(Start Chapter)

I lay in bed, gazing at the white ceiling of my apartment, only a little moon light shining in through a small window. I've been thinking about Ikuto all night, wondering if he is somewhere asleep under the same full moon that was keeping me up; or maybe he was stranded awake as I am now staring into some odd off distance. Memories of this morning flashed before me once again, my poor child Hikaru crying right in front of the door, trembling terribly.

"Mama!" A shriek came from Hikaru, almost instantly filling the hall with heads peaking out from doorframes. I quickly scrambled the boy into my arms and into our little hole in the wall apartment. I walked in a quick pace to the living room, which was about five steps, and sat him on my bed. At the same time I was trying to scramble to find tissue paper.

"What's wrong?" I asked Hikaru in a panic, trying to franticly go over his body to check for wounds while simultaneously blowing his nose.

"I didn't bring my key to my friend's house and I had a bad nightmare and, and, and mamma wasn't there when I woke up and neither was my friend and his mamma or dada, and I almost forgot where home was and I'm so scared mama!" Hikaru began to cry waterfalls to fill the Pacific Ocean if there ever happened to be a drought.

"Tell Mama about it while she makes you some warm breakfast, okay?" I tried to smile and encourage but inside I was a wreck myself. The loud growls coming from both Hikaru's and my own stomach demanding food this instant was beginning to drown Hikaru's tears out, so food was a necessity at the moment. I wrapped him in a blanket and said, "Stay here, I'll listen in the kitchen," and went into the kitchen where I began toasting bread and gathering anything I could find that might be considered a breakfast.

"It was horrible! At first all I saw was darkness, I was swimming in it and I felt warm and comfortable. Suddenly the area around me changed and I was flying through the sky but I saw that it wasn't me; it was me as a power-puff-girl! I didn't know what to do but I felt like it was just me. And the, and then I forgot how to fly and the sky turned all red and I fell into a bottomless pit and died and then all I saw was these wired signs all over the place saying, "Game over" and I didn't know what to do and I was so scared and I don't know why I was a power-puff-girl but I was and I forgot how to fly and I don't know what to do now mamma! What does my dream mean? Am I gay?!"

I think the toast is burning?

I looked between a big-eyed with tears streaming down his face Hikaru to the smoke rising from the toaster to the window and back to Hikaru. So many right choices to make: so many different ways to mess up. Let's see my options. Putting out the one thing that will end up in burning down the apartment building; letting the smoke go out the not yet open window; make Hikaru feel better. What didn't help was the loud music my neighbor was playing to drown out my child's crying, "Burning down the house" by Taking Heads, a classic.

I quickly filled a glass with water and poured it on the toaster, which turned into a blackout for the entire apartment building and stopping the music next door. I then opened a window that let all the smoke out, which attracted a pedestrian's eye to call the fire department. And then I quickly sat down next to Hikaru and wrapped my arms around his small body. This at least worked out of my three-step plan.

"Don't worry. Just because you had a strange dream doesn't mean you're gay." I couldn't believe my own amount of frankness with my words. I needed to cover my tracks quickly with better, child appropriate words. "Y-you know something? Your aunt used to tell me something when I was in high school. She was in middle school at the time, I was a naïve older teenager and this was the only thing I thought my younger sister said that was worth wild." Hikaru looked up at me, looking into my eyes. He was intrigued with what I was saying, and my 'blah blah blah' plan was working. "She told me that I needed to go catch some fireflies, and then I wouldn't have so many nightmares."

"You had nightmares too?" He is so innocent and cute, this child!

"Yes, even I have nightmares sometimes." I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair. "I didn't believe her until I gave in and caught myself some fireflies. I kept them in a jar overnight on my nightstand and a week of nightmares vanished." I smiled down at my precious and only child. "We can go catch you some fireflies tomorrow night, okay?"

Hikaru finally smiled, filling the room with light. It wasn't until thirty minutes later when the manager and the fire department were at my door wondering what was going down.

