Chapter Four

It was getting late – Tsunade would worry.

The sun was setting, and the sky was pink from the lazy rays of light still stretching from the horizon.

It was slightly chilly, but Sakura barely felt the cold right now.

He was there, standing tall and proud, playing a beautiful melody on his violin.

His eyes were closed, his mind completely on the music.

She watched his body sway slightly as his arm moved smoothly, his wrist flicking with every note played. She watched his hair as the wind picked it up, becoming a partner to the strands in an unpractised dance. She watched his lips move slightly as he subtly mouthed words to the song he was playing.

He was perfect.

He was everything.

"Ikuto," she breathed; this one quiet word was enough to draw him out of his own mind.

His fingers stilled, and Sakura wished for the sake of the beautiful music he was creating that she had not said a word.

"Sakura," he said, almost confused by her sudden appearance. His eyes glanced around, and he seemed surprised to see the setting sun. She wondered how long he'd been here, playing to an audience of trees and grass.

A moment of still silence passed between them as they just looked at each other.

Sakura opened her mouth to talk.

Ikuto picked up his violin case and turned to leave.

She watched him go, her mouth still agape and her eyes wide. All she could see was his back as he walked away from her. Tears filled her eyes – he was walking away.

{-}

"Saku-chan, please!" begged Katsumi, jumping on the pinkette's back. Sakura was stretched out on her bed, lying on her stomach with her head cradled in her arms, a melancholy look on her face.

"He just left," she muttered sadly. "Why would he do that?"

Sakura turned around, her red Chara slipping onto the mattress as the girl settled in a new position on her back, her arms stretched out to the sides. Mari floated over and sat on the girl's stomach while Katsumi curled up by her head and Setsuko knelt by her ear. Mitsu was floating around the room in a fuss, muttering to herself continuously. She glanced to her right for a moment and gasped, shooting like a bullet out of the open window.

"What's with her?" Mari mused, watching her younger sister in amusement.

"Who knows?" snorted Katsumi.

"Are you okay, Setsuko?" asked Sakura, her head turning to her left to look at the blue Chara. She frowned and shook her head.

"It just does not make sense to me," she responded, getting up and floating towards her egg. On her way, she saw her sister outside with a familiar pair of Charas. Glancing towards her owner, Setsuko found that Sakura was once again distracted by Katsumi and Mari. Using this, she glided towards the window and outside, coming to a stop beside the youngest Chara.

"Setsuko, thank goodness!" cried Mitsu in relief, "I just can't get these two to stop fighting!"

"Must be serious, then," acknowledged Setsuko, knowing the argument must be important for the two male Charas to ignore the influential Mitsu. She floated closer to the boys and took a deep breath. "Silence, you two!" she said in a firm tone, projecting her normally soft voice until it rang through their ears.

"Uh oh," whimpered Yoru, fully aware of Setsuko's frightening temper, while Daichi seemed confused by the cat Chara's fear.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked calmly, folding her arms.

"I-Ikuto asked me to check on Sakura," Yoru told her instantly. "He was worried, because she seemed upset earlier."

"Of course she did!" yelled Mitsu, "He totally ditched her!"

"Yourself, Daichi?" continued the blue Chara, ignoring her sister's input.

"Pretty much the same," he shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "Sakura ran off kinda fast, and Kukai just wanted me to stop by to see if she was okay after, well," he trailed of, glancing at Yoru, "you know; that."

"I know 'that', indeed," she said coolly. "You may both return to your masters and relay the following message; Sakura is not to be disturbed until permission to approach her is given by the girl herself. Today's events," she glanced between the two, "have upset her somewhat, and she is in no state to be receiving visitors of the male variety. That is all, you may leave."

"Yes, ma'am," nodded Yoru, quickly fleeing. Daichi left too, but in less of a panicked rush.

"What were they fighting about, anyway?" asked Setsuko, now turning to Mitsu.

"Well..."

