Meilin: OMGSH I AM SORRY FOR BEING GONE THESE PAST FEW WEEKS! Stupid school and the massive homework assignments. Do teachers and parents even understand how much stress they're putting on us? -sigh- Anywho, I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! :D
Ikuto: I can't believe you drank and snowboarded for the first time.
Meilin: Oh, yeah. That...well I had this rum-apple cider thing...it was nasty...Champagne is also nasty. And snowboarding is hard!
Amu: But you're not even close to twenty one! You're not allowed to drink!
Meilin: I am when I'm under my family's roof and on their property so HA! In your face Amu.
Amu: Shut up and get on with the story.
Meilin: My dear, Ikuto. If you would...
Ikuto: Aznpride16xx doesn't own Shugo Chara - Just the Plot
Behind A Smile – Chapter Seven: The Dress That Separates Us
Not all scars show, not all wounds heal, sometimes you can't always see the pain someone feels.
Not once did Amu release Ikuto's hand while she slept. He didn't want to disturb her from her slumber so he made no attempt to move. Though the male didn't mind watching over her while she napped he couldn't help but feel tired as well. Minutes later, the petite girl woke from up only to find Ikuto's head next to hers and his hand in her own.
She questioned nothing and simply favored the moment. This may be the last time I can be with you like this. Amu thought. Unconsciously, they young girl combed her fingers through the boy's dark hair. He stirred in his sleep and her hand retreated. Soon he work up and her warm, honey-golden eyes met his deep, icy blue ones. A pink tint burned its way onto her cheeks.
"Do you still have a fever?" He asked checking her temperature with the back of his free hand.
"N-no. I'm fine." Curse her stuttering.
A simple-carefree atmosphere floated in the air. All was fine and each was enjoying the other's company until they both tried to speak.
"I have something important that I want to tell you," they both said in unison. They lightly chuckled. Amu sat up in the bed with Ikuto sitting by her side.
"You can go first," was what she said. He nodded.
"Saaya and I are engaged and we both want you to be the maid of honor." There was an awkward pause on Amu's side and Ikuto sat there awaiting a response.
At that very second, Amu's fractured heart completely shattered. Her eyes were void of any emotion. The now hallow doll pulled the blanket over her shoulders snuggling into them. Her bangs hovered over her eyes hiding the visible tears she couldn't wipe away.
"Will you do it?" He asked completely unaware.
Shoving aside all the feelings she once had, she gathered up every last ounce of her pride and tossed it out the window. Putting on the best smile she could, she replied, "Of course, I will. I'd do anything for you. You know that."
That was definitely true. She would do anything for him if he asked. She wouldn't jump off a bridge or kill herself but almost any reasonable request.
He pulled her into a loving hug and squeezed her tightly, "Thank you so much, Amu! I'm so glad you said yes."
I've never seen him so happy before. He must really love her.
A tear slipped down her rosy cheek but it dried away before Ikuto noticed. He was so happy that he forgot Amu also had something important to tell him. And he was out the door in less than ten seconds to tell Saaya the great news.
"Are you still planning on leaving?" Someone said at the door.
"How much of that did you hear?"
"All if it." Amu didn't need to lift her head to see who it was. Her voice was all too familiar. The blonde pigtailed-haired girl walked into the room and stood before the rosette.
"Saaya and I were never on good terms to begin with. I'm not surprised she didn't bother asking me," Utau said. "Though, I'm not sure why my brother didn't wait for you. He had a huge crush on you for some time and you're much prettier than Saaya."
A half hearted laugh escaped Amu's lips. "Thanks, Utau, but I still plan on moving away. I-"
"You're leaving again?" Kukai asked surprised. He came upstairs wondering why Ikuto walked out of the house looking so excited. So he came to ask Amu himself.
The young man strode over to the girl wrapped up in a banker and sat next to her. "What exactly happened up here?" He questioned.
"I'm the maid of honor for Ikuto and Saaya's wedding. Then I'll be leaving afterwards. That's all there is to it."
"Are you really okay with that?" A worried expression was held on Utau's face. "You can't leave again. I'll miss you even more than last time!"
"I'm sorry but I just can't do it." The thought of having to "smile" when she was devastated sounded more depressing than being heartbroken.
A deafening silence fell upon everyone's ears. The only sound heard was the raspy air being circulated through each person's respiratory system.
