Chapter 13

The cheering of the audience became muffled as Ikuto hopped down the backstairs of the stage while the heavy curtains slowly closed, ending the successful concert.

He set his violin in its' case and took the towel a backstage operator was offering him. Whilst patting his face dry, the male began his long walk to the exit of the building, towards his car. It wasn't as easy to do as it sounded. First, he had to get through the swarm of fans that blocked his exit. No to mention, they'd of course continue to circle around him even when he went outside to the parking lot.

However, even before Ikuto managed to leave the backstage area that was swimming with electrical wires and people running a muck, his step-father got to him before anyone else could. And since it was Kazuomi that found him, Ikuto expected to be forced to stay a few more hours.

Being a part of Easter Records made Ikuto's future pretty much set in stone. He wasn't complaining, though, since he got to do what he loved – play the violin. Not to mention, he even got paid for doing such a thing, which was a bonus. That was exactly why Kazuomi had to make sure Ikuto's image stayed the way it was, so the fans would continue to love him. If no one was interested in him anymore, then no one would buy Ikuto's music, which was where Easter got most of its' profits. And that was something Kazuomi didn't want to lose.

It was after Ikuto's operation that Kazuomi had gotten the idea to change Easter into a music business. With Ikuto being the skilled violinist he was, everyone would be wanting to be signed with Easter. And those who weren't looking for fame were looking for good music, which they could purchase at any store. Whatever they bought that was Easter's merchandise would make the company's profits rise.

Kazuomi was surprised at himself for not thinking of all this sooner. This way Ikuto would actually want to be a part of Easter, since he could still play his music and not do 'Boring office work that would make you want to peel your eyelids off with a can opener' as Ikuto had once put it. Plus, he would have no problem with taking over the family business.

"...Just sign a few autographs, it will be fine." Kazuomi encouraged, taking the towel away from his step-son as he nodded behind Ikuto, where the door to the lobby was. Everyone knew that the fans would all be pressed up against the other side of that door. "Maybe even some pictures."

Sighing, the blue-haired boy shook his head. "I'd rather do it some other time. I'm tired enough as it is and rather hungry." He then patted his step-dad on the shoulder before booking it past him and out the back door. Knowing Kazuomi would be chasing after him, Ikuto sniggered under his breath and drove swiftly out of the parking lot.

All he longed to do now was go home and rest while having something good to eat. Preferably sweet, but not so unbearable that it pricked his tongue and stung his throat.

The thought made him cringe as he turned onto a busy street. Then again, in Tokyo, all the streets were busy. Being the largest city in the world with the greatest population, there wasn't a moment when a street was deserted. Unlike Seiyo.

A sad smile graced Ikuto's features as his thoughts turned to the small village. It took a lot of getting used to when he had first arrived there. Half the streets weren't even paved, they were just dirt. Plus there wasn't a skyscraper in sight. But, he had to admit, it was a nice way to escape the everyday bustle of the city he called 'home'.

Rolling down his window, Ikuto let the cool night breeze whip into his car. There was no place like home. It didn't matter if you were in the next city over, or just gone for a few days: being back in the city you grew up in always had a certain effect.

He rolled his window back up before slowing to a stop in the underground parking beneath his apartment building. It seemed like a mere amount of seconds later and he was throwing his keys into the bowl beside his door, dropping his violin case on the counter, and lunging for the fridge.

Ketchup, leftover noodles, sushi, strawberries, mikans- He stopped scanning and looked back at the strawberries, removing them from the fridge and placing them in a bowl. Now all he needed was his song book.

Ikuto picked up the bowl and took it with him into his room, where he sat at his desk and grabbed a pencil. It had been quite a while since he wrote a new song. He was long overdue.

After opening a drawer to take out his book, Ikuto stopped suddenly at the sight of a large wooden box sitting on the floor beside his desk. It wasn't there yesterday, or even that morning.

Frowning, the male crouched down beside it and fiddled with the lock. Realizing that wasn't getting him anywhere, Ikuto sat back down and picked up the pencil once again. All it took was the consistent ticking of the clock and the box visible in his peripherals for him to jump back over to the box and place it on his desk.

Curiosity killed the cat. But, he didn't care since his extended version of that saying was, 'But satisfaction brought it back'.

He then finally thought of that key that was on a chain, hooked up to the case of his violin. He had gotten it before his surgery, so he didn't remember what the significance of it was. He always thought it was just a useless trinket, but not useless enough to throw away, so he kept it. Maybe it opened this strange box.

