-Bows down- I am very sorry for not updating sooner! I've had a lot of crazy stuff going on in my life. I've had to move again, as I mentioned in my last chapter, and I've just been settling in and such. I've also painted my room. It's dark blue and GORGEOUS! I love it. But anyway, waiting for it to be totally painted and completed, then I can start moving my furniture in and setting it all up. Not an easy feat, especially with my loft bed, but I'll manage.

If anyone really wants another chapter and I'm taking too long, just PM me and tell me to get my lazy ass in gear. Sometimes I just need the motivation.

But for the record, I was doing some plotting the entire time. Like what's going to happen with Amu and such. That took forever to decide, but I've got it now, so I'll be able to write it.

Thanks to:

DarkChoclat

xXxKittyAmber x PuppyDantexXx

MegumiiiChannn

Stealthy Ninja

TaiintedInspiiration

XxSingingAgonyxX

GakuenAliceGRL

Zero-amu

Black-x-kimono-x-otaku

KekoNeko

dragonflyer30

luchia21100

For being wicked awesome reviewers!

Onto another note, Everyone seen the FINAL chapter of Shugo Chara Encore? Is it just me, or did it piss you off just a bit. I mean I was DEFINITELY ecstatic that Ikuto was back in all his sexiness, but we never really got much closure on who she chose…I really want that closure. It's still pretty open, but it seems to be leaning towards Amuto, as she did run around looking for him for hours ^^

But forgetting about that, how HILARIOUS was Amu's reaction to Nagihiko's confession. I died laughing. It was great. Rima petting Nagi was great too. So adorable. And the little Kutau moment there. It makes for a happy fan girl, that's all I'm saying.

Aruto was being a douche though. I mean he was AT the wedding and Ikuto had been looking for him for a long time. It doesn't seem fair that he didn't show himself. Ah but it was really nice to see Tsukasa, as he is one of my favorite characters and no one had seen him for a while.

Okay, enough ranting. I must do my play list then WRITE!

Music Playlist:

The Middle - Jimmy Eat World

Face Down - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Rooftops - Lost Prophets

Sell Your Soul - Hollywood Undead

Deathbed - There For Tomorrow

Oblivion - 30 Seconds To Mars

Crazy Loop - Dan Balan

Secrets - One Republic

If I Had You - Adam Lambert

Annie - Safetysuit

Forbidden Friendship - John Powell

Dark Blue - Jacks Mannequin

L490 - 30 Seconds To Mars

So that's it. That's what's keeping me focused on writing right now. All amazing songs, seriously.

Okay, so ONTO THE CHAPTER!

CHAPTER 8

Amu stood up and looked down. They were really high up. She knew if she fell, she wouldn't die. But still, she'd rather not fall out of the tree. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and jumped off the tree limb.

She was plummeting to the ground and she knew it. She opened her eyes and let out a shriek of terror as the ground neared.

"AMU! CONCENTRATE!" Ikuto's voice sounded close, but not close enough.

She did as she was told. She thought of soaring through the air gracefully like all the other vampires. The air around her felt like it was slowing and not rushing past her. The feeling was more like that of being underwater, rather than falling through the air. She cracked an eye open to see she was hovering a foot off the ground. It had definitely been a close call. She looked around for Ikuto and saw him hovering near her. "I did it!"

" Good job Amu. I'm impressed. I was sure that you were going to smash into the ground."

Amu stuck her tongue out at the boy and flew off. Ikuto chuckled and flew off after her. They raced around for a little while before Ikuto grabbed her hand and pulled her in a certain direction. " As much as I'd love to stay out here more, it's late, and you need to sleep."

"Don't you?"

"No. I don't sleep."

"Hikari mentioned something about some vampires not sleeping, she didn't really explain much about it though."

"It's a potion we drink. Most nobility take it at a very young age. Why, I don't exactly know. But it's actually quite nice not to be able to sleep."

"So what do you do when you're awake?"

"I practice my violin or I study."

With the words violin, she thought about today at school. The sound of him playing the violin was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever heard. " I heard you playing today. It was really gorgeous. It was like you were showing your emotions through the notes you played."

