xiv

When Amu awoke again, she was still being held by Tadase. She remembered crying into Tadase's chest for what seemed like hours, but could not remember when she had fallen back to sleep. At first, she thought Tadase was asleep, too, until she felt him gently caressing her back. Upon looking up, Tadase was still comforting her wordlessly, still awake. After her nightmare and panic attack, Amu wondered if Tadase had slept at all. The last thing she remembered him saying was that he wished he could help her. She may have fallen asleep again not long after that, but what about him?

"Are you awake?" Tadase asked softly, stealing Amu's attention away from her thoughts. As he spoke, his voice was much gruffer than usual, likely signalling that he hadn't slept properly. "Are you feeling better now? That dream seemed to shake you up quite a bit."

Amu didn't respond, besides with a slight shrug. Tadase's continued support for her throughout the entire episode no matter how messy she looked at the time―and probably still looked currently―was touching. Amu focused her attention elsewhere so that Tadase wouldn't see too much of her current state. Her messy state would only be highlighted by the sun illuminating the room through the curtains, however. After rubbing her still puffy eyes, she squinted, moving her head back to Tadase's chest to avoid the blinding sunlight.

"Do you feel ready to tell me about the nightmare I had?" Tadase asked after Amu's reaction to the daylight had him softly chuckling. He quickly went serious again as he continued. "You seemed to be suffering quite a lot because of it... "

Although he still sounded gruff, Amu could probably get used to Tadase's so-called "morning voice," as she had heard it described. Perhaps not when he asked about the traumatic event Amu had just gone through. Though Tadase's voice was soft and comforting, mentioning Amu's nightmare caused her to move away from his grip a little, rolling over to face away from him so he wouldn't see her expression.

"I..." As she spoke, her voice cracked slightly, partly due to her own morning voice but mostly due to the slight flashback she had of her nightmare. "It's not something I want to talk about or think about right now, sorry..."

Tadase let out a soft, understanding sigh when Amu turned away. After running his fingers through her hair one last time, he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"That's okay, I just thought I would ask anyway. It's important to me that you know you can talk to me about anything at any time, though. You always have my support, Amu-chan."

She nodded and sat up gingerly, expecting to feel the same way her body felt in her dream. Fortunately, her body felt fine. In a heartbeat, Tadase was at her side to help her to her feet even before she had even fully sat up. Even with Amu's challenges, she still appreciated having someone as supportive and amazing as Tadase by her side. His hand guided her from the bedroom into the bathroom, where he helped her brush her hair gently.

"Why don't we stay in today?" Tadase suggested. The way Tadase spoke almost sounded as if he was afraid that if he was too loud, Amu would get scared. However, it simultaneously made Amu feel calmer as well as distracted her from her thoughts. "The two of us could do a lazy day in our PJs."

Amu managed a smile as she met Tadase's eye in the mirror. "Tadase-kun…you're so good to me…"

Tadase smiled affectionately back at Amu as he neatly parted her hair. "Is there any reason I wouldn't be? Just the very thought of you means so much to me, Amu-chan."

The compliment made Amu's face red as she turned to face Tadase. She took hold of his hands and linked her fingers with his. "Thank you Tadase-kun But…I want to go out. With you…" her face glowed redder at her wording. "I don't want to be confined to a room just because I'm paranoid about my dreams..."

Tadase regarded Amu with concern. "Amu-chan... you know how hard it is for me to say no to you, but ... after last night, I think it would be best for us to stay inside..."

Amu's lips formed a pout as she glanced at Tadase with puppy dog eyes. "B-but it looks like such a nice day… Plus, I don't want to be a killjoy again, Tadase-kun. Can't we just go out for a walk? Please…? Pleaaasee? We haven't gone on a proper date since we started dating…"

Tadase couldn't ignore Amu's pouting expression, so he sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. I know a place where no one will find us. Go on and get dressed. I'll be in my room if you see any more spooky shadows."

Amu grinned at Tadase's response but immediately pouted again at his last comment. She gently hit Tadase on the chest, whining as she said, "Hey! Are you making fun of me?"

With a mock hurt expression, Tadase rubbed his chest and shook his head. "No, I'm being serious. I just figured you'd prefer the term 'spooky shadows' over something...less lighthearted."

