Sensaina eyelids were growing heavier and heavier as last period's class went on.
"And class, before I even think of dismissing you," Ms. Kimura started, " I want to remind you all that the Drama club's auditions for Midsummer's Night Dream will be taking place this afternoon." Jonetsu's face was lightning up with eagerness and hope whilst Sensaina's had slammed into her desk.
"Utahime!" Ms. Kimura snapped.
"I'm up don't worry," She said hazily. As the bell rang, most kids fled the class. Sensaina was going to be one of them but Jonetsu held her back.
"Let's audition for the play!" Jonetsu exclaimed.
"Since when are you into Shakespeare?" Sensaina questioned.
"I've always loved the spoken word, the acting,the emotions!" Jonetsu gushed. She was starting to sound cheesy.
"Yeah, well count me out," Sensaina said. Sensaina could never been an actor for the play, let alone audition. It was one of the things her introvertedness restrained her from doing.
"Please! I mean look," Jonetsu flipped out a script for the play, making Sensaina wonder why she had that on hand," I could play the beautiful, blonde Helena and you would be the short brunette, Hermia."
" You're not blonde and I'm guessing you've never acted a day in your life, So why try now?" Sensaina interrogated.
"Why try now? Sensaina that's not the Pretty Cure motto!" Jonetsu countered.
"Keep it down when you talk about Pretty Cure and since when do we have a motto?" Sensaina whispered.
"It's not a motto-It's an oath engraved into our hearts that say 'You never know until you try!'" She was starting to sound even more cheesy.
"I'm not going," Sensaina declared.
"I didn't want to do this but," Jonetsu began. She took hold of one of Sensaina's twin tails and dragged her to the auditions.
"Are you really doing this?" Sensaina asked flatly.
"You can read while we're walking there, I've already memorized Helena's lines," Jonetsu gloated. While Sensaina was reading, Jonetsu was imagining herself with a long, blond wig for when she retrieved the part of Helena. When they got to the Drama club,where the auditions were being held,they waited in line to audition for a short while.
"Why couldn't they use people from the Drama club as actors for the play?" Sensaina asked
"Oh dear naive Sensaina. You haven't been at this school long enough to know," Jonetsu said. Confused by Jonetsu's response, Sensaina kept her mouth shut until it was their turn to audition. In the room where the auditions were actually held the was a dark haired boy sitting behind the table with a stern expression.
"W-w-w-we're auditioning for Hermena and Helia-I mean Hermia and Helena," Sensaina stuttered. She felt so nervous around this boy but she didn't know why. The boy was unamused by Sensaina's flustering.
"We'll need you to read Lysander's lines from Act 3," Jonetsu said. The boy nodded and flipped open a script in front of him.
"You thief of love! What have you came into the night and craftily steal away my partner's love for me?"Sensaina read from the script. She had to admit, she was doing better than expected. She thought she was going to stumble on the ancient script. The boy cleared his throat and began to read.
"Get gone, you dwarf!" The boy read from the script. His voice was smooth and captivating and it would leave an audience wanting more.
"Nay do not leave, this coil is all your fault!" Sensaina recited.
"I won't stay in this crust-" Jonetsu began.
"Curst," Sensaina corrected.
"I've seen enough," The boy said in what appeared to be his normal voice. They walked out of the room. Sensaina looked intimidated while Jonetsu seemed overly-confident.
"We so got those parts!'' Jonetsu grinned.
"But you messed up a line," Sensaina pointed out," By the way, who was that kid?"
"That's Mitaro. He's the Drama Club's president," Jonetsu responded.
"He's really a good actor. He should cast himself as Lysander!"
"He probably already has." The cast for the play was posted in the Drama club the next day. Jonetsu was filled with excitement believing she would be casted as Helena. Even Sensaina fell some excitement in her, since she also believed she did well. They looked at the long sheet of characters posted on the wall. Sensaina looked at who was casted as Hermia. Surprise and confusion filled her as she found out.
"I got casted as Hermia?" Sensaina exclaimed.
"That's great!" Jonetsu cheered," I bet I got Helena!"They looked to who was as Helena. Sensaina cringed and Jonetsu cracked her fists in pent-anger.
"Damn it!" Jonetsu groaned as she ripped up the script she kept at hand. Sensaina looked through the entire cast.
"Jonetsu, you did get cast as something else,"Sensaina said.
"Really? Am I am the mature Hippolyta? Or maybe as one of the super cute fairies?"
"Um, you might want to look for yourself." Jonetsu took a look at the cast page for her name. Eventually, she found it.
"Bottom?! Of all characters?! But that's supposed to be played by a guy!" Jonetsu yelled,"Let's go find Mitaro." She was pulling up one of her sleeves and breathing furious through her nose.
"Wait there. We can ask him to change your part during the cast meeting today,"Sensaina struggled to keep Jonetsu in place. Jonetsu finally agreed and they went off to class. After school, when the meeting took place, Sensaina was thinking about if she should let herself act in this play or back out. She didn't really know if she actually had stage fright or not and she didn't want to find out the hard way. It was also Jonetsu's fault she was stuck with the part. As she went in, she saw the entire cast and it looked like she was late.
