Sorry for the late update. I've been caught up with schoolwork and the like. And winter break is almost over. D: I was hoping to update at least twice but that's not happening. T.T But at least I'm updating this one. [:
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, jEzzy mISt-miSSy, CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL, FlowerFairy9751, ShugoCharaLuvr, JayMar, xheyxhaleyx, Sukiya62, XX-SchitsoManiacAmutoLuver-XX, Innocence and Instinct, MaikaKitsune18, Foxgrl18, AmuKuroNekoHime, Xx-Akira-Koi-xX, Glaceon1997
I see new reviewers [: Yay~ :D Hope you guys review till the end and maybe check out my other one-shots? :D
This chapter may not be the most exciting (like the end of last chapter; that was intense yo. ;D) but I don't know how it'll turn out. (I should really start planning my chapters… ._.)
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
X-x-Flashback of Chapter 10-x-X
And then I felt the searing pain in my neck, my head, everywhere. I gasped for air and clutched my head.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you as soon as I can." He had already reached the car in no time and buckled both of us up. He sped out of the parking lot and down the road.
My suspicions from before were confirmed.
Ikuto was a vampire.
X-x-End of Flashback-x-X
X-x-X
Fear
Amu's POV
I woke up, finding myself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. A scorching pain seared my throat and I gasped for breath, clutching my neck. It hurt so, so much. Then, I saw Ikuto's father right beside me. He held me down as I writhed around and shrieked in agony.
"This will hurt but it has to be done, Amu-san," he said gravely. I saw his fangs and fear swept through me. In a split second, his teeth sank into my neck, making me scream. I could feel him sucking the blood out of me. I continued to yell but soon it faded for I've lost consciousness.
X-x-X
Ikuto clutched his head and buried it between his knees. The horrible shrieks of Amu sent Ikuto mad.
"It's all my fault, it's all my fault…" he repeatedly mumbled.
"Ikuto, stop it." Utau knelt down beside him. She tried to pry his hands away but he just shoved her away. "It's not your fault. It could've happened to any of us." This caring side of Utau rarely appeared. When it did, it was usually towards Ikuto. As much as she loves Kukai, she still loves Ikuto very much—and maybe more—as a brother and friend. Ikuto had saved Utau's life when she was a hair away from death. Not to mention the numerous times he had helped her, he really was a big part of her life. And it pained her to see the state he was in.
"I don't know what came over me… One second, she had cut her finger and then…I completely lost control," he whispered the last part quietly, agonizing over his mistake.
"Ikuto, like Utau said, it could've happened to anyone. It's partly my fault too; I saw what was going to happen but we were too late. Rima plopped down next to Ikuto, despaired. "I couldn't prevent it from happening… I couldn't stop you in time before my friend…" Rima gazed straight ahead, her face blank but if you observed closely, her expression showed sorrow.
Not liking the atmosphere, Nagihiko changed the atmosphere by calming everyone, especially Ikuto down. Kukai knelt down next to Rima and rubbed her shoulder in a comforting manner.
"She'll be all right. Don't worry," Kukai said.
Souko watched her adopted children from afar. She was upset herself, seeing her children like this. She looked up and prayed that her husband will save Amu.
Another screech erupted from Amu and that was the last straw for Ikuto.
Rima looked at Ikuto, already knowing what he planned to do.
But Ikuto was already gone.
"Rima, where'd Ikuto go?" Utau asked with a bit panic shown in her tone.
"To the north to clear his head. He'll be back in a week." Rima frowned. 'Ikuto, I know you can hear me. Please come back soon.'
X-x-X
My eyelids opened. The first thing I noticed was the pain. It had disappeared, much to my relief. I touched my neck for any abnormalities. It felt all right…
"Are you ok, Amu-san?"
I sat up with a jolt, ignoring the headache it caused, and looked to my right, noticing Aruto-san leaning against the far wall. "Um, yeah—I mean, yes."
He chuckled and made his way towards me. I then remembered his fangs and horror washed through me once again. He must've noticed for he stopped.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
Taking his word for it, I relaxed slightly and he walked to me, stopping once we were next to each other.
