* This story was inspired by previous works that I've read in the past. Key authors being Holly Black and Melissa Marr. I take no credit for their work. Furthermore, I don't carry the rights for this anime. Some of the characters will act OOC; all of these characters are of age. Constructive criticism is very welcome. Enjoy.

Chapter 8: Amu's POV

"So, you don't get along with your family at all?" Ikuto tilted his head.

"Well, I do. But I don't" Amu said caustically.

"I don't..." Ikuto was shaking his head, his eyebrows pulling down in confusion. "I don't think I understand." He said finally, frowning.

It's been about two weeks since the Ice-Cream Parlor incident, and two weeks since he willingly let her 'hold his hand'. Her parents still argued, and it was slowly wearing her out. Ikuto noticed, which is what brought on this conversation to begin with. In fact, she'd been enlightening him for the past two weeks, too. He seemed to grow more curious about the human life everyday. Amu thought that he knew more than he let on though. Still; she'd humor him.

"I have to care for them. But sometimes I think they'd be better of." She tried to explain. By the look on his face, she could tell he thought she was being too cryptic. When he tried to open her mouth, he spoke.

"Why do you think that?" He didn't give her time to answer before carrying on. "The way you speak of them, and the stories you tell me about them..." He seemed to struggled for a moment. "I have reason to believe that you'd be the one that's better off without them."

"I... can't leave them." She stated for the fourteenth time in the past three days. "I still love them."

Ikuto scoffed, sitting back in the grass, looking a little incredulous. "Love?"

"Don't you love your parents? Your sister?"

He told her he'd had a little sister, and that she was a pain in his ass at times, but had a heart of gold. His expression closed off. which made her want to prod him even more for answers. She tried asking from a different angle.

"Don't Faeries love?"

His expression looked like he was inclined to say no. Her heart started to pound against her ribcage and she leaned forward slightly, eager to know the answer. to help him out a little more, she simplified it.

"Yes or no."

He frowned. Like he didn't appreciate her treating him like an idiot. "It's... Unheard of." He said slowly.

That didn't necessarily mean 'no', did it?

She smirked. "So yes? You can?"

"Not me." He said simply.

"Why not?" Her voice had a frustrated edge to it, no matter how hard she wished it didn't. Really, though. Why fucking not?!

She couldn't deny it anymore. She was absolutely, die-hard attracted to him. And surprisingly, it wasn't just because he was the sexist guy in all of Japan; Although he did have that advantage, too. It was mostly because he was the most authentic guy she'd ever met. Not that she'd met many to begin with. He was real. He thought 'outside of the box'. He sees the 'big picture'. He wasn't vain, or completely modest and insecure. He had acceptance. He wasn't too soft-hearted, yet he didn't have a heart of steel. He didn't seem to happy, but he didn't seem super depressed either. He lived between all things. He wasn't one or the other. He was her Sun, as well as her Moon. Strong and spiritual. She couldn't say she loved him, she was sure that she wasn't in love. But she couldn't deny the fact that she was dangerously close to it.

Is that why it's called a crush? Did anyone ever stop to think about why it was even called that? Did anyone consider what it does to your soul?

His voice seeped through her depressions. "I'm a Gancanagh, Amu. For me to love... It'd be horrendous. I live off of what I do."

"Woah, woah. Wait, what?" Amu frowned.

"I can't go too long without... without.." He voice trailed off, and he stared at her, saddened.

"How long has it been since you..?" Her own voice caught in her throat.

"It's been about two weeks and... five days."

"How long can you last?"

"I don't know." He frowned. "I've never tried to quit. I just know that the longer I go, the more needy I get. The more sex I crave." He sighed, and rubbed his forehead. He obviously didn't want to have this conversation with her.

Another female victim... Amu shook her head. She didn't want to say anything that could possibly offend him. So instead...

"Is that why you can't love?" The words tumbled out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about what she would say.

He smirked at her, his eyes cold and malevolent. "Tell me, Amu. If we were to fall in love-"

Her heart stopped for a minute.

"-how would you feel about me constantly touching, and having sex with female after female? How would you feel about me killing them, and feeling damn good about doing it? How would you feel about me doing that over, and over, and over, and over, and ov-"

"I-I get it!" Amu ground her teeth together in irritation. "I'd hate it. I'd absolutely loathe it."

He gave her a smile that didn't reach his sad, glistening eyes. "Exactly." He shook his head. "Me loving anyone; The Gods would laugh at me."

"Like some sick joke." A smooth; silky voice said from above them, piercing their own little comfortable bubble in the grass of the park.

Amu looked up and her breath caught when she saw what stood above her. A tall, slender, long-blonde haired girl stood over them, her purple eyes grim, and unhappy. They shone like glass. She said nothing, and continued to say nothing while Ikuto jumped up from their comfortable haven.

"Utau!" He replied with unease. It seemed welcoming and foreboding at the same time. "Why are you here?"

"I haven't seen you in weeks, Ikuto. Not since your last victim."

Both Ikuto and Amu cringed.

Utau was beautiful. She was fair-skinned. She looked pale and beautiful, compared to her lusciously tanned brother. She assumed this was Ikuto's Utau. His sister he'd mentioned from time to time. But Utau let off this chilled, cold, and scary vibe. Something vital that Ikuto had not mentioned. Amu expected someone as warm as Ikuto. Utau's hair was silky looking, and shiny. It reached her mid-thigh. An unbelievable length! So charismatic.

"Is this one of them?" Utau was saying. She seemed to be specifically ignoring Amu's existence. Not that Amu was complaining. She'd rather not have those cold eyes stare her down. Let Ikuto handle it. She stayed quiet so as not to draw any more attention to herself. Call her a wimp, but Utau seemed to be someone to fear.

