That moment, when my Heart fragment shattered, I immediately felt empty. I fell into a deep sleep, unable to think, move, or do anything.

I was in a dream, a dark, empty dream. No light, no warmth, no color or sound. It was quiet and peaceful, where nothing bad could happen…

Then, I saw a light. A bright light that warmed my chest.

The Light of Hope….

“Hikari!”

Hikari… Yes, that is… the name of the princess. The princess of light, of love.

I am… Hikari.

…..

The girls were all blinded by the sudden light surrounding their friend. As they focused on it, they saw wings of light spread out from Mako’s back and wrapped around her completely.

When they opened up, Mako was in a beautiful dress, sparkling like diamonds. The ribbon in the back glittered like starlight, and the t was pure as gold. Mako’s beautiful black hair was let down from its ponytail, growing out down her back, and pearl earrings in her ears.

“Mako..-chan?!”

In her hands, the charm she had received from Mariko melted away and revealed a red crystal that resembled her Heart fragment, shaped like one of the Siamese twins, just like Naanya’s blue crystal.

“Can it be? That’s…”

The angel wings, the beautiful dress… There was no mistake.

“Finally…” Miichan thought to herself.

“It’s really her.”

“Mako-chan is…”

“Princess Hikari.”

…..

Before I knew it, I felt an incredible warm light surrounding me. I’ve never felt something like this before.

I saw a red light and looked down. Just at the palms of my hands was a red crystal. It looks like Owada-san’s necklace…

“Mako!”

“Naanya…”

I held the crystal and closed it in my hands. I shut my eyes, feeling a rush of memories hit me like a strong ocean wave. I’m starting to regain my memories, of everything… since the very beginning.

I’m going further back… to the moment everything changed…

That day….

…..

“Hikari.”

I looked behind me, away from the window I had been staring out for hours.

There was Hoshina, wearing an outfit identical to mine.

“Hoshina…”

Today was my coronation day. The day I was meant to be crowned as the next queen. But, after we learned that the Maou was planning to attack, we devised a plan.

Hoshina is my decoy, a fake Hikari.

“Are you sure this is okay?”

“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll come back for you, alive.”

I nodded. I removed the necklace from my neck, the pink crystal dangling.

“The Crystal of Life. Our most precious treasure…”

Hoshina took it in her hands and put it on.

“I’ll come back with this, too.”

She hugged me one last time, laying her head on my shoulder.

“Everything will be okay. Takamina-san has the guards on high alert. We’ll both be safe, and then we can always be together.”

She tightened her hug. I know she’s fighting the tears. The thought of either of us dead is something I don’t want to think about.

“You can do it, okay? You’re my star.”

She nodded.

“I love you, Hoshina.”

“I love you, too, big sis.”

…..

“Big sis…”

All of it hit me suddenly. Tears were coming down my cheeks as I saw her, lifeless in front of her.

It’s all come back to me…

“I remember…” I held her cheek, leaning down to where our foreheads meet. “You… You are Hoshina. My dear little sister.”

I finally understand it. All those dreams were my memories. And Naanya… she’s been Hoshina, right in front of me when I didn’t even realize.

“You are… my star.”

I closed my eyes as another tear fell down, hitting her cheek.

I saw another bright light and saw Naanya’s crystal was glowing. I opened my hands and saw my red crystal was just as bright.

Can it be..?

The two crystals slowly merged and combined to form a pink crystal, shining brighter than ever before.

It is…

“I finally found it… My star… and….”

…..

“What?!” Isako was taken aback by the overwhelming light being emitted from the crystal.

“What’s going on?!” the girls shielded their eyes, the powerful, bright light overpowering them as well.

“Is that what I think it is?” Miichan said, seeing the crystals merge into one.

“This power light… is it..?”

“To think, it was here all this time… this is..!”

“The Crystal of Life!”

The light from the Crystal was so intense, the town became filled with light. Flowers started blooming, the sky became clearer, and people’s heavy hearts were lifted.

It was pure light, the most beautiful and powerful light ever.

“Ahhh! Damn it! They broke the seal!” Isako sneered. “I must leave before my powers are—”

Mako looked up, holding the Crystal in her hands. A powerful force blew Isako away and drained all the black magic inside her, burning her.

“N-no! This can’t be..! NOOOO!!!” Isako became engulfed by the light and disappeared into black smoke.

