Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara

Chapter Seventeen

"Amu!"

I was awoken from my sleep when Ami bursted into the hospital room, grinning from ear to ear. Rubbing my eyes, I smiled as she hopped up onto the bed. She instantly enveloped me into a tight hugged as I rubbbed her back. This was only the second time that Ami had visited me since the accident when I was transported to the emergency room. Mom had kept her at home after she nearly lost it in the waiting room.

"Amu, Ami is so glad that you're okay," Ami said into my chest.

"I'm always going to be fine Ami, you don't need to worry," I said.

"Oh, look who's up," Mom said.

She was just coming into the room with a folder of paperwork. Sitting down by the bed, she chidded Ami for disturbing my sleep but was still smiling nonetheless. Today was a big day, it was the day that I would finally get released from the hospital.

"Don't forget, you still have your physical therapy," Mom said.

"Do I really have to do that?" I asked.

"Your leg is still a little weak honey," Mom said.

Sighing, I laid back onto my pillow as Ami detached herself from my chest. She got down from the bed and began wandering around the room. I kept a close watch on her out of the corner of my eyes, making sure that she wasn't messing with anything dangerous. Ami soon found some crayons and began drawing on some of the hospital's pamphlets. While observing her, my sides began repeatedly buzzing. Reaching under the blankets, I pulled out my phone and checked the screen. There was a text from Utau.

Utau: Congrats on getting released.

Me: Thanks.

Utau: Can you make it to your friend's party next week?

Me: Yeah.

Utau: Good, come over to my apartment on that day and don't go buying anything either.

Me: What do you mean?

Utau: I'm not letting you go to a party dressed the way you usually do.

Me: What's wrong with how I dress?

Utau: Your style gives off th teenage girl vibe. We're trying for something classy.

Me: That's offensive.

Utau: It's the truth.

Me: Whatever.

Utau: So are you coming or not?

Me: Yeah yeah, I'm coming.

Utau: Good, see you at nine.

Why do I have to come so early when the party starts at six? Sighing, I went back to the homescreen and went to check on my social media. Nothing interesting was happening as of late, I guess Karin was laying low after that accident. It still surprised me that Utau was able to actually pull the stunt off. I wasn't sure whether I should be scared or impressed. Was there even a difference between those two? Definitely.

After shutting off my phone, I threw it on the table and went back to watching the movie. It was a sappy love story, the kind that I hated the most since those kind of things never happened in real life. Nonetheless, there was really nothing on TV right now so I was stuck watching something like this. Balancing the popcorn bowl on my lap, I bent forward to grab my iced tea. The movie was already halfway done and nothing interesting has happened yet. Maybe I should've accepted Kukai's invitation to go play video games. Then again, I was never good at those things. Still, it might've been a lot better than this.

Speaking of Kukai, I forgot to invite him to the party. Grabbing my phone once again, I scrolled through the contact list but abruptly stopped when I saw his name. An idea popped into head and a mischevious smile appeared on my lips. Quickly hitting the dial button, I waited for the phone to ring before there was a soft click.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey, are you free next Saturday?" I asked.

"Why?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"There's this party happening," I explained.

"No thanks," he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I hate socializing," he said.

"Amu will be there," I offered.

"...fine."

"Excellent, see you next week~" I smiled.

The line went off and I was left with a satisfied grin.

"Amu, get up already!" Utau exclaimed.

"Five more minutes," I mumbled.

"No, you said that ten minutes ago," she said.

"I'm tired," I complained.

"Then you should've thought twice about staying up last night," Utau said.

"There was a movie marathon," I argued.

"Just get your butt over here," she said.

Utau hung up and I was left in the silence of my room. Putting my phone on the nightstand, I pushed off the blankets and flinched at the cold morning air. Sitting myself up, I slowly swung my feet onto the carpeted floor, thankful for the warmth. Standing up, I unsteadily walked to the closet to grab a quick change of clothes. Blindly reaching into my closet, I ended up pulling out a pair of midnight blue jeans and a black and blue tank top.

After a steaming shower, I brushed my teeth and changed out of my pajamas. I threw the sleepwear into the washing machine and hurried downstairs for breakfast. Luckily, Mom made toast so I was able to grab a few before heading over to Utau's apartment.

"I'm going to be staying over at a friend's house!" I said as I exited the kitchen.

