I am going to re-write this story . . . change the plot a little.
Here is the new first chapter.
But thank you to all who favourited, alerted, and reviewed the original story.
:D
Enjoy chapter 1~
"Ikuto." She spoke quietly as she rested her head against my shoulder. She was sleeping.
Everyone was watching with hearts in their eyes. They all were thinking the same thing; what a cute couple. Ikuto sighed and the sudden rise and fall of my shoulders woke Amu from her peaceful sleep.
"Ikuto," she murmured, "You should have woken me up."
She yawned and then looked around. Everyone was looking before quickly looked away, but on this small bus it was hard not looking suspicious. I don't know why they looked like they had been caught committing a sin but they were.
"We aren't there yet." I told her. She shifted her attention to me and her golden eyes stared at me. Her eyes were what first caught my attention when I bumped into to her on her first day at my high school.
I was walking with my friends; we were in grade eleven at the time. We were laughing away and didn't pay attention to people as they scurried out of our way. Except for one girl who was new and too busy looking at her schedule as she turned the corner. Her head was down and she ran right into me, but she was petite so she fell backwards on to the floor.
Her startled golden eyes looked up at me, "S-sorry."
I bent down and picked up her books, "its okay."
She continued to stare at me as she got off the ground, but then she snatched her books from me and scurried off.
My friends were snickering, but I ignored them.
Over the next couple days, she stood out. When I looked down the halls, I would catch a glimpse of her, but oddly enough I didn't realize she had pink hair until one of my friends made a snide comment. I promptly whacked on him the head, but then I knew she had pink hair and she stood out even more.
She was everywhere I went.
I began to figure out her schedule and made it a habit of bumping shoulders or something, just to get her to look at me. It freaked my friends out because I never showed any interest in a girl before, the girls always came to me.
Then one day I was sitting alone outside, when she came marching up to me. She looked wet and cold in the autumn air.
"You need to stop this." She growled as she gestured to the school.
"Stop what? School?" I asked, astonished she singled me out.
"No, not school." She huffed.
"Then what?" I questioned and she glared.
"This!" She exclaimed making wild hand gestures, "Everything; bumping into me, buying me lunch -"
"That was only once." I interjected.
"But it was enough to send your 'fan club' after me." She glared.
I forgot about those girls, but as I remembered shivers flew down my back. They were pretty cruel and then it dawned on me. She was standing in front of me with wet hair and clothes, shivering. I felt stupid and guilty as I pulled off my sweater and handed it to her.
"I refuse your charity." She growled, but the wind blew and her teeth started to rattle.
"Why? Just wear it." I urged.
"No, because you think it's your responsibility because it was your fan club that did this to me." She chattered.
"So it was them." I glared at nothing in particular. I was protective of her and I knew what that meant, as much as it scared me to admit it.
The wind kept blowing and slowly her lips turned a little shade of blue. I stood up and pulled the sweater of her head. She protested, but then quickly stopped because she was warm.
"Thanks." She whispered and rubbed her hand over her arm.
"Keep it." I let the words slip out, but quickly tried to look nonchalant about it.
"I guess that would be best considering it will be wet." She pulled at the hem which was too long.
"Um," She was suddenly nervous, "I'm Amu."
I was stunned; I forgot to ask her for her name because I already asked on of her classmates to tell me. I swallowed and then went to introduce myself, but she stopped me.
"I know who you are," She sighed, "So don't bother."
I suddenly felt like she was pushing me away.
"Then can I take you to the movies on the weekend?" I didn't realize what I had said until she stared at me with her startled gold eyes. I then realized I wasn't teasing her or being too forward, but I knew why that was. It was because I didn't want to scare her away, just yet.
She was about to answer, but then Saaya, the leader of my alleged fan club, walked into the school's courtyard calling my name. I pulled Amu behind the tree and bush behind the bench I was sitting on, but that was just a precaution because I hoped Saaya didn't see me.
"Ikuto." She stood in front of me a couple of moments after I had sat down. "Didn't you here me call you?"
"Nope." I answered trying to show her that I wanted her to leave, but she didn't pick up on it.
"Well, I was coming to tell you we got rid of that girl that was constantly bumping into you." Saaya sounded like she had just won the Olympics with a world record.
I was astonished; did she choose to ignore the fact that I was the one bumping into Amu and not the other way around? My friends found it to be too obvious and told me to tone it down.
"She wasn't bumping into to me." I tried to tell her.
"You don't need to protect her, we already sent her packing." Saaya smirked.
"But, she didn't bump into me." I exclaimed, "I was bumping into her."
Saaya took a step back and stared at me, "But we're meant to be together."
"No, we aren't." I told her with disgust. I had to be rude because otherwise she wouldn't get it.
She was a noise of frustration and then stomped off without much of a fight. I was relived.
Amu, not much later, stepped out from behind the tree and bushes. She started to tell me that I didn't need to lie for her, but I told her that I didn't lie; I told her nothing in the conversation I just had was a lie. Amu, unfortunately, didn't believe me.
I shook my head, but moved on and asked her out to the movies. She was relaxed and agreed without much thought because as soon as she realized she had agreed she quickly tried to take it back. It hurt to hear that she really didn't want to, but I refused to let her back out.
She was in grade nine, I found out that weekend, but it wasn't a huge age gape. After that weekend we started hanging out more often and before we knew it we were almost inseparable. However, it wasn't until she was in grade ten that my sister demanded to know if we were a couple, or not.
Amu stuttered and blushed like nothing I have ever seen before, but in the end she agreed that we were a couple. However, I always thought we were.
"Ikuto." A voice penetrated though my thoughts.
"Ikuto." The voice repeated and I realized it was Amu.