“Uso…”

…..

The Maou felt an unbearable force. One so strong, he could feel it through his very being.

The three Akuma were watching what happened, the strong light shining over everything.

Hayate held onto his teddy bear.

“That onee-chan… found the Light.”

…..

As the light calmed, the Crystal shined over Naanya’s body, healing her. She slowly opened her eyes and when she saw Mako, the wings of light spread behind her, the long and flowing black hair, and the gorgeous dress, she knew her dear sister Hikari had awakened.

“Hikari… is that you..?”

…..

I held the Crystal in my hands, still feeling its warm glow. Hoshina slowly got up and looked at me.

“Hikari… is that really you? Is this real, or am I dreaming now?”

I hugged her, no longer fighting my tears. All of this is so much for me, I can’t hold back my feelings anymore.

“Hoshina… I remember.. everything now.” I broke the hug, facing her. “I am Hikari. Princess Hikari.”

Naanya nodded, her tears flowing down her face.

“And you… you’re my….”

I suddenly felt my body grow weak again and I passed out.

…..

“Hikari!”

As Mako collapsed in Naanya’s arms, the wings of light slowly faded and disappeared. Her clothes turned back to normal as the girl held her. The Crystal was still grasped in her hand and her hair was still incredibly long, spilled beautifully on the ground.

“Mako… you finally remembered.”

The others slowly walked over to the two girls, still shocked from what just happened.

“I don’t believe it…”

“All this time.. the princess we’ve been searching for is Mako.”

Naanya looked up at Miichan, seeing an indefinite look in her eyes.

“You’re… alive.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had reincarnated?”

“I wanted Mako to awaken when the time was right… I couldn’t possibly tell her any of that so soon.”

“Miichan…” Nana turned to the older girl.

“I… I didn’t know…”

A figure appeared from the darkness and removed his hood. It was Kyoya.

“Kyoya…” Naanya spoke.

“I see you found your precious light, Hoshina. You must be happy now that you reunited with your older sister.”

“Sister?”

Naanya nodded. “I am.”

“Wha-? Wait… the princess has a sister?”

“I’m sorry for not informing all of you. First, let’s begin with proper introductions. I am Kyoya, a member of the Royal Senate of her Highness’s service.”

“He’s been watching over both me and Mako to make sure our Awakenings would come at the proper time.”

“Miichan, did you know about this?”

“Y-yes…” She said reluctantly. “I am a member of the Senate as well.”

“Eh?!”

“The both of us made sure that before the seals on their memories were broken too early that we would strengthen them by removing any past memories from their subconscious. The process of Awakening at an earlier than planned time would only put them at risk.”

Miki fell to her knees, holding her head.

“Miki-chan!”

“I don’t get it..! I don’t understand any of this!”

Nana calmly walked up to him, looking him directly in the eyes.

“Please, explain to us everything.”

Kyoya grinned.

“Understood. But, first, I believe it would be best if all of you went home and took a good rest,” He knelt down and took Mako in his arms. “I’ll look after Princess Hikari.”

“I agree,” Miichan said. “I think we all deserve some rest after all of this. We’ll meet back here tomorrow and explain everything.”

“Right…”

…..

The next day…

“How long is she gonna be out?” Miki asked as she looked over her sleeping friend.

“A while, probably.” Nana said, feeling her head.

“All those memories from the past must have overloaded her mind.” Kyoya said. “She couldn’t take it all at once, so her body has been shut down temporarily.”

“It’s still unbelievable. Mako, a princess…”

Meru played with a long strand of Mako’s hair. “It’s so long… like Rapunzel.”

“I wonder if Hikari’s hair was like that.”

“Maybe even longer…”

Miichan walked in, seeing the girls all concerned.

“Miichan…”

“Hey. Everyone doing okay?”

“Yeah… Just worried about Mako. She’s gone through so much.”

Miichan stepped forward and said, “I think it’s time we explain everything from the start.” She sat down beside of Kyoya while he poured some tea for her.

“Okay… First, what is Mako and Naanya’s real relationship?”

Kyoya put down his tea and spoke.

“As you all already know, Princess Hikari was the heir to Queen Muse’s throne and the Crystal of Life.”

“Yes.”

“However, what we didn’t tell you was about Hoshina.”

