AN: This is chapter six. Again, I thank those who review. That is what kept me inspired to continue writing this. I understand that it's frustrating to wait so long for next chapter. I am awfully sorry for that. What can I say? Life keeps getting in the way. I will do my best in uploading next chapter fast, that's if I have the time.

Chapter 6

"Amu…Amu…" Somebody said in an intense whisper. Irritated, I covered my head under the blanket and said, "Nadeshiko, its holiday. Five more . . ." Wait a minute! I thought. That's a guy's voice.

I opened my eyes, shocked to find Ikuto standing there, looking at me with his arms crossed. He was wearing a T-shirt with a pair of jeans. I made a mental post a note to myself not to sleep in late again. This is what you get for sleeping in late miss. I thought mentally. I closed my eyes and reopened it again then blinked surprisingly to find that I was not dreaming.

Ikuto, who read my thought, spoke to me in a soft but clear voice, "Yes, you're not dreaming. I am real. Get yourself ready and come downstairs. I'll give you twenty minutes." He then walked out of room quietly so that he would not wake Nadeshiko and Yaya who were both sleeping soundly. What is he doing here?! I thought as I took a glance at the clock. 7.00 a.m. And this early in the morning?! He is really a cat, a sly one too.

Since everybody in the villa was still sleeping, I suppressed my anger and restrained myself from yelling at him. That idiot, I, for sure, am going to yell at him later for waking up this early if he didn't give me a good explanation. To add salt to injury, I did not sleep in early yesterday, and that idiot knew about it too! Talk about yesterday; wonder if that mysterious person he loved long ago got anything to do with what Tadase told me? I was a bit surprised when he said that. Deciding to know what he was up too, I got changed into a pair of jeans shorts with an aqua collar shirt and went downstairs.

Ikuto, who was already waiting outside, motioned me to follow him into his car. Great, what does he want now? As soon as I got in, I yelled at him, "What do you think you are doing waking me up this early? And where are you taking me?" I demanded.

He winced a bit, probably at my yelling as he started the engine. Well, I admit that I yelled a bit louder than I meant to be, but anyways, dealing with this guy, mercy isn't needed. "Chill. I just decided to take you to Mirage Wonderland to cheer you up a little." Then he drove his Honda Civic, which he brought along for the trip towards the main road.

Cheer me up? I glared at him and said, "More like irritate me for waking me up this early. Besides, what makes you think my mood is down?"

Ikuto's eyes just fixed to the traffic and replied, "Well, the part where you were sulking at the balcony last night after being rejected pretty much tell me that your mood is down. Plus, you should practice to wake up early, sleepy head."

I crossed my arms and explained in an irritated tone, "One, I wasn't sulking. Two, I wasn't rejected. Three, I am not a sleepy head."

I was telling the truth. Of course, I did feel a bit down after that realising Tadase like Rima but to say that I was sulking, that's an overstatement. And I didn't actually confess to Tadase about my feelings, so I wasn't rejected. Besides, I slept in late last night so it's normal to feel sleepy. This idiot just likes to exaggerate things.

He then gave me a sidelong glance and said, "Oh you are right. It wasn't last night. It was this morning."

Argh!! What did I do to deserve this?

(Ikuto)

Even though I wasn't looking, I knew she was fuming at me. Later, the rest of journey was a total silence. To be frank, I knew Amu wasn't sulking or rejected. I just said that to annoy her. As always, it worked.

However, I wasn't lying either when I said I'm taking her to Mirage Wonderland to cheer her up. Erm…to be more precise; to prevent her from really sulking. I knew Tadase well. He's definitely going to invite Mashiro to join whatever activities they're about to do later. So for the whole day, Amu would have to stick with Tadase sneaking glances at Mashiro. This was one thing that Tadase had always hated to admit; he sucked at hiding his feelings, I think he's even worse than Kukai.

I had been there. Even if Amu said she claimed she's cool about it, the atmosphere may end up being real tense later. Feelings don't just vaporise into thin air like that. That is why after Yukina's incident; I vowed to never make the stupid mistake of committing myself into any relationship ever again. That'll only bring disaster. I reminded myself.

