Hey guys! Good news: I'm on winter break for a week and a half, so I have more free time to update. I don't love this chapter as much as some of the others, but it serves its purpose. It's also my shortest chapter (though 4000 words can't really be called "short"). Anyhow, I own nothing, and enjoy!

**Call Me Crazy**

Amu's fingers reached up to touch the steel bars that have surrounded her for practically two weeks now, the bars as cold as ice. Ice. She felt as if she was frozen. She was secured to her spot, the cage that had bounded her for two weeks. She needed to be thawed out, removed from this horrid position. Ice was normally somewhat reassuring. She always loved to go ice-skating with Ami when she was young. She felt like she was letting loose, gliding free across the ice. Sometimes, she would even remove her hand from Ami's, and allow her arms to extend to her sides, soaring across the ice like a bird. However, those few seconds were almost immediately proceeded with falling to the ground, her wings burdened, her freedom revoked.

"I wish I could see the sun," Amu muttered.

"You will soon," Ran promised. "Don't worry! Your friends will save you, you know that. They'll rescue you. Tadase, Ikuto…" Amu snorted.

"Like I believe that crap," Amu rested her head in her hands. "What would they rescue me from? This is run by the government, not an evil organization like Easter. They can't do anything, Ran. I'm stuck, forever…"

"Not forever!" Su argued. "Maybe they won't save you, but you will get out! Don't worry Amu-Chan!"

"No, I won't!" Amu slammed her arm against the bars, hot tears dancing down her cheeks. "Don't you get it?! I'm stuck here. I-I'm schizophrenic to them. I'm not leaving until they cure me, and they never will, because I'm healthy! I'm mentally stable! I-I…"

"Amu…"

"I'm never leaving… I'm stuck here for the rest of my freaking life." Amu's entire body shook. "I'll never see any of them again, Tadase, Ikuto, Nagi, Ami, Mom, Dad… They're nothing more than distant memories to me."

"Amu, think about this realistically." Dia floated up. Amu looked at her last chara with watery eyes. "Do you really think your parents would have put you here if they thought they would never see you again? They love you Amu. They don't want you to get hurt. They just…"

"…Think I'm insane," Amu finished, sniffling. "My own parents. They want me to get better. I won't. I don't want to be here, can't they get that?! I don't want to be in this asylum! I want to go home!"

"This is your home." Amu turned rapidly, facing the source of the voice. To her surprise, there was someone inhabiting the cage beside her. The figure had long green-colored hair that extended below their shoulders. She looked a bit younger than Amu, no older than fourteen.

"W-Wha…?"

"I just got here." The girl chuckled. "I kind of like it here, you know?" She gazed at the steel bars. "It is relaxing. They give you privacy, but visit you every so often. They aren't evil. They truly care about us." Amu scoffed. "Believe it or not, it is true." The girl smiled. "What's your name?"

"Amu," She muttered.

"I'm Vivian, it's a pleasure to meet you." She extended her arm through the opening through the bars, of which Amu deliberately ignored. "You have four of them?"

"Eh? You can see them?"

"Why, of course!" Vivian laughed. "Why else would I be here if I couldn't see them?" A small chara floated up beside her. "This is Miya. She represents my desire to be popular, as silly as that sounds." Miya curtsied, her brown ponytail flipping to the side of her neck.

"Ran, Miki, Su, Dia…" Amu introduced, gesturing to her charas. "Why do you like it here, when they try to get rid of your chara?"

"Perhaps I want to." Amu's eyes widened. "I can fit in and be the girl I always wanted to, if Miya's gone. I won't having an imaginary friend. I can just be me, and life will be easier." Amu watched, as Miya's smile remained intact. She backed up farther away from Vivian.

"How could…you be so content here?! With that idea?! Don't you… love your chara?!" Amu turned to face Miya. "And you Miya! Why are you okay with her thinking this?!"

"Because I represent her dreams." Miya smiled. "She wants to be popular and normal. So, as a chara, I respect her wishes and try to help her achieve her goals. I will vanish once she is successful." Amu turned to face her charas.

