About five hours have passed since Amu left Utau's studio, she was now in her room preparing for her dinner-date with Tadase. Amu looked at herself in the mirror, having just finished getting ready. She looked beautiful and happy on the outside but on the inside she was tearing herself apart. She never had to break up with anyone before... How could she do it? She took a deep breath and imagined herself talking to the blonde boy.

"Tadase, we need to talk. Things have been too distant between us and... I've decided that we shouldn't be seeing each other anymore." She shook her head. "No... That sounds too formal, like I never want to see him again... I still want to be friends but..." She took another deep breath.

"It's time you finally knew the truth: I'm still in love with Ikuto and I'm leaving you for him. I need a man in my life and... No, that sounds way too harsh..." She sighed and looked her reflection dead in the eye.

"I'm going to be blunt with you Tadase. It's over. Can we settle for just being friends?" 'No... That sounds too demanding and it makes me sound like I just used him for the past three years...'

"I could try to lie and tell you that's it's me, but it's really you, Tadase, I can't deny it. You don't treat me like a girlfriend, and now that Ikuto's back in my life and I've discovered that he was tricked into leaving... I want to see if he deserves a second chance. I just... don't feel the same about you as I did before when we were younger, I'm sorry. These three years I spent with you, I can't say that I was truly happy, but it was enough to keep me here, and I can't thank you enough for that. Please don't hate me... I really, really hope you don't hate me or Ikuto for this. We may not have been a good couple but ...Could we still be friends?" Amu smiled, that sounded like a good break-up speech. Stern enough to get the message across, but she justified herself so that she didn't sound like an uncaring bitch.

There was a tapping at the sliding door of her balcony. Amu turned around, confused. She pulled back the curtain to see Ikuto; he seemed to be holding something behind his back. She opened up the door, "How did you get up there?"

"Same way I was able to when we were teenagers," He replied, flashing his signature Cheshire smirk. He pulled a very small box out from behind himself, it was covered in silver wrapping paper and it had a large, fancy pink ribbon on the top. "I figured the rose wouldn't be enough, so I went to the mall and found you something special."

"You shouldn't have," Amu whispered, "You've come back to me, and that's the greatest present I could ever have asked for!"

He scoffed, "Nonsense... there are much better things in this world than me."

"Not in my world."

Ikuto laughed, "You strange, silly little girl." He then frowned, placing the present on the bed and sitting down beside it, his back to Amu, "You... really don't have to break up with him for my sake. I'd really prefer for you to let that relationship take its course... He could be the one you don't want to let go..."

Trying to imitate his tone, she scoffed, "Nonsense! There are much better men in my world than he!" She climbed onto the bed and hugged her lover, "You are my everything."

"So you're breaking up with him over dinner?"

"Yes, but I'm going to try and be as gentle as possible."

Ikuto shook his head, "You cannot be gentle when you're breaking a heart; it's a scar that pains you with every step taken, no matter what is said before you bleed." Amu moved to sit beside him, picking up the small present. Without a word she carefully undid the wrapping and opened the box. It was a golden locket. Hesitantly she pried it open to see a picture of them together on the carousal in the small amusement park they would always visit. In the other half was a small inscription: 'And you shall forever hold my heart.'

"Wow..." she whispered, tracing the engraving with her finger. "It's... so pretty!" She hugged him again.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

They both looked to each other, their eyes filled with dread, "Tadase!" They both muttered, Amu with alarm, Ikuto with disgust. Amu leapt up from the bed and quickly fixed her outfit, making sure everything was alright. "How do I look?" She asked him eagerly.

Ikuto stared at her for several long moments, "...Perfect."

She smiled and turned to exit, only to quickly turn back on her heel to face him, "Stay out of sight until we leave, okay?"

He sighed, "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that..."

The Joker tilted her head, confused, "Huh?"

"After you and Tadase split, could we... live together?" He paused, and then added on as an afterthought, "I have nowhere else to go."

She mulled it over for a few moments, before warmly replying, "Of course you can."

