Phew! Well, hopefully everyone is doing alright during these trying moments. I myself am struggling, but I do have some silver linings with this whole pandemic issue. Biggest being I can work on my stories, like this one.

So if any of you were confused as to what happened with Daichi last chapter, worry no more. Also, big thank you goes to RavenBloom, who has helped get me out of several writer's blocks with this chapter, and is working on some material that'll come in a near future chapter.

Disclaimer (cause you know): I do not own Mermaid Melody, its characters, or content. All rights to their respective owners.

Now, read, review, and enjoy.

Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!

Chapter 23:

A Hidden Guardian

A couple hours later found Noelle in a hospital waiting room, her hands clenched together, and her brow furrowed in worry. After Daichi had asked his disturbing question, he had conked out and wouldn't wake up. Thanks to Dr. Hishki's disturbance, a random bystander was able to call an ambulance for help. And now here she was, waiting for the doctors to tell her what was going on.

"Daichi-kun," she muttered, her face fraught with worry. At that moment, a doctor came up to her from the ICU ward, and Noelle shot to her feet.

His face appeared grim as he informed, "He's stable, but he remains comatose. We won't know the extent of his condition until he wakes up. Even then, we don't have anything on when he'll wake up."

"But he is alright?" Noelle asked anxiously.

To that the doctor explained, "He's out of the worst of it. Now he just needs to fight to come back. But considering the trauma he suffered to the head, we can't be sure when that will be." Excusing himself, the doctor left to attend to his other patients. Noelle sat back down, making sense of what she was told. Ultimately, she came to one conclusion:

"Daichi-kun is in a coma," she spoke softly.

Half an hour later, the remaining six Mermaid Princesses arrived and came up to Noelle, all with distressed looks. "Noelle," Luchia spoke first, "what happened? Is Daichi alright?"

Glancing at each of them, the indigo mermaid princess explained, "The doctors said Daichi-kun is in a coma, and they don't know when he'll wake up. But they said he is through the worst of it."

"At least he is alright," Rina said with a sigh of relief, "when we heard what had happened, we weren't sure what to expect."

Coming up to her, Seira asked, "Are you alright, Noelle?"

Looking at her with a small smile, Noelle answered, "I'm alright Seira. I'm fine." That convinced no one, though nobody pressed her on the matter. They had more pressing issues to address.

It was then that someone came up to the group and asked, "Sumimasen. Are you with the boy brought to the hospital earlier? Mr. Daichi?" The group looked up to see a young man with black hair tied in a wolftail, deep-blue eyes, wearing a white doctor's coat over an indigo sweater, tan khaki's, and dark brown shoes. He had a stethoscope around his neck that swung a bit as he approached, along with some pens in his pocket and a clipboard under his arm. On his coat was his nametag which read—

"I am Doctor Furawa Tsubasa," he introduced, "I will be his attending physician."

After he greeted himself, Hanon thought coyly, He's certainly handsome. And a doctor, no less. But I have my Nagisa, so too little, too late.

At the same time, Coco contemplated, He certainly is a nice guy. Perhaps one of us could do this and that with him.

Noelle then bowed and greeted, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Furawa-san. My name is Noelle."

"The pleasure is all mine Noelle-san," Tsubasa returned, then informed, "I can let you visit him now, but only for a little while." Despite the option being open, Noelle was hesitant to respond. She wanted to see Daichi right away, but something seemed to be holding her back.

It was with this that Seira stepped up and answered, "We'll both go see him." She then turned around and told the others, "You don't have to worry. I'll stay with Noelle and Daichi-san." The other girls were bit stunned by Seira's decision, especially with them all there.

But Luchia was the first to recover and reply, "Sure Seira. That sounds great." The younger mermaid princess beamed, and Luchia added, "I'll wait here for you so we can go back together."

"Hai, Luchia," Seira replied before grabbing Noelle's hand and going with Tsubasa to visit Daichi. With the matter settled, the other three left, stating they were going back to the hotel. Karen opted to stay for her sister's sake, and she and Luchia went to the lobby.

That was when Luchia noticed Rihito at the check-in desk, discussing something with the clerk. As he turned to leave, he spotted Luchia and Karen greeted, "Ah, Luchia-san. Karen-san."

