louder than anything. So this morning I did not appreciate being woken by the sudden harsh and abrupt sound of someone kicking the other side of the wall next to where my head was.

I brought my blanket with me into the main room and say in a cocoon on the couch.

"..Amu?" Tadase said.

I shook my head. I was too tired.

Nadeshiko brought me some coffee and told me Ikuto had gone to pick something up from the post office. She didn't know what and I wondered who would be sending him something.

Nadeshiko also mentioned that the showers here had like eight different settings and great water pressure.

So that's what I did. Shower.

I came out drying my hair, the room was empty and I paused when I touched the door handle into the main room.

I knew no one was here because halfway through my shower, Nadeshiko had yelled "WE'RE GOING TO EAT DO YOU WANT TO COME!?" Through the door.

There were small sounds coming from the other side.

I opened the door quietly. Ikuto stood with his back to me, he had a violin in position on his shoulder. He dragged his bow across a string and then paused, turning the tuning handles slightly to tighten or loosen the strings, and then repeating.

"Violin?" I said, coming into the room.

He turned to face me and grinned.

"Yeah. Funny, smart, handsome, and instrumentally talented. Perfect catch huh?" He said.

"Yeah, you know if you liked people with no filter and a creepy habit of mild stalking." I replied and he smirked, he continued tuning.

After he finished I asked how long he'd played. He looked surprised at my question.

"What?" He asked.

"Well you're tuning it by ear and your position is perfect." I said.

He winked, "Just like me."

"Can you just answer the question?"

He sighed and then smiled slightly.

"Ever since I was little."

"Oh yeah, is that what you were getting at the post office?" I asked, motioning to the violin.

"Yeah my sister... Sent it."

I frowned. "Why the pause?"

He sighed. "She's here."

"What?"

"She's in the trials. She is staying at different place. But she's here."

"So you're going against your sister?!"

"I don't know which of her team member is the leader. I didn't ask."

"I wanna meet her."

"No."

"Why not."

"She'd never leave you alone."

"What like you?"

"Exactly."

I sighed. I'd probably run into her eventually anyways.

"Anyways Amu." He pointed his bow at me. "You're singing."

"Excuse me?"

He grinned. "I remember our lessons in your beginning days as a guardian."

My mind flashed back to a very awkward and uncomfortable situation and it felt weird that that wasn't that long ago.

"And I remember how you sing."

A pit started in my stomach.

"Please no."

"That's what we're doing. A concert. And you're the vocalist. No changing it. I'm the leader."

~~Ikuto's POV~~

Amu's expression was full of dread.

"I hate public everything. I hate audience participation. I hate being put in the spot light. Hell I hated being the line leader in primary school." She said solemnly.

I moved closer to her, looping my arm around her waist. "I'm sure I can make this experience better for you."

Her face was passive. "Please don't touch my golden soul with your dirty hands."

I let out a breath of laughter and stood straight up again.

I looked at my violin. It was my dads before me. I'd made Utau take it when she moved away.

I gripped it and then looked at Amu.

I hesitated a moment. The thought of other people touching it normally was out of the question. But she was different. I felt like I trusted her. Like I wanted her to.

I held the bow out to her first.

She frowned. "What?"

"Hold this." I said.

She moved her fingers so she wouldn't touch the string. I smiled. So she knew enough about instruments.

Then I came closer to her.

"What?" She asked.

"Amu, can you play violin?"

"No. I took a couple lessons but I don't know how to play."

"Alright." I stood behind her and moved to position the violin on her.

"I said I can't play." She said, confused.

I shook my head. "I'll teach you."

To my surprise, she didn't bite me when my hand ran past her face.

I drew the violin up into her shoulder with difficulty, her shoulders were so narrow compared to mine.

"How does that feel?" I asked, looking down at her.

Her face was just slightly pink.

"It feels weird on my chin and neck." She said.

I laughed slightly. I'd gotten so used to the feeling of the base in the crock of my neck that it felt normal now.

I grabbed her hand that held the bow and I felt her stiffen.

"Calm down I'm just teaching you how to hold it." I said.

She glared at me, but let me proceed.

"I'm surprised you stiffened." I said.

"Why wouldn't I?"

I looked down at her and she quickly looked away, face turning red.

I smiled to myself, putting the bottom of the bow on two of the strings.

"Pull down." I said.

She began dragging downwards and a sound emitted. I stopped her.

"That wasn't.. Horrible." I said. She rolled her eyes.

"I told you I don't know how to play."

"Be gentle at first, and then in the middle you have to press slightly harder, and the gentle again at the end."

She was stubborn. "I don't know how to do that."

I sighed. "That's why I'm teaching you."

~~Amu's POV~~

"How the hell are you gonna teach me pressure control?" I said, wanting to stop.

Suddenly he grinned and I realised I was no longer holding anything and I was in his embrace.

Then his lips were inches from mine.

"Gentle.." I could feel his breath on my face.

He pressed his lips against mine lightly, leaving shivers running through me.

I put my hands on his shoulders to push him away but they acted on their own accord and wrapped around him.

He smiled, only pulling back a centimetre.

"That's right, now harder."

He kissed me again, this time with more force.

And apparently I can't control my own brain when he kisses me because I went right along with it.

He grabbed my hands, linking them in his lightly, pulling back again. "Gentle again." He whispered, looking from my eyes to my lips and back again.

He kissed me lightly once more and I felt myself move into him.

He laughed, breaking the kiss and I looked up at him.

"You have no idea how hard this is." He said.

"What?"

"The way you're acting... I have to show you control though and I can barely keep my cool around you when you're being sarcastic and cynical... And this." He trailed off, looking all around my face while getting closer. I noticed a slight blush to his cheeks and he stopped right before he kissed me and pulled back.

