I've had this Amuto story on my mind for a while & thought it was long past overdue to start writing it lol. Oh, please let me know if this sounds too similar to other Amuto stories as there's 3000+ Amuto stories on here...naturally I don't really want to check them all ehehe. This is in Amu's POV.

Summary: Ikuto had promised that he'd return to Amu...well she was all grown up now.

Disclaimer: I own nothing; Shugo Chara belongs to Peach-Pit.

"Wherever I go, whatever the distance that separates us...I will come back to you. And when you grow up and become an adult, I promise I'll come back and find you."

It had been eight years since Amu last heard those words spoken to her. She was thirteen back then, and back then the amusement park was still here (even though it was being torn down at the time). Now it was all apartment blocks and Amu was all grown up and twenty-one years of age. She'd grown a little taller, curvier and had grown her hair out. She was considered "hot stuff" and quite a few guys had asked her out. But she turned them all down as she was waiting for him. She'd been waiting for him since she was eighteen. Sighing, she thought of Ikuto; wasn't eight years enough? He said he'd return when she was an adult...well she'd been one for three years! Hell, even her guardian charas had disappeared a few months after her eighteenth birthday (thinking of Ran, Miki, Su and Dia had made her even sadder)! Wasn't that a sign she was an adult enough? Sure, as soon as she was eighteen she knew he wouldn't come back straight away...but she was twenty-one now! Surely that was "adult" enough, right?

Suddenly, she heard someone say, "I thought I'd find you here."

Amu turned around to find Utau walking towards her.

"Hey Utau" she greeted as she approached, the two hugged each other.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Utau asked when they pulled out of the embrace.

"What do you-oh...my birthday dinner!"

Due to everyone's studies, they weren't able to have a birthday celebration for Amu till tonight. And since it was already seven...

Shaking her head, Utau said, "Well come on! Everyone else is waiting for you!"

"Well isn't it natural for the birthday girl to be late?" Amu shot back.

"For a surprise party yes!" Utau huffed, and she grabbed Amu's hand and almost dragged her along to the restaurant.

"These little going-off-on-your-own walks is so Ikuto of you!" Utau said as she dragged Amu along.

She stopped when she realised what she said and turned back to face Amu, "Oh. Sorry." She then asked, "Is that why you were at the site of that old amusement park?"

"Yeah" Amu answered, "He said he'd come back when I was an adult and well..."

Utau continued walking and said, "Well I'm sure he's just got a lot going on.

Enough so that he won't come back for me? She thought to herself. Sure, looking for his father was important, but had he forgotten about her or something? Last she heard from Ikuto was about six months ago! She was sick of waiting, she was sick of getting her hopes up thinking he'd come and crash down in disappointment whenever he wouldn't show and she was sick of turning down cute guys! Maybe it was time she moved on? Stop holding onto this weird fairy tale and come back to reality?

As they reached the restaurant, Amu decided that she would move on from Ikuto. She wouldn't let her life waste away waiting for some guy!

"Happy birthday Amu!" everyone cried out, instantly pulling her into a good mood.

She made her way around the table, hugging all her friends and she eventually sat down next to Utau and Rima.

"I am so sorry I'm late everyone! I was out walking and I guess I just forgot about the time!" she explained.

"Aww it's alright Amu! You're the birthday girl after all so it's okay for you to be late!" Kukai said, with his usual grin in place.

Amu shot a 'hah I'm right!' look to Utau.

oOo

Amu was so grateful that she lived with Utau, Rima and Yaya. Especially at times like this when they're all drunk and being loud idiots - they could all walk home together safely.

"No, no, no! You can't...you can't do splits in high heels! You'll grow a third leg!" Yaya rambled.

"I say I can!" Rima shouted. She wasn't even wearing high heels yet when she tried to do the splits she fell on the ground.

Amu's ribs were sore from laughing so hard, and when she bent down to help Rima up she fell as well (ending up on top of Rima).