"Rihito-san," Luchia returned, "why are you here? Are you not feeling well?"

"No no," Rihito replied, "I'm not here for myself. I was checking in for Mikaru."

"What's wrong with Mikaru?" Karen asked next to Luchia.

At this, he answered, "You see, Mikaru seemed to have a bit of a growth spurt. So I wanted her to get a check-up and make sure she's alright." This bit of news confused the mermaid princesses. What could be happening with Mikaru? "Anyways, I just finished making arrangements for later this week," Rihito concluded, "now I best get home, so she isn't alone. Oyasumi-nasai." And as the girls wished him a good night as well, their thoughts were left troubled by what they were told.

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Tsubasa brought the two girls to the room Daichi was residing. Inside, they found him rigged to various machines providing him with essentials. Noelle let out a pained sigh before walking over to his bedside. Seira followed after her, looking on worried as she came next to her.

Bringing a chair over, Tsubasa informed them, "He's stable for the moment, but we don't know if he'll wake up anytime soon. I can say he will wake up." Noelle hummed in understanding, still looking at the boy. Seeing her fixation, Seira helped guide her into the seat Tsubasa supplied before bowing and thanking him. The man gave one last look before leaving the room.

The two looked over Daichi, hearing the machines beep and hiss as they worked to keep his vitals stable. The memory of Daichi forgetting her still hurt Noelle. She didn't understand how that could be. Just moments before, he had tried to save her from Dr. Hishki. She began to ponder if this was because of her. She wanted Daichi to wake desperately and end her nightmare.

Seira, sensing the inner anguish in Noelle's heart, spoke up and informed, "Noelle, I've been practicing my lines for the play. Want to see how I do?"

Stirred from her state of being, Noelle faced the young mermaid princess and replied, "That would be great. Go ahead." Seira went to the foot of the bed so she had more room to work with. She took a deep breath and recited one of her scenes.

My dear prince, I am Odette, princess of the swans. Long ago, my subjects and I were cursed by an evil sorcerer, forced to take on the form of swans. Only under the moon's light by this lake may I return to my true form.

She paused briefly, then continued,

No, my prince. To break our curse, one must swear a vow of eternal love. Only then will my subjects and I be freed.

Noelle was amazed at Seira's delivery. The emotion in which she gave her lines felt so sad, yet so hopeful. It was like Seira was the princess Odette.

"Sugoi," she expressed, "that was wonderful Seira."

"Arigatou," Seira replied.

"Demo, you need to relax your face a bit more so you can express yourself better," the elder mermaid princess critiqued, "remember what your character is feeling in the scene and make that feeling your own."

"Hai." Knowing that, Seira tried again with the same scene.

As this went on, Tsubasa watched from the doorway, staying back a bit to remain unnoticed. He watched Noelle helping the little girl and found himself drawn to this side of her compared to her wallowing in sadness earlier. He soon left after, thinking about Noelle as she was now.

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"Mou! This is the worst," Arara complained while washing some dishes, "did we have to be doing this while coming up with a new plan?"

"Nothing for it," Lady Bat answered while she brought more dirty dishes, "Hishki-sama was rather furious, and we would not have been spared his wrath had we stayed."

"I know, but this is so humiliating," Arara continued to gripe. The two looked behind them to see Lanhua just standing in the middle of the washroom, not even contributing to the work. "Oi Lanhua, help us out!" Arara demanded.

"Such tasks would not do for one such as I," she replied.

"Get over yourself and help!" You're in just as much trouble as we are."

"I am still thinking of a plan to capture the mermaid princess."

"Stop making excuses!"

At that point, the supervisor came in and chided, "You lot, stop squabbling and get to work."

"Yes sir," Lady Bat responded nervously. Once he left, she instructed, "Listen! Until we have a solid plan to capture the mermaid princesses, we must maintain our cover. So get to work before they decide to kick us out." Begrudgingly, Lanhua and Arara got to work. Lady Bat wasn't fond of doing work like this herself, but she knew they had to bide their time till they came up with a solid strategy.

While they worked, Arara brought up, "Hey, why was Hishki-sama so upset anyway? It can't just be because he was defeated by the mermaid princesses."

"I'm not sure," Lanhua answered, "perhaps those boys he made could clue us in." At the thought of the Triple Threat, the three were enraged.