Ikuto looked over at her but said nothing. They flew in silence for a while before he eventually spoke. " Would you like me to play for you sometime?"

"Would you? That would be amazing!…I mean…yeah…I guess…if you want to," a blush would have been full on her face if she could blush. Ikuto smirked and moved so he was flying backwards and facing Amu. His face was too close for her liking, so she turned away. Her heart felt like it was racing, and she didn't know why. She barely even knew this guy. Was it possible to fall for someone so quickly? She wasn't quite sure on how to react to him being so near to her. Not to mention he was still holding her hand.

"Amu…," the tone of his voice made her look right at him. She was faced with those gorgeous eyes and felt her brain falter. She had no idea what he wanted from her, but she was certain that everything would be fine. He gazed at her before looking down. " We've arrived at your house."

Amu blinked and looked down to see her balcony. Since when had they even passed over town? She was so caught up in flying with Ikuto that she didn't even realize. He straightened up into a standing position and lowered her down. Miki appeared beside Amu and flew down with them. Amu stood up as her feet neared the ground. They touched the balcony at the same time and looked at each other.

"Thanks for teaching me how to fly properly Ikuto…," he nodded and was about to take off but Amu stopped him "Hey where's your bat? I've never seen him before."

"Hm? Oh. Well, I don't exactly have a bat…since I'm half cat demon, I got something a little different and extremely rare," he snapped his fingers and out of no where a black kitten landed on his shoulders. Amu would have thought it was a regular kitten, if not for the black wings protruding out it's back.

"You've got a winged cat?"

" His name is Yoru."

The winged cat in questioned mewed lightly and looked at Amu with golden eyes. She was absolutely captivated by how adorable this little kitten was. "Awww! He's adorable!"

Yoru mewed again and flew over to sit on Amu's other shoulder. Ikuto shot a mild glare at Yoru that Amu missed completely. She giggled as he licked her cheek and snuggled against her neck. Ikuto rolled his eyes and hopped up in the edge of the balcony. " Yoru, let's go," the black cat growled lightly but flew off to his master anyway. Amu noticed the mildly peeved look that flashed through his features. "I'll see you tomorrow at school Amu."

With that, he jumped off the balcony and into the night. Amu watched him and Yoru fly away from her house before she went inside to change for bed. It was already after midnight and she needed to be somewhat functional in class. As she changed, his face passed through her mind. Could it be that he was jealous of me giving my attention to Yoru? No that can't be it…could it?

She shrugged it off as her imagination and went to sleep.

The school day went by like it normally would. Ikuto acted like nothing happened and teased her with his tail when no one was looking. He was accepted into their little group quickly, as Kukai was happy to have more guys in the group. Everyone would tease Rima and Nagihiko about their relationship now and again, as everyone knew it was going to happen.

When evening came around, Amu made her way to Hikari's house. Jiro nodded at her and let her pass without a word. She made her way slowly down the path before using her full speed and rushing off to Hikari's house. Hikari was waiting on her porch, listening to a song on the radio. Amu knew the song, it was Crazy Darkness by Ayahi Takagaki. When Hikari saw her, the radio went off and she ran over to Amu.

"Ah, I am so sorry about yesterday. Did Tadase take you out like I asked?"

"Well...uh…no…"

"What? I told him to! Why that little-" Hikari looked like she would tear his head off in an instant if he was here. Which unluckily for him, he just happened to land beside the two girls. "YOU! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO AS YOU WERE TOLD!"

Tadase rolled his eyes as Hikari looked really to rip him to shreds. "I can't do anything if she doesn't show up."

Hikari cooled down instantly and turned to Amu. "You didn't come? Why not?"

"Well…I…uh…"

"Hey wait," Tadase shot Amu a glare. "The only one who DID show up was that stupid Tsukiyomi brat. You didn't go with him did you?"

