There, I thought as all the eggs were cleansed.
"What's that?!" I heard everyone saying in unison. I looked up and saw one egg shining among all the rest.
"The Embryo…The Embryo! We did it!" At that moment I saw Ikuto going for the Embryo. No, I have to get to it first. I have to make everyone's wishes come true. I ran backwards then turned around. I hope this works. I ran back towards the Embryo. One, two, three! I was up in the air and flying towards the Embryo.
Maybe this can really happen. Maybe it will really be over. I can make everyone's wishes come true. Even my own…But first I'll have to figure out what that is. I saw Dia from my dream again. I don't know what I want yet. But I'll know when I get the Embryo, I'm sure of it.
Then I saw Ikuto. He was almost to the Embryo now too.
"Sorry Amu, the Embryo is mine this time." He said as he reached just a little farther.
"NO!" I reached farther too. We both grabbed it at the same time. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw something coming toward us. Ikuto, always faster than I was, and definitely more skilled, pulled me into his arms and tried to dodge out of the way of the missile.
He wasn't fast enough and I saw the missile hit him. We started falling faster and faster to the ground. He wrapped his arm around my head and pulled me closer to him.
"I won't let go, Amu, I'll protect you." He whispered into my ear. My eyes began to water and I hugged him as tight as I could, burying my face in his chest.
"Ikuto – "
"Amu – "
I smiled as we both tried to talk at the same time.
"You go first," he said gently.
I looked over his shoulder and saw the ground coming closer and closer to us. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything. Somehow you've always been there to catch me when I fall."
"Even though sometimes I'm the reason you're falling." He said smiling. At least I would have that. At least I would be able to carry his smile with me as I die. "I wanted to say…I'm sorry. I know I've caused you a lot of pain and I want to apologize for that."
My eyes widened. "I would rather have gone through all those bad times we've had a million times over if it meant that I would get to spend the good times with you too. Even just once more." The ground was coming closer to us at a speed I knew we couldn't survive.
I looked up at his face to see that he was looking straight at me. Tears filled my eyes as I thought about how this was goodbye. There was only one more thing I had to do. I struggled to pull myself closer to him, my face closer to his. He seemed to read my mind and helped pull me closer. Our eyes closed and our lips met. His lips were soft and gentle and I knew what I would wish for if by some miracle we survived this. I would wish to spend my entire life with Ikuto. That would be my true hearts wish. I opened my eyes and saw we were out of time.
Then out of nowhere a huge yellow squishy thing was surrounding us. Tadase must have come through at the last minute. But I knew Ikuto was still injured from the missile. The big jelly blob disappeared and Ikuto and I landed on our feet. As if finally out of strength, Ikuto immediately fell to the ground. I held him in my arms as my eyes started to water.
"Ikuto, no. No, please, stay with me. Please…" I said squeezing him tighter.
"Amu…" He said and his sudden struggle to breathe made me realize how serious his injuries were. "I…lo – "
"Amu!"
"Hinamori-san!"
"Amu-chan!"
They all stopped running and shouting when they saw us. I felt something wet on my cheeks and it wasn't until I felt the sobs shaking me that I realized I was crying.
"Amu-chan…"
"Hinamori-san…"
"Amu…"
At that moment there was only one voice that had spoken my name that I cared about. I looked down at Ikuto.
"Don't cry…Amu. Don't…leave me with that. Please…smile…just smile." I tried to do what he asked but it was hard. Only now did I realize how much I truly loved him.
"Ikuto…" I said through my tears.
He smiled just one last time and then I felt his body go limp. I remembered back to when we were up in the sky. Both reaching for the Embryo. And how he curled his body around me to protect me from the missile. He had died to protect me. I always thought if it came down to the choice between me and him he would help me but I never thought he would trade his life for mine. I realized the hand that had been holding his since we first grabbed the Embryo still had something in it. I held up the Embryo and looked at it. I heard a voice calling out my name.
"Amu-chan, what is your true hearts wish?" The voice asked. I knew the answer as soon as the question was asked.
"My true hearts wish is for Ikuto. I wish he was alive again. And I wish he didn't have to work for Easter ever again. And I wish I could be with him until the day we both die. Together. And even after that for us to stay together always." I thought about my characters had said this morning. That my wish was to marry Tadase. But Tadase was in love with my Heart Amulet self. Ikuto loved my whole self.
I gasped as I thought the word love. He had never really said it, although…I remember before everyone had come he had started to say something. Could that be it? Could he have been trying to tell me he loved me? I leaned over him.
"I love you too, Ikuto. Please, don't leave me." I said beginning to cry again.
"Your hearts wish shall be granted." The strange voice said. And suddenly there was a bright light surrounding Ikuto and I. Like a miracle he started breathing again and slowly opened his eyes.
"Ikuto!" I said and hugged him tightly.
"Amu." He said and hugged me back.
He sat up and seemed to take in the entire world like he had never seen it before. Then his eyes rested on my face and he looked at me as if it were the first time he was seeing me. Really seeing me, the true me.
"Amu, I'm sorry I – "
"You talk, way too much." I said and pulled him close. I closed my eyes and we kissed. And for that moment we were the only two people in the world.
Unfortunately that moment ended all too soon when we heard everyone cheering. We stopped and looked up to see everyone jumping and cheering and smiling at us. Even Tadase was smiling. I smiled back and stood up, helping Ikuto stand up with me. We walked over to them together.
They started slapping Ikuto on the back and playfully punching him on the shoulder saying things like "Welcome to the group!" I smiled and then remembered there was something I had to do. I walked over to Tadase and looked down. I didn't really know what to say to him but I knew I had to say something.
"Tadase, I'm sorry, it's just – "
"Don't worry Hinamori-san. I understand. You don't have to apologize. I'm truly happy for you. You and Ikuto will be happy together."
"I smiled at him and playfully added "You know this means you two will have to get along right?" I laughed when he gave me a dirty look.
"You can ask me to accept you two being together, but you cannot ask me to do the impossible." He said with a serious face, and then started laughing with me.
I walked back over to Ikuto and hugged him. He looked down at me and we kissed a kiss that promised so much more than just a kiss. It promised forever…together.
THE END