"We'll show them," Lady Bat muttered angrily, "we'll show them up, and prove we are the best to capture the mermaid princesses." The other two agreed, their resolution set.

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A few days had passed since then. Noelle came to visit Daichi each day, staying the entire time by his bedside. Her friends sometimes came with her and helped make sure she ate and that she was alright. Tsubasa noticed her frequent visits and began to grow concerned for her. So much so that he decided to stage an intervention.

A week since the boy had been brought in, Tsubasa stopped by his room to find Noelle once again by his bedside. Only this time she was alone. He went into the room and saw the forlorn face she wore as she looked at Daichi sleeping. It bothered him to see her distraught, but he had to break her out of this cycle.

Being careful not to startle her, Tsubasa made his presence known before speaking up and regarding, "Noelle-san." This snapped her out of whatever thoughts she was having, and she turned to register that it was him speaking to her.

"Oh, Furawa-san," she regarded.

But the doctor replied, "Call me Tsubasa-san. Using my surname is a bit much for me."

"Oh. Of course," Noelle acknowledged.

With that settled, Tsubasa pulled up a chair for himself before noting aloud, "You seem quite attached to this Daichi fellow."

"Yes," Noelle replied, "you see he is my… well, he will be my boyfriend."

Surprised, Tsubasa inquired, "Will be? Why do you say that?"

Pondering for a moment, Noelle answered, "Well we've grown rather close. And Daichi has helped me out of situations before. I have no doubt he will be my boyfriend before long."

Tsubasa wasn't sure what to say to that. But her line of thought did worry him more than he had been before.

So, he asked, "Ano, Noelle-san, are you sure about all of this?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

Tsubasa had to keep himself from letting out a sigh, so he requested, "Would you accompany me? There is something I want to discuss with you." Noelle was unsure what he was getting at, yet she agreed to his request. Tsubasa took her out into the hallway, in plain view of the other nurses and doctors for accountability.

"Noelle-san," Tsubasa began, "I think you might be suffering a condition yourself."

"But I'm not sick," Noelle tried to reason.

To which Tsubasa waved off and elaborated, "It's not a physical illness. What you have is more of a psychological disorder."

"Psychological? You mean my head?"

"Yes. You seem to be in what is called the Nightingale Syndrome. Basically, you're feeling romantically involved in someone that had saved you from sort of situation."

"Nightingale…" Noelle muttered as she thought on it.

Tsubasa explained further, "Normally this occurs between a patient and a doctor or nurse. But your case seems to extend to Daichi-san, as you mentioned he had helped you out of situations."

To this, Noelle giggled and replied, "I thank you for your concern, but I don't have a Nightingale Syndrome. I love Daichi, and I know he loves me."

Before she could leave, Tsubasa urged, "Noelle-san, please stop to think. You've been spending a great deal of time by his side. Your friends are no doubt worried about you. I know he's important to you, but you're just as important to them. They need you."

This gave Noelle pause as she thought on Tsubasa's words. Her friends did seem concerned for her when they went with her to visit Daichi. It made her think more about her situation.

Sighing, Tsubasa told her, "I know he's important to you, but you must not forget to live your life. Never forget to live." With that, he excused himself and went to conduct his rounds.

Noelle looked back into Daichi's room, but now her thoughts were on everyone else. They were really worried for her, and here she was fretting over Daichi waking up. Perhaps she was forgetting to live for herself. Somberly realizing her error, Noelle decided to go home for the day.

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Back in the kitchens, Lady Bat and Lanhua were cleaning the floors before the next meal rush. It was at this time that Arara rushed in shouting, "I saw her! I saw her!" But she rushed onto the now wet floor and went slipping into the other two water demons.

Recovering, the two chided, "Slow down!"

"But I found her," Arara pestered, "the girl Hishki-sama tried to capture. The one he thinks is the Indigo Mermaid Princess."

"What about her, you flagrant fairy?" Lanhua scoffed.

This ticked Arara off, but Lady Bat interjected, "Where did you see her?"

"In the hospital," the fairy-esque water demon urged, "she was in the room of that boy Hishki-sama took down when he wen after the Purple and Indigo Mermaid Princesses." This bit of news intrigued the other two greatly. "What's more, some of the staff say she's been coming here since the boy was brought into the hospital," Arara continued, "and she's always by his side. It'll be our chance to capture the mermaid princess for Hishki-sama."

