Battle of Love

A/N: Thanks for the Reviews! They keep me writing c:

"There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment."


"Amu what took you so long? Class is about to start" Rima greeted her friend as she walked quietly into the room. She had her arm covering her face, wiping gently at her eyes as if she had something in them. Slowly she made her way to her seat which stood at the far back of the class, right between her two friends.

"Yeah, was Ikuto bothering you again? I'll crush his annoying fac-" Utau stopped suddenly. She took in the sight of Amu and her eyes widened. Amu was facing Utau and Rima, so only them could see her state, a benefit of sitting in the back of the class. Her arm was no longer covering her face, but her head was held down, so her eyes were hidden beneath her bangs. But that didn't stop Utau or Rima from seeing her flustered tear stained cheeks.

"What did he do?" Rima's voice came out in a low, threatening growl. She was so going to kill that blue-head imbecile if he had anything to do with this. She gripped her pencil that was lying on her desk and squeezed it tightly; wanting to let out some of the anger she was feeling at the moment. Amu sensed the murderous intent radiating off of her friend and immediately she shook her head violently, causing a few tears to scatter.

"…Not I-Ikuto" Amu's voice came out painfully hoarse as she struggled to contain her stubborn emotions.

"Then who?" Utau asked, making sure to keep her volume down to not draw unwanted attention to them. Amu didn't reply, instead she waited patiently as her friends contemplated over who would make her cry. A brief silence passed before the mystery person was revealed.

"Tadase?" Rima and Utau asked in unison as they looked up into their friend's bang-covered eyes, rage rose within them when they caught fresh tears strolling down from them. Rima's pencil snapped in two.

"What happened?' Utau said in between gritted teeth.

"Okay students get in your sits it's time for class!" There teacher's cheerful voice announced as she began writing math equations on the chalk board. Amu thanked her timing silently; she really didn't want to talk about it because knowing her friends, they would surely make her face it. Amu didn't think she was ready yet, considering her mind kept replying the event, and that alone was enough to crack the walls she had built up.

Utau and Rima however cursed there teacher's timing and for the rest of the class period they stared daggers at her back. The poor teacher had lost her cheerfulness about half-way through the session but it was replaced with anxiety and the hairs on the back of her neck stood as she felt a dark aura come upon her.

~ xXx ~

By lunch time Amu had somewhat recovered from the Tadase ordeal, and at least wasn't crying anymore. She was unusually quiet, but when she did talk her voice was no longer hoarse, instead it was at times monotone or filled with artificial cheerfulness. She smiled and laughed at jokes, however it never reached her eyes. Nobody seemed to notice, she looked perfectly normal, but her friends knew that something was seriously wrong.

"Amu are you sure you're ok?" Utau asked for what seemed like the hundredth time to Amu as they neared the rooftop door. It had become sort of a custom for Utau and Rima to join their friend in lunch with Ikuto and his pals. Even though the two argued with him and his friends throughout the whole lunch period it was, even though they will never admit it, not really that bad.

"Of course I'm fine" Amu replied with a smile that she knew didn't fool either one of them. But they all pretended not to notice. Utau and Rima sighed inwardly and shot a look to eachother.

"Looks like its plan I" Rima whispered low enough for Amu not to hear, Utau groaned in response. Plan I was their last resort, they dreaded the decision but it had to be done, it was for Amu's sake of course. It involved a certain blue-headed male that the two friends knew that if anybody could cheer her up he would be the one. The small group finally reached the door, lunches in tow as they entered. They were greeted by the warm afternoon sun and three pairs of eyes. One particular pair never strayed from a pink-headed girl.

"Wha cook you juys fo vong?" Kukai asked with a mouthful of food in his mouth. Utau flinched slightly, thinking he resembled some sort of starved rabid animal while Rima cringed at the site.

"Disgusting pig" she said while scrunching up her nose, causing Nagihiko to chuckle.

"What's so funny cross-dresser?" She retorted at the action.

"Always a pleasure to have your company Rima-chan" Nagi smiled at her, his voice with only a hint of sarcasm in it, but Rima detected it and for some reason it really annoyed her.

"Do you honestly believe I want to be here?" She glared at the purpled-headed male. "If your moron of a leader would just stop his petty game with my friend we would gladly leave." Rima said while crossing her arms.

"Hey, you can't put it all on Ikuto" Kukai had finished his food and was ready to take part in the usual argument.

"Don't you dare say Amu is to blame!" Utau placed her hands on her hips. "If my brother would do as Rima stated, we would be happy to leave." She had spat out the word "brother" as if it were a horrible thing.

"You guys sound like old married couples bickering" Amu cut in before anything else could be said. She had giggled at her comment, trying to lighten up the atmosphere in the room. But the bitterness and hurt she was trying to hide leaked out into her voice.

Everyone stared at her, well except for one certain person who stood up from where they had been sitting and was now walking toward the girl, however nobody seemed to notice.

"What?" Amu had returned the stares with a confused look.

"Amu you're crying" Ikuto said while hefting an unsuspecting Amu over his shoulder, before she or anyone else could say anything about it he was already out the door.

