A/N: Well, this is the last chapter. And then there will be an epilogue. I feel really sad to end this. But then at least I won't have to think about it anymore! Anway, you guys asked for Kutau, so I here it is. They might be OOC. I'm really tired, so I can't tell.
Warning: This chapter, the one before it, and possibly the one after it, are loaded with fluff and may contain an unreasonable amount of kissing and sappy dialogue. If you dislike or are alergic to sappyness or fluff, please know that you have been warned. But in that case, why would you even be reading this story?
The Million Dollar Bet
Day Fourteen, Part Two
"Hey, Rima-chan," said Amu, grabbing the blonde chibi by the arm. Rima turned her head in Amu's direction.
"What is it?" she asked, setting the tray of snacks she was carrying on the counter.
"Umm... I need to talk to you," she pulled her aside, and the two girls retreated into a corner of the downstairs living room.
"What's the matter, Amu-chan?"
The pinkette scrunched her eyes shut and blurted very quickly and very quietly, "I think I'm in love with Ikuto."
"You are?" Rima raised an eyebrow. "And why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're my best friend," Amu said with a pleading look. "Don't you have any advice?"
"Ummm," she tapped her chin. "Yeah. Why don't you tell him?"
"Whaaa?" Amu looked shocked, and Rima rolled her eyes.
"It's not that big of a deal. It was bound to happen someday," she said. "And better Ikuto than Tadase." The last part she mumbled quietly enough that Amu couldn't hear it.
"W-when should I t-tell him?"
"I don't know," Rima shrugged, "How about now?"
"No!" Amu exclaimed. "I can't!"
"Why not?"
"I-" she sighed and didn't finish her sentence.
"Then tell him later," Rima said, turning to go back to whatever she had been doing.
"B-but," Amu began, and her friend turned back around again to look her in the face. The two of them just stared at each other, Amu's face pleading for advice, and Rima's face bored and indifferent. Finally, she sighed.
"Why don't you ask Utau?"
"Because... she's Ikuto's sister!"
"So? She knows him better, then. Maybe she'll be able to help you."
~In the attic~
"Here, take these," Kukai said, handing Utau a box full of... something. He picked up another box and the two of them walked down both flights of stairs and through the living room.
"What are you guys doing?" Amu asked as they passed her.
"You'll see," Kukai grinned and continued toward the front door.
"I don't know what we're doing, either," Utau told Amu as she followed Kukai.
The two of them walked outside carrying the boxes and went all the way to the edge of the yard, where they set them down on the grass.
"Okay, now we need to find a lighter."
"Kukai, what are we doing?" Utau asked seriously.
"Setting up fireworks!" he replied, giving her a thumbs-up.
"For the party tonight?"
"Yep," he said, picking an object wrapped in colorful paper out of one of the boxes. "These big ones stay over here. The small ones will go back to the house so we can set them off on the porch."
"Is that a good idea?"
"I don't see why not," he replied, and started stacking fireworks. Utau helped him, and placed all the small ones in one of the boxes. They carried that box back to the house and set it on the porch.
"Maybe we shouldn't leave it here like this," Utau mused, looking at the box of fireworks warily.
"Why?"
"Well, remember what Yaya nearly did? And then there's Jiji. I don't know much about dogs, but she probably can't tell the difference between fireworks and food."
"Good point," Kukai agreed, moving the box onto the table on the front porch. "I don't think Yaya will do anything to these, and Jiji can't reach them up here."
"Okay, now what?" Utau plopped onto the steps and placed her chin on her fist. Grabbing her free hand, Kukai pulled her back up, his expression unreadable, and dragged her around the side of the house. She didn't protest, but simply let him take her wherever they were going.
As they came around the back of the house, he tripped over something on the ground, and barely caught his balance in time not to fall. Utau stopped abruptly in front of the thing he'd tripped over.
"What's that doing there?" Kukai asked, peering at it.
"I think we've found the charas' project," she stated. "And there's the video camera that disappeared." True to her word, a few feet away the video camera lay on the ground, dirty and looking a bit battered. She picked it up and turned it on, flipping the little screen out of the camera so they could both see what was on it. When Utau pushed the button that played what had been recorded, both of them began to laugh.
