Don't own.

Warnings: This story will be slightly AU. It will focus solely on Candace and Julius.

Candace's POV.

Forever Remember

1 - Remember

As I did every day, I sat at the table, sewing. This time I was fixing Anissa's purple turtleneck jumper, which had been ripped while she was working on her family's farm.

The ice from Winter was thawing, and the plants were beginning to come back into life. It was Spring. Soon, the flowers would be blooming. They would look especially pretty with the three new rainbows glowing in the sky above them.

Luna floated into the room. "Candace, someone new has come to the island. Apparently, they're a blacksmith or something." she says simply.

"… Thank you." I replied.

Luna returned to haunt the colourful racks of clothes, and I grew tired of sewing and timidly went outside.

I smiled as I rested my hands on the handrail, and the cool wind blew past me. Calmly, I let my thoughts go, and focused on the sea, the sky and the smell of salt on the air.

My calmness is shattered by a deep, calling voice.

"Hey there! You haven't changed a bit, have you, Candace?"

I whirled around with a blush. I saw before a blur of flamboyant colour, which then sorted itself out into a human girl.

She had stunningly bright, waist-length purple hair, streaked with yellow and green, which was complimented by sparkling red eyes, lined with purple eye shadow. There was various other make-up on her face, completed by jingling earrings.

Her outfit was a red jacket, lined with white frills, black tank top, a skirt decorated with peacock feathers, black jeans and yellow boots with a red belt through the top of each one.

I had never seen her before.

"Wh-Who are you…?" I whispered, extremely shy as always.

The 'girl' laughed, and I realised that this was not a girl. He ran a hand through his hair and replied, "I'm Julius! We used to play together when we were kids! Don't you remember my fabulous hair?"

The new blacksmith… I realised. Hang on… fabulous? That phrase brought up memories… most of them quite painful. But the purple-haired person in those memories had been named Juli and had been a girl… I was quite confused.

"Wait… Were you that… mean girl…?" I asked.

He laughed. "Hee hee, you thought I was a girl?" he lightly teased. "Oh, you're so silly! 3"

I was silent. Had 'she' come back, just to torment me again? I silently questioned myself. In a flash, Luna's pounding footsteps were heard, and then Luna was in front of me, protecting me. I wished that I could protect my younger sister sometimes, instead of letting Luna protect both of us.

"Hey! Are you that mean girl who used to call my sister ugly?" Luna yelled, her hands on her hips.

I flinched. Luna had hit on a sensitive subject. I ran away. I was a coward when I was younger, I thought, and I'm still a coward now.

Even while in the garden, I could still hear what they were saying.

"What?" exclaimed Julius. "Uh, erm, I mean… That MIGHT have happened… I might remember it… vaguely…"

Luna grew angrier. "You're nothing a bully!" she declared. "My sister became all shy and withdrawn and it's all because of YOU!"

Oh Sister… everyone can hear you, I thought. I slowly sat down on the velvet green grass. Everyone… Even though I hardly speak, I care about what people think of me…

"What's your excuse? Spit it out!" Luna shouted at the red-eyed fashiontina.

Upon hearing his next answer, I blushed. "… W-Well young boys usually tease girls they like!"

This explanation only seemed to serve to make Luna angrier. "That's no excuse! You hurt Candace's feelings, so you'd better make up for what you did!" Luna yelled.

"H-How?" the fashiontina replied.

"Hm… Well, what's the one thing you're good at?" Luna asked in typical Luna fashion.

"Th-That's… blackmail!" he said, scandalised.

"Well then, go away and don't come back!" Luna retorted.

"Okay, then… I will!" he snapped, and turned, storming off.

Luna crossed her arms. "Hmph!"

Luna knew exactly where to find me. "Hey, Candace, are you okay?" she asked. I nodded. "Fine. I'll be in the store." She walked away.

I rested my head against the fence. It was truly a good day, but now it wasn't quite as nice as it had been before. Maybe I should go to the Church. Praying for a while would clear my head.

Strolling along the path, everything seemed to be brighter, when I wasn't thinking about what happened just now. Maya waved to me from the Sundae Inn window; I was surprised she even noticed me, but then again, Maya was a sweet person. I waved back.

Soon, I was at the Church. The coloured light glimmered on the floor and against the wood, sparkling different shades of blue and green. As the calming aura that hung around the building washed over me, I felt utterly at peace.

Softly smiling, I knelt down in one of the pews, and prayed to Goddess, silently leaking all my dreams and worries to her.

It was getting late. The dancing lights that shone through the glass were getting a distinctly red tinge to them. I slowly stood up, and began walking home.

Everything seemed more softer in the fading sunlight. The natural light slowly stopping falling on Waffle Town, and it's inhabitants lit up their windows with unnatural light. I quietly opened the front door of my house and slipped in.

"Hello, Candace." Shelly called out. "Dinner's ready."

I quietly eat dinner with Shelly and Luna gossiping - well, more like Shelly gossiping and Luna scorning - and watch them from the sidelines.

The rest of the fading day goes quickly, and I soon slide into bed, pulling the bed sheets over my head. I fall into a soothing, dreamless sleep, where nothing can hurt me, because I am not there.

A/N: I'll update as soon as I have the next chapter finished. There will be 100 chapters.