Chapter 1: The Beginning Of Magic
(A quick author's note: Welcome to my Pretty Cure fan series, Spiritual Pretty Cure! I hope you enjoy reading on!)
"Reunite, souls of the East! Spiritual Pretty Cure!"
Seven colorful magical girls posed as a magic splashed in front of them.
This chapter begins with a sight of a small dojo near a forest, where a young teenage girl trained hard to improve her skills with a katana.
"My name is Kazeko Sakurano. I'm 15 years old, and I'm a kunoichi in training."
*Slash~*
Kazeko sliced a bamboo stick in two, channeling her strength into the katana.
"Being a master kunoichi means a lot to me. Ever since I was a kid, I've been practicing Ninjutsu along with some other people. We were assembled at a ninja school, where our Sensei, the best ninja teacher in history, taught us how to perform our skills the right way."
"Hyah!"
Kazeko sliced the air, performing a series of ninja moves with the katana.
"But... this is what I've always been doing. And it sort of makes my life too ordinary and boring, despite having all these awesome abilities. If I could wish I had a magical touch in my life... *Sigh* It would be pretty awesome to fight with a team against evil forces to defend my country, like the Pretty Cures do."
(Transition)
Kazeko was now sitting next to the dojo, admiring the beautiful view of the nearby bamboo forest and feeling the warm touch of the sunlight.
"I wish I'd become a Pretty Cure."
Spiritual Pretty Cure! (Intro)
The next scene takes place in the yard of a high school, where boys and girls ran to their respective classrooms. The traditional bell rang off.
In a certain first year classroom, everyone stood up to meet a new transfer student.
"Good morning, class!" Said Mrs. Yuki, a very joyful teacher. She was a tall young woman with light brown hair. Her cheerful and happy personality enlightened the entire class. "I'm very excited to say we have a new transfer student joining us this year. Please, give a warm welcome to... uh..."
Mrs. Yuki looked over at a shy girl who stood by the entrance of the classroom. She felt a blush coming up, and felt so nervous to go in.
"Um... My name is... Kazeko Sakurano."
The girl, Kazeko, had short, straight brown hair, shining light brown eyes, and was a bit tall in height. Along with the standard school uniform she wore long, light pink stockings, and black slippers. Her bangs covered her brows completely. She also wore poppy glasses.
She slowly paced into the classroom and wrote her Japanese name on the board. When she was getting done, the chalk snapped in two. This showed that she was highly nervous. Kazeko could hear some students laughing silently.
"Um... I'm sorry." She said, picking the piece of chalk from the floor with shaky hands.
"Don't worry, Kazeko. Now, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" Mrs. Yuki asked with a kind smile.
"Um..."
A female student with short, inky black hair and dark purple eyes stared at the very shy Kazeko with a strange look. What was interesting about her was that she possessed a gold cross charm-like brooch with a purple square gem in the middle.
But there was more. This girl brought a certain, but blurry memory to the new girl. Kazeko felt a pain in her head afterwards.
"I think I feel a headache. I'm not feeling so good."
A cute brunette girl with long hair tied in ponytails and bright eyes gasped. She somehow knew Kazeko was in pain. This girl had a long necklace with a golden star charm, and it had a yellow star shaped gem on it.
"Yuki-sensei?" She stood up. "I think she doesn't look good. May I take her to Yamamoto's office?"
"Um, sure, miss Mitsuko." Mrs. Yuki said.
"Thank you." The brunette, Mitsuko, walked over to Kazeko, but she felt an odd energy radiating from the new girl as she passed by her side.
A shiny background replaced the classroom as both brunettes stared at each other in the eyes. The background soon faded.
"Miss Kazeko Sakurano, you should come with me."
"Um, okay." Kazeko nodded a bit.
As Mitsuko led Kazeko to Yamamoto's office, Mrs. Yuki turned to the rest of the class.
"I'm sorry, students. Kazeko seems to have a little situation. But when she feels better we can possibly get to know her. Now, let's just continue with the class, shall we?"
Mrs. Yuki then began teaching, writing some things on the board.
