Teirra: Hi, guys. I just realized, I can talk to you guys from within the confines of my anti-internet room. ^^; just remembered it was only being uploaded, and I can just write it instead of Samaru.

Ikuto: *Rolls eyes* way to go, genius. And why do I have to be called gay? I'm not gay. Why?

Ame: Because, idiot. People like that kind of crap. And don't go hiding in my closet again.

Muko: I was in the closet too.^^

Ikuto: *slaps Muko* Shuddup.

Muko: Ite!

Amu: anyway, Teirra wanted to point out that the last chapter wasn't edited the right way, so ignore some repetitive parts like, Pure white with Purity, or "What a masquerade you hide behind." And, Teirra also left out the fact that Karasu has a drama mask that swaps back and forth with her mood swing on her headband. When she's sad she has a notebook, and when she's happy, a drawing pad.

Teirra: So, you guys all know the drill, I don't own anything but my own concept, so chill it. And, thx for all the good reviews. I still get to read my e-mails when I ask, so I can reply most of the time. Love you bunches!

Chapter 8--Get back into the rhythm

\\Ame's PoV\\

I chewed the eraser of my pencil, sitting at my desk in my room. I had a million and one things running through my head as I stared at my blank piece of paper.

I sighed, leaning back and running my hands through my hair.

Why had Ikuto changed his mind? If he was apart of Easter, then wasn't he supposed to do what he's told? Evidently, he'd been assigned to take me into custody, But he'd decided not to. Why? Why, why, why, why, why?

Shiro played out in my mind too. He'd shown obvious distaste for Ikuto, so that led me to believe that Ikuto has done some things that Shiro isn't too ecstatic about. And that probably means I won't be too blissful about it either.

The thing that was watching me earlier yesterday, well, it's still watching me today. I was getting really nervous with it always around, somewhere hidden in the shadows. It's almost as if it were in my room with me, above my TV screen…

I glanced at my closet and narrowed my eyes. He'd heard every word I'd said. He knew me now on the inside. Ikuto could see me (Muko too, but I didn't care) now. Was he laughing right now as he reminisced back on two nights ago? Or was he contemplating on why? I didn't know. Ikuto, well, he was a mysterious person. Someone I couldn't figure out.

But gorgeous. Definitely gorgeous.

I grabbed the Humpty lock, as he'd called it, and held it away from my chest to examine it. What kind of Power was Shiro so upset about? Nothing I was capable of, surely.

But, if it's a lock, does it have a key?

So, I returned to the paper on my desk, feeling a vein popping in my forehead as I ignored the thing watching me, and the soft snores of Mina and Karasu, who were still asleep. It was about eight in the morning right now, and I hadn't slept all night as usual, so this was understandable.

I had to write a song, had to get back into the rhythm. I had to get something so freakin' awesome, it blew Utau out of the water and back onto land, where reality waited for her; That I was better.

But, like they always say, when a girl's not talking, a million things are running through her mind.

I shook my head vigorously. "C'mon, Ame! Think, think! You think you can, you think--wait, no, you know you can!" I growled, put the tip of my pencil to the paper.

My hand didn't move a millimeter.

"Ame, why don't you write about something that relates to what you're going through." Mina's voice startled me, and she pounced down onto the corner of the white paper. "I'll help you out this time, instead of Karasu." She said eagerly, and those big yellow cat eyes got the better of me for a moment.

"Sorry Mina, but you're only good for a caterwaul." I teased, and flicked her nose.

"I didn't mean like that. Here, let me show you." She flew up in my face and closed my eyes with her paws. "Imagine the outline of your body. Just the contour, noting else."

I sighed, but obeyed. I envisioned my body's silhouette, outlined in a glowing white line on a blue-black background.

"Alright, now, focus on your heart. In the center of your chest, what do you see?"

I saw nothing. Nada, zip, zero, zilch. It was like I was looking in the wrong place, or I didn't have a heart at all. "I don't see anything…" I murmured uneasily.

Maybe it's been so long since I've actually used my heart, that I forgot there was one at all. But, that can't be right; Mina was right there in front of me, forcing me to do this.

"Sorta. You have to remember, Ame-chan, that my special skill is finding something that got lost. Now, what did you feel when you got the Humpty Lock that night?"

"I felt warm, because you'd inspired me to get back on track again."

"Remember that feeling. What do you see now?"

"Jeez, Doctor Phil, is this a therapy session?"

"Just do it."

I did. I cross-referenced the empty shell of my body, with that warm, fuzzy, almost complete feeling, and felt astonishment run through me.

A light was growing there, small and insignificant, but definitely something to notice. "Mina, I see something."

