hey guys, i know i havent updated in forever and i am majorly sorry. my laptop got taken away for repairs and i've only just got it back. i must say 4 weeks with no laptop is absolute hell! but dont worry, i'll be updating much quicker now. so enjoy! :D

Amu's POV

I ran, and ran. I didn't pay any attention to where I was going; I just knew that I had to get as far away from that school, away from Tsukiyomi Ikuto, as possible. I came to a stop at a park downtown. I had no idea where I was, and to be honest, I didn't care. I sat down on a nearby bench. I was in trouble and I knew it. I'd get punished for skipping school. After all, it took a lot to get me into that school. But right now, I had other things to worry about. He broke my facade. For the first time in ten years, the mask slipped. He was the first one to ever take notice, to even try. He was the first one to ever...care? No way. Why would he ever care about me? Why would anyone care about me? I'm a murder; a murderer who brings misfortune wherever she goes. How could anyone care for me? They would just end up getting hurt. I'm better off alone...I deserve to be alone...

Ikuto's POV

I was flicking through the file; there were police reports, letters from social services, psychological reports. They all talked about one thing. 'A tragic and disturbing incident that would probably scar her for life'. That's what it said. Though there was nothing more about it. It seemed, whatever happened, they didn't want anyone to know about. What could be that bad that she stops talking? I mean, whatever it is, it can't be that bad...

I was soon going to find out how wrong I was.

Amu's POV

I sat for hours, just staring up at the sky, watching as it slowly turned from a light, forget-me-not blue, to pink, and then to indigo. I sighed inwardly and got up. I was in enough trouble as it is, there was no point making it worse by staying out past curfew. I started walking slowly to the entrance of the park. Once I got there I looked around at my surroundings. It was only then that it dawned on me. I was lost. God dammit! I looked around, hoping to find some kind of sign to tell me my whereabouts, but of course, there weren't any. Well there was no point wondering around in a new city in the dark. I walked back to the bench and sat down, staring at the sky once again. Hey, who knows, maybe I'll get lucky. Maybe someone from school will walk passed and recognise me.....well I can dream cant I?

It was getting late and I could feel my eyelids drooping. Just a short nap wouldn't hurt would it? I let my eyelids fall, and was engulfed in darkness.

Ikuto's POV

I was strolling through the city like I usually do when I'm thinking. I let my feet lead me wherever they wanted to go, while I thought about everything that had happened that day. My thoughts drifted to Amu. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get her out of my head. All those reports, talking about some kind of incident. But what the hell could affect her so badly that she willingly gives up speech? Why would anyone do that?

I soon found myself at one of my favourite spots. It was a park on the outskirts of the city, and barely anyone came here because it was so out of the way. I loved walking there. It was always peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A place I could truly relax.

I glanced around and notice a couple of guys eyeing something on a bench. I could tell straight off that they were drunk, though I was curious of what they were staring at. I moved closer and saw a flash of pink. My eyes widened. It couldn't be.....could it? I walked closer, only to find my fears confirmed. There on the bench, asleep, was Amu. I walked past the two guys and picked her up. I put her on my back and turned to leave.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going? We saw 'er first!" his words were slurred and I could smell the alcohol on his breath ten feet away. I turned around to face them and sent them a menacing glare.

"You go near her again, and I will rip you to shreds." I growled. Both men shrank back in fear before scurrying away as fast as possible. I hoisted Amu a bit higher before setting off again. I could feel the heat radiating off of her. Great. Looks like she caught herself a fever. I decided to take her back to mine, as it was closer.

It took me about ten minutes to get home. I walked in and slammed the door to announce my arrival.

"Ah, Ikuto, you're ba-Hinamori-san? Ikuto, what did you do to her?" my dad walked over to me and lifted her off my back, before taking her over to the couch.

"I didn't do anything to her! I found her asleep in the park, with a couple of drunks eyeing her up. So I brought her here. Oh, and she's got a fever."

"Right, you take her upstairs, then go get your mother. I'll phone her dad, there's no way she's going anywhere in that state." I nodded and picked her up bridal style, and carried her up to my room. I laid her down on my bed and turned to go find my mum, only to be pulled back. I looked down and found her gripping my hand. I looked at her face and saw that it was filled with pain; i guessed she was having a nightmare. I tried to free my hand but she just held it tighter. I let out and exasperated sigh and sat down next to her. I stared at her as she slept. She looked so different than she did earlier. She looked so small and vulnerable. I reached forwards and swept some bangs out of her face, before caressing her cheek softly. I don't know why, but I'm getting strangely attached to this girl. I smiled gently, still caressing her cheek, and saw her relax.

I heard a soft giggle and my head shot up. There in the doorway were my parents, both smirking. I let out a low growl.

"What?" my mother let out another giggle.

"Oh, it's nothing. We've just never seen you act like this before. Let alone with a girl." My dad smirked even wider.

"Hey, it's not my fault. She grabbed my hand in her sleep and wouldn't let go."

"Whatever you say, Ikuto." He replied sceptically. I let out another growl and he just chuckled lightly. "Anyway, come on. Let's leave your mother to look after her." I nodded and walked towards the door. I took one last glance back at the sleeping girl before shutting the door.

Amu's POV

I woke up in a strange room. What the hell! Where am i? What happened last night? I remember sitting in the park, and then i decided to take a quick nap....but what the hell happened after that? I had no clue where I was, but I knew one thing. I had to get out of there. What if I'd been kidnapped? No! I can't go through that again! I got out of bed and started towards the door. My head started pounding, and i felt hot and dizzy. I soon found myself falling forwards. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the hit. It never came. Instead, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. I opened my eyes, and was instantly met with a pair of azure orbs. Ikuto!