"Yuki-sensei!" A girl with chocolate brown hair called, raising her hand. "Can I eat my favorite snack? I'm seriously hungry!"
Mrs. Yuki laughed as her hand holding the chalk kept writing on the board. "I can never say no, Miss Ryuzaki."
Ryuzaki cheered shortly and pulled out a BIG chocolate bar. She happily ate is as she payed attention to the class.
The short-haired girl took a glance at Ryuzaki.
"Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow. "It just had to be that chocolate bar again. You'll get yourself more weight, you know."
"Sayomi, please, don't be rude. I was hungry." Ryuzaki responded.
"Yeah, yeah, tell me when you get over your own weight." Sayomi shrugged and continued writing.
Ryuzaki felt a little bubbly by Sayomi's words. She was so undoubtedly and rarely cold, but she didn't had any bad intentions towards Ryuzaki. They were like polar opposites instead. Ryuzaki was more energetic and emotionally sensitive, while Sayomi was less active and could handle her emotions well. She knew when to get angry and when to not. In other words, Sayomi was stronger than Ryuzaki.
Meanwhile, three other girls from that same group talked with each other about the class.
"Ugh. This class is so boring." A girl with long, black hair and brown eyes yawned. "I might fall asleep!"
"I wouldn't say that, Yumi." A girl with long, pine green hair and green eyes said with a gentle smile. "You just need to pay attention, otherwise you won't learn everything Yuki-sensei is teaching us."
"She never listens, Ayaka-san." Said another girl. This girl had straight, silky navy blue hair and ocean blue eyes. She was the smartest girl in the class. Her name was Youko. "You shouldn't keep dragging her so she can be motivated. This is something each one of us should do independently."
Yumi groans, repeatedly slapping her head on her desk. She was the laziest girl in class, and she's got silly issues with Mrs. Yuki because of this.
"Miss Yumi, I would appreciate you paying more attention to my class." Mrs. Yuki said with the nicest tone possible.
Yumi raised her head up. "Yes, Yuki-sensei."
The teacher continued with her work, and Yumi reluctantly payed attention to the class. She honestly wanted to get out and pick her favorite lunch.
"Don't get angry, Yumi. It isn't too bad to learn." Ayaka said gently.
Yumi pouted as she wrote everything her teacher wrote on the boards.
"It isn't too bad to learn, she says. Ha! This is the most BORING thing I've done in my entire life!"
During their way to the doctor's office, Mitsuko heard a cute, squeaky female voice coming from her star gem. She could hear it with her mind as the little gem shimmered.
"Mitsuko-san, who is that girl?"
"I don't know, Ichigo." Mitsuko responded with her mind's voice. "My healing powers sensed a lot of rare energy coming from her. Right now I'm helping her out."
"Okay, but remember, Mitsuko-san. You, Ryu-chan and Sayomi are the only ones I know. We still need to find the rest of the other Cures to complete this group before the Soul Hunters arrive."
Mitsuko nodded with a serious expression. "I will take care of that. And I'll make sure to tell Ryuzaki and Sayomi about this. Maybe this girl has the potential to become a Pretty Cure, but my question is... why?"
"I can't exactly decipher that either, Mitsuko-san. But we'll sure get to know in the future."
"I hope so."
In just a matter of time, they arrived at the doctor's office. Mitsuko opened the door for Kazeko and went to talk to the one in charge of the doctor's office When she was done, she turned to Kazeko.
"Um, thanks for bringing me here." Kazeko smiled, a blush reddening her cheeks.
"You're welcome." Mitsuko smiled. "By the way, my name is Mitsuko Yamamoto. I'm very pleased to meet you, Kazeko Sakurano."
"Likewise." Kazeko said and shook Mitsuko's hand with respect.
"Please, go in. My brother will help you right away."
"Again, thanks." Kazeko bowed slightly.
Mitsuko nodded and slid the door closed.
With still a headache, Kazeko turned to sit in the small hospital bed, waiting for whoever was in charge of taking care of the students' health.
It didn't took long for the person to come. Once a door of the room opened, a young male, possibly a third year student, came to see his new patient.
