The confrontation had been building for a year now. On the one side, two girls. Fourteen years old, same height, similar build, different lives. The only thing that brought them together was two faeries, currently disguised as the cell phones at their hips.

Misumi Nagisa. Clad in a black skirt, bicycle shorts, and a midriff-baring top all with pink ruffles. Most likely captain of the Lacrosse team at her school in the upcoming term. A big appetite, with small grades. Cure Black.

Yukishiro Honoka. An outfit more elegant, with blue trim. A long skirt, tight blouse, long hair in a ponytail. Leader of the Science Club, with a history of great accomplishments in her name. Unfailingly polite, unfailingly responsible. Cure White.

They weren't completely alone. They had Porun with them. He was a blue little plush of a faerie. He had spent much of the year as a spoiled baby of a prince, but along with the pair he had grown, a bit, into his power.

Together with their faerie partners, Mepple and Mipple, they were Pretty Cure. And for a year they had fought against the schemes and attacks by the being in front of them. The Dark King. As tall as a skyscraper, he took the shape of a simple humanoid made of energy. Purple light shifted among clouds of blackness floating in his body. His voice was slow, ponderous, as if he wasn't used to addressing anyone at all. "Legendary Warriors. Those who are destined to obstruct my path to immortality. The task of taking the power to create all things should have been a simple one...and then you…"

At that moment, two American-built fighter planes streaked by, launching missiles at his face. The force of their explosion shattered nearby windows, but the creature seemed largely unharmed.

"Impudent mortals! If you wish to interfere, so be it!" The Dark King swatted at the planes like flies, before standing to his full height. "For the crime of your arrogance, I will destroy this city!"

Before he could move, though, he was distracted again. This time by a number of tanks driving through the streets, firing on him between the gaps in the buildings. A soldier called out over a loudspeaker. "Pretty Cure! We'll distract it! Use the time to figure out a way to kill it!"

Cure Black and Cure White looked at each other, then at the rainbow bracelets on their wrists. They nodded, and the battle began in earnest. The girls danced in between artillery rounds with a casual grace that seemed to suggest they'd been doing so all along. The problem was the sheer mass of gunfire – while small arms deflected off their outfits and skin each was like a pebble kicked up in the wake of a passing truck. Individually, annoying, but the thousands of rounds being fired added up to a serious distraction.

White glanced at her best friend. "We need to get above this!"

The other girl grinned, pointing at a speck on the horizon. "The plane's making another pass. I always wanted to try this."

White swallowed nervously. "Are you seriously suggesting we…?" Black nodded. "This is crazy." However, they both retreated a bit, bouncing up the sides above the soldiers to ensure their new allies didn't think they'd abandoned them, then, at the proper moment, sprang towards the speck just as the fighter planes launched another salvo of missiles. Black easily managed to land on the one she picked, her feet sliding then, somehow, in defiance of the laws of physics, found grip and left her surfing through the sky. White slid back further, before apparently deciding that it wasn't worth the hassle of being flashy and just holding onto the flying ordinance with her legs.

Seconds later, they both flung themselves free, allowing the momentum from the missiles to propel them forward, straight into the Dark King's face with their fists. He reeled back, obviously hurt but not dead, and was promptly thrown even further off balance by the explosions following in behind them. The Cures landed behind the front lines of the fight, looking up at him.

The Dark King's featureless face somehow seemed to glare at them for a moment, before he looked away towards the horizon and the fighter jets that constituted the most obvious threat. A single pair of laser beams shot from his eyes, and the sound of distant explosions let everyone know they had found their target.

White gasped in shock, then looked to her partner. "I have another idea! Follow me!"


Miles away, in a hotel conference room, a number of young men in military uniforms were bent over their laptops, with the projector provided for them displaying a map of the city. A number of blue triangles moved about the dark red mass where Seiko tower in the Ginza used to be. Two gold circles marked where the girls were, at best guess, on a moment by moment basis. A makeshift command center, for a battle no one had truly expected to happen.

"Third squadron's just been punched out of the sky," one of the men shouted, as the indicated unit winked out.

At the back of the room, an old general turned to his aid. "Major? Your opinion?" he asked the young man quietly.

"Sir?"

The general's lips quirked slightly. "Your opinion, Ishida? Is there anything you would be doing differently?"

He coughed. "I don't see it, sir," he said honestly. "We're a distraction to that thing, at best."

"As I thought," the older gentleman acknowledged with a nod, before turning to the room. "Continue the assault as planned.. . and make sure the Americans are on standby."

"Sir?!" The sound was echoed with various levels of disbelief throughout the room.

He gave a grim salute. "Gentlemen, we of the Self Defense Force are sworn to defend the homeland. I know that this isn't what you signed up for, and the order I'm about to give is likely illegal under both the constitution and international law. If you wish to leave, try to go to your families, do so." He looked at the map. "But that thing is, by its' own statement, a threat to the Earth itself. I sincerely hope those girls will succeed. But if they don't, it must not get further. If Tokyo must die to see that done, I will take on that burden."

