Alright! The epilogue! I don't own Shugo Chara!

Three years later~~~

"No, again" said Rima, sighing for the umpteenth time.

"Alright, I can't do this anymore!" I said, throwing the violin on my bed.

I was currently in my room, practicing the violin with Rima being my tutor. The room was quite messy with all of my clothes all over the place. Tons of books piled my desk, and the whole room smelled like dust. Rima coughed every few minutes, breaking my concentration every time she did.

"It's a miracle how you manage to make that eerie noise even though you practiced for four hours straight. I'll admit it, you have talent" said Rima, sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Rima. I have to perfect this piece of music by today. Tomorrow early in the morning, I have to go to the airport. Isn't there any other way to get better than to just practice for hours and hours? This is so inefficient!" I said, sitting down on the floor in exasperation.

"Practice makes perfect. Again" said Rima, holding out a hand to help me get up.

"I give up. You're not giving me any advice on how to get better! I'll never perfect this piece in time" I said, refusing to hold Rima's hand.

"As I've told you earlier in the day, I'm not a violin tutor. I'm just helping you with tone quality. I don't know how to play the violin, I have no idea how to hold the bow, and I don't know how to play a single note. Despite all of this, you asked me to come over, so I kindly did" said Rima, sitting down next to me.

"That helps" I said, sighing once more.

"Amu, I think you're forgetting the main goal of this practice session" said Rima, after a moment of silence.

"I know what the main goal is. It's to practice until I can play this piece perfectly" I said, not really thinking.

"No, you're wrong. Remember you said you want to express something through this piece of music. Wasn't that our goal from the very beginning? If you give up, then the same feelings will show up when you play it for real" said Rima, nodding her head.

"Rima, you really haven't changed at all" I said, getting up.

"You haven't changed either. You like to give up. That part of you hasn't changed" said Rima, smiling.

"Alright, then I'll show you" I said, picking up my violin.

"Show me what?" asked Rima, getting up from the floor, trying to get the dust off her skirt.

"I'll show you that I've changed" I said, putting the violin under my chin.

The next morning, I rushed out of the house, running towards the graveyard located at the back of the hospital. I had exactly two hours until the plane left for Europe, and I had wanted to visit the graveyard. I ran up to my grandmother's grave, and stared at it for a while, absorbing the scent of the soil. The wind blew gently around my hair, and I knew everything was going to be alright.

The sky was clear, and I could almost hear my grandmother saying, "It's going to be okay. Believe me."

I don't believe ghosts exist, but at that time and at that place, I could feel God letting go of grandmother's spirit, letting her flow through me, giving me courage and wishing me luck.

The traffic was horrible that day. The roads seemed to be packed with cars, not sparing any space for even an ant to squeeze in. I sighed in exasperation as I heard the city clock ring loud and clear announcing that it was currently 8:00 A.M. One more hour left, and the plane would leave.

"This is your fault. I told you to come out early in the morning! Now we're never going to get there in time. Well, not that it matters much for me" said Rima, sighing.

"I was only fifteen minutes late!" I said.

"Fifteen minutes makes a huge difference" said Rima, looking to see how much they had to drive. The line of cars seemed endless, and Rima shook her head in defeat.

"Alright, Rima, I'm running to the airport" I said, opening the door of the car.

"You're kidding, right? The airport's 30 minutes away if you run, and you can't carry two violins..." Rima trailed off, as she realized that Amu had already started to run.

I could see the airport in the far distance. I had arrived in ten minutes, and it had been a pretty short journey despite Rima's warning. Rima really needed to get out more, and exercise. Her definition of 30 minutes was a little different from my definition of 30 minutes. Of course, I've realized this by now, and I always subtract 20 minutes from the time she gives me.

By now, I ran into the airport, searching for Ikuto. He was going to Europe this year to participate in the concerts, and this might be the last chance I could see him for a long time. Plus, I wanted to give him back his violin...and play the piece I practiced for him. I wanted to play the piece with my own violin.