As I pulled into the Mirage Wonderland parking lot, Amu suddenly gasped. "Oh, no! I had forgotten to bring my hand phone! How am I going to tell the others that we are in Mirage Wonderland? The others maybe worried about us."

I grinned widely. For an instant, I thought she'll never ask. I had been waiting for her to say that as I replied, my voice held smugness, "Don't worry; I left a note to Tadase saying that we are on a date."

Amu's eyes opened wide as my words sank in. "Ikuto Tsukiyomi, you idiot!"

(Third person-Villa-8.30a.m.)

Nadeshiko, who had already got up for half an hour, looked everywhere for Amu. She was surprised to find that Amu had already gotten up before her, which was highly unusual to happen. Nadeshiko had been Amu's roommate long enough to know that three alarm clocks wasn't enough to wake her up, which was why Nadeshiko had to be Amu's personal alarm clock from day one so that this sleepy head would not be late to class.

Decided to look for Amu later, Nadeshiko went into the dining table for her breakfast, where the others were. "Morning!" she greeted.

"Morning! Your breakfast is already on the table." Kukai said.

As she took her seat, she asked, "Have anybody seen Amu?"

"Even you do not know? I was planning to ask you later. Where could she be?" Yaya asked worriedly. "What if something bad happens to her? Like being kidnapped or . . ."

"Relax." Kairi said to stop Yaya's babbling. "Amu is old enough to take care of herself already."

"But Kairi…" Yaya let her voice trailed off.

"I understand what you're feeling Yaya. But we need to believe in Amu. Let's not jump into unnecessary conclusions that may cloud our judgements." Although Kairi seemed to be relaxed, he was shaking inside actually. He too, was worried as Amu wasn't the one to be so irresponsible.

Just then, Tadase took a seat at the dining table while greeting everyone cheerfully. "Hey everyone, what's with the gloomy face in the morning?"

"Tadase, do you know where Amu is? Speaking of which, I hadn't seen Ikuto too." Kukai said thoughtfully while taking a glance at the doorway as if hoping that either Amu or Ikuto would show up there.

"Well… About that…" Tadase grinned which caught everyone attention.

(Amu-At the amusement park)

Damn that idiot. I have never met anyone as idiotic as Ikuto. Seriously, I'm starting to suspect that the whole reject-date thing was entirely his idea all along. Nothing to do with Utau or his mum at all. What's the point of telling me to reject it if he's going to dragged me on a 'date' with him?!

I walked towards the table where that idiot was, taking along the burgers he bought for our lunch. Well if this is going to be a date, he might as well pay all the expenses; from the tickets to the food. Furthermore, not only did I forgot my hand phone, I practically did not bring my bag along which contains my purse in it as Ikuto did not tell me that we were going to be here in Mirage Wonderland. Well, not after I got into his car. "You sure take your own sweet time. Or did you lost your way again?" he asked as I took a seat across him.

Is that all he can say? "No complaints, mister. As a gentleman, shouldn't you be the one to buy lunch for me instead of the other way round." I asked in an irritated tone. Dealing with this guy here sure needs lots of patience, which is what I lack of, I admit. That may actually explained why we always ended up arguing.

"I never said I was. Besides, you should be thankful that I am paying for everything that you are spending here today just for the sake of cheering you up. Oh and of course for your advance birthday present." He smirked.

I glared at him. "I'll say this one last time. I was neither rejected nor sulking. And I wouldn't say this is an appropriate birthday gift as I was dragged here, not asked here. Thus, no matter how you look at it, you should pay for what we are spending here" I said, purposely putting emphasis on the 'we'. How could he accuse me of using his money when this was his idea in the first place?

"Which is what I am doing right now. Anyways, it has got nothing to do with whether or not I need to help you to buy lunch, don't you agree?" he grinned at me. Damn that grin.

"If you're trying to cheer me up, then let me tell you this; YOU-SUCK-AT-IT. So stop it." I said, loud and clear.

At that, Ikuto put on another one of his irritated grin and said, "But you said you weren't sulking. So you don't need anyone to cheer you up, do you?"

