Chapter 2

Ikuto's POV

"NO! Stay away!" I heard Amu's familiar voice scream as I was walking down the stairs from the roof with Utau. I froze and my little sister turned and eyed me. I had heard the immense level of terror in Amu's voice and we both rushed back to the roof.

"AMU!" I yelled for the pink-haired girl and saw her in Tadase's arms, unconscious. "Oi, kiddy king! What did you do to Amu?" I glared at the blonde and he stared back.

"I didn't do anything you stupid cat! She just suddenly pushed me away roughly and started freaking out! She screamed 'NO!' really loudly and had this unimaginable level of fear in her eyes. Then she blacked out. I just caught her." Tadase looked back down at his girlfriend and I was shocked.

"Well-" I started, but was cut off when I noticed Amu's eyes opened.

"What-" she saw Tadase's face and her eyes widened. She screamed and pushed him away. the frightened look on Amu's face broke my heart as she backed away from all of us and screamed. "NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed hysterically and I saw tears welling up in her eyes. We watched as Amu clutched her head in her palms and broke down. Amu fell to her knees and I could see tears visibly falling from her face and landing on the concrete.

"Amu-chan..." Tadase got up and started walking towards her, but screamed even more.

"No! Leave me alone.." she uttered out and I watched as Tadase froze. I tried approaching her.

"Amu, calm down. We won't hurt you." I spoke in a gentle tone and she looked up at me. I was shocked to find the usual happy shine was gone from her honey-colored eyes.

"No..." she whispered out. "Leave me alone...I don't want anyone else to hurt!" she started out softly which was an improvement, but then she started screaming again. I exchanged looks with the purple haired guy, Nagihiko I think, and he tried. First he pulled his hair up into a ponytail and I swear he looked like a girl.

"Amu-chan!" he spoke with a high-pitched girly voice and it scared me a little. "Amu-chan!" he chirped again, slowly walking closer to Amu. "Everything is okay Amu. Nobody will hurt you or be hurt!" He got closer to Amu than Tadase or I did, but she still freaked out.

"Nadeshiko... No. I don't want anyone to come near...Stay away!" she buried her face in her knees and Nagi froze. He sighed and dropped his hair back to normal, also switching back to his normal tone.

"What can we do? Tadase, Ikuto and I all can't get close. And if I can't then Kukai can't. I don't know about Utau and Rima but if they go Amu might get violent and someone will get hurt..." Nagi murmured and I groaned.

"That's a point. Ugh, What's wrong with Amu?" Then I turned to her charas. Ran, Miki,and Su were all huddled close together and also frightened. "Don't you guys know something?" All three of the little girls shook their heads and I sighed.

"Amu-chan..." the kiddy king said softly before stepping away.

"Amu..." I heard my little sister say and the other short blonde girl, Rima, was on the verge of tears.

"Damn it! I hate being helpless! Amu wake up!" Kukai shouted angrily and Amu looked up at him. Her eyes flickered and the shine returned, but only for a moment. "Hinamori! If you don't snap out of it right now, I'm going to drag you around the school to run 10 laps!" he yelled.

"I can't...do this anymore. I can't bear it." Amu whispered before standing up. I noticed her gaze flickered between all of us and I was the lost one. "Ran..." she called for her chara and all three of them floated to her. They were safe and Amu didn't get all violent, but something none of us expected happened. "My heart: Unlock!" she character transformed with Ran, but her character transformation was different. Instead of the light pink cheerleader outfit and pink visor, she wore black short-shorts that had a dark pink belt and hot pink heart buckle. She also wore a hot pink tube top and dark pink blazer that had a heart pin. She still had the pink ribbon tied around her neck. The leg warmers were gone and so were the sneakers. On her feet were plain and simple black flats and a black chain anklet. She still had her hair pulled up into a ponytail, but in the place of the visor was a black headband with a pink heart on it. The most important feature was the fact that there was a big black X on the heart and her eyes had lost their shine completely. We were shocked and saw that all her charas were now X'ed. Instead of the happy Amulet Heart like usual, she was Cold Heart. "Iced Rod!" she called and her heart rod appeared, but was black. She threw it at us and we were trapped in sparkles except me, thanks to my cat reflexes.

