xii

"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" Nadeshiko asked calmly, an amused smile on her face.

"Though it would explain why you two would often go off alone together." Kairi chimed in. "A secret rendezvous. How intriguing."

Amu flushed. It was bad enough that Yaya was bouncing around screaming about how she was right and she knew it and cooing about how cute they were. The subsequent comment by Kairi only made things worse at this point, as Amu wished to jump back in the pool without a pool float so she could sink straight to the bottom and avoid this conversation entirely. Amu gave an exasperated exhale and shot a glare at Yaya, who immediately quieted down, an apologetic look on her face.

"I didn't tell you guys because I knew how Yaya would react," Amu explained straightforwardly. "I thought maybe I'd get away with pretending to be 'just friends' with Tadase-kun until we got back. Then I was going to tell Nade or Kairi about it, confidently, through text or something since you two wouldn't be so…loud about it." she sighed slightly. "But after you said no more secrets, I felt guilty keeping it...well, secret."

Yaya pouted and looked up at Amu. "Yaya's sorry…I was just excited for you…"

Amu sighed softly and patted Yaya's head gently. "You're fine. You just get a little…too excited sometimes."

Yaya hugged Amu's legs tightly. "You know I mean well, right?"

"Of course, Yaya," Amu pet Yaya's hair affectionately. "I love your personality, don't you forget it. Never change."

Yaya seemed satisfied with the answer and grinned before getting out of the pool. Everyone fell into a comfortable silence as they all seemed about done with swimming. Amu glanced up at the sky contently. In the midst of the pinkish hue of the clouds, she quickly realized how late it was becoming. She gasped loudly and looked around for anyone who had a watch or phone nearby. Naturally, Kairi had one.

"Kairi! What time is it?" she asked hastily.

Kairi, about to leave the pool, blinked in shock when Amu suddenly called out to him. He glanced down at his waterproof watch. "It's a quarter to seven in the evening. Why do you ask? Do you have to leave soon?"

Amu nodded sadly. "I wish I could stay longer but I think we should get going. I don't want to make Tadase-kun's dad drive in the dark, especially if he doesn't know the roads well."

Yaya, disappointed, clung to Amu from behind, causing her to jump in surprise, not realizing that Yaya had even been behind her. Nadeshiko cleared her throat and took initiative to give them an excuse to stay longer. "Well, how about we go to my place and eat dinner? We can't very well send you guys home on an empty stomach. My mother wouldn't allow it."

"Pleasee?" Yaya's head popped up next to Amu's shoulder as she pouted. "Stay for dinner?"

Sighing, Amu looked from Yaya to Nadeshiko. "Alright, we can stay for dinner. But after that, Rima, Tadase-kun and I have to leave."

The others nodded in understanding. "Alright, it's settled then," Nadeshiko said as she stood up and began walking back toward the changing rooms. "I'll get the towels and we can head back to my place."

Everyone changed out of their swimsuits after drying off a bit and headed over to Nadeshiko's place. The walk back was fairly silent. Tadase and Amu were left alone to converse on their own, but Amu couldn't help but notice Yaya kept sneaking glances at them. She tried her best to ignore it and focus on Tadase instead.

"Your friends are...nice," Tadase commented after a moment of silence. "They're a lot more understanding than I had expected."

Amu nodded, chuckling softly. "You know, you can tell me they're weird, I already know they're not the most normal friend group."

"Yuiki-san is a bit of an interesting character," Tadase admitted after a second of hesitation. "Nadeshiko seems overall nice. I can see how she's similar to Nagihiko-kun, besides the fact that they obviously look the same."

Amu laughed a bit more. "Oh my God, Tadase-kun! I didn't expect you to actually admit Yaya was weird!"

"I heard that!" Yaya whined, which only increased Amu's laughter.

"Oww, my side," Amu complained but that didn't stop her from laughing while she held her sides. "Stop making me laugh so hard!"

Amu laughed for a little bit longer, clutching her sides as Tadase tried to calm her down, not wanting to burst something. Amu finally stopped laughing and shortly after that, the group arrived at Nadeshiko's house. Nadeshiko invited everyone inside and soon, everyone had their shoes off and were walking further into the house. Tadase looked impressed with what he was seeing.

As she watched Nadeshiko lead the pack towards the dining area, Amu couldn't help but wonder when exactly Nagihiko had moved out of this house. Amu never remembered Nagihiko going to school with them. Had Nagihiko secretly pretended to be Nadeshiko in front of her before? Could that be the reason Nagihiko seemed to know Amu so well and why Amu spoke to him so easily? Maybe Nadeshiko and Amu weren't even close friends yet when Nagihiko moved away.

For some reason, Amu was afraid to ask these questions out loud. Sure, Nadeshiko seemed to be open about her brother but it didn't seem appropriate for her to ask about that kind of thing. She shrugged as she continued following her best friend. Maybe she would ask about it if she was able to talk to Nadeshiko alone before she left. Once they arrived in the dining room, everyone sat down on the floor in front of the table and Nadeshiko disappeared into what Amu recalled to be the kitchen.

