Haleigh: Yeah...that last chapter was hard for me to write! It hurt!!!

Ikuto: You're not letting me stay gone are you?!

Haleigh: You're gonna have to wait and see...xD

Amu: You better not! I need Ikuto!

Haleigh: Yeah, I know....anyways. I don't own Shugo Chara or its characters!

Ikuto's POV

After school...

All of our classes were over and we headed out to the schoolyard. I didn't see the little...well I better not say anything or I'll jinx it.

As Amu and I walked toward the road it was quiet, but I didn't mind. We just wanted to walk in silence so we could cherish the moment, we didn't have that many left. We were walking hand in hand, and she had a sad look on her face. I just put my arm around her to comfort her. We both needed it, but I wasn't worried about me, only her.

The sun was still high in the sky, warming up the day. Little kids ran past us laughing and playing. They are so carefree, and life was easier when we didn't have to worry about the big things. I miss those days...

The rest of the walk was still quiet. I don't think it's ever been that quiet during a walk home. Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia, and Yoru were even quiet, which is very unusual. They must have been sad, too. Soon we were in her warm, welcoming room.

"Let's try and make the most of this week. No more moping. And that goes for me, too," she said.

"Fine by me. I didn't really want to go all week depressed anyways," I said with a laugh. She smiled and started for the door.

"Come on, let's watch a movie or something!" she said as she went down the stairs.

"Which movie?" I asked as I plopped down on the couch.

"Whatever you want," she said as she she smiled at me.

"Ok, well...what are you in the mood for? We'll pick together," I said as I got closer to her, causing her to blush. I put my arms around her and held the bottom of her back. I put my lips on her neck and whispered, "Well?"

I could feel the heat radiating off of her skin. I chuckled a bit at her reaction, she should be used to this by now.

"Do you really expect me to think when you're making me feel like this?" she whispered back. She was relaxed, but still blushing a bit.

"Like what?" I said as I put my forehead up to hers. I gazed into her golden irises looking for an answer.

"Out of this world. You have some kind of power that always makes me feel like this. I don't know what I'm going to do when you're gone..." she said as she looked down sadly.

Our heads were still touching, so I could reach her with ease. I gently lifted her chin to where our eyes met once again. Her beauty amazes me, she tells me I make her feel out of this world. The truth is that she makes me feel more than that, something words can't describe.

I slowly leaned in and pressed my lips gently to hers. I wanted to stay like this, but I knew we couldn't. I ended it slowly and embraced her in my arms. We both needed this, I'm sure.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what?" she asked blankly as she ended the hug and looked at me confused.

"For me not going to be able to be here for a while," I explained as I was stroking her cheek.

She put her hand on mine as she stopped it. She gave me a weak smile and said, "I know you tried as hard as you could, and I know that you don't want to hurt your mom either. I understand completely. It's stupid Tadase's fault. Not yours."

"I know, I just wish I could do something about it....by the way, have you decided on that movie yet?" I said chuckling. She laughed and got up to get one.

"I'm gonna close my eyes and pick a random one, ok?" she said grinning.

She bent down and picked one, and what do you know? Another scary movie.

Hmm....this is going to scare the living daylight out of her. Paranormal Activity. At least it's still daytime...

"HOW DID THIS EVEN GET IN MY HOUSE??!!! I'M GONNA KILL MY PARENTS!!!" she yelled as soon as she opened her eyes. She looks horrified...more than that...

"Hey, look at the bright side. It's daytime and I'm here," I said smirking. This is sooo going to be fun.

"I can't believe this! Out of the 150 movies we have I picked this one!" she said mumbling to herself. I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction.

"It's not funny!" she said pouting.

"Just put it in and I promise I'll protect you, ok? I'll make you feel safe," I comforted her with a tender smile. I know it sounds stupid, but she really does get scared. I want her to know that I'm here for her no matter how small of a thing it is. I gave her that smile and that look in my eyes that I knew would make her heart melt.

It did. She wasn't moving, and barely breathing. She was lost in my eyes. Once I knew she wasn't coming out of it, "You know, it's getting later the more we just sit here. Later means darker."

She snapped out of it and gasped. She ran to put the movie in, and while the previews were on, she put some popcorn in the microwave.

When the popcorn was done, the movie was already on the main menu. She ran over and plopped down on the couch with the popcorn.

