*** General pov ***
Amu woke up in time with the sun. She brought her hand to her eyes to protect them from the light.
'Urgh." she thought. It was way to early too wake up, especially after it became so late this morning. Weird enough she felt good. She got out the bed and walked to her balcony door.
She was looking over the garden in the first sunlight when she noticed something odd. Outside the door stood an empty bottle of milk. She frowned. Normally she placed the empty bottles somewhere else. She wanted to open the door when she noticed that the door wasn't locked. Moreover, the key still lay on his usual place. She looked over the room and the balcony. Amu saw more and more things that were out of place: grass on the balcony, photo's moved. Then, she finally realized that that dream about Ikuto coming wasn't just a dream. She grasped for air. Then... then he must be still in the house! She felt the need to go and confirm to herself that he was really here. That this dream was true.
Quickly she changed into a pair of black shorts and a pink tank top with a black cross on it. She didn't put on any shoes and just ran out of the room on bare feet.
First she ran to Utau's room. Strangely it was empty. Something caught her attention. Across the hallway a door was opened, the door of one of the unused guest rooms. She went in. The bed was used. A bag was near the bed, that looked like it had been all around the world. But the thing that caught Amu's attention was the violin case that lay on the desk. Oh no...
Amu ran through the big house again, passing a maid busy with morning chores. She slipped to a halt.
"Misaki-san, can you tell me where Utau is please?" she asked.
The maid, Misaki, frowned. "I think in the kitchen, Amu-sama."
"Thanks!" screamed Amu while running away already.
A few meters from the kitchen door Amu stopped. She tried to keep her breath under control. If what she was thinking was right, then she had to be calm. Really calm.
She opened the door.
"...and I don't think that... Amu!" Utau looked suprised. "You're up early."
"I could say the same for you." Amu smiled. Her eyes were still busy scanning the room when she heard a voice, a low husky voice that could only belong to one person.
"Sure thing you are early. Considering you fainted from lack of sleep only this morning..."
She turned. In a seat close to the door, he sat. Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the boy that had been hunting her dreams and thoughts for over almost six years. The one she wanted to see most the moment she heard the news, but at that time she had thought it would be impossible. After not contacting her the whole time she could dream anymore, but a part of her kept doing so. A love bound to be forever lost... she had thought.
"Hello, Amu." He emphasized her name. She blushed.
"Shut up, neko-mimi-hentai-cosplay-baka!" she had always wanted to say that. Utau whistled.
"Auwtsh." she said with a hint of a smile. "That must've hurt, Ikuto."
"Not at all" he smirked.
Amu turned and crossed her arms with a loud 'hm!'.
Ikuto sneaked up to her and embraced her. She struggled to get free, but he wouldn't let her and turned her so that her body faced him.
"I know you missed me, strawberry."
Utau sighed and left them alone. They would need that.
Amu's face went red and she started to shout, banging her little fists to his chest with every word she spoke. It surprised Ikuto that it didn't hurt at all. That morning, when he visited her at her balcony, her punch had actually hurt. Now, it felt like a little kitten that tried to beat a full grown cat. He almost snickered at that thought, but seeing Amu's rage he decided to not to do that.
"On what ground do you say that, eh? Why should I miss you at all? I was just happy you left, so I could be at ease at least! Life is so much easier without you around!" she yelled.
It pained him, and she could see that in his eyes. Suddenly she felt sorry. Maybe he had a good reason to not contact her all this time. But he had to know that she had been in pain too. A lot of pain.
*** Amu's pov ***
He had to know I had been through a lot of pain too. He had to.
'But this isn't the right way to tell him, Amu-chan.'
'Yeah, you'll end up hurting him, if you aren't doing that already!~desu.'
'Just tell him.'
I smiled slightly when I heard the voices. I saw a worried Dia, an almost shocked Su, a determent Ran and a nodding Miki. 'All of you...' I thought. 'You're right.'
