Challenges of Tomorrow: A New Day Awaits ~SEQUEL~

Chapter 3: Avoiding, Hiding, Thinking & Meeting

"W-what are you doing here?" asked Amu, still in a slight state of shock and her face still red.

"I live here." He replied plainly.

She playfully glared at him before speaking again. "I know that genius. I mean, what are you doing, wide awake, walking around here and so early in the morning too." She told him.

Ikuto chuckled again "I should be the one asking you that. You're not a morning person, anyone could tell."

"T-That's beside the point!" said Amu defensively.

"So? What are you doing here so early in the morning?" asked Ikuto confused and curious at the same time.

"What? Am I not allowed to wake up early every once and a while?" asked Amu folding her arms.

"Not that, but it's just that I usually have to go to your room almost every morning and force you awake." Said Ikuto with a shrug. "And just like I said, you never were the morning person."

"So? I happened to wake up early today, thank you very much." Said Amu.

"I see. Good for you then. And I have to thank you for saving me the trouble of forcing you awake this morning. Although I do enjoy such events…oh well, I can always do it again tomorrow." Said Ikuto with a small smile "And to think I was just on my way to your room too."

"Well, here I am, so there should be no problems." She stated. She unconsciously turned around to check if Hiro was following and luckily, she didn't see anyone or hear anyone at all approaching.

"Amu? What are you looking at?" asked Ikuto confused.

"Huh?" she asked him, as she spaced out, unaware of what he meant.

"I mean, didn't you notice that you keep turning your head to look behind you?" Ikuto asked her as he gave her another questioning look.

"Um…sorry?" she told him with a nervous smile. "I just thought I heard someone that's all."

"Who?" asked Ikuto.

"I'm not sure, Utau maybe?" she suggested.

"You've been here long enough to know that Utau's room is in the opposite direction." Stated Ikuto with s sigh. Now he was certain she was keeping something from him.

"…" Amu was silent for a while while she didn't know what to say to him, she was also thinking of a good way to convince Ikuto it was nothing.

"Amu, what are you hiding from me?" he asked her seriously.

"Hiding? Who's hiding anything?" she asked. "I'm being defensive!" she thought to herself.

"You are, and you know it." Said Ikuto with a sigh before he continued "And it's either you tell me what it is, or you're making me force it out of you."

"It's nothing…really…I think I'm just being paranoid…" stated Amu with a sigh.

"Paranoid?" he asked with one eyebrow raised questioningly at her "About what?"

Amu sighed again, and she knew that there was no possible way to make him give up on asking…so she finally decided to tell him. "It's just that…I saw Hiro and Kenta when I was walking around…and I didn't want them to see me, so I ran."

"Why would you run from them? Did they do anything?" he asked and he was sure that if he knew he had hurt her in any way, someone was getting hurt tonight…

"No, not really….I just feel kind of awkward around them…especially Hiro…" stated Amu.

"Why?" Ikuto asked again. Amu was leaving so many holes in her explanation and he had to keep on asking if she wasn't going to give him a straight answer.