}-{

Mitsu caught a glance out of the window and gasped, spotting Daichi and Yoru yelling at each other. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could clearly see that they were angry. Gasping at the thought of them fighting, she flew outside as quickly as she could and stopped just short of the arguing pair, her hands on her hips. They ignored her, so she cleared her throat. Still, there was nothing.

"You tell Ikuto to stay away from Sakura!" yelled Daichi, pointing an accusing finger at Yoru.

"Oh, yeah?" challenged the cat Chara, "Well you tell your master to keep his lips away from her – nya!"

"You saw that?" Mitsu winced, drawing back a little.

"Well, Kukai would have kissed her, but it's Ikuto's fault he didn't!" Daichi threw right back.

"What are you talking about?" cried Yoru, "Ikuto would be her boyfriend by now if it weren't for Kukai!"

"Kukai would be her boyfriend right now if it weren't for Ikuto!" he yelled right back before pausing, a grin on his face. "So, I guess I'll just tell Kukai to get Ikuto out of the picture!"

"Not if I tell Ikuto first – nya!" Yoru sneered.

At this moment, Mitsu was relieved to find her second oldest sister, and by far the most mature, floating beside her.

}-{

"This isn't good," murmured Setsuko as the two floated back inside.

"Not good at all," agreed the youngest.

{-}

It took three days for Sakura move from upset to angry.

Three days of pouting, silence and tears to finally realise that Ikuto was being a pain in the butt, and she shouldn't have to sulk over him. Nope; he should be begging for her forgiveness. There would be no more sorrow in the face of the teen, only righteous fury at how he had wronged her – and oh, he had done her much wrong. He had strung her along until her heart finally gave in and surrendered itself to him, and then he had walked away.

Leaping across her room, Sakura startled her Charas as she grabbed her phone and looked through her contacts, aiming for 'Tsukiyomi Ikuto'. Upon finding his name, she glared, and hit the 'edit contact' option. When she was done, the new name for the number was 'Jerk Face Heartbreaker'. She dialled and listened to the tone for a few moments, knowing he wouldn't pick up – he never did anymore. As expected, she got to his messages.

"You've reached Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Leave a message."

"How dare you!" she yelled. "I know you know who this is, so I won't bother with the 'Hi, it's...' stuff. You lead me on for months – months – and then expect me to just sit idly by while you ignore me? I won't! You don't even have the courage to pick up the phone," she sniffed, only then realising that she had begun to cry while speaking. "I miss you, Ikuto," she hiccupped, "and I can do anything except think about now, so I hope you're happy, because I'm not. I hate relying on people, but I need you! You were the only person I could turn to through all the pain, Ikuto. When my father died," she sobbed, "when I joined Easter, when I got sick, when they had me under their control – I just need you! Everyone else came and went as they pleased, but you were always there! I just – I can't – I –!"

"Saku-chan," Katsumi sniffled, patting her arm. Sakura looked at her four Charas and their varying degrees of sadness as she cried.

"I called to yell at you and I ended up crying," she laughed without humour. "I really...Please don't ignore this, too, Ikuto. I hate being weak, but right now I can't be strong, I can't do it without you."

With those final words, she hung up and wept.

{-}

Ikuto stared at his phone, his entire being hollow.

The message was harrowing – her tears, her pleading. He knew Tsunade had a point now, that Sakura wasn't ready for every emotion he showed to her, but he had no idea that he would have such an effect on her. All he wanted to do was run over there and hold her, promising to never leave, no matter what her Guardian said. With narrowed eyes, he saved her message – a reminder of just how much he had hurt her; painful, but he felt as though he deserved it.

Knowing her past of having to leave behind everything she cared about, he had turned his back on her and walked away. He had abandoned her without even thinking for her heart, for her spirit. So now he had broken down such a strong girl to her barest emotions, and it hurt. It hurt to know that she had instilled so much faith in him and he had walked all over it.

Clenching his fist tightly, Ikuto looked up and out of the window.

Yoru was returning.

{-}

Kukai listened intently to every word out of his Chara's mouth, all about how Sakura was genuinely upset over Ikuto deserting her. His fingers tightened into fists as he stood, rushing out of his room. He pulled on his trainers, tying them hastily, and grabbed his jacket. She may have rejected him, but Kukai still cared deeply for Sakura and she was in pain – Ikuto may have been able to walk away and leave her to hurt, but he couldn't.

