Wow guys, it's been a while! A couple of years, as I'm sure you've noticed. I'm so sorry for the delay on this story. My undergraduate degree took over my life (as college does) and then life happened for a good while with having to pay bills and do all of that adulting stuff. This chapter has been in development for a couple of years so I hope you enjoy it! I will hopefully be wrapping it up in a couple of chapters that will not take a couple more years to write.

Let me know if you enjoy this chapter by rating and reviewing it at the end! Believe it or not, the reviews really keep me going. ENJOY!


Amu gazed into Ikuto's eyes as he twirled her around the courtyard. He pulled her close as they spun around and she could feel his warm, sweet breath on her neck.

"Amu," he whispered in her ear. "I love you." He kissed her cheek softly and she sighed in contentment. It felt so real, so soft and warm. It felt just like the kiss he gave her before he left…

Suddenly, a bright light shone down on them, right in her eyes. She lifted her hand to block the light wondering, "Now what could that be?"

Amu woke up to the bright morning sun shining directly into her face through her balcony window. She squinted against the unwelcome day break, groaned and closed her eyes again, trying to pretend that she didn't need to get up. Amu snuggled deeper into her covers, pulling them more closely around her as she snuggled up against a warm, comforting presence behind her. Suddenly, she heard a deep, masculine voice chuckle quietly and was suddenly aware of a weight draped across her stomach that pulled tighter as she snuggled into her covers.

Her eyes popped open as she realized that the warm, comforting presence was not a normal part of her morning routine, and was in fact due to an actual physical presence, next to her, in her bed.

Startled, she screamed as she fell out of her bed and in disbelief watched as Ikuto started helplessly laughing at her, still reclining on her bed.

"Wha-wha-what are you doing here?" Amu asked incredulously.

Ignoring her, Ikuto continued to laugh at the sight of Amu, in her pajamas, frozen on the floor in shock, disbelief widening her eyes. "You..." laughter, "should have seen," more laughter, "your face!" Ikuto burst out into fresh peals of deep laughter as Amu narrowed her eyes at him in a pathetic glare, accented by her mussed hair and general disheveled appearance.

"Stop laughing at me!" Amu demanded as she picked herself up off the floor. "And why are you in my bed?!" she demanded, pointing an accusing finger at his shaking form.

Ikuto stifled his laughter as best he could. "I thought it would be a nice surprise," he told her, a mischievous glint evident in his eyes.

"Some people might call that sexual harassment," Amu responded, folding her arms across her chest.

"You're cute when you're dreaming, you know," Ikuto said with a wink, ignoring her accusation.

A blush instantly colored Amu's cheeks as she dropped her eyes to stare at the floor. It was a very interesting floor at the moment.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" Ikuto asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

Amu's head shot up from the now boring carpet, mortified. "I do not!" she exclaimed.

"You do," Ikuto replied with a grin. He chuckled, the deep sound making Amu's blush even deeper. "You said my name," he told her, his grin taking on a boyish gleam, "and you were smiling."

Amu blushed a deeper shade of red and lowered her eyes back to the carpet.

Ikuto couldn't stand Amu being so incredibly adorable so he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down toward the bed, enveloping her in his arms and holding her close as he inhaled her familiar scent. Amu went rigid, shocked by the sudden proximity. She heard Ikuto sigh. "Relax," he murmured into her ear, his voice sending shivers down her spine.

"Don't get any ideas," Amu told him sternly.

"I'm not," he replied softly. His deep, melodic voice was hard to resist and she found herself relaxing against him. "…yet," Ikuto whispered in her ear.

Amu was instantly tense again and she reached back to whack the perverted cat on the head. He chuckled as he dodged the blow and said, "I'm just kidding, Amu."

Amu rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right," she replied, lacing her voice with sarcasm.

"Shut up," he mumbled. Amu felt Ikuto relax more and pretty soon, she could hear his breathing even out. He had fallen asleep.

