Shelly Cullen owns the plot and chapter 1 through 10. XD

Shugo Chara

Hell's Lingering Kiss

ShellyCullen: Well, thanks for all the reviews again! And to icelight11 who had a very nice and insightful review. Exactly what I was looking for. So thankies to you! ;3

And for the story, I just noticed in my book of the "prayers" that there are at least 60 of them! :O So, this story isn't going to be nearly as long as I'd hoped. And after you READ! The chapter, please take the time to read the ANNOUNCEMENT at the bottom.

Chapter Four:

Temptation

Teach me, God, when I feel tempted to run immediately to You, so that each temptation becomes the point where I immediately draw near to You, a knot that ties me even closer to Your presence. Amen.

I woke up to the stillness of nothing. The room was normal, uninteresting in a sense and bleakly tiring in the early morning light. I was well informed of the weekend just arriving and still proceeded to get up.

I let my arms rise above me and started to stretch, up to the point where it felt as if I'd cracked the joints.

Those strange, inappropriate dreams haven't stopped.

I walked into the bathroom, groaning at the mess of my hair shown through the reflection. I tried running my fingers through the wild mess of chaos; which resulted into me pulling my hand roughly out of the strands and wincing in pain. Three pink locks rested in my palm.

I stared down at the hairs, curiously, before clenching the hand into a tight fist. It was just another group to add into the newly created hairball growing in the trashcan.

I walked back into the bedroom, now annoyed and irritated with myself. If I was going to go bald, it should have taken place during those first rough nights after the incident. NOT when I'm having embarrassing and overly powerful fantasies.

I tried to shake off all the bitterness, grabbing some plain jeans and a purple long sleeved shirt. I placed a thin knitted purple hat over my bad hair and left the house without a word.

Outside, the sun hung overhead under a sheet of white, puffed clouds. The weather had taken a break from the storms and was beginning to let the sun out again. I secretly sulked, sad for the returning glorious skies.

I headed once again to the park, hoping a long walk would clear my head. My instincts were only too well aware of my surroundings; and I new I was hoping for Kukai or Utau to pop out somewhere.

After pacing around for what felt like hours, I finally decided to head deeper into the city. Just a little ways past the national landmark.

I walked through a crowd of businessmen and well dressed adults, watching each stoplight for the person sign to signal and walking onto the cracked and rumbled road. Peering to my environment, I was able to see small shops and clothing stores. A café and bakery.

I grabbed the money in my pocket and debated on going in for some treats. After a few moments, I walked inside.

The candy shop was warm, and the sweet smell of chocolate and strawberries overwhelmed me. I didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but any kind of delicious dessert had me mouthwatering after awhile.

I checked the shelves, filled with a variety of things, including a couple of stuffed animals at the top. I checked over some packs of strawberry chocolate bars before a voice distracted me.

"WHAT? What do you MEAN you haven't seen my cocolistic nutter butter?" A little less than average sized teen girl with an exceptionally high voice squealed to the cashier. Numerous people gave wary glances to the kid, including me.

"I-I'm sorry," The woman behind the desk stated. "Maybe you misplaced it?" She asked, a little afraid another outburst would combust from the girl. Watching the scene from the back of the girl's head, I was able to see her cross her arms in frustration…Just before her hands shot to the air.

"I gotta find my CANDY!" She shouted, her attempt at the silent treatment lost miserably. "I-it…came from my parents." She said much lower, but still with the same urgency. She crouched onto the floor and searched on all fours like a lost puppy.

I stared, baffled for some reason. This weird girl was overreacting because of a piece of a candy? That was something you don't see everyday.

I grabbed three bars of the strawberry bar and handed it to the cashier. She sighed, and smiled, happy for a new customer. "I'm sorry about this." She stated as I handed over the food.

There was a sudden jolt of the woman on the other side of the room. I turned to see the weird kid, who I suddenly recognized to be a red head, crawling under the lady and pushing her foot off the spot she stood at.

"That will be six dollars."

"Huh?" I asked, returning my gaze back to the lady, slightly embarrassed. My cheeks heated.

"For the candy." She explained as I handed her the green paper. She handed me back the change, along with a small, brown bag. "Have a nice day."

I nodded and headed for the exit, steering clear of the hyperactive redhead. There was enough wrong with me that I didn't need any more inconveniences. I left the shop, and peeked around.

The streets were less occupied now, considering afternoon had come upon the town. I walked on the sidewalk, passing by more stores and an alleyway.

A grunted sound caught my attention as I turned; something blue crossing my vision. Curiosity got the better of me as I headed toward the color, which stood out in a shade of darkness. The alleyway was pitch black, unappealing.

I hesitated, now staring just ten feet away from the blob. I was able to see a shape now, the rough outline of a person lying back on the brick building, head slouched over. It was the opposite of my common sense, to observe something in a dark alleyway alone. Let the police deal with what they could.

But it still irked me, wondering what figure could be just on the corner. And wondering why no one else seemed to notice the flash of blue coming from it.

I sighed, going against my better judgement and walking toward the thing once again. Halfway toward it, I realized that I seemed to know it and remembered something about it. Worried, I picked up the pace, halting just before I could alarm the person.

The blue hair, light skin; it all reminded me of an old memory of some sort. The image bubbled just at the surface of my head, before disappearing in the anticipation and crave for it. I groaned annoyed, but studied more clearly, squatting just next to them.

The being, sleeping soundly in their own comfort proved to be a boy. The arms, though lean, showed slight muscle through the long, dark sleeve. His right leg, the one closer to me, was propped upright. His right arm looked limp over the knee it rested on, slung over as his head buried into the crease of his elbow. His other leg was straight out and the left hand stayed lifeless on his side.

