Chapter 6 Journey through the Forest

(Ikuto's pov)

I held her hand as she quietly cried, it broke my heart that her parents would truly kick her out of her home because she was different. We walked through the forest carefully not really knowing what to do next.

"I'm sorry Amu" I said as I pulled her into a hug. "I know that to a lot of humans will view us as monsters, but there are also many that are just like us. You already know how to tell by their heartbeat. This was why I taught you how to tell 6 years ago. Let's practice, I am going to ask for you to find my heartbeat."

"okay" she said.

"Just a quick reminder of how to do that" I said as I put her hand on my chest. "Concentrate. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you. When you can start to focus on me. Then feel the heartbeat under your hand. Listen for the thumping of my heart" I told her quietly.

"I can only hear all the sounds of everything coming together, I can't separate them. I just can't get what my parents said out of my mind" she said frustratedly and pulled her hand away.

"Try again, please" I said as I took her hand and once again put it against my chest.

Slowly she focused her breathing, she started to breathe slower and slower, then she smiled, "I found you, Ikuto" she said then she stood taller and kissed me softly with her eyes still closed. "It's a soft beat but it's beating fast now. Why?" she asked.

When she opened her eyes, I was looking at her and I couldn't help but want to kiss her again. "This is why, it's faster" I responded as I leaned down to her level and kissed her lips gently.

"I know that we are young, but I have loved you forever. Please don't let the troubles of your family put out the light in your eyes and in your smile. If you have to focus on something to keep it going, then focus on me. I will never leave you Amu" I said in her hair.

"Do you promise Ikuto?" she asked me breathlessly. "Do you promise that you never see me as a mistake or a monster or wish that I were never born?"

When I lifted her head up to face me, I could see tears in her eyes that she was trying to hold back. "I will always choose you. If I have to pick between you and anyone or anything else, including my own family. I will always choose you" I told her then hugged her tightly.

"We better set up camp to rest. I know that we really don't need sleep anymore, but we have become accustomed to it" I said then let her go.

"I love you Ikuto, thank you for staying with me and standing up for me" Amu said then she unrolled her sleeping bag and laid down next to me.

***The next morning***

I woke up to her holding to cups of blood. "Here Ikuto" she said handing me one. "I know you don't really like drinking from a cup, but you were asleep when I found our source. It's still warm though. Drink up so we can get ready to move on."

I took the cup and drank my breakfast, "Thank you Amu" I said. "What is it from?"

"It's from a bird, we really didn't get to drink much yesterday, then we had to work our butts off just to save everyone, so I figured you'd need some nutrition. I know I did" Amu responded.

"Thank you Koibito, I said and gave her a hug. "We will make it through this forest, and then we will travel through the areas finding support for the upcoming battle. You know that we need it if the red-eyed king has shown up. We both know that this battle is going to be hard. Maybe we can even find people that will help protect your family even though they don't accept you anymore. It doesn't mean that we don't love them. Right?"

"Yup, we both know that our kind will survive the so-called test I gave my mother that will not work on anyone, I knew that she would try to hurt or kill us. We could always ask them to protect the royal family from vicious vampires working for a king that is trying to make me his bride" she smiled and hugs me back. "Let's get going."

"While we walk, we can go over our dreams to ensure we don't miss anything" I said. "You decide who you want to go first and then we will see exactly how terrible this will be. We already know it won't be easy. So, who goes first? Me or you?" I asked her.

"I guess I can, I don't want to confuse mine with yours." she said smiling and so she started explaining her dreams from the time that she was six years old.

"I remember a battle against the red eyed king. He had fangs like us. He had thousands of soldiers and they were human and vampires and other supernatural beings. They had different typed of weapons from swords to catapults and ballistae with flaming arrows" she told me.

"Then I saw our side. I saw your hair and your eyes. We had many different types of creatures fighting with us. There were vampires like us, humans, werewolves, fairies, witches, wizards, trolls, and giants. There was one attack that came at us from the red eyed king that would have killed us all, but something flew around us. It was a shining red shield and it absorbed the attack. I don't know where it came from, but I assumed it was the wizards and witches. I had a blood red sword; it had a wicked curve on the end and whomever it cut was poisoned or killed them. The vampires were burned bad enough to scream while the humans were killed immediately." she continued.

"The battles that we endured was more that just one. But this was the final one battle. I did dream of my siblings though. I saw Ami holding a staff, she was chanting a spell and then I saw Sora covered in hair. I think they may not be fully human after all. Just think of how my parents would love that? A vampire a witch and a werewolf as children! My parents will definitely have to get used to the supernatural" she said as she finished with a smile.

"Okay, I know that what you just described is what I saw, there is one major difference though with the sword and shield" I said.

"Really? What did you see?" Amu asked.

"I know where the sword and shield came from. I know you think it was the wizards and witches, but they came from you. In my dreams, you created a sword from cutting your hand. It wasn't a huge cut, just big enough to puddle in your hand then you somehow formed a sword. The shield that you made was from your emotions, you didn't need a new cut. You used the blood from your solid sword to create a dome around the entire army and it absorbed every bit of the attack. I think that is why the red eyed king wants you" I said as I hugged her, then I continued. "I think he knows that you are able to defeat him, and he wants you on his side."

"Can you imagine your parents' reaction if Ami and Sora helped in the final battle?" I said laughing. "I know that they will be too young, but it would be funny!"

After three to four hours, we took a break walking and decided to rest near a river that ran through the far side of the forest but deep enough that no one was around.

"Let's try to spar for a few Amu, then maybe we can learn why or how you create solid objects from blood and how to create a shield" I asked her.

"Sure, why not?" she said, and we began to train together. She cut her palm and waited for it to pool, then I watched her concentrate on it. I was surprised when I saw the blood raise from her hand into a dagger. I noticed that she was starting to sweat.

"Be careful Amu" I told her, and she nodded.

The dagger became solid and she was able to pick it up and handed it to me then focused on making another one.

"That was not easy Ikuto" she said panting. "I think that with more practice I'll become faster at creating solid objects. The daggers look sharp. I wonder if they have the same effect if anyone or anything is cut with them or if they are actual blades to a dagger."

"I could tell, but you did it. Then we continued to train, after 20 minutes, we heard growling coming from all around us and we looked Amu and I saw a pack of wolves staring to surround us.

"Ikuto?" Amu called to me.

"I know Amu" I said, "We are going to have to fight out way out. I will draw them to me and I want you to get away. Do not let your back face them okay? Do you understand?" I said as she shook her head and handed me one of her daggers.

"Together Ikuto, or not at all. You promised me that you would never leave me, please don't ask me to leave you." she told me. I nodded and took her dagger and the wolves lunged at us while we dodged.

Author's notes:

KUKAIxAMU: There are parents that only see what you are a become very scared. Midori and Tsumugu will learn very quickly that they should have been more understanding to Amu.

sweetXDmelody: I have watched vampireknight! I just forgot about him lol. I really liked that series. The anime ending was heartpounding lol. I have to finish the manga to fully know the ending though. I truly forgot about that anime. Thank you for reminding me.

Your intuition is correct for the red-eyed King. Hehehe. Amu's spirit of forgiveness shows that children no matter how their parents behave will always have love in their heart for them. She loved her family and even though she couldn't be with them anymore, she wanted to provide the safety she could.

Sam