Disclaimer: Not owning. Not ever.

A/N: My own version of the last episodes of Mermaid Melody First Season!

Chapter 20: Assoluto Amore

Everything was dark. She floated in oblivion, a captive. Chichiri Erika, the Red Mermaid Princess of the Southern Ocean, was fast asleep inside a holding unit in Gackto's castle. She was cut off from the rest of the sea, yet she could feel...a presence. Had Lucia and the others arrived?

Ryu... Erika thought as she drifted in the darkness.

Suddenly, something seemed to stir her from her sleep – voices. Shouting, running, and crashes could be heard. Erika tried to open her eyes, yet they seemed like they were made of lead. Her mind was alert, yet her body was still asleep. Her heavy body seemed to pull her back to the darkness; Erika tried to force herself to awaken. But try as she might, she could not move a single part of her body.

Suddenly, she could hear the vices closer to her. The sound of breaking glass rang out, making her wonder what was going on.

Lucia? Erika thought.

As if in reply, a voice sounded: "Erika! She's in here!"

"Hurry! Get her out!" another voice said. Caren's?

Suddenly, Erika felt a rush of water enter her holding unit and the sound of shattering glass. She felt herself falling in someone's arms, then the heaviness seemed to lift from her body, giving her enough strength to open her eyes. Erika slowly opened her eyes, looking up at Lucia's worried face.

"Erika! Erika, are you all right?" Lucia asked.

"Uh...Lucia? Is that really you?" Erika asked weakly.

"It's okay, Erika," Lucia said with a smile. "We're going to end this."

Erika nodded and slowly got up. She noticed that Caren was hugging another mermaid with indigo-colored hair, Hippo was with bright yellow hair. Were those the mermaids whose presences she felt near her?

"That's..." Erika said slowly.

"Noel and Coco," Lucia said. "Two other mermaid princesses."

"The Keepers of the Indigo and the Yellow pearls..." Erika muttered.

"We have to stop Sara," Coco said desperately. "She'll end up destroying everything so dear to her! We have to awaken her senses!"

"We have to stop Gackto too," Noel said. "We can't let him take over the whole ocean and destroy all the lands!"

"Let's go and end this," Hanon said.

Side by side, united, the six Mermaid Princesses swam out of the room, searching for their enemies, prepared for one last fight.

They came upon a large room lined with columns. A lone throne stood near them, unoccupied. Erika felt chills up her spine as the dark aura increased around them.

"They must be here somewhere," Caren said.

"We have to find them!" Rina said.

"Unfortunately, this is the end of the line for you," a voice said.

A tall beautiful woman walked out of the shadows. Her hair was long and jet-black, yet her eyes were bright orange. She smirked at the mermaids.

"Sara!" Coco cried.

"So, you've finally awoken Coco," Sara said.

"Let's start over, Sara!" Coco pleaded. "Don't do this!"

Sara just smiled and laughed. "You don't know what you're saying."

"If you can't come to your senses, we'll do it for you!" Caren shouted.

Suddenly, their shell necklaces popped open, revealing their pearls. Their pearls began to glow, their bright light surrounding them, transforming them into their Idol Forms!

"Pink Pearl Voice!"

"Green Pearl Voice!"

"Mizu-iro Pearl voice!"

"Red Pearl Voice!"

"Purple Pearl Voice!"

"Ai-iro Pearl Voice!"

"Yellow Pearl Voice!"

Standing, ready to fight, they raised their bracelets high. Their bracelets glowed brighter and brighter, transforming them into their Super Idol Forms!

Sara just smiled at them as they stood, microphones in their hands, getting ready to fight.

(A/N: I'm not revealing the name of the song they're singing until the next chapters. Sorry minna!)

"Pichi Pichi Voice Live Start!"

Anche se il mare e in tempesta

e mi spinge violento verso la sconfitta, Lucia sang.

Guardo negli occhi l'amore

che mi fa lottare con la forza che da! Rina sang.

Per ogni volta che cado

io posso rialzarmi e cosi mantenere! Erika sang.

quella promessa che ho fatto

Con voce sincera credendo all'amore, Coco sang.

E una luce incandescente

che riscalda piu del sole

Cosi chiara che rivela la realta! Hanon sang.

Voci unite per cantare

per sconfiggere il silenzo

Sara forte, sara chiara la verita! Noel sang.

Guarda in uno specchio

il tuo riflesso e limpido...Caren sang.

(e tutto questo ci sara!)

Sara quel battito forte d'amore che

ci da la forza e la speranza per affrontare

questa tempesta che porta con se

il vento forte che ci sorprende dal mare!

Ma unendo le nostre voci in un canto che

si sentira nel profondo piu vero del cuore

e voglio lottare soltanto per te

e voglio essere il battito forte d'amore con te

Puoi sentirlo!

Puoi sentirlo...

Se lo vuoi!

Sara just kept on smiling, snickering at their futile attempt. The Mermaid Princesses were shocked. Why didn't their song work on her?

"Stupid," Sara said as if knowing their question. "Aqua Regina's songs don't work on other Mermaid Princesses. You go on, prating about love and hope, when they are just worthless feelings, feelings that you use to lie to one another. Let my song show you how worthless these feelings are!"

Sara took out her microphone, and suddenly, the air became very dense, as if reflecting the blackness of Sara's own heart.

(A/N: Sara's song, Assoluto Amore, means "Absolute Love" in Italian, and is the Italian version of Return to the Sea. Enjoy!)

Cambierà,
Con la neve riuscirò
a spegnere il male che c'è qui
che non può più dividerci.
E le bugie
che qualche volta sentirò,
le trasformerò in gioielli
di purezza e fedeltà!

The Mermaid Princesses clamped their hands over their ears, but Sara's song swirled around them like fog, weakeneing them, stabbing at them. A searing pain shot through them, burning like fire.

"Ahhh! It hurts!" Caren cried out.

"I can't breathe..." Hanon moaned.

Mare che
mi incanti come il cielo blu.
Le tue principesse lottano,
non le abbandonare mai!
Tu guidaci
e il nostro sogno arriverà
sulla stella del destino,
giustizia tornerà!

"Aaaahhhh..." Rina cried out as they twisted and turned in pain.

"St-stop!" Erika shouted. But Sara kept singing, kept giving them pain.

L'assoluto di un amore può
rendere caldo un vento freddo
vincendo le difficoltà
che nella vita incontrerà!
Riaccende ogni cuore che
da troppo tempo ormai
si era spento...

Sara finished her song as the Mermaid Princesses slumped on the floor, their energy sapped, raging pain spreading in their bodies.

Sara laughed. "You feel the pain? Compared to what happened to me, this is nothing!"

"K-Kaito..." Lucia said. "We have to save Kaito..."

Sara smiled at them. "Painful? This is nothing. Let me let you taste real pain..."