"This is just wrong… really wrong…" Amu murmured, rubbing her temples in a circular motion. "I can't even imagine trying to lose you guys."

"Excuse me, Hinamori Amu." Amu glanced up, her eyes narrowing as she laid eyes on one of the doctors. "You will be having your treatment He opened up the cage, and gestured her to come follow. Amu stayed in her corner, refusing to budge. The man stepped closer to her, and grabbed her arm. Amu tried to pry him off, but was unsuccessful. She sighed and eventually complied. Vivian gave her a small smile. The doctor directed her toward a chair. She complied reluctantly, sitting down with her arms crossed.

"What are you going to do to me today?" Amu grumbled.

"We're going to inject you today," He stepped closer to her. "As you recall from last time, you may experience a dizzy spell and minimal pain. It is necessary we do this, in order to-"

"-Make me normal," Amu finished. "Yeah, I know. I see these charas and you don't." He didn't reply, as he slowly injected her with the needle. Just as the man had suggested, Amu immediately fell dizzy and passed out.

**Call Me Crazy**

With a flick of the wrist, a dart went flying across the room, landing perfectly in the red circle representing the center. Over and over, the same results yielded, until Ikuto ran out of darts. He watched the darts in the center of the dartboard, sighing.

"Ikuto, are you just going to stare at them, or get them?" Yoru wondered.

"I'm perfectly content sitting here," Ikuto bleakly replied, leaning against his wall. He sighed. It had been fourteen days since he last saw Amu. Fourteen days since he saw the cute blush on her cheeks she always tried to prevent. Fourteen days since he teased her, wrapped his arms around her in a way he knew she loved but pretended to hate. Her beautiful smile, her tender embrace she sometimes had when she felt generous, the way she cared about everyone and refused to leave anyone out- all of it was just a distant image in Ikuto's mind, just a dusty video tape in the attic of his mind.

A knock on the door prompted him to glance up. It was rather obvious to him that the source of the knocker was Utau, since they were the only ones who inhabited the home. That surprised him. Ever since their argument the previous day, she had not been avoiding him. It pained Ikuto significantly that they were not on speaking terms.

"What?" Ikuto spat, much ruder than intended. The door opened, revealing his little sister he had known since she was born. As he watched her, he realized how much she had grown from when they were children. It wasn't the first time he had this realization, but seeing her with her hands on her hips and a frown only augmented this observation. When they were young, she always had an irreplaceable grin. She always used to giggle and be loud, annoying Ikuto to no end. Now, he regretted being annoyed. She had matured so much, and smiles were seldom seen on her.

"Tadase just called," Utau muttered. "We're meeting at the Royal Garden."

"When?"

"In a half an hour. You should shower before." Ikuto stared at her for a moment. Utau placed her hands on her hips. "What?"

"It's ironic," Ikuto chuckled.

"What? What's ironic?"

"You're bossing me around when you're my little sister and I should be telling you what to do." Utau crossed her arms.

"Well, maybe I'm just doing something more with my life than sitting around and moping." Ikuto sighed.

"Utau-"

"Ikuto, just shower," Utau muttered, exasperated.

"I know I haven't been the greatest brother these past few days," Ikuto continued, ignoring her request. "You're right. I've been sitting here, continuously moping about her. I… apologize. It's not just these few days. I've never been there for you the way I should." Utau's eyes widened, as she watched him, clearly intrigued. "All we have is each other. Mom is never around anymore, and Dad…" Ikuto shook his head. "We need each other." A small smile crossed Utau's face.

"Yeah…" Utau agreed.

"I know this whole thing is going on with this asylum and hiding our charas is dangerous, but I won't let you get hurt. Amu is already captured. I won't let my sister get captured either." Utau smiled softly.

"Maybe it is your job to protect me, as an older sibling, but I'm not letting you go there either," Utau promised. "I know you want to save Amu. So do I. Just don't do anything reckless Ikuto."

"I just have to do anything to make sure she's safe. I don't like the people I love getting hurt. Imagine it was Kukai. You know you would have been rash too." Utau opened her mouth briefly, but closed it, smiling bleakly.