"Be careful honey," Mom said.

I was just tying up my converses when Ami approached me. She had bedhead and was sleepily rubbing her eyes. Smilling, I smoothed down some of her cowlicks before standing up.

"See ya later Ami," I said.

"Bye Amu," she smiled tiredly.

I promptly arrived at the apartment building at 8:59. I rang the doorbell and stood waiting. Soft footsteps were heard and the click of a lock was sounded. The door swung open to reveal Utau, dressed in an oversized T-shirt and black pajama bottoms. I raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes, pulling me inside by the arm.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Good, cause I'm not making any," she said.

I was told to make myself comfortable while Utau went to grab her coffee. After shuffling around in the kitchen, she came back out with a more relaxed expression, her coffee already half drained from its cup. She told me to follow her and we both entered what appeared to be her bedroom. It was similar to how my room was set up except for the fact that all the furniture was either white or cream colored.

"What exactly are we doing?" I asked.

"Makeover," Utau said absentmindedly.

"Why is this necessary?" I asked.

"It's a party for the V.I.P, you need to look the part," she answered.

Utau rummaged around in a drawer before pulling out a curling iron. I blinked, trying to comprehend what we were about to do. I wasn't exactly the type of girl to wear make up even though secretly, I knew I wanted to try. Still, I was never that motivated to go out and buy those kind of stuff so this concept was all so new to me. I mean, the closest thing that I ever wore to make-up was chapstick.

"I don't think that's called for," I said.

"Yes it is," Utau said.

"But it's just a party," I said.

"That's precisely why you need to look good," she said.

I sat there, somewhat offended, while Utau pulled out a case of cosmetics from under her vanity. Setting it on the white, marble table, she flicked open the lock and pulled out three layers of the box. Utau motioned for me to walk over.

"We'll start with make-up and move on from there," she said.

"Ok," I said.

"First, you need a shower and a facial," Utau said.

Grabbing my hand, she pulled me out of her room and into the bathroom across the hall. Flicking on the lights, she sat me down on a rotating stool situated in front of the marble, double sink. Pulling my hair back, Utau tied it up into a high ponytail and told me to wash my face. While I was splashing my face with moderately cool water, Utau bent down and opened a cabinet door. She pulled out a few expensive looking pink bottles and a thick brush. Standing up, she placed it on the edge of the sink before spinning me around.

"Alright, we'll start with a facial," she said.

I remained quiet as she uncapped the bottle and shook out a fair amount of cream onto her palm. She began covering my face with the cream, making sure to cover every part except for my eyes and mouth. Using the brush, she evened out the thick patches of cream.

"Keep it on like this for about an hour and then wash it off," Utau instructed.

"Alright," I said.

She shooed me out of the bathroom to work on her own facial. Left alone in the hallway with a face covered with pink, I wandered back into the living room to find something do. Spotting the TV, I immediately took a seat on the couch and grabbed the remote. Hitting the "on" button, the blackened screen came to life, showing a kissing scene from a sappy, romance movie. did Utau really watch these kind of stuff? It was hard to believe.

An hour later, I was asleep on the softly cushioned couch, clutching the remote to my chest as I did so. An action movie was playing in the background, filling the quiet apartment with sounds of gunshots and explosions. I was lying between dreamland and reality, unable to decide which side I prefered to be on. It didn't matter, someone else made that decision for me.

"Amu, wake up!" Utau pinched my cheeks.

Brushing her hand away, I blinnked a few times and shot her a dirty look. Sitting up, I stretched my back and yawned. Utau was standing in front of me, her hair done up in a bun and her face free of make-up. It didn't look that different from the usual Utau except for the fact that she had bags under her eyes.

"It's been an hour, go wash your face," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," I said.

The water was warm as I splashed it on my face. Once all the pink stuff had gone down the drain, I grabbed a nearby towel and quickly dried my face. I found my cheeks to be extremely soft as I gingerly touched it, the feeling was somewhat nice. Utau came into the room a few minutes later, telling me to take off my clothes and hop into the shower.

"I'll leave your clothes on the sink, make sure to dry your hair before putting it on," she instructed.

"Okay," I said.