"Yoru! My Heart: Unlock!" I character transformed into Black Lynx and prepared to restrain Amu.

"Iced Speeders!" she flew away from me, but I leaped around from the trees and extended a paw to catch her. Eventually I trapped her and pulled her back down to me.

"Amu, calm down! Come back!" I pinned her to the wall on the roof.

"No! Let me go! Everyone is going to die if I don't escape!" she screamed and kicked me away. She actually landed a hit to my gut and I was forced to let go. I released Utau from the restraints from Amu's previous attack and she quickly character transformed with El. "Dia! Character Transform! Iced Jewel!" Amu switched transformations and her outfit was the same as when Amu had character transformed with an X'ed Dia all those years ago.

"White Wing!" Utau attacked and trapped Amu in a cascade of feathers.

"Glitter Particle!" Amu blasted all the feathers away and sent all of us tumbling to the ground.

"Slash Claw!" I attacked Amu and stunned her for a few moments before she counterattacked.

"Shining Black!" sharp shards of diamonds flew at me and I quickly dodged them.

"Lunatic Charm. Nightmare Lorelei!" Red bats flew from Utau and attacked Amu. Since Amu was caught off guard, she tumbled down back to the roof. I released the rest of the guardians and they all transformed to help. "Capture Amu so I can purify her!" Utau screamed at us and we all nodded.

"Juggling Party!" Rima threw her juggling clubs at Amu and distracted her as Amu flew around to dodge them. Nagi jumped up and flew around to hold Amu down, but she twisted away from him.

"Golden Victory Shoot!" Kukai attacked and Amu dodges again, giving Nagi an opening. Nagi pinned Amu's arms behind her back and she started struggling to pull away. Of course, Nagi's grip was too tight for her to break.

"Holy Crown Special!" Nagi jumped back as Tadase trapped Amu and made her stay still. She snarled in frustration and tried kicking her way out.

"Il!" Amu called for Utau's chara which confused all of 's transformation broke as the sparkle in Il's eyes disappeared and she flew towards Amu. "My Heart: Unlock! Iced Devil!" Amu transformed with Il and this caught all of us off guard. Utau switched to El as Amu broke out of Tadase's trap. Amu flew away with Il and Kukai followed after her on his skateboard.

"Devil's Tune!" Amu yelled and shot soundwaves and Kukai, pushing him back. Utau flew up and tried to help Kukai. Amu changed transformations back to Ran and used her Iced Speeders to gain speed, but Il was still under her control and wouldn't come back to Utau. Kukai sped up as fast as he could to catch up to Amu, but Amu would just dart away if he got too close. Utau flew as fast as she could too, but keep up like Kukai. I was jumping the buildings and trying to keep up too, but of course I couldn't even get close. Tadase, Nagi and Rima had stayed on the roof and waited just in case Amu circled back, also because Rima can't run that fast.

Amu looked over her shoulder and stopped suddenly. Kukai and Utau were startled and flew right past her. Amu smirked and threw her Iced Rod at them, trapping them once again. I jumped up and reached for Amu's ankle, but she leaped out of my grasp and kicked me back towards the ground. Luckily, we were above an empty field by a park and a long way away from the school so no one would suspect us. I landed heavily on the grass, but on my feet. I grit my death and called forth the purified black egg from a long time ago. I transformed into Death Rebel and this time, Easter couldn't control me.

"Dark Night Storm!" I spun my scythe and knocked Amu out of the air. She tried flitting away, but my tornado of dark energy homed in on her and hit her directly. She screamed as she fell and lost her will to fight. She landed in the same field I landed in, but couldn't get up. I immediately darted to her side and undid my transformation. She stayed laying on the grass, immobile and paralyzed. "Sorry Amu, but you wouldn't listen to us." Kukai and Utau landed next to us and when I turned Amu over, her expression made me freeze. The sparkle in her eyes was gone, and her eyes seemed to hold a fear so deep, it's incomprehensible. Her mouth was open in an expression of pain and tears were streaming down her face. However, despite the fear and pain she held in her eyes, she managed to glare at us with a hate so strong, it's stronger than my hate for Kazuomi. I was shocked and couldn't do anything.