It's been a long day.

I rolled onto my side, facing the window. I felt as if I should meet my eyes with someone else's but there wasn't anyone there. I felt depressed for a second, not seeing anyone there. My mind drifted back to Ikuto and stayed there for hours as I lay awake. Today is Monday. I have to go to work. Bummer. The clock resting on the floor revealed to me that it was time to get up. 4:30am.

I stood, sighing and went into the kitchen. There wasn't much I could make Hikaru with the power off. Instead I went to the bathroom and began taking a shower: shaving, washing my hair, washed my face, and body scrub. As I got out I wrapped one towel around my hair into a spiral on top of my head. I looked into the smoky mirror, staring at my naked body up and down. Average. I quickly shook my hair out, blow drying it, then drying the parts of my body that hadn't air dried.

When I exited the bathroom in loose black jeans with a brown belt holding them around my waist decorated in eagles, a long sleeve loose silk like cloth over a black tube top. I wrapped around a thin soft scarf around my neck and hoped to whatever god my toes wouldn't freeze with the high heals I was forced into. Though it was warming up during the day as spring took full effect, but the mornings were still freezing! I walked around the house, gathering a warm white jacket, gloves, and a hat. I couldn't get sick!

I left money and a note that read:

"Dear Hikaru,

I'm sorry that mamma can't leave you a warm meal to eat this morning but at least I can leave some money so you can get some food at school or no your way. Make sure to complete your homework before I come home and be safe on your way to school. Oh! And remember, when I get home, have your boots ready and a warm jacket. ;) We're going firefly hunting.

Love, Momma."

I left on my long journey, a day of work ahead of me. As I made my way down the hill towards the main rode my feet started to ache. "Already?" I asked myself, completely annoyed. I kept up with the pain just because I had no other change of shoes and it would be a little, well more than a little, painful to walk all the way to work barefoot. Main Street was in view, and so was a large clock, which read me being late. This is when I decided to take my heals off and run. I made pretty good time.

The shop wasn't fully open yet but I was late. I fumbled in the dressing room, trying to wash the dirt off of my cold red feet. I was secretly giving myself a foot massage but no body needs to know that. As I was 'cleaning' my feet I head footsteps. Okay, hurry, hurry, I got to get going before anyone realizes I'm late. When I looked up at the abrupt stop in step I saw one of the workers glaring at me. Today will not turn out good at all.

"You're late." Her words were full of venom.

"I'm sorry." My words were full of sarcasm as I rose to my feet and put the heals back on. Today's dress was more concealed. Pants… I guess. Our tops weren't so concealed, but at least we were wearing pants, unlike my other job that decided to use the spring as an excuse to do a "tease bathing suit day". I'm so exited!

"You know, all of us are mothers and we still make it on time. We have it even worse than you, we have more than one kid." She spat the last part of her statement like venom, trying to get it in my eyes and blind me. "You are so under us but you get special treatment, I don't even know why." She was really the only one to be this mean to me. The other girls and I were on very good terms, but this bitch was just down right… BITCHY!

I walked passed the girl, giving a small glare her way as she glared at me before I left the room. I quickly ran around like a frantic bird after that, cleaning and setting up tables. I had a little rest in the back as the other girls started serving the customers. I took some deep breathers, rested my feet, then got back on the road, ready to serve with a pleasant smile.

"Amu-baby, will you go and bring this to table five, it's you're right?" The cook who asked me this as I left the back room has always been nice on me. She often made pet names for all the waitresses but I always was "Amu-baby". Her explanation was that "Amu" was the best name for me but it needed a little "Pizaz!" "It's Kukicha tea, an odd order don't you think? We don't get a lot of these."

