TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT LADIES AND GENTS XD XD XD (I can't wait to start on my other projects :3)

Chapter 22: Winter Solstice

Amu's POV

I grasped onto Ikuto's hand firmly. He was basically the only thing that was keeping me sane right now.

We were standing at the border of the shield, watching as Akanoko's army marched forward.

We could hear the hum of their midnight black wings as they beat in unison as they flew over. They looked like a black mass descending upon us.

Their sheer size alone was enough to intimidate anyone, but the power that they radiated made me want to take all my friends, run away, and stuff them someplace far and safe for good measure.

I grimaced and Ikuto ran a finger over my knuckles.

"You're going to win this, Amu. I know you will," he whispered.

I couldn't trust my voice to speak so I just nodded.

They were less than two minutes away from the border now, I could finally see the distinct figure of Akanoko leading them, his sword drawn and face reflecting his arrogance.

I turned to Ikuto, my eyes desperately trying to memorize every last detail of his face. I was terrified this was the last time I was going to see him.

He seemed to have the same horrifying thought as just then, he cupped my face and pulled me towards him.

Our lips crashed against each other. His lips moved against mine hungrily and I responded with the same fervor, tangling my hands through his hair as I pushed him closer. He roped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer, pressing our bodies against each other and leaving no space between us.

When we parted, spots danced before my eyes and I was breathing heavily as I rested my forehead against his.

They were seconds away from us now.

"Please, promise you'll come back to me," he whispered desperately.

Tears streamed down my face.

"I will. I promise," I choked out.

And then, we parted and with one last hopeless glance, we charged out into battle.

Ikuto and the others had been weakened due to the solstice, but they were still more powerful than an average angel normally is. They fought the Fallen Angels easily with the girls while I went round purifying them, a job only I could do.

The purified angels were then immediately directed to the shelter and within the first hour of battle, we had a least a hundred more people on our side.

I almost felt happy, but then I realized something; I hadn't seen Akanoko the entire length of the fight. Other than when I had seen him charge in, he had remained illusive during the actual battle.

I cursed under my breath, he was probably doing this on purpose, trying to wear me out while he remained completely untouched.

But I didn't have a choice. I had to save these Angels. It wasn't even a question.

I tried scanning around for him, and when I couldn't recognize him under the blur of black wings, I tried to summon up more power, looking in deeper and trying to see his aura. I had seen it before once during battle. It was a deep, dark, sinister red. The color of blood. It was impossible to miss.

After searching for awhile and finding nothing, my heart plummeted. What if he had escaped?

But, just as I was about to give up, an eerie flash of red appeared in my vision and without thinking twice, I dived towards it.

Ikuto's POV

Amu had disappeared.

During the battle, I had tried to keep tabs on her in case she needed help, she had disappeared a few times, but I always managed the spot her within five minutes or so. But now, it had been almost fifteen minutes since I'd last seen her and I was getting very worried.

"Tadase!" I yelled over the screams of battle and to the blonde haired teen.

"A little busy!" he grunted in reply as he tried to fight off two Fallen Angels at one go.

"Amu's missing! I don't know where she went!" I yelled worriedly.

His face paled at that as he barely managed to doge a strike from his opponent.

"She wouldn't have…" Tadase trailed off but then we locked eyes and realized; it was Amu, of course she would've.

I dashed over to him and began distracting the Fallen Angels that were attacking him.

"Go!" I commanded, "I'll hold them off! You'll be of more help to her than I will!" I had to hold back the bitterness in my words as I said it but thankfully Tadase didn't sense any resentment in my tone and immediately dashed off to find Amu.

Amu's POV

I dived down towards him, snapping him up like prey before flying back high up in the air.

The shock of my arrival stunned him motionless but I knew it wasn't going to last very long.

Summoning up my strength I shot a sphere of engr. at his stomach, he screamed in pain and I dropped him, letting him fall towards the ground as I following him. In the last second, he managed to pull up a little so he didn't crash that much, but the impact of the fall still hurt hm badly as he groaned in pain.

"You're getting better at this, Amu-chan," he chuckled he shakily stood up.

I didn't indulge his need for chit-chat though as I immediately socked him hard across the face.

He stumbled to the ground with a groan and I shot another blast at him, causing him to fly backwards and crash into the ground.

Groaning again, he lifted his head up to look at me, but what I saw in his eyes wasn't pain or fear…it was amusement.

Akanoko threw his head back and began laughing, "But now quite good enough," he smirked and before I knew what was going on, he flipped up and off the ground.

The movement was so quick I didn't register it, but suddenly all the wind was knocked out of my system and I was sprawled on the floor and pinned down to the ground while Akanoko smirked standing above me.

I struggled to stand up but I realized that he had used his magic to tie me to the ground.

"Let me go!" I roared as I continued to fight against the bonds.

He just tutted and looked down at me, "Oh Amu-chan," he chuckled, "Did you really think it would be that easy to defeat me? Are you really did naive?" he laughed.

Standing over me, a cruel smirk played on his face as he lifted up his sword.

"It was nice knowing you, Amu-chan," he smiled and swung the blade downwards.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that, the blade of his sword glinted maliciously in the light as it moved towards me, ready to deliver the final blow, and all I could think about was Ikuto.

I couldn't leave him. I'd promised him I'd be alright. I'd promised him I would come back. I couldn't die.

Suddenly, I felt a white hot ball of energy expand from my chest as a searing pain filled my body. A scream built up at the back of my throat as my body writhed in pain.