Half playful, half annoyed, Amu huffed and gently shoved past Tadase to get to the bag of clothes and essentials in Tadase's room. Tadase left Amu on her own, and Amu watched Tadase walk by her in the hall and go into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. As soon as Amu noticed that Tadase had left his bedroom door slightly ajar, she decided to leave the bathroom door cracked open as well. That way, even if Amu saw any more of those hallucinations―or 'spooky shadows' as Tadase put it―did occur, she could easily run from one room into the other.

She pondered for a long time what to wear out of the small amount of clothing she had with her before settling on a black bralette with an elastic pentagram motif over a mesh turtleneck and one of her signature red plaid skirts. She put some fishnet stockings under the skirt as well. Having stared at her hair for quite a while, she finally decided on two french braids, which she had just learned recently; they didn't look perfect but they would have to do for now. A tiny bit of makeup miraculously found in her bag also helped her look less like a zombie. As soon as she was satisfied with how she looked, she stepped out of the bathroom.

In walking past Tadase's room, she noticed the door was open, and he was no longer there. For a moment, she panicked. It only took her a few seconds to realize foolishly that he probably had finished getting dressed and was waiting elsewhere for her. Having walked farther down the hallway, she spotted him in the living room and headed there instead.

The time it took Tadase to dress was fairly short, so instead of staying in his room waiting, he decided to wait for Amu in the living room. Retrospectively, he probably should have let her know he was going to the living room, but at the time, he was more worried about the decision to go out so soon after Amu's nightmare and panic attack. When he heard movements, he turned and saw Amu, and his concern turned into admiration at the bold outfit she had changed into.

"You look good," both said simultaneously. Their eyes met and they both laughed amusedly.

"No seriously," Tadase said after they stopped laughing. "You always look great, Amu-chan."

Amu blushed smiled meekly. "You're one to talk, Mr. Colorful."

She laughed once more as her hands moved to gesture towards Tadase's outfit, which was the exact antithesis to her outfit. A contrast to Amu's darker, punk-influenced style, Tadase's outfit consisted of pastel hues. He wore a light pink polo tee tucked into a pair of blue shorts. An oversized mint green cardigan draped around his shoulders, perhaps for if either of them got cold. Amu couldn't help but think Tadase wore pink and other pastel colours better than anyone else - girl or boy - to whom she had ever seen.

"Well, you know. I just put on anything that looked like they go well together," Tadase responded, rubbing his nape. "Does it look bad?"

Amu shook her head quickly as she continued to look Tadase over. "No, no, it suits you! It's giving me soft boyfriend vibes!"

"Well, I would hope I give 'boyfriend vibes' to my girlfriend," Tadase said sarcastically with a chuckle. "Are you ready to go, then? We're already dressed so there's no turning back now."

Amu clung to Tadase's arm, grinning broadly as she looked up at him. "Tadase-kun, I trust in your ability to keep me safe. Let's go~!"

As Tadase walked her to the mudroom so they can put on their shoes, he smiled fondly at Amu. However, before leaving completely, they ensured that no one suspicious-looking was around. Within a few minutes, they were walking hand-in-hand to a destination Amu did not yet know.

By taking some paths he had never even known existed, they came to a part of town Amu hadn't had the time to explore before. Her eye was filled with awe at everything she saw as they passed; it almost felt like the first time she stepped foot in the city. A short walk down a side street of shops brought Tadase and Amu to the door of a small coffee shop that was mostly empty.

"Here we are~!" Tadase announced, outstretching his arms and gesturing to the coffee shop. "My secret lair."

Her expression indicated her confusion as she stared at Tadase with a tilted head and quizzical look. "Secret lair?"

"Not many people are aware of this coffee shop," Tadase explained. "It's something like a hidden gem. Whenever I needed a break from Saaya or anything else, I would come here."

"So...Saaya or her thugs won't be able to find us?" Amu questioned slowly.

"They'd have to be hard up to follow us all the way here," Tadase responded with a small shrug. "I purposely took some back roads to get here with as few public roads as possible, too." He tilted his head as he came up with an idea. "How about this? There's a hat shop just a short distance up the road. Why don't we try to 'conceal' our identity with a hat?"

