Jewel: ...Disappointed with reviews? A little.

Ikuto: That's what you get for updating so late.

Jewel: Someone doesn't wanna play seven minutes in heaven...

Amu: DON'T-

Ikuto: Fine. Then it looks like we won't be able to stay away from your room.

Jewel: Go ahead.

Amu: Really? Let's go! (Opens door and pile of clothes falls on them)

Jewel: Works everytime... I don't own Shugo Chara or their characters.

~What Happened~

"Hey Ikuto." Nagi called as he jogged up to the blue haired teen. Ikuto raised an eyebrow and hummed. "Did you hear?" Nagi asked and crossed his arms. Ikuto rolled his eyes. (A/N: The rest of the story will be in normal P.O.V. until I need to put it in someone else's)

"Like I can totally tell what the hell you're talking about." He said sarcastically. Nagi sighed and shook his head.

"And you wonder why the girl won't go out with you..?" He replied. Ikuto shot him a glare but said nothing. "Look, Amu's coming back to school today. So could you lay off for a bit?" Nagi asked. Ikuto came to a complete stop, a questioning look adorning his face.

"...Wait... Why?" He asked. Nagi sighed and leaned against the hallway wall.

"Why what?" He asked, slightly annoyed by his over-popular friend. Ikuto's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why the hell should I lay off?" He asked. Nagi gave him an 'are you kidding me' look. "What's with the look?" Ikuto joked. Nagi rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You're hopeless." He stated. "Dude, you of all people should know why." He said tiredly. Ikuto smirked and leaned on the wall next to Nagi.

"Oh really?" Ikuto asked in a teasing tone. "Enlighten me." He said. Nagi shot him another glare.

"Here." He flipped Ikuto off and they both shared a laugh. Nikkaidou passed by and gave them both a look saying 'Do that again and it's detention for a month'. Nagi sighed and stared out the window on the opposite wall. "But seriously, just do me a favor and leave my best friend alone." He said soberly. He stood up straight and turned to leave.

"...She use to be my best friend too you know..." Ikuto said, causing Nagi to stop and slowly turn around, a disgusted look on his features.

"Yeah... Use to. You have only yourself to blame for what happened between us." Nagi said quietly. Ikuto didn't meet his intense gaze as he stared down at the cold floor. "...When you leave for a year, you miss a lot... I'm not saying you shouldn't have spent time with your father when you found him but it would've been nice if you called us... No-If you called Amu. The second the press asked you if you were the son of Aruto, we lost you in the sea of popularity and press..." He said darkly.

As Ikuto recalled those events, pain crossed his handsome features. It was his decision... And there was nothing he could do to take it back. Amu would probably never forgive him.

"...But I really want her to forgive me..." Ikuto muttered. Nagi's eyes widened in shock. "I know I can never apologize to Amu for what I've done... But I have to keep being popular..."

"And why's that?" A familiar voice asked. Both boys turned to a certain pink haired teen, who looked sadder than should be possible. Ikuto glanced nervously at Nagi, who looked like he just committed the worst crime ever.

"Yo Am-"

"Cut the crap Ikuto." She spat out. The bell rang, signaling that school had finally started. Ikuto opened his mouth to say something but Amu was too quick. She grabbed Nagi's arm and dragged him to the first class. Ikuto sighed and slowly made his way to the entrance to the school.

'...I feel like ditching today...' He thought and strolled right off campus. He sweat-dropped at how easy it was to get in and out of the school.

He strolled through town, completely forgetting that he was still wearing the school uniform, the looks from passing by adults reminded him of that. He walked to his large house and opened the door, dodging the new vase his mother had bought last week as it flew towards him. He sighed as he shut the door and glared at the black haired teen on his couch.

"...What the hell was that for?" He asked as he sat on the couch next to Jewel. She shrugged and gave him a bored look.

"Did it ever occur to you that I didn't throw it?" She answered. Ikuto rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the TV.

"You're the only one in the house right now." He fired back and ate some of the popcorn she was eating. She laughed and shrugged. "So why aren't you in school?" He asked. She sighed and handed him the bowl of popcorn.

"Cause I don't feel like seeing Amu after helping her yesterday." She said and closed her eyes before throwing her head back onto the couch cushion. He raised an eyebrow and poked her in the stomach.

