Hello everyone, and welcome to Alluring Nightmare. I am extremely ecstatic to finally be posting this idea that I have had in my mind for months now. I've been extremely obsessed with it, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I just had to publish it. I believe this story has a lot of potential. Much of this story is inspired by the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I am watching (it isn't currently on; I'm watching old episodes). Anyhow, onward to the story and disclaimer. I own nothing and please enjoy the first chapter of Alluring Nightmare!

Screams filled the vast room, echoing off of the walls. They came from everywhere, yet all seemed to blend into one large bellow. No matter where one walked, they would not cease. Although it sounded as if thousands of voices were yelling at once, there were two words that could be deciphered: help me.

The abundance of wails within my mind forced my eyes to open at once. As I awoke, I found myself face to face with my mother. She watched me, frowning. I yawned, puzzled to why she was glaring.

"It's about time you woke up," She grumbled, shaking her head in disapproval.

"What?" I stared at her in confusion.

"I have been yelling at you to wake up for almost five minutes. You were getting me worried. I almost got your father, and you know how he gets." I nodded slowly, apologizing quietly. I contemplated telling her that there were too many other screams in my mind, but I realized how crazy that would sound. Once my mother left my room after shooting me a stern expression, I stretched my arms and sat up.

These dreams had been haunting me for the past week. It was different than an average dream though. There was no image or anything; simply the sound of voices. Each time, there were many at once, but they always combined together to utter help me. What did they mean? Help me, from what? What was even screaming? I tried to shrug it off, but these dreams kept bothering me. How could I have almost the identical dream each night?

"Amu, hurry up!" I heard my mother yell again. "We have to be on the road by six!" I groaned, changing into a random pair of jeans and a shirt. I looked at my room, watching its barren state. In my mind, I could envision the plethora of posters that normally hung up in my room. I turned to the empty spot beside my bed, which previously was a table that held photographs of my best friends.

"Last one to the car picks their room last!" My little sister Ami shouted, bolting past my room. I snapped out of my trance, and gaped. I always tend to space out.

"T-That's not fair!" I exclaimed. "You don't have to carry luggage because Mom and Dad spoil you!" She stuck her tongue at me, continuing to the car. Sighing, I pulled my two giant suitcases out from my room, feeling a wave of melancholy. That was the last time I would ever be in that room, sleep in my old, comfy bed. I walked over to the door, and tripped on the rug, falling face down onto the ground. I also am a complete klutz. Often, my daydreaming habit resulted in me tripping. I stood up, realizing my parents were completely unbeknownst to my descent. That was the umpteenth time that the rug caused me to trip, and it was the last. Sighing, I pulled my suitcases out of the house, stepping into the air. I glanced back at my house, feeling tears build up in my eyes. My house was extremely small and was one story. My friends often mocked me for the size, but it was still my house and I loved it. Now, I would never be seeing it again.

"Amu, are you ready?" My father asked, smiling widely. I looked over at the moving truck, where our furniture and suitcases were stored. Was I ready? No, not at all. I didn't want to leave. However, I couldn't say that. It was happening, as much as I didn't want to. I nodded slowly, dragging my luggage over to the truck. An unfamiliar man helped lift my bags into the truck. I walked over to the car that belonged to my family. We would be driving this car which would meet up with the truck at my new home. I took a deep breath, and stepped into the car. Ami was already waiting.

"Loser! I get to pick first!" Ami stuck her tongue at me, taunting me. I sighed, not really caring. As my parents stepped into the car, my mother in the driver's seat and my father in the passenger's seat, I buckled my seatbelt. Once it fastened, I knew I was officially bound to the car. My fate was sealed, and I was on a one-way trip away from here to my new home located in the city of Seiyo. The car began to accelerate, and my old house was simply a quickened blur past my window.

I tried not to cry, as we drove past various houses, each having significant memories to me for fifteen years. We drove past so many places; the high school I only attended for a year and a half, the middle school that Ami was fortunate enough to miss out on, the elementary school that Ami enrolled in for six and a half years, and would never graduate from. Yet, Ami seemed excited. It was as if leaving behind her town that she lived in for all of her life was irrelevant to her.

