A/N: Happy Christmas everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Chapter Nineteen

Ikuto woke up to the feeling of someone moving abruptly.

He knew it was Amu, sitting up and frowning at him, but he was exhausted and in pain. Rather than confront her first thing, he decided to turn away, hoping that she was assume he was still sleeping as he pulled the covers up to cover him better.

"You should be sleeping on the floor!" she huffed at him, tucking the covers back towards her to no avail.

"I'm sick," he replied bluntly, truthfully, but the tone of his voice made Amu think he was messing with her. "And besides, you're the one who dragged me here," he added, closing is eyes and attempting to get more sleep as Yoru yawned by his head.

It was true.

The blue haired teen had been just find spending his time collapsed on the floor of the greenhouse in the park, writhing in pain and wishing that he wasn't worrying Yoru so much. Then, a flash of pink hair had obscured his vision as Yoru's panicked yelling reached his ears.

In his daze, he had thought it was Sakura.

A warm hope had washed through him and his shoulder had relaxed, his whole body uncoiling as much as the pain and sickness would allow.

She was back, she had found him, and forgiven him.

Sakura was with him.

Then the pinkette spoke, and it was Amu.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, Ikuto stretched out his muscles, yawning loudly, with Yoru coping his movements above him.

{-}

Stretching first thing in the morning is one of the best feelings in the world.

As Sakura pushed her arms up and her legs down, taking up more vertical space than she normally would, she felt almost as though she had no worries in the worlds. It was another beautiful day, the sun was bright and she could smell omelettes cooking downstairs. Nothing could ruin this.

A spike of pain shot down her spine and her body curled up, finding Iku-chan and clutching him tightly.

Easter could ruin anything.

Beep-Beep

Sakura got out of bed and headed to her dresser, picking up her phone and seeing that she had a text.

Saku-chi! Call me after breakfast! :)

-Yaya x

Raising an eyebrow at the ambiguity of the message, Sakura smiled a little, sending a message back saying that she would.

After getting ready for the day, Sakura walked slowly down the stairs, aware that the pain could come back at any moment. She felt constantly sick now, but the pain had lessened. As she sat at the table and Temari served her an omelette, she noticed the siblings watching her warily. They had noticed something was off about her, of course they had, but they said nothing.

"Good morning," Sakura muttered, trying to ease their concerns.

"Morning," Kankuro replied, the first of the quartet to stop staring.

"Any plans for today, Sakura-chan?" asked Temari, moving to sit. Sakura shrugged slightly, poking at her breakfast.

"Nothing much," she mused. "Yaya texted me earlier, so I might see if she wants to hang out."

"It's White Day!" Temari gasped, looking between Sakura and her brothers, all of whom shrugged. "Does anyone have plans?"

"I'm going to spend the day painting my new puppet," responded Sasori.

"I was gonna head to the park and play soccer," shrugged Kankuro.

"I'm packing," Gaara mentioned casually, only to have the table turn to him in surprise.

"Packing for what?" frowned Temari.

"I asked Naruto if I could live with him, and he agreed," Gaara told them, "So did his parents."

"Were you going to ask me?" Sasori questioned with a frown. "Gaara, if you're unhappy here, that's something you need to tell me."

"I'm not unhappy here," the youngest assured. "I'm just…not as happy as I was in Gakure."

"…You think you're the only one?" Temari scowled. "My boyfriend lives in Gakure. I miss him, but you don't see me packing up to move back."

"I miss my old friends," Kankuro agreed, "but we moved here to help Sakura."

"You didn't have to," Sakura cut in, suddenly feeling guilty. "I've lived on my own before – I am more than capable of doing it again."

"You shouldn't have to, Sakura," Sasori muttered, glancing at her. "There are a lot of people in your life who care about you – you shouldn't have to be alone."

"If there are so many people around who care about me, then why did it have to be you guys who gave up your lives to keep me company?" she challenged, but her aggression filtered out almost the instant it flared up. "I appreciate the thought, but I would hate myself if I was keeping you guys from being happy."

"Then it's settled," Sasori hummed. "We'll move back to Gakure."

"So suddenly?" gasped Temari.

"I'd hate to keep anyone waiting, Temari."

