Chapter Two: The Color of Retribution

Sneaking Clancy into the dorm wasn't too hard. Other than my dorm, dorm B, there were three others. Sylvia was nowhere to be seen so perhaps my luck was back to being good. Clancy had eyed the building with a disinterested stare, but as soon as she was in the hall she had looked excited. Her head swiveled like a dolls and she would give a smile and head tilt to ever student we passed. Finally getting into my room I let out a long sigh. Collapsing onto the bed I let all the emotions flow out of me.

"You're room is… very small." Clancy remarked. I can hear her footsteps as she roams around my room. Lifting my head I eye her with suspicion. She's standing by my desk picking up wires and tools that I've left out. Placing a pair of pliers down Clancy turns to me blonde hair swishing over her shoulders. "You must have many questions." Readjusting myself to sit on the bed properly I give a nod.

"Yeah, first off what just happened?" The battle replays in my head. Transforming into a precure and summoning a pencil to fight a child's drawing. Clancy gives a small laugh and leans against my table. Tilting her head she smiles.

"You just fought your first Dead-Color as Cure Aero." A tan hand fingers the red crystal around her neck. "I'll start at the beginning if that's ok?" She looks up a hopeful glint in her eyes. Giving another nod her smile fades. "I'm not from your planet, I'm from another world called the Land of Canvases."

"What?" I exclaim. My hands grip the cat sheets beneath me. Clancy looks taken back, but after a second of stilling gives a nod.

"I don't lie. What I'm telling you is the truth." Her gaze flickers to the window. Shifting against the wood table she twists the crystal over and over. "But I fled from there to this planet- your planet." She takes a breath her voice sounding thick. "Be-because my planet got destroyed." I don't know what to say. Her head hangs low, blonde bangs covering her face. A brittle silence fills the room. I shuffle my hands over my lap and wait patiently for her. Finally taking a large breathe she looks back up. "Sorry, It's… hard to talk about." She wipes a hand across her eyes. I give a nod.

"Take your time, um… I'm here for you?" I try to sound reassuring but my voice falls flat. She gives a small grin and drums her fingers across the table. Looking across the room her eyes land back on the window.

"I have a partner, but I lost them in the fight with the Dead-Color, but they should be getting here soon." She informs me. I run my hands through my hair.

"Cool…cool… uh, why don't you tell me what a precure is?" I grab at the blue crystal around my neck. It feels cool and smooth beneath the fingers without bandages. She gives a bright smile and pushes from the table.

"A Precure is a legendary warrior who fights for good. They're the knights in shining armor who fight with honor and bravery." She thumps her chest with her fist. "I am Cure Vermillion!" Clancy smiles and her eyes shine brightly. Her optimism is infectious and I find myself smiling as well. "Precure work in duos or teams and once you've found your partner, you're partners for life." She takes a step forward and sobers. Letting her hand drop from the red Pigment she extends a hand towards me. "You're my partner, the blue Pigment resonates with your soul."

"What does that mean? How can a stone resonate with my… soul?" Perhaps where Clancy was from soul meant something different? Maybe the soul meant feelings over there? I frown contemplating what her elusive words could mean. Her hand drops and thumps against her hip.

"The Pigment is no ordinary stone." She starts off slowly. Searching for the correct words her hands toy with the hem of her shirt. "A Pigment is a crystallized form of emotion." Endlessly she wraps a finger in the hem of her shirt. "Pigments… or… the Land of Canvases watched over the Pigments and kept them in check." She turns back to face me, but her eyes don't meet mine. Instead they bore into the wall behind me. Its unnerving, like a cat that looks barely behind your shoulder. I suppress a shiver.

Before she can continue something slams into the window. I jump and knock my ankles against the bed frame. A yowl escapes my mouth and I crumble back onto the bed. Clancy stands straight eyes locked on the window. Her fists are balled at her sides. She's still, too still like a statue, then all at once seems to relax. Her shoulders are still tense but her chest rises and falls. I look to the window. My eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. What? I can't form the words. Floating at the window is a griffon? It's not big like depicted in Greek statues or stories, but looks to be a plush doll. The griffon's eagle wings beat steadily from behind the window pane. Its beady eyes blink and its beak opens.

"Clancy! Open up!" It gives a barking order. One lions paw reaches forward and a talon scratches at the glass.