"True," Utau admitted. Ikuto chuckled.

"Well, you're probably right. I should shower." He stood up, and headed out of the door. He removed his clothing, and stepped into the hot water rushing down. While showering, he thought about Amu and Utau. He loved them both immensely, however, in such different ways. He would do anything to protect them. However, he had failed to protect Amu.

"What do you think she's thinking about, Yoru?" Ikuto wondered, applying shampoo to his midnight blue hair.

"Hm? Well, she's likely thinking about how you are as a brother, nya," Yoru suggested.

"No, not Utau. Amu."

"Oooh nya! Probably you." Ikuto sighed, shutting the water off and wrapping a towel around his waist.

"I doubt it. I just… hope she isn't suffering too much," Ikuto muttered, stepping out of the bathroom and into his room. Fortunately, Utau had left, so he removed the towel and placed boxers in replace. "They better be gentle with her. If they hurt her… I swear, they will suffer." Ikuto threw on a dark blue shirt and jeans, and stepped out of his room. As he descended the stairs, he noticed Utau sipping coffee. Upon hearing his footsteps, she glanced up and smiled slightly.

"You ready?" Utau wondered, putting her sandals on.

"Why are we even going to the Royal Garden?" Ikuto wondered.

"It's probably about the obvious," Utau offered, placing her sunglasses on. "Perhaps someone has some epiphany on how to make everything better." Ikuto snorted.

"Yeah, right."

"Well, why don't we go and see? It's been a few days since we saw Tadase anyway. We made a vow to try to be better siblings to him, so why don't we try to do that?"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

**Call Me Crazy**

The sound of his phone ringing prompted Nagihiko's eyes to drift open. The first thing he laid his eyes on was the sight of the petite blonde sleeping right beside him, her head relaxed on his shoulder. He momentarily smiled at her, before the phone ringing interrupted his glance. He grabbed his phone, and unlocked it.

"Tadase-Kun, what is it?" Nagihiko whispered, after seeing the caller ID.

"Hey, we're having a guardian meeting at the Royal Garden in a half an hour. Can you make it?"

"Yeah, Rima-Chan and I will be there," Nagihiko replied. He hung up the phone and put it down on his night table. As he turned around, he noticed Rima's eyes slowly drift open. Her hazel eyes blinked a few times in his direction.

"Morning," Nagihiko greeted, a smile forming upon his face. Rima studied him for a moment before smiling slightly.

"Hey…" Rima greeted, moving to a sitting position. "Geez Nagi, your bed is so comfortable. I could have stayed here forever." He chuckled slightly.

"Well, unfortunately you cannot. There's a guardian meeting today. You can shower in the bathroom in the hallway, since your toothbrush is there." Rima nodded slowly, standing up.

"What's the guardian meeting about anyway?" Rima wondered.

"Tadase didn't really specify," Nagihiko admitted. "I'm sure it's about what's going on. Speaking of which," He glanced at her concernedly. "Are you sure you want to come? Going out in public could be dangerous with them looking for you. They could find you, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm sure it's fine," Rima replied, smiling slightly. "It isn't too far from your house to the Royal Garden. If we stay together, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Alright…" Nagihiko wasn't entirely convinced. "We're going to be walking though, since my mother would not give me a ride."

"Nagi, don't worry so much," Rima told him, giggling slightly. "I'll be fine." Nagihiko could not help but to smile at her. He went into his drawer and pull out a maroon shirt and jeans.

"If you say so. Might as well get ready, hm?" Rima nodded, heading toward the bathroom in the hallway. Nagihiko went to his bathroom, and showered.

"You should just tell her," Temari suggested, as Nagihiko brushed his long purple hair. "You know she reciprocates it."

"I just…" Nagihiko sighed. "I'm not so sure it's the best thing if she's with me. My mother would never allow it, and I know she's fully aware of my…feelings. There is so much tradition in my family, and I don't know how she would appreciate that."

"Well, dating her is different than getting married," Rhythm pointed out. "Let loose a bit Nagi! She totally digs you. Don't worry about your mother! Rima's the one you adore, so just ask her out!"