"W-What about Sakura? Shouldn't we find someone to take care of her?"

"We will take care of her," the oldest decided. "She's coming with us."

"W-What?" Sakura stuttered. "You're kidding. You're kidding, right? That's not something you can just decide! You're joking!"

"I'm completely serious," Sasori assured. "I've been talking to Itachi and Deidara recently. I miss my life back in Gakure, too. When we all moved out here, I honestly didn't expect us to be here long. I knew Gaara and Temari would miss it most, Kankuro would get homesick too, and I thought that perhaps you, Sakura, would realise you had a better life in Gakure."

"My life here is fine," she scowled. Sasori stared her down.

"This is the place where you had your heart broken," he said bluntly, causing her to flinch, "repeatedly."

"Heartbroken?" frowned Temari. "What is he talking about?"

"Don't," Sakura warned Sasori, standing from the table. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"A week, Sakura," Sasori called after her as she walked up the stairs. "In one week, we'll be moving."

"Make me," Sakura muttered to herself. Nanami saw the determination in Sakura's eyes and smiled.

Once she reached her room, Sakura picked up her phone and dialled Yaya.

"Hello?" the orangette answered after a few rings.

"Hi, it's me," Sakura replied. "You wanted to talk?"

"Saku-chi!" Yaya cheered. "There's a sale today! You wanna come shopping?"

"Sounds fun," the pinkette agreed. "Just us?"

"I'm going to invite Amu-chi, too," the other girl said. "She mentioned that she wanted to go. So, just the three of us."

"Cool," Sakura responded. "Where should I meet you?"

"In town in about an hour?" suggested Yaya.

"Will do. Bye."

"Bye-bye!"

{-}

She left her house silently, hoping not to have another run-in with Sasori that would result in another argument. She was still slightly stunned after he had suddenly declared their return to Gakure, and Sakura was still not sure how to counter the man's points. They all missed Gakure, and their lives were comparably better. Even in a more childish sense, it was four against one.

Still, Sakura kept thinking through all the reasons to stay, mostly coming up with names rather than things. The guardians; she was friendly with them, and she knew that they were her best chance at getting her other Charas back. Tadase knew a lot about Heart's Eggs and, for everything he didn't know, she could then ask the Chairman. Honestly, she was surprised she hadn't thought of it before.

Kukai; she was never sure where she stood with him. They were friends – that much she knew – and they were very close when they spoke. They just didn't speak much – one would seek the other out every now and then. Sakura mentally resolved to talk to Kukai more often.

Ikuto…she wasn't sure she could use that excuse anymore. She hadn't seen him since she came back, and he was clearly in no hurry to reconnect.

Then there was Yaya – she couldn't leave the younger girl again. She missed her too much, she was probably her closest friend. Yaya, who offered her a place to live once. Yaya, who was the first to discover her secret and kept it. Yaya, who was always inviting her places and making sure she was filling some kind of quota for socialising.

She couldn't leave, even if it was just for Yaya.

"Saku-chi!" a happy, hyper voice called out and Sakura looked up to see the object of her musing waving at her across the street. Smiling at the orangette, Sakura moved in her direction.

"Hi, Yaya," she greeted as the younger girl hugged her, seeing Pepe do the same with a surprisingly receptive Nanami. "Is Amu meeting us inside?" she asked, not seeing the other pinkette in the vicinity.

"No, Amu-chi had to study," pouted Yaya before she brightened again. "But, that doesn't matter, because look who I found!" she announced proudly, pushing another body towards the suddenly stunned Sakura.

"K-Kukai!" she half-yelped, taking a step back so Yaya's shove didn't end up sending them crashing into each other. "What're you doing here?"

"I was looking for a new soccer ball," he shrugged, easy grin sliding into place as he found his balance. "Yaya kinda kidnapped me from the sports store."

"Yaya," Sakura scolded half-heartedly, rolling her eyes. "I doubt Kukai wants to come shopping with us."

"No, it's fine!" Kukai cut in quickly. "It'll be fun. At the least, I can help carry your bags!"

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly, wanting Kukai to nod and come along and spend the day with them, but also somehow dreading the hopeful look in his eyes when he glanced at her.

"Yeah, no worries!" he grinned, folding his arms behind his head.

