(A/N: I do not own Shugo Chara whatsoever. Please review!)

Chapter 13

"Ikuto! Amu!" Midori sang as she ran into the house and held onto her children.

"Hi, Mom!" Amu said, embracing her mother.

Aruto walked in behind them with their suitcases. "Hello, children. We've missed you two so much!" He hugged Amu and Ikuto and then the two parents walked went inside, back from their honey moon.

"Did you have fun?" Amu asked them with a smile.

"Oh, it was just wonderful, Amu!" Midori said, holding Aruto's hand.

"And you, Aruto-san?" Amu asked.

"Please, Amu. We're family now. Call me 'Dad,'" Aruto said smiling.

"O-okay, Dad. Did you have fun?"

"It was one of the best moments of my life," Aruto responded. Midori smiled at him and blushed. Then they leaned into kiss each other, and Amu quickly looked away. That was a sight that was just a little too awkward to see. She glanced at Ikuto who seemed to be doing the same.

"So, kids. What have you two been up to?" Aruto asked.

Ikuto and Amu looked at each other.

"Uh, not much. We went to the beach a couple days ago," Amu answered.

Besides that, things have been mostly awkward between the two. No, especially after the beach trip things had been very awkward between the two. So Amu hung out with Yaya and Rima and Ikuto hung out with Nagi and Kairi. For some strange reason, Utau and Kukai said they were both very busy and couldn't hang out with their friends…. Strange. Amu shrugged. She was happy he had found someone and Utau seemed like a good match for him.

They left their parents to unpack and walked into the kitchen.

"Want a snack?" asked Ikuto.

"Sure," Amu responded. Ikuto took out a bag of Fritos and handed it to her. She took a handful. "Thanks." She started eating the snack and Ikuto grabbed a handful as well and placed the bag on the table.

Amu started remembering the day at the beach. It was obvious that Ikuto didn't like other guys flirting with her, which made her torn. On the one hand, she thought it was really sweet. On the other, it showed he had feelings for her. Not brother sister feelings. Which was a problem. But she couldn't totally blame Amu.

She couldn't help but notice how almost every girl at the beach would smile in Ikuto's direction or giggle. She even overheard a couple of girls talking about 'the really hot blue haired guy!' at the store where she bought that dress. She couldn't help but feel upset with that, but fortunately he hadn't noticed. And of course, he hadn't noticed the girls that were interested in him.

Amu sighed.

She hated her predicament.

"I'm going over to Rima's today," Amu said, wiping her hands on her jeans before standing up.

"Amu, you're not avoiding me, are you?" Ikuto asked, his eyebrow raised.

She smiled at him. "No, Ikuto."

"Well, give me a… hug to prove it," he said.

She walked over to him and embraced him. Her wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

When he let go, Amu still held him.

He laughed softly. "Amu. Amu."

She realized and blushed slightly. "Sorry. Anyway, I just need to, uh, clear my head, you know?"

Ikuto nodded in understanding. "Need me to drive you there?"

"Yeah, thanks. Not having a license stinks."

Ikuto smiled and Amu felt her heart beating hard against her chest. She had noticed that the way things were going… was really hard for Ikuto. That's why she was putting distance between them. But she couldn't pretend this wasn't hard for her too. And everything he did, seemed even more attractive. And she hated him for it. Well… hate's a strong word…

He told her he was going to treat her like a sister. That's what she asked her… So… why was she having second thoughts?

She needed to talk to Rima about that. This was a little too personal for Kukai, and she'd just feel really awkward talking about (which she also hated), so Rima was the next best thing.

Ikuto dropped her off and Amu said her thanks before knocking on Rima's door.

Rima opened the door. "Hey, Amu! What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Rima! Um… can we talk?"

She nodded and let Amu walk by her into her house. They walked up the stairs to her room and Rima closed the door behind her.

"So what's going on?" she asked, sitting down on her bed. Amu sat beside her.

Amu shook her head in shame. "Rima… I think… I'm in love…"

Rima looked at her. "Okay. So?"

Amu shook her head again. "Rima, I think I'm in love… with Ikuto."

Rima looked at her like that news didn't bother her. "Okay? So? I don't exactly see a problem with that."

"Rima! Ikuto is my step-brother!"

Rima laughed. "Amu! We all knew there was something going on between you two. So what? Just go out already!"