The position he rested in looked too stiff; too composed to actually sleep in. It never occurred to me how someone, anyone for that matter, could actually find this pose natural or well relaxed at all.

I sighed, switching my own position so I kneeled. I stared at the blue hair again, concentrating, seeing if watching the color would make everything come back to me. Reaching with a hand, I started to touch the odd hair color.

As I lightly laid a finger down, a hand, his hand, swiped up faster than anything I'd seen possible to do and grabbed my wrist. I winced as the fingers curled, too tight, around my bones.

The face lifted to look into my shocked when I gasped. "You!" I accused, my face burning up again. It was that boy from detention! And the window. To think I would forget such deep eyes or sarcastic, mocking smirk. However, I supposed with everything else going on in my life, I shouldn't be surprised.

"Me." He stated, so huskily in his early morning voice I could barely hear it. The smirk played on his features, amused for a moment before becoming a dark frown. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, letting go of my hand. I watched as it retreated back to my side.

"Uh…" I began, still peering at my touched arm. I shook my head vigorously. "I thought you were someone else…" I trailed off, staring over to my side. I stood back up; my knees sore and numb. "Never mind."

"Wait."

The hand grabbed my wrist again and this time I felt something like ice pierce through my purple long sleeve. I struggled to hide the cold shiver and turned back to look at his face. His expression was mocking again.

"What?" I asked, feeling slightly agitated. He shook his head, smile still in place.

"What was it you wanted?" He questioned, his face now filled with evident curiosity. It was the face an adorable four your old might give you when its confused or wanted something. I stared at it, distracted momentarily.

Then he laughed. The sound was charming, almost alluring. I considered just sitting here and listening to the spoken melody. His eyes reopened, sparked with excitement and some other mixed emotion. He finally let go of my hand, patting the ground right next to him. Then he smirked, crossing his legs and laying back on his hands.

I glanced at the spot and rolled my eyes, before plopping down next to him, keeping a measured distance between us. His eyes, which had watched my movement the whole time, now peered into my eyes intensely. My body responded by backing up slightly and flushing.

I looked back at the ground. "Well?" I asked, getting more frustrated by the reactions he was getting out of me. I didn't dare look at his expression.

He didn't speak, and I thought he may have left soundlessly just like he had in the classroom. I could see his shoe and pants leg, so the only way he could have left if he was running around naked.

That idea, though, had me blushing furiously in seconds.

"Is that for me?"

I couldn't stop myself from turning, seeing as his face was mere inches from my own. I tried to remember what he had said, hopefully BEFORE my heart exploded.

"W-What?" I asked, shutting my eyes tight and clenching my hands into fists. There was a rustle of a bag as I reopened an eye.

The teen had the bag of candy in his grasp, holding a chocolate strawberry bar in his hand. He looked at it, boredly, before ripping it open. I watched, fascinated for some reason as he took a bite.

Then it clicked. "That's my," I whispered, "hey, that's my chocolate bar!" I yelled, snatching it back. He stared at me now, somewhat confused, but it didn't beat his bored features covering his face.

I know I had no reason to, but I blushed regardless. Jeez, something about this guy…

"You look distressed." He finally stated, as I gazed back into his eyes again. Much too deep for a mere teen boy to have.

"N-not really…" I began, "things are just…not the greatest." I summed up, taking a deep breath and exhaling. Everything was going crazy in my life. And just because of the accident…

I already had the flashback, already began to feel tears spill as my vision became nothing more than a cluster of mucky colors. I tried my best not to sob, not to let this complete stranger see me at my weakest. My mouth struggled to stay closed and my eyes felt almost heavy, just like with my sopping clothes from the time the rain soaked them.

Soon, I was curled into a ball and I let small sobs escape my lips. Then something cold brushed my side.

"It's alright." The boy cooed, lightly rubbing my back. "It will all be over soon." He reassured. The honesty in his voice gave me a bit of relief. I continued to cry though, despite the comfort.

"Shh." He whispered into my ear, the small circles his hand created on my back stopping. Something like a snap sounded, and a great weight lifted off my chest. Just as suddenly, the coolness was brought off my spine. I gazed up slowly, to see the stranger standing.

His mouth was curved into a smirk. This one wasn't quite as relaxed as the others though. "I'll…see you later." He gestured to me and gave a wink before heading off. My head, now lifted into full view of his back stared anxiously after him.

What…just happened?

::~0~::

I came back home when the sky had darken to a midnight blue. My chest still felt weightless, different in a way. It wasn't calming or better. I may have been even more on edge at this point.

It was no hassle to come home and find mom expecting me, as always. Maybe she thought I was still sane enough not to attempt suicide. I slowly went up the stairs, and finding the song assignment on my desk I scowled, and headed for the bathroom instead.

I started tearing my shirt off, something not feeling right on my body. Did I lose a necklace or something? But, now taking off the undershirt I was able to understand the uplifted feeling.

On my back, opened loosely and hanging on the sides off my body was my bra. That small clip connecting them no longer held tight together…keeping them as a whole. They were exactly how I felt. Torn apart.

ShellyCullen: Chapter four! I'm finally glad Ikuto got his acting role in the story now, rather than just staring and smirking. I tried to give a much more visual picture here and there, without getting too descriptive. (Like that book Lord of the Flies) Still haunts me with all the detail.

And Also! An ANNOUNCEMENT! To all reviewers. If you'd please give the time, I'd like to hear what you think the story is about, what you think is happening to Amu or anyone or what it may turn into later on. Basically, I'd like to hear your own summary of the story so far. This is just so I have a rough idea of exactly where everyone is and no one is confused and such. So if you please.

And don't worry about the length. The bigger the better! ^-^ Thanks!

Shelly