"Where are you going?" asked Unkai, his arms folded up behind his head as he yawned. He had obviously just woken up from a nap and was headed to the kitchen for a snack.

"Sakura's house," Kukai replied shortly, knowing that at least one of his brothers had to know he was going somewhere.

"The pinkie that was over a while ago?" he mused, looking up as he recalled Kukai's friend. He smirked, "She was cute. You better be nice to her."

"I'm nice to everyone," snorted the youngest, just wanting to be out of the door and on his way to Sakura's house.

"You taking your skateboard?" asked his brother and Kukai nodded. "Don't bother – my bike is quicker, just don't mess it up or anything, got it?"

"Yes!" cheered Kukai, quickly running to the back to get his brother's bike out of the shed, "Thanks, Unkai-nii!"

"Ahh, young love," the middle brother grinned, rubbing his stomach before going to find some food.

{-}

Sakura sat at the dining table with Tsunade, a bowl of ramen in front of her, but she was staring into space. The blonde was watching her in concern, noticing – and not for the first time – that her ward had completely drawn away into herself. She had been doing so for a while, but now it seemed the internalisation was complete. Sighing, Tsunade rested her chopsticks beside her own bowl of food and reached over, taking Sakura's hand.

"This place has given you nothing but bad memories, Sakura," she began, her girl's eyes finding her instantly. "I don't think that staying here is good for your health. I have already spoken to the Gakure Hospital and they've agreed to another transfer. We're moving back to Gakure, so you can attend school with all your old friends, and –"

"No," Sakura cut in, quietly and blankly, as she pulled her hand away from Tsunade's.

"It's for the best, Sakura," the blonde finalised with a stern look. "It will be hard for you, I understand, but being here has brought you nothing but harm. Just look at that Tsukiyomi boy –"

"You met Ikuto?" she interrupted again, her green eyes now wide and searching.

"Yes," the woman frowned. "I told him to leave you alone," she added. The pinkette was still and silent for a moment.

"It's your fault," Sakura whispered, standing from the table. "You made him abandon me!"

"If he truly cared for you," Tsunade stated, "he would have ignored me and come to see you anyway."

Tears streaming from her eyes, Sakura fled the apartment, her feet bare and her Charas slumbering unaware in her bedroom.

{-}

Kukai peddled faster and faster, Daichi desperately clinging to his t-shirt to keep from falling and being left behind. The sense of urgency in his owner was extreme, so the sporty Chara knew better than to complain. Besides, he too hated to see Sakura brought down over some teenager, and he would do his best to help cheer her up before she and her Charas had to re-live the X fiasco.

Suddenly, a blur of pink and red flew past them and Kukai skidded to a halt, the brakes squeaking with effort. The blur had also stopped, and wide green orbs stared at Kukai from behind a glazing of tears. Not a word was spoken as he strode over and took her in his arms, just holding her to him like she would disappear if he let her go for even a moment.

Sakura held on to Kukai desperately, as he was currently the only real thing in her life that wasn't going to turn away. Why shouldn't he, after the way she had treated him? He had every right to move on with his life, but Kukai was a better person than that. He knew she needed him, and he knew that just being there was all she needed.

Kukai stroked her hair gently as the rain began, echoing Sakura in her wailing sobs.

{-}

Tsunade didn't know what to do.

She had hoped that Sakura would be pleased at the news; she was doing this for the pinkette, after all. There was none of this heartache and pain when Sakura lived in Gakure, before she knew Ikuto. Her life was plain, and boring, but also safe and free of the torment she had been putting herself through. All kinds of people all over the world experienced pains far greater than Sakura's, but to a little girl experiencing her first heartbreak, nothing compares.

