~Remembering You~

Amu: So, this is supposed to be a (slight) continuation of Heartbeat from A Letter Every Day.

Ikuto: It kind of goes in with the concept from Heartbeat. So, go check that out first if you want. We'll just wait here.

Amu: Oh, yeah, the disclaimer: CrazyVividDreamer does not own us.

Ikuto: Yeah, I own Amu.

….

I guess it's my entire fault, isn't it? If I was there, I could've stopped it. If I was there, I could've been able to do something! Anything at all. Now's it's all too late, and it's all my fault.

Will you forgive me? I'm sorry I wasn't there to catch you, to be your savior, your hero.

As an apology, I will always remember you. No matter what happens, I'll only love you.

….

Soft music drifted through the room, surrounding the dancing couple. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling gave off a soft glow of light. The candelabras flickered on the tables. The wax of the candles dripped down slowly but surely to the bottom. The sound of cloth rustling against cloth sounded through the vast room.

Together, the couple glided across the marble floor. They were synchronized as they danced to the music, as if they had danced this song many times. The midnight blue haired man twirled the woman. A small sound of laughter was heard as she spun around. The tinkling sound of her laughter combined with his own laughter. It sounded like a perfect melody. The blue-haired man pressed his body closer to his dancing partner. A smile curled on her lips as they danced. He tightened his arms around her frame, bringing her closer to his body. She looked up at him, quirking a brow. He only smiled back, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Her eyes questioned him, but all he did was shrug. She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, giving up.

"Don't you wish this would go on forever?" He whispered into her ear.

She nodded, pulling away slightly to look at him. "Okay, what's up? You're being all poetic and stuff again." She said, raising a brow again. All she got was a shrug. She shook her head. "I'm serious, Ikuto. What's wrong?" She pulled away completely, taking his face into her hands. She stared into his eyes, her brows furrowing.

"I just want to enjoy this moment with you, okay?" Ikuto replied. He bent down, capturing her lips with his. Deep down inside, he was hoping with this kiss, she would forget about the question.

Unfortunately, she didn't. She pushed him away lightly. "Ikuto, tell me." She demanded softly. He sighed, finally giving in.

"I'm scared you're going to leave me." Ikuto whispered as he rested his head on her shoulder. He held his breath.

The woman only laughed. "Ikuto, I'm never going to leave you. I'll always be by your side no matter what."

Slowly, Ikuto took in a deep gulp of air. He relaxed against her completely, hugging her. "Thank you."

She only smiled, hugging him back. "You're welcome."

….

Meanwhile, a group of figures stood at the doorway. They watched in silence as this whole scene unfolded. The music still drifted through the air, but it was no longer romantic and lovely. To them, it would always be a song signifying her. Yet, here they were… listening to the one song that brought tears to their eyes.

It was light out; the sun was shining in the sky. Yet, the chandeliers and the candles on the candelabras shone brightly. Ikuto had drawn the curtains, shutting out the sunlight. However, small streams of sunlight shone through the cracks. Ikuto didn't seem to notice or care. He was too lost.

"He's doing it again." A blonde girl with pigtails whispered.

They all sighed, shaking their head. It had been years since she left. Ever since then, Ikuto had been mourning her loss. The first few years he had locked himself up in their room. He hadn't bothered to come out, refusing to eat or drink.

….

"Ikuto, come on, let me in… please." A voice said outside the door. A few more attempts at knocking were heard.

"Leave me alone, Utau." Ikuto replied. His voice was hoarse, like he had a cold. Ikuto sat in a chair next to the fireplace. The room was clean, just like it had been when he locked himself in there. He seemed to not want to touch anything. The books still laid on the shelf in the exact same order she had put it in. A photo album lay open to a single page in front of him. A picture of a certain pinkette and Ikuto smiling stared at Ikuto. Ikuto traced his finger over the girl's face. Then, he clenched his fists. Suddenly, the album was closed with a loud "snap".

Utau- the girl with blonde pigtails- groaned. "Ikuto, you have to come out sometime! You need the sunshine, food, water!"

"I have plenty inside here, Utau." Ikuto shouted back. He was right about that. There was food and water that he could conjure up, and there was a window. It let in the warm sunshine that he used to enjoy with her.

Utau threw her hands up in the air, giving up. "Fine, you win." She mumbled something under her breath as she left the hallway.

….

Later that day, Ikuto walked into the dining room. All his friends were seated around the table, talking about their day. Ikuto pulled a seat and sat down at the head of the table. To his left sat Kukai, Nagi, and Kairi. To his right, she sat. Next to her sat Utau, Rima, and then Yaya. The seat next to Yaya was left empty. The noise slowly died down as all attention turned to Ikuto.

"How was your day today, Ikuto?" The woman sitting to his right asked.

He smiled at her, hugging her close. "It was wonderful; I missed you though."

Suddenly, the sound of the chair scrapping against wood filled the room. Yaya had stood up, her palms flat against the table. Her head was down, bangs falling into her eyes. It was almost impossible to see her expression, but her whole frame shook slightly.

"Ikuto, stop." She whispered. Yaya's normal voice was replaced with something more serious. Her voice shook as she tried to control it.

"Yaya…." Rima whispered, putting a hand on her arm. Yaya only shook it off.

"No, Rima-chan. I think we have lived in denial for far too long." Yaya said. Tears streamed down her face.

Utau stood up too, her chair almost falling over from the force. "Yaya, sit down. We don't have to talk about this now. We'll do it later." Her voice was forced. Utau clenched her fists tightly. She looked at Kairi; her gaze pleading with his. Kairi nodded.

Ikuto frowned. He didn't understand what was happening. Why was Yaya crying? Was there a problem? He watched them intently, trying to understand. He heard a shuffle of movement and switched his gaze to where it came from.