"My assistant told me about a girl with a headache. I'm guessing it's you, right?"
Kazeko nodded. "Right. Augh!" She held her head. "It truly hurts."
The young physician touched Kazeko's forehead.
"Are you having any more symptoms? Fever? Allergies?"
"Um, no. Just the headache, that's all I feel."
The young medic then noticed Kazeko wearing her glasses.
"Is your sight sensitive to the sunlight? Does it bother you whenever you're outside?"
"No. Not at all." Kazeko blushed slightly. "I use glasses only for when I can't see very small letters. My sight can get blurry sometimes, you know."
"I see. Maybe the headache is because you're stressed."
"Huh?"
The young man walked over to a shelf, looking for pain relievers. "Mitsuko told me you're the new girl, am I right?"
"Yeah. I don't know much about this school. Every spot looks so equal it confuses me everywhere I go."
He turned and smiled at Kazeko. "It happens to most transfer students, so you shouldn't be the only one."
He handed her a small pain reliever pill and a full glass of water. "Here. You have to drink plenty of water for full effect."
Kazeko took the pill and the glass of water and drank her medicine. When she was done, she handed him the cup. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Kazeko stood up. "I guess that's everything? Because I must hurry to my classroom."
"Yeah, if it's a simple headache, you should be fine in a while. By the way, my name is Haruki. Haruki Yamamoto. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Kazeko. Kazeko Sakurano."
They both shook hands, only for Kazeko to feel a blush filling her cheeks.
"His hand is so warm." She said in her mind. "And he has such a kind personality... Oh my God, Kazeko! Are you serious! You just met him!"
She felt a strong thump of her heart, which made her let go of his hand.
"Oh! Um, class! I have to go!" She clumsily tripped her foot with a chair. "Whoops! Um, bye!"
She ran out the door and hurried back to her classroom.
Haruki stood staring at the door, smiling.
"Kazeko... I will never forget your sweet name."
...
Later that day, a dark ball of energy fell from the sky. When it touched the ground, the ball began to shatter. Black liquid soon came out of it and began morphing as it grew larger and larger.
When the liquid finally had its form and hardened, it melted down, revealing a man. He looked human, save for the long, elf-like ears, and pale skin. He had long, purple hair and ruby red eyes, and wore a tight black suit. He also had a little nasty scar that crossed his right eye.
His lips smiled at the abundance of vulnerable souls, but none seemed affected by negative emotions. The strange man's eyes searched everywhere for a soul full of darkness.
"Where are you, my precious dark soul?" He said to himself with a slow, cold and gloomy voice.
No people seemed to notice him, as he was practically invisible to their sight. Only the negatively affected people could see him.
During recess, two girls laid down under a tree, enjoying the calm breeze of Spring.
These two girls were Ryuzaki and Sayomi. Like the short-haired girl, Ryuzaki had a choker with a diamond charm and a vivid orange diamond shaped gem on it.
"Ah, I love the colors of Spring." Said Ryuzaki. "The wind is also nice, don't you think, Sayomi-chan?"
Sayomi just nodded. She seemed to be deep in calm.
"Sayomi! Ryuzaki!"
Mitsuko ran to meet the girls in a serious dicussion.
"Mitsuko?" Ryuzaki raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, but my healing senses detected strong energy. One similar to ours before we became magical girls."
Sayomi's eyes opened. She got up and turned to Mitsuko.
"Mitsuko, we all know ordinary humans shouldn't get involved into situations like ours."
"But, Sayomi, I don't think the girl I helped isn't just an ordinary human. It could be possible that she becomes a Pretty Cure like the three of us."
The same squeaky female voice boomed in their minds.
"Mitsuko's right. I have never sensed such powerful energy, but I feel the new girl has the potential of one of your kind. As your helper, it is my responsibility to search for the missing magical girls and choose them to aid you in battle. So, Sayomi (Sayomi gasps) please don't get me wrong."
"Ichigo, sometimes you are! Such new kid should not stand in our way! She'll be in great danger if she does!" Sayomi sounded cold, but deep inside, she was worried about the new girl.
