Around seven in the morning, Aki was awakened by a gentle knocking on her door, followed by a kind, feminine voice.

"Young Miss, it's time to get up. May I come in?"

"Hmmm..." Aki sat up in bed, rubbing at one eye. Her normally sleek and well-groomed hair was a tousled mess, and there was a bit of drool in the corner of her mouth. She yawned widely, absently moving the covers over the little fairies still dozing on her mattress. "Mmmm, yeah, c'mon in, Emma."

A young woman in a long-skirted maid uniform opened the door, a set of clean clothes hanging over one arm. She smiled as she approached Aki, who yawned again and swung her legs out from under her blankets. "I've washed your day clothes," she said as she set the clothes next to Aki. "And I've got some coffee brewing for you downstairs."

"Hmmm, yes?" came a tired voice from the blankets. Aki tensed up.

"Yep, as always!" Emma smiled cheerfully, completely unaware. "Do you still want the usual French vanilla cream, or the new mint cream that came in yesterday?"

"Mint sounds good!" said Aki, wide-awake now.

"Alright, then! I'll pour you some after I've brushed your hair."

"Actually, Emma, I can do that myself today!" Aki smiled, taking the brush from her.

Emma blinked, smile fading. "Eh? But I've always brushed your hair, ever since you were seven."

"I know, but today I just wanna do it myself," Aki said, smiling disarmingly. "Please?"

"Well..." But Aki was already shoving her out the door. "I suppose-"

"Great, thanks, Emma~!" Aki said before hastily shutting the door. She sighed in relief as she turned around to lean against it, shoulders slumping. "Close..." She walked over to the bed and lifted her covers to look at the now-awake Ti and Coffee. "You silly-heads..." she chuckled. "If you're gonna live with me, you gotta stay hidden! Although, now that I think about it, maybe that 'coffee' thing is gonna get confusing..." she added, shifting her eyes skyward.

OP: "Love and Joy PreCure" - Entwined Hearts Duo

A short time later, Aki was at the breakfast table, sipping her coffee and eating a crescent roll. Hidden on her lap, beneath the table cloth, were Coffee and Ti, happily partaking in half a crescent roll each.

"So, Young Miss," began Emma as she put away the coffeepot. "What are your plans for today? There's no school, and I know you like to go out on the weekends."

Aki swallowed, then smiled brightly. "Well, today I was thinking of going to the candy shop! They're selling those tiny chocolate hearts everyone's talking about."

Emma's eyes widened and began to sparkle. "Ooooh, the ones that are made with German chocolate and have hot melted chocolate in the center and no one knows how they do it?"

"Yup~"

"Eeeeee~!" Emma quickly placed the coffeepot on the counter and squealed, fists beneath her chin. "Ohhhh, you've got to bring me one, Young Miss! Please please please! I don't ask for much, but if you could-!"

Aki laughed, causing Emma to stop right then and blush. "Sure, no problem! I'm going early so we can get them before they run out." She downed the rest of her coffee, pushed out of her chair (Ti and Coffee hastily scrambled into the messenger bag she was wearing) and jogged out of the room. "Well, I'll see you later, Emma!"

"Bye-bye, Young Miss!" Emma called, waving lightly at Aki's retreating form. After a moment, though, she stopped, blinking in confusion. "Wait...'we?'"

As Aki hurried down the sidewalk and into town, Coffee poked her head out of her messenger bag, briefly glancing at Aki's ensemble. "Wow, Aki's stylish today!" she said.

Aki grinned, pausing to twirl a little, as if showing off her outfit to an invisible audience. She was wearing a lot of blue, as she usually did when not in her school uniform. Dark blue long-sleeved shirt with a light blue shirt over it, with short and puffy sleeves; a blue tiered mini-skirt over dark blue bike shorts, and white and blue sneakers was the look for the day. It was the same outfit she always wore on weekends when she...