Utau left the bathroom to gather the said clothes while I changed out of mine. Since I had spent a night here before, it was fairly easy for me to figure out how Utau's shower worked. In a few seconds, I was bathing in a warm spray of water. While I was choosing which soap and conditioner to use, the door opened and a blurry figure came in to set something on the sink.

"Your shoes are in my room," Utau said.

"Alright," I said.

After the satisfying shower, I wrapped myself in a big, fluffy, white towel and stepped out onto the drying mat. My hair was hanging limply and dripping water onto the floor. Securing the towel that was covering my body, I grabbed another one and quickly wrapped it around my head. It slowly dampened as I dried more of my hair. When it got too wet for any sort of use, I threw it into the clothes basket and plugged in the hairdryer. My hair was more alive now, hanging in thin waves instead of long clumps. Brushing through it a few times, I tried to get out all the tangles before drying it.

The dress was squarely folded and was lying by the edge of the sink. I could see various shades of black and red mixed in with a few silver sparkles. Even from a little glimpse, I could tell that the dress was expensive. I carefully unfolded the dress and clothed myself in the soft, silky fabric. Turning to look in the mirror, I was surprised by its sheer beauty. It was a red and black strapless dress with a bright red flower adorning the side. Three layers of silk cascaded down to my knees where silver sparkles decorated the hem.

A black, lacy choker and a silver necklace with a rose pendant was sitting next to where the dress was previously. Picking up the necklace, I brought it over my head and secured the choker. It was mainly red with black lace decorating the side and it complemented the outfit perfectly.

Walking back into Utau's room, I saw that she was already dressed and had half of her hair done. She was wearing a white, floor length, strapless dress with a slit on the side that ran up to her knees. A golden bow was strapped on the side of the dress with multiple layers of silk pulled into it, making it look like the dress had many layers that fell just above where her knees should be. Her hair was up in a bun with a few loose strands of white blonde hair wrapping itself around her pale neck.

"Hey, you look nice," she complimented.

"You look nice too," I said.

"Your earrings are on the table, go put them on," she motioned towards the vanity in front of her.

Walking to the cream colored vanity, I quickly located the dangling black and silver cross earings with a red stone implanted in the middle. I stared intently at the mirror as I cautiously inserted it. Securing the earrings, I stood back and admired the accessory. It was similar to the ones I had at home except that it was black and violet.

"Okay, let's do your hair," Utau said as she sat me down on her cushioned stool.

Pulling all of my hair back, she began combing through it. After splitting it in two, she began curling most of my hair, leaving the top straight like normal. I could feel the heat radiating onto my neck and it was uncomfortable. I wasn't use to this kind of thing so it was even harder for me to stay still.

"Amu, stop squirming around," Utau said irritatedly.

The next half hour was slow and horrible toture. I could barely stand the heat anymore and was on the verge of pushing away the annoying contraption when everything stopped. The heat stopped. Utau's nagging stopped. Everything was nice, quiet, and cool again.

"Your'e done," she said.

"Finally!" I exclaimed.

Utau unplugged the iron and stored it away back into its box. She then walked back to the vanity and pulled out the top right drawer. A variety of make-up products laid neat and organized in the small drawer. Brushes of all sizes and pencils laid in square glass containers, gleaming a little bit as it reflected the flourescent light.

"This is the 'make-up for parties' drawer," Utau explained.

She pulled out a few things, a lot of them sporting expensive brands written in neat, black cursive. After pulling out several more things from the drawer, Utau closed it and began opening up some of the products. She started with a skin colored cream and smothered it all over my face. She then brushed a powder in my face after telling me to hold my breath. This went on for about fifteen minutes where Utau decorated my eyes with black and the rest of my face with varying shades of pinks and reds. After coloring my lips with a dark red resembling the color of a rose, she stepped back and told me to look in the mirror.

"I look so different," I said.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous," I said.

"Great, you're all done then,"Utau said.

She crouched down and pulled out a pair of simple black heels with a thin strap that wrapped around my ankles. Utau told me to put it on later and to go wait in the living room while she finished the rest of her hair and make-up. Taking the shoes, I exited the room and spent the rest of the time watching movies.

The sky was starting to turn a soft shade of pink and bathed the apartment in a warm, yellow glow. I was standing by the window that overlooked the city, watching as people carried on with their daily life. Yawning, I seperated myself from the glass when I heard a door opening. Utau stepped out, her dress flowing elegantly as she walked to the front door.