The blonde had meant every word of warning she had thrown at Ikuto. Tsunade wanted the teen nowhere near her ward – he was the cause of all this. He obviously didn't care for Sakura as much he, or she, thought he did, or else he would have known not to turn his back on her, and the immense damage he would cause by doing so. Either he was a fool, absent-minded, ignorant, or he had no strong feeling for her after all; reluctantly, she betted the latter.

Everyone knew that gambling, however, was never Tsunade's strong suit.

{-}

Ikuto's heart froze at the sight before him.

He had ventured out into the rain after receiving Yoru's news that Sakura wasn't doing well at all. He had been greatly concerned for her, to the point of using his front door to leave and not his window. The rain hadn't slowed him down – in fact, it had sped him up. He knew that when Sakura was upset, the rain only served to worsen her mood. He would need to get to her quickly.

However, it seemed that he wasn't the only one who had thought to check on the pinkette.

Standing before him, perfectly still and allowing themselves to be pelted with rain, were Sakura and Kukai. He was holding her tightly as she cried into his chest and clutched at his shoulders. It broke Ikuto's heart to see her so distressed, but unlike Sakura he was not one to walk away and wallow in sadness after seeing a loved one in the embrace of another. Striding over, his steps masked by the rain, Ikuto had every intention of ripping Sakura from Kukai's arms and taking her away.

Then she lifted her head and spotted him, her expression shifting from despair to complete blankness.

He pressed on, taking her arm and shoving Kukai away from the pinkette.

"I am so sorry," he said over the rain, pulling her close. Sakura did not cling to him, like she did with Kukai, and nor did she make any effort to hug him back. "I mean it Sakura; there is nothing I would like more than to take back what I did."

"Well, you can't," growled Kukai as he wrenched Sakura away from the teen, pushing her behind him. "You hurt her, and you have to accept responsibility."

"I do," the teen nodded and Sakura looked up in shock. "I hurt her, I turned my back on her when all she needed was for me to be with her, and I understand that, right now, you're more trustworthy than me, but, Sakura, please – meet me in the park tomorrow night, and I'll make it up to you."

"Just stop!" yelled Kukai, shoving him, "She doesn't –!"

"Okay," Sakura said quietly, just looking at Ikuto. Both he and Kukai gave her long looks, attempting to read the blankness in her eyes.

"Sakura, he betrayed you!" attempted Kukai, but Sakura just coughed out one short laugh.

"He didn't betray me," she corrected, "he just walked away. That hurt more than any betrayal, but I know why, now. Tsunade told you to, didn't she?"

"She told me to stay away," Ikuto confirmed reluctantly. "She said I was doing more harm than good."

"You could never do me harm by staying, Ikuto," Sakura whispered, her voice beginning to sound like a whimper. "You saved me, remember?"

}-{

Sakura screamed in agony, clutching her head, as the dark energy pulsing out of her wavered. The giant X-Chara bubbled as the smaller X-Charas began re-forming, floating away from the mass. The pinkette's transformation slowly faded out of existence as tears gathered in her eyes, streaming down her face due to the pain. A bright light gathered around her, shining too brightly for anyone to ignore, and it burst, revealing the unconscious form of the Sakura they all knew.

She fell, the giant X-Chara crumbling away in the smaller Charas with her decent, the dark energy she exuded no longer holding them together. Ikuto, recovered from the wound when the dark energy burning it dissipated, leapt up, catching her gently in his arms before he landed in a crouch, gathering her close to him. He watched her take easy breaths, her face calm, and he almost relaxed, were it not for the sounds of the chaos going on behind him.

}-{

The stars fell all around them as Ikuto looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. She stirred gently, shifting in his hold, and her eyes slowly opened, revealing the bright, vibrate green that Ikuto had been searching for when she was under the control of the dark energy. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her, holding her to him as tightly as he dared.

"I'm glad you're back," he murmured into her hair. Sakura wriggled and he set her down, watching as she ripped the ring off her finger and threw it as far as she could. She didn't care where it landed, so long as it was far away from her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, tears falling down her face and she leapt into Ikuto's arms again, crying into his chest. He stroked her hair comfortingly, promising to stop anything from hurting her like that again.