"How's your new residence, Amu-san?" Kairi asked after an air of silence fell between the teens. "Besides the psychopathic jealous ex-girlfriend that you have to deal with."

Amu chewed her lip. "She's not a psycho. Well...she can't exactly help it, at least. She has Schizophrenia and was off her medication for whatever reason. Most of her actions were probably because of this," Amu didn't know why she felt the need to defend Saaya. Of course, a lot of her actions were of her own volition but…Amu couldn't help but feel bad that some of them weren't her own choice. She took a breath and decided to drop the topic of Saaya, switching back to the initial question Kairi had asked. "Anyway, the city is nice. It's a lot bigger than here. I made a couple of other friends who couldn't make it. As I mentioned, Tadase-kun managed to convince me to join the student council, and that's how I met everyone."

Nadeshiko walked back out of the kitchen and sat down across from Amu. "I asked baa-chan to make us something, I hope no one minds."

Amu shook her head quickly. "It's fine. Are you sure she'll be okay on her own?"

Nadeshiko nodded her head and smiled at Amu. "No worries, she does this all the time. How's my brother treating you? I didn't think my dad sent him that far."

"I mean it's not that far from here." Amu shrugged, not expecting Nadeshiko to bring it up so casually. "Is it okay to talk about him?"

Nadeshiko laughed and nodded. "It's not that much of a secret. Everyone here already knows, I assume?" Everyone nodded casually. "See? No problem. Is he being a nuisance to anyone?"

Rima snorted. "Always," she mumbled, not expecting anyone to hear.

"Oh, what's this, what's this?" Yaya leaned forward, interest in her eyes as she somehow caught the mumbled word. "Is Rima-tan close to Nade-tan's brother?"

"What? No!" Rima exclaimed defensively, crossing her arms. She tried to avoid eye contact with Yaya. "He just likes to annoy me..."

Amu eyed Rima suspiciously. Why would she openly lie about being close to Nagihiko when Amu almost always saw them together? Amu couldn't help but wonder what exactly was the relationship between them. Despite how often they hung out, they did always seem to be arguing about something. Perhaps the appropriate term for them was frenemy, but…could there be something more going on that Amu didn't know about? Amu decided not to question it.

"Don't listen to Rima-san," Tadase said with an amused chuckle. "She just doesn't like admitting that they're good friends. He's literally the only one she's hung out with outside of meetings until now. Not even Kukai-kun could get through to her. Though, Nagihiko-kun does often force her around a lot."

Rima flushed and shot Tadase a look, which Tadase either chose to ignore or didn't notice. Then, she immediately curled into the fetal position, forming an almost perfect sphere with her body in the process. That answered Amu's questions faster than she expected. She chuckled softly, looking at the petite teenager. She patted Rima's back gently. Suddenly, it felt a little more special being Rima's first female friend. Amu, not having much to say about Nagihiko, just commented that he was very supportive and nice to Amu, just like Nadeshiko was. The six teenagers continued talking until the food and drinks arrived.

"Wahh!" Yaya exclaimed, eyeing up the food. "It smells so good~ I can't wait to try it!"

"Baa-chan's food is always a crowd-pleaser," Nadeshiko said, bowing her head slightly at the small elderly lady, who Amu hadn't even realized was in the house until Nadeshiko had mentioned she would be making dinner.

The lady left and the six ate in comfortable silence, making occasional pleased sounds as they ate the delicious handmade food. There was also some small talk happening all around the table as they enjoyed their time together. After all, it was the only time left they had to exchange pleasantries and talk about small things. Kairi and Tadase seemed to be getting along better than Amu had expected them to, as they were talking quietly throughout most of the meal. Amu tried not to focus on their conversation, though most of it seemed too...smart for her in the first place. Instead, she had her own conversations, mainly with Yaya and Nadeshiko, and occasionally Rima.

After eating and chatting for around half an hour, everyone finally finished eating and Amu, Rima, and Tadase were slowly getting ready to leave. Tadase had messaged his father while dinner was being made so that they weren't waiting another hour for him to arrive. Everyone seemed ready to send them off except Yaya, who clung to Amu the entire way to the front door. To no one's surprise, she was whining and crying. She remained clung to Amu even as they stepped outside to wait.

"You'll call and text us more often, right, Amu-chii?" Yaya asked with a sniffle as she rubbed her eyes.

"Of course," Amu replied with a reassuring smile and a pat on Yaya's head. "I'll try to visit more, too. You guys can come to visit me, soon, too. Hopefully, by then everything will be covered."

"If you ever need any advice, you know I'm just a call or text away," Nadeshiko said, taking Amu's hands. "Even if you just want to talk."

Amu nodded, smiling at Nadeshiko as well "Thanks, Nade. I'll be sure to give you a call when I need to get stuff off my chest. Or if I just feel like gossiping." she giggled slightly.

