Sym: T^T I wanna cry right now! The fact that I got reviews made me like… BEYOND happy 3 I am so touched you guys! All of you, who faved, reviewed or simply read!

Ikuto: -Facepalm- Don't be a drama queen…

Sym: T^T I be just too happy! -Sobs-

Ikuto: -Sweatdrop- Okay…

Amu: Onto the story then… Disclaimer applies! Sympho does NOT own Shugo Chara in any way, shape or form!

Sym: Special thanks to Himeka Tsukiyomi, Still Doll Yuuki, Emmoria, Myansk and Kotobuki Kai

! ^^ Your reviews made me squeal like a two-year old who was just found a quarter on the ground 3 Thank-you-all!

xXx~: Nostalgic moments; Fleeting hearts :~xXx

"Welcome back… Ikuto."

Was it odd for me to be so happy to see him? Nah, not at all. I was overjoyed at this point… He was finally back after five long years… Even if he still seemed to be his old perverted self, it didn't matter at this point. He was here back with us, and that's all I cared about.

He didn't respond for a moment. What was he thinking? Was he smirking? Smiling… Heck, I hadn't even seen his face yet! Did he grow his hair out? Were his 'wrinkles' from 'Old age' beginning to show (No, I don't think of Ikuto as old, it's just fin to tease those who are older!) Did he look like the same Ikuto we all know… I was freaking out now. My mind was running a mile-a-minute! Questions spinning through my head, new thoughts and fears beginning to spawn.

Suddenly, I felt his hold around my waist slightly loosen. His chin lifted off the top of my head, but instead of lifting his head up, he lowered it down, until his mouth neared my ear, forehead brushing the back of my head and breath tickling the back of my head. I swear I heard a slight, quite laugh come from his quickly followed by the first words I've heard him speak in years.

"It's good to be back… Amu-koi"

His voice still sounded the same. It Hadn't changed at all in- WAIT! Did he say Koi? My face instantly turned several shades of red, heat seeming to pulse from my cheeks. I quickly turned to face him, his face level with mine. Much to my dismay, our faces didn't have much distance from them either, leaving me with a rather uncomfortable feeling. I slightly grimaced, staring straight into Ikuto's blue eyes. A bright sense of amusement seemed to flash within his deep blue depths.

I narrowed my eyes in a glare at him, cheeks still flushing. (Though I imagined that the reddening had increased.) Before I spoke, I took a moment to study his face. Hey, it's been five years! I'm just wondering if he looks any different from five years ago. He Didn't seem much different. His hair was just a little longer, and his facial features hadn't showed any sign of the passing years. He still looked like a Seventeen year old… Had such a large span of time really passed, or had he somehow managed to evade it's always ticking clock. He was also a little taller than before. (Luckily, I had grown too, so the height difference hasn't changed to much!)

"Don't use -Koi after my name!" I shot harshly and coldly at Ikuto. Just as I expected, he responded in his usual manner. He smirked… Typical Ikuto. My eyes narrowed even more at him, but it was completely ignored. He tilted his head at a downwards angle, closing the distance between our foreheads, so that the tops of our foreheads were now touching. His hands moved upwards, circling around the middle of my back.

"What's wrong with calling you Amu-koi?" Ikuto asked, a saddened tone in his voice. But of course, he was only faking the fact that he was 'upset.' It was obvious that he was having to much fun with this. "I thought we became close?"

"Close as in friends!" I recoiled, anger etching my voice. "Maybe I'll reconsider being 'friends' with you thought if you only plan on teasing me!" What happened to the Ikuto I was able to talk with for hours and rely on when I was feeling down. What happened to the Ikuto that seemed to be somewhat sane and serious? Was that all an act?

"Awww… Amu-koi, you don't have to be so mean. You know you love me." Ikuto's voice was bright with amusement. I was playing into his game like always. Was there no way to avoid the inevitable relationship that we shared? So strained and conflicting. Maybe that was just the way I viewed it. Maybe he saw it as a Marital Relationship, or something perverted like that.

I let out a low, warning growl, still glaring at him. "Stop trying to stick words in my mouth idiot!" I told him bitterly. "I don't love you." My voice fell flat at the last statement I made. Mentally, I cursed myself for saying such a thing. My heart sunk even farther when I saw that joyful liveliness in Ikuto's eyes dim into a somewhat painful glow. His smirk was replaced by a frown, and his arms released their hold on me. Tentatively, I took a step back looking up at Ikuto as he stood up straight, his own eyes looking down towards me. The glare from my face vanished and replaced with a dumfounded look. My heart was beating a quickly, Ikuto's expression was still serious but pained in a way.

