Turn of Emotions

…

Twenty year old Hinamori Amu huddled her knees to her chest, sitting alone in her lonely apartment. A lone tear fell down her cheek.

Six years; it had been six years since Miki yelled at her, since Amu rejected Ikuto, since she made that stupid mistake. Six years…of hell.

The once confident and beautiful female had crumbled to shambles, lost in her misery and regret. Her strained relationships with her friends and family broke, and although they were still reachable, she never bothered contacting them or answered their calls. Other than a black cat, who mostly left her alone like another certain independent feline, she had no friends.

The pink haired woman had gotten a decent job as a waitress at a cosplay cafe in downtown Tokyo, with the salary being just enough to pay for the ratty one bedroom apartment in the rundown neighborhood. She was often eyed critically by the lecherous men who lived around the area, but so far no one had gone past leering comments and the occasional slap on the butt. Amu doubted she deserved such grateful treatment; she deserved much worse, considering what she had done.

Her beloved black cat, Mikoru, meowed as she leapt up into Amu's lap. The young woman shook her head, smiling ruefully as she smoothed her hand over the silky fur while Mikoru sighed in content. "It's a shame, isn't it Mikoru?"

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and Amu sighed as she took it out, glancing at the screen absently. It was Kukai this time who called; she ignored it.

Amu was truly alone, not just from her lack of connections with her friends and family, but with her Charas. At age fourteen, Miki and Dia had gone back to their eggs. At age eighteen, Ran and Su followed. At age nineteen, she had moved out and gotten a cat after blowing up at her friends in her frustration and misery. She had other pets, but they had all run away…even her pet turtle. Only Mikoru stayed and Amu was grateful for that, even though she thought it was ironic; a cat, of all things…

Her phone went off again, this time as her alarm. A squeaky voice chirped out, "Work time, work time!" Amu sighed, pushing the snooze button. It was her day off; why did she set the daily alarm?

Her heart ached and she glanced around the apartment. It really was a rundown shed that not even a rat would want to live in. Still…

Amu's honey golden eyes landed on random objects, and yet they all meant something important to her.

The second place trophy for a volleyball competition that she had gotten her senior year sat next to a pink haired doll in a cheerleading uniform.

The first place ribbon for her painting of a cat licking a strawberry that she had won her freshman year at the school's art show; it was stuck inside the hand of a blue haired doll wearing a beret with a paintbrush in her other hand.

The picture of the brilliant ten layer cake she had baked for Utau and Kukai's wedding (who had gotten married the year before; she had sent the cake in a box with no return address) sat next to the green haired doll with the chef's hat.

Finally, the picture of the time Utau had dragged her on stage during one of her concerts and forced the moody Amu to sing the song with her; she was successful in getting a smile, even if temporary, from the pink haired girl. It sat in a frame next to a ginger haired doll with a microphone in her hand.

All four dolls smiled, all placed delicately in the dusting dollhouse that Amu had gotten from the Royal Garden, even though it caused her so much pain.

"It's been years," whispered Amu as another tear fell down her cheek. Mikoru sensed her owner's sadness and leapt off her lap, crawling over to the dollhouse curiously as if she sensed it was the source of her misery. The pink haired female slid off her creaky bed and walked numbly to the dollhouse, sitting on her knees in front of it as her eyes scanned each doll carefully. "I should get rid of them…they're just empty dolls, anyways…" A slender hand reached for one of the dolls but Mikoru suddenly leaped onto the top of the dollhouse, causing it to shake and the dolls fall. Amu's eyes widened and she made to support it when something slipped out from inside the dollhouse, landing on her lap. She froze as Mikoru jumped back down, scampering off somewhere.

Amu locked her eyes on the wall in front of her, her bare legs hissing from the coldness radiating from the certain piece of jewelry she had honestly forgotten she still had in her possession. She was almost certain she had left it to Utau, who had originally wanted it for herself.

Her breathing became shallow; out of all the links to her past, it had to be the Humpty Lock that appeared first.

Without looking away from the wall, her one anchor to the real world at the moment, she reached into her lap and placed her hand around the lock so that she could feel the spark once more. As soon as it was in her grip, a jolt ran up her arms; it tingled her skin, from even the scars she had on her wrist to her shoulders. Still not looking, she instinctively slipped the forgotten jewelry around her neck where it belonged.

