Cuxie: A warm welcome chickadees! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter.^^

Ami: Um, I didn't.

Cuxie: I was talking to the reviewies! Ya know, the people who matter.

Ami: T-T

Amu: Don't say she doesn't matter!

Cuxie: I didn't! ...I just implied it.

Amu: Don't worry, Ami. She wouldn't be doing a story about you if she didn't like you.

Cuxie: Actually, I've always found Ami to be annoying.

Ami: TT^TT

Cuxie: Which does beg the question of why I bother to write about her...

Amu: L-Let's just start the chapter before you can reevaluate that idea...

Cuxie: (Shrugs) Ce roll!

My heart was pounding as I tried to think up a plausible excuse to jet out of there. We were getting close to the front of the line. Ahead of us, I could see Yamabuki-san was getting her CD signed. I saw her bow deeply and shake my sister's hand vigorously. When she turned around her CD was clasped tight to her chest, and she was grinning widely. Along with the baseball cap, she also had on a long dark blue hooded jacket and dark sunglasses. It was almost as if she were in disguise.

"Yamabuki-san?" I said aloud, just because I wasn't sure if it was her. The wide smile and nondescript clothes made me think twice.

I don't know if she heard me or just saw me, but as soon as she laid eyes on me her smile dropped and she gasped sharply. Her head swiveled around quickly, surveying the surrounding area, before she mad a quick dash for the exit.

"Wow..." Aoi-chan murmed next to me. My face burned shamely. Is Yamabuki-san really going to hate me forever?

"Ami-chan!" Daisy returned to my side just as quickly as she had left. "Aren't you going to come say hi to Amu-chan?"

I couldn't talk to her in public, so I just shook my head stiffly.

"Eh?" She looked perplexed, thin eyebrows knitted over large pink orbs. "Why not? Why not?"

I huffed loudly, trying to get my point across wordlessly. Daisy isn't all that perceptive.

"What's wrong?" Aoi-chan asked, wondering why I was suddenly so agitated.

"Oh, um, nothing."

Daisy pulled on one of my braids. "Ami-chaaaaaan!"

Irritated, I swatted at her quickly, knocking her back a few paces. When she regained her balance she looked at me with angry tears in her eyes. "Meanie!" I thought she'd go back to Amu, but instead she took off in the other direction, flying straight out the door over the heads of dozens of girls.

"Ah, wait!"

"Wait for what?" Aoi-chan asks, confused.

"Ah, um..." In the time it took me to glance at Aoi-chan and back again, Daisy had disappeared. "Aoi-chan, I have to, um, uh..."

"I understand."

"What?"

She glanced over at my sister inconspicuously. "I get it. It's okay. I'll think of something to tell Lanna-chan."

Grateful tears sprang to my eyes. "T-Thank you."

"Are you still coming with us to lunch?"

"Yeah, sure." If I can find Daisy by then... I didn't waste another second getting out of there. There wasn't much time to find Daisy. I didn't even know what direction she had gone in. Stay calm! First, check all the places Daisy has been to. I started to retrace all the routes I'd taken through town since Daisy had hatched. It was hard remembering every single place I'd been to with her. I'd gotten as far as the dress shop where I'd met Lanna-chan when I ran out of ideas. What if she didn't go to a place I've been to? What if she's lost and can't find her way back?

I stopped at the crosswalk to the park. Worst case senarios were running through my head. What if I never see Daisy again? I had never asked for a chara, but if something happened to her because of me I'd never forgive myself. I started to feel sick. My vision began to go fuzzy around the edges...

"Why are you crying?"

Blinking, I realized tears were blurring my vision. Absently, I touched one, then looked at the bead of water on my fingertip.

"Hey? Are you deaf or something?"

"Akio, don't be so rude." I felt a soft weight settle on my shoulder. "What's wrong, Ami-chan?" My head turned quickly, thinking it might be Daisy. Instead, it was a boy chara with short black hair, silvery eyes, and a Chinese style Kung-fu shirt.

I sniffled. "...Hiro?"

He smiled and wiped one of my tears away.

"Well, I guess I'm just invisible." Inokuma-senpai stood beside me, his hands shoved carelessly into his pockets and his usual annoyed expression in place. "What's your problem?"

I wasn't sure if I should tell him. Afterall, my whole position as a Guardian, whether or not I decided to keep it, relied on me having a chara. What would Inokuma-senpai do if he found out I lost her?

Then again... I thought, if I don't find Daisy I don't have much of a future as a Guardian anyway.

"Well?"

"...I...I can't find Daisy."

Senpai didn't have much of a reaction. "Hn. Figures."

I felt more tears gushing down.

"Oh, Ami-chan..." Hiro patted my cheek consolingly.

"W-What if I d-don't find her?" I could barely get the words out. I hid my face in my hands.

"H-Hey..." Inokuma-senpai said uncertainly. "Can you not do that here? People are staring and it's not, uh...geez. C'mon." He took my wrist and started pulling me down the street. "If I help you find her will you stop the waterworks?"

Wiping at my face, I looked up at him. "...R-Really? You'll help me look for her?"

"Of course we will," Hiro answered. "Charas can sense the presence of other charas you know. I'll find her in no time."

