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Another CHAPTER – An After Story

3 years later…

"Congratulations!" A huge popping sound stabbed my eardrums as shredded tiny pieces of rainbow colours were bursting on my face.

I stepped back, astonished with all the party sets surrounding my room uptight. I could see Nagihiko, Yaya, and Rima standing right in front of me just as I opened my room's door open with colourful party poppers on their hands. My shugo charas flew cheerfully to meet theirs. It was their first reunion after the past two hours.

I looked around the room that they redecorated. There were balloons, plushies, and other kiddy like party gadgets, even a gigantic bunny costumes lying around my bed. I don't even know a bunny costume has ever been a part of a party gadget before.

"It was Yaya's idea. Don't blame it on us," Rima munched a chocolate cookie from Nagi's backpack as Yaya could only grin and giggled widely. "I phoned Kairi as well. He said he'll be coming," she waved her hands everywhere childishly.

"My god," I rolled my eyes jokingly, "What are these for?"

"Oh, Amu-chii!" Yaya slapped her own forehead as she fishing around Nagi's magic backpack and shoved me a thick pink coloured book entitled 'Yaya's' with hearts and flowers stickers on it. "See here!!" she switched the pages open to an article she ripped off from a magazine and pasted it with tapes and glue. "Read it aloud Amu-chii!" she screamed like crazy.

"Alright, alright," I took the book from her and read it out slowly. "Hoshina Utau's newest song 'And you were here' written by Hinamori Amu hit number one's chart throughout Japan. Now is standing on sixth position in international song. Hoshina Utau also claimed to be wearing Hinamori Amu's designs for her further performance as her unique designs were catching the eyes of youngsters and other fellow audiences throughout the world that was believed to help her fame upright since the first time she used it on the Osaka tour..."

" See Amu-chii!! Not just your song went on hit, but your amateur designs were brought to fame!! How cool is that?!" Yaya shrieked happily all by herself.

"Well I didn't expect Utau would be asking me to make her a costume and asking my poem to be remixed by her to be her newest song though," I scratched my cheek sheepishly, "It's just a coincidence."

"Then it's a great coincidence," Nagi grinned, "You don't see any sixteen years old junior high school student to be famous everywhere you know."

"Talking about Utau, where're those two?" I asked Rima who was chewing a pineapple bubblegum.

"Utau's on tour in Canada right now and Kukai went along with her to help her," she explained while trying to make a small balloon out of the gum.

I sighed, "They're like magnets, never plug out from each other even just a single second."

"Yeah, Yaya envy them," Yaya pouted, "I don't see Kairi every day since he's in Hokkaido…"

"I don't even know why Kairi wanted to date you anyway." Yaya choked Rima as Nagi to the rescue.

"Tadase haven't given us any call or mail too since the last three years…"

The room suddenly became quiet. We were suddenly become apprehensive towards one another.

"Why don't we sit around first now?" Nagi suggested as he opened his backpack and took out a bag of cakes, "I made all of these snacks and cookies for this party. There are some chocolates that you like."

I shook my head, disapproving. "I have somewhere to go first. But I'll be back later," I explained before they mistook it as I was unhappy about their effort for putting up this (7-year-old-like tea party) party.

"Well, where are you going?" Nagi gave the cookies to Rima instead as Yaya was looking for a lollipop from his bag. "Some place," I grinned unwillingly while taking a bunch of red jasmines and mauve lilacs from my cabinet with me. Nagi sighed, getting the rough idea where I'll be heading, "Be back soon ok?" he smiled. I promised him with a nod.

"Bring Yaya some cokes too! I forgot to buy it when we're coming here!" Yaya rolled on my carpet like a puppy.

"Cokes are not good for your health Yaya. Kairi told me to remind you that," Nagi scolded her as she frowned.

"But I waannttt ccookkkkeeeeeee~~~!!! Forget about Kairiiiiiiii~~!!" she whined like a little girl as the three of us could only shook our head unbelieving she's already a sixteen years old young adult.

"Fine I'll buy some later just stop weeping over it," I groaned as she back to her smiley mood. I opened the door open waiting for the three coloured charas of mine to follow me as usual, but they didn't. "Amu-chan can we not join you this time? We're having fun here right now," Ran enlightened me as she turned her back towards her own friends, not wanting to miss the fun. I sighed, "Fine. Catch you guys later."

I closed the door and walked down the stairway. Yaya made sure I was far enough from her to dash to Miki as she asked, "Where's she going anyway?" she whispered.

"Some place," Miki grinned as Yaya pouted. "Owner and character, the same," she commented unhappily as Nagi laughed.

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"Thank you for your purchase," the florist bowed as I handed her a thousand yen. I took the Dandelions with me and mixed it with the other flowers which the florist girl wrapped for me as an extra service.

I walked down the stairs to find huge raven gates with the caretaker of the place standing still. "Visiting him again miss?" he opened the gate for me. "Thank you," I smiled and went into the other side of the gates. I can consider this to be one of the best places that I've ever seen. With cherry blossoms blooming cheerfully and verdant gardens on the sides and creamy benches silently watching every movement of the falling petals of the pink blossom, how great can they get? Well, it can get scary at nights though.

