…

"…and Souma passes the ball to Hinamori without any conflict…will she make it? Will she score and have Seiyo Elementary School win the championship for the first time in twenty years?"

"Jeez, no pressure," muttered the twelve year old as her older brother figure winked at her, dribbling the ball between her feet. She made sure to avoid the other team as she made her way down the field.

"Go, Amu-chan," cheered their friends from the bleachers. Ran and Daichi were cheering as loudly as they could, looking proud that their bearers hadn't Chara Changed. "You can do it!"

"Way to go, Hinamori-san," called Tadase, waving a small banner with a small pink heart on it. She was temporarily distracted, blushing from the attention. Luckily, she was jarred from her fantasies when she realized someone had tried to steal the ball from her.

"Amu, shoot, shoot," exclaimed Kukai as he blocked an opponent. The pink haired girl looked up and saw that the goal was only a few feet away. She had passed several people so there weren't many players blocking the way. "Come on, you can do it!"

"Alright," murmured Amu under her breath, preparing to kick. "Here I go!" She placed as much force as she could into her kick, ignoring the throbbing pain in her ankle as she watched the ball shoot into the air.

Everybody on the field stopped, the clock slowly ticking by as it reached the last ten seconds, all eyes on the end goal. The two teams were tied and this last shot could determine the outcome. However, the kick wasn't aimed perfectly and it was from a distance farther than Amu was used to kicking from.

The goalie leaped into the air, trying to avoid getting hit in the head with the powerfully kicked ball, and leaned towards the side as he reached out for the ball that hurdled in his direction. His fingers grazed the ball as it whizzed by, but he could not successfully catch it. He fell to the ground with a thud as the whistle was blown, the ball whishing undisturbed into the net.

The crowd cheered and Amu stared at the goal in shock, deaf to the loud whoops from her teammates and was oblivious to the side hugs she was getting. She had done it. She had scored a goal and won the championship game…without the help of her Charas.

Kukai lifted the younger girl up in the air, spinning her around. This snapped her back into reality and she turned bright red as she demanded he let her down. He obeyed her command, ruffling her hair as he congratulated her before he let out a loud whoop and began high fiving their other teammates.

Amu giggled and turned to the bleachers where her friends were chanting her name, celebrating with the rest of the school. She began to laugh, not believing that she had even gotten on the soccer team…the soccer team that had just won! She began to congratulate the rest of her team and only protested a bit when they lifted her in the air, deciding to show off that the team that had been called weak for putting a girl on the field had won. She was propped up on Kukai's shoulder, who began chanting her name with the other guys.

Unknown to her, one of the rotten kids from the other team growled as he angrily picked up the soccer ball and glared at her. He should have won…it should have been him! He clenched the ball tightly, never feeling such hatred for a girl. Maybe if it had been that Souma guy, he could have dealt with it…but no, it was some stupid girl who had gotten lucky.

He felt something in him snap when he saw the girl on their shoulders, tossing the ball into the air and preparing a deathly kick. He wasn't aiming for anything particular but he was just so frustrated. All the pain and frustration he felt was sent into his kick, and the ball spiraled through the air as he finally stomped away. He only looked back when he heard people begin to shout with different tones.

His eyes widened when he realized that the ball he had just kicked had slammed into the pink haired girl, right in the head, and had knocked her down to the ground. He stood, paralyzed, as the Souma guy announced that she was out cold and that her breathing was different. Already, what he assumed was her family and friends were running over as somebody called the medics.

He did the only thing he could do. He ran from the scene.

The temperamental male had no idea what he had done.

…

It was so cold…that was Amu's first thought. Was somebody calling her name? She couldn't tell.

All she could tell was that her head hurt…a lot. She reached up to feel the lump on her head, wincing.

"Anyone get the number of that bus?" She murmured, cringing when somebody gasped loudly in her ear.

"Amu, you're awake," said the person, making a sound to indicate that they had stood and opened a door. "Doctor, she's awake!"

Slowly, the pink haired girl opened her eyes and drank in the scene she saw. She was in a white room with unfamiliar machines around her. The last thing she remembered was getting hit by a soccer ball and falling off of Kukai's shoulders.

She tried to sit up, confused as to why nobody else was in the room, but groaned and fell back against her pillows when her body ached with pain. Suddenly, a man with a white coat swept into the room followed by her parents…and Kukai? Why was here there? Well, he had been with her when she lost consciousness so…maybe he wanted to see her first?