"Does your throat still hurt? What about your head?" He sat down on the bed across from me.
"What happened?" I blurted out. I didn't want him to stall for time any longer. I needed answers now. Then a thought struck me. Where was Ikuto? I peered around the room, searching for the blue-haired man.
"Where is…"
"Ikuto?" he guessed. "He's…drowning himself in guilt and grief."
"What?" I asked in disbelief. I pushed the covers back. "I have to see him."
Aruto-san gently grabbed my forearm, stopping my plan. "Don't, Amu-san. He'll just feel guiltier once he sees your neck. He needs some time alone."
Dejected, I sit back down. "Are the marks on my neck that bad?"
He reached for the drawer in the nightstand and pulled it out. He reached into it and got out a mirror. He gave it to me and I held it up in front of me. My mouth dropped in horror.
"It's not that bad but…" he trailed off, biting his lip.
"How?" I said, not believing the large mark on my neck. Around the two small holes were thick dark red borders. From there, there was a whole web of red lines that extended a few inches.
"It will disappear. The lines will be gone within a week and the thick red circles will be gone after a couple of weeks. As for the two holes, it may not be gone for a while. It won't be very noticeable much in the future."
"How come it's like this?" I touched the hole and shivers crawled down my spine.
"Usually, it's not this bad. But because the venom from Ikuto's fangs was in you longer than it should have, marks appeared. I tried to suck out all the venom from your system but some might have lingered. I assure you though that it will not do you any harm. It should quickly fade away by tomorrow. However, when the venom left your body, it must've created this intricate mark on your neck."
I tried to take it all in but other questions popped up in my mind. What will people in the school say about this if they find out? How can I cover this up? What will Tsumugu say about this? He'll absolutely freak out! And what about Rima? Will I be able to talk to her normally again? And what about Ikuto?
"Aruto-san."
"Yes?" He looked up but I think he already knew what I was going to ask next.
"Are you a…vampire?" I whispered the last part so quietly, I doubt he heard me but apparently he did since he sighed.
"It's not fair to you if I kept you in the dark about this. But yes, I'm a vampire. Our whole family is vampires."
I knew this and expected this answer but still, I couldn't stop the shock that raced down my spine.
"You seem as if you knew what we were already," he noted, noticing my blank expression.
"I…kind of researched your background," I admitted sheepishly. "I asked this friend of mine and he told of a story about vampires and my other friend was saying this true story about a girl getting bitten by a vampire, supposedly. I didn't think you guys really were vampires but…I guess I was wrong."
"Are you scared of us now?"
I looked him in the eye and I noted the kindness in his eyes. "N-No."
He smiled and looked down. "I appreciate that. And everything you have done for my children."
I gave him a confused look. "I didn't do anything for them."
"You gave my children friendship and love." He patted my hand but I didn't cringe this time. He stood up and extended his hand out to me. "Shall we go? Rima is anxious to see if you're ok."
I smiled and nodded, taking his hand. Aruto-san hauled me up and led me to the door. We slowly descended the stairs and I saw the whole Tsukiyomi family. I scanned the group but the person that I was most concerned about was not there.
"Amu." Rima walked towards me and stopped in front of me, her eyes filled with worry. "You ok?"
"Yeah," I responded weakly. My eyes darted left and right for I was hoping Ikuto might've been standing off to the side, but I highly doubt it.
Rima must've noticed this for she said, "Ikuto left."
"Left?" My voice cracked because I was shocked and upset. "To where?" I had to see him.
"He'll be back in a week," she said, ignoring my previous question.
"But—"
The loud slam on a table resonated throughout the room. I looked behind Rima and saw Utau standing up. But what amazed (and scared) me was the surface of the table. Her hand had made a crack in the glass surface.
"I can't stand you. It's all your fault," she snarled with absolute hate. She gave me a piercing glare before disappearing into thin air. The slam of the door was heard some milliseconds later. I guess vampires have super-speed.
Kukai sighed and stood up as well. Before he left to go after Utau, he said, "Don't worry about what Utau said. She's just really upset and can't control her emotions. Feel better, Hinamori. And he was gone.
