Hey guys, it's Anya! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating! I've felt like such total crap lately. I would go to school, come home, and find myself completely exhausted and I would always have a giant headache. I'm also in my second week of taking exams (the 6th and 7th graders only have one week, but 8th graders such as myself have two weeks) and we have an hour and a half of exams plus regular classes plus homework. It seriously sucks! But I'm definitely going to try writing more since from here on out school should be a lot more relaxed, but I have a lot of events in the first half of June because I'm getting promoted this year so don't expect updates then.

Anyways, I started a small side project which I would love for someone to beta read and help give me advice on. It's only a side project, and I only work on it when I'm totally stumped and need something to do. My other projects, "The True Embryo" and "The Academy of Light and Darkness" will be put on hiatus until I finish up this fanfiction (this probably won't have more than 25 chapters).

Well, sorry the intro is long and the chapter is short, but I wanted to post something up today! Enjoy!

Chapter Seventeen

Tsukiyomi Ikuto! What was he doing here? Even worse, Akatsuki was with him! With that whole three month separation from him, I had almost completely forgotten about him. So why was it that he was here now?

My pace involuntarily slowed down until I had completely stopped. Kuukai looked back at me with curious eyes, which made me scan my mind for an excuse. While scanning my mind, I almost didn't hear him ask, "Hinamori, what's up?"

I felt my mind go blank. What was I supposed to say? While my mind searched for its on button I tried buying time by saying, "It's just that…" As if I hit a landmine, I said, "I have to go to the restroom!"

Kuukai's eyebrows pulled themselves together as he asked, "Can't you hold it for a few minutes? All you have to do is claim an mp3 player…"

I could feel my heart pounding, and the pulse in my head went along with it. My mind went blank again, but I managed to think of an idea. I replied, "Uh, Kuukai, do you think you could go claim it for me? I really have to go!"

With a grimace, he replied, "Hinamori, this is practically a once-in-a-lifetime deal here. Just get the prize. How often will you be able to go to a concert with probably over five thousand people and be one of five people to win an mp3 player?"

My heart sunk as I realized that this wasn't getting anywhere. Forcing a smile on my face, I caved, "Okay. Let's go then."

We continued to walk over to the entrance to backstage. Ikuto and Akatsuki were now out of sight, so I couldn't see them as we neared the entrance. However, I knew that we would run into them eventually. Kuukai and I walked in silence; I wasn't too sure if I was supposed to say anything.

We walked up to two large double doors that Kuukai swung open. It seemed that we were the last ones to arrive there. Standing there, we could see five people already gathered. There was the girl from earlier, a boy about twelve years old with dark green hair and glasses on the bridge of his nose, a young lady probably in her twenties, and then there was Akatsuki and… Ikuto.

The lead singer was also standing there with the guitarist, both were holding mp3 players. Hally held three of the mp3 players while Nate held the other two, they both seemed so cheerful. Although, something inside of me told me that they weren't showing their true selves.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, please show one of us your ticket and you can get your mp3 player!" Hally spoke with a bright smile on her face.

I decided that I would be the last one to receive an mp3 player; I thought that I could go unnoticed that way. It wasn't until I realized that Akatsuki and Ikuto were also waiting to be one of the last people to receive their mp3 players that I knew my plans were futile. Once the other three had received their mp3 players I walked up to Hally to show her my ticket.

"Congratulations on winning!" Hally spoke with a large grin on her face as she checked my ticket. She smiled as if she were reminiscing in her past and asked me, "You don't talk much, do you?"

I felt two pairs of eyes on me. I realized that they were the eyes of two unwanted people, Ikuto and Akatsuki. Apparently they had been talking with Nate, so they had the chance to notice me. I looked down as Hally handed me my mp3 player, not too sure on what I was supposed to say.

"That's Hinamori for you." Kuukai said with a goofy grin. "She doesn't like to talk much."

Hally looked over at Kuukai and then at me, as if she were remembering something sweet. She said with a chuckle, "Believe it or not, I used to be like that."