"Hinamori-san, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked kindly.

"Um…confused?" Amu answered, already the memory of the event fading from her mind. "Why…why am I in this much pain? All that happened was I got hit in the head with a soccer ball…" She became worried when the room's occupants exchanged shocked looks. "Mama…?"

"Amu-chan, don't you remember what happened?" Her mother asked, her eyebrows furrowed together. The pink haired girl slowly shook her head, looking unsure, as Midori turned back to the doctor. "What's going on, Doctor?"

The man sighed, pushing up his glasses. "Hinamori-san, what is the last thing you remember?"

Amu blinked. "Um…I was playing at the championship game and I had just scored the winning shot…I was being lifted up on to Kukai's shoulders…and then somebody had kicked a ball and it hit me in the head, and I fell to the ground…why?" Kukai looked stricken and her parents looked up at the doctor. She noted that Ami wasn't there, but then again, she probably wouldn't have understood the situation.

"Amu-chan, you haven't played soccer since you were little," remarked Tsumugu, wringing his hands nervously.

"I believe I know what has happened," announced the doctor. "Hinamori-san, shortly before you were transferred here, you were diagnosed with a multiple personality disorder." Amu's eyes widened in shock. "It seemed as if you had gone temporarily unstable from the constant switching and you fell into a coma. From what you have said so far, it seems as if you have developed another universe and believed you were living in that dimension while unconscious. You have been lying here for over six months now."

Amu turned to her parents, disbelief in her eyes. "Is…is that true? I…I have a personality disorder?"

"No, it seems as if the disorder had disappeared when you fell into a coma," replied her mother, taking her hand. "My poor Amu…" The doctor turned back to his patient after a moment.

"Hinamori-san, your memory of that world should be fading at this time, correct?" He asked, writing something down as Amu nodded slowly. "Please, it would help if you could answer some basic questions about this world of yours."

"O-okay…"

"What was your full name and age?"

"Hinamori Amu…twelve years old…."

"Do you remember your birthday?"

"Um…September 24th…"

"What were the names of your direct family members?"

"My mother was Midori, my father was Tsumugu, and my younger sister was Ami…"

"And how old was your sister?"

"…three?"

"What school did you attend?"

"Seiyo Elementary…"

"Were you part of any clubs or sports?"

"Um…there was this group…called the Guardians, who represented the students of the school. We were all best friends…"

"What were the names of your friends?"

"…Hotori Tadase, Mashiro Rima, Fujisaki Nadeshiko, Fujisaki Nagihiko, Sanjo Kairi, Souma Kukai, Yuiki Yaya…"

"And were they the same age and grade as you?"

"I don't really…no, Kukai was a year older…Kairi was two years younger…and Yaya was a year younger…"

"Did you have any friends outside of this group, the 'Guardians'?"

"…I think their names were…Tsukiyomi Utau, but she went by the stage name of Hoshina Utau because she was an idol….and her brother, Ikuto. There was also…somebody else…a French girl…Lulu…something…"

"Were you in any relationships?"

"N-not officially, but I did have several crushes…mainly on Tadase and Ikuto though…"

"What was your life at school like?"

"Um…I had a bad habit of wearing a mask to hide my true feelings…people always called me Cool n' Spicy…I don't remember if I ever stopped doing that…"

"Did you have any rivals or enemies?"

"…um, there was this girl who Rima said was jealous of me…Yamabuki Saaya?"

"Was there anything out of the ordinary there that you found odd?"

"Um…there were these guardian characters…born from children's hearts…everybody who was a Guardian had at least one…they represented the bearer's desires and feelings…I think…"

"And how many of these guardians did you have?"

"…three…no, four…the last one came later on…"

"Do you remember their names, and what feelings they were born from?"

"I…I don't…Ran…she was born from wanting to be more athletic and honest, and girly…Miki…to be more artistic and levelheaded…Su…to be more motherly and caring…Dia…to be more confident…I'm pretty sure that's what it was…"

The doctor wrote all of this down, clicking his pen. "Thank you, Hinamori-san." He turned to her parents. "I advise you talk to her about this world of hers and discuss what is the same and what is different…I also strongly advise you take her to a psychiatrist or have her keep a journal about anything she can remember from both lives." He tore off a piece of paper and handed it to Midori. "This is a copy of the answers to the questions I had just asked. Other than this, Hinamori-san is perfectly healthy and can be discharged by tomorrow morning. I will give you all some time. I understand that this is all very sudden." He bowed before leaving the room quietly.