I remembered the party my friends threw for me. I was completely stunned when I was walking to my friend Yua's house, and when all of my friends jumped out screaming surprise. That had been just two days ago, the only day my mother gave that spared me from packing. All of my friends chipped in to purchase me a gift, which was a frame for the photograph we took altogether. I opened the picture on my phone, sighing. We were a large group of friends, although I was not really close to everyone. Really, the only three people that I was really close to and would miss immensely were Yua, Takumi, and Deidre. My father always detested Takumi since he was a male, although he had come out in ninth grade. Yua had been devastated, since she had a giant crush on him. Though, frankly, Yua had a crush on everyone in the grade, male or female. She had always attempted to serenade people through her singing. She actually was an amazing singer, but most people were not attracted to her.

As usual, she sang at the party. Normally, she was shy about singing, the only thing she was ever shy about. However, since the party was held at her own house, she was not afraid to sing her heart out. Thanks to the aid of Deidre, who was an extremely talented poet and song writer, they wrote and sung a song dedicated to me. As they sang it, tears erupted down my cheeks. I was a complete wreck by the time I left Yua's house.

"Sissy, are you crying?" As Ami spoke, I became aware of the tears cascading down my cheeks. Shoot!

"N-No! O-Of course not!" I exclaimed quickly, wiping my eyes rapidly. "I-I'm just tired, since it's six in the morning, and I am sleepy, so my eyes got watery…heh…" I was never known for my "gifted" lies.

"Don't worry Amu, you can see your friends again," My mother tried to reassure.

"Well, you can't see Takumi!" My father exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. My father was always overprotective over Ami and me. If another boy entered out house, he always claimed he would run away, and ran to the bathroom. Each time, Ami giggled like it was the funniest thing. She always acted like she was a six-year-old, when in reality, she was twelve. Okay, when I was twelve and in sixth grade, I most certainly did not act like that. Then again, Ami was extremely spoiled, and I never was. I always had high expectations. I guess this is what teenagers constantly complain about, but it's so aggravating!

An hour passed in our car ride, and already, Ami grew impatient. She started whining loudly, prompting me to cover my ears.

"Ami, darling, what's wrong?" My mother whispered. I rolled my eyes at her concern.

"I'm bored!" Ami whined. "Are we almost there?!"

"Not quite sweetie, but it won't be long," My mother soothed.

"If four hours can be considered soon," I muttered. My mother shot me a dirty look. I hugged my knees close to my chest, sighing.

"Do you want the radio Ami doll?" My father asked. Ami nodded her head vigorously. They nodded, opening it to the pop station. I claimed that I detested pop music, but I actually found it enjoyable at times. My friend Yua always stated that she would have a song that would be the top song in the world and would be heard on this radio station. The song that had been playing terminated, and a new song began. I glanced up, never having heard this song before. Normally, this radio station repeated the same popular songs and became rapidly redundant, but this was new.

"What song is this?" I wondered, turning to my sister, the master of pop songs. To my dismay, she shrugged.

"Oh wait! I think this is the song by that debut singer everyone's talking about!" Ami exclaimed. "Meikyuu Butterfly, I think…" I nodded slowly. It was surprisingly really interesting and awesome sounding. The singer's voice was exceptional, levels above even Yua, who was talented. However, the talent was quickly ruined by Ami's attempt to sing along. The term "singing along" is used quite loosely. By "singing," Ami screams something completely off-key and the words are all mixed up. Perhaps it would make more sense if one used the term bellowing along with the song. I covered my ears, trying to block Ami out. I actually enjoyed this song, until Ami ruined it, just like almost everything else. I was especially annoyed when Ami continued "bellowing along" after the song, causing me to miss the name of the singer.

"Ami, can you shut up?" I wondered, annoyed.

"Amu! How could you say that?!" My mother lowered her voice. "This move has been really hard on her. She needs to relieve some stress." I held my hands in innocence, turning to Ami who was singing one of the replayed songs at the top of her lungs. Yeah, this move has been really hard on her. I knew that this ride was going to be extremely long.

Fortunately, after she tired herself out from singing, Ami fell asleep. I smiled for the first time that day. It didn't take us too long to arrive at our new house after she fell asleep. We parked on the driveway, which was already double the size of our old one. My parents told me that I could use their car when I needed to practice for my driver's license (which of course sent my father into some tangent that I was getting too old). Since my sixteenth birthday was in September, I could receive my permit then. It was annoying, since I was one of the last birthdays in the grade.

We unloaded the luggage and furniture. There was so much of it, so many mementoes of my old home.

"Hey Amu, the movers are going to help us get everything prepared. Why don't you take Ami and look around town? Maybe you two could get some lunch?" My father suggested. The plan sounded so promising until Ami had to come with me.

