I do not own anything.

The sight of this distress damsel in black choked the boy's heart. Looking at her made him feel useless. Every other girl he'd met who cried smiled at the sight of him. They all wanted the nice, weak prince in him; but what he wanted to be for them was the knight-in-shining-armor.

Under the tense gravity, the two strangers were separated by only a black table. The blonde with a relaxed posture watched her every move and admired every aspect of them. He watched her fidget and squirm underneath his weighing gaze. Obviously, she was nervous; but it obviously wasn't because of him, right?

"Hotori-san?" The called boy saw her shimmering amber eyes under those long pink lashes. It was a fantastic contrast.

"No, please call me Tadase." He corrected, trying to bridge the gap between them.

"Well, Tadase-kun, what exactly do we talk about?" She sighed. This guy's head never seemed to be grounded, though his eyes were always glued onto her.

"Whatever you want to talk about, whether it be friends, family, or… crushes." Tadase poured the teapot's contents into two teacups and slid one over to her. He had hoped she liked Earl Gray, and she didn't seem as if she had a problem with it.

"Well, there is this one guy. He makes me feel these weird feelings." Amu's voice wavered slightly, and instantly, the golden orbs he loved disappeared behind her lovely pink bangs.

"How do those feelings feel like?" He asked her from mild curiosity, but after glimpsing at her pain-taking smile, he regretted it. That smile had told her enough. She liked this guy beyond belief, no matter how unreachable he was; and she knew the plummeting abyss separating that guy from her. She would never bridge that gap though. The bitter-sweetness in her smile was the tell-tale heart.

"How does this feeling feel like, you ask? I don't understand what I'm feeling, and I don't have the slightest clue of what it is I'm feeling... No, I actually do; but how would I be able to bear saying, 'I'm pushed to the brink of tears, when I see him and her together,' to my deceased boyfriend's brother? Wouldn't that be cruel to all three of us?" The tears ran from their strong, iron-grip water ducts; as she declared her obscene feelings.

"…" Tadase, being a natural-born princely nice boy, was at a loss of words. Of course, the relief that she did not have a chance with the other guy was inexplicably there; but it barely had a presence compared to the heavy pity and sympathy he had. He could barely call what he had sympathy, because he knew he would never understand what she was going through.

"Don't look at me that way." She sighed for what must be the umpteenth time.

"What look?" Trying to play innocent, he glazed over his look with as much gentlemanly he could; but her insightful gaze pierced through whatever layers he would have smoothed over.

"Don't lie. You pitied me. However, you shouldn't be pitying me. Scorn me, despise me, but never try to sympathize with me." The pinkette's tone grew cold, fortified by her cold heart. Though she had seen Yoru that morning, it didn't make a difference that she would never atone for her sins.

Dead Brother's Girlfriend

Seeing her falling into pieces made him want to be there to catch every piece of her. It was kind of hard to do that when he wasn't where she'd fall into. Every muscle strained to chase her, but his mind overpowered his body for that one time unlike the rest. He rationalized in his mind that she needed time; she didn't need anyone that day, not even him. No matter how much it hurt him, she didn't need him in that second. Some part of him told him she needed him, but that probably was born from his affection of her.

"Excuse me. Is there anyone in here?" Ikuto called out to the seemingly empty florist shop. His first step erupted an echoing clap. It didn't take long before a blonde appeared from the back.

"I apologize, sir. What would you like?" The shorter male asked, throwing fervent glimpses into the backroom. Clearly, the boy would not give him his undivided attention; but it wasn't like the older male needed it.

"I'd like some purple roses." He responded, placing some bills onto the counter. Ikuto had been here buying flowers for past lovers, past funerals, and past make-ups. He had a lot of girlfriends before Lulu, and every one of their faces were at a loss for him.

"If I may ask, what for?" The skinnier of the two grabbed a bouquet of purple roses and placed it in the other's hands.

"A death of a brother." Ikuto added a note of grim but grace in his tone, but Tadase was too enraptured with the girl's leaving the room. Right as those pink locks of hair entered Ikuto's sight, he never let it leave his sight. Her gilded eyes centered entirely on this guy he had never met, and that hurt him.

"I'm sorry, Tadase-kun. I have to go, and make sure my parents aren't out with their shovels, ready to bury me in whatever hole they've made for me." Amu apologized, bending under the counter as to get to the other side; but as soon as she reached the other side, she was met with the broad chest of the one for whose love she mourned.

"Amu, what are you doing here?" Ikuto hurtled a sharp glare her way. He had never expected her to be here. Despite the pleasant surprise of her presence, the off-putting thought was the image of her leaving the room of another man's.

"Hi-na-mo-ri! Get it right, Tsukiyomi. What does it matter to you, anyway? I'm just a child in your eyes." The pinkette who was looked at as a goddess by both boys pushed her hair back as an attempt to look presumptuous and unapproachable.

"If you want to stop being treated like a child, then so be it." With that remark, Ikuto's calloused, violin fingers gripped onto her slim waist and pulled her into him. Tadase, the blushing part-timer behind the counter, fumbled for his words and actions; however, his blush didn't compare to her crimson flush burning on her moderately small face.

"What are you doing—Hold up, where are you touching, p-pervert?" Amu struggled, forgetting all about her stress. His hands in her pants' back pockets were molded to every curve of her backside. If she struggled sideways, she'd nuzzle into his shoulder; backwards, she would be groped even more firmly; and forward was just asking for more.

"Pervert?" Ikuto balked, pulling back from her with hands in the air. In one of his hands held the keys to her cars.

"Hey, give me back my car keys, you thieving cat." Still starkly red, the petite pinkette tried to appear bigger than she already was by jumping up and down like a child. Each time, her hands just skimmed the keys before falling to her side.

"That's right—" Tadase stepped up, but Ikuto immediately shot him down with a look. Standing there with fists on either side, he hated himself for backing down and being weak; but the part-timer florist could see the smile Amu repressed back. He may have only known her for an hour, but he knew more than the average Joe but less than he'd ever want to.

"If you want it so bad, follow me. I'll drive you home. You're in no condition to be driving." The attractive blue-haired wonder smirked at her, knowing she had no choice. Before she could even follow, he was already walking out.

"Psh! Like I'd follow a thieving pervert into a car," Amu said, folding her arms over the other. Ikuto could see past her act. She was bluffing, and he'd make her eat her words.

"Then, I guess I'm getting a new car." He chuckled to himself, giving her one last look. She donned a shocked, disbelieving look; but he just smugly smirked back. This Ikuto was strange and unfamiliar, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't captivated by this new-found creature. She was already more deeply in love with him than she'd care to admit, but she could feel every second passing was the increasing love she had. She sighed and hunched her shoulders in surrender.

"I hate you, Tsukiyomi." She replied before pushing past him.

"But, Amu, you taught me love ever since the minute you entered my life." Ikuto whispered into her ear, staying a good foot behind her.

"Don't ever joke about love with me ever again, Mr. Pervert." Leaving her back to him, she walked on.

Thanks for reading.