I looked up at her. I never really expected someone as cheerful as her to be quiet like me. I'm not sure if it was because she was shy, but she seemed to relate to me.

"What's this?" Nate leaned over to Hally with a playful grin on his face. "You actually used to be shy?"

Hally raised an eyebrow as she said, "I wasn't really shy; I just didn't like speaking my mind is all."

Nate replied teasingly, "If you were shy as a kid, it's okay to admit it."

I looked at the two as they began to go back and forth. I was curious as to what made Hally change into this wonderful person she was now. She seemed so happy with herself as she was now, so why couldn't I do that? Why was I always so distant from others? Then, a question popped into my mind.

"Excuse me," I spoke up, and Hally's and Nate's eyes darted back to me. I asked, "Are your parents still alive?"

Her expression froze as she looked at me. She took a deep breath and replied, "No, I'm afraid not."

My mind was whirling around with my heart. I couldn't believe anything that I was hearing. Someone who was in a similar situation to me could be so perky, happy, and loving. Why was it that I had to be so distant from others? Hally seemed so happy the way she was, so why was I so unhappy? My heart shut itself down, and I wasn't too sure if I was doing the right thing anymore.

"Thank you…" I gave a forced smile and walked off with Kuukai. I'm not too sure what happened to Ikuto and Akatsuki, my focus was completely taken off of them.

We were in the middle of the lobby when I realized that I had told Kuukai that I needed to go to the restroom. In order to keep up my consistency, I told him to go back to the seats without me and that he didn't need to wait for me.

When I entered the restroom I immediately splashed my face with water. When I realized that my head was still cloudy, I did it again and again. My face was dripping wet when I finally realized that I was getting nowhere. My head started spinning, and I wasn't too sure what was what anymore. It felt as if a drill had just plowed through my head; all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep.

I grabbed a few paper towels and lied them down in one spot next to the sink. I sat down on top of them with my back against the wall. Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself down. I closed my eyes and tilted my head backwards while trying to think of something else.

My world had just ended. Or at least, it seemed like it. I didn't know whether or not I had been wrong to shut everyone out of my life. I tried not to keep myself so close to others so my heart wouldn't ache anymore. I tried anything and everything just so my heart wouldn't feel that pain I had felt seven years ago.

So why? Why didn't anything work? I was extremely unhappy and I always felt so lonely. I would always tell myself that I was right and that I was following the right path. If I had truly disliked the situation I had been in, why was it that it took me so long to realize that I hated everything I had been doing?

Tears threatened to spill. I constantly rubbed my sleeve against my eyes, trying to erase them. Eventually my eyes started to sting from the constant rubbing and my throat was swelling with sorrow. So I did it. I let my tears spill. No one was around to see me cry, no one could say that I was being weak.

I curled up into a ball and sobbed like a girl who had just had her heart broken, which, in a way, did resemble me. My entire body was hot and shaking. The steaming tears sprinting down my face hadn't helped the situation, either. However, despite how hot I was feeling I didn't want to leave. If I went outside then I chanced seeing Kuukai or… well, I guess you know who.

Then I realized that if I stayed any longer, I chanced Yaya coming in and catching me in tears. As if they had the perfect timing, my tears immediately came to a halt. I patted my eyes down with my sleeve and took out my phone with an idea popping into mind. I began typing in an e-mail to Kuukai saying that something important had come up and that I needed to leave immediately.

Without even waiting for a reply from Kuukai, I got up and swung open the door. I was just about to storm out of there when I clashed into a body with a temperature much cooler than mine. I looked up and saw the exact opposite of what I wanted to see.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto!?!? (Tadase moment, lol)

What will Amu do, as she has run into her arch nemesis, Tsukiyomi Ikuto! Wait... this isn't about Tadase, it's a fanfiction about Amu! But what will Amu do when she has to talk to Ikuto? Until next time!

(Please Review, it definitely helps!)