"Oh come now Ikuto, don't put such a sad look on your face," chuckled TaeYang.
I continued to stare at the rubble, hoping that maybe Kukai had gotten there on time. Or that maybe she was hiding somewhere. I stumbled forward, with the full intention of digging through the debris, when a plank of wood shifted to the right. My heart pounded within my chest as I ran to the ruins of the house.
"Amu! Kukai! Can you hear me?" I shouted pushing away the wood and stone.
A hand shot up from underneath the pile and lightly brushed my hand. I worked harder and faster, so that I could just barely see Kukai's head. Never in my life had I been so glad to see his head. After working a bit more, I grabbed onto his hand and pulled him out of the debris. He collapsed onto the grass and coughed. There was a large gash just above his forehead dripping blood onto his cheek.
"Amu…" he wheezed. "I couldn't…make it…o-on time. I'm sorry."
My heart stopped. Right then and there my whole team had collapsed. Kain was shot in the shoulder, Kukai was bleeding and Amu was most likely dead. I ran back to the pile and furiously dug. I pushed away the unneeded material like my life depended on it – like her life depended on it. The need to find her surpassed anything I had ever felt before. When I didn't find her, I moved to a different side and started over again. Just as I lifted a heavy piece of stone and threw it into the grass, I caught a glimpse of pink.
I kicked aside everything, uncovering her mangled body like a puzzle piece. And soon there she was, lying limply on the rubble. Right next to her were the broken body parts of the doll she had so desperately tried to save. I knelt down beside her as Kain walked over towards us clutching his blood soaked arm. Her face was so pale. In the distance, I could hear Kukai faintly moan in pain.
"Kain, call an ambulance," I ordered as I checked for a pulse on Amu.
Hesitating slightly at first, I placed my head on her chest and waited for a beat. It was there. You could just barely hear the steady 'ba-dump' rhythm of her heart.
"Honestly, I can't see why you would waste your time on her."
I slowly stood up, my fist clenched by my side.
"I mean really, she's just another stupid bitch who got carried away with her-
"Bastard!" I shout punching him right across the face. "Don't you ever say something like that about her. Do you hear me?" I exclaimed punching him repeatedly.
He crumpled down to the floor, wiping away the bead of blood that trickled down his jaw line. Just for the thrill of it, I punched him once more so that he fell flat on the grass. I turned to face Amu.
Why was it always her? Why was she the one who always got hurt?
I took a step closer and knelt down so I could brush the bangs out of her face.
"You don't have to blame yourself. It's not your fault," said Kain inspecting Kukai's wounds.
"I could've stopped her from leaving. If I had then she wouldn't be laying here waiting for an ambulance as her life ticks away. If I had made sure to knock out TaeYang thoroughly then he wouldn't have even pressed the button. If-
"Enough. Forget about the 'If I…this' or 'If I…that'. It's our fault as much as it's your fault."
Sighing, I turned away from both of them. He had a point, but that just didn't shake off the feeling of guilt. Meanwhile, I kept a sharp watch on TaeYang.
After a while, I could just barely hear the sharp sirens of the ambulance and police in the distance. In no time two ambulances along with two police cars lined up along the dirt road. With no struggle at all they stuffed TaeYang and his co-workers into the car. I was almost surprised that they didn't even fight back.
"Ikuto Tsukiyomi. Am I correct?" asked the officer.
Thank god he was Japanese because I really wasn't in the mood to speak in French or even translate it into Japanese.
"Yes. We've gotten a hold of TaeYang and a group of others who've worked under him. I'll want to interrogate him after."
"Will do."
At the same time, a stretcher was pulled out from the ambulance and was rushed towards us. They took Amu in first seeing her condition was in a critical state.
"Kain, I'm going in with Amu. You take care of Kukai."
"Got it."
I followed them into the back of the ambulance where I sat on a small white bench as they drove. A few wires were attached from her body to a breathing machine. She'd been on one of those before I remembered. Hadn't I promised from then on to make sure she'd never have to go back to the hospital in critical condition? Hadn't I promised to protect her?
