Finally, here is another chapter for Summer's Dream. Sorry for the long wait. I hope I can start writing faster and more often. Now that the weather is nicer, I may spend more time outside. I hope that I can get the computer at night.

Please enjoy. *bows*

Chapter 9

The next day.

Amu's POV

Warmth tickled my face and sunlight flooded my eyes as I blinked them open. Birds were singing chirping and a light breeze was blowing through my open window. Mmmm. Pine.

I looked at my ceiling, a peaceful smile beginning on my face, then it quickly disappeared.

Ikuto was coming over today. Again.

As I thought about that, my thoughts shifted to the previous night. My stomach lurched and my heart fluttered.

"Aww, was that smile for me?" a smirking voice asked me from the window sill.

Even before I turned my head, I knew it was him. Ikuto. My face began to get warm and I turned to him. He was wearing a dark blue muscle shirt and blue shorts. His hair was stylishly messy.

"Of course not; the scowl was for you. The smile was for the perfect day." I glared at him. I wanted him to go away and at the same time, I wanted him to stay.

He slid down from the window and walked over to me. He kept walking until he was right next to me and leaned down. He put his face in mine. "I know that's not true, Amu." He stared in my eyes and I looked away.

He grabbed my chin and pulled my face around to look at him. He looked at me and his face softened a little bit. Then he sighed and released my face. I looked at him with a confused look on my face.

"What do you want," I asked him as he sat down on the bed. He leaned back and laid on the bed with his arms behind his head.

"Can't I just see my favorite person without a reason?"

"Huhhh, whatever. Don't you have to go home and get ready to go swimming? "

"Nope!" He made the "p" pop.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I do. So don't do anything that might wake my parents up."

He sat up and started to get off my bed as I grabbed my bathing suit. I darted to the bathroom and closed and locked the door just as he bumped against the door. I heard the doorknob jiggle."Aww, Amu, you're no fun," came his muffled whine from behind the door.

I rolled my eyes and changed into my bathing suit. This one was dark blue with white stripes on the top going from my left shoulder to the bottom on the right side. The bottom was also dark blue, but this had white polka-dots on it. I slipped a pair of black shorts and a white tank top, grabbed a towel out of the cupboard and walked out into my room.

Ikuto was back on my bed, but he was looking at my book, which I had put on my bedside table. "Hmm. Interesting choice," he said while letting the book fall closed over the finger he still had inside.

I shrugged while taking the book from him. "My friend said it was a good book, so I thought I would give it a try."

He bobbed his head an looked over at the door. "What time your parents getting up?"

"I don't know. It's summer vacation. They sleep as late as they want. I'm not usually up so early, but my thoughts woke me up, I think." I walked over to my dresser and tapped the three eggs. The girls inside sighed sleepily and then I heard light snoring.

He smiled. "Sure it was. I think that it was because you wanted to see me."

I sighed. "Yeah right." Then I walked out the door, intending to go get some breakfast. Quietly. Yeah right. With the old steps in this place, a ghost would have made a racket.

I went down the steps, wincing with every step. Creak. Ughhh.

I got down the uncooperative stairs and opened the fridge. I grabbed a pop and a plate of fudge squares. Not the best breakfast, but hey, I go swimming all day. I can afford to indulge a little.

"That's not a very good choice for breakfast Amu." As he said this, he put a hand around my mouth, knowing the shriek or some kind of noise that was going to come.

"Urrrr," I growled behind his hand. He removed his hand once he was sure that I wasn't going to make too loud of sound and I turned around to face him. "How'd you get down here so quietly?"

"I'm just light on my feet. It's not my fault that you're fat." He appraised my breakfast choice.

"I exercise plenty enough. In case you haven't noticed, I swim every day all day."

"You weren't going to the other day," he reminded me while trying to get my fudge.

"That's because you were going to come out. It wouldn't have been very fun." I glowered at his doubting look and trying to swat his hand away from my breakfast and eating it at the same time.

Shouldn't you be getting back to your family," I asked, still trying to keep my fudge away from him.

"No, my family is used to me taking early morning walks and not expecting me back until late."

"So you were weird even before I met you."

"I guess you could say that. Though I don't think it's weird. They're very relaxing."

"Whatever."

"Want to go swimming a little early. I doubt that your parents will miss you." He glanced down the only hallway to where my parents and my sister's rooms were.

"No way in hell am I going anywhere with you alone. Especially swimming."

