"Do you want to know who I am?"
Why would he ask? Why would he even offer? I didn't understand. Since when did a person in his situation offer to reveal their identity to a person in a situation such as mine? It just didn't make any sense. All the same, this would prove to be a trap. I wasn't in the slightest gullible enough to believe that he would just offer this piece of information. He'd most likely give me directions to some abandoned place and then finish me off there.
"Why would you offer to reveal your identity?"
"I told you before. You ruined my little game by changing your location. Simply put, I'm bored."
"Still I-
"Look," he muttered bluntly cutting me off. "I don't like you. In fact, I hate you with such passion that I can't wait to spill your blood, okay? I refuse to sit here behind this phone with you and have a conversation. The point of this call was to frighten you."
I paused.
"You're irritated aren't you?"
As strange as it seemed, I just wanted to get a rise out of this person. This person who had constantly put me through fear…I wanted something other than a cool thought out response.
"Of course I'm fucking irritated! I-
"DON'T SCREW AROUND WITH ME!" he screamed before slamming the phone down.
Normal POV
He hurled the cup he had been holding in his hand against the wall creating an echo of shattered glass. Seething in anger, he found another victim to vent against – the small wooden table went flying in the same direction as the glass cup and ended in a broken mess next to the sharp edges.
That insolent bitch!
How dare she make a mockery of him? Obviously, she didn't understand her position.
She was going to die. He was going to wrap his hands around her thin little neck and watch the life fade from her eyes.
A grin spread on his face
Yes, she would plead and plead for him not to kill, but he'd only remind her of all the things she'd done, including making a fool of him. She'd apologize then, and he'd say that he'd consider her apology while in reality the words had gone through one ear and out the other.
And once…once she had gone limp in his hands, he'd stab her as many times as he pleased.
No – that wouldn't work.
No, he'd stab her first…multiple times at that - feeling her blood on his blade and on his hands and basking in her frightened screams.
Yes, that was better.
And then he'd choke her.
He grabbed the chair by its arms and threw it against the wall just like the other 'victims'. Amu had made a mistake. By making a fool of him she had just shortened her life span. He had been willing to give her a couple extra days from the kindness that extended from his heart, but now it would only be a matter of days before he finally began his carefully thought out plan.
In only a couple of days.
Amu POV
It had been some time since the phone call, yet when I looked down I saw the unfinished paperwork still lying around on my desk. With slight frustration, I pushed the hair out of my face only to have the pink wisps tickling sections of my face.
Sighing, I leaned down and picked up the pen that had fallen to the floor earlier. My eye caught on to the blue digits displayed on the screen – 12:03 p.m.
Pushing the thoughts out my head I set to work. It seemed a while later when the thoughts crept back into my mind. Annoyance, frustration, and nerves had me pushing myself away from the desk and throwing my pen down once more. My eyes caught on the blue digits once more – 12:04 p.m.
"Ugh!" I groaned loudly before jumping off the chair and storming to the kitchen.
I needed a breather.
It was as I was getting a cup out of the cabinet when I noticed Sasuke's presence in the kitchen as well. He was sitting at the table with a glass of milk in front of him. Pouring my juice in the cup, I lazily left the carton out on the cabinet and took a seat in front of him.
"Where're the girls?"
He cast me a patient look.
"Upstairs doing girl things."
"Oh."
I took a sip of my beverage, the phone call replaying in my mind for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.
"Are you going to tell Ikuto about it?" he asked finally snapping me out of my less that enjoyable thoughts.
"Tell him what?" I questioned though I had a strong premonition about what 'it' was.
"The phone call."
There was no use in hiding the contents of the phone call from him. He probably had overheard the gist of it anyways.
"You eavesdropped?"
"You talk loud," he offered simply. "Are you going to tell him?"
"I don't know."
Silence overwhelmed the room again.
"You made a promise to him a few nights ago."
Recalling that night's events sent tingles of heat into my face.
"You saw us?"
A smirk spread on his face – a smirk which reminded me a bit too much of Ikuto.
"I was going to the bathroom and I saw you two."
My face flushed considerably now knowing that we had been seen.
"A-are you going to tell him?" I choked out.
"It's not my business to do that. Look, Ikuto's a good guy. I'm not going to tell you what to do or anything, but I trust you'll make the right decision."
He pushed himself away from the table and got up leaving me in the kitchen to delve in my own thoughts. He was right; I made a promise with Ikuto and part of me acknowledged that. Yet part of me wanted to simply ignore that promise and continue to do this by myself.
My work ignored, I stayed in the kitchen – my thoughts in deep confliction.
x
Ikuto came home later that day; the sun had just begun to set and the moon was beginning its ascent to the sky.
"I'm…home," he muttered fatigue clearly evident in his voice.
"W-welcome back," I mumbled getting up from kitchen table.
He fumbled around with his shoes at the front door until they finally slipped off his feet. As if once again realizing my presence, he stared at me for a moment before bidding me a good night and trudging upstairs to his room.