"Aki's rules for dating number one~! Always look super-cute when meeting your super-cute girlfriend~!"

TODAY'S EPISODE: Double Hearts! How We Began.

Outside a crowded candy store, a girl wearing a baggy tan sweater and a long, ruffled brown skirt with a ribbon about two-thirds over the way down it stood tapping one dress-booted toe against the ground over and over. This girl was Hiromi, and she watched the crowd a bit nervously, biting her bottom lip and bunching her skirt in her hands.

"That's a lively crowd..." she mumbled as a guy got pushed outside the shop. She just barely heard his 'Ah! I got some!' as he ran off with a brightly-colored bag, too lost in her own thoughts. "I hope Aki gets here soon...Otherwise they'll run out and..."

A horrible image suddenly filled her mental theater. Herself and Aki stood in a quiet, empty candy store with the lights dimmed, the owner holding out empty trays to them. "Sorry, girls," he said in a deep, rumbling voice. "We're all out of Sweetheart Chocolates...forever!"

"Nooooo!" Hiromi started to cry. "I haven't even gotten to taste one yeeeet!"

"A-Ah!"

Hiromi looked up at the sound of the cry, just in time to see a girl close to her own age be shoved away from the crowd. Her feet tangled up in themselves and slipped out from under her, causing her to fall backwards. "Look ou-!" Hiromi started, but just as quickly as the girl began to fall, someone reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulled her back up. The girl sighed loudly, casting an appreciative smile at her rescuer.

"Thanks, Daisuke," she breathed.

"No problem!"

Hiromi's expression softened a bit.

"A-Ah!"

Hiromi fell backwards, having slipped on the stairs just before she reached the top. Her heart leaped into her throat, pounding like a jackhammer.

"Hey, watch out!"

Someone's hand snapped out, firmly grabbing her wrist, and pulled. Hiromi was quickly thrust in the opposite direction, stumbling as she reached the last stair and the safety of the walk to the school gates. She was still startled, and her ankle was probably bruised where she'd kicked it in the rescue, but it was certainly better than the horrific alternative. She sighed in relief, shoulders slumping. "Oh, thank you so much..."

"It's no problem!"

Now Hiromi looked up at her rescuer. It was a girl with blue-black hair who still held her wrist in one hand. The girl smiled at her, tilting her head slightly. "I'm glad I caught you." She looked over Hiromi's shoulder to the stairs. "Oh, hey, you dropped your umbrella! Take mine, get in the school, okay? Don't want you slipping again, yeah?" She passed Hiromi her own umbrella before carefully going down the steps.

Hiromi just watched her go, face tinting pink.

In the present day, Hiromi's face was still a bit pink. She smiled a bit, lowering her head and toying with strap of her purse.

"Hiromiiii~!"

She startled a bit, turned and smiled at Aki as the girl raced up the walk. "Ah, hi, Aki!"

"Hey! You weren't worrying, were you?"

"No, not this time."

Aki's eyes narrowed as her grin widened a bit, and she poked Hiromi's forehead lightly. "You liar~ Your skirt is bunched up a little, and your knuckles are still white. Hiromi, you've got to calm down! Your blood pressure'll thank you."

"Ehhh..."

"Now c'mon!" Aki seized Hiromi's hand tightly, dragging her towards the crowd. "Let's get the chocolate! To arms! Raaaaargh!"

Riche sat on the edge of the loveseat, one leg over the other. Lady sat demurely next to him, and Shylock stood with his back in a corner, arms folded lightly over his chest. All three were looking at a very sheepish Tamora.

"While I am glad you filled the River Despair a bit," Riche began, casting a brief glance out the window. "I am a bit disappointed that you didn't bring the prince to us."

"Wasn't my fault!" Tamora said quickly. "I tolja before, it was some new Pretty Cure! Two of them woke up at once, and they just - they just - They hurt my beautiful Usotsukiiii!" She began to wail, large tears pouring comically down her face.

