A/N: Wanted to try my hand at this. Got to admit it was a little fun and interesting to write. Not too much into this fandom anymore, but wrote this a few months ago.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara.

It wasn't as if she didn't notice the look in their eyes. The look of betrayal and hurt, the way how their eyes grew tense and their pupils were frozen in place. It wasn't as if she didn't notice how their bodies shook.

With rage and raw anger with every breath they took.

It wasn't as if she didn't want to acknowledge the fact that she had exchanged them for another source.

A source that was kinder to her, more understanding to her.

Less expendable to her.

She placed a hand on the window of the ICU slowly. Peering inside is only what could be described as a scene lost in time. The hospital bed that held her father. The once cheery and easy going man whom she loved with all her heart.

Her reflection from the hospital was pale - she hadn't gotten any sleep since the accident. They said it was a drunk driver, that he wasn't completely aware of his actions. Her once well-defined pink hair had gotten lighter. Severely lighter to the point that it was a frosted pink, and to what the people around her would describe as dead.

Funny thing about that, her hair wasn't the only thing that was dead.

Amu peered deeper into the window, the small pane of glass barely bending under her hand's weight. She pushed against it, an overwhelming sadness overcoming her. She gripped the glass with her hand, though there was nothing to grip onto.

She couldn't cry anymore, her tears had already been used up a few days ago. She was running on empty, and she couldn't let out her emotions through tears. It almost seemed as if Amu Hinamori was dead as well.

"Ms. Hinamori," addressed a man's voice from behind her. Amu glanced lifelessly to the left, taking in the reflection that was casted. A man wearing a business suit looked on at the small girl. "Easter will take care of your father to its fullest potential," he stated, nodding his head once.

"I'm useless to you," Amu responded, placing her hand down. She didn't have the energy to hold it up any longer. "I can't hear them anymore," she stated dryly, turning around to face the business man with a blank look in her eyes. "They're floating around me right now, and I can't hear them," she croaked out, her throat being dry from dehydration and the continuous crying.

The man took in the unstable girl's form.

She was underweight, and looking at her pale skin, also dehydrated. "Have you been taking care of yourself?" He questioned, ignoring what the young girl was saying to him. She looked up into his blue eyes and then looked away in silence. She placed an arm over her mid-section to comfort herself in her own self-induced isolation. "Have you been home to see your family?" He asked again, "Your mother and younger sister?" He clarified.

Amu stared down at the white tiled floor, "I have to be here when he wakes up…" She mumbled, her legs buckling from underneath her. The man saw this and his eyes widened in response. His quick reflexes saved the pink haired girl from falling onto the cold hard ground. He caught her in his arms and let out a glare.

"You need to get some rest," he responded shaking his head as he started to walk away, "You're lucky we don't have you in one of those rooms right now, Ms. Hinamori," he said in a dark tone, disliking the way the young child was treating herself.

Amu chose to ignore the man and instead looked up at the ceiling panels and closed her eyes.

"Ran, Miki, Sue, and Dia…" Amu trailed out, shaking her head, "Why can't I hear you? Why can't I do anything right?" She asked to herself letting her head drop in her own self-loathing.

The man let out a groan of dissatisfaction, "Why do I always get stuck with these jobs?" He grumbled to himself, adjusting the girl in his arms so she wouldn't have a sore neck.

Amu opened her eyes back up, watching as her charas flew around her, trying to talk to her aggressively. They were yelling at her, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She placed the back of her hand over her eyes and made a frown.

"Why are you helping me? I already told you I'm useless!" She yelled out, hating herself every second.

"Your grandfather has taken full custody of you. After having your mother declared incompetent, you will be staying with him in Tokyo. Did you forget?" The man asked, shaking his head. She peeked at him behind her hand.

"Your grandfather is the CEO of this company on your mother's side."

Sleeping only gave her nightmares, and so she decided to stop sleeping. She went on the balcony of her room and peered out into the night traffic. She was in the penthouse suite of an expensive hotel. Apparently the man wasn't lying about her grandfather being the CEO of Easter.

Ran floated beside her, not opening her mouth. It seemed as if the small spirit knew that she wasn't going to be heard, no matter how loud she screamed.

