1. I understand I haven't updated this in forever and I'm so sorry. Just... my Amuto love hasn't been fully there for a while. I'm sure if I re-read parts of the manga then I would get that feel again, but right now I'm really into this different couple... (and I haven't posted any stories about them yet, haha. None are good enough). Anyway, that DOES NOT mean that I'm going to stop this story, and also maybe the other one. It just means that, unfortunately (I hope I spelt that right but I'm too tired to look it up), the updating will be a bit slow.

1.5. I understand not many people read this, which has lowered my ambition to write it as well. I'm sorry to those of you who do read it. Honestly, it's not even that good of a story. It's more thrown together than anything, no real plot. Like the one before this, it's not really... planned. I just wrote. But I'm going to try to get better at that, which is pretty much what I'm doing here.

2. I'm going to be more focused on other stories that I may just update on fictionpress, if you want to check that out. And I'm focusing on getting better at writing because there's really not anything else I'm good at... haha... ^.^'

3. I know I don't have that quote thing. I'm sorry. I'm tired. ):

And finally,

4. Yes, it's short. Sorry about that. I didn't know where to go because I keep getting writers block for this story (and most of my other ones, online or not).

(Random TWAP fact: I can type 52 plus words a minute! Woop!)

...I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen

It's been eight months. I should be excited, or scared, or even both, but right now, I'm just… neutral. I'm not excited, necessarily, and I'm not scared. Because I know it isn't exactly time yet. I still have about a month until the due date. Well, until the doctor said the due date will be, at least. It's not exactly set in stone. Anyway, Ikuto has been helpful in every way. He teases me, yes, and because I'm more emotional than ever, yes, I do get upset. But he apologizes, hugs me, and then rubs my feet. He'll get up in the middle of the night just to go to the store to get me whatever I happen to be craving at that late hour. He, I found out, is such a perfect husband that I can hardly believe this is real life.

But whenever I think that maybe this is just a game, that he's not serious, or that he will fall out of love with me, I flash back to the night he came back before Sanjo-san's wedding. He said, "The fact that I love you won't change. If you can't believe me, I'll swear on it with a kiss," and then he kissed my nose. He wasn't lying. We made it so far. We made it so far, we made a living being. I smiled at the thought.

He looked over at me, sitting on the bench next to him. "What are you smiling about?" he asked gently, smiling himself.

"Oh, nothing," I said. "Remember, I'm moody. I can get crazy and start laughing my head off!"

He laughed and, like a chain reaction, I smiled. I leaned on his arm, licked my ice cream, and took a deep breath of fresh air. We had gone for a walk in the park. My feet started to swell, though, so despite my huge stomach he carried me to not the nearest bench but our favorite bench all the same. You know… the one I slipped in. And fell in his lap. And then Tadase came back. I blushed at the memory, but laughed.

Ikuto took a deep breath, and I looked up and saw him smiling. Life was good. The people from Easter were staying off his back. For now, at least, because he had made a deal with them: if they kept away until our child was at least one, he would go work for them. Neither of us really liked that idea, but it was better than having to run from them. And after all, he told me, it was just a job.

Speaking of Ikuto and Easter, Ikuto's father came back to see us when I was four months pregnant. He wasn't expecting me to be pregnant but I saw him smile and it looked so much like Ikuto's that it almost took my breath away. He definitely looks more like his father than his mother.

"Ikuto, we should go. It's going to get dark if we don't," I said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he replied. He looked down, then back at me. He kissed me then helped me up.

He's been staring at me a lot lately. I'm not sure why. I even asked him once, but he just replied, "Because you're beautiful, and I love you, and I'm happy." But most the time… he doesn't look happy. He looks like he's expecting something awful to happen. So I just dropped it and let him stare. I hoped it would pass soon. It probably would, I reassured myself, after I had the baby.

We still didn't know what gender the baby is. It's hard, too, because we don't want to call the baby 'it', so we always have to say, 'the baby', and that can be a mouthful sometimes.

When we get home, Ikuto plopped me on the bed, took off my shoes, and started rubbing my feet. I smiled at him.

"Ew," he said with a smile on his face, "Your feet stink."

"Then get away from them! I never asked you to rub them," I said, pouting a bit.

He laughed, but continued rubbing my feet. I smiled gently at him as he spaced out, rubbing my swollen feet.

The next morning I woke up and Ikuto wasn't next to me. I got up and walked to the kitchen and he wasn't there, either. He wasn't in the living room or in the den. I decided it was best I just waited, and if he didn't come back in two hours—it was six, after all, and he likes to go out in the mornings sometimes—then I'll worry. So I sat down on the couch and turned on my favorite movie.

But then I realized there was no note. There was nothing even hinting that he'd be gone. I wondered if I should be worried about that, but then decided that he probably just forgot.

After the movie was over I fell asleep. After all, there was half an hour left until I had to worry. I might as well take a nap.

When I woke up, I wasn't in my living room. I wasn't even in my house. I blinked and looked around, about to get scared, until I saw Ikuto standing in the corner of the room I was in.

"Ikuto!" I shouted. He was looking at me with sad eyes.

"Hello, Amu," he said, giving me a small smile. I knew that smile didn't mean anything, though, and it didn't reassure me that I was okay one bit. It only made me feel like I was in danger.

Cliff hanger. :P Well, that's a good note to end on... considering the very slow updates...

Sorry about that.

I plan on ending this story soon, though. Let's shoot for chapter twenty-five? Or maybe a bit longer, depending on the length of the chapters.

Let's face it, this story is crap, haha xD But thanks for reading anyway!

I love you all!