In a flash, Lady was at Tamora's side, patting her shoulders and smiling softly. "Now, now, dear, it's alright...It's alright if you were taken by surprise. None of us were expecting a new Pretty Cure to awaken. Not even Break."

At the mention of that name, there was a sudden hush, as if a thick and heavy curtain had fallen over them. Tamora stopped crying, blinking back her tears, and the males looked more solemn than usual. "Break..." she whispered.

"He more than understands, don't worry," Lady murmured. "I spoke to him."

"You spoke to Break?! Alone?!" Riche suddenly leaped up from his seat, crossed the room and grasped Lady's shoulders. "Are you alright, my love? He didn't scold you too badly, did he? You should have come to me for moral support, love!"

"I'm alright, dear," Lady said quietly, smiling faintly. "It wasn't as unpleasant as I feared it'd be."

"Be that as it may!" Riche removed his hands from Lady's shoulders, curling one into a fist. "My darling wife shouldn't have had to speak to Break alone! And it's all Pretty Cure's fault that she did!"

Shylock rolled his eyes. "Pretty Cure has nothing to do with Lady seeing Break, Riche," he intoned. "She would have had to speak to him soon regardless of if new Cures awakened or not."

"Be that as it may!" Riche went on. "They've caused my wife suffering-"

"She just said she didn't."

"-And I'll be paying them a little visit." Riche turned away from the others, marching for the large doors with purpose. "Shylock, watch the prisoner. Lady, stay here. Tamora..."

"Yes!"

"Be quiet and don't disturb anyone."

Tamora pouted as the doors swung shut behind Riche.

"Ehhhh? The Aki Oshiro saved you?!" Mirai squealed, slamming her hands on her desk.

Hiromi sat at her own desk, patting at her hair with some paper towels. "U-Uh huh..." she mumbled. She looked up from beneath her bangs, blinking. "Wait...'the?'"

"Ah, that's right, you went to a different school," Mirai said, and she sat back down in her chair. "Aki Oshiro's really rich, and really nice, and really pretty-"

"So she's like a princess?"

"Well, the thing is, you'd expect her to be but-"

The door burst open just then, Aki Oshiro herself sailing in and waving energetically. "Gooood morning, everyone~! Heeey, Yuki, how you doin'? You look good in the high school uniform! Hi, Antoinette, did you dye your hair? Looks great! Heeey, weird to have rain on the first day of the new school year, huh?" She grinned and sat down in her chair, as if things were perfectly normal...ignoring that she was soaking wet.

Hiromi just stared. "...oh."

"Yeah, not what you might expect." Mirai laughed behind her hand.

"Oh!" Aki suddenly stood up again, crossed the room and

stopped

right in front of

Hiromi's desk.

"You're from earlier," Aki said, in a much quieter and gentler tone than before. Without waiting for Hiromi to respond, she opened her schoolbag and withdrew an umbrella, already prepared for storage. Hiromi recognized the pink fabric and the decorative bunnies. "Sorry I took so long getting this to you, but there was a bit of wind, you see."

Is that why she was later than the rest of us? Hiromi thought, blushing again as she reached for the umbrella. "Th-thank you."

As she took the umbrella, the girls' hands touched.

"Whooo, we managed to get some!" Aki beamed, holding her bag high above her head as she walked. The bag, a bright, glossy pink one with a pattern of red hearts and tied with white ribbon, swayed back and forth in her hands. She gave it a quick shake, smiling wider as she heard the candies inside. "What luck, huh, Hiromi? We got some before they all ran out."

Hiromi walked, more awkwardly, behind Aki, holding her hand for support. "Y-yeah..." she mumbled, fixing her askew glasses back into place. How the heck did Aki end up less roughed-up than me?!

Aki's hair had been messed up a bit, one of her hair clips was dangling loosely, and she was a little red and sweaty. Hiromi, on the other hand... "I think someone took one of my hair bobbles," she said. "A-And someone had juice and spilled it on my skirt..."