Catching on, Lady Bat proclaimed, "It we succeed, we can show we are better than those Triple Wannabes and redeem ourselves in Hishki-sama's eyes." The three cheered, only to get chewed out by the supervisor before returning to work. But they knew, they now had a chance.

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The next day at around midday, Luchia and Kaito had just entered the hospital lobby. They were coming to check up on Daichi and Noelle, especially after she came back to the hotel earlier than usual yesterday.

"Do you think Noelle is alright?" Luchia asked. "She's been acting weird since Daichi-kun came to the hospital."

"Someone probably had a talk with her and helped her with a problem she was having," Kaito figured.

"You think so?"

"Or maybe she found a new boyfriend."

At that, Luchia got agitated and shot back, "No way! Noelle would not abandon a friend like that." After that, Kaito assured her it was a joke, they resumed their trek to the clerk's desk.

Just before they got there, they heard a kid's voice call out, "Luchia-san! Kaito-san!" The two turned to their right where the voice came from, and Luchia was immediately met with someone small hugging her. She looked down to see a head with brunette hair. Then when the child looked up, Luchia noticed a familiar face.

"Mikaru?" she asked. But she didn't understand, as the Mikaru clinging to her looked like she was 8 or 9. The last time she saw her, she was around 4 years old.

"You came, Luchia-san," Mikaru said excitedly, "you came to see me again."

Before she could respond, Rihito came over and told his little sister, "Mikaru, don't bother Luchia too much."

"But Onii-sama, Luchia-san is here to help me see the scary doctor," Mikaru returned, hugging tighter to Luchia, "right Luchia-san?"

This time, Kaito interjected, "We're actually here to check on a friend at the hospital right now." His answer made Mikaru begin to tear up, looking to Luchia. The mermaid princess took a moment before smiling and picking Mikaru up as best as she could.

"We can help Rihito-san," Luchia told the other Pantherrassa, "we can call Rina and have her check on Noelle. I think Mikaru needs us more." This made Mikaru beam and hug closer to Luchia.

"Arigatou gozaimasu Luchia-san!" she shrieked with joy.

Rihito seemed unsure about all of this, and asked, "Are you sure, Luchia-chan?"

"Yeah Luchia," Kaito added, "we were worried about Noelle on the way here."

"Yeah but, we should be there for Mikaru," Luchia reasoned, "and besides, she's going to face the scary doctor. She'll need someone there with her."

As she returned her attention to Mikaru, Kaito muttered, "You spoil her too much." I just hope she does not end up like she was before, he thought worriedly. Looking to Rihito, who sighed in defeat, Kaito pulled out his phone to call Rina.

Up in Daichi's room at that time, Noelle was by the boy's side once more. However, this time, she was mulling over the point Tsubasa brought up yesterday when he talked with her. She watched over her lover, but her thoughts were on the others. When they had come with her to visit, she did recall them trying to talk to her. And all she did was focus on Daichi, practically ignoring them the whole time. Maybe Tsubasa was right to be concerned about her. Even if Daichi became her Sea Prince, her duty needed her to work with the others. She couldn't just hole up in this room every day, waiting for Daichi to wake up. And then there was what happened after fending off Dr. Hishki. If Daichi forgot her because of his injury, she wasn't sure she could handle what that would bring. She didn't want to grow distant from her friends, or even from her sister. And she realized that she needed them.

Stroking Daichi's hand, Noelle told him, "I have to go now. Everyone needs me. But I'll be back." With those words said, she rose from her seat and left the room, stealing one last glance at the boy. As she went into the hallway, she was nearly run over by a cart carrying food for the patients. Thankfully, whoever was moving the cart stopped before impact.

"Sumimasen," the individual spoke up, "I did not see you come out."

Noelle waved it off and assured, "Daijobuu. No harm done."

She was just about to leave when the person returned, "That's good to hear, Mermaid Princess-chan." Those words caused Noelle to freeze as she looked back to see who called her that. It was then the figure revealed themselves to be Lady Bat.

