The Broken Game
Annie: Disclaimer - All rights to the manga Shugo Chara! go to Peach-Pit. I am basing this upon the characters Amu and Ikuto from Shugo Chara! But they are OOC in an AU. There are also OCs.
Ikuto: Amuto FTW!
Amu: Baka Ikuto. Baka Annie.
Annie: I could kill you off.
Ikuto: DON'T YOU DARE!
Amu: *screams and runs*
Kim (MagicWriterK) : What? You didn't tell me you were causing mass panic...I wanted to help...
Amu stretched and yawned as sunlight poured into her room, and onto her coral pink bed. She slowly got into a sitting position, and swung her legs off of the bed. Her feet landed softly on the plushly carpeted ground, and she leaned against her light pink wall with the white tree painting on it for support. Amu slowly walked towards her bathroom, and shut the door behind her. She brushed her teeth, and took a warm shower. After she was done, she opened the bathroom door to let out the steam, and went to her closet. There, she pulled out a pair of light blue ripped skinny jeans and a sleeveless, floral, button down shirt. She put it on and grabbed her white hanging earrings and put those on too. While she was leaving her room, she grabbed a gray beanie. While she was downstairs, she nibbled at a warm, buttery croissant and stepped out, the screen door slamming behind her. As she put on her lacy white flats, she wondered whether or not she should go biking. She decided not to, and to instead take a walk. Closing the creaky garage door behind her, Amu walked down the small paved hill and onto the sidewalk. She walked on looking around her, when she tripped in a ditch. Just as she was about to fall onto her back, when two strong hands grabbed her. Amu whipped her head around to face the stranger. "Ikuto?" Amu asked, looking up at the familiar face of her best friend. He grinned, and pulled her upright.
"Yes, Miss-Damsel-In-Distress?" he smirked. Amu's cheeks flushed angrily. She tried to kick him but he leapt away. "Want to go on a walk? I'm SO bored," Ikuto smiled, a friendly little smile.
The color started to fade from Amu's cheeks when she said, "Sure." So, they walked around for a little while, when Amu said, "Ikuto, do you hear that?"
"What?" He asked, puzzled.
"I heard something. It was a rustling sound from the bushes," she insisted, glancing around herself, looking for whatever it was. "it's not even windy today, so it CAN'T be the the wind."
"Well, maybe it's a squirrel," Ikuto reasoned. "C'mon, let's keep going." The two friends continued on into the more rural area of Ibaraki, Japan.
"Ikuto! I hear the noise again," Amu cried out looking around. "and I'm pretty sure it's human!"
Ikuto surveyed the area, just looking around with his eyes, completely still. "I still don't see anything."
"Let's just get away from here, it's creeping me out," Amu asked hurrying on. As they went along, Amu suddenly stood still, not moving. "Check the tree," she whispered urgently. Ikuto silently glided towards a tree to their right. The oak was small, but shady, and still green in the early fall. As soon as he pulled apart the branches, he saw a round stubbly face, stained with grime staring down at him, grinning madly.
"Run!" Ikuto screamed, grabbing Amu's wrist. He sprinted back the way they had come. Amu struggled to catch up with him, and she was scared she would be left behind, but when she heard footsteps behind them, fear surged through her veins and into her heart. Soon, she was at the same pace as Ikuto. When they reached her house after what seemed like an eternity, Amu swiftly put in the passcode to the garage, and they both entered as fast as they could, closing the garage behind them. Once they were in the house, Ikuto insisted he stayed with her for protection. Amu finally agreed. First, they locked all the doors, and closed all the windows tightly. Curtains were drawn, chairs were used to barricade the doors.
"Okay, it's 10:30, let's get you settled in," Ikuto said, glancing at his watch.