"Then, it's settled!" announced Yaya triumphantly, a devious gleam in her eye matching the glint in Pepe's. "Let's go, before all the good stuff is gone!"

"Let's go – dechu!" echoed Pepe in agreement.

Yaya took the lead, charging towards the sale with vigour, Sakura and Kukai trailing behind at a far more sedated pace. They walked side-by-side, hands occasionally brushing, though Sakura did her best to pay this no mind, even as her cheeks turned slowly pinker.

"Who's this?"

"Oh," Sakura realised, turning her head to see Nanami shaking hands with Daichi. "This is Nanami."

"Where's the girls?" asked Daichi with a slightly frown. It was no secret that he got along best with Sakura's Charas, much like Kukai got along with Sakura.

"It's…a long story," sighed Sakura. "Short version is that Nanami's here to help me realise something, and the girls are hibernating to make it clearer. They're fine, though. They'll be back," she assured, for all that she was unsure herself.

"I'm sure they will," Kukai agreed as though he had sensed her uncertainty and sought to relieve it. "This is probably for the best. I can't imagine how difficult it gets to make decisions when you're fighting with all the different sides of yourself."

"That's…true," Sakura nodded, blinking in surprise. As much as she missed them, since the girls had left, her decisions had been quicker and easier to make.

"Not to mention, it's made you more social!" he grinned. "Before, you were surrounded by your Charas, so you never felt lonely. Ah, no pun intended!" he laughed, thinking of her transformations.

"Good point," the pinkette smiled back.

"Besides," he continued, "knowing you, I know you won't give up until you figure out what you need to and have them back. So, don't worry about it!" he smiled, Sakura unable to keep from returning the expression gratefully.

She glanced over at Yaya to make sure they weren't leaving her out, but the orangette was looking between Sakura and Kukai with a knowing smirk that made Sakura blush a little. Suddenly conscious of how closely they were walking, she took a subtle step to the side, increasing the distance and glancing at Yaya again.

"Hey, this is your shopping trip," she stated, forcing her tone to sound casual as she gestured to the space between her and Kukai. "You want to walk up here with us?"

"Okay, Saku-chan!" Yaya sang, bounding towards them and leaping on Sakura's other side, clutching onto her arm as she pushed Sakura and Kukai back together.

"Whoa, easy, Yaya!" Kukai laughed, steadying the girls by wrapping his arm around Sakura's shoulders.

"Sorry!" Yaya giggled, not letting go or letting Sakura step away from Kukai again.

'The little sneak,' Sakura thought, narrowing her eyes at Yaya while the orangette merely grinned. 'Knows exactly what she's doing. She's… Wait, is this… Is this a setup?!'

Suddenly nervous, Sakura walked stiffly the rest of the way, not able to keep up with Yaya and Kukai chatting. Her eyes landed on the shop in front of them and she mentally counted how many steps they had left to take. How much longer she had to be lodged between Yaya and Kukai – at least one of whom had an ulterior motive for this trip.

As they entered the shop, she made a show of looking interested in the items for sale, moving away from Kukai and down an aisle filled with various scarves.

After her brisk walk into the aisle, Sakura glanced behind her, seeing that Yaya had dragged Kukai off towards the jewellery section, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel slightly nervous around him. She had never felt like that with Kukai before, but there was something about the way he looked at her, about how close he was standing, that worried her.

Without her permission – not that it ever waited for that – Sakura's mind summoned the memory of the last time she had felt like this around Kukai.

The time he had almost kissed her.

Suddenly feeling a hundred times more nervous, Sakura began to pace the aisle, gaining more than a few odd looks from other shoppers. Her mind raced, wondering what his plan was with coming along, and if Yaya had truly 'kidnapped' him, or whether the pair had planned this.

Then she felt guilty. Not for panicking over Kukai's intentions, but for the brief moment where she entertained being flattered by them.

Ikuto's name soared through her thoughts, condemning her for thinking of Kukai as more than a friend, and she didn't fully understand why. She and Ikuto got along well, and she was fond of him. Honestly, she was more than fond, she was…

Sakura stopped pacing, her heart began beating strong and fast. She had almost admitted, even if only to herself…

She felt… Ikuto was…

"Saku-chi!" Yaya's happy voice chimed over her worries. "There you are! You ran off as soon as you got inside! Did you see something pretty?"