On the screen, Kiseki ordered some very weary looking charas to dig here and there as they scooped dirt out of the ground with table spoons. They were all yawning, and many were complaining about the work.
"We didn't ever finish our movie, but our charas made their own," Kukai chuckled. Suddenly, the screen flickered and the camera went dead. Utau smacked it, but it refused to turn back on.
"Oh well," she said, tossing it aside. "Weren't we going somewhere?"
"Yeah," he replied, taking her hand again, and led her a ways into the huge English garden. He didn't stop until they were behind a tall hedge and the only part of the house they could see was a tiny bit of the roof. When they got there, Kukai looked Utau in the eyes with a very serious face.
"What?" Utau asked blankly.
"I should have done this a long time ago," he said. "I don't know why I didn't. I guess I never really got the chance to confess to you. So... I love you, Utau." Taking a step closer to her, he placed his hand on her cheek and gently caressed her face. Utau was blushing like mad.
"I love you, too, Kukai," she said, closing her eyes to fight the blush. Kukai took advantage of her moment of vulnerability, and kissed her lips.
Grinning, Utau opened her eyes as their foreheads rested against one another. "That was nice," she said, "But I know you can do better." Kukai also grinned and crashed his lips against hers without hesitation. She wound her arms around his neck, kissing him back, trying to put all her love into that one action.
~Later, Near the pond~
Splash!
Ikuto's head turned and he immediately groaned as he saw what had made the noise. Jiji had jumped into the pond, and was now swimming to shore. When she emerged from the water, her golden coat was soaked, and water droplets were streaming off the ends of her tail and ears.
She shook herself and water went flying in a two foot radius of her. Ikuto was fortunate enough to be five feet away, and didn't get wet. As the little blond puppy began to run towards him, her feet splashed mud up from the swampy ground in all directions.
"Jiji," Ikuto growled, looking at the dog disapprovingly. She looked up at him innocently, her pink tongue hanging out of her wide-open mouth and her tiny tail wagging back and forth vigorously. It was obvious that the puppy would need a bath. And Ikuto did not want to be the one to deliver it.
However, he picked Jiji up and carried her to the house, despite her squirming. The moment he entered, he was slightly surprised by the change the living room had taken. All the furniture had been pushed against the walls, leaving the whole room and the entryway empty. Rima, Utau, Yaya, Tadase, and Kukai were all standing around something. Ikuto set Jiji on the ground and walked over to see what they were doing.
"We found a karaoke machine in the attick," Tadase explained.
"Uh-oh," Rima pointed to Jiji, who was running around on the hardwood floor, getting dirt all over the place.
"Somebody has to give that dog a bath, and it's not going to be me," Ikuto stated.
"I'll do it!" Kukai volunteered, snatching the puppy off the ground.
"I'll help," Utau said, throwing the wires of several different speakers to the ground in aggravation. "As long as I don't have to figure out how this machine works."
"Well now someone has to wash the floor," Rima said. "How about Yaya and Ikuto."
"Why Yaya?" Yaya whined.
"Because you two are the only ones that don't have something better to do. So make yourselves useful by washing the floor."
So Ikuto and Yaya were stuck washing the floor while everyone else retreated from the living room to who-knows-where.
~Outside~
"How is this going to work?" Kukai asked, holding a squirming, dirty Jiji. Utau picked up the garden hose.
"You hold the dog, and I'll hose her off."
"But we need some soap or something," he said, looking at the puppy thoughtfully. The side door could be heard opening and closing, and Tadase came running toward them. He had a bottle of something in his hand, and he handed it to Utau.
"It's baby shampoo," he explained. "Use it to wash Jiji, because it won't hurt if you get any in her eyes."
"Thanks," she said, and Tadase ran back into the house.
"..."
"..."
"That was weird," Kukai stated. Utau nodded in agreement and turned on the hose. She held it above Jiji, who didn't seem to mind the stream of water at all. When she was completely wet, both Kukai and Utau knelt on the ground and lathered the dog until she was almost totally white, with the exception of her head.
