Ikuto peered into Amu's room. He had been gone for three years, and there she was. He took note to the changes in her, her hair was now long, grown down her back. He could see her sitting in front of her vanity brushing it till it shines and applying mascara and lipstick. She was in a baby pink silk robe, he could see the new curves too her body. After all Amu was a teenager now, he had expected her to change. He felt nervous, seeing her after all this time, he didn't even know if he could talk to her, he didn't know if he was brave enough. She seemed so different from back then, when he told her that he loved her. And he did love her, and he still loves her, but now he felt a tightness in his throat and didn't know if he could do anything more than watch her. He was so frightened that she'd turn him away, and he wouldn't know what to do if she did.
Well now or never, he thought to himself, and he went through the window onto her bed. The room was generally the same, still pink and cutsie, although the vanity was new. He saw different things around too, more grown up stuff, like makeup and perfume and jewelry. Amu turned around and looked at him, her mouth making a small o in surprise. Then tears started dripping from her amber eyes.
"Ikuto…" she whispered. For a short second he was scared, why was she crying.
Amu threw her arms around him and pulled her close to him. He could smell strawberries in her hair, he wrapped his arms around her tightly. She sobbed into his shoulder.
"I missed you so much" she whispered into his chest. He put his hands through her hair.
"I missed you too Amu, more than you could even know" he kissed her forehead. Amu looked into his eyes, face flushed. She put her lips to his and kissed him so gently he could just feel their soft plumpness against his and the taste of cherry chapstick.
Tears dripped from his own eyes, and he tried to wipe them away before she saw. She kissed his cheeks, tasting the salt of his tears. Amu smiled warmly at him.
"I've been waiting for you Ikuto." He scoffed
"You really wasted three years waiting for me"
Amu put a hand to his cheek, touching the wetness of his tears. She brought her hand back and kissed them off her fingers.
"When you told me you loved me.. Ikuto, I always knew there was no one else for me but you"
Ikuto could feel the joy inside him bubbling up, it felt so strange like his heart was going to explode. He loved Amu, he would always love Amu, and she loved him back.
When they parted from their embrace Ikuto couldn't help but notice that her robe was open revealing her bare chest and a pair of lacey pink panties. He blushed and looked away. Amu realized it and quickly wrapped her robe around herself. Then she smiled at him brightly.
"We're not kids anymore yanno, if you want to look, I think it'd be okay if it was you" She looked down at her finger which she was nervously touching together. Ikuto got up off the bed and grinned.
"Not before I at least take you on a date Amu" she looked at him hopefully, smiling widely.
"Now that I'm back we can properly date each other. I'll be your… Prince" he blushed and looked to the side. Amu laughed and jumped up hugging him, he was taken by surprise and tumbled to the floor. Amu held him there under her and covered his face and neck with kisses. He laughed trying to get away from her kissing attack but she held her ground and continued, biting his ear if he tried to leave. He could feel her long hair tickling his sides. He picked up her slight delicate body and squeezed her tight.
"I love you Ikuto" she said with full confidence, looking him directly in the eyes. His eyes widened and he blushed again, looking away for a second before meeting her gaze.
"I love you Amu" he replied, pulling her into a kiss. This kiss was harder than before, he wanted to taste her. Amu didn't resist, kissing him back with the hunger of three years' worth of dreaming of kissing him. "I missed you so much" she mumbled.
Ikuto waited outside as Amu got dressed. He could see she still dressed in a punk fashion, she wore a plain black skater dress with pink and black striped knee socks matched with a pair of combat boots. She had a little skull clip holding all her long pink hair out of her eyes. She looked lovely. She grabbed a thick pink sweater with buttons to wear over her dress keeping her warm. Ikuto held her petite hand in his large one as they left Amu's house together and walked down the street. Amu seemed to have a grace that she didn't before, maybe it had come with age. He hadn't seen much change in himself but he couldn't imagine the change in her.
"What are you staring at punk" Amu cut in, putting her hand on her hips and standing strongly in front of him.
"I… I like your hair" Amu grinned and giggled shortly.
"Yeah I let it grow out, you look just as handsome as I remember" Ikuto took his turn in laughing.
"You're even more beautiful than I could have imagined Amu" Amu blushed smiling wide at him and then kissed his cheek for the thousandth time that after noon.
