Meilin: Welcome Back! Here's a new Amuto fic. It's a little bit different from the ones I usually do. This one is really choppy because I didn't really read over it. My sister said she likes these kinds of fics so I posted this up for her. The writing style is completely unedited though. So don't be too harsh - I know it doesn't flow too well. But please enjoy!

Ikuto: Aznpride16xx does not own Shugo Chara - Just the Plot

All It Takes Is One Mistake – Chapter I: Pain

I've known him since I was two years old. He was five years older than I was but that didn't stop me from liking him. He was handsome, popular, calm and mysterious. Throughout my years in elementary school, we would play together everyday after class. He made me very happy, he made me feel special, and I finally felt like I had a true friend.

But then came middle school for me and high school for him. He didn't really visit me anymore. No matter how many times my mom told me he was busy at school I kept waiting on the front porch - sun, rain, snow, even hail...I waited for him. My parents got worried whenever the weather was bad because they knew I wasn't going to go inside until dark. But I couldn't help it. I wasn't going to go away for even a second.

More time passed and my first week as a freshman flew by. We attended the same school so I always searched for him in the hallways and in the classrooms but I always came in at the wrong time. Either, I never found him or I found him but he was "too busy" to talk. I didn't mind though. He was held back a year because he skipped class often. So it wasn't a surprise he had work to catch up on in order to graduate.

I grew a little bit taller and he grew a lot. I let my hair grow out longer because I heard he liked girls with long hair. I changed my style of clothes to match the girls in the magazines he had. I even learned how to put on make up to make myself seem older. Maybe by doing this he would notice me more.

As the year went on, I took six extra classes on top of my required five classes. That made a total of eleven classes. My goal was to earn as many credits as possible so I could take my classes with him and see him more. I only slept four hours a day because of all the homework I had. I constantly did work in my spare time. I even did my homework and studies during lunch instead of eating. That was how much work I had to finish. But it was all worth it because I was able to transfer to his class. When the teacher called my name, I walked into the class and introduced myself. I waved to my childhood friend as well. He didn't wave back but it was probably because he didn't recognize me. I was a freshman taking senior classes and it was all to be closer to him.

"Ikuto, it's time for the basketball game," a senior boy with ashy brown hair announced. His name was Kukai, the captain of the soccer and basketball team. He was a very athletic person.

Ikuto grabbed his bag and basketball and ran to the court. The game started and all the fans were cheering. Ikuto made the first dunk and everyone went wild. He was amazing and so beautiful to watch.

"Go Ikuto! Go! You're doing awesome!" I shouted. I jumped up from my seat (as well as some other fans) and yelled and cheered him on. I admit I was being a bit louder than most of the student body but hey, I was super excited. The girls sitting next to me weren't too thrilled about my cheers though.

"Aw, look who has the hots for Ikuto," the blonde girl teased. Her name was Utau. She was Kukai's girlfriend and the most popular girl in the school. She had looks like a model and she was at the top of the pop music class.

"The hots? Please, Utau, it's more like a pathetic kid's crush," the other senior girl corrected, flicking her curly scarlet hair behind her shoulder.

"You're right, Saaya. It is!" She snickered. I blushed from embarrassment and turned my head away.

"She's blushing! How cute," Utau laughed. Saaya also joined along in making fun of me.

I could feel the stinging through my body become more violent and the tears pricking at my eyes didn't help either. I ran from the bleachers away from those two and burst through the gym doors into the school hallways. I wiped away any tears before they had a change to fall.

"You know, it's rude to walk away from someone who's talking to you." The red head spat sarcastically.

Ugh, those two followed me. I didn't bother turning around because I knew this was going to get ugly. I wasn't really the type of person to fight back: verbally or physically.

"Ikuto has told us about you before. Amu was your name right?" Saaya asked.

He's talked about me? My stomach almost flipped with excitement until Utau picked up from Saaya's conversation.

"Yeah, isn't she the clingy and needy child he mentioned?"

My heart sunk into my stomach and my throat became dry. I didn't want to believe them.

"Didn't he also say that her voice was annoying?"

"Yeah, he did. And that she talked WAY too much for his liking."

"He wouldn't say something like that," I whispered shakily.

"Oh, look. It actually talks. Wow, Ikuto was right too. Her voice is annoying."

"But he's my...we're friends. He wouldn't say something like that," I said trying to convince myself what they were saying were lies.

"Wake up from this fake reality you created. He thinks your voice is super whiney and annoying, especially when you sing during class. I bet scissors would hurt less. Do us all a favor and stop talking. Better yet, get lost. Oh, and those clothes were so last month and hire a make up artist 'cause you look like someone just caked your face." The two girls started walking away, swaying their hips as they made their way back to the indoor court.

