Threats

Ikuto arrived at the office. Immediately, he got down to work, already used to the change in environment. Ever since he reunited with his parents, he had switched to working for his father. The work load was so monstrous, he had complained to his father a few times, only to find himself with even more work than before. Sometimes though, he was grateful for the huge amount of work, it managed to take his mind of things; like when he managed to calm down from his nervousness and decision to introduce Sion to Amu through immersing himself in his work. Was it too early to introduce them to each other? Ikuto wondered whilst rapidly typing away on his computer. Why did I rush their meeting? It felt more like I wanted to get it over and done with…is that normal? Ikuto picked up the phone, "hello, I'm missing some data from this file, can you run a search through the archives for it."

"Ok," the secretary answered.

Ikuto focussed on the computer screen again. He began to type but stopped after a few words. He resumed typing again but like before, stopped after a few words. What's wrong with me? Ikuto questioned, frustrated that he wasn't able to concentrate on his work. "That note from this morning," Ikuto said, finally able to admit it, "even though it's likely to be a prank…it's getting to me." He closed his eyes and instantly, those words appeared before him, 'Amu will disappear from your life very soon, won't you come out, the other Ikuto?' Ikuto opened his eyes again, staring at the white ceiling as he leaned back on his chair. Amu's face flickered before his eyes and the memories of when he first adopted Amu flashed through his mind….

The room was filled with unending whispers that sounded like an irritating buzz. Although silence would have been more fitting for a funeral, it appeared the adults lacked consideration. The only one, who was silent and remained quite expressionless to her surroundings was the young girl, knelt before the photo of her family. Ikuto had arrived at this funeral for a while now. He stood by the doorway, quietly observing and his eyes never left the young pinkette. She didn't seem to respond much, but he noticed her unease with the mention of the word orphanage. It was a normal reaction. Orphanage these days, especially within this area didn't have a particularly good reputation. But from watching how the other adults in the room conversed, it seemed no family or couple were willing to take her in. He started to glance around the room again. Ikuto's eyes fell upon the photo of the girl's mother. There was a strong squeeze in his chest the minute he set eyes on it and he had to look away. What do you want me to do then? Ikuto breathed, turning his body away, the image of that woman's face still fresh in his mind. I really shouldn't have come here, Ikuto thought walking away.

"Take care of her for me…." A voice seemed to whisper to Ikuto and he stopped walking. He turned back and stared at the photo of the woman.

"Is that your voice Midori," Ikuto asked, startled at himself for doing so. He let out a long sigh, knowing the decision he was about to make would change him forever. "If that is your wish Midori, then I'll take care of your girl for you." Ikuto entered into the funeral room, calling out for Midori's daughter….

The flashing red light on Ikuto's desk phone caught his eye and bought him back to the present. He shook his head as though shaking away the memory. He picked up the phone, "Yes."

"I've gathered the data," the secretary said, "want me to give it to you now?"

"Come in," Ikuto said, placing the phone down.

The door opened and the secretary came in holding a pile of documents in her hand. She placed them onto Ikuto's desk. A small envelope on top of the files caught Ikuto's attention. He picked it up.

"Oh, that's a letter for you. It arrived a few minutes ago," the secretary said before heading out again.

Ikuto opened the small envelope, taking out the piece of paper in it; he clenched his fists as he read; Amu is not your daughter, do you agree, the other Ikuto?

"Again with this crap," Ikuto hissed, ripping the paper up. "What do they want?" He shoved the pieces of paper off his desk, taking in a few deep breaths. Is this really just a prank? Ikuto questioned, feeling more and more uneasy. He stared at his own faint reflection from the computer screen, whispering, "Of course Amu isn't my daughter…she is Midori's daughter." With that last thought crossing his mind, he started to type again, focussing on his work once more.

It was late afternoon, Amu had finished school and was now wandering through the market street, buying groceries for tonight's dinner. She studied the various meat on offer, unable to decide whether to make Salisbury steak or go with chicken. After a few minutes, she made a decision. I better hurry back home, Amu thought, Ikuto is back early tonight. She stood waiting at the traffic lights, her mind drifting off once more to the photo she found in Ikuto's drawer. "It's so faded," Amu muttered, "if only I could actually see the people's face…AHH!" Amu let out a cry sensing a sudden pain on her side as she was knocked down by a running stranger. The man or woman was wearing a long black wet coat, a hat and face cover. Amu stared in front as the stranger ran away, pushing past more people he or she ran towards. "What was that…ah…" Amu breathed, bringing her hand to her side and she stared at the crimson colour that started to stain her clothes. Blood…I was stabbed…Amu tried to process.