From the corner of the room, Nagihiko said, "Kukai's right. Utau just needs to cool off some steam."
Despite their reassurance, I agreed with what Utau said.
X-x-X
I came home the next day—November 1st—during the afternoon. Tsumugu was flipping out but after I explained how I crashed at a friend's place because I wasn't feeling well, he calmed down a little. I don't like lying to him but c'mon, how could I have told him what really happened? 'Oh yeah, I crashed at my friend's place because I got bitten by a vampire.' I don't think that would fare well.
I returned to my bedroom and collapsed onto my comfortable bed, completely exhausted. I turned my phone on and saw that I had 15 missed calls and 5 new text messages. 13 of the 15 calls were from Tsumugu. Geez, now I feel guilty for worrying him. The other two missed calls were from Ran. I wonder what she wanted…
(5) new text messages!
8:28 AM
From: Ran
Where r u?
8:53 AM
From: Ran
its so boring! D: comee to schoolllll
11:46 AM
From: Su
Are you ok? I hope you're feeling well!
1:47 PM
From: Daichi
hey amu-chan, you feeling ok? hope you feel better
2:11 PM
From: Tadase
hi, how are you? if you want, do you want to come over this weekend? Yaya said she "really really REALLY wanted to see you!" haha. everyone else wants to see you too.
by the way, i hope you're alright. your dad called our house yesterday to see if you were here. he was panicking a lot. don't worry him too much. his heart can only take so much. hope you're alright!
I responded to all their texts, explaining how I was feeling under the weather.
4:33 PM
To: Tadase
hi tadase-kun! i'm good, you? and sure, that sounds good. tell yaya i said hi (: and he did? i feel really guilty now… and yeah, i won't, don't worry. i wasn't feeling well, that's all. i stayed at a friend's place for the night but i passed out before i could contact my dad haha. i'll see you in a week! (:
Even though I had adequate rest, I still felt tired. I changed into my pajamas and plopped down onto my bed. I grabbed the music box from the nightstand. I turned the knob and it began playing violin music. I set it down and laid down on my bed. I watched a figurine of myself turn around again and again. I still feel like there's something missing in there… Soon my eyes shut and I fell into a deep slumber.
X-x-X
"Amu-chan, are you feeling better? It was so boring yesterday in class without you!" Ran complained, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as we walked to class together.
I laughed at her childish behavior. "Yup, feeling better than ever."
"Amu-chan!"
I spun us around but Ran didn't budge. I turned around myself, ignoring her sudden mood change. "Hey, Daichi."
"You ok?"
I nodded. "I just had a small fever."
"It's good that you're better." He patted my head as he walked past me. "I'll see you later, gotta get to class."
"See you later," I said. I turned to Ran and narrowed my eyes. "What's up with you? That was Daichi. I would think you wanted to talk to him."
"That's why I called you! I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the Halloween Party." We entered the classroom and sat down next to each other. Since our teacher wasn't here yet, we were able to chat about what happened.
"I asked Daichi out at the dance!" she blurted out.
"What? Really? That's great!" I grinned at her. "That's great, Ran."
"But he rejected me," she said, depressed.
"What! How? I thought he had something for you," I said, my eyebrows furrowing.
She shushed me. "Not so loud! And he said he liked someone else… I think it's you, Amu-chan." She looked at me and I felt a pang in my heart. Ran looked so dejected and upset. She liked Daichi so much and he didn't even give her a chance.
"Ran, listen to me. Even if you think he likes me, I don't. I would never do that to you. You're a good friend to me." I gave her a smile.
"Aw, Amu-chan, you're awesome!" She gave me a bear hug, almost toppling me over. I giggled, returning the hug.
When lunch came, Ran was in high spirits, which made me glad. I bought my lunch and walked back to our table along with Ran and Saaya, who just "happened" to find us walking together. I was talking to Ran before Saaya butted in the conversation, completely cutting me off. I rolled my eyes and looked to the side. I noticed their table was empty today. I expected that but still…
"Hey, guys, do any of you want my hoagie?"
