Amu shot up in a start, the covers that once covered her body falling onto the floor. She breathed heavily,
furiously looking around at her surroundings. She was in her room. She flung her hands in front of her face. No cuts, but
a few little white marks where she had been digging her fingernails into her palm during her nightmare. She looked at the
clock on her nightstand. It was five in the morning. She yawned. She had to go work on song writing with Ikuto at 10:30
this morning. She decided that she would try to get some more sleep then. She checked to make sure that the alarm was still
set at 8:00. She rested her head against the pillow and attemped to fall asleep. Thoughts and memories of the nightmare ran
through her head. Her nightmare had never been anything like that before. Ever. At around six in the morining, Amu managed
to fall aleep.
"Amu," she heard Tadase's voice again.
"Amu," the voice beckoned for her to come closer.
"Amu," she heard a tapping noise.
"Amu," the voice came closer.
"Amu," she felt something tugging at her.
"Amu," she tried to run, but she was at the end of a cliff.
"Amu!" the voice said more sternly.
She couldn't take it. She jumped the cliff, "Tadase!"
Amu's face hit the floor with a thud.
"Who's Tadase?" Amu heard a familiar voice ask from the bed.
"Ikuto! What are you doing here? Its..." Amu looked at the clock, "11:23... ~nya?"
"Yeah, you over slept, and so I came to come get you," he sat down on the bed and helped her up from the floor,
frowning at her at her choice in pajamas.
"How do you know where I live ~nya? And how'd you get in here ~nya? And what are you frowning at ~nya?" she put her hands on her
hips assertively.
"I read your application to find where you live, I climbed in through the window, and I'm frowning at your pajamas,"
he looked up at her.
"And why are you frowning ~nya?"
"Long-sleeved peach pink plaid with a collar and long pants to match? Those were born to be frowned upon," he
shrugged.
"Okay, well, I'm going to get dressed, so get out ~nya," she grabbed his shoulders and started to push him over the bed.
Ikuto retaliated by grabbing her elbows and pushing her back, causing them to get in to a playful pushing fight. Every so often, Ikuto would ease up and let Amu push him across the bed, then he'd push her back. Ikuto put his feet up to her chest to hold her away. He rested back on to Amu's bed, and pushed Amu away with his feet. She fought back strongly, pushing his legs against his chest. He grunted as he felt his chest being smooshed. Ikuto quickly grabbed Amu's hands and tackled her to the floor, holding her in place. She squirmed, trying to get free so that she could retaliate, but Ikuto's grasp was too strong. He tightened his grip around her wrists to a point that he could see the pain on her face.
"Okay, okay! Uncle ~nya!" Amu yelled.
Ikuto released his grip on her wrists and sat back on her bed.
"Now, get out so I can change ~nya!" she yelled and pointed to the window.
"Okay, okay," Ikuto put his hands up defensively, "I'll be waiting outside." Ikuto went out the full length window and waited on the balcony.
Amu changed in to a pair of black skinny jeans and some low-cut converse, and a red tank top, along with her purse and of course the cat ears she was tricked into wearing for another six days. She ran down stairs and found her mom in the kitchen and told her that she was going out to practice with Ikuto, and that she'd be back later. She jogged back up the stairs and went out to her balcony. She looked around. She didn't see Ikuto anywhere. She looked to see if he was down on the ground, then thinking that she was crazy. He couldn't have jumped from all the way up here. She started to walk back in to her room to see if maybe he had gone back in there. Just as she turned around, something flew down in front of her.
"Yo, looking for me?" Ikuto said.
"Ikuto? What are you doing on my roof ~nya?"
He rolled backwards off of the black shingled roof, landing neatly on the railing of Amu's balcony. It made Amu wonder if Ikuto ever took gymnastics as a kid.
"I was waiting for you," he walked across the railing until he was leaning against the wall in front of the white checker patterned wood and vines that was attached to the wall. He grabbed on to the wood with one hand, then he climbed about a quarter of the way down, then he jumped off the wall and landed neatly in the grass.
Amu looked down at him, amazed.
"Well, come on," he said to her, "Here, I'll catch you."
"No way ~nya!"
Ikuto chuckled, "Scaredy-cat."
Amu looked down at the ground under the stone balcony. It was a far way down. If she landed wrong, she could get really hurt.
"Hurry up," he said. He put his arms out to catch her.
Amu swallowed the angry curses that were about to come out of her mouth and climbed up on to the railing. She started to walk to the wall when she missed her step. She tried to regain her balance by flailing her arms around wildly, but she fell off to the side. She screamed as the plummeted through the air, and expected to hit the ground. Instead, she landed in Ikuto's arms. She opened her eyes and looked up at him innocently.
"Told you I'd catch you," he said.
"Oops."
Ikuto pulled her closer to him and started walking around to the front of the house.
"Ikuto! Put me down ~nya!" she yelled as she struggled to get away.
"Trust me, Amu. If I put you down, you'll fall over or something. I didn't think you were that ungraceful."
Amu pouted as Ikuto pulled her even closer. Amu was happy that it was summer so almost everyone in her neighbor hood was either at work or on vacation. That way, no one could see her. Ikuto carried her the rest of the way to Shiragin's office.
"Okay, I think you can put me down now ~nya," Amu glared at Ikuto.
Ikuto simply shrugged and dropped Amu on to the couch, then sat down beside her and grabbed his laptop.
"So, based on your album artwork and your overall attitude, I think that you should sing punk love songs."
"Punk love songs?" Amu repeated.