"Ikuto?" whispered a voice so fragile and faint it seemed like it would shatter.
I looked up and saw her eyes were just barely open. I held onto her hand.
"The…doll…"
"It was destroyed."
For a brief moment she closed her eyes then fluttered them back up.
"We have…to get it…back. There was a note…buried under the…explosives."
"Explosives? They'd stuffed the doll with explosives?"
She nodded her head.
"Amu, where's the note?"
"In my bag…"
When her eyes closed, they didn't open back up.
Later
"Will you stop pacing? It's kind of annoying," sighed Kain flipping the page of a magazine.
"Then leave," I snapped.
"You're not supposed to talk to the injured like that."
My gaze immediately fixated on the white gauze that had been wrapped around his shoulder numerous times. He'd been the first one out of the operating room; Amu and Kukai were still in.
"Sorry," I mumbled taking a seat right next to him.
Kain closed the magazine and set it back on the table only to retrieve a second one.
"If he's not pacing then he's acting all depressed. And just to let you know, they're both equally annoying."
I shrugged off his comment and stared off at the red letters that read 'OR'. The light was still on; they were still operating. Across the hall was another operating room; the light one that one was also on.
The one closest to me suddenly turned off and I got right up as a doctor came out.
"Etes-vous Ikuto?" he asked.
"Oui."
My stomach had a sinking feeling.
"Kukai et a plusieurs côtes cassées et une fracture de la cheville. Sa tête a reçu plusieurs agrafes. Son opération est effectuée. L'autre patient, Amu, dans son état critique. Il faudra encore quelque temps. Vous pouvez visiter Kukai."
"Ah…merci."
The doctor nodded his head and disappeared behind the closed doors once more.
"What happened?" asked Kain the minute I walked over.
"Kukai has several broken ribs, a broken ankle, and several staples to his head. His operation is done."
"What about Amu?"
I looked away this time.
"Her condition is still critical and her operation is still going. Let's go."
"Where?"
"The doctor said we can visit Kukai."
I pushed open the large white doors and walked in with Kain. Lying on the bed was Kukai who was arguing with one of the nurses.
"Vous devriez être en repos!" exclaimed the nurse.
"I honestly have no idea what you're saying. But seriously, I feel fine let me go."
"Je ne peux pas. Maintenant, s'il vous plait-
"Mademoiselle, permettez-moi de prendre soin de lui."
"Ah…Ikuto? Oui. Oui."
She ran out of the room excitedly, her face red.
"It's about time. But seriously what was she saying."
"You need to rest."
"I don't need rest. I'm fine as is, now what did she say?"
"The same thing I just said to you, now rest."
Kukai leaned back allowing me to take a better look of him. His ankle was in a cast which was rested on a pillow case. His ribs were also stiffly bandaged with white gauze which he proudly showed off with his unbuttoned shirt. Thankfully he wasn't tied to any of the machines.
"Come on Ikuto, don't look so glum. They're just minor injuries."
"He's not worried about you. He's worried about Amu," smirked Kain wanting to see Kukai's reaction.
Kukai pouted.
"That's cold," he joked.
I slowly turned to him.
"Can you tell me what happened inside of the house?"
The smile faded from his face and his eyes turned dark.
"Well, I enter the house like you told me to. I call out Amu's name but she doesn't answer…well not at first anyways. I move closer to the stairway and call out her name once more. She runs towards me, the doll in her hand. Her eyes were wide with excitement and fear. I tell her we have to go, but she says she can't. There's something in the house…a clue. I told her, we could come back after, but we have to leave right now because Ikuto's cautious about something. She frowns and stared at me once more. The last thing she says to me is, 'Kukai, help me find the control for this doll…it's filled with explosives'".
"Did she mention anything about a note?"
"A note? I don't think so."
"I see. Anyways…how are you feeling?"