I nodded at her as I gently grabbed the tea plate and cup, walking over to table five where a person reading a newspaper sat. I couldn't really see, but the person was in very nice dress, maybe even a suit. "Here's your Kukicha tea," I said in a cheerful voice that turned into a 'jaw dropping wide eyes oh my god' voice. As the newspaper lightly fell onto the table next to the tea, it revealed a man in a suit, and none other than…

"Amu?" His voice was husky and surprised. He was just as handsome as he was the last time my eyes laid upon this man.

"Ikuto?"

Time stopped.

"Hey, that one is pretty nice." A man's voice behind me fell.

"Nah, I like brunettes better. She is pretty hot, don't you think?" And he has friends, great.

"Um, excuse me, miss? May I order?" I looked behind me to see a man. He wasn't in hobo status in the way he dressed but he was nowhere near almost formal dress.

"I'll see you around," I quickly said as I walked over to the three men sitting at the table, one I hadn't noticed. "How may I serve you?" I hated the wording but it was what us waitresses had to say.

"I'd like some Mecha tea," the third man said, being quite light spoken.

"I'd like the same, thank you." This man preferred brunettes.

"I'd like some of you, if I may?" This man had to be the most discussing creature alive, though I have seen worse.

"I'll be back with you're drin-" I was cut off by the lady I met in the changing room earlier in the morning.

"Non-sense doll, I'll get their drinks. You've been bought for the time being so have a break with these nice men." I gave a quick glare towards her as she did the same in my direction.

I sighed and was about to sit down with them but before I knew it a pair of arms were wrapping around my waist and pulling me closer to a warm body. "I've already set an appointment with this young miss here, so you'll have to wait." His breath was brushing up against my ear, making a blush run across my face. I couldn't even come up with any words of protest, and I didn't even want to protest against Ikuto.

"Never mind," the unknown man said.

Ikuto guided me with one hand on my waist to where he was sitting at table five. His hand moved from my waist, gliding up my side, down my arm and grabbing onto my hand, sitting me down across from where he'd soon sit himself. "What have you gotten me into this time?" He whispered in my ear, in a playful voice. "You'll have to repay me somehow." His words sent a shiver up my spine, a fast blush forming on my face.

As Ikuto sat down across from me, I could over hear one of the men whisper under his breath, "He looks like he owns some big bucks, we can't jump even further into debt." I smiled lightly to this. Ikuto just went back to his newspaper, drinking his tea as I sat there, having nothing else to do but gaze longingly at him.

"If you keep staring at me like that, you're going to excavate a hole through my face." Ikuto glanced up from his newspaper, looking into my eyes now. I couldn't resist blushing lightly, and it didn't help that Ikuto then reached across the table, lightly caressing my cheek. This didn't help my blush. I flinched away from him, which I automatically regretted. A sad expression flew across his face. "Amu." He said my name so softly.

My blush continued, and shivers just continued to run up my spine, never letting me catch a breath. "I-Ikuto, uh, I don't think we should be doing this here." My voice was a little more than a whisper as Ikuto looked over my head, seeing that almost everyone in the café was staring at us. Ikuto was leaning across the table towards me and I found myself leaning in towards him. We were so close that our faces were almost touching. It felt like everyone was staring at us and I suddenly understood his words of "excavate a hole through my face."

"I'll be on my way then," Ikuto moved away from my and stood. I felt a huge wave of disappointment wash over me. I stood as well, being a waitress, I needed to show my costumers off with a smile and continue doing my job.

"See you, Ikuto," I said while wearing a smile though I defiantly sounded desperate, pitiful, but gleeful at the same time. He smiled back at me as he left, one that read, "You bet" and it made me swoon.

The day went on. Halfway through my first job it started pouring like crazy and didn't let up even a little as I ran to my second job. There I did wear something like a swimsuit, sadly, and got asked out a few times. A model agency man who was visiting just for a chocolate cake and some coffee asked me to be a model and I somehow found myself being tricked into signing. I rejected his offer, multiple times actually. I think what got me was the promise of high pay and only needing to work for a few hours at night.