Kairi had stood up. He walked over to Yaya, holding her close. "Shh, Yaya, it's okay… Everything will be okay." Yaya cried into his arms, no longer holding in her tears. Kairi led Yaya away from the table and out the door. Their dinners lay abandoned.

Utau slowly sat down, forcing a smile on her face. "Anyways, let's continue eating."

The clatter of eating utensils against plates clattered through the room. Voices echoed softly as they all talked with one another. Ikuto smiled to himself. Finally, everything was back to normal. Although he was missing a few of his friends, at least everything was okay.

Midway through, Rima excused herself from the table. Before she left, she shot Ikuto a glance. It seemed like she… pitied him. Normally, when Rima left, she would hug her before she left. Ikuto frowned. Everything was messed up today. He didn't get why Rima was not doing what she normally would. Why had Yaya left crying? Why did Rima pity him?

Nagi got up shortly after, following after Rima. He muttered a soft, "Excuse me" and left. As he passed Ikuto's seat, he whispered, "Please remember." Ikuto shot him a weird look, but he only shook his head.

At last, there was only Utau and Kukai left. They ate their dinner in silence until Ikuto asked the question. The one question that he had wanted to ask since Yaya had stood up.

"What's going on?" Ikuto asked.

Utau stiffened immediately as he said that. She set her fork down with a clatter, looking at him. Her eyes searched his expression. Ikuto stared back at her with a raised brow. She kept her face neutral. She stood up, narrowing her eyes. "You don't remember?" She whispered.

"Remember what?" Ikuto said, clearly confused.

Kukai stood, voicing what was on Utau's mind. "Amu."

"Amu…? What about her? She's sitting right next to me." Ikuto replied. He frowned, looking at them weirdly. "You guys okay?"

Utau said nothing as she left the room. Kukai stared at Ikuto for a while. He shook his head. "So, you don't remember. We already tried everything…" He said. He looked at Utau's retreating figure, turning back to Ikuto. "Hope you're happy with… Amu."

As Kukai left, Ikuto stared at the spot where Amu sat. He blinked, reaching his hand up to touch her cheek. As she gave Ikuto the smile that he loved, Ikuto's eyes widened. His hand hovered over where her cheek would be, blinking back tears. Everything that he had struggled to forget, struggled to erase.

As the tears trailed down Ikuto's cheeks, he pressed his face against his hands. He sank to his knees, trying to contain his sounds of his cries became muffled. Why did everything have to happen this way?! Whenever, Ikuto was finally able to find something he enjoyed- something he loved- everything screwed up.

His hand clenched into a fist, as he lowered his arm. Shakes racked his body; the tears tumbling down harder than before. How could he forget?! How could he forget what he promised Amu? He stared at the ceiling, letting a heartbreaking scream rip from his throat.

As Ikuto screamed, all of his friends heard it. They looked at each other.

"He remembers." Rima whispered.

Utau nodded, and Yaya burst into tears. Kukai, Nagi, and Kairi all shot each other a look that said, "Finally."

….

"Hey Ikuto-kun, do you want to go visit her grave with us?" Yaya asked from the doorway.

Ikuto turned in his chair, looking at Yaya. His eyes still held the pain that always came with the name. He had lost a lot of weight since then and had excused himself from all social life. He just stayed in that same room like before, staring at pictures of Amu. He blinked. He should visit her. He hadn't seen her in a long time.

As he thought about his decision, Rima appeared next to Yaya. She looked at Ikuto then Yaya. "Is he coming?"

Yaya opened her mouth to answer, but Ikuto's answer cut her off.

"Yeah, I am." Ikuto said, getting up. "I'll meet you at the door." He walked over, closing the door.

Rima and Yaya stared at each other. "What was that about?" Rima asked. Ikuto had definitely been acting weird, and they didn't know why.

"I've learned not to question Ikuto-kun's motives, Rima-chan." Yaya replied happily. "We'll just have to wait for him at the door." She sing-songed and skipped off.

Rima stared at the door one last time before turning on her heel. She followed after the sound of Yaya's happy voice drifting through the hallway. She'd find out what he was doing soon enough. She would just have to be patient.

….

Five minutes later, Ikuto appeared at the bottom of the stairs. They were all gathered at the door, waiting for him. He carried his violin case in his hands. Ikuto swung it over his shoulder as he started for his friends. He flashed a smile. "Let's get going." He said, opening the door. Everyone stared after him. Ikuto turned after a moment, looking at them. He raised a brow. "Are you guys coming or what?"

They all muttered a "yes" and rushed after him. Rima smiled. So, that's what he was looking for.

….

As the car pulled to a stop, Ikuto was the first one to exit. In his hands, he held roses, Amu's favorite flowers. All his friends gathered around him as he stared at the cemetery. Utau nudged him forward. He walked to Amu's gravestone, buried in the Tsukiyomi Cemetery. He smiled as he saw her gravestone. He kneeled down and laid down the flowers.

"Hey, Amu, it's me." He whispered. A breeze blew by, ruffling his hair. He closed his eyes; it felt like her.

"I thought I'd play you your favorite song, the song that we sang together every time." He said, taking out his violin. He started to play the first few notes, testing out his violin. "This is for you."

As the music began, it drifted throughout the whole place. His friends watched as he swayed softly to the beat. The wind rustled, as if it enjoyed the sound of Ikuto's playing. As he finished, the music faded slowly. The wind died, sad that it ended too soon.

"I'll remember you, forever." Ikuto whispered.

Thank you, Ikuto. I'll be with you forever. A voice whispered in the back of Ikuto's mind. Ikuto smiled, knowing it was not a hallucination this time.