"Since you insist, I'll guess I'll take it nya! Thanks, Amu!" Yoru grabbed my hoagie and gobbled it down, making me laugh.
"Yoru, that's rude!" Miki scolded.
As Miki lectured Yoru, Su said, "What's wrong, Amu-chan desu? Are you feeling sick again?"
"No, I'm just not hungry."
…I can't help but feel my heart twist around uncomfortably. I miss them. I miss Ikuto…
X-x-X
It was Saturday, the day I promised Tadase-kun I would come over. I informed Tsumugu about my little trip and he grumbled a bit, something about me growing up too quickly.
The Tsukiyomis never came to school this week.
During lunch, I sat there as if I was waiting for them to suddenly pop in the cafeteria.
But that didn't happen.
I grabbed my things and walked out the house, locking the door behind me. I started my car and drove to the beach. Once I arrived there, I parked my car outside Tadase-kun's house. After I closed the car door, the front door to his house opened, revealing Tadase-kun.
"Amu-chan!"
"Hi, Tadase-kun," I greeted back. I hopped down from my truck and walked towards him. I gave him a hug, smiling. "How've you been?"
He laughed and said teasingly, "You must've missed me a lot."
I released him and stuck my tongue out in a playful manner. "Not."
"Why, if it isn't Tsumugu's daughter. I haven't seen you for years!"
I peered behind me and saw a man in his late 40's, maybe, step out of Tadase-kun's house. Was this his dad?
"Hello, Hotori-san," I said, bowing down.
"Why are you bowing down? I've known you since you were a baby!"
I grinned as he made his way towards us. "Is Tsumugu doing all right?"
I gave him a confused look but nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't he be?"
"He wasn't looking too great a few days ago."
"Ah." Now I knew what he meant. It was when I went missing for a while when I was really staying over a friend's house because I was "sick." "He's fine now."
"That's good to hear. Would you like to come inside?"
"Um, actually—" Tadase-kun started but was interrupted by a loud, high-pitched voice.
"AMU-CHI!" I turn to my left and before I could blink, I was tackled to the ground.
"Yaya!" I cried, surprised.
"Yuiki-san, I think you're squishing Amu-chan…"
"Oh. Sorry, Amu-chi." She got up and hauled me up as well. "Let's go play!"
"Eh?" Yaya grabbed my forearm, running off towards the water.
"Come on, Tadase!" Yaya yelled over her shoulder.
So for two hours, we collected seashells, played by the water, and so on, completely going at Yaya's pace. Afterwards, Yaya said she had to go home and left Tadase-kun and I alone (but not before giving me a bone-crushing hug). Since it was just the two of us, we decided to take a walk in the forest.
We began talking about random stuff, laughing the whole time. But after awhile, things got more personal and serious. I told him about why I truly came here, my first crush, my dreams, my goals, and so on. I haven't spilled my life's story to anyone before—except my mom—but it felt great after I shared my troubles with him.
When I was in the middle of telling him a funny experience I had, my toe got caught in these huge roots and I fell forward. I fell onto my knees and scraped some parts of my hands in the process.
"Amu-chan, you ok? Sorry I couldn't catch you." He gave me an apologetic look after pulling me up.
"It's fine. I'm just naturally clumsy," I joked.
He smiled. "Shall we head back?"
I nodded and followed him out the woods. But before reaching the exit, I tripped yet again but Tadase-kun caught me in the nick of time. His hands grabbed my shoulders and my own were against his chest. I stole a glance at his face and noticed our faces were mere inches away. I blushed a cherry red and stepped away from him.
"S-Sorry," I stuttered.
"I-It's okay. Let's head back."
I followed him, slightly behind him so that he couldn't see my facial expression and vice versa. I touched my cheeks and as expected, they were burning. I could only imagine how it looked like…
Embarrassed once again, I scurried after my friend.
