Rukia141: Soooooooooo…what are you doing?

Seto: I don't know, I'm tied up…

Rukia141: Oh…Soooooooooo…what's new?

Seto: I was kidnapped…will you let me go?

Mewtwo: Might as well get used to this. We were all kidnapped.

Rukia: Yeah, only a guy named Edward managed to escape.

Rukia141: He went into hiding, unfortunately.

Seto: I don't even remember how it happened.

Rukia141: I used my magical powers to travel through space and time. I took a left turn at the Milky Way and traveled three hundred trillion light-years until I reached the Door of Creation. There, I took the third door to the right.

Seto: You can't be serious?

Rukia: She got to me…

Mewtwo: And me…

Seto: What world is this?

Mewtwo & Rukia: Rukia141's world…


Chapter 50: Mystery Boy

Disappointment was clear on Yuki's face. Amu felt a little bad, but what could she do? She stared at Su who smiled back. Sweet little Su, at least she remembered her charas. Su scanned the room around her and shook her head in disapproval.

"Oh, how messy. We should pick up around here." She said. She suddenly took out her little duster and started to dust. Pretty soon the house was filled with dust and debris. They all started coughing.

"Well, I guess we should clean." Yuki shrugged as she went to get a broom. Scott didn't move.

"I'm not in any mood to-" Utau had stopped him by hitting him with a rag.

"You are so lazy." She said.

"Here you go nagging again, little girl." He said changing the channel.

"I am not a little girl!"

"Are they always like that?" Amu asked nodding toward the pair. Yuki smiled.

"Yeah, it has been like that since way before I came back to Japan." She said laughing softly. "It's funny. Oh hey, let's order something for lunch after we finish." Yuki said as she started sweeping. Amu started cleaning the counter and tables.

"Sounds like a plan." She agreed. Yuki went upstairs and started cleaning the bathroom as Amu started vacuuming in the living room. Utau washed the dishes as Scott dried them. Rin watched from afar as the rest of the charas pitched in.

"Wow, forget lunch, we might as well eat dinner." Yuki said after they all had finished. The sun was setting and they were sitting at the dinner table. They all sat there, resting after a few hours of cleaning. They heard the door open and Amu saw Utau's beautiful mother coming into the kitchen.

"Oh my!" Souko cried in astonishment.

"Surprise." Yuki said waving a dirty rag in the air. "We thought we needed to tidy things up for a change." Souko smiled.

"How sweet, how about dinner." She said taking out ingredients. Su floated by Amu's side as Souko disappeared into the kitchen. She giggled out loud.

"I didn't want to touch Ikuto's room. I don't know where he would place his possessions." She explained.

"Good, he would have started complaining." Utau said rolling her eyes. Amu looked at her curiously. There was that name Ikuto again. Who was he?

"Who's Ikuto?" Amu asked. They all slipped into an awkward silence. Amu stared at all of them. Su, however, answered her unanswered question.

"Ikuto, you know, Utau's brother. You were-"

"He's never around." Utau cut in. She caught Utau giving Su a look. Su didn't say more on the topic. Amu became suspicious, why would they try to change the subject every time he was brought up? Amu became frustrated.

Souko had made a delicious roast chicken and potato salad. Amu had momentarily forgotten about the whole Ikuto issue as they ate dinner. Scott took off his hat and ruffled his red hair. He caught Amu's honey colored eyes, his amber eyes smoldered. Amu quickly looked down at her plate. Just like the blue ones that she saw.

"So Amu-chan, have you recovered any of your memories." Souko asked. Amu looked up at her pretty face.

"Sadly, no." Amu replied. She didn't want to say that she remembered Su, and her other charas. Souko smiled at in reassurance.

"Don't worry about it dear, special memories like those are never forgotten. You'll rediscover them eventually." How sweet, Souko made her feel hopeful. Yuki had asked her if she could stay over for the night, Amu, after much persuasion, agreed. As Yuki went upstairs to prepare the room, Amu decided to help Souko clean the kitchen.

"Let me help." Amu said carrying the dishes in. Souko smiled.

"Thank you."

Amu helped dry the dishes and put them away. The silence wasn't unbearable, Souko made the air feel light and hospitable. Amu was debating on whether or not she should ask Souko about Ikuto, after all, she was his mother. Amu hesitated for a while until she had the nerve to speak up.

"Um, Mrs. Hoshina?" Amu asked looking up.

"Souko, dear, Mrs. makes me feel old." Souko said with a small giggle. Amu laughed nervously.

"Yuki told me that you have a um, a son." Amu chimed casually. Souko nodded as she placed the leftovers on a small dish.

"Ikuto." She said. The affection in her voice was noticeable.

"Yeah, him. Did I know him?" Amu asked. Souko gave a small frown but then replaced it with a smile. The curiosity was almost to much too bare.

"I don't know. You used to spend time with Yuki and Utau several years ago when you were still in elementary. If you knew Utau, then maybe Ikuto too. Why do you ask?" She said turning to her curiously. Amu felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"It's just that, every time I ask about him, everyone avoids the topic. I think they're hiding something from me…" Amu trailed off. Souko's face looked troubled.

"I'm afraid I don't know either. Ikuto has always been a troubled boy. He grew up being lonesome, and most of it was my fault." She said sighing. Amu looked up at her, shocked. Souko couldn't be capable of such acts, could she?

"Parents have a way of blaming themselves." Amu said sheepishly. She recalled the day had been saved. Her mother bawled saying over and over that it had been her fault. Her fault for what?