Amu sighed at her predicament. She couldn't really move with him holding her like this and part of her was content to just stay in his embrace and fall back asleep. She glanced at the time on her alarm clock. It read 6:45am. Lord, when did he get here? she thought. I suppose it doesn't really matter now. Either way, I'm going back to sleep. Deciding that it was better to get some more sleep than try and untangle herself from Ikuto's arms, she snuggled closer to him as she felt her eyes close and wished for more wonderful dreams about her blue haired neko as she drifted off to sleep.

Amu awoke again to find Ikuto still clutching her to him. A glance at her alarm clock told her it was 11:00am. It was definitely time to get up. In fact, it was strange that her parents hadn't come to wake her up yet…

That's when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Amu," her mother called. "Are you awake?"

Panicked, Amu glanced at Ikuto's sleeping form and then back at the closed door. "I'm awake!" Amu called. "I'm…" her sleep addled brain struggled to find a reason to keep her mother from coming into her room and finding the sleeping male figure in her bed. "I'm getting dressed!" Amu exclaimed as she struggled to release herself from Ikuto's grip. "Don't come in!"

She heard the footsteps stop in front of her door. "Oh, okay," her mother replied. "Come down soon. Lunch is ready."

"Thanks Mom!" As she heard her mother's footsteps receding back down the stairs she breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close.

After her heart rate returned to normal, Amu glanced back at Ikuto to find his eyes open, staring at her with that signature smirk on his face.

She was shocked. "You were awake!?" she asked as intensely and quietly as possible.

Ikuto just ignored her and his smirk widened. "Were you really going to get dressed?"

Amu blushed instantly. "You wish. I just said that to make her go away."

"So you're going to lunch in your PJs?" Ikuto asked with a raised eyebrow. "Sexy."

Amu blushed harder and hit him with a pillow.

Ikuto rubbed his head where Amu had hit him. "You didn't have to hit me just because I'm right."

"Yes I did," she said matter-of-factly. "Perverted cat…" she muttered to herself as she detached herself from his arms and got out of bed.

Ikuto just smiled and sat up, stretching. As Amu watched him, she couldn't help but giggle. He can be so cute sometimes.

Ikuto stopped mid-stretch, his arms still out by his head, to peak at her giggling at him. "What?" he asked.

Amu continued to giggle, saying, "Some things just never change."

Ikuto dropped his arms and smiled. He got up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Even to Ikuto, this still seemed like a dream. He inhaled her scent, a familiar combination of strawberries and something that was purely Amu. "You smell exactly the same," he murmured into her hair. He felt Amu relax into him, which made him smile. She's finally getting used to this.

Amu inhaled Ikuto's scent as well, comforted by his strong arms and his scent, a mix of dew fall, spice, and something that was purely him. After a while, however, she reluctantly pulled away. "I need to get dressed," she said, looking up at him. "Mom will be expecting me downstairs soon."

Ikuto just continued to stand there, staring at her.

"Ikuto," Amu said, making sure he was paying attention.

"Hm?" he replied.

"That means you have to leave," Amu replied, slightly exasperated.

"Oh," he said, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. He took a piece of her hair in his hands and started playing with it, staring into her eyes. Amu's breath hitched and suddenly, she couldn't get a deep breath anymore. He leaned in to her ear and whispered, "Do I have to?" with his deepest, huskiest, and most velvety voice he could manage.

Amu blushed. "Y-yes," she replied, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.

He pulled away, a slow smile spreading across his face and a teasing glint forming in his eyes. His fingers continued to play with her hair for a few more seconds before moving to cup her cheek, all while staring into her eyes. Ikuto leaned in and brushed his lips against her forehead, giving her a soft kiss.

"I'll see you again soon then," he said softly.

Amu looked up at Ikuto's smiling face and smiled in return. "I can't wait," she replied softly.

