The No Spice
A Coco/Nozomi fic by Setsumi-san
Disclaimer: If you believe that Yes! Pretty Cure 5 is mine then I have a bridge to sell you. I do not, never have, and never will plan to make any money off this fanfic.
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Cure Dream, also known as Nozomi Yumehara, screamed as a kowaina whipped her over and over. It felt like her back was on fire, but she had to hold on for the sake of the unconscious Coco in her arms. It couldn't end this way! She had sworn to restore his kingdom! If only she had control over her voice he wouldn't be in danger now!
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The whole incident had started at lunchtime. It was been an ordinary school day. "Mister Cocoda" droned on and on about proper sentence structure or something in the classroom while Nozomi's stomach roared. She closed her eyes and fantasized about a table full of chocolate cupcakes, brownies, and strawberry tarts. Today was Pastry Day in the school cafeteria, and there was no way she was missing that.
Coco, glancing around his classroom, inwardly sighed when he saw Nozomi's "thinking with my tummy" expression. She meant well, but she had the attention span of a three year old. (Maybe if he let her eat in the classroom she'd get better grades.) Plus it looked abnormal when she wasn't being a cheerful little canary.
He hoped she wouldn't be too hungry to talk later. Today was important because he'd finally worked up the nerve to confess his feelings after school. His human form was a double-edged sword. On one hand looking old enough to be her teacher was the perfect way to gather intelligence. Unfortunately, that and his profession squashed any hope of a public relationship with his secret crush.
Brrriiinnnggg! At last! There was the lunch bell! Nozomi squealed gleefully and dashed out of the classroom like a cheetah. Unfortunately, she collided with Rin on the way.
"Geez, where's the fire?" Rin said.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so hungry," the fuchsia haired girl replied.
"You have a worse sweet tooth than Coco and Nuts combined," Rin sighed.
Just then her stomach growled loudly enough to be heard three blocks away. The redhead blushed and her friend giggled.
"Come on, let's hurry before they run out," Nozomi said cheerfully.
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The cafeteria was better than most because Cinq Lumiere was a private academy. The school prided itself on good nutrition, but no student honestly cared about that. No, what they loved was the pastries. Seemingly thousand miles long lines would coil around campus when sweet bread, bear claws, or cheese Danishes were served.
"I wonder what the special dessert's going to be today," Urara said.
"I hope it's chocolate swirl cheesecakes," Nozomi remarked.
"Me too. That's my favorite flavor," added Komachi.
"What can I get for you girls today?" Mrs. Otaka asked cheerfully.
While the rest of Pretty Cure Five placed their orders a heavenly looking cinnamon crepe distracted the pink Cure. The spice sparkled like a diamond necklace and she could feel its warmth radiating from three feet away. It was as if angels had baked it. She immediately gobbled it down in three bites. However, for some strange reason it tingled on her tongue and made her throat tighten.
How weird, she thought.
"Say Nozomi, I spent all night designing a new bracelet line for Nuts House to sell. Do you think it looks fashionable?" Karen asked, showing said jewelry on her wrist.
"No," she chirped with a big smile.
Everyone stared at their leader like she had grown a second head and she instantly slapped her hand over her mouth. No? Why on Earth did she say that? Karen's design was excellent!
"Miss Nozomi, don't you think you could be a little more sensitive when giving constructive criticism?" Komachi asked softly.
"No," she repeated.
Huh? What was wrong with her? It felt like the proper words were stuck at the bottom of her throat!
"Gee, thanks," Karen grumbled sarcastically.
She shook her head frantically, but before the conversation could continue the bell rang for P.E.
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The field was an oven that afternoon and everyone's brains were melting out of their ears. In Cure Dream's opinion there should have been a law stating that students could skip gym class on hot days as long as they promised to get lots of exercise in a pool. She smiled dreamily. Pools reminded her of the time she spent with Coco on that tropical island. Right now nothing would be more heavenly than splashing around with him in an Olympic sized one with a huge gold fountain in the middle. They'd have a cannonball contest and she'd watch him surface like a beautiful merman as droplets cascaded down his bare chest.
