A/N: Blame this on Ayumi Hamasaki's greatest hits (I have a thing for old j-pop, sue me). I kept listening to 'Trust' and for some reason I had this nagging Amuto feeling and here you go. The title is from a Mika Nakashima song though, and if you are into J-pop but haven't heard of her you should listen to her. She plays Nana in that live-action Nana movie, and sang 'Glamorous Sky' or whatever it's called. (It's been forever since I was into that).

BTW, speaking of music, has anyone heard SHINee's new single, Sherlock? It's sooo good! :) I wanted to name this one-shot after it, but...it had nothing to do with anything Sherlock-y, unfortunately. 3:

Please review! And if you can, please read and review my other new Amuto multi-chap story, 'Akai Ito'. It only has 2 reviews. It'd make me really happy! :D Thank you

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Venus in the Dark

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"Why do you always come so late at night?"

Amu was rubbing her eyes as she gave the sliding glass door to her bedroom's balcony a push with her hip. She reached up on her tippy-toes and pushed her curtains all the way to the other end, but her Asian genetics were only so kind.

"It's my style," he replied simply. He gently swatted her hand away and tugged the curtains across, exposing the Tokyo nightscape to both sides of the door.

"Thanks," she muttered reluctantly. He always had to one-up her at everything and make her look stupid... She lifted her head to look him square in the face, hoping that he didn't notice her tiny flinch. Seeing him under the veil of night was a completely different spectacle than the usual everyday encounters she liked to restrict their contact to. Shadows framed his perfect facial structure, and despite there being no moon that night, his eyes were glittering...almost shining themselves!

"So, what did you want, Ikuto?" she asked, leaning against the frame of the door.

His eyes weren't smiling, yet his lips managed to curl at the edges. "So I can't just come here for a casual evening visit?"

"If you were aiming for the evening, you're late by a few hours. It's 2am, you thieving cat," Amu informed him, crossing her arms across her chest and turning her nose up just the slightest bit.

"'Thieving cat'? What exactly have I stolen from you recently?"

"Well, nothing..."

Ikuto closed the space between them, raising his right arm and letting his elbow rest just above Amu's hand on the door frame, looming over her. "There are things I could steal, though..." he murmured as he lowered his lips to her ear. To add to the effect, he blew on her earlobe as he was pulling back, smirking.

Red spilled completely over Amu's face, and she tried to glare at Ikuto, really she tried... But she ended up half-smiling at him instead. "You always do weird and perverted things like that!"

"If you're trying to complain, then you're not doing a good job at it," he remarked, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

Amu huffed and gave a weak punch to his bicep before pushing past him onto the porch, nudging him aside so she could slide the door closed. "I'm graduating in a few months," she said quietly, not sure if he would hear her.

"I know." He was staring at her from behind, she could feel the heat of his eyes on her back. She only hoped he wasn't staring at her ass...

"I don't know what I'll do... I'll start having self-doubt all over again, and I'm not even sure why you're even around anymore," she turned around to face him, looking uncertain.

"Because I love you," Ikuto responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Are you still playing around like that?" Amu asked, frowning.

"You honestly think I've been joking with you this whole time?" he asked back, incredulously. "I may tease you, but for you to think that of me makes me really doubt your intelligence now."

"Hey!" she glared.

"I'm here because I love you, and I will be the one to steal from you." He strode forward, lifting her hand and wrapping it between his. "I'll steal your heart and let you waste the rest of your life endlessly fighting to get it back, until you simply give in." His voice was husky and his tone was slightly dangerous, but it didn't stop shivers from racing down her spine.

Amu struggled to regain her voice, clearing her throat a little too loudly in the process. Her body felt hot; white hot. Wasn't white hot the hottest degree of hot? Or was that blue? She felt blue hot? Whatever the case, she felt like her mind was slipping away and that she was going to start swaying on her feet.

She dragged her eyes up to meet his, willing herself not to look away from his piercing stare. She had to respond, she had to say something or else he would say something for her that would reduce her to idiocy.

"Th-That's...cool," was the first thing that came to mind, and so it exited her mouth without any delay. Amu instantly scrunched up her face and began to mentally beat herself up, starting with her imaginary legs and then going for her imaginary stomach. 'That's cool'? 'THAT'S COOL'? What was she, some cannibus-toting anti-go-getter? She was done for...

"Oh?" Ikuto raised his eyebrows, his lips curling in amusement. "If that's the case, then..." He began to lean in slowly.

Amu shut her eyes tightly.

She felt a light tapping on her lips, and her eyes shot open, searching for Ikuto's.

His index finger was hovering over her lips, and he was smirking devilishly down at her. "Were you expecting something, Amu?"

Her cheeks darkened and she glared, "Mou! I'm tired of all of your tricks, you dumb cat!" She shoved him. "Get out of here!" She folded her arms across her chest and jerked her head to the side, avoiding his gaze and pouting slightly.

Ikuto chuckled softly. "I didn't know you'd get so upset about it," he said.

"I wasn't upset!" Amu cried, before hurriedly amending her statement with, "I'm not upset!" Her face seemed to say otherwise, even in the moon-less night. Her pink hair only called more attention to the crimson glow on her cheeks.

"There will be plenty of other chances, don't worry," he comforted her mockingly as he patted her on top of the head, watching her seethe beneath him.

"I-ku-to!" she growled, rearing back to give him a piece of her mind.

Whatever words she had planned to throw at him withered before reaching her throat. With a swiftness that only a cat could master, he reached out with his right hand and lifted her chin, lowering his lips overs hers.

It was a simple kiss, but it seemed to last longer than a simple kiss would. It was sort of delightful...

Yet before she knew it, it had ended and he had pulled back and begun admiring her drunken expression.

"How cute," he mused. "If I had known you would have reacted this way, I would have done this much sooner."

"P-Pervert!" The post-kiss haze was broken, and Amu was back to narrowing her eyes at him, steaming.

"It was nice while it lasted," Ikuto remarked with a shrug, smiling smugly. He turned to leave, but paused on his heels for a moment.

Amu flicked her eyes up, her heart pounding in anticipation of what he might do next. "What?" she asked shakily.

"Graduating isn't so bad," he said simply.

She put all of her hostile feelings on hold, and smiled genuinely for a moment down at her feet, feeling almost shy all of a sudden. Having all hostility taken away for a bit does that to a person, she supposed, with the whole stripping of defenses and stuff.

"Ja ne."

She looked back up to respond, and growled, hostility put back on at full force. He was already gone! That bastard!

"How can someone just leave in a matter of a second?" she growled. "You stupid cat thief good-for-nothing bastard. Stealing a kiss and then leaving...Stupid cat reflexes my ass. Dick."

Amu turned around and stepped back inside, sliding the door closed and leaning against it. Her heart was still pounding erratically, and she pressed a hand over her chest, surprised to feel it through her night-clothes.

In spite of herself, she was smiling.

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End.