"Alright," Amu answered. She went into the bathroom to change into her yoga pants and t-shirt that she used to sleep in, while Ikuto set up his bed on the floor outside of Amu's door. He would keep watch during the night. As Amu settled into bed, visions of bloody knives, Ikuto dying and masked murderers invaded her sleep, and she slept fitfully. Amu woke up to a cry of anger. She bolted out of bed and opened the door to her bedroom. Ikuto was there, glaring at a bloody, grimy, pot-bellied man, a few gray hairs strewn across his scalp.
"Lights out. Lights out. Lights out. Lights out," the man said monotonically, cocking his head, the mad grin plastered on his chubby face unsettling them both. Ikuto shoved Amu into the bedroom, and closed the door behind him, locking it.
"Help me get the dresser in front of the door!" Ikuto commanded, taking a hold of one side of Amu's dresser. Amu grabbed the other end and they both heaved it to the door. The man banged at the door, screaming angrily.
"How did he get in?!" Amu asked fearfully.
"Skylight. I can't believe we forgot!" Ikuto answered, running his fingers through his dark hair. He opened the window in her bedroom, and started to slip out.
"Ikuto!" Amu cried.
"Don't worry, It's only 2 stories, I'll be fine. Come down after me, and I'll catch you," Ikuto said, now almost out of sight. "Okay, come down now!" Ikuto ordered. Amu carefully put one leg over the window sill. The man's banging was getting louder, and the dresser was starting to give out. Amu gulped, and leapt out of the window. She seemed to fall for an eternity, and she was just waiting to hit the cold hard ground. Instead, she landed in Ikuto's arms, and he put her down.
"Let's go!" Ikuto screamed. Amu grabbed his hand and they were off. They could hear the man behind them, yelling at them to come back, followed by a loud thud. He'd come out the window as well. The pair started to sprint faster, and a loud gunshot slowed them down for a second. Autumn leaves crunched under their feet.
"He has a gun?!" Amu cried over the howling wind.
"I guess so!" Ikuto answered, pulling her along. BOOM! Again, a gunshot rang out. Amu felt something nick her shoe.
"Oh God. I think he's shooting at us!" Amu said, letting the fear be her energy, seeping through her skin once more. A third gunshot blared, and this one hit its mark. Amu glanced up at Ikuto. Why is Ikuto all the way up there? Why does he look like the world is ending? Then, suddenly the full force of the pain hit her like lightning. She wailed like a siren.
"Amu? Amu! Amu!" Ikuto panicked. He picked her up, and she tried to hold on, but she couldn't. Her arms were failing her. Blood trailed on the ground, oozing out of her wound. She screamed in pain. Ikuto ran faster, his black jacket flapping in the wind, and his cross necklace tugging at his throat. The man laughed maniacally behind them. The gunshots continued, but these didn't hit Ikuto, for he had cat-like reflexes, and he could evade them all, all the while carrying Amu. Soon, the sounds of gunshot faded, and the man's screaming was inaudible. Ikuto started to slow, and was starting to walk towards the direction of the town. Amu whimpered and was limp in Ikuto's arms. "It's okay. You'll be fine, it's alright," he whispered to her, half assuring her, half assuring himself. Ikuto saw a large, house, more of a mansion, nearby. It was a welcoming sight to Ikuto. He glanced down to see that Amu's eyes were closed. He then quickly ran up to the door, and sharply knocked three times.
"Coming!" a muffled voice called out from inside the house. The old mahogany door creaked up open slowly as a tall, lanky young man with large black glasses appeared in front of them He glanced at the blood coming out of Amu's wound. She groaned and closed her eyes. " Come inside," the man moved out of the way so that Ikuto could come in. "Well, I'm, uh, Genpachirou Hishiro, 22 years old. I live here alone, and, well, um, you can call me Gen," he said stuttering along the way.
"I'm Ikuto, and this is Amu. She was being stalked, and the stalker somehow got into her house while I was with her. We escaped from the window, but he followed us, and he's armed. He shot her. He could be here any second. Just please, please call the police," Ikuto blabbed, looking behind him, worried that the guy would come after them, "hurry!" Gen pulled his phone out of his pocket and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He typed in 1-1-0 and it rang. Once, twice. Three times.