She suddenly blushed and wondered, Oh gosh, why am I thinking about him like that? He's my friend!
"Miss Yumehara! I'm not going to tell you again to quit daydreaming! Now, do you think you would care to try your luck at pole vaulting?" the coach snapped.
Much to the purple-eyed girl's horror, a refusal started to involuntarily form. She clamped down on her tongue and tried to nod instead yet an invisible metal rod seemed to prop her chin up. Was she going crazy? Had she caught some kind of bug? Perhaps it was karma haunting her for not doing her homework last week.
"What's with Nozomi?" Rin whispered to Komachi.
"I don't know," the green-eyed girl answered, "She's been acting dazed and practically silent since lunch. It's like her voice was stolen from her."
"Answer me, Miss Yumehara!" barked the coach.
"N-n-n…N-n-n…No," she stuttered.
"We have a little rebel on our hands, eh? Well, maybe you'd like to sort the balls in the equipment room after school instead," sneered the teacher.
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The poor superheroine contemplated what could possibly be behind her strange ailment as she knelt in a pile of rubber dodgeballs later that afternoon. She didn't mean to say it, yet it wasn't like she could tell anyone. Either this was a bad dream or something preternatural was going on here.
Bonk! She tripped over a box of tennis balls and busted her butt on the wooden floor. The girl winced in pain and sniffled. Today just wasn't her day. Just then the equipment shed door creaked open and her friends entered.
"Still as klutzy as ever, huh?" Rin teased good-naturedly.
"It just didn't feel right to let you waste your afternoon here. We could see how unusual your behavior was. Besides, Nuts House isn't the same without you," Urara explained.
"Is there something you want to talk about?" Komachi asked.
She frantically tried to nod, and then smacked her forehead when she remembered she couldn't.
"Have you lost your voice?" asked Karen.
Oh, if they only knew! she thought.
All of a sudden an idea struck her like a freight train. She took a spare sharpie from her pocket and tried to write the word help on the concrete. Unfortunately, all that came out were scribbles, n's, and o's. Ack, would she have to resort to smoke signals for communication?
"Huh? Don't tell me you've forgotten how to write! If this is a joke, it isn't funny," said Rin.
Everyone except Karen looked puzzled or skeptical. She knew Nozomi never got in trouble on purpose. Something was seriously wrong. It could even be the work of a nightmare.
"Nozomi," the council president said slowly, "answer me truthfully. Are you a Pretty Cure?"
"N…N-n-no," the fuchsia haired girl stammered.
"Are you a girl?" she asked.
"N-n-n…No."
"What's your favorite color?"
"No…"
The truth dawned on the gang as their leader began to sniffle. This was no prank…this was an unexplainable phenomenon. To make matters worse it might have been a prelude to something worse. Who was to say their friend would not also lose her sight or hearing?
"Oh my gosh. That's all you can say, isn't it?" the bluenette murmured.
"Do you think this is the work of a nightmare?" Komachi asked her.
"It's possible. Why don't the rest of us report back to Nuts House to investigate? Coco knows that Nozomi has to stay after school so he can help and guard her, " she suggested.
"Yeah. Don't worry, Nozomi! We'll find out what's behind all this if it's the last thing we do!" Urara promised.
Cure Dream's eyes shimmered hopefully. What she didn't know was that a monster was waiting to spring on her like a bear trap.
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Coco's pulse sped up to a quintillion beats per minute as he walked to the equipment shed. Today he was finally going to tell the pink Pretty Cure how he felt. Their relationship was not like a typical fairy tale. He had had hundreds of suitors back in Palmier, and though all of them were delicate flowers they were also boring and predictable. However, Nozomi had spunk and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty for his sake. Who knew his dream girl would be a warrior?
Crrreeeaaak! He slowly opened the door and gulped. The superheroine smiled and waved at him. He always brought a little bit of sunshine into her day.