Ti and Coffee poked their heads out of Aki's messenger bag again, looking rather dizzy and disoriented. "The crowd was scary..." Coffee mumbled.

"...datchu," seemed to be all Ti could provide.

Hiromi adjusted her glasses again, her own bag of candy held between her thumb and forefinger, and stared at the two fairies. "But you know...I still don't have any idea what you two are. Or what you're doing here, or why we were able to transform like that."

"Oh, that's easy!" Coffee perked up. "We're fairies—"

"Yes?"

"We come from a magical world-"

"Yes?"

"And you two are legendary warriors~! Ta-daaaa!" Coffee beamed, holding her tiny arms out.

Hiromi just stared, brows lowered and lips pursed. "That still makes no sense at all!"

"Aw, c'mon, Hiromi. No rush, right?" Aki said, guiding Hiromi to a bench. "I mean, things have just started; there's all the time in the world to talk about this thing, right?"

"Aki, I just wanna know what exactly is going on, what we're in for!" Hiromi protested. "I mean, saying magic words while wearing a ring and then turning into a Lolita model?"

"That wasn't Lolita," Aki said.

"You have to admit it's not normal."

"Well, I'll concede that, but it still wasn't Lolita." Aki opened her bag of chocolate and took out one of the little hearts, turning it a few times between her thumb and forefinger. "Wow, this is really well-made...no bubbles!"

"A-Aki..."

"You know..." Coffee began, climbing out of the bag and taking Ti with her. "I honestly didn't expect the two of you to both transform at once. Normally, two Cures only transform at the same time when their hearts are in sync with each other, beating as one... You two must be really close!"

"I sensed that right away, datchu," Ti added.

Aki grinned, glancing over at Hiromi, who was blushing like a tomato, her glasses strangely opaque. Silently, she reached out and placed her hand over Hiromi's own. "Thanks for saying so."

There was a brief, somewhat awkward pause. Finally, Hiromi looked up, eyes a bit teary in her embarrassment. "Y-You're n-n-not gonna a-ask what's going on?"

Coffee scratched the side of her face. "I think we can figure it out."

As Hiromi opened her mouth to say something, Aki chuckled and tossed a chocolate into the latter's mouth.

Eyecatch 1: Hiromi and Aki lean over a small box, watching in anticipation as Ti and Coffee turn the handle. It appears to be a small jack-in-the-box, but when the lid suddenly pops open, it sends a spray of heart-shaped confetti all over them. The four of them laugh, and the Entwined Hearts logo appears in the corner.

Eyecatch 2: Cure Capulet and Cure Montague run at each other from opposite sides of the screen. The slide across the floor, intending on strike a pose together, but while Montague stops, Capulet keeps sliding. She briefly flails her arms in panic, and Montague grabs her around the waist to stop her. The momentum results in Capulet being held in a dip as she and Montague lock eyes. Montague laughs while Capulet blushes, and the Entwined Hearts logo appears in the corner.

"Next up! Hiromi Satou!" the gym teacher's voice rang out loud and clear from where she stood, stopwatch in hand.

"Yes!" Hiromi hopped up from her position on the grass, walking to the start line...and caught Aki's eye.

Aki sat on the bleachers, wearing her gym uniform, bloomers and all. She was just sitting there, watching everyone else get timed, her hands resting on her knees, a small and...

Was that smile sad?

"Hiromi!"

"R-Right! Sorry." Hiromi faced forward, taking her place and waiting for the whistle. When it came, she bolted from the starting line like a shot, arms and legs pumping, breathing steady...

And then her ankle seemed to work wrong and she was sent spilling to the ground, scraping up her knees. "Kyah!"

"Hiromi!" Mirai called out, jumping to her feet.

"Satou! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay..." Hiromi forced a smile as she rose to her feet and hobbled to the bleachers. "J-Just let me sit out, please..."