“She is Hikari’s younger sister. Muse gave birth to her a year after Hikari’s birth. Since Hikari is the older sister, she was chosen to inherit both the throne and the Crystal.”

“And Naanya is the reincarnation of Hoshina?”

Miichan nodded. “Actually, I didn’t know that she had reincarnated on Earth. I thought that she was dead and Naanya was an imposter.”

“I’m sorry, Minegishi-san,” Kyoya said, bowing. “In order not to rush both of their awakenings, we did not inform you that Hoshina was reincarnated as Owada Nana. I kept watch over her and restored her memories.”

“I see…”

“So… that means, when the Maou attacked…”

“Hoshina was a decoy of Hikari. We as the Senate enacted this plan so we could protect them… However….”

“Hikari ran off so she could save Hoshina. She had the Crystal of Life with her…”

“And when we had arrived, both of them were dead.”

Nana’s eyes widened. A memory of the past flashed in her head, feeling a sharp pain at her chest. She screamed.

“Naachan?!”

“I remember… I remember it clearly..!”

“The six of you were knights that protected Hikari and Hoshina. All the guards and knights were on high alert protecting the castle.”

The memory all played in their minds. The heat from the flames, the smell of burning ash, and red. Nothing but red…

“That’s right… We all protected her… We died protecting her.”

“It was terrifying. My heart’s still pounding thinking about it..!”

“It hurts..! It hurts…!”

“Kyoya-san…” Nana got up, trying to regain her balance.

“The six knights of the Queen’s First Troop. Uta, Yuuki, Chii, Kanata, Hana, and Umi.”

“Those were… our names.”

Ryouha suddenly saw a vision. A pink crystal wrapped around Hikari’s neck.

“The Crystal… Where is it?”

“Ah… That’s right. That moment… Both of those crystals combined to form…”

“Kyoya?” Miichan got up. “Is there something else you didn’t tell me?”

Kyoya nodded, turning to face her.

“Mariko-san… in order to save both of their souls.”

“Mariko?”

“Mariko-san is also.. a member of the Senate?”

He nodded again.

“She split the Crystal in half and fused each half with their souls.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Miichan said. “Mariko tells me everything.”

“Because she knew the consequences of such an action.”

“Eh?”

“Mariko became a Shinigami.”

“What?”

“A Shinigami is a God of Death.”

“After she combined their souls with the Crystal of Life, she became a Shinigami and now watches over all the souls in the afterlife.”

“Does that mean… Yuko..?”

“Yes.”

Miichan sat down, not saying a word.

“This is unbelievable.” Miki said. “This is just… too much.”

“I’m very sorry, Nishino-san…”

“Miki, it’s okay.” Nana comforted the younger girl. “We made mistakes in the past, but now, we can make things right. We can make it better.”

She nodded and hugged Nana, wiping away her tears.

Nagisa walked over to Mako, moving away some of her hair.

“I wonder what’s going on in there…” she said.

“She’s reached the final stage of the Awakening. Right now, she’s gradually letting all her past memories back into her mind. And, since her Heart fragment had broken, it’s probably going to take longer for her to wake up.”

“So, all we can do now is stay here and wait, hoping that she’ll remember who he is when she wakes up.”

The two looked at each other, then nodded.

“Okay…”

“Wait, since part of the Crystal has her soul now.. wouldn’t she be able to regain her memories if she still had it with her?”

“Eh?”

Nagisa checked Mako, but she couldn’t find her half of the Crystal anywhere.

“It’s gone.”

“What if Naanya has them?”

“Oh no…” Miichan suddenly realized something.

“Minegishi-san.”

“Yes.” She got up, leaving the room. “I’ll go find her. Everyone, stay here.”

…..

Back at the agency, Naanya found the room where the Rainbow Prism was kept. She stepped in front of it, looking at the beautiful crystal.

“Finally… I can go back.”

She stepped back, aiming the Crystal in front of the towering Prism.

“Now, open the gate!”

The Crystal shined and shot a bright light into the prism. It started glowing and shining brighter.

However, Naanya was using up lots of her energy and was growing weak as she kept going. She saw a portal start to open, but as she started losing control, it closed.

“No..! I have… I have to go back..! I need to save her..!”

“Naanya, stop!”

She looked and saw Miichan coming down, but went back to concentrating on opening the portal.

“Don’t interfere!”

“No. If you keep going, you’ll die!”

“I have to go back..!” the younger girl screamed weakly. “I… have to save..!”

