A/N: THAT'S RIGHT! I UPDATE EVERYDAY!!!! HAHAHAHA! XD

Chapter 2: Thugs

Ignoring my tiredness, I busily helped Mama clean up from the party. Ami had been too excited after the party, and wouldn't have gotten any work done so she and Ikuto had gone to play. I smiled to myself, he really was such a nice guy.

He'd make a good dad. I thought, but then I scolded myself. Don't have such weird thoughts Amu!

The phone rang repeatedly. I looked up; for the past minute I hadn't realized it had been ringing. Picking it up on what I was sure was its last ring I exclaimed,

"Hinamori residence, Amu speaking."

"Don't be so formal idiot." Utau replied in her high, pretty voice.

"Oh! Utau-chan! Wazzup?"

"Ugh! Kukai's graduation is getting closer and closer! I want a huge party celebrating it because after that we're going on tour! No one is allowed to forget this party!"

"Uh... sure?"

"SO AMU WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING ME!?" she whined.

"Utau... it was my sister's birthday today."

"Yeah I know, I sent her like ten new dresses as a present. So Amu what colors should the balloons be?"

"Um... green?"

"Green? That's your answer!? What kind of green? And what else? C'mon Amu give me something to work with! Oh well, how about food? And do you think I should demand it be a formal event or should I let it be semi-formal?"

"What about casual?" I asked mostly to just cause trouble. I knew Utau well enough to have predicted her reaction.

"CASUAL!? THIS IS MY PARTY!!!!!!!!"

"I thought it was Kukai's party..."

"Uh... THAT'S WHAT I SAID AMU! GOSH!" I rolled my eyes,

"Utau, how about you call Rima, I'm sure she'd love to help. And it's right up Sanjo-san's alley, so I'm going to continue cleaning."

"Stop cleaning and get over here I'm tired of talking on the phone."

"..." I didn't know how to respond,

"Great! See you soon!" there was a click as she hung up.

I got to Utau and Ikuto's apartment. The sun was still shone bright and high in the sky. Rima sat on the couch watching Yaya spaz and Utau write things on a large white board. Well it wasn't very white anymore. She'd covered nearly every inch of the thing in confusing notes and plans.

"Utau? You mind explaining all that?" I asked pointing at the board, "We all know you're obsessing over Kukai's party, but you might want to tone it down a bit." she turned to look at me. Her expression was clearly meant to say I was an idiot.

"Amu this is extremely simple!" She tapped her confusing diagrams for emphasis.

"It's not Amu's fault her brain's probably all gooey from Ikuto's proposal." Yaya shouted happily.

"Err... how did you know...?"

"Right right. You're forgiven Amu. Now back to the party—" Utau said, but no one was listening anymore.

"Amu how did he propose? Was it romantic?"

"Romantic? Not really. I was emailing people and then he suddenly said 'will you marry me' like it was nothing! He didn't even get down on one knee."

"Wow... if Kukai tried that he'd be as good as dead." Utau commented. We all laughed; it was too true.

Ikuto POV

Ami was swinging on the monkey bars when my cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID I flipped it open.

"Sup, Kukai?"

"Hey Ikuto! Did Amu answer you yet? It's been about a week."

"Ugh no! She just won't answer!"

"Well, it's not like she's going to say no." My heart stopped for a moment as I considered that possibility not for the first time. She couldn't say no. It would kill me. I felt myself getting weaker just thinking about a rejection. Then I started imagining all the ways she might tell me no:

"Ikuto, I'm sorry but no!"

"Ikuto... I can't."

Or maybe she would just be blunt about it, maybe it would be the end of us, "No, I won't marry you."

I closed my eyes for a second, letting the pain engulf me. Had I asked too soon? Did she have some kind of weird aversion to marriage? Were we already falling apart and I just didn't realize?

"Uh... Ikuto-kun? You there?" I was snapped out of my thoughts be Kukai.

"Y-yeah. Sure. Sorry."

"Don't sweat it dude. And, hey, don't worry about Amu, she's crazy about you. Ya just gotta relax."

"Kukai, I know Amu's not Utau and wouldn't want some kind of overwhelmingly grand proposal, but maybe I should try a little harder? Like a fancy dinner or something?"

"It's your call, man. I don't think I can help you, but you can help me! If I want to propose to Utau I'll have to plan months in advanced." I chuckled, my little sister would be expecting the best.

"And you'll have to drop subtle hints the entire time." I added, "Utau hates surprises."

"Yeah, I know." after a second of quiet we both broke into laughter. Ami looked my way and I waved at her. She was so cute, but in a different way than my Amu.

Amu's POV

"If Kukai proposed I'd want it to be really really romantic. I'd want for us to have a kind of feeling of privacy between us, but still be surrounded by a lot of people so they could clap and cheer when I said yes!" Utau exclaimed. I giggled. It was the exact opposite of what I wanted.