"Really?" I stopped walking. "Can you sense anything now?" I waited while Hiro closed his eyes and focused. When he opened them, they were wide and worried.

He hesitated. "I...I sense something...It's not Daisy though."

"What is it?" Inokuma-senpai asked.

"It's an X-egg."

I gasped. "What? Where?" But even as I asked, I could see it coming from the treetops. Somehow, I knew it was that same topsy-turvy X-egg that's been evading me for days now. "What do we do?"

"We don't do anything. I'm going to destroy it. You are going to stay here and out of the way." Inokuma-senpai gave me a stern look.

"'D-Destroy it'...?" But didn't Seo-san tell me that X-eggs were dreams gone bad? If he destroys it... "You can't!"

He ignored me and reached for Hiro. "Ready?"

"Chara Change!"

In a bright flash of silver sparkles, two gleaming silver dagger-like things appeared in his hands. He brandished them like an expert. The X-egg, if possible, looked frightened. Senpai jumped at it, and the egg dodged around dizzily. "Wait! Senpai, please stop!" I chased after him. He can't break the egg! He's a Guardian! We're supposed to save dreams, not crush them! "Senpai!"

He glanced back at me briefly. "Stay back Hinamori!" he growled. In the split second that he was distracted, the X-egg took advantage and zipped around him...

...and came straight at me.

"Hinamori, look out!"

I flinched, preparing for another smack in the head. It didn't come.

"Spiral Heart!"

I jolted at the familiar voice. Could it be... "Onee-chan?"

My sister stood in front of me, shielding me from the X-egg's power. She was clad in pink cheerleading attire that I had never in my life seen her wear. In her hand was a rod with pink crystal hearts on either end. A weapon, maybe? The X-egg in front of her was frozen in a cloud of pink dusted. "Negative Heart: LOCK ON!" She proceeded to thrust out her hands in a serious of complicated signs and signals. "Open Heart!"

I covered my face again as a powerful gust of wind shot forward. My sister was emmitting some sort of strange power. Half-blinded by the colors and lights, I barely saw the egg transform from black to pure white. For a second it lingered before shooting off into the sky.

"Where'd it go?" I wondered aloud.

My sister turned to me with a smile. "Back to it's owner. It'll know how to find them."

"So...it's not an X-egg anymore? It's back to normal?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wow..." I stared at the sky even though the egg was long gone. Then I snapped to. "Wah! O-O-Onee-chan! Wh-What are you doing here?"

She blinked at me. As she did so, her elaborate outfit shimmered away back to what she'd been wearing at the signing. She crossed her arms behind her head in a carefree manner. "Well, I saw you run out of the music store and figured something was up. Then Ran picked up an X-egg prescence."

"We were almost too late!" The little pink chara exclaimed.

"Yeah," the blue one, Miki, added, "that egg would've beamed you right in the head."

"Just glad I got here in time," Amu murmed. She looked around, then suddenly noticed Inokuma-senpai standing a few feet from us. His weapons were gone and he was staring at Amu in awe. She walked up to him. "Hey, I'm Amu Hinamori, Ami's big sister." Onee-chan never assumes that people already know who she is. "You must be a Guardian too, right?"

Senpai nodded mutely.

"What's your name?"

His cheeks colored slightly. "A-Akio Inokuma, King's Chair." After a beat, he bowed slightly. "Thank you for handling the X-egg."

My sister laughed nervously. "No need for all that. I'm sure you guys could've taken care of it, I just haven't transformed in a while so I was kind of in the mood."

Amu's charas were buzzing around me anxiously. Finally, the green one asked me, "Where's Daisy?"

I could feel my sister turn to look at me and I lowered my head shamefully. I...I can't tell her. She's already had to save me once today. I can't let her know what a failure I am as a Guardian. After a too-long moment of silence, my sister said, "I'd better get back to the store before Utau and Sanjou-san get antsy. Ami, can you do me a favor and pick up a package for me down at the studio? I'd go myself, but the signing's running a bit late and I have somewhere to be right after. It's really important."

I was surprised. Amu didn't usually ask stuff like that of me. "Um, okay. But I don't know how to get to the studio."

Onee-chan smiled as if she'd been expecting this. "Miki will show you, ne Miki?"

"Leave it to me." The blue chara flew to my side.

"Eh? Is it okay for her to stay with me?" I didn't think charas were supposed to leave your side.

Amu laughed. "Of course! You probably don't remember, but they used to babysit you when you were little." She winked at me. Looking over at Inokuma-senpai, she said, "You guys do your best." Her eyes flickered over to me, "And let me know if you ever need anything. I'll see you at home, Miki." And with a slight wave she turned and walked away, leaving me with one of her four charas, and Senpai in a dazed sort of silence...

Cuxie: Uh-oh! I sense triangular things approaching!

Ami: "Triangular things"?

Cuxie: That's all I'm gonna say about it!

Ami: There were so many issues left unresolved! What about Daisy? What about Lanna-chan and Aoi-chan? Why am I suddenly going to a music studio?

Cuxie: It's all part of the grand-master plan! (cackles deviously)

Ami: That sounds...diabolical.

Cuxie:...You're in the fourth grade! You shouldn't know words that big! Honestly, today's youth...well, that's all folks! R&R!