Suddenly, that mischievous glint was back in his eyes. "You won't have to wait too long," Ikuto said as he pulled away. And just like that, he walked out onto her balcony and jumped away into the lawn.

I wonder what he meant by that? I've got a bad feeling about this.

She glanced over at her chara's eggs and saw them poke their heads out of their eggs.

"Is the coast clear?" asked Ran.

"I think so, desu," Su replied as her charas floated out of their eggs and stretched.

"What do you mean?" asked Amu rather indignantly.

"Well I wasn't sure if you and Ikuto-kun were done being mushy yet," Miki said with a raised eyebrow and sly smile.

Dia appraised Miki skeptically, "As if you aren't guilty of that with Yoru? Where did you guys end up last night anyway?"

At that, Miki blushed and bowed her head, mumbling something incoherent.

Ran flew up to Amu while Dia and Su continued to tease an embarrassed Miki and excitedly asked, "What are we doing today, Amu-chan?"

At that moment, Amu heard her phone going off on her nightstand. Walking over, she picked up the device to see an incoming call from Tadase. Puzzlement clearly written across her face, she flipped up the phone and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Amu-chan," Tadase replied from the other end. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm great," she replied, her response coming out a little more enthusiastically than she meant. "How about you?"

She heard Tadase hesitate, probably a result of her surprisingly enthusiastic reaction, and then say, "I'm doing well. I was wondering if you were available this afternoon to meet with all of us to plan out the graduation ceremony."

Amu groaned. It had taken hours to plan it the first time around. I wonder if mom needs me to run any errands…anything to get out of more planning.

"Don't worry too much, Amu-chan," Tadase said, attempting to reassure her. "We don't need to do much. We can just use the plan we came up with originally and figure out when people are available to do what."

"Oh, in that case, I don't have anything planned for this afternoon so I can definitely meet you guys."

There was another moment of silence on the other end of the phone before she heard Tadase reply, barely holding back a laugh, "In that case? So, if there was a lot of planning involved, you wouldn't be free."

Amu mentally face palmed herself for her slip up. "Uh, well, no, I would have helped either way of course."

She heard Tadase chuckle. "Of course. Meet us in the Royal Garden at 3pm then. I can't imagine that re-planning the graduation ceremony would take more than an hour, so you should be home before dinner."

"Sounds good! I'll see you soon then," Amu said as she pulled out some clothes, artfully balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"See you soon, Amu-chan!"

Right as Tadase said those last few words, Amu's phone slipped and fell to the floor, ending the call. Well, I suppose the conversation was over anyway…

Amu retrieved her phone from the floor and placed it on her nightstand while she finished getting dressed for the day. She threw on a turquoise tank top with a white blouse over her skinny jeans, finishing off the look with white flats.

"So we have a meeting with everyone?" asked Ran, Amu's midnight blue choker in her tiny hands.

"Yes," Amu replied as she placed a clip in her hair. "We are meeting everyone at the Royal Garden at 3 this afternoon." After securing the clip, she took the choker from Ran, tying it around her neck.

"How wonderful!" Su said with a smile. "It will be good to see everyone again."

"I'm sure Amu-chan will have a lot to tell them," Miki said with a teasing smile.

"And you will have a lot to tell as well, Miki," Dia said with a wink.

Miki blushed instantly. "I don't know what you are talking about," she mumbled at the floor.

"That's ok," replied Ran, flying over to Miki. "We know and we can tell everyone for you!"

Miki looked at Ran, horrified. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh yes we would, desu!" said Su, joining the two charas.

"Fine!" Miki cried, exasperated. "I'll tell the group. Just, whatever you do, let me tell it first!"

"Ok!" replied Ran, Su, and Dia together.

Amu smiled at the exchange while she finished putting in rose earrings and her choker. "I'm going downstairs for lunch. I'll be back up in a bit. Try not to kill each other," Amu said with a smile before heading out the door. Amu bounced down the stairs and into the dining room where she saw her family seated around the table, patiently waiting for her.