Aki blinked, and then widened her eyes slightly as Hiromi approached her, and sat down right beside her. She stared at the bespectacled girl for a moment, then started laughing quietly behind her hand.

Hiromi smiled faintly. "What?"

Aki lowered her hand, and shifted her eyes towards Hiromi. "You fell on purpose." Hiromi's embarrassed laugh was all the answer she needed. "Why? You don't like gym?"

"It's not that. It's...you looked a bit lonely over here." Hiromi's smile faded, and she turned to look forward again. "And...I thought it wasn't right, and I should come sit with you. You seem really nice, Aki..."

"Do you want to come to the arcade with me after school?"

"H-Huh?" Hiromi's head jerked up, and she stared wide-eyed at Aki. Aki was just smiling nonchalantly, though there was a little pink to her cheeks. "What?"

"Well...if you think I'm nice, and you even fell on purpose to sit with me and keep me company, then we should do something together. We can go to the arcade after school today for a start." Her eyes closed and her smile widened. "Besides, I kinda wanted to talk to you more after the umbrella thing."

Hiromi swore there was steam coming from her ears.

"I - I dunno if this is a good idea!"

"C'mooon," Aki said, nudging her hand out at Hiromi. "It'll be fun! Better than me doing something while you just stand and watch, right?"

Aki stood on the platform for the arcade's dancing game, one hand on her knee as she leaned over to Hiromi. She held her hand out to her, trying to coax her into a dance. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"P-P-People will stare-"

"I promise you, no one watches anyone on these things," Aki said gently.

"I-I'm not real good at this." Even as she said this, Hiromi's hand slowly lifted towards Aki's.

"I can dance well enough for both of us. Besides, it's not about skill, it's just fun." Aki just kept smiling, her hand still proffered.

Hiromi hesitated a moment longer, then clasped Aki's hand.

"A little to the left..."

"Like this?"

"Yeah."

Aki's tongue poked out between her lips as she lowered the crane according to Hiromi's instructions. "You know, I've never actually gotten anything in one of these. I keep feeding it money but I never - no freaking way!" Aki's eyes went as big as dinner plates when the crane lifted up, a toy in its grip. "Holy freaking cow, I got one! Hiromi, you – did you see – how did-?!"

Hiromi just smiled. "I'm pretty good at these, Aki."

Aki held her prize in disbelief – a golden-eyed grasshopper plush, and for some reason it was wearing a top hat. "I can't believe it...Hiromi, you're amazing!" Aki squealed and threw her arms around Hiromi's shoulders for a moment before hopping back to the controls. "Let's get another one!"

As the sun was setting, Hiromi and Aki walked home; Aki was trying not to drop any of her numerous prizes, and Hiromi was trying not to laugh. Nope, Aki was indeed not what she might have expected. That much was clear as Aki tried to keep the prize sitting on top from toppling over and landing in the dust. "This was fun," Hiromi said at last, cheeks tinting pink.

Aki paused in her little balancing act to look at Hiromi, grinning broadly. "Yeah, it was. Wanna do it again?"

"Wh-whaaa?!" Hiromi started. Whoa, straightforward!

"Well, it was fun, right?" Aki reached up and removed one of her toys. This seemed to be the reverse of the proverbial straw on the camel, as the pile in her arms was much less precarious. Smiling, she held the toy out to Hiromi; a large plush apple with a pink beret. "We should do it again. Is tomorrow okay?"

"U-Uhm...I h-have to volunteer at the library tomorrow..." Hiromi paused, swallowed nervously, and began again. "But...but the ne-next day. That's a good day."

"Great! Then we'll hang out in two days. Maybe not the arcade though; you can pick this time." With that, Aki quickly moved the apple towards Hiromi's face, mimicking a peck on the cheek. Then she tossed the toy into the flustered girl's hands, and jogged away. "G'bye, Hiromi! I'll see you at school!"