"Come on, its's time to go," she said.

"Okay," I replied.

I joined Utau as she left the apartment to go down to the parking lot. The elevator ride was slow and quiet, the only sound was the soft, background music. A ping was heard when the elevator stopped and opened its doors to reveal an underground parking lot. Utau stepped out of the elevator and directed me over to a black Mercedes-Benz.

After securing myself in the passenger seat, Utau turned on the ignition and revved the engine. Pulling on the shift, she back out of the parking space and drove out onto the busy street. As we drove to Claire's house, I pulled back my chair and laid down to take a nap.

As I stepped out of the car, I was rendered speechless by the sight in front of me. Saying that Claire lived in a house was an understatement. A mansion would be a more appropriate term. About a few stories tall, Claire's mansion stood towering over me like a giant. Never in my life have I seen such a big house outside of the city.

"Stop staring and come inside," Utau said.

"Y-Yeah," I said.

We walked up to the doorman who gave us a polite smile. Utau showed him the invitation card and whispered something in his ear before he nodded and opened the doors for us. Slightly confused, I tried to ask Utau about it but she just waved it off, quickly changing the subject and ignoring any further attempts of questioning.

"Let's go get something to drink," Utau suggested.

Grabbing my wrist, she led me over to a bar and told me to take a seat. Sweeping my hands under the skirt of my dress, I plopped down onto a fancy bar stool and ordered a glass of iced tea. The bartender presented me with the drink within the next few minutes along with a very sweet smile. I thanked him and took the drink into my own hands. While sipping on the tea, I turned to observed the party. There weren't many people around who were my age, just a bunch of middle aged adults. Halfway through my drink, I noticed that piano music began to play. The lights suddenly dimmed and a single spotlight illuminated a corner of the room. A woman wearing a beautiful dark blue dress was playing the piano while people crowded over to her.

"Isn't it nice?" a voice said.

"Your mother plays beautifully," I said.

"This is my favorite piece," Claire said.

"It's Moonlight Sonata isn't it?" I asked.

"Yup, it's my Mom's favorite too," Claire smiled.

The song soon ended and loud claps echoed across the room. Claire's mother stood up and took a bow before joining the crowd. The lights soon turned back on and a music recording began playing various piano solos which I assumed was played by the guest of honor. Laughter soon erupted as well as small side conversations. The party was back at full swing and I was left with an empty glass of tea.

"Do you want to go see someting amazing?" Claire asked.

"Uhh-," I looked over at Utau.

"Yeah, I'll call when I need you," she said.

"Come on then!" Claire said excitedly.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me across the crowd of people towards a large set of double doors made out of glass. She stopped to pull on one the handles and flung open the door to let in the cool night air. She pulled me outside into what appeared to be a flower garden. My eyes widened in awe and surprise at the scene. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. A big marble fountain was sitting in the middle of the garden with a mermaid sitting at the top. A swirling stream of sparkling water was spraying out from her tail and wrapping itself around the pedestal which held her. Bubbles were coming from her hands while she made a blowing motions with her mouth. Around the foutain was a field of beautiful purple tulips and other varities of flowers. Four stone benches were positioned around the fountain and that was where Claire dragged me to.

"Sit down or your feet will get tired," Claire said.

As we sat, I got to see more of the garden. Flowers of all colors and varities decorated the large area. Beautiful sakura trees lined the outside with cute little square bushes between each of them. Red and white flowers were decorating the stone paths leading throughout the garden and eventually met to make a small field and red and white. It was so beautiful, it felt like seeing a painting in real life.

"It's beautiful," I said.

"Yeah," Claire sighed.

As I sat there, feeling still night air and listening the music coming from the mansion, I glanced upwards to look at the full moon. My eyes slowly widen when I saw what was happening on the second floor of the mansion. There, bathed in the soft moonlight, was Ikuto. It also illuminated another figure, Karin. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and was kissing him.

Amu was dragged across the crowd of mingling people and I soon lost sight of her. I was sitting alone at the bar, a half empty glass of sparkling champange resting in my left hand. The lights had somewhat dimmed after the piano performace and only a flicker of light shone over the bar. The bartender had somehow ended up in front of me and was talking non-stop and driving me to the edge of insanity. Suddenly, like a savior from the heavens, my phone began vibrating within my clutch. Quickly pulling it out, I saw his name flash across the screen and smiled devilishly.