“Stop! You’re pushing the Crystal’s power too forcefully! If you don’t stop now, the Crystal will shatter and we’ll all be doomed!”

Naanya’s eyes widened. She immediately stopped and the light disappeared. She breathed heavily.

“I just… want… my sister back..!” Naanya fell to her knees, crying.

“Naanya…”

“I wish.. I could go back… If I could just go back and change everything… Stop all that from happening… If only things were different… Then, maybe… Just maybe, she…”

“Eh?”

“If I hadn’t died, she wouldn’t have killed herself!”

“What?”

…..

“Hoshina!”

My eyes suddenly shot open as I saw a memory playing out. The palace was starting to fall, there was the smell of fire, and everyone was gone.

I ran in and saw Hoshina collapsed on the floor, bleeding.

“No… No! Hoshina!” I ran to her.

“Hikari…”

“Hoshina, please hold on! Don’t leave me!”

“Hikari.. I’m sorry… I just w-wanted… to p-protect you…”

“No, don’t say that..!”

“I love you… nee-chan….” Her eyes gently shut and her hand fell to the ground. Her heart had stopped; she was dead.

“NOOO!!! HOSHINA!!!!” I screamed, wailed in pain and agony. I cried over body, yelling out her name countless times.

As if my very heart and soul had been into a black hole, I looked and saw a sword from one of the knights, picking it up and aiming the tip at my chest.

“Wait for me… my star.”

That moment, I felt the sharp blade pierce my heart. Everything stopped, my body instantly becoming weak and everything faded into darkness.

I felt a tear fall down as my eyes shut, and I fell into darkness…

…..

“Hoshi…na…”

“Mako!”

The girls ran over to Mako’s bed, hearing her voice. A tear was falling down her face and her hands gripping onto the sheets.

“This is a good sign.” Kyoya stated. “She’ll wake up with her memories as Hikari.”

“But, what about her memories as Mako?”

“I’m sure once they complete the Crystal, her memories will all recover.”

“Complete it?”

“What do you mean?”

“That was another thing. Mako’s Heart fragment wasn’t just a piece of Muse-sama’s heart. It was also part of her half of the Crystal of Life.”

“Eh?”

…..

Naanya dropped the Crystal, reverting it back into two halves. She sat on the floor, crying.

“Nee-chan… M-my.. light…”

Miichan knelt down to the younger girl’s side.

“I… I-I couldn’t save her…”

“Naanya.” Miichan spoke up. “You did save her.”

“Eh?”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small pieces of Mako’s heart fragment.

“She’s here. She can still be saved.”

“What..?”

“Mako was using more than the Queen’s love to fight. She was also using the true love she had for everyone. Especially you.”

“Her love…?”

Miichan picked up the red crystal and placed it in her hands with the smaller fragments. Everything was pieced together and became one crystal.

“We can fix everything now. History doesn’t have to repeat itself. We can pick up the pieces and start anew. We’re stronger now.”

The younger girl wiped away her tears, nodding.

“Let’s go.”

…..

The hospital room door opened and Naanya slowly stepped inside. Everyone saw she was holding a necklace in her hands, with the red crystal half Mako had.

“Naanya…”

“May I?”

Everyone simply remained silent and moved out of the way. Miichan walked over and lifted Mako up, holding her head.

“She’s finally back…”

Naanya walked over and wrapped the necklace around Mako’s neck, the red crystal shining from the light in the room.

“Can I…?”

Naanya didn’t finish her question, since Miichan already knew the answer. She moved aside and let her pick up the older girl in her arms, resting her head on her shoulder. It looked like Mako was a baby sleeping in her arms.

She placed her head against Mako’s, closing her eyes.

“Come back to me, sis.”

…..

“Nee-chan!”

“Hm?” I looked up, seeing a younger Naanya. She smiled and put a flower tiara on my head.

“There. Now you’re a princess!”

I smiled and took a flower, placing it behind her ear.

“You’re a princess, too, Naanya-chan.”

“Haha. I’m so happy! I love you, nee-chan!”

“Me too. I love you, Naanya-chan.”

The wind blew against me and I found myself in the castle garden. Hoshina smiled as she placed the flower tiara on my head.

“Hoshina…”

“You’ll be queen soon. Every queen needs her crown.”

I smiled, then took the tiara off and placed it on her head.

