I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

~Robert Frost - "The Road Not Taken"

~Flip the Paige~

The annoying, repetitive buzzing of the alarm clock told Amu that morning had come too soon. She groaned, curling herself into a ball and throwing her pillow over her head to block out the noise. She had gotten spoiled in her younger years, having three little people to wake her warm and affectionally, each in their own motherly way. Now, she was forced to endure the cruel wake up call of a cold, lifeless machine.

There was no avoiding it any longer. She slammed her fist down to cease the noise, and lifted herself up, a reluctant action. Amu touched her feet to the floor, doing a light stretch before staring at her clock that said it was six in the morning. In that instant, she wanted to fall back on her bed. It was summer vacation for goodness' sakes, she didn't even get up this early on a school day.

She was about to surrender to sleep again, when she heard her phone begin to ring...somewhere. Always being paranoid about phone calls, she jumped out of bed and began shifting around the junk in her room in an attempt to find it. Before the final ring, she managed to maneuver the phone out of her pants' pocket that she was wearing the previous day, with a rushed, "Hello?"

"Good morning Amu-chii!" she heard a bubbly voice on the other line sounding more excited than usual about the morning. Out of habit, Amu checked the caller id on her phone, even though it was painfully obvious to her that Yaya was the morning caller. Much to her disappointment. It was just too early to talk to Yaya, she needed at least a cup of coffee before she could tolerate her. "Are you excited?"

"Excited?" Amu asked half awake and annoyed. What was there to be excited about? Summer vacation? Sure, but couldn't she be excited around ten?

"You didn't forget did you?" a different voice asked, snapping Amu out the rant she was having in her mind.

"Rima?" No doubt, with a monotone voice that still managed to betray her mood, annoyed. "What are you two doing this early?"

"I know you're slow in the morning, but come on! We've been planning this for weeks!" Amu's mind went blank, both embarrassed and confused at what Rima was telling her. As if she could see Amu's expression herself, Rima sighed and tried another method of explanation, "Look at your calendar, and tell me what today is."

Amu followed Rima's instructions, not sure as to what this would prove, when she froze. She stared at her calendar for a moment to make sure she had the date right. The day was circled in red marker, with large print that said, 'TO THE BEACH!' she had even been marking down the days. "Crap!" she exclaimed in the phone. How could she have forgotten today? She began to frantically stuff her backpack with clothes, "I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"Don't worry about it," Rima told her, her tone not matching the pace Amu was going, "It's not like we're going to leave without you." Amu hurried a bye before slamming her phone shut and throwing it in her backpack. It was stuffed and unorganized, but that didn't matter at the moment. She did a quick mirror check before heading out the door, knowing she looked like a mess with a rushed make up application, pink tank top and white shorts that she found on her floor, and hair she managed into a messy ponytail.

She hurried down to the kitchen, no appetite for breakfast, but to write a quick note to her parents she was sure were still sleeping. She debated about getting coffee before facing her friends. In the end she determined that raw adrenaline would be enough to get her to school, ironically, where they were all meeting to begin their summer trip.

Amu wasn't a strong runner, but she managed to get there within a few minutes, considering the distance and her rush. Everyone was gathered around two vehicles all talking amongst themselves. Yaya was the first to spot Amu coming though, and called to her with a frantic wave, "Amu! You made it!"

"Sorry guys," Amu apologized when she came up to them, out of breath and exhausted.

"Sorry nothing," Utau responded looking at her with a glare that had become familiar to Amu over the years, fierce but harmless enough, "We had to wait half an hour for you." Amu just smiled apologetically putting a hand behind her head for an innocent look.

"Lighten up Utau," Kukai told her, slyly slinging his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him, "It's a vacation after all." Amu couldn't help smiling at Utau's lack of reaction to Kukai's gesture. When they first started dating she would have blushed and shrugged him off quickly. It was funny back then since Kukai is three years younger than her and was barely the same height. At eighteen though, he was taller and bigger than her now. It would be hard to tell that he was younger than her, if it wasn't for his childish smile.

Seeing Utau's tense form relax after his comment, Amu was about to declare Kukai her savior, until Rima came up to her, "Don't let him fool you, he just got here himself."

"Yeah," Utau agreed with a devilish grin, that Amu was also familiar with, playful but dangerous, "And I think I already mentioned something about that to him," she finished, elbowing Kukai in the stomach that made him keel over for a second, more from the shock than the pain.

"Hardly my fault," Kukai explained, again, "My alarm clock is on the fritz. Besides, someone was suppose to walk with me." Pointing the blame elsewhere.

"I said I was sorry," the sound of his voice made Amu's breath catch, not in the lovesick puppy way it used to, but this dreading and awkward feeling that made her suddenly wish she were anywhere but here. "I suppose we should head out before we hit traffic." Tadase reasoned trying to change the subject to something more pleasant.