"I don't believe you! I'll ask Ikuto myself!" I yelled before they disappeared behind the double doors.

I didn't want their harsh words to get to me but they did and I couldn't help but cry myself to sleep when I went home.

I woke up extra early the next day to meet Ikuto before class started. I strode down the halls as fast as possible without looking desperate and stopped to take a breath outside.

"Amu?" I heard Ikuto say my name.

"Yeah, what do you think about her?" That voice belonged to Saaya, no doubt.

I stood behind the door listening in on their conversation.

"Well," he started. "She used to be a childhood friend of mine. We used to hang out but I told her I was 'busy' sometimes so I could hang out with Kukai. She's kind of clingy right now though. It's a bit annoying."

"What about how she looks?" Saaya pressed further. "Like her clothes, make up, and hair."

"Her clothes don't really suit her. The make up...it looks like she's trying too hard to look older. As for her hair, I don't think long hair fits well with the rest of her," he answered. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

I ran away. I heard enough and didn't want to hear another word. I didn't want to believe Saaya and Utau but they were telling the truth. My body felt as if Ikuto took a gun and shot me a thousand times through the heart. I couldn't see through my watery vision so I bumped into someone and fell backwards. I apologized as I gathered the things that fell from my backpack.

"So you found out the truth, did you? See? Saaya and I weren't lying. You should've just taken our word for it. It would have saved you from all this humiliation."

I pushed Utau aside as she laughed at me and ran out of the school. She didn't have to rub it in my face and she really didn't need to kick me when I was down.

I ditched school. I didn't want to be in that place surrounded by people. I wanted to be alone. A few blocks away from the school, I slowed my speed down to an average walking pace. Going down the familiar forest path from many years ago, I remembered the very first time Ikuto brought me here when I was feeling down. I was soon engulfed in a warm nostalgic sensation as I sat down on the large stone by the lake. I plucked a white lily from the grass and brought it to eye level, impassively examining its beauty.

"Why are you crying?" He asked my four year old self. I lifted up a white flower and showed him that it was broken. It was something silly to be crying over but I was a toddler who cried at every little thing. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet.

"Come with me," the nine year old said. I didn't know where he was taking me and I didn't stop him from dragging me to wherever he wanted to go. Either I was too naive to notice that he may have been kidnapping me or I just didn't care...but I sensed no danger.

In about a few minutes he stopped tugging at my hand. I was hunched over with my hands on my knees breathing heavily.

"Here," he said. I looked up. There he was holding a bigger and brighter lily in front of me. "For you."

I gladly accepted it and gave him a big hug. He, in return, patted my head softly.

"Whenever you're feeling down you can come get me. Or, if I'm not around, you can come here and ease your mind."

For what purpose did I come here? If I was mad at Ikuto, shouldn't I be anywhere other than here? I looked at my reflection at the shallow end of the lake.

"She's trying too hard to look older..." I remembered Ikuto say. I balled my hands into fists trying my best not to cry over someone who didn't deserve my tears. Unfortunately, I lost that battle.

Without thinking, I ripped the zipper of my bag open and grabbed the scissors by the plastic handles. I bunched up my hair into a low pony tail and cut it all off in one swift motion. I threw the eleven inches into the lake and watched as the current carried it away.

"She's trying to hard to look older," I kept hearing his voice criticize.

Stop! My heart cried. What did I do to deserve this? All I tried to do was be closer to my "best friend."

I slapped the water with my hands and splashed it onto my face, washing away the make up I so diligently applied on this morning. I turned around and began to pound my fists against the bolder I sat on not too long ago. Cuts formed on my knuckles and my blood stained the stone. After my energy had been wasted mindlessly crying, I drifted off to sleep with my back against a tree trunk.

When I woke up I noticed that night time had already fallen. My parents probably didn't notice I was gone but if they did I would face the consequences when I got home.

By the time I got home, it was well past one in the morning. My parents were already sleeping as well as all the other neighbors were. I quietly trudged my way upstairs and into the bathroom across the hall. I ran my hands under the hot water but the sting was nothing compared to the burning sensation in my chest.

Grabbing the pre wrap tape and bandages, I encircled my hands with the white, sticky material. The burning subsided and I pulled out the sharp scissors from the bottom drawer and evened out my shoulder length hair. Cutting my bangs over my face, I let my fringe hang over my right eye. I stared at myself in the mirror.

Who am I?

I became the greatest thing I hated the most: being an Ikuto fangirl. Every girl always swooned at his good looks and I detested every single creature that did the same.

