Chapter 21

If there was any way possible to command yourself to either die, faint, or turn invisible on command, Amu would've done it already. How is it that she found herself in the most embarrassing situations while with Ikuto?

Amu slowly sat up, leaning against the wall while staring down at the floor. To say she felt awkward would be an understatement.

She quickly jumped to her feet, realizing what she needed to clear up. "I-I didn't mean the kiss was alright, I meant to say that I'm alright! Though, I don't know how I managed to say 'was' instead of 'am' . . . but, yeah. I'm alright, not the kiss. ...Wait, no, the kiss was alright . . . I-I mean . . . !" Amu just overall stopped talking , realizing she wasn't getting anywhere. "I meant to say in my text, that I'm alright." she said slowly.

Ikuto sat there with a raised eyebrow the entire time. Amu didn't blame him for being amused – she looked like an idiot. He then stood up off of the bed and walked over to her. "It looks like you're going to get a bruise." he pointed out while poking her forehead.

The pinkette winced while rubbing the spot he poked. It surprisingly hurt a lot more than it should have. If she was getting a bruise, it was probably from when she had fallen on the ground just a few minutes earlier.

"We have a photo shoot tomorrow, so you have to take care of that." Ikuto stated on his way out the door, gesturing for Amu to follow him.

She slowly and awkwardly shuffled behind him, making sure to keep a few feet in between them. She sat at the counter in the kitchen while Ikuto searched the cupboards for a special ointment that would stop forming bruises in their place.

He finally found the bottle and handed it to Amu, telling her to apply it on the developing bruise. Afterwards, he turned around to leave while Amu began rubbing it on her forehead.

"Oh, right, and don't get it near your eyes." Ikuto added as he turned around, seeing Amu wincing as she squeezed her eyes shut. Too late, she had already gotten it in her eyes.

"I-it stings!" She cried out while rubbing her eyes out of instinct.

Ikuto quickly grabbed onto her hands, pulling them away from her face. "You'll only make it worse." Once searching around the room, he came across the vegetable sprayer at the sink.

"Close your eyes." He advised while bringing her over to the sink. After turning on the sprayer, he aimed it over towards Amu, rinsing the ointment out of her face. She was then told to sit down while Ikuto went to get eye drops.

Amu winced after trying to open one of her eyes. They stung too much to open. She groaned and buried her face in her hands out of humiliation. Would you look at that, another embarrassing situation with Ikuto. She couldn't really say that she was surprised.

Ikuto then came walking back into the room with the eye drops, sitting on the chair beside Amu. "Here . . . try to open your eyes for just a second." he said, holding the eyedropper in front of her.

Pushing the stinging feeling aside, Amu's eyes fluttered open slightly, just enough to let the droplets in.

She bit down on her lip while squeezing her eyes shut once again. The stinging was still there, but she knew it would be gone soon. "Thanks for your help . . . I'm going to bed now." Amu said while standing out of her seat, keeping her eyes closed.

It would've been easy to walk to your room with no sight if you weren't a clumsy person like Amu, who instantly tripped on one of the steps. Sighing, Ikuto walked over to her and held onto her hand while walking in front of her. "Come on."

Amu tried not to blush as he led her slowly up the stairs. She was always in need of saving. She felt bad to be such a burden to Ikuto. Especially now, since he even had to guide her up the stairs since she was nearly blind.

Ikuto glanced down at their intertwined fingers, smirking at how small Amu's hands were. He then looked at her face as his eyebrows slanted downwards. No, there was no way he could possibly . . . could he? Ikuto shook the thought away and stopped in front of Amu's bedroom door, letting go of her hand.

"Here you go. Wake up early for the photo shoot tomorrow." he said with a yawn before walking down the hallway to his room. He leaned against his closed door when the same thought crossed his mind. Could he? No . . . there was no way he could like her.

Just as he decided on that, another thought came to mind. Then, why did he kiss her?

Nikaidou jumped at the sound of an exasperated sigh, followed by a slamming door. He looked up from the photos in his hands, seeing Ikuto walk into the room and sink into a chair.

The photo shoot had just ended, Nikaidou figured Ikuto would be happy about that, and not looking like he did now.

Ikuto sat with his elbows rested on his knees, and his head in his hands. So many things were going through his mind right now. What he had just witnessed, and what had happened just a few days before with his mom.

He had gone to see her to confirm that he would be re-making the song she desperately wanted him to. After talking with Tsukasa and Souko, he then found out that the singer of the song who was so precious to his mom, was actually dead. Ikuto didn't get to know the guy's last name, but his first name was 'Tsumugu'. He personally thought it sounded weird.

It was because of this Tsumugu guy that Ikuto's life had messed up so much. It didn't make him feel any better when after the meeting, his mom had made it clear to him that she was searching for his twin children, and once she found them, she'd make them her own kids, replacing Ikuto.

Ikuto felt sick to his stomach once recalling that. The same day, after that incident, he got home and had to un-glue Amu's fingers. Even as his thoughts turned towards her, he felt sick again.