"What are you going to do now, mermaid princess?" she questioned villainously. "Will you fight back? I dare say, doing so might prove troublesome for you." Noelle grunted at this predicament she was put in. She couldn't transform to fight back not only because she wasn't sure the water demons knew who she was, but someone might see her, and she would turn into bubbles. So, she did the only thing possible and ran. But her path was quickly blocked by Lanhua, who appeared without warning.

"Now is the time, Mermaid Princess," she spoke to Noelle coldly, "to pay for making a beautiful being like myself work like you ugly cretins." The Indigo Mermaid Princess didn't linger too long and tried to escape down a third hallway. Only this time, Arara blocked her way out.

"There's no escape for you now, Mermaid Princess," she taunted cheekily. And now Noelle began to panic. She had no avenue of escape, and no real means to defend herself.

What do I do? she thought worriedly. As the water demons closed in, Noelle recalled when she had been captured by Gaito, and imprisoned in his palace. While the water demons prepared to sing, she prayed, Please someone, anyone. Save me. Mina, please. And the three villains sung their individual songs.

It was around this time Tsubasa was just leaving a patient's room after checking on their recovery. He thought about going to the boy Daichi's room to check on his frequent visitor, but hesitated. While he meant well when he talked with her yesterday, he began to doubt if it was his place to say such things to her. What did he know about her situation or what she was going through?

Looking down at his hand, Tsubasa muttered, "I have devoted myself to medicine. What do I know about how people feel?" And he thought back to his rise in school and graduating med school so early in his life. But he also recalled how the people spoke around him. How he was some privileged genius and seemed to think himself superior to everyone around him. Despite that, he recalled what he said to Noelle and became upset with himself.

"Maybe I should go back to her and take it all back," he figured. As he went, he wondered, "Why did I try to help her?" He wanted to say it was his responsibility as a doctor, but Tsubasa could not help but refute that statement. There were many patients at this very hospital that he helped out of obligation for his job. So why did he care? What about Noelle made him go out of his way to pull her out of an unhealthy situation? He passed a fellow doctor and nurse, who kept their heads down and did not make contact with him as he passed them. A common enough sight to Tsubasa, as most of the other staff treated him as unapproachable. This further confounded him with his concern for Noelle. So, he resolved to settle this with her.

As he got closer, he started to hear music and singing. This confused him that something like this was occurring in the hospital, but he noted it was coming in the direction of Daichi's room. So, he went on his way, and found two strange women and a bunch of chibi figures surrounding…

"Noelle-san?" he gasped, seeing the girl on the ground trying to block out the noise. For whatever reason, Tsubasa felt enraged. "Stop it!" he cried out as he barreled through the chibi girls, surprising the other two women with his appearance.

Crouching to her level as Noelle seemed to recover, Tsubasa asked urgently, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

Once she had recovered enough, Noelle faced him and replied, "Tsubasa-san, why are you here?"

Keeping his emotions level, he answered, "I was on my way to talk to you. But forget that. Are you well?"

Noelle shook her head and assured, "I'm alright." With that concern dealt with, the doctor's gaze hardened as he turned to the aggressors.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "Why are you after someone who has no business with you?"

The chibi's disappeared in a puff of smoke, taking the form of a third woman with butterfly wings. "How horrid of you to simply run over a being of perfect beauty," she exclaimed.

No one paid her any attention, and Arara then coaxed, "Come follow me, and I will fulfill your deepest desires."

However, Tsubasa's only response was, "Do you all have some kind of psychological disorder?" This caused Arara to fall back in shame, not understanding how a boy like this doctor was immune to her charms.

That was when Lady Bat took control and asked, "Why do you care what we do with this girl? She happens to be an old acquaintance of ours. So, what is it to you what we do?"

"If you all truly were old acquaintances, it's no wonder Noelle-san doesn't feel comfortable around you," Tsubasa argued.

But Lady Bat brought up, "But why do you care? I've heard of you before, Doctor Tsubasa. A doctor you may be, but you have no interest in patients beyond ensuring they recover and can be discharged. You have no reason to be involved with someone like her." Tsubasa had no immediate response to this statement. He didn't really know how to answer them on the matter, mainly because it was true. For most of his life, Tsubasa focused on medicine and becoming a doctor, and his diligence rewarded him at such a young age. Yet, those endeavors spurned rumors and subtle indications of hostility among his peers. Any amount of empathy he projected was a façade.