Argh… I give up. "This is definitely the worst birthday present, and also, the worst date in my entire life!" I exclaimed. Actually, I was beginning to cool down a little. As much as I hate to admit it, I did have fun here. But this idiot just kept on getting on my nerves. Talking to him, there was no way I could cool down.

He grinned, which is starting to become a habit. "Good. Mission accomplished. I was actually afraid you might enjoy this." See what I mean? I groaned in frustration and just ate my burger without saying a word. After Ikuto taking a bite of his burger, he looked at me and asked, "What did you told the hawker to put in this?"

Now it's my turn to grin. "Well, to thank you for taking me here, I made sure that he put extra chilli on your burger so you won't be able to talk so much." This is payback time. I smirked as I thought mentally.

Ironically, he merely smiled and said, "Welcome."

I blinked.

"I forgot to tell you to do so just now. I'm glad you actually know I like spicy food" he explained as he took another bite of his burger before adding, "This is the best date ever."

My jaw just dropped as I stared at him eating his burger happily.

(Ikuto)

It had been quite a long time ever since I had been in an amusement park. Come to think of it, the last time I went to one was with Yukina, two years ago. And, that was our last date. I never thought I would come to any amusement park again as it brought back a lot of memories. Either way, it turned out to be quite enjoyable coming to amusement park once in a while. Initially, I only took Amu here just hoping that it would not to strain her friendship with Tadase. After all, Tadase had been a great friend. And even though I liked to annoy Amu, I do regard her as a friend . . .

Are you sure you only see her as your friend? I heard a voice in my head said. Of course I am. Falling in love means disaster. Yukina's case was a very good example already. "Nothing is going to change if you keep avoiding it too." I recalled back Tadase's words. Oh great…why all these voices came into my head involuntarily? I shook my head a little to push all these thoughts out of my mind. 'Stop avoiding it . . .' Apparently, it's not working.

"Hello Ikuto…Ikuto, are you even listening to what I said? Hey, Ikuto!!" I was brought back to reality as Amu yelled at me to get my attention. Damn, this woman really can yell. Anyways, that did help distract me from my thoughts.

"What did you said just now?" I asked looking blur, so I could annoy Amu. Either way, I was too absorbed with my thoughts just now that I really didn't know what Amu was saying.

She looked at me irritated, "I was talking about the dolphin show we watched just now. And it turns out that you weren't listening at all. Where did your soul flies too?"

Oh the show! After lunch, we went to watch the dolpin show which was the main attraction there, and I admit, it was quite nice. "Well, I'm listening right now. So you can start talking." I repied.

"Never mind, forget about it! Wasting my time talking to-" Amu stopped midway as something caught her eyes. I followed the direction of her sight and was too, a bit stunned with what I saw; Kukai and Fujisaki walking together. They were sharing an ice-cream too! Judging by their close proximate, I was certain they're on a date.

"I can't believe Nadeshiko didn't tell me about this!" "I can't believe that brat didn't tell me about this!" Amu and I both exclaimed at the same time.

We then shared a look and turned back to the two figures again to confirm it was who we thought they were. And yup, it's them alright.

"Want to go say hello?" I asked as I smirked. Apparently, both Kukai and Fujisaki did not see us. So, might as well let our presence known.

"My thoughts exactly." Amu agreed.

As we made our way towards them, I said to Amu, "Well, for someone that is always blur, you're pretty observant this time." Amu just rolled her eyes as she said, "I'll deal with you later, after this is over!"

(Amu)

"Hello! It's such a coincidence to meet both of you here." I said once we approached Nadeshiko and Kukai.

They were both surprised to see us. I was too. When I saw them at first, I thought they were spying on Ikuto and me. But after some time observing them, I realised they didn't even know Ikuto and I were here in Mirage Wonderland, which kept me wondering…didn't Ikuto left them a note about us being here? Well, I will deal with that later. Now, I need to find out what's going on between Kukai and Nadeshiko. Of course I knew that they two like each other. The whole world knew about it besides those two. But what I need to know is why I wasn't informed about this. Frankly speaking, I was a bit mad at her for not mentioning anything to me. After all, I'm her best friend and roommate!

Both of them smiled sheepishly as Kukai was the first to reply between the two of them, "Hi…um…yeah…it's really a coincidence." Kukai laughed hesitantly. They are definitely on a date! And I didn't know about it!