"Angle Cradle!" Utau flew up and proceeded to purify Amu. Feathers floated down gently and softly all around Amu as Utau sang a lullaby. Amu was curled up in a ball and her tears were falling slower. Her eyes drooped as she hugged her knees and eventually she fell asleep. Il returned to Utau's side, Miki, Su and Dia were purified and no longer X'ed, Amu's Iced Heart transformation was undone and Ran was no longer X'ed. Amu was also purified, but in a deep sleep. I scooped her up bridal style and looked towards Utau.

"Good job you two." I character changed with Yoru and made my way back to the school where Nagi, Rima, and the kiddy king were waiting. Kukai and Utau also undid their transformations and chara changed to keep up with me. The entire way, Amu was snuggled into my chest and breathing deeply.

"Is Amu okay?" Rima asked frantically with tear marks on her face. I nodded and she sighed in relief, undoing her transformation. Nagi soothed Rima and also undid his transformation. I looked to Tadase and found him on his knees, sulking, but also holding heavy worry in his eyes.

"Amu-chan?" he tentatively asked.

"Yeah, Amu's okay. Utau purified her, but we had to chase her for quite a bit. Who knew she would be so powerful when she's X'ed. But what I'm wondering is WHY she got X'ed." I noted and gently set Amu down on the ground. Utau sat next to her and placed Amu's head on her lap. I watched as my sister gently stroked Amu's hair and hummed a lullaby to calm Amu and prevent her from being X'ed when she wakes up.

"I don't know why Amu X'ed herself. I don't think I did anything to harm her, and I never cheated on her." Tadase said and I looked at him.

"Amu came to school extremely early today." Nagi spoke up from behind me and I whipped around.

"What? Why did she come early?" I questioned the long-haired boy.

"I don't know, but I think she came an hour early. She looked depressed at the time too. And now when she got X'ed did you see the high level of terror in her eyes? Something happened last night and we need to find out what." Nagi had a point and I nodded.

"For now, I'll take Amu home and try to talk to her when she wakes up. Tadase, don't get too close to her for now and don't call her Amu-chan. Those are what seem to be the trigger. I'm sorry. I know you're her boyfriend, but I don't want Amu to be X'ed ever again. I had to transform into Death Rebel to stop her and I never wanted to use that transformation again." I admitted and scooped Amu up. "I'll see you guys later." I chara changed with Yoru and leaped off the roof. Then I ran for Amu's home and Yoru rang the doorbell. Midori, Amu's mom, answered the door.

"Hello, you're Amu's mother right? Do you remember me? It's Ikuto." I smiled and she looked stunned.

"Ikuto? Wow! It's great seeing you again, but...What's wrong with Amu? And when did you come back?" Midori looked worried and I quickly thought of an explanation that wasn't a complete lie.

"Well, she had fainted during class probably because she got to school too early and was lacking sleep. I was passing by when I saw her there and the nurse asked me to take her home, by Tadase's request. I got back last night and was planning to drop by the school to say hi!" I fibbed smoothly and she nodded.

"Okay, thank you Ikuto and welcome back. Can you tuck Amu into bed? She must be tired. And do you have a place to stay? Since you came so recently...if not then you are welcome to stay here. You can sleep in Amu's room." she welcomed me in and I nodded.

"Thank you and I think I will accept your offer. After all, I know Amu missed me after all those years!" I smiled and went up the stairs. Midori left me with a smile and stayed in the kitchen. After safely reaching Amu's room, I locked the door and set Amu on her bed. I pulled the blanket over her when her mom knocked.

"Ikuto? Would you like something to eat? I can make some tea and you can share some cookies with Amu!" she called through the door.

"Sure, thank you Miss Hinamori. That's very kind of you and I hope I'm not being a hassle to you." I said politely back to the kind lady.

