A little less than two weeks had passed. Everyone had seemed to accept Ikuto's return after Amu explained what had happened, and further to support her claim, Kairi and Yaya were in the restaurant when the scene took place and said to have witnessed it.
"You two were there?"
"Yeah, Kairi said he wanted to go out someplace fancy for a change. We had no idea it was the same restaurant you had chosen!"
And no one had heard a word from Tadase since that night.
"Alright class, you can leave early today," Amu instructed. Her students cheered in response as they rushed out of the classroom. She breathed a sigh of relief as the last child went out the door.
"Have a nice weekend, Hinamori-sensei!"
"You too!" She replied as she began to gather her things. It was Friday, and for once she didn't have any work to complete over the weekend. It would just be her and Ikuto. She hitched her satchel over one shoulder and exited her classroom. Shouting was suddenly heard from the opposite end of the hall.
"Big Sis! There's trouble!" Ami came sprinting down the hallway. Amu immediately noticed various scratches and bumps on her sister's body.
"What's wrong?" She saw that Ami was carrying a gold harp, and her hair clip was a music note.
"X-Eggs are attacking the garden! We can't hold them off by ourselves, we need to Charanari!" The two ran to the gardens, praying the other Guardians could survive until they arrived.
"How many are there?" Amu demanded. She could sense a massive wave of negative energy in the direction they were heading.
"I-I don't know... Fifty perhaps? They're everywhere!" Suddenly her Chara Change timed out, and her Shugo Chara, Hibiki, appeared.
Ami was the current Queen's Chair of the Seiyo Academy Guardians. Hibiki represented her dream to become a musician, preferably a harpist. He was dressed in a formal suit, like one would wear to an orchestra concert. "The others must have timed out as well, we need to hurry!"
They entered the gardens, Ami cried out, "Ryuu, Yui, Shiro, where are you? I got Big Sister, we can transform now!"
A boy with dark blue eyes and silver hair ran up to them; this was Ryuu, the King's Chair. His Chara, Satoshi, was clad in the silver armor of a knight. Their dream was to be someone who could protect others in times of need, no matter how grand the crisis. The current King shouted, "The other two are in the back, let's go!"
"Shiro's the best at Chara Changes," Ami stated. "He and Naoki should be doing okay." Sure enough they encountered the raven-haired boy of the Jack's Chair, clad in a mystic cape and holding a staff and fighting off the X-Eggs with spells. Shiro's dream was to be the silent, mysterious magician who solved trouble and then disappeared without a trace. He wanted to be a hero, but preferred to stay an enigma.
Yui was standing behind him with her Chara, Aya. Yui was a brunette with matching eyes, and her female Chara was a blonde with eyes of indigo. Her dream was to become a world famous artist, and to possibly create her own manga. She was the Ace's Chair, completing the Guardian's quartet. The group finally reconvened as the X-Eggs swarmed around them.
But these eggs were different, instead of the standard white X, all of these eggs had X's that were a deep, blood red. "Alright everyone!" Amu called out, the Humpty Lock began to glow, "NOW!"
The four children shouted in unison, "Watashi no kokoro... UNLOCK!"
"Charanari: Mystic Aria!" Ami was now dressed in a sparkling silver concert gown, with an ornate golden harp in hand. Her long, curly brown hair was held in place by a silver headband with a large music note on it.
"Charanari: Valiant Hero!" Ryuu was now a knight in shining white armor. Fully equipped with his sword and shield, he looked ready to lead his friends into battle.
"Charanari: Radiant Colors!" Yui was now in a paint-splattered artist's smock with a small black beret on her head. She had a palette in one hand and her paintbrush in the other. Her transformation was the most practical, since she could bring any object to life with her paint or sketchpad.
"Charanari: Silent Masquerade!" Shiro looked very spiffy in his tuxedo and cape combo. The boy also wore a top hat and a small mask that covered his eyes, hiding his 'identity.' His weapon was a staff with a large crystal on top. Having all completed their transformations, Ryuu took the lead.
"Guardians, move out! Divide and conquer!"
Amu then added, "Let's try and see if someone can develop a purification technique! Don't be afraid to try something new! Work together!"
"Vibrant Creation!" Radiant Colors dabbed her paintbrush on the palette, then waved it about the air. Fishing nets appeared and zoomed around, catching a few X-Eggs within them. 'Now for the finisher!' She drew a heart in the air; it flashed multiple colors as it flew towards the eggs. "Rainbow Grace!" Unfortunately, the X-Eggs broke free of the net and evaded the attack. But instead of retaliating, they flew off to a different target. "Amu-sensei, watch out!"
The eggs were upon her before she could turn around, but luckily Valiant Hero was not too far off.
"Bravery Shield!" The shield expanded to nearly three times its size as he threw it. It flew in front of Amu not a second too soon, blocking the incoming X-Eggs along with the ones she was currently fighting. A pink and green whisk appeared in her hand.
"Remake Honey!" The attack was supposed to purify the eggs, but again they swerved out of the way. 'What's going on here? I don't ever remember X-Eggs moving this fast!'
