Re-cap

Ikuto walkd over ot the sofa and sat down. " Utau, how long has it been since Amu invited you over there?" Utau thought about it, " Hmm… 2 ½ years now, it's a bit strange but why?" " she's hiding something just like you said. And I'm going to uncover what it is… "

Chapter 4

It took 20 minutes to see to Amu's wounds, constaint whimpering and ow's here and there from when her ribs got touched. " I have done all I can to clean them up Amu, if you would like to talk to someone about these event's then please feel free to…" Amu shook her head, there was no way in hell she was going to explain on how all this happened to her.

" it was just a simpl accident, falling down the stairs this morning, don't worry about it Nurse and thank you." she handed them all passes to head back to class, and excused herself having something else to attend to.

Utau sat down next to her best friend as Amu pulled her upper clothing back on, " Amu.. What really happened? What's Been! happening?" Amu just stood up throwing the pass in her pocket, " Nothing's been happening Utau, and you both better keep this quiet ok? Like I said it was a simple fall down the stairs, and the burn on my stomach was from making dinner last night." both girls looked to each other confused.

"Come, we may as well skip the rest of school, before you have to pick up Ami and I have to go to work, don't be sending Ikuto onto my back" she walked out of the infirmary and past Ikuto. He watched her walk down the hallway alone, there was something she was hiding and wasn't going to tell anyone. He also noticed the lonely aura she had around her, the pain she held in her eye's.

Like it was calling for someone to save her from an un wake able nightmare. Rima and Utau exited the nurses office and looked to him he noticed the upsetting and hurtful look in there eye's. "what happened?" Rima was about to say but Utau placed a hand on her shoulder giving a shake of the head. Indicating the timing wasn't right to tell him.

That just got the poor boy even more worried.

Classes for the rest of the day went extremely slow for the pinkette she was thankful that the nurse didn't send her to the hospital, which would have eloped in more questions from the doctors, and giving out lies that she would have to tell to cover up what was going on at home, she couldn't let anyone know, she couldn't let anyone get dragged into her mess and get hurt by the monster she ones knew as a loving father.

School soon ended and Amu swung her shoulder bag over her neck and plugged in her Ipod listening to Plumbed ' Damaged' song. She was glad she didn't have to go straight home and head to the café first.

Her working shift consisted of

Friday - 4pm till 7 closing time

Saturday - 9am - 7 closing time

Sunday 10 am - 5 closing time

She was perfectly happy with these times apart from Sunday meaning she would have to go home earlier to deal with her drunken father. An she wasn't going to ask Trista to keep the café open longer on a Sunday otherwise it would end up in a unnecessary questions battle on why she wanted it opened longer.

It took a total 15 minutes to get to the café, leaving 10 minutes before her shift started, which was good so Trista could show her the ropes before she began getting straight into the work.

"Amu sweetie, your early, how was school?" Asked the woman behind the counter, Amu just gave a small smile, " was alright, got sent to the nurses office for an unnecessary visit." the woman raised her eye brow, " really? Oh dear, what did they think was wrong?" Amu just shrugged, " I had hunger pains, me and Ami didn't have time to grab breakfast this morning remember. Was running late"

The woman placed a cup of coffee on the table for Amu as the young pinkette went into the back and changed into the polo t-shirt she had been given the day before. The café wasn't large but it wasn't small either, the walls was covered in a midnight blue colour with small and big golden stars on the walls, right in the centre shone a silver moon the lights was a little dimmed giving it more of an atmosphere.

Trista handed the young girl an apron, in which instead of putting it around Amu's neck she just folded it in half and wrapped it around her waist, tying it to the side of her blue washed jeans. Giving a small chuckle, " you never change do you, always got to take a simple uniform and transforming it to a style that suits you, here at least wear the collar down." she walked over and flipped the collar down making it look a lot neater than what it originally was.

On the Green top was pretty basic but on the collar held a star on he left and a crescent moon on the right. Just on the left breast, held in gold fancy colours 'starlight café'. Trista then went over the basics and gave Amu a run down on the prices, how to make coffee's like cappuchino's, Latte's, American coffee, white coffee, Expresso's. She also went threw 6 different flavoured tea's peppermint, rose, earls grey, English breakfast and normal tea.

After was the food menu, which Amu knew off by heart since she was in there almost every morning with her sister, then it came to kids meals, where everything in the kitchen was placed.

It didn't take Amu long to grasp the basics of everything, after the 3rd customer came in she was basically perfect. Only problem was her smiling, Trista could see threw the fake smile she also knew the girl hadn't given off a real one since her mother past away or when she was around her sister.

The evening flew by and it was time to start cleaning up, Amu was wipping down tables when her boss walked up, " Amu sweetie, since it's your first day you can go home early ok? Oh I forgot to mention you can pick up your wages every Sunday at the end you'll be on £6.20 an hour minimum wage ok?" Amu smiled and nodded "are you sure? I can stay a bit longer and help finish cleaning. Ami's staying at a friends house this weekend and my dad's on a business trip so I don't really have to be home."

