This is a very early Christmas chapter. And no, Amu does not get Ikuto a violin. Seriously, violins are pretty darn expensive. And in this story, Ikuto doesn't have the same relationship with his violin as in the manga/anime.
"Oh, hello there, wall, how are you?" I mumbled, letting my eyes close briefly before resuming my stare at the usually comforting golden brown walls of the guest room.
"Silent treatment? You're not the first one." Ever since the demons had cornered me yesterday, Utau and the rest had been eyeing me warily and whispering behind my back.
The door creaked slightly. I turned, sitting up as it opened.
Nagihiko stepped inside, almost hesitant to speak. "Amu-chan? Lunch is ready-all of us here. And if you want, we can talk, about, you know, yesterday? The demons?"
I lowered my gaze to the wooden floor. "I'm good. And Nagihiko...would you mind telling Utau that I'm leaving?" The words flew out of my outh. Sure, I was gonna leave, but I hadn't planned on telling them.
I could hear his gasp, though I dared not look him in the eye. "Amu-chan…? Why? I mean, school starts in three days, and you could go with us, and we could-"
"No can do." I whispered. "I'm sorry."
Nagihiko sat down on the bed next to me. "Is this about the demons? None of us are mad at you. We just want to know why."
My back tingled faintly, reminding me of the strange mark that the demons had placed. Yesterday, when I had fought the blue-haired one, she had slammed into me and imprinted me. I was sure a real Guardian could have been able to identify it. But I had given up studying magic when I had been banished.
"Nagihiko, I just can't do it. I'm better off alone."
"Amu-chan."
My eyes widened. No, not Nadeshiko, not the hallucinations again. I thought they had disappeared when I had begun living with Utau, but they were back.
"Stay. You know you want to. The demons are coming for you, Amu-chan, the Guardians recruited them. I know they're enemies, but the demons are being paid by the Guardians to capture you."
This couldn't be happening.
"You're one of the most wanted criminals, Amu-chan. Bested only by me." Nadeshiko's voice broke.
"Amu-chan?" Nagihiko shook me gently. "Are you okay?"
I jolted back into reality, staring at Nagihiko. Finally reacting, I shoved him off the bed. He stumbled into the hallway and I locked the door before collapsing on my own bed. It was really the only way to deal with the hallucinations.
"I'm real, I keep telling you. It's some sort of magic, I'm in a prison cell but I can hear your thoughts. I know you think I'm dead, you want me dead. But Amu-chan, I have to warn you!"
"Never." I muttered. "I swore I would start anew. She's dead."
"Amu-chan!"
I covered my ears childishly, but Nadeshiko wouldn't stop. Hours later, I fell asleep, tormented by dreams of capture, of prison, and of Nadeshiko.
The first thought that struck my mind the next morning was that it was Christmas. A smile twitched at the corners of my mouth as I realized I was supposed to be alone, on the streets.
I really was too pessimistic sometimes. I'd have to leave Monday, come school, but I could always enjoy Christmas.
Then I remembered Nadeshiko and the demons. My mood plummeted. Turning over in bed, I reflected that I really was too fickle with my emotions.
"Come on, Amu-chi! We left you alone yesterday, 'cause utau said you might wanna be alone, but friends have to spend Christmas morning together!" Yaya literally dragged me out of bed.
"Yaya, I don't…"
"Come ON, Amu-chi!" Yaya faced me with a pout. "Pwease?"
I groaned. "Fine."
Yaya dragged me down the stairs, not even bothering to let me change. Everybody, who had apparently slept over, was crowded around the huge tree in the center of the room. A pile of gifts was set around it. A blush crept up my face as I realized that I had no gifts to give.
Nagihiko smiled at me, obviously relieved that I was okay after my outburst previously. Beside him, Rima shot me a cold glare and subsequently shot Nagihiko an equally cold one, most likely for smiling at me.
Kukai waved me over, and I sat down awkwardly amongst the others.
"I-I don't have any gifts, so I really shouldn't…" I trailed off, gulping at the pile of gifts in front of me.
"Are you serious? None of us expected you to have a gift. We didn't give you money." Utau harrumphed, smile just barely visible.
"Ah, I'm embarrassed, all the same…" I sighed.
Nagihiko winked. "Nothing's embarrassing until you think it is." it was a totally pointless comment, but it instantly made me feel better.
"Hey, get to the gifts already." Ikuto drawled. "Here. First one's for Kairi, from Yaya." he tossed Kari a bright pink present covered in bows.
"Yaya didn't sign that present! How did you know, Ikuto-tan?"
"It's covered in pink and ribbons. And please don't call me -tan. I'm years older than you."
Kairi began to open the gift meticulously, careful not to rip even an inch of the messily done wrapping.
Tick tock.
"Oh, just open the gift already!" Yaya shrieked, tearing open the wrapping and thrusting it at Kairi.
Kukai peered over at the gift, then began to chuckle. Utau also glanced at it and nearly snorted in amusement. Before long everybody except Rima (because she was still mad at the world) and I (because I had no idea what the gift was) had burst out laughing.
"What is it?" I asked eagerly.
Between gasps of laughter, Kukai stammered, "A...Complete...Encyclopedia...of...Sweets...and
...ah...CANDY!"
Now I was laughing too.
Kairi, who was staring at the book, exclaimed in a low voice, "Every single sweet ever created? Six hundred and seventy-two pages?"
Yaya's big brown eyes widened. "Oh, Kairi, is it really bad or something?"