"Pretty good. It would be better if they damn hospital would let me leave."
"Keep dreaming little buddy. I-
"Amu est hors la salle d'opération," said the doctor walking in. "Si vous le souhaitez, vous pouvez visiter son."
I looked up.
"Comment est la condition?"
"Il n'est pas indispensable, mais elle est stable."
"Peut-on visiter ?"
"Oui," he replied walking out casually.
"What'd he say?" asked Kukai, edging a little bit closer.
"Amu's out of the OR. We can visit her."
"How is she?" asked Kain.
"Stable but not critical. Let's go."
"That's not fair you guys! I want to see Amu too!" exclaimed Kukai as Kain and I walked out.
"Seeing on how you can't walk. Too bad…but I'll let you know how she is," I smiled before walking out completely.
Her room was only across the hallway, but the walk there seemed to feel like forever. When I opened the door, I was kind of hoping to see her fighting with a nurse like Kukai had done. What I saw was the complete opposite. There was nurse, but she was adjusting the tubes that were attached to Amu.
As I stumbled over towards her, Kain cleared his throat.
"Um…I'll visit later. For the moment, I'll be with Kukai so he doesn't cry in loneliness."
I merely nodded my head as I made my way over to her bed. A pale pink blanket was tossed over her, matching the flushed color on her cheeks. Her head was bandaged up, but they hadn't bothered to clean her blood stained face. Her left arm was in a cast and I was pretty sure that if Kukai had several broken ribs then she had a ton.
I brushed away the stray bangs from her face, my fingers lingering on her forehead.
"My only regret is not being able to protect you," I whispered placing a small kiss where my fingers had been just seconds before.
Silently, I got up from the bed and walked over to the sink. I wet a paper towel and started to wash off the blood stains.
"See? Isn't that better?"
After her face was completely clean, I retrieved a couple bandages from the cabinet and placed them over the scrapes. I took a seat beside her again. I entwined my hand with her cold one and just silently gazed at her sleeping face. Not being to handle the guilt every time I looked at her, I got up and left.
"What happened?" asked Kain who was just leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm done," I whispered hoarsely.
It wasn't until I was at least a foot away, he called out again.
"You're leaving?"
"I'm going to pay a little visit to TaeYang."
There was a pause.
"Don't hurt him," he chuckled.
"I'll try not to."
Later
I got out of taxi and handed the driver the fare. With any luck I wouldn't get too angry and beat him up. Sighing, I pushed open the glass door and walked straight to the reception desk.
"Comment puis-je vous aider?" smiled the red headed receptionist.
"Ah Taeyang ... j'ai une réunion avec lui."
"Oui. Droit devant. Allez tout droit puis prenez à gauche."
"Merci."
Following her instructions didn't seem to be that difficult. Many of the rooms were to the right instead of the instructed left. Not to mention the fact that the interrogation room stood out with its thick glass door and brick surrounding. I walked into the room with clear thoughts.
The room was fairly dark and bare. A small wooden desk was shoved into one corner, along with a couple chairs placed here and there. One of them occupied by TaeYang. To the side was a small door that connected to a smaller room with a glass window. The officer from before came out of the room and met me outside.
"If you'd like to know, we did try to interrogate him – he's not giving up any information about the explosive incident."
"Thank you. If you don't mind now, I'll try interrogating."
"Not at all."
He handed me a walkie-talkie before turning around to leave.
"Good luck," he added patting my shoulder before leaving.
When I made sure the door was securely closed, I pulled up a chair. I made sure that the back of the chair was facing him before I sat down. I stared coldly into his dark grey eyes.
"Let's start out easy. Why'd you come to one of Kyou's abandoned houses?"
"I don't have to tell you anything," he spat out.
"Oh, I'll think you'll want to."
I pulled the walkie-talkie out of my back pocket.
"Bring her in."
Within seconds, the door flew open. A small girl with a blindfold was guided in with a taller man. I looked back at TaeYang; he was right where I wanted him. His eyes were wide with shock but he quickly passed it off with casual ignorance.