"No. She's a friend." He said slowly, as if testing to make sure it wasn't a lie.

Hm.

"Ikuto, that's ridiculous." Utau laughed, but didn't seem at all humored. she seemed concerned, in a way. "Humans and Faeries don't become 'friends'. Faeries don't believe in friendship. It's a silly myth!"

What?

Ikuto's POV:

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!

"Ikuto!" Utau shouted, trying to regain his attention.

His mind was blown into mayhem. He could barely think coherently.

"Utau," he started slowly, carefully. "Amu can see us. In our true forms, i mean. She's a friend of mine. Please believe me."

He didn't know what else to say. I the told Utau that Amu was just another victim, he'd be lying. Even if he could get away with the lie, Utau would have him touch Amu. But since he can't lie, it was pointless. If he told Utau that he meant Amu no harm, she'd get upset. Not that saying they were just friends was any better; but dammit, he was walking on eggshells. Did this have to happen today?

"Ikuto, did she look you in the eyes? Did you two make eye contact?" Utau demanded, casting a glare at Amu, who winced a little.

Oh, hell. He knew where she was going with this.

"Utau-"

"I heard that if a Faerie makes eye contact with a human, that human can control them."

"You always did have a wild imagination." Ikuto mused nervously.

"Did you two make eye contact? Is she controlling you?"

Ikuto was grateful that Amu was smart enough to stay quiet. But he didn't know how to answer her question. Amu and Ikuto did make eye contact. Plenty of times, actually. But... Not in that way. So ikuto answered the other question.

"She's not controlling me." He said smoothly.

"She could be making you say that. Making you think it's the truth. Did you two make eye contact?" She pressed.

Saying 'no' would be a lie. Saying 'yes' would give Utau incentive to harm Amu, even if her understanding of the concept was mistaken. He was stuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"I..." He tried, thinking of a way to maneuver around the answer. Damn his Faerie trickery. Damn it to hell. How dare it fail him now?

"Ask a different question. Ikuto can't answer that one." Amu piped up suddenly.

Utau turned to her, and he noticed Amu's shoulders stiffening. So, she sensed Utau's power too. "Ikuto will answer any question I give him."

Ikuto felt himself sneer, once he saw Amu raise an eyebrow. It shocked him. He suddenly felt as if he wanted Amu to know that he was the oldest of the two of them. That he was a more powerful Faerie than Utau. He suddenly wanted to put Utau in her place for making his masculinity wane.

"Utau, you hardly have any say in what I do, or do not answer." He snapped at her.

That also surprised him. Faeries didn't snap.

Utau noticed. She frowned. "This is so unlike you, Ikuto. Such a human display of emotions is unlike you."

It was. He was experiencing strange, unheard of emotions. Human emotions. He was taught to never feel a human's emotion. He was taught that it diluted the state of a beings mind. Amu was... Contaminating him. And yet, he didn't have the will to tell her to leave. He wanted to get closer to her even more so than before. Did that have to do with another human emotion?

"Fine," Utau huffed. "Answer this, then. Have you grown close to the mortal?"

Iktuo frowned. He didn't like her questions, and this particular question was an insult to all Faeries. If any Faerie were to be asked whether or not they were close with a human, they had every right to kill the one who questioned them. This question was a life or death kind of question. If he answered yes, Utau would turn him in. If he answered no, both him and Amu would die. Because it would be a lie. Utau and Ikuto may be siblings, but the laws are the laws, and is therefore stronger than even that bond. Utau would have to tell on him; If she wanted to keep her own life. Ikuto couldn't blame her. But' if he tried to say no, Amu would be upset with him. He's tasted her emotions over the past two weeks, and they've only grown stronger for him. The thought of hurting her in any way hurt him as well. But he also wanted to live. He wanted her to live.

"No, Utau, I don't feel like I've grown close to Am-" His eyes widened and he clutched the base of his throat. His jaw locked up, and his breathing was cut off short. He felt the burning start in his chest, inching it's way up his throat. He ducked his head, staring hard at the ground, his vision blurring.

"Ikuto?!" He could hear Amu panicking, and once his vision cleared finally, he seen her reaching for him. He also, panicked. He panicked at how close she was to touching him. He'd never reared back so fast in his entire lifetime.

"G-Goddammit, Amu! DAMMIT! Don't you ever do something so stupid like that again!" He yelled, his voice hoarse and raw from the temporary burn. Utau looked grimmer than before. At this point, he was growing too tired to care about his consequences.

"You tried to tell a lie." She shook her head. "You've never tried to tell a lie before..."

Ikuto narrowed his eyes. He felt his anger piling on top of his shoulders. Amu trying to touch him... Utau trying to get him killed... Being what he was to begin with...

He didn't need to look at Amu to know how she was feeling. Her emotions only fed his anger. She was emotionally hurt. Pained, and desperate. He blamed Utau.

"Ikuto, you are my brother. And because you're that, I will help you." Utau said.

That's worse. Ikuto froze, knowing what she meant. "I don't need your help."

"Ikuto, I'll bring him here. He can help you deal with this. He'll give advice and stuff. It's either Yoru, or Father. And your know father doesn't stand for this."

Ikuto bowed his head in defeat. He had to see Yoru. His Faerie Companion. His 'boss'. Former Gancanagh. Yoru was older than him, and was five centuries older than Ikuto's Father and Mother. Who were old.

"Let me have a personal word with Amu. Don't bring Yoru here. I'll go to him." He ground out.

Utau hesitated before nodding. She walked to another side of the park, busying herself with blowing small, thin blankets of snow on the grass around her. Ikuto turned to Amu immediately, staring into her hurt, confused, honey-comb eyes. "I'm leaving, and I can't tell you when I'll be back... I don't know."

Remember to R&R.