"Alright everyone gather around," Yukari called, ever the organized leader, with a whistle and clipboard looking more like she was working than taking a vacation, "Half with me, and half with Yuu. We're behind schedule," she added the last part staring directly at Amu and Kukai who conveniently seemed outside the group, in shame, "But, if we make haste, we should get there by nightfall."

"And let's all try to enjoy the experience," Yuu, or Nikaidou-sensei they all still referred to him as, added after Yukari's serious note with his laid back, good natured attitude.

"I wanna ride with Kairi!" Yaya exclaimed, practically tackling him from behind in a hug. Kairi didn't bother with a reply, or resistance. He'd learned over the years that Yaya was too persistent in insignificant things, that they eventually gained greater value. Amu had to bite her lip to hold back a laugh. It took everyone by surprise when those two announced they were in a relationship.

Even Yukari was amused by her younger brother's choice of females, "Alright, you two with me, along with Utau and the boy."

"I'm the boy right?" Kukai asked to make a point. Yukari had known Kukai as Utau's boyfriend for five years now, and she still referred to him as 'the boy'. Of course Yukari paid him no mind, ushering Kairi and Yaya into the car, muttering something about getting underway.

"Come on," Utau told Kukai, pulling on his shirt to make him follow her, "Don't be so sensitive about it."

"Yeah? How would you feel to be forever known as 'the girl', huh?" Kukai asked, getting into the car after her, "Not even a real nickname."

"I suppose you guys get to ride with me then," Nikaidou-sensei said heading to the other vehicle. Amu was too preoccupied watching Kukai, with an amused grin at his misery, that she hadn't realized her own situation. She would have to spend the whole trip in a car..., with Tadase. Quickly she looked towards the car to see if she could reserve the front seat, but Rima had already taken it, with claims of paranoia only cured with an airbag.

"Can I have a seat by the window?" she asked Nagihiko, who she pulled back before he could enter the car.

He looked at her confused for a second before realization struck him. "I would, but the middle seat's too small for me I think." It was true, Nagihiko had hit his growth spurt about the time high school started. He was taller and more masculine..., which put an end to his cross dressing days. Sure, she found out about Nagihiko and Nadeshiko being the same person, that didn't bother her as much as the fact that everyone else seemed to know, but her.

She shrugged with a smile, as if to show that the seating arrangement didn't bother her, when it really made her want to chase after Yukari's car, that had just started forward. When she crawled to the middle and reached for her seatbelt, her hand accidently brushed Tadase's, making them both pull back and exchange a look. Tadase gave her an apologetic look, no more comfortable than her about the arrangement, and Amu gave it back to him. What else could she do? He wasn't a bad person, and it's not like she hated him. It was just...strange.

About a year ago, they decided to take the close friendship they had and make a relationship of it. Why not? All their friends were couples anyway, and they had spent four years being the tag along couple. It wasn't that Tadase was a bad boyfriend, no, he was great actually. He was kind, considerate, and his looks helped a bit too, the best boyfriend she had ever had. There was just something wrong with it though. She couldn't grasp what it was, until a couple months ago, when Tadase broke it off. Amu found that she wasn't surprised, or even that heartbroken about it. That's when she realized that she never felt anything past the attraction.

Afterwards, she found that being a couple had ruined their friendship. It was now awkward and uncomfortable every time they were together. The loss of his friendship hurt her more than anything. Now, knowing that things were so different from those years before, made being around Tadase next to impossible.

It did in fact turn out to be the longest four hours of her life. Sure, she enjoyed talking to everyone and laughing at Nikaidou-sensei's music selection, but she kept knocking into Tadase and going tense instinctively. She found herself staring at her feet most of the ride, wondering why she choose to wear her black chucks to the beach instead of a pair of sandals.

When they pulled into a gas station, Amu quietly sighed, leaning against Nagihiko, who merely smiled and shook his head. Nagihiko was the first out, who made sure to hold the door for Amu and open Rima's. Amu smiled at his gesture and got out as quick as she could. When she shut her door, she saw Rima still would not get out. She just stared at Nagihiko as he waited patiently with a smile, and even bowed a little just to mess with her. A gentleman with a dark side.

Amu had to smile at them, mostly because she knew how much Rima loved her independence and pride as a female, which she seemed to discover only after she started dating Nagihiko, before she expected guys to open the door for her and what not. She claimed it was because Nagi was the spawn of Satan, and took pleasure out of showing his superiority; an exclamation that made Amu laugh then, and now, Nagihiko was just too nice a guy for that to be believable.

"Hey?" Kukai shouted at them, seeing what the hold up was, "If you don't pee now, you got to hold it till the beach, cause we're not stopping again!" He warned, making Rima get out while Nagihiko's attention was elsewhere, pulling Amu along with her.

"You could cut the tension with a knife in there," Rima commented when she thought they were a safe distance away from the boys, "I didn't think about you two still being in the post-boyfriend/girlfriend phase. When are you guys going to get over that?" Sometimes Rima was too blunt for the circumstances.