The grass was soaked, and every time Jiji tried to walk, she would slip. The puppy was not very cooperative, and when she decided she was bored of being bathed, she tried to escape. Utau pounced on the little dog as she scrambled away. In the process, she slipped on the wet ground which was covered in suds.
Soap and water went flying everywhere.
The hose, having been abandoned, was writhing about on the ground like it was alive, and managed to hit Kukai in the face. At the end of it all, everyone was covered in suds, soaked to the bone, and at least a little bit irritated. Well, besides Jiji. She was looking quite pleased with herself. Shaking the water out of her fur, she trotted back to the house, leaving Kukai and Utau sitting in a wet and soapy puddle.
There was a long silence in which the only thing that could be heard was the water rushing out of the hose and flooding the lawn. The puddle was slowly growing larger and larger, as the two of them sat there, dumbfounded.
A small chuckle emanated from Kukai. Utau giggled a little bit. Within moments, both were rolling on the ground laughing.
~Inside~
Ikuto and Yaya scrubbed in silence. It was slightly awkward, but neither of them really had anything to say. After about five minutes, a quiet tune could be heard coming from Yaya's direction. It slowly grew louder and louder, until Ikuto could finally make out the words.
"Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow, back to my home, I dare not go! For if I do, my mother will say... "Have you ever seen a cat wearing a hat down by the bay?" Down by the bay!" Yaya sang. She continued, replacing the last part with something new each time. Ikuto listened in amusement, not really minding that much.
"For if I do, my mother will say... "Have you ever seen a goat eating a boat down by the bay?" down by the bay!" sang Yaya. She kept singing and singing, slowly getting louder.
"Hey, Yaya?" Ikuto interrupted her. She stopped abruptly and turned to him.
"Yes?"
"Your mother is weird."
She gave him a weird look and went back to singing. After another ten minutes or so, she stopped and said, "Iku-kun! Sing with Yaya!"
"No."
It was a long time before Yaya ran out of things for her mother to say. Ikuto had been inwardly chuckling at the things she came up with, and was surprised when she didn't have one. "My mother will say... say... say... ummm..."
Silence.
"Have you ever seen a bear combing his hair?" Ikuto's deep voice prompted. Yaya's face brightened, and she used the suggestion, adding it to her endless song. But she ran out of ideas again very soon.
"Iku-kun, help Yaya."
"Have you ever seen a llama in his pajamas?"
"Down by the bay! Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow," Yaya began the verse over again. Ikuto slowly joined in, singing very quietly. He had to admit it was kind of fun.
Amu, who was bringing a bowl of chips into the living room, stopped in the doorway at the sound of Ikuto and Yaya singing together. She peered around the corner to see that the two of them were nearly finished washing the floor, and both were singing "Down by the Bay".
"Have you ever seen a rhinoceros dance with a hippopotamus?" Yaya sang and they chorused the rest. Amu watched as Ikuto came up with the next line.
"Have you ever seen a dog stuck in a bog?" his voice sounded odd singing something like that. Amu gasped and turned back around the corner. She found herself grinning from ear to ear. This was a side of Ikuto that she knew existed but never saw. It was something so rare, yet so comforting. She felt truly happy watching him sing childish songs with Yaya.
~Later~
That evening, after an elegant dinner cooked by Nagihiko, Amu, and Suu, everyone gathered in the downstairs living room, which had been turned into a dance floor. The girls had found some cool lights in the attic, and they had set them up around the room. One of them attached to the stereo and moved about in time to the music. Another one flashed short, bright white lights so that it looked like everything was in stop-motion.
The first thing they did was karaoke, since they had taken the trouble to set up the whole system for it. Nobody really wanted to sing at first, but Yaya was easily persuaded. She sang a song about candy. Tadase sang something from an old musical. Kukai decided to go next.
"Utau, this song is for you," he said before he began.