After a moment, Nadeshiko pulled Amu into a tight hug. Amu was overwhelmed by the tender sensation of being hugged by Nadeshiko. She returned the hug just as tightly. She had needed this hug; Nadeshiko's hugs always made her feel better. She pulled away after a minute or so, gathering her emotions as she smiled once more at her best friend.

Kairi shook Tadase's hand, smiling at him. While Yaya was still crying and Nadeshiko and Amu were having their moment, Kairi took the chance to lean closer to Tadase. "I've transferred the messages to my phone. I'll try my best to get the IP address and track the location of the number. Message me if you need anything else," he said in a hushed tone.

"I appreciate this, Sanjou-kun," Tadase responded back just as quietly. "I'm glad I had the chance to meet you."

"Anything for a friend of a friend." Kairi nodded, pulling away slightly. "Or I guess, a boyfriend of a friend. Congratulations." he patted Tadase's shoulder. "I liked her for a while but never made a move. I'm glad to see she's in good hands, though. I admit defeat for now. I'll do my best with any task you give me. If you need me to be around in person, I'll arrange a way for it to happen. I can even have my sister hire bodyguards."

Tadase chuckled. "As helpful as bodyguards would be, I'm not sure Amu-chan would be comfortable with that. I don't even plan on telling her about this. I appreciate the offer, though. I'll keep you posted, Sanjou-kun."

Luckily, they were able to hold a longer conversation, as now it was Yaya who was clinging onto Amu again. However, hearing a car horn made them step away and they all looked over to see Tadase's father's car waiting at the road in front of Nadehsiko's house. Tadase was glad his father was able to find Nadeshiko's so house easily and quickly. Tadase placed his hand on Amu's back gently and lead her down the front path to the driveway. Rima trailed along behind. Amu kept glancing back at her friends and waving.

"Text one of us when you get back safely!" Nadeshiko called out.

"I will!" Amu called back, waving wildly as she stood at the back door of Tsukasa's car. Tadase opened the car door for her and when Amu got in, she immediately rolled down the window. "I'm glad I got to see you all! I'll talk to you later!"

With everyone in the car, Tsukasa pulled away and the car drove off, Amu watching her best friend's house disappear in the distance through the back window. It wasn't long before they were heading back to her hometown and the hell that she had to call home. Even so, she would not trade that hell for anything. Living there was hell for her only because of one person, and she had so many people there to supposed her. She didn't need one person's greed forcing her out.

Still, that didn't stop the sudden surge of emotions Amu felt as she watched the city limit sign zoom past as she looked out the window. She couldn't explain what it was because everything rushed through her at once. She wanted to cry and scream but she also wanted to laugh. She tried to mask these feelings, but everyone in the car could feel the sudden change in the air.

It was like a light switch; one second, Amu was happily talking about how fun the day was, then mid-sentence, her words fell flat. Even when she tried to play it off, everyone could tell. It was almost like there was a heavy aura in the air and it felt suffocating to Amu. Thankfully, no one said anything and Amu carried on speaking as if nothing were wrong, although there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm in her voice now. She could even hear it in her own ears; her voice sounded a lot more...hollow.

The reason for Amu's sudden mood change was apparent to everyone, even Tsukasa had an inkling. They knew Amu was tense because of Saaya. She knew that, now that she was back, she could no longer escape Saaya's gaze. Tadase's hand moved to grasp Amu's hand tightly, hoping that the action alone would remind her that he was there for her. He knew better than to say anything to her; he didn't want the emotions she was so clearly suppressing to all come out at once.

It was hard for Amu to focus on anything but her overwhelming feelings of dread and sorrow, though. Her shoulders felt as though someone had dropped a heavy 10kg weight on them, and then held it there on her. It wasn't even that she was hurting...there was just a feeling of heavy weight pressure over her that made her feel like she was...well, heavy.

After dropping a very worried-looking Rima off at her place, they quickly arrived back at Tadase's place. Amu's mood was not helped by the fact it was already dark outside, either. As soon as she was in the safety of Tadase's house, though, she flopped onto the couch lifelessly and groaned. Tadase tried to get her to sit up, but she was too deep in thought. He decided to just let Amu lay there for a while and contemplate her feelings. If she needed Tadase, she would come to him.

A/N: I think this one is a bit shorter? I dunno, my word document says it's a little over 3000 but FFN says just under 3000. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that the software I use counts punctuation as a word, while this place (and probably other places) does not. Anyway, things are going to get a lot more serious from here on out. I've edited a bunch of chapters in advance again and it's...kinda intense (but since I'm trash at writing violence and I don't like harming my characters, let alone other people's characters, it's actually not horrible lmao). Good news is, I've been able to shorten the number of chapters a bit (good for me because Jesus, the original was over 30 chapters).

Anyway, the fun ends here. Welcome back to Amu's hell. :) We're only just getting started.

PS for like 2 seconds I considered posting this on my AO3 but then I remembered I would need to upload the first part and was like NOPE bc God knows I'm gonna end up wanting to edit THAT again as well.