Hi everyone. I have not much to say, so enjoy.


Chapter 33: Confrontation

-School-

When Lucia, Hanon, Rina, Julie, Seira, and Sakura left Pearl Waters, they met up with Kaito and went to school. In the classroom, Julie was not feeling her cheerful self. She knew that "he" is going to come to this homeroom class.

"Alright, everyone settle down." the teacher told the students. "Today we have two new transferred students, please welcome them. You may come in."

The new students came in, one male and one female. The boy is fifteenth while the girl is fourteen. The boy has dark brown hair and blue eyes while the girl has short brown hair and dark orange eyes. Julie recognized the girl to be "his" close friend.

"Hello everyone. My name is Satoru Kokai. It's a pleasure to meet you." Satoru replied.

Many girls were having dreamy thoughts about Satoru while the Red Princess was trying to avoid eye contact.

"I'm Chisaki Eiko, a pleasure to meet you." Chisaki replied.

"Then let's see... Kokai, please sit next to Emiko and Eiko, you can sit behind Kokai." the teacher told the two.

'Why? Out of all the seats in this classroom, why does Satoru has to sit next me?' Julie stressed.

When class begins, they revealed that they are planning their annunal play, each play is different depends on the class and the school year. Because this is the third year class, they have to do William Shakespeare. A play called Romeo and Juliet.

"Now, to first clear things up, let's assign the roles. Which candidate wants the role of the main protagonists, Romeo and Juliet?" the teacher asked.

"I nominate Julie Emiko to play Juliet!" Hanon raise her hand as Julie jumped at the mentioning of her name.

"Wait a second Hanon! Why did you pick me to play Juliet?" Julie asked in a whisper.

"Because you are better at acting than Lucia." Hanon answered. "Plus, your name is close to Juliet."

"That shouldn't be the reason why you picked me." Julie wished she could leave the room, but she couldn't. It's not that she's nervous or anything, the only thing that is bothering her is that she has a good guest at who is going to play Romeo.

"If anyone what Julie Emiko to play Juliet, raise your hand." Hanon told the class. Almost everyone raised their hands except for some girls who wanted to play Juliet.

"Alright, Emiko will be assigned the role of Juliet." the teacher declared after counting the hands that were raise. "Yes, Satoru Kokai?" the teacher called on him when he raise his hand.

"I would like to nominate myself to play Romeo." he replied.

Many "What?" and "No way." came from the girls. They didn't disagreed with Satoru's choice, they just wish that they could have been assigned the role of Juliet so they can have a chance with him.

"If there are any other candidates who wants to play Romeo, please raise your hands." the teacher replied. No other boys raised their hands, partially because they didn't want to be assigned such a large role or because they were being lazy.

The rest of the day was assigning roles and giving each students a play book so they'll know their lines. The play would be in just in a week so everyone has to know their lines and have their costumes and props ready. After school, Satoru had left a note on Julie's desk.

We need to talk,

Meet me at the place where it all started

Satoru

-Beach-

Julie meet up with Satoru just like the note said. Of course, Lucia and the others were following her, since Hanon believed that Satoru is Julie's boyfriend. They have no idea how right and at the same time, wrong she is. The girls were hiding behind the bushes as they watch to scene unfolds. Seira had a bad feeling about it since she recalled that Julie once told her that her relations weren't good and something had happened between her and her loved one. Sakura doesn't need to be told since her heart is, in a way, linked to Julie's through their Red Pearls. Rina wasn't very interested and felt that she was invading in personal stuff, so she went home ahead of the girls. Lucia and Hanon were wondering what would happened between the two. What they heard and saw, was very unexpected.

"Why are you here and does Eiko know?" Julie start it off with a question. She sounded a bit angry, if not distasteful.

"She doesn't know. Your secret is safe, I promised you that I won't tell." Satoru answered.

'Yet, there was one promise you left unchecked.' Julie thought.

"Why did you left?" he asked.

"Because... Unlike any other days where you can lost track of time, that day was when I had to leave. I couldn't stay much longer, I had a mission..." Julie feels like she wanted to scream, but manage to control her temper.

"I didn't know." Satoru replied.

"You're lying. I can tell... You did know, because I told you." Julie used her werewolf abilities to hear the fast rate of his heartbeat. "You know, back then, I had hope that you would come. I've waited and waited, but you never came. That is why... I giving you anther chance to re-enact our promise we made to each other. On the same day, December twenty-fourth, the last day we could have shared longer before Christmas." she was about to leave, walking passed him.

"Why are you re-enacting our promise again?" he asked as Julie stops. She turned and showed him the necklace he once gave her.

"Despite that I wanted to let go of you back then, so I could at least moved on, I couldn't... Because you were to only one for me." tears were starting to fall from her as she begins to break down. She started to confessed her feelings- the feelings that she could have told him long ago if he had just come to her on time, "The truth is, I thought that if you were happy it would've been enough for me but instead, I left with an aching heart. It hurts so badly that time, that I couldn't focus on my quest. So all this time, I had to try to live with my locked up feelings, without knowing what your answer would be. That's why, I'm doing this- and its going to be done properly this time. If you come, then I'll know what you feel about me, if you don't…" she didn't finish her sentence as she turned around to run. "Goodbye."

"Julie..." Satoru was shocked. He didn't knew that she had feelings for him, but then again, he had feeling for her back then and he still does.

-Pearl Waters-

The girls also were shocked since they didn't know that it would have played that way. They returned to the bath house where they saw Julie hanging christmas decoration on the tree. Lucia decided to talked to Julie alone while the others went to their rooms.

"I'm so sorry, Julie." Lucia told her.