Amu looked down and kicked a rock gently, but not gently enough as it rocketed into the creek. "Well Hikari wasn't there…"

"I can't believe you! They're dangerous people, those Tsukiyomi's! Especially that boy! Do you know how many vampiras he's taken as girlfriends? Too many! He uses and abuses them! Not to mention his family is responsible for wiping out almost all the werewolves in the world, him taking part in a few of the hunts before they became strictly illegal. He's a terrible guy and you cannot hang out with the likes of him."

Amu felt her heart sink. Did Ikuto really do those things? She felt like crying and it seemed like vampires could cry, as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Tadase stopped his rant and looked with worry at Amu. Hikari pulled her into a hug.

" I'm sorry Amu, but what Tadase said is correct. He's not the best of company to keep, none of the Tsukiyomi's are."

Amu pushed away from Hikari and ran into the forest. Why? Why was it that she just couldn't bare to deal with the information that was being giving to her? She ran and ran until she crashed into a tree. How she didn't see the tree, she didn't know. But the impact caused the tree to topple over with a loud crash on the forest floor. She stopped right there and sat on the trunk. There was nothing more she wanted to do.

Amu wasn't feeling the hunger that she usually felt. Just betrayal and disappointment. There was also confusion. Why was she feeling like this? Why did she care so much about what Ikuto did in that past and if she wasn't allowed to be with him? There was no reason in her mind for her to be feeling this way. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her forehead on her knees, just trying to sort out her own mind.

As she thought in silence, Miki came and sat on her shoulder. She liked the feeling of having someone who cared about her being near her. She reached a hand up and stroked Miki's head lightly. " I don't know what to do Miki…"

"Amu?"

Amu's head snapped up. She knew that voice. She whirled around to find Ikuto staring at her curiously. Yoru was rolling around in the air, playing with a moth he caught. Her heart sank lower as she watched the boy approach her. She stood up and took a few steps back. " Stay back."

"Why? You didn't have a problem with me yesterday or earlier today."

"That was before I knew…"

" Before you knew what?"

"…I-I have to leave, goodbye," Amu dashed off back towards her own place, or rather, in what direction she figured was her house was in. She needed to get out of there fast, as fast as possible. She concentrated then shot into the air. As she flew, she heard someone coming at her on both sides, glancing around, she saw Tadase on one side and Ikuto on the other. Ikuto reached Amu first as he was slightly faster than she was. He caught her arm in an iron grip and made her stop. " Let go!"

"RELEASE HER TSUKIYOMI IKUTO!" Tadase caught up to them and grabbed onto Amu's other arm.

"Are you going to make me?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Oh I'd LOVE to see you try."

"Bring it, you Tsukiyomi scum."

"Always with those nice words."

Tadase looked ready to attack and Ikuto looked ready to defend and attack back. He pulled at Amu's arm, making her move closer. Tadase growled and pulled back slightly harder. Amu felt like she might be torn apart if they continued this.

"ENOUGH!" Everyone turned to see Hikari flying as fast as a bullet over to them. She stopped and ripped Amu out of their grasps. " This is ridiculous."

"But Hika-"

"SILENCE!"

Tadase shut his mouth and floated there silently. Ikuto stared at Amu. " I'm confused to as what's going on."

Amu averted her eyes. Hikari looked directly at Ikuto. " Tadase told her about your past. All the girls you've had. All the hunts you've went on. He was just getting started."

Ikuto face fell for a moment before regaining composure. "I don't recall me having ANY girlfriends, nor hunting anything but my prey. If you're referring to the werewolf hunts, that was not me. I was asked to join in their 'games', as they liked to call it, but I refused. But if that's what you think of me Amu, then I'll leave you alone."

Ikuto flew off without another word. Amu could do nothing but watch him go. Hikari led her over to a patch of deer and forced her to eat. Nothing more was said by anyone. Amu left after that, not even looking at Tadase. He looked after her. "I'll escort her home."

He took off after her and Hikari sighed. She knew what had happened to Amu. Amu had broken a rule. Never fall in love with someone…it can only lead to heartbreak. "She's such a fool."

Amu wasn't even running at this point, just walking. She didn't even look at him when Tadase appeared beside her. They walked together in silence for a while before he spoke. " Amu I'm sorry."

