I don't own Shugo Chara!

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Amu woke up in the morning to the vibrations of her phone. She checked the caller and frowned. Ikuto? Why was he calling her so early in the morning? She cleared her throat and picked her phone up.

"Hello?"

"Hey. I was wondering how far you got with the story? Because we're not even up to chapter two yet, so I was thinking we should sort of speed it up. Could you come over today? I mean, assuming you got it done."

Amu froze. Shit! She hadn't even started!

"U-um. Yeah! Of course. What time?"

"How about around five hours from now."

"Sure. Bye." The phone clicked off from the other end and she made to jump off the bed but collapsed, a searing pain centered on her inner thighs. She hissed and picked herself back up, remembering the painful events of the other day.

A sudden feeling of hopelessness filled her and she suddenly realized she already knew what to write.

Amu managed to shower quick enough to return to her desk and begin typing. The words were already formed in her head and the scenes played out in her mind. She described the emotions that churned in her stomach, the despair, and the pain.

The pain.

It was the one thing that made her want to shrivel into a ball. But the worst of them all.

Shame.

She was ashamed of being used. She was ashamed she wasn't pure. She was ashamed she couldn't fight back. She was ashamed that she was alive. She was so ashamed she wish she could die.

Amu looked up at the curtains, and the image of herself wrapping the curtains around her neck tightly replayed in her mind. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, needing to get herself away.

She quickly threw her laptop into her bag and stood up. The last place she wanted to be was here. Her second home.

Amu grabbed her bag and threw some clothes on before running out the door, only to slam into a tall figure.

"Ow...," she muttered, clutching her head and stumbling backwards. She caught herself by the door frame and looked up before looking up and gasping lightly. "I-I-I'm so sorry, Tadase. I d-didn't see y-you. R-really!"

Tadase grunted before looking down at the bag in her hands. Amu quickly tried to move it behind her back but he was faster. He grabbed her wrist and yanked it forward, eliciting a cry from her and created what seemed to be another bruise.

"What is that?" he growled, gripping her wrist harder as she tried to pull away. "Are you going somewhere?" Amu looked around the room wildly. What was she supposed to say? Should she tell the truth? "Answer me!"

"I-I'm going to m-meet up with a f-friend for a p-project!" Amu said, her voice cracking from the pain.

"Who? Tsukiyomi?" Tadase scoffed, "Since when was he your friend?" Suddenly, his eyes darkened. "Or are you lying to me, little Amu? Is he more than a friend?"

"No! No! No! I swear! I didn't even mean friend! We're just acquaintances!"

Tadase sneered, his eyes lighting up angrily. "Really? How about you take me with you?"

"No! No! He'll get suspicious!"

"You'll just wear makeup. And I'd like to see him formally." Amu said nothing and hung her head. "Go clean yourself up and meet me downstairs."

Amu walked to the bathroom dejectedly and glanced at the mirror. Her makeup was rushed; spots of blue could be barely made out. Amu sighed and hit herself on the head once. She'd have to remember to be careful. She carefully dabbed on some concealer, wincing ever so slightly and moved onto her arms. As she had expected, a bruise was already well into formation.

Once she finished her 'job' she headed downstairs, her heart thumping in her chest slowly. She followed Tadase out the door, jumping slightly when the door slammed shut behind them.

"Amu dear," Tadase said, his voice light and sweet. Amu's head shot up and she stared in shock at the beautiful, ruby red eyes. Had this been all a dream? He laughed gently and pulled an arm around her thin shoulders. "Let's go in the car, hmm?" Amu nodded dumbly and followed in, sinking into the plush seats.

When they had driven farther away he turned to her and smacked her on the head.

"Don't get the wrong idea, slut. There was a family there. They looked sweet, unlike you." Amu winced and nodded, trying to ignore the insult. "Give me the address."

Amu quickly looked through her phone and found it. When she finally told him, Tadase's eyes seemed to widen slightly. Amu tried to gather enough courage to ask him what the problem was.

"I-is there something wrong?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Amu nodded meekly, again, before fiddling with her fingers.

When they finally reached his house, Amu's heartbeat sped up. As they walked up the gravelly path, her heart thrashed in her rib cage wildly, like a bird trying to escape a cage. She lifted a trembling finger and pressed the doorbell.

Ding

The light noise traveled throughout the quiet house and Ikuto made his way to the front door. He was shocked to see an unknown blonde man, his arm wrapped around Amu's shoulders.

"Um..." Ikuto pointedly looked between Amu and Tadase.

"T-this is my boyfriend," Amu stammered before peeling herself away from him, only to be clamped to his side again, "and this is Ikuto, a classmate."

Ikuto raised his eyebrow. Why was she so nervous? It wasn't like he was going to bite her just because she had a boyfriend.

"Well. Okay. Are you coming in too?"

"No, no. I just wanted to drop her off," he smiled at Ikuto, his eyes slightly crinkling before turning to Amu. "Be good, honey. Have fun!" Ikuto didn't miss the squeeze he gave her on the arm, and he didn't miss the look in her eyes. He couldn't exactly place a finger on what it was, but he decided it wasn't entirely good. He shrugged to himself. It really wasn't his problem, unless she was getting beaten or something.

But that wouldn't happen... right?

Ikuto led Amu inside and was careful to show her to the now cleared living room/ They got to work immediately.

The change in Amu's writing was nothing short of drastic. The character's emotional turmoils were so perfectly portrayed, and her problems were so clearly and realistically outlined. It was almost as if she had been speaking from experience.

"Wow."

"Oh no...," Amu trailed off, looking nervous.

"No, it's really good!"

He was about to continue but a female figure walked in loudly, causing the two to raise their heads up in surprise.

Amu could only stare at the beauty presented in front of her. Her long, blonde hair was sported in pigtails, and her violet eyes were fierce. Her body was slim, bordering skinny, but her figure was still beautiful. But her skin was deathly pale, and Amu could notice the resemblance in color with her mother's, when she was ill. Despite the defensive stance, Amu could see her chest rising and falling rapidly; she was exhausted.

"Who are you?" the girl spat.

X

Hello! I decided to write my notes on the bottom now (:
Anyway, I know this chapter was short, but I'll probably update at least once more this week. And contrary to what I believed, my week will be hectic. But of course, I will make time to update because, it's still a break and I will get my rest. And if I can't balance everything out, I'll just sacrifice some of my sleep time. And I don't mind because I was actually such a terrible updater.
Thank you to those who have stuck with me, it really means a lot to me!
Please review, it really brightens up my mood and gets me more into the writing groove.
Thanks!
-Strawberry