"H-hey! Don't scratch the glass!" Sylvia would be on me if she discovered the glass was scratched. I had once burned the carpet of my room with a torch and didn't bother hiding it. When inspection came around Sylvia had torn me a new one. The griffon pouts, with a bird beak was that possible, and sways back and forth. Clancy walks over stiffly and opens the latch. Pulling the window open the beast shoots in. I crane my head to follow the creature as it circles along the ceiling. Finally, it settles on the edge of my desk chair. Its front talons grip the black plastic hard, the chair slightly turning from its momentum.

"Clancy, do you know how hard it was to find you?" It barks again. Clancy closes the window with a loud thump and turns to face it.

"Sorry, but the Dead-Color had to be defeated." Is her clipped reply. Her eyes don't quite meet the griffons. The griffon tilts its head then looks my way. After a moment of silence it gives a squawk. Its wings pound behind it and its head blurs as it looks from Clancy to me.

"Who- who are you?" It screeches. Its eyes lock onto the Pigment that hangs around my neck. It gives another strangled squawk, "the blue Pigment? Why are you wearing that?" The griffon lifts up from the chair and shoots forward. I barely have time to move my arm to block its talons. Pain shoots up my arm as its talons sink into my skin. Red pricks in tiny drops against my dark skin. I bite back a yelp. Using my free hand I grab at its feathered head. Glossy feathers swish against my fingertips as I try to pry the creature off. "Give it back! That's not for humans!" I swing my arm trying to get the thing off. Its talons are pricking more and more.

"Get off!" My voice is strangled. "The thing resonated with me!" With a final shove of my hand I dislodge the griffon. It spins in the air, then slams against Clancy's chest. Her stance is wide and her grip is tight against the creature. Her silver eyes flare.

"What are you doing Grif?"

The griffon shrinks into itself curling its back lion legs into its stomach. "I'm protecting the Pigment; I'm doing my job." Grif doesn't sound so sure. Its tail swishes in the air. I look down and press my fingers against the multitude of blood on my skin. My arm throbs. The blood bubbles and drips down my forearm. A screaming match is going on in the background. I can't bring myself to care. My heart aches and I give a sigh. Standing I circle around the two aliens. Clancy and Grif don't seem to notice me too engrossed in their argument.

Reaching my desk I open the drawer and pull out a thing of Band-Aids. I cut my fingers often on metal or burned the tips using tools. I was a little accident prone when I didn't have any good luck with my projects. Pulling out multiple bandages I set to work. The crinkling of paper is a welcome sound.

"Merle!" Clancy's voice pulls me away from my little project. So does the fact that her hand is wrapped around my shoulder and turning me away. Her mouth is turned up and her eyes are glassy. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for my friend's behavior." I give a shrug and place the first bandage on.

"It's fine." It's not. "If you want, help me stick some Band-Aids on." I offer one to the alien. She gives a grim nod and sets to work. Silent the griffon sits on my bed. It curls in on itself and looks down in what I hope is shame. After the whole ordeal is done the room returns to silence. I cross my arms, the one still throbbing, and wait patiently for the conversation to continue. After what seems like forever I clear my throat. Looking to Clancy I shift my weight, "uh… continue?" She blinks confused. Then her mouth forms an 'o' and she twists her hands around her Pigment.

"Where were we? The Land of Canvases protects the Pigments and keeps them in check?" I give a nod. She frowns. Picking at the thin string that is the body of the necklace she jerks her head in the direction of Grif. "They'll explain, won't you Grif." There's an edge to her voice. Grif gives a squeak and nods furiously.

"You've explained what a precure is?" A nod from both of us. Grif coughs into the paw and then sits straight. "I will start with the destruction of the Land of Canvases then." Clancy stills beside me and her fingers knot more into the necklace. "The Land of Canvases provides many essentials to this world from the outpouring of creative inspirations to the Pigments that provide color and emotion." They take a breath. "But there are some who do not like that, they believe that all color should be gone."

"Why? What would be the point?" I interrupt. That sounded… dumb. Colors were just a part of the world, it's not like it could be erased. Why would someone want that anyways? I feel my lips pull in a frown. If plants were gray scaled it would be much harder for them to grow wouldn't it? With the green chlorophyll pigments gone it would be harder to photosynthesize nutrients. I hadn't taken biology in two years so I could be incredibly off.

