Let's not waste time, okay? XD

Chapter 51: Amu's Friendship

Amu placed all of her dirty laundry in the basket. It had been a while since she cleaned her room. Su was being quite helpful with the picking up. She started cleaning her desk and got rid of trash and paper. She folded her washed clothes and swept the floor. She then went to her bookshelf and started to rearrange the books.

"Amu, here's another one." Su said. She was struggling with a book and so Amu quickly took the burden off of her. Amu tip toed as she tried to reach the top shelf. She scowled as she made room by taking away a smaller book and placing the bigger one in it's place. She stopped as she stared at the small book's cover, it wasn't a book, it was a journal. She looked up and spotted several of them, about six total.

"How odd." Amu said as she opened one of them. She immediately recognized her handwriting. She sat down on her bed and Su looked curiously over her shoulder.

January 5, 2004

I have to admit, I feel so sorry for Yuki. She's barely walked through the doors of Seiyo Academy and already she's treated as a celebrity. At least the attention won't be on me for a while. I have to be honest though, she's beautiful. It almost seems unreal, but she looks more like an angel than anything else. She was so shy, and quiet. Like always, I had to scare her with my weird and mean attitude. Oh well, guess I'm cursed.

She seemed different though, like something I've seen before, I can't put my finger on it. In P.E. we had to race each other, we had a good time, and I found out she was just like me sort of. She was hiding behind a shell, something she didn't want to be. Already I could tell that she was lonely. When we tied in the race, she was so jumpy, so out going. I think she realized her little slip because she started to close up again.

I want to be her friend, but something strange happened. Ran sensed something, like a chara or egg. Could it have been Yuki? There's a possibility. I'm not too sure though, we'll investigate it later. I don't want to screw this up, I'll offer her my friendship. It's the least I could do, I don't want her to suffer the same way I did when I moved here a year ago…

Amu shut the journal with a gasp. Su looked at her with worry.

"What is it, Amu?" She asked. Amu turned to her little chara.

"Su, what if these journals hold something that can recover my memories. What if I had written all of the things that have been precious to me?" Amu asked. Su smiled with joy.

"You're right Amu!" Amu flipped through the pages finding anything that could be useful. One sentence caught her eye.

January 12, 2004

Stupid Ikuto. Already he's trying to steal Yuki's eggs. Just how selfish could he get? We had warned Yuki about Ikuto, the thief. She seemed a little nervous when she left the garden. I worried about her, we shouldn't have let her go home by herself. Tadase then offered to come with me and go after her. He's so sweet!

We found Yuki in time to stop Ikuto from attacking her. I swear I wanted to kill him. Yuki explained to us how he stole her eggs but she got them back. How? She character changed, this time fully. She had done it once when Saaya tried to pick a fight. She was so mean, so different, but cool.

Ikuto had tried to run off but she stopped him. I tried fighting him, but he escaped, I'm sure he'll be back. That thieving cat never gives up. Next time he has the nerve to bug Yuki, he won't have the end of it.

Amu frowned. Did she hate Ikuto Tsukiyomi? Why? Was he really that bad, but Yuki said he lived with her family in America. That he was practically her brother. Was their relationship bad at first? Again she skimmed past pages.

January 22, 2004

The gang and I went to the mall again. It was so much fun. We went to the movies and then later had lunch. You won't believe what we forced Yuki to try on at the store. She had to put on a skirt! I swear she nearly fainted. Now that we know her better, Yuki really isn't that sweet little girl we met. Yaya had grown quite close to her. She looks at Yuki as a big sister.

Rima was being stubborn again, always trying to get things her way. She didn't like anything, I mean, she complained for everything. We tried to look things for her, but they weren't good enough. Conceited much? Well, Rima is Rima, I can't really change her ways. She'll come around, hopefully.

Tadase bought me something! Well it was a small hairclip, but I don't care. I'm wearing it right now! I must say that this was one of the best days so far. There was nothing to hold us back. Kukai, Nagihiko, and Yuki were all over the place in the outdoors and sports section of the mall. Boring, but it was nice to watch the trio trying out bats and gloves. Yuki seemed really happy. I guess you could say it was worth it.

Amu sighed. She couldn't remember anything, it was all blank, all gone. She felt horrible. Su felt her discomfort.

"I'm positive that you'll get those memories back. Don't worry." She said. Amu nodded wordlessly.

January 25, 2004

You won't believe what happened. Ikuto tried to steal Yuki's last egg. The jerk ran off with it. That wasn't it, though. Yuki character transformed! It went wrong though, she was a complete nightmare. It was hard to watch, and it was harder to fight her. She didn't recognize us. She transformed with Rin full of hate, maybe that's what caused it to go all wrong.

She almost killed me…but I was saved by Ikuto. Stupid. He'll never let me live it down. I knew what he was planning. He caught Yuki's attention and led her away from the rest of us. I owe him our lives I guess and Yuki's because he saved her. It turned out that the staff she was using was sucking the life out of her, feeding itself. He pulled it off her in time. At least that's what I think happened, he was no where in sight when we found her.