}-{

"I'll meet you in the park tomorrow," she agreed, turning to Kukai. "Please take me home?" she requested. Kukai couldn't refuse – he didn't want Ikuto around her any more than necessary, even though by now he knew the fight for Sakura's heart had not turned in his favour.

{-}

With her Chara's surrounding her, a blank-faced Sakura made her way to the fountain in the park, spotting Ikuto easily in the remaining stragglers. Yoru was by his side, as expected, and spotted them before his owner did. Taking large, hurried steps, Ikuto moved towards her, stopping a breath away and looking at her with a pained expression.

"I never wanted to hurt you," he assured.

"I know," she smiled a small, unsure grin. Taking this as all the incentive he needed, Ikuto drew her to him, and this time she hugged him back. Ikuto took her wrist as he moved out of the embrace, and led her to a more secluded part of the park.

"I have something for you," Ikuto told her, gesturing to the violin case on his shoulder. "I know you like listening to me play, and I thought it would help you forgive me."

"I forgave you the moment I knew what Tsunade did," she said in a quiet voice, and Ikuto placed a hand on her cheek, giving her a gentle look.

"I really am sorry, Sakura," he repeated, and Sakura smiled a little as if to tell him that she knew. Ikuto nodded once and turned, beginning up the steps to the place he often played his violin.

"Are you trying to serenade me, because a voice usually works better," Sakura hummed as she walked up the steps. Ikuto threw her a short, sarcastic look before continuing up the stairs.

"I doubt you even know what 'serenade' means, kid," he retorted, gaining an offended huff from the pinkette. He smirked at her and, standing at the top of the steps, began unpacking his violin. "Any requests?" the teen offered, holding his violin to his shoulder, the boy poised above the strings.

"Something from you," the girl smiled. Ikuto paused, just staring at this wonderful girl before him, before closing his eyes. He pictured that same smiling face as he began his melody.

Sakura became lost in the beautiful music Ikuto was playing, her eyelids sliding closed as she sighed happily. Beside her, Setsuko and Mitsu were twirling while Mari just listened. Katsumi had floated up the steps to Yoru, and was currently forcing him to dance with her. Everything else disappeared around them as Sakura continued to listen to this tune Ikuto was playing just for her. No one else was allowed in their beautiful moment – it was for the two of them alone.

Then, as always, Amu ruined it.

"I won't lose to anyone," a slightly flat singer joined the song. Ikuto's eyes opened and passed over Sakura completely, finding Amu standing a short ways behind her. Sakura turned and glared at the girl, hoping she would take the hint and leave, but the slightly taller pinkette had closed her eyes and was continuing to sing along.

Turning now to Ikuto, Sakura frowned – his eyes were stuck on Amu and he was still playing. She had intruded on their moment, and now he was letting her carry on like nothing was wrong. The Charas were still – Setsuko's eyes were glued to Sakura's quaking form, Mari was glaring at Amu, Mitsu was scowling at Ikuto, Katsumi and Yoru were darting their eyes around the three as Ikuto played, Amu sang and Sakura's eyes welled up with tears.

Suddenly, the violin stopped.

Amu did so too, staring at Ikuto.

"I thought I heard someone," Ikuto muttered, "and it's you."

"Sounds like you're having a fun time singing – nya!" laughed Yoru. Amu's face turned red and Sakura scowled at them.

"I'm n-not really having that much fun," she huffed, crossing her arms. Her Charas floated around her, giggling. Sakura's own Charas regrouped around their upset mistress.

"What a coincidence," Sakura said loudly, "neither am I," she stated before turning to leave.

"S-Sorry," stuttered Amu, "did I interrupt your date?" she asked. Ikuto opened his mouth to say 'yes', but Sakura beat him to it.

"It wasn't a date," she growled. "This obnoxious playboy was just dragging me around against my will. Now that you're here, though, I guess that ol' 'second best' can just go home. C'mon, girls," she murmured, leaving the park with her Charas before Ikuto could get a word in.

Arriving home, Sakura saw half-packed boxed scattered around the apartment and her heart sank.

Tsunade was serious.