"You think some little girl is going to change my mind?"
"It's not just some little girl."
I ordered the officer to remove the blindfold. It took a moment but he figured it out.
"Bella!" he screamed.
"Daddy?" she questioned innocently.
TaeYang thrashed about in his chair until he calmed down. I ordered the blindfold back on and nodded at the officer. On my cue he pulled out a gun and aimed it at the girl's head. They both moved back into the darkness, so they couldn't be seen by either of us.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing? That's my little girl!"
"Here's the deal," I answered icily. "If you answer all my questions, she won't be shot in the head. If not…well you know what'll happen."
"You're crazy!" he shouted angrily.
"Not as crazy as you. Now answer my question. Why'd you go to Kyou's house?"
He stared at the floor quietly then looked up at Bella.
"He ordered me to retrieve all of his extra belongings."
"Why?"
"That's none of your busin-
I turned around to face the officer.
"Shoot h-
"STOP! Stop…he knew you were in Paris and he was taking extra precautions."
"Why is Amu your target?"
"Didn't I tell you before? Some bitches just deserve to be dead."
"Shoot her," I ordered.
A gun shot erupted. TaeYang screamed and Bella began crying.
"D-daddy!" she wailed.
"You're fucking insane. Y-
"Answer the damn question. Why the fuck is Amu you're target?"
"Because she has Noelle."
"Why does it matter if she had Noelle?"
"I don't know."
I opened my mouth, to order the officer to shoot again. TaeYang pulled his chair across the cement floor producing a large screech; the same kind of noise you would hear if you dragged your fingernails over a chalk board.
"Please don't shoot her," he whispered in a defeated voice.
"Then answer."
"I honestly don't know why."
Even as he answered, his eyes searched the room for Bella. It was a futile attempt and he realized it. I'd probably have to get that answer when I found Kyou.
"How long have you been working with Kyou?"
"15 years."
"Where is Kyou currently hiding?"
"I…I can't tell you."
I nodded my head to the police and another gun shot erupted. The crying ceased and TaeYang's eyes widened.
"You didn't? She's not dead is she?" he cried.
"Where is he hiding?"
"I – He's in Agen. Where's Bella?"
"Where?"
"Last t-time I saw him, he was hiding in one of the abandoned opera houses."
I got up from the chair and pushed back into the corner. His cries only increased in volume.
"Bastard! Why'd you shoot her? She had nothing to do with this," he wept quietly.
"It was the deal."
It was cold and I understood that even as I turned around to leave. Something didn't allow me to leave. This was something I would've been able to pull off years even months ago. Was it Amu? Has she actually softened me that much?
"You're a worthless piece of trash, you know? You've put the girl I'm in love with in the hospital and you're buddy might even cause more damage to her. I should just dismiss this and leave, but Amu's taught me something. Some things are worth saving. You're a lucky bastard…she's not dead."
He looked up.
Sighing, I nodded at the officer, and he pulled Bella out. She was perfectly unharmed.
"But she –
"You're daughter is pretty good at acting."
And that's all I said before I left.
Two Weeks Later
"I don't think this is such a good idea."
I'm the one with the broken parts here. Plus I was invited."
I looked at Amu with a frown as she limped her way into the car. We'd given the case a little rest for a while, having the other officers deal with it for right now and just hand us the information. Kukai healed pretty fast, and all that was left were his ribs. Amu was still in progress, though her head injury had improved.
When she slightly tripped and almost landed on the floor face first, I ran and caught her.
"Yeah, this is a bad idea. You should just stay home."
"Is it just me, or do I get the feeling you don't want me to meet you're parents?" she asked quizzically.
"Um no."
"Don't worry, it'll be fun," she smiled sitting into the car.
"For you," I said when I shut the door. "The only one who really wants you there is my mom."