"Hello? How can I assist you today?" a friendly voice asked through the phone. Gen pointed to a sofa where Ikuto could lay Amu on, and answered. "Hello, I'm Genpachirou Hishiro. Two teenagers, a girl and a boy, came into my house. There is an armed man following them. He shot the girl, and the boy is with her, unharmed. I'm at 4978 Riverdale Drive. Please hurry, the man could be here at any moment!" Gen quickly said into the phone.
"We'll send someone right away. Please keep the doors locked, and go into a part of your house where there are no windows. Don't let anyone in!" the woman answered hurriedly. Gen hung up.
"C'mon, we need to get to the basement. We'll be safer there," Gen said to Ikuto, helping him pick up Amu. Ikuto, blood covering his arms, picked up Amu, and followed Gen. Someone pounded the door angrily. All the blood drained from Ikuto's face.
"He's here." They hurried and Gen opened the door. The boys quickly shuffled in, carrying the now unconscious Amu with them. Gen quickly locked the door behind them. Ikuto gingerly propped Amu up against the wall. He slid down next to her, head in his hands.
"What are we going to do?" he wondered out loud. Gen looked at them worriedly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, stretching his suspenders. Then, he raised his fingers to his bright red bowtie and played with it. Amu groaned and pushed herself up with the palms of her hands. She promptly fell again, and she leaned her head against Ikuto's shoulder.
"What happened? Where are we?" Amu asked, completely confused. Before Ikuto could answer, Gen cut in.
"You're okay. Don't worry, alright? We're going to be safe soon," he said smoothly.
"Did you know that you're an akiba nerd?" Amu said quietly, almost a whisper. Soft laughter filled the room. The steady pounding overhead grew louder. Wood splintering. Loud footsteps. Amu's face turned ghostly pale.
"You remember now," Ikuto whispered worriedly.
"He's here. He followed us until here. Oh, God. Please, God save us," Amu sobbed quietly. Now the man screamed as he began to attack the basement door.
"Where are the police?!" Gen asked, pacing, running his fingers through his dark hair anxiously. A gunshot was heard. More splintering. Amu stopped crying.
"It was nice knowing you," Amu said, struggling to get up. Once she was on her feet she limped to the steps.
"What are y-?" Ikuto asked, getting up as well.
"If I die, then you'll have more time, and the police will come and save you. Well, it's been a good life," Amu answered, cutting him off.
"No, you are not doing this. You cannot. I won't let you," Ikuto answered, grabbing. She struggled to free herself, but his grip was too strong.
"No! Please. I don't want you guys to die. He's after me. He doesn't care about you guys," Amu pleaded, hot tears slipping down her dirty face, leaving behind clean streaks. The wood of the door broke apart. A hand thrust through, groping blindly for the doorknob. Ikuto pulled Amu into the corner.
"Nobody puts Amu in the corner!" she cried. Ikuto glared at her. "Ikuto can put Amu in the corner!" she corrected. Gen walked towards them, and placed himself on the other side of Amu. The doorknob rattled violently, and the door burst open. The man leapt down the steps, surprisingly agile for his weight. He snarled, and leveled the handgun at Amu. He placed his finger on the trigger.
"Lights out," he said, grinning evilly. As the man was clicking the trigger, Gen came in.
"No!" Gen cried out. He jumped in front of Amu as his silver doom hurtled towards his chest and flew right through his body and to the other side. Gen cried out and his eyes widened in horror as he fell to the ground, limp.
"Lights out. Lights out," The man said again, tilting his head to the side, eyes clouded with confusion as he slowly realized he had hit the wrong person.
You monster! What did you do to him?" Amu sobbed, falling to her knees, covering Gen with her arms. Gen used whatever strength he had left to pet her pink hair. "Why Gen? Why did you have to save me? Why? I've only known you for a couple of minutes!" Amu clutched his shirt, wet with blood.
