She hated this town.

It wasn't as if she liked her previous home better, for all she cared it was as boring as this town was going to be. It wasn't as though she was leaving friends behind, because she didn't have any to begin with.

This town represented change, and she hated it.

She hated that she would have to start all over again, that she would be misunderstood and thought to be cool when she wasn't. Hated that she still wouldn't get any friends in this new town, because she was different. Everyone in her grade would already be acquainted with one another, and she'd be the odd one out that didn't know anybody.

She wanted to go back to her old town, where she had already gotten used to her boring and lonely lifestyle, of going to school and going back home. Never going out with friends, or having slumber parties, or having a crush on a boy in her class. She'd gotten used to that, and now she had to change everything.

But it was a chance at a new beginning, wasn't it? She could try to start over, try to change and make friends.

She should have known that it would never work. They had taken her shyness for being cool, her sense of fashion for being rebellious. And she was back to being the cool one, the one that was too good have friends. The one that seemingly had it all, but really had nothing.

She hated it.

Hated how her classmates would laugh and gossip together, how they all fawned over the cutest boy in school that she would never have a change to talk to. How people never invited her to anything, because she was too cool and mature for that.

She hated being lonely, but what could she do? As much as she hated being alone, she hated change even more. What if she did change, and people hated that character even more than her "cool and spicy" one?

But she wanted to be someone different, to throw away this lonely outer character. She didn't want to go on like this anymore, to be friendless and lonely. Just once she wanted to have a best friend, to have a crush on someone, to be girly. It wasn't fair.

She hated how suddenly things had changed, how she had given birth to something she couldn't explain, how pushy the Guardians were being in trying to recruit her, how strange things were starting to happen around her. Things were happening too fast.

She hated how these guardian characters made her act like someone she wasn't, how she didn't have any control of what she did or said under their influence. How could they claim to be her "would be self", when she wasn't sure she even had those abilities inside of her?

But... there were things that she did like, out of all the chaos that was happening around her.

She liked how she came to befriend the most amazing girl in her grade, how they had become best friends. How she acquired an older brother figure that she could always rely on, how she could be with her crush, how she could be girly. How she'd formed an unlikely friendship with someone who would much rather she'd stayed away, yet enjoyed her company all the same.

Good things never lasted very long.

Everything had started to fall apart just as things were looking up. Her best friend had left without even saying goodbye, her "brother" was graduating, she hated how the replacements for the Queen and Jack chairs were so cold, how her new egg was tainted, how she was hated by a girl for the sole reason of being friends with her brother.

She hated how everything had changed for the worst, how easily her new life was shattered right when she was happy.

She had known this was going to happen if she tried to change, nothing but bad would come of it. Yet she had naively went along with it, and now she was hurt.

Her heart was weak, Dia had said. It had no shine, no radiance. She was lost and unsure of what she wanted. She didn't know what she wanted to do anymore.

She was too afraid to change, and she still wasn't happy with her outer character.

Out of all the things that had happened, there was once again things that had been good. She had gotten her egg back, her best friend's twin had returned, her crush had returned her feelings...

But she had ended up hurting him and another through a lie that she couldn't control, and wasn't prepared for the consequences.

She didn't like hurting people, she didn't like lying. It was the first time she had ever hurt someone so badly, the first she had ever yelled at someone with such cruel words.

Everything had happened so fast these past two years, and it was making her heart ache. People were expecting too much from her, always wanting her to fix their problems.

This town was home to nothing but bad memories and pain.

But... was it really as bad as she was making it out to be?

Everything had turned out fine, in the end. She had worked out her problems with the two people she'd hurt, fixing their relationship. And now the two were getting along again, too, like they used to so long ago.

But winter was ending soon, and spring was coming... along with graduation.

He'd left right when their relationship was in a good place, and she felt sad about not being able to see him again for a while. She longed to talk to her best friend again, but she wasn't showing signs of reappearing anytime soon.

Here she was, once again afraid of change. Everyone was moving forward, and she was left behind.

Trying to find her eggs again had made her look back on all that had happened, and she came to realize that maybe change wasn't so bad. She'd gotten the best friend she wanted, she'd been accepted by her peers for who she was and not her outer character. She'd made new friends, she had given birth to guardian characters who tried their best to make her look on the bright side of things and to believe in her dreams.

Life had it's ups and downs, the last two years had shown her that. Things had gone smooth at some parts, but other times all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry. Even though change was painful at times, she would be able to make it through with her friends and family by her side.

She was graduating, but it wasn't the end. She was glad that everything had happened the way it had. This town had it's fair share or happiness and sadness, of good moments and bad. She didn't regret anything.

She wasn't afraid of change anymore. It didn't seem scary to her now, it seemed exciting. She looked forward to what was to come, and she wouldn't be alone anymore. So long as she kept holding that hand... one day, everything would be okay. In this town she'd grown to love.

-/-/-/-

"You know... this town isn't so bad."

"What do you mean Amu-chan?" Ran asked, coming out onto the balcony where Amu was star gazing, twirling the Humpty Lock in her hand. Miki, Suu, and Dia joined her, all taking a seat on the rail.

She smiled back. "Nothing... just thinking out loud."

I had this story in mind for a while now, and only recently did I finally write it all out. I hope it doesn't sound too rushed near the end, I must have reread this dozens of times and still couldn't think of any way to make it better.

I've always liked Amu's character, so I wanted to write something about how much she's improved since the beginning of the series. Hope you enjoy.