Amu looked at her friend wide-eyed. "You're not serious. Rima, let me repeat myself. He's. My. Step. Brother."

Rima rolled her eyes. "Amu, listen to me. You're the most stubborn person I've ever met."

"What?"

Rima sighed. "Amu… Listen, you're in love and that's not exactly an easy thing to stop. Love… it's difficult, hard, annoying, and a pain in the butt. But it's also one of the best things that you can hope to find. And true love… that doesn't come easy. You're my best friend and I love you, but… look. It's your decision in the end, but you know what I think? I think that you're about to let a very good guy go. I can tell he really has feelings for you, Amu. You've come to a difficult obstacle—"

"Yes, our parents married."

"But, you'll just have to go through it. And he's the kind of guy who will stay by your side, unless you tell him to get lost. And maybe even then he'll stay by your side. I get your reasoning, okay? But sometimes you have to forget what the hell your mind is telling you, and let your heart decide what's best."

"Rima… When did you start talking like Kukai?"

"Since I read a romance novel."

Amu laughed and Rima smiled.

Amu then shook her head sadly. "But… he said he was going to treat me like a sister and nothing more…"

"Hinamori Amu. Do you really think he's going to say 'no' if you ask him out?"

She blushed. "I never said I was going to… actually, you know…"

"But you were thinking it."

Amu stood up with a smile. "You know what? Hell with reasoning! It's true, Rima! I'm in love with Ikuto! Sure, his dad married my mom, but I shouldn't care, right? I love him! I love Tsukiyomi Ikuto!"

Rima smiled up at her.

Amu gave her friend a quick hug and was about to dash out the door when she turned back around. "Rima! Could you give me a ride to my house?"

She smiled and nodded. "Sure."

(A/N: NOT ENDING HERE, YAY TORI!)

Utau had been over at Kukai's a lot at that point that his brothers were starting to get antsy with questions and assumptions.

Kukai shut his bedroom door and locked it and turned towards Utau who was sitting on his bed.

He walked over to her and sat beside her.

"Do you think it was too harsh, not going to those hang outs with our friends?" Kukai asked her.

Utau looked at him and smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, of course not, Kukai. Anyway, if we did, we would be away from each other for much longer than either of us wants."

Kukai smiled at this out of character Utau. She had a lovey dovey side.

Kukai pecked her on the lips and Utau gladly pulled him into a deeper kiss.

"Have I ever told you you're the most amazing girlfriend, ever?" he asked her.

"I could hear it once more," Utau said, smiling, kissing him again, turning the kiss passionate. Kukai pinned Utau onto the bed and hovered over her.

They would have gone farther if it hadn't been for someone pounding on the door of his room. Kukai looked up, slightly irritated.

"Kukai!" one of his brothers called. "You better not be kissing your girlfriend on MY bed!"

Kukai felt his face redden. "Shut up and of course not!"

He heard his footsteps walk off and Kukai looked back at Utau who was pinned underneath him.

"Nice family you've got there," she muttered.

"They sure respect privacy," he agreed with a smile. "Where were we?" He leaned down and kissed her when there was a honking noise outside the house. Utau broke the kiss.

"That's my dad," she informed him. Kukai shrugged and was about to go back to kissing her when she laughed and moved her head away. "Let me up, Kukai, I'm serious."

"But… I don't want you to leave."

She got up from underneath him and gave him one last kiss on his lips before walking towards the door. She looked back at him before leaving and smiled. "Don't worry. I couldn't stay away from someone I love for very long."

Ikuto was washing the dishes, when he heard a knock on the door. He walked over and opened it.

"Hi Ikuto!" the person said in front of him. Ikuto groaned. He didn't really want to see this girl at that moment. Lulu.

She embraced him, but he didn't hug her back, and she walked inside the house, uninvited.

Ikuto glared at her. "Lulu. What the hell are you doing here."

"Just visiting, Ikuto. Utau's not being very nice to me and not letting me hang out around her. I'm hungry!" (A/N: Lulu is going to be out of character.)

"I wonder why," Ikuto murmured under his breath. Lulu walked into the kitchen and Ikuto had no choice but to follow.

Lulu was Utau's cousin who was not liked by practically everybody. Utau had asked him to do her a huge favor. Take Lulu on a date. Ikuto had declined that, but since Utau was his friend, he took Lulu on one small date. But it's not like anything happened. After that, Ikuto just did things normally, but Lulu kept on bugging him, thinking that that date actually meant something.

