Hinamori Amu stared down at her shoes.

"You… don't love me?"

Hotori Tadase stared off in the distance.

"Hinamori-san, I… I just…"

The singular silver tear slid down Amu's flushed face and dripped down onto her black and white striped tank dress, leggings tucked into the specifically picked pink knee-high boots; perfectly Amulet Heart.

Perfect for Hotori Tadase.

But now, as Amu watched his face and realized that he didn't love her. He still didn't. And she had just ruined the precious bridge they had before.

Amu stood suddenly.

"Tadase… I'm going to go."

Tadase stood too. "Amu, please, I didn't mean to offend."

Didn't mean to OFFEND? thought Amu, her heart beating fast, yet feeling as broken as anything.. She fled the rooftop. Only when she was far away from Tadase and the scene did she allow the tears to flow painfully over her young face, glinted like diamond streaks from her golden eyes.

Almost as golden as his hair.

She ran. She ran faster then she ever had before. Anything to get away from her broken heart, to leave Tadase far away. She ran through the streets, silently pumping out all the pain. The city folk out at 5pm stopped to stare at the mysterious pink-haired girl, throwing herself forward into the midst of the crowd.

It would be futile to describe the insides of Amu's mind right now—anyone who's ever truly hurt or been rejected knows more then I could tell you.

Running through her mind were moments; terrible moments. At the aquarium. At the park. Him fighting for her. Defending her. All the times he used his Character Transformation to save her from some height she'd managed to get herself into.

The tears kept coming.

Presently, Amu realized that she was in the park. Tears still blinding her, she threw herself up white stairs to the gazebo structure that sat in the middle of the park. She threw herself in the middle of it, in the middle of the silence of the park and let all the pain seep out onto the concrete.

The pain hurt more then Amu or I could tell you. But Amu had cried for a long long time, and when she ran out, all she was left with was the rawness.

"He's an asshole, Amu."

Amu blinked up blearily. The shadow of a lanky youth was silhouetted on her slim shape. Dark navy hair sprung up from his head, where beautiful dark eyes appraised her dirty, crumpled and wet ensemble. He had never seen her so beautiful, but he would never show her.

"You have dirt on your forehead," he pointed out tactlessly, and chuckled.

Amu passed her hand across it and slowly sat up.

"I-Ikuto…"

"Amu."

"How… how did you know?"

Ikuto shrugged. "I go to the rooftop a lot."

A total lie. Ikuto had been trying to find Amu when he heard her plaintive voice down on the school grounds… put one and one together and…

Amu looked down at her crumpled skirt.

"He doesn't love me," she whispered to it, and Ikuto watched the final tear fall onto her leg. It was his turn to be the defensive one. For her.

"He's not… not worthy, Amu…" Ikuto tried, before realizing what he said. "What I mean to say is that Kiddie King… uh… Kiddie King is… is just stupid!"

Nice finish. Ikuto cursed himself. But Amu pulled a hesitant smile.

"R-really?"

There. He was dealt the trump card. Her hesitance and charm brought him back to his outer façade; his outer tough Ikuto.

"Yeah. Anyone could have seen that. Maybe you two are good for each other."

CURSES! He had put them as a pair. He had closed off the connection. He had failed. AGAIN.

But she shook her head.

"We can… we can't be together… he doesn't love me… No one could love me."

She retreated into her hair; it falling like pink rain onto her knees, which were upraised and wrapped around by her arms. Ikuto's own heart hurt now, as well.

"Amu… I…"

He couldn't force himself to finish. She could never love him… and he loved her more then anything. His teasing was always, always misinterpreted; he only wanted to see her blush, see her laugh, see her smile, see her attention.

There was also that stupid age barrier. He was four years older then her, in high school and placed higher then she was. Her friends would be shocked. His friends would be too; but he didn't care. He loved Amu enough to help them change their minds. Her family would be shocked too, even though he was bold enough to try.

Amu watched the rapid change of expression on the elder boy's face with confusion and part amusement.

"Ikuto? You what?"

Ikuto was pained. He could tell the truth… he could get it all off his chest. But what if she hated him, what if this was all a game. What if she avoided him? What, and this was the worst one, if she never wanted to see him again?

But it might not work out that way.

Maybe…

And suddenly, cat ears appeared on his head, and a flirty expression stole over his handsome features.

"I adore you, Amu-chan… nya."

Amu looked up, shock in her eyes. Oh no… he had done it. No, YORU had done it. Amu looked down quickly, and agony poured forth from Ikuto. Once again, he was going to have to cover it up, just like the last time he had tried.

Flashback;

"Why don't you just leave me alone already?!"
"I can't." Ikuto stared at the pink-haired girl, passion and seriousness sweeping through his eyes.

"I'm… interested in you."

Shock crossed the girl's features. Ikuto scrambled inwardly, and outwardly, he chuckled.

"You are so fun to tease."

Ikuto's eyes flashed and he laughed.

"Again? So gullible." It pained him, again, to lie. To have blown his chance to explain.

Amu stared at him, a different expression in her eyes. Ikuto couldn't place it. More then confusion… it was… it was hurt?

"I wish you did."

Ikuto's own eyes widened.

"What?"

"I said…" Amu took a deep breath, "I wish you did."

"But… you love Tadase…"

Amu's eyes were glazed with sadness and, even still, hope.

"I've always loved you… but you've never loved me. You always looked at me as a little girl, too stupid and too gullible and never worthy of you… and now I realize…. Now I realize that you... now I realize that I am most definitely all of those."

She picked herself up and fled.

And Ikuto, poor confused Ikuto, sat there in the gazebo and stared at her as she fled.

Yoru slowly floated over.

"Ikuto-nya."

"Go away, Yoru."

But this time, Yoru did not follow Ikuto's demands. He flew up to Ikuto's face and conked him on the head.

"You ruined it. Again. Go fix it, nya."

And this time, it was Ikuto following orders.

Flying, he caught up with her very fast. He plummeted to the ground and caught her by her shoulders. She tried to wrench herself free, but Ikuto held fast.

Amu was forced to look into his eyes.

Gold and blue. Pain in the gold, and desperate hope in the blue.

It started to snow just as Ikuto's lips were on Amu's.

"So, uhm…" Ran said, confused.

"Yes, desu." Said Suu, equally befuzzled.

"Wasn't that a rejection?" Miki said, the straightforward one.

"Basically," Yoru began and smirked, "Ikuto loves Amu. He's just been too much of a scaredy-cat to admit it."

And, oblivious to the teasing and giggling from right above their heads, Ikuto and Amu kissed that first time in the newly fallen snow, about to embark on the craziest, most loving (and last?) romance that they would ever have.

And they didn't give a damn for what Tadase would say.