"Lord Monochrome wishes the whole universe to turn gray scaled so that he can rule over it. When places lose its color due to his powers, the people there fall into depression and despair making them easier to rule over." Grif informs. Their eyes look glassy.

"That happened to our home." Clancy interrupts quietly. Her voice is a hoarse whisper. I forgot she was in the room. She's shaking. Her fingers are wound into her shirt pulling at hem threads that weren't there earlier in the conversation. Her blonde bangs cascade down her face shadowing her eyes. "Monochrome wiped out our home." Her voice is hoarse. At her words the room plunges into a silence. I don't know what to say, what to do. I was out of my area in a regular conversation, what was I supposed to say to an alien who lost her home?

"Uh… How are you… is there a way to get it back?" I stumble over the words and feel my cheeks flare. Grif nods and their wings flutter behind them.

"The Pigments! When we get all the Pigments back to their rightful home we can restore any gray scaled place!"

"It's practically hopeless however, all the art from our home has been turned into Dead-Colors." Clancy cuts in. She raises her head silver eyes dull and unfocused. "Besides, there are Monochrome's lackeys- Anneis and Tessur." I shift on my feet. Of course there had to be people following Lord Monochrome, it wouldn't make sense that he was doing this all by himself. Grif deflates on the bed claws digging into my sheets. If the creature tore up my sheets I was going to feed them to the cats that wander around. As if sensing my thoughts Grif retracted their claws, their tail swishing soundlessly against the comforters.

"Does that mean you're giving up?" I turn to Clancy. She comes to life at once. Spinning on her foot I feel her hands dig into my forearms. She's in my personal space pressing her tinier body against mine.

"No! I will not back down from this fight!" Her eyes narrow and her grip tightens. The wounds that her pet caused are reopening with an intensity that makes me bite my bottom lip. I lean back from her seeking a way to get away. "Even if I think it's hopeless, that doesn't mean I will abandon my duty!"

'Breathe, don't think about how close she is. Breathe Merle.' I try to calm myself. I can't take pressure and people talking to me. If I don't look at the person then I could, but it's difficult. Sneaking a glance down to the shorter girl I draw in a quick breath.

She was easy to read, unlike the other girls here she wore her heart on her sleeve. Her eyes are narrowed and brimming with emotion. Only when she was talking about the Land of Canvases were her eyes listless, at anything else she was choke full of different emotions. "Merle…" Her eyes soften and she pulls away. Her hands still grip tightly to my forearms but not as hard as earlier. "As a precure and my partner I have to ask." Oh no. Oh no. She was going to ask me something serious. "Will you help me defeat Monochrome and take back my home?"

I can't answer. My mouth goes dry and mind blank. Clancy offers a shaky hopeful smile as her gaze flickers across my face. Silence. More silence. I'm forced to watch as the small smile fades off her face. She finally let's go and lets out a shaky laugh. Taking a step back her fingers pull at the unwound part of her shirt. "Of course I can't expect you to answer right out of the blue, take your time." She won't meet my gaze. I give a nod and clutch at the Pigment around my neck.

Suddenly the world flickers gray before my eyes. Like a wave crashing around me the room plunges gray scaled and then quickly returns colored. I feel unbalanced, reaching to steady myself against my desk. Clancy's and Grif's heads shoot up.

"A Dead-Color?"

"Two in one day?" Clancy sounds infinitely angrier.

"What was that?" I rub at my eyes with bandaged fingers.

"The creation of another Dead-Color."

"Only Precure can sense their birth by the waves they give off." Grif cuts in. The griffon's wings shudder behind them and they take to the air. Circling around the room once they land on the sill of the window. With a knock of their beak on the glass the window opens. "I'll scout and see where it is, Clancy and…"

"…Merle."

"Merle." The griffon repeats. They look down. "You transform and fight it." With that Grif flutters to the air and like a bullet shoots off into the setting sky. Their brown feathers glint golden in the light of the setting sun making them look ethereal.

My body aches at the thought of another one of those monsters. Clancy heads towards the door. I follow her movements from the corner of my eye. Her movements are stiff. Her hands are fists at her sides. She looks battle ready.