Amu turned to her parents. "I'm…so lost…" Her mother reached over and ran her hand over her daughter's face gently, tears in her golden eyes. "What's…what's different from my…world?"

"Firstly, your name really is Hinamori Amu," assured Midori. "And your father and I are called Tsumugu and Midori…however, you're not twelve. You're sixteen…your birthday was three months ago."

So it's December now, thought Amu.

"What else?" She asked, her voice growing stronger as she slowly sat up.

"Ami is actually ten years old," continued Tsumugu, wiping his own tears away. Why did this have to happen to his poor baby girl? "And she's not your only sibling. Your sister, Yaya, is fourteen. And Kukai here is really your older brother…he's seventeen, but in the same grade as you."

Amu was shocked by this revelation. It wasn't a lot of information but it was so different from the life she remembered…

"This is…a lot to take in," she said quietly, biting her lip.

Midori squeezed her hand comfortingly. "Why don't you rest for a bit and Kukai here can answer the rest of your questions on the paper while we talk with the doctor? Your sisters must be very worried out there…"

"R-Right," agreed the pink haired girl…no teenager. She was really sixteen, remember? Her parents gave her sad looks as they walked out of the room, trying to comfort each other as they talked quietly. Kukai swallowed hard when she looked over at him, grabbing one of the chairs and pulling it close to her bedside.

"Please tell you play soccer or some kind of sport," begged Amu, desperate for some anchor of truth. She felt some of her nerves dissolve when he smiled at her, despite how shaky it looked.

"Yeah, I'm on the soccer team," he replied and she let out a sigh of relief. "So, I guess I wasn't your brother in your world?"

"No, but you were just like one," said the pinkette, smiling. "You were really loud and persistent, not to mention dense at times, but you had your super supportive and intelligent moments too…" Kukai chuckled.

"I guess that's not too far off," he remarked before looking down at the paper. He swallowed again. "Um, so…do you want me to answer any more questions or is this too much right now?" It was definitely too much, but Amu needed to know everything before she lost her sanity.

"Let's get it over with," she replied, taking a deep breath. "In the order of the questions he asked, please tell me what's different and what's the same."

Her older brother took a deep breath as well as he read the list. "Um, well okay…let's go in order, you said? Well, you do go to Seiyo…but it's a high school, not an elementary school. There's no group of Guardian so…um, the people you listed are real…but the relationships can't be called 'best friends'…"

"What do you mean?" Amu asked, not realizing she was shaking. Those people were people she considered family. Were they just strangers in this life?

"Well…Mashiro-san doesn't exactly like you. I don't know what happened between you guys, but something happened a long time ago…Nadeshiko was best known for being Nagihiko's twin, but she was really just a disguise for Nagihiko since he was raised as a girl…"

"That makes a lot of sense," murmured the pinkette.

"Yeah, anyways, Nagi is one of your best friends…um, both of them are in the same grade as us…Sanjo is actually our next door neighbor and he's fourteen like Yaya. Like Mom said…Yaya and I are your siblings so that…is explained…"

"Go on," pressed Amu, getting used to these bombshells.

Kukai took another deep breath. "Okay…um, Hotori has been your boyfriend for the last few years…but he's not…a great guy…" Seeing her confused look, he explained, "I don't know how he was like in your world, Amu, but here, Hotori is a playboy that constantly cheats on you with other girls…but you never believe us or if you did, you still dated him…I mean, maybe things will change now…but…"

His sister shook her head. "In my world, he was a princely character of some kind…but go on. What are the others like?"

"Uh…not to be rude, but Saaya is the school slut and definitely one of the most popular girls there…and I don't think she even knows you exist…Lulu? The only Lulu I can think of is Lulu de Morcerf Yamamoto, an exchange student who sticks to the shadows and only talks to Utau…speaking of Utau, her real name is Hoshina Utau. She doesn't have any siblings and is heiress to the company, Easter. She is also one of the most popular girls at school and has been the girlfriend of Tsukiyomi Ikuto since middle school. All of them are in the same grade as you, except for Ikuto who's a senior."

