A/N: Ami's uniform: http: // anime-twilightluver .deviantart .com /art/ Girl-in-uniform- 119741389

Chapter 5: Replacements

"It's just no use!" Ikuto shouted. He was looking at "borrowed" tapes from traffic cams near where Ami had been kidnapped. He had seen the van at one point, but then it was as if it disappeared.

"Don't talk like that Ikuto! There's always hope!" I grabbed his shoulder. He had been trying desperately to find where Ami had been taken. I think he thought he was responsible for the whole thing. But searching for Ami consumed him. He felt guilty too I think. So guilty that he hadn't even kissed me for days.

"Amu... stop it. This is my fault. If I had never gotten involved in Easter in the first place then—" I did something I thought I'd never do at that moment. I swung my arm back and snapped it forward.

"Smack" the sound of my hand slapping across Ikuto's cheek echoed around his room.

"Then we never would've met!" I yelled at him angrily. Grabbing my bag I stomped out the apartment. Utau looked up from her spot on the living room couch as I reached for the door.

"Amu where are you going?" she asked. I was surprised that she even cared enough to ask considering she was so obsessed over Kukai's graduation. I gave her a classic Hinamori Amu "piss off" look and slammed the door behind me as I walked out.

I stood at the corner of Main Street. My parents were surely going just as crazy over Ami as Ikuto was right now, so I didn't want to go home just yet. I suddenly turned my direction and started up the hill towards Seiyo Elementary. I took a sharp right, leading me in the direction of the high school. Seiyo used to remind me of my time with the Guardians, now it reminded me of Ami, and all the times I had to pick her up from school.

I saw the glass dome shape of the Seiyo High Guardian Clubhouse and walked inside. It was nice a cool despite its glass walls that should've worked like the walls of a greenhouse.

I turned past the sun flowers that grew in front of the entrance way and suddenly collided with someone.

"Ah!" I exclaimed as I fell backwards. I half expected Ikuto to catch me at that moment, which was what made that fall hurt so much. It forced on me the fact that Ikuto was... not himself.

"A-Amu-chan!" stammered a flustered, familiar voice.

"Ah! Class prez!" I murmured, "Why are you here on the weekend?" Kairi adjusted his glasses.

"I could ask the same thing. Though it doesn't take a genius to assume something happened between you and Tsukiyomi-kun and now you're here because you don't want to go home. The reason for that is likely that it holds memories of the lost Ami."

I grinned, and then I began to laugh. It was just like him to be so unaware of feelings and what was socially acceptable, but that was what was lovable about him. He blushed and adjusted his glasses again.

"Have you 'snapped'?" he inquired.

"N-no! I'm fine!" I struggled to talk through my giggles. I helped him gather up the papers he'd been carrying as we stood up. Handing his papers back to him, I said, "Thank you Kairi-kun."

"No, no, save you thank you's for after I show you what I have to show you." He waved a folder in my face.

"Eh?" I tried to grab for it, but he was still a really tall guy and I couldn't reach. Pouting at him I asked, "What is that?" I grabbed for again, but he held it away saying,

"Follow me if you want to find out." then he smiled awkwardly. I giggled a little.

"Kukai's been hanging out with you a lot lately?" I asked.

"He comes over to my house when he wants to escape Utau-san." Kairi admitted.

We walked into the back room. It was the room where we'd once held a skype conference with Edward Walker. It was back during the confusing time when Emily was the Ten of Hearts. I glimpsed on the bulletin board a bunch of Ten of Hearts applicants Tadase had found.

"Class prez, what did you want to show me?" I wondered, looking back at Kairi.

"I know where Ami is." he said.

"What? REALLY!" I exclaimed. I was overjoyed.

"Yes we know where she is, but you won't be happy." a voice came from the corner. Nagihiko was leaning up against the back wall with a solemn expression.

"Remember how I told you about how I went to Europe? And that's where I met Edward Walker and all that. I got to thinking... and then I did some of my own research, and I realized it has to be..."

"Be what Nagihiko-kun?"

"Let him explain Amu!" Temari, Nagihiko's female Chara, ordered, "This will come as quite a shock." she added kindly.

"Thank you, Temari. Anyway, we know for sure Hollow's Eve was behind this, and the only one with a reason to hurt us, is Walker. This means she's somewhere where he has complete or most of the control. When I was in Europe I went to a school... a special school for only children with Guardian Charas."

"Wait. Ami can't be there. She doesn't have a Chara."

"Oh really? I'm not so sure. There's obviously something important about her in particular. If Walker had wanted to get back at you he would've hurt Ikuto more, not kidnap your baby sister! So Ami, has a Chara, and its a damn powerful one too."

"T-that..." I paused for a moment to think it over. She had always been able to see Charas, even past the age when Kairi had figured she'd lose that ability. She was the type of person to dream, too. "That makes sense." I said finally, "But shouldn't you have explained this to everyone else too?"

"I already did Amu. They're off trying to make our plan of attack, because Ami is at Stanwood Academy, a school for only children with Charas." Kairi explained.

The rest of the Guardian's had arrived back, and we were going over the plan once again now that Utau had finally shown up. Kukai had actually had to drag her here by force. Ikuto though had gotten here faster than light could travel when he'd heard we knew where Ami was.

"We'll have one group infiltrate the school, and another stay around the town incase Walker tries to run or relocate Ami." Keiko grinned frighteningly as she thought of all the ways she might get to hurt Walker if he tried to run.