"That's...that's what you get for being children!" Utau tried to chastise but she was too drunk to chastise them properly.

Once the girls got over their fit of giggles, they stumbled home. As Amu fell down onto her bed she screamed and jumped back up.

"What's going on?" Rima asked (still in her drunken state), she was first as her room was closest to Amu's.

"There's something in my bed!"

When Yaya appeared next to them the figure under the covers started moving, making the three girls scream.

"Okay, okay enough it's me sheesh!" the figure said as he pulled the covers off himself.

When Amu realised who it was she screamed again and then yelled, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Just as Ikuto was about to explain himself Utau stumbled over, "What's going on in here?" she paused and looked up at her brother, "Oh hey Ikuto! Oh yeah! Hey Amu, Ikuto came here to surprise you! Now go and have some hot, nasty sex okay? Night all!" she finished and made her way back to her bedroom (Utau crashed as soon as they got home but all the screaming woke her up).

As the three girls settled down and a little more sober, Rima and Yaya made their way to their bedrooms; leaving Amu and Ikuto by themselves. Studying him, Amu realised that Ikuto hadn't changed much at all, besides looking older and being slightly taller. He still had that same haircut and that sly look that never seemed to leave his eyes. Strangely enough, the sight of him sitting there on her bed oh so casually was getting on her nerves!

And just like that she went up to him and slapped him!

"What gives you the right after eight years to be casually sitting on my bed?" she demanded.

"Mmm I hope you're always this feisty Amu."

Amu was too tired and drunk to deal with Ikuto's perviness, so she just pushed him over to the other side of the bed, "I'm assuming you want to talk?" she asked as she got into her bed.

"I wouldn't mind it."

"Well bad luck you can wait till the morning! I waited eight years surely one night won't kill you!" she snapped before falling asleep.

oOo

The next morning Amu awoke without remembering the previous night's events. So it's safe to say that she got a huge shock when she found Ikuto sound asleep next to her.

"WHAT THE? IKUTO! HOW? WHAT?"

Her shouts woke him up, stirring he looked at her and said, "Ah Amu, I'm guessing you don't remember last night?"

As Ikuto said that, something did come back to her – OH GOD SHE DIDN'T REALLY SLAP HIM DID SHE?

"I ah...didn't slap you by any chance?"

"You did"

"Oh god I'm so sorry!" How could she do something like that to Ikuto? "I was drunk and...you gave me such a fright...I'd even given up on you and-"

"You what?" he butted in.

Gasping, she covered her face with her hands, "I'm so sorry! It's just that I was sick and tired of waiting for you and I felt bad for all of the boys I kept turning down because I was waiting for you and-"

She was cut off by a kiss from him.

"I am so sorry that I took so long" he said once they pulled apart from the kiss, "I ran into some issues in Germany which took longer than expected."

"Did you end up finding your father?"

"I did, which is also part of why I took so long."

Gently placing her hands on his cheeks she suggested, "Why don't we move on from this little chapter huh? Let's move on, yeah?"

"Mmm I like the sound of that" Ikuto said, wrapping his arms around her and moving her up against him, "Oh I was waiting for you to come home in the lounge, but you and the girls took ages and the couch was uncomfortable-"

"It's fine!" Amu laughed, "So what should we do first to move on?" she asked.

"Hmm...well first of all we could do Utau's suggestion from last night?"

Amu didn't say anything as she tried to remember whatever Utau said last night. When she did remember, she pushed Ikuto out of the bed!

"You god damn perv!" she cried out, "How you even think of something like that when-" but she couldn't help but break her facade when she saw Ikuto's face and she broke out into laughter.

"Get back in the bed you!" she demanded and as soon as he did she pulled him close to her, "I'm not all grown up for nothing!" she said, smirking.

I hope you all enjoyed it! It's meant to be more on the light-hearted side and I hope you've found it funny!