"No…It's fine Tadase."

" Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, I think so," Amu smiled lightly. In what little light that the mood was giving off, she could see Tadase clearly. His hair was glowing slightly, as it was blond. That made her stop her depressing thoughts for a second. "You must dye your hair eh?"

"No…This is a wig actually. I had it fitted for me." Tadase reached up and pulled off the blond wig. Amu's train of thought left Ikuto completely as she saw Tadase with black hair for the first time.

"I-I like the black hair on you…"

"Thank you," Amu looked away. She couldn't be caught staring for too long. Tadase reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. " So can you forgive me for causing trouble between you and that Tsukiyo-I mean Ikuto?"

"Yeah…I think it's best he didn't go to my school anyway. He seems to be having a hard time coping with not killing people."

Tadase nodded but said nothing. He was still holding her hand, and she was okay with that, but part of her brain screamed at her that it should be Ikuto's hand she was holding. They made their way all the way to Amu's house before he let go. The wig was back on quickly and he sighed. " I'll see you tomorrow when I dropped Nadeshiko off."

"Right…goodnight."

He patted her head before leaving her alone. Amu trudged her way into the house and up into her room. She made no effort in changing out of her clothes and just closed her eyes. She was so confused. Ikuto was probably going to leave, and she would never see him again. She didn't like the idea of him leaving, but at the same time, she thought it was for the best. Her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Morning brought on slow movement and no real drive to do anything. She got ready for school just in time to the doorbell to ring and Nadeshiko to come in. " Good morning Amu-chan!"

"Good morning Nadeshiko. You seem happy today."

"I am! My parents agreed to let us do the camping trip…but Nagihiko is coming too, along with Kukai. Plus Tadase HAS to stay with us. But it'll be so much fun! I'm thinking about inviting Ikuto, just for you, what do you think?"

Amu's heart fell. What could she say to Nadeshiko? A no would mean questions, and a yes would lead to him being around in an awkward situation. "I don't know…maybe."

"Aw come on Amu! You know you want him to come."

"Like I said, maybe. We'll see. Besides, Tadase doesn't seem to like him too much, and since he's driving…well…"

Nadeshiko pouted but said nothing more. They left for school together and they started talking about where they were going to be for the camping trip. "Utau said she had a REALLY great camping spot."

Amu chuckled. They entered the school yard and met up with their friends. Amu didn't notice Ikuto once, or while she was walking to class. When she got there, he still wasn't there. Amu sighed and put her head on the desk. Did I really expect him to be here?

The door opened and she looked up to see the person on her mind. He didn't so much as look over at her as he sat down. Saaya started a conversation with him, as the teacher wasn't in the room and he seemed very keen on the attention. Amu glared slightly at Saaya without even realizing it. When she did, she blinked and looked out the window. Did I seriously just glare at Saaya for talking to Ikuto? I must be going CRAZY!

Amu sighed and put her head back on the desk. Nikaidou was late yet again, but no one seemed to mind. Amu closed her eyes and thought about the current situation. She made up her mind and took a deep breath to gain confidence. "Ikuto I'm sorry. Please don't be upset with me…"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

Amu felt relief that he was actually talking to her. But he was still keeping up his conversation with Saaya. "Because I said I was sorry. There's nothing more I can possibly say to you."

"Why do you even care about making amends with me? Wouldn't it be easier to stop contact with me? This human girl may be annoying, but I'm sure she'd provide me some fun."

"….If that's what you want, than fine! But you can't say I didn't apologies."

The conversation ended there. Nikaidou-sensei came in the classroom and began the lesson. Ikuto ignored Amu for the rest of the day. He joined them at lunch, but they didn't speak a single word to each other. The day continued on in that fashion and then the school day ended.

Amu walked home with Nadeshiko, feeling irritated. She had apologized to Ikuto for acting the way she did, but he didn't care. He was acting childish and annoying.

"So what's up with you and Ikuto anyway? You guys haven't spoken all day."

"Dunno. He just…doesn't want to converse with me anymore. Doesn't bother me though."