"Yeah, like... Depressing songs about love and things like that. Like a boyfriend cheating on you or a bad breakup. You'd sings songs sort of like the ones that Paramore sings. You know that band?"
"Yeah," Amu nodded her head. That sounded interesting. She'd never really thought of singing like Paramore.
"And so since you're just starting, you need your first song to be about something deep," Ikuto paused as he thought of an idea, "Such as rape."
"Rape? I'm not singing about rape!"
"Amu," Ikuto started delicately.
"What?"
"You aren't 'seeing' anyone right now... Are you?" Ikuto asked.
Amu blushed, "What? Why?"
"Because," Ikuto leaned in dramatically.
Amu blushed as she stared him in the eye.
"Well that's obviously a no, and I understand why too. I don't see how anyone would want to go out with you. You are so demanding."
Amu hit him rather hard against the side of the head.
Ikuto laughed and playfully hit her back, "What, did you think I was going to ask you out or something?"
Amu blushed.
"So, we'll make your song about rape," Ikuto pulled up Notepad on his laptop.
Amu sighed and nodded her head.
"Okay, so, here's the plot," Ikuto started.
"A plot? Isn't that for like, novels and stuff ~nya?" Amu asked.
"Well, yeah, but songs tell stories too. Usually."
Amu nodded. She understood. Sort of.
"So here will be your plot, you finally got to go out with the guy of your dreams, but on your first date, he tried to go too far, and he ends up taking you home and... Yeah. You get it so far, right?"
Amu nodded.
"So then the bridge will be sort of a rant where he thinks that he knows how he hurt you and that he is sorry, but he doesn't really know how much he hurt you and that sort of stuff. Understand?" Ikuto asked.
"Uh, yeah. Mostly ~nya." Amu nodded her head.
"Okay, where do you want it set?"
"Um... You mean like... what point of time ~nya? Like, either while it's happening or after it happened?"
"Now you're catching on," he said, waiting to start typing.
"I want it to be after she was raped, and she's reflecting back on it... And thinking about how she truly did love him, but she couldn't love him after what he did to her," Amu blushed and looked down at her hands that balled up on her lap.
"So it will start out after she was raped. How about a setting where she is reading through messages that she had sent to him on Facebook and stuff like that?"
"Um, sure ~nya," Amu nodded her head.
Ikuto picked up his laptop and placed it on Amu's lap.
Amu looked at him. She didn't know what she was supposed to do.
"I'm going to the restroom, you start writing," Ikuto stood up and headed for the door.
Amu stared down and the blinking courser. Thoughts started to flow into her mind. So many things to type and ways to start out this sad song appeared in her head in an instant. She blushed as she started to type. Her fingers fly across the light grey keys, making a tapping noise as every letter appears on the screen. Amu was so busy typing that she didn't notice Ikuto walk back into the room.
"So what do you have so far?" Ikuto asked as he scanned over what she had written. Amu stopped typing as Ikuto read and looked over what she had written.
I read through our old messages
I reminisce about our past
I make a list of blatant reasons
Of why our relationship didn't last
I opened up my heart for you
Gave my lock and key to you
So call me crazy but I truly
Thought I could believe in you
In a relationship on March 2nd
A first date at the skating rink
But I don't know why I was surprised
When I felt your hands all over me
I opened up my heart for you
Gave my lock and key to you
So call me crazy but I truly
Thought I could believe in you
Ikuto read over the lyrics a couple more times, thinking of what could be added. "Good start," he smiled at her. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the couch and smiled at the sound of quick typing continuing on beside him. After a few minutes, the typing ceased, and he felt a petite finger poke him in the ribs. He lazily opened one eye to see Amu staring right at him. She was blushing madly, and looked as if she was about to cry. He leaned forward and started to read over the lyrics.
Amu read the lyrics to a tune she had been working up in her head.
I read through our old messages
I reminisce about our past
I make a list of blatant reasons
Of why our relationship didn't last
I opened up my heart for you
Gave my lock and key to you
So call me crazy but I truly
Thought I could believe in you
In a relationship on March 2nd
A first date at the skating rink
But I don't know why I was surprised
When I felt your hands all over me
I opened up my heart for you
Gave my lock and key to you
So call me crazy but I truly
Thought I could believe in you
You forced yourself on to me
And that was way too far
Your hands should stay above my waistband
I have no clue who you are
I opened up my heart for you
Gave my lock and key to you
So call me crazy but I truly
Thought I could believe in you
I opened up my heart to you
Gave my lock and key to you
So call me crazy but I truly
Thought I could believe in you
And you hurt me
And you scarred me
But you'll never know
The damage you caused
And you say you know
The damage you caused
But you don't
And you'll never know
The damage you caused
And you'll never know
How my heart was lost
I opened up my heart for you
Gave my lock and key to you
So call me crazy but I truly
Thought I could believe in you
I read through our old messages
I reminisce about our past
I make a list of all the blatant reasons
Of why our relationship didn't last
Of all the reasons our relationship just couldn't last
And the one reason on that list
Was that I gave my
Lock and key to you
Ikuto's throat closed up as he analyzed the hidden meaning behinds the words. He tried to relax when he remembered it was all made up from her imagination. But that was hard when he noticed how Amu's hands were shaking, and how she refused to look back at the laptop after reading it. Ikuto struggled to speak. "A… Amu," his voice came out as a hoarse whisper, "Are you okay?"
Amu picked up the laptop and placed it on Ikuto's lap and dashed out of the room, a sob escaping her lips.
Ikuto stared after her as a single one of Amu's warm tears landed on his cheek.