XXIII

Tadase had also briefly fallen asleep, but it wasn't long before he heard Amu mumbling and moving a lot in her own sleep. This woke him and he watched in concern as she writhed. Sweat was also beading along her face, and he gently brought his hand up to wipe it away. Surprisingly, this action didn't wake her.

When she woke up, he saw tears in her widened, scared eyes. He blinked, realizing he probably looked weird staring at her with his arm under her, but his main concern was that she looked so startled.

"Amu-chan are you crying…?" Tadase asked slowly, resisting the urge to wipe the tears away.

Amu quickly sat up and looked around, panting heavily. She placed her hand on her chest before resting her eyes on Tadase, who was also sitting up slowly. She heaved an inward sigh of relief, glad that it was just a dream. Then, she abruptly threw herself at Tadase, much to his surprise.

Before Tadase could even question Amu, he heard her soft whimpers as she clutched his shirt and could feel his shirt getting damp with tears. Confused and even more concerned now, he wrapped his arms around Amu and rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her.

"Amu-chan. What's wrong?" he asked softly. "Was it…another nightmare?"

He watched Amu nod her head against his chest. He sighed softly and pulled her away slightly, holding her by the shoulders. He wiped her tears away, looking her over. Her eyes were dark from her mascara running, staring blankly somewhere just past Tadase. Her eyes were still full of tears.

"What happened?" he questioned, not expecting a response.

Unfortunately, her only response was crying even more. It must have been something really bad if it made her cry just thinking about it. He squeezed her shoulder softly. Amu was practically sobbing at this point, gasping for air as she cried. Tadase frowned and held her close again, pressing his lips against the top of her head without even thinking.

"Everything's going to be okay," he said, swaying her gently. "You're okay. It was just a dream."

Amu sniffled. "Y-you said something similar to that…I-in my dream. 'As long as you're okay, I'm okay…' B-but then you…then you bled out…"

"I bled out?" Tadase tilted his head at Amu, pulling away once more.

"W-well I woke up before you…d-d-died…" Amu mumbled. "But… you had been stabbed…trying to protect me."

Tadase hummed. "Well as long as I died protecting you…"

He hadn't realized he'd said that out loud until Amu looked at him with wide eyes. "Ta-Tadase-kun! Don't just say that! I don't want you to die because of me!" she paused. "I-if anything…I'd die so you could live."

Tadase's eyes widened as well, his body stiffening. "Amu-chan…"

He didn't want her to die on his behalf either. Amu chewed her lip and looked down. She'd gone and said something stupid again. She crawled away from Tadase slightly, eyes glued to the ground, almost seeing a flash of red from the dream on the green grass. She gasped softly too herself and froze, giving Tadase the chance to reach out and grab her hand.

"You don't deserve to die, Amu-chan…" Tadase said sincerely.

Amu looked at his hand holding hers. "N-neither do you…"

Tadase pulled Amu closer to him again gently. He smiled softly. "You deserve the world."

His voice was almost inaudible but Amu heard it loud and clear. Her cheeks flushed hearing him say something like that to her. Did…did friends typically say stuff like that to friends? She chewed her lip nervously.

Tadase, suddenly hyper-focused on Amu's lips, looked down, pursing his own lips slightly. For some reason, he had an urge… he inhaled softly, bringing his hand up to Amu's cheek. Maybe…he could test his feelings. If this felt wrong, then he only thought of Amu as a friend. If not then…

"Amu-chan, could you close your eyes?" he asked quietly. "I-I want to try something."

Amu blinked in confusion at the sudden question and at his hand gently touching her flushed cheeks Regardless, she obliged without much question and closed her eyes. Tadase pursed his lips briefly before leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to Amu's lips. He quickly pulled away in embarrassment. He looked away bashfully, trying not to think too hard about how soft her lips were.

Amu gasped loudly at the brief contact as her eyes flew open. She reached her hand up to touch her tingling lips. Her mind was reeling. Did Tadase really just kiss her? Why would he…kiss her? Of all people why her? She looked around nervously, trying to look anywhere but at Tadase. The ground, the sky, the Sakura, anywhere that wasn't Tadase.

Tadase watched Amu get visibly flustered by his kiss. For some reason, he felt he should be more flustered than he felt, but for some reason he was calm. The only thing he felt was…understanding. He watched as a sakura petal twirled from the tree behind them and landed on Amu's hair.

Smiling softly, he reached his hand out to retrieve the petal. He knew now what his feelings for Amu were. And it wasn't a new feeling either. It was resting inside him for a while, he just hadn't noticed it.

Amu looked over at Tadase bashfully, chewing on her lower lip. As if that helped the fact that he had just kissed her. He placed his hand on top of her hand, causing her to flinch at the contact after what just happened. Somehow, Tadase could tell it wasn't a bad flinch though.

"Amu-chan, could you hear me out for a bit?" he asked, looking into her honey brown eyes.

Amu nodded hesitantly, finding it hard to look away from Tadase's crimson eyes. She managed to tear her eyes away from his to glance at their hands. Tadase squeezed her hand gently in his, enveloping it in his other hand before speaking.

"I'm sure you're becoming aware of this by how much I praise you," he started, "But I really admire you. You're pretty, funny, smart, unique, spunky, talented, and so much more. I know you doubt yourself often and I've heard your self-deprecation so many times but I assure you, you are all these things. Even if people say otherwise, don't doubt your own appearance or abilities.