The little squeaky voice owner showed herself, popping out of Mitsuko's bag. It was a tiny fairy with short, red hair, pink wings, and a strawberry-themed pixie dress with boots.
"Sayomi, please control yourself. If you let negativity engulf your soul, the Soul Hunters will be able to sense you and steal your soul for their evil bidding! And if this happens, I fear you will no longer become a Pretty Cure anymore. So please, be careful."
The strange man from before sensed Sayomi's soul. His lips smiled with pleasure.
"Ah... Sayomi. I have found you."
Sayomi took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." She held a hand to her chest. "I'm just being overprotective. I feel like I know that girl, but where?"
The man was proven wrong about her soul. Sayomi was able to control herself, which made her soul undetectable.
"Argh! Just as I thought, she's a darn Pretty Cure!"
...
Later that afternoon, in the streets, Kazeko walked her way back home. She seemed so lonely, but a sad voice caught her hearing.
"Huh?"
She looked everywhere for the source of the voice.
Turns out, at the other side of the street, a woman in formal clothes cried for her losses. She thought everything was hopeless and there was no way out of her life situation. So her first thought was to disappear forever.
"Why? Why did it hat to be me?" She sobbed. "Why don't I just disappear? I don't want to live anymore!"
"Huh? Nobody wants to disappear." Kazeko said. "I have to help this woman. But... I'll meddle." She said, her shy personality picking up most of her.
Such sad voice was music to the man's ears. He was floating in the air, watching in amusement as the woman fell to her knees and cried. On that same moment, he landed in front of her and offered her his hand. When Kazeko saw the man, she hid behind a large bush.
"Excuse me, woman." The woman looked up to him. "I believe you're having a tragic moment in your life?"
The woman nodded, teary-eyed.
"Then allow me to help your soul find a better place."
The woman felt intrigued by him, as she held out her hand to grasp his, but his hand didn't held hers, instead, it summoned dark energy into the woman's heart, and she screamed as her soul, full of negativity and sorrow, was stolen. The woman's body fell to the ground as her soul, a black sphere, floated around the man.
He chuckled coldly. "Finally, one precious little soul."
Kazeko couldn't believe that turn of events. "Did he... killed her?" She wanted to cry then.
Using the stolen soul and a Dark Soul Charm, the man summoned a monster of his creation. He combined the Dark Soul Charm with the woman's affected soul.
"Awake, Maina!"
"Maina!" The monster squeaked. It was an octopus-like monster with hair just like the female. It had gloomy yellow eyes. It also had a dark purple gem on its head, where the Dark Soul Charm resided.
In another corner of the streets, the three magical girls walked home before a strange feeling stopped them.
"Guys, guys! A human soul has been stolen!" Ichigo the Fairy yelled.
The girls gasped.
Sayomi had a deep, angry sort of look. "So the Soul Hunters arrived."
"How can we beat them if it's just the three of us?" Mitsuko asked.
"Without the rest of the Pretty Cures, we're doomed!" Exclaimed Ryuzaki.
"Girls, girls! We have no time to discuss this! It's time you switch into your Spiritual Pretty Cure forms! So, hurry up!"
The girls dug out their respective Pretty Cure items. Each had a single Spiritual Fan and their items, which they called Spiritual Charms.
"Ryuzaki, Mitsuko, let's go!" Sayomi commanded.
Mitsuko and Ryuzaki nodded. "Hai!"
In a three-color background, the girls did a few spins as their clothes and accessories magically disappeared. Their clothes were replaced by a short dress made out of magic. They flapped their Spiritual Fans open, and each sparkled with magic.
"Holy spirits, lend us power!" They chanted, raising their Spiritual Charms up.
Ichigo the Fairy summoned magical energy from the strawberry brooch in her chest.
"Yes, yes! Ichi Go!"
Said energy flew out and into the Spiritual Charms the girls held in hand. This energy powered the Charms enough for the girls' moment as Pretty Cures.
"Pretty Cure! Form Switch!"
At the same time, the girls inserted their Spiritual Charms on a small hole in the bottom of their Spiritual Fans, which made the transparent fans light up and erupt a magical sound.