"So then step aside so we may finish," Lady Bat suggested.

Despite that, Tsubasa returned, "I may not be an ideal doctor, but even I know not to abandon someone in need. I won't just let you have your way!"

This grated the three women, and Arara stated, "There's nothing for it. We'll put you out, then take the mermaid princess."

Mermaid Princess? Tsubasa questioned internally.

Then, in that moment, a pair of voices called out,

"Green Pearl Voice!"

Rina and Masahiro rushed to the scene in their idol forms, startling the water demons and doctor with their presence.

"For the peace of the seas, we will not allow you to do anymore harm," Rina proclaimed.

"Let our love and voices purify your blackened hearts," Masahiro added.

While they confronted their foes, Noelle took Tsubasa's hand and suggested, "Tsubasa-san, let's flee while they are distracted." The doctor didn't argue, and they raced past Arara.

"Hey! Get back here," the fairy demon exclaimed.

But she could not give chase as the pair called out, "Pichi Pichi Voice, Green Start!" And sang Rina's personal song: "Star Jewel."

Tsumetai nami ni toketa

Namida no yukue wa

Dare ni mo kizukarenai

Mama setto

Awa to kiete itta

Nakushita meno wo Sagashiteru

Kokoro ga setsunai

Midori no ame ni tsutsumarete

Uta itsudzukeru SONG FOR YOU

Umarekawaru asa ga kuru nara

Onaji inochi wa masi ikitai

Meguriaeru sube te no mone ga

Houseki ni naru kiseki wo shinjitteru

Meanwhile at the other end of the hospital, Luchia and Kaito's pendants were glowing for a bit before they subsided. Mikaru was fascinated with the even, mostly with Luchia's, which helped distract her while the nurse assessed her physical.

Noelle… she must be in danger, the mermaid princess thought, And Rina and Masahiro… they must be fighting the water demons. She glanced at Kaito, who nodded back to her. Then she looked to Mikaru and instructed, "Mikaru, if you promise to be a good girl for Rihito-san, I'll take you to get a special treat. Will you be good for me?"

"But I don't want you to go Luchia-san," Mikaru cried, "I'm not brave without you."

Resting her hands on the young girl's shoulders, Luchia told her, "You are brave Mikaru. Right now, I have to go help one of my friends. So, I need you to be brave for your onii-san. Right?" Mikaru's eyes began to water, and Luchia was afraid she might throw a tantrum.

However, she instead fought back the tears before promising, "I'll be good for onii-san. And Luchia-onee-sama." This caused Luchia's breath to catch in her throat. She didn't expect to be called Mikaru's big sister. With the matter settled though, Rihito urged the pair to handle their business.

As she left, Luchia spoke internally, Arigatou, Mikaru. And they went to help Noelle and their friends.

After Rina and Masahiro finished their song, they noticed the water demons looked slightly fatigued. Rina herself figured her song lone wouldn't be enough to defeat them, though this outcome wasn't one she had expected.

After recovering, Lady Bat taunted, "It seems having your Sea Prince certainly made you stronger, Green Mermaid Princess. But you underestimate us once again." Rina and Masahiro just maintained firm expressions in response. Their goal had been achieved, and they knew Luchia and Kaito were nearby. They just had to hold out for them to arrive and help finish things off.

But the three water demons rest as their group dark song, "Return to Darkness," began to play.

"Now then atrocious beings…" Lanhua started.

"Face the might…" Arara picked up.

"Of our dark love…" Lady Bat finished.

And they began their song, about how the dark and evil in the world was ever present and permeating the earth and air before them. That no one could escape, nor even attempt to try to run, from the lovely blackness. Lust, anger, greed, all of these existed in the dark beings of the world, and that no one was void of their icy grip. Rina and Masahiro were forced to endure what the song was attempted to draw out, but the mermaid princess noticed something different compared to the last time. The negative words being sung did not draw out the darker aspects within her, and it felt less effective at hurting her compared to a song from the Black Beauty Sisters.

As the three sung, Rina looked over to Masahiro and pondered, I wonder… could Masahiro's presence be protecting me from their song? While the Sea Prince was indeed suffering through the pain, he didn't look to be suffering as much agony as how they normally would. She figured this must be another power attribute to Masahiro and the Sea Princes.