I gazed at the staircase blankly and suddenly let out a surge of air. Realizing that I had been holding my breath the entire time, a soft sigh escaped my lips and I turned my attention to the dinner I had set out for him.
I didn't get a chance to tell him about the phone call. Strange enough, I was slightly relieved.
The Next Day
In the end I hadn't been able to tell him about the phone call. Sighing, I leaned over the surface of my office desk and stared at the door with a slight frown.
The phone call…
Who could it be?
Absently reaching into the pocket of my shorts, my fingers made contact with the rough edge of a piece of a paper. The crease on my forehead grew a bit more as I pulled out the folded paper to see that it was the note I had found on my desk a few days ago. I reread the note, a particular line catching my attention.
I will make sure that your death will be sufferable, just like how they died.
Just like how they died. Who was 'they'? Was this person talking about Karyn and Anju?
If so then…then this person would have to be related to –
The door suddenly flung open and in the state of shock and utter surprise, I fell off my seat landing on the floor with a soft 'thud'.
"Amu, are you here?" asked a voice whom I immediately recognized as Rima's.
Sticking my head out a little so I could see her, I answered back.
"Y-yeah."
Setting her hands on her hips, she sent a frown in my direction.
"Why are you on the floor?"
"Uh…I was looking for something…did you need me?" I asked getting up from the floor and sitting back down on my chair with an inaudible wince.
Rima plopped down on the chair in front of my desk, her golden eyes traveling around the room.
"Not really, I haven't seen you in a while."
"I see."
There was an unusual silence between that usually never occurred between Rima and me.
"Amu, I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine," I answered at once without the slightest hesitation.
Her intense gaze landed on mine before softening and smiling.
"I'm a detective, you can't lie to me. Ikuto told Kukai, Nagi and me to not let you take on any jobs, but he didn't tell us why. I know he knows something…and I think Kukai knows it too…I –
"What's going on Amu? Seriously."
Not being able to bear the idea of keeping something from her, I slid the note that I had been holding in my hand over the desk towards her. She read the over the note and just as she finished the last line, her eyes immediately shot up to mine holding the contact effectively. She slammed the note down on my desk and stood up abruptly.
"You're being threatened?!" she screeched.
"…yes."
Letting out a frustrated sigh, she sat back down and reread the contents of the notes.
"Do you know who it is?"
"No."
"Do you at least have an idea of who it could be?"
My mind quickly reeled back to my train of thoughts before Rima had burst into my office.
"Kind of…but I'm not too sure."
She crossed her arms in front of her, a frown playing across her face.
"Is this the first one?"
"No."
"About how long has this person been threatening you?"
"Since the Karyn and Anju case."
"That long huh?"
Rima pushed herself up from the chair.
"I'll see if I can find out anything."
"Rima, you don't have-
"It's fine. You're my friend after all."
The door closed behind her leaving me to my thoughts once more.
x
Tonight would be the second night that Ikuto came home later than usual, skipped out on dinner, and went upstairs to sleep immediately after coming home. Apparently, in the last few weeks, there had been an increase in assorted crimes that required the assistance of either negotiators or the SWAT team. I wasn't particularly worried, but it was questioning. Our station had plenty of negotiators and the SWAT headquarters had close to a hundred members, so there wasn't a need for Ikuto to do practically every case.
I'll ask him tomorrow and possibly tell him about the phone call.
Just as I was heading upstairs, the home phone began to ring. Sighing inwardly, I trudged to the kitchen where the phone had been sitting and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Ikuto, we have the area covered. Though there isn't anyth- wait you –
"Kukai?" I asked holding the phone closer to my ear.
"Amu…what are you doing at Ikuto's house?" he murmured nervously.
"Kukai, you are such an idiot!" screeched a voice from behind the line.
Was that Rima?
"Uh…I'm kind of living here at the moment."
"Oh. Then tell Ikuto to call me back, okay?"
I hesitated before responding.
"Kukai wait!" I exclaimed internally hoping that I hadn't woken up Ikuto.
There was a pause, but I knew he hadn't hung up yet.
"Please tell me what's going on…I don't want to be left in the dark about this."
I could sense his hesitation and deeply hoped he would look past that and just tell me what was actually going on. Just what was Ikuto planning to do?
"Amu, I don't know if I can tell you."
"God, you're such a moron…just tell her what's going on. She was going to find out eventually anyways."
"Find out what? What are you guys doing?"
Kukai exhaled deeply. Oddly enough, I could picture him dragging his hand through his hair and kicking at the ground gently.
"A few days ago Ikuto asked Rima, Nagi, and me if we could keep an eye on your house. He's betting that this guy, whoever the bastard is, is regularly checking up on your house."
Deliberately after I told him that I didn't want anyone watching over the house. I thought he knew why I didn't want anyone keeping watch. That I didn't want anyone I knew getting hurt all over again.
"Please don't be upset with him!" he added quickly as if sensing my train of thoughts. "He didn't want you to know because he's trying to protect you."