A sharp ringing fills the room. I jump at my desk smacking my elbow against the corner. The dinner bell. Crap! "We won't be able to leave." I face Clancy. An eyebrow raises, but overall she still looks serious. Giving a sigh I rub at my eyes. "No one leaves dorms… during dinner." Speaking of dinner I was getting hungry. Clancy tilts her head.

"We have to, duty calls."

"Sylvia will stop us."

Clancy mouths the name and then crosses her arms. Frowning she leans against the wooden door. I shuffle my feet and pick at the Pigment around my neck. My heart sinks, I would have to fight one of those monsters? My pulse increases till its beating in my ears. Clancy had already beaten and weakened the Dead-Color before I even arrived, would I be able to? Did I want to fight one of those? I didn't have a duty to this Land of Canvases, did I? Yes, it sucked that it was destroyed, but I had no obligation to help. I gulp and look to Clancy guiltily. It's not as if she could read my thoughts, could she? Her mouth is still turned down with a frown. Suddenly, I feel very guilty about thinking those things.

"You don't have to come." Clancy interrupts my thoughts. "You're having jitters." I nod at her. Pushing some blonde hair behind her ear she steps towards me. Gently she reaches for me and clasps her hand on my forearm; the one hurt earlier. Her face is soft as she traces the bandages. Her fingers are like feathers brushing against my skin. "I'm sincerely sorry for the way Grif attacked you." She turns my arm so my palm faces the ceiling. "I'm sorry for the way I gripped your arm as well." Her voice is barely above a whisper. Finally she places her hand in mine. She gives a squeeze to our now clasping hands. "You don't have to fight."

"I don't want to." I confess. I can't meet her eyes. I think about what I said earlier, about how I can't follow rules and I want to help. It was the adrenaline talking, not I. My heavy heart falls till I'm sure its swimming around my stomach.

"That's fine." Clancy replies letting go of my hand. She passes by me and crosses the room. I don't move. The breeze from the open window blows hot against my skin. "Precure primer and gloss!" the zing signifying her transformation is sharp in the silence. Turning I stare at Vermillion. The long red braid that dangles near her butt flutters in the wind. With a curt nod she climbs out the window and jumps to the ground. A few seconds later I can hear a muted thud.

"I don't know what to do." I confess to the room. Mom's advice doesn't have anything to say about fighting alongside aliens against monsters. Personal health before others right? No that didn't sound right. Help yourself before you help others? That sounded right, but not in this situation.

"We are here to help others on this Earth Merle," I voice one of my mother's quotes. When in times of trouble my mother came to speak to me. To the best of my abilities, I followed my mother's advice. She, and by extension her quotes, had never led me wrong before.

With a sigh I head towards the window. The hot air kisses my skin. The setting sun sinking lower and lower behind the school building.

'I don't have an obligation to help the Land of Canvases and I'm scared of those monsters.' Night was a breath away.

'But seeing Vermillion bloody and beaten scares me more.' Beyond the building a high cloud of dust is rising and dissipating into the air.

'I want to help, even though I'm scared, I don't want Vermillion getting hurt like that again.' That's where Vermillion had to be.

"Precure primer and gloss."

I jump out the window. Landing with a roll I start off towards the fight. The world blurs as I run. The ground beneath my feet thumps loudly with every step I take becoming a quick but steady beat. I pass the grounds of the school and am not out of breath. It was only the second time transforming, but I could feel the electricity through my veins. The world was moving so fast before me, much faster than normal. The trees and street leading to school fade into Main Street. Immediately I can see the Dead-Color and- "Vermillion!"

She barely leaps back dodging a crashing tentacle. She lands a couple feet away and looks over to me. Her face brightens as a smile stretches across her face. "Vermillion I-" I want the words to come out right just once. I want to explain how my heart aches and is scared, but I still want to help her despite that. "-I… don't want to fight… I'm scared…" my fingers tremble in their gloves. "But, I don't want to see you hurt either." I rush the words out.

"That's cute." Someone drawls out. My head shoots up to meet the gaze of a man. "Another thorn in our sides." They have gray hair. No, their whole body is adorned in grays and blacks. Their skin is an ashen tan with splotches of white spread across their skin. The before mentioned hair is pulled back in a long ponytail looped at the base of their neck.

