A few days later...
Ikuto sat there in his room at the hotel the orchestra had provided. His roommate looked at him. Ikuto couldn't remember his name and honestly didn't care. "I saw you talking to that girl the other night. The one with pink hair? She seems kinda young doesn't she?" Ikuto sighed. "Maybe." The roommate smiled. "How long have you known her?" He asked. "A long time." Ikuto stared at the ceiling. "Well, Ikuto, she seems nice enough." He looked at Ikuto. "But she's oblivious isn't she?" Ikuto just turned away. "That's tough." Ikuto still said nothing. "You don't talk much." Silence.
Amu walked along. She heard a noise behind her and turned to see Ikuto. He gave her his tiny grin. "Yo." He said. "Hey." He looked at her. "Ikuto, about the other night-" he cut her off. "No need to stress it. It was just a little joke." Amu gave him a look. "I don't think so." She said. He shook his head. "And what makes you say that?" He asked. "You. You were too serious about it." Ikuto looked away. "Whatever." He said. Amu turned his chin. "Ikuto-" he grabbed her hand. "Just a joke." Then he turned and started to walk away. "I've grown up." Amu said. He gave her a slight glance. He then turned and continued walking.
Tadase smiled at Amu. He reached over and took her hand as they were walking. Her heart raced. She gave him a gentle squeeze. He squeezed back. Once they had gotten to middle school Amu had lost her 'cool and spicy' reputation. She was just Amu now and she didn't mind that. She could be who she was and not hide her feelings around Tadase. She was still a little hesitant and still and her sense of style was still unique but she was less of a lone wolf. She was at least trying. She still got a bit nervous around Tadase. She had tried to forget about the thing with Ikuto and had tried not to feel guilty. It was joke right? He seemed to insist it was. She smiled as she and Tadase just walked along the street. She put it out of her mind and decided just to enjoy her time with Tadase.
Ikuto bowed but his playing lacked passion today. He put the instrument down. He decided to go out to get some fresh air and just relax. He just wasn't in it today. He went downtown to just walk and clear his head. As he walked down he saw Amu and Tadase holding hands and felt a pang in his chest. Jealousy? "That's her isn't it?" He whirled to see the girl from the other night. Aika? "That has to be hard to watch." She said. "Why do you keep popping up?!" He asked. "Not sure." She gave him a flirtatious smile. "Maybe I'll see you again." Then she turned and was gone, leaving Ikuto very confused.
Author's note
Sorry. I wanted it to be longer but I'm super busy with testing at school right now and need to study. I'll try yo update frequently but no promises. :)