So I decided to split this into two chapters otherwise it would end up beig waaay to long. I can't have you starting to expect decent length chapters! That would be a nightmare! So incase you wouldn't have been able to figure this out for yourself, this chapter is a flashback. Obviously, the next one will be too. And then there will be one more chapter. And then it will be over! I wonder how many of you were reading this when it was originally posted, if any of you. If there are any of you out there, let me know in a review! Which brings me to my reminder for you to review! Now, enjoy!

I was determined that I could do this by myself and didn't need Ikuto's help with any of this. He was the one who had started this whole mess with starting to go out with her. Hadn't it all started there? And he still thought that she was going to give him the satisfaction of admitting that I didn't have this under control? Well I did, and I was going to fix this all by myself.

My first stop was Chelsea Lovens. I hoped that she would be easier to convince to forgive me. She was a follower; she took in information about every option and decided which option would give her the most power and security. So basically, I just had to show her that I could make her more secure than Faith could. Which she should know anyway. I was the one who knew how to put other people in their places, which I has already proved. When she realized this, she would make a pretty show of pretending to be mad at me and then forgive me but really, she won't have been mad at me for any of it.

I firs approached her after school on a Friday. She caught sight of me and the smile she had been wearing, presumably because she was excited to be going home after what a long, exhausting day this had turned out to be, froze on her face. I put on my best sad, guilty face and inclined my head in a little half bow, half sheepish look, and shuffled my feet. I glanced up at her and quickly looked away again. She seemed a bit confused by my behavior.

"Look... I just wanted to apologize, okay?" Chelsea tried to look mad, but I could see the glee in her face. She had realized that me making up with her could give her a powerful "friend" than? Or did she just enjoy seeing me apologizing to her.

"Why should I accept it?" she asked cooly. I shuffled my feet a bit more.

"I was out of line. I should have just came to talk to you instead of playing that cruel prank." Chelsea sniffed and looked down her nose at me.

"You were out of line." she said. "I'm not so sure I want to forgive you." I shrugged and glanced at her again, quickly looking away.

"I guess that's up to you. At least... you know where I stand." I raised my hand in a bit of a half-hearted wave. "Later." I shuffled away. I kept my head down until I had rounded the corner and checked behind me. Chelsea was nowhere in sight. I raised my head and grinned confidentially. She had taken the bait. I could hear it in her voice and see it on her face. It wouldn't take too much more.

When I got home, I went up to my room and immediately set to work. I put together a quick letter saying that I was sorry, I didn't expect her to forgive me but that if she could I hoped that we could be friends, yada yada yada, an sent it off. It didn't take anymore than 30 minutes before I was done and I simply set it in the mailbox with a stamp so that the postman would pick it up when he brought the mail. After my homework was finished, I looked up Faith's number in the phone book. It would look odd if I didn't try to apologize to both of them at the same time because I would seem as though I only wanted one of their forgiveness and would make I even harder to make up with Faith too.

Although I wasn't sure that there was any making up to do with Faith. We hadn't even been friends in the first place. In fact, she had hated me. So did I really need to worry about Faith? It's not like she ever would want to be friends with me even if I did apologize. I didn't put too much effort into the apology, preferring to save time and concentrate on Chelsea, my only chance.

At school the next day, it was obvious that I had been right about her. She waved in the hall and when questioned by her groupies said that I had apologized and that she was "willing to work to repair our friendship". I made sure I was out of hearing range before I let myself laugh at this. Repair our friendship? Since when had we been friends? She made it sound as if we were the best of mates and then I suddenly betrayed her for no reason. What a bitch! But no matter. I wasn't really going to be friends with her. I just wanted her to think I was so that I could regain my popular status.

I decided to push my luck by approaching her again. I acted all guilty, doing my shuffling feet and eyes downcast act. I had had this whole speech planned, but the moment I walked up to her she started talking, not giving me the chance to say a word.