Ryuzaki was the first to transform. She waved her Spiritual Fan like a wing, allowing magical energy to sparkle like pixie dust, and that same magic covered her body, legs and arms.
Mitsuko's Pretty Cure suit, gloves and stockings were created by magical ribbons. Those ribbons also made her boots and then tied themselves around her waist, making a big, golden yellow bow.
Sayomi's hair straightened and grew long, and it magically became a dark tone of purple. She as well placed the Spiritual Fan on her waist, and it magically covered itself in a beautiful patterned pouch. Her Spiritual Charm was placed on her neck as a tiny purple bow was created magically.
And finally, the three girls joined each other and strike a group pose.
"The warrior of swift winds!" Ryuzaki said with a cheerful voice. A gust of wind blew around her before she posed. "Orange Dragon!"
"The warrior of raging storms!" Sayomi spoke. She summoned purple lightning power and whipped her hair back. Then she posed. "Purple Samurai Kunoichi!"
"The warrior of health and life!" Sparks of yellow magic surrounded Mitsuko's palms. She made the sparks fly out. She smiled kindly and posed. "Yellow Healer!"
The three magical girls landed in a colorful background.
"Reunite, souls of the East! Spiritual Pretty Cure!" Again, the girls posed.
"Maina!" The monster yelled, raising its tentacles to attack the Cures.
Now transformed, the three Pretty Cures jumped out of the way to avoid the strong tentacles, which crashed the ground they once stood.
Landing aside, the Cures set their attack plan.
"Healer, whatcha got?"
Yellow Healer used her healing senses. She closed her eyes to focus on her power.
"The Soul Hunters have this woman's soul. We have to get it back on time using Soul Healing before it's too late."
"Healer, we all know that just the three of us don't make such a powerful strike. We'll need more of us to perform the Soul Healing." Said Orange Dragon.
"Yes, but right now there's one soul who needs to be purified and restored. We have no time to waste. And there is hope we can save the woman's life."
"Healer's right. Dragon, make sure the monster doesn't get away. Hit it with your best shot."
"Okay!"
Orange Dragon used her wings to fly at the octopus monster. It threw its tentacles at her, but Dragon was swift as the wind, and she fought back using her own skills.
"Swiftly Gust!"
As Dragon pushed her hands forward, a strong gust of wind knocked the octopus's head aside.
"Healer, help Dragon, but don't keep your eyes off the woman."
"Got it! But, what about you?"
"I'll face this Hunter."
With that said, Healer jumped up to the octopus's tentacle. She made a fast run and held out her fist.
"Healer's Iron Fist!"
Yellow energy filled her fist, and the punch was even stronger than Dragon's attack. The octopus monster was thrown to the ground, dizzy.
"Maina..." The monster moaned with dizzy eyes.
The man enjoyed what he saw like an action movie.
"Hahahaha! Keep fighting, Pretty Cures, but this time-"
He was cut off when Sayomi gave him a swift ninja kick that knocked him to the ground. She landed perfectly on her feet and faced the Soul Hunter.
"Nikuya." She said with a deep voice. Her purple eyes stared at him darkly.
"Sayomi, our precious former Soul Hunter. I feel bad for your terrible loss as one of us."
Sayomi's eyes opened wide. She remember an event that caused some pain in her heart. She held a hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat.
"Why did you became a Pretty Cure? You were perfectly fine with us. And..." Nikuya got close to Sayomi's face. "...you were my most favorite Hunter."
"Stop calling me..." Lightning engulfed Sayomi's hands. "...a HUNTER!"
The lightning struck Nikuya's body, pushing him off. He soon got up and created a sword out of black magic.
"Well then, it's time to put an end to this!"
"I would say the same." Sayomi responded.
Soon enough, a fight started as Nikuya and Sayomi lunged at each other. They swords clashed and slashed. Their moves were swift, but Sayomi proved herself stronger than the evil Soul Hunter.
"Your strength is one to behold, Sayomi. I'm vaguely impressed. But, I missed those times when you were just one weak little girl."