The drive was quiet. Amu faced the window the entire time, only talking when I started a conversation. Overall she seemed pretty calm. On the other hand I was a nervous bundle. Technically speaking, I was on the road to visit my parents who I haven't seen in 12 years with my ex-girlfriend who I broke up with because a stupid deal. Knowing my parents, my mom will probably want to know everything about Amu thinking we're still going out. And my dad…well he'll just be like he always is.
Their house wasn't the far away from the hotel we were staying at. It was just a bit out of the city of Paris, mainly in the country side. I pulled onto the dirt road; the road was smoother and more durable than I remember it being.
When I noticed I was getting closer to the house, I pulled at the collar of my shirt and unbuttoned the first button. It was kind of hot in here. In just a couple minutes, I was able to see the top of the house, even though there was still a bit left.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Amu crane her neck a little.
"What are you looking at?"
"That large white house. Whoever lives there is kind of lucky."
Not really.
"Haha, I guess."
It wasn't as perfect as she imagined it to be.
For the next 15 minutes, the only sound that came from the car was the radio. She stared off into the distance while I tried to reason out why my mother would want Amu to come over. No matter how I went around it, it all came back to square one. Amu was my girlfriend – well at least in my mother's mind.
"We're here," I mumbled bitterly as I pulled up in front of the large white manor.
Amu stared at the house wide eyed.
"You live here?"
"…Yeah."
We both got out of the car and slowly walked to the door; Amu was still limping. I rang the doorbell and at the same time sent a prayer that everything would go along smoothly. There was a shuffle from behind the door before it swung right open.
"Ikuto!" squealed the woman.
"Mom," I cheered less enthusiastically.
She enveloped me in a large hug and slathered my head in kisses. She paused and looked out again to see we had another guest.
"Oh! You must be Amu, Ikuto's girlfriend."
There was silence. Shit, I'd forgotten to warn Amu about this. Amu sent me a slanted look before looking back to my mom.
"No," she whispered quietly.
My mom froze before understanding and letting us in. Amu sent me another look, but this time it broke my heart. Her eyes still showed the raw emotion it showed when I had first broken up with her. Shaking my head, I walked in. Amu smoothed down her cream colored strapless dress and followed me in.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Amu Hinamori."
"Hello," she said with a small smile and curtsey.
"Hello there dear," smiled Mom.
Dad looked up from his newspaper, and stared at Amu with a hard expression before turning to me with an even colder gaze.
"Ikuto, I'd like word with you. Right now," he whispered tightly.
"Aruto!" exclaimed mom.
"It won't take long."
Amu POV
We hadn't even been in his house for 5 minutes, and already I could feel the rising tension. As I stared off to where the two of them had disappeared, a hand clasped onto mine. I looked up, only to be met by a warm smile from his mom.
"Why don't you come into the kitchen and help me finish up the cookies I had been making?"
"Um…ok."
Yeah, the whole 'Come and help me finish the cookies' bit was a lie. She wouldn't let me touch a thing and I was forced to sit at the elegant wooden table. The more I stared at her, the more it came to mind – she didn't really look like Ikuto. Well Ikuto didn't look like her. She had blonde hair up to her back and these big brown eyes. In fact, Ikuto looked like a mini version of his dad.
"You know, we actually haven't seen Ikuto in 12 years."
"12 years?" I repeated in astonishment.
How could anyone bear to part with their parents for that long?
"Yep. He moved out when he turned 16. Went to Japan again and started to stay with his uncle."
"Why?"
For the first time since I had sat down at the table, she looked back at me.
"That's something he'll have to tell you."
"Ah, so it's one of those 'If he tells you, you'll understand better' things."
She burst out laughing heartily.
"Kind of, yes."
The warm moment between two women, was suddenly shattered with a loud crash from upstairs. A worried look took over in her eyes, before they turned dark and she turned around.
"Those two have always been at each other's necks, you know? Well at least until Ikuto turned 15. They could never see eye to eye on things, especially about his future," she said when I looked up at the ceiling once more.