"I – err, I thought I did," she lied, shrugging. "Turns out it wasn't that nice close-up. Have you found anything?"

"Lots of stuff!" she smiled. "I wanna go and look to see if there's anything else I like. You guys should look for stuff, too!" she insisted, darting off again and leaving Sakura with Kukai.

"She's kinda hyper today," laughed Kukai, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"She's hyper every day," corrected Sakura, relaxing slightly. She needed to stop overthinking. Kukai was probably her best friend, best guy friend anyway, and she enjoyed hanging out with him. "I think there's some cool stuff over here," she gestured, heading down one of the nearby aisles with the boy following behind her. "So, you team captain of your middle school soccer team yet?"

"Nah," he snorted. "They save that for third years."

"Shame," sighed the pinkette. "You'll be MVP for sure, though."

"Thanks," he grinned, puffing up in confidence as the pair fell into their usual ease with each other. "What about you? Still doing your doodles?"

"I compliment your athleticism and you call my drawings 'doodles'. Well, I know where I stand now," joked Sakura, throwing him a small grin. "I don't draw much anymore. Haven't really thought about it, honestly. There's…I just have a lot of other stuff going on, I guess."

"Ah," he nodded understandingly. "Stuff like Nanami appearing and the others going away?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Stuff like that. It's hard, y'know? Well, I guess you don't, actually. I'm the only failure who lost their Charas."

"You're not a failure, Saku-chan," Nanami assured quietly.

"Never say that, Sakura," Kukai agreed with her Chara, taking the pinkette's hands in his. "I… You're right, I don't know how you feel. I can't even imagine; but Nanami's here, and it's not like they're gone forever! You just gotta keep hope alive, y'know? Everything will work out," he grinned.

"Thanks, Kukai," Sakura smiled, stepping slightly closer. "I always feel better after I talk to you. I'm really…I feel really lucky to have you."

"Hey, guys!" Yaya sang, appearing near them and coming to a stop when she saw their joined hands. "Am I…interrupting?" she asked slyly.

"No, we –" Sakura cut herself off when she tried to move away from Kukai, only for him to tighten his grip.

"Sakura…" Kukai began, looking down at their interlocked hands. "I need to say this. I said it before, and I should have tried again, but I didn't. If I don't say it now…"

"Kukai, what is it?" she asked with a frown, now slightly worried. She glanced over at Yaya, but the younger girl only grinned and ducked away down a different aisle, leaving Sakura and Kukai alone.

"I…For a long time, you've been one of my best friends," he began, letting go of her hands and taking a deep breath. "I always liked that you came to me whenever something was wrong, and I like making you smile again when you're upset. Just…Just tell me you feel the same?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded, nervous about the question and hoping she was misinterpreting the situation. "I consider you one of my best friends, too."

"No!" he groaned, clutching his hair in frustration. "I'm not explaining this well."

"Then just say it," the pinkette sighed. "I don't understand what you're trying to ask me, so just ask plainly."

"Will you go out with me?"

"…We are out."

"Not what I meant," he dead-panned, meeting her eyes to see if she was teasing him. "Sakura, I really like you –"

"I like you too."

"– as more than a friend."

"Oh," she muttered, staring at the boy in front of her. This is what she had hoped to avoid. After the last time, she had hoped he could accept just being friends.

Sakura's mind ground to a halt, all processes ceasing as she looked at Kukai with a mixture of amazement and hesitation in her eyes.

He was her friend, probably the only one she felt safe to go to with almost anything. When Kairi confessed, she was stunned simply because no one had confessed to her before, aside from Yuki, but that didn't count because she thought she was a boy. With Kukai…she hadn't wanted him to like her that way. Not that she had wanted Kairi to, but it wasn't dangerous to push Kairi away like it was with Kukai.

With Kukai…

She…She might like him, too, but…

Ikuto. Ikuto. Ikuto.

"Kukai…" she began, not sure how she could explain her feelings.

Ikuto. Ikuto. Ikuto.

"Please, Sakura," he frowned, "don't reject me again just because you're not sure. If you don't like me, that's fine. If you do…at least give this a chance."