But then I looked at myself. I love Ikuto. He was my best friend whom I always admired and looked up to. I did my best for him and eventually came to fall for him; his brains, his personality, and yes, even his stunning looks. I didn't want to be like everyone else. I just wanted to be someone he could count on but it looked like I failed him...

No...It was the other way around, wasn't it? Wasn't he the one that let me fall?

The next couple days of school, I did everything in my power to avoid Saaya, Utau, and Ikuto. If I saw them at that moment, I wouldn't be able to keep on my mask.

I walked down to my previous classroom. I came back because I thought making friends with kids my age would be good for my life, and not walking under Ikuto's shadow all the time.

"Welcome back, Himamori," the teacher, once again, greeted mispronouncing my name. I stood in front of the classroom and scanned the room for an empty desk until a few whispers spread amongst the classroom.

"What is she doing here?" boys whispered.

"Isn't she supposed to be in Tsukiyomi's class?" a boy spat in jealousy.

I stood there are still as a dead rock. None of these childish rumors were going to get to m-

"What happened? Did you get kicked out of the seniors' class because you were too stupid?" The girl in the back row teased.

"No," I replied calmly. But I am stupid, stupid for following him.

"I get it, you think you're too good for them, so you left...or maybe it's because Ikuto thought you were annoying. Well, guess what? No body wants you in this class either! Get lost!" and then the other children started throwing pens and pencils, paper and erasers, sometimes markers and even books. There were a few cuts on my face from where the pens scratched me and a few purple-ish bumps where the books smacked me in the head. I would have to cover those up later so my parents wouldn't notice and so Ikuto wouldn't think I was uglier than I already was. But what I didn't know was that someone had been recording the whole thing.

I was hurt on the inside. That girl hit it right on the money. Ikuto didn't want me around, that's why I left. I didn't want to become a nuisance.

"Miss Himamori, please have a seat in any empty chair you'd like," the teacher offered trying to break the tension in the room.

Why was it that I constantly cried? No matter how many layers I encased my heart in, why would it always break away? Ikuto was the answer. That was why.

"Tch, she's crying! It looks like I figured it out, Haha!"

She was right, I was crying. I walked to the empty desk in the far left corner and sat down, pulling my hood up and over my head, covering my face almost entirely. I crossed my arms over my desk and – face down- silently sobbed into my sleeve.

"Remember to turn in your assignments tomorrow!" Sensei reminded us.

As I gathered my books and walked down the aisle, someone shoved me to the floor from behind. I quickly got up and walked desperately into the hallway. I could hear the laughter of the other children and the hushes of the teacher.

I honestly did not want to be here. It was humiliating. It was torture. Why did it feel as if the whole world was against me?

I bumped into a person in the hallway and landed on the floor. "Sorry," I muttered.

"Is that you, Amu?" I didn't have to look up to see it was Ikuto. He extended his hand out to me but I ignored his offer and stood up, dusting off the imaginary dirt from my clothing. As I began to walk away, he restricted my movement by grabbing a hold of my wrist.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I-" I began to speak but stopped myself. He thinks your voice is super whiney and annoying. I closed my mouth and stood still.

"Um, are you okay?" He asked. I nodded, making sure he didn't see my face and ran down the hall.

"Strange girl," I heard him whisper.

As I dashed out of the school, the local security guard saw me and yelled, "Oi! You can't go and skip school!" But did I care? Not at the moment.

After a block or so I slowed down to a walk. My stamina was unstoppable as a kid but now I could barely run a few hundred feet. I lifelessly took step by step until I reached my home. I came to the conclusion that no one was home seeing as the drive way was clear of any cars.

I walked into my room and grabbed my exact-o knife from my craft drawer. It was a long and thin metal rod with a triangular blade at the top. I watched myself in the mirror as I placed the blade to my neck and slowly etched away the skin above my Adams apple. Suddenly I stopped. At first it hurt but then a sweet relief washed over me. Putting the tip once again above the little lump in my throat I held it there for a second and then dragged it down to the base of my neck and in between my collar bone. It was as if a great pressure was released from my body.

"A-amu."

I dropped the silver tool, its harsh metal crashing with a metallic clink.
I was shocked that someone was there watching me and I didn't notice.

Sometimes you just have to accept that some people can only be in your heart, not in your life.

Meilin: Yeah...so I'm not really sure how popular this story will be. I'll probably edit this chapter in the near future. So if you want to get a PM from me whenever I fix this chapter, let me know!
Ikuto: Who was that at the end? I bet you it's me. It's me, isn't it?
Amu: If you wanna know, you have to stick around to find out.
Meilin: I've already written half of the next chapter so review and I'll put it up. :D See you guys next time!