I sat down after a couple of minutes of searching, deciding to rest a little bit. I had arrived a little earlier than my prediction, and I had a couple of minutes to spare. I thought of the time three years ago when I thought Ikuto had died, when I almost got a heart attack:

"You could go see him, but..." said Mrs. Yumori, shaking her head. She opened the door for Rima and me, and we went into the room.

At first I was afraid to go in, but Rima pushed me inside, nodding her head. I breathed in and out as I walked over towards the single bed in the room. Ikuto looked like he was peacefully sleeping, but I knew what the result was going to turn out to be. I was too afraid to believe. I couldn't believe. I turned around from the bed, not able to stand it anymore...

Then suddenly, without warning, something grasped me from behind, and pulled me in with it. I shrieked, and turned around to see Ikuto looking at me mischievously. I stared at him, wondering at first if he was a ghost...

"Why are you so dumbstruck? Aren't you glad I'm alive?" asked Ikuto, smirking at my surprised expression.

I looked at Rima for advice, but she looked just as surprised as me. Mrs. Yumori came in, smiling at all of us.

"Thank you Mrs. Yumori. For keeping it a secret" Ikuto said.

"No problem. You better tell Amu the truth though. You seemed to have given her a heart attack" said Mrs. Yumori, trying not to laugh.

"What's this all about?" asked Rima, confused.

"Isn't it funny? I thought you kids would all laugh in the end" said Souko, suddenly entering the room. She was smiling for the first time in a while.

"It was an act. Ikuto wished to surprise you" said my mom, coming in with Utau.

"A...what?" I asked, still too confused to speak.

"An act. I'm not dead. I'm pretty much alive. The surgery was a great success. You should really be thanking me that you're-" said Ikuto, before I interrupted him.

"You know how surprised I was? You know how worried Rima and I were? Did you even care to think about us? You're such a jerk" I said, shouting at the top of my lungs.

"I told you she wouldn't laugh over it" said Utau, shaking her head.

"I'm okay, but you better apologize to Amu. She was so surprised" said Rima, getting over her shock a little bit.

"I can't believe you actually believed-" said Ikuto, before I interrupted him once more.

"Alright, if you promise me not to lie to me like this ever again, then I'll forgive you" I said, secretly relieved that Ikuto was okay.

"No, I can't promise" said Ikuto.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I have to tease you at least once a day, and if I promise that then I can't. By the way, you smell kind of weird. When did you shower?" asked Ikuto, obviously teasing me again.

Everyone laughed at us, while I glared at Ikuto, trying to think up of a good comeback...

I laughed a little at the memory myself, and then got up, resuming my search. I soon gave up, and looked at the big airport clock. It was almost time. I decided to use the only way left. I got my violin out of its case, and started playing the music I had composed myself. I had completely memorized it by now. The notes weren't perfect, but it was perfect enough.

The notes flowed out, and soon a crowd of people gathered around me. I searched for Ikuto, looking at the crowd of people, but there was no sign of Ikuto. Had he already gone in? Was I too late? The piece was almost ending, and I was about to give up, when I heard another sound right beside me. It was the sound of Ikuto's violin.

I turned around, and realized it was Ikuto. He seemed to be playing the perfect harmony for my song. I stopped my playing, and looked at Ikuto.

"What are you doing? You should end the piece you know. Not look at me as if I'm a big hotdog" said Ikuto, looking at me mischievously once more.

"I was not looking at you like that. I was just...surprised" I said, getting ready to finish the song. A lot of people whispered to each other, wondering what we were trying to do.

The notes soon stopped flowing out, and the piece ended. The audience clapped for us, and I smiled. The crowd soon left, and Ikuto grabbed my hand as soon as I put away my violin back in my case.

"What-Ikuto, where are you dragging me to?" I asked, wondering why he was hurrying me.