"I'm already scared and I haven't even started it yet," she said as she snuggled up a little closer to me.

The movie started and well...we'll see how things go...

Amu's POV

We're 20 minutes into the movie. How do I know this? I'm looking at the clock on top of the tv. Have I been paying attention to the movie? No way. Why am I asking myself these questions? I have no clue....

I was looking at the screen the whole time up until now, seeing every scene, but not comprehending what I was looking at. My mind was blank during most of the movie, and frankly, I didn't care. Or else I would probably be scared stiff.

The thing that just made me snap back to reality was looking at the clock, and seeing the time change. Suddenly everything I had seen up to this point came pouring in my head all at once.

Two words: Oh. Crap.

Just as I had predicted, I was scared stiff. No, more than that. I was so stiff that my muscles were throbbing and I was barely breathing.

I got chills for a split second, and the cold made me realize something warm. It was a comfort of some sort. I was no longer scared, but relaxed and unaware of the happenings on the screen again.

Ikuto.

He was watching with amusement and interest. Weirdo...

I looked at the clock again and it read 4:21. Not dark yet.

Time passed by quickly, even though I wasn't paying attention to the movie. I was preparing myself for Friday. I didn't know what to do, what it was going to feel like. I didn't really want to think about it, but it kept coming back.

Then a thought even worse came to mind; what is Tadase going to attempt when Ikuto leaves? I can't protect myself as much without him. Maybe I could ask Kukai and Nagihiko to help...

Soon enough the movie was over and I felt him shift to look at me. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

"No, probably because I wasn't really paying attention, but when I was for a minute, I wasn't scared because you were here," I said as I smiled at him.

"I told you I was here for you, didn't I? You actually listened to me," he said as he grinned back. It was nice to see him smile again, after the last few days it's been hard on both of us.

"Yeah, and I'm happy I listened," I giggled at him.

I realized all the popcorn was gone, and I didn't eat one bite. Ikuto may be skinny, but he eats like a pig!

"I think you have some butter on the corner of your mouth from the popcorn," I said laughing. It was cute!

"Hmm...you mind getting it off for me?" he said smirking. I knew this was coming...

I smiled and leaned in to kiss him, and i gently licked the butter off the corner of his mouth. I know it sounds like something he would do to me, but I did it anyway. Gotta flirt sometimes right?

We parted lips, but we lingered there, noses touching. Our eyes were closed, but strained at the same time. He put his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me in to kiss me again, but more eagerness and hunger in it.

We had never kissed like this before. We had kissed passionately before, but not like this. This had a special feeling to it, I liked it. I couldn't describe this, there are no words to how this felt.

My heart was beating so fast, my stomach was fluttering, my head was spinning, my lips were melted into his. My eyes were glazed over, glazed so much that they spilled over with them closed. I really had no idea why I was crying. Does it come with being a girl? Being this emotional?

He was against the back of the couch with me lying on top of him. I had my legs wrapped around him, with his arms around my neck. We were inseperable.

We eventually broke away for air, both of us gasping. I was laying my head on his shoulder, against his neck. With my legs around him, I looked like a toddler. The tears had stopped and I was content with this. It was complete silence. It stayed like this for a while, and I think we both liked it.

My eyes were closed, but I was far from asleep. I was bubbling with joy on the inside, but we needed to be with each other in silence. It seemed that he felt that way, too. I could feel him relax after a few minutes. He sighed lightly, and that's when I put my hands around his shoulders, causing me to look like a toddler even more. But I didn't care, and neither did he.

"I love you," he said after a long while of silence. He had his eyes closed, too. His head was leaning back against the couch, he was calm.

"I love you, too," I said snuggling a little tighter with him. I loved him so much, more than anything. I know we've been like this for a while, because it was about 5:00. My parents would be home with Ami in about an hour.

I looked up at him in about 5 minutes and he was asleep. I couldn't help but smile at him, he looked so gentle. His mouth was open a little and his head rolled a little bit to the other direction. This time I couldn't look away. I had never noticed how adorable he could be, especially when sleeping.

He was sleeping soundly, like always. He's so hard to wake, so I'm sure I couldn't wake him easily right now. I started fiddling with his soft, midnight hair. Once I was bored with that, I kept gazing at him. I was taken in by his perfection. Then it dawned on me. He was mine. Mine to have forever. No one else. This was hard to believe...but it's true.

