'I'M SORRY RIKKA-CHAN!' With that goodbye, Mana was gone from her sights. Rikka sighed with a desperate voice. Mana was following some fool's errand again, trying to help someone who doesn't even need her help. 'Oh, Mana, when will you learn to stop bothering people?'

As Rikka was returning to school with her hands full of works related to Mana's duties as class president, she suddenly found herself face to face with a face she knew very well. It was school idol Makopi!

'Makopi-san, what are you doing during this time of day out here? Aren't you busy with your new album?'

'Yes I was busy, but someone called me to school' she pointed to the new iphone in her hand. 'It was Cure Heart, she asked me to help her for her school duties as class president. Where is she?'

'She's not here, following some fool's errand again.'

'WHAT?! I can't believe her! She asked for my help and she's not even here?!'

'Welcome to my world. Now, if you help me to carry some of that stuff, we might be done with this stupidity.'

Makopi's eyes darted between Rikka's face and the abysmal stuff she's carrying. Makopi wasn't a very athletic person and it would be troublesome for her to carry such a burden. But 'Fine' was the only answer she can give to such a cute face.

Makopi throws the heavy stuff onto Cure Heart's school desk. Her shoulders were still full of pain for all the stuff she carried to the school. Rikka followed the suit.

'I still can't believe how selfish Cure Heart is! She's the class president and it's her duty to carry all of this stuff!'

'Mana is like that, you just can't change her. Trust me, I tried and failed many times before.'

'Really?'

'Yep! Remember her singing? I warned her about how terrible her voice is, how much pain she's giving, how much her singing is bothering other people. Yet she doesn't believe me. She said that I'm lying because I'm jealous of her voice!'

Makopi was still remembering the time when Cure Heart tried to sing a lullaby, only to make the princess' baby cry instead. So, she believed Rikka.

Makopi held Rikka's hands, trying to make her feel better. Rikka's hands were very soft, unusual for a secretary working hard to clean messes her boss makes.

'Rikka-san, I'm sorry for everything you had to live under. But don't worry, with me around, you won't have to work too hard to fulfill the school duties. I'll help you.'

Rikka's cheeks began to blush with that sudden intimacy. Even though it was usual for many guys and girls to hold her hands, she never felt like this before.

'Thank you Makopi-san. It feels nice to have someone who I can depend on.'

After a hard work day at school, Rikka and Makopi were walking to their homes together. They were holding hands.

'Makopi-san...Do you want to eat something?' Rikka asked nervously.

'Well, we can check out Cure Heart's restaurant. I really like their omelettes.'

'Sounds good to me. Also we can check Mana too. I'm a little bit worried about her.'

'Sure,' Makopi said, but the jealous tone of her voice betrayed her intentions.

Rikka noticed Makopi's jealousy, but tried to ignore it. 'How about a race to the restaurant? One who finished last would clean the dishes.'

'Sounds good to me.' Makopi might not be a good athlete, but there were few who passed her in marathons of her kingdom.

'OK then! One, two, three, READY, GO!'

'Welcome to Pig's Tail Restaurant! Can I take your orders?' Waitress asked in a cheery tone. To sweaty and tired Rikka and Makopi's surprise, that waitress was none other than Regina herself!

'Regina, what are you doing here!?' Rikka demanded an answer.

'Mana asked me to help the service here, instead of her. She even gave me this cute waitress outfit. Are you jealous of it?' Regina said with a mocking tone.

Rikka and Makopi can't believe their eyes. Not only did Cure Heart abandon her duties as the class president, she also invited the enemy into their base. In Makopi's kingdom, that would be the highest treason, with a punishment of death!

Makopi squeezed her fingers in anger. Rikka could see the little drops of blood forming around her fingernails. Makopi walked right into Regina and grabbed her neck in a threatening manner.

'Listen me, Regina or whatever your name is, you're going to leave this place immediately, or else…' Makopi straightened her finger and then moved her hand as if her hand was a sword. To Regina and Rikka's surprise, chairs in front of Makopi were cut into half like they were cut by a really big sword.

Regina was sweating in panic. She said 'OK, but I'll be back' and then transported out of there.