Sayomi responded with a strike of her fist to his face. Her blow was too strong that he was sent to the ground.
"I was weak before, but now, as a Pretty Cure, I'm stronger than any of you can imagine. And I will always stand to help people like I've never done before! Because I met friends who warmed my heart... like Ryuzaki."
She remembered a small flashback of a time when she was saved by Ryuzaki when she first became Orange Dragon.
"Why? Why did you saved me?"
"Because you're my friend! And friends always stick together in ups and downs!"
...
Meanwhile, Ryuzaki and Mitsuko kept distracting the octopus monster with their attacks, but Mitsuko felt a very strange feeling.
"Guys! Hurry! The human's soul doesn't have much time!"
Ichigo the Fairy flew next to Mitsuko. "Everyone! Use your transformation Charms and flap your Spiritual Fans to summon healing power! This is your chance to stop this monster!"
"Got it!" Sayomi responded.
"Lightning Strike!"
Purple lightning shocked Nikuya, and their battle ended as he was rendered weak. Sayomi took that chance to find the others.
"Dragon, Healer! Let's end this!"
"Okay!" Mitsuko and Ryuzaki nodded together, holding their Spiritual Fans just like Sayomi did.
"Maina!" The monster yelled, again, holding up its tentacles.
The Spiritual Charms were placed on the bottom of their Fans, and their flapped it open.
"Stolen soul, return where you belong!" The girls chanted.
Magical energy powered the Fans.
"Pretty Cure!" The girls flapped their Fans three times "Spiritual Soul Healing!"
They held the Fans forward, and a big wave of magic struck the octopus, breaking the gem in its forehead
"Cleansing..."
Finally, the monster was cleansed, and it morphed back into the woman's soul.
The little orb of darkness that resembled the human's soul was now white, and it flew back into the human's unconscious body. Yellow Healer took a knee next to her and used a slight touch of her magical healing energy to help the person wake.
"Aah!" The person gasped. "What just happened?!"
"Hey, it's okay. You're just disoriented right now. You should've had a crazy bad dream." Mitsuko said nicely, calming the woman.
The person didn't understood so well, but nodded anyways. She thanked the Cures for helping her and walked away.
And last, the Dark Soul Charm fell to the ground a few feet in front of the Cures. Ryuzaki went to pick it up.
"He used another Dark Soul Charm. If they keep tracking these down, more souls will be stolen." Said Ryuzaki.
"Oh! You guys! I feel Spiritual Magic coming out!" Ichigo yelled. She waved her hands around, and pink magic surrounder her palms. "Ichi, Ichi! Ichi Go!"
The magic purified the Dark Soul Charm, turning it into a circular Spiritual Charm. Sayomi caught it and stared at it closely.
"A purple Spiritual Charm?"
Mitsuko stood beside Sayomi. "It's got your symbol, Sayomi."
"Yes, yes! It is the Charm of your first Spiritual Stage! With it, you can increase your lightning power level as well as enhance your speed!"
"We should find more of these before the Hunters do. That way Ichigo's Spiritual Magic can purify their power." Said Mitsuko.
Sayomi closed her hand in a fist. "Well, with this done, we should go before anyone else sees us. Ichigo!"
"Yes, yes! Let's go!"
Using Ichigo's magic, they disappeared by teleportation.
And little did the girls knew... Kazeko was watching them all the time.
"No way! Mitsuko-san and those two other girls are Pretty Cures!" Her eyes sparkled.
...
The next day, at school, Kazeko walked into the classroom and sat next to Sayomi. The dark-haired girl gave her a glance.
"You must be the new girl." She said with a small smile.
"Yeah! I'm Kazeko Sakurano."
"Sayomi Nakamura."
They fell to silence for a while. Kazeko thought about telling her what she saw the day before.
"Hey, I sort of know who you and those girls are. I mean, this might sound crazy, but I've been a fan of the Pretty Cures for a long time, you know."
Sayomi's eyes widened.
"You... what?"
Spiritual Pretty Cure (Ending)
I hope you liked my first episode!
Reviews are welcome!