I AM SO SORRY!!! Let's see, school started, so that jabbed my chances of updating. I'm a junior now, so that brings a lot of things. Scholarships, grades, work. There isn't time for me anymore. I'm going to go ahead and skip the stupid stuff, let's get down to business.

Chapter 38: The Return

Utau resented Scott. He treated her like a little kid, she wanted to be treated like an adult. It's been two days since they called Yuki, and she was outraged. It turned out that Yuki didn't know about Amu's capture, and so Utau didn't expect her reaction. She doesn't whether her brother was coming, it wouldn't be a surprise if he did. Scott was twenty-two years old. He didn't go to college, but he was well known for his music in America, he was in a band. Utau didn't know why he would go all the way to Japan for Yuki, did he like her? Did he love her? Utau approached the topic casually.

"You don't seem like the type to do what someone else says." Utau said. They were at the park. Ever since the encounter with Amu two days ago, Scott and Utau some how joined as a team. Utau saw him as a fellow fighter, he saw her as an annoying little girl. Scott turned to her in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"Why did you come here, couldn't Yuki come herself?" Utau said as she stood up from a bench. Scott leaned back and stared at the sky. Zeke and Ii were teasing poor El not far off. Scott placed his hands over his head.

"I'm sure dad wouldn't let her…" He replied. Utau blanched at what he said. She stared at him in shock.

"What? Dad? You mean your dad, or her dad?" Utau asked. Scott shrugged.

"Our dad." He responded. Utau tried to think if Yuki ever said anything about having an older brother. She couldn't recall anything.

"You guys are…brother and sister?" Utau asked. Yuki never told her, but they didn't look alike at all. Utau stared at him and he sighed.

"It was six years ago. When she moved back to America with her family, our mom worked as a volunteer in a foster home. I was sixteen and my parents didn't give a damn about me. I guess you could say that she developed a motherly feeling for me or something. My biological parents agreed to hand me over and so I was adopted." He explained. So they weren't related by blood, just by law.

"So you guys are close?" Utau couldn't help to ask.

"I see her as my little sister, both me and Ikuto do." He said. Utau sat back down.

"So Ikuto had lived with you guys before?" She asked. Scott nodded. El came floating back to Utau and hid behind her as Ii and Zeke roared with laughter.

"Yeah, he lived with us for a short time. He then went to college and started to perform music. After a few years he started traveling the world." Scott said.

"Yeah, he told me about that." Utau said. They both sat in silence for a few moments and Utau was digging into her mind trying to find what else to say. Nothing came to her. Yuki had told them that she would arrive in a few hours. Utau stood up in a flash. Scott stared at her in confusion.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I need to inform the others about Yuki's arrival." She told him; Scott followed.

"EEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!" Yaya yelled with joyful emotion. Many of them sweat dropped as people turned their direction. They were at the mall in the food court, Utau had called the former Guardians. She had just told them that Yuki was arriving and that she could help with the captured children.

"She's won't stand a chance, Amu couldn't even purify them." Rima said. Scott gave a huge yawn that disrupted the conversation. Utau jabbed him in his side with her elbow. He gave a grunt and pulled one of her pigtails in response. This time Utau punched him in the stomach. Tadase cleared his throat and Utau blushed with embarrassment. She glared at Scott before she turned to the group.

"When Yuki purifies, she does it differently than Amu." Utau said. Kukai frowned.

"I don't understand."

"Yuki purifies a person by giving them a trait." Scott spoke up. They all turned to him. Scott sat up straight. "Think about this, a child has their heart sealed right?" He said. They all nodded.

"Yes, we know about that." Nagihiko said.

"Well, Amu could purify X-eggs. X-eggs or X-charas come from somebody who feel like they are not good enough; like a part of them is shut. Amu never went against someone who had their whole heart sealed. A child with a sealed heart has no traits or emotions, except for one." Scott explained to them.

"That emotion is hate." Tadase said frowning. Scott nodded.

"Well, if Yuki gives a trait, a small characteristic of some sort…" Scott said.

"That might lead to a series of emotions and reactions. It just might work…" Rima said. For once in a long time they had hope, they had hope. Scott took a look at his watch and then turned to all of them.

"Yuki is almost here, I think we should meet her at the airport. Care to join us?" He asked them. They all stood up at once. Scott lead them out of the mall. Yaya pulled Utau back slightly. She had the childish grin on her face.

"What?" Utau asked a little irritated. Yaya gave a giggle.

"Isn't Scott a little cute?" She asked smiling. A tinge of annoyance sparked up deep from Utau's chest. She slightly glared at Yaya who continued to smile her dumb little smile. "I'm sure if me and Kukai weren't together, I would have defiantly gone after him." Yaya skipped to Kukai's side after she said that, leaving Utau thinking murderous thoughts.

