LAST CHAPTER PEOPLE! NEXT IS EPILOGUE PEOPLE!

Chapter 24: Till We Meet Again

Ikuto's POV

Amu and I sat side by side on the roof of our mansion, staring at the sunrise who's warm glow seemed to consume the world.

For a while, it seemed like we were just another normal couple sitting enjoying each other's company and presence. It was so peaceful up here with the soft chirp of the birds on their morning call and the cool morning breeze blowing around us.

I was almost able to forget that Amu was leaving unless than an hour.

Almost.

But the red that rimmed her eyes (both our eyes really) and my firm grip on her hand reminded me of our situation.

"Do you really have to go?" I asked for the umpteenth time.

Hoping for the umpteenth time that she would change her mind.

She didn't reply my question and just gently squeezed my hand.

"It's a beautiful sunrise," she said softly, "Sunrises always bring new beginnings, don't you think so?"

I nodded my head stiffly.

I turned to look at her, trying to soak up as much of her presence as possible. I tried to memorize every little detail before she disappeared.

The glow of her cheeks, the spark in her eyes, the happiness in her laugh (not that she was doing a lot of laughing), anything and everything really.

I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, "You should get ready, you need to leave soon, dawn is the best time to start hunting for him."

She nodded and slowly drew away from me.

"I guess…I guess it's time for me to leave," she choked.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and my arms snaked themselves across her waist.

I squeezed her tightly, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and trying to memorize it

"Did you really think we'd let you leave without saying goodbye?"

Both Amu and I whipped our heads around at that and found everyone staring at us, the girls standing in the middle, tapping their feet impatiently and glaring at Amu.

"Guys," Amu swallowed thickly.

"I can't believe you were going to leave without saving goodbye, Amu-chi!" Yaya whined stomping her feet in a childish fit.

"You didn't really think we were going to let you off so easily, did you?" Rima demanded, raising her eyebrow coolly.

"We're seeing you through to the end, Amu," Utau said sternly, crossed her arms across her chest.

Amu laughed and threw her arms around them.

"I'm going to miss you guys so much," she whispered.

They hugged her back gently.

"We are too," Utau choked out, tears forming in her eyes.

They pulled away and smiled each other.

Then, Yaya began her goodbyes.

"Thank you, Amu-chi for being such a good friend to us all these years," she sniffled, tears already running down her cheeks, "You've helped me grow so much over the years and you've been so patient with me, especially during my childish tantrums," they both laughed at this and Amu rubbed tears away from her eyes.

Yaya hugged her tightly, "Just…thank you so much, Amu. And come back to use safely," she whispered.

"I will," Amu promised.

Utau then hugged her tightly, "Thank you so much Amu. You helped me to open up to everyone and helped me to see that I wanted more in life. You helped me to gain so many new friends and opened up new possibilities for me," she took a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears, "You will always be my best friend," she smiled.

Amu hugged Utau tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks as they parted and smiled at each other again.

Next, Rima walked up to her…and promptly socked her in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Amu complained as she rubbed her arm in protest.

"You!" Rima yelled, "You better come back to us in one piece! You better win this and you better come home or so help me Amu-" she threatened but was cut off as Amu roped her in a big hug.

"I'm going to miss you too, Rima," she laughed as she hugged her best friend.

Shook was clearly written on Rima's face as her friend embraced her and for a few seconds she was stunned.

And then, the tears began flowing.

"You can't leave," she sobbed, "You're our best friend, you can't-you can't just leave us behind like this!" she cried.

"I'm sorry," Amu whispered, rubbing her back soothingly.

With tears still streaming down her face, Rima pulled away from Amu.

"No," she shook her head, "It's not your fault. I just…thank you, Amu," she choked, "When I first met you, I was always so reclusive and distant. I was cold to everyone and everyone thought that I was a jerk. But you saw through that. You saw through me and you helped me to open up to everyone when I thought I could never even look someone in the eye. You helped me to trust and love again," she smiled at Nagihiko who grinned back, "Because of you I was able to become the real me instead of hiding behind a mask. You did that for all of us really. So thank you. So much"

Amu laughed and hugged her tightly again.

However, Kukai interrupted their heartfelt goodbyes.

"We want to get in our goodbyes too!" he whined childishly.

The girls rolled their eyes and Utau whacked her boyfriend over the head.

"Be patient!" she scolded half-heartedly and Kukai laughed.

Kairi was the first to step forward as he bowed to Amu.

"Amu-san, you were my first friend when I joined. Although I was initially very cold and calculative, it was because of you and Yaya that I was able to become more open-minded. Your light helped me in my darkest times. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me and all the support you've given me," he said formally.

Amu pouted, "Mou! Kairi-kun! I already told you no formalities!" she scolded, "I'm your friend. Now get over here and give me a proper hug!" she demanded.

Kairi looked shocked for a second before he laughed and embraced her.

"Thank you, Amu-chan," he corrected and she smiled.

Next, Kukai stepped up.

"Yo, Hinamori!" he greeted with a large toothy grin and she retuned the sentiment, "You've always been like a younger sister to me, and I hate the fact that I have to send you off to fight without any backup, so you better come back safe and sound, okay?" he said, his voice getting thicker at the end as he hugged her tight.

"I promise I will," she whispered and hugged him back.

Then, Tadase came up and hugged her and I had to resist the urge to hurl him against the wall to keep him away from Amu.

"Thank you, Amu-chan, for helping me to become a more confident person. You brought me out of my shy shell and helped me to try and fight for what I believed in for the first time in my life," he smiled and pulled away from her, "And thank you, for showing me what love is," he said and (to my anger) she blushed.

Lastly, Nagihiko came to her.

He hugged her gently.

"I'm really glad, Amu-chan," he said softly, "That was able to become your first friend. I've watched you grow so much over the years and I'm glad to be able to see the amazing woman you've become today. You've progressed so much from that Cool & Spicy mask to show who you really are inside and I couldn't be more proud," tears started welling up in Amu's eyes as he hugged her tighter, "Also, thank you so much for being my best friend these past years. You've helped me to realize the real me too and I couldn't be more grateful. I hope you come back to us soon."

Amu just nodded, unable to speak with the amount of tears streaming down her face.

Then, she threw her arms around all of them, roping them into one big group hug.

"I'm going to miss you guys so much," she whispered.

After more hugs and tears, everyone finally cleared out, leaving only Amu and I in the room.

I snaked my arms around her waist, hugged her tight.

"Ikuto, I-" she began as she turned around but I didn't let her continue, and instead smashing out lips together.

She made a small noise of shock but eagerly kissed me back. My fingers tangled through her silky pink locks and she wrapped her arms around my neck, running her fingers gently up and down the nape of my neck. My hands moved from her hair and slowly down her spine, causing her to shiver as I traced lazy circles on her back.

We parted after a few minutes, both of us panting heavily.

"No goodbyes," I shook my head, "Just till we meet again."

She nodded and laced our fingers together, pressing our lips together in what I'm sure was meant to be a chaste kiss but I immediately deepened it.

When we parted again, she let our foreheads rest on each other for a while before she pulled away.

Smiling at me through her tear-streaked face, she said, "Till we meet again," she agreed and gently unlaced our hands.

Then, with a last hug, she turned around and flew off.