Hi guys! I'm back with the next chapter! There's a lot of POV switching in this chapter and I'm sorry if it confuses anyone but I really feel it's necessary. Also, I'm sorry about any disappointments, but Diamond is just Dia, as in Amu's Shugo Chara that Dia, she's not a new character, sorry to disappoint. But on the bright side if you guys are looking for a new villain, he will be making a debut soon! So stay tuned!

Chapter 7: The Mansion

Amu's POV

"Diamond."

I clenched my fists and breathed in deeply, trying to calm my temper to keep myself from crushing the tiny mobile device.

"Hello Amu," she greeted civilly, almost pleasantly, but I wasn't buying it.

"What do you want?" I all but growled through the phone.

Diamond, or Dia as she was more commonly known as, was one of the four Universal Keepers whom took care of the Earth an its inhabitants. She ruled along with Ran, Miki and Suu. They were my creators, my mentors. They were my friends, up until a few centuries ago at least.

"Amu, you know what you did, please, come over here now," Dia said softly.

Red spots danced before my eyes as anger clouded my vision, "I didn't do anything," I hissed.

I heard Dia inhale to respond but was interrupted ruffling on the other end as someone else grabbed the phone from her.

"Hinamori Amu, I'm warning you, you better get your butt down here right now or so god help me I will-" Miki's threat was, however, cut off by another scuffle for the phone as now Suu got a hold of it.

"Amu-chan, please just come down here, we just want to talk to you desu," she pleaded.

Even though I really, really wanted to; I knew I couldn't disobey them; the threat of harming my friends still loomed over my head.

"Fine," I snapped and hung up on them.

Sighing, I rubbed my temples as I stood up. I still felt like crap as nausea washed over me, my head spun and my legs wobbled dangerously but I ignored it, choosing to lean against the wall for support for awhile instead of lying back down.

After I finally managed to suppress the nausea, I bit back the pain and aches in my body, spreading my wings and taking off.

Ikuto's POV

"What do you mean 'she's missing'?" I demanded, and, without thinking about what I was doing, I picked Nagihiko up by the collar and shook him harshly.

"Ikuto! Calm down!" Nagihiko yelled, snapping me out from my angry haze and I immediately let go of him.

"Sorry, I'm just…not myself," I apologized.

What the hell did I just do? Nagihiko had been my friend for the longest time. He had always helped me and here I was letting my anger and worry getting the best of me and using him as a venting outlet.

"It's okay," Nagihiko said, his eyes softening at my obvious distraught, but I wasn't comforted.

There was something very wrong with me right now. I never acted like this. I was always calm and collected, I've never been this worked up over anything before. But yet here I was, all messed up as worry coursed through my veins. Unexplained worry nonetheless. All for a girl I barely knew and who hated me.

Once again questions filled my head but I had no answers for them, and this just contributed to my frustration.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to calm down my racing pulse.

Sighing, Nagihiko replied, "Rima-chan was checking in to see if Amu was awake but when she came in to look for her, she was gone. And, of course, she panicked and searched the whole house for her, but she wasn't around. She alerted everyone else and they're out searching for her now, I only stayed back to make sure you knew what was going on," Nagihiko informed me patiently.

"Shit," I cursed, running a hand through my hair. A nervous habit I never managed to kick.

"I'm sorry Ikuto. But we know she's not in danger, not physically at least, the girls didn't sense anything wrong," Nagihiko said comfortingly, but I wasn't even listening to him.

Amu was missing. And that was all I could even think about. Nagihiko's words seemed like nothing but a faint hum in the background to me.

"I'm gonna go out and look for her," I said, and without waiting for a reply, I flew off.

Amu's POV

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, pissed off after two hours of arguing back and forth with no progress in the conversation what so ever.

Ran, Miki, Suu and Dia all glared at me, "We want you to fix this, and you knew you were never suppose to establish contact between Tsukiyomi-san and the rest of the group ever again."

I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation for the umpteenth time, "Do you think I planned for us to meet? You know I would never, ever, put any of my friend's life at risk. So tell me, why would I seek him out knowing it'll only end badly for him, for all of us?" I snapped.

Miki looked at me coldly, "You are to leave him by within two weeks time. Within these two weeks you are to fix what you did. Wipe everyone's memories again, make sure it looks like you never attended Seiyo High," she said, completely ignoring what I had just said.

I opened my mouth to protest but Ran cut me off, "Two weeks Amu, it's more than generous. No negotiations,"

"Also," Suu added, "We'll be sending someone over to make sure you stick to your deadline desu."

