I've decided to update this story . . .

There will probably be long breaks in between, but it's better than nothing . . .

Right?

Thanks for the reviews from . . .

ThePandaHat, 40Mangax7, Moonlightstarangel13, and mtr0902

:D

Enjoy~


The next day seemed to move by sluggishly for Ikuto, but he told himself he was just tired from staying up late. It wasn't because Amu hadn't shown up.

Ikuto was walking to the gate and saw three people staring at him as he walked closer. Utau, Kukai and Saaya were standing at the gate. When he came into their view they stopped arguing.

"Ikuto, is Amu going on the trip?" Utau asked.

"How would I know?" Ikuto responded and he noticed Saaya looking at Utau smugly.

"Because you tutor her." Kukai piped up.

Ikuto thought for a while. The last time he saw her was last night and her mother was unconscious. However, their chemistry teacher got a call in the middle of class. He seemed saddened, but no one bothered to pry into his life. Ikuto was, now, thinking that the call could have been from Amu.

"Well, I can ask her on my way home." Ikuto stated.

Saaya glared at the group and stomped off. The minute she was gone Utau and Kukai started laughing.

"Okay, I have a question for her. So don't hog her all night." Utau grumbled as she walked ahead, but Kukai told her he had to ask Ikuto something.

Utau ran a head to talk to Rima and some other girls. Kukai stopped Ikuto, but his eyes were still on Utau.

"Utau suggested that we go on a double date." Kukai stated nervously.

"Dude, that's great." Ikuto tried to sound excited, "Who's the other pair?"

"You and Amu." Kukai cringed, but Ikuto didn't freak out like Kukai was expecting.

"It won't count for the bet." Ikuto stated. It seemed too easy and Ikuto wanted more of a challenge. However, his sub-conscious was thinking he didn't want it to count because he wanted a reason to get to know her. Ikuto shook the thought away violently and quickly before it penetrated his conscious.

Kukai stared at him for a while before walking away to find Utau. Ikuto tried to think of things other than Amu because he was still in denial.

He was at his door when he finally decided Amu meant nothing to him. There was laughing from the other side of the door. Ikuto glanced at Amu's house. The lights were off and there were no cars in the driveway.

The laughing stopped and Ikuto cautiously opened the door. There was no one there. Ikuto took off his shoes and walked further into the house. When he reached the kitchen the laughing became louder again. Ikuto looked in and only saw his mother and one of her friends.

Ikuto found himself sighing. He walked by the kitchen.

"Oh, Ikuto." His mother called.

Ikuto stopped and looked at her. Even if he tried he knew that his mother would see his disappointment in his face, but he still tried to hide it.

"Amu's with Utau." She smiled. Ikuto brightened, but only slightly because he was still sure she meant nothing to him, even if everyone else didn't believe him.

Ikuto walked up the stairs and headed to Utau's room. He didn't bother knocking as he opened the door. Amu was nowhere to be seen, but Utau was reading a magazine.

"Amu, come out." Utau called, but she didn't notice Ikuto standing at the door.

Amu walked out in revealing bikini. The top was a white strapless top that seemed to accentuate her cleavage and there was a black anchor in the middle of her chest. The bottoms were pale yellow and stringy.

She looked at Utau. Neither noticed Ikuto, but Ikuto noticed Amu had a tattoo on her right hipbone. It was a treble clef with bar lines and notes weaving around it in a complicated pattern.

"Don't you think this is too skimpy?" Amu asked.

"Nope." Utau smirked, "It shows your tattoo."

Amu hadn't looked in the direction of the door, but she wasn't facing it either so she had an excuse. However, Utau should have easily seen him, but she didn't seem to.

"Why do you have it anyway?" Utau asked.

"I'm aspiring to be a singer. I came to Japan hoping to meet people through my mom, but no luck so far." Amu smiled and then headed in to the attached bathroom.

When the door was closed, Utau turned to Ikuto.

"What did you think of the bathing suit?" Utau asked.

Ikuto put a hand over his face to straighten his bangs and hide his eyes and his expression.

"It was fine." He coughed awkwardly.