Coco inhaled deeply and said, "Nozomi, I have something very important to tell you. You may want to sit down."
She cocked her head curiously and stared at him.
"It's nothing bad," he quickly reassured, "I just need your full attention. When I met you I was stunned by your generosity. Becoming Pretty Cure was a huge responsibility, but…but you acted as though it were as simple as making a sandwich. My gratitude quickly turned to friendship…and then friendship transformed into something more. Cure Dream, you're my dream. I…I like you."
Both of them stood there with cherry-tinted cheeks and the room swirled before her eyes. This was like something out of a movie! She'd just had the worst day of her life, and now the guy of her dreams had turned it all around! Then it hit her: She literally couldn't respond.
Oh, Coco. Coco, Coco, Coco! It's not FAIR! she silently raged, her head drooping.
"I see… You just want to be friends," he said with a brave smile.
"No!" she exclaimed.
"Then you do feel the same?" he asked
"No! No, no, no! " she shouted tearfully.
"So…you want nothing to do with me at all? All right, I understand. I'll avoid you as much as possible if it makes you happy. I just wish you'd told me sooner," he sighed.
It was as though the brunette's entire world had been frozen by a freak blizzard. The young fighter was the first girl he'd ever truly loved, and now she couldn't stand him. It figured. After all, he'd interrupted her life and put her in mortal danger. How ironic that her alias was Cure Dream when these battles did nothing but sicken her.
Suddenly, he heard wicked laughter echo through the field. Arachnea was standing on top of the scoreboard with a mask in her hand!
"A nightmare!" Coco shouted.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little Prince of Palmier! Sorry, but you're not getting the royal treatment today," she sneered.
Whoosh! She tossed the mask onto the goalpost and it morphed into a horrible nine-legged iron monster with spikes. Coco ran for his life, but the kowaina knocked him out like a rag doll.
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"I just don't understand why the nightmares would do this. How would it help their mission?" Karen pondered as they walked through the schoolyard.
"Maybe it's a psychological tactic like trash talk before a match," Rin suggested.
"Then why didn't they do the same thing to us?" she asked.
"Good point. We should be on our guard," said the tomboy.
Just then they saw Mrs. Otaka in her evening attire carrying several heavy brown bags. They waved cheerfully and offered to help her.
"Oh thank you, girls. I don't know how I'll be able to carry these leftover pastries home. Why don't you take some? Not even my gluttonous sons will be able to finish these off," the cafeteria lady chuckled.
"Really? Thank you!" chirped Urara.
She started to put a bag in her backpack, but Mrs. Otaka immediately paled and suggested she take any dessert but that one.
"What's wrong with it?" the blonde asked.
"Those are my Jokester Crepes, dear," she said.
"Jokester Crepes?"
"Yes. They look and taste like ordinary cinnamon crepes, but when someone eats them all they're able to say is no. I made a batch to teach my lazy husband a lesson, but realized they got mixed up with the school lunches today. All I can say is thank goodness no students ate them."
Pretty Cure Five's stomachs quivered. That was what was wrong with their leader! Holy cow!
"Mrs. Otaka, is there any cure for these if someone eats them?!" Rin urgently questioned.
"Uh, the victim just needs to kiss a loved one. Why do you ask?" she inquired.
Before she received an answer the gang streaked off like four bullets to help Cure Dream.
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Back at the field Nozomi had heard the ruckus and raced out of the equipment shed. She gasped and clenched her fist. How dare the enemy go after Coco!
"Ah! Have you come to rescue your friend, Pretty Cure? Well, I might leave him unharmed if you hand over the Dream Collet," Arachnea said mockingly.
The superheroine gritted her teeth. She would neither hand over the Dream Collet nor let them hurt her beloved! Power coursed through her veins like boiling lava and she rotated her right arm in a flurry of sparkles. Next her butterfly top, gloves, skirt, and boots magically appeared. Finally, her hair lengthened and looped.