"Let's keep going, then!" She purred happily, the chirp amusing me. " What emotions have you recently felt. Maybe a certain someone…" She nudged me playfully. She probably meant Shiro, what with him asking me out and all, but…

My mind took a left turn toward Ikuto (left because I'm left handed. Just wanted to throw that out there). I blushed copiously, and groaned as I felt his scent come back from the pit of my mind. "I've been trying so hard to forget that smell!"

But it was doing something to the white light in my chest. It was like a sleeping monster had just been awakened, curling out, and branching off into different flickers of red-tinged light. It was stretching and yawning, waking up the 'me' inside.

Was Ikuto really waking me up like that? I mean, I started to realize this feeling immediately after I'd met him, but there was no relation of him to my mental state of mind at that time.

Wait a minute! Wake me up…

I snapped my eyes open with a grin. "Got it Mina. Thank you!"

My pencil scratched across the paper for a few hours after that.

//Ikuto PoV//

I couldn't believe I did that.

Here I was, standing in front of the man I hated most--the one I wanted to put through so much agonizing pain and torture, I wanted him to live. If only for the sake of me ripping his heart out of his chest and watching him bleed to death as I snapped the chords. I wanted to throw him in Hell myself when the time came, even if I was going too. I'd live in hell, if I could watch him suffering the same thing.

Kuzuomi stared me down with his hard, unflinching black gaze, and I stared just as hard back. "Ikuto, you must explain why you didn't report to me about how Hinamori-san has obtained the Humpty Lock into her possession."

I should have known that he would have someone watching me, to make sure I was obeying orders. I wasn't exactly the employee of the month, nor a role model in obedience. And now, he knew about Ame all the same, and it was my fault.

Nonchalantly, I turned my head to the side to not look at him, and flicked my black ears back. "No reason. It was seemingly uninteresting to me at the time." I wasn't lying. It had been in my 'Least favorite things to do right now' list.

"I don't care if it was interesting to you or not. I'm the boss, you're the worker. Get that straight, alley-cat." He snarled, and I turned to look at him again, mouth fighting a snarl myself. "Besides, I can see right through you, Ikuto. You wanted to protect her."

I stayed blank, and his smile deepened cruelly.

"Did you happen to fall in love with her? Like Muko did her little sister?" He must have had someone around when we were talking in the street! Annoyance turned to anger as I feared for Ame and her family. He now had house residence, and if he followed us to Yuuta's, medical records, family, information, and my personal business. That was eating away at me like battery acid. He knew something more about me. I swore in my head.

"So, you wanted to keep her to yourself, is it? Isn't that a little selfish?" He examined a picture of Ame, snapped sometime yesterday. Her face was an innocent expression, doubt, hurt, and confusion all there in those Hinamori Eyes. "What a pretty girl, certainly capable being of use for Easter…"He was saying something more than that, but I blocked him out as I observed her eyes for a moment longer.

Something wasn't right, down in those gold depths. It wasn't that there was something particularly striking about them, just something that set me off, nagging at some piece of information that didn't make sense.

Why…was there red in her eyes? Not like when Mina gets angry and Makes Ame angry, but actually, in a soft, almost unrecognizable form. It was like a painter had taken his thinnest brush and dipped it in crimson, dragging it at a diagonal slope across her iris, pupil, and iris again.

Now that I look at it clearly now, her pupils weren't completely black either. They were the darkest, decipherable gray there was, but definitely not black.

I realized what it was, and stifled a gasp of horror.

No way, no way, no way! That's not possible. Why didn't I see it sooner?

"Ikuto, are you even listening?" I heard him snap at me, and I looked up immediately. "If you don't go and arrange her meeting with us--" By which, he meant kidnap her, "--I'll be forced to give you the Doll--."

But I was already out the door.

Teirra: So, How was it? Good, bad? Gray? I had fun writing this one, definitely.

Ame: What's different about my eyes? *checks out mirror* No flippin' way! That's so cool! Why haven't I noticed before?

Ikuto: It won't be awesome later--

Teirra: *glomps him* Nooooooooo!!! Don't give it away! It's a secret!!!

Muko: What are you two doing on the floor? I thought Ikuto was with Ame and Amu?

Ame and Amu: *death glares*

Teirra: Uh…He started it. Anyway. I just want to go ahead and say it, if anyone out there reading this story ever needs to ask me a question, please email it to me instead pf PMing, cuz I hate having to open a new internet box every freaking time I reply. And e-mail's more fun. (my email is full of Ladireckless' PM. ^~^; Haven't deleted em yet.)

Oh, and if you went to winter jam in B'ham AL, ((Aisle 20, 21, Baby!)) hit me up, cuz I went too. It was awesome, and has inspired me greatly in this story. You can definitely expect Ame in concert.

Remember, Spare the drama!