Amu walked out in a less revealing bikini. It was a simple black halter bikini. Amu turned to Ikuto and jumped in surprise.

"Ikuto!" She exclaimed and ran over. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room. He lightly blushed, but only Utau noticed as she pulled out her phone to take a picture, "I didn't see you there." Amu continued.

Ikuto hummed an answer. He didn't have one ounce of trust in his voice right now and it astonished him. He had seen girls naked and in bikinis more revealing than the last one, but Amu in this simple halter bikini made him shy and nervous.

"Oh, someone's become all shy again." Amu teased bluntly, but she continued on, "Did you hear we have a double date tomorrow?"

"I, um, didn't know it was tomorrow." Ikuto stammered as he looked anywhere but at Amu. Amu seemed completely different when she was in front of Ikuto and Utau. They figured it was because she was comfortable around them.

Souko called for them and Ikuto was the first out the door. Utau laughed at him as Amu changed back into her uniform. The table was set, but there were only four place settings.

"Where's dad?" Utau asked as she sat down beside Amu.

"He had to work late." Souko sighed and started to pass out food.

It was a silent dinner again, but Amu didn't mind.

"So are you going on the field trip?" Souko asked as Amu helped with the dishes.

"I'm not sure yet." Amu sighed. There was a sound of stomping and then running on the hardwood floors. Utau appeared at the kitchen door.

"You aren't going?" Utau exclaimed and ran in, "You have to, and it is the most exciting school trip, ever!"

Amu stared at her and then shrugged her shoulders.

"We'll have to see if I bring the form tomorrow." Amu whispered and put the plates down.

She said goodbye to Souko and Utau and left without a word to Ikuto. She didn't seem in the mood to talk about the trip. Two things happened last night that caused complications.

One was that her mother was still unconscious, but her mom's latest doctor boyfriend checks on her often and her company is giving her time off, but it's not like they have much choice. The second thing was the offer Amu received from America. A music company offered a contract and the facilities to record music and she didn't have to pay a dime. It may sound too good to be true, but Amu wasn't worried about that. She was worried about the fact that they wanted her in New York, New York, in 7 days at the latest.

This wasn't something she could just pass up for a field trip.

Amu continued her way home at a run. She was crying. The only problem with her personality was that she got attached too quickly, but she has already contacted her dad and he has things set up in New York.

Amu slammed the front door shut and then ran to her mom's room. She knelt because her mom and clenched her hand.

"Mom, will you be mad if I suddenly decide to go to New York?" Amu whispered with tears in her eyes. "But, if you don't wake up then I will not go, but what about my new friends. You and dad always curse my personality for being so clingy at times."

Amu laughed a bit as she stared at her mom.

"I don't know what to do." Amu cried as she put her head on the bed.

"I won't be mad. This was your dream and your friends should realize that." Her mom spoke calmly. Amu's head whipped up and stared at her mom with glassy eyes.

"I have seven days." Amu sighed.

"Then make the most of your time here." Her mom smiled.

Amu got up and ran out of the room, but she was back in seconds with papers in her hand. She placed two different papers on the bed.

"This is for the field trip the day after tomorrow." Amu said pointing to the first paper and then she pointed to the next one, "And this is for the record deal."

Her mother signed for both and then there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, you get ready for your trips." Her mother stated and got out of bed.

Amu watched for a while and then nodded her head and ran to her room. Her mom walked down the stairs to the door. When she answered a young boy was standing there puffing.

He looked up at the woman partially shocked to see her standing there. When he straightened he was towering over the petite woman.

"Hello." He greeted.

"You must be Amu's tutor." Amu's mom offered her hand. Ikuto shook it.

"Ikuto." He told her. She smiled, but didn't tell him her name.

"Come in, Amu with be a minute." Amu's mom stepped out of his way as he thanked her and stepped in.

She offered him a seat on the white leather couches and then walked up stairs to get Amu. She walked to Amu's door and knocked twice before just walking in.

Amu was sitting on the ground with a suitcase packed and then half of her room already in boxes. Her mom looked at her sadly. Amu was on the phone. She turned to her mom and smiled brightly. Her mom's expressions became happier for her daughter.