Makopi stood there for several minutes, still trying to control her temper. Then she kneeled and dropped on her knees. Rikka could see tears forming around her eyes. She runs into her and sits beside her. Rikka tore up a part of her school skirt and wiped Makopi's tears with it.

'I'm truly sorry Rikka-san. I would never want you to see me like that.' She sniffed her nose into the cloth. 'But seeing Regina, the girl responsible for my kingdom's demise, all of my friends and my princess' death…I just can't stand it!' She began to sob again, despite of her best attempts to stop the tears forming around her eyes.

Rikka moved closer to Makopi's face and wiped her tears again. Then she hugged her in a tight embrace. For a moment, they were like the only people left on earth, having nothing to worry about...

It was a busy day for the class president Mana Aida as well. First she helped Kendo Club about their match and honed their swords, then she helped Cure Lovely for Hime's birthday, despite everyone's protests that today is not her birthday. At last she tried to help the drama club with special effects, only to burn the theater down by accidentally dropping the phantom of opera's candles.

By the time she returned home, it was already past midnight. As she opened the door with a 'I'm home' a recognizable but angry voice welcomed her, instead of Regina's high pitched shriek she expected.

'Cure Heart, we need to talk' harsh words with a harsh voice echoed through the building. It was Makopi on a chair, with Rikka sitting right next to her.

'Cure Sword? Rikka-chan? What are you doing in my restaurant?'

'As I said, we need to talk,' Makopi pointed her Index finger to a nearby chair, and ordered her to sit. Mana gulped and did as she's told. After she sits on it, Makopi stands up and moves closer to Mana in a threatening manner.

'Cure Heart,' Makopi began to talk in a cold but calm voice, 'Your actions as a pretty cure is unacceptable. Not only did you constantly abandon your duties as a student and class president, you also, despite my and every other cure's warnings, still see the enemy, and even inviting her to our most sacred, most private places!' Makopi was still remembering how Mana invited Regina to her home, how she sleep with her in the same bed, how she invited her to the beach they visited, how it all ended up in a disaster when Regina betrayed them, as expected, and how Mana was unable to attack her, putting everyone else in danger. If not for Cure Ace's arrival, they would be dead by now. Makopi wasn't afraid of death, all of her former companions are dead, her parents are dead, even the princess is dead. But the possible death of Cure Diamond, her sweet Rikka...it was still giving her nightmares whenever she thought about it.

'But I was just trying to help people!' Mana protested with a loud voice. 'Isn't that what is expected of me, a pretty cure?'

'NO!' Makopi's voice boomed through the building again. 'What you did was not helping people, not at all. What you have always, constantly do is bother people who don't need your help, just so you can feel better about yourself. You're doing all of this just to feed your own need of accomplishment, just so people look up to you and adore you.'

'That's not true!'

'It is true! If you truly wanted to help other people, you wouldn't pass your own duties, your own job to someone else' she pointed at Rikka who was still sitting silently.

'Rikka-chan is my friend and friends help each other!'

'Tell me the last time you helped Diamond for something,' Makopi cut her protest with a face disgusted as if she's cutting something rotten and foul. 'You can't remember anything, I presume?'

Mana opened her mouth in protest but no words came out of it. Deep down she knew that Sword was right, but she was too proud to admit that. 'Even if that's true, what is too wrong about that? People still get my help, and I feel better. So, everyone wins at the end!'

'Everyone except me,' Rikka answered her and joined the conversation, 'and more important than that, it's simply selfish! You care more about Regina because she has a crush on you, and she does as you say without questioning your orders, unlike me, right?' Makopi could see tears forming around Rikka's dark blue eyes. It simply broke her heart to see the usually calm student council secretary like that.

'Mana,' Rikka continued, 'for all those years I tried to be a good friend to you, tried to carry the burden you passed on me, tried to clean the messes you left. All these years I tried to be a good "swallow" to you, the so-called happy prince, a prince who never cared about things closest to her, things actually mattered! All these years I did as you ordered, advised you for making you a better person, I even swallowed my pride as a woman. But in return I get nothing, not even a thank you. I can see now our friendship was nothing but you using me for your own needs, so I end it now. You're no longer my prince, you have no power to order me around anymore, and I'm not your swallow, I'm not going to swallow my own pride just so I can serve you as a "wife" as people say behind my back. So, it's a goodbye now.'