I couldn't bear to look in his eyes when I spoke quietly, knowing he could hear me.
"Why didn't you call me, or visit? Or, just, send a plain email? Do you know how hard it was to live without you, and how you made it even harder by not contacting me? It hurt me, and it still hurts me. Especially when the doctor told me I had only three months left for sure. Then, I needed you the most. And now you show up and just say 'Hello'. What do you expect me to do!" I yelled the last sentence, expressing all my pain with words.
I looked up. He no longer looked upon my face, but at an uncertain point in the room. His whole face expressed pain, more pain than I ever saw on someone's face. I felt like I had to comfort him.
He looked back in my eyes. The pain was gone, and determination had taken place.
"I'm sorry. Really Amu, there is nothing in my whole life that I regret more than leaving you. I'm so, so sorry. And I promise: I'll make it up to you."
I stared into his eyes, his deep, azure blue eyes that seemed to capture me. A tear escaped and ran over my cheek. He lifted a hand and wiped it away.
"I promise I'll make it up to you." he whispered. For some reason I believed him, and the tears I had been holding back for so long broke free. I cried against his chest, with his arms around me. It felt...just right.
*** General pov ***
The first thing Rima did every morning was turning on the TV, to see if there weren't any new comedy shows on. Since the start of High School she had been on this program. It was really famous now. Everyone loved Rima and her jokes.
There was no comedy show. Instead there was a woman telling another woman about some 'huge news'. Rima put the volume higher, ignoring Nagi when he groaned that it was way to early too be watching TV.
"Yes, Akane-san, we all look forward to see this new group! According to the video we saw, the girl that will be joining Hoshina Utau and Mashiro Rima in the group Falling Stars is really good."
"Are you sure, Aiko-chan?" her collage asked.
"Certainly! Here, I'll show you and our watchers the video. Ladies and gentleman, here is Hinamori Amu singing 'Behind these golden eyes'."
The video was of good quality. Rima thought that it probably was filmed by the club they were last night.
The door opened and Utau came in. She also ignored Nagi, just like Rima did.
"It's all over the news. Yukari-san already called me. Kami, I was happy it was a phone call. If she had been here for real I think you had found my body by now, murdered in the hall."
Rima didn't laugh.
"What did she ask?" she spoke.
"Well, first about that I should have contacted her first, and such, and then about how the company thought it was a good idea and was very delighted. They can't wait until we meet them this midday at the office. They plan to give a huge concert in a week. I know that they are happy, but a week?"
"Breath." Nagi muttered under his own breath. Utau glared at him.
"Does Amu know this?" Rima asked.
"No, she's in the kitchen with Ikuto and I didn't want to disturb them while they were..." She was interrupted by Rima.
"He's here? With Amu? Oh, when I get my hands on that bastard he'd wish he never left her! I'll let him feel every bit of pain she had." She stood up and walked to the door.
"Rima, wait!" Utau ran after her.
"Is Ikuto here? Fast. Eh...Wait. He's here?" Nagi finally woke up and ran after Rima and Utau. On his way there he met Kukai, who he also took with him.
Rima walked into the kitchen the moment Amu just had stopped crying and was now leaning against Ikuto, who was gently stroking her back. They broke apart when they noticed Rima, and the rest of the people who came in.
Amu smiled a bit sadly, but there was also something that Rima didn't recognize at first. Happiness, she thought, a kind of happiness she hadn't seen in Amu's eyes for so long. The happiness of being with the person you love most.
She sighed. There was no way she could torture Ikuto now. Amu wouldn't let her. Ah, that's bad...
Nagi was a bit scared of the look on his girlfriend's face. Just as if she was planning to trow things at someone...Yes, Rima could be scary for sure.
They all saw it, the glint in Amu's eyes that hadn't been there before. And all of them smiled.
After a bit of happy silence Utau spoke.
"Eto...Amu, Yukari-san called me."
Amu groaned. She knew where this was going.
