Chapter 12: A Simple Question

Amu went to school everyday and dealt with being ignored. She didn't want to tell Ikuto about it because she didn't want him to worry more about her than he already was.

She sat in history class, barely listening to a word the teacher was saying. She was focusing on seeing those pictures. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't remember. It was frustrating and she knew it probably hurt her friends to know she couldn't remember them and the times they'd shared.

Amu sat alone now, her friends' faces were hard to remember so she normally just spent lunch looking at the floor, thinking hard on what she could recall from her past.

Now she lay back on her bed in the mansion. She was reading a book called Misery's Journey that the nice blond person who used to live with her had told her she had been reading. She couldn't tell if it had been a boy or a girl....

Ikuto thought that Amu was beginning to remember more now and was debating on showing her the case and her eggs. It might just create more stress on her, but she needed to fully remember. But, would it be better for her to forget about the whole Lock and Key thing? He still had the Dumpty Key after all those years. No…Amu's Chara were her best friends; her would-be selves. She needed them now more than ever. He stood off of his large bed and headed for Amu's room.

He knocked on the door. "Amu, can I come in?" he asked. "Yeah," Amu's voice replied from the other side. He came in and closed the door, putting his hands in his pockets afterward. "You can sit down," she said. Ikuto nodded and then sat beside her on the bed.

"Do you remember your eggs?" he said, hoping to trigger a memory.

"My eggs?" Amu felt a flash run through her as she remembered in a blur. She was walking beside three miniature people. She was laughing with them. Then she was looking and smiling at the same little people on the coffee table in a house and she was so careful to pick them up. She then was talking with some of them, looking miserable and the green one patted her softly on the head with her tiny hand. "It's okay, Amu-chan." she said in a motherly voice.

Amu's eyes shot wide. "My eggs!! Ran Miki and Suu!" she realized. "That's it. Do you remember the last time you saw your eggs?" Ikuto asked. Amu suddenly went pale. "A-are they still X Eggs, Ikuto?"

Ikuto took out the red-and-black plaid box and handed it to her. She carefully flipped the top up. She ran her fingers softly over each of the eggs. "They're still so cold," she said. "I'll leave you alone now, to let you take it all in." Ikuto said, walking out of the door.

Amu felt a little hollow. It was a terrible feeling. Like she'd had a piece of herself logged out or torn away. She sat the small case down on the desk and sat at the chair, beggining to remember how to draw like she used to.

The designs just came to her as she let the pen move across the blank paper until it wasn't blank. She let all the lines that had recently not fit together for her run in sync with each other and smooth into a beautiful design.

She felt a sweet feeling arise in her chest. It was pride, she was sure of it. She then began to remember why she had wanted to become a designer. She remembered sketching some doodles while Ikuto had been staying with her. He had been bothering her so much; she needed a way to vent that feeling of anger out. She could barely see straight, though, because she had to keep kicking Ikuto out of the bed all night long.

Ikuto had gotten bored and walked over and looked over her shoulder. "That's really good; you should be a clothes designer someday." He had told her that sarcastically, but after he left, she ended up taking his advice.

Amu sighed and closed her sketchbook after almost three hours of non-stop sketching. She stretched back and then looked at the small box. She opened it and took out her eggs, placing them softly on the pillow next to the one she would use. Closing the case, she heard something move inside of it.

Now I'm hearing things. My head must have taken a real beating. she thought, feeling crazy. She opened it back and saw a shining object. It was a golden lock that fit into her palm and four clover-shaped, clear jewels that were centered around the keyhole, creating the shape of a flower of crystal.

She picked it up and turned it over, looking at it. It was so familiar. She pulled it closer to examine it more thoroughly. As soon as she did that, a flash came again. She could see herself as a younger girl and in a green Hollis dress, a blue art outfit, and a revealing pink cheerleading outfit.

Then, the memories swam back to her as one thing linked to another. It was all there so fast and then gone the next second. She felt like someone had taken a hammer and beaten her memories back into her head.

She beamed. "Ikuto!" she called, dropping the case and running out of the room excitedly.

"You can remember?!" Ikuto asked. "Yes! I can!!! I remember almost all of it, Ikuto!!!" Amu said excitedly. She jumped and hugged him tightly in her excitement. Ikuto smiled at her and hugged her back.