I was tricked! I swear, I'm not model material at all and I'm sure this man is just pawning me!

The weather cleared up as I walked home. It was dark and dry now. My feet got a little wet because I had to carry my heals again. I felt so happy! I spun round in the almost empty streets, gleeful and humming to myself. Everything was right, and there wasn't an, 'except there is this strange man following me' this time. I smiled to myself. I was so happy!

"Tonight Hikaru and I will go get fireflies for him." I smiled again at the thought. It'd been so long since I'd done something this fun. Yes, tomorrow would be very long but I didn't care. Hikaru needs to have some fun as a kid. These thoughts made me sad though, like a boulder hitting me in the face, to obvious to dodge. Hikaru, because of my lack of money, couldn't have a kid's life like he should. I sighed. "I hope he can forgive me."

When I got home Hikaru was fast asleep on my bed. He was curled up, covered in blankets. I smiled, thinking of waking him up, but chose differently. Instead I went back downstairs in slippers and got the mail. Three bills, two letters: one from mom and dad and one from Ami; and junk mail, junk mail, junk mail. I returned to my little hole in the wall and laid the mail down on the counter.

"Hikaru," I called out only seconds before I remembered he was asleep. "Of shit," I muttered, realizing. I walked as quiet as the squeaky floorboards would let me to the living room to peak in on Hikaru. He was sitting up now, glazed over eyes as he stared off into space. "You okay?" I asked in a whisper. He glanced my way, a smile quickly forming on his lips and a nod.

"I didn't have any nightmares, mamma. I think I'm cured." I smiled at him and turned off the lights in the kitchen. I walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, crawling under the covers.

"Then let's get some good sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." I kissed him on the head, laid my head down on the pillow, and was out in a matter of two seconds.

I had many dreams this night. One where I was a popular model, making a lot of money and giving Hikaru all he's ever wanted. The next one was of Hikaru and I going firefly hunting, but it seemed like there was someone else there with us. A man? My third dream was of Ikuto. We were together, in a decent sized house, Hikaru was there, smiling and teasing the girl next door. Ikuto and I kissed, then smiled at each other, then to Hikaru playing in the yard with a big dog. It could be everything I wished for, all in one night.

(End Chapter)

Oh my gosh, so many chapter four responses… HOW?! Hahaha. I've been so busy with working on my art portfolio to help me for future college and in the midst of it all I gained inspiration.

DECLARATION!

I'm so sorry everyone. I have been so brain-dead, but one day, it hit me! I've been writing! And writing! But the beginning wasn't satisfactory. My best friend… let's call her Zane. She told me a story of her dreams, and Hikaru's dream came to be. There is a few alters between Zane's and Hikaru's but… It's still a laugh.

Responding to the Reviewers Corner!

oxCuteKataraox

Was this chapter satisfying enough? Well.. Not for me. :P I hope for many more… in depth Amuto moments to appear. :3

LuckyStarWitch

YES! Lion King is the best thing in the world next to Amuto of course but still! Hahaha, Yeah, you can use it, and if you need any help with the multi-lingual thing, I can help. I'm pretty out there with the language guru.

aquris

Not soon enough. I hope you can forgive me?

yukikittycatofwisdom

D: I'm soooooo sorry! Ah! Please forgive me. I am not worthy of such great readers!

DeathGirl742

Prego - Pregnant :D

TheQueenOfMe

You're too good for me. T-T I hope I have not disappointed.

Sweetloxie

Did I disappoint? I think not… well… maybe a little… but it's still pretty cool. :D

TheQueenOfMe

Please forgive me! I'll try to update as soon as possible for the next chapter. After Tuesday I should be in the almost clear and I'll be able to write.

CreativeJournalist

Things have been going pretty smooth lately minus the long LONG brain blah but all my stuff is on role again!

Thank you all, I love you!!!! Let's make lots of babies! (Not really, there's a lot of them all over the world… so let's adopt!) :D

Scarlet.