******* Time Skip *******One week later *******
The lights swirled around the crowd. The stage was still empty. Fans were screaming, yelling, cheering. On the big screen that hung at the back of the stage were words displayed: Falling Stars: Hoshina Utau, Mashiro Rima and Hinamori Amu.
The lights went black and the crowd nuts.
An announcer came on stage. It was a young man.
"Mina, are you exited?" he yelled into his mic.
"Yes!" thousands of voices cried, all over the land. Who couldn't be there at the concert were in their rooms, with their nose glued to the TV.
"Well, then I shall not let you wait any longer! Here is Falling Stars!" The man went back and the stage was dark again, until music started and and a light shone on three girls, wearing black and blue dresses.
It was silent, as silent as a big crowd can be and all of them waited. Standing in the backstage were three young men and Sanjou Yukari, the former manager of Hoshina Utau, now manager of Falling Stars.
*** Amu's pov ***
I heard the screaming and yelling of the crowd when the man announced us and it made me nervous. I looked at Utau. She smiled at me, and that smile made me feel at ease. On my other side Rima took my hand and squeezed. I knew my family was watching this too, from their old and in a way new home. After all, they live in the old house again. I stayed with Utau. I live there now, and in that way Haruki could have my old room as baby room.
I wanted to give them tickets, but they refused. Well, Ami is still a bit young maybe.
On the stage the man yelled: "Here is Falling Stars!" and I knew this was our clue. I exchanged a last smile with Utau and Rima and we ran on stage.
Our first song was called 'Lion'. We practiced so hard last week, that I almost had no time for school at all. I talked with the doctor. He wanted to have me in the hospital as fast as possible, but I managed to get one month, provided that I took medicines and lay down a lot. I closed my eyes and let the music take me with it.
*** General pov ***
They started to sing. They would perform three songs, because Amu couldn't handle more. And this was the first. Ikuto was so proud and so happy when he saw Amu there, on stage, so happy he never had thought he could be.
Lion
Hoshi wo mawase sekai no mannaka de
Kushami sureba dokoka no mori de chou ga ranbu
Kimi ga mamoru doa no kagi detarame
Hazukashii monogatari
Nameatte mo raion wa tsuyoi
Ikinokoritai
Ikinokoritai
Mada ikiteitaku naru
Seiza no michibiki de ima, mitsumeatta
Ikinokoritai
Tohou ni kurete
Kirari kareteyuku
Honki no karada misetsukeru made
Watashi nemuranai
Kaze wa yagate higashi e mukau darou
Koukiatsu kono hoshi no hyouga wo osou
Sasoi mizu wo nonda mune ga tsurai
Toomaki na monogatari
Kajiriau hone no oku made
Ikinokoritai
Ikinokoritai
Mada ikiteitaku naru
Seiza no michibiki de ima, mitsumeatta
Ikinokoritai
Tohou ni kurete
Kirari kareteyuku
Honki no karada misetsukeru made
Watashi nemuranai
Nani shini umareta no
Nani shini koko ni iru
Ikinokoritai
Umaranai hizu
Hikari osoreteta
Yurusaretai inochi ga ima, hikareatta
Samayoi hatete
Kimi no tonari de hoterishizumetai
Honki no karada misetsukeru made
Watashi nemuranai
Ikinokoritai
Gakebbuchi de ii
Kimi wo aishiteru
Mezametai inochi ga ima, hikareatta
Kyouki ni kaete
Inori sasagu yo
Kimi wo aishiteru
Seiza no michibiki de...
Ikinokoritai
Mada ikitetai
Kimi wo aishiteru
Honki no kokoro misetsukeru made
Watashi nemuranai.
The crowd shouted "Hey! Hey!", together with the beat as the music faded away and the light dimmed. The girls exchanged smiles and dashed to the backstage to change their clothes.
"Here comes Falling Stars again, with 'Earthquake'!"
Now they were wearing jackets, Amu a hot pink short, Utau a black with purple skirt and Rima a black with blue dress. All had boots on that reached to the knee and were laced.