"I'm sorry," Amu mumbled, sitting down on a lounge chair. The chilly evening wind swept through her and she shook her head. "I don't think I can believe in you anymore," she admitted in a low tone. Ran's eyes went wide and she flew in front of Amu waving her arms in the air frantically. She opened her mouth and tried to talk to her master, but she wasn't heard at all. "I don't want to be outgoing, I just want to be left alone," she declared, watching as Ran stopped protesting and instead hovered in the air silently.

Ran's egg that she was hatched from appeared out of nowhere and started to suck her in. Ran looked up at Amu with a small smile, though tears were leaking from her eyes. Ran closed her eyes, and Amu watched lifelessly as the egg closed around her friend.

In seconds, the egg slammed shut and then disappeared into small specks of light. Amu had watched the same happen with all of her spirits. Dia was the first to go, then Sue, followed by Miki. All had the same reactions and all had left her like magic.

She didn't feel anything as they disappeared, and she now knew that she truly was dead inside.

There was a knocking at the door, and Ami's voice was heard, "Sis! Sis, I can't hear them! Where did they go, sis?!" Ami cried, entering the unlocked door. Amu didn't bother to turn around and instead looked down at the heavy night traffic below. "Why did you do that!? Why did you send them away?!" She yelled again, tears streaming down her face. She approached her sister with a shaking hand, "They needed you as much as you needed them!" She yelled words of childish, hopeful wisdom and Amu glanced down at her sister tiredly.

"I tried," Amu retorted in a cold voice.

Ami wouldn't take that as an answer, "They were your friends! Your magic!"

Amu had enough of her talk and stood up, making her sister take a step back in momentary fear. "Do you hear yourself right now, Ami?" She asked in a cold tone, "Friends and magic…?" She asked sarcastically before letting out a scowl. "Our father is dying in a hospital, do you really think childish beliefs are going to save him?" She asked in a vicious tone. "You can't keep being so naïve, Ami!" She lectured shaking her head.

"Sis, you're scaring me…" Ami mumbled, placing her hands together in front of her. As if in some sort of pray to make her sister calm down.

"I shouldn't have to spell it out for you, Ami. The real world hurts," Amu muttered, looking down at her sister for the first time. She noticed the fear in her eyes and Amu let out a sigh and sat on her large, luxurious bed.

She placed a hand over her face in a tired manner. "Get out of here, Ami," she mumbled through her hand.

Ami didn't need to be told twice and instantly ran out of the room, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Amu was completely at peace now and laid down on the bed with a breath of relief. She liked being in the darkness and silence. Being a thirteen year old girl, she shouldn't need to grow up so fast. Unfortunately, life comes with challenges, no matter how unfair they may be.

Rei Lynn wasn't known to be the most outgoing, and when she was assigned the role of Joker in the Guardians, she knew she could never replace the old one. They didn't talk about her much, only that she was a close friend.

That was it.

Rei didn't feel like it was her place to ask more about her.

"Hurry, hurry!" Ran, her guardian chara called to her from the classroom.

"I know, I know!" Rei yelled with a frown on her face. "Give me a minute to get my-!" She yelled, exiting the classroom before bumping into a white haired girl the same age as her. "Sorry!" She yelled out immediately, looking up at the girl fully.

The white haired girl had her hair pulled back and was elegantly curled. Her haunting yellow eyes bore into Rei's vibrant blue ones. "That's fine," the girl replied back with a faint smile on her face. Ran looked up at the white haired girl with wide eyes.

"A-Amu…?!" Ran yelled out in disbelief as she looked at the white haired girl.

"Y-You know her?" Rei asked, looking over at her guardian chara with a raised eyebrow.

Amu looked down at the pink haired chara and let out a faint chuckle. Ran seemed concerned at her lifeless laugh and knew it was just for conversational matters. "You look well," she stated before looking down at the girl who was appalled, confused, and shocked all at the same time. "They deserve someone like you to take care of them."

Rei's eyes widened, "You know I have more?"

"Amu-chi~!" Replied a dull voice as a small white haired girl appeared on Amu's shoulders. She was styled as a witch. Ran glared up at the newcomer with a fierce scowl on her face. "Oh," she replied in a monotone, looking down at the cheerleader spirit. "It's the obsolete chara."

