Amu was walking in town one cool spring day, window shopping. She had just picked up a few groceries, and then decided to look around for a few minutes before heading back home. As she walked, she passed a toy shop, a flower shop, and a music shop. She stopped a minute to look more closely at the music store's display. Pieces of music littered the floor with all sorts of instruments were placed or hung in the display case. A violin caught her eye. It was in the corner, most wouldn't notice it, too excited over the shiny flutes and trumpets. But there it was.

It reminded her of Ikuto naturally. Not only because it was a violin of course, but it was in the corner. Ikuto tried not to be noticed and stuck to the shadows when in the city. He was an ally cat through and through. If there was a crowd, he'd rather blend in than stand out.

"What are you looking at Amu-koi?" Someone asked, circling their arms around her from behind. Amu froze. "That voice… It couldn't be." She thought. Amu felt hair soft as a cat's tickle her face, as the stranger rested his chin on her shoulder. She saw blue.

"Ikuto?" She whispered, wondering if this was just another dream.

"Miss me?" Ikuto asked; Amu could practically feel him smirking. She then realized he was holding her.

"Get off of me!" Amu yelled, waving her arms wildly, causing her to accidentally hit him in the face while escaping his grip.

"Tsk tsk Amu, is that how you treat a long lost friend who came back just for you?" Ikuto asked, rubbing his cheek, his smirk still plastered on his face. His hair was still the same length it was when he left, yet he looked older. His cheekbones were more defined, and though his eyes weren't full of regret anymore, they still held the same mischievous gleam they always had. So like a cat.

Amu rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have hit you if you had just kept your distance and not surprised me like that. Where have you been anyway? I haven't heard from you since February, and then you decide to just show up out of the blue." Amu was annoyed. Sort of anyway. She was always used to him leaving and turning up where she least expected, but couldn't he at least give her some warning this time? She's been waiting and missing for him for years, and then he just decides to show up without telling and expect everything is going to go back to the same as it was before? No way was Ikuto getting off easy.

"I've been everywhere Amu. You should know that. America, Europe, China, the list goes on." Ikuto said smoothly. He seemed cocky to Amu. That annoyed her. Here she was, waiting for him, thinking about him every day, and not even dating other guys. It wasn't that no one asked her out, but she didn't want to even see other guys if she was only interested in Ikuto. That would be unfair to them and uncomfortable for her. Ikuto had probably seen other girls while traveling. Who wouldn't be interested in a handsome violinist? Plus, he knew how to treat them. He wouldn't hit them, or hurt them in any way. Amu knew that. Lucky girls, whoever they were, they got to be with him.

"So why show up now?" Amu said. "If you've been to so many places, why not go see some more? You probably were having the time of your life." She crossed her arms and glared, thinking about all the girls he probably dated. She wondered if they were blonde and English. English people had great accents. Maybe it was a Japanese-American who showed him around New York City, or wherever he was performing.

"Because, I thought I made you a promise." Ikuto said quietly, enveloping her in a hug. "I promised you I'd come back. So here I am. To stay." Amu couldn't breathe. Ikuto didn't always say everything he felt, and other times, he'd flirt but he was only teasing. This time, Amu knew it was the first. He wouldn't tease about a promise. He took those seriously. She knew this was his way of saying I missed you. I couldn't wait any longer, so I came back.

"Why didn't you call?" She murmured into his shoulder.

"I wanted to surprise you. I didn't know I was coming until about a week ago." Ikuto told her.

"It's been months since I last talked to you. Why not just call to say hi?" Amu asked. There was no way to hide the hurt in her voice. Ikuto took a deep breath.

"There was one month I was really busy with concerts and work, and once it was all over and I had some free time, I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me anymore, or even talk to me. I even wondered if you had a boyfriend or something. Tadase had told me how all the guys were starting to ask you out. So I kept putting off talking to you, telling myself I'd do it later, until I realized that it had been six months. By then I knew you'd be mad, or maybe you had forgotten me all together, or at least pushed me to the back of your mind. I figured it was a lost cause and you had given up on me."

"I haven't been dating anyone. Plus, I texted you a couple times!" Amu objected, releasing him from the hug.

