A/N:
Peaches: Here marks the last chapter of Forgiveness! I made Tadase uncharacteristically mean, but he kind of deserves what he gets. -_-
Tadase: HEY!*is angry*
Peaches: Anyway, thanks for all the views on my first story, everyone! Thanks for sticking with it! If I can get five more reviews on this chapter/the entire story, you guys get... Tell them what they'll win, loyal sidekick!
Ikuto: Me?
Peaches: Yes you!
Ikuto: Well, Peaches, the lovely readers will receive... A SUPER SPECIAL BONUS CHAPTER!
Peaches: That's right, you heard it folks! A SUPER SPECIAL BONUS CHAPTER! What does it contain, loyal sidekick?
Ikuto: Me?
Peaches: YES YOU, STUPID.
Ikuto: Well, let's just say it's an alternate ending written for the sole purpose of entertainment... We'll leave it at that.
Peaches: Anyway, I'll be posting something new soon (just for giggles; it's pretty silly), so go check it out when I post it, pretty please! Loyal sidekick, do the disclaimer.
Ikuto: Me?
Peaches: ...
Ikuto: Peaches does not own Shugo Chara! or TimTams.
Chapter 6: The End
Ikuto grinned at Amu from across the table. This was what he had been waiting for since he had met Amu in the hospital almost a year ago. Ikuto had finally been able to find an outlet for his feelings for Amu. The only problem was that they had nothing to talk about.
"So…"
Amu looked down at her hands. "Yeah."
Awkward.
"I have TimTams!" Ikuto exclaimed. He mentally facepalmed. Really? That was possibly the worst conversation starters in the history of the world.
"What the hell is a TimTam?"
"Well, they're these Australian candy things, and they're like Kit-Kats, but a million times better!"
Somehow, this led to an extremely long discussion about candy. Ikuto really didn't know how, but he really didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that he had broken the awkward silence between him and Amu while still avoiding the topic of the deaths of her parents.
In the middle of their minimally intriguing conversation about sugary snacks, Ikuto saw a blond haired boy walk in the door of the restaurant. The boy looked around with a confused expression on his face. Once he spotted the table that Ikuto and Amu were sitting at, an infuriated expression came across his face. Ikuto nudged Amu and asked, "Who is that?" The moment that Amu saw the boy's face, she scowled and started to stand up. Ikuto pushed down on her shoulder and asked again, "Hinamori-san, who is that?"
Amu said, a furious look on her face, "That's Tadase. The asshole that convinced me to run away."
Ikuto was shocked. "What?"
Amu looked down at her hands, trying to control her anger. "Yeah."
Ikuto cracked his knuckles. "I'll kill that bastard." He stood up and walked towards the younger boy. Tadase scowled and said, "So, you're Hinamori-san's new boy toy."
Ikuto was just about ready to punch him. "So what if I am? It shouldn't matter to you."
Tadase said, "Well, it does matter to me. Hinamori-san doesn't deserve to love."
Ikuto scowled back. "Ouch. Sounds like Hinamori-san's broken your heart a couple times."
Tadase was a bit taken aback. "N-no! O-of course not! Why would you think that?"
Ikuto turned to Amu and said, "Well, it's kind of obvious."
Tadase's face turned red. "It doesn't matter now! I hate her! She broke my heart and then never apologized for it1"
Amu interrupted and said, "Guys, I hate to butt in, but you're getting a little loud."
Ikuto said, "Why don't we go outside and finish this there?"
The three of them headed outside. Tadase started to roll up his sleeves, but before he could make any move towards Ikuto, the older boy kicked Tadase in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. Tadase looked up at Ikuto, fuming but slightly groggy. Ikuto took this opportunity to use a piece of rope lying on the ground to tie Tadase's hands together. Tadase yelled, "What are you doing?"
Ikuto smirked at him. "Tying you up, of course."
Tadase asked angrily, "But why?"
Ikuto laughed. "For breaking Amu-chan's heart, of course." With that said, he threw Tadase into the closest garbage can. He rubbed his hands together, as if he were clearing his hands of the filth that Tadase was.