"I've realized," she said pompously, "That you really do feel bad for what you did. So I accept your apology and want to be friends." I pretended to look all happily shocked and everything. I beamed at her.

"Really? You forgive me? Because I really am sorry. So so sorry." I simpered, sucking up as much as possible. She smiled and put a hand on my shoulder, nodding.

"Of course I forgive you. How could I not when you look so guilty and everything?" she held out her arms. "Come on, give me a hug." I was horrified. She wanted me to what now? But I had to pretend to be pleased and moved forward to embrace the girl. I had a feeling I was going to be physically sick. I had no desire to touch this person or come anywhere even close to her, but I supposed that I should have seen it coming. Chelsea is one of those girls who can't go five minutes without hugging someone, be in a stranger she sees in the hall or one of her little girlfriends. I didn't understand how she did it. Back in Japan, I wouldnt have dreamed of randomly hugging one of my friends, never mind a complete stranger!

When she had finally released me, I forced a smile and told her that I had to leave now but that I would text her and got out of their as quickly as possible. As I rounded the corner, I found Ikuto standing right there and started. It was creepy how he could just appear like that...

"Don't do that!" I huffed and made to walk around him, but he moved to block me. I tried a few times before taking a step back and placing a hand on my hip.

"What the fuck, Ikuto? Get out of my way!" I said, exasperated. He chuckled.

"You handled that well." he observed. It took me a moment to realize that he was talking about Chelsea. I drew myself up proudly.

"What did I tell you? I don't need you to do everything for me." I said smugly. I couldn't help feeling just a bit proud of myself. Of course, Ikuto couldn't have allowed me my moment of self love. No, he just had to bring me down again.

"Actually, you didn't do that all on your own. It was I who convinced her that you were a better source of protection than Faith would ever be." I stared in disbelief.

"Come on Ikuto. I manage to do one thing for myself and now your trying to steal it from me?" his lips curled into the smallest of frowns.

"I'm not lying, Amu. I really did that." I raises and eyebrow at him and crossed my arms.

"Oh? Even after the fight we had a few days ago?" I asked, still not buying it. He could have shown me a video proving he had done and I still wouldn't have believed him. I didn't want to lose this victory to him, especially not because I was still mad a him. Ikuto sighed.

"I wasn't ever mad at you Amu." He said, his voice gentler than before and he reverted to Japanese, which startled me a bit. He only used Japanese when he was serious about something. He rubbed his head with his hand. "Look, all I ever wanted was to help you. All I wanted was to make this all turn out well for you, and when things started to take a turn for the worse... I had to do something. You wouldn't let me help. Tell me, Amu, what would you have done in my shoes?" he asked. I looked at him, searching his eyes for any hidden lie or deceit, but found none. I sighed and walked over to him and hugged him gently. I was surprised at the sense of relief I felt when he embraced me back.

"I would have done the exact same thing." I said truthfully. "I'm... I'm sorry. For what I said to you, for how I ignored you, for everything." he gave me a small squeeze.

"It's alright." he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I looked up at him and smiled to. He hesitated before leaning down and kissing me gently, softly. I kissed back, trying to communicate my apology and guilt in the kiss. When we broke away a few seconds later, he was practically beaming.

"You're going to miss the bus if you don't hurry up." I looked down at my watch and jumped.

"The buses leave in only a few minutes! I still have to go back to my locker. I'm not going to make it." Ikuto laughed at my distress.

"I'll drive you." I looked at him, exasperated but a smile playing on the edges of my lips.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place... Dickhead." Ikuto mockingly raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, we're back to that are we? And I thought you had outgrown those childish nicknames." I punched him lightly in the arm and he pretended to fly backwards from the force of the blow. He accidentally actually slammed into the wall and I burst out laughing, doubled over and holding my sides. He looked perplexed at first before breaking into a wide grin.

"In my defense, that wall was not there before!" I only laughed harder. I realized that everything was okay between us again. We weren't fighting anymore. And this, no matter how much I would deny it, made me insanely happy.