"And…what about Ikuto?" Amu asked, afraid of the answer.

The brunette inhaled slowly. "Uh…that's kind of tricky. Ikuto was your childhood friend but something happened and you stopped talking to each other all of a sudden. Actually, it was around the same time Mashiro-san began to hate you as well. Uh, he's an only child and his family lives across the street from us. He's considered a prodigy on the violin but he hasn't played it in public for years. Like I said, Utau's his girlfriend but I don't know how since he never shows any interest in anybody…"

"That sounds like him," said the pinkette offhandedly, looking distracted. "About the other questions…"

"Right…" Kukai clicked his tongue nervously. "I already answered the relationship question; you're dating Hotori, but he constantly cheats on you…I don't know if you want to give the relationship a chance or not…anyways, I think you confessed to Ikuto when we were kids but I'm not sure if he took you seriously since it was so long ago…uh…" He ran a hand through his hair. "You're not…exactly…popular at school. It's not because of something you did; you were just the kind of person to stay in the background…I guess that rules out Saaya being a rival since she doesn't know you…"

"That's not such a bad thing," murmured Amu, crossing her arms as she sat up straighter. She ignored how her head was throbbing or how her stomach was about to eat her insides. This was important, after all. "I'm guessing the whole 'guardian character' thing isn't real?"

He half smiled. "Not real at all," he replied. "However…it's odd that you had four guardians considering…well, those names you stated are the names of your different personalities."

"Oh, then I guess I understand why they were named that then," stated Amu, her eyelids fluttering shut. "Sorry…you must be going through a lot too, Kukai." She settled back down, drifting back into the land of dreams. She felt somebody squeezing her arm gently, and she smiled lazily.

"It's okay, Amu; it's not your fault," replied her brother, leaning down and softly pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'm going to go see Mom and Dad now, okay?"

"…okay," whispered the pink haired teenager before she was asleep.

Kukai watched her for a few moments before he quietly stood and walked out into the waiting room, where his parents and Nagi were sitting. Tsukiyomi Souka was comforting Midori, who was crying into her hands, while Aruto was trying to cheer up Ami and Yaya. Ikuto stood off in the corner, looking as if he didn't care about anything. Nagi was wringing his hands when the brunette entered, jumping up like everybody else.

"How is she?" Nagi demanded, his eyes going wide when he noticed a few doctors slip into the very room Kukai had left.

The older male inhaled deeply. "She's perfectly fine; she just went to sleep."

"Couldn't that make her go back into a coma?" Yaya asked worriedly, tapping her foot rapidly as she stared at her older brother. She received surprised looks from the others, who obviously didn't expect her to think that far ahead, but she ignored them. She knew she had her moments, but she wasn't stupid…and she watched a lot of hospital dramas.

"No, the doctor said her brain waves are fine and that it's fine," piped up Midori, settling everybody's nerves.

"So…did you talk to her?" Ami asked, looking like she hadn't slept in weeks. She idolized her eldest sister, after all.

Kukai ran his hand through his hair again as he slumped into the vacant seat next to Nagihiko. "Yeah, I did. She looked so lost and confused, Mom…she didn't tell me much about this world she made up, but it was obviously very different from the one here. She thought Ami was her only sibling…she had been best friends with Mashiro-san, and she was twelve not sixteen…she wasn't dating Hotori…she thought Utau and Ikuto were siblings…" He buried his face in his hands, finally allowing himself to cry. His sister was in there and she barely knew them…she barely knew him, and that hurt considering they had always been so close. "It was like meeting a stranger…"

Nagi placed a hand on his friend's shoulder comfortingly, a sad expression on his face while Yaya and Ami sought comfort in each other. Souka and Aruto tried to comfort the distressed couple. And Ikuto finally looked up and stared at the door that blocked his view of the pink haired girl he had grown up with.

"Amu," he whispered, blinking back his own tears. "I'm sorry."

…

I don't own Shugo Chara.

Okay, so I have NO idea where this idea came from…I just…wanted to write an AU story, I guess.

So…lots of things are going on here that definitely did not happen in the series! Who knows where this will lead? Not me…kind of winging it, like usual…

Anyways, don't hesitate to tell me about any mistakes you found or what you really thought about this!