“Eh?”

“You’re a princess, too.” I hugged her. “You’re my princess.”

“Sis…”

“I love you, Hoshina. My star.”

“Un. Me too. I love you, Hikari. My light…”

Light….

“Mako…”

That’s it… I remember.. everything.

“Mako.”

Finally, I remember who I am. And who I was. Everything from my past, up until now. I know who I am.

I am Princess Hikari… I am Kojima Mako.

“Mako, it’s time to go.”

I hear Naanya… She’s calling for me.

I looked up and saw her behind me, holding out her hand. I grasped onto her hand, and was wrapped in light once more.

When my eyes opened, I was in a hospital bed, sleeping in Naanya’s arms. I looked up at her, meeting her gaze. She stared at me for a while.

“Mako?”

I smiled. “Hi, Naanya.”

I saw tears in her eyes as she smiled and hugged me.

“Mako!” she screamed in joy, crying into my chest. “You remember..!”

“Un. I do.”

“Welcome back, Hikari,” a voice spoke. I turned and saw a young man.

Wait, is that…?

“Hikari-sama, it’s time to wake up.”

A memory flashed in my mind. A young man opening the windows and letting the morning light into my room. He’s wearing a butler’s outfit and turned to smile at me.

“Kyoya-san..?” I spoke.

“You know him?”

“He was a… butler. A servant of the palace who took care of me and Hoshina.”

“A butler?!”

“Mm~” Meru looked at him. “He doesn’t look like a butler.”

“Meru-chan, that’s rude,” Mio said.

“It seems the two of you have grown into fine young women.”

“Kyoya…” Naanya walked over and bowed to him. “Thank you for everything.”

I bowed as well. “Thank you.”

He bowed and fixed his glasses. “Then, I shall take my leave,” he said before teleporting out of the room.

“Woah…”

“Why can’t we teleport like that?” Miki said, making the others giggle.

As they continued laughing, I looked up and saw Naanya looking at me. I smiled and looked down, seeing my hair.

“How did this happen?” I said jokingly.

She and I both laughed, hugging each other.

“I missed you so much.”

“Me too.”

…..

That night, after I was discharged from the hospital, we all had a pajama party in my apartment.

“Your hair was very long when you were Hikari,” Naanya said as she brushed it out, pulling away the loose hairs.

She and the others just spent hours cutting the incredible lengths of what used to be my hair. Kyoya said it was because my body changed due to the sudden restoration of my memories.

“Is this alright?”

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. “Un. Perfect.”

I stood up and took out the bag with the box, where the cake I bought was. When I came to the agency days ago, I asked Miichan to put it in the fridge to keep it fresh.

I opened it up and Naanya’s eyes instantly lit up when she saw it.

“Mako..! You didn’t have to…”

“Yes, I did. You’re my best friend. And, my little sis. Right?”

“Haha. Right.”

“Let’s dig in!” Miki and Meru harmonized, taking the first slices.

As everyone ate, I took my piece and gave the strawberry to Naanya. Her eyes widened in shock a bit.

“You sure?”

“Un. Here…” I placed it up to her lips and made her take a bite of it, some of the juices dripping down and making her lips a bright red. “Cute.”

She giggled and wiped it off. Then, she took her finger and dabbed some of the icing from her cake slice on my nose.

“Cuter,” she said.

I took the icing and it off. The both of us laughed and ate our cake slices.

After everyone fell asleep, I turned off the lights and started to tuck myself into sleep. Then, I noticed that there was someone else in the bed with me. It was Naanya.

I giggled. “After all this time, you’re still spoiled.”

“I love you… nee-chan.”

I smiled, hugging her.

“I love you too… Hoshina.”

Finally… we have a second chance….

….

“Hikari-sama!”

A voice suddenly rang and I felt a strange pulse of energy, making my eyes shot open. I found myself staring back at Naanya, whose eyes had also opened.

“Did you feel that?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“What was that?”

“I don’t know. It didn’t feel like it was the Akuma.”

“Then… who?”

At that moment… I had a gut feeling something big was happening.

…..

A figure stood on top of Tokyo Tower that night, her large witch hat and flowing cape fluttering gently in the wind. The full moon shined down on her silhouette.

“I found you,” the girl spoke.

She smiled, bringing her hand up and creating a peace sign.

“I finally found you… Princess Hikari.”