Suddenly, the phone rang. "I got it," Kukai said answering the wireless device. He walked over to Amu and held the phone out to her. "It's for you."
"Hello?" She said weakly. "Sure, no problem. I'll be there. Five minutes? Yeah, I'll leave right now. Bye."
"Who was it?" Utau asked.
"It was Ikuto. I'm going to help him pick out a tux." Amu stood and Utau placed her hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I'll be fine. Can I borrow one of your shirts, Utau?"
Sighing in defeat, the blonde woman nodded and brought back a shirt for the pinkette to wear. Immediately after, she left for the tux store.
Soon, Amu arrived at "Imprisoned." Next to the sign was a picture of a bride dragging the groom by his back collar. On the groom's ankle were shackles and chains with a heavy led ball attached. She giggled at the joke. Seconds after, she was dragged into the dress and tux shop.
"You must be the bride, right?" A peppy young lady said to Amu. She was the one who pulled Amu into the store.
"W-what? Oh, no. I just-"
"Oh! Don't be shy, Sweetie. That handsome young fellow with the blue eyes and midnight hair saw you and sent me to fetch you. I have the perfect dress for you," she exclaimed with shimmering eyes.
Before Amu could protest, the orange-tinted brunette shoved her into a dressing room with a white dress. Ikuto chuckled slightly at the scene before him.
"Just try on the dress, Amu. We can tell her later." Hearing her sigh and shuffling noises behind the dressing room door, he smiled to himself and took a seat on the couch.
The door cracked open and a little head popped out. "Um, Miss, can you lace the back for me?"
"Why, of course, dear!" The employee happily skipped over and walked into the room. "Wow! Yaya think you look so pretty!"
"Th-thank you."
The lady who spoke in third person laced the ribbon in a criss-cross like style on the back and tied a neat and puffy bow. She told Amu to stay put and brought back a veil and heels.
Yaya gently placed it on her head and looked at the customer. She was practically glowing.
"You look beautiful!" exclaimed the girl.
Slightly lifting her floor length dress off the ground, Amu took one step in her five inch heels, being careful not to fall, and stood in front of Ikuto. The lighting hit the diamond sequence just right, making the dress looked brighter and whiter than it already was.
Struck in awe, Ikuto tried to gather his words to form a proper sentence.
"Is the groom going to say anything of is Yaya going to have to do all the talking?" No one knew why Yaya spoke the way she did but no one questioned it. Besides, she was right. Was Ikuto going to compliment her or was he going to keep standing there gawking like an idiot? The pinkette was expecting him to tease her and make a perverted comment like he normally did, but he didn't and that alone surprised her.
"You look stunning," was what finally left his mouth.
"Y-you think so?" She asked blushing. As he grabbed her soft, petite hands he nodded.
"May I have this dance?"
She giggled and replied, "Of course, Sir."
Together they danced slowly without noticing the soft music Yaya turned on for them. A few minutes of smooth dancing flew by until Amu accidentally stepped on Ikuto's toes. Blood quickly rushed to her face causing her cheeks to turn a bright pinkish color.
"Ah, sorry. W-well, I better get this dress off before I damage it. Plus we still need to find your tux, right? Ha-ha," she laughed nervously. "Besides, this dress probably doesn't suit me anyway." Amu rushed back into the dressing room yelling, "I'll be right back" and slammed the door shut with more force than she meant.
She was sad…but also happy. This was the most time they've spent together since Amu returned. Maybe she was glad to be with him but unhappy because she knew how much harder it would be to leave.
Placing her hands on her cheeks in attempt to cool down, the "wanna-be" bride leaned against the door and slid down. She brought up her knees and hugged them, burying her face into the pearly dress.
Sighing in almost a desperate way, she groaned, "What am I even doing here? Utau could've picked out a tux for her brother. She has much better taste in clothes anyway."
"Amu?" Ikuto asked knocking on the door. "You okay in there?"
"U-uh, yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a second; I'll be out in a few." The girl swiftly scrambled to her feet and changed into her normal clothes.
Right after Amu walked out, the hyper-active girl randomly popped up again. "Don't you just love this dress? It looked so perfect on you! Here," she said taking the dress from the pinkette. "I'll ring the dress up for you. Heck, I'll throw in a discount too!" While pressing many different buttons on the register, Yaya was stopped by Amu.
