Re-cap:

"What just happened?" Amu asked to no one in particular.

"You just got played." Ikuto responded. Amu turns to face the bluenette as he stared straight into her golden hazel nut eyes a soft smile placed upon his lips. Without Amu noticing Ikuto had laced his fingers together with hers. By the time she noticed that their hands were linked together Ikuto was bring her hand up towards his face as he plated a gentle and tender kiss on the back of her hand as she kept his eyes located on hers. Amu blushed at the sudden action and tried to take back her hand and pull it into her chest. However, each time she tugged the tighter his grip became. He gently pulled her into his open arms as he encaged her there. He placed his lips just beside her earlobe and softly whispered into her ear.

"I'm not letting you go…Not this time."

End of Re-cap

It was silent; the only sound being heard was the engine of the car running. Nagihiko had arranged another car for the two while he took the limo with him (and Youichi.) The sky was painted black with no visible stars to be seen around in the area. The car ran through the open road with no destination but to keep running until the end. Ikuto was driving with one hand on the wheel while the other was holding petit hand with their fingers laced together.

"Where are we going?" The pinkette asked as she stared at Ikuto from the passenger. The bluenette's eyes never left the road as he squeezed Amu's hand and responded.

"Anywhere…I don't care just as long as you're with me." The car keeps going, down the empty streets of Tokyo. Upon drive for almost half an hour Ikuto stumbled a highway; he turns and drove into the highway. Unlike the streets the highway had a few car's driving along the road making it less deserted. Neither of the two knew where they were going nor did they want to know. All the wanted at this moment was to be with each other. Finally, Ikuto took a turn to exit off the highway and drove into a beach with a small planetarium on a small hill. He parked the car in the bare parking lot; the two lovers climbed out of the car and looked up at the night sky and noticed that it was painted with glistening stars. They were miles away from the city with no one to bother them. The night breeze was ever so gently it was neither cold nor warm it was perfect. They walked further in until they were both stand next to each other without having the car come between them. Once again they took each other's hand and laced their fingers together and walked into the small path of cement that trailed along the long vacant beach. The two said nothing to one another they just continued walking, until finally Amu stopped in her tracks and untwined her fingers from Ikuto. Ikuto stopped alongside hers.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She didn't respond she only bent down to take off her heels. Ikuto gave her a questionable look as he sees Amu take her heels in her hand. She looks back up at him and gave him a smile with a soft chuckle. She said nothing as she turned on her feet and faces the ocean in a blink of an eye she beings to walk towards it. Ikuto did not stop her just continued to observe her from where he stands. Amu reached the border of where the sea meets the soaked sand with her shoes left behind a few inches back. She stood before it her toes just centimeters away from touching the sea water. Amu was so entranced with what she was facing that she did not notice Ikuto had also taken off his shoes and socks and left them next to where her heels were. He quietly made his way towards where she was and without warning swept her off her feet. Amu let out a small scream as she quickly wrapped her arms around Ikuto's neck.

"Ikuto! What are you doing!?" She cried out as he just laughed and ran straight into the open sea. Ikuto made sure they were a good distance off shore to drop Amu into the ocean water.

"Ah!" Was the only thing she was able to get out of her mouth as she hit the water with a 'splash'. Her eyes were close shut as her entire body was swallowed by the dark ocean water, she felt as if her body was floating in midair. It took her a few seconds for her to register back into reality as she then began to bring herself back into the surface for air. She gasped for air as she head rose from the grasps of the ocean waters. Her hair was sticking to her face and, bare shoulders.

"Jerk…" Were the only words that left Amu's mouth as she stood standing before the man she loves. Ikuto just gave out a chuckle as he gently pulled her wet pink hair out of her face as he then cradled her face in his hands.

"I might be a jerk but…I'm your jerk." He said with a smile as he gave the soaked pinkette a tender kiss on her forehead. Amu gently closed her eyes as a soft pink blush dusted her cheeks. Ikuto did not stop at just her forehead. He continued trailing rows of kisses throughout her face. One on each on her eyelids. Her cheek. Her chin. Her nose. Finally just as he was leaning closer to her lips he stopped. Their lips were just a breath away from each other but they didn't touch. Amu slowly opened her eyes to see what was happening only to be greeted with deep pools of indigo eyes. Her breath hitched as all her memories of when they first rushed past her mind. How she almost ran him over, how she accused him of ruining her food, when she discovered that he was the younger brother of her client, him offering his help to remake everything…finally, when their souls connected with each other; to the point where he proposed and she ran away. Without thinking Amu opened her mouth and whispered loud enough for only Ikuto to hear.