"Bye, see you soon." Amu said and then hung up her cell phone.

"There is a young boy here to see you." Her mom said.

Amu stared at her mom and then nodded her head. She ran down the stairs and saw Ikuto lounging on the couch with his back to Amu. Amu tried to quietly clear her throat and then she snuck up on Ikuto.

She tried to deepen her voice to be scary, "Who are you?"

Ikuto turned around laughing, but he only laughed harder when he saw it was Amu. Amu peeked over his shoulder and saw that he was looking at a photo album. She blushed and reached for it.

"No way." Ikuto snickered, "These are too funny."

"Mom!" Amu called and her mom came running down with the packing tape in her hands. Ikuto stared at it for a while, but then the thoughts slipped away from him when Amu reached for the book again.

"What, honey?" She asked.

"Why did you give Ikuto my photo album?" Amu screamed and tried again, but Ikuto just had to raise the book out of her reach. He chuckled every time she tried to jump for the book.

"I didn't, he must have found them on his own." Her mom smiled evilly. Amu stopped trying and sighed. She silently cursed her mother for having a cruel sense of humor.

Ikuto finally put the book down after he saw Amu pouting. She smirked and snatched it away and handed it to her mom.

"Put this with the rest." She stated and her mom nodded sadly. Ikuto saw the exchange and it brought back the question he had earlier about the packing tape.

Amu's mom walked back up the stairs and then Amu sat in front of Ikuto on another couch. She got comfortable and then waited for Ikuto. He did the same, but there was long period of silence before either of them spoke.

"What's up?" Amu asked trying to sound non-chalant.

"I was coming to make sure everything was okay because you left without so much of a word." Ikuto said first.

Amu made a noise and nodded her head, "I've had better days." She smiled.

Ikuto didn't smile back, "Why does your mom have packing tape?"

"Her boyfriend is moving out." Amu lied, but Ikuto didn't know Amu enough to know what she does when she lies. Right now, she was taping her fingers and that was a clear indication that she had just told a lie.

Ikuto nodded his head and relaxed.

"Are you going on the trip?" Ikuto asked.

Amu smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

Amu's cell phone started to ring and she looked down at her pocket. She pulled out the phone and stared at the number like it was the plague. However, she still answered the phone.

"Hello?" She answered with disgust.

"Hey, Amu." The boy replied.

"What do you want?" Amu asked rudely.

"I made a mistake and I want you back." The boy begged.

"Oh, did you get screwed over like you did to me?" Amu stated smugly. Ikuto looked at her questioningly.

The boy didn't answer.

"I moved, jack ass." Amu stated, "To Japan."

She heard swallowing on the other line.

"I heard you were coming back." He stated.

"I am." Amu said, but Ikuto only knew half of the conversation as he stared at her.

"Then when you come back we can get back together." He sounded like he was smiling as if he won.

Amu scoffed, "Yeah, Right."

"I won't do it again." He pleaded.

"I really don't care what you have to say to me." Amu sneered, "You broke my heart once and you will never get the chance a second time."

She heard the boy growl on the other line, "But I learned my lesson."

"No you haven't, not if you're crawling back to me." Amu snarled. Ikuto stared at Amu completely shocked to see her angry.

"Karma is a bitch." The boy stated, but Amu just laughed.

"For you maybe." Amu snickered and then hung up the phone.

She glared at her phone. It rang again. A number popped on to the screen and Amu looked up.

"I think it's time you go." Amu stated angrily as she answered the phone, but hung up immediately after.

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Ikuto got up and stalked out of the house. Amu watched him go until he slammed the door shut.

Amu ran to her room and got ready for bed. She felt like throwing the phone at the wall. How dare he call and ask for her back!

"Idiot." Amu scoffed as she sent a quick text to Utau and fell asleep.


I think it got kinda chessy . . . But oh well!

There's freaking Tornado Warnings where I live!

My poor dogs are terrified . . . :(

Thanks for the reviews again!

Read and

R

E

V

I

E

W