Ikuto strolled into the bathroom, goose bumps going up his legs as he walked across the cold tile. He turned on the water to the tub and ran his hand under it. He took off his shirt and dropped it, crumpled, on the floor. He ran a hand along his side, lightly tracing his scabs. He had been depressed a lot lately. It all started six months ago.

After doing what he had dreamed of for the past few months or so, he finally kissed Amu goodbye before leaving to look for his father, Aruto. It had taken him months to find someone who had heard the name. He finally met an old woman in Paris who said that she listened to him play only a year ago. When he asked if she knew anything about where he was now, he was faced with some surprising news. She informed him that his dad had commited suicide just four months ago. He was crushed and spiralled into depression.

When he had got home from his devistating trip, he was still very depressed. He stopped bothering Tadase because he saw it as a waste of time. He skipped school much more often than usual. The first person to notice that the dark haired boy was acting strange was Amu. She noticed because he had ceased to stop by her balcony and tease her. She confronted him about it but he denied. She decided that she would just lay low and wait for the evidence itself. Not much later Ikuto started back on his usual routine. He bothered Tadase, went to school, and stopped by Amu's to tease her.

It was a hot summer day in July. Ikuto had on a long sleeved shirt, but, because of the hot he had it rolled up to his elbows. Amu was wearing a light blue tank top and a jean skirt. She was walking through the park when she saw Ikuto. He was sitting on a bench and he was... sulking? She made a plan in her head, and walked back home.

Later she send him a text telling hime to meet her at her house, on her balcony, at eight o'clock. He did as told and jumped onto her balcony from the street.. at eight fifteen. After nagging him a bit about being late, she invited him into her room. They sat on the bed and talked a little. She was making small talk and he was cooperating. She knew she was stalling. She didnt want to know if she was right or not. But she had to do it anyway. She scooted a little closer to Ikuto. He reacted by scooting to the end of the bed further away from her. She subtlely scootched closer and he didnt move. She grabbed his hand in her small one and turned so she was facing him more directly. She then grabbed his other hand with hers. She slowly ran her hands up his arms to his elbows, then back down on the underside of his arms. She stopped at his wrists. She then quickly grabbed his hands and turned his arms facing up so she could see the insides of his wrists. As she had suspected from eairlier, there were cuts all along his wrists.

"Ikuto, you cut yourself?" she asked as she looked up at him, putting on her best innocent face.

He glanced away at her closet, the one he used to hide in at night, and didnt say anything.

"Answer me," she prodded, "why are you doing this?!"

Tears fille the young girls eyes. Ikuto quickly pulled his hands away as he stood up and walked to the window to make his leave.

"Promise me you wont do it again," she said to his back, "promise."

"I promise." He sighed and opened the window to the balcony. He stepped out into the crisp summer's night air and leaped off, out of sight.

The next week or so, Ikuto stopped by Amu's house again. He was wearing a long sleeved hoodie. Before he left, she made him roll up his sleeves. He again had cuts on his wrists. She scolded him again and he promised again. But it did. The next time she saw him leaving his school he got scolded again when she saw the cuts for the third time.

"It will never happen again, my sweet little strawberry." he teased.

"It better not."

The scene played back in his head. When he was back to reality, Ikuto saw that the room had turned into a sauna. Steam flowing out of the shower, covering the mirror with a thin sheet of mist. He commenced with pulling of this jeans and boxers and stepping into the shower. He washed himself, then shampood and conditioned his hair. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off and wrappe the towel around his waist. He grabbed his dark blue razor from the side of the shower. He couldnt cut himself on his wrists or Amu would hate him. After that third time she found him, he had to start hiding it somewhere else. He decided that Amu would never ask him to take his shirt off so he started to cut himself on the side of his chest, out of sight. It had been working for a couple of weeks. He had to be quick because he knew that Amu was over visiting Utau right down the hall. He sat down on the warm tile and held the razor to his skin.

"IKUTO, YOU IN THERE?!" a loud vioce accompanied by three knocks came from the other side of the door. The loud noise startled him and his hand dragged the razor along his skin.

"Yeah, I'm in here!" he yelled back at the door.

"Are you decent? Utau told me to get her hairbrush." Amu asked from the opposite side of the door.

He looked down at the towel wrapped loosly around his waist. "Yeah." he coughed. He suddenly regretted it. She would see the gash in his side. She would hate him. She would never talk to him again. Hheard the door creak open and her light footsteps tread across the bathroom. He closed his eyes as he heard her gasp.

"Ikuto you promised!" she accused, covering her mouth at the sight. All he could do was look away from her as he started to feel the warm blood drip down onto his back, occasionally falling off and making a plopping noise as it hit the floor. He heard Amu walk out of the room. She must hate him now. He knew it. She was going to be so mad at him. She probably wasnt even coming back. But then he heard her footsteps come back into the room. He looked back at her as she pressed a gauze to his cuts. Neither of them said anything. She put another gauze on and then a bandaid.

"You hate me, don't you?" he asked her.

"No, I don't hate you, Ikuto." she replied quietly.

"Yes you do. Why wouldn't you?" he argued.

"Ikuto... I can't hate you...I...I love you." she confessed.

What? Did she just say she loved him? "What?"

"Ikuto, I love you." she stood up and put out her hand to help him up. He grimaced at the pain as he stood up. They walked back to his room. She waited outside the door as he changed. He opened the door just a crack and reached around and grabbed her wrist and then pulled her into his room and shut the door.

"I'm so sorry, Amu."

"You have to promise you'll never do it again. Never."

"I promise."

"You have to pinkey promise."

He entwined his pinkey finger with hers "I pinkey promise" he said as he pulled their still entwined hands to his face and he kissed her hand.

"Ikuto... you won" she stated.

"won what?" he questioned."The 'I'll definetly make you fall in love with me ... So prepare yourself', thing" she giggled.

"Well I guess I did."