Amu's P.O.V.

Growing on her? Ikuto was growing on her?

Well obviously she'd spoken too soon. The ass hat was the type of person Amu hated no matter the circumstances. He'd basically forced her to talk about parts of her past she didn't want to relive.

"You need to grow up and get over that stupid fear!"Her father had yelled at her when he found out about the incident.

"Sir, your daughter is obviously being seriously bullied by her classmates, I think you should-"

"You?! You don't think for me! This is my daughter! I'm the one who decides her life! I decide how things go! Now get out of my house!"

That had been the last person to attempt to help Amu. The rest turned a blind eye and pretended everything was peachy.

The issue in the fourth grade that had induced her fear of the dark, if her mother had been there... it might have ended differently.

Her mother... that was right, it was three days away... the anniversary of her mother's death, what was it... thirteen years, fourteen? It didn't matter how many years, any amount was too long.

Her mother was the reason Amu was still on earth. Her mother had helped her through the first six years of life. All she could do was remember all the beauty and happiness that was brought to the world when Midori smiled.

Midori didn't die from a car accident or a mugging, she didn't commit suicide. There had been an earthquake where Midori worked. It was as simple as that. The building collapsed and killed three people immediately. Midori was one of them.

That wasn't really the turning point for Tsumugu, he'd always been a cold, condescending, douchebag. In fact, after Midori died he stayed the same as he had before.

However now Amu had no one to lean on for support. her sister was too young, the kids at school hated her.

Years passed by like that, which led to the moment Amu was in. Lying in her locked room in her underwear while she tried to bide her time hiding from Ikuto. Not that she needed to hide, she was just allergic to bullshit, and he was full of it. Also the jerk hadn't bothered to apologize for his crude actions. She didn't expect to see him for the next week at least.

Which was why him knocking on her door surprised her.

"What do you want?" She asked, clasping her hands behind her head. Yoru curled up on her stomach yawning, his soft fur tickled her bare skin.

"Apparently too much alone time can drive a person crazy, I don't want that to happen so I'm asking to have a truce between us."

"You're really funny! Go away."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." She turned onto her side so she was facing the door causing Yoru to leap up and take cover under the bed. "You basically force me to confront one of my worst fears and then you don't even bother to sound remorseful. And why did it take you an entire night to even attempt the shittiest sounding apology I've ever heard?"

"Sorry."

"Yes because the next crappy attempt will make up for the last one."

"You sound like a girl."

"Well excuse me for hating the very blood that flows through your veins! It's not like you could just shut up and leave me alone. Which was the ONLY thing I asked for."

"I'm bored."

"So you're cramming your nose in my business? My business, is none of yours so stay out of it. You expect me to like you, you expect me to talk to you! Maybe you should take in account the fact that I hate people like you because I've had to deal with them before! They're vain, narcissistic, nasty, and all around horrible. They crush anyone who is considered lower then them. They do whatever they want not bothering to think about the lives they ruin when they do. They use their money for their own gain taking down anyone who would challenge them! They're demeaning and egotistic!"

"Money is supposed to be used for personal gain buddy." Ikuto said. "If you seem to know so much about the world then you should know that there isn't anything you can do about it. Another thing, this isn't my house, meaning it must be yours. Why are you complaining about people with your wealth being a burden, you have money. Shouldn't that be enough to make you happy? I don't get why your so angry."

"Don't even act like you know anything about me!" Amu laughed sarcastically. "You want to know why I utterly despise people like that?! Because they always came after me! It didn't matter what it was! And the person who was basically the ringleader of them all, was my dad! That's right my own father would treat me like garbage because I didn't meet his standards! And what else am I supposed to do with all this anger?! Tell someone! I don't have one goddamn person to tell! Sorry for ruining your perfect little bubble of the social circle you live in, but not all of us have glorious lives just because there's money! We feel pain and anger!"

Ikuto chuckled. "I knew society was screwed up, but it's easier to ignore the problems and have as much fun as you want. I find more comfort in spending nights with girls then I do in spending time thinking about societal issues."

"If only I could be as oblivious." Amu snarled. Something clicked inside of her though, that was probably the first time Ikuto had done something cruel to her. Everyone else always choose her for their anger relief when she met them. Ikuto had never done that.'He's still an annoying ass hat.' Grinning at the truth she stood up walking to her closet to start getting dressed. Her anger was seeming to subside.

So she pulled out some a cloth wrap she'd found, and began to bind.

"Akira."

"What?" Amu grunted as she bound her chest.

"Look I can't do anything for the other stuff, but I guess I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't realize that was something you had problems with."

'An actual apology that sounds like one. It's a miracle.'She glanced at the door. 'Probably the best I'll get from this guy.' Amu yanked on a red tang top that covered her binding well. She then threw on a pair of khaki shorts and walked out of the room pulling open the door making Ikuto sprawl face first onto the floor.

The pinkette looked down at him snickering at how stupid he looked.

He looked at her and froze. "You're smiling?"

Realizing it herself she forced her lips back into their normal appearance. "The third attempt wasn't as bad as the first two. Try anything like that again, and I will claw your eyes out."

With that she dragged him out shutting her door before walking down the steps with Yoru trailing behind.

Her stomach felt like a bottomless pit that needed to be filled.

Hunger, it was one of the first times in years that she was actually eating because of it.