New music began.
Earthquake
I can remember days
Things weren't always this way
I used to make you smile
If only for a while
But now I can't get through
There's no way I can lose
I know some days are hard
But must you make mine too
Coz I can't stand it
When you come home and we just fight for hours
But I won't show it
No I'll just hold my breath and keep it quiet
Every little earthquake
Every little heartbreak going unheard
Every little landslide
Catch it in my hand I won't say a word
Every time you hurt me
I know that it's working making you mine
Every clap of thunder
Only makes me stronger on the inside
Now many countless nights
I try my best to hide
Soon as you slam the door
My tears fall to the floor
I know that people change
Maybe you're not to blame
But must you burn a hole
So deep into my soul
Coz I can't stand it
When you come home and we just fight for hours
But I won't show it
No I'll just hold my breath and keep it quiet
Every little earthquake
Every little heartbreak going unheard
Every little landslide
Catch it in my hand I won't say a word
Every time you hurt me
I know that it's working making you mine
Every clap of thunder
Only makes me stronger on the inside
Every little earthquake
Every little heartbreak
Every little landslide
Catch it in my hand
When they went backside for the last time Amu was a bit dizzy. She held a hand to her head and just made it to drink a glass of water Utau gave her, worried. But she wove her away and they were ready, again.
"Get ready for the last song, mina! Here are Falling Stars with 'Hikari'!" shouted the announcer into the microphone.
The crowd got, as if that was even possible, even more crazy. No one had heard the full song before, but a little part had leaked out. One thing was sure: the leaked out part that was posted on YouTube had a million hits after only one day. There wasn't anyone who didn't like it.
The music of the song came on. It was a slow song, a bit sad but a bit upbeat too.
Utau, Rima and Amu stood in the middle of the stage. They wore a black, elfish looking dress that was ripped up on some parts and had a short skirt. With it came high, black heels. On the background the big screen played a film, showing the story they sang off, not like during the other songs where it had been used to show close ups of the singing girls and the croud.
Hikari – Falling Stars
Amu: The stage is empty,
The curtains fell when the artists left
Sparkels are dying and the music fades
Utau:The audience is leaving, already forgotten
the show they just saw
In the shadows something moves
All: A whole new world
covered with darkness but loved by the light
that struggles through the night.
The light that I am, deep inside
A light to love, watch and
To hope for the end so I can start over again
Hikari~
Rima: In the dark corners people dance,
spreading light where they go
The spot hits a singing girl
Amu: She's small, she's pretty, a pixie
All alone, break through and awake
The hidden powers, a door to ..
All: A whole new world,
covered with darkness but loved by the light
that struggles through the night.
The light that I am, deep inside
A light to love, watch and
To hope for the end so I can start over again
Hikari~
Utau: Even when we leave, we don't go
We watch with love from the distance.
Rima: Even when we can't touch anymore
Our love does not lie nor disappear.
Amu: A Light shines from far away
You have to fall before you can stand
Must know both sides of the coin
All:The new world, the new chance I got
I stand straight, my light
Enchants the darkness
All: The light that I am, deep inside
The light that can't die...
Amu: The light, (Utau and Rima:light)
that shines, (Utau and Rima:shines)
For you (Utau and Rima: for you)
All: To hope, for the end
So you can start over again.
Hikari~
The last guitar lines rang and the images on the screen faded. They stood with their sides touching, eyes closed and one hand high while the other held the mic close to their mouths.
Screaming, yelling, cheering, broke out.
They walked up to the front.
"Thanks for coming and for listening!" They yelled in unison. And with a last goodbye they went backstage, where their friends and manager were waiting.
"O my, that was so awesome!" Sanjou Yukari was totally hyped up.
"Sure, sure." Amu laughed and she high fived Rima and Utau. Then Amu ran to Ikuto and embraced him and she thought: Even when something is so wrong, I can still be this happy.