It was quite heavy to bring all the flowers once at a time since my sight was covered by the ticklish flowers. It feels like walking miles away just to reach him. But at least I was helped since the side walk has always been cleaned by the caretaker, even the tiniest dust so every visitor can enjoy their visit without meeting up any trouble of spraining their ankle by a banana peel or whatsoever.

I respectively glanced at the sides and read out the names carved on the rectangular silvery stones which were lining up through the way to make sure I didn't passed his by accident. "Hayashi… Yamada… Mizuto… Ah! Here it is," I squatted down and putted down the flowers in front of the tombstone with the name 'Tsukiyomi Ikuto' on it.

I went to a praying position with both of my hands grabbing each other. "Things are great today," I opened up the conversation to him, "I got surprising news that my song that I got inspired from our little memories hits the chart! The title is 'And you were here'. I'm sure you know about it since I told it to you few months ago. I was amazed myself when Yaya and the others came and gave me the surprise party. You should've been there. It's so much fun! And I still didn't get any info about Tadase."

I stood up and patted my back from dusts that may have stuck to it, even though I can hardly believe there's one. I stared at the silently beautiful tombstone. "I can't believe myself for chatting with your tombstone every week for this past three years when you yourself is not in there. This is such a joke," I laughed out myself before I came to composure. "If I get to see the embryo again, I'll wish we could meet each other again soon coz I still believe we'll meet each other again," I grinned before I waved my right hand to him, "See you later!" and walked towards the exit of the graveyard.

"Oh," I halted just as I remembered about Yaya's request. I was sure there's a soda vending machine near this place. I looked up at my watch. It showed 5.30 pm already. "I better get hurry," I walked in a quick pace as I headed towards the red vending machine near an Oak tree not far from here.

The machine was standing still as good as always. With its maroon red painted on its sides and a Coca-Cola canned drink logo printed on it with a humongous size. I inserted a coin in it and pressed some random buttons, unsure which one of them is Yaya's liking.

With the fifth coin and a Diet Coke button I pressed, I figured there were two cans which rolled out from it instead of one. Quite surprised myself, I picked up the other can besides the Diet Coke's and read the label in my thought. "Chocolate Soda?" I rolled my eyes, unbelieving how human can really be creative and at the same time weird. Whoever gonna buy a chocolate drink with a soda in it?

"Bummer," I lifted it up and opened the trash bin, but remembered about Ikuto's love to chocolate. I took the almost-thrown-away soda from it and closed the trash bin, decided not to drop it in and pocketed it in my jacket instead. "I'd better put this on his tombstone," the suggestion seemed reasonable enough as I started to carry the other five cokes with me. I think I'm getting used to bringing heavy stuffs.

As I lifted the fifth coke, I saw a glowing pure white egg roving across my head. My eyes widened, astonished by looking at the three year long missing item, as it was still relaxing itself floating in the mid air before my very eyes now.

"Embryo!!" I shrieked to my own surprise. I did expect him to show up to me, but not this quick! While I was still in the state of surprised it got shocked by my sudden loud voice and flew away in a lightning speed. "Wait up!!" I chased it as I dropped the cans on the ground; not letting it ran away anymore.

It leaped here and there as I followed it with my maximum speed. I hoped no one sees me running around the graveyard since they might think I'm crazy for chasing over something that they couldn't see. I climbed up trees and jumped over tombstones just to get my hand on that shitty Embryo who couldn't just once stay still and let me catch it.

"Don't go away you!!" I yelled as I furiously and satanically went after it, not caring if I have to die just to lay my hands on the egg. Sadly, I got tripped by a stone and it flew away up to the sky to make sure I was not able to catch for it anytime sooner.

"Stupid Embryo," I grumbled while rubbing my face from the pain."Ah!" the chocolate soda rolled from my jacket's pocket unto the ground when I tried to stand up.

A long, slanderous yet muscular hand was stretched up to catch the soda from strolling away too far before I did. It was a man who saved my soda. And not just any man. I felt I was familiar with him from the first time I saw his figure reading the title of the canned drink below the single ray sunlight even though it was quite hard to determine who he was at that time since my eyes were blinded by the sunray.

He was tall, wearing a smart suit, broad shoulder, glinting sapphire eyes, and silky navy blue hair. I gasped when I saw him. I swear, I truly swear I know him. The man I was longing for. The man that I had waited for so long. The man that I spent my 1095 days with emptiness just to see him before my very eyes.

"Chocolate Soda? I like this drink, you know," he smirked with his husky voice still the same as always. "Why are you here, Amu? Visiting someone's dead?" he chuckled as it triggered my tears for rolling down my cheek. I can't believe this, but this isn't a dream. Even if it's a dream, I would never want to wake up.

He offered his hand for me to stand with his eyes beaming the same warmth. I gazed at his mighty long sleeved palm and rested my hands on him to grab. I lifted up my face to see his usual gorgeous look clearly, smiled with a teary eyes of happiness as I said,

"Welcome home, Ikuto."

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