"Yeah sure…" I turned to my little sister. "You coming?" She nodded happily, following me.

"Sissy! Hold my hand!" Ami whined. I raised an eyebrow.

"Ami, I'm not going to ruin my reputation before I start this high school," I told her.

"But no one knows you, so how can you ruin anything before you are known?" I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it, realizing I had no comeback. Sighing in defeat, I took my little sister's hand, and walked with her around town.

To my dismay, Seiyo was quite large. It was much larger than what I was used to. Streets were packed with cars and taxis. Basically, each corner of a street had its own traffic light. We continued walking, until we got to a quieter part of town. There was much less traffic.

"Hey Amu, it's your high school!" Ami exclaimed. I turned to where her finger pointed, and gaped. Seiyo High School was quite large, probably double the size of my old high school. There were many students walking about, heading to lunch. So, we were allowed to leave the campus for lunch… That would be cool, except that I knew no one. People who left the school grounds seemed to be in their own cliques. There were a bunch of girls together who wore cheerleading attire, not just the uniforms but sweatshirts. There were also football guys, a gothic crowd, and many other groups that weren't so stereotypical.

"Wow, this high school seems so cool! I'm so jelly sissy!"

"First off, it's jealous," I murmured, rolling my eyes at my sister's text speech. "It's nothing that cool really; it's just an average high school. Focus on finishing elementary and then middle school before you get into high school." I was completely oblivious to how wrong I was about the normalcy of this high school…

Finally, we found ourselves in a town area. Nearby, there was a pizzeria, so Ami and I decided to get a slice of pizza. The pizza parlor seemed small, but cozy. I ordered two plain slices for Ami and me, and we found a table in the back.

"Mm this pizza is delicious!~" Ami exclaimed. I couldn't help but to agree with her. This pizza was definitely better than the pizza back in my old town.

"You girls like it?" I frowned as a guy made his way toward us. I crossed my arms. He laughed. "Hey, no need to tense up; I'm one of the owners of this place."

"How do you make this pizza?" Ami wondered, bouncing up and down. I glared at her, hoping to calm her down. The guy laughed.

"It's a secret recipe. But maybe if you're really curious, you can stop by again and become regular customers." He winked at us. "If you need anything else, the name's Unkai." Like that, he walked away. Shrugging it off, I led Ami out of the pizzeria, after finishing our food.

We arrived back at home, to find many of the boxes unloaded. This house was much larger than our older one. It was two stories!

"I get to pick my room now!" Ami exclaimed.

"Not so fast Ami darling. Amu gets the bigger room." I glanced up, surprised. Ami looked horrified.

"But Mom!~ I got to the car first, so I get dibs on the bigger room!" Ami whined.

"Amu's older. So she needs more space to herself and a larger room," My mother explained, giving me a smile. Ami pouted and whined. Once again, I found myself forgetting she was a sixth grader. How could this immature girl be graduating elementary school? She was not ready for middle school at all. I thanked my mother, and headed up to my bedroom.

The room was much larger than I would have anticipated. My parents and the movers already had my bed moved into my room, but other than that, it was completely empty. In my mind, I could envision where I wanted everything; what wall the posters would lie on, where my furniture and photos would be placed. I was so excited to decorate my room. As I turned my head, I realized I had a balcony. I walked onto it, enjoying the afternoon breeze. This was going to be so relaxing.

"Don't sneak any boys through there." I turned my head, facing my father. He stood beside me on the balcony.

"Why would I sneak any boys through here?" I wondered.

"I don't know. You're getting older, and you might begin to become attracted to boys." Oh god, was this the talk? I glanced over at my father. "Ami's already talking about crushes, and it's killing me!"

"Dad, I'll be fine," I promised. "I'm not really into boys."

"That's my girl!" He hugged me tightly, and I sighed. "Feel free to explore a bit more on your own after dinner. Make sure you know how to get to school, since you'll be starting school at Seiyo High tomorrow." It occurred to me that it was Monday. The students must have just returned from the February break. "Oh, it looks like the food is here!" I followed my father inside, and we both descended the stairs to eat rice. Since the dinner table was not set up yet, I ate my food on the couch, watching the television. Some weird show about a fortune teller was on.

