"Mou…" an irritated girl drawled out. Her little admirer cowered in fear.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE A PIPSQUEAK BUT I NEVER THOUGHT OF YOU TO BE SO WEAK AND LOW TO THINK SO LOWLY OF YOURSELF!" the bubblegum haired girl yelled right in the first grader's face. Normally, a little kid yelled at would run away in fear and jump in the arms of their 'so called' mommy.

But this kid was far from normal.

His glasses lit up in anticipation and he boomed.

"Thank you so much, Hinamori-sama! I am going to start the top-rate business, have assistants of my own and have a huge company with piles and piles of money! I will ride in limos and walk on carpets of velvet! And most of all, I WILL BE YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN, HINAMORI-SAMA!" the boy flashed away.

"Btw…my name is Suzuki…" was what the bubblegum haired girl could catch before the glasses kid was completely sucked in by the wind.

"What the heck?" A blue chara popped her head out in confusion.

"What happened, Amu-chan ~desu…" a green chara sweat dropped. (Rucha: I know that Su wasn't born yet. I read, but I want to imagine it this way.)

"I do not know, Su, he must've been a secret admirer," Amu sighed.

"That would explain all the letters with hearts and titled 'secret admirer' in this weird cursive," a pink chara scrunched up her face in confusion.

"That, Ran, is called 'calligraphy'. I never knew you were dumb," the blue chara rolled her eyes.

"You shut your trap, Miki! Su, you are supposed to help me!" Ran wailed.

"Sorry, but Miki told you several times, desu…" Su said sadly.

"Su doesn't know too much about fancy handwriting, but she listened," Miki smirked. The green and blue chara high-fived, making the pink one angry. Ran took out her pompoms with the intentions of killing Miki and explaining Su to aid her up in the future the next time they gear up a Chara War.

"Wait til I murder you…" Ran darkly murmured, making Miki flinch in fear.

Clapping came from behind her and Amu swiveled around to see Tadase clapping at her with the guardians, smiling warmly.

"Good job."

"I forgot to give the lock back to you."

"Why? You are the joker, so you are the rightful owner of it. Won't you join?" Tadase smiled princely, making Amu's cheeks blush darkly but she kept her stubborn front up.

"I will think about it…" Amu mumbled. The guardians started to cheer when she abruptly cut them.

"But!"

"Yes?" Nadeshiko warmly smiled.

"Just because I said I will think about it, do know there is a fifty percent chance of a no for an answer!" Amu retorted back, and stared to the side to appear her usual Cool 'n' Spicy.

"I know you will say yes, Amu-chi!" Yaya beamed, and Amu huffed.

"Yeah, well, whatever. I'm out."

With that, Amu swiveled around and walked on her path to go home, when a sudden hand pulled her back. When she swiveled around to see the alley cat, she scowled.

"Damn, what do you want, Easter Spy?" Amu scowled.

"Aww, my little strawberry is being cold to me," he pouted.

"Ikuto-nya, I think she is still bitter from the time you tried to steal her eggs," a cat chara floated next to his owner, and Ikuto smirked.

"You are still angry about that tiny incident?"

"Yeah, almost crushing and destroying my would-be selves is just a tiny incident. I don't have time for heartless people like you," Amu huffed only to get her hair tugged annoyingly by the cat chara.

"Ikuto is not a heartless person!" the flying cat glared at the pinkette.

"So you mean crushing an X egg without giving them a chance to be purified is a kind act?" Amu glared, making him quiet.

"And you call ALMOST killing my would-be selves a change of heart?" Amu inched even closer to the cat chara out of sheer anger.

"If it isn't the Embryo, then what should we do?" the cat chara glared back.

"Yoru, enough," Ikuto calmly said, but on the inside, he was hurt.

"If it ISN'T the Embryo, then you can just ignore it. Somewhere along the way I would find it and purify it. But you have to just destroy it on the spot."

And then Yoru had nothing to say to that.

"Amu-chan, you okay?" Miki worriedly glanced at the pinkette and glared at the cat chara.

