I've been taking a trip down memory lane for the past week, so this story really isn't out of nowhere. I actually re-watched a lot of my childhood anime, like Jewelpet Tinkle, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, and Yumeiro Patissiere, to name a few. Of course, I re-watched some of my Precure, which was my first fandom and that totally revived my love for Ira x Rikka, the best ship out of the whole Precure franchise. I don't care what the producers say, I still stand by this ship and I believe it exists. I still fangirl over episode 26 and I love it.
This is a very short one-shot that I randomly decided to write, and if there are still Ira x Rikka fans out there like 3 years after Doki Doki ended, here you go! Please enjoy! :)
After defeating the Jikochuus and saving the world from evil and darkness, everyone began their new lives.
Or rather, they returned to their normal lives. The greater evil was defeated and there was no need for day to day battles. Earth and Trump Kingdom become partners and connected by the hole created by King Jikochuu. Mana, Rikka, and Alice all returned to Oogai First and Nanatsubashi respectively, while Makoto toured the world to deliver her songs to the hearts of everyone. Regina started studying at Oogai First Middle School, while Aguri started creating friendships in her class through her baking.
Everything reverted to the way it was. The way it should be. However, Rikka felt a slight loneliness in her heart.
It was strange. She had more time to focus entirely on her studies, which enabled her to work towards her dream of becoming a doctor. There was no more pain or fighting that had become part of her daily life ever since she became Cure Diamond. She was now surrounded by her friends and the people she loved.
So why did she feel that something was missing?
Rikka quickly shook away those thoughts as she approached the gates of her school. She needed to snap out of it. This is the way it should be. She should be happy that she was finally able to live a normal life again.
"Good morning!" Rikka was pulled back to the present by the energetic greetings of the new student council president, Jun Saotome.
"Good morning!" said Rikka, smiling.
"Good morning, Jun-kun!" said Mana. "Have you gotten used to the workload of the student council?"
"I can't be compared with you, President." said Jun, laughing.
"Hey, you're the President now!" said Rikka.
"Ah, sorry." Jun smiled sheepishly. "Hey, that ribbon is against school rules!" He called out to a fellow student.
"School rules?" she echoed. "What's that?"
"School rules are…" Jun began, but was cut off by the girl as she ran towards Mana.
"Good morning, Mana!" said Regina, throwing her arms around Mana. "There's some parts of the homework I didn't understand, so teach me!" Without another word, she took Mana by the hand and pulled her towards the school building.
"Hey, Regina, slow down!" said Mana. Rikka smiled as Mana and Regina disappeared into the distance.
That's when she felt it again. The loneliness that had been bothering her since the morning. When she saw Regina, she couldn't help but picture someone else in her school's uniform, waiting for her. Why wasn't he there with her?
She let out the breath she had been holding in and rushed into the school building without another glance at the students behind her, making her completely miss the boy with light blue hair.
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"Ah, Rikka! I need to be somewhere now so I can't go home with you. Sorry!" said Mana.
"That's okay." said Rikka, smiling. "Does someone need help again?"
"Yeah…" Mana smiled sheepishly.
"Mana, you really are the Happy Prince, aren't you?" said Rikka, sighing.
Mana laughed. "I'll see you soon."
Rikka nodded and headed home. It had been a while since she walked home alone. She didn't hate it, though; it gave her time to sort out her thoughts and feelings.
Her mind led her back to her feeling of loneliness against her will. It was weird and absolutely abnormal; it wasn't like her to feel this way, especially after a happy ending.
There was no use denying it. She missed Ira. The selfish boy just had a way of appearing in her life, no matter what. She had a strong dislike towards him in the beginning for, well, destroying the world, but the moment she found him stranded on the beach shore with amnesia, her life changed.
She saw a whole different side of him, someone so kind and angelic that could have been him. Despite recovering his memories, he still saved them from attacks that would have been deadly. During their last battles, he saved her again and tried to stop her from entering King Jikochuu's body out of what seemed like concern.
Ira was a confusing person, but that was what made Rikka want to understand him.
"Ira…" Rikka found herself calling out his name. Once she uttered that name, the tears started falling. "You're a strange person. Selfish, bratty, and prone to anger… You're really just like a spoiled kid. You really do live up to your name, making people angry all the time." She paused, quietly wiping away her tears.
"But that's part of what makes you you. You're selfish, but you saved me multiple times. You're bratty, but you're thankful for people that have saved you. You're prone to anger, but in truth, you're really kind. You make me angry… Because you've disappeared all of a sudden." She took a deep breath and put the feelings she had suppressed for a long time into words:
"I love you, Ira. It's weird, isn't it? I, a Precure, falling in love with you, a Jikochuu. What is this, Romeo and Juliet? But I miss you, and I want to see you. I've searched for you in the crowds, wishing you'd show up. Just like Regina, you know? I was never even able to say goodbye to you. …I know. I know you're not here. I know we'll never meet again. I know you'll never love me back. I know you'll never be able to hear this." Rikka wiped away her final tears and set her mouth into a smile. Her grip on her bag tightened as she continued home.
Behind the telephone pole, the boy with light blue hair slid to the ground as his feet weakened. He covered his red face with the back of his hand, his olive eyes wide.
"I heard everything, you idiot…"
I hope you've enjoyed this piece of Ira x Rikka fluff as much as I did, and yes, the blurb is basically an "epilogue" and an explanation as to why this story is called what it is called. Please don't forget about this ship even after the series ended! Thank you for reading, and leave a review if you liked it! See you soon!
~Chinnie Ai