"Not that he would try that. That would cause a disturbance in the students! She only got there a few days ago right? Whatever story he might give them, it won't sit well." Rima commented.

"Not only that," Nagihiko muttered darkly, "But this is of course what he wants! He wants us to leave Japan and go after him! While we're gone he'll take over the X-egg market and cause utter chaos!"

"Which is why we're asking all of Amu's... friends to come help out." Tadase stated. After years of purifying X-eggs people tend to owe you some favors. And some of those favor owners have full Charas now.

"Yep! The substitute Guardians!" Yaya explained happily.

"Yaya! Weren't you supposed to be going to round up those substitute Guardians... now?" Utau asked.

"Oh right! Byebye!" Yaya dashed out of the clubhouse. Everyone stared after her with sweat drop expressions.

"So... who are the people infiltrating the school and who are the people who'll be in town?" Ikuto asked, getting us back on topic.

"Well..." Kairi set down his tea so he could focus on his strategic thinking, "Walker is after power, so he won't be able to resist having Amu in his school, and I think I'll enter as well. Nagihiko can't, he might have already been there, but peoples' memories of him could cause problems for our mission. Utau-san, you wouldn't be willing to spare Souma-kun would you?" Kairi asked.

"Not on Eru's life."

"WAH! Utau-chan!"

"Heheheh! She like's me best." Iru kicked Eru in the face.

"WAAAAAH!"

Kairi coughed to get everyone's attention again, "Rima-chan might be able to—"

"I can't."

"What? Why not Rima?" I asked.

"Because, when my parents found out I wanted to go to Europe, they were fine with that... except they said if I went to Europe they'd send my body guard with me."

"But I thought they mellowed out and got rid of him!" I exclaimed.

"That was when I wasn't traveling foreign countries." Rima explained.

"Well its okay." Tadase shrugged, "No one will mind if he's there."

"Plus he's a good man. He kept out secrets and never once questioned why we randomly talked to thin air." Kiseki added.

"Every night the poor guy probably went home muttering something like, 'My job is protecting a nutcase and all her nutcase friends'." Miki laughed.

"We should have two boys and two girls infiltrate the school." Ikuto said.

"Huh? Why?" I asked. Ikuto looked down at me. I was snuggled up close to him, it'd been at least a day since he'd hugged me.

"Because they had dorms there right? We shouldn't allow for the chance that we room with some psycho."

"Good idea, Tsukiyomi-kun." Kairi approved, "So you'll be coming as well as Rima-chan. Rima's body guard will get some kind of job at the school. I saw on its website that they're hiring."

"So everyone else will get apartments around town." I confirmed.

"You're all lucky my tour covers a lot of England." Utau muttered.

"Be grateful, little sis! We're at least waiting until after Kukai's graduation!"

"Yes, and you're lucky that Stanwood is a year-round school." Nagihiko said to Utau. She sniffed indignantly and turned away from him.

"Calm down, babe! Aren't you worried about your soon to be sister-in-law at all?" Kukai asked.

"Of course! I love Ami! But I have a life too!" Utau said defensively.

"DUN-DUDU-DUN!" Yaya cheered, "The substitute Guardians!!!!" in walked Takuya, Prince Shuraiya, Shouta, Miyako, Mifuyu, Suzuki Seiichiro, and Yamabuki Saaya. (A/N: Takuya = Zero [episode 16] Prince Shuraiya = that prince who proposed to Amu [episode 36], Shouta = kid who liked painting in haunted house episode [episode 34], Miyako = girl who was all "God of Comedy!" at Rima, [episode 46]. Mifuyu = snow boarding/hyper girl [episode 14], Seiichiro = nerdy stalker kid in love with Amu, Saaya = you should all know that bitch)

"T-t-these guys!?" I questioned. Yaya nodded happily.

"Takuya has his Chara, Zero. Prince has his Chara, Ramira. Shouta has his Chara, Kuuta. Miyako has her Chara, Ayaka (A/N: I made up a name for puppet Chara). Mifuyu has her Chara, Snoppe. Seiichiro has his Chara, Bob (It's 11 at night give me a break), and Saaya has her Chara, Mami." Yaya exclaimed with excitement, pointing to each Chara as she went down the line of replacement Guardians.

"These losers can't do squat!" Keiko yelled what everyone was thinking deep down."

"Now now, Keiko-chan!" Nagihiko scolded kindly, "Nikaido has offered to watch over them."

"Well at least he's not completely incompetent!" she exclaimed.

"Ok, now that that's out of the way, can we please focus on Kukai's party!?" Utau demanded.

"Oh... uh... gotta go!" Everyone bolted for the exit.

Author: GOSH!!!!! I kept my promise ok? I update once every day!

Yoru: Am I still an X egg

Author: You're right I never mentioned it... well let's just say Amu purified you with her Humpty Lock powers and now you're back to normal!

Yoru: YAAAAAAY! ~nya~

Author: 3 that's the Yoru I know and luv!!!!

*hugz *

Yuri (Amu's fifth Chara incase you forgot): well, she doesn't own Shugo Chara and she's working very hard with this story, so please review to tell her she's not completely wasting her time.

Author: That is, of course, unless you want me to go all Tadamu on you. *evil fire eyes *

Yoru: NYA! NOOOOOO!!!! NYA!