Reika watched as darkness gathered around her and Nozomi, and spiders beyond count skittered along, surrounding them. No ordinary spider should be that big: they almost reached her ankle, and there were so many of them. Something tickled at her shoulder; a web. She looked above, and strands of sticky white were reaching out to them. In the dark, someone was giggling.
"I know that laughter," Nozomi said; her voice made the little critters stir, as if about to strike. Reika kept her blade ready to defend herself.
"Who comes there?" Reika asked, pointing her blade at the dark. There was no point in silence, in hiding, not anymore, no choice but to fight.
"I should be the one asking that," the voice said, distinctly a woman's. "Depending on who you are, I might get a better bonus… It's been a real pain to track you, to set a trap for you flies, so it better be worth it."
"I am Cure Beauty," she said, the tip of her sword aiming at the woman. She could not show fear. She had faced worst. She had faced Dune at Moonlight's side… So why was she so afraid?
"I don't have to introduce myself, Arachnea," Nozomi had no weapons but her own hands, but for most Cures, that was more than enough. "After all the times you lost, you should have learned that you don't stand a chance."
"When you are with your friends," the woman said with a scathing voice, "but not when you are alone."
"I am not alone," she said, but Reika knew that she might as well be. It was not a simple, quick thing, for two Precure to learn to fight together, to understand one another, to join their strengths. Reika had never seen Nozomi fight, but from the way she had seen her act, Reika didn't have much faith in her ally. But still, who else did she have? She gave Nozomi a nod, and they approached their enemy.
A strand lashed against her, a white blur cutting the air like a razor, whipping her face, leaving a thin red line on her cheek. Screaming, Reika lunged against Arachnea, frozen edge pointed at her, but as she passed between the trees, something grasped her ankle, and she fell with her face on the ground, atop the skittering spiders. From there she could see the webs between the trees, traps to bring down rushing enemies. Behind her, she heard Nozomi trip as well, screaming as she fell.
A hundred tiny eyes shone as the spiders closed in on her, fangs about to strike. Beauty jumped up, but they clung to her body. She could feel their countless tiny legs against her bare skin. It was easy enough to toss them away against the ground, but their bites still stang as they pierced her skin. And all around, she heard laughter, but could not tell where it came from.
"Behind!" Nozomi yelled with urgency, still struggling to rise. On instinct, Reika put her sword behind her without looking, and something shattered its ice. Arachnea's hand. No, not her hand, Reika noticed, they looked more like the legs of a spider, but much harder, as tough as steel, coming out of her back.
Reika tossed her broken sword aside, and called forth another one. From her palm sprouted a long shard of ice, misshapen and ugly, but sharp. Quickly she thrust the icicle against Arachnea, but not quickly enough; with one of her legs, she blocked Beauty's strike, cracking her sword.
Taking steps back, Reika jumped from one side to the other to avoid Arachnea's blows, but they were too many, too fast, and they hit harder than rocks, pummeling Reika against thick tree trunks.
Reika could her Nozomi grunting, but could not afford to look at her; her eyes were set on Arachnea, her foot coming down on her face with great force. That proved to be a mistake, however; Reika lifted her hand and grabbed Arachnea's ankle, pulling her down. She fell down awkwardly, spider legs trying to stab Reika as she collapsed, but they missed, and Arachnea just fell on Beauty, her leg pierced by the blade that Reika held. On the wound, droplets of water mixed with the blood. Arachnea shouted in pain, trying to break free, but quickly she was pinned down to the muddy soil as more frozen blades fell on her, piercing through her sleeves.
Behind her, Reika saw Nozomi's body almost completely covered in spiders, biting her with ferocity that no normal spider would ever show. She helped Nozomi pull them from her body, tossing them on the ground. They ran away, disappearing in the dark, amidst their webs.
"That's it?" Reika said, taking a deep breath. They had been lucky; one of the first things a Cure learned was how dangerous it was to fight in such close quarters, caught by surprise by the enemy.
"No," Nozomi pointed up. Reika looked, and saw an elaborate web, patterns connecting the tops of the trees. They were huge, far larger than webs an ordinary spider could weave, but Reika knew it was no ordinary spider that had made this.
She turned to face Arachnea, but a dozen white strands had reached down to embrace her, as if they had a will of their own. Like hands they tore out the blades keeping Arachnea stuck, and they pulled her up. She wasn't laughing anymore, only groaning.
"Keep your eyes open," Nozomi said, as if Reika did not know already. "She'll strike from ab-"
Before she could finish her word, strands fell down to wrap themselves around her neck, like a noose, and her arms too. Reika conjured another sword to try and cut her free, but she was caught as well. The web ropes began to lift her, the noose choking off her screams. Desperately she waved her sword around, trying to strike against the web, but she could barely move her arms. The wind hit her face, and her blade fell from her clumsy hand. All around her, the world was a blur.
When they stopped rising, Reika could see the top of the trees, and their needles scratched at her face. She could not see much more; whether because of the darkness or because her consciousness was fading fast as she hanged, she could not tell. Holding the nooses, Arachnea only smiled cruelly.