"Tessur." Vermillion mutters the name. Was that one of Lord Monochrome's followers? He gives a wave with a thin hand and then points down at us. Literally as he's sitting on top of a short square building.

"I knew you would be drained after defeating Anneis' Dead-Color." He chuckles to himself "So I'll take this opportunity to defeat you." The Dead-Color launches at us at his words. Vermillion and I jump back. I soar through the air feeling the wind cut against me. A scream barely escapes my lips as I clearly launch myself over the buildings. What goes up must go down however and I start to fall. My skirt and crop top flutter, but defy normal graphics by not flying up.

Vermillion lands first and rushes forward. The Dead-Color this time looks like a large octopus. It flails its gray tentacles against the street. Cracks spread with each beating. Vermillion dodges the first two tentacles by ducking and running. A third comes down from above, but she flips over and lands a drop kick. Finally I hit the cement with an Oof! I stumble back up and feel pain jolt up my legs. If I was a normal person right now that would have killed me. "Aero! Help me!" Vermillion screams. She spins and kicks another tentacle away. The whole thing is bigger than her. The tentacle smacks into the nearest building with a loud crash. With a nod I run. My legs stumble beneath me and I pull an arm back.

I had only been in a fight once. I was in 8th grade and punched another girl. It was over her tormenting some stray cat on campus. She punched back. A teacher later tore us apart, and that was the end. Anyways, the point of the little anecdote was to show I've never been in a real fight.

I sling the arm forward and it connects with one of the thrashing tentacles. The force of my punch sends it reeling back. Vermillion steps out of the way and barely dodges the incoming appendage. It continues onward to smack the monster in its own face. I give a snort.

"Dead-Color! I sent you out to get their heads not your own." Tessur screams out. Vermillion stumbles back and brushes some curled bangs out of her face. Suddenly two tentacles in an 'x' formation come down. Vermillion barely puts her arms to block when they come crashing down. She smashes into the ground her legs giving beneath her.

"Vermillion!" I rush forward and dodge an incoming attack. I stumble again, but before hitting the floor, pull up. Leaping forward I land a poorly aimed kick to redirect another tentacle. Landing by her I pull her up. She straightens and clasps my shoulder.

"Thanks. We're not getting anyway however." She points to the head of the monster. "We're going to do a double hit on the head next." I give a nod at her words. "Follow my lead." Vermillion turns to the left and starts forward. She dodges incoming attacks that leave the ground in shambles. She leaps up and I follow her. Jumping up, my feet land against the bricks of the adjacent building. We both push off. Shooting forward I pull my arm back.

Vermillion falters in the air and quickly descends. I do not and head straight for my mark. My fist connects with the side of the Dead-Color sinking in with my force. The monster's head snaps to the right connecting with the opposite building. The walls cave in slightly bricks coming out.

"The pigment that blazes within the heart! Pretty Cure Vermillion Spiral!" The red ribbons shoot in every direction tying the tentacles down. I land on the ground and prepare to cleanse it.

"The pigment that tranquilizes the heart!" I reach to the side for the pencil. I feel the weight in my hand. "Pretty Cure Aero Recode!" The code of my attack wraps around the monster and with a discordant shriek it becomes cleansed. Red color seeps into its skin as well as bright gold. Finally with a burst of paint splatting against everything, including me, it disappears. I can feel the paint drip down my cheek, suppressing a shudder I wipe it away with a glove.

"Hmm…" Tessur leaps down and lands in the center of the explosion. His boot heels clack against the quickly disappearing paint. "With a partner pretty cure get stronger. I see…" He strokes a chin with white fingers. I shift into what I hope is a threatening stance. His sharp eyes, brown now that I can see them clearer, shift over to me. A condescending smile slips onto his lips. "I'll leave you to your own," With a slight jump into the air he shimmers and disappears.

With the Dead-Color gone color returns to our surroundings. The now night sky shines with dim stars. The buildings lights shine brighter now that they're fixed. With a loud tired sigh my transformation pings off and I fall to my knees. "That was exhausting." Clancy stands over me. She had fought two of those today while I've only finished one. She offers a hand and I take it. "Let's get you home."

Afterword: Hey chapter two is up! First time in a long time for me lmao. Leave a comment or review.

7/29/ I edited the chapter a little