"And who are you supposed to be?!" Ran demanded, seeing how she was replaced with whoever this chara was. She didn't like it – this chara was filled with negative energy, and Ran was getting weaker just in the presence of her.

The witch stood up and took off her witch's hat with a smirk. "Zen," she introduce before placing her hat back on her head. "Born from Amu's desires to be strong," she stated before sitting back down. "I'm the only guardian chara that she needs~!" She added with a small wink as she stuck out her tongue.

Amu turned around from the girl with an apologetic smile on her face, "Sorry, Ran, but I grew up," she said, not bothering to look back at the new bearer of her old guardian charas or Ran herself. "I'll see you and the others around."

Ran couldn't help but stare at the girl who she was born from.

She had changed so much.

"I heard word that you were back in town," Ikuto called out as Amu walked out of her school. Just as she walked away from the school gates, she felt the presence of Yoru nearby. She cocked her head slowly, recognizing the voice faintly before fully turning to see him.

"Why are you working for Easter, Amu?"

The white haired girl let out a small devious chuckle, "Sorry, but I don't think I have to answer you," she replied, walking past the teenager with a ghost of a smile on her face. "That's my business."

Ikuto grabbed her upper arm gently, holding her back. She stopped walking and glanced sternly at the ground. She held no emotion for any of her previous friends, and Ikuto was no different. "Mind explaining why you have one of the negative charas attached to you?" He asked, looking over the girl's shoulder with narrowed eyes. "Do you understand what you've done?"

Amu glanced over at the blue haired teen before snapping her arm out of his grip forcefully. Ikuto showed his surprise at her hidden strength but didn't voice his opinion on the matter. She eyed him with her cold, dead eyes before walking away. "I wanted to become stronger."

"That's not how you do it."

"Says the boy with a cat to lead him," Amu responded with a wave of her hand in dismissal. She gave him no second glance before walking down the street.

Zen appeared beside her, making her presence known. "I'm sorry that a ghost of my past insulted you," Amu apologized with a frown.

Zen let out a quiet cackle, readjusting herself to rest on her master's shoulder. She enjoyed the small lift that she was receiving from her. "They're just words, Amu," she said, her voice hallow, as if she was wiser than she let on. "You'll come to find out that people like him are meaningless to us."

Amu stopped walking and clutched her school bag in her hands tighter. Zen, as if sensing her change of emotions, floated off of her shoulder to hover in front of her. "He used to be my friend, Zen," Amu whispered, looking down at the sidewalk.

The other school kids walked past them, not noticing the small floating white haired chara conversing with her white haired master. "Used to," Zen restated carelessly, placing her unexpectedly warm hands on Amu's cheek tenderly. "None of your friends were there when you needed them. Leave them behind and pursue greater things," Zen commented, making Amu look up at her.

"We only go forward from here," Zen encouraged with a genuine smile on her face.

"Of course," Amu said with a small tilt of her head and a grin on her face. "I don't have time for friends."

Zen nodded, "And they don't have time for you," she added before glancing over at the school clock and letting out an exaggerative gasp. "We're going to be late to the recording studio~!" She cried before hopping back on her master's shoulder.

Amu let out a small chuckle before covering her mouth with her hand. Zen materialized her broom stick out of thin air before pointing her index finger in front of them. "Character change!" Zen yelled, and before Amu could comment anything more, she broke out into a small jog.

It was an elegant jog, one that made her elegant curls bob up and down. The onlookers noticed that the girl was proudly displaying her black henna tattoo that was on her right arm. This was Zen's character change leaving a change on her body. It should have been temporary, but Amu got a permanent tattoo to avoid any questions by the press and paparazzi.

She was getting adoring looks from the boys and girl around the area. And with a genuine happy grin on her face, the by standers could only interpret that she was a singer that enjoyed the life that she had. Amu realized that there were a few paparazzi in the crowd, and made sure to do a little pose as the white flash's obscured the corner of her eyes.

Even if she had one of the negative charas attached to her, she was shining.

And that's all that really mattered to the young teen.

FIN