"Did I come late?" Sensaina asked.
"No, we're waiting for one more member of the cast," Kotone,the girl who was casted as Helena beamed. They all sat in a circle and had scripts in their hands. Sensaina didn't know any of the cast, so she sat beside Kotone since she seemed so friendly. Sensaina acted as the others and looked at her lines and the brief description of her character. All it said was 'lover of Lysander'. Sensaina was reddening as she remembered that Mitaro was casted as Lysander. It would be too awkward for her acting like she loved Mitaro when she had a crush on Hideki.
"Who are we waiting for?" Sensaina asked, breaking the tension. As she said that Mitaro and Jonetsu bursted through opposite doors of the room.
"Now that everyone's here," Mitaro said coldly. Jonetsu was angrily glaring at Mitaro but he didn't seem to take notice in her. Jonetsu sat down beside Sensaina and opened up her ripped up and stapled script.
"We'll do a brief introduction before we start rehearsing," Mitaro explained," And I will start. I don't like a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream but my future reality. I intend to kill a certain someone." Sensaina squeaked in surprise and fear. The rest of the cast gave him applause. Sensaina was confused. Kotone leaned over to her.
"When you give your introduction, you use quotes from your favorite tv show so we can see how well of an actor you are," She explained.
"Hermia, your turn," Mitaro instructed. She squeaked again.
"Um, well, uh," She stood up and improvised," The pretty sailor-suited guardian of love and justice and in the name of the moon, we'll punish you!" The cast was applauding and laughing and Sensaina's introduction. Sensaina sat back down reddening intensively. Jonetsu and the rest of the cast delivered decent introductions and so they didn't get to rehearse at all. The next morning, Sensaina walked to school with Hideki. She was stunningly tranquil around him now. Probably either his looks toned down or she got used to them.
"He's seems so bossy and he only calls us by the role we have. Could you imagine how annoying it would've been to be called 'Hermia' for an hour?" Sensaina complained," I think I'll just quit."
"What if I come watch it?" Hideki asked. Sensaina blushed. "Then will you stay in it?"
"Well I don't know, maybe, if it I,"Sensaina rambled. Hideki laughed a little and Sensaina blushed more. As they got into the school they saw a distressed Kotone standing by Mitaro.
"Lysander, I mean Mitaro. Is there something wrong?" Sensaina asked rushing up to him.
"It's nothing really. Just two of our fairies and one of our clowns dropped out on us," Kotone said gravely.
"We might have to double up on roles or just completely omit the three roles," Mitaro said to himself. Sensaina disappointedly walked up to a nearby Jonetsu ready to tell her about the play's dilemma.
"A few people have dropped out of the play already," Sensaina said hanging her head.
" That was expected," Jonetsu said uninterestedly.
"What?"
" Every year the drama club starts production on a play. Then about a week later, they all quit, except for that Kotone girl, because Mitaro's a jerk," Jonetsu explained.
"Well, that's horrible," Sensaina remarked as she stopped walking," This year I swear we will put on this play or my alter ego isn't.." She lowered her voice to a whisper," Cure Songstress!"
"Yeah well how are you going to find new cast members?" Jonetsu asked. Sensaina put her thinking face on.
"We'll recruit Kintsuki and Meihime!" Somehow their two friends decided to be actresses in the play. Kotone was pleased to hear this and even Mitaro seem be to be thankful for the girls recasting the parts. They rehearsed after school but even then Mitaro started to cause commotion.
"Bottom, you missed a line," Mitaro said. Jonetsu looked slightly agitated because of Mitaro.
"I'd rather be called Jonetsu," Jonetsu said. Mitaro rolled his eyes.
"You're acting like your character right now,you know. I casted you as Bottom only because you're both cocky and immature," Mitaro said cynically.
"Well it's funny. The actor/director can barely keep his cast following him without ticking them off," Jonetsu jeered. She threw open the doors of the room and lead herself straight out. The cast also heard her say "Jerk!" Mitaro didn't bother to run after her and continued with the script. When practice was over he held Sensaina back.
"Do you think, I really angered her?" He asked timidly.
"Well she didn't call you a jerk for no good reason," Sensaina said, starting to sound like Jonetsu. She sighed greatly."But I can try persuade her to stay in the play." Mitaro smiled shyly as a way of thanks to her. But even she knew trying to get her back would be impossible. She also wondered a little bit why he would even want her back. Jonetsu was hard to work with, high-maintenance, and demanding. Sorta like him. She went out of the Drama to search for her doubtful fellow actor. Only to find her laying right outside out the room snacking on her leftovers from lunch.
"What are you doing?" Sensaina asked as Jonetsu stuffed handfuls of colorful gumdrops in her mouth.
"Chilling out," She incomprehensibly said.
"Why out here?" Sensaina reluctantly asked. It was pretty immature of her to storm off only just to lay outside of the room.
"I didn't feel like walking very far," She shrugged. By now, she seemed to have cooled down.
"Well since you seem calm now, would you like to take your role back?"
"Why should I?" Sensaina couldn't think of a good while true reason so of course she needed to exaggerate.