"What happened yesterday?" He asked and watched in amusement as her eyes flew open and she glared at him. She crossed her arms.

"And why should I tell you that?" She asked.

"Because I'm being nice and letting you stay at my house while you're family goes on a trip that you didn't wanna go on." He replied. She pouted at him and sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I gave her those hipster glasses I was going to wear on Halloween." She answered. He raised an eyebrow.

"...That's it?" He aksed. She nodded. "...That's why you don't wanna see her today?!" He nearly shouted. She flinched at the volume he used and nodded. "...That's retarded." He stated.

"You would know why it's not if you stayed that year." She said quietly. He turned to her, his eyes slightly wider than usual. "...Why didn't you stay... to help her..?" She asked, looking slightly frustrated. With what, he didn't know.

"Help her with what?" Ikuto asked. Jewel sighed and shook her head.

"Forget it... I think Amu'll tell you when she wants to." She stated. She yawned and strentched. "Whatever. So what did you need in the first place?" She asked. He blinked and snapped out of his trance.

"Oh... I was gonna go change then head out to get some ice cream." He explained. She hummed and finished the rest of the popcorn. "...Hey." He called out softly. She paused in getting up and truned to him. "I thought you hated Amu... Why did you help her..?" Her eyes went dead, along with the rest of her expression.

"...I... I don't hate Amu..." She stated and slowly sat back down, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead of her. "I'm jealous of her." She finished. Ikuto was completely shocked. "She has fair skin, long silky hair, all the boys are after her... All I have is my intelligence... Which doesn't show half the time." She said in a far away tone.

"...I think I'll head out now..." Ikuto said akwardly. "...So that's why she had glasses on..." She nodded and decided to doze off on the couch.

~In Jewel's Head~ (Jewel's P.O.V.)

"...You're seriously leaving..?" I asked. I walked up to my blue haired friend and felt like crying. He nodded slowly, looking off towards the side. "...Does she know?" I asked. He glanced at me and shook his head once more. "Why?"

"...I... I don't want her to know..." He answered bluntly. I growled and stomped on his foot like the child I was. "Ow! What was that for Jewel?!" He shouted and glared at me.

"That doesn't answer my question." I said. He just stared at me incredelously. "...Ikuto... You have to tell her... Or else you'll regret it..." I said sadly. He frowned and bent down slightly to my height. He ruffled my hair but I just hit his hand away. "You're going to hurt more than her. You're going to hurt yourself." I spat out.

"...I know." He whispered. My head shot up and I stared at him with wide eyes. "But I have to do this Jewel... He's my father... I haven't seen him in years and we've finally found him." He reasoned. I bit my lip, not really knowing what to do.

"...So you're just going to leave without beven telling her? She's your best friend!" I shouted, close to tears. He sighed and hugged me gently.

"...You and I both know this is more than just her. Just stop being a kid and tell me you'll miss me." He ordered. I froze for a moment.

"...Fine... I'll miss you. But Amu's my friend too you know. I want what's best for her. We've all been friends since we were born." I stated quietly. He let out a small chuckle and patted my head as he released me. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at me.

"I know... But I can't bring myself to tell her." He said. I searched his eyes for something... anything. "You can't tell her or else she'll hate me forever!" He shouted. I flinched back and shook my head.

"She'll hate you either way." I said. He frowned at me and let his hands drop lifelessly to his sides.

"...I'll stay... if you tell me to." He said after a moment of silence. My hair whipped in my eyes as I spun around. My eyes were wide and my mouth was hanging open a bit. "Just tell me to stay." He demanded. Something was off in his voice and the look in his eyes betrayed him.

"...If I tell you to stay... You'll only stay for Amu, huh?" I asked disappointed. He looked away and nodded. I hesitated before sighing. "If I do, you'll miss out on bonding with your dad... But If I tell you to leave... Amu'll be heart-broken... And so will you." I concluded.

"It's not like I'm leaving forever... I'm only leaving for a year then coming back. When I do, I'm going to spend all my time with Amu." He explained. I held back a growl and sighed.

"...Ikuto." I called. He turned to me and nodded. "...Leave." I whispered. Even though I couldn't see him through my bangs, I knew his eyes had widened. "Go and spend time with your dad." I muttered and walked back to the empty school of Seiyo Elementary, where I would wait for my mom... who wouldn't be coming anytime soon.

(Next year)

"Jewel!" Tadase called as he jogged up to me. I turned and raised an eyebrow at him as I tugged on the collar of the new middle school uniform. He caught his breath and stood up straight. "Something... happened..." He said inbetween breaths. I sighed and handed him the water bottle I was drinking out of.

"Just drink it so I can hear what you're saying." I cut him off. He sighed reluctantly and drank the whole damn thing.

"Thanks." He said and handed me the empty bottle. I nodded and waited for him to continue with whatever he was saying earlier. Suddenly, he had a sober look, something Tadase never has unless it's serious. "Ami's dead." He stated.

...The last thing I remembered about that day was shouting between me, Amu, and the rest of the group. Everyone had to hold Amu back while I laid on the floor, blood trickling down my temple.

...Now that I thought about it, I did hate Amu. I hated how she had everything I didn't, and lost it when she lost one little thing out of all the things she had. I was even there for her when Ami died. I was at the funeral. I even had my dad help pay for the funeral since I knew that I was a cause for part of her sadness.

I had told Ikuto to leave.

~Reality~ (Normal P.O.V.)

"...No!" Jewel shouted as she shot up from her seat. She glanced around the empty house and sighed. Tears rushed down her cheeks and she soon broke down crying in a ball, not realizing that Tadase had been let in when Ikuto was leaving. He sat next to her and placed a hand on his girlfriend's back. "...I-It was... m-my f-f-fault..." She said inbetween sobs and cried into his shirt.

"Sh... No it wasn't..." He comforted. "You didn't know Ami was going to die..." He whispered into her ear. She shook her head and buried her face further into his chest.

"But I told Ikuto to leave!" She shouted and tightened her grip on the back of his shirt. "I told him to leave instead of telling him to stay with Amu!" She shouted. Tadase sighed and hugged her tightly.

"You did the right thing... Ikuto looked so happy when he came back." He reassured her. She shook her head and sighed.

"...No... Tadase, I've been his friend since we were born. I know what happened on that trip..." She muttered. He couldn't see the pained look on her face. "...Ikuto's being forced to be popular..." She muttered.

~With Ikuto~

'...Why'd I even get ice-cream..?' He thought to himself and stared down at the frozen treat in front of him. '...I hate ice-cream... I'm surprised Jewel didn't catch me when I said I was going out to get some.' He thought. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he managed to dig it out.

From: Garnet Jewel

...Yes I did. I'm not stupid ya know. -_-

'...What is she, a mindreader?!' He shouted in his head and stared at the text. He sighed and frowned at the text.

To: Garnet Jewel

And I know ur crying ur eyes out into Tadase's shirt.

As soon as he sent that text, he kinda regretted it. He knew Jewel was constantly beating herself about elementary school. He groaned and threw the untouched sweet on the table in front of him away in a nearby trash can before leaving the small ice-cream shop. He was strolling through the park when his phone vibrated once more in his pocket.

From: Hotori Tadase

Ok, ur officially the biggest dipshit ever. Jewel's in her room crying her eyes out, just when I got her 2 stop. Honestly, wtf's wrong with u?

Ikuto ran a hand down his face and sighed. He knew he took that text too far.

To: Hotori Tadase

Srry. Tell her I said srry. Look I gtg. I can already feel the press and paparazzi coming.

And with that last text, Ikuto hid in a nearby tree. Right as he reached the branch he was going for, he saw that his feeling was right. Two men with cameras jogged up to where Ikuto was and looked around.

"You told me he was standing here!" One man shouted. Both groaned and continued there search somewhere else. Ikuto sighed in relief and leapt off the branch he was sitting on before continuing his stroll through the empty park. He caught sight of the old playground he, Utau, Amu, and Jewel used to play on. He flinched at the sight of the old memory.

'...All because of that damn question... I should've said no...' He thought bitterly as he sat down on an empty swing, suddenly having a flashback.

~Twelve Years Ago~ (Ikuto's P.O.V.)

"...Would you two stop fighting?!" I shouted as I picked both Utau and Amu up by the back of their shirts and seperated the two bickering five-year-olds. I sighed as they still tried to pull each other's hair out and looked over to the lone five-year-old with black hair on the swing set. "A little help?!" I shouted. She looked up from the sand below her and shook her head.