"Are you ok girl?" a bystander asked, concerned.

A woman knelt besides Amu and forcefully took Amu's hand away for a better look. She examined the red on Amu's clothes carefully and let out a sigh after realising it was just red paint.

"You ok though?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Amu managed to say, standing back up, "just a little shocked."

"There sure are a lot of weirdoes around," another bystander commented, "look out for them."

Amu nodded, patting her clothes of the dirt and picking her bags up again. The traffic lights were red and they began to cross.

"Be careful," both the woman and bystander said as they parted ways.

Amu sighed at the red stain on her shirt that looked a lot like blood. She made a run back home, wanting to get changed as soon as possible. An hour later, Ikuto returned home and he immediately took his seat at the table where Amu had set out dinner.

"You seem tired," Amu commented, taking a bite out of her steak.

"Work is always tiring," Ikuto answered. Plus, receiving threatening and ambiguous messages is even more mentally tiring, Ikuto thought to himself. He smiled a little as he watched Amu eat heartily in front of him. There's nothing to worry about, nothing is going to happen to her.

Amu smiled too, noticing Ikuto's smile. She couldn't help but wonder whether now's a good opportunity to bring up the subject of the photo. She had to try. "Ikuto…"

The phone rang and Ikuto got up to take it before Amu could even bring up the topic. She decided to let it slip again. There would be a better opportunity.

On the phone, Ikuto listened intently to the digitised voice.

"I sent a little hello message to your daughter today…has she told you? But it doesn't matter, because I've told you now."

"Who are you?" Ikuto asked, keeping his voice lowered, making sure he didn't alarm Amu. "What do you want?"

"Ikuto, I'm going to take a bath," Amu called out from the dining room.

"Yeah," Ikuto called back, not really paying any attention to what Amu was saying. He was focussed on the person on the phone.

"Oh, she's alright," the digitised voice said in a surprising tone, "don't worry. I'll make sure to help you get rid of her soon."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?" Ikuto questioned frustratingly.

"She's not your daughter," the digitised voice stated, "never was and never will be. Isn't that right, the other Ikuto?"

"YOU…" Ikuto raised his voice but the connection was cut off. Only a beeping noise remained.

Ikuto returned to the dining room and cleared away the dishes, having lost his appetite after talking to a maniac. Who was that? Ikuto tried hard to think, what do they want from all these threats? Ikuto paced the room, annoyed that he didn't have a clue at who or what they want. He spotted Amu's bag still on the sofa and sighed. "I remember teaching her not to be so messy," Ikuto muttered, grabbing the bag and taking it into Amu's room. He opened the door, intending to just throw the bag onto her bed when his eyes locked onto the red stained shirt. "Can't be…is that blood?" Ikuto ran over to the bathroom, his mind blank from concern. "AMU," he shouted, barging in without a seconds thought, "ARE YOU OK?"

A naked Amu stared at Ikuto. She screamed, trying to grab a towel to cover herself but Ikuto stopped her. He grabbed her shoulders and asked again, "are you ok? Are you hurt? Where's the wound?"

"W-why are you?" Amu stammered, aware of her own nudity and she was embarrassed. Though, this wasn't the first time Ikuto has seen her naked. They even had sex too. It's not that much of a great deal, Amu thought logically. I shouldn't be so embarrassed. Even so, Amu's cheeks slowly flushed pink.

"The shirt in your room is covered in blood," Ikuto continued anxiously, looking at her face.

"Oh," Amu said, only just realising that she forgot to put the shirt in the washing machine, out of sight. "That's not blood. Just paint I accidentally got on myself."

"Just paint," Ikuto repeated, relaxed to hear that Amu wasn't hurt.

Silence filled the bathroom now. Amu turned her face away from Ikuto and after calming down, Ikuto was slowly aware of the situation he was in. It was too late for him to stop his own eyes from glimpsing at Amu's nude body, but he quickly let go of her. Trying to keep his composure, he muttered, "Sorry," and left the bathroom, escaping into his own bedroom.