"We'll be right back" he had said before they left.

~ xXx ~

"Ikuto put me down!" Amu had whispered-yelled to her blue-head captor once she had gotten over the brief shock. The two were now heading down a hall littered with quite a few number of people who attention's the pair were grabbing. Amu felt her cheeks heat up at the eyes she felt on her and Ikuto as they passed, but he didn't seem to mind or notice. Ikuto strolled down the corridor with Amu over his shoulder as if it were perfectly normal.

"Why?" He said it as if he really didn't know why she would want to be put down.

"What do you mean why? This is so embarrassing everyone is staring!" Ikuto glanced at the faces of his peers, confirming Amu's words. They were staring, and more than the polite amount of time. Ikuto shot a few death glares here and there that set them all straight.

"How about know? No one's staring" Amu sighed, she did feel a bit better with all those eyes off of her, but that wasn't what she had wanted him to do, however she knew arguing with him was pointless so she just relaxed and let Ikuto take her wherever they were going. Ikuto smirked when he felt Amu relax; he just loved to tease her.

"We're here" Ikuto announced when they had reached their destination, the school's garden. He sat Amu gently down on a wooden bench and took his place beside her. Amu looked around and realized they were the only ones there.

"Ikuto why are we here?" Amu asked.

"You were crying" He simply replied.

"I wasn't crying, I… I had something in my eyes…" Amu lied horribly. She lowered her head, not wanting him to see her.

"Oh? Could had fooled me" Ikuto raised his eyebrow at her.

"Why were you crying?"

"I told you I wasn't-"

"Amu"

The pink-headed girl sighed inwardly before answering.

"I was just…sad"

"Was it that girly prince?" Ikuto paused for a moment, trying to remember the blonde's name. "Tadase?" he finally said.

Amu bit her lip; she blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes upon the memories of the day's earlier events triggered by the name. Judging by that reaction Ikuto knew he had hit the bull's eye.

"Amu look at me" Ikuto flinched when her honey orbs were uncovered; they held so much emotion in them. Hurt, so much hurt, sorrow, an endless amount, seeing her like that pained him, something within Ikuto shouted for him to just embrace her tightly but he chose not to act on that in fear of rejection. Instead he asked her a question that he knew would probably anger him.

"What did he do?" Ikuto turned his body so he was facing the girl before him. Amu didn't know why but Ikuto had some kind of strange effect on her, before she knew it she found herself telling him everything. She told him about the day she was going to give Tadase the letter, how he had a girlfriend she never knew about and how the girl he was dating happened to be a person who hated her guts. She told him about how Tadase never looks her in the eyes anymore and how it kills her to see them together, yet she knows she shouldn't have those feelings for him anymore. Heck she even told him about her and the blonde's friendship, how after years of knowing each other he never called her by her first name. Ever.

As the pink-headed girl let her feelings out of her grief filled heart Ikuto listened quietly, taking in all the words she said. Rage formed within him but he pushed it aside for a later time, now comforting the sobbing damsel in his arms was what was important. Somewhere in Amu's venting she had started crying uncontrollably, Ikuto couldn't take it anymore and caved in. He pulled Amu into a warm embrace, and to his surprise she didn't push him away or protest one bit, like he had thought. Amu sobbed into Ikuto's chest and held onto it as if it were her lifeline, he simply drew imaginary patterns with his finger into her back while whispering sweet nothings into her ear, letting her stain his shirt with her what seemed like endless amount of tears.

Once Amu had stopped crying, she didn't immediately pull back from Ikuto, it felt nice with him holding her like that and vice versa with him. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, both not wanting to move from their comfortable positions, but they figured they had been like that for long enough. Reluctantly they separated, a blush danced across Amu's tear stained cheeks and a brief pleasant silence came over them.

"How are you feeling?" Ikuto asked as he brushed the remainder of the tears from Amu's eyes with his finger, she didn't know why but the action made her feel all warm inside. She gave him her first real smile since the whole Tadase ordeal and he soaked it up like a plant does sunlight.

"A lot better than I have in a while" She answered while looking up into the azure orbs she adored. "Thank you Ikuto… for letting me cry on you" Amu rubbed the back of her neck in an embarrassed manner. "Sorry for dampening your shirt…"

Ikuto chuckled before ruffling the girl's hair "Anytime, but if I find out it was him who was the cause of it again, I'll hurt him" Ikuto's eyes hardened and his voice held no trances of humor.

"You, Utau and Rima, poor guy" Amu laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the now serious mood.

Ikuto stared at nothing in particular for a few moments; he started to say something but stopped himself, deciding against it. After contemplating for a few seconds he turned his attention to Amu who hadn't known what to do while Ikuto was thinking and just stayed quiet. He gazed intently into her honey orbs and Amu swore he was looking into her soul.

"Amu, will you go on a date with me?" She didn't know why but that question sent her heart into a frenzy.


A/N: I missed an update last week and I'm terribly sorry! . Maybe this chapter will make up for it? ^-^''