"But I won't do anything too naughty." He smirked.

"And that's the reason why." I popped the last piece of fudge left in my mouth. I looked at him with a smug look on my face, proud of the fact that I had kept my fudge away from him, when he smiled me.

"Uhh.." I didn't get much more out before he picked me up and ran quietly out the door with me.

"Put me down," I pouted as he ran down the steps.

"Nu-uh, I've had this planned all morning, so you're going to have to put up with it."

"You mean that you spend all night thinking of ways to bug me?"

He smirked.

Ikuto, why don't you just put me down now?" We had reached the end of the steps and he was standing there, looking at me while I seethed in his arms. Which, I grudgingly admitted, felt nice around me. Grrr.

"But I like holding you Amu. Even if you are heavier than you look."

I glared at him and almost stuck my tongue out at him, but I thought better of it.

"Please," I sighed.

"Fine."

He let me down and I immediately bounced away from him and he just stood there looking at me, contemplating something. "Are you just going to stand there looking at me all morning or are we going to swim," I asked as I started taking my shirt and shorts off.

"Well, right now I might just look at you." I blushed as he said that. "pervert," I muttered. I turned to argue with him, but stopped as I saw that he had taken his shirt off too.

He smiled. "Like what you see, Amu?" He smirked. I couldn't understand why the words had frozen on my tongue, but being this close to him shirtless left me with a weird feeling in my stomach.

I rolled my eyes and walked toward the water. I could hear his quiet footsteps whispering in the sand. I'm going to have to put sand in my room so I can hear him next time. Just as I was about to jump into the water, strong arms grabbed me and pulled my into a muscular chest.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"You shouldn't talk like that Amu. It's very unlady-like." He smirked down at me as we stood there on the dock. He looked out over the water and I felt him crouch.

My eyes widened. "Don't you da..!!" Too late. He jumped in with me in his arms and we both disappeared under the water. He let me go under the water and I pushed toward the surface.

I looked around. "Ikuto!" I couldn't see him anywhere and I began to worry. I whipped my head around and suddenly someone breathed in my ear. "You don't have to shout. I can swim, you know." I turned around and I almost hugged him, but I stopped myself in time. I overreact too much.

"Well, what do you want to do now?" I had turned around after almost hugging him, and I turned to face him, waiting for an answer. But he was swimming away. "Hey!"

He looked back. "What?"

"You brought me down here to swim and then you're going to leave?"

He shrugged. He had stopped swimming and was facing. I closed my eyes in confusion and frustration and opened them. He wasn't where he was before. I looked around and began to get a foreboding feeling. The feeling you get when someone is going to grab you from behind.

My feeling was right. Soon, a hand grabbed my ankle and dragged me down below the water. I came up tight against Ikuto's chest. "Can't you go 5 minutes without bugging me?"

When he didn't answer, I looked up. I caught a glimpse of something on his face before his face smoothed over. What was that!

"I was under the impression that you wanted to swim with me, so I came back over."

"This isn't really swimming."

"It doesn't matter anyway. You're parents and sister are coming down the steps now anyway.

I gasped and looked over at the steps. I could see colorful material moving on the other side of the trees. I wrenched myself from Ikuto's grip and ducked under the water.

I began to swim as fast as I could under water, trying to distance myself from Ikuto as much as possible. Knowing him though, he'd be right behind me. I just wanted to get where I couldn't be seen by my parents or my nosey sister.

Soon my lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. I don't have very good stamina and I would need to come up for air soon. I pushed my arms forward and kicked a couple more times until I thought that I had come far enough. I turned upwards to the glittering surface.

I broke it with a whoosh and a loud gasp. I had misjudged my distance a little. I had been aiming for the swimming float, which was hidden a little from the dock by some trees, but I had come up on the other side of it. On the float was Ikuto. He was lounging on the top, looking like he had been there the whole time. I would have thought him asleep if not for the smile on his face.

I swam over to the float and looked at him, wondering how he had gotten over so quickly. I quickly ignored my question and looked at him. "Aren't you going to put any sunscreen on?"

He shook his head.

"That's not very smart. If you get a sunburn, I'm going to laugh." I thought of how funny it would be him having a sunburn. I giggled a little behind my hand.

He turned his head to the side and opened one eye, looking at me, while shrugging. Then he sighed and put his arms behind his back.

"You are so confusing."