Her hands would be scarred, that's what Nagihiko told me when he was treating her wounds. I've never seen so much blood and I've never been so afraid. Yuki is my best friend, it would have killed me if anything else had happened to her. As much as I hate to admit this, Ikuto actually came through when we needed him.

Amu clenched the journal tightly as she tried force herself to remember. Nothing came into Amu's mind. Was Ikuto the enemy or not? How about Yuki, was she really close to Amu? Amu was still in the shadows. She folded the corner of the journal to save her place.


"Explain something to me." Amu said as she and Yuki went to the park eating ice cream. Yuki looked at her curiously. A small drop of vanilla ice cream landed on Yuki's baggy pants.

"Shoot!" She said trying to wipe away the mess. Amu licked her strawberry ice cream as she watched Yuki with an amused expression.

"I want the reason why you are hiding some things from me." Amu said. Yuki looked at her in surprise. Amu caught Su and Mai chatting in the distance. She heard Su give a giggle.

"What are you talking about?" Yuki asked. She placed on a hard stubborn look but Amu seemed unfazed.

"I found some journals in my room. I've read some stuff that all of you have forgotten to mention to me. For example, Ikuto Tsukiyomi." Amu said. Yuki flinched. She was silent for a moment, then looked at Amu with a blazing look in her eyes.

"We don't want you to feel bad about not remembering. You managed to recover some of your memories about your charas, so we are hopeful. You'll recover them eventually." She explained. Amu heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes.

"There you go again." Amu said a little annoyed.

"What!" Yuki cried in equal annoyance. Amu looked at her with accusation.

"You're avoiding the subject. Just who is Ikuto?" Amu asked once more. Yuki bit her lower lip.

"Amu, you'll just have to rediscover that one on your own, sorry." She replied. Stubborn, one of Yuki's strongest traits. Amu thought if she got if from Anokoku. Speaking of which, Anokoku sighed in boredom.

"I miss Ran, she used to be loud and fun." She said. Yuki's face became pained. An awkward silence overcame them all. Yuki finished her cone in silence.

"I bet it's not the same." Amu said after a while. Yuki stared at her.

"No, it's just hard for you to get used to it. I don't expect you to become my best friend again in a matter of days." Yuki said forcing a laugh. Amu felt the guilt pouring into her chest. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the day.


Amu was sprawled on her bed as she flipped through the journals.

January 29, 2004

It's finally the weekend! Kukai invited us to his family's large cabin in the mountains. I'm so excited, all the snow and such. When we arrived today it was all perfect for snowboarding. I've never really been snowboarding, but Yuki has. She said it was just like skateboarding; I've never skateboarded either…

I surprised Kukai, however. He offered me a race down a large hill, I accepted, or at least Ran did. I've never been so freaked out, but I character transformed with Ran and whipped his butt. It was the most amazing feeling! Kukai then said it wasn't a fair race since I used my chara. Please! He had character changed the second he said go!

We came across Yuki and Yaya building cute snow figures. Yuki and I tried to build a large snowman, it had to take Kukai, Yuki, and I to lift the snowman's head. I thought it was pretty incredible. Tadase came back with Rima and Nagihiko from the mountains. They had been skiing, something I'm going to try tomorrow. Miki drew this very cute picture of us playing in the snow.

Yuki and I tried to make hot chocolate and it didn't go well. We made it a little too sweet and put a lot of cinnamon. You should have seen Su's face, it was hilarious. After getting it right, we all sat in front of the fire. It felt nice. I've never had this much fun. I hope we stay together, of course we are going to grow up someday, but even so, I know our friendship will survive any obstacle.

Amu smiled sadly as she traced Ran and Miki's name. Amu couldn't read anymore. She placed the journal on her desk and went back to her bed. She wiped the tears from her eyes before they spilled over. She wanted to remember. She wanted to be friends with everyone again, to be together again. To laugh and have a good time. Amu pulled the covers over her head and bid good night to Su.

Amu jumped out of bed as Su cried out happily. Amu looked up at Su who was twirling around in happiness. Amu's eyes landed on what she was holding. A pink and red egg glimmered in the morning sunlight.

"Ran!" Amu cried out in joy. She took hold of Su and Ran's egg. She had two of them now. Amu couldn't describe her happiness. She stared at Ran's egg, feeling hopeful. She wondered when Ran will come out, she's been waiting for quite a while.

"Isn't it great, Amu?" Su giggled. Amu grinned.

"More than great, Su." She said. She held Ran's egg close. She went down for breakfast, and after that she helped her mother with the chores. After she was finished, Amu plopped on the couch.

"What is it, Amu?" Her mother asked. Amu sighed.

"School is over for me. I won't start college until fall." She said. Her mother was silent for a moment.

"How about looking for a summer job. It would be nice to make and have your own money." She said. Amu quickly sat up.