Ikuto who was looking at their shared ice-cream teased them, "Ice-cream stalls out of stock?"

"Err…well, apparently, the business was too good. What are you guys doing here anyways?" Nadeshiko asked trying to change the topic.

Both Ikuto and I give them an accused look and asked, "Shouldn't that be our question?" They both looked at each other for awhile, blushed. Then one turn to look around at everything but Ikuto and me while the other looked down on the floor like that was some very interesting thing there.

I know I was being rude but I couldn't help myself anymore. "Excuse me." I said. "I need a minute with Nadeshiko." I dragged her by the arm. Besides, I believe Ikuto and Kukai both also need some time alone. When we were out of ear-shot from the guys, the only words that came out was, "How? When?"

Nadeshiko smiled sheepishly as she spoke, "Well . . ." She glanced over her shoulder to where Ikuto and Kukai were standing. As I thought, they too were in a discussion. And I have no doubt, like me, Ikuto too was asserting his best friend's right-to-know clause.

"Well, you and Kukai…" I said, averting Nadeshiko's attention away from Kukai.

"Remember yesterday Kukai and I went to buy the movie tickets?" I nodded my head as Nadeshiko continued, "On the way there, some thugs tried to make a move on me. As heroic as Kukai is, he beat the thugs up." Nadeshiko's face suddenly broke into a full-fledge grin. "Oh, you should have seen how he beat the thugs up. You also miss the look back then when he warned those thugs." Nadeshiko then clear her throat and spoke in a deeper voice, probably imitating Kukai's gesture and said, "Don't mess with my girl. Oh, he was so handsome and man when he said that." Nadeshiko paused as if recalling the scenario. "Kukai confessed to me right there and then after the thugs had gone and asked me to go on a date where we met you and Ikuto here."

Now that I thought about it I vaguely recalled seeing them stealing glances at each other particularly after the movie we watched yesterday. But since that was hardly unusual, I didn't connect the dots. Still, she could have mentioned something. "I still couldn't believe you didn't tell me about it" I pouted. Although I was a bit mad, but I'm happy for her. I knew how much she and Kukai like each other. This is a great news.

"You were quite sad about yesterday's incident. I didn't want to make you feel anymore worse." Nadeshiko explained. "I figured I would have plenty of time to catch up with you after you feel better."

As observant as Nadeshiko was, she too noticed about Tadase's obvious crush which assured me that I was right. I knew Nadeshiko was speaking right from her heart. It was so like her to think of other's happiness before her own.

"Congratulations. I am happy for you." I told her and discovered warmth growing in my stomach. It's that joyful surge you feel when a friend shares really great news. Nadeshiko had always wanted this date with Kukai. And everybody knew how much Kukai like her.

"Thanks. Now, about you . . ." Nadeshiko said after she finished her explanation.

"What about me?" I asked, not knowing what she meant.

"What are you doing here with Ikuto?" she asked me as if that there was something going on between us. Well, if there were anything that was going on between me and that idiot would only be arguments and chaos.

"I was dragged here by that idiot." I said using my irritated tone to show that I didn't really want to come here in the first place.

"Against your own free will?" Nadeshiko asked.

"In a way, yeah."

"What do you mean by that? I'm sure as much as Tsukiyomi likes antagonizing you, he wouldn't just take you here if you don't want to come. And more importantly, why does he want to take you here?" Nadeshiko said thoughtfully. I really hate it when she does that. That was one part of Nadeshiko that I don't really like. She always wanted me to think thoroughly about things that I don't really want to know. Like why Ikuto took me here, why do I even follow him here without really protesting, why am I more curious about his past more than anybody else… Argh…there are too many why's!

"Never mind." I said changing the topic. "Let me ask you something that is more important, you and Kukai don't have the slightest idea that Ikuto and I are here?" I asked. Nadeshiko only shook her head. "No note, no mentioning our whereabouts?" I continued asking. I had a feeling that I have been tricked again.

"Oh, about that, Tsukiyomi left a not saying he will need your help to make Utau's upcoming singing competition costume. So, the both of you would not be joining whatever activities with the rest today and you guys would be back by nightfall. These were all that he wrote on the note, nothing about Mirage Wonderland were mentioned."