"If you have a brain, think. This place is not a place where you can freely play your violin. The guards might catch you, and...Who knows what might happen next" said Ikuto, smiling down at me.

"You seem to be teasing me again..." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'm serious" said Ikuto, looking at me with a face that wasn't serious at all.

He had brought me to this garden near the airport. Nobody seemed to be wandering around, and it seemed to be a place where only Ikuto knew about.

"Isn't your plane leaving in thirty minutes? You better get going" I said, turning around.

"Is that how you treat a person you won't be seeing for a couple of years?" asked Ikuto, sounding a little offended.

"In my definition, yes" I said, turning back around to face Ikuto.

"By the way, that piece of music...was good...but you played it horribly. I'll give you a one out of ten" said Ikuto, ignoring my last comment.

"Excuse me? You know how many hours I spent to perfect that piece of music? You should learn to be more thankful!" I said, disappointed that I couldn't express what I wanted to Ikuto.

"It wasn't perfect, though. You can keep my violin. You'll need it to make good music. There was much space for improvement. If you beg me, I might be nice enough to be your tutor when I come back" said Ikuto, smiling as he handed me his violin case.

"How are you going to participate in concerts without your violin? Isn't it kind of impossible?" I asked, forgetting my anger for a moment.

"It is possible if you give me your violin" said Ikuto.

"Wait. Why do I have to trade my violin with someone like you?" I asked, befuddled.

"Isn't the answer obvious? The more you play the violin, the better the sound gets. I had my violin for a long time, so the sound is good. I'll give it to you, since you play like you're a complete amateur. I'll take your violin, since it sounds...well bad" said Ikuto, telling me this as if it was all too obvious.

"Okay..." I said, slowly handing him my violin.

"Alright, now you finally understand-" said Ikuto, before I interrupted him again.

"Isn't it important for you to have a good violin, since your going all the way to Europe for your concerts? I'm still a beginner so I don't really need-" I said, suddenly realizing what I had to say all at once.

"I want you to have it. Just keep it, and don't break it. Make music for me" said Ikuto, smiling for real. Ikuto's smiles were always mischievous, but this one was different. It was a real smile, and I understood all at once what Ikuto was trying to say.

I nodded my head, and said, "I will."

I was giving him my violin for real when it happened. He leaned forward and kissed me. This time for real, and not by mistake.

I stood there shocked while he received my violin, and walked away without saying another word. I stood there like that for quite a while, as Ikuto disappeared around the corner.

I'll admit it. I couldn't blush. Not even move. I was frozen right where I was in shock. Everything was silent except the rustling of the leaves, and the wind peacefully blowing through my hair. That was when something fell out of Ikuto's violin. I guessed Ikuto had stuck it in there. I had just enough energy to pick up the letter, fold it open, and read it:

Dear Amu,

The first time I heard about you, I thought I wasn't going to like you at all. Not even as a friend. But you were different from anybody else I ever met. You accepted me, didn't lose hope, and even made friends with Utau and Rima. Most of all, you shone. Maybe you didn't notice this yourself, but your heart seemed to shine. Something inside you changed me. You changed me. Thank you for everything you gave me, and in return I'll give you my soul. Of, course I'll ask for yours in return. Also, don't break it.

I love you

-Ikuto

I smiled gently at the letter. Ikuto's soul was his violin... What I had wanted to express through my song had been received. My true feelings. The memories I shared with Ikuto will always be inside me, and I will always wait for Ikuto's return. I knew he would come back soon. What had been unlocked so many years ago, had resolved. No, this was just the beginning. I will be the one to decide when it will end. There may not be an ending at all. I will no longer rely on fate anymore.

Anything I believe is eternal.

Yay! The story ends today! Did you understand everything? If not, please tell me. I kind of made this last chapter confusing, but I'm satisfied with the ending. Thank you to all of the readers that read this story until now and to all the reviewers that gave me advice and encouragements. Thank you everyone!