Angel-chan: Hey everyone sorry to have taken so~ long on this chapter it's finals and I'm like stressing over it and well I'm also failing a class x/ so yeah.

Ikuto: How the hell are you failing?

Angel-chan: That damn Mid-term screwed me over.

Amu: Poor Angel-chan

Ikuto: Poor her? She's that one that screwed herself over for not studying or even pay attention in class.

Angel-chan: *pouts* but…but….

Ikuto: See…*glares*

Angel-chan: *goes to the emo corner*

Amu: IKUTO! LOOK WHAT YOU DID NOW!

Ikuto: It's not my fault…

Amu: *glares* Yes you did!

Ikuto: Whatever! Let's get on with the story..

Chapter Nine

11:55 p.m.

"What do you mean, this is your room?"

Ikuto loitered in the doorway of the bedroom, watching as Amu gathered her clothing and assorted her toiletries. "I mean," he said calmly, "this room was mine when I was growing up."

She didn't know why she should care that the room he'd let her use— the room in which he'd made love to her—was his room and not just some anonymous guest room. But she did care and it bothered her.

She was tired, edgy, and anxious to get home. Downstairs, the party was over and the guests had been replaced with the maintenance crew.

Amu's hands trembled as she folded her jeans and stuffed them into her tote bag. She couldn't look at the rumpled bed. Seeing it would only remind her of what had occurred there a few hours ago, what had occurred in her heart. What would never occur again.

The party was definitely over.

"Please, Amu. Stay the night. Stay with me," he said.

She glanced at him and felt her refusal lodge in her throat. She could think of nothing she's rather do than stay the night with him, stay the year, stay for all eternity with him…but she couldn't. Just as making love with him had been inevitable, leaving him was inevitable. She'd realized that when they'd emerged from the bedroom and headed downstairs. Three waiters had assailed her with questions. One of the debutantes had flounced over to Ikuto, grabbed his arm and squealed. "Utau's so lucky to have such a hot uncle. Come dance with me."

Amu hadn't seen him again—until now. She'd packed up the leftover foor to be delivered to a soup kitchen in the next town, lugged her equipment out of the van and then trudged up the stairs to gather her personal belongings.

She had assumed Ikuto had left the house when the other guest had, but now he was standing in the doorway, blocking her exit. His tie dangled from his open collar, a graphic reminder of the hasty, eager way he'd undressed earlier. His eyes, while sleepy from the late hour, were as bright with longing as they'd been then.

He and Amu had been good in bed. Better than good. She had given him everything but she couldn't give it again, not when they would only be going their separate ways tomorrow.

"You have all your stuff here," he went on. "Why not stay?"

"If I didn't trust you," she murmured, "I'd think you told me to take a bath and change here at Tsukiyomi Hall just so I'd have a change of clothing with me."

He didn't deny it. She glanced his way and found him smiling sheepishly, "So I was planning ahead," he admitted without remorse. "I brought a change of clothes for myself, too."

"Do you bring all your girlfriends to Tsukiyomi Hall to seduce them?"

His smile faded. "No. I didn't seduce you, Amu. I made love with you."

"Did you really?"

His gazed narrowed into a frown. "What would you call it?"

Love, she thought. She'd made love, given love, reveled in love. She wanted to say the word aloud, pledge it and all hear him day he felt exactly as she did.

But she was afraid she wouldn't hear what she wanted, so she said nothing at all.

He came up behind her, reaching her and stilled her trembling hands against the tote bag.

"Here," he said reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out a small hinged box. "Take it. Don't say no. It's Valentine's Day."

Her heart stopped beating, then started again, accelerating to a crazy speed. Holding her breath, she opened the box. In a bed of velvet sat a beautiful round chocolate kiss.

"What?"

"Oops—wrong box," he said, shoving it aside and groping in another pocket for a second box.

They shiny gold ring inside featured a large ruby flanked by two smaller diamonds. "Oh, my god," Amu gasped

"Put it on."

"Ikuto—"

"Don't say no." He pulled the ring out of the box and slipped in onto the ring finger of her left hand. Then he turned her to face him. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"I can't accept this," she said, even as her gaze lingered on the ring. It fit perfectly.

"Why can't you accept it?"

"Well, it would imply…"

"That we're going to get married," he completed the thought. He slipped his thumb under her chin and tilted her face up so their eyes met. He looked solemn and—if she dared to believe it—very much in love. "Is that a problem?"

She couldn't shake the fear that it was a problem, but she wasn't ready to face it yet.

"Yes it is I can't…I just can't…" Amu slipped the ring off from her finger placed it in Ikuto's open hand and started to walk away from him. Leaving him paralyzed in his spot as she walked away from him with a sorrowful expression on her face. I'm sorry, she thought as she made her way towards the front door of Tsukiyomi Hall opening it to reveal the darkness from outside. Stepping into the shadows, she vanished from the Tsukiyomi Hall and from Tsukiyomi Ikuto's life.

Ikuto finally regain his movement as he noticed that Amu was gone. He forced his legs to move and dashed downstairs only to rip the front door open to expose the empty driveway. Ikuto dropped onto his knees as Amu's words replayed repeatedly in his head.

"Yes it is I can't…I just can't…"

"Why…Why!" He yelled aloud as silent tears started cascaded down his cheeks.

Ikuto: WHAT! YOU MADE HER LEAVE ME! AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT REJECTED ME!

Angel-chan: *still in the emo corner/pouting*

Amu: Well that's what you get for making her into the corner…Look at her she's still there. By now she would be in her usual mood and hitting you.

Ikuto: ARGH! *storms off*

Amu: *sigh* Anyways~ Thank you guys for voting in the polls and since the results were kept hiding from all I will be announcing the results.

Yes: 9 votes

No: 2 Votes

So Angel-chan will be continuing the story for just three to two chapters more *smiles*. Please look forward to them.

Souko: Please R&R everyone *softly smiles*

Amu: *smiles* Thank you for the help Souko

Souko: No problem Amu-chan

Amu & Souko: Bye bye everyone