Trista thought about it "Alright, only another 15 minutes then I want you out of here ok?" giving up Amu agreed.

Once finished she walked out of the café, her hoodie zipped up halfway and she'd flipped her collar back up as she began the slow walk heading off home, until she bumped into someone. Looking up it was him again. " Ikuto what do you want?"

He held out a shopping bag, " Utau asked me to bring you these said they was your favourite." Amu took the shopping bag off him and gave a small smile, inside was her favourite pocky with some refreshments. " how was your first day of work?" Amu looked up to him. " was ok, money's a little tight at home at the moment so the job helps sort that out."

She leaned against the sidewalk railing next to him " listen I know you don't want to talk about it but, when your ready I'm here to listen on what's been going on these past three years Amu, on your happiness, struggles, I'm even curious on how kiddy king isn't with you all the time" giving a slight chuckle, " he stopped being around me because I was depressed after mother passed away, I was silent and wouldn't talk to anyone so he and most of them eventually gave up talking to me apart from Utau and Rima, who eventually brought me out of my shell."

Ikuto couldn't help but smile, so his sister was good for something " Well that's good, seeing you with a smile is always better, your always a lot cuter too" Amu couldn't help but blush and look at the ground. " Amu I…" she shook her head pushing herself off the railing and stood in front of him, her back to his face, " I still stand by what I said Ikuto, don't say them words to me, at least… not yet. We made a promise and you've only just returned, we don't have to rush and we still need to know about each other more. I'm sorry if I can't ask for how you feel at this moment in time." with that she began the long walk home, but he wasn't going to allow her away that easily.

Reaching out and grabbing her wrist, to pull her back he noticed her flintch, he felt her freeze, just what was she hiding? Ripping her wrist away from him she began running off down the street, only catching a bit of her face, tears glistening in her eye's. from sadness? Or was it pain?.

* with Utau*

Utau had picked up Ami at the elementary school and smiled when the girl ran and hugged her, " Hey squirt! How you been?" the smaller blonde smiled, " Great! It's been so long! Utau- nee-chan! Thank you for having me over this weekend!" Utau winked to the girl as they began walking down the street.

"No problem kiddo, I just wish your sister could join us, but she mentioned something about a part time job?" the Hinamori nodded and smiled, " she's been looking hard for a job these past few months to help out with paying bills and shopping, things are a little tight on us at the moment, and … Dad's not exactly pulling his weight around in the right places…" Ami looked down at the ground. Her eye's held sadness as she mentioned that last part.

"I'm sure he's still depressed from… the accident a few years ago, maybe we should do something to try and cheer him up?" Ami shook her head almost too fast, " No it's ok! That's why Amu's doing this to cheer him up and help him out. No matter on how much I want to help out too, Amu refuses saying I need to focus more on my education than be looking for a job."

Utau ran a hand threw her long blond hair, " Ami, we took Amu to the nurses office today, did… you know about her injuries?" that caused the younger Hinamori to stop walking, as Hoshina looked to her, she noticed on how the girl had froze up. " I.. I do, but I promised I wouldn't say anything." she carried on walking but Utau placed a hand on the girls shoulder, " I know it wasn't just a simple fall down the stairs, does Amu have a boyfriend she's not telling us about and he's hurting her?"

Ami blinked, and couldn't help but hold in a laugh, " You know on how much my onee-chan is hooked on Ikuto-nii-kun. It's all she ever thinks about you've noticed on how she's always wearing the chocker he got her right? Why would she be interested in someone else when wearing that?" hmm the girl did have a point. Then Utau put two and two together, " its your dad isn't it?" Ami turned round faster than you could say Shugo! "H…how?" Utau had a sad smile on and just hugged the girl close.

"H…he doesn't hurt you also does he?" Ami just rested her head in Utau's chest, and shook, " Amu always hides me before he gets to. Please Utau-nee-chan you can't tell anyone! Don't even let Amu know! Please! We haven't told anyone because we don't want you all hurt!"

The pop star just held the younger girl closer stroking her hair, wet drops landed on Ami's face, she looked up and saw the pop star crying, " Utau-onee-chan?" " why couldn't Amu trust me? I could have helped… I could have offered you both a place to stay… I'm so sorry Ami, I'm so so sorry…"

Instead of Utau comforting Ami it ended up turning the other way around, standing there for what seemed like hours. Utau's cries finally stopped and they headed off to the supermarket, and bumped into Ikuto, which Utau made him take a shopping bag and forced him to go to Amu's work to hand them to the girl.

Well that's chapter 4 done! Poor Utau,

Oooooo Ikuto's not been listened to and bossed about by his sister! Will he stand for this?

Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned for more!

Curedream90! Over and out!