"I'm sorry to make you wait," Amu said as she sat down. "I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"That's ok, dear," her mother replied. "You've had a very interesting past couple of days. First there was that freak windstorm that blew through the graduation ceremony and then Ikuto coming back to town. I'm sure it's a lot to take in."

Amu smothered a giggle at the explanation they were using for the x-egg break out at the graduation ceremony. A freak windstorm, huh?

"It has been a very adventurous week, hasn't it?" was all Amu said in reply. She then turned her attention to all the delicious food on the table and quickly dug in. Ami, now nine years old, also dug into her lunch, causing both parents to smile fondly at the similarities between the two siblings.

After a couple minutes of silence, except for the sound of four people heartily enjoying lunch, Ami looked up from her plate. "Onee-san?" Ami asked, he mouth full of rice. "What are you doing today?"

Amu met her sister's gaze and replied, "I have a meeting with the high school guardians at three this afternoon, but other than that my day is free. Why?"

"I was wondering if we could go to the carousel!" Ami said with a smile. "We haven't gone anywhere together for a long time because you're always busy."

Amu thought about it for a second and realized that it had indeed been months since she had gone anywhere with Ami.

"I think that would be a good idea, Amu," her mother said. "It won't be long until you'll be busy with college."

Her mother had a point. She started at the local university pretty soon after graduation and once that started up, she'd be pretty busy with school work again. Where had the time gone? It felt like just yesterday that she graduated from middle school.

"Sure, Ami," Amu replied. "We can go right after lunch. Is that ok?"

"Yes!" Ami replied enthusiastically. "I'll go and get ready right now!" Ami then bolted out of her chair and up the stairs to her room.

Amu and her parents laughed a little at Ami's enthusiasm. "Thank you for taking her to the carousel this afternoon," her mother said. "She's been wanting to spend some time with you for a while."

"It's not a problem," Amu said, bringing her dishes and the dishes Ami left behind into the kitchen. As she dropped the dishes in the sink, she heard her sister come running down the stairs. As Amu turned back towards the doorway, Ami bounced into view.

"I'm ready!" she exclaimed.

Amu smiled, "Alright, just let me grab my bag."

Ami rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you grab it already?"

"Because I was putting the dishes from lunch in the sink, including yours," Amu replied with a pointed look.

Ami just shrugged. "Let's go!"

Amu rolled her eyes, not entirely able to keep a smile from her lips as she ran upstairs to her room. "Come on ladies," Amu told her charas who were floating expectantly by her bed, "we're going to the carousel with Ami."

"I love the carousel!" exclaimed Ran with a cheer.

"It is a lovely day out," Su said.

Dia and Miki nodded their heads in agreement as the four charas flew over to Amu.

"Let's go!" they all cheered.

Smiling, Amu left her room and ran down the stairs, her charas not far behind. She gave her mom and dad a quick wave. "See you guys later!"

"Have fun, Amu-chan," her mother replied.

"Be careful!" her father warned.

"I will!" Amu replied. She met Ami at the door and the two girls set out into the afternoon sun.

Su was correct about the weather. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! The sun was shining down on the pair as they walked to the new carousel that had been built only two blocks from their house. A cool breeze blew through the trees and the two siblings both inhaled happily in tandem, big grins on their faces. The four charas eagerly chattered up ahead of them.

They soon arrived at the carousel, a magnificent construction incorporating both Japanese and American themes, as the carousel had been built by an American company. There were many horses of every size and shape that one could imagine with beautifully painted murals above the horses. The carousel was surrounded by rocking chairs for parents to sit in while their children road on the wooden horses. A gift shop with sparkling porcelain horses and plastic toys was located off to the side and there were also several food vendors in the area.