I clenched my fists, my whole body was shaking with anger but I tried to calm myself down, "And who exactly will you be sending over to babysit me?" I spat out.

Dia pursed her lips, "We will send for him immediately and he should arrive by tonight, at the latest. As for his identity," she paused for a second, "You will find out soon enough."

I glared at her hatefully but knew I couldn't disobey them if I wanted to protect my friends, "As you wish my lady," I said as I bowed stiffly before turning around and stomping out of the room.

When I was a good distance away, I flew up high into the clouds and let out and ear piecing scream, venting all my frustration and anger.

I hate them! They ruined my life! I was in love! I'd been happy! Then they stepped in and ruined it. And what's more, it wasn't just my happiness they had to take; they took Rima's, Utau's, Yaya's, Nagi's, Kukai's, Kairi's…and Ikuto's. They ruined our lives; they took everything away from us without even batting an eye.

I breathed in deeply as I blinked back tears that were forming in my eyes.

Closing my eyes, I willed myself away, casting a spell to teleport me…to teleport me back home.

Ikuto's POV

I flew around blindly, following the same feeling that had guided me to Amu in the alley. I tried my best to use it as a guide but it was much fainter this time, like a distance sound.

Personally, I didn't know whether to be relieved or frustrated, I knew I should be happy in a way because meant she wasn't in any imminent danger but that also meant I would have a harder time finding her.

"Amu," I whispered to no one in particular, "Where are you?"

Amu's POV

I smiled forlornly as my fingers brushed against the dust caked shelves of the mansion. The place was so huge, but it had never felt so back then. The mansion had always felt safe and secure. It had been home. But now, it just felt cold and empty.

But I guess it wasn't all bad, some traces and ghosts of that feeling still lingered around in the form of time worn ornaments that lined the shelves and yellow faded pictures littered every inch of the house; photos of me and the gang, laughing and smiling, having fun.

Tears pooled in my eyes as I picked up a particular photo. In the said picture, Ikuto had his arm slung around me as he kissed my forehead, I, of course, was completely indignant and blushing redder than a tomato as I squirmed from his touch. I chuckled a little at the irony; I would give anything to be back in his arms again.

I managed a small, watery smile before setting the photo back down on the mantelpiece. I hadn't been here in such a long time.

I looked around sadly; no one had been in here for such a long time.

This place…it use to be our home. The six of us, we were a family, we used to live together here, we used to have so much fun back then. Back when it had all been so much simpler, so much easier, and so much more innocent.

I picked up a photo of the six of us, Kukai, Yaya and I were smiling goofily at the camera while Ikuto and Utau both gave a smirk and Nagi and Rima were both laughing at something.

Brushing my fingers gently across each of their faces lovingly, I let the tears stream shamelessly down my face, "I'm so sorry everyone, I'm so, so sorry," I whispered.

Ikuto's POV

I'd been flying around for more than two hours now, I could feel my energy draining but I refused to stop, Amu was out there somewhere and I wasn't going to rest until I knew she was safe.

I was about to turn around and start my search in another area when my phone began ringing.

"Hello?"

"Ikuto, we found her," Kairi said and I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the good news.

"Is she okay?" I asked immediately, "Is she hurt?"

"No. No. She's fine," he reassured me but I could sense the hesitation in his tone.

"But?" I probed a little annoyed.

There was another second of hesitation before he sighed, "She's not alone."

Amu's POV

I brushed away the last of my tears as I placed the photo back in its place. Looking around the mansion again, a weird feeling fluttered through me, a sort of hysteria. How could I let the place that had been so dear to me, so dear to all of us, rot away like this?

Before I knew what I was doing, I was down on all fours, a bucket of soapy water next to me and a scrub in my hand as I worked at the stained floors, trying to clear up every spot of dirt.

I didn't really know what I was doing and why I wasn't using magic instead, all I knew was that I had to get this place clean. I had to clean everything. I had to fix everything. This was all my fault. It was all my fault.

Tears started to mix with the soap water but I didn't bother to brush them away as I continued to scrub at the floor, maybe if I cleaned this place up everything would be okay again. We could be okay again. I just had to clean this place up. Yeah...I just had to clean it all up and everything will go back to the way it was. Everything will be okay again. I just have to clean it up. I just have to clean it up...

I don't know how long I spent kneeling on the floor and scrubbing but I was drawn out of my hysteria by a soft hand gently taking mine, stopping me from scrubbing anymore.

"Amu-chan?"