He didn't get her. She was pretty, and she could probably get lots of guys (not Ikuto, of course) but all she who knows what she did to keep those guys away. He knew this, Lulu was a control freak.

He hadn't heard from her for a while , which was a blessing, and she had stopped coming over (probably because Ikuto had stopped letting her in), and then she moved away, which was one of his happy days. Why would she want to visit?!

"Ikuto, are you dating anybody?" she asked, turning on him. Great. That's why.

"Lulu, you do know there is absolutely nothing between us, right?

She ignored him and moved closer to him. He stepped back.

She smiled "So I take that as a no? You're not taking someone?"

"Lulu, I'm not going to date you." She tried to move closer but he held her shoulders back so that she wouldn't.

Yeah, he wasn't in the mood for Miss Lulu.

"Kiss me, Ikuto," Lulu said, smiling widely.

"Over my dead body," Ikuto spat out.

"Don't be mean, Ikuto. Why don't you want me?"

"'Cause you're annoying as hell and I've never actually liked you."

"Sure, of course," she said sarcastically. "I still want you to kiss me."

"No."

"But, Ikuto! We haven't kissed in such a long time!"

"We never kissed!"

"Kiss me!"

"No!"

Suddenly, Lulu was pulled away from him. Her eyes were wide and his were too.

She was turned on her heels and faced… Amu?! Ikuto stared at her, baffled.

"What do you—" Lulu started before Amu slapped her face so hard Lulu let out a cry of pain. Lulu grabbed onto her face and held it. "You bitch!"

Amu then turned towards Ikuto. He noticed her face was red and she was gritting her teeth. She then grabbed the scruff of his shirt, pulling him down towards her. She turned her head back towards Lulu and glared at her. There was something in her eyes he hadn't seen before and he smirked. Jealousy.

"Stay the hell away from my boyfriend, bitch," Amu said, making a wide-eyed Lulu and Ikuto even more wide-eyed.

That's when Amu pulled him even closer and she crashed her lips into his.

Ikuto was very, very confused and very, very surprised. Everything had happened so fast, and there was Amu, kissing him in front of a cursing Lulu.

Ikuto closed his eyes happily and when he opened them again when he heard a door slam closed. He realized Lulu had left. Hallelujah.

Amu broke her kiss with him and looked down.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Ikuto was still a little dazed at what had happened. "Amu?"

Amu shook her head and pressed her lips against his, where he gladly kissed back. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and then broke the kiss, staring at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Boyfriend, huh?"

She blushed and looked down.

"Amu, it's not that I don't like kissing you, because I love kissing you a lot, I don't think sisters kiss their brothers like that."

Amu nodded. "I know…" She looked up at him and he smiled at her. "Ikuto, I've been doing some… thinking."

"That's new."

"Shut up!" He laughed softly and she blushed even more. "Ikuto… I don't like that girl, that was in here."

Ikuto smirked at her. "Nobody does. Not even her own cousin, Utau."

"When I saw… her trying to kiss you…," Amu continued. "I realized that it would be really hard for me to see you with anyone else. And I'm… sorry for what happened at the beach."

Ikuto tensed slightly, remembering Chad, but he just nodded his head, waiting for her to keep going.

"Um…," Amu said. "I need to stop… listening to my head, Ikuto. I need to listen to my heart."

He smiled slightly. "So… that means… You weren't just telling Lulu I was your boyfriend…."

She blushed violently. "I… want you to actually be… my boyfriend." She buried her head in his chest, which gave Ikuto the right to smile so widely, he looked almost high.

But he needed to make sure all boundaries are broken. "Amu, do you still want this, even though—"

"Our parents are married?" she finished. "Yes, Ikuto, yes. You, um… like me back, right?"

Ikuto looked away and shook his head.

"O-oh, I—" Amu started in a soft voice.

He laughed and twirled her around. "Amu, I don't like you. I love you!"

She blushed and smiled. "Well then we were two people whose parents got married and we fell in love."

Ikuto kissed her again. "It could happen, right?"

"Definitely," Amu said softly. She then leaned upwards and kissed him again and they turned the kiss much more passionate. They were both smiling throughout the kiss.

(A/N: NOT THE END! :D :D Oh, and sorry for Lulu's out of characterness with Ikuto. I just needed her to kind of fill that part, you know? Haha, Amu got a little violent there XD 'Till next time!)