"It's the most complete encyclopedia I've ever seen! Thank you!" Kairi left us all stunned and buried himself in the book.
Kukai broke the silence. "Utau, here." The gift was thin and square, wrapped in colorful sports paper.
"I-thanks." Utau said, smiling a rare, true smile as she held a beat-up album.
"It's of my songs when I was just a kid." she added to me.
The morning passed swiftly. Nagihiko got a dancing video, and Rima a manga volume which she promptly hid. Yaya, candy, Kukai, soccer ball, Tadase-kun a crown...? I watched intently but silently, not expecting a gift for myself. So when Tadase handed me a little silver box, I was quite astounded.
"It's nothing much, from all of us. Think of it as a welcome gift." I opened the box with shaking hands, gently pulling out a silver lock on a gold chai. in the shape of a four-leaf clover.
"I...thanks so much." I slipped the lock onto my neck, feeling more guilty than ever. They got me such a wonderful gift, and here was, going to leave come Monday.
The morning continued. Gifts were exchanged along with laughter, but I couldn't help but notice that Ikuto's hands were still empty. This wasn't a weird cliche where Ikuto would sulk and stay lonely, though. Of course Utau and the rest had put something together.
"Hey, Ikuto." Utau handed him a rectangular present. "Open it."
Warily, Ikuto tore open the gift wrapping. He paled as soon as he saw it, though, and within seconds his hands were shaking.
"What the heck, Utau. Why would you people give me something like this."
"I-I thought you'd like it, Ikuto!"
Ikuto motioned her over, and pointed out something in the gift, which was a picture of something. Utau's hands went to her mouth, as if to stop herself from screaming.
"Ikuto." she whispered, but he had already stood, slowly, as if he was afraid. He backed away at a snail's speed, then his eyes fell on the picture in his hand and he slipped up the stairs, leaving us all dumbstruck.
Nagihiko was the one to break the silence. "We're idiots. That picture would have definitely upset him."
"Wh-why?" I gasped.
"He...well, that was the year his father disappeared, his mother began to distance herself, and-well, he was crushed. We all were, but, well, you know that case Ikuto carries around?"
Oh, I knew it all too well.
"It's a violin case. He used to play, till his father left. And now he can't even open the thing."
"He was so good at it…" Yaya sighed.
"But what about you guys? Why aren't you so upset?" I stammered.
Kairi faced me head on, glasses hiding his eyes. "He was our big brother then. But we never stopped to comfort him, and since then he has grown alone, apart from us."
Utau stood up, still a bit shaky. "Amu, go after him. Wherever he went. You're the only one who wasn't involved in the gift, so he can't be mad at you."
"But-Ikuto doesn't seem like an angry person. Maybe we should just let him cool off."
"Possibly." Utau shrugged. "You're a perceptive person, so I'm not surprised Ikuto actually talks to you. He won't talk to strangers-or anyone, for that matter."
"We're not strangers, though, right?"
"No…" Utau grinned, "We're friends."
But even as we continued in awkward silence, I could feel Rima's glare practically boring holes in the back of my head.
Friends?
Ikuto listened to them talk below, though he couldn't catch their exact words. He could hear Utau, voice trembling, and Amu, reassuring.
He had ruined everyone's Christmas. But he could get away with it. Not without feeling guilty, or course, but that was another problem.
Ikuto was good at hiding his feelings. He knew that tomorrow, he'd be able to (fake) shake it off and act like nothing had ever happened.
But like he had told Amu, the hole in your heart never heals.
"Ugh." I twisted around, trying to itch the weird tingle in my back where the demons had imprinted that signal, imprint, whatever.
I groaned and sat up, watching the moon through the lacy golden curtains. The light was so pretty. This world, Earth, was full of horrors, but the silver moon was a sight to behold. It was quite unlike the blue Guardian moon that bathed my home in sapphire light. Maybe it was even better.
I scrambled back as a shadow materialized in front of the window, followed by another, and another. My pulse quickened as I realized that whatever those shadows were after had to be me.
My sword was lying on the nightstand. I snatched it and gripped the handle tightly, waiting for an attack. I waited as the shadows flooded the room, swiping occasionally but never hitting my unknown enemies.
Mustering my courage, I managed to bellow, "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
The shadows solidified.
Demons.
"The Guardians want you, Amu Hinamori." one hissed, motioning the others forward. "And we decided we needed a little cash." he nodded to the demon beside him. Her red eyes gleamed with pleasure and she snapped her fingers.
Utau, Nagihiko, no one was coming.
A net fell down upon me, trapping me in suffocating black threads. A thousand slices from a sword could not break it, nor could a violent explosion of magic caused by my sheer fear.
"What is it?!" Rima barked as she thrust the door open. She paled slightly as she saw me, entangled.
"Did you bring your ropes? Or something?" I hollered above the elated din of the demons.
"No!" her voice had become high-pitched in fear. "Amu, I should have come earlier, but I was mad, and I-"
"Rima!" I screamed. "They're taking me!"
She lashed out with all her might, but without her ropes she was powerless. A couple demons were enough to end her skidding backwards.
The demon in charge nodded, and I could feel myself slipping away from Earth. I clawed at the floor, magic everywhere, screaming.
The last thing I saw was Rima's horrified face.
Aah I feel like a jerk for ending all the chapters like this. My chapters are becoming too predictable. Hey, at least Amu didn't cry in this one.
ReachForTheSky is out.