"I don't need anyone to protect me."
He chuckled at this.
"There's the Amu I know. And the Ikuto I know would do whatever he could to protect the people closest to him, so don't beat him up about it…he's trying his best."
"I know that. It's just I don't want you guys ending up hurt."
"Don't worry about a thing; Rima and Nagi are too overprotective of each other to even let the other get a scratch. As for me, I've got a girl to return to, so I can't afford getting injured."
A smile spread on my lips. They'd be careful. I was sure of it.
"Okay."
"Good. I'll be going now. And remember; don't beat up Ikuto about this."
"I won't. I promise."
"Good. See you later."
"Okay bye."
Sighing, I placed the phone back into its receiver and retreated upstairs to my room. I really needed to tell about the phone call, I thought to myself before falling asleep.
Or at least attempting to.
The Next Day
That morning I woke up to learn that Ikuto had already left for work. As I sleepily trudged down the stairs, I was immediately bombarded by Ami who had a frown on her face.
"Amu! I'm going to be late for school!"
"School?"
"Yes. Let's go!"
"I need to eat breakfast."
"Can't you eat when you come back?"
Huffing out an exasperated breath, I grabbed my keys off the counter, motioned for Sasuke and Mayumi to follow me, and the four of us got into my car. My stomach was growling hungrily by the time I pulled up in front of Ami's school.
"Have fun."
She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and rolled her eyes.
"Who can have fun at high school? See you guys later."
Before I drove off, something suddenly clicked into my mind. I turned around to face Sasuke and Mayumi who stared at me with confused expressions.
"Is something wrong Amu?" asked Mayumi.
"I never signed you guys up for school."
Sasuke's face contorted in disgust.
"Ew, I hate school. Can't you just be the 'cool' grownup and not let us go to school."
"It's a shame I'm not 'cool'."
I looked down at my pajamas and sighed; I was just going to have to go in these. There was no need to waste gas and go back home for me to change.
"Okay you two, get out."
"What for?"
"I need to enroll you guys. Junior year…right?"
"It's not like it matters anyway," grumbled Sasuke getting out of the car.
"Why can't you two be more excited?"
"I'm excited!" exclaimed Mayumi. "I've actually never been to school before…well I did go to elementary for a couple years…what if no one likes me?"
The thought had her stopping abruptly on the sidewalk.
Before I could offer any comforting words, Sasuke walked over and hit her on the head gently.
"Idiot, you have me don't you?" he grumbled lightly, his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets.
A smile spread on her face and we all walked to the school office.
x
When we finally got home, Sasuke and Mayumi quickly ran up to their rooms and began chattering about their first day of school tomorrow. Though it was only Mayumi who was excited, I could tell Sasuke was trying his best to appear excited as well.
I grabbed a muffin off the counter, poured myself some milk, and headed towards the living room. Just as I was about to turn on the television, my cell phone chimed.
"Hello?"
"You really are a stupid girl."
"Why won't you stop calling me?" I growled.
"This is a game of cat and mouse my dear. And unfortunately for the mouse, this cat won't stop until his prey is dead."
"You're disgusting."
"Oh, you're not afraid of me anymore? That's too bad, but unfortunately your time is coming up soon. Really now, you're being tracked by some dangerous guy, and so you think it's logical to send those two brats to school? I never thought you'd be this stupid Amu."
"What do you want from me?!"
"I'm calling to let you know that this hunt has begun."
The dial tone played after him.
My heart hammered unsteadily within my chest as I turned off my phone.
Even though I was still afraid of this man, more than anything I wanted to beat him up and express my anger to him.
A/N
Horrible ending. Horrible quality chapter. Horribly late chapter.
First of all, hello to my lovely reviewers c: I'm sorry for updating so late…I've been watching anime non-stop . Eden of the East…OhMyGosh! Probably one of my favorites, seriously, the story line is so darn good. My Bride is a Mermaid was pretty interesting and so was Kaleido Star. Oh! And Samurai Champloo 3 Though I didn't like the ending at all …I wanted Fuu and Mugen to end up together or keep traveling or something.
Haha, yes and that is why I've been gone c:
I have some explaining to do about that last chapter because I got some upset reviewers who felt like they were fooled out of something or deceived because of the chapter's title – Moonlight Confessions. They didn't say that they loved each other like how most of you expected, but they did confess. Amu, as you have noticed, doesn't know if she 'loves' Ikuto yet. But they both care for each other without the other knowing.
Ikuto said he didn't want to lose her, and Amu said that she'd fight so she wouldn't lose him either. So yes, they didn't say they loved each other, but they expressed that they deeply cared for one another…a confession…at least for them right now in this stage.
Oh, and one more thing. Amore Destinato is kind of on a hiatus until I finish Scars Hidden. I've written up to chapter 7 so far, but I don't want to post anything till I finish this story.
And now for my Lovely Reviwers c:
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P.S. A few chapters left till Scars Hidden is finished c: