I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU

Momo's POV

Fumiko and I stood in front of Starlight Queen mansion or as they renamed it to be Charlotte's Cottage this year. Since we wanted the performance to be a secret until the day, we often practiced in the personal dance studio here. It was more convenient here too as we didn't have to book it like the school one. We were just waiting for the owner to come unlock the door. She did so while patting down some sweat with a towel around her neck. "Come in come in."

She moved aside for us to get inside. I looked back as she was closing the door behind her. "I told you to take it easy on the practice before we came today."

Char nervously chuckled knowing that her sweat was evidence of her pushing herself before we came. "I can't help it. The concert is only 5 days away and I still don't feel ready."

"I get that but I have a feeling you won't even feel ready even on the day of. Beside we decided you would do your voice recordings for the PV first. If you're out of breath it can be heard through the mic."

"I know. Will you forgive me?" She played a classic puppy eye trick on me. I playfully suck out my tongue.

"I'll forgive you but know that pleading doesn't work on me. I grew up with that trick being used by my mom on my dad. I've grown immune to it. Even by the top idol such as yourself." I gave her a pat on the head and gestured for her to lead the way. She jokingly pouted at Fumiko while leading us to her living room.

"Do you guys want anything before we get started?"

"Just water will be fine. You should drink and eat something yourself as well."

"I'll take some water too then. Do you need some help Char-chan?" She sat us down on the couches.

"Don't worry about it. You guys are my guests so make yourselves at home." We sat ourselves down looking around the room. Though we've been here before, we mostly spent the entire time in the practice room. Char was a workaholic that she really never rested.

Char came back with three cups of water and few cookies on a plate. She set the tray down on the middle table and took a seat herself. I instantly took one of the cookies while looking up the notes on my phone. "So I'm going to explain a bit more in detail what we're doing today so relax a little bit while I do so."

They both nodded at me. "Now I sent you all the questions beforehand so you're already aware of your answers. Since the time constraint we're only going to be doing three. It doesn't have to be recited perfectly though so no pressure. I know you already know the questions but you're welcomed to change or improvise on the spot. Fumiko will be asking the questions as her request so that I can monitor better. Her voice will not be included in the PV but will be a written question edited on screen. Any questions before we begin?"

The two of them shook their heads. "Well then, Fumiko can you sit across from Char-senpai? Char-senpai I'm going to connect my phone to my earphones so that you can speak through the built in mic at an easier level. I already tried it out last night and its works fine enough that it can be fixed up later. Try not to focus too much on the mic though. If you will."

I handed her my phone so that she could hold on to it easier. "You can click start whenever you like."

She took a gulp of water first before not hesitating to start the recording. I waved to Fumiko to start asking the questions that I sent her before. The questions I prepared weren't extremely thought provoking or difficult. They were just basic questions for everyone to be able to hear more on Char's thoughts. "Char-chan how do you feel about your first concert?"

"I can't describe all that I'm feeling." Char had a wide smile on her face. "I'm super nervous, excited, I want the day to come faster but at the same time I want more time to perfect everything. Everything since I began being an idol feels like a dream. Starting out a first year, I practiced and worked as hard as I could. Being called the Starlight Queen in my second year means I still have a lot to go through. This is only my first concert."

I took note of everything that she said in my notebook. If anything got lost in the recording I would be able to direct any subtitles that would be used. "Continue on without me giving direction."

Fumiko looked at the next question. "Char-chan, what made you want to do this concert in the first place?"

"There's a lot that went into my thought process. But the main thing was ultimately how impatient I actually am." She let out a small laugh. "Since I wanted to be an idol, I really enjoyed being in front of people. I couldn't hold one as a first year but as a second year I couldn't hold back. I have to thank my fans as well for their positive reactions that really encouraged me to keep going at such a fast pace."

I held back a smile hearing her talk. I couldn't make any sound that could wreck the recording but I loved hearing her talk right now. I picked my questions knowing that her passion was in being an idol. Char was a natural idol that stood up on stage with all of her devotion. Nothing was going to stop her from performing. Not me telling her to relax a little nor limitations of year class.

"Final question, what kind of plans do you have next?"

"Anything! I always want to try new things. Something I want to aim for is possibly an album. Or maybe a larger scale concert? EEEE I really can't wait for everything to happen. In terms of my next steps I don't have anything planned besides trying my best. I hope everyone that I gain and keep a bunch of fans and that I can continue to be the best type of idol possible. Until I reach the end please look out for me."

Char finished off the final question without ever dropping the smile off her face. Even if it was just for voice recording, her excitement could probably be heard through. I quickly looked over my notes making sure that everything made sense. "Okay everything looks good to go. Kept it nice and short and I think very you like answers. Would you want to do anything to it?"

"Nope its fine. I know I can trust you Momo-chan. If there's anything that's wrong with it later you can always tell me." She handed my phone back to me. I stopped the recording looking at the time stamp. 'Hmm about 1 and 43 seconds, not counting the time in between questions and of silence this can be worked with. It'll be better to have music in the background rather than trying to shove in everything to the PV.'

"Um Momo-chan there is something that I did want to ask though before we go to practice more." I looked up at her showing a serious face. I peeked at Fumiko who saw the same thing. Concert nervousness perhaps?

"Um sure. What can I help with?" She scratched the back of her head.

"This is actually kind of embarrassing to ask since she can hear this, but yesterday when Charlotte took over, did something happen? You know when you guys went to get the cards from Magical Toy's top designer. Thank you for that by the way. It's just I don't have any of her memories but last night it was like something was bothering her. I thought you would know something."

"I don't mean to be rude but can't you ask Takahashi-senpai yourself?"

"It's kind of hard to. Charlotte and I are close in a sense but at the same time, it's hard for me to speak with her. She likes to keep things to herself. She doesn't speak much so I don't think it's right to pry. She could be listening right now but I want to help her. I mean she helped me get these cards and is by my side all the time. I want to try helping her if I can."

I started to feel guilty seeing her so worried. "It could be because of what I said to her yesterday. I was kind of pushy with her. If it's alright with you I could speak with her directly about it. It is my fault after all."

"I mean sure but what did you say to her?" I thought of it for a little bit. If I gave out the truth it would probably just confuse Char. That's why I wanted to talk to Charlotte herself. I thought about what I should say when an idea popped into my head.

"I said that she hated you." Her eyes widen before dropping her head. Fumiko clung onto my arm showing that Charlotte was coming out. 'Ah so she really does watch Char-senpai from behind.'

"Suzukawa-san why on earth would you say that?" Charlotte's head shot up with pale turquoise eyes. If Fumiko being afraid wasn't enough of a clear signal. Her being mad at me was probably something that only scared her even more.

"I wasn't aware of how much I could tell Char-senpai without upsetting you. I wasn't sure that I could tell her what I said without confirming with you first. The only logical explanation in my mind was to call you out before anything else. Was that the wrong exertion?" She sighed leaning back into her seat. Compared to Char, she was more relaxed and didn't care much about stuff like posture.

"I should have known. So what did you want to say to be me directly that Char?" Knowing that I just messed up, I wanted to try approaching this more carefully.

"Why does Char-senpai exist?" She tensed up at the question. Fumiko slowly let go of my arm. "Split personality disorder. A mental disorder that creates one or more distinct personalities in the brain. Often this occurs in early stages of life due to... Trauma."

I took a deep breath knowing that I was approaching a sensitive topic. "Do you remember how I would describe Char-senpai in our trip to the amusement park? I called her a natural born idol. Isn't that because it's how much you wanted yourself to be? I'm not a psychiatrist though. All I know is that you love music."

"You keep saying that. Since the time you proposed to perform with me. What do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly that. You love music. Fumiko, can you show us that clip that you took at the day care you guys went to when you're the Queen's manager?" Fumiko just nodded going through her phone's gallery. She didn't say anything as she held the phone out in front of us. When the clip was over Charlotte looked at me again.

"I still don't understand. What's special about this?"

"That was you Charlotte. Look closely, those are your eyes." Fumiko and Charlotte quickly got closer to the phone. They paused the clip at the very last second. They failed to notice the first time that Char's navy eyes had changed to light blue at some point. Then when she stepped away from the piano it changed back to navy when she said her thanks.

"I-I didn't even realize I changed."

"Me neither. I was so focused on the song."

"It's because you were playing for your sister right? Fumiko said that Ayumi-chan was there. That the fellow students got scared by you that you thought to sing for them. I don't think you realized that they were no longer afraid of you when you started to play. Do you know what my parents taught me at a young age? People's love for music is powerful. I saw that in Shouta-kun and I see it in Charlotte-senpai. The kids that were scared of you, heard your emotions and loved you. You love music."

It was silent in the room as they took everything in. "You know just now we interviewed Char-senpai, now its your turn. May I film an interview with you Charlotte-senpai?"

"Me? Why?"

"Because the person who needs to hear this the most is Char-senpai. I want to record this for her to see. I want to let her hear your thoughts for once." She thought about it for a little bit. "When was the last time that you actually spoke up rather than hiding behind her?"

"I'll do it then." She bowed to me in her seat as a way to say that she was in my care. Fumiko was quiet next to me. I patted her on the shoulder telling her to relax. I turned on my phone placing it on the table in the middle of all of us.

"My phone is currently recording voice only. Unlike our interview this one is free style and will be including all of our voices. I will be asking questions for Charlotte with the assistance of Fumiko. I understand that things might get personal so if you ever feel uncomfortable then please interrupt. Any questions before we begin?" They both shook their heads.

"Then let's get started. First, I'll reiterate a question that was asked before the interview was conducted. Charlotte-senpai, why does Char-senpai exist?" Her hands slowly curled into fists.

"It's like you said Char is the idol- no- she was the person I wanted to be." She dropped her head, sparing a glance at Fumiko before. "Since I was young people were always afraid of me. No matter who it was, if I was around people, they would always try to avoid me. People said it was because of my eyes."

I noticed that her voice was getting quieter. "So I didn't get along with others. In school, other kids would just run away. Even adults didn't even want to talk to me. They would say stuff like I should to make friends. Smile more and be more friendly. As if they didn't stutter in front of me. As if they didn't see the kids crying because I only looked at them. I was all by myself. Then Ayumi was born. The two of you have such kind families from what I know. I do love my family, but that wasn't always the case. Fumiko, how would you describe Ayumi?"

"Huh? Ayumi-chan? She's very energetic. When everyone got scared at you, she was the one trying to make everyone smile." Charlotte didn't react to her.

"Ayumi isn't afraid of me because of Char. Because she knows that Char is with me. She's the main reason why Char exists. Like everyone else, I always made her cry. My own baby sister, and I couldn't even get close to her without crying. My parents always tried to help but being a baby, how could Ayumi understand? You see her as energetic but as a baby she would only cry. And that would be my fault. That was until I discovered idols."

"I was just watching the tv one day when this idol came on. I was immediately drawn in by everything. She was incredibly beautiful and her voice captured my attention the moment I heard it. So for a while I would watch all her works. When I had a tough day at school or from Ayumi's crying, I would feel so much comfort from seeing her. One day I was alone in the house, watching tv again. This time I wanted to give it a try. So I sung as best as a child could. Not even realizing that my family came back already. It was the first time that Ayumi was in the same room as me and wasn't crying." Charlotte's music was what lead to the connection between the two.

"Kind of like that clip of me, no one was scared because they were listening to me. It was crazy, for the first time I would actually see her smile. I wanted to be an idol. I wanted to make people smile like that idol did for me. So I continued singing and practicing on my own. I would put on little performances for my family. I thought that I was actually getting closer with Ayumi. With my confidence boost I thought I would be able to do anything." She took a while to process her next words.

"It was around this time that Ayumi started being able to say words. She was learning so fast, words like mom and dad came so easily to her. I thought that she would call me sister or even Charlotte." She stopped, licking her dry lips. "But instead she pointed at me and called me... monster."

Charlotte took a deep breath. "I passed out that day. I thought with everything I could actually be an idol. I could make people stop being scared of me. That I can finally..."

Fumiko suddenly stood up to sit next to Charlotte. The two of us didn't say anything. All she did was place a hand over Charlotte's fists. She didn't say anything to comfort her. Only reminding her that we were here. Charlotte nodded in response. "The next day I woke up or well Char did. It felt so strange. Everything was kind of fuzzy and I didn't feel complete control over myself. Then I looked in the mirror and my eyes had changed colours. Of course I freaked out but I didn't outwardly. I just kept moving and I even talked but it wasn't me."

"My body went over to my parents and spoke with zero memory of anything. We went to the doctors, said that it was like amnesia for her. We later found out that it was split personality. Char was in charge of my body for about a week until I was put back in charge. In that week I would watch everything behind her eyes like a movie. No one was avoiding me, no one ignored me, everyone was just so welcoming. They would look at me without any fear. You know the name Char? It came from Ayumi not being able to pronounce Charlotte." She gave out a weak laugh

"That's it really. I still had no idea what was happening. I wanted to let Char continue though. I wanted to just watch from behind her eyes. Even without memories of everything, Char still had the same love for music that I did. She loved singing and dancing for my family. Looking back, I wonder if it was because I wanted to be a character like Char. Someone that had the power to make people smile through music. Maybe Char was born from that."

We sat there for a little bit so that we can process everything. I had an idea of everything before I asked her the question. I knew that she had a passion for music from that clip. When I wanted her attention, I told her that I wasn't afraid of her. I didn't at that point. How can I be afraid of her when she didn't do anything to me? If all she wanted was to perform I wanted to give her a chance to do that. When I gave her those glasses I wanted her to just stop worrying about everyone looking at her because of them.

