Amu listened to Ikuto as he explained that he had been Black Lynx the longest either today or the day that she first found him in her bed. Amu, who had been hooking the fitted sheet to the last edge of Ikuto's mattress, paused and stood up straight at the memory. That was a day that may have changed her life, recalling the days following his "visit" that were full of unique discoveries about Ikuto. She learned that he ate his taiyaki tail end first, that he was a cuddler and got easily cold (supposedly), and that he loved Amu (granted, she didn't fully comprehend that until later). Actually, that was a very significant day of change for both of them. That day was a turning point in their relationship. She tried not to think about what would have happened if he didn't make it to her bed.
She resumed making Ikuto's bed, reaching for the loose sheet in the hamper when Ikuto asked her about her transformation. She hummed aloud as she tried to think about it, spreading the sheet and tucking it in place. Smiling, she chuckled as she remembered an unexpected time.
"I ended up cheering as Amulet Heart during my first school-wide sports competition at Seiyo Academy. That was extremely embarrassing... but it helped my class win, and it was fun in the end."
As she straightened and smoothed out the edges nearest the head of the bed, she saw the box that held the black egg. Her smile faded immediately, and she stared blankly at the cursed object. Since confessing to Ikuto a few days ago, she had managed to not think about the egg and Death Rebel. Maybe it was her way of calming her mind after her meltdown on that day. Neither she nor Utau handled the news that Ikuto was still tied to Death Rebel well. Against her control, she felt the grief from Saturday clawing its way into her throat again as more memories surfaced. She didn't want to think about Death Rebel or remember how Easter used Ikuto as a puppet and put his life in danger on multiple occasions or how scared she was of losing Ikuto or how she almost lost him because of wounded pride and puppy love for a prince that didn't even
last..... She took a few deep breaths through her nose and focused on the scent of lavender to regain her composure... Why did she feel so panicky all of a sudden? The black egg wasn't a problem that she had to fix now, though she would have to fix it eventually. She promised Ikuto that she would try, and she had to be brave for him.
When she felt more in control of herself, she resumed making his bed, putting covers onto his pillows and fluffing them up.
"The other time was... when the Guardians faced Easter for the last time. Even split up, we fought against several enemies that night." She added more quietly,
"It felt like it took me forever to reach you," in more ways than one. The trek to the top of the building was long. Then once she found Ikuto, it was a fight to pull him out of the darkness in his mind. She finished Ikuto's bed by spreading and tucking the comforter neatly under the mattress. Shaking her head, she decided that was enough negativity for the moment.
Amu picked up the hamper and moved it to a corner out of the way. Even if Ikuto didn't ask about it, she just needed to tell Ikuto why she left so abruptly. There were more important things than her dignity to care about when it came to Ikuto. She walked back into the living room and took a seat beside him. Although he didn't seem too affectionate at the moment, she didn't let that stop her from resting her head on his bare shoulder. Staring forward at the TV because she thought that she'd lose her nerve if she looked at him, she said wistfully and rather bluntly,
"Do you want to know why I left and ruined our moment earlier?" She said it.
'No turning back now... Nope! Goodbye, dignity!' she sobbed in her head as she realized that she wasn't sure what to say.
"Because... well... " she stopped and took her final breath of dignity before babbling,
"Su was talking to me and I've never kissed anyone while having a conversation because duh, my lips are busy, and I freaked out and couldn't focus on you and her and that made me mad and I didn't know what to do, so the only reasonable thing was to flee apparently..."
Well, it was nice feeling Ikuto's shoulder one last time. She didn't know how she was keeping her face completely calm at this moment of utter embarrassment. She waited a few seconds before deciding that she was going to walk to her room, dig a hole, and die of embarrassment alone. Eloquence clearly wasn't her strong suit right now, so she didn't say another word before standing up. Amu could never be "cool and spicy" around Ikuto, could she?
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"...And I can be whoever I want to be!"