He sighed deeply.

"Alright, alright. Control. Come here the lesson isn't over with."

But I was done.

My life was over. I wanted to punch myself in the face I've known for so long I needed to work on my control when it came to him, but it's always like the moment our lips touched my mind goes on vacation and my nerve system mutinied.

I drew away from him. "I don't want to learn violin." I said.

He smirked. "Or you're just embarrassed."

"No sorry I don't feel like being harassed by my stalker."

I moved towards the door and actually got out into the hallway. But he was right behind me.

I started running. I wasn't really upset I just needed to clear my head so I could go back to being my endearing sarcastic self.

He was easily right behind me so I picked up the pace.

He was still right there.

"God are you on a run from the police? This isn't a race, you can tame it down Usain Bolt." I said.

"You're the one who suddenly took off running."

"Maybe that's a hint I'm trying to get away from you."

"Or you're trying to get away from your feelings."

I stopped.

He passed me but pivoted and stood on front of me.

I looked up at him.

"No offence but die." I said.

"None taken." He smirked.

He leaned in towards me and I felt my feet take me closer to him. Muffled voices came from down the hall.

Ikuto, inches from my face, sighed and pulled away.

"Alright. We'll pick up your lesson later."

As he walked away, I stayed glued to the wall.

I heard Nadeshiko talking and turned my head.

She came into view with Tadase and Kukai.

"Amu? What are you doing?"

I was silent. I didn't know what to say.

She frowned down the hallway.

"Where is Ikuto going?"

I replied with the first thing that my brain produced.

"Nice legs, daisy dukes, makes a man go- there he goes. He's gone."

She looked at me like I was insane. Which arguably, I was.

~~Ikuto's POV~~

She came back in like normal, sassing Kukai about something.

As she sat down, Tadase began to talk to her. He brushed some hair out of her face.

"Okay!" I exclaimed, surprising everyone.

Tadase jumped backwards and I smiled to myself.

"Idea is a concert. I'm on violin, Amu's got vocals. Kukai, if I recall, you can play drums?" He grinned and nodded.

"And Nadeshiko?" I moved my gaze to her.

"I can play acoustic guitar." She said. I nodded, I'd make it work.

I turned to Tadase. "And you?"

He gritted his teeth and looked at the ground.

"... I'm sitting out.." He muttered.

"What? Why?" Amu said.

He blushed, not answering.

"Tadase is musically challenged." I said.

She looked at me in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kukai laughed, he has noooo rhythm whatsoever." He linked his arm over Amu's shoulder and began telling a story about Tadase attempting to play an instrument.

She grinned and I smiled to myself. That grin was not the grin I'd seen. I'd seen faces she'd made that no one else had. And I was happy about that. Maybe that makes me selfish. I really didn't care what happened when it came to her.

Tadase was not grinning. He was glaring at me, his face red.

I didn't know what he wanted me to do. My category is literally music. It's not my fault he's musically handicapped.

~~Amu's POV~~

Nadeshiko had been watching me all night and I felt myself sweating under her stare.

I walked into our room, knowing she'd follow.

I turned, "okay are you gonna keep burning a hole in my face or tell me what's wrong?" I said.

She looked faintly surprised, but then her gaze fell to the floor.

I frowned. "Nadeshiko?"

She looked up to me, and then sat down on her bed. I did the same, and she fidgeted with the sheets.

"Nadeshiko, you can tell me anything." I said, urging her to speak.

She looked me in the eye and said, "I know. I know I can. But can you?"

"What?"

"It's been bothering me for a while.."

"Wait. What has?"

"Amu, you're my closest friend."

"You're my closest friend too." I replied, wondering where this was going.

"Am I?"

"Of course. What are you on about?"

"Amu. We're so close but you literally don't tell me anything." She said.

I relaxed. "Nadeshiko that's just my character. I don't like–"

"Amu." She cut me off. "I don't give s damn about your excuses."

I blinked in surprise and she grasped my hands. "Please? Please talk to me?"

I opened my mouth and shut it again.

"About what?"

She smiled. "Well. Let's start with Ikuto and Tadase."

My stomach clenched. How could I tell her about that when I didn't even know how to feel.

But I looked at her, so hopeful; willing me to speak with her eyes.

"Alright. I'll try my best..."

~~Ikuto's POV~~

I sat on the couch, my head resting on the wall. I was trying to read but Kukai was complaining so loud that it was difficult.

I sighed and listened to the muffled voices of Amu and Nadeshiko through the wall.

You couldn't make any words out besides occasional strings of conversation, but you could tell who was talking.

It was strange, Amu was doing more talking than Nadeshiko.

I heard a sound that resembled my name and I felt my pulse speed up.

Amu wasn't one that would talk about me to Nadeshiko so I knew there was no way it was anything remotely close to what I wanted it to be, but I couldn't think of why else she would've said my name. She would discuss the trials with all of us so it wasn't about them. What else?

I moved my er eight against the wall and could make out parts of sentences.

"What... Today... Or was that..."

"I don't... Couldn't respond... He didn't..."

I was annoyed. I wanted to know.

I listened as hard as I could.

"Amu... Like him... Have you..."

"Well I... About Ikuto..."

My eyes widened and I hand my breath.

"Ikuto is... I think I..."

BAM!

I jumped, my book flying out of my hands.

The whole couch had jolted suddenly, smashing my head into the wall.

Kukai was grinning triumphantly.

Tadase was at the foot of the couch, rubbing his leg where it had hit the arm rest.

They had fought and Kukai had won.

I sighed and laid down. So close.