X-x-X
I went back home around seven and found a note from Tsumugu saying he wasn't coming home until morning. I did some chores and homework until 10:00. After I took my shower, I returned to my bedroom. I plopped down onto my bed, completely exhausted. I played with my wet hair, zoning out entirely. I must've been staring at the same spot on the wall for the past fifteen minutes. Only when I heard a tapping noise did I look up. I glanced towards my balcony and nearly screamed. My eyes widened and I stood up, utterly appalled.
Ikuto was standing outside my balcony, his violet eyes looking right at me, as if he could see through my soul.
I quickly ran to open the balcony door. But why was he here? After a week of disappearing, he suddenly decided to waltz back into my life. Just what was this guy thinking?
He came into the room but he didn't say anything. We stood a meter apart looking into each other's eyes, not one of us daring to break the gaze.
After a while, I couldn't take his silence. I said, a bit angrily, "Why?"
"Why what?" he said seriously.
I groaned in a frustrated manner. "Ikuto, you know what I'm talking about. Why are you doing this to me? You disappeared for a week and only now decide to show your face to me. When I woke up after I got bitten by you, I felt immense pain. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. I felt so, so guilty because it's my fault you left in the first place…" I trailed off, lowering my previous loud tone. I was out of breath as I watched his reaction.
There was nothing.
For some reason, I felt like punching him. I'm not mad at him, more like upset.
"Come with me."
"Wha—" Before I could react, Ikuto had grabbed my arm, threw me onto his back, and jumped off the balcony in a matter of five seconds. I didn't even have time to scream. And then he ran off towards who knows where. In case you didn't know, he ran pretty damn fast. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the feeling of nausea creeping upon me.
But my ride was over. How long did it take, a minute?
I opened my eyes and ignored a wave of dizziness pass through me. We were in a mini meadow in a middle of a forest. The field wasn't very big at all—maybe two big classrooms squished together. Trees surrounded our circular space.
He dropped me gently on the ground and I clutched my head, trying to overcome the dizziness from the speedy ride.
"Why are we here?"
He faced me, his stance relaxed. "To show you something."
"Like what?" I stood up, stumbling a bit.
"What I really am."
He zoomed to the end of the circle and back right in front of my face in less than a second. I wasn't expecting that so naturally, I backed away. I must've done it too fast because I began falling backwards. He caught me and made me upright in less than a second too.
"Are you scared of me?"
What was he getting at? I looked right in his face and said, "No."
"Even after you know I'm a vampire?"
"Yes," I said with absolute determination. "I'm not scared of you."
He then disappeared and I felt a strong wind blowing around me. I then realized it was Ikuto circling me at high speed. He stopped in front of me after three seconds of spinning around.
"It took me three seconds to spin around you 50 times. Vampires have super speed and…" And he wasn't in front of me anymore. Something pushed my back, making me fall forward. Ikuto was in front of me again, breaking my fall. "…they can harm you in less than a second, just like that."
He was by a tree now, his hand clutching the bark of a tree. It must've been almost two feet wide and the tree was pretty tall. He did a sideways karate chop on the bark and the blow made the tree fall back. The bark broke and the tree tumbled down. My jaw dropped. How in the world can you do that, even if you are a vampire?
"Vampires have super strength." He was beside me in the next moment.
"Ow!" My back knocked against a tree. It didn't hurt but I was so surprised. Ikuto's body smoldered against mine as he leaned in.
"The worst part is that vampires always have a thirst for blood." His hands were on my hips as he inhaled my scent, his mouth on my neck. His voice then turned quiet, making me strain to hear it. "Last week when I saw your blood, I went insane from smelling it. If Kukai hadn't stopped me…I would've drunk your blood until you died." His lips were on my cheek, giving me a light kiss. My cheeks heated up and he chuckled.
"This is what I mean. I can just feel your blood under your skin." He stepped back a little, giving me a bit more space. He fingered my neck at the spot where he bit me. "After I showed you all these powers a vampire has…"
I gazed into his amethyst eyes as he neared my ear. He then softly whispered:
"Are you still scared of me?"
X-x-X
I was going to stop when Ikuto knocks on her balcony door but what the hell, I couldn't do that after I kept you readers waiting for a long time!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! [:
Like the Amuto moment-kinda at the end? ;D
Please review! [: