Yeah, I didn't forget this story, and updates are a bit too slow for my liking but, ehh, I tried! (...that's what counts right?) Haha.

Ramble: Yes, I'm in the mood for a ramble. Do not read if you do not want to know the inner weirdness/randomness of my mind. Okay, still reading? Well, here I go then.
Firstly, I was checking up on Shugo Chara manga on onemanga (that's basically my source for all mangas), and I realized that the manga posted there was really lagging. Usually the anime should be behind, but in this case, that didn't apply. If anyone knows of any other sites to read S.C manga that is a bit up to date, please inform me! I'd be eternally grateful. =)

Ramble pt 2: Well, I think I do owe some sort of half-baked explanation for my 'disappearance' on ff. It is all due to high school. Mhm, blame it alllll on that. Seriously, the amount of work is practically suffocating, and then trying to add in some social life to that is almost impossible. I know, I'm whining. And I truly feel bad for those that are in college. (That seems even rougher.) For those that can sail through high school and maintain your usual lifestyles, I admire you. Very much. Umm, I think that's all for my rambles for now. To my fellow ramble readers, please enjoy the fourth chapter of Pause and Rewind.

Disclaimer: Sadly, it's really truly not mine.

.Chapter o4.

Back to old times.

"What are you doing here?" Amu exclaimed in surprise as she eyed the handsome..err, familiar young man in front of her. Blonde hair was slightly ruffled as he stared at her in amusement. That nostalgic friendly look made her inside flutter slightly. With a swish of her head, Amu dismissed the 'hot boy alert!' feeling. Tadase was a friend now, albeit a friend that she hadn't seen in a while.

Tadase watched the young girl in front of him with a smile. She hadn't changed a bit. That habit of displaying all of her emotions clearly on her face was still there, and so was the jittery feeling she inflicted on him every time they met. Gulping, Tadase immediately blinked rapidly to keep his thoughts on check. He had crushed on Amulet Heart in the past, not the real Amu. There was no reason for him to have these strange sensations prickling on himself now.

"So…how's it going?" Tadase cut off the short period of silence between the two of them. Amu stared at him, eyes wide.

How was it going? What could she say? 'Oh, it's going just dandy. Ikuto, the past love of my life just returned with no warning and expects me to be on good terms with him. The kids at school still haven't changed with their impression of me. And everyone that we once knew and hung out with had left me alone…' On that thought, Amu paused and bitterly smiled, Tadase had left her too, in a way. She knew he had been home-schooled, but the melancholy feeling was still there. After all, he was one of her pillars of support back in the days.

"..Earth to Amu..?" Amu focused her eyes on the slightly worried Tadase in front of her. He was waving one of his hands in front of her face in hopes of bringing her back out of her daze.

"Oh..uh..umm right…" She stuttered unintentionally. Geez, nice going Amu! She mentally berated herself. Surprisingly, she heard a chuckle from the male.

"Haha, you're still the same as always. So I guess everything is going well?"

With a lack of words to say, Amu just nodded in response.

"That's good to hear. My life has been pretty good too. Stress free since all that guardian work is done." Amu deflated slightly at his comment. He could've said that he missed her or something. Maybe it really was for the better when the guardians separated…

"You want to get something to drink?" Tadase gave her his old charming smile again. Ignoring the 'ba-dum' of her heart, Amu agreed enthusiastically. Who knew when the next time she'd see him would be.

Ikuto walked down the crowded streets. There were some things he had to think through, and they all centered around that stubborn pink haired girl that could hold a grudge. Yeah, yeah, it was his fault to begin with, but still…Ikuto did not like to be the one to apologize. Call it manly pride. But Ikuto, being the man that he was, did not like to utter the word 'sorry.'

Then again, there were probably other ways to earn Amu's trust back. There definitely had to be another way. Ikuto looked towards the side of the street at the stores. Pink; that's all he saw. Pink skirts, pink shirts, pink shoes, pink this, pink that. This was a curse. It was god's way of telling him what he lost…and what he'd gain back, of course.

He continued to eye the stores, one by one, as he walked past them. Flashes of pink mesmerized him as he imagined a particular girl. Groaning slightly, Ikuto realized the effect that Amu had on him. Was it possible to go crazy over something like this? He was a man for goodness sakes! A little girl should not be able to grasp and keep his attention like this. With that thought, a slight smirk crept up on his face. Amu wasn't just any girl though. She would be his girl in the near future. Just keep the eye on the prize, he mentally chanted to himself. Eye on the prize.

Speaking of which, Ikuto's sharp senses went on alert. That flash of pink looked familiar. Very familiar, indeed. Darting quickly forward with the gracefulness of a cat, Ikuto peeked around the corner of a store. His eyes locked onto a coffee shop, or more precisely, a certain table outside of the shop. And oho! Would you look at that! Little Amu was there, sipping her drink. Her cheerful laughter interrupted his thoughts as he looked at the man sitting across from her, the object of her attention. Ikuto's eyes narrowed. Why was she with Tadase?

A/N: Yupp, I included a hint of jealousy in this chapter. Wonder what happens in the next....(I don't know either since I didn't type it up yet..)

Thanks to these faithful readers/reviewers: girlylove23, remixxvintagexluv, RosalieHaleTwilight, KeikoHayasaka, Smilee4faces2, Amuto15, babo123, Property Of Eriol, kakashisasukelover1, Innocent Butterfly, SUNCAT333, Aoi Faith, Mitsuki Sakura Uchiha, FunnyLaugh, Artgrrl, romancerox.

Smilee4faces2: Yeah, 'orbs' is another term for eyes. I don't like to repeat words so I try to find different vocabulary so the story seems more interesting.

remixxvintagexluv: Haha, yaaay! I love my fellow azns. Chat sometime? (This goes to all of my readers though too. :) )

KeikoHayasaka: A simple "WAH! PLZ UPDATE SOON!" would've sufficed. ahah.

pleasee read and review