For a moment, no one spoke, but then someone cried out. "The Precure! They've vanished!"

Ishida went ashen. ".. . they ran. Cowards."

"They're young girls," the general corrected softly. "They were brave enough to come this far, but we've asked more of them, whether we knew it or not, than we had any right." He pulled out his cell phone. "I'll make the call."

Suddenly, a man in a black suit was at the general's side, and pulling the phone out of his hand. "I can't let you do that, General. Not just yet." He was tall, well-muscled, and wearing black sunglasses. "Mr. Jay," he said by way of introduction. "Give them a little more time. I've been monitoring those two for almost a year. They don't run. . . they have a plan."

"Agent," the General said, with deference due a superior officer. "In this matter I will yield to your advice for now. Ten minutes. Give the order. Renew the assault, give it everything you have! Ten more minutes. . . and then we call in the bombers."


The sounds of massed artillery fire rang through the streets. Each thundering report nearly deafened Black as they made for a subway. "Honoka! Aren't we just running away?"

"No!" White called back to her. "I think we can get under him and maybe make a point-blank shot that way!"

Black put on extra speed on hearing that. There was a sudden scream of twisting metal. She rolled forward just in time to avoid the tunnel behind her collapsing. She glanced over her shoulder, then dismissed it. They were only going to get one shot at this rate, so they'd make it count. It only took a few more minutes to reach the spot indicated. By then the sounds of explosions were deafening. "It sounds like they're throwing everything but the American's bombs at it!"

"Don't even joke about that!" White snapped at her. "Ready?"

"Ready." Nagisa held out her hand. They linked, and looked up. "There?"

"There."

Mepple poked his head out. "Nagisa…"

"There's no time!" White declared. "If the Dark King doesn't destroy the city, all the soldiers will trying to stop him!"

Porun seemed to understand. The little baby faerie seemed a little more subdued than usual when he shouted "Receive the Power of Light, Pretty Cure!"

Nagisa felt the familiar warmth flowing through her body, somehow more strongly than ever before. She gripped Honoka's hand with a new sureness in her grip. She smiled at her partner of the past year. "If this doesn't work...I just want you to know…"

"...save it." Honoka answered, pointing at the spot. "Come on." They took a deep breath together, and shouted the words.

"PRECURE RAINBOW STORM...SPARKLE!"

The lights smashed through the ceiling, up through the ground. Honoka's aim had been true, and the attack had caught the Dark King completely unawares. His glowing red eyes turned towards them as he suddenly came to the understanding of how he had been tricked. "Pretty Cure! I...I will….I WILL!"

The Cures held tightly onto each other, pouring everything into the magic together. Nagisa could feel Honoka's life draining away, and knew she was feeling the same from her. It was all or nothing….and suddenly, without warning, the King's body began to break apart. "YES!" Nagisa shouted.

The Dark King's arm slammed down into the street, dropping a large chunk of concrete on their heads, and blackness overtook her.


Half the city had been damaged. Cure Black and Cure White lay in the remains of the Seiko Clock. Sitting just above where they had fought. Exhausted beyond measure, they were only barely coming back to consciousness. Nagisa turned her head to look at Honoka. "...did we...win?"

"...no." The pair glowed softly. "...but we beat him. That was...all we could do."

Nagisa felt her eyes slowly closing. "...Honoka…have I ever told you you're beautiful?"

Honoka began to blush, but was too tired to argue. "...Meeple? Mipple? Are you...okay?"

"...so tired-mipo" Mipple mumbled under her breath.

Meeple yawned openly. "...we don't have the strength to...return to the Garden of Light...so we will...stay here...by your side….sleeping….forever…"

Nagisa's head hit the rock she had fallen on. "...I'm not sure...we won't be joining you."

"I'm sorry,"

With Honoka's last words, the five fell back into a deep sleep.


Honoka found she didn't dream. She simply floated in a cloud of blackness. For awhile, she even wondered if they'd actually lost the fight to live. If this was what death was. But after a length of time she couldn't determine, she heard voices. It wasn't frequent, just often enough to get a picture.

"...lf of Tokyo destroyed…"

"...sands dead...maybe up to a million…"

"...no warning…"

"..an't believe tw…"

"...ill not be pre…"

"..agic real. Still can't belie…"

And suddenly she was sitting up in a hospital bed. Mipple was still in cell phone form, sitting quietly on the table next to her. When she tried to pick her friend up she realized she had been shackled to the bed. She looked around, and saw Nagisa glumly staring up at the television in the corner. The other girl's own wrists similarly restrained. They had been given just enough slack that they'd be able to eat off a tray. She was about to speak up when she noticed the two men in black suits with sunglasses flanking her bed. Nagisa had similar 'guests' with her, but she turned over to look at her with a wan smile.