Amu hummed in thought, her brow furrowed. "I don't usually wear hats, so I'm not sure what type of hat would go with this hairstyle..."

"Any hat would look lovely with those braids," Tadase said, gently patting Amu's head with a smile. "Plus, I'm sure you'll look cute in a hat."

He took hold of Amu's hand again without giving her the chance to object or protest. He pulled her a little farther up the road, where there was a street seller selling hats and other accessories. All the kinds of hats she saw in one place astonished Amu; she'd never seen so many in the same place. There were baseball caps, berets, newsboy hats, fedoras, and sun hats, among other items. There were many options, and Amu was already having a hard time deciding which to choose.

"See anything you like yet?" Takase asked, watching Amu carefully as she inspected the different hats. "You can choose whatever you want; I'll take care of it."

Amu puffed out her cheeks as she continued to look at all the hats. On one hand, she felt bad about spending Tadase's money. But, on the other hand, she was touched that Tadase was willing to spend his money on her. She picked up a simple black beret and rotated it in her hand, examining it. Her attention was quickly drawn to a different beret that was an almost identical pattern to her skirt.

"That looks nice," Tadase said, taking note of her sudden interest in the plaid beret. "Do you want to try it on? It matches your skirt, too."

Amu's eyes lingered on the beret once more. She realized she had no idea how berets were even worn. When she realized Amu was confused, the vendor helped her by placing a beret on her head. Seeing how the hat looked on her, Tadase's lips twitched upwards. Amu was given a mirror by the vendor so she could see herself as well.

"Amu-chan, it looks perfect!" Tadase grinned widely as he looked at Amu, standing behind Amu and placing his hands on her shoulders.

Amu blushed as she looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her hair. "I…I think I like it!"

"Well I for sure like it," Tadase agreed, looking at Amu through the mirror, still grinning. "I think it suits you well. Do you want this one?"

Amu nodded slowly and was about to remove the hat when the vendor told her she could keep it on if they were going to buy it. Amu smiled and turned around to look at the other hats, thinking about what Tadase might pick. Amu also found a hat that matched Tadase's outfit just as perfect as the hat Amu had matched hers in a stroke of luck.

As she was picking up a pastel pink, blue and green baseball cap, Tadase tapped her shoulder. When she turned around, he placed something on her face gently. She looked at him quizzically as he just beamed widely, her vision darkened by what appeared to be sunglasses. As she touched her face, she felt round sunglasses with somewhat thick frames.

Her eyes turned to the mirror, then to Tadase, who also had a pair of glasses on. His were normal glasses with false lenses, as well as having a thinner frame. Seeing Tadase in those round glasses almost made her heart skip a beat. Words couldn't describe how good Tadase looked in those glasses. She shook her head and cleared her throat, removing the sunglasses from her face and looking at them.

"What's this about?" she inquired, examining the sunglasses in her hands. "Is this another disguise tactic?"

"Maybe," Tadase said slyly, a playful smirk on his face. "I just thought it would look good with your outfit."

Amu looked away bashfully, her eyes drawing back to the baseball cap she had been eyeing up for Tadase. She took it off its hook and placed it on Tadase's head. If he got to choose something for her, she should choose something for him. She smiled, satisfied with her choice. It matched almost perfectly.

"It's perfect~!" she beamed, pushing Tadase closer to the mirror. "Now we both have 'disguises' that match our outfits!"

Tadase chuckled and looked in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction, "Alright, I'll bite. We'll get this hat too. But we are getting the glasses as well."

Amu rolled her eyes playfully but didn't stop Tadase from paying for the two hats and pairs of glasses. She couldn't help but keep looking at herself in the mirror; she had never expected hats or even sunglasses to look good on her, but she couldn't deny that they did look cute, especially with her current outfit. When Tadase returned, he was wearing the baseball cap and non-prescription glasses already.

"Well, how do I look?" Tadase asked, half-jokingly as he adjusted the hat slightly.

"Handsome!" Amu responded, a little more honestly and confidently than she had expected. She gave Tadase a thumbs up.

Tadase chuckled, a pink hue appearing on his cheeks at the sudden compliment. "Well, I think you look adorable. Now, are you ready?"