As I was absorbing what Nadeshiko said, word per word, frustration slowly but surely came upon me. Someone is going to pay for the prank he dare pull on me!! I made no more explanation as Nadeshiko and I made our way back towards the guys. I knew I left her hanging but dealing with that idiot matter most right now. As we reached there, I used a warning tone, the type that indicates someone is going to have a black panda eye or a broken nose, "Ikuto Tsukiyomi . . ."

"Yes, how may I help you?" he asked me with a big grin plastered on his idiotic face, at the same time, slowing jerking backward. Judging by his look, I guessed he kind of figured what was going to happen.

"You still dare to say that?!" I snapped at him as I stomp forward.

"Err, what happen?" he asked, still moving backwards, getting ready to escape incase I would put my martial arts into use, not that he knew that I am a martial artist anyway.

"Well, the fact that I got tricked by a stupid idiot really agitated me." I said, forcing a fake smile as my tone rose.

"Then does that means you are even more silly then that stupid idiot you mention since you got tricked by him?" he grinned wider. Damn that grin! I need a gun right now!

"Amu, cool down. How about a tea somewhere nearby? My treat…" Kukai said.

"Not even a bucket of ice is going to cool me down now." My teeth grind together.

"Then let me suggest a better way that may be able to cool you down." Ikuto said.

"Don't you dare speak another word . . ." I warned him as I walked towards his retreating figure.

"If a bucket of ice won't work . . ." he went on without caring my pre-warning "a dozen of it will!"

"That's it! You are a d-" I stopped as a voice shouting for help interrupted me.

(Ikuto)

All of us turned towards the direction of the voice. We were stunned to see a man running with the speed of light, holding a woman's handbag while in a distant, a woman that look kind of familiar frantically shouted, "Help, someone. A snatch thief!" That had created some commotion. Most people within that area were too stunned to do anything.

Kukai's and my first reaction was tried to stop that snatch thief. How dare he snatch in front of me?! As we ran after him, I grabbed a broom which was held by a cleaner nearby there. "Lent this for awhile" I said and without waiting any longer I threw at that snatch thief direction's to slow him down. That plan worked as he tripped and fell down.

However, he did not give up that easily. He quickly got up and ran away from us who already caught up with him. Using our skill in martial arts, we fought with that escaping snatch thief.

As we were fighting, out of no where, he abruptly took out a knife and in a quick motion grabbed Amu by her shoulders from the rear who was nearby picking up the hand bag that had dropped earlier during his combat fighting with Kukai and me. "Freeze or this girl will die."

Damn that bastard! The feeling of guilt and anger came upon me. I can't believe I let that bastard got Amu as his hostage! Now, I could only stand helplessly in a distant and do nothing. Quick, think of something! I urge myself to come up with a plan to distract that snatch thief.

"All you want is money right? Let that girl go and I'll give you what you want" I said. I only need a few seconds to divert his attention, a few seconds will do.

He laughed evilly. "You think I'm nuts? Once I let that girl go, I wouldn't be able to get out of here."

"You are already surrounded. You wouldn't be able to get of here that easily anyway!" cried Fujisaki, who was obviously worried about Amu.

"With this hostage under my mercy, I could get away from here easily" that snatch thief snort. Then slowly but forcefully, he dragged Amu backwards towards the exit.

"But what if your escape plan fails? Then, you would only add more charges in your record." I said trying to buy some time.

"What differences will it make? However, if I manage to get away, that will be a different story" he smirked.

If he wasn't holding a knife aiming at Amu now, I would definitely strangler him to death. "But you won't be able to get any money, which is the reason why all this is happening right now." I said, suppressing my anger. The main priority now is to save Amu.

He let out another laugh. "Well, with this girl as hostage, I would be able to get more than what I was supposed to get."

Okay, he's now planning to get some ransom, which means he wouldn't let Amu go that easily. "Why do you want to steal anyway?" I asked trying to get him to lose his focus. "You have legs and hands. Why snatch things that don't belong to you?"