They arrived an hour early to the airport. Utau hid behind a pair of sunglasses and a hat. The airport was pretty packed, and she didn't want to draw attention. The group sat in the chairs waiting for the plane. Yaya was complaining on how boring it was and so started jumping around. Scott didn't take his eyes off Yaya and Utau couldn't help feeling bothered.

"What are you staring at?" Utau asked a little too harshly. Scott smirked as he turned away from her.

"I was just thinking how bad she is compared to you. I've never met a girl so annoying." He said. Utau then pretended to ignore him. Rima was reading a magazine and Kukai and Nagihiko were talking about something. Tadase had his hand on his chin and stared longingly at the large windows. He was drawing a lot of attention from the young females around them. Utau heaved a sigh as she fidgeted.

"Patience is a virtue…" Scott said.

"Shut up!" Utau snapped. And that's how it went. Time passed slowly, but suddenly everyone snapped out of their reverie. Yaya was jumping up and down in excitement as she pointed out the large window.

"Look! That's her plane!" She cried. It was, Yuki had arrived. They all raced to the right terminal and arrived in time to see people walking out. They couldn't see her anywhere, there were too many people. Utau was starting to get frustrated when she couldn't spot out Yuki. Utau almost that Yuki didn't come, but then he saw her. Utau wouldn't have been able to recognize her if it wasn't for those crystal blue eyes she knew too well. Yuki had changed a lot. Their Yuki who left looked cute and kind. This Yuki had nothing cute to her at all. She looked more rebellious, more mean. Yuki had these skater shoes on and had baggy pants as well. She had on a large belt and had a black small shirt. Her hair was pulled up in two pigtails, but they weren't long, Utau was sure that Yuki trimmed her hair. It didn't matter how much Yuki changed, she still looked beautiful like always. Right behind her was her brother, Ikuto. Ikuto was a man, he grew a little and his hair was longer, but his midnight blue eyes still shone mischievously. He looked different, like he was determined for something.

"YUKI!!!" Yaya screamed at the top of her lungs. Ignoring everyone's stares, Yuki and Ikuto made there way to the group. Yuki's cold eyes flashed with warmth as she approached her old friends. She was sparkling and Utau was so distracted by her that she didn't notice Ikuto grabbing her so suddenly. Utau was caught in a bear hug and so she immediately started thrashing about.

"Will you let go of me!" Utau yelled. Utau pulled free and that's when Yuki threw her arms around Utau's neck.

"I'm glad to see you." Yuki said. She let go and Yuki was surrounded by the whole group. It was a glorious reunion and everyone was happy. Yuki was no longer a young twelve year old girl, she was a young woman of eighteen, full of life and bravery.

"You haven't changed!" Yuki laughed as she playfully punched Kukai on the shoulder. He grinned.

"Yeah, but I see you have." He said eyeing her. Yuki placed her hands on her hips and frowned, giving us a preview of her new personality.

"I won't be easily pushed around anymore." She said, then after a few moments she broke into a beautiful smile again. Anokoku, Rin, and Mai popped out from a bag she was carrying. Rin was hidden by her cloak, but Mai flashed a friendly smile. Anokoku on the other hand went to Ii and Zeke, with Yoru tagging alongside her. Utau noticed how Yuki and Tadase avoided each other. They smiled at each other, but they never really got through that invisible wall that separated them.

"Scotty!" Yuki cried jumping into his arms. Scott rolled his eyes as she squeezed him with a hug.

"Yeah, yeah." He said smirking. They went and retrieved Yuki's and Ikuto's luggage and headed out. Ikuto, Yuki, Scott, and Yaya hitched a ride in Utau's car while everyone else went with Kukai. Yuki was in deep thought because she was wordlessly watching the scenery go by. Scott was the one her spoke to her.

"Do you know how to deal with the situation?" He asked her. Yuki turned around and looked at Yaya, Ikuto and Scott who were sitting in the back.

"I'm not too sure…is it really that bad?" She asked. Utau caught her glancing at Ikuto with apprehensive eyes. Ikuto too was in deep thought, his eyes watching the buildings but really seeing.

"We didn't stand a chance on them. They are really strong. It's been worse since Amu was captured. I'm pretty sure she could kill us if she's given the chance." Yaya said. Yuki glanced at Ikuto again and this time his eyes were closed. Utau heaved a sigh.

"If you can't bring them back, then all is lost…" Utau said. They were silent for a moment.

"We won't fail." Ikuto said suddenly. Yuki nodded as she pulled out a picture of her and Amu when they were young.

"That's a promise."

End Part Four: Utau, Starting Over

Coming up, Part Five: Yuki, My Would Be Self