Amu smiled and nodded, letting Tadase take her hand once again and lead her back in the direction of the coffee shop. When they arrived, they ordered a light brunch and sat in the very back corner of the shop. While they ate, the two of them talked about anything and everything that came to mind. The prior day's trip to meet Amu's old friends, Rima's seeming attempts at being friendly with Amu, and anything else that came to mind. Amu kept fiddling with her hair, hat, and glasses the entire time, while Tadase would laugh in amusement each time she fidgeted.

"Tadase-kun!" she whined, a pout forming on her lips. "Why are you laughing at me? Is there something on my face?"

"No, no. It's nothing, sorry," Tadase replied, still smiling. "I just think it's cute how you keep fiddling with your outfit despite looking perfect."

Amu huffed and crossed her arms, her face turning red because of the compliment. "I-I'm sorry! I'm not used to wearing this many accessories and these sunglasses keep sliding…" she pouted. "It's no wonder Kairi has to fix his glasses so much."

Tadase chuckled softly at Amu's response, reaching over the table to pat her on the head before changing the subject to make her more comfortable. "Are you done? How about we go for a walk in a park?"

Standing up after finishing her drink, Amu nodded. After collecting the garbage and throwing it in the trash, Takase returned to Amu and offered his arm. Amu gladly took it. They walked out of the cafe and back out into the brisk air. As soon as they got outside, Amu adjusted her sunglasses, and Tadase lowered his baseball cap a bit.

Amu didn't know how to feel about being forced to hide like this, considering she had already been fairly open regarding her relationship. However, there was no way to determine if someone was tracking them, whether it might be Saaya related or not. She knew, however, that the individual who had been following them previously was extremely dangerous. It was kind of fun to dress up and try new things, though.

Still, Amu was glad to be able to be out with Tadase. They hadn't been able to go on dates recently due to the circumstances, so it was nice that she could spend time with her boyfriend once in a while. Amu was getting to the point where she was fine with momentary happiness. They continued walking for some time, finally finding a park with barely anyone around other than a couple of people scattered around.

A warm breeze rustled the loose hairs around Amu's face as she breathed in the fresh air. Amu hadn't even realized what a beautiful day it was until she stepped into the park. It may have just been the fact that she was with Tadase that made her feel like this, though. Rain could have been pouring and she probably would have felt the same bliss she was currently feeling.

The small number of people around her caught Amu's eyes, and she peered around. She saw a family with a toddler running around, a couple sitting on a bench with their dog, and young kids playing football in the distance. She couldn't help but smile. A small smile spread across Tadase's face when he looked over at Amu and saw her smile. Amu was shaken from her thoughts and people watching as Tadase pulled her forward gently. A dazzling smile adorned her face as she looked over at Tadase, her head slightly tilted. Tadase was determined to protect Amu's smile at all costs.

Tadase gestured to an empty bench a few rows down from where the elderly couple were sitting. "Let's sit down over there for a bit," he said with a smile. "I can look for some ice cream or drinks for us. Even though we just finished a drink, there's no harm in getting another one."

Amu nodded happily as she followed Tadase to the bench, stopping to pet the elderly couple's cute corgi along the way. As Tadase sat her on the bench, he gently squeezed Amu's hand.

"Do you think you can manage to be alone for a bit? I'll do my best to be quick," Tadase was already scanning their surroundings looking for anyone suspicious. "If someone seems suspicious to you, make sure they don't recognize you, alright?"

Amu smiled sadly and nodded. "Don't worry, Tadase-kun, I got it. You make sure to stay safe too."

Amu nodded and Tadase quickly pecked her cheek before leaving to find an ice cream stand or concession stand. Amu nervously fiddled with her skirt for a bit. As she watched the toddler trip over a crack in the path and fall, she couldn't help but feel worried for the kid. As much as Amu wanted to jump up to the youngster, she suddenly hesitated, worried she might get caught by whoever had been harassing her, regardless of Tadase's insistence that the area was one Saaya shouldn't have known about. It was more appropriate to let the kids' parents pick him up and make sure he was okay anyway.

Having checked to make sure the kid wasn't hurt badly, Amu drew her attention elsewhere, looking around carefully before sighing and fiddling with anything she could fidget with, her hair, her hat, her sunglasses, her clothing, even her own hands. After a while, she decided to pull her phone out and play some games to keep herself occupied and hopefully not easily recognizable until Tadase came back.