"I don't know…" Nagihiko gazed at his reflection in the mirror. "What girl would want to date someone like me? I… There's nothing about me that is remotely redeeming."

"Nagi!" Both charas exclaimed in unison. He sighed.

"I was raised to be a woman. I don't know the definitions of 'masculine' or 'feminine', but I know that I do not possess any of these societal-deemed masculine traits. My hair is longer than hers. In terms of attractiveness, she is leagues above me." He put on his clothes. "There's a reason that she has so many guys that are attracted to her."

"Including you!" Rhythm pointed out. Nagihiko blushed a bit.

"Yeah, but you have something that sets you apart from them. You have a kind personality. Even your previous conversation, all you wanted to do was look after her. Also, another thing you have that sets you apart is the returned feelings." Nagihiko brushed some hair out of his face and smiled softly.

"On the chance that she doesn't though, our relationship would never be the same. If she says no to me, she'll never look at me the same way. I'm pretty content with-" As he opened the door, he froze, upon seeing the girl in question sitting on his bed, reading through something of his. She glanced up at him, smiling slightly. He blushed a bit, sitting beside her.

"You finished early," Nagihiko noted. She shrugged.

"We both take similar lengths of time since we both have long hair," Rima pointed out, flipping through some pages of a photo album.

"Hm, those are some old pictures," Nagihiko pointed out. He pointed to one of them. "That was from the third grade, the first year Yaya joined the guardians."

"You guys look so young," Rima observed. She placed a finger on Nagihiko's third-grade image. "You were adorable." He turned a deep shade of red.

"Thanks…" He murmured.

"What time do we have to be at the Royal Garden?" Rima asked, glancing up at him. Nagihiko turned toward the clock.

"We should probably head out now, since it takes like ten minutes on foot to get there," Nagihiko suggested. Rima nodded, following him to the front of his house. He went into his kitchen drawer and pulled out two breakfast bars, tossing one to Rima.

"Baaya-San, can you tell my mother we are heading out?" Nagihiko asked. "We are seeing some friends."

"Alright, I will inform your mother," Baaya promised. "I know she wanted you home by two to practice your routine." Nagihiko nodded, leading Rima out the door, and locking it behind him. He handed her the breakfast bar.

"You can eat it, but try to move quickly," Nagihiko suggested. Rima nodded, opening the wrapper and tossing it into a public trash can.

"We both know I'm incapable of going fast," Rima murmured. A small smile formed on his face, as he took her hand. She looked at him surprised.

"Gotcha." He winked at her, prompting her to turn away from him not without him catching glimpse of her blush. Faintly, he could hear his charas snickering. He also heard Kusu-Kusu's iconic giggle softly, making him wonder if Rima endures the same sort of teasing about him. This thought made him smile.

"Nagi." He glanced up, noticing Rima pause for a moment. She was pointing at a sign, providing information about those with charas.

"They're really trying to everyone with charas," Nagihiko muttered. "We have to really be careful. No wonder Tadase's calling a meeting." Still gripping her hand, he led her fairly quickly to the Seiyo grounds and to the Royal Garden.

**Call Me Crazy**

"OMIGOSH RIMA-TAN YOU'RE OKAY!" Yaya shouted, running to greet and hug her. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Nagihiko and Rima quickly removed each other's hands before Yaya tackled/hugged Rima, sending them both flying to the ground.

"Y-Yaya!" Rima gasped, hitting the ground.

"Yaya-Chan, do you not believe that being gentle is a wise idea? It is evident that Rima-San has endured quite a lot in the past few days, and-"

"I'm fine Kairi, thanks though," Rima admitted, sitting up and frowning slightly at Yaya. "It's nice to see you too, when you aren't tackling me to the ground." Yaya grinned sheepishly, and sat in her seat.

"I didn't know that you were found," Utau pointed out.

"I kind of tried to tell you when you were going on a rant about…you know…" Kukai explained. Ikuto lowered his eyes.

"Well, regardless, it's great to see you Mashiro-San," Tadase told her, a small smile formed on his face. "We were quite concerned about you."