"…I love you…" Not expecting those words to come out of her lips at the moment Ikuto's eyes widen with surprise. However, just as fast at his surprise came it left and was replace with a gentle gaze. He didn't waste any more time as he placed his lips upon hers. The kiss started out as gentle as rose petal but in a matter of second Ikuto pulled Amu closer towards him by wrapping his arms around her waist. The pinkette gripped onto his white dress shirt feeling that if she didn't then all of this, everything that has happened that day would vanish into thin air. Ikuto moved his mouth gently, coaxing, skimming, and teasing her lips. Knowing that he had her encaged in his arms she wasn't going anywhere, he let his tongue slide between her lips.

He hears her shaky sigh. As she let herself be devour by the man she is in complete, and uncontrollably in love with. Her pulse roared in her ears as she felt him slide his tongue between her lips.

His hips surged, pressed, rocked against her in a way that left her giddy and gasping, eager for more.

The two soon slowly parted to re-inflate their lungs with oxygen. Ikuto wasted no time as he nipped the sensitive edge of her earlobe. Fresh shivers of arousal filtered through her, gathering in the cradle of her hips.

She didn't have the will power to pull away from him, but even if she did she wouldn't want to not again.

He grazed the skin below her ear and she reflexively tilted her head so he could kiss her throat. Amu let a moan slip from her sweet lips. Ikuto trailed down his hands down to her tights as he easily lifted her form up to have her legs latched around his waist as her arms snaked themselves around his neck.

Amu hided her face in the hollow of his neck as Ikuto started to take the two of them towards shores. As they reached the shore line Ikuto walked a few more steps to be further away so the water wouldn't reach them, as he then laid both the pinkette and himself on the sand. Ikuto hovered over her small frame; he traced the edge of her jaw with his cold fingertips. She imagined his touch elsewhere, on her arm, her belly, and her breast. His fingers reached her temple and twirled through her hair there. "I love you too." He finally said as the two stared into each other's eyes. The two stayed there staring at one another until finally Amu broke the entrancing spell. Ikuto took this chance to reach over towards his suit jacket as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out a small hinged box. He held it in his hand as he stood up. He offered a hand towards Amu for her took.

As the two stood before each other, Ikuto open his mouth as he spoke the same words he did on that same night after the cotillion. "Here," he started. "Take it. Don't say no. It's Valentine's Day."

Her heart stopped beating, then started again, accelerating to a crazy speed. Just as like it had the first time he spoke those words. Holding her breath, she opened the box. In a bed of black satin sat a beautiful shiny gold ring featuring a large Ruby flanked by two smaller white diamonds. It was the same ring that he had use to proposed to her.

"Oh, my god," Amu gasped as she stared at the ring for the second time in her life never thinking that Ikuto would have still held onto the ring.

"Put it on."

"Ikuto─"

"Don't say no…not this time." He pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it into the ring finger of her left hand. He cradled her face in his hands as he made her looked up at him. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Tear's welled up in her eyes as she stared up at the man she loves and had left just a year ago. Now here he was standing before her proposing to her again in a different place, different environment, different circumstances, but all in generally in the same day and time.

Her gaze lingered on the ring. It still fitted perfectly.

He slipped his thumb under her chin and tilted her face up so their eyes met. He looked solemn and─if she didn't know better ─ very much love. "Your answer?"

"Your sister must still hate me," she reminded him even after a year has pasted; he gave a small laugh.

"So don't marry her. Marry me."

No more evasion. He's proposed and he wasn't going to let her escape a second time around. It was time to confront the 'issue' head-on. "I'm a Hinamori, Ikuto."

"Do you want to keep your last name? No problem."

"I'm being serious. The closest I've ever gotten to the world you live in is through the kitchen door." He wanted to snort at the remark she had made, but he picked up one what she was doing. She was recreating the scene of that night of what would have happened if things would have gone differently.

He tapped his chest in the vicinity of his heart. "And it's right here," He said. "You're already in my world, Amu, and I want you to stay."

There was no sense hiding from her feelings. More than anything she wanted to stay in his world. "I love you," she told him once again for the second time that night.

"Then say yes."

"Yes."

He folded his arms around her and covered her month with his. His kiss spoke eloquently of love, of joy, of growing desire. Before things further progressed, he pulled back and caught his breath. "You understand what that means," he warned.

Panic twinged inside her. Did it mean she would have to host pretentious galas like the one that evening, a year ago? To become a garden-club matron and a dues-paying member for the historical society?

"It means," he explained, "that I'll give Rose Petals Banquets financial guidance for free, but you'll have to keep me supplied in chocolate kisses for free."

She grinned as she softly shook her head. "Heh, to bad Natsume beat you to the punch otherwise that would have sounded fair." A small frown formed upon his lips as the pinkette mentioned this.

"However, I can guarantee you free chocolate kisses for life." Ikuto smiled at what she said.

"That sounds fair," he agreed. Their lips touched, their mouths merged and their tongues shared the marvelously complicated flavor as Ikuto closed his arms around her.

If this was his world, Amu thought, she would never leave. She belonged here, in his arms, in his heart…and in his bed.

As the final seconds of Valentine's Day ticked away, they sealed their promise of love ─ with the sweetest of bisoux de chocolat.