"I'm gonna marry Ikuto!" Utau shouted, her little pigtails practically on fire. Amu waved her arms around dramatically and shook her head.

"You can't! I'm gonna!" The pinkette argued. I sweatdropped and put the two down, quickly standing inbetween them so they wouldn't kill each other.

"...Wait-So you two are fighting over who gets to marry me?" I asked. They stopped for a moment before nodding firmly. My eyes narrowed at the two and I sighed. "Well the more you fight, the least likely it is I'll marry you." I said. Both of their jaws dropped and they were on the verge of tears. "No crying either." I added. They pouted at me, huffed and walked away. I sat down next to Jewel in the empty swing and sighed.

"...Tired..?" She asked, sound tired herself. I laughed and ruffled her boy-short black hair. She just stared at me blankly.

"Nope. You?" I teased. She rolled her eyes and actually started to swing. I chuckled to myself and watched the two younger kids in front of me make a sand castle. "Why are girls so wierd?" I asked, half serious. Jewel just stared at me wierdly, a corner of her lips pulling up slightly.

"Just depends on what you call wierd." She answered.

(During the end of the year with his father)

"It was nice seeing you again Ikuto." My father said to me. I nodded and smiled. "As nice as this lunch has been, we need to talk about something very important." He added. I raised an eyebrow at him and finished up my chocolate ice-cream, my favorite.

"...You call this lunch?" I asked, wiping the cold treat from the corners of my mouth. The man across from me sighed and shook his head.

"Now's not the time." He said darkly. I swallowed hard and look down apologetically. "It's alright. Now listen." He said with a sigh. "When you go back home, I highly doubt our little trip has gone unnoticed by the media." He stated. I nodded slowly, somewhat grasping what he was getting at. 'If anyone asks if you're my son, say no." He ordered.

...My spoon fell out of my hand, the sound of metal hitting the cold tiles below echoed through my mind.

"...Wha... Are you embarrssed by me? You don't want anyone to know that I'm your son?" I asked quietly so no one would notice a famous violin player in an ice-sream shop with his son. He sighed and shook his head.

"It's not that. You're a wonderful son... I just don't want you to get bombarded by cameras and reporters for the rest of your life... That's why I had to leave you guys..." He said with a sad look. "I wanted you guys to have a normal life, without someone running up to you asking questions about your father..." He explained.

...That day, I finally understood why he had left us. Not only did he want to find himself, but also keep us safe.

"...Ikuto... Please understand... I know this is a lot for someone your age to understand-"

"It's fine dad." I cut him off. He looked at me with utter shock. "It's fine. You did it for us. I'm just glad you didn't leave mom with no reason." I said in relief. He smiled at me and rubbed my head affectionately. "...She does know, right?" I asked, making sure that he wasn't betraying the very woman he loves and cares deeply about. He chuckled and nodded.

"Of course I told her. I even called her when I first got here. Of course I'd tell my own wife. I love her too much to not tell her." He said.

It hit me like a brick wall. How did I not notice it sooner?

"...Ikuto?" He called out. I turned to him with guilt in my eyes. He smirked at me. "I think we've spent enough time together. Certainly enough, It was just enough for me to catch up with your life. It's time you go back to Amu." He stated. I stared at him questionably.

"How'd you know about Amu?!" I almost shouted. He cringed and raised an eyebrow.

"...That's all you talked about for half the day." He answered. I blushed slightly and slouched down into the seat of the booth. "Son, just go." He ordered and called for a waitress to pay for the bill. I didn't hesitate before running out and catching my flight, the one I was supposed to ride with my dad.

~Reality~

"...Amu..." I muttered as I rested my elbows on my knees and stared down at the ground. "...What happened while I was gone..?" I finished, my voice trailing off as I looked up and none other than my favorite pinkette, a murderous look in her eyes.

"...You asshole."

~What Happened~

Jewel: I'M SO SORRY!

Ikuto: There she is.

Amu: YOU! WHY'D IT TAKE YOU SO LONG?! FORGET IT! (Shoves Jewel outside of the house)

Jewel: I SAID I WAS SORRY!

Ikuto: ...Please R&R...