Mystic Aria began to strum her harp, "Spotlight Melody!" The technique was supposed to make herself the target of the X-Egg assault, hoping that they would leave her sister alone.
But yet again it failed!
There was only one last thing Amu could do. She pointed to one of the X-Eggs, "Negative Heart, Lock On!" None of them would stay still, but she had no choice! She formed a heart with her hands, swinging it in a wide arc, trying to hit as many eggs as possible. "Open Heart!"
Using Open Heart without a specific target was very dangerous, since one couldn't determine the amount of energy needed to finish the attack. Regardless, Amu sustained the blast for as long as her body could endure before collapsing to the ground. She had managed to purify about a quarter of the X-Eggs present. Mystic Aria rushed to her sister's defense.
"Aegis Harmony!" A barrier of energy formed around the two, which emitted a dull "Gong!" each time one of the X-Eggs bounced off of it. She kneeled next to Amu, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, but... I don't understand... Why can't we purify them?" She pushed herself into a sitting position, but then winced in pain.
"Let me help, Healing Tune!" The barrier protecting them dissolved into silver music notes, swirling around the older woman. She carefully stood up, feeling her strength returning.
Silent Masquerade dashed over, "Freeze Point!" Half of the remaining X-Eggs became encased in ice. Radiant Colors quickly joined him, crossing her paintbrush over his staff, "Charmed Shadows!" They both shouted. Black and rainbow beams of energy rocketed forth from their weapons and wrapped themselves around the X-Eggs; they flashed twice, and were purified.
Valiant Hero followed up behind them, "Sacred Oath!" He swung his sword twice, forming a large white X; it engulfed several more X-Eggs, cleansing them as well.
"Ready to finish this?" Amu asked. Mystic Aria nodded, standing bravely at her side. Amu summoned her globe as her little sister began to play an elaborate melody. Silver and gold stars began to swirl around them, drawing the remaining X-Eggs into the vortex.
"Shining Sorority!"
The stars exploded outward into a great pillar of light. The battle was over; the Heart Eggs were back to normal. Everyone exited their Charanari forms, exhausted.
Ami flopped down on the ground, "I've never seen so many X-Eggs in all my life! And what's up with all the red X's? Are they mad at us?"
Naoki hovered by Shiro's shoulder, the brim his miniature top hat was pulled over his eyes. He seemed, scared almost. "Those Eggs... They were in... So much pain..."
Satoshi nodded in agreement, "They were sent here specifically. Never have I seen X-Eggs attack with such precision!" He pointed to Amu, "And it seemed like they all wanted to strike Hinamori-sensei, correct?"
"Perhaps it was because she didn't Charanari?" Hibiki asked as he sat on Ami's shoulder.
Aya shook her head sadly, "That can't be it, Hinamori-sensei has been with us for every battle, and not once did X-Eggs hone in on her like that!"
Ryuu folded his hands behind his head, "Maybe they were sent to eliminate the Joker, so that no one could use the Humpty Lock!"
"That's nonsense!" Ami replied, "If they were after the Humpty Lock, they would have to destroy the Dumpty Key as well!"
They continued to debate their theories. Amu, however, could not get her sister's statement out of her mind. '... Destroy the Dumpty Key as well... I better get home to make sure Ikuto's safe!' She turned towards the Guardians, her expression meant business. "King and Queen, you two are responsible for finding out why these X-Eggs are being controlled! Jack and Ace, you're in charge of finding possible sources! I would like you all to have a full report by Monday!" Her tone softened, "And I want you all to be safe; we don't know what we're up against." She turned to leave.
"Wait, Big Sis!" Ami grabbed her hand. "Mama wants you and Ikuto to come over for dinner tonight, 'Kay?"
"Okay, what time do you want us?"
"Six-thirty, don't be late!"
"We won't, I promise!" Amu waved to the others, "Have a good weekend!"
"Bye Amu-sensei!" They shouted and waved in return.
She glanced at her watch, it was quarter after four. She'd go home to make sure everything was alright with Ikuto, then they would get ready to head over to her parents house for dinner. She strode into the parking lot and got into her car. She adjusted her mirrors and put it in drive. Her brakes emitted a strange squealing noise as she pulled out into the road. 'That's odd...' She thought. She hesitated to pull over and call someone else for a ride home, but decided against it, thinking that she would just need to replace the brake fluid before she went to her parents' for dinner. Fortunately, a majority of her route are straight roads, except for one intersection. 'Ugh... I hate this street; people are always so careless...'
Red light, she had to stop. She carefully applied the brakes, there was that estranged squealing again, followed by a loud snap. Her brakes failed, her car wouldn't stop!
She panicked and grasped for emergency brake, again there was another sharp snap, as if the device had been broken in two. 'W-Why isn't it working?' Amu's car was flung into the middle of the intersection, stopping dead center amidst the oncoming vehicles. She heard the blare of a horn, and looked to her left.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Amu vaguely remembered screaming as she recognized what was about to happen. The lights of the approaching pick-up truck flashed, trying to get her out of they way, since it couldn't stop. There was a tremendous crash, and she felt her entire body go numb. All she could see was grey as the airbags deployed. Another crash from the other side flung her body against the driver's side door, and she felt a searing pain against her forehead. Her entire body was limp, she couldn't move. Everything looked as if she were viewing it from the end of a long tunnel—
Then all was darkness.
xxxxx
"Amu-chan? Wake up ~nya!" A tiny voice called out to her.