"Yeah… thanks. So, everyone else is okay, besides Amu?" Rima asked. Tadase's smile faded, but bleakly nodded.

"That's actually, well obviously, why I called the meeting," Tadase admitted. "After doing some more research, I found out where this asylum is that they took Amu-Chan to."

"Where is it?" Ikuto demanded, his arms crossed as he leaned against the walls of the Royal Garden. Kukai exchanged a quick glance with Utau who merely smiled.

"It's located in the Philippines, which fortunately is not too far," Tadase explained. "I did some additional research, and unfortunately, the flight prices are quite expensive."

"That's not a problem, Nagihiko's rich."

"My mother would probably not let me use the money," Nagihiko admitted.

"Does your mother let you do anything?" Rima wondered, an eyebrow raised. Nagihiko sighed, and shook his head.

"In this case though it's not even just my mother; how any of you convince your parents to go to the Philippines and infiltrate a government building to save a friend? Look, I'm as worried as any of you about Amu. She's one of my best friends too. However, money and permission are two things you really need here and probably won't get."

"Utau and I can go," Ikuto pointed out. "Our parents… are not quite around."

"Me too," Rima agreed. "They don't really care about me anyway. They called these people to try to bring me to this asylum and I ran away, so they wouldn't care."

"Rima-Chan, there's no way you are going," Nagihiko told her. She turned to him, a slight scowl.

"Why not?!"

"They're looking for you, Rima," Nagihiko pointed out. "If you go, they'll just take you in. It's risky for any of us, especially you." Rima sighed, frowning a bit. Nagihiko offered her a small smile, to which she replied with a blush and a brisk turn of her face.

"I concur with Fujisaki-Kun- it does seem awfully perilous to simply infiltrate considering that we are also being searched for," Kairi agreed.

"So now what?" Yaya whined, placing her feet on the center table. "We have to save Amu-Chi, but it's dangerous, sooooo…"

"Well, what if more of us manage to get permission? My mom will probably let me if Utau's going and I bend the truth a bit," Kukai admitted, grinning.

"Still, we can't just charge there without a definitive plan," Nagihiko pointed out.

"I just want to save her." Ikuto clenched his fists. "It's been two weeks. We need to do something soon. She's suffering. Perhaps it is reckless," he looked at Utau as he said that, "but we don't have a choice. Strategy is better, but Amu is going through a lot right now, and we need to save her."

"I know, but-"

"Nagihiko, it's different when you're in love with the person captured," Tadase whispered, sighing. "If you're in love, you do crazy things. I know it's utterly insane, but we don't have a choice. I might not like to admit it, but Ikuto loves her too, and since we both love her, we both know what it's like to sacrifice everything to save just one person, one amazing person." Nagihiko glanced at the ground.

"That still doesn't resolve the money issue," Rima pointed out, her arms crossed. "I'm kind of with Nagi here, but you two are really determined and it's pointless to try to convince you otherwise, but you still don't have enough money. Tadase, would your parents really let you go?" Nagihiko smiled softly.

"If I told them Ikuto and Utau were taking me, they would be willing to trust me with them after some convincing," Tadase admitted. "But you are right- money is a serious concern."

"Money sucks!" Yaya whined. "It sucks the fun out of everything. Ugh, so Yaya's parents are giving Yaya an allowance but it's so annoying because it always disappears after the first day! Candy is so expensive..." Everyone glanced at Yaya for a moment.

"Yaya, do you know anything about a budget?" Utau wondered, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, duh, but candy is more important," Yaya whined.

"…Anyway, why don't we stay on topic," Tadase suggested. "So, we need to reach Amu-Chan and try to save her. However, we will need money to pay for the expensive tickets."

"How expensive are you talking?" Kukai wondered.

"Like, seventy dollars a person?"

"Oh, ouch."

"I still think this is a stupid plan," Rima muttered under her breath. Nagihiko gave her a small smile and nodded slowly.

"Well, are we going to discuss anything else?" Ikuto wondered. No one said anything. "I'm headed out then."

"Ikuto, wait," Utau called, grabbing her brother's sleeve. Ikuto sighed, turning to face his sister.

