V

There was a long silence as Amu and Tadase walked back to Tadase's house. Neither of them knew what to say. Amu rubbed her arm subconsciously, the edges of the fabric of the gauze lifting slightly as she brushes her fingers against it. She practically glared at the gauze, including the gauze on her hands.

Tadase noticed this and gave a small, amused smile as he finally spoke up. "You may be mad at that gauze but I'm really glad you're okay, Amu-chan."

Amu gazed at him curiously. "Why is that? I mean- I'm glad I'm fine too, but why are you glad?"

Tadase hummed in thought. "Well…I've only known you for about two weeks. But you seem like a fun person, and I've wanted to get to know you better. Plus, you're too young to die. I'm sure you have quite the future ahead of you, and it would be a shame if that were wasted."

Amu's face lit up slightly in a blush, but she managed a smile. "T-Thanks, Tadase-kun…"

"Thanks? For what?" Tadase questioned, tilting his head in confusion.

Amu hummed and shrugged a little nonchalantly. "You've done so much for me in such a small amount of time. You were the only person who approached me without being terrified of me. You made me feel welcome even if my attitude was a little bit rough." she smiled softly. "So…that's why I'm saying thanks."

Tadase returned the smile. "I just did what was natural for me as class president. Plus, what Saaya did was out of hand. It's only fair."

Amu nodded slowly, unsure how to respond to him. Did that mean Tadase was only being nice…? She'd be lying if she said she was a little disappointed. She chewed her bottom lip and stayed quiet the rest of the way, pondering at Tadase's words.

Before they knew it, they were back at Tadase's place, where Tsukasa was waiting with a fresh new uniform for Amu to change into. Amu didn't have time to attach all the chains and such back onto her uniform, so she just told Tsukasa to throw it away accessories and all. She could always get some later anyway. Or just ditch the entire look and attitude...

Soon, she was back in the school uniform and had neatly put her borrowed outfit back into the box it came from. She was still curious about who these belonged to but didn't bother to ask. It wasn't right for her to be nosey after only just visiting his house. She closed the closet door and started to leave.

"Wait, Amu-chan!" Tadase called as Amu was leaving the house to return back to her own. Amu turned to look at him. "L-let me walk you home. In case Saaya decides to try something again." he paused, licking his lips nervously. "Also…if you don't mind, can I walk you to school too? We can set up a meeting spot if you'd like. I'm just…worried."

Amu managed a nod, grateful that Tadase was trying to help her still. "O-okay. Thanks again."

Tadase nodded as well. "It's no problem, really. Should we go? You lead the way."

Amu made sure not to nod again; she'd been nodding too much. It felt like if she nodded anymore, her head would fall off. Instead, she just started walking, making sure she kept a vigilant eye on her surroundings. She also made a few sidelong glances at Tadase every so often.

They were both silent as they walked, only talking when Tadase pointed out a good spot for them to meet at in the mornings. Tadase quickly explained that if he couldn't make it, he'd be glad to send a friend instead. Amu didn't mind much. As long as she could at least get to know his friends before he started sending them over. Otherwise, she'd probably die of awkwardness.

Finally, they arrived back at Amu's house. It was close to dinner time, so Amu wanted to get in as soon as possible so her parents didn't have to worry for very much longer. She gave Tadase a small smile, waving as she hopped up the steps to her house.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Tadase called, returning the smile and wave sweetly. "Be careful, okay? Don't forget our meeting spot."

Amu nodded, opening the front door to her house. She awkwardly sent a final wave to Tadase before slipping inside and closing it behind her. As the door closed, she fell against the door slightly. She had used up too much social energy throughout the day and suddenly felt very exhausted. It always took her a while to get used to being social with new people, especially after getting used to her old friends.

She took off her shoes and quietly called out that she was home. She secretly hoped her parents didn't appear in front of her until after she had changed. Preferably into something over-sized that would cover her arm and hands. Luckily, it was still cool enough to wear long sleeved shirts and sweaters, so she could get away with it.

Once she was back in her normal clothing, she made her way down stairs right as her mother called out for dinner. She vaguely answered any question asked, even from Ami, who seemed very curious for some reason. Her parents didn't seem too worried, thankfully. Except for her father's usual speech about boys. The rest of the night went smoothly. No one noticed her injuries, thankfully, and for a bit, Amu forgot she was even hurt at all.