"Why?! You ask why?! Then let me ask you, why must the God be so cruel to me? I have work so hard only to be fired and be accused of something that I did not do. What have I done to deserve this?" he broke down but still holding Amu, though the grip is loosening.

Here is my chance. I thought. However, it appeared that I didn't have to do anything because Amu quickly took hold of his hand, squeezed his fingers and split them. Then, she widened her legs, bent her body forward and used her fist to hit that snatch thief's private part. That must have created an immense pain in him as he dropped his knife instantly. Amu used the opportunity to hit his face with her elbows and finish off by turning around, wrapping her hands around his head and used her knees to kick him in the stomach as hard as possible. At that, the bastard who was half conscious laid on the floor. That ought to teach him some lesson for snatching. Looks like Kukai and I weren't the only one equipped with martial arts. Kukai, Fujisaki and I quickly ran towards Amu to check her condition.

"You had me worried!" Fujisaki exclaimed while hugging her.

"Don't worry. I'm alright." Amu smiled.

"Good thing you knew some self-defence. I thought it was all gone when that bastard held you as hostage." Kukai said and give Amu a friendly hug.

"Although you do deserve some compliments for taking that bastard down, I don't recommend you do that again." I said to Amu.

"Then what's the purpose of me taking self-defence, if I couldn't use it when I'm in trouble?" she asked me, with her hands on her waist while eyeing me carefully as if I had say something wrong.

"Miss, let me tell you that fellow is holding a knife incase you didn't notice! If you get slash, you only have twenty minutes to live until you bleed to death. It's a high risk to do what you did just now." I exclaimed.

"That's why I waited till you manage to distract him before I make my move." Amu said with an irritated tone.

"But-" A voice in the background distracted our conversation or I should said argument instead.

"Coming through, excuse me, I'm sorry." We all turned to see a guy in his thirties pushing himself out of the crowd. He grabbed that snatch thief's arm, who was still lying on the floor and put cuffs on his wrists. He then exhaled a deep breath, sighed and spoke, "Today is my day-off…that is until you snatch and held a civilian in hostage. Thanks to you, I need to work today." He gave that snatch thief a hard smack in the head. All of us laughed.

He then turned towards Amu and said, "Well miss, luckily you knew some self-defence or that would be a lot of trouble. On behalf of this jerk, I'm awfully sorry for all the troubles cause by him."

Amu gave him a smile. "It's alright. I thank you for your concern."

Another two figures, stepped out from the crowd. I froze as I realised who they are; Yukina and Ken. Great, someone that I don't really want to see. What are they doing here?!

"It's him, the jerk that snatches my bag just now!" Yukina exclaimed. No wonder she looked familiar. I thought, remembering that the resemblance I noticed at the victim just now.

"Miss, here is your handbag. Check if there is anything missing. If there isn't, I'll need you to follow me to the police station to give your testimony" the police officer said.

Yukina nodded her head then quickly rummaged through her bag then replied, "Whew!" She turned to Ken and said, "Thank god the pen you gave me was still here." I see she hasn't changed at all, still cared most about sentimental things. Then, Yukina and Ken noticed my presence, both a bit stunned.

Ken then walked towards me, with Yukina in his arms and smirked, "Hey my pal, long time no see. How are you?"

"Better than you are." I replied. No point being mad at this guy. What's done cannot be undone. It's all in the past already anyways.

"Still single I suppose?" he said, trying to agitate me. Yukina's attempt in trying to stop him is no use as he continued, "I don't blame you. After all, there isn't anyone as good as Yukina. I still forgot to thank you that you didn't treat her well so I could have her as my girlfriend. Our relationship is great. I think we are leaning towards marriage anytime sooner. I hope you could sincerely bless us from your heart." He smirked.

"Ken, let's go now. The police officer is waiting." Yukina forcefully pulled him away to avoid anymore troubles. I must admit, if she pulled him away a second longer, he'll have a broken nose because I noticed that Kukai already brought his arm into a position that was about to punch someone. As much as I wish to hurt Ken, that was not a very good idea when there is a cop around. Besides, no point wasting my energy on a dirt like that.

"So . . . I assume you know them?" Amu asked after they left.

