Amu stood, frozen to the spot. Ikuto's glare chilled her to the bone. He was peering out from behind his hair and his mouth was curled up in a smug fashion.

"What..?" Amu asked stupidly.

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "Amu, you have no backbone. Here you are pretending to be a nice little, obedient princess all for your parents. But, that's not what you're really like. And if it is and I'm somehow miscalculating, then you don't suit me. Sorry" He shrugged

Amu looked down as a piece of hair escaped from her bun. "Ikuto.."

Ikuto turned on his heel and started to walk away. Amu wanted to chase after him. She wanted to grab his arm and tell him that he saw right through her. She wanted him to look at her. But, that was stupid. He doesn't like me and I don't like him, She thought. But even despite all that she clenched her fist.

"Ikuto! Don't walk away! You can't leave me here!" she called after him

"Oh yea? And who says I can't?" Ikuto called over his shoulder.

Amu was so confused. She wanted him to leave and she wanted him to stay. Amu thought about his question. Ikuto's form was getting farther and farther away.

"Your wife! I'm telling you that you can't leave me here! Listen to me, Ikuto!"

Ikuto turned around. He looked at Amu standing there with her fists clenched, yelling after a guy she barely knew. His eyes softened.

"Sorry, Amu. Just leave me alone. See you later." He looked into the bushes, "Yoru!" he called, "We're leaving!"

A tiny blue cat guardian character floated out from the bushes and landed on Ikuto's shoulder.

"Hey, Ikuto-nya. Can we get some grub after this?" It said

Cat ears and a tail appeared sprung up from Ikuto. "Yeah. Let's go, Yoru."

Amu broke away from the spell she was under and ran toward Ikuto and his guardian character called, Yoru.

"IKUTO!" Amu yelled as she lunged toward him. He leapt out of her grasp and jumped toward the tiny town off to the right. Amu stood there panting. A few tears escaped her golden brown eyes. "WAIT, WHAT? Why am I..crying? I don't care about that stupid guy anyways. I deserve much better. I can get much better anyways." She huffed and turned to stomp back into the throne room.

When Amu arrived at the throne room she hovered outside the door. She could hear her mother and Ikuto's mother talking.

"I ever so do hope that Ikuto get's along with Amu-chan." Ikuto's mother said quietly.

Her mother spoke up, "Oh, I'm sure they'll get along fine. Why, I bet right about now, they're laughing and catching up. After all it's been forever since they've seen each other last."

Wait, what did she just say? Did Mama say that Ikuto and I knew each other when we were younger? That's impossible. He doesn't look the least bit familiar!, Amu thought to herself as she brought up Ikuto's face in her mind. She shook her head. Not the least bit familiar. Then Amu walked closer and put her ear to the door. Ikuto's mother, Hoshina Souko, sighed.

"Yes, but lately Ikuto's taken a turn for the worse. All he ever does is lock himself up in his room. He constantly goes out to town to talk to all those ruffians and I'm afraid they've had quite a bit of influence on him!"

"Oh, Hoshina-san! You don't think…I mean. There's no way!" Amu's mother exclaimed

"Yes. I would like to believe that he's still the same person that he was when he knew Amu, but-…I'm sorry. Now, isn't the time to bring up old memories."

"Yes, I agree. I'm sorry I brought this subject up."

Amu chose that time to gently creak open the door and peek inside. Souko and her mother were exiting and her father was sitting on his throne talking to Aruto, Ikuto's father. Amu decided that she would have a better chance of sneaking by them and following her mother, if she went in while her father was occupied. Amu opened the door a few more inches and slipped in. Her father was having a heated discussion with Aruto on which violin brand was the best. Amu shook her head as she dashed behind a plant and got down on her knees to crawl past them. She knew that she was getting her new dress dirty but, she didn't want to be questioned on how everything went with Ikuto. Amu didn't like lying and she wasn't a very good liar at that.

When she reached the other side of the room she opened the door and it made a very prominent ccrreeaaaakkk. Amu rushed past the door and slammed it behind her. She heard talking down the left corridor and followed it to find Souko and Ikuto having an argument.

"-andwhere is Amu-chan, Ikuto!" Souko questioned

"I told her that I wouldn't marry her for all the money and status in the world."

A clear slap echoed in the corridors. Ikuto's head was turned and he has a red mark on his right cheek. Souko's hand was still raised.

"Ikuto, you know I don't like doing that, but you just don't listen to a thing I say! When we we're on our way here what did I tell you?"

Ikuto didn't answer. Souko grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently.

"What did I tell you? Do you remember?"

Yoru was hovering behind Souko making faces and chewing on her hair, trying to get Ikuto happy again. Amu didn't know what was happening but she was somehow intrigued with Ikuto and his life.

"You told me that…I have to be polite no matter what, or else."

"Or else what, honey?"

"Or else-" Ikuto's eyes went wide as he looked down suddenly. He cringed and turned away from his mother. "Whatever. Goodbye, mother." He said bitterly and then walked off.

"Oh, my." Souko sighed, rubbing her forehead

Amu's eyes widened as she replayed the events that she had witnessed. Or else what? She wondered. What I saw in Ikuto's eyes was true fear and nothing else for that quick second. What could he have been so afraid of? How do I know him from when I was younger? What was he to me? How long ago was it? Amu's questions just kept coming and coming. She was suddenly hit with a wave of dizzy-ness. She tried to remember. She had to remember. She groaned as she fell onto her knees, revealing that she had witnessed them. Souko turned around quickly to see Amu sprawled out onto the floor. She rushed over and knelt down next to Amu.

"Oh, Amu-chan! Oh, my. Are you alright?" She sputtered

Amu groaned, "Ikuto…where's Ikuto…?"

Surprise and panic settled over Souko's features. "Oh, goodness! You saw that did you! That won't do at all." She got up. "Don't worry, Amu-chan, you won't remember anything you just saw when you wake up. No sense in having that little argument on your mind is there?"

Souko started jogging toward the throne room calling for Amu's parents. Telling them that something had happened to Amu. Amu groaned again and curled up in a ball. Then, everything went black.

"You won't remember a thing."

It's beginning