Right next to her, Reika could just barely see Nozomi's body jerking, arms flailing as she tried to free herself, in vain. The cold embraced Reika, its frigid fingers caressing her cheeks, but this was not a cold she could enjoy. She was almost out of time, and had to think of something.
Ice enveloped her arms, her neck, and she begged for her plan to work. Though she felt cold, the night was warm and damp just a moment before. Just as it formed, the ice began to melt, water running down her arms, making them just slippery enough to free themselves from her bonds. As soon as she could move them again, she tore apart the web around her neck, and with a quick swing of an ice shard, freed Nozomi as well.
The webs they stood on was uncertain terrain, difficult to balance upon, but Arachnea had no trouble with it; in a moment she was in front of Beauty and Dream, fists hitting the two of them in the face. Dizzy, Beauty stumbled backwards, stepping on nothing, falling, but Nozomi's hand caught her by the wrist, slippery with sweat, but still holding firmly.
Arachnea's onslaught was brutal and relentless, and she moved along her webs with grace and speed, avoiding Reika's strikes, but even so she had trouble fighting the two girls at the same time, and from time to time, one of Dream's blows managed to find an opening. Arachnea was growing tired, though the Precure were exhausted as well. It was only a matter of who would falter first.
The spider's nails raked Nozomi's face, but she got too close, and got a violent punch in the stomach in return, taking the air out of her. Nozomi's next hit took her in the face, causing her to stumble, and then, all it took was a sharp shove from Reika to take her to the ground, far below the webs. It was difficult to say for sure, without any light, but to Reika it seemed like she wasn't moving anymore. It was over now, it had to be.
The webs began to wither and snap, like thin fabric being pulled apart, so Reika hugged the bark of a tree. Nozomi jumped down, but curious, Reika climbed until she was higher than the highest point of the trees. From there, she could see a sea of dark greens bathed in twilight, their colors almost fading into black. But far away, she could see it; a large glade, with a building in its center. Reika could not see much more, but she had no doubt that it was the temple that Pinceau had mentioned. Their path now was clear.
She climbed down as fast as she could, until she reached Nozomi again. She was bloodied and bruised, but kept standing with a fierce determination. In front of her was Arachnea, still trying to get up after her fall.
Laughing despite her pain, the woman took out a black mask, and put it close to her face. Reika did not understand it, but Nozomi's eyes widened and, yelling, she rushed against Arachnea and ripped the mask from her hands, before breaking it in two pieces.
"You treacherous-"
"You can't blame me for fighting until the end," Arachnea said, "even when it seems like I've been defeated. After all, you are doing the same, no? It's over for the Precures, for your people and for the fairies you love so much. Your time has passed, but you are still fighting, still seeking a Starlight Flame. Oh, yes, I know, why else would you be here?"
"Is that why it was unguarded?" Reika asked. "So that you could lure any remaining Precure, who would, no doubt, try to light the Starlight Flames?"
"Like a spider to a fly," she smiled, and licked her lips.
"You thought we would be harmless prey?"
"Never harmless," she said. "You don't go far in Nightmare if you underestimate the Precure. I'd much rather be overseeing the conquered lands, but eliminating the Precure is a job that someone has to do."
"Well, that someone wasn't you," Nozomi said, extending her palm towards Arachnea. Why, Reika asked herself, but then she knew. "Dream Att-"
"No!" Reika said, and grabbed Dream's arm. "What are you doing?"
"Destroying her," Nozomi said. Destroy. An easy word for kill, that almost made you forget what it meant. "She's an enemy. She's a Nightmare."
"This is not what we do," Reika insisted. "All hearts can be saved. When you became a Precure and pledged your life to the Red Rose, you understood that, didn't you? All hearts, not just the ones you care about."
"I… Reika, you can't believe this woman can be redeemed, that there is any good in her heart. We can't just spare her life."
"Yes, you can," Arachnea said before Nozomi glared at her.
"We must. It is our duty as Precure," Reika said. She knew very well that if she had been as hasty at passing judgment as Nozomi was, she would have slain the generals of the Bad End Kingdom, even though they were completely undeserving of such a fate. It was not right to raise the blade but refuse to hear someone's story.
"Fine," she frowned. "It's just… No, I'm not going to argue. I'm not good at arguing. Maybe you're right and I'm just stupid. Will we take her prisoner?"
"I'm not that trusting," Reika said. "If we take her with us, she could stab us in the back easily, and if we take her to the Doughnut Kingdom, then she could spy on it, and we certainly don't need that."
"You can't mean to…" Reika expected it would be Nozomi who would object, but it was Arachnea who rose her voice.
"Just return to Nightmare, and count yourself lucky for the mercy you have been granted."
"It's not mercy," Arachnea said, "only a delayed death. Kawarino, my boss, he has no patience for failure, he will hurt me if I return empty-handed."
"Not our problem," Nozomi shrugged. "When you chose to work with Nightmare, you should have expected this."
"Wait," Reika said as suddenly a thought sprouted in her head. "Take this."