Suddenly, a burst of energy filled the broken girl and she stood abruptly. Her hands clenched into fists and she walked towards her tiny closet, pulling open the doors and pushing her 'poor girl' clothes away so that she could pull out the small box hiding in the back.

Amu lifted up the top and pulled out the first things she saw, which happened to be a pair of black capris, a dark red camisole, and an old but familiar cross clip. Without thinking, she threw off her sweats and baggy T-shirt and put on the spunky clothing. She reached up to the top shelf of her closet and pulled out a pair of old black converse, slipping them over her feet as she walked towards her front door.

For the first time in years, she left with a sense of confidence that had been thought to be gone.

…

Amu's body moved on its own, the only thing that she could gather was that the Humpty Lock was burning against her chest even though it was lying over her clothing. Eventually, she arrived at the location the Lock led her to.

Her eyes widened so much that they threatened to pop out, and her heart stopped while all the blood from her face drained. Of all places, why this place? Why?!

The cheesy music was whirling to life, despite the dust gathered everywhere. The horses on the carousal looked sad and old, and the water in the log ride was all dried up. Even her-their beloved teacups were chipped, ready to fall apart at a bug's toot.

"No," whispered Amu, tears in her eyes. Another memory to haunt her at night, it seemed; if she hadn't rejected him, or at least worked to maintain a friendship, the park wouldn't be like this. It would be the opposite of what it was now.

She felt her knees buckle but she didn't fall, the Lock once again taking control over her body as she walked around the park. Each attraction looked worse than the last and Amu wanted nothing more than to turn and run away from the hideous sight. Finally though, the Lock led her to what seemed to be the only place with the lights still on.

"What?" Amu couldn't help but be curious, creaking open the door a bit so she could peek inside. A flash of movement caught her eye and she slipped inside curiously, jumping when the door slammed behind her. The lights flickered suddenly, most of the bulbs popping so that it was very hard to see. "No way." Even the Humpty Lock seemed to die down, as if its job was done. "Sure, now you decide to give me back my body! You're almost as bad as Ran when she Chara Changes, you know."

Amu stiffened; that was the first time she had spoken one of her Charas' names in over four years. She needed to get out of this horrid place and back to her musty apartment where Mikoru waited.

She reached for the doorknob, only for her hand to meet cool glass. When did she start walking?

The pink haired female sighed in exasperation as she finally realized what attraction she was trapped in, of all places; the Maze of Mirrors, really the world was against her. She could never find her way out of those kinds of places, even when she marked her path like Hansel and Gretel. As a child, the staff always had to come and get her. At age thirteen, she finally stopped going in.

"Don't think like that; Hansel and Gretel got trapped by a witch that ate children," muttered Amu, her hands clasping the Humpty Lock as she cautiously wandered down the pathway. Her frightened expression stared back at her. She walked for a few more minutes until the same flash of movement caught her eye, moving up ahead of her. Was there someone else in the Maze? Amu raced after it, so desperate to get out that she didn't realize the lights were getting dimmer and dimmer until it was pitch black. She was alone, she realized, in a dark place where no one could hear her.

The young woman began panicking; was this a trap? Was somebody going to kill or rape her? She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed to every god she knew as she began walking again, this time much quicker than before. Walking became running when she heard a noise behind her, a scream escaping her lips. She turned every corner, using only her natural instincts and pure guessing to determine her next direction.

This place was getting to her, she mused; she swore she heard somebody talk. Was it the six years of loneliness finally taking toll? In her head, she heard, "Hop, Step, Jump", "Drew, Draw, Drawn", "Chip, Syrup, Whip", and the sound of someone saying "Radiance, radiance, radiance" echoing around. She was so delusional, she swore she heard Mikoru meowing.

It was causing old emotions in Amu to stir and she did not like it one bit, doing so much as to cover her ears with her hands as she ran around blindly. Tears sprung to her eyes as the painful memories swarmed in her head.