The doorbell rang again, a sharp and impatient sound.

Ikuto walked over to her and cupped Amu's cheek, "I love you." They kissed briefly.

"I know," She replied as she hugged him once again. Reluctantly she walked down the stairs and opened the door, forcing herself to smile. "Hey Tadase! You're... Early."

The blonde was dressed in a simple tuxedo; he blushed, "Really?" One arm was tucked behind his back. Another gift? "I guess I rushed a bit to get you these..." He revealed a large bouquet made of various lilies, carnations and daisies were bundled together. All of the flowers were white. "... So I guess I am a bit early," He chuckled nervously.

Amu accepted them unenthusiastically, "... Thanks..." Tadase leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away and walked into the kitchen. She placed the flowers on the counter next to Ikuto's rose. She looked from the rather plain bouquet to the red flower. It was a shame, really, the differences between them; the poor white arrangement would probably be in the garbage come tomorrow morning.

She reentered the foyer to see Tadase staring at her, awestruck. Finally taking in her outfit he stuttered, "Y-you look..." He fumbled for the word, "S-stunning...!" He was attempting to gloss over the fact that she had flat out rejected him by complimenting her dress... Pathetic.

The pink-haired woman frowned at her soon-to-be ex's appraisal of her outfit. Why just stunning? Why not -as Ikuto said-perfect? The King immediately reacted to her facial response.

"I-Is there something wrong?" He asked. Amu sighed, realizing how far this relationship had fallen. The inevitable was upon them, and every passing second just made the situation more awkward.

"Tadase, when we get to the restaurant... We'll need to talk, okay?"

The boy's eyes flashed with panic, "Oh, o-okay..." He led her outside to his car. After Amu had buckled up, she noticed a silhouette in her balcony: Ikuto. He was her only sanctuary at the moment. Regardless of what transpired tonight, he would be there waiting when she came home. Still, she glanced to Tadase; he knew what was going to happen tonight, but his face betrayed no emotion. His eyes only focused on the road ahead of him, and his face filled with a stoic resolve.

The drive was filled with an uncouth silence, but there was a tangible sense of dread in the air. Dread of what was to come, of what had to be done.

xxxxx

The restaurant was fairly crowded when they arrived, but luckily Tadase had made reservations. He grasped her hand, a swift, jarring movement. His grip was rather tight, almost paining her. It was not long before they were seated. "I love you," He whispered, smiling, but the expression did not reach his eyes.

Amu mentally recoiled at the coldness she found there. Coldness, laced with hatred. She knew he was going to cause a scene, which shattered all hopes of making a clean break between them. The real question was not how Amu was going to breakup with him, but what Tadase would do in retaliation. The waiter approached them, handing them their menus. He told them of the house specials then pulled out a small notepad and asked for their drink orders.

"I'll have a glass of wa—"

Tadase cut her off, "Two glasses of red wine, please." The waiter quickly jotted that down and walked off, ignorant to Amu's protests. There were far too many people to be served for him to turn back.

Again there is a long silence between the two. Tadase's eyes challenged her to tell him it was over at this very moment. They dared her to see what would happen. She looked down to her menu, withdrawn. He smirked wickedly, he had the upper hand. After finishing contemplating on what their meals would be the waiter returned, slightly haggard, but with their drinks. He placed one glass by each of them, and then requested their next orders.

Tadase glanced at the menu once more, "I'd like the Shrimp Scampi." After the waiter scribbled that down as he collected the menu.

"I'll have the Chicken Marsala, and could I also have a glass of water?" Amu shot a glare at Tadase, who smiled innocently in return.

"Sure, sure." The waiter replied as he tucked the other menu under his arm. Again, he sped away from the table.

Eventually, Tadase broke the ever persistent silence, "So he's back for good?"

Amu immediately knew who he was talking about, "Yes, he's here to stay." Carefully Amu picked up the wine glass and took a sip. The flavor was bitter, yet strangely tasteful; she pursed her lips at the odd flavor and set the glass back down, "Why should it matter to you?"