"I guess now this means that you can go back to your friends on campus," Ikuto said. He felt like his insides were drooping again. Amu stood straight. "I never said I remembered ALL of it. I said ALMOST all of it." she said. "If it's not going to bother you, can I please stay until I can fix Ran, Miki, and Suu?" Amu asked. "You can stay longer, if you want," Ikuto said.

"You mean…like moving in with you?" Amu asked. Ikuto avoided her eyes out of fear he might blush and that wasn't manly at all. "Yeah, I guess; if you want." he said.

Amu thought she might burst into confetti; she was so happy. "I can't possibly say no to that," she said with a smile.

Ikuto stopped avoiding her eyes. He was surprised to hear her agree. "You mean—you'll really stay?" he asked. Amu nodded and hugged him again.

"Amu…I know it's a little forward but," Ikuto dug into his pocket and pulled out something. He turned to Amu. "After you graduate," Ikuto showed her a golden ring with a sapphire in it. Amu's eyes lit up. He took her left hand and slid it onto her ring finger. "Would you consider me?"

It was a simple question, yet Amu's heart pounded in her chest. Her eyes were bright and wide. "Ikuto," Amu started. Ikuto waited intently for her answer.

His own heart felt like it might explode if she didn't answer soon. "Of course I will!" she said happily. His insides were doing the Caramelldansen. ((Thanks for the tip, Strawhat-Alchemist! ;D))

Ikuto hugged Amu tightly. "I love you." he said. Amu loved hearing that from him. "I love you too, more than you'll ever know."

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"Hello? Ikuto? Where's my son when I need him?! Hello?" Alren Tsukiyomi called as he entered the mansion doors. "Thank you, Jenkins. Could you find Ikuto?" he said to the butler. He bowed saying, "Yes, sir," in a British accent. (I couldn't imagine any butler without one. XD)

A few minutes later, Jenkins returned. "Sir, Master Ikuto is in the library, helping Miss Hinamori with her homework, I think he said. He said he would be down in a little while."

Alren's eyebrows shifted. "Miss Hinamori?" he repeated. "Yes, sir." Jenkins said. "Is she his girlfriend by any chance?" he asked, obviously interested. He looked like an older Ikuto with the same hair and eyes, only he thought himself much more sophisticated and he always wore a tuxedo.

"One minute, Amu. I have to go downstairs to deal with my dad. I won't be long," Ikuto said, leaving Amu at the back of the library to work with the confusing symbols on her math homework. "Um…okay…?" she said, watching him go.

Ikuto flew down the stairs. He walked fumingly up to his father. "What are you doing here?!" he almost shouted. "Well, I own the place, don't I, son?"

Damn that smug attitude of that smart ass! Ikuto felt like he might explode. "You're never here, so why the crap are you now!?" Of all the times for his nosy father to show!!! "Are you angry because you have a female friend upstairs?" Alren knew just how to fire Ikuto's nerves up.

"How'd you know about that already?!! You stay away from her and don't speak to her, got it?" Ikuto said fiercely. "Ikuto, I can't figure this prob—" Ikuto turned to see Amu at the top of the curved stairs.

She'd paused in mid sentence when she had saw Ikuto talking to his dad. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting? I'll just wait upstairs." Amu then turned and went up the steps.

"Nice catch son! So the rumors on television are true! You seriously took that girl's virginity? Hard to believe she was a virgin with that body and that chest." Alren commented when she was gone. "Shut up and get your mind out of the gutter, you dirty old man!" Ikuto shouted.

"Only if you get your mind out of her skirt." Alren retorted with a smirk. "My mind is nowhere near that!!" Ikuto denied. "Then get it out of her underwear, son. Really, have some decency."

So many things could have been said to Alren then, but Ikuto was too over heated to say any of them. Instead, he turned and headed for the stairs. "Make sure you lock the door. I don't want to hear you two!" Alren called up after him. Ikuto clenched his fists.

This was going to be a very long visit. Ikuto just hoped he could survive the humiliation…

You like Ikuto's dad? I hope you all enjoy it…blah blah blah, and so on. Read and review, blah, and read Jobrolover93's story. Thanks for reading so far. I'll update FAST. Still wiped out from yesterday, though. I won't be including Amu and Ikuto's wedding in this fic. That was just beccause all the AMUTO fans kept pestering me to put a proposal in it. But...I'm with them there. I'm AMUTO ALL THE WAY!!!!!