We should get jerseys, 'cause we make a good team
But yours would look better than mine, 'cause your out of my league
And I know that it's so cliche to tell you that every day
I spend with you is the new best day of my life
And everyone watching us just turns away with disgust
It's jealousy, they can see that we've got it going on
I'm racking my brain for a new, improved way
To let you know you're more to me than what I know how to say
You're okay with the way this is going to be
This is going to be the best thing we've ever seen
If anyone could make me a better person you could
All I gotta say is I must have done something good
You came along one day and you rearranged my life
All I gotta say is I must have done something right
I must have done something right
Maybe I'm just lucky, 'cause it's hard to believe
Believe that somebody like you'd end up with someone like me
And I know that it's so cliche to talk about you this way
But I'll put all my inhibitions aside
It's so very obvious to everyone watching us
That we've got something real good going on
I'm racking my brain for a new, improved way
To let you know you're more to me than what I know how to say
You're okay with the way this is going to be
This is going to be the best thing we've ever seen
If anyone could make me a better person you could
All I gotta say is I must have done something good
You came along one day and you rearranged my life
All I gotta say is I must have done something right
I must have done something right
Kukai sang the last chorus three times, and finished with a bow. He walked to Utau, who was blushing like mad.
"What did I do right?" he asked. She just hugged him without a response.
"You were slightly off-key, but that was pretty good."
By nine'o'clock, everyone but Ikuto had sung, and he refused to. Neither Yaya or Amu said anything about the "Down by the Bay" song, earlier. They moved on to dancing.
At first they danced several line dances and group dances, and—upon Yaya's insistence—the chicken dance. None of them would deny that it was a lot of fun, even if they did look absurd. Eventually they all split into pairs or danced individually.
Rima giggled as Nagihiko spun her outward and she came flying back in so that she was wrapped in his arms from behind. Nagihiko smiled and twirled them both around at the same time, a feat that was a bit more difficult with their height difference. When it came to the slower music, Rima was quite sure what to do. She admitted that she had never done that type of a dance before.
"It's really easy," Nagihiko said, "Just try to move in unison." He pulled her close and placed one of her hands on his shoulder, wrapping his arm around her waist, and took her other hand in his. It took a while for Rima to get the hang of it, but she managed.
"I kind of like this," she said quietly as they swayed back and forth. "It's a lot different than dancing like we were before, but I like it."
"Good," he kissed the top of her head and held her tightly. When the song ended, everyone switched partners, and Rima was reluctant to pull away.
Having switched partners, Amu was now dancing with Ikuto. She found herself blushing just at the thought of him, and didn't try to fight it. It would be useless to do so. Her mind was racing, and something inside her was urging her to just blurt out her thoughts. To confess to Ikuto right there.
"I-Ikuto, are you k-kidding when you say that you l-lo... l-l-love me?"
"Of course not," he replied seriously. She wanted to believe him.
"L-lets say I b-beleive you," the managed, gulping. His eyes widened and they stopped dancing.
"Go on," Ikuto urged.
"W-what would you do, if I s-said that I... l-loved you, too?" She closed her eyes and cringed.
"I would be happier than I could ever remember being," he said.
"Then..." she was going to take the risk. He could be joking about the whole thing, simply toying with her, but she would say it anyway. After witnessing how he played with Jiji and sang with Yaya, she somehow doubted he was lying about this. "I love you, too."
Opening her eyes, Amu stared up at him. A shocked expression came over her face as she saw Ikuto smile. It was a genuine smile. Not a smirk. A real smile. He pulled her into his embrace.
"Amu-chan, may I kiss you?"
Now that was unexpected. Not the fact that he wanted to kiss her, of course, but simply that he was asking for permission. Smiling, she nodded, and stood on her tiptoes to meet him.
It was in the early morning that everyone finally got to sleep. When they were exhausted from dancing, they'd all gone to the upstairs living room to watch a movie, and eventually, one by one, they fell asleep on the couches or on the ground.
The last day of the Million Dollar Bet had been exhausting. They were ready to go home.
A/N: This isn't the end! There is one more chapter. Anyway, it's really late and I want to get this out, so I'm not going to bother proof-reading it. Please excuse any mistakes or lameness. I'm sorry that this chapter wasn't that funny.
Oh, and by the way, the song Kukai sang was "Must Have Done Something Right" by Relient K.
Please review!
Thank you!
~Talia Windwalker