Hey guys, it's Anya! I know I said that I wanted at least 40 reviews, then changed it to 20, but I got too excited about posting up this chapter to wait. I finished writing Washed Away with the Rain (a total of 23 chapters, plus an epliogue and the prologue) so I have a proposition for you all:

PLEASE READ: If I can get 30 reviews (which I know I can, within one day Chapter 20 got 73 visitors) then I will post up Chapter 22, Chapter 23, and the epliogue at the same time. This, I think, is better than asking for a large number of reviews per chapter leading up till the epilogue. Plus, the epilogue and Chapter 23 are both short, so it'll be a good deal in my opinion. So review! Review! Review! Please!

Enjoy the chapter!

And Remember 30 reviews = next three chapters.


Chapter Twenty-One

"Hello, I'm Mikuru; I'll be your server for this evening. So how would we like to start off the evening? Maybe with a beverage?" The waitress offered. She was a beautiful young lady, probably in her early twenties. She had long, red hair and sparkling emerald jewels for eyes. She seemed like she was from a different country, but her Japanese was perfect in every way, shape, and form.

"Milk tea will be fine for me." Ikuto replied politely. He looked over to me and called, "Amu?"

I looked down at the menu items for beverages. There were too many to decide on one. Plus, I didn't want to seem like a little kid in front of Ikuto. Wait… why did I care what he thought? "I'll have a melon soda, please."

The waitress nodded her head and left, of course not without giving Ikuto a good, long look. However, Ikuto seemed to be completely unaffected by her. She was beautiful, but Ikuto didn't seem to notice her at all. Though he didn't seem to notice her, I felt this sick feeling in my stomach. Automatically, without even knowing her, I detested her with a passion. I didn't even know her, but I still disliked her completely.

There was nothing but complete silence until Mikuru came back. "A milk tea for you and a melon soda." Although she spoke politely when she gave us our drinks, you could tell that she was trying to ignore me as much as possible without trying to be rude. Her eyes never met mine; they just stayed glued to Ikuto. "So what can I get you two to eat?"

"The curry rice is fine with me." Ikuto replied, using similar words as before. Once again he called my name, "Amu?"

I hadn't really picked up on it last time, but my heart always skipped a beat whenever he said my name. Once again I looked down at the menu, not really sure what I wanted. Feeling rushed, I told her, "I'll have curry rice, too."

After another long gaze at Ikuto, Mikuru left to go get our food. Ikuto stared out the window that was to our left, as if he weren't really paying attention. Was he? I sat in silence, with an occasional sip of my melon soda. Ikuto seemed to be thinking about something, so I tried not to break his train of thought. However…the silence was killing me.

I tried gathering my thoughts together, something that had seemed impossible that morning. Everything that day had just been so random and choppy that I didn't even want to think. Ever since my episode with Ikuto that morning I had been acting strangely. First there was the crying, then the stuttering, and even the blushing. Even when that pretty waitress came over here eying Ikuto I began acting weird. What was going on with me?

"What's wrong with you?" Ikuto inquired.

"Eh?" My mind went back into focus. Ikuto had his head resting in the palm of his hand and he was staring at me with an intense gaze. "What do you mean?" I wondered; had I really been so obvious?

"You seem out of it." He put it bluntly, speaking as if it were obvious.

I looked outside the window, my cheeks blushing. "It's nothing."

"It seems to be something." He told me. His eyes never seemed to leave me, not even when Mikuru came back with our curry.

As she served us our food, her eyes still never left Ikuto. She seemed to be really into him, and that made me really uncomfortable. However, I only glanced at her a few times. I continued to look out the window, while Ikuto continued to look at me, and Mikuru continued to gaze at Ikuto. It was basically a chain of continuous staring.

"Can I get you anything else?" Mikuru asked gleefully.

Ikuto replied, his eyes not looking away from me, "We're fine, thanks."

I gave her a quick glance, she seemed to be disappointed as she said, "Okay, well call me if you need anything." The sadness was written across her face.

We both sat in the same position for awhile, until Ikuto began to spoon the curry into his mouth. I hesitated to eat as well, but I didn't want the curry to get cold. Avoiding as much eye contact with Ikuto as possible, I ate my curry. It was hard not to look at him, especially since his eyes were glued to me. It made me want to spill out my feelings, but I knew that I couldn't do that. It wasn't right for a thirteen year old to be—

My appetite was immediately lost. What was I just about to say? It wasn't right for a thirteen year old to be what? What was I going to say? I almost had it, but I completely lost it.

