Hello again! Long time no see, right? Sorry about that. School was being a butt and there was so much homework but I finally got this chapter done! This one was hard to write but probably the most fun so far. Hope you enjoy!

*DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shugo Chara (although I wish I could say I do).

*This is a revised version of the original*


"I told you I would come back."

Amu stood there, eyes wide, staring at the man who had haunted her dreams for six years. His midnight blue hair gleamed in the sun and his sapphire eyes stared at her intently. He had grown an inch or two taller in the past six years. Dark wash jeans hugged his legs and a black, long sleeve shirt set off his pale skin, making his hair seem darker. A familiar white violin case was slung over his shoulder.

Amu stared at him, trying to say something but no words came. Her mouth just opened and closed uselessly, giving her the appearance of a fish with no water. Ikuto smirked. "What, Amu?" he said teasingly. "Cat got your tongue?"

His velvet voice hit her like a shock wave, and all the feelings she had been trying to repress for six years rushed to the surface. She had assumed that her mind was just dreaming again, but not even her dreams could make his voice more real than it was now. She probably would have stayed speechless for awhile longer but his teasing tone struck a particular cord inside her and she was finally able to speak. "N-n-no, you j-just surprised me is all." Blushing furiously, she crossed her arms and looked away. Ikuto smile grew wider at her stutter.

Amu tried to regain her composure but before she knew what was happening, Ikuto quickly crossed the distance between them and enveloped her in his embrace. She squeaked as Ikuto hugged her closer, burying his head in her hair and taking a deep breath. "Oh, Amu," he said, his voice vibrating through is body, "I've missed you." His deep voice sent shudders down her spine. There was no doubt; this wasn't a dream.

Trying to regain some illusion of dignity, she pushed against his chest. "Get off of me, you giant, perverted cat!" she said, trying to sound offended but failing miserably. She pushed at him again but Ikuto was too strong for her; his arms like iron.

"Aww, don't be like that," he purred as he hugged her closer. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"And whose fault is that?" Amu retorted. Ikuto pulled back and held her at arms' length, his hands closing around her arms. As his eyes searched her face, his expression softened.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, remorse in his eyes. "My journey is taking longer than I thought it would." Amu uncrossed her arms in surprise, her eyes widening.

"You still haven't found him?" Amu asked curiously.

"No, but I'm closer than I was six years ago," Ikuto replied with a secret smile.

"How so?" Amu asked curiously.

Ikuto tapped her nose playfully. "It's a secret."

"You can't just leave it hanging like that," Amu said, frustrated. "You have to tell me something."

Ikuto smiled and winked. "You'll find out soon enough, dear Amu."

"Ugh, you're so frustrating. You haven't changed a bit!" Amu exclaimed as she crossed her arms again and looked away.

Ikuto laughed at that and turned her head so he could stare deeply into her eyes. "Neither have you, Amu," he said softly. His breath blossomed across her face, causing Amu to inhale deeply. He smelled the same as always. Ikuto held her there for a heart-pounding moment or two and then released her. Taking a step back, he looked her up and down a few times, his eyes stopping to rest on her chest. "Well, maybe a little…"

It took Amu a minute to grasp the meaning of his words but it wasn't long before her cheeks turned bright red. "PERVERT!" she yelled. Amu tried to slap at him but he dodged easily, chuckling at her futile attempts.

"You're still as feisty as ever," he commented as he dodged yet another blow.

"Amu-chan!" Amu heard her voice being called from across the courtyard. She turned around and saw Ran approaching her at top speed with her other three charas not too far behind. Soon enough, Ran was by Amu's side, her eyes wide. "You have half an hour to get to school before the ceremony starts! We need to get moving!" Almost as an afterthought, Ran turned around, and smiled at Ikuto. "Hi, Ikuto-kun, nice to see you again. I hope things are going well," Ran said with a wink.

"Better than ever," Ikuto replied.

Meanwhile, Amu was mentally calculating how long it would take her to get to school from the park. Her chances of being on time weren't looking very good.

Amu glanced at Ikuto who was looking at her with a funny smile. "We'll finish this discussion later," Amu said frostily.

"I look forward to it," Ikuto replied mysteriously. His cat ears and tail popped out and with a wink and a smile, he was soon bounding away. Though Amu would deny it later, she felt a pang as she watched him leap away. She had been secretly ecstatic that Ikuto was back, but now that he was, what was she going to do about it? She raised her hand to her cheek, the memory of his last kiss becoming more and more vivid in her mind.

"Ran, chara change," Amu said, trying to distract herself from thinking about it. She had kept her feelings locked up for so long, that she had never looked them in the face before; had never measured their true might. But as soon as she had seen Ikuto, all the feelings that had been locked up so tight were instantly released, and she had struggled to keep them under control. Now, Amu was almost overwhelmed by them.

"Right away!" Ran replied. "Hop, step, jump!" Wings appeared at Amu's wrists and ankles and she flew into the air, soaring toward her graduation, the next chapter in her life.

Ikuto watched from a tree branch as Amu soared off into the sky. Even though he had seen her just last night, her beauty still struck him, leaving him in awe. The white dress she wore hugged her body in all the right places, making Amu look like an angel in Ikuto's eyes. He smiled as he replayed his encounter with Amu in his head. She really hadn't changed at all. Amu was just as feisty and just as stubborn as he remembered, but that's what Ikuto loved about her. She had never been easy to get and he was glad that hadn't changed. He liked a challenge after all. But, he had never cared so much about winning a challenge before. It had felt so right for Amu to be back in the protective circle of his arms. He knew that that's where he wanted her, forever.

However, he had his work cut out for him. Amu had thrown up her "cool and spicy" character when she saw him but he had seen it in her eyes; she was happy to see him. Now, he just needed her to acknowledge that fact. He also didn't know what the situation with Kiddy King was. He fervently hoped that Tadase hadn't captured his Amu's heart. Amu was his, and he would get what belonged to him.

Ikuto's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar cat chara. "So, stage one complete, nya!" Yoru cheered, coming out from behind a branch.

"Where have you been?" Ikuto asked knowingly. "You seemed to have disappeared as soon as we got to the park."

"Nowhere special, nya," Yoru replied, looking at the ground, his paws clasped behind his back. Ikuto chuckled. They had caught a glimpse of Miki sketching a garden in the park on their way in and Yoru was mysteriously gone from his side a few minutes later.

"Time for phase two," Ikuto muttered. A wicked smile spread across his face as he and Yoru began jumping from the branch to branch, gradually making their way toward Amu's graduation ceremony.


Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review because then I know people actually like it and then I'll keep writing ;)