He had just hurried into the studio to get away from what was happening outside. Up-beat music was blasting out of speakers while everyone danced around.

Including Tadase dancing with Amu.

Ikuto had never seen her laugh like that. It made his insides churn, which resulted in him sitting here, with Nikaidou.

The man could just peer over his glasses at the younger boy sitting across from him. Should he say something, or not? "Are you not feeling well?" he asked timidly, scared that Ikuto would try to attack him. He had never managed to get over his phobia of that blue-haired boy. He didn't even know what it was about Ikuto that he found so terrifying.

Ikuto shook his head. "I'm not sick, I'm angry." he replied.

Nikaidou furrowed his eyebrows, taking a closer look at Ikuto. His complexion seemed a little off. "You look like you're in pain from being deeply hurt." he observed while resting his chin in his palm.

"I'm not in pain, and I haven't been hurt." Ikuto muttered. "I'm just . . . startled, I guess."

Nikaidou ran his hand through his tangled hair, trying not to seem to bothersome. Even if he was scared of the boy, he still wanted to help him. He had never seen Ikuto like this, not to mention, he hadn't even talked to Ikuto this much. Usually it was an exchange of one or two words, then their conversation was done.

"... I thought you said you were angry." he pointed out.

"I'm angry because I was startled."

"Aaah." Nikaidou said in reply as he nodded. "So, you were startled, then got mad, so now you're in pain." he observed, feeling proud of himself for coming up with such an analogy.

Ikuto only glared at him.

"So scary. . . " Nikaidou whispered while inching away from the boy and resuming to look through the pictures in front of him.

A sigh coming from Ikuto made him look back up. "No, you're right. As much as I don't want to admit it. . . " Ikuto exhaled loudly while leaning back in his seat. "I was startled to see her like that, angry that someone else was with her, and after seeing it, I felt . . . pain."

Ikuto looked over at the man sorting through pictures, glad that he wasn't really paying attention to what he had just said.

"I think today's photos turned out very well." Nikaidou stated proudly. "But, now... I have to find a good one of Amu-chan."

Ikuto was about to get up and leave the room, when something that the middle-aged man said caught his attention. "She's still doing the piggy-nose? I wonder if it actually works . . . " the man said to himself.

Upon closer inspection of the photo Nikaidou was looking at, Ikuto sat down beside him, also looking at the picture. "What is that?!" Ikuto demanded angrily while snatching the photo of Amu pushing her nose up.

"Wh-what?"

"What is that stupid nose thing? Amu does it all the time!" Ikuto exclaimed, knowing Nikaidou had some information that Ikuto was missing.

"Oh, that." Nikaidou began while feeling his heartbeat. Stupid young person nearly gave him a heart attack. "I told her that whenever she's with the person she likes and feels like she can't control her exploding heart, then she should push on her nose."

Ikuto nearly dropped the picture as his eyes widened. "What?"

Nikaidou sighed deeply. "Yeah, I'm guessing Tadase-kun was nearby . . ."

"When she's with who she likes . . . " Ikuto repeated in a voice barely audible. Then, if she liked Tadase, why was it that she had pushed on her nose so often while with Ikuto?

Like when he was creating a plan for Amu to confess her feelings, and she was doing the piggy-nose when he turned around to look at her. Also, when they were filming the music video and Ikuto was throwing leaves at her, not to mention just a few days ago when he was helping her get the glue off of her fingers.

"If she only does that around who she likes . . .then . . ." Ikuto's eyes widened as he remembered what Amu had told him just recently. After scolding her about keeping the fact that she liked Tadase, a secret from him, she had replied by saying, "Is it that bad to like someone? It's harder than it seems when you don't expect them to like you back and you try your best to keep it a secret from them."

Ikuto groaned while rubbing his face. It was so clear now. She never did like Tadase, it was always him. "Just ignore my presence! You can't see anything clearly and you don't know anything at all!" Amu yelled. She was right. He didn't know anything.

"Ah, knowing you, I'm sure you gave her heck for making that nose." Nikaidou remarked with a laugh as he placed all the pictures back in a pile.

Without responding, Ikuto hurried out of the room, towards the change room. He grabbed hold of Amu's bag and dumped out the contents, searching for the lock necklace. She hadn't been wearing it at all lately, making Ikuto think that she didn't like it anymore. But, did she still have it? If so, then Ikuto would be convinced that this feeling he had was correct.

He picked it up and nearly kicked himself for being so blind. There were small traces of glue on it. The special thing she was gluing that night was the necklace. Then, the reason she hadn't been wearing it was because she didn't want to break it again.

"How could I have not seen earlier?" He asked himself quietly.

Slowly he began walking out the door, to where everyone else was. The dancing and music had stopped. Everybody was getting ready to go. That's when he saw her. She was staring up at the stars.

It was weird how he saw her differently now. She liked him. It wasn't that of a fan, either. Ikuto was used to be liked by fans all over the world, but not truly being liked in a different way.