"Not a lot. The last time was what? Two months ago?" Ikuto asked. Amu blushed. She hadn't really done her part in trying to stay in contact with him either.

"So maybe we're both to blame…" Amu blushed, looking at her feet. She could feel Ikuto's eyes on her and wanted to melt on the spot. He folded his arms and leaned on the wall.

"So why aren't you dating anyone? A pretty girl like you usually would have a boyfriend, except you've been turning them down." Pretty? Ikuto thought she was pretty? Amu's blush deepened.

"I guess…" It was hard for Amu to find words. She suddenly found great interest in a flower advertisement on the wall behind him. "I wasn't really interested in any of them, and didn't want to lead them on."

"So you have someone else in mind then?" Ikuto smirked. Him and his smirk. It was one of the things Amu loved and hated the most about him. Sometimes she wanted to slap it right off his face. Other times, it was all she could think about.

"You could put it that way." Amu said nonchalantly, putting on her Cool-And-Spicy façade. Behind his smirk, Ikuto began to laugh. She blushed. "What's so funny?!" Amu exclaimed defensively.

"You haven't changed a bit Amu-koi." Ikuto said. Koi? Stupid cat, playing with her feelings. Didn't he realize how the suffix made her heart skip a beat? She only wished he wasn't joking when he said it.

"Well you've probably had loads of pretty girlfriends." Amu murmured. Ikuto shrugged.

"Not really, there was only one girl that ever really had my attention." Jealousy coursed through Amu, but at the same time, it was more sadness that it wasn't her than actual hate for his mystery girl.

"Oh? What was she like? Did you two meet in Europe?" Amu asked casually, trying to keep the pain from her voice.

"No we didn't meet in Europe." Ikuto said. So it must have been America. "She's a bit small for her age, but she's really kind. Fairly gullible too. I love to tease her." This made Amu feel like she was hit in the gut. She really was just another toy. Ikuto didn't treat her any different. She thought she was the only one he teased, though it annoyed her, she knew it was their thing. Apparently not. Ikuto went on "She's beautiful and even though she sometimes acts like she doesn't care about something, she usually does, but tries to hide it from the world… And the sad thing is I'm crazy about her…" It was getting hard for Ikuto to talk. He seemed like he wanted to say something. Something he would usually put into actions, but he knew that this time it actually had to be said.

"But I don't think she knows that… She probably just sees me as a nuisance, but even so, I love her. She has her bad days, and so do I. She's always been there, even when others haven't been, and I don't know who I'd be without her." There was a pause. Amu's heart was tearing in two. Why did an American girl have to steal Ikuto away from her? And the girl didn't even know what she had. Amu made up her mind. She was going to help him find happiness, even if it wasn't going to be with her, Ikuto deserved to be happy, and the girl probably deserved him more than Amu did. She took a deep breath.

"You know, you should tell her how you feel. If she knew I think that it would make her really happy. Stop wasting your time talking to me and go find her OK? I know that she probably misses you, since you're so far away from her." Amu turned to leave. Her heart went from two pieces to a million. But for Ikuto, it was worth it. She knew her heart would heal eventually, but she refused to let him see her cry now. Ikuto grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Why would I do that, when she's standing right in front of me?" Ikuto asked quietly. Who was in front of him? It was just the two of them… Amu's head was spinning. Her? Did he really love her? There was no American girl? "You can be such a dummy Amu." Ikuto smiled. A true smile. Amu threw her arms around him and flung herself into his arms. She felt something wet on her face. Tears. These weren't sad tears, but happy ones.

"I love you too Ikuto." Amu smiled. Before she knew it, Ikuto bent his head toward her and kissed her on the mouth. His lips were soft; Amu could feel his heart beat rapidly like her own. When they broke away Ikuto asked. "So does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?" His smirk was back.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Amu told him, and she tilted her head for another kiss. Ikuto came back, just like he said he would, and she wasn't going to let him go again. That was a promise she was going to keep.

Yay! I finally finished! Sorry it took so long to update! Gomenasai! Please let me know what you think by posting a review. It means so much and I can't improve as much without feedback! Thank you all so much.
-Princessa Mia