The next day, Amu shyly made her way towards the meeting place she and Tadase had decided on. It felt a little weird honestly. At the same time, though, it also felt a tad bit nostalgic, as she used to walk to school with her old best friend at her old school. She chewed her lip as she thought about it, before remembering she shouldn't get too distracted.

Until she reached the spot and could physically see Tadase, Amu tried to stay on her toes, practically jumping at every sound and glancing behind her every two seconds. Thankfully, Tadase was already there, looking as good as always in his uniform. He grinned when he spotted her, waving both of his arms as if she hadn't already noticed him.

"Good morning!" he said in his usual bubbly voice as she approached.

"Oh, uh…right." Amu mumbled, back in her stubborn, 'intimidating' mode. "Morning."

She tried to seem nonchalant and a brutish like the past days, though she felt like her lack of accessories made her less intimidating and more normal. She made a mental note to go look for more accessories to decorate her uniform with. Tadase and Amu walked in silence for a while, Amu too lost in her thoughts to come up with something to say. Tadase was the first to speak up.

"I don't think I told you but, along with being the class president, I'm also on the student council."

"Really? Well aren't you a goody-two-shoes?" Amu hoped that sounded like a joke, despite her saying it in her smooth voice.

Thankfully, Tadase laughed. "Well, I have been called that. So, I guess it's true." he stayed silent for a couple steps. "There's an opening after Saaya left. It seems she was only part of the council because of me, so the moment we broke up, she left."

Amu nodded slowly before narrowing her eyes slightly. "Wait…why are you telling me this? This isn't just small talk anymore."

"Well…" Tadase said slowly, and Amu automatically knew he wanted something. "I was kind of hoping you could fill the spot?"

"No," Amu responded immediately. Though she didn't know why. Perhaps it was just that it seemed boring.

Tadase stared at Amu incredulously. "That was a faster answer than I expected. May I ask why you refuse? All of the members of the student council have been my friends for years. You'll be able to make more friends."

Amu shrugged. "It doesn't really fit with my attitude. Plus it sounds boring. It's just paperwork, isn't it?"

"Can you think about it? Please?" Tadase asked, and when Amu looked over, he had what seemed to be a puppy-dog like pleading expression on his face. "I won't bother you about it until after school. If you decide you want to check it out…well, I'll ask you last period again."

Amu hesitated but eventually nodded. "Alright. Fine. I'll think about it. Not because of your puppy-dog eyes. Just…because you asked nicely."

Tadase grinned. "Great! Then I hope to see you after school. Not that we won't see each other during class."

Amu blinked slightly, but managed another small nod, keeping to herself the rest of the way until they finally arrived at the front gates of the school. Amu tried to fall back slightly, knowing that as soon as the female students caught sight of Tadase, they all freaked out and flocked around him. He quickly greeted as many as he could, but continued forward. Amu could never understand how he could handle having so much attention on him. He was a natural.

The only person he properly greeted was a male student who seemed to be older than both of them, but greeted Tadase with a hair tousle and a headlock. The guy had messy, light brown hair and bright green eyes. He was pretty tall and had earring clad ears. Amu figured he must've been one of Tadase's friends, from the looks of his friendliness towards him.

"Yo, Hotori." the new face said in an energetic voice. "Heard you guys got a new kid."

"Good morning, Souma-kun," Tadase responded with a small laugh. "We did. She's right here."

He looked back at Amu, gesturing for her to walk with them. The Souma guy noticed her and grinned. "Yo! I'm Souma Kukai. I'm in one of the grade 11 classes. Call me Kukai. Unlike this kid who's called his friends by their surname, formally, since kindergarten."

Amu chewed her lip. She didn't know that, yet she made him call her by her first name. Tadase just laughed awkwardly. Kukai hopped around Tadase and wrapped his arm around Amu's shoulder casually. Amu wasn't sure how to react to it so she just looked up at him with what she hoped was an intimidating glare.

"Wow, what a feisty expression." Kukai joked. "You got a name or should I just call you Feisty?"

Amu made what sounded like the mixture of a huff and a scoff. "The name's Hinamori Amu. And I'd prefer it if you didn't call me Feisty, thanks."