Hiromi watched Aki leave, weakly waving goodbye. "Y-yeah...bye..." she mumbled, then looked at the smiling apple. A small smile appeared on her own lips.

"Did you get some?"

"No, they ran out...Did you get some?"

"Uh huh!" A girl smiled and held her bag of candy out, a faint blush on her cheeks as she looked down at the ground. "U-Uhm...Daisuke, you can have mine if you like."

"Eh?" The boy, apparently named Daisuke, blinked. "After all that fuss in the store? How come?"

"W-Well...Y-You see..." The girl's blush intensified. "I think you're really great, and I wanted to buy some chocolate for you anyway..."

Daisuke, picking up on her implications, turned red himself.

And meanwhile, in the air, someone was seeing red as he stared down at the few people left after the rush. "Giving something away because you're in love? That's just idiotic..." Riche swiftly produced a marker from his pocket and drew two curling lines to form a heart, in mid-air. Then he swiped his arm diagonally, putting a slash through the heart. The symbol split into two and shot towards the boy and girl below, landing on their chests. As the two screamed in pain and then dropped to their knees, wailing bitterly, Riche chuckled under his breath. "Your heartbreak will fill the River Despair and flood the world!"

In a darkened mansion, a girl pressed her face to a window high above. She gasped in horror at the sight of the river blackening and frothing, lightning dancing over its surface.

Ti gasped and straightened up, his own eyes widening. "Sh-Shitsuren, datchu! It's Shitsuren, datchu!" he cried, tugging on Aki's sleeve.

"Shitsuren?" Aki frowned briefly, then gasped as realization hit. "You mean like the girl from the other day?"

"She was one of them – that was Tamora! There's three more, and there's one attacking right now, datchu!" Ti cried anxiously, moving to tug on Hiromi's sleeve now.

Hiromi and Aki exchanged a look. "We're going!" Aki declared.

Riche's chuckle turned into dark laughter as he watched the teenagers' despair. "Perfect! Whether or not I find Pretty Cure, I can still fill the river." His hand clenched into a fist, and a smirk appeared on his face. "The entire world will drown in sorrow!"

"This is far enough!"

"That's right!"

"Hm?" Riche blinked, and looked a little further down the walk. There, glaring up at him, were two girls. Normally Riche would have just considered them extra sources for sorrow and heartbreak, but they had two very familiar fairies sitting on their shoulders. Which meant... "Ah, Pretty Cure! You're so prompt, I must congratulate you on that. Punctuality is a virtue, one that not a lot of young people seem to possess," he added, sounding a tad miffed at the last part.

"Oh, thank you very much – wait a second!" Hiromi cried. "Stop what you're doing!"

"These people came here to enjoy delicious chocolate! Chocolate hearts that symbolize love! How can you plunge them into heartbreak like that?" Aki demanded.

Riche's brow twitched. "Love? Such a deep emotion shouldn't be felt by the likes of you!" Swiftly, he uncapped his marker again, drew that same slashed heart symbol in the air, and hurled it down towards the bag of chocolate by the boy's knees. "Fall into heartbreaking despair! Come on out, Usotsuki!"

In an instant, an Usotsuki stood where the chocolate once was. It retained its bag an ribbon shape, but the cheery pink was replaced with dark purple, the red ribbon now black. Long, black arms and legs of pure darkness emerged from the enlarged bag and ended in sharp claws. Glowing red eyes suddenly popped open, and a glowing red fanged mouth grinned at the two girls with cruel intent. "Usotsukiii!"

"Hiromi!" Aki cried.

Hiromi nodded, and clasped Aki's hand as Ti and Coffee leaped off their shoulders.

"Pretty Cure, Love's Song!"

"The innocent love in a maiden's heart, Cure Capulet!"

"The sincere love in a maiden's heart, Cure Montague!"

"Our hearts connected! Pretty Cure Entwined Hearts!"