Alone now, Ikuto took in several deep breaths but the sight of Amu's naked body remained fresh in his mind. "Stop this," Ikuto shouted, "I can't think of her with such feelings." He shook his head and slapped his cheeks in attempts to clear his mind, but his body only grew hotter. His mind seemed to slowly slip from his control. He saw clearly Amu's soft skin, her petite figure, and that embarrassed look on her face… Ikuto parted his lips, "Amu," his hands reached out into the empty air before him and began to clench onto an image on Amu. His hands stroking down from her neck. "Your mine…" he whispered, a wicked smile appearing on one side of his face. Ikuto walked closer to the window and stared at his own reflection. "You really do bring the best and worst out of me," he said, covering half his face with one hand. He smiled at the uncovered half of his face, where a nervous, frantic and shocked expression remained.

The cell phone vibrated loudly on the desk, snapping Ikuto out of his little trance. He slapped his cheeks again to wake himself up. A feeling of shame filled him. How can I have such a reaction from seeing my own daughter? Ikuto cursed himself, I'm despicable. No…it felt like I was out of it…what happened to me? He gave his cheeks a final hard slap, making sure he was wide awake. Picking up the call, Ikuto muttered, "yes."

"Oh, Ikuto, it's me, Sion," Sion said cheerfully.

Ikuto relaxed. That's right, I have Sion now. There's no way I'll be thinking of things I shouldn't be anymore.

"Why are you so quiet?" Sion asked, "Tired from work?"

"Sion, let's meet up," Ikuto suggested, wanting to see her.

The next morning was rather awkward for Ikuto. He was on edge around Amu, embarrassed with himself, not knowing how to act. But his worries drifted away as Amu acted as though nothing had happened. She smiled and talked to him like normal. Maybe I was overthinking, Ikuto sighed with relief. Deciding to forget about yesterday's accident, he started to face Amu as usual again. The two parted for work and school.

Another day passed by and it was another day Amu spent her time thinking of Ikuto. She kept the faded photo with her, unsettled by what was written behind it. Even spending the entire day trying to think about its meaning, Amu failed to come up with something convincing. What was Ikuto's connection to that family? Is this his trauma? These questions kept bothering Amu. She began to make her way down some stairs in the train station. Day Ikuto had made plans to be with Sion again tonight, so Amu was going to be alone. She shook her head, trying to keep her emotions under control. There was nothing she could do about Sion until she found out Ikuto's trauma. Once night Ikuto is back, Sion wouldn't matter anymore. Even so, Amu thought touching her beating chest, I don't know how long I can pretend I'm not upset by it. Is this how other women feel when they find out their lovers have cheated on them, but in my case, it's not really cheating….WAH!

Amu felt a strong push on her back, her feet lifted off the ground, body falling downwards and her skin burned as it scraped across the cold concrete. Luckily though, Amu managed to grab the metal bar on the wall, stopping herself from falling further than the few steps she did. A crowd of spectators started to surround her. With her heart still beating rapidly, Amu glanced up the stairs and her eyes fixated upon one person who had a dissatisfying look. "Why?" Amu gasped in shock.

As more people gathered around Amu, her sight of that person was blocked, but she briefly caught a glimpse of that person turning to leave in the opposite direction. Amu slumped down, sitting on the stairs to regain her composure. "Why…did you do this to me?"

Half an hour had passed since the incident in the train station and Amu was sitting silently in the hospital. A kind couple insisted on taking Amu to the hospital for a check-up and here she was, sitting in one of the less busy waiting areas, her scratches bandaged. She appeared to be calmer than before but deep down, her emotions were unstable and she was lost in her own thoughts. The couple had left 5 minutes ago and Amu was alone waiting. That person, Amu thought, the reason…for that person to do that to me….

It wasn't long before Ikuto came running down the corridor towards her. He quickly pulled her into a tight hug, his breathing heavy.

"My god, I'm so glad you're ok," Ikuto said, a little out of breath, "what happened?" He pulled away from Amu, studying the scratches on her arms and legs. I should've been more careful after receiving those threats, I should've been with her, Ikuto blamed himself. "Amu, nothing else happened right?" he gently stroked her head. "You aren't hurt anywhere else?"

Amu looked at Ikuto and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She looked away from him, not knowing how to say it.

Ikuto forced a small smile on his face to calm Amu, "its ok. Let's go home and talk." He took his cell phone from his pocket, "I'll call Sion first. I was going to pick her up so…"

"Why…" Amu said, rather quietly but it could still be heard.

Ikuto stopped what he was doing and listened to Amu.

She looked at him, "why did you do this to me?"