"I've known you for much longer than that," he said slowly, struggling on the words. "Don't you remember me? The nerd from our school? I remember seeing you walk past me everyday, chatting with your friends. I admired you so much. I loved how you were outgoing, cheerful and sarcastic. You had so many friends. Well, I, was a lonely boy, alone with his manga and his anime. I wanted to be your friend so badly. I envied Ikuto, who was your best friend. I wanted to talk to you, but I was so scared. Scared that you would just reject me like the other kids. More than anything in the world, I just wanted to be your friend," he said, taking deep breaths in between sentences. Amu cried harder.
"Oh, Gen. You'll always be my friend. I'll never forget you Gen," she said kissing his forehead softly. "You'll always be my friend." Her kiss was his ticket to the afterlife and he lay motionless in her arms, smiling as he breathed his last breath. His eyes were open. Taking one last look at his piercing ice blue eyes, she closed his eyelids with her fingers.
Meanwhile, Ikuto had been defending the two, by dueling with the man. Ikuto punched his wrist, sending the gun flying from his hand. Now he was defenseless. The man lunged at him, but Ikuto easily evaded the hit. "Who are you?" Ikuto asked, blocking another hit from the man.
"Lights out. Lights out. Lights out," the man repeated over and over. Ikuto kicked his leg, knocking him over and punched his side.
"What is wrong with you?!" Ikuto yelled. As the man desperately tried to get to his feet, Ikuto helped him up, then kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying. Ikuto heard sirens. "Amu, go call the police over here, and I'll take care of this guy," Ikuto ordered.
"No! I won't leave you!" Amu cried, snatching the gun from the floor. She got to her feet and hobbled towards the man. She punched him with her right hand, and kicked him with her good leg, the left one. He stumbled back and fell. Police stormed down the steps and into the basement.
"Well, about time," Ikuto said angrily. The officers pointed a gun towards each person. "He's the one you need to arrest. He killed our friend and almost killed us."
"Lights out. Lights out. Lights out," the man said, facing Amu, as cops handcuffed him "Lights out." Amu sneered at him. Then abruptly, she collapsed onto the ground and started to sob her eyes out. It was just something necessary that she had to do, after all she'd been through. Ikuto knelt beside her and put an arm around her.
"You know," she said between sobs, "you're like a big brother to me." The officers came in and took the whole story from Ikuto.
"Well, this guy was actually tested on in a lab. He was a failed experiment. He was then sent to an asylum which he escaped, obviously. He was after Amu, because her father was one of the scientists from the lab that he remembers. I'm sorry to say this, but he was the experiment who killed all the scientists in that lab. Including your father. You probably look like him," one of the officers said sadly.
"So that's what my dad had done for a living," Amu said, tears filling her eyes as she looked at the officer, "my father was never there. I rarely saw him. One day, he left, and never came back." Ikuto gave her a quick, comforting hug. "You know, Ikuto. This isn't the first time you saved my life. Remember when we found that well when we were younger? I remember it like it was just yesterday. It was a hot day, and I decided I wanted to try to get water from the well. When I reached for the bucket, and had leaned too far over the well, and I fell in! You jumped in after me and you kept me afloat, since I didn't know how to swim back then. So, then, a boy with big glasses-Oh my God. That was Gen. How could I not know it?! So ,Gen saved my life twice too," Amu wiped a tear that had leaked out of her eye, "he pulled us out of the well that day. He was really the one who saved us." Amu started sobbing again.
At least they had made it. Even though Gen wasn't there with them, he would forever be in their hearts. So, after it all happened, the man, who was named Kuro Shizuka, was sent to a heavily guarded asylum, not even close to the horrible security they had in the last one. The place was similar to Alcatraz. So, each day, Amu and Ikuto climb up 100 steps to reach the local shrine, but everyday, they pray for Gen. It was a night of horror, but one where although not everyone had survived, it brought a criminal to light, a horrible past uncovered, a friend found, and a hidden bravery discovered.