"Amu, can I talk to you?" Ikuto asked, not really knowing how he'd bring up the subject.

Amu looked away from the night sky and over to Ikuto, giving him a confused look. "Yeah, sure." The others around them looked impatient, clearly wanting to go home.

"I'll bring Amuto home with me, you guys can go." Ikuto said in reply to their looks.

Kukai sent them a wary glance then shrugged, not minding the fact that he got to go home and sleep after this tiring day. Posing for thousands of pictures got boring after the first hour.

Ikuto made sure they were alone before looking back at Amu. "I'm . . . the one you like, aren't I?" he asked slowly. That was his problem – he was too straightforward for his own good and didn't seem to notice if there was a feeling of awkwardness in the air.

Amu looked down at the grass beneath her, remaining silent. It was about time he had realized it. "I-I know it'll just be weird and bothersome. I'll try to stop if you want me to." she replied quietly.

Ikuto furrowed his eyebrows while watching the girl. Why would it be weird or bothersome? "Amu, I'm loved over the world by my fans. I don't mind if you also like me." he then chuckled. "If you prefer, then I'll give you permission to like me."

The pinkette's hopes began to rise. He wouldn't mind? "B-but won't it make you feel bad? Or won't you be troubled?"

She had weird opinions and outlooks on things, Ikuto noted. How liking someone would make them feel bad, he'd never know. "I admit that I am surprised, but it's not a bad thing. It won't trouble me to let you join as a fan in one of my fan clubs." he reassured.

Words couldn't describe how relieved Amu was. She worried that if Ikuto knew about her liking him, it would bring trouble to him. It was an odd thought, but she couldn't get rid of it. But, now, he was allowing her to. Even if it was liking him just as a fan, she was thankful.

"Th-thank you, Ikuto, for letting me like you." she said gratefully. Now she didn't have to worry about hiding how she felt, or him finding out, or about the outcome of what would happen if he found out.

"Amu, come here." Ikuto said with an outstretched hand.

Amu slowly walked closer to him, confused as she shook his hand. "Welcome to the fan club." he said with a smirk before pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Don't get the wrong idea, this is just because you're a … special fan. You should feel honored." he stated stoically before hiding a smile as she hugged him back.

Amu had to admit that she was relieved with this outcome. It wasn't dramatic, depressing, or terribly weird. It was . . . well, just right.

The ticking of the clocks was starting to get to him. Echoing in his mind and making his head hurt. Tsukasa told him to keep up with the fan mail and to respond to the e-mails, but this was just too much.

The blue-haired boy groaned as he rubbed his face, sending out another message to some unknown person on his fan website. There were too many of them. He made a mental note to remember to keep up with responding to all the messages, or he'd fall behind like this again.

Yawning, Ikuto scanned out of boredom through the list of newest members who had joined, then stopped once seeing a certain user name, called 'pig-rabbit'.

"Eh? Did she actually join the official fan club?" What an odd girl.

An idea suddenly struck him as he clicked on her user name, typing out a message for her.

You need to pass a test before officially becoming a member – Anonymous.

He smirked while waiting for her response, no longer feeling tired.

Okay, what are the questions? - Pig-Rabbit

She had fallen into his trap. Now, he could see just how much she liked him.

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you know about Tsukiyomi Ikuto? - Anonymous

7 – Pig-Rabbit

Ikuto scoffed out loud. "Only seven? I would've felt better if she had said nine." he muttered to himself while typing another question.

Enter your score for how cool you think Tsukiyomi Ikuto is – Anonymous

Even Ikuto thought it was a lame question, but it'd be entertaining to see how she responded.

5 – Pig-Rabbit

"Five. Five!? I'm only average?" Ikuto questioned out of disbelief. Soon enough, he was on a typing rampage, desperate to get a score higher than seven. He failed miserably, getting more sevens and fours.

"Two points. Two." he said dramatically while staring at the screen with his jaw dropped.

According to the calculations Ikuto quickly did, the average score was a five. Right in the middle. He decided he'd ask one last question to see what the overall score would be, and if she was worthy enough to join the club.

He groaned loudly while raking a hand through his hair. "This is somehow more nerve-wracking than when I participated in my first violin competition." He wouldn't allow Amu's score to get below five.

Last question: How much do you like Tsukiyomi Ikuto, on a scale of 1-10 - Anonymous

It was like the climax of a thriller movie. Everyone sat at the edge of their seat biting their nails while waiting for the monster to jump out from around the corner.

Ikuto sat with his eyes closed, hands folded in his lap as he took calming breaths. It was amazing how intense this was.

The small noise of the alert, telling Ikuto he had a new message, made his eyes snap open, slowly clicking on the message and pulling his hand quickly back as if the computer was a poisonous snake.

Once reading the message, Ikuto pursed his lips together to hide his smile, but failed miserably. After a punch to the air and a satisfied sigh, Ikuto picked up the stuffed pig-rabbit sitting on his desk next to him and gave it a hug. Oddly enough, he overcame his fear of rabbits on this night.

100! - Pig-Rabbit