I'd have liked it if Ikuto had proposed to me under the moonlight sky, like how he'd confessed to me, and then for him to just hold me. I'd want him to just hold me until I gave him an answer, and even longer than that. I wanted it to just be him and me, alone without even our Charas.

Rima's eyes suddenly sparked, "If a guy proposed to me, and tried to make a joke out of it, I'd kill him with my bare hands." Utau, Yaya, and I all stared, stunned and terrified for a moment.

"I don't care about a ring, I'd want a puppy!" Yaya suddenly exclaimed which had us all laughing.

Ikuto's POV

I was walking along with Ami. She and Yoru were peering curiously into shop windows as we passed them. It was getting a little late. Amu had called me, telling me she'd spent the day with Utau and her other girl friends, and then asked me how my day had been.

Titling my head back to look at the wisps of clouds in the sky I allowed myself to be drowned by the overwhelming ache in my heart. I couldn't stand not being with her. Her mere presence made up my entire life. The emotion called love, it was almost painful, especially because it was for that girl. I'd loved her since the day we met. Okay, I'd been hesitant to admit feelings for anyone into my heart, but it had been certain when... well I'm not really sure. Maybe I was sure she was the one when she went to go get her Chara from Nikaido. Maybe it was the time before that... yes it was definitely before that.

Looking away from the sky, I suddenly noticed some strange men. They wore business casual clothing and sunglasses. They were looking around suspiciously, and one kept glancing in my direction. I grabbed Ami's hand.

"C'mon, let's get home so we can eat all that left over cake." I told her, not wanting her to worry. I knew better than to tell myself that it was probably nothing.

"Ikuto-onii, why are those men following us?" Ami asked. I gasped. I hadn't realized they were following us so closely. I must have been distracted by my memories of Amu.

"Ignore them Ami. Just keep hold of my hand." I started in a different direction, deciding to take a quicker route to Amu's house. Yoru whispered in my ear,

"Ikuto, we need to lose those creeps, nya!"

"I know, but I don't want to scare Ami." I replied under my breath. I quickened my pace, practically lifting Ami from the ground as I walked. I noted that she was taller than Amu had been when she was eleven.

"Hey! Young man! You lost or something?" I whirled around, to see those stalkers had closed in around Ami and I. Turning back the other way I spotted a couple more heading toward me. I character transformed immediately.

"Ami, stay back." I ordered her. She backed away a couple steps, keeping her distance from the approaching thugs. I turned to them all, barking at them, "And you stay away from her." the men all pulled out guns, but not just any guns, they were X Lasers. I hadn't seen those in a long time, but that didn't mean they were any less dangerous.

One guy rushed at me. I jumped to the side only to be tackled by another. Something sharp dug into my leg before I could try to stab the guy. I growled, trying to ignore the pain. You've gone soft. I told myself. My retractable claws sliced against one of the men's chest. He didn't even flinch. What the hell?

"Surprised?" The obviously highest-ranking man asked smugly. We aren't idiots. Like we would just wear suits to fight you." He opened up his jacket and pointed at a shiny vest, "Vests made with metal, specially designed for combat with you." the man chuckled, "Yes, you really are that infamous, Tsukiyomi Ikuto." I jerked forward, trying to slice the guy's head, but another thug grabbed my arm and held me back while a different one stuck an X Laser to the side of my head. I heard a scream and instinctively turned.

I don't know what happened first, me seeing Ami being shoved into a black van or the huge bang sound and the searing pain. After both of those can an odd weakness, and then I was almost consumed by darkness. My vision became tunnels and everything was gray and hazy. I fell to my knees, gasping. Damn X Lasers. As I listened to Ami's last cry of protest I felt the weighty feeling of despair and fainted.

Ami's POV

"NOOO!" I cried. Ikuto-onii had been shot in the head by some kind of gun. For some reason I suddenly had the knowledge that it was an X Laser. Why was I so smart all of a sudden? After the party it felt like I was some sort of genius. A man shoved me into the back of the van.

"Put your seat belt on! We don't want to hurt you. You're just going on a little trip okay girlie?" the faceless thug said. I felt a scary abyss of fear closing in on me, when suddenly a white and shining voice echoed from the bottom of my soul,

"You'll be alright Ami. Don't let these guys bother you." Swallowing my fears I buckled my seat belt, sat up straight, and inquired in my most grown up voice, "What is this all about?" I reached into my jacket pocket and hugged my heart egg tightly

Author's Note: Chapter 2, dun dun dun! :D I know you're probably thinking "what the heck?" well explanations later ok? Right now just let it all sink in. And if you wondering about the whole X Laser thing you might want to read chapter 15 of Amuto Island, the parts with Ikuto's POV.