Amu went up to the gift shop and bought enough tickets for a couple of rides on the carousel for her and Ami. Amu wasn't surprised when she spotted a head of midnight hair as they left the gift shop and approached the entrance to the ride. She smiled warmly at Ikuto as he approached.

Amu felt a tug on her shirt. "Onee-san," Ami whispered, forcing Amu to lean down to hear her sister. "Who is that?"

"His name is Ikuto," Amu told her quietly. "He's a good friend of mine." It wasn't a lie exactly.

"He looks like a cat," Ami stated simply.

Amu laughed and replied, "You're right. He does, doesn't he?"

Ikuto had finally come within talking distance by this point and asked, "Mind if I join you two?"

Amu looked at Ami, asking, "Is it okay if Ikuto rides on the carousel with us?"

Ami furrowed her brow in concentration, eventually responding, "Will Onee-san still play with me?"

"Of course!" Amu replied with a smile. "This is our afternoon! Ikuto is just going to help us have fun."

Ikuto knelt down and looked Ami in the eye, sticking out a hand. "My name is Ikuto," he said with a soft smile.

Ami shyly took his hand, giving it a tiny, shy shake. "My name is Ami," she said quietly, a blush creeping quietly into her cheeks.

Good Lord. He even woos girls more than ten years younger than him!

Ikuto let go of Ami's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Ami. You look just like your sister."

"No I don't!" Ami replied vehemently. "My hair is blonde and I am much cuter!"

Amu rolled her eyes but Ikuto wasn't phased. He simply chuckled and replied, "I don't know. I think you and your sister both are the cutest girls I've ever met."

Ami smiled in response and blushed a slightly deeper shade of red.

"Do you want to go ride the carousel?" Ikuto asked.

"Yes!" she eagerly replied. Ikuto chuckled and stood up, looking at Amu.

"Shall we go?" he asked, motioning toward the line.

Amu smiled in response. "Let's go, Ami." Amu gently took Ami's hand, more out of habit than out of an actual need to control her and got in line, Ikuto falling in behind them. While they waited for their turn, Ikuto asked Ami question after question to keep her entertained. Was she enjoying the break from school? What did she do for fun? What were her favorite TV shows and books? Amu smiled to herself, happy that Ikuto was making such an effort to get to know her little sister. It was actually pretty adorable to be honest.

At one point, Amu saw her four charas and Yoru creep off toward the carousel to where the instruments were playing. They seemed to be having a great deal of fun dancing and singing to the music. After a couple of minutes, it was finally their turn to get on the carousel. Ami rushed to a majestic white horse with a silver saddle and bridle encrusted with jewels of every size and color.

"Ikuto-kun!" she called. "Come over and sit next to me!"

"What about me?" Amu asked, slightly offended.

"You can sit next to me on the next ride," Ami offered with a smile.

The sweat drop expression on Amu's face caused Ikuto to laugh. He put a hand on her back and whispered, "Don't worry. I have an idea." He gently steered her toward the horse next to Ami's.

The horse next to Ami's was a chestnut colored horse with a golden saddle and bridle, adorned with twinkling red gems. As Amu approached the horse, Ikuto following behind, she felt two strong hands lift her onto the wooden horse. She cried out in surprise and hastily grabbed the golden pole so that she wouldn't fall off the horse. Ikuto quickly sat behind her on the horse, putting an arm around her to steady her and one hand on the golden pole.

"Ikuto," Amu hissed. "We're not allowed to do this!"

"Oh it'll be fine," he replied. "I don't think the attendant is going to make a fuss about it."

Amu looked over the young female attendant. She was giving a sidelong glance in Ikuto's direction and blushing furiously once he made eye contact with her and smiled.

Amu sighed. "Fine."

"What?" Ikuto asked. "Doesn't this remind you of anything?"

In fact, Amu had been trying very hard not to think about the time she and Ikuto snuck into the abandoned amusement park and road the carousel together, on the same horse. In response to his question, Amu simply blushed. She felt Ikuto laugh as the ride started. As the ride picked up speed, Amu found herself laughing as sheer childlike happiness flowed through her. She looked back at Ikuto and found the he was smiling too.