I seemed to drift off to sleep myself, which wasn't good since my parents will be home soon. But what did that matter? I was in the arms of an angel that I was in love with, and he loved me, too. So I just drifted into unconsciousness in the arms of my angel....

Ikuto's POV

I woke up to find my little strawberry asleep in my arms. She looked so fragile, as if I moved she would break. She may be 16, but she's still tiny. I looked at the clock and it read 5:52.

Crap! Her parents will be home any minute...I gotta get her to her room!

I slowly stood up so I wouldn't wake her up. She didn't move a muscle. Good. I didn't want to wake her up or I'd feel bad. When I got up to her room I just laid down on the bed. We were in the same position as before, except she was lying on my stomach.

I still hadn't heard her parents come in and it was already 6:08 when I looked at the clock in her room. She was starting to wake up a little, but not much.

I was stroking her silky hair gently. She was still partly asleep, but a little aware of her surroundings it seemed. She let out a tiny sigh that sounded content and moved her head against the side of my neck.

Why does she have to be so cute right now? I'm bursting with joy on the inside now, I just can't handle much more or I'm going to explode. Why be depressed when you can enjoy the best things in life that are right there? I was so blind when I found out about me leaving because I was depressed, but now that I let the happiness come back I can see all the wonderful things surrounding me. Then there's that one beautiful thing that's the best one of all; my sweet, sweet Amu.

When I came to the hair at the bottom of her neck again, I stopped and kept my warm hand on her neck. She would probably fall back to sleep like this, it's only 6:15 and she'll probably wake up soon.

Her breathing slowed down a bit as she fell back to sleep. She needs to sleep, I know she's tired and she's trying to force herself awake. She doesn't have to, I'm right here and I'm not leaving her. The thing that's so hard to believe is that she actually loves me. I don't know why, I was nothing special. Sure I may have good looks, but what makes her love me? I don't know, but I know I'm definitely not changing.

She's so fragile right now, even when she's awake. What's going to happen when I'm gone? I can't protect her while I'm in another country, and she needs to be protected from Tadase. I'm sure Kukai and Nagihiko would be willing to help, but it just doesn't seem right if I'm not here. I'll take what I can get for her safety, though.

The sound of her slow breathing was soothing to me. I had still hadn't heard her parents come in but the phone had a message on it. I'm pretty sure it was them because they were late.

She started to wake up again, and this time I didn't stop her. She needed to wake up so she could sleep well tonight. She made a quick yawn and her eyes cracked open a tiny bit.

"Hey beautiful," I said in a low voice.

She made a small smile and yawned again. "Hey...what time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"It's 6:35. You're parents aren't home yet, but there's a message on the phone. I didn't check it though," I said as I was putting some loose hair behind her ear.

"I'll check it," she said as she got up sluggishly. She hit the play button and it was her parents explainging that they were stuck in traffic and would be home ASAP.

"I guess we have some more alone time together," she said smiling brightly. She was fully awake now, and I returned her smile with a huge grin. We made a promise to not be depressed and to make the most of this week, and that was exactly what we were going to do.

We just sat and talked for a while until her parents got home. She had to go eat and I went to my house while she ate. Once I was in my kitchen I grabbed some chicken and sat down. Mom came in and well...

"Ikuto, I know this is breaking your heart for you to leave, but once we find Aruto we can come home," she said sympathetically. She had her hand on my shoulder and was smiling gently. She always knew what to do. I wasn't mad at her, I was at first but it's not her fault. It's stupid Kiddy-King's fault.

I was done eating the chicken, but Mom was still here. I just wish Dad would have never left or our life would be easier. I stood up to face her and she had sad eyes, they were showing how sorry she was.

She put her hand on my cheek and said, "Please be strong for me. Utau has to be strong, too. She's leaving Kukai, you know. Amu is a strong girl, you and I both know that. She'll be ok as long as she can talk to you at least."

I know she was trying to make things better, but there was nothing that could completely make it ok. That's when I lost it. Then and there.

"Mom..." I said as a tear fell down my cheek. She was my mom so it didn't really matter.

"Ikuto, I know it's hard." she said as she embraced me in a warm hug. There's nothing like a mother's hug...