"And they should, in my opinion. A child needs to look up to someone in order to grow and prosper, whether it's a teacher, a parent, or anyone else for that matter. The first thing a child does is try to copy the actions of an adult; in their eyes, and adult can't make any mistakes. That's why most parents try their hardest to be that role model their child is just dying to have, but as the years pass, they too realize that adults can become lost as well." She said. She turned off the kitchen lights and led Amu to the living room. Amu sat down on the couch beside her.

"Ikuto looked up to his father. He never left his side, always tagging behind him. Aruto and Ikuto had a strong bond. I thought that we would live happily together as a family…" She trailed off. She was smiling softly.

"Did something happen?" Amu dared herself to ask. Souko sighed again.

"Yes, I was the heiress of a large company, a company called Easter." She said. Amu looked at her startled. Easter? Hadn't Easter been the company that had kidnapped her. That's what Yuki had said.

"Easter was the company that kidnapped me." Amu said weakly. Souko gave a sad smile.

"I apologize, I promise you, I had nothing to do with that." She said. Amu gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry about."

"Well, like I said, I was bound to take my fathers place. I didn't want to and when I met Aruto, I wanted to be with him. My father was against our marriage, he was a man I had met in the streets. He had captivated me with his wonderful music. I was in love. We married and since he was my husband, he was to take hold of the company." She explained. Amu listened wide eyed. Souko was telling her a personal story.

"Aruto hated the idea, so they tried to force him into taking over. He wanted to play music around the world, and so, he left. He left me and our children. I've been told that he was low life, a liar who just used me, but I knew deep in my heart that it wasn't true. He loved me, he proved it to me so many times. I had faith that he would come back." She said. Souko wiped away a single tear.

"I waited and waited for him to come back. My father tried to get me to take over in his place, but I refused. It wasn't until a few years later that they had found his violin. Many believed that he was lost at sea, dead. I didn't want to believe it, but what else could I do?" She said placing her hands over her face.

"A man offered me his help. He said that he'll take responsibility of the company if only I married him. His name was Kazuomi Hoshina." She said. Amu stared at her.

"Was he Utau's father?" She asked. Souko shook her head.

"No, she only used his last name when she started her singing career. Her true name is Utau Tsukiyomi. I had accepted Kazuomi's offer hoping that my children would live a normal life. Ikuto was supposed to be the heir since his father had disappeared, but I didn't want him to be dragged down. My son must have misunderstood my decision, for he distanced himself from me. I didn't know the heartless man Kazuomi truly was until he forced my son to work for that horrid company. Utau was also signed in as a worker. My hands were tied." She said looking up. Amu somewhat understood her angst. All she wanted was for her children to be happy.

"Ikuto had taken his father's violin and taught himself how to play. Such sweet music he created. Sad music, yes, but wonderful. He looks so much like his father. I don't know what happened, but after many years, he finally started to open up. I saw his relationship with his sister start to mend, and he started visiting me more. Maybe it was Yuki and your friends, I don't know, but I'm grateful." She said smiling a strong sincere smile. Amu flushed.

"I wish I could remember. I still don't understand why they want to keep this from me though." Amu said in frustration. Souko gave a small laugh.

"Maybe it's because they don't want you to feel more guilty than you already do." She said. Amu wanted to believe that. Souko stood up and went to a small desk located near the fire place of the living room. Souko opened a small drawer and took out an old journal. Amu saw her open in and take out a photo.

"I took this the year before he left to America." She said handing it to Amu. Amu reached out with her hand and took it. She saw Souko hugging a teenager who looked about her age. She held out a gasp as she stared at his deep midnight blue eyes, which smoldered with the same intensity as Scott's. He had dark blue hair and was tall. He had an arm around his mother and he was smirking. It was him, he was the one she saw at her graduation. She can almost feel his eyes burning into hers.

"How old is he now?" Amu asked. Souko smiled thoughtfully.

"He's twenty-four, a young man ready to take on the world. I worry about him though, he stays out really late, but, he's an adult now." She said shrugging. So he was only six years older than Amu. Amu bit her lip and smiled sheepishly at Souko.

"Souko, do you mind if I hang on to this for a while longer?" Amu asked. Souko shook her head.

"Of course not, hang on to it as much as you like." She said smiling that radiant smile. Amu thanked her. Yuki raced down the stairs, announcing that her room was now decent enough for Amu to enter. Amu borrowed some pajamas and went to the bathroom to change. It was occupied, so she waited patiently. She was whistling and wondered which room belonged to whom. Yuki's room was the first one to the left, Souko's room was right next to it there was five rooms in the large apartment and five lights were on. Amu was staying in Yuki's room, so that meant…

Amu's heart pounded. Was Ikuto here? How could he be, she didn't once see him enter the house. Amu saw Scott open the door to the bathroom.

"Hey, um, where do you sleep?" She asked stupidly. Scott raised his eyebrows.

"You developed that fast of a crush on me?" He asked in a serious tone. Amu blushed like mad. What?! Scott then broke into a laugh. "Only pulling your leg. I sleep on the last room down the hall." He said. He continued to chuckle as he walked to a door across from Souko's room. Humiliated, Amu watched as he opened the door.

"What are you doing?" Utau's angry voice came from the room.

"I just thought we needed to spend some quality time together." Scott said.

"Get out!" Amu heard Utau cry before Scott closed the door behind him. Amu sweat dropped. So the room next to Utau's belonged to Ikuto. Amu quickly changed and dashed into Yuki's room.

"It's been a while since we've spend time together like this." Yuki said happily as she scooted over for Amu to lie down. Amu pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Hopefully I'll recover my memories soon." Amu whispered. She stared across at her purse where she hid the picture of the man who held a piece to her life.