Amu's POV

"Yo, Amu, you sure you're alright closing up?" Ryou shouted across the cafe.

"Ryou, stop worrying, I'll be fine. I've just gotta finish washing up and I'll be out of here."

"But are you sure you'll be alright getting home? What if something happens?" I sighed, irritated.

"Ryou, what could happen? My car is sat right outside. Do you really expect me to get attacked in the three steps from the cafe to my car?" he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, I guess so...but still..."

"Ryou! Just get out of here already! I'll be fine."

"Alright, alright, I'm going! See you tomorrow Amu-chan!" I gave him a quick smile and waved him goodbye. I watched as he walked out the door and out of sight. I let out a long sigh. Ryou had always been overprotective of me, he worried constantly. I knew he meant well but it could get pretty annoying.

I glanced at the clock. 5:59pm. I promised Ikuto I would be back by 6:30, so I had plenty of time. I finished cleaning and grabbed my stuff out of the staff room. I walked out and locked the cafe doors. I looked at my watch. 6:20pm. I took a step towards my car, but soon felt a pair of arms wrap around me. Hand covered my mouth as they tried to drag me backwards. I struggled to get out of their grip. The hand slipped slightly, and I managed to let out a strangled scream. Next thing I knew a cloth was being pressed to my mouth and everything was becoming hazy. The keys slipped from my grip as I was swallowed by darkness.

Ikuto's POV

I sat on the couch, waiting for Amu to come back. It was 6:30 so she'd be back any minute. I looked over at the charas. The green one, Suu, was busy making food, while the little pink one, Ran was it? Was cheering her on. I looked over at Yoru. He was floating behind the blue one, Mikki, hugging her while she was sketching something. I then turned my attention to the yellow one, dia. She was floating near the window, staring out into the night, her eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought. I stared at her for a few more minutes and she seemed to notice. She turned towards me and put on a huge smile. I could tell it was fake.

"Was there something you wanted Ikuto?" she asked me sweetly. I shook my head and glanced at the clock again, while she imitated me. 6:47. she was late. I glanced back at the yellow chara, noticing the worried look o her face. A feeling of dread filled me. Why am I so worried? Knowing Amu, she probably just lost track of time. I pushed my worries to the back of my mind and turned my attention to the TV. Dia went back to staring out of the window, her face bearing the same solemn expression as before. I tried to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of my mind, but couldn't help but glance at the clock every few minutes.

.x-X-x.

8:36. Okay, now I was getting worried. And I wasn't the only one. Mikki and Yoru had now joined Dia, and they were all staring out of the window, searching for any sign of Amu. The other two, however, remained oblivious. I started pacing and ran a hand through my hair. I'd already tried her phone but it was turned off. Where the hell is she? She was supposed to be back two hours ago. I walked over to phone and picked up the book next to it. I flicked through the pages searching for a certain name. Found it. I picked up the phone and dialled the number. After a few rings, they picked up.

"Hello?"

"Ryou it's Ikuto."

"Ikuto?! What would you be calling me about?" o could tell he was surprised. Why wouldn't he be?

"You were meant to close up with Amu today weren't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Do you know where she went after you guys left?"

"Well actually, I ended up leaving early, I offered to stay, but she said she was fine. Why? Has something happened?" I could hear the worry in his voice.

"Shit."

"Ikuto?"

"Amu's not back yet. She was meant to be back over two hours ago."

"Shit! I'll call Hikari and Mizuki; see if they've seen her. Meet me at the cafe in ten minutes, she might still be there."

"Okay."

"Oh, and have you tried her phone?"

"Yeah, it's turned off."

"shit. Alright, I'll see you in ten."

I hung up and turned to face the charas all five were now looking at me, worry and fear evident on their faces. I could tell they'd heard the exchange between me and Ryou.

"Yoru, you come with me. The rest of you stay her in case she comes back. I've got my phone with me, so if you hear from her, call me." The pink and green ones nodded.

"I'm coming too." I turned to face dia. "I've known something was wrong all day, but I didn't know what it was. I want to help find Amu-chan."

"Yeah, Ikuto, I'm coming too." Piped in Mikki. I let out a sigh.

"Fine, I haven't got time for arguments. But you two," I pointed to Ran and Suu. "Stay here." They both nodded while Yoru Mikki and Dia floated over to my shoulder. I chara changed with Yoru and jumped out the window. I was at the cafe in minutes.

I knew something was wrong immediately. The lights of the cafe were off, but Amu's car was still parked outside.

"Ikuto!" I turned to find Ryou, Mizuki and Hikari pelting towards me. They stopped in front of me to catch their breath. Hikari was the first to speak. "Have you heard from her yet?" I shook my head.

"From the looks of it, she's not in the café, but her car's still here." I said.

"Shit. I knew I shouldn't have left her!" shouted Ryou.

"Me and Hikari will go check inside, in case she dosed of out back or something. You two, see if you can find any clue to where she might have gone out here." We nodded and the girls unlocked the café and headed inside. I scanned the floor for anything that might give me an indication of what had happened, while Ryou went to examine the car. I was about to give up when something caught my eye. I hurried forward and snatched something off the floor. Ryou rushed over at my sudden movement, and was looking over my shoulder. I opened my hand, revealing a set of keys, with a strawberry keychain attached to them. Both our eyes widened.

"t-those....those are....Amu's....keys" stuttered Ryou. The girls came back out a few seconds later.

"She's not there. Any sign of anything out here?" asked Hikari. I lifted my hand and let the keys dangle from my finger. Simultaneously, their eyes widened and their hands rose to their mouths.

We stood in silence, not know what to do next. That is, until my phone went off. I answered it quickly, praying that it was Amu. It wasn't.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto, how are you?"

"Who is this? And what the hell do you want? I don't have time for this." I snapped.

"Ah, yes, of course you don't know who I am. I am the director of Takahashi Music, my name is Takahashi Naoto." I didn't have time for this, and I was about to hang up, but he caught my attention.

"I believe I may have something you're looking for." I froze. Was he talking about....?

"Amu is it?" my eyes widened.

"What the hell have you done to her? I swear if you lay one finger on her, I'll kill you."

"Now, now Ikuto. She's fine, for now. You may want to come quick though, otherwise, who knows what could happen to her." He hung up. I gritted my teeth and shut my phone. The others were all looking at me, fear evident in their eyes.

"I-Ikuto-kun...w-who was that? Do...do they have A-Amu?" stuttered Mizuki, tears brimming in her eyes. I nodded slowly. She gasped. "Wh-what are we g-gonna do?"

"I'm going to get her back." I replied simply. I didn't give them a chance to answer back, because I sprinted off around the corner, and chara changed with Yoru, jumping from building to building.

"Ikuto, where are we going ~nya?"

"To the Takahashi building."