"Miss Yaya, I'm not purchasing the dress."
"Why not? Was it Yaya's fault? Was Yaya being too pushy?"
"No, no! It's just that…"
"Sorry, Miss, but we came here looking for my tuxedo, "Ikuto inputted cutting off Amu. "Besides, she's not the one who needs that dress. She's not even my bride," he said with a lighthearted chuckle. It wasn't meant to come out sounding rude and it didn't but it definitely wasn't something she was expecting him to say.
Crack!
"Right, Amu?"
Did anyone else hear that?
"Right," she laughed unconvincingly.
Shatter!
"But…How is this girl not your bride? Do you even notice the way she looks at y-" Yaya's words were not continued for Amu touched her shoulder and shook her head.
"Please, Miss Yaya," she said looking up, through her bangs which covered her yes. "I'm not the bride but Ikuto is the groom. Please, help him find what he needs." Then she looked up with a smile – a smile that could fool anyone who didn't understand the situation. But Yaya could physically feel her pain. She could feel the aura of the broken heart withering away to nothing.
"Please, help Ikuto, okay?" She asked once more. The now not so hyper girl nodded and pulled the groom to the slim-fit tuxedo section. And while he was in the dressing room, Amu left.
"Tell Ikuto I wasn't feeling well and that I went back to Kukai's place. Remember, Kukai's place," she emphasized.
Ikuto came out fixing his wrist cuffs. No matter what he was wearing he looked drop dead gorgeous. The way his suit wasn't too baggy or too tight fitted him perfectly. His lean but muscular figure and the sleeves that displayed his toned arms would make any girl fight for him. He was to die for.
"Where's Amu?"
"She went back to Kukai's. She wanted me to tell you she wasn't feeling well."
"Is she okay?" He asked on the verge of panicking.
"Honestly, I don't know." And that was most true. Yaya had no idea how she was doing at this point.
The midnight haired man left the store empty handed. He didn't feel right with Amu gone.
"Welcome home, brother," Utau greeted casually taking a sip from her can of coke.
"Where's Amu?" he once again asked. Everyone in the room shot him a confused look.
"We thought she was with you," Kukai said speaking for them both.
"She was, but she left while I was changing. The employee at the store said she came back here."
"She's not here, Ikuto."
End Chapter Seven - Upcoming: Chapter Eight
Meilin: Few! That took me a little while to type up. I hope you guys are still out there...-nothing-...Hello?
Audience: -cricket noises-
Meilin: -Sweat drop- Have I been d-d-d...
Ikuto: Desserted?
Meilin: NO! They're still out there somewhere!
Amu: No, they're not.
Meilin: Readers! Show them that you have not abandoned me! R&R :D
Special Thanks To:
ThePandaHat (Yes, she is one crazy b...i mean girl -innocent smile-)
xxShakespeareSecretsxx (Haha, I don't really mind her in the anime, but someone had to be the evli girl :P)
Neko-Meme (Omgsh, thank you for reviewing! You are one of my top three favorite authors!)
thexlittlexlisa (Yep, Saaya is one crazy messed up fruitloop)
XxNekoHentaixX (Thanks and Merry Christmas and Happy 2012 to you too!)
Amuto Lover
Amuto Lover
Amuto Lover
Amuto Lover
Amuto Lover (Because you reviewed five times. Thanks for reveiwing and calling me your favorite author! I appreciate it a bunch!)
Lynette (I did have a good Christmas. Thanks. I hope you had one too!)
iMightBeYourDad (Thanks for always sticking with me and PMing me. You're awesome!)
Amuto Fangirl (I'm sorry for taking so long to update. And thanks for checking up on my updates! I hope this pleases you. :D)
HaPpInEsScAnTeXiStWiThOuTpAiN (Uh, I hope I spelled that right. My computer wouldn't let me copy and paste for some weird reason.)
So I'm not sure why I didn't respond to your reviews...I usually do. Hm...that's strange. Well I guess I'll start doing that again! :D
Oh, and you know those little quotes and sayings I put in italics right after I write "Behind A Smile - Chapter Whatever: Title Name"? Do you like those? I thought they were cute ^.^ Let me know what you think of them! It's greatly appreciated!
Until Next Time my Children!