"Stop it," she wailed. "Stop it!" The pink haired girl stopped, the throbbing in her head too much to ignore. She shook her head, tears flowing down her cheeks. Was someone calling her name? It was too much. "Stop it!" She slammed her back against one of the mirrors, the impact so great that it caused the glass to shatter. She fell to the ground, the glass piercing her skin; yet, it was still less painful that her heart caused. "Go away; stop it! I don't want this anymore!" Amu wailed, her body shuddering as she looked up into the dark sky/ceiling of the building. "I'm sorry, okay!"

"I'm sorry I didn't find my true self, I'm sorry I didn't take your advice Miki, I'm sorry I made a stupid mistake, and I'm sorry I made all the wrong choices," she screamed, allowing the mask and walls she built over the past six years to finally crumble. "I'm sorry I let myself rot away for the past six years! I'm sorry for the scars on my arms, and I'm sorry for pushing away the people who cared about me!" Amu paused to let in another heaving sob.

"And most of all, I'm sorry I didn't tell him that I loved him!"

Tears freely poured down her cheeks, her hands falling to her side where the tips of her fingers turned red from the blood coming from her cut legs. "I'm sorry, Ikuto! I'm sorry!" She let out another wailing scream, her body hunching over her knees so that the top of her head nearly touched the ground. "I'm sorry…" This last apology was sad and quiet, her silent sobs taking over. The Humpty Lock once again burned through her clothes, but she honestly couldn't care less.

"Amu."

There was that voice again.

"Amu, get up."

She was going to drive herself insane.

"Amu, please."

Funny, she mused as she spotted the blood pooling around her, this voice sounded familiar. Her eyes fluttered shut and she felt her body begin to go limp as she tried to sit up; she had to know who this person was. They sounded…important…to her…

"Amu, I know you can hear me; the Humpty Lock led you here…to the Dumpty Key."

Her honey golden eyes flew open as she fell forward, her chin landing on his shoulder as she felt the shock creep in. His warm and loving hand squeezed her back gently as he lifted her gently into his arms. How could she forget how much she loved his embrace? Her eyes slowly closed again.

"Amu, don't worry; you'll be okay. You have to be…" His voice choked. "I love you too much to lose you again."

A small smile found its way to her rosy pink lips, the first happy one in years. "It doesn't matter where I am…I'll always be here with you…to love you right…Ikuto…" She wasn't sad anymore. She had her Ikuto back with her; she was going to be okay. "You won't lose me, Ikuto; I'll wear that necklace you got me every day forever and ever, okay? I want it to match the ring you'll get me though." Ikuto laughed, though she could tell he was fighting back tears as he kicked something and bright light shone through her darkened vision. "That's so bright, Ikuto…my legs are numb; why are they numb? I can't feel my back either…"

"It's okay, Amu…it's okay; we have each other now."

Amu nodded, finally allowing sleep to take over. She was going to be okay; she had Ikuto again.

When they got to the hospital, him asleep in the chair next to her bed with their friends waiting anxiously in the reception area, Amu smiled. There was someone else in her room and even though they sounded happy, and exasperated along with worried, the voice sounded smug as well.

"I told you, didn't I? Ikuto was the one for you…"

"Don't…" Amu rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Don't rub it in, Miki. Go have a batch of kitten with Yoru or something."

Miki giggled. "I will after you and Ikuto." She hugged her person's cheek before waving to her three sisters in the corner, eager to rejoin her own neko back in the Egg's Cradle. They never left after all, and now Amu definitely didn't need them. It was a long path back to who she was, but with her friends and family (and Ikuto, of course) back with her, it was only a matter of time before Amu returned to her former self.

From depressed and suicidal to happy and lovey in less than five minutes, and all because of a cat, Amu had changed her life…and this time, for the better.

…

I still own nothing!

As requested, there is the second part of this depressing story. I hope this makes you guys happy because that first part really was sad! Even I was mad at myself for making it like that!

I hope it turned out well, since I made it up on the spot with no real plot in mind; I hadn't planned on really making another part. I mean, I did, but I wasn't sure.

I should stick to writing fluffy, humorous and romantic stuff I guess. There's a greater chance of happy endings.

Anyways, I hope you guys liked it! For reviewing the first chapter too, thank you guys! Let me know what you think, and if I made any mistakes! Sometimes I catch them AFTER I publish them, but not always. :P