'What did I just do! I'm so stupid!' I shouted in my mind. Just because I was to shy to admit it didn't mean that I had to go and say that!

"So, I guess I haven't made you fall for me yet?" Ikuto's tone was dry. He stifled a quite laugh, his eyes averting my gaze, falling onto the floor for a moment. "Guess I should have known it was to soon." He continued. "Five years wasn't even long enough… But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up." His voice was barely audible, but it was still enough to tear my heart in two. He turned his gaze away from the floor and looked at me again.

"I-Ikuto… I-I'm…" My voice came out in somewhat of a worried, cracking squeak. What was I going to say! Suddenly, I heard…laughter coming from Ikuto. I was pulled from my worried trance, watching as Ikuto pulled a hand to his mouth, a grin on his face as he tried to suppress his laughter.

"You never change do you. Still so flustered and easy to tease." He mocked. SO it was all a joke then. He really didn't care about my little statement. Not sure what to think of the incident, and just glared at him again.

"And you don't change either! Still so immature!" I huffed. Turning on my heels, my back facing him and my arms crossed over my chest. I raised my chin up slightly, to add to my 'I'm annoyed now, leave me alone' sort of aura. My eyes were close tight and lips pulled down into an angered frown. Ikuto's laughter could still be heard from behind me, steadily increasing as he watched me overreact…like always.

As he laughed, I still remained with my back towards him. Even though I may seem angry, on the inside I found myself laughing. Life was back to normal. The times I missed were now back. Ikuto was here, and he was still himself. The fact that things hadn't changed between the two of us, the fact that we acted as close as friends could be… It made me happy, and maybe even Ikuto too.

Ikuto's laughter finally ceased when we heard a very loud cough. Both of us turned our head towards the source… It was Yaya, standing there with a rather shocked and unexplainable look on her face. Everyone else joined her too. Tadase, Nagihiko, Rima, Utau, Kukai… They were all just staring, and none of us would speak. Eerie silence between us all. (We had tuned out the noisy crowds in the Airport at this time.) I bit my lip nervously. Oh god, I can't believe that we almost forgot they were there. This was just to embarrassing! I thought this was going to laugh forever, until I saw Utau run forward, and practically glomp her older brother- who just barely managed to keep his balance. "IKUTO! I've missed you so much! How was America? Did you give Father a kick in the ass for me?" Utau exclaimed happily.

Ikuto looked down at Utau, and laughed. He pulled her into a quick hug. "I told you I wasn't going to kick his ass. If you want his ass kicked then by all means you can go to America and do it yourself… America was nice but the people were kind of- How should I put this- odd." The rest of the group began to circle around Ikuto as he began to tell them of his time in America. I smiled, and also joined the small circle that formed around him. Soon enough though, I had stopped paying attention to what he was saying. My mind had wandered back to my previous thoughts as I started up at Ikuto, smiling.

xXx~::~xXx

Eventually, Rima had suggested that we head home since we had been standing for such a long time, listening to Ikuto. Though, most of us were entranced by the stories of such a foreign country, we were suppose to be heading home. Nagi and Kukai had a soccer game (Yes on the weekend ^^) in just under an hour. Yaya and Rima were in a hurry to catch the Super-special-sale-event going on for the rest of the day. Tadase was also in a hurry, afraid to miss Band Practice- his band teacher was very scary. Utau only wished to spend time with her brother and hear his stories, but her manager had planned a whole weeks worth of performances. She was really being pushed these days. I, on the other hand, had nothing to do. Damn the weekend. Maybe a club or sport would brighten up my dull days.

Kukai offered to drive us to were we needed to be! He received his license two months ago when he turned eighteen, and took every opportunity he could to give us rides. He owned a large, black Suburban SUV. Typical Kukai, it was a 'soccer mom' car. It was roomy though. With a driver seat, and a passenger seat near the front, and two rows behind them, each row holding up to four people. Utau sat in the passenger seat next to Kukai. It was still hard to believe that the two of them had begun dating a year ago. They had so much in common- and they seemed to be a perfect match too! They never fought, argued or bickered. Occasionally, they acted overly competitive but it was nothing to worry about.