When the water demons finished their song, they took notice to a decrease in the effect it had on the mermaid princess compared to before.

"What is going on?" Lanhua questioned. "Shouldn't they be submitting to our combined beauty?"

Exclaiming, Arara called, "This is like with the Aquamarine Mermaid Princess and that boy. They weren't affected by our songs at all."

"Sou desu," Lady Bat said as she remembered the moment herself, "it must be because of those boys." It certainly put a hamper on their plans. And once the Green Duo recovered, they heard,

"Pink Pearl Voice!"

Then Luchia and Kaito arrived in their idol forms, ready to help Rina and Masahiro. Their arrival greatly worried the water demons, who had been affected by the green duo prior.

"You made it just in time," Masahiro welcomed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kaito replied, "one of us got a little carried away."

Before Luchia could retort back, Rina prompted, "Let's send these old hags away."

"How dare you call us old hags?!" Lanhua exclaimed.

But that was all they could say when the duos called out, "Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!" And they san the song, "Super Love Songs."

Starlight! Hikari wo mott atsumetaru

Kono sekai wa kitto ka watteku

Mukaikaze no naka demo

Karai umi no naka demo

Kono me wo hanasanai de

Zettai

Yume ga hajimaru SUPER LIVE

Hikari dockage no STAGE

Ai wo tsutaete SUPER SONG

Yuuki wo kureru ai no uta

The three water demons, already worn down by the song from earlier, struggled to endure the song now. But their fate was sealed, and this angered them as they were forced to suffer.

When the song was done, the group called out, "Love Shower Pitch! Encore wa ika ga?"

"You will not win next time! We'll get you when we return," Lady Bat shouted.

"I was forced to wash dishes for nothing!" Lanhua complained.

Whining, Arara added, "You mermaids are so unfair!" And they all disappeared, much to the relief of the couples.

"I'm glad they were taken care of," Kaito remarked.

Luchia agreed, then asked the other pair, "But where's Noelle? Was she captured?"

"Iie," Rina assured, "we saw her escape with Furawa-san."

"Still, I wonder where they went," Masahiro voice out of curiosity. The four looked down the hall the Indigo Mermaid Princess ventured down, hoping for the best.

Down a way away from them, Noelle and Tsubasa stopped to catch their breath. Sensing that the danger had passed, the mermaid princess spoke, "Arigatou gozaimaus, Tsubasa-san."

Settling down, the doctor replied, "I am happy to help, Noelle-san." Then his face became serious and he told her, "I must ask something of you. It is important for you to be aware of." Noelle was perplexed by his words, until he explained, "I may have overstepped in my duties as a physician of medicine. I don't know what your life is like back home, or the significance of your boyfriend. So, I ask you to forget what I told you the other day." He had turned his back to her, but Noelle thought she felt something like pain or concern in the words he spoke to her. She remembered what the water demons had said about him.

So, she deduced aloud, "You must believe what everyone says about you to say that."

"Because it is the truth," the doctor retorted bitterly, "I don't get too invested in my patients simply so I can do my job. And if they do not get better, at least I do not get hurt should something happen beyond my control."

That was when Noelle prompted, "If that is true, why did you try to help me in my situation?" Before he could argue his point, Noelle explained, "The truth is you do care. Maybe not like other people, but you have compassion for people in distress. I like to think that was why you helped me to realize my overdependence with Daichi-kun." Looking back down the hall, she told him, "You were right. I was focusing only on him and neglecting my friends. I have more in my life to live for and I can't waste it waiting for him to wake up. Not after all they do for me."

Holding her locket up, she finished, "And I could never have learned that on my own. So, I want to thank you, Tsubasa-san." She gave him a bow before walking away.

Both people had much to consider about the other, and about themselves. But as they went back to their lives, no one saw the soft indigo glow from Noelle's pearl.

Seira: The play is today. I feel so nervous.

Nagisa: Okay, don't panic. It's just a school play.

Seira: Nagisa, stop that! You're making me more nervous.

Nagisa: Ahh! Hanon is going to kill me.

Seira: Hugo… He looks so calm. I hope he helps.

Next time on Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Duo

Ballad of the Swan Princess

Seira: Hugo… Help me…