It didn't take long for Ikuto to grab the key and return to his bedroom, instantly shoving the key into the lock. A soft 'click' made him feel triumphant.

He all of a sudden felt as if he were in a movie. Who knew what was in that box? Perhaps a human heart, or the secret for eternal life. He snorted. Yeah, right.

Casually lifting it open, Ikuto's eyebrows slanted downwards at what was inside. A laptop. Why, he already had one of those. But, he had to admit, whoever bought the computer in that box sure had excellent taste.

He pulled it out and set it on his bed instead of the already cluttered desk.

Ikuto frowned once the laptop turned on. The only account to select was labeled 'Ikuto'. So... that meant this laptop once belonged to him. Well, now this got him excited. Maybe he could remember more of his pa- Oh dang it. There was a password needed in order to log in.

Quite Some time later...

"I give up." Ikuto groaned, pushing the mobile computer away from him before he trudged back over to his desk. He was tired, hungry, and now frustrated. Not exactly the best combination.

He lifted a strawberry to his lips and chewed slowly, eyebrows knitting together, still pondering what his past self would've chosen for a password. He had tried everything that came to mind. He couldn't have been that different from five years ago, right? So, why was it so hard to think of such a simple thing as a password?

Ikuto reached for another strawberry, freezing his arm in midair. "Strawberry..." he breathed, recalling the scent of the shampoo a certain someone always used. He gazed over at the device sitting on his bed.

He slowly walked back over to the laptop, placing his pale fingers on the keyboard. He was actually feeling somewhat... scared. He had a good feeling that this attempt would be successful.

S-T-R-A-W-B-E-R-R-Y

Ikuto typed in, his finger lingering over the 'Enter' button. Finally, he pressed it, watching in silence as the account got logged into successfully. He couldn't resist the urge to smirk, "My little strawberry." he murmured to himself.

The first thing he decided to click on was the Internet, just to see which websites were opened last. They all had something to do with brain tumors. What the symptoms were, the percentage of surviving surgery, and other things along those lines.

"Well, that's just depressing." Ikuto commented as he exited the websites. He was about to turn the laptop back off when a folder caught his attention.

My Pictures.

His breathing became shallow as he clicked on the folder, sapphire eyes widening as he watched the contents open.

He was expecting family photos, maybe pictures of him on sports teams or something... anything but this. Amu. He did know her in the past.

There were all sorts of images of them together. Walking through a forest, playing in the snow, attending a family barbecue... There were countless of them. He skimmed through all of them until he froze in his place. An amusement park.

His head started pounding, his eyes being squeezed shut as he gritted his teeth. All memories started coming back.

"I'm ...Hinamori Amu. What's your name?"

"I'm going to be with you through all of this. I know you'll be strong enough to make it through."

"You know those were fake ghosts, right?"

"Her name is Amu? Ikuto, you can do better than that girl. Just one look at her and you know she's no good."

"You look too much like your father... son, I love you, I'm sorry, but I can't... I-I can't handle you right now."

"You're ruining my life, Ikuto nii-san!"

"That's Tsukiyomi Aruto's son. No doubt he'll end up just like his father."

"...Black cat. He doesn't belong here."

"I love you, Ikuto. I'm going to be here for you always."

Ikuto's eyes shot open, tears pricking and threatening to be shed. His hand covered his mouth as his eyes closed again, pushing the tears out, sliding down his cheek. It was now that he remembered that day.

Flashback

He cringed when his eyes fluttered open from his restless sleep. Those hospital lights were really too much. They seemed to be placed there just so they could suck all your energy out and destroy your eyes in the meantime.

Ikuto yawned, sitting up in his squishy hospital bed. Just one scan of the room told him something was wrong. She wasn't there. But... she had told him she would always be there.

Normally, he wouldn't feel so protective and sensitive, but today was the day. The day of the surgery. In fact, he was positive he would be going into the operating room in just a matter of minutes. He had to see her first. But where was she?

Before any nurses could come in, Ikuto took off his hospital gown and pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt before hurrying out of the room. He ran into his step-dad in the hallway.

"Ikuto, what are you doing? Get back in your room, you're about to get surgery!" He was using his controlling voice again.

Ikuto didn't pay attention to him, but continued to hastily gaze at his surroundings.

Kazuomi noticed this and put his plan to action. "If you're looking for that girl," he spoke as if chewing on something utterly disgusting, "she wanted me to tell you that she couldn't handle the stress any longer and that she had to get out of here."