"You've been through a lot these past few weeks. It probably feels like it's been an eternity to you. From now on, if someone calls you ugly, show them who's boss and be your usual sarcastic self. If someone threatens or tries to hurt you, be courageous and tell someone. I know you're capable of both. You're strong and you've been strong all this time, so you can definitely do it again." Tadase's spoke these words with sincerity and confidence.

Amu felt her cheeks heat up and Tadase watched a delicate pink flare up on her face. She bowed her head in thanks, unsure what else to say. Tadase smiled fondly.

"If you ever need anything, though, you know you can trust me, right?" he continued, absentmindedly caressing Amu's hand. "I'll help you through anything until I see you smile and laugh. After all, I am your…" he trailed off, not sure how to word his next line.

"Friend?" Amu offered. "Best friend?"

Tadase hummed softly before shaking his head. "You know…I don't like that word…best friend I mean."

Amu blinked, staring at Tadase in confusion. "W-why is that?"

"Well, I don't hate the word itself," Tadase explained. "But some cases…best friend just isn't suitable. People can have multiple best friends. Fujisaki-er, I mean Nagihiko-kun is one of my best friends. I'm sure you also have a few best friends too, right?"

Amu nodded slowly. "Well, Nadeshiko was my best friend at my old school but I also had Yaya, Kukai and Kairi…we all hung out together. I guess you could say Kukai was my best male friend even though he was a grade higher than us."

Tadase hummed, trying not to look too disappointed that Amu had guys around her at her old school. "I see…you had a male best friend at your old school too."

"He's like the brother I didn't have." Amu smiled fondly thinking about it. "I think you'd like him."

Tadase tilted his head. "Why do you think that? Are we similar?"

Amu shrugged. "Not really but…he kind of reminds me of Ikuto. But a lot less creepy."

Tadase chuckled softly. "I see. Well…have you ever thought of someone you call a friend…as more than just a friend? I guess this Kukai-san doesn't count if you think if him as an older brother."

Amu hesitated, looking around as if looking for a distraction. "Y-yes…I have."

Tadase seemed surprised by this answer. "Oh really? So do you believe that guys and girls can't 'just be friends'? Or does it depend on the situation?"

"I think it depends on the situation," Amu responded. "Kukai and Kairi both have people they like. If they did like me, they never said anything. I think they just think of me as their sister. I don't think any of my male friends like me that way."

Tadase raised an eyebrow. "You'd be surprised."

Amu blinked, pondering what Tadase was saying. She gasped softly. "Oh, God. It's not Nagi is it?"

Tadase chuckled. "No, it's not Nagihiko-kun."

Amu tilted her head. "Well, then I don't know. The only male friends I have are Kukai, Kairi, Nagi and…" Amu trailed off as her eyes widened slightly in realization. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to speak.

Tadase saw that Amu was understanding what he was saying but suddenly hesitated. Amu said she did like one of her male friends but…what if it wasn't him. Her current reaction didn't seem too promising but maybe he was over-thinking. Still, he didn't want to get rejected and lose a good friend.

Amu's voice broke Tadase from his thoughts. "T-Tadase-kun…could it be…"

Tadase glanced away. "Y…yes. It's true. I like you. Like…like-like."

Amu stiffened as if not expecting the confirmation. She squirmed slightly wondering if she was still dreaming. Her own feelings rushed over her. She did like Tadase back, though she pretended not to because she was afraid of being rejected.

"I-I know this feels like it might be too soon," Tadase said, looking at Amu. "But…will you go out with me?"

Amu felt like fainting. She closed her eyes tightly, opening them again to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She even pinched herself, much to Tadase's confusion. This was really happening. Tadase liked her. Tadase wanted to date her.

"T-Tadase-kun…" she started, unsure what to say.

"Y-you don't have to answer me right away," Tadase said quickly, cutting Amu off. "You can think about it if you need to…"

Amu chewed her lip nervously, shaking her head. "I-I'll go out with you."

Tadase blinked in surprise, unsure if he heard Amu correction. "Pardon?"

"I like you too," Amu said with a confidence she didn't know she had. "I want to go out with you, Tadase-kun."

Tadase's eyes widened in shock. A grin broke out on his face as he threw his arms around Amu happily, embracing her gently. Amu returned the embrace nervously, still not believing this was real. After a little bit, Tadase pulled back and looked at Amu.

"We should get you back home," he said. "You're probably tired right? It's a bit early but a nap won't hurt will it?"

Amu smiled meekly but frowned after. "What if I have another nightmare? I'll never get proper rest if I'm waking up in a cold sweat screaming…"

Tadase hummed. "I can stick around at your house if you'd like. Your dad is still on his business trip, isn't he? Your mom probably wouldn't mind having me over either."

Amu chewed her lip. Tadase chuckled and stood up, holding his hand down to Amu. "I won't do anything funny, don't worry. I'll just hang out until you're sound asleep." he winked playfully.

Amu sighed playfully and took Tadase's hand, letting him pull her to her feet. He didn't let go of her hand when they were both on their feet and gave it a gentle squeeze, causing her to look away bashfully. Slowly, they walked to Amu's place. Both were relieved that their problems were solved. At least for now. And hopefully, they'd be ready for whatever problems came next.

A/N: The final chapter is finally here! There's just one bonus chapter, an epilogue to connect to the sequel a bit better! I guess I have no choice but to rewrite the sequel now that I set the scene haha. But I felt it just wasn't right leaving it how this ends, but it also felt wrong just adding to this chapter.