Amu looked up at him and said, "Ikuto-kun…"
Ikuto grinned. "I had to do something, Amu-chan." He looked over at the garbage can, which was now making quite a ruckus.
Amu giggled and said in a sarcastic voice, "My hero."
Ikuto put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Let's go." He smiled down at her, and Amu smiled back. Amu turned towards him and kissed Ikuto lightly on the lips. Ikuto was somewhat surprised, but pleasantly so. She pulled away and said to Ikuto, "Thank you. For everything."
One Year Later…
"Ikuto, where are my keys?" Amu yelled into the next room in a panicked voice.
"How am I supposed to know, honey? I don't live here. Sorry. Check the refrigerator!" Ikuto was throwing things around in Amu's living room looking for HIS car keys as well as Amu's. They were in a frenzy looking for the keys to at least one of their cars. It was the second anniversary of Amu's parents' deaths, so they were headed over to Auntie's house to visit with Ami.
When Ikuto had thrown Tadase into the garbage bin, it had temporarily solved Amu's issue with Tadase. But, unfortunately for Amu and Ikuto, Tadase couldn't stay in there forever. He had come to Amu's apartment and had given her, for lack of a better term, a verbal spanking. Fortunately for Amu, she had magically acquired the power of tuning people out, so no major damage was taken on Amu's part.
Ikuto and Amu were now currently dating, which did wonders for Amu's ability to heal. Now, when people brought up Amu's parents, she wasn't sad or angry anymore. She had finally found closure. Sadly, no one but Auntie and Ami really seemed to approve of Ikuto as Amu's boyfriend, despite his ability to make her happy. This would sometimes upset Amu, but sometimes, it didn't affect her. It all depended on her mood.
Nagihiko and Amu still got along swimmingly. They met each other every Thursday after school to catch up with each other. Nagihiko didn't really have any steady relationships, but he considered it lucky considering how close he was to Amu. None of his ex-girlfriends could really understand his friendship with Amu. The only other person who seemed to tolerate their closeness was Ikuto, which Amu considered a miracle. She thought it was lucky that she had the only boy in the world who could understand her sibling-like relationship with Nagihiko.
Amu yelled from her bedroom, "Found them! Let's go!" She ran out of the bedroom and grabbed Ikuto's hand while sprinting out of the door.
They made it down the stairs in record time. Amu threw open the door to her car, not even looking if Ikuto was in the car at all. She started it up and gunned it down the street.
When they finally arrived at Auntie's, they were met by Ami's grinning face. As Amu pulled into the driveway, Ami ran up to the car. Before Amu had even stopped, Ami threw open the car door and tackled her sister. Amu threw the car into park and shut it off. She stood up to give her younger sister a proper hug.
"Amu-channnnnnn! Imissedyousomuchwherewereyou? ohwellitdoesn'tmatteryou'reherenow-."
"Slow down!" Amu laughed. "Hi, Ami-chan. I missed you too." Amu smiled at her sister. However, Ami's attention was taken by Ikuto.
"Ikuto-kunnnnnn!" Ami pounced on Ikuto. "I missed you too! You and Amu-chan need to visit me more! I love Auntie, but you two aren't as old!"
"I beg to differ," Auntie said from the doorway. "Hello Amu-chan, Ikuto-kun." She smiled at the two of them.
"Hi Auntie," they said in unison.
"You two are late. However, as usual, you two have perfect timing. I just pulled the chicken off."
Amu laughed and said, "You know me. Fashionably late, as always."
"Well, of course," Auntie said with a laugh, her eyes squishing together. "Come on in before the chicken gets cold." She turned back and started inside. Ami said, "Well, come on you two!"
Amu grabbed Ikuto's hand and started inside. When they were close to the porch, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Ikuto stopped Amu and said, "You know, I swear the sun is smiling on us."
Amu shook her head. "It's not the sun, Ikuto. It's my mom and dad. You know, they would love you. They really would." Amu closed her eyes and smiled into the sky. Ikuto pulled Amu close to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. Amu opened her eyes and leaned her head against his chest. They stood there in silence, savoring in the sun together.