Speaking about couples, Rima and Nagi had also started dating recently too! What was it again? Oh yeah, just two months ago. Nagi and Rima seemed to hate each other, but it was obvious that there was something between the two of them. We would often try to get them closer, but that usually failed. Yaya feared that it would never work out between them because they were so stubborn, but to our surprise, they put aside their differences and confessed! It was a miracle! Since then, they no longer acted like enemies, and became so close, you could call them inseparable! Just as I thought, They sat in the second row together. Yaya and Tadase sitting beside the two of them to fill the second row…

Tadase and Yaya… I wonder. Could they like each other? Maybe… Maybe not? Yaya was so childish and naïve (In a good way) that she might not even really know what love feels like. And, I'm pretty sure Tadase doesn't want to think about love right now. Even if it has been years since that day, he seems to have not forgotten. He told me to follow my own path, and so I did. We became somewhat distant, and he began to avoid me. Just because I didn't like Tadase didn't mean that I wanted to forget about him. He was and always would be my friend.

So, I approached him one day and asked him why we were becoming so distant. She looked crestfallen, and shook his head. His gaze averted mine and it was obvious that he was feeling heartbreak. He told me he just felt strange being so close to me after what he realized the day we freed Ikuto from Easter's hold. I reassured him, convincing him that there was nothing wrong with us being 'friends.'

But I think that statement may have hurt him…

Everything was okay between us now. We were friends again. I wish that he wouldn't feel so bad about the whole thing though… I hope Tadase finds true love someday. He's a good person, and he deserves to find love.

"Hey, are you just going to stand there or do I have to pull you in…" Ikuto's voice pulled me from my thoughts. My head swiveled in his direction. There he was sitting in Kukai's car in the last row. CRAP! We had to sit together, alone, in the last row! My face instantly flushed, and Ikuto's smirk appeared right on cue. "Is someone being a perverted kid again?" He mocked I scowled at him, but he ignored it. Before I could even realize it, Ikuto leaned towards the door, and placed one hand on my waist. I was about to leap about, but then his other hand snaked it's way around, and pulled me into the car. I let out a surprised screech and landed on the seat…

Or at least I wish I had landed on the seat.

Much to my surprise I had ended up right in Ikuto's lap! I blushed, and he smirked. Before I had time to get up though, he pulled the seatbelt over the two of us and clipped it in.

"I-Ikuto! What a-are you doing!" I shouted in protest. Ikuto ignored it completely… AGAIN!

"Okay Kukai! We're ready to go." Ikuto called to Kukai, who gave a thumbs up. The engine began to hum as Kukai turned the key. Ikuto randomly tightened the hug he had on my waist, and placed his cheek against the top of my head. I heard him inhale deeply, and give a contented sigh.

"Ikuto…" I muttered. "Let me go!" This felt… Strange and scary at the same time! How was I suppose to react! I was just hoping that Ikuto would have enough common sense to let me go. Then again, he's always like this.

"I don't want to though… I wanna stay like this. Please?" Ikuto muttered groggily. My face began to glow brighter red. My façade was falling again! It was just-dare I say it- too cute! He was like a little kitten sometimes, it just made your heart want to melt. "Besides…" Ikuto continued ", I'm trying my best to make you love me…" His voice seemed to trail off afterwards. I sighed, this was going to be harder than I thought.

xXx~::~xXx

(3rd Person P.O.V)

After a while, Amu had managed to slip away from Ikuto's hold and was now sitting beside him. Ikuto stared out the window with a bored expression on his face., Meanwhile, Amu was chatting happily with Yaya.

The car came to a stop. Kukai turned in his seat to face Rima and Yaya. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. "Here you two ladies are! The shopping center. Enjoy your… Err… Shopping." Yaya and Rima thanks Kukai, and hopped out of the car. Once the good-byes had been said, the door was shut and Kukai started driving off. "And, next stop is Hinamori's house!"

Amu nodded slightly and called a small thanks to Kukai. She then slumped back against her seat, wishing there was something better to do, opposed to going home. She shot a quick at Ikuto, his eyes still fixated on the world outside. Suddenly, Amu reached into her pocket, and pulled out her small pink cell phone. With an easy snap, she flipped it opened, and smiled.

Ikuto was slightly dozing away, but he heard a small noise beside him. He turned his head towards Amu, who had flipped open her phone and began to pound away at the keys. Ikuto smirked and leaned towards Amu, his eyes staring at the screen.

"And who is it you're texting?" Ikuto asked, a smirk on his face and an eyebrow raised in question. Amu looked over at Ikuto, and pulled her phone away from his view. She stuck her tongue out at him for a moment.

"Noisy aren't you?" She huffed. "It's none of your business anyways…" Her voice trailed off as she began to type again, her body turned to the side, hiding the Phone's screen form Ikuto's view.