"Just some ass whole. His presence is something that would make one loses his or her temper." Kukai said with an angry tone.

"Who is him anyway? Why are you being so mad all of the sudden?" Fujisaki asked looking from Kukai to me.

When I was about to say something, a sound of growling was heard. Turned out that the sound came from Kukai. No doubt that I too was hungry after all the commotion that happened earlier. "How about having a tea? I am starving too. Kukai, you said it will be your treat, right?"

(Back at the villa)

We went back at around 9.00p.m., after having dinner of course. Of course, the interview session was inevitable. Fortunately, Amu and I manage to get away with most of it since the attention was more on Kukai and Fujisaki. Apparently, they sneaked out just for their secret date. Moreover, Kukai was so far the worst actor I have ever seen, yet. That guy just doesn't know how to tell lies, which I suppose is a good thing in most situations. Fujisaki didn't do a good job in helping him since she was busy blushing. Well, generally speaking, this is good news, so all of us were happy for them. However, both of them sure need some punishment for not telling us sooner about it.

After shower, I went to the balcony for some fresh air and some peace of course. I took a sit on a chair to enjoy the view of the sea and listen to the sound of the waves hitting the shore.

So many things happened today; Kukai and Fujisaki's date, the snatch thief and also the encounter with Ken and Yukina. Frankly speaking, if I were to meet Ken and Yukina earlier, given the same situation and place, I wouldn't be able to be as calm as I was today. Before this, whenever I met them, I would go through some emotional roller coaster ride, on the inside of course. I am not the type to reveal my own feelings that easily, especially after what Yukina and Ken had put me into. At least, I'm starting to let things go already.

"Well, look who is here…" a voice said from behind, interrupting my thoughts.

I don't have to turn to see who that voice belong to. I knew it was Amu's. I heard some footsteps approaching, then saw Amu took a seat beside me as she continued speaking, "I wonder who was it that says sleeping late is not good for the skin?" She gave me a look. Ironically, today, it was me to be here, at the balcony first.

"It's only 10.45 p.m." I merely said. "So, what's your problem again today?" I asked, though I doubt it. Her voice held some enthusiasm.

Amu then raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying that I can only be here when I have problems? Can't it be that I just want some fresh air by being here?" she asked.

"I did not say you can't. Well, I admit, the view and pleasant sound here was able to clear one's thought." I replied.

"So, you are the one with problems tonight. Hmm…about Yukina and Ken?" she guessed. Kukai and I briefly told them what happen in my past just now in Mirage Wonderland, though it was Kukai who do most of the talking. I only filled in what was missing or corrected what was wrongly said.

I chuckled. "Since when you are so observant?"

"Hey, I can be observant." I laughed. "So, I am right then?" Amu asked.

I just remained silence. I don't feel the need to assure Amu since she already knew that she was right. After some moment of silence, Amu said, "Well, I suppose it's a good thing that you told us about your past today. This means you are starting to let the past go already."

I smirked. "Says who?"

"Says a great professor" Amu answered.

"Really? Who it is then?" I asked.

"Yours truly, Professor Hinamori"

I laughed. "You do have a big dream, don't you? Not to mention a big thought and great imagination."

Amu smiled sweetly. "I take that as a compliment. However, flattery would only get you no where."

"Who says that was flattery?" I commented.

"You are a pain in the neck, you know that?" Amu said.

I chucked for the second time. Later, we just sat there in a comfortable silence. Only the sound of the waves hitting the shore was heard. This seldom happened since Amu and I always ended up in an argument every time we talked. This was something new and unusual. Nevertheless, I don't feel the need to fill in the silence. After a few moments, Amu said, "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked.

She then stayed silence for awhile, probably thinking what to say and then replied, "Just thanks."

I smiled. Somehow, I think I knew what she meant. It was for the trip to Mirage Wonderland today. "Welcome."

"Go to sleep early. Or you may have panda eyes. Good night." Amu said as she got up and went back to her room.

Decided that it's time to sleep, I too got up and went back to my room.

AN: This chapter shows a bit of development between Amu and Ikuto's relationship. This is my longest chapter so far. Hopefully this will be able to compensate my long upload. Lol… Any thoughts and comments please review. Thanks!