Mana still can't believe her ears. 'But we're still pretty cures, and I'm your team leader, we're still going to see each other, right?'

'About that,' Makopi returned to the conversation, 'considering your past deeds and countless failures as our team leader, not to mention your treatment of Rikka-san and your unwillingness to fight with Regina, our worst enemy...we've decided to remove you from your position as both our leader and as a pretty cure. Mana Aida, you're no longer the Cure Heart.'

'WHAT!?' Mana screamed while jumping from her chair. 'You can't do that! You have no right!' She turned to Rikka:

'Rikka-chan, please say something. You might not be my friend anymore, but we're still classmates. Isn't it your student duty to help a fellow classmate?' Rikka simply turned her gaze away from her. Seeing no help from her former swallow, Mana turned her attention to Makopi instead:

'Makopi-chan, no, Cure Sword, you might be my senior as a pretty cure, but I'm still the founder and the leader of this team and you have no authority to do so as you pleased. In fact, if someone should be leaving, it has to be you as the newcomer who tried to defy the leader's orders.'

'I don't think so,' suddenly a voice boomed from behind. It was none other than Cure Ace, and she was walking down the stairs.

'A-Aguri-chan? I mean, Cure Ace, what are you doing in my home?'

'Sword and Diamond asked for my help, to decide your fate, and I think I heard enough to give a judgement.' Cure Ace walked past Rikka and Makopi and stood in front of Mana. Her eyes were fiery but cold as steel, her face was calm but emotionless. Mana was sweating like crazy, both from her gaze and her heat.

'Cure Heart, no, Mana Aida, I warned you many times before about your weak heart and other deficiencies you possess as a leader and as a pretty cure. I now can see that I was too soft on you.' Mana was shivering with the fear of her judgment.

'As the resurrected spirit of the princess of the Card Kingdom, the princess Mary Ange, and the rightful heir to the throne, I, Cure Ace, remove you from your duties as Cure Heart and the team leader of Doki Doki Pretty Cure! Your Loveads and Lovely Commune, hand them over!'

'NO! You can't do this to me!' She tried to escape from there, but Rikka and Makopi caught her and held her arms with a strength not expected from them. As they were holding her still, Cure Ace moved closer to search Mana's body. After removing all the loveads and the pink lovely commune from her, she gave others a signal so they let her go. 'These will go to someone who truly deserves them.' With these last words, Mana dropped on her knees, finally accepting her fate.

'Is it truly over?' Rikka asked, still can't believe the events of the past week.

'Yes, it is truly over, you don't need to worry about Cure Heart and cleaning her messes anymore.' They were in Rikka's home, drinking some refreshments together. Ever since those past events they feel like closer friends to each other, maybe even closer than simply friends…

'You know, we're pretty similar to each other after all.' Rikka said. 'We both grow up without parental love and guidance. You because they were dead, me because they cared more about their jobs instead of me.' Makopi holds her hand as a show of understanding.

'You're right, Rikka-san, we're similar after all. We both loved and followed the orders of royals who don't deserve us. You, the happy prince, me, the princess Ange.' Makopi remembered Jonathan Klondike, the fiance of the princess Ange that she hid from anyone else, including her, her closest and most loyal subject. This time it was Rikka who held her hand with a show of understanding. They looked into each other's eyes for a long time. After that, as if some higher power ordered them to do it, they move their faces closer and closer at the same time and tempo. Closer their faces became, their hands squeezed more and more. Finally their faces linked with a kiss. As their lips touched, something deep within their hearts reawaken, a feeling they never truly expected to feel before. It was love, not just a love between friends, not even a love expected between a parent and child, it was a love deeper than any other kind of love, a love someone like Mana, who claims to love everyone, can never understand. It was something private and personal, something that can only happen between two people. Rikka can now understand that.

After kissing for a time felt like eternity they break their touch. Both were blushing with the sensations they never felt before.

'So,' Rikka began, 'we're a thing now?'

'Yes, we're a thing now,' Makopi answered.

With these last words they hugged each other in a tight embrace. While they're together, they no longer have any doubts about their future. While they're together, they no longer have anything to fear.

== = == THE END == = ==