"I don't know."

Ikuto. Ikuto. Ikuto.

"I'm sorry."

"Sakura!"

His yell echoed as she turned and ran out of the shop, fists clenched and eyes watering.

{-}

Ikuto sat in the closet, listening to the Boy King asked Amu's permission to fall in love with her.

Yoru was sniggering to himself and, though Ikuto could also see the humour in the awkward confession, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. It has been months since he had last spoken to Sakura. He had seen her only days ago, when she came over to Amu's house, and rather than soothe his need to be around her, it only made him miss her more.

The young lovebirds only made the sting that much worse.

Knock-knock

"Amu-chan~!" Amu's mother sang as she opened the door, peering in at the red-faced pair sitting on the edge of the bed.

"W-What is it?" stuttered the pinkette, still flustered after the King's words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she giggled. "You have another guest."

"Y-Yeah? Who is it?"

"Sorry, Amu. I didn't want to bother you, but your father insisted."

Sakura.

Ikuto sat straighter in the closet, joining Yoru as he peaked through the gap.

{-}

Sakura paused outside Amu's house, watching the taller girl's father run back and forth, tears streaming down his face.

After the scene in the shop, Sakura needed to talk to another girl, and also plant the seed that she might be moving back to Gakure. Amu could be a busybody when she wanted, and it might work in Sakura's benefit if Amu helped her find somewhere else to stay while the Sabaku siblings moved. Also, concerning Kukai, talking to Yaya was clearly off the table, and she had never really connected with Rima. Temari was also not an option out of the fear that she would simply shrug and say it wouldn't matter once they moved.

Now, however, Sakura was regretting her choice to stop by Amu's house.

"Maybe this was a bad idea…" she muttered, taking a few steps back.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" called Amu's mother, recognising the pinkette through the living room window. She hurried to the front door and opened it. "Hello!"

"H-Hello, Hinamori-san," Sakura greeted politely, bowing to Amu's mothing. "I was just hoping to speak with Amu for a while."

"Oh, of course," the matriarch nodded happily. "She's got a friend upstairs right now, but I'm sure she won't mind you popping in for a moment."

"…Who is it?" she asked, feeling an almost dread. If Ikuto was with Amu…

"Tadase-kun," Amu's mother smiled and Sakura felt herself relax.

Of course, it was Tadase. Why would Ikuto be here?

"I don't want to intrude," she said, taking a step back.

"Please intrude!" Amu's father wailed, suddenly on his knees by Sakura's side, hands clasped and tears dropping from his eyes.

"U-Umm," she trailed off, taking a nervous step back, before glancing up at Amu's mother, who was still smiling happily. "I-I guess, I got a couple of minutes."

"Please, come in," welcomed Amu's mother, showing Sakura into the house and taking her coat and scarf, hanging them beside what the pinkette recognised to be Tadase's winter wear.

"Hello, Ami-chan," Sakura smiled, greeting the youngest Hinamori.

"Ah! Super Sakura-chan!" Ami gasped, grinning widely as she ran at Sakura and hugged her around the legs. "Onii-chan!"

"Now, now, Ami," her mother cajoled softly, "It's Onee-chan."

Not wanting to get into the reason behind Ami's insistence, Sakura turned to the matriarch and smiled. "Is Amu in her room?"

"Oh, yes, I'll take you upstairs," the woman offered, leading the way towards her oldest daughter's room. While unnecessary, Sakura was glad that it might lessen the awkwardness slightly.

Knock-knock

"Amu-chan~!" Amu's mother sang as she opened the door, peering through the slightly opened door with Sakura stood behind her.

"W-What is it?" she heard Amu stutter, sounding slightly flustered.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," her mother giggled, clearly amused by whatever was on the other side of the door. "You have another guest."

"Y-Yeah? Who is it?" asked Amu. Sakura suddenly felt a hundred times more uncomfortable, but she couldn't back out now. So, when Amu's mother opened the door wider to let Sakura in, she walked into the room with a well-practiced air of nonchalance.

"Sorry, Amu," she began apologetically, taking in Amu's red face and Tadase's pink cheeks. "I didn't want to bother you, but your father insisted."

"A-Ah, I see," Amu accepted graciously.