"Excuse me, I have to take a call," I said.

"I'll be waiting here then," the bartender said.

I hurried and walked to a secluded spot on the dance floor to take the call.

"Hello, are you here yet?" I said.

"Yeah."

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Upstairs balcony."

"Stay there, I'm coming," I said.

"I don't underst- what are you doing-"

"What?" I asked but got no response.

Static was heard and the line was cut off. Panic raced across my face as I quickly ran upstairs, skipping the steps two at a time. The second floor was shrouded in darkness except for the moonlight seaping through the windows. I shivered and walked forward in search of Ikuto. There weren't many places up here that he could be since I was sure all the doors were locked. His only option was to be by one of the balconies.

My hunch was confirmed when I spotted a dark figure standing on the far balcony at the end of the hallway. Huffing, I walked towards the shadow only to stop short when I saw a wave of blonde hair glowing under the moonlight. My eyes widened as I crepted closer to see that it was none other than Karin. Worst, she was pressed up against Ikuto, arms wrapped around his neck and all. With his back turned to me, Ikuto continued to lock lips with Karin. Anger began boiling in me and threatened to overflow, it was infuriating!

"Ikuto!" I said.

Upon hearing his name, Ikuto quickly turned around, a surprised and odd look on his face. Karin also parted from my brother and gave me a dirty look before huffing. With my arms crossed and face full of fury and annoyance, I procceded to ask Ikuto what he thought he was doing.

"I didn't do anything," he said.

"Oh really? Does lip locking with Miss I-Puked-On-Stage here count? I asked.

"Hey, that's none your business!" Karin interjected.

"Shut up!" I snapped.

"I didn't do anything, she took me by surprise," Ikuto said.

"It didn't look like you were trying to push her away," I accused and poked his chest.

"It was in a split second," he said.

"It doesn't matter!" I poked his chest some more until Ikuto was backed against the balcony's railing.

The wind was whipping my hair back as I stared angrily at Ikuto. Out of the corner of my eyes, something glinted down below. Turning my head, I saw the horror stricken face of Amu and the surprised expression of the girl who was with her. Amu then slowly lowered her head and quickly turned away before running back inside. I stood there, speechless and at a loss for what to do.

"I'm going after her," I said.

I left Ikuto standing there and walked towards the stairs as fast as I could. Amu was pretty unpredictable when it came to these kind of things since she hasn't experienced the feeling of betrayal very often. I had to find her and calm her down before she does something irrational.

I heard Claire calling my name in the distance but I didn't care. I pushed past all of the bodies on the dance floor, trying to find a place where I could quietly stay at. I had reached the other side of the room and was met with another pair of double glass doors. Through it led out to another garden but this one was more like an orchard. I quickly grasped the handle and pushed the door open. I was greeted with the smell of fresh oranges and peaches when I stumbled out onto the grass. After closing the door behind me, I walked further into the garden, almost getting lost in the thicket.

After walking for who knows how long, the trees thinned out and gradually turned into bushes. There were no longer huge trees bearing fruits but berry bushes and flower patches. I guessed I must've walked all the way to the back of the house. Walking futher along, I stopped in surprise as I saw a large wall of green blocking my path. Lifting up my hand, I slowly touched it to find out it was just shrubbery. Following the wall, I came to a halt in front of an open entrance. Two paths were leading away from each other and turning to different directions.

"I can't believe she has a maze in her backyard," I muttered to myself.

It intrigued me to a level that compelled me to enter it. The night was still young, maybe going through it will help me forget about Ikuto.

It was all so annoying, every single thing. The fact that I had to go to this party when I could be sleeping at home. The fact that I had to dress up when I could be lazing around in sweatpants and a t-shirt. The fact that Utau yelled in my face. The fact that Amu was hurt because of me and the fact that this annoying blonde was the cause of it.

"Ikuto, come on, let's continue," she purred.

"Leave me alone," I said.

"Oh come on, it can't be that you like Amu more than me right?" she asked.

"That's none of your business," I said.

"That's not fair, what does she have that I don't?" she asked.

"Everything," I answered.