"Let's go home girls. I don't have time to waste on them," Amu swiftly turned on her heels.

The three glared at Yoru and Ikuto and followed Amu home.

"Ikuto-nya? I think you should say sorry to her," Yoru sadly glanced his owner.

"Why?"

"Because although it isn't your fault for what you do for Easter, you kind of owe her for traumatizing her for almost crushing her charas, nya," Yoru sat on his owner's head, "I mean, just by looking at the carvings is enough to know they aren't the Embryo nya!"

Ikuto sighed and plucked Yoru off his head.

"Fine, you win."

Yoru beamed, but then got surprised when Ikuto flicked him on the forehead.

"What was that for nya?!"

"For flicking her on the head. Nobody gets to touch my little strawberry but me."

"Iku-chan is in love-love…"

"Be quiet, Yoru."

But Yoru could perfectly see, because he wasn't dense and a cat, that Ikuto was giving off a bright blush at the mention of love.

"So, Ikuto-nya?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do about the apology?"

"I will bother her tomorrow about it."

"And by bother her you mean…

"I mean I will bother her until she accepts it, Yoru. Now let's go."

Yoru reluctantly chara-changed with Ikuto, the cat ears and tail popping out and Ikuto gracefully glided out of sight.

oOo

"Ugh, he is annoying," Amu said once her homework was done and everything was ready for tomorrow.

"I'll say," Miki nodded, "His chara has nerve."

"I know, thinking you are wrong! He must be mean if he thinks crushing X-eggs is okay!" Ran fumed.

"I mean, if it isn't the Embryo, then don't touch it. There is no point in wasting your energy on something that isn't your goal," Miki shrugged her shoulder.

"Dude he almost crushed you and Su and you are so cool about it," Amu raised an eyebrow at Miki.

"That's it. Yoru is as good as dead."

"Yoru? Why not Ikuto?"

"Oh. Him as well."

"Sigh…"

"But you know, desu, it was a bit too harsh to call him heartless desu…" Su sighed.

"But he almost killed you two and he probably crushes X eggs on a daily basis!" Amu reprimanded the green chara.

"I know that. I am not happy he did that. But maybe he was ordered to do that or else…" Su murmured.

"Well, come to think of it, he did mention Easter," Miki tapped her chin with a colored pencil.

"Easter? What is that?" Ran asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. Su?" Amu looked to her green chara.

"I don't know, desu…"

"It's okay. We can ask the guardians tomorrow."

"You do realize you might be forced to join them, right?"

"I know that. I made up my mind. I am going to join."

"Yay!" The three cheered.

"WAIT!" Miki froze in horror.

"What is it?" Ran asked.

"Does that mean that idiotic 'king' who sits on a mini-throne is going to be there?" Miki asked.

"Yes. If I believe correctly, he is Tadase-kun's chara," Amu blushed.

"Oooh, so I sense a little bit of a crush?" Ran smirked.

"I don't buy it. Might be for the façade he has. If his chara is creepy, then I bet his Character Change is ridiculous," Miki continued her sketching.

"Yeah, that might be it," Amu nodded.

"I don't know how to break it to you, desu…" Su started, "But I have a feeling that he might just like you for your outer character, Amu-chan. Many fall for it, don't they? I think Tadase-kun is just like the other boys, desu. And I do not want you to get hurt, Amu-chan desu…"

"Yeah," Amu strained a smile, "Just my façade."

"Amu-chan…" Su started off, worried.

"No, you are right. Su, I know and agree with that. I am sick of boys who just fall apart in a dreamy world for my outer character. If only, someone could just accept me for my inner character."

"Yeah, that would be awesome. But don't worry, you will find someone!" Miki gave a big smile.

"Yeah, so cheer up, Amu-chan!" Ran squealed as she waved around her heart pompoms.

Amu chuckled before she said, "I think we should get some sleep. Don't want to be late tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Ran smiled knowingly. They were silently communicating about the times Amu had to chara-change with Ran.