"I'll leave you to it, then," her mother smiled, leaving and closing the door behind her. Nanami immediately floated in and settled herself with Ran, Miki, Suu, and Kiseki.

"Hello, Hotori-san," Sakura greeted pleasantly. "How are you?"

"Very well, Haruno-san," he replied with equal polite friendliness. "Yourself?"

"I'm fine," she nodded, wallowing in the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"So, what brings you here?" Amu questioned.

"Yaya and I went shopping earlier," Sakura explained, pulling out a bag. "I wanted to… Something happened, and I needed to talk to someone about it. I didn't expect you to have company."

"Really?" the surprised taller girl gestured for Sakura to sit on the bed with them. She climbed up, sitting with her legs pulled up and her back to the wall, unknowingly pulling herself directly in Ikuto's line of sight, while Amu and Tadase remained kneeling towards the other side.

"I feel kinda silly just showing up," sighed the girl, "but I needed to get some advice and you're probably the best person to talk to," she admitted, leaving out that Amu was the only person she could talk to.

"What is it?" asked Amu, frowning slightly at the serious look that crossed Sakura face.

"Would I be better if I left?" suggested Tadase, missing the crushed look that appeared on Amu's face, even though Sakura didn't. The smaller pinkette shook her head.

"You can stay," she allowed. "In fact, it might be good to get a guy's opinion on the matter. Both of you have to keep it a secret though. You take this to your graves."

"Of course," Tadase and Amu agreed instantly.

"Okay," nodded Sakura, taking a breath. "I…I ran into Kukai…"

After recounting the events that followed, including being ditched by Yaya, Kukai's confession, and her cowardly fleeing, Sakura peeked up at the pair before her. They were both contemplating what to say, what advice to give, even how to react, when Sakura saw a flash of movement in the closet across from her.

"Hey, Amu, is there something in your closet?"

"D-Don't change the subject!"

"Honestly, I've known about Kukai liking you for a while," Tadase confessed out of the blue, causing both girls' attention to snap towards him. "He told me a few days after the concert when we found out you were a girl."

"Oh, that," Sakura muttered, recalling her slightly fumbled explanation for the preceding events. "For that long?"

"Yes," nodded Tadase. "I'm surprised he didn't say anything sooner. I think it threw him off slightly when I told him about Sanjo-kun's confession."

"He…He confessed before," she told them. "Not long after Kairi left."

"Eh?" Amu gasped. "He confessed before, and he did it again? What happened the first time?"

"I…ran away," she winced.

"Making it a habit?" Tadase mused innocently, looking away when Sakura glared at him.

"Not on purpose," she grunted. "I just… Anytime I think of Kukai like that, I think of…someone else. I like him a lot, but I feel like I'm betraying this other person with my feelings for Kukai."

"Does the other person feel the same?" asked Amu. Sakura shrugged, looking down at her lap. "Then I think you should follow your heart with Kukai. He likes you, and you like him. Don't give that up for something that might not exist."

"You're…You're right," Sakura nodded. "I do like him. It's silly to keep running away. He asked for a chance, and I should give him one. Thank you, Amu, Tadase."

"N-No problem," said a stunned King's Chair, shocked that she had called him by his first name.

"I should go. Sorry for interrupting your date," Sakura bid, standing as the pair turn bright red.

"A-Actually, I should get going, also," Tadase mentioned, standing as well.

"Oh," sighed a disappointed Amu. "I'll walk you guys out."

They left the room, leaving Ikuto the perfect opportunity to escape Amu's room and deal with this new problem.

{-}

With a long-suffering sigh, Sakura turned the final corner to her house, half-expecting to see Sasori stood there with folded arms, asking her why he had to wait for an hour after her curfew for her to return home.

There was a figure stood there, arms crossed and leaning on the wall of her neighbour's house. His face was down, dark blue hair shadowing it, while his dark sapphire eyes glanced up at her.

"So, Kukai, huh? Should I be jealous?"

She ran to him, jumping into his arms and holding on tightly, as though he would vanish at any second. Ikuto held back just as firmly, holding her off her feet.

Everything bad that had happened over the past few weeks just seemed to vanish as they hugged, feeling happy and safe with each other.

And then there was pain.