I left for the stairs to find Amu and do something about the situation before it got worst. Going down to the where the party was, I could spot Utau's bright blonde hair in the middle of the crowd. Scanning around, I couldn't see any tufts of pink hair, maybe Amu went outside again. Turning around, I walked to one of the floor to ceiling windows and pushed it open. Grabbing the top railing, I hauled myself up onto the next floor. I kept repeating the steps until my feet landed on the rooftop. With a higher vantage point, I scanned around the gardens and parking lot but there was no sign of Amu. She couldn't possibly have gone home since Utau was still here, there was only one place she could be if she went outside. Walkingt to the other side of the rooftop, I saw a giant green maze decorating the mansion's backyard. Squinting a little, I could see a small building standing at the center of it. It was a gazebo with lanterns surrounding the sides. Looking a little away from it, I saw a lock of pink hair waving in the wind.

There was no time to waste as I quickly descended by means of jumping down onto the nearby tree tops. I made it down in no time flat and quickly ran to the maze. Since going through it would be a pain and a waste of time, I jumped onto the top of the wall and ran straight for the gazebo.

My feet were staring to hurt and I was regretting ever wearing high heels. I was so far into the maze that I didn't want to turn around before seeing what was on the other side. Turning another corner, I was met with another open entrance. A warm glow was pouring through the entrance and it reveal a beautifully decorated gazebo. With my toes and ankles throbbing, I walked to one of the couches and sat down, discarding my unpleasant shoes in the process. I brought my feet up onto the couch and laid my head backing to look up at the distant stars. It was hazy and barely visible bathed in the city lights but it was still beautiful.

As I was looking for the astrology signs, I heard a ruslting behind me. Turning around, I saw none other than Ikuto who was jumping down from the top of the maze's wall. Irritation and hurt began to set in as I whipped my head back around to stare at the scenery some more. I didn't hear any more noises behind me which made it harder to not turn around to see what was happening.

"Amu."

I turned to the side and yelped when I came face to face with Ikuto, our noses only inches apart. A hard blush came over my cheeks as I backed away with my heart pounding madly.

"What do you want?" I asked with a scowl.

"Look, it wasn't what it seemed like," Ikuto said as he took a seat on the couch.

"Sure, that's what they all say," I rolled my eyes.

"I'm being honest, that girl surprised me, that's it," he said.

"Whatever," I huffed and averted my eyes.

It was quiet for a while, only the sounds of the crickets interrupted the silence. After a sigh, Ikuto stood up. Curious, I took a peek to see what he was doing but was met with the sight of his waist. With the close proximity, my fading blush started up again with full force. I was about to move away but Ikuto kept me from doing so my grabbing my wrist. Pulling me up, he brought me to his chest and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked.

"Showing you how I feel," he said.

"W-what?" I stammered.

I was instantly silenced when a pair of very soft and warm lips connected with mine. Ikuto placed his hands behind my head and pushed me against him even more. I was frozen and didn't know how to feel about this. Even though I was angry at him, I couldn't help but enjoy this tender moment. Ikuto's lips were incredibly soft and surprisingly warm. All I wanted to do was stay in his arms forever and never let go. My arms snaked around his neck and tangled itself in his midnight blue hair. I tugged at it a little when his hands wrapped itself around my waist. It was getting harder to breath so I had no choice but to let go.

I was a panting and blushing mess when I parted with Ikuto. I scowled and pouted when I saw him smirk. Who did he think he was?

"I love you Amu, with all my heart" he said.

I blushed and looked at the ground. My heart was beating a thousand miles per hour and my face felt like a sauna. It was worst when Ikuto was holding me in his arms and staring at me with those beautiful blue eyes of his. Of course I loved him too but I there was no way I was going to tell him that now.

"I-I like being with you too," I mutter.

Ikuto chuckled and ruffled my hair before pulling me in for another hug. I could feel his beating heart and the warmth coming from his body. It was comforting and made me felt happy. I grabbed onto his suit jacket and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"So am I forgiven by my princess?" Ikuto asked.

"Maybe," I said into his chest.

I spent the rest of the warm summer night staying in Ikuto's arms. I guess this is what you could call a happily ever after. Ever since he came back from looking for his father, Ikuto had thrown my life into a complete mess. There were times when I wanted to punch him for making me so frustrated but there were also those time when I wanted to run into his arms and kiss him. Well, it's not like you can have true love without some complications along the way.