Ran, Miki, and Su went into their eggs, yawned, and snapped it shut for the night. Amu drew the covers over her body and with a sigh, let herself drift into a deep sleep.

oOo

[The Next Day – Afterschool]

"Ahh…so tiring…they hug too hard."

"But this cape is so cute!"

"Artistic!"

"Very pretty, desu!"

"NOT GONNA WEAR IT."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?" the charas made puppy faces at Amu, ones that they knew the pinkette couldn't and will never be able to resist for her lifetime.

"F-Fine."

"Yay! Put it on, Amu-chan!"

Amu grumbled and got the cape out of her bag, and snapped it on. She adjusted it so that the Humpty Lock showed, and then raised an eyebrow at her charas when they were giggling like they were gossiping like the stupid and hare brained girls in her school. That kind of got on Amu's nerves.

"All right, you guys, you happy now?"

"Yes!" They chorused.

"Now just wear it every day," Miki smirked.

"No…" Amu trailed off, but then her charas were starting to make puppy faces at her again and she melted. Again.

"You guys are so cute…" Amu mumbled.

"So is this a yes?" Ran dived right in front of Amu's eyes.

"Yeah…"

"YAY!"

"Sigh…you guys…"

"You look cute, strawberry."

Amu's nerve twitched and said, "Hey, Easter Spy. What do you want?"

"I have a name."

"Sorry, Easter Spy," Ikuto cringed at the nickname when Amu said it with venom in it.

"Ikuto."

"Amu-chan, his chara said it yesterday, desu…" Su sweat dropped.

"Oh. Okay. What do you need, Ikuto?" Amu raised an eyebrow.

"Here."

"You say sorry by giving treats? Man your wallet must be running dry by now. Can't you man up and say SORRY?" Amu crossed her arms.

Ikuto knew she was right.

"I'm sorry, by calling you heartless. But consider it the last one. We are still enemies, Ikuto."

Something in Ikuto burned when she said enemies with an indifferent tone. He didn't want to be on Easter's spy. And something wanted to break from it more when he realized the girl he loves isn't on his side. It makes everything even harder to sleep at night and eat during the day.

"It wasn't my fault to join Easter."

"I never said that. But I did say that since I am one of the Guardians as of today, I am your official enemy."

"Holder of the Humpty Lock, eh?"

"King Chair goes on and on about how his 'rightful Dumpty Key' was stolen from him…" Amu trailed it off when Ikuto hanged it in front of her eyes.

"So are you the real owner of that Lock?"

"Yes. I tested it out and several of the Guardians tried to use it. In the end it responded to me only."

"I see."

"So that is the Dumpty Key?"

"Yes."

"Is that what the King is going on about?"

"Tadase? Yes."

"So did you really steal it from him, or was it not his to begin with?"

"I thought you would accuse me."

Yoru peeked from his owner's shoulder and was about to glare at the pinkette when he was caught off guard when Amu smiled.

"No. And he tried to say I was trying to steal it away from him, but he was even angrier when the lock didn't respond to him. And he said with a smile on his face at the beginning when I purified Suzuki-kun's heart egg, that I am the Lock's original owner."

"Wow."

"Yeah. So it belonged to you, huh? He won't buy that. He thinks BOTH the lock and key is his from the beginning since he is destined to rule the earth. What stupid nonsense."

"But it belongs to Ikuto-nya! Why'd he say that?!" Yoru flew and sat on Amu's shoulder and sent her a pleading look.

"Yoru!"

"Honestly, Yoru, I do not know. I do know now is to trust Nadeshiko more than Tadase. Half the things he says is 'I will rule the Earth one day!' and stupid things like that. I don't think that is true, really. But he is arrogant, in my view," Amu told the cat chara, effectively calming Yoru down.

"Okay. Thanks, Amu-nya!" Yoru quickly hugged Amu's cheek and flew back to Ikuto.

"Thanks for the treats. See ya!" Amu smiled again and then plucked out three tiny treats and handed them to her charas before walking off.

"She's not bad, nya."

"True," Ikuto smiled. Amu is different, in a good way."

oOo