"Oh not at all! Just ask me for anything you need and just call me Midori." Amu's mom said happily and I heard her footsteps fade away.

"Mmmm...Ikuto?" Amu murmured and I turned to the girl. She had turned over to face me and her eyes were opening slowly.

"Amu are you awake?" I said worriedly and she yawned in response.

"Mm...yeah. Where am I?" she frowned as she sat up and groaned in pain. I pushed her back on the bed and tucked her in.

"Ah, y-you shouldn't sit up for a while. Do you remember what happened?" I asked her and she stared at me with confused eyes.

"Ikuto? Why are you in my room? When did I get home? What happened and Why am I in so much pain?" she shot questions at me, but didn't try sitting up again. "No I do not remember." I sighed at shook my head.

"Well...What's the last thing you remember?" I eyed her carefully and she furrowed her eyebrows to think.

"Um...I remember screaming 'No Stay away.' and then blacking out. My memory is fuzzy after that, but I did hear Kukai's voice scream 'Damn it! I hate being helpless! Amu wake up!' But I have no idea what he was talking about..." she trailed off and shot a suspicious look at me. "Tell me exactly what happened Ikuto and if you leave anything out, I will never talk to you or anybody ever again!" I flinched at her tone and glare, but kept my cool before launching into a fully detailed explanation. I finished after about 20 minutes and took a breath.

"In a nutshell, you got X'ed and wore us all out rebelling against us. Utau had to purify you and you're like 10 times stronger when X'ed rather than normal." I finished and looked into her surprised golden eyes. She was shocked, scared, and looking at me as if I was crazy.

"Really? I got X'ed?" she whispered and I saw a lone tear fall from her eye.

"Don't cry and I'm sorry for injuring you that badly, but it was necessary or I could've let you go on a rampage and destroy yourself."

"I'm sorry...Sorry for causing so much trouble...sorry for not being strong enough...sorry for hurting you guys..." Amu was breaking into sobs, but muffled her cried with her palm. Tears overflowed her and I pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Shhhh. don't cry Amu and there's nothing you need to apologize for. Just tell me what happened and why you woke up early this morning." I chided her gently and her sobs eventually softened to a few sniffles.

"Well...I had the worst n-nightmare in my entire l-life." she stopped there and I felt her grip my shirt tightly. Her grip tightened by the second and my shirt was soon soaked with her tears.

"Tell me Amu. What happened in your nightmare?" I pulled her head back so I could look into her eyes and there I saw it again. The extreme level of fright and hurt.

"It started out with Tadase calling out to me. I was peaceful and happy and turned to leap into his arms. When suddenly, he shattered in front of my eyes into a million sharp pieces of a mirror. In each shard I saw my reflection, but I wasn't normal. I looked horrifying. A voice rang in head. It said, 'I'm scared. Heartbroken. Terrified.' and I was suddenly filled with these heavy negative emotions. I heard a gunshot ring out and felt like someone broke my heart the same way Tadase shattered. And then Tadase was standing there with a smile and pointing a gun at me. He pulled the trigger again and expected to feel a bullet hit me, but it never came. I heard the pained screams of my family instead and they were lying in front of me. Dead and oozing blood. And then Tadase smiled sweetly at me and said 'Amu-chan! I love you!' I couldn't believe his words and screamed that it was all lies. Then I woke up in my bed at 1:00 am screaming 'NO!'" when Amu finished talking I was stunned. My deep midnight blue eyes didn't see anything anymore. All I felt was Amu clutching my shirt and her tears falling down her face and into my shirt. Yoru and her charas had left us alone when I tucked Amu into bed and I was glad they did. If anybody else witnessed Amu's dream, I can understand why Amu was so terrified. Why she freaked out at the sight of Tadase's face. Why she X'ed herself. I hugged her tightly and whispered soothing words to her despite the chaotic state of my own mind. I let her sob her heart out until she fell asleep again. When she was asleep, I got into the bed next to her just to give her something or someone to confide in. I stayed by her side so she can relax. I eventually fell asleep with her head buried in my chest and my long, strong arms cradling her close to me.