The Usotsuki roared and swiped its clawed hands outward, not at Pretty Cure, but-

"Get them outta here!" Capulet shouted, but she needn't have. She and Montague both leaped out, each grabbing one of the teenagers and taking them to safety. Gently, they set the two down on a nearby bench, leaning against each other as they wept, blind and deaf to the world.

The Usotsuki let out a deafening shriek and thrust one of its noodle-like arms out to the bench. Pretty Cure gasped in horror, leaping in front of the bench to grab its hand and keep it from going any further.

"We've gotta get away from this spot!" Montague whispered harshly. "Or these guys'll be-"

"Usotsuki! Throw them sky-high!" Riche commanded.

"USOKI-KIKIKIKI!" The Usotsuki cackles madly, and swept its arm up high over its head. Cures Montague and Capulet didn't let go fast enough, and were tossed high into the air. Then just as they began their descent back down, the Usotsuki slammed its other arm into them, sending them both smashing to the ground before they had time to even scream.

It was their second battle. Only their second battle, and Pretty Cure seemed to be defeated, lying motionless in a large crater in the middle of the street.

"Pretty Cure, datchu! Pretty Cuuuure!" Ti screamed, tears of horror in his eyes.

"Prince, stay back!" Coffee yelled, lifting him up as the mouse fairy cycled his limbs.

"It can't happen again, datchu! It can't! Wake up, Pretty Cure! Please wake up!" he sobbed.

Riche stared for a beat, then chuckled. "Well. Clearly our dear Tamora was simply caught off-guard. I should apologize to her." He then pointed nearby, to the chocolate shop. "Usotsuki, that shop is a symbol of love! Destroy it now!"

Montague's hand twitched.

"U-Uhm...Aki?"

"Hm?" Aki turned around to look at Hiromi.

It was sunset, and the two were on their way home from another day at the arcade. This time they'd taken it easy on the crane games, as each of them only held a single toy – interestingly, the same ones they'd won the first time they'd played. Aki held the stuffed apple under her chin as she turned bodily around. Hiromi's face was red, something that didn't concern Aki too much. The troubled look on her face, however... "What's the matter, Hiromi?"

"I – I uhm..."

"Destroy it now!"

"Uso-!"

"Stop."

"-ki?" The Usotsuki paused, turned its body towards the downed Cures.

Riche quirked an eyebrow as he saw the two girls shakily pushing themselves up. "You can still stand?" Then he blinked, a look of realization on his face, before covering his mouth with a hand. "Oh my – Don't tell me you're going to defend a chocolate shop? Of all the absurd-"

"It's...an important place to us," rasped Capulet as she got back on her feet. Her head was bowed, bangs shadowing her eyes. "We can't..."

"I..." Hiromi tapped her fingers against the top hat of her plush, shifting her eyes to look at the nearby bench, the road, the large window that showed assorted chocolates, everywhere but at Aki. Finally, she swallowed, inhaled a deep breath, and-

"We can't let you do this!" both Cures roared, suddenly lifting their heads. Their eyes were gleaming in sudden ferocity, teeth bared. Letting out roars of anger, they charged towards the startled Usotsuki.

"U-Uso-?!" The Usotsuki threw its hands in front of itself, waved them frantically as it stared at the Cures with wide eyes.

Montague punched its hands aside with such force that the monster was sent skidding a few feet to the side. As it was regaining its footing, Montague locked her fingers together to form a foothold as Capulet leaped over her bowed head. She landed with the center of her foot in Montague's hands, and was immediately thrown upwards.

Capulet sailed high over the Usotsuki's head, and fell back down at top speed, one leg extended. "Capulet Kick!" she shouted, landing the blow right in the middle of the monster's forehead.

The Usotsuki crashed down the ground, sending up huge billowing clouds of dust and screeching in surprise and pain.

Riche was staring in wide-eyed shock. "Y-You really are getting so fierce over a chocolate shop!"