I saw that she wanted to make Ayumi happy. I saw that she was confident enough in her music to do that. What I didn't ever see was Charlotte ever being able to express that side of her. I knew that every one feared her while Char was loved. I thought it would have been sad not being able to play music. I didn't think it had gone this far.

"If I were to describe you and Char-senpai in one word it would be obsession." The two of them looked at me. "The two of you, though different personalities have this in common. Idols. Your obsession led to Char-senpai. Her obsession led her to be Starlight Queen. The more I got to know you two, the more I saw that this was true. I didn't know your story but I know that, Charlotte-senpai, you've hidden yourself behind her for so long when you had such a love for music. I wanted to give you a stage that you could finally stand at."

"I appreciate the consideration Suzukawa-san but I'm not an idol. Ayumi made that clear when I was called a monster. I'm fine with just watching Char. At least one of us-" I stood up cutting her off.

"Why can't you be an idol? Because people are scared? Well guess what? I'm not. Fumiko's not. Shouta-kun was a shy boy that couldn't look anyone in the eye. Snapshot was a child model. Mom had no idea what an idol was at the beginning. You have no reason that stops you if you try enough. You agreed that if I got Char-senpai's approval you would perform with me. You agreed because you want to stand on stage. Even if everything goes wrong, Char-senpai and I have been waiting for that moment. So I ask, why can't you give it a try? Be the idol that can make people smile."

I watched as tears pooled up in her eyes. Fumiko immediately grabbed some tissues off the table for her. I walked up to her placing my hand on her shoulder. "I just have one more question. Do you still have the same obsession as a child to today?"

She didn't even have to think about it. "Yes. Watching Char... She's let me experience everything that I wanted. A real life idol lenses. That hasn't changed a bit. But if I could, standing on stage would be like a dream come true."

"Did you ever tell Char-chan this?" She shook her head. "Let's tell her now then. My question, Takahashi-senpai, do you hate Char-chan?"

"I could never. How could I? When we first started out, she understood me better than anyone. She has no memories from me but one of the first things she said to me once we became more aware of our situation was 'It must have been hard for you.' Sometimes people would still flinch at Char because they would second guess that it was really me. So Char was my first and only friend. Communication wasn't ideal but it was nice to have someone by my side. I wouldn't have anyone else sharing my mind with."

Fumiko loudly aww'ed and pulled Charlotte into a hug. "I'm so sorry I thought you were scary. I'll try to get to know you better too Takahashi-senpai!"

Charlotte seemed unfamiliar with the situation but allowed it. All she did was smile at me as if she was saying thank you. I politely bowed my head a little.

In the end, we revealed everything to Char. The entire interview of Charlotte was meant to connect the remaining dots between the two. One girl desiring to be an idol, the other giving her the chance to. There was this unbreakable bond between the two that even with their rough start, created something amazing.

Concert day!

Fumiko screamed loudly next to me as Char stood up on stage. Since our stage was during the middle of the concert, we were allowed to watch a little. The energy was crazy high with all the fans cheering as loud as they could. I felt the buzz that made me want to get up there as fast as possible. I shook her shoulder to get her attention back. "We should get ready now!"

She pouted at me. I rolled my eyes, pulling her backstage. We went back to one of the small dressing rooms where we had put our stuff down earlier. "Let's grab our cards and head back. I don't want to miss too much."

"Yes yes." I put my bag on the table so that I could reach into it at a better level. Wait a minute. I carefully pulled out everything in my bag spreading it on the table. 'No no no. This can't be happening!'

I rushed over to the area that my bag was before. I got on all fours, inspecting everything around the place. "Momo? What's the matter?"

"My Aikatsu cards! They're gone!"

Happy Holiday readers! Whatever you celebrate I hope you receive the best of luck!

Guest: I plan to include some Ichigo & Naoto scenes from maybe their first date I think. I'm not too good with romance scenes but please look forward to it.

Trivia: So I have to admit I don't know anyone with or know lot about split personality. I really hope that I didn't say anything that could offend anyone while reading this. I planned Charlotte to have two sides of her where one side wasn't able to become an idol and the other was the best. This way Momo would be kind of the one to encourage them to follow their dream (You know like an idol does).

Originally Charlotte was going to be scared of everyone. Not even close to Shouta's shyness but she would genuinely be afraid of people. It later changed because I didn't want two people to be the ones to come out of their shell. Instead I flipped it so that Charlotte was scaring everyone else.

I tried to explain how Char was created in Charlotte as best as a could so if someone doesn't understand then please ask.