"It's...complicated," Amu explained as they approached Utau and Yaya who were both waiting outside the bathroom. "There's still too much baggage."

"What? Drama already?" Utau asked with a superior air to her, being the oldest and most successful, "We just got on the road, what could be the problem?"

"Her and Tadase," Yaya answered, always sharp when it came to these kind of issues, "I'm sure this trip is just what you two need to be brought back together!"

"As friends," Amu warned her before she went trying to play matchmaker, again. It didn't work the months after they broke up, it only made things worse, and she sure didn't want to ruin her vacation with her friends dealing with this crap.

"Aww! Why?" Yaya asked and whined, she had grown up since she was in elementary school, but there was still this part of her that refused to mature, "You two were so perfect for each other!"

"I really don't want to have this conversation now," Amu told her firmly, if she was going to spill her guts out to these girls on this trip, which she was sure she was going to be forced to one night, she wasn't going to do it while casually waiting for the gas station bathroom to be available.

"God, if it'll shut everyone up," Utau started with a groan and an annoyed voice, "Why don't you ride with us for the rest of the way?"

"Really?" Amu asked, the suggestion was very tempting, "Won't Yukari mind if I mess with her organized assembly?"

"Who cares?" Utau countered, with a blunt attitude of her own, "It'd do her some good to shake things up a bit." It was Utau's unique way of saying she cares.

Amu looked at Rima, not sure abandoning her to three guys till nightfall was the best idea. Rima just shrugged, "It doesn't hurt my feelings."

"Sounds good," Amu confirmed with a smile, feeling so relieved. By then Utau had gone into the bathroom, which only held one occupant at a time, "I think I'll go get food first," Amu left in search of the aisles of junk food that would have to substitute for lunch, which was just common knowledge on vacations.

"Might I suggest a something in the chocolate section?" Kukai asked her from behind, already holding a bag of chips and a soda, "It's a very important part of a teenager's nutrition."

"I wish I could," Amu told him taking his soda for observation, "But I talked to my mom earlier and she strongly 'advised' against such food."

"Oh, that reminds me," Kukai said digging through his front pockets, then back, then handing Amu his chips to search his body for something, "Crap! I must've left my cellphone at home! Stupid alarm clock! My brother's going to kill me if I don't call him!"

Amu rolled her eyes at his forgetfulness and shrugged off her backpack, "Here, just use mine, and give it back to me in the car."

"Thanks Amu, I owe you one," Kukai said, accepting the phone gratefully, "That mean you're riding with us and the manager from hell?" Kukai asked, trying out another name for Yukari. Many that were deemed inappropriate or stupid.

"That's right, boy," Amu told him just to take a stab at him, laughing when his face scrunched up.

"Don't start with me woman!" Kukai warned her, before taking back his food, and going off to make his call.

"Hurry along kids," Yukari announced for everyone to hear, "We're heading out." Amu thought she was just trying to rush, but then she saw everyone else was buying their food and heading towards the car.

"Crap!" Amu exclaimed heading to the bathroom that was, thankfully, vacant. After using the bathroom Amu couldn't help noticing how awful she looked in the mirror above the sink. Her ponytail was coming out and her makeup had suffered from the long ride. Deciding she had time, she took down her hair and put it back up, neatly this time, and tried to fix up her face.

Outside both chaperones were buckled up in their cars waiting to go, Yuu more patiently than Yukari. They all seemed to come in bunches, all loading at different times. Yuu noticed first that he only had three passengers in the car, "Where is Himamori-san?" he asked, using the nickname he gave Amu all those years ago that seemed to stick with her.

"Oh," Rima said, thinking of how to tell everyone, "She...wanted to talk to Yaya and Utau, so she's riding with them."

"Alright," Yuu said, not really bothering him, getting ready to take off.

Yukari however didn't see anything amiss in her vehicle, and was anxious to leave. "Wait," Yaya told her before she started to go, "We have to wait for Amu."

"What?" Yukari asked, not aware of the changes, and not liking it for that matter, why couldn't these kids just stay in one place for a little while?

"She wanted to ride with us the rest of the way," Utau explained ignoring Yukari's agitation.

"Well, then where is she?" Yukari asked, impatiently. Utau just stared at her with an expression that said she could care less, but meant that she didn't have a clue. Yukari sighed before looking over at Yuu's car full of passengers, edging out of the parking lot. "It seems he has everyone."

"I guess she decided to ride with them," Yaya said sadly, she had been looking forward to talking to Amu a little, "I think she's between Nagi and Tadase."

"Alright then," Yukari said putting the car into gear, "Next stop, Hakuto Beach!" Everyone, well, Yaya and Kukai, gave a big 'Yahoo!' at that exclamation.

When they took off, heading for Hakuto Beach, everything else on their mind was left behind.