I hummed to let her know I could hear her.
"We are here." She whispered in my ear, "Where ever here is, but the driver insists this is where you wanted to take me."
Right, I forgot that this little trip was my idea and she had no idea where we were going, but then, after I remembered how we met, I was beginning to back out of what was originally intended for this trip.
'Go out with a bang.' was one of the only things I remembered from the last conversation I had with my boss. Because right now, Amu is in grade eleven with big dreams and I'm first year university with a full-time job. Which shouldn't be possible, but with my hours it was.
I told her that I told the bus driver where we were going as I led Amu to the top of a hill that over looked the city. It was the place I took her on her first birthday we had together, but what was different about this time was that the city below had a festival going and fireworks were scheduled.
Amu was about to ask why we were here at night, but then the fireworks were shot into the air. They silenced her as she watched with wonder. A smile came on to her face.
"Happy Birthday." I whispered into her ear and her smile became bigger.
After an hour or two of different firework displays, they finally stopped. Amu turned around and gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek.
"Thank you so much." She smiled.
"Don't thank me just yet." I said quiet sadness. Her arms were still around me and I toyed with the necklace I gave her last year as I tried to remember what else I was supposed to do.
'I've waited too long to have a girl screw this up.' Another part of the conversation with my boss forced its way into my mind. I remembered what I was supposed to do.
I pushed Amu away from me, but as soon as her warmth was gone I immediately wanted to pull her back.
"I need to tell you something." I choked out. She looked up at me with the golden eyes I fell in love and my whole purpose nearly vanished, but I remembered on more thing of the conversation that held the purpose strong.
She didn't like that sound of my voice as she stepped back further.
"Not on my birthday, Ikuto." She begged.
I winced, "I'm going to Europe."
She looked away, but her expression show relief because it wasn't what she expected.
"Italy, to be more exact." I continued, "But -"
She looked at me suddenly and there were tears in her eyes, "Does there always need to be a 'but'?"
I dreaded this day, but I couldn't hold off any longer, "Unfortunately." I told her.
"Well, get on with it." She tried to growl, but the tough girl act hadn't even started before it started to break. I realized I was breaking her heart.
"But," I continued with a wince, "I probably - No, I'll never be coming back to Japan."
I swear I could literally hear the cracking sounds her heart was making.
"On my birthday, Ikuto, Really?" Crack, went her heart.
"I'm sorry." I tried to say.
"Apologizing only makes it worse." Crack, another one was formed.
She tried to find some hope in this dark situation, "Could I visit you? Like a long-distance relationship."
"No." I said firmly. She bowed her head, Crack, Crack; two more formed on her heart.
Her shoulders began to shake. She looked up at me suddenly and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"When do you leave?" She asked, but I knew that she suspected the day and now she was only trying to dig her grave deeper.
"Tomorrow," I started and her heart went Crack, Crack, Crack. I wasn't sure how much more she could take as I continued, "morning."
This time she fell to her knees and I didn't hear a crack. I heard a shatter and she was crying her eyes out.
"Ikuto, Ikuto." She kept mumbling, "On my birthday."
She glared as best she could at me and then she surprised me, "On my fucking birthday, Ikuto! Seriously, why you were so kind, but the nicer option would have to rip my heart."
She screamed and then continued to cry. I swallowed; everything, except the orders I was following, told me to comfort her, but I wouldn't, I couldn't and I didn't.
"Amu." I tried to say, but she stopped me as she stood up on her weak legs. She stared at me with nearly no emotion, but then I remembered another part of the conversation I had with my boss, 'Don't do a half-assed job, Destroy her.'
I swallowed, I wasn't even sure what made me say what I said next, but I regretted it.
"The worse you could have done. . ." Amu tried to continue, but I need to get this over with.
"I never loved you, or liked you. I was just using you." I cringed as the emotions in Amu's features vanished.
". . . was say that." Amu crumbled to the ground and sobbed.
"Amu." I whispered with pain.
She sat up slightly and screamed, "Just go."
When I didn't move she stood up again and ran at me. "Go!" She pushed me towards the bus stop.
"Go!" she shrieked and slammed her hands into my chest. With every hit I felt the agonizing pain I cause her. She hit me twice more before her efforts became weak.
I stepped forward.
"Didn't you hear me?" She exclaimed as she faced me completely. When I said I saw no emotion, I lied. The only emotion I saw was pure agony and rage.
The bus pulled up to the stop. It was the same driver that drove us up here.
"Amu." I tried to tell her to go to the bus but she fell to the ground again.
"Leave." She whispered, "And don't ever think about coming back." She cringed at her own sentence because deep down where she locked away her love, she knew it was a lie.
I tried once more, but then she cried harder and screamed, "Go! I don't know why you're still here."
I turned and walked towards the bus. This was for the best, but then I heard it; it was the first time I had ever heard her say it.
"I love you." She whispered with her broken voice.
If she would have said it sooner I probably wouldn't have left and I tried to go back to her after I heard her say it but the bus pulled away as I turned to see her.
"I love you." She mouthed again with the tears pouring from her eyes as the bus pulled away. I slammed my hand against the window and then fell to the ground. I dug the heel of my palm into my eyes, I would not cry, but a couple tears managed to escape.
"And here I thought I had hired a man." A voice called from the back of the bus.
I instantly looked into the shadows and saw the man who had spoken. It was my boss.
I wiped my face quickly and then turned to face him with the most stone cold expression I could, but it was hard to after what I just saw.
"Now that, the little pest is out of the way. Let's get down to business." The man spoke with unwavering authority that couldn't be rivalled.
I glared at him before moving to the seat opposite to him.
There you have it!
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