"Oh."
"And ever since Saya was kidnapped, Aruto's been more on the edge. So Ikuto coming back…it just ticked him off."
"But that's not right. It's true that I could never understand what it's like to have a child kidnapped, but I know what it's like to have the people closest to you murdered in front of your eyes. I don't think its right to have them arguing when they've just seen each other in a while. Life is short and any minute it could be you're turn. I've been working as a negotiator along side Ikuto for a little more than a year now. I've been in the hospital at least 4 times now. I've been shot, in a coma, and just recently came out of an explosive incident where the house caved in right on top of me. In any one of those times, I could've died. And though it's true – Ikuto is a bit more experience than I am, but what if he had been in my position. Fighting will just leave regrets."
There was moment of silence.
"I'm glad," she said finally. "I'm glad he got to be with someone like you."
"Now explain to me why my blind son broke up with you?"
"I…I don't know."
"He didn't even offer an explanation?"
"I-I lied."
"About?"
"My past," I squeaked.
She turned to me again, and walked towards the table. She took a seat and stared at me right in the eye.
"I'm not going to say this because Ikuto is my son and I love him – because I do. But he's a very open person, even as a kid. I don't think something like you lying about something that you didn't like remembering would make him want to break up with you."
"Then why?"
All of a sudden, a door from upstairs slammed open and angry footsteps bolted out. In a matter of seconds, Ikuto was standing in the kitchen. His eyes were dark with anger and his cheek was red; an evident sign he had been hit.
"Ikuto? Are you okay?" exclaimed his mom running towards him.
"I'm going to try hard and find Saya. But in the meantime, I'm leaving," he answered tightly. "Let's go Amu."
"Bye Mrs. Tsukiyomi."
"Good bye Amu."
I quickly followed Ikuto out of the house, and once outside I stopped him.
"What?" he snapped.
I raised my hand to touch his cheek, but before I could feel the red area, I hesitated and dropped it once more.
"What happened?"
"Let's just say I told him things he didn't want to hear."
Okay so that hold sentence had the message 'End of discussion' hidden in it, but being the curious person I was, I ignored it.
"Like what?"
He brought his face close to my and glared slightly.
"Like my job…and why I broke up with you."
Ikuto turned around and as he headed to the car, I cleared my throat. Not being able to stand his stare, I focused on the stone pavement.
"W-why did you break up with me?"
"Who knows?" he shrugged ignorantly.
I snapped my head up.
"Ikuto!" I exclaimed, but it was too late.
He was already in the car starting the engine.
Feeling a deep hole in my chest, I trudged my way into the car. I could already tell the tears were forming.
Author's NoTe
Hello! I haven't updated since like May 15 according to fanfiction. And I really do apologize. But here's why. Okay so there were a couple finals I had to take care of, and then on May 19 I had my promotion/birthday. Yes, I promoted on my birthday. Then on May 20, my friends held me a belated surprise birthday party. On Saturday I was at a party. On Sunday I went to Los Angeles (: I was kind of busy…hehe? Then today I crammed in as much time as I could so I could present a somewhat decent chapter.
Now here's the good news and bad news. Good news, school is over so that'll mean quicker updates. (I'm going to be in high school finally!) Bad news, from June 6 to July 6 there won't be any Scars Hidden updates because I'm going out of the country to visit my grandparents. That's it on that notice.
I mean seriously, if I knew you guys in person, I'd give you guys such a big hug. You guys are so awesome. I mean really? 305 reviews? Thank you for all the support and reviews, you guys are the best.
About this chapter: Near the end I actually decided to keep you in the dark like Amu to as why Ikuto broke up with her. And I know I always make Amu get hurt someway throughout this story – and it's not because I don't like her. In every case she does, there always some reminiscence about her past; therefore there's more emotion and feeling put in. That's why for example; she'd go after the doll when in comparison Ikuto wouldn't.
Whew… I've rambled on too much this time.
Love,
Neko-Meme