He smiled. I thought briefly about splashing him with water ,but I didn't. I climbed up onto the float and laid down as far away from him as I could. "Shouldn't you be swimming off that nutritious breakfast," he asked me sarcastically, his eyes still closed.

"I can do whatever I want. You just mind your own business." Then I ignored his presence and let the warmth of the sun fill me. I was vaguely aware of my little sister laughing and splashing and my parents talking, and then I think I fell asleep.

I'm pretty sure I fell asleep because I opened my eyes and the first thing I noticed was that the sun was higher in the sky. It was considerably warmer than it was before and now the sun was just uncomfortable.

Then I noticed that Ikuto was next to me and I scowled. At least he hadn't done anything; but he was still bugging me, being that close. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away.

Ikuto's POV

The last thing that I remember before falling asleep was moving closer to Amu. She had fallen asleep surprisingly quickly. I moved over to her and laid down right beside. I wondered how much she would freak out if she woke up with me next to her.

The next thing I know, my skin is on fire in two places on my chest. It felt like someone had shoved a branding iron on me.

"Kyaa!" I yelled as I sat up, further away from where I was before. Amu was staring at me with an apologetic look on her face and was looking at my chest. I looked down and there were two slightly yellowish marks on my bright red skin. They slowly faded back to red.

Now that I was woken up, my whole front felt like it was on fire. I curled my fingers and inhaled a hiss through my teeth, trying to ignore the burning pain.

I looked over as a cute small giggle came from Amu. "I told you you should have put on sunscreen. I also told you that I would laugh if you got a sunburn. This works to my advantage though. Now you can't sneak up from behind me and hug me." She got a smug look on her face as she said this.

I grinned evily at her as a thought crossed my mind. She instantly looked wary at the look. I may not be able to hold you, but I can bother you another way.

Before she could say anything or move. I swiftly rolled over and placed my knees on either side of her legs and put my hands on both sides of her head. Luckily, my shorts had been long enough to cover my knees, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this.

"Now what Amu." I smiled. Instantly, that blush that I loved crept across her face.

She looked flustered for a minute. Then she looked just plain angry. She was about to push up on my chest when I cut her off.

"You wouldn't want to do that and hurt me now, would you?" I put innocent little eyes on.

She took in my words and looked at my arms and chest. She was looking for a spot that she could touch, but I was cooked all over. Everywhere was bright cherry red. I winced at the thought of having to sleep on it tonight.

"Ikuto, just get off." she sighed and pouted. Defeated.

I smiled and shook my head. I leaned my head down and put my face in the little dent between her collar bones and immediately pulled back. My nose and lips burned where I had touched and rubbed them against her skin.

I heard a satisfied little 'huh' from Amu. I looked back up to her triumphant face. "Looks like I'm safe for a little while."

My eyes tightened a little at this assumption, but I heal fast and my skin would be back to normal in no time.

She was still smirking, and I thought about doing something, but thought better of it and just shrugged. I got off her and slid gently into the water. The odd sensation of the water sliding over my skin and the drastic temperature difference made me cringe. I stood there for a little bit and let my body get used to it.

Then I started my agonizing journey back to the shore.

Amu's POV

I had thought there for a minute that he was going to do something. He had gotten that perverted smirk and that glint in his eye, but then, thankfully, he got up and slid into the water. I sighed in relief. Then, I almost laughed out loud as he reacted to the water. He looked like he was walking on nails as he started back to the shore.

I fell back on my back and squinted up at the light. Then, I heard a jet ski getting closer to where I was. I sat up and looked over to my right, away from the dock. A purple and white jet ski was coming at me. Like, right at me.

I contemplated jumping off and I was edging toward the side when the rider, which I could see was a girl, suddenly braked. The wave that resulted from her braking splashed over me and I shivered from the temperature change.

As the water stopped falling and I wiped the water out of my eyes, I finally got a good look at the crazy driver. She was wearing a purple two piece with white stripes all over. Her life jacket was also purple, but it had bits of dark blue in it. She was also wearing purple sun glasses. Her long blond hair was in two perfect ponytails.

"Hello there," she said as if she had known me, "My name is Utau."

And, enter Utau.

There is the next chapter for you all. I will try to get the next chapter up. These things take so long to update because I never have enough time anymore. I don't have school tomorrow, so maybe I'll get some more writing in.

I'm also working on another story. I don't know what I'll call it yet. I probably won't be up for a while. I want to get a bunch written before I post it. I hope it turns out good. I also have another idea too.

Read and review. be critical.