"Please wake up, Amu-chan!" Several other small voices chorused.
Her eyes flew open, she was... floating? She looked around to see that she was in a glittering realm of stars. "Egg's Cradle..." She whispered. But why was she here?
"Amu-chan!" Five small figures zoomed in front of her face. She immediately recognized them.
"Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia! ...Yoru?" She flung her arms out to hug the small Charas, overjoyed. "Why am I here? What's going on?"
"Someone tried to take you out ~nya!" Yoru began.
"The Broken Heart Eggs—the Red X-Eggs, you saw early—had been ordered to sabotage your car," Miki continued as she sketched one in her book.
"Someone was able to control them by taking their most painful memories and using them against those poor Eggs," Su folded her hands against her chest, saddened.
"When you got hurt, we brought your spirit here so we could warn you!" Ran frowned, "Someone very powerful is manipulating the Eggs to hurt you in anyway possible..."
"Well, who is it?" Amu asked, "Can't you tell me?"
Dia shook her head sadly, "No... We can't reveal that to you, we're not even supposed to be able to converse with you right now..."
Amu began to hear voices from the outside. "What's the patient's status? "Crash victim, Hinamori Amu, age twenty-one. Multiple lacerations to the head and chest area, profuse bleeding."
"Oh no!" Su cried out, pointing to Amu's neck, "The Humpty Lock is broken!"
Miki flew over to her and took the lock off of the chain, and then placed it in Amu's hand. "It must have been shattered in the crash..."
All four crystals had been smashed, and the lock itself had seemed to have been crumpled like a piece of paper. "No..." Amu whispered. "What are we going to do now?" Her voice was hysterical, "The Guardians—they need me—the Humpty Lock—need to Charanari... How—X-Eggs—what are we going to do? We're defenseless!"
Dia and Ran looked to each other and nodded. "If we use the power of Egg's Cradle, We should be able to fix it," They concluded simultaneously.
Once again voices from the outside cut through to Amu's mind. "She's hemorrhaging! She's lost too much blood!" "Damnit, we're losing her!" "AMU, DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME!"
The last voice was so painfully familiar, "Ikuto...? I'm... dying...?" The Charas' faces filled with terror, Yoru rushed forward.
"Hurry up ~nya! I won't let Ikuto lose you ~nya!" He placed a hand onto the Humpty Lock, and the others quickly followed suit. A bright flash of light ensued as the Lock was restored.
"L-Look at that! The bleeding's stopped!" "WH-what's happening? Her vitals just spiked!" "Stay with me Amu, please!"
Amu felt herself beginning to fade back into reality as the light subsided. She saw out of the corner of her eye a black ord. someone was huddled inside of it. She identified the trapped Chara after spotting the small crown on its head. "Kiseki?" As she vanished from Egg's Cradle, she saw a large, red X form over the orb. She tried to reach out to him, but it was too late.
xxxxx
"Her vitals are stable, and she's recovering at a rapid rate... Nothing seems to be broken and other than a few cuts and a few black and blue spots she seems to be perfectly fine... But we're unsure if she'll wake from this comatose state..."
"What do you mean you're unsure?"
"The trauma her head endured could have severely damaged the frontal lobe—"
"And?"
"She could never wake up..."
Amu opened her eyes by a small margin to see a doctor exiting the room. She saw her parents and sister crowded along the side of her bed. Ikuto was not to far off standing in the corner, one hand covering his face. His shoulders were shaking as silent sobs escaped him. She wanted to reach out to him, to tell him that she was okay, but she couldn't make her body move, she couldn't make her mouth speak.
Ami attempted to be optimistic. "Hey, the doctor said 'could' right?" Regardless of her effort to be strong, tears began to fall down her cheeks, "So... s-so Big Sis c-could still w-wake up... r-right?" Her mother was sobbing into her father's shoulder, who was crying as well. He reached out his hand to caress the side of his daughter's face.
"Oh my Amu-chan, my little sparrow... please wake up... Please let your Papa know you're okay..." Amu let her eyes flutter open, stunning them all into silence. She smiled and mouthed, "I'm fine." Her mother began crying again in earnest as her sister hugged her gently.
Amu finally managed to raise her voice. "Ikuto!" She broke off into a coughing spasm; it felt like someone had punched her in the ribs. Slowly he turned around, his face portraying a magnitude of shock, and once again his face lit up like she had not seen in years. The doctors swarmed in, performing all sorts of tests to see if she really was awake and, well, alive. Eventually they agreed to release Amu the next morning. There was so much happiness in the air, but the two sisters exchanged a dark glance, knowing that this was not an accident. She mouthed the word "Sabotaged," and her little sister nodded. They needed answers.
Someone wanted Amu dead.
Someone was controlling the X-Eggs and possibly possessing the Charas from Egg's Cradle.
The question was... Who was this person?
And how far would they go?