Ami enjoyed the ride immensely as well, happy that both her new friend and onee-san were beside her. The ride ended all too soon, but they quickly got back in line and were on the carousel again soon after that. Ami always picked a new horse to ride but Ikuto always insisted that he and Amu sit on the same horse next to her. They were attracting more than a couple strange looks but Amu couldn't find it in her heart to care. She was having way too much fun.

After a couple more rides on the carousel, Ikuto took Ami to a cotton candy vendor while Amu checked her phone for messages. Glancing at the time, she realized it was 2pm. Amu looked up at the food vendor to see Ami receive a giant pink ball of sugar from the stand worker. Ami eagerly ran over to Amu to show her how big it was.

"That'll be a great snack for the walk home," Amu told her as Ikuto came to join them.

"Aww, but I don't want to leave!" Ami cried out.

"I'm sorry Ami, but I have to go to the Royal Garden in an hour," Amu replied. "I have to get you home."

"Fine," Ami said, pouting. She turned around and smiled at Ikuto with hopeful eyes. "Will I get to see Neko-kun again?"

Ikuto smiled in return, stating, "I'm sure that you'll see me again soon."

"Yay!" Ami cheered.

After motioning to her charas that they were leaving, Amu, Ami, and Ikuto set out for the house. As Ami walked slightly ahead of Ikuto and Amu, happily munching on her sweet treat, Ikuto took Amu's hand and held it as they strolled in the sunlight. It was a pleasant but short walk home.

"Bye Neko-kun!" Ami yelled as she ran into the house once they had arrived. "Thanks for playing with me!"

"Bye Ami," Ikuto replied before the door quickly slammed shut. He chuckled as he turned to Amu. "She reminds me of you."

"She does?" Amu asked, a puzzled look crossing her face.

"Yes. You are quiet enthusiastic when you are able to let loose," Ikuto replied with a smile. "Your face is also an open book, just like hers."

"I do not act like that," Amu replied, looking away from Ikuto's gaze. "And my face is not an open book," she muttered.

Amu felt Ikuto's finger under her chin as he lifted her gaze back to his. He simply raised his eyebrows, a knowing look on his face.

"I guess you're right," Amu finally replied after a couple of heartbeats. It was hard to resist his compelling stare.

"I know I'm right," Ikuto said with a slight chuckle. Leaning down, he lightly kissed her on the lips. "That's two of the things I love about you."

Amu smiled in return, feeling at home and perfectly content with herself.

"Well," Ikuto said, stepping away, "I need to go and run some errands. I believe that you have a meeting that you are going to be late to."

"What!?" Amu looked at her watch and realized Ikuto was right. She had twenty minutes to get to the Royal Garden, which was half an hour away by foot.

"Need a ride?" Ikuto asked with a mischievous grin. His cat ears and tale popped out and he extended his arms.

"Thanks but no thanks," was Amu's reply. "I am perfectly capable of getting there myself. Ran, chara change!"

"Hop, step, jump!" Ran and Amu cried. Amu flew into their air with her other charas following behind. Amu looked behind her, seeing a slightly hurt Ikuto still standing on the ground.

"Thanks again for the offer but I haven't flown in a while," Amu yelled from the sky. She flashed a grin at him, saying, "I'll see you soon!"

She saw a flash of understanding cross Ikuto's face as he lowered his arms. He smiled at her in return and jumped up to a tree near her. "I'll see you later tonight," he told her. "Give everyone my regards." He flew over to her, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and then was gone, flying from branch to branch toward town. Amu smiled and headed toward the Royal Garden, her heart lighter than a feather.


So there you go! Again, hopefully I'll have the last couple of chapters up here within the next month or two. Thanks for your patience and thanks for the support. You guys are awesome! Rate and review below :D