I'M SO SORRY! I've had writer's block for so long now. This story is at that stage where I'm trying to decide what should happen next... I've also started another amuto story. That's no excuse but I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I think I know what I want to do for the next one to, so I promise it won't take as long.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara.

I remember something distinctly happy and warm about my dreams, but they are disturbed by a loud, high pitched shriek. I jerk forward from my laying position, throwing Ikuto's arm away from my body. A maid stands at the door, eyes wide and covering her mouth with her hands.

"I-I- I'm sorry Amu- sama... I-Ikuto- sama..." I realize that I had fallen asleep in Ikuto's bed... all night. My cheeks immediately color while the maid stammers out another apology, "I-I didn't mean to disturb you, I'm so sorry!" She runs out of the room.

Disturb us? I weren't doing much except sleeping, she was making it sound so dirty.

I glance down at Ikuto to shake him awake, and my eyes almost bug out, "EHHH?!" Sometime during the night he had stripped off his shirt and the covers had slipped low enough that it was easy to imagine he wasn't wearing clothes at all. At least I hoped he wasn't actually naked.

"Ikuto!"

"Mm?" He rolls over slowly and appraises me with heavy lidded eyes. He mumbles something that sounds like 'mustard-mu' and rolls around again, closing his eyes.

I frantically shake him, "Wait! Ikuto! Wake up!" He doesn't even bother turning over this time, choosing to simply mumble, "Too early".

"What?"

"'s too early!" he cries with a sudden burst of energy and throws his pillow at me. He then grabs mine, presses it over his head and pulls the quilt up until he is completely buried. He immediately stills again.

His childishness surprises me so much, I burst out laughing, "Idiot!" But even when I finish, I realize he is still not moving. I sigh, "Fine, fine, I get it. You need your beauty sleep." I glare at the mound under the blankets, "...You're actually asleep aren't you?" I take his silence as a yes.

I just sigh again. Muttering "whatever" under my breath, and I tip toe out of the room.

Ikuto regains consciousness sometime around noon. Even then he still looks half asleep.

I watch him stumble into the garden and fall onto the bench next to me.

When his eyes finally gain back a little more spark I ask, "You're quite a heavy sleeper aren't you?" He shrugs, "I went to sleep late last night."

My eyes narrow, "I say ten o'clock, at the latest." He shrugs again, "That's pretty late."

"Yeah, for an elementary schooler."

"What can I say? I'm a kid at heart."

I roll my eyes and glance over at him. His eyes aren't glazed over anymore so I take a deep breath and ask the question I've been wondering. "So, ah... I said something last night..."

"What?" He looks confused, "Do you sleep- talk?"

"No! I meant the thing I said before I went to sleep."

He thinks for a minute, "Er... Was it important?"

No way... "Yes."

"Um..." He rolls his eyes my way, studying my annoyed face. Suddenly, he chuckles. "Calm down, I didn't forget."

I don't relax, but I do mentally let out a sigh of relief, "And?"

"What?"

"People usually say something back."

He actually looks perplexed for a minute, and stares intently down at his fiddling hands. "You know," He says quietly, "I don't warm up to people easily."

I gulp. "Uh huh."

He glances at me and sighs, turning his eyes back to his lap, "I don't know... I don't like... connecting with people."

"What?"

"No that's not the word..." He looks frustrated but still unbelievably miserable.

I really should've known this was too good to be true. "It's ok you don't have to say it..."

"No!" His head jerks towards me. He's definitely not asleep anymore. "I don't mean... I'm sure I'll be able to say it... I'll be happy to say it... someday..."

Someday? "Great... you work on that." I get up to leave.

"Wait!" Ikuto grabs my wrist, "Look Amu, I've seen what love can do to people... My mom..." He stops and shakes his head with a bitter smile, "No, never mind. It's not a good story." He lets go of my wrist and it falls back to my side. "You can go if you want to. I get it."

He looks so pained and dejected that I can't help but feel sorry for him. I don't know anything about his mother but I can see that it hurt him more than I could ever know.

I sit back onto the bench, "You're a real jerk sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." He kicks the grass at his feet unhappily.

"You're a jerk, you're perverted, you tease me, you annoy me-"

"This sounds familiar." He interrupts.

"But," I continue from the list I made the other day, "you have a castle, you're going to be king one day, you have soft hair, and you're hot."

Ikuto snorts without humor. "Yeah, very familiar."

"You're also kinder than anyone I know, you're cute and you sleep far too much." I grin at him. "You always know what to say, what to do when I'm sad and I like you." I pause, "And lastly, you're worth waiting for."

He stares at me, "I'm worth waiting for?"

"Of course." I scoot closer and kiss him on the cheek, "So I'll wait as long as it takes."

"As long as it takes..." Ikuto repeats to himself, testing out the words aloud. He swallows, "Thanks..." And pulls me into a tight hug, burying his nose in my hair, "You're beautiful Amu, and kind and patient and perfect, and you smell amazing."

He stops to chuckle to himself, "Give me some time, I'll say the L word before you know it."

I giggle, wrapping my arms around his waist, "You better not take too long."

Please comment, it gets me more worked up and I write faster that way. ;)