"That's because-!" Montague answered without even looking at him. Instead, she raced forward to land a straight punch at the fallen Usotsuki's side.

"This shop-!" Capulet spun-kicked the Usotsuki as she fell back down to land beside Montague.

"This place..."

"...I like you."

Aki turned red, gasping quietly. The other girl was smiling softly at her, pink blush coloring her cheeks, her eyes closed. "You...do?"

Hiromi nodded shyly, hugging her plush closer. "I do."

Aki turned even redder, looking off to the side and clearing her throat. "U-Uhm...I – I like you too." She smiled at the look of faint surprise on Hiromi's face. "As – As more than a friend."

"...Would you date me, Aki?"

Aki laughed quietly, hugging her own plush in absolute giddiness. "Yes!"

"...is important to us!" the two Cures roared, clasping their hands and threading their fingers. Gold and purple light flashed and filtered between their fingers, and the Rapier Wands appeared in front of them. They grabbed their respective weapons with their free hands.

"Pretty Cure Dual Heart Strike!"

The attack blasted right through the Usotsuki as it was pulling itself back to its feet. It stiffened in pain, eyes going wide as it disintegrated and fell apart from the heart-shaped hole outward. "U-Usotsu..." was all it could say before it was destroyed.

Riche tsk'd bitterly. "I will remember this," he growled quietly before teleporting away.

Daisuke groaned, eyes fluttering open. "Mmm, wha...? Ah! Ikuko!" he cried, shaking the girl's shoulder. "Ikuko, wake up!"

"Mmm?" Ikuko's eyes opened slowly, and she looked to Daisuke in tired confusion. "Daisuke? ...what were we doing-"

Both of them suddenly looked down between them. A bag of candy sat there, opened to show the chocolates inside. Both teens blushed faintly and lifted their heads to look into each others eyes.

"I'm glad things worked out," Aki sighed, eating another chocolate.

Hiromi laughed in embarrassment. "I didn't expect our date to end in a battle..."

"Unfortunately, that'll happen a lot, you two being Pretty Cure and all," Coffee offered, a bit sheepish herself.

"That was the opposite of what I wanted to hear!" Hiromi cried, tearing up a little.

"But...if we're fighting for the sake of love and keeping people from heartbreak, I guess it's alright. Right, Hiromi?"

"Hmmm..."

Riche rubbed the back of his neck as he entered the room he was in earlier.

"Welcome home."

He opened his eyes, and saw Lady sitting there on the loveseat, her hands neatly folded in her lap. Beside her sat a tray with a pot of tea, two cups, and a small plate of cookies. Riche stared at the smile on his wife's face for a moment, before he sighed and smiled. "I'm home, my dear..."

"Shylock!" screamed a depowered Cure Ariel, pounding on the door furiously. "Let me out of here! Let me out! You can't keep me here forever!" As she pounded, her hands started to burn, steam emitting from where they made contact with the door itself. But she paid it no mind, gritting her teeth through the pain and kicking the door for good measure. "You can't be alright with what you're doing! Let me out of here, this minute, Shylock!"

Outside Cure Ariel's door, Shylock said nothing. He just leaned against the door, his head bowed as he listened to her shouting.

A girl, clad in a long, flowing mint dress, her dark violet hair gently swaying in the wind, stood with her back to him. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she suddenly turned around as if she sensed his presence. "Shylock~!" she called.

Shylock, his head still bowed, shoved himself away from the door and walked down the dark corridor, leaving Ariel and her shouting behind.

ED: "Hummingbird" - Mana Ogawa

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Aki: "Hey, it's Miho! I haven't seen her in a long time!"

Hiromi: "A-Ah, she wants me to..."

Aki: "To what?"

Hiromi: "T-To be a model?! Next time on Pretty Cure Entwined Hearts: 'A Model, Me? Razor-Sharp Competition!' Let love heal your heart!"