"Oh, you'll find that it matters a great deal to me, seeing as though my brother has come to... ah, reclaim you, as one might say it," He took a refined sip of the wine, enjoying it.

"I belong to no one."She stubbornly replied.

His violet eyes flashed dangerously, stating otherwise. "That irksome alley cat thinks he can just waltz around doing whatever he pleases... It would be wise not to stray too close to him."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying—no, I'm telling you to keep away from him. He is utter filth, and he's only going to deceive you again—!"

"Tadase," Amu cut him off, her voice sweet as honey. She smiled, then dropped it to a dark, blunt pitch, so that no one else but him would hear, "Shut the hell up."

The blonde was surprised, but only for a moment before openly glaring at her. At that moment the waiter finally came back with their meals and Amu's water. He seemed to notice the turbulent atmosphere around the couple; "Is t-there, uh, anything else I can get you? No? W-well okay then..." He fled from the table to warn his coworkers about them. Even he could tell that this night would not end well.

They both ate their food slowly, both biding their time. Again and again Amu wondered what Tadase was going to do, but she couldn't read anything past the glowering hatred in those violet eyes. The food was delicious though, certainly living up to the restaurant's reputation. She had abandoned her glass of wine, deciding that alcohol wasn't her thing. Her date, on the other hand, had downed his entire glass already and he was already done his meal. He studied Amu as she finished, as if trying to solve a very complicated puzzle. The waiter brought over the bill, which the King covered. Amu pulled some money out of her purse and placed it on the table for the tip as she got up to leave.

"Wait," Tadase ordered, grabbing her wrist with the same jarring movement as he did before. "Excuse me!" He called out, "Could I have everyone's attention, please?" At least a hundred pairs of eyes turned to look at them. There was no way Amu could escape now, not with all of these people watching. "I'm sorry to interrupt your dinners, but... I'd like you all to partake in this very special moment." The crowd tittered anxiously; both wondering what was going on and waiting for him to continue.

He released Amu's wrist and then gestured towards her, "This woman right here, is the love of my life," The crowd "Aww-ed" after he stated that. "We've been together for three long years, which were arguably the best years of my life!"

Ice pierced her heart as she realized what he was about to do. "...No..." She whispered, taking a half-step back.

Tadase got down on one knee as the crowd gasped and applauded, "And there is no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with," He pulled a small black box out of his pocket, and opened it to reveal a ostentatious diamond ring. "Amu Hinamori, will you marry me?" Several people whistled and whooped, cheering him on. The crowd then dissolved into a thick, absolute silence. They were all waiting for Amu's answer.

Amu shook her head sadly and took another step back, "I... I can't. I'm not ready for that kind of commitment."

"...But I thought we were here to discuss our future," His face expressed sadness, but his eyes glowed with anger.

She sighed sadly, "Tadase, you knew I came here you break up with you. Don't you dare lie!"

The crowd gasped once more as the two began to argue. "But why?" Tadase demanded, "I love you!"

"If you truly loved me you would realized that our relationship died out long ago!" Amu shouted in reply. "I stuck around this long just so I wouldn't regret letting you go. I thought that maybe you'd be the one to put me back together, the one to make me smile again... but you couldn't!"

"It's because of Ikuto isn't it?" His voice became thick with emotion, and Amu recognized it as true emotion. "You're leaving me for him, AREN'T YOU?" For a mere second she saw his face, shattered and heart-broken, but then it evolved into a vicious beast. His rage was truly frightening, causing Amu to take another step back. He began shouting insults at her. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, she was trapped, alone, and afraid. She grasped one small shred of courage within her and gathered her strength.

"SHUT UP!" She screeched. The entire restaurant was dead silent; most of the staff had come out of the kitchens by now to watch. Her face was furiously red. She desperately tried to keep herself together. Tadase wanted a fight? Well she was about to give him a full out war. "I tried to make this work between us. You don't even know how hard I tried. And what have you done? NOTHING! I could try to lie and try to tell you that's it's me, but it's really you, Tadase! I refuse to deny it any longer! I just don't feel the same about you as I did before when we were younger, okay? And now that Ikuto's back..." Her voice trailed off.