She posed heroically and thought, Even though I have no voice I am still the great power of hope: Cure Dream!
The kowaina swung at the boy and Cure Dream kicked it powerfully. Then it tossed her into the bleachers and splinters rained everywhere. She charged back with a barrage of punches. Pow! A huge spike slammed into her face and scratched it. Dream grabbed one of the monster's arms and struggled so much that her heels dug into the earth. Arrrggh, it was taking everything she had just to hold it back!
"You're not much without your friends, are you? Well, if you won't tell me where the Dream Collet is I'll just finish you two off!" the nightmare shouted.
One of the monster's arms aimed for Coco. Panicking, Cure Dream stumbled over, and completely shielded him. Thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap!! The kowaina whipped her over and over, but her grip remained solid iron. Hot tears of pain cascaded down her cheeks and memories of their time together flashed before her eyes. She could almost still hear the encouragement he gave her in the hot air balloon, feel his protective embrace after she'd been possessed, and smell the salty ocean air at their vacation spot. Some savior she was! How could she let her guard down like this? Well, if she couldn't grant his wish or tell him her true feelings then she could at least save his life!
Good luck, Rin. I know you'll be a star athlete someday. Komachi, maybe you can write a novel based on our adventures after I'm gone. Urara, you'd better build a trophy case to hold all your future Oscars. Karen, if you can be the student council president maybe you can also be the president of your own business someday. Nuts and Milk, you guys were great friends. Coco…I'll protect even if it means sacrificing myself. It's decided! Dream thought determinedly.
The young fighter sealed her promise with a kiss and prepared for the kowaina's deathblow. This was it! She inhaled her last breath and, in spite of all the mayhem, wrinkled her nose at the strong scent of freshly cut grass.
"Geez, that stings. Huh? I can talk again!!" she shouted joyfully.
Suddenly Coco moaned and woke up. Now was her chance to attack!
"Run!" she commanded.
He instantly obeyed.
"I won't let you escape! Kowaina, destroy that boy!" Arachnea screamed.
"You can't use him to threaten me any more! Take this! The great potential of a young girl's dreams: Pretty Cure…Dream Attack!!"the girl cried.
She hurled a beam of energy shaped like a pink butterfly. KER-BOOM!! The monster's mask shattered and it exploded in a spectacular mushroom cloud. Arachnea growled and gagged on the smoke. Curse those Pretty Cures!
"I'll get the Dream Collet next time, you little pest! Next time!" she roared before teleporting away.
Cure Dream panted and plopped down on what was left of the bleachers. Unbelievable! This had been one of the weirdest days of her life. She was glad she could talk normally again… yet was still bewildered about how the whole fiasco started and stopped in the first place. Her musings were soon interrupted by the sound of her friends running up and calling her.
"We were on our way back here when we heard a ruckus, Miss Nozomi! Were you hurt?" Komachi asked anxiously.
"I've got some bruises and a big scratch on my back, but nothing's broken or bleeding," she reassured cheerfully.
"Ehhh?! You're back to normal! How did you figure out that a kiss was the solution?" Rin questioned.
"Kiss? Solution? What are you guys talking about?" she asked.
They explained about Mrs. Otaka's Jokester Crepes.
"Oh my gosh! How am I going to clear things up with Coco?" the purple-eyed girl groaned.
"Eek! You kissed Coco?" squealed Urara.
"About time," Rin muttered under her breath.
"I-I-It was just a spur of the moment thing," Nozomi stammered, "I mean, it s-s-sort of was because I thought I was going to die. Then again, I do like him, but he thinks I-"
"He thinks you what?" the brunette prince asked, surprising her from behind.
Cure Dream's cheeks became two strawberries and her comrades giggled.
"I heard the whole thing, Nozomi. You don't have to be embarrassed. You're my dream, remember?" he reminded her.
"No…I don't want to be your dream… because that means you'd have to wake up and leave me sometime," she replied shyly.
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Fin