Chapter 2:

Last time, Lucy found some mysterious keys at a shop. She bought the set, sure that it was a fraud, but a boy was summoned. He claims not to be a spirit. Is he correct, or lying? How did he get here?

Ikuto: Yeah, how did he? I'm really confused here.

Amu: ...

Ikuto: What?

Amu: Clue-less!

Ikuto: What the-

Amu: *covers Ikuto's mouth* Watch your language, Mr. Kitty Kat.

Ikuto: How dare you! You have said the one thing that gets me worked up: Kitty Kat. Now you will feel my wrath!

Amu: Exactly how will I feel your wrath?

Ikuto: I'm gonna do something embarrassing to you in this chapter.

Amu: WHAT?! NoOoOo! *Dragged off computer by Sky*

Sky: Ikuto, don't be too inappropriate, ok?


Amu's P.O.V (a few minutes before Ikuto was summoned)

"Whew, that was a tough bunch of X eggs to purify!" I panted, undoing my transformation and traipsing up the stairs with Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia.

"But were they really that hard? Or are you just getting lazy?" asked Ran with a smirk.

"This is what'll become of you." Miki displayed a pencil sketch of a bunch of X eggs towering over a cowering me.

"That is so not me! I AM the heroine!" I yelled, storming into my room. "I'm tired, and gonna have a shower. Su, can you help the others make dinner? The family's out till late tonight." I sighed and stretched.

"Yep, Amu-chan is losing her edge!" chirped Su as the four Shugo Chara floated downstairs.

I turned around, preparing to undress.

But wait.

One smirking Ikuto was sitting on my bed.

Ugh. Curiosity killed the cat, Ikuto, but you are just plain stupid.

"You IDIOT! Were you just going to sit there and watch me take off my clothes?!"

"I would have coughed, or something. Maybe."

"Maybe? MAYBE! You-are-leaving-now!" I growled ferociously, dragging Ikuto towards the balcony.

"I'm seriously tired, so don't even THINK about coming back tonight!" I bellowed.

"Fine, fine, Though, how are you 'seriously tired' if you can shout like that?" he asked, Chara Changing so that the cat ears and tail appeared.

"Let's go, Yoru. Later, Amu."

"Nya!" mewed Yoru as he flew to Ikuto's side.

All at once, a strange expression shot across his face. Concerned, I looked up. Was he in trouble or something?-Wait. It just had to be another trick of his.

"I'm not falling for it." I grumbled, pouting.

I looked at his face for the signature smirk, but then he gasped, and I thought that I could hear a voice, chanting.

And then Ikuto was gone.

He hadn't left, he had still been standing next to the balcony door, when he just-vanished.

My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I raced out to the balcony. "Ikuto?! IKUTO! Come back here, you aren't-you aren't playing, are you. Yoru, you there? Ikuto, Yoru, where are you?"

"Amu-chan! What's wrong?" Ran soared up to me, heeled by the other three.

"Ikuto-he just disappeared. He was there, but he didn't leave, and he just wasn't there anymore." My voice broke, and I knew I sounded crazy, but my head was spinning and I felt dizzy.

What happened? Ikuto hadn't left of his own accord, I was sure of that. And of course I was worried about him, Ikuto, but just the concept of disappearing was more mind-blowing than the morning I had woken up to have Shugo Chara eggs in my bed.

"A-Amu-chan, are you alright? I cooked dinner...?" Su asked tentatively. I shook my head, and buried my face in my bedsheets.

I curled up on my bed, with my Shugo Chara huddled around me, wondering what the heck I could do.

But then, a clear voice erupted in my mind, and my Shugo Chara must have heard it as well.

"Open, Gate of the Amulet! Amu!"

She called my name, and my body dissipated and crossed the boundary between dimensions. Unearthly feeling crackled through my senses as I lost all solidity.

When I could finally open my eyes, all I could see were fuzzy outlines of strangers, and a strange world. A splitting headache raged to life and I found my legs buckling.

Yells of worry surrounded me and everything went black.

Ikuto's P.O.V

"Amu!" I called, racing forward to catch her trembling figure before she fell. "Amu, wake up!" My arms shook as I picked her up, cradling her unconsious figure in my arms. How had she...?"

"What did you do to her?!" I yelled, turning my grief into rage at these strangers who said they would fix this by calling out Amu.

"Please, I can help!" The girl who was even younger than Amu stepped forward, ocean blue hair twisting in the wind.

"How?"

"I use healing magic."

Reluctantly, I released my hold on Amu and watched breathlessly as the healing mage's hands glowed, sending soft blue light coursing through her body. The mage moved backwards as Amu stirred, and woke.

"Thank goodness." I breathed, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

"Ikuto? But how..." Her voice was barely audible.

"Shhh." I whispered, covering her mouth. "Go back to sleep."

Amu mumbled something and turned on her side in the soft grass.

"What happened?" I addressed the healing mage.

"She was weak, and shock was the final straw." The girl spoke quietly.

"Weak? But..."

"Whew, that was a tough bunch of X eggs to purify!"

"X eggs? But she can usually handle them..." I pondered.

"Um, what are X eggs?" The key wizard who summoned me asked.

"Why should I tell you?" I muttered, turning away. At this point, all I wanted to do was take Amu and leave these enchanters to their evil magic junk.

"Look, I know we're the ones who got you into this mess, but we can send you back. Right, Lucy?" The scarlet haired woman, who seemed intuitive enough, questioned the key wizard.

"Yeah, I can."

"Well, then do it! You've caused enough trouble already." I snapped, turning to face her.

"O-okay. But your friend needs to wake up."

"I'm fine." Amu, still slightly pale but much better, sat up.

"Gate of the Black Lynx, Gate of the Amulet, Forced Closure!" She swung the two keys in a lilne, leaving a gold trail.

But nothing happened.

"What...?" Shaking now, the key wizard tried again. "Forced Closure, Forced Closure, FORCED CLOSURE!"

I concentrated on going home, home, home. But nothing happened.

"Why aren't they gone, Lucy? You're forced closure has never failed before." A teenager like me with spiky black hair came over to us, concerned.

"Stay away from us!" I demanded, scuttling backwards.

Lucy sighed. "Look, you have to trust us."

"Trust you? You just turned our lives upside down and now you want us to TRUST YOU?!" I prepared to stand up and leave, breathing hard. But a small, cool hand stopped me.

"Ikuto, wait." Amu was calm, even after all of this. "We don't have anywhere to go, and besides, these people didn't know they were doing something wrong, right?"

"But-" The truth was, after all of my being captured, and controlled, and tortured, I just wasn't a trusting person. And I didn't want Amu, who was five years younger than me, to go through the same pain of broken trust. But Amu made a big-eyed, hopeful face.

"Please? I want a shower."

"Only because you just passed out. once you're okay, we're leaving."

"Okay!" Lucy smiled. "You two can stay at my apartment."

Wait. Key Girl's house?

Oh no.


BTW, Ikuto isn't usually so caring, and he's usually much calmer. But it was fun to make him freak out for once.

Sky: WAAH these chapters seem so short! Does anyone know if you can just take a profile pic off the internet, or does it need to be yours?

Ikuto: I am so embarrased...

Amu: Why?

Ikuto: I. Picked. You. Up. Oh my god I will never get over this.

Amu: Get over it!

Ikuto: You're just happy 'cause you get your shower.

Amu: Well fine, be that way!

Lucy: I feel like those two are going to be a handful.