He didn't believe a word of it. Ikuto was immune to Kazuomi's lies. "Where's Amu?" He questioned angrily through gritted teeth.

"I just told you! She left!"

Without wasting another minute, Ikuto ran down the hallway, past the elevator and to the stairs. He ignored his splitting migraine as he jumped down the staircases, skidding to a stop in the lobby on the bottom floor. She couldn't have left. She wouldn't have. However, with every passing second, Ikuto began doubting himself and believing his step-dad's words. But Amu wasn't that kind of girl. He knew her too much to allow himself to believe such a thing.

That's when he spotted her standing in front of the hospital's exit with... Tadase a few feet away.

Tadase had pulled up in a car and remained sitting in the front seat as Amu took a step to leave the building, but turned around to take one last look in the direction of the elevator.

When their gazes met, Amu's honey-colored eyes widened as she gasped, breathing out his name.

Ikuto hustled forward as the pinkette turned back around, hurrying closer to the door before he could catch up to her. He managed to stop in front of her, clutching one of her hands. "Wh-what's going on?" He asked, out of breath. His eyes searched her face for answers, but she refused to make eye-contact with him.

Instead, she tried releasing his hand from hers and push past him, but he grabbed onto her arm and got ahead of her again. "Amu! Where are you going? Please... y-you.. it can't be true. What he said isn't true!" What Kazuomi said had to be a lie.

Ikuto was at his breaking point. At his weakest. He knew he was going to fall apart if he didn't have her there to keep him strong.

"Amu... what are you doing?" He asked, forcing a laugh. "Just.. need fresh air, right?"

Finally, she looked at him. Her face expressionless and her eyes stone cold. "Let go of me, Tsukiyomi. I... I can't keep pretending anymore. Are you really dumb enough to not notice I never loved you?" Amu scoffed. "I'm tired of sticking around here, wasting my life away with some guy who'll must likely be dead in an hour!" She then shook her head, freeing her arm from his grasp.

She shoved past him, pushing open the door to the exit. Just when she was about to climb into Tadase's car, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. He buried his face into her hair, the strawberry scent permanent in his memory. "Please, Amu... please don't leave."

He was terrified for what lay ahead. So scared he didn't know if he could go through with it. He didn't want to in the first place. It was Amu that wanted him to get the operation to live longer. He couldn't help but think it was only to use him for his money, like so many others had done in the past.

"Amu, I love you so much. I can't do this without you."

Amu shook her head, rolling her eyes. She'd do anything to try to stop the tears from falling. She knew what she had to say to make him let her go. As much as she hated to, she did it to save his life.

"You really are just a useless black cat of misfortune after all. I don't know why you were even born in the first place."

His hold on her suddenly loosened as his eyes widened. He had trusted her when he told her that he often wondered why he was born. She was the only one that hadn't said he was just a black cat that brought nothing but misfortune. But... maybe it was true. Maybe he was just a black cat.

The car suddenly sped away while Ikuto stood there in silence. He started to run after the disappearing vehicle, but his weak legs gave out, sending him to the ground. He felt a sense of trembling in his entire body and what felt like a cold wind blowing against his skin. What followed shortly after resembled a sudden jolt of electricity that shot from his feet to the top of his head.

A seizure. It was a common thing for brain tumor patients to experience.

"Ikuto!" He heard his mom cry out.

"IKUTO!"

Then all went black.

End of Flashback

Ikuto wiped his eyes, embarrassed. His gaze suddenly went stone cold once realizing something Amu 'forgot' to mention to him. He had an offspring.

Throwing his jacket over his shoulder, he grabbed his car keys.

- Seiyo Village –

"...Yes, yes, you're knowledge amazes me, Utau." Amu commented sarcastically with a laugh following shortly after. "Hey. If you're going to mock me, at least get your facts straight."

The pinkette rinsed off the cloth she was using and placed it back on the kitchen counter before resting on the couch. Finally, she could just relax. Perhaps watch a movie, seeing as how she was wearing the appropriate pajama attire for a movie night.

"Yoru? I already told you, he's at Miki's."

She picked up the TV remote and flipped through the channels. "Yeah, it is rather late, but I'm sure he'll be home soon, don't worry."

Knock knock

Amu looked in the direction of the door and turned off the TV. "Oh, Utau, there's someone at the door. I'll call you tomorrow? … Okay, goodnight. Love you too." She hung up the phone and dropped it on the couch before jogging to the door and opening it without hesitation.

Her eyes widened as her heart sped up. "I-Ikuto! What are you doing here?"