"You know, it's not a very good idea to fall asleep on a park bench. You're lucky I turned up when I did. Otherwise you'd probably have been raped, or worse." I kept my expression blank and averted my eyes from his. He let out a sigh.

"Still refuse to talk to me huh?" he paused for a second, obviously waiting to see if I would reply. "*sigh* I am curious though. I mean, ten years without speaking. That must get pretty lonely." My eyes widened in shock as a smirk crept its way onto his face. How could he know that? The only people that are supposed to know are the authorities, my family and...

"Having the principal for a dad sure has its perks." His smirk widened as I stared at him, stunned. How much else did he know? "Anyway," he picked me up and placed me back on the bed. "You have a fever, so you need to rest." I stared up at him, my blank mask back on, hiding the confusion I felt inside. Why's he being so nice to me? Doesn't he know that I'll just end up hurting him? "Oh, and you don't have to worry, my dad called yours and told him what happened." He WHAT?! I shot out of bed in a panic and was half way to the door when my vision started to blur. I felt hot and dizzy again, and before i knew it, I was falling once again. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, and someone shouted my name, before I was plunged into darkness.

.x-X-x.

Everything was black. I could feel something cold pressed against my forehead, while my hand was surrounded by warmth. I could hear murmuring and I strained my ears to hear what was being said.

"...completely freaked out. She looked terrified."

"Well, from what I've seen, he seems to care about her a lot. It's probably nothing."

What, or more importantly, who, are they talking about?

"I guess."

I let my eyes flutter open and took in my surroundings. I was in the same room as before. I was lying in the bed with a wet cloth on my forehead. Ikuto was sat in a chair next to the bed, his hand in mine, talking to his dad, who was leaning against the wall.

"Ah, miss Hinamori! You're awake! How are you feeling? You gave us quite a scare." I stared at him blankly. "Well anyway, I've got work to do, so I'll leave you two alone." He walked out, shutting the door behind him. An awkward silence fell between us. I stared at the ceiling, avoiding Ikuto's gaze. I could feel his eyes boring into me.

"Okay, I can't do this." I turned to look at him. "Look, I'm not gonna force you to talk, seeing as you're ill. But can you at least answer some questions? You don't have to say anything. Just nod or shake your head." I nodded slowly, slightly apprehensive.

"Alright. One, are you feeling any better?" now that I actually thought about it, I was feeling a little better. I nodded, and saw the corners of his mouth twitch slightly. "Good. Now, do you know how long you've been out?" I shook my head. "Do you want to know?" I nodded quickly, though i was dreading the answer. "Three days." WHAT?!?! I made to leap out of bed but got pushed back down. "Oh, no you don't. You may be feeling a little better, but you're still ill." I shook my head frantically. I really needed to get out of there. I was in so much trouble. I struggled to get up, but he was to strong, and I could feel whatever strength I had draining away.

"Look, will you stop struggling! Why are you sp panicky? You were exactly the same when I mentioned your dad." I gave up and collapsed back onto the bed. I pulled a blank mask onto my face and looked away from him. I could feel his eyes on me, but I refused to make contact.

"Amu? Come on, you're scaring me now. What the hell has got you so terrified?" I looked down, so that my bangs covered my eyes, trying to fight back tears. I couldn't cry now. I just couldn't. I hadn't cried in ten years, and I didn't plan on starting now. My body started to quiver as I tried to keep the tears from falling. I wanted to cry so badly, to open myself up, and pour my soul out. But I couldn't. I promised I wouldn't. And if I broke that promise she would surely hate me. Wouldn't she?

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me protectively, pulling me into a hug. My eyes widened and I looked up to see Ikuto. He looked down at me and smiled gently and leant down, so that his mouth was next to my ear.

"You know, it's alright to cry once in a while." He whispered. That was all it took. The dam broke. I felt the tears roll down my cheeks, and I found myself clutching at Ikuto's shirt, sobbing silently into his chest. I could feel his hands running through my hair and rubbing circles on my back, as he whispered soothing words in my ear, until I finally stopped crying.

We sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company, wrapped up in our own thoughts. His arms were still wrapped around me, but I didn't care. I felt safe. I must have fallen asleep at some point, because next thing I know, I'm curled up under the blanket next to Ikuto, while his arms were wrapped around my waist. I felt my cheeks heat up as I realised how close we were, and tried to push away from him. He pulled me back and nuzzled my neck, darkening my blush.

"You didn't seem to mind how close we were last night." My mind flashed back to the events of the night before, as i finally realised what I'd done. I'd let him in. I'd let him see behind the mask. But why? Why does he have this effect on me? Why is it that he can get me to drop my charade? Why can he see through my mask? I sighed inwardly and pushed him away.

"So cold, Amu. Even after I gave you a shoulder to cry on last night." He put on a fake pout. I turned away from him. There was no way I could let last night repeat. I put my mask back on and stared across the room. "So are you going to tell me what that was about?"

Silence.

"Amu?" I rolled over so that my back was facing him. I heard him sigh. His arms snaked around my waist and he pulled me towards him. "Look, I'm not gonna try to force you to tell me, but can you at least do one thing for me?" I kept quiet, but gave a short nod, signalling for him to go on. "Can you stop with the act? That stupid facade doesn't work on me. You are allowed to show your emotions." I paused for a moment, but nodded. I felt him smile as he rested his head on mine. "Good."