Nadeshiko frowned at her friend's obvious lie, but held her tongue. She had been doing that a lot, but she knew that Amu wouldn't come out and tell her the truth until she was ready. "That really sucks. And here I was hoping he would join us on our camping trip."

"Yeah well, he seems pretty interested in Saaya."

" Jealous?"

"No. Just think he can do a bit better than that."

" Someone more like you?"

"No…he's too….I don't know. But not for me."

"Uh-huh"

Amu was happy when her house came into view and Tadase was at the corner with the car. Nadeshiko said he goodbyes and then left Amu alone.

The evening brought on a simple hunt with Hikari and some more lessons in vampire history. The next morning brought on more of the same ignoring from Ikuto as it had been the day before, but this time, he didn't speak to Amu at all and didn't join the group for lunch. For that night, she hunted and went home to pack. The camping trip was the next day after school and they would be gone for the entire weekend. She was really excited to hang out with her friends, but she was also worried at the same time about the hunting issue. She knew that it would be a problem for Tadase as well. Hikari had given them permission to go, but Tadase had to watch over her carefully. Hikari also warned Amu that the dye in her hair would be wearing off soon, and that if she wanted it to stay pink, she would have to get it redone very shortly.

The school day went by quickly and all the group went home. Amu was to be picked up last, as her house was the furthest away from everyone else's. As she gathered her things by the front door, the doorbell rang. Amu opened the door, only to get glomp tackled by an overly excited Yaya.

" LET'S GO AMU-CHII!"

Yaya ran back to the vehicle. It was almost like a mini bus, but a tiny bit smaller. She knew it was custom designed, as the family did some work with vehicle manufacturing. Tadase came up to the door and grabbed her bags. "Grab Miki. She'll hate being alone."

Amu nodded and ran upstairs. Needless to say that Miki was unamused about being woken up in the middle of the day, but Amu threw on a jacket and thrust the bat in the inside pocket. "Stay and be quiet."

She ran back down stairs and went over to Tadase who was loading her luggage into the camper the bus/van was pulling. She put Miki in there and hopped into the vehicle. Though it looked like a bus, it was designed like a van. Yaya was bouncing up and down and everyone else looked excited. It wasn't everyday their parents allowed them to go on a camping trip, but learning that Tadase would be there made their parents feel at ease. Tadase hopped into the van and turned to the people in the vehicle.

"So where are we going to Utau-chan?"

"Well it's just past Koichi, down the highway. There's a little turn off that will JUST fit this van thing and then you keep driving until you can't drive anymore. It's really pretty up there and there's this gorgeous waterfall around."

Tadase nodded and drove. The girls were chatting excitedly while the two boys struck up their own conversations. It took over an hour and a half to get to the path and then another twenty minutes before they reached their destination. As everyone piled out and grabbed the tents to set up, as Tadase would be the only one in the camper, Amu was stopped by Tadase.

"What's wrong Tadase-kun?"

"I've got a bad feeling about this…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we're too close to….Nevermind. I think we'll be fine as long as we don't go too far…"

Tadase got out of the van without another word. Amu looked after him but decided that it was best she didn't know, as he was keeping it from her. But she couldn't help but wonder as to what he was talking about? Was there something potentially dangerous around this area?

"AMU-CHII! COME HELP SET UP OUR TENT OF WIN!" Yaya's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she ran over to help her friends set up their tent for the weekend.

Whew…I can't believe that took me 3 days to write. But it was my mom's boyfriend's fault. He interrupted me TWICE! So then I got writers block for a while and yeah…

IN any case, um….not much to say about this chapter. But I have now decided that I'm not going to do really long A/Ns and such. Reason being, I think like mostly all of you skip them to get to the actual chapter. SO instead, I'm going to post all that magical goodness in a little blog on my website, for those who actually WANT to read the information.

So the link for my website is on my fan fiction profile and I will blog a bit about this chapter, just thoughts and such, then I'll do the next chapter completely. If you're actually going to follow along with my blogs, let me know! It's nice to know who wants to read those things.

Well until the next chapter, which I will try to get up as soon as possible.