"Now what?" He challenged. "He's back, so now what?"

Amu glared like a sudden evil had possessed her. "Now I can have a real man in my life, not some spoiled prince who throws tantrums whenever he doesn't get what he wants!" She turned her attention to the crowd, "You see this man? He brought me here tonight in order to make me look like a cheating whore in front of you all. Well I'm not!" Tears began to leak out of her eyes, but she fought them back to the best of her ability. "At one point in the past, there was a boy named Tadase Hotori whom I fell in love with." She turned back to him, "But that boy has long since died, and has been replaced with this cruel, heartless man!" She shook her head one final time, "Kiseki would be so ashamed of you..." Without another word, she turned around and stormed out of the restaurant, not daring to look back, because then Tadase would have won.

He would have gotten the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

She began to run; she didn't care about her feet hurting from the heels, she didn't care where she was going. All that mattered was that she was getting away from him. After about five minutes of running, she leans against the side of a building, trying to figure out where she was. A car pulled up to the curb near her. She ignored it. The car honked at her, and she looked up to see a green Impala in front of her as the driver honked at her again.

That was her car!

She ran over to the door as Ikuto opened it, "I figured you'd need a ride home after you broke it off with Ta—"

"Please don't say his name." She ran a hand though her hair, tired. "How did you get my car?"

He shrugged, "I went though the purse you left on the counter, and I got lucky."

The pink-haired Joker let out a frustrated sigh as she climbed into the car and slammed the door shut. She folded her arms sullenly, still fighting those angry tears. Ikuto extracts a box of tissues from under the driver's seat, and gently places it in Amu's lap. After she dried her eyes he leaned over and gently kissed her forehead.

At that very moment someone ran in front of the car. The figure hunched over panting. It was Tadase, he had 'caught them' in the act. He looked disgusted, destroyed, his nightmare come to life. His eyes only bore one message: You will pay. He sneered at them both and ran off. Ikuto put the car in drive and drove them home, but not before grabbing Amu's hand and kissing the back of it.

"I won't let him hurt you... I promise."

Amu stared directly into his eyes. Unlike Tadase's amethyst stones, Ikuto's were pools of sapphire warmth. She knew she was safe.

The drive was rather short, but Amu felt her eyes drooping by the end of it. "Why does he have to hate me?" She suddenly asked as they got out of the car.

Ikuto was silent for a few seconds, then replied, "That's one of the funny things about love: friendships may end in it, but it in friendship... Never."

The two walked up to the front porch to find two suitcases in front of the door, before his girl could question, Ikuto explained, "I stayed at a hotel for two days before I found you, and the porter there owed me a favor, so I asked him to deliver my bags here. I guess he showed up when I left to get you..." They entered the house without another word. Ikuto went upstairs to put his suitcases in Amu's room, while she walked into the kitchen. The bouquet of white flowers was still on the counter where she left it. The flowers had already begun to show signs of wilting, due to them not being placed in water. Amu picked them up and walked them over to her trash bin. She opened then lid and unceremoniously let the bouquet fall.

She dragged herself upstairs to see Ikuto changed into a pair of sweats and a sleeping shirt. He held out his arms and she fell into them. She was so tired, physically and emotionally. She allowed Ikuto to help her change into her pajamas and then picked her up and laid her on the bed. He went downstairs and made sure that the door was locked and that all the lights were off as Amu crawled under the covers.

He saw the white flowers poking out of the trash can. Was this her form of closure? He hurried back upstairs, turning off the bedroom light as he entered. Amu was already sound asleep, her breaths deep and even. Carefully he climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"I... love you... Ikuto..." She muttered in her sleep. She involuntarily snuggled closer to him.

He smiled tenderly, "I love you too, Amu." He made himself comfortable, and let sleep overtake him.

For now, they were in their own little world. For now, everything was going to be alright.