Flashes appeared before my eyes, flashes of my life. Laughter, smiles, kisses hugs, tears, fights, every single memory replayed in my mind. Right down to the tiniest detail.

"Amu!" an all too familiar voice yelled out and the visions stopped completely as a mop of blue hair entered my vision.

Finally, a raw, primal scream rose from the back of my throat as I felt the power leave my body and a blinding white light filled my vision.

Ikuto's POV

Not long after I gave Tadase the head start did I finally manage to defeat the Fallen Angels and look for Amu. I tried to spot Tadase's gold wings that would stand out in a sea of black or Amu's obscenely bright pink hair, but I found nothing.

"Amu!" I yelled, desperately calling her name over and over again, "Amu! Amu! Amu please answer me!" I begged as I continued to search for her.

Finally, I spotted a flash of pink to my right and I dashed towards it.

My heart dropped to the pits of my stomach as I saw Amu lying on the floor with Akanoko standing over her, a disgustingly arrogant smile on his face.

Without thinking twice, I leaped towards, her screaming her name and begging her to get up.

"Amu!" I hollered but before I could reach her, she screamed and a bright light exploded from her, filling the entire place and blinding me.

Amu's POV

Where was I? Was I dead again?

A panic coursed through my veins. I couldn't be dead! I couldn't! Ikuto! I promised him! I promised him I'd return!

"You're not dead, Amu-chan," a soft voice called out and suddenly, a familiar girl with orange hair appeared in front of me.

She smiled warmly, "Though you came quite close with all that engr. you used up," she chided lightly.

"Dia?" I gaped.

Suddenly, three more figures appeared from behind her.

Ran. Miki. Suu.

"What are you all doing here?" I asked breathlessly.

Sadness crept into their features.

"You may not be dead…but we are," Ran said quietly.

Horror filled my gut.

"N-No," I denied, "There must be some mistake, how can you be dead?!" I cried, "You were kept safe in the protection spell! I made sure of that!"

"You were in trouble," Miki said simply, "We had to help you. So we used our essence to fuel that power you just unleashed."

Tears stung my eyes as I stared at them in shock. They're dead. They're dead because they tried to help me.

"I'm so sorry," I sobbed as the tears began pouring down my cheeks.

"It's not your fault Amu-chan," Suu soothed, "We made that choice. Nobody forced us to do it."

"But if I hadn't got captured-"

"No buts," Miki interrupted, "What's done is done. Don't beat yourself up about something you didn't cause. If it's anyone's fault it's Akanoko's. He started this entire mess."

I threw myself at the, enveloping them in a hug.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized again, "I never wanted any of you to die for me."

They hugged me back gently, "We love you, Amu. And we'll never regret this decision. We made our choice wisely, as we hope you will too."

"A choice?" I frowned as I pulled away, "What choice will I have to make?"

They stared at each other gravely for a second before facing me with a sober expression.

"You cannot win this battle," Miki sighed.

My blood ran cold.

"W-Why not?" I stuttered out, "Why can't we win?"

"In the time that you are unconscious, Akanoko will escape," Ran explained.

"And you won't be able to stop him for awhile," Suu frowned.

"But he is weakened," Dia soothed, "He will be easier to hunt down and defeat once and for all. And you must do this."

I nodded, "Okay, I'll get the rest to help, we'll track him down in no time and-"

"No," Ran cut me off with a gentle shake of her head.

"I'm sorry, Amu, but your friends cannot help you on this," Suu sighed.

"Why not?" I demanded, impatience and annoyance getting the better of me.

"We foresee a terrible fate for them if they embark on this quest with you," Miki said grimly.

I froze.

"What…what will happen to them?" I asked breathlessly.

Dia looked up at me mournfully.

"They will die."

Ikuto's POV

When I opened my eyes again, the bright light had faded and Amu laid limp on the ground. Her face was pale and her pink hair stuck to her forehead, mattered with blood.

A horrible panic filled me as memories of her dead body lying on the cold marble floor came rushing back to me and I dashed over to her.

Ever so carefully, I cradled her head in my hands, checking her neck for any sings of a pulse.

And, for a devastating few seconds, I found none.

But then, suddenly I felt it, the slow strumming of her heartbeat, weak but still there, and I broke out into a sob of relief.

"You're going to be okay," I whispered as I gently ran a hand over the laceration on her forehead, healing it up.

I was so absorbed in making sure she was okay, I didn't even notice Tadase standing over me.

"Ikuto," he whispered, his voice breathless and awestruck, "Look up."

I was confused by his statement for awhile, but then I realized that the sounds of the previously raging battle had died off and all that was left was a still, peaceful silence.

I tore my eyes away from Amu and glanced up, and my breath hitched at the sight before me.

Just now, what had been miles and miles of Fallen Angels locked in battle, now was rows of purified Angels lying peacefully on the floor, curled up in a ball and sound asleep.

"Wh-What happened?" I gaped.

"It must've been Amu's power," Tadase whispered, "She purified all of the Angels at one go."

I looked around in dumbstruck awe. I always knew Amu was powerful…but to have purified so many of them at one shot…I looked to the sleeping girl in my arms. She was more powerful than I ever imagined.

Just then, three female voices called out, jolting me out of the moment.

"Amu!" Utau, RIma and Yaya cried as they dashed over to Amu, their boyfriends (though rushing too) lagging behind them.

After fussing and making sure she was okay, Rima suddenly glanced up, her eyes wary and tired.

"Where's Akanoko?" she asked hesitantly and I froze.

Suddenly, I began to panic as I whipped my head around, desperate to see any clue of him lurking around, but I came up empty handed.

He's gone. He's gone.