"Are you jealous of the waitress?" Ikuto asked. I felt a pang in my stomach. Was that what I had been feeling? Was I jealous? Is that why I disliked Mikuru so much? "I'm not interested in her, don't worry."

Deciding to venture into his mind a little, I decided to say, "I'm not jealous. But why would it matter to you if I were jealous?"

"I like to make dinner as enjoyable as possible." Ikuto responded with ease. "If you're jealous then you'll lose your appetite."

I grimaced slightly. Was this dinner or a game of battle ship? If it were, then my ship had just been sunk. Had I just lost my appetite because I was jealous of Mikuru? Why would I have any reason to be jealous? The only reason Mikuru was so pretty was because she was foreign and older than I was. So why was I so jealous? The only people who get jealous are idiots and people in—

I dropped my spoon immediately. "What's wrong?" Ikuto asked.

"N-nothing, it's nothing." I stuttered. I wiped my mouth with a napkin while getting up and said, "I need some air."

I walked straight out of the restaurant, not wanting to run into Mikuru on my way out. Ikuto may have said something while I had been exiting, but it didn't even matter. All I needed was some fresh air. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing with different thoughts. Somehow I ended up in the alleyway next to the restaurant, figuring that no one would see me panic in there.

"No way…" I sat against the wall of the restaurant and began breathing deeply. "I can't believe it…" I panted. Somehow my realization was exhausting me.

The reason why I had been able to cry so easily in front of Ikuto was so simple. The reason why I blushed and stuttered was pretty easy to figure out, too. There was nothing complicated about it. Well, maybe a tad complicated, but I still knew the reasons behind everything I was feeling. All of these emotions: the jealousy, the confusion, and the longing all led to one thing.

I loved Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

"What's wrong with you?" I heard the husky voice of Ikuto coming from the entrance of the alleyway.

I looked over at him. Now that I knew how I felt about him, I felt so… ridiculous. I blushed immediately, afraid that Ikuto would hear my racing thoughts and pounding heart. He walked up and kneeled beside me, his face really close to mine.

My heart wanted me to scream out my feelings. "I love Tsukiyomi Ikuto!" is what my heart wanted to say. However, I knew that I wouldn't be able to convey it to him so easily. So, I did what any girl would do. I wanted to figure out if he had any feelings for me. Sure, there was a five year age difference, but did that really matter?

"When I cry will you be there to wipe my tears?" I asked him while staring at the wall in front of me.

He cocked his head to the side and asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question." I told him.

After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Yes."

"When I need you to save me, will you be there?" I inquired.

"Yes." He replied.

My next question was the hardest to ask. The other actions would be something that a friend would do, but this next one meant a lot more. I asked him, "If I need you to hold my hand, will you?"

"I will." He told me.

"Ikuto…" I looked straight into his eyes. His eyes were completely still, but it was average of Ikuto. "In the three previous encounters I've had with you, somehow without even knowing it…" I babbled on, wanting to buy myself some time. "Somehow, despite the age difference and the fact that I only know your name and age…" I wanted to say it, but my heart was afraid of being hurt again.

"Your heart was broken, so you decide to shut everyone out. It's not fair to those who want to get close to you."

Kuukai's words echoed in my head. However, how did I know if Ikuto even wanted to get close to me in the first place?

"Well you haven't spoken to anybody, so you wouldn't know."

Another Kuukai quote rang in my head. If I don't tell Ikuto how I feel, then I'll live my life never knowing. I had to tell Ikuto my exact feelings, the feelings that I had just realized myself.

The suspense was killing me on the inside. My heart was bursting with vulnerability as I blurted out, "I love you."

Not wanting to hear his reply just yet, I crashed my lips against his for a kiss. If he didn't love me back, then at least I got my kiss. Besides, he stole my first kiss from me. At last I finally got to steal it back. If he loved me, then we would be happy together. If he didn't love me, then at least I got my kiss.

I had my eyes closed shut. I was completely nervous as to how he would reply. Would he break away? My fears were diminished as he leaned in more, kissing me back. My heart fluttered, butterflies were roaring in my stomach, and my entire body felt numb.

This was love.

Aw, Amu finally confessed! Now what will Amu and Ikuto do, since Amu has confessed her feelings? Find out in chapter 22: A Sealed Promise. Until next time!

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