When Tadase returned a short while later, he had two drinks in his hand. Despite being disappointed that it wasn't ice cream, Amu did not show it. She was more delighted that Tadase was back so she did not have to feel so on edge. As Takase sat down, he offered Amu one of the two drinks, which was a cold milk tea from a vending machine.

"I know we just had something to drink but…what's another?" Tadase said, putting the straw in his drink. "I didn't know what to get you, so I just got you a Hokkaido milk tea."

Amu smiled and stabbed the straw into the lid of her own drink. "It's fine, I like milk tea. Thanks, Tadase-kun. I appreciate it."

Tadase returned the smile and took a sip of his drink, which looked to be an oolong milk tea. After sitting in comfortable silence, Amu couldn't help but noticed Tadase stifling a yawn. She suddenly remembered that Tadase had barely gotten any sleep because of her nightmare and subsequent panic attack. Amu put her hand on Tadase's shoulder and he looked over, probably realizing he'd been caught yawning.

"Tadase-kun, are you tired?" she asked softly. "I know you didn't sleep well after…last night. You're free to rest if you want."

Tadase chuckled. "I guess I can't hide anything from you, can I? I don't want to take up the whole bench on you, though."

"How about we go to the grass then?" Amu suggested, already starting to rise to her feet. "There a lot of trees, if you need shade, too."

Tadase looked like he wanted to protest but decided not to, not wanting to refuse Amu. She held her hand down to Tadase, who took it and allowed Amu to pull him to his feet. Soon, they were looking for a nice, shady place on the ground to sit and rest.

As they were headed for a nice and shady tree, Amu found herself feeling uneasy, and she was sure that it wasn't the milk tea. It was against her better judgement that she dismissed the feeling as nothing and sat down at the base of the tree's trunk. Tadase sat down next to her, though he looked as if he wasn't sure what he was expected to do next.

Even more surprising than Amu's poor judgement in listening to her gut was her willingness to allow Tadase to use her lap as a pillow. From her logic, she felt Tadase would probably be much more comfortable on her lap than on a tree trunk or even on her small (and slightly injured) shoulder. He was equally surprised but ended up conceding after questioning her and ensuring she was 100% fine with it.

"If you ever feel uncomfortable, don't be afraid to say something or move my head," Tadase mumbled, an intense wave of exhaustion washed over him as soon his head landed on Amu's lower thighs. "And please make sure to wake me if something happens…"

Amu nodded with a smile as she patted Tadase's head. "I'll be fine, don't worry. Just try to get some rest. There aren't that many people here anyway."

Tadase's expression looked like he was about to say something, like how having fewer people around was just as bad as it was good, but instead, he just yawned. Amu instantly gave Tadase a look similar to one a mother would give to her child who was complaining about not wanting to sleep. "Alright, alright, I'm closing my eyes now," Tadase responded with a dry chuckle.

With that, Amu watched her boyfriend drift off to sleep. Unfortunately, the gut feeling she had earlier came back. Unlike last time, this time the feeling was much more intense. It was true that there were less people around now...but maybe that was what she was bothered by the most. Her late realization was that fewer people meant fewer witnesses in case something bad did end up occurring. Although she tried to shake off that feeling, she was still unable to help but look around nervously and jump at the slightest noise. Nothing seemed to be wrong at the same time as something wasn't right.

Not yet, that was.

A/N: Hey, I'm back again with a new chapter! Sorry for the cliffhanger (if you can call it that, it's more of a curb than a cliff lmao). Things are gonna get a lot more intense in the next chapter but I like keeping my wholesome and my intense separate (for the most part). Consider it a little...comedic/wholesome relief before the real shit happens. And when I mean real shit, I mean real shit.

(we all know what this 'curb-hanger' is leading to by now)

Anyway, I'll see you whenever I post the next chapter. Could be soon, could be later. Depends on how I'm feeling. I'm in a writing/editing mood lately because of an ARG/unfiction/webseries I started watching on YouTube so maybe sooner rather than later? most of these chapters are already edited once anyway, I just re-edit them because even a year later, I see problems/cringe in my writing. (God bless Wordtune for offering me better phrased sentences)