"Mom, that's a great idea!" Amu exclaimed. Yes, she could take up time by finding a job. So the quest began for a job. Amu had to admit though, it was hard, especially in the summer to find a job. Most teenagers worked in the summer.


Amu stopped in front of a florist shop. The stands held so many beautiful arrangements and colorful flowers that Amu was attracted to the place. She stepped into the cool store. She had filled an application before hand and she was later called for an interview. Amu had gotten the job. It was her first day.

Fortunately for her, one of the workers explained the certain things she had to do, like cutting the stems properly and setting the exact right temperature for the plants. Amu hadn't talked with Yuki for a while, in fact, she hadn't talked to anyone. She hadn't told them about the egg sitting warmly in her bag at that moment. Amu was directed on how to make the arrangements, and what colored flowers blended with each other. Amu never imagined that being a florist would be so much work. She had cut her thumb thrice for improperly cutting some stems.

"You did well for your first day, nice job, Amu." Her new companion, Jane, was extremely helpful and understanding. Amu bandaged up her thumb before leaving the store. She trudged home with Su at her side.

"Wasn't today fun? Being surrounded by wonderful flowers, ah, the smell was sweet." She said sighing with content. Amu smiled in spite of herself. It was nice.

"How was your first day at work?" Her dad asked as she took off her shoes. Amu smiled.

"It was okay, dad. I cut my thumb though." She added laughing slightly. He beamed.

"My Amu is all grown up." He said hugging her. Amu struggled against him.

"Dad, please." Amu said. He let go of her. After they had eaten dinner, Amu went upstairs to change. She crossed her room and spotted the journal on her desk and grabbed it. She looked at the cover then sighed. She flung it back on the desk, but as she did so, something fluttered out. Curious, Amu picked it up. The paper was old with age and the writing on it was faint, but readable. She sat on her bed and started to read the letter.

Dear Amu,

I`m going to miss you most of all. You were my best friend, and I love you so much that I`m crying right now. It`s unfair that I won`t see you anymore. I wanted to let you know that I was moving, but I didn`t want to ruin the last weeks we had together. You are a big part of me. We laughed together, cried together, did so many things together. You understood me most of all, and knew me better than anyone. You were like a sister to me, always there when I needed you. You risked your life to save me from Easter, and if anything happened to you, I would take the first plane back to Japan. Life won`t be the same for me anymore, not with you not there. There won`t be a day where I won`t think of you. It`s hard to explain really, but the past three months were the best of my life. I promise you one thing Amu, I`m going to come back to you one day. I don`t know when I`ll see you again, but I`ll look forward to that day. I won`t forget you, because we have a bond that`s everlasting. I won`t be the exact same person as before, but our friendship won`t change. We are the best of friends, together through thick and thin. Whether we are near each other or not, I know there won`t be a time where we won`t think of each other. I know it`s cruel of me to tell you goodbye this way, but I don`t think I would have survived it in person. I know you won`t forget about me, so I`m at ease. If you ever come across anyone who needs their heart unlocked, do it in my part as well. Keep doing a great job Joker, and know that I`m thinking about you always.

Amu recognized Yuki's handwriting. This must have been when Yuki left six years ago to America. Yuki had forgotten to tell her the part about the letter.

I know you won`t forget about me…

Amu let out a small sob. She had forgotten.

"Amu?" Su said in a worried voice.

Now Amu understood the hurt she was causing Yuki. They had a special friendship, and Yuki had offered all of her patience. She never realized all about the pain and how important the bond she had with Yuki.

"I want to remember, I want to be her friend again, to be with all of my friends." Amu cried. Su became strangely quiet. Amu glanced at her and saw that Su was staring at her bed with eyes wide with joy. Amu turned in time to see Ran's egg pop open. Ran sneezed and then smiled.

"Finally, it took you long enough." She said laughing. Amu took hold of Ran gently and looked deeply in her pink eyes. It was just like Su, images raced through her mind. Every detail of everyone, every detail of their adventures. She remembered Yuki. Yuki, with her outgoing nature and bold confidence. Yuki, who was practically her sister, whom she counted on.

"Yuki!" Amu cried out loud. "I remember! I remember everything!" Ran let out a huge cheer.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked. Amu looked at Ran and then bolted for the door. She sprinted downstairs and put on her shoes.

"I'm going to Yuki's!" She called as she slammed the door shut behind her. It was dusk as Amu raced down the side walk. She character changed and jumped high into the air. Ran glided next to her, laughing. Amu was so happy that she remembered her best friend. The memories shifted in her mind. She landed in front of the apartment and frantically knocked on the door.

"Calm down." Ran giggled. Souko opened the door.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this, but I need to talk to Yuki." Amu said entering the kitchen. She then froze. Leaning on the counter was a young man. His dark blue eyes pierced hers. They burned, leaving her speechless. It was that mystery man, Ikuto Tsukiyomi…