"How am I going to handle this? I'm so happy to spend time with her now, to be closer than ever, but I won't be able to be with her for a while. It's going to kill us both," I said holding back more tears.

"You'll get through the pain. Remember you won't ever be apart completely, though. You can call, email, or whatever. It's going to be ok. I'm here for you, and so is Utau. I promise you will get through this," she said in a sympathetic but assuring tone.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you," I said smiling at her.

"I love you too, sweetie," she said returning the smile. I can't help but to love her...

I ran back to Amu's house and she was already back in her bedroom. She was on the internet on her iPhone. I snuck in behind her and wrapped my arms around her waste slowly.

"Eeep!" she squealed. Her phone flew up and using my cat-like reflexes, I snatched it before it fell down.

"I believe this is yours, madame," I said with wide grin as I gave her phone back.

"Thank you, kind sir. Whatever shall I do to repay you?" she said with a small giggle. She was so cute when she giggled...

"Hmm...this will do," I said as I leaned in for a kiss. It was slow and sweet, just the way it should be.

I slowly pulled away with the corner of of side of my mouth raised, knowing this would make her either A. blush B. blush and giggle or C. blush, giggle, and hit me lightly. Let's see which she picks shall we?

And the answer is....B!

"Well, I gotta go get a shower. You can play with my phone while I'm gone," she said as she was closing her door.

I went to MySpace on the internet and logged into mine. A few people were online who I didn't really care to talk to. I haven't been on in a while and I needed to catch up.

Ok, so I haven't blocked the stupid kiddy-king yet so I'm going to do that now....there. Blocked. Now let's change the password just in case he tries to hack me....ok there is NO way he can figure that one out. Not even sure if Amu can, well until I tell her.

I logged out and had a brilliant idea. Google, of course, gave me one. I decided to Google my father's name and see if I could find him on here. Maybe I could get some leads! That way, we find him, come home soon, and we can all be happy together.

I typed in "Tsukiyomi Aruto" and alot of things came up. The most helpful thing I found was tour dates. I should call my mom right now and let her know!

I dialed the number and hit the talk button on my phone, still staring at the results. This excited me for some reason, but why? Do I really care about my father? Well, we'll see.

"Hello?" I heard Mom's voice answer on the other line.

"Mom, I think we may have some leads on how to find Dad. It might help us find him faster," I said with a hint of anxiety in my voice.

"That's wonderful! Write them down and bring it by here tomorrow. We'll look over it then, ok?" she told me excitedly. I could really hear the joy in her voice.

"Ok, I love you, Mom," I said smiling.

"Love you too, sweetie. Bye," she said as she hung up.

Amu walked in the door soon after and sat down next to me and looked at me curiously. "Why are you smiling?" she asked.

"Because I think I may have found some leads to my father," I said as I showed her the webpage.

"That's great!" she hugged me with encouragement. "Maybe you'll find him fast and come back soon."

"Exactly what I had in mind!" I said hugging her back. "Let's get some sleep. It's getting late and we have school tomorrow," I said yawning.

"Yeah, come on," she said agreeing. She turned off the light and snuggled up close to me. Yes, I was bare-chested as always.

Her head was against my chest and my arms were around her, making sure she was secure in my arms. All was perfect and quiet.

"Goodnight, my angel," I whispered and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

I didn't want to, but I soon slipped away into unconsciousness...

Haleigh: Ok...DON'T kill me!!! I know I'm 3 weeks late....but I was SO mad at Peach-Pit for the way they ended the manga!! UGHHH!!!!!!

Ikuto: That makes two of us! I didn't get my girl!

Amu: Yeah....I was a little mad....

Haleigh: But anyways I thought since I was late I'd try to make it a pretty long chapter. I was writing little by little every day and I just got kinda busy...I'm sorry!

Ikuto: This better not happen again!

Haleigh: I'll try! But softball is gonna start in a few weeks and I'm gonna have to make the update late date longer than 2 weeks. I'm gonna have to make it 3 or 4 because softball is first priority. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Review and I'll give you some candy!

P.s. Check out Joshua Chung on here! He is an amazing writer, and for his story "Academia?" I'm one of the characters! It's a Yu-Gi-Oh! GX story so you can check it out of you want! I encourage you to though! :D