"Don't be, I saw you." Julie replied. She decided not to tell her sister about her using her werewolf abilities to hear and see them, despite they were from a good distance. "But I'm not angry at any of you, I just wished that you didn't have to see me in a broken state."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Lucia offers comfort.

"Alright." Julie accepts as the two decorate the tree.

-Sea Cave-

Meanwhile...

In a lab, the mysterious scientist was hard at work until...

"It's done! My wonderful inventions that will captured all eleven Mermaid Princesses!" he yelled in success. Insane laughter filled the hallways.

-Next Day-

On the first day of rehearsal...

The class decided what should to wear and what not to wear. Hanon was the improvise script writer since she thought that the lines in the book were a bit boring while Chisaki is put in charge of directing the play. As the director, she has to conduct the play.

"Emiko." Chisaki called out to her.

"What is it?" Julie asked.

"I don't think you should wear that pendant." she pointed to her red shall pendant.

"Why not?" Julie questioned.

"It doesn't really match the play, I mean, it's about romance love, not fairy tales." Chisaki gave her reasons. "But your other necklace, that key one, will do."

During the rehearsal, Satoru wanted to speak with Julie privately, so they went to the rooftop.

-Rooftop-

Once they were alone, Julie had remained quiet. Satoru touched her hand. All nostalgic feelings came back to her as she feel that warmth in him while he remembered how soft her skin is.

"Are you okay, Julie?" he started off the conversation.

She let out a tiny scoff, "What an irony isn't it? Back when my kingdom was attack, I was the one who told me people to flee. Now in this play, I'm a princess who is doing the fleeing from the kingdom out of the name of Love."

"Julie, why don't you want to play Juliet?" he asked calmly.

"Satoru, there are things you just don't understand. They're are bad people out there who are trying to find me. Those people don't belong in your world... As do I and the others. But, living this life, as a human, it's very peaceful. We can enjoy ourselves than living in our palace. That's why some of us came back into this world and wished that we can be together again." Julie answered.

"You still haven't answered my question." Satoru pointed out.

"I told you, there are people trying to find me." Julie replied.

"But is that all?" Satoru knows that there is more.

Julie looked down to the ground, avoiding making eye contact with him, "I'm worried that the enemy will come to this play. Lucia onee-chan told me that last year, two of their enemies came when they were doing their play on The Mermaid Princess." Julie answered.

"If they do come, how will they know who you are? They've never seen you as a human before." Satoru tried to assured her.

"I'm afraid they did."

"What?"

"Back when I was left in the abandon castle, they saw me sleeping before the others can wake me." she looked in his eyes. "The sleeping princess who slept for a hundred years... That was me long time ago. I already lost two years of my life from a cursed slumber now, I do not wish to repeat it again. Back then, I felt cold and everything was dark. Worse of all, I was alone and forgotten. I was vulnerable for Shika to find me and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't even help my sister or her friends when the two disturbance came. I couldn't even see you again. There were many risks that could allow her to find me. And if she did she'd…" Julie trailed off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know... About the feelings you have of me." he apologized.

"That's alright. I should be sorry overreacting." she replied.

"You weren't overreacting and besides, it's my fault for failing to notice your feelings and making you suffer." he insist. "You... You know her plans, right? The Sea Witch's?"

"It's... Complicated." she admitted.

"What is her pl-" he stops himself when he saw Julie crying. He decided to not press it and hold her hands. "Julie, I promise you that this time, I'll take your promise seriously." he then let go of her hands and reached into his bag. "Here, I've been meaning to give this back to you if I ever see you again." he gave her the one shoe that she left four years ago at the beach.

"That's..." Julie was surprised that Satoru had her shoe as she took it. "Thank you."

"Can you sing your song, the one you sang when we were little?" he asked.

Julie nods and happily sing her song. From a distance, Chisaki was watching the two, feeling a bit envious towards Julie. After the school ends, the people who are making the sets asked for anyone to volunteer for the play since they will need many people to play the Capulets and the Montagues.

Meanwhile...

Lady Bat and Lanhua heard of a special event happening at school.

"What is it Lady Bat?" Lanhua questioned.

"It's seems the play for Romeo and Juliet is taking place at the school and they're looking for volunteers for the play." he answered.

"Whatever, let's find those Mermaid Princesses." Lanhua didn't take interest.

"What if they are attending the play? It will be a big catch if we do volunteer." he pointed out.

"Are you hoping that the mermaid you're very fond of is coming to this play?" Lanhua asked.

"No! I just want to please Shika-sama." Lady Bat replied.

'However, that girl that Shika-sama wanted... She might come to this play... And if I capture her, Shika-sama will be very pleased.' he thought as he tries to remember the Red Princess when she was sleeping to the Castle of Roses.

-Julie's and Sakura's Room-

At night when Sakura is asleep, Julie was under the cover with a flashlight to look at the two halves of the Passionate Flame. Her half and Kyle's half.

"The first half, the first Princess of Flames- Princess Rose Red... The second half, the new Prince of Flames- Prince Kyle..." Julie whispered quietly so she doesn't wake her sister. "But that's not how it works. No." she told herself as she looked at the first half of the heart. "This first half is my past, Princess Rose Red." she puts it close to the second half to see a slot. Taking her Red Pearl out of her pendant, she puts it between the first and second halves. "The Red Pearl... The present... Me, Julie." she then looked at the second half. "After that, my future, Queen Rose Red." she linked the halves together. An orange and red light glowed from the now complete Passionate Flame. Her Red Pearl leaves the heart and went back into her pendant as the slot is filled up.

'With this... I can find my pack and bring back their memories...' she thought. 'But before that, I'll have to be careful during the play. If they do come, I'll have to make sure they don't recognized me, especially when I haven't fully awakened yet.'


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