"Because Mitaro has a crush on you," Sensaina whispered.
"Really?" Jonetsu asked, attempting to sound impassive.
"Why else would he asked me to get you back?" Jonetsu walked into the Drama room aloofly with Sensaina following. But immediately as she saw Mitaro she dashed towards and flung her arms around.
"I'll be Bottom!" She exclaimed, while Mitaro was fiercely crimsoned.
"Don't tell me she got eventually got a crush on him," Sensaina moaned. The cast all tried to co-operate and they assumingly succeeded. They created perfect back drops and dainty props and everyone memorizedtheir lines. Eventually the night of the play came before them. The cast seemed to be choked with anxiety considering this was the first play the club actually got to preform.
"There's no way we can screw up, we've been practicing for,like, ever!" Jonetsu reassured Mitaro.
"I guess," He shrugged awkwardly.
"Nope you know," Jonetsu winked to him. She went back stage and interacted with her fellow actors.
"Do you have the butterflies?" Jonetsu asked Kotone.
"Not really. I'm just surprised Mitaro kept hold of this group for so long,"Kotone said examining her fingertips.
"Come to think of it. You never have actually quit on any of his plays," Jonetsu remarked," Is it because of a one-sided romance?"
"No way. See, his dad's a famous director and if he ever saw me preform then I could be a star. If it wasn't for his dad I'd be long gone by now," Kotone said snidely. Unknown to them, Mitaro heard everything she had just said. Elsewhere, Sensaina was doing one last costume fitting for the wedding scene.
"Turn," The costume designer,who was no more than a meek glasses girl, commanded. Sensaina turned as told to. "Alright, go into your first gown and break a leg!" Sensaina looked down at the dress again still gaping at the docile, but extravagant dress upon her.
"Why can't I dress like Hermia all the time?" She asked herself.
"Personally, I think you look more like Sleeping Beauty," A familiar woman's voice echoed. Sensaina spun around seeing Hydra levitating in the room.
"This isn't Sleeping Beauty. This is a Midsummer's Night Dream," Sensaina corrected.
""But I like Sleeping Beauty more. As a matter of fact," Hydra began. She twirled her finger and snapped and suddenly Sensaina grew drowsy and Hydra disappeared.
"We have to find Jonetsu-kore!" Doki said,appearing out of Sensaina's bag. She and Toki went off to the theatre looking for the red-headed girl.
Hydra appeared in front of Mitaro.
"It's always fun to take the dreamstone of a brash boy," She taunted as she took his dreamstone," Escape, Malvoid!" She pointed to the script.
"Malvoid!" It yelled shooting dark rings to cast knocking all but Jonetsu out.
"This isn't good," Jonetsu said as Doki and Toki hovered beside her," I'll transform ,you two wake up Sensaina with these." She opened up her bag handing them a can of ice cubes.
"How will these work-desu?" Toki frowned. Jonetsu leaned in to whisper.
"Dump them in her dress," She ordered. They nodded and went back to Sensaina. She took out her dreamkeeper.
"Pretty Cure,Dream on!" She shouted as she insert her dreamstone into the Dreamkeeper. She pleasured into her transformation.
"Joining two hearts together, Cure Matchmaker!" She announced.
"Malvoid frequency go!" Hydra commanded. The Malvoid produced more dark rings and everyone fell into despair.
"Now this really isn't good," Matchmaker said. She looked at her palms warily."It won't be any good to try Lovesick Barrage either." Her fingers were involuntarily fidgeting wildly,"Have to try something." She darted into the line of rings even though it was risky.
"Pretty Cure,Rhapsody Halo!" She jumped out of the rings and a reddish pink ring encircled through the dark rings.
"Looks likes a huge bracelet," Matchmaker remarked, tilting her head.
"It really does," Hydra agreed," Either way,Now's your chance, Malvoid!" The Malvoid ran up to her and rendered her defenseless.
"Pretty Cure, Melody Ring!" A familiar voice chimed. A violet ring trapped the Malvoid. Cure Songstress leaped down to Matchmaker. The Malvoid flailed around and Songstress was forced to manipulate the ring to hold it back.
"Do it Matchmaker!" Songstress shouted. Matchmaker nodded.
"Pretty Cure, Heartless Beating!" She yelled. The crimson big heart materialized and she punched it letting it burst into loads of hearts.
"Awake!" She yelled. The Malvoid was purified, making Hydra leave in a huff. A duplicated dreamstone appeared and fell into Matchmaker's cupped hands. It had a picture of two masks. One that was smiling and one that frowned.
"Drama kids," She said as they both detransformed. Backstage, when everyone came to, Mitaro felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry for being so commanding and all," He said indifferently. They accepted his apology and went on with the play. The play was a success needless to say.
"Bravo!" The cast cheered to Mitaro. He smile was shy but one could tell he appreciated the praise," Jonetsu, Sensaina?" The girls were shocked he used their real names. He held up two pink roses as a way of thanks.
"You're welcome Mitaro!" Jonetsu gushed as she tightly hugged him. He reddened again and Sensaina laughed at the two.