"Hey you, the one watching this!" The fortune teller pointed directly at me, well, the camera. I raised an eyebrow at the absurdity of this. "If your sign is Libra, your life is about to make a change." Okay, that's a weird coincidence; I happen to be a Libra. However, that could be anyone; 1/12 of the people watching are Libra, right? "You have just transferred to a new place, expecting to simply begin the next chapter of your life. However, it is not quite that simple, young lady. You are commencing a new tale of your life; an entire new novel. The simplicity of your life is going to change. You will encounter supernatural beings, things you never believed were possible. However, despite the peculiar monsters and demons you will face, the most unnatural being is yourself." My mouth dropped open. I was a Libra, I just moved…? I snapped out of my daze when I felt fingers in my mouth.

"Ami move your hand!" I muttered, pushing her gently away.

"That is my reading of the day. I could be wrong; only you can know. Nobuko Saeki out!" I shrugged it off quickly. It was just a really weird coincidence. Besides, supernatural beings? Demons and monsters? That doesn't even make sense.

"Amu, please throw out your dinner," My mother scolded. "We don't want a mess already." I complied, throwing my garbage out. I told my family I was going out, and I left the house. I decided to look around the city for a bit, although I had previously with Ami. I walked around in the city, admiring the stores. There were certainly many shops, even a giant mall. If I actually made any friends, this would be extremely helpful. Nearby, there was also a dance club.

"I don't recall seeing you around here." I rapidly turned, tripping on my own feet. I began to fall to the ground, when arms surrounded me. I glanced up at the man. He had dark beady eyes that seemed to look right through you. His hair was dark blue, almost the color of midnight. He wore a black hoody and jeans. If I didn't say he was hot, I would be lying. My father would be absolutely horrified. I wondered how old he was; certainly he was a senior at least. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I was still lying in his arms. Flustered, I stood up.

"What do you want?" I wondered, crossing my arms.

"Where are you from?" He wondered curiously. I cocked an eyebrow.

"How do you know I'm not from here?" I asked.

"Someone like you, I would have seen before. You stand out." I blushed even more.

"W-What that's supposed to mean?!"

"I mean, your hair. I don't see many pinkettes around." I exhaled, realizing I was breathing deeply. "Geez, your face is all red. Do you always blush this much?"

"I-I'm not…"

"You're like a strawberry." I frowned at that comment.

"Well, look, I should be getting home. I don't even know who you are…" The guy stared at me for a few minutes. I began to back away slowly. It was late at night, so the guy could be checking me out. It frightened me immensely.

"You could be the girl of the prophecy… I can smell it…"

"Prophecy? Wait, you can smell…what?!" I was completely perplexed by every word that he spoke. A small smirk crossed his face, making him look exceptionally hot.

"You'll see. Here, take this." He handed me a lock. I stared at for a moment, puzzled. "It may come in handy."

"Uh… thanks?" He turned around.

"Catch you later, strawberry."

"Wait! I don't even know who you are!" Without looking at me, he paused.

"The name's Ikuto. Ikuto Tsukiyomi. And yours?"

"I'm Amu Hinamori…" I mumbled.

"Nice to meet you Amu. This won't be the last time I see you." In a swift motion, I watched him hop away. I was mesmerized, as I watched him. His rapid motions almost reminded me of a sly cat. Shaking it off quickly, I decided to go home. I clutched the lock in my palm. That was one of the weirdest conversations I have ever had. Who was this Ikuto? Why did I accept a gift from a stranger?

Sighing, I arrived at home. Ami was "singing" loudly, prompting me to escape to my room. I stared at the blank walls of my room, and smiled. Maybe this move wasn't so bad. Maybe I could meet more people at school tomorrow. I changed into my nightgown, and placed the lock on my night table that had apparently been set up for me. I went under my sheets and began to drift to sleep. For the first time since the thought of moving, the idea of living in Seiyo didn't seem as horrible and it was almost exhilarating. However, it wouldn't take me long to realize that living here would in fact change my life. Nothing would remain the same ever again, for good and bad. My name, Amu Hinamori, would mean so much more than just some klutzy, day-dreaming girl. I so was unprepared for what the future had in store for me.

There we have it; the first chapter. I promise, the second will be up extremely soon. I hope Amuto fans enjoyed the Amu and Ikuto meeting. I am not too experienced with Amuto, but I'm hoping to really work with that pairing. I'm not going to be one of those begging authors (just kidding, I will be), but please review/favorite/alert! Words cannot describe how happy I will be if I receive a whole lot of spam in my emails from this site saying I got reviews, favorites, and alerts! So, review review review, alert, and favorite! Thank you so much :D. More reviews = faster update. Yay!