"So where do you want to go!" Amu changed the subject from her maturing body.
Ikuto put his finger to his chin pondering it for a second.
"Do you want to get some ice cream" he smiled. Amu laughed out loud, putting her hand back into Ikuto.
"Well of course" she grinned up at him.
"Yanno Amu" Ikuto mused "I'm surprised Tadase hasn't taken your heart in these last three years." Amu laughed.
"No its not surprising Ikuto." She put her finger daintily to her mouth thinking. "Mmm no Tadase and I, well he's not really my type, he has confessed to me though.." She shrugged.
He stopped walking and she stopped too as she was holding his hand. "What?" she questioned.
"He used to be your type, what changed?" Ikuto asked, he was honestly curious. Amu laughed carelessly.
"Idiot, I fell in love with you Ikuto" she nodded to herself "You're the only person who is my type" she pointed her finger at him for emphasis. He laughed again, his smiles coming so easily around her. He kissed her forehead, pushing her closer into his body.
She grabbed hold of his shirt in her small fist, looking down at her closed hand.
"Ikuto…" she said softly, he murmured a reply.
"Ikuto don't leave me again, if you have to leave take me with you" tears started spilling down her face again, coming fast, she looked up at him and all the pain the last three year had caused her was visible on her face. "Please Ikuto, I missed you so much." She was snuffling and rubbing her face with the sleeves of her sweater frantically but they just kept coming. "I didn't know when you were coming back" he hugged her close to him, sorry to ever cause her pain. He sat her down on a nearby bench and held her there in her arms. The sun was almost set and the stars were peeking out from the orange glow that touched the landscape. Amu was trying to stop her tears but they just kept coming. Three years' worth of missing him and loving him was coming out of her. She was so happy he was here, she didn't want to scare him away with her heavy display of emotion, but she couldn't stop either.
"Shh" he whispered into her hair, holding her tightly. "I'm here now Amu, and I wont leave you, I promise I'll never leave you again. Amu shhh its okay, shhh Amu don't cry" she felt herself begin to calm down, snuffling lightly but the tears began to stop.
"I didn't know when… if.. you were coming back Ikuto" she said softly, holding his hand tightly in hers. He kissed her again. He wanted to kiss away all the pain he had caused her.
"I'm sorry I've caused you pain" he said softly caressing her cheek. "I will never be the one to cause you pain again Amu, that I promise." She nodded and held him, hiding her face in his neck.
"Thank you" she whispered so softly Ikuto almost thought he imagined it.
"It's a little late for ice cream, isn't it" Ikuto mused, stroking Amu's hair lovingly. "You wanna just walk around a bit, maybe get a warm drink from a vendor" he asked her. She nodded and looked up at him. "But icecream tomorrow right?" he grinned kissing her cheek. He just could not stop kissing her, every time he did it he wanted to kiss her three more times, five more times, as many times as he could. Even when he face was puffy and flushed from tears she looked so beautiful, like an angel, he thought.
The two walked around till late into the night, talking about what had happened in the last 3 years. Amu explained how her reputation hadn't changed much at all in high school, and her peers were still a bit wary of her. Ikuto told her about meeting his father, who was in the end only a tomb stone. She squeezed his hand, he told her that it was okay. He had accepted it.
Amu yawned and stretched out widely.
"I'm so tired Ikuto, but I don't want to go to sleep" he chuckled and picked her up bridal style, pulling her up to the window of her room and laying her on the bed.
"Ikuto where are you staying?" she mumbled sleepily. He gave her a vague response. She got her tired body up one last time to put her arms around him and pull him into her bed.
"Come sleep here, it'll be like it used to be" Ikuto couldn't say no, curled up under her fluffy pink comforter, holding her tightly in his arms. She snuggled up to him and almost immediately fell asleep.
Ikuto lay awake, stroking her hair. He loved how long and soft it now was. He was thinking warmly about what the future could bring. In all his travels, all he had found was bleakness, although the world was beautiful and took his breath away, nothing made him feel so at peace as laying here with Amu. He wished he had realized that sooner, that he had come home sooner. But there was no point in wishing, he had everything he needed from this day on. He nuzzled his head into her shoulder and she mumbled something incoherent and then continued her even breathing. Ikuto closed his eyes and let sleep come over him.