He slightly frowned. "I'm just curious… But if you don't want to tell me then that's fine." He said, straightening up in his seat, and crossing his arms. No response was given to him, and he girl beside him only continued to type away.

"Yo! Hinamori! We're here!" Kukai exclaimed. Amu looked up from her phone and nodded. She then pressed the send button and closed the phone, slipping it back into her pocket right after. The door was pulled opened, and she hopped out, thanking Kukai and saying her 'See-you-later'-s to her friends. The door was shut a moment later and the car began to drive away once more.

Ikuto sighed. "Now, it seems the fun has gone." He murmured absentmindedly to himself. His eyes trailed back to stare at the window, but not for long. A sudden beep caught his ear. He reached into his pocked and pulled out his phone. A smirk crossed his face when it read 'One new Message.' He could already guess who it was from.

Flipping it opened, he entered the inbox. Just as he had suspected, it was from Amu. Now what could she have been hiding? She was sitting beside him and texted him? She wouldn't even let him see what she was writing. It was rather strange to the blue-haired boy.

Upon reading the message, a smile appeared on his face. He couldn't believe what he had just read. Ikuto clipped his phone shut and shoved it back into his pocket. Once again, his blue eyes trailed back to look outside, but no longer in a bored way, but rather in a content way.

And as the car continued on it's voyage, the words he had read just a moment ago played over and over in his head.

'You really are oblivious, huh? I love you, idiot'

xXx~::~xXx

Night had fallen, and stars began to peak their heads out and dot the velvet sky. There was no moon tonight, and the absence of the ghastly orb of dust was quite noticeable. The night itself also seemed to lack the normal noses it always possessed. The hum of cars was not there, the bustled of city life had dimmed down to almost nothing. Was it that everyone retired early on such a night. Or maybe the appearance of a stranger caused those around to feel strange fright crawl through their skin and make them run to a safe haven in fright. Yes, there was a stranger, who strode down the sidewalk. The lonely, lonely sidewalk.

The stranger was concealed in a cloak. Long black and worn out. The hood was pulled tightly over it's head, and draped across it's forehead, concealing the face entirely. It seemed like something from a Human tale. Somewhat like the Grim reaper maybe? It was hard to tell.

The stranger stopped in it's tracks, turning it's head up towards the street light above which flickered on and off. Only a few moments after that, the light went out completely, make the street become even more dark and desolate.

The stranger made no movement, head still turned up to stare at the light which had just gone off. Or was he? Up in the sky, was a star. A star so very bright that it's radiance seemed stronger that the other stars. But then, it began to dance, and float. It twirled in the sky, and slowly made it's way towards the stranger. The stranger raised one hand as it came closer.

"Willeth thou cause mayhem amongst those weak-hearted fiends. Nay, it willeth be thee whom causes mayhem." The strangers voice was harshness, deep and mysterious. The glowing 'star' seemed to brush against the strangers outstretched and hand. Slight laughter was then heard only moments after.

The small ball of light danced away, it's glowing form shifting back into the sky, and it's egg like shape disappearing farther into the city. The stranger lowered it's hand, staring at where it had gone.

"So, it hast begun."

xXx~::~xXx

Sym: =D Yay~ Chapter two down! I'm so very happy ^^ Squee~

Ikuto: Amu loves me ^^ I'm happy now.

Amu: Shut up! -Poofs away-

Sym: Thank you to all who read/review the story ^^ Means sooo much to me~

Ikuto: Sap…

Sym: Shut up T^T

Ikuto: Whatever… What happen to the depressed Sympho I saw earlier.

Sym: Shush T^T It doesn't matter now…

Ikuto: Ne…? Really… It doesn't bug you that you think the title of this fic sounds kinda… Perverted and the summary sounds just as perverted…?

Sym: BE QUITE D: It has nothing to do with Perverted-ness T^T It has something to do with --CENSORS THE SPOLIERS--

Ikuto: Whatever…

Sym: Anyways… I decided to combine Chapter Two and Three into one ^^;; I'm really sorry that this seems to be dragging on Dx I'm trying to stick a certain 'emotion' or 'feel' into the story before I continue much farther… And since I love you guys so much, I decided to throw in that last little weird part xD IT'S ACTUALLY RELEVANT TO THE PLOT! HUZZAH!

Ikuto: Stop with the weird foreign words already. Please R&R for my sanity… And, err. Thanks for reading this. Hope you liked it and look forward to the next one!

Sym: Oh! And a Note. I'll try to update quickly x-x My Weekdays are basically overly-busy so… I'm not sure If I'll be able to update on weekdays…

THANK YOU!

--Sym