"...you're awake."

"..yeah." Honoka groaned and lay back down. "Ugh...still have a headache…"

Nagisa sighed. "That goes away after a bit. And don't worry about these guys, they know."

Honoka paled. "But...what the…"

Nagisa sighed. "Mipple, Mepple, and Porun won't wake up. I don't know why."

Honoka felt a tear slip from her eye, but this wasn't quite the time to grieve. She needed to know. "How bad is it?" In desperation to get away from the headache, she fumbled for the device she knew would feed painkillers into her IV.

"It sounds like half the country wants to make Cure Black and Cure White national treasures. The other half wants us shot."

With the bliss of the morphine came a light-headedness that brought out her sense of humor. She giggled. "I guess they could compromise. Make us national treasures, then have us shot…"

Nagisa gave her a weird look, but then chuckled as well.

As soon as the high wore down a bit, Honoka screwed up her courage. "...how bad was it?"

Nagisa went uncharacteristically sober. "It's been two weeks. I woke up yesterday, and they were still sorting through the wreckage. They moved us to Okinawa to make sure we're not in danger from anyone whose immediate family was affected. At least, I think we're in Okinawa, it could be Hawaii, America, or Brazil and just staffed by Japanese for our 'comfort' I guess. I can't get a straight answer from these guys."

"Nagisa…"

"...they think the death toll from the attack is going to be over a million people."

Honoka went pale again. "...what's going to happen now?"

At that moment, the door burst open and a man in a loud Hawaiian shirt burst through, his khakis looking to be a size too small and his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. "All right, you're awake!" he cried out jovially. "Boys, take a hike." The guards' expressions were hard to read behind their own sunglasses, but they seemed vaguely astonished. "Take a hike!" he shouted again, with a distinct order of command. Still, they hesitated. "Oh for... without the fancy duds on they're a couple of teenage girls! I think I can handle them." In short order, they had filed out of room and the enthused tone was back as the man busied himself with unlocking them from the beds. "I'm Mr. Jay," he said, a little more calmly. "Glad you're awake, we were afraid you were hurt."

Nagisa rubbed at her wrists to try to get circulation back into them. "Then what's with the chains?"

Mr. Jay finally seemed to sober up, turning a chair around away from them and casually sitting on it facing them, leaning on the back with his head resting on his forearms. "Well, I'm not going to lie to you – you two have a lot of people scared. Important people, you understand. The news reports are . . . more mixed, I'd say about fifty-fifty."

Honoka swallowed. "Hence the dilemma, and why we're out of the way. I suppose the next few minutes determine whether we live or die."

Nagisa panicked, reaching for the sleeping Mipple on the table next to her. "Dual Aurora...come on!" Honoka hesitated a moment, then decided to humor her friend. The next time they tried it, it was simultaneously. "DUAL AURORA WAVE!"

Nothing happened.

Honoka sighed. "Well. . . I suppose that makes it easier. With our friends like this. . . "

Mr. Jay seemed to sink into the chair in relief for a moment, before straightening. "Well, I guess that settles it, then. You'll be under observation here for another two weeks. Then I'll tell the judge to commute your sentences to time served here."

"Huh?" Nagisa said intelligently.

Honoka beat Mr. Jay to the punch. "This isn't a hospital, is it?"

"Well, technically no," Mr. Jay admitted. "It's a minimum security prison. The record will show you're guilty of misdemeanor vandalism."

"...vandalism?" Nagisa asked skeptically.

The man smiled. "You damaged a subway wall."

Nagisa looked like she was about to protest, but Honoka stopped her. "What if we'd been able to transform?" she asked.

The man, who was by now quite obviously more than he appeared, grew sober. "I won't lie. I'm trying to be your friend. Everyone from my bosses on up to the Prime Minister disagrees with me on that, because of the danger the Pretty Cure pose. In all truth, they want to see them hang for what happened to the Ginza." Both girls paled. "But, seeing as how Cure Black and Cure White are unavailable. . . Misumi Nagisa and Yukishiro Honoka will be returned to a normal, everyday life with absolutely no more monster attacks or superheroes. I'll be keeping tabs on you to make sure of that. . . and if that should change, you talk to me before you do anything. Understood?"

When both girls nodded, he stood up. "I'll see about getting you some decent clothes and a good meal. There's a beach outside, you can go swimming to get back into shape. For now, get some rest." And then he was gone.

"...that's it?" Honoka said, puzzled for a moment, then sighed. "Well, it's not like we can do it again anyway. If the others are asleep forever…"

"...yeah."

Honoka's head dropped. "...then...it's all over?"

"I guess it is."

Two years later, they both would wish it had been over.