"What is it, Utau?" Ikuto wondered.

"Aren't you at least going to stay with your friends? Do you honestly think coping on your own is the best way to do this?"

"Well, sitting around with absolutely no ideas isn't any better," Ikuto muttered.

"I know you're upset-"

"Utau, we already had this discussion!" Ikuto snapped. "You know that you're my sister and you take top priority. I just need some time alone."

"When are you not alone?! Snap out of this Ikuto! Amu isn't dead. She'll be fine. Take Fujisaki's advice and formulate a plan before recklessly diving in to save her!"

"Maybe we should adjourn the meeting anyway," Nagihiko suggested. "It's almost two and I know my mother wanted me home by that time. Why don't we ponder at our own homes and meet up again soon?"

"That's a good idea," Tadase agreed. "I'll see you guys later." Everyone stood up and went to their respective homes, with the obvious exception of Rima to Nagihiko's house.

**Call Me Crazy**

"Well, here we are," Nagihiko told Rima, unlocking the door to his mansion. Rima followed him inside, as he shut the door behind him. He turned to face her, smiling softly. "You hungry for lunch? I know it's a bit late, so I'm sure you're starved."

"I could eat something," Rima agreed. Nagihiko handed her a premade sandwich. She thanked him, and opened it to eat it.

"Nagihiko-San," Nagihiko and Rima glanced up, facing his mother. "It's time to practice." Nagihiko nodded, turning to Rima.

"You can watch if you want, but I'm sure you'd prefer to do something more interesting."

"You sure you don't mind if I don't watch?"

"Of course I don't mind." Nagihiko smiled. "It's one less person watching and a bit less pressure." Rima smiled softly, and headed into her guest room. Nagihiko went into his room, and changed into a kimono, tying his hair up. As he opened the door, he noticed Rima sitting on her bed.

"Hey, Rima?" She glanced up. "You can hang out in my room if you want. I don't really have anything personal in there, so feel free to do whatever you want. I have an iPad with some apps on it, but I'd prefer you didn't download anything else."

"Alright… Thanks." Rima smiled. Nagihiko smiled back at her, before heading to the stage area. He lifted a fan and proceeded to standing on the stage, clutching a fan firmly in his hand. He curtsied to the audience, which consisted of his mother, Baaya, and his charas unbeknownst to them. He began his dance routine, performing it with diligence and elegance as he had been taught. He closed his eyes and relaxed. When he first learned the routine, he was told to think of something that evoked happiness and serenity as he danced. Normally, he thought of an early memory he shared with his father when he was three before he left, but now, only one image came to his mind. He only could think of that petite blonde that was currently doing who knew what on his iPad, her long blonde curls, her incessant teasing that he secretly enjoyed, her cute smile, her sweet personality, her sarcastic remarks, her-

A knock on the Fujisaki Manor interrupted Nagihiko's routine. He opened his eyes, ceasing in mid-step as he glanced at the front door. Baaya proceeded to open the door. Outside, there were a group of men with a large truck outside. Nagihiko raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"Fujisaki residence, how may I help you?" Baaya asked politely.

"Yes, hello. We are from Luminous Corporation, a group devoted to curing people with a strange case of schizophrenia where the infected report seeing strange fairy-like ideas they call charas. Just a half an hour ago, someone who has this illness that we have been searching for was discovered walking to this address. Does someone named Rima Mashiro inhabit this address?"

Muahaha, it's our first cliffhanger, and it's one I've been planning for a while. The next chapter is going to provide a turn in the story, and I think you all will enjoy it. As mentioned before, I am on winter break, and since I have much more free time, I will attempt to not leave you guys hanging for too long. However, I will be more inspired if you guys review. Please review! It may be a small review or just a little note, but if you read this, I would really appreciate it if you dropped a small little note. It actually motivates me. So more reviews, faster update! In case I don't update beforehand (chances are I won't), have a Merry Christmas and the best Christmas present to me would be a review on this story and if you feel generous a review on my other story Alluring Nightmare (and Betrayal while we're at it). Spread the Christmas joy! XD.