Kukai shrugged. "Alright, Hinamori it is. I also heard you made this kid call you by your first name. How'd you do it? I've been trying to get him to call me Kukai since middle school and he still refuses."

"Souma-kun!" Tadase said, clearly embarrassed. Kukai just shrugged at him. "Fine, I'll work on it…Kukai-kun."

Kukai stared at Tadase for a bit before laughing. "Alright, good enough. Hinamori must be a special kid to have the honour of being the first student besides Yamabuki that you call by her first name."

Amu winced at the name Yamabuki. Tadase seemed just as tense. He quickly fumbled to change the topic. "S-so. I invited Hin- Amu-chan to join the student council."

"Oho, really?" Kukai looked at Amu. "You don't seem like the student council type."

"That's why I rejected his offer," Amu replied nonchalantly, shrugging away from Kukai's arm after realizing finally that it made her a little uncomfortable.

"But she said she'd think about it." Tadase clarified.

"Ehh, well, I hope to see you at the meeting." Kukai grinned, winking at Amu playfully. He jumped when the first bell rang. "Oh, shit, I should get to class. See you later Tadase!"

With that, Kukai ran off so fast Amu didn't even realize he was gone until he was already inside the school. Amu and Tadase both made their way to class as well. Even after meeting one of Tadase's friends, though, the only thoughts that went through Amu's mind was the events of the previous day. There was a split second where she thought about the student council, but somehow she came back to Saaya and her attack. How had something happened so quickly? And just because of one person? Was Tadase really someone to kill a girl over, even after a breakup? Well, Amu didn't know. He seemed like a good guy to her. Then again, she probably hadn't known him for as long as Saaya.

Eventually, lunch came around. Amu and Tadase ate together outside again. Kukai popped in momentarily before going back to hang with his friends from his grade. Amu figured it would just be the two of them for a while. Not that she minded. She still appreciated the fact that Tadase had been consistent in his treatment of her. People had noticed Amu and Tadase were hanging around a lot, too. Some people said some rude things, while others, much to Amu's embarrassment, started wondering if they were already dating or had known each other once before. Amu tried to ignore both sides of the whispering.

People also noticed that Amu's uniform wasn't as accessorized as it used to be. Of course, they whispered about that as well. Wondering if she got in trouble and had to take them off, or just wanted to make a statement for her first week. Amu was sick of people talking about her. Didn't they have something better to talk about? She almost snapped at several people out of annoyance on several occasions.

She did get learn a bit more about Tadase that he didn't mention before. His sick grandmother, his late dog Betty. He finally mentioned another sibling, well, step-sibling, this time a girl. Amu figured that step-sister was the owner of that clothing she wore previously. He didn't seem too pleased to be talking about her though.

"Amu-chan." Tadase said after last period, startling her slightly, as she had been minding her own business and not paying attention to her surroundings. "It's time to make your decision. I'd be really happy if you came with me to the student council meeting. Even if it's just to check it out."

Amu looked away. She actually hadn't been able to think about that much at all. She hesitated for a bit, but reluctantly sighed, making the last minute decision. "Alright. Fine. I'll check it out. But I'm not going there to make friends or anything."

Tadase grinned. "Great! But good luck not making friends."

Amu shrugged, tossing her bag over her shoulder. Her hands were covered by some cheesy looking, leather fingerless gloves she had found to hide the bandages on them. No one seemed to care though. It probably added to her intimidating outer look.

"Whatever. Let's go. We'll see whether I'll make friends or not." she said, making her way out of the classroom, turning back when Tadase wasn't following. "Knock knock, Tadase-kun. I don't know where I'm going. At least lead me or something."

Tadase blinked, but managed a laugh and jogged to catch up with her, leading her forward. Amu followed where Tadase was going. It seemed as if the student council had a building of its own, but why that was necessary, Amu didn't want to ask. She listened to Tadase's small talk and stories, piping in occasionally when necessary. It was a fairly long walk, but finally, Tadase stopped in front of an astonishing building that looked way too fancy to be used just as a place for student council meetings. Again, she stayed silent, just gazing up with her mouth hanging agape.

A/N: Hello~ A new chapter for you guys! I'll try to make uploads more frequent, but I'm forgetful and lazy. I have 14 chapters already pre written, probably mainly just needs editing, etc. I hope you guys are enjoying this rewrite. It's fun to rewrite! Ill see you all next update!