She closed her eyes, and reached inside her heart for magic she had not used in a long time, since… Since Nao and the others weren't with her anymore. She felt a sudden weight on her hands as her Princess Candle appeared.
"Will this suffice as proof for this Kawarino person you mentioned?"
"U-Undeniably," Arachnea said, taking the Princess Candle from Reika and keeping it close to her chest. She was crying, Reika noticed. "He put a large reward on Beauty's head, and once he takes it to Eternal for appraisal, my life will be spared. Thank you," she said in the bitter tones of someone who had never thanked anyone before. "May I ask you one thing, though? Are you… Are you one of ours?"
"What do you mean?"
"A Precure who betrayed your own to join us, like Rosetta, like Sunshine. Is this why you are helping me?"
"No," Reika said. She found it hard to believe that a Cure would ever willingly join Nightmare or any of their enemies. There had to be another reason.
"One of yours…" Nozomi said with disdain. "We would never be on your side, no matter the reason."
"You don't have to be so angry. I was just asking. Besides, many Cures who said they would always follow the path of the stars, when faced with the choice of joining us or dying, chose to follow us. Even ones who were just as defiant as you are now."
"Such as?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, wary.
"Tell me anyways."
"Cure Aqua."
"You are right," Nozomi's voice was completely free of doubt, "I don't believe you at all."
"It is the truth," Arachnea was going to say more, but Nozomi took a step towards her, and Reika knew that she would not let this woman keep badmouthing her friend, so she had better do something.
"Run along, now," Reika said, and Arachnea obeyed, limping away from them, followed by her spiders. When she was gone, Nozomi turned to Reika, frowning.
"Why did you do that? It's one thing to not kill her, but to actually help her like that…"
"Oh, it wasn't helping her," Reika said with a tiny smile. "I have no use for my Princess Candle without my companions, and if Arachnea takes it to Nightmare as proof of my death, they will have no reason to doubt it, and will believe that I was indeed killed."
"Oh," Nozomi said, and seemed deep in thought for a second. "Reika, that's brilliant! If they think they won't have to worry about you, they'll keep their guard down."
"Exactly. Now let's hurry. We still have a Starlight Flame to find, and I know where we have to go."
And after that, it was easy enough to find the right path to the old temple. The forest was still too warm, its trees' branches still hit her face, and her feet still sunk deep in the mud, but after what they had just been through, that did not bother Reika at all. Her body still hurt from Arachnea's assault, so even just walking without interruptions was a welcome relief.
From the outside, the temple was not impressive at all; it seemed quite small, and its once-white walls of marble were now green with moss. Even its door was just an ordinary one made of plain wood, and it was stuck, so Nozomi and Reika had to break it open so that they could step inside.
As they entered, the torches lit themselves with white fire that brought no warmth. Where the forest had been unpleasantly hot and cramped, the temple seemed far too cold and empty. There were some altars scattered around, and doors that led to rooms of meditation, but what caught Reika's attention were the engravings on the walls.
Figures had been carved into the marble, and it did not take long for Reika to recognize them. It was Cure Empress lighting a Starlight Flame; on her heart and hand were fires, and on the next engraving, the Starlight Flame was burning, and stars above it where shining. On the wall on the opposite side of the room, it was Cure Priestess that she saw, surrounded by fairies and humans, all of them with crowns upon their heads, but it was Priestess' crown that shone brightest. The Eternal Golden Crown, Reika knew, though not really so eternal as it had been lost long ago.
"This place must be really old," she said to Nozomi, pointing at the inscriptions. "That art style is ancient, dating from millennia ago."
"That would explain why this temple seems so poorly-kept" Nozomi complained. "You'd think the Doughnut Kingdom would take better care of it, though…"
"There's no helping it. It's the fate of all things. The past is always forgotten as we walk towards the future. It's sad, but such is life."
Nozomi regarded Cure Empress with curiosity. Of the three cures who had founded the Order of the Red Rose, she was the only one whose life had not been extensively recorded by historians. Magician led the Cures of Phoenix Tower and defeated their enemies, while Priestess reigned as queen of the old Precure Dominion for her entire life, but, despite her name, Empress never ruled, and instead, when the Starlight Flames were lit, she simply disappeared, never to be seen again.
"Do you think they were afraid?" Nozomi asked all of a sudden.
"I don't know," Reika said. She could not even imagine those legendary Cures being afraid of anything. Even so, they were girls just like Reika and Nozomi, so maybe they too could know fear. "Maybe."
"Yeah," she nodded. "It's alright for a Precure to be afraid, isn't it? We are always taught about bravery, about protecting the weak, but no one ever taught me what to do when the world seems engulfed by sadness, and enemies surround us while our friends are all gone. Was it like this for Empress too, for Priestess, for Magician?"
"More or less," Reika said. "There were other Cures while they lived, but they were scattered, all alone, so it was up to the three of them to bring light to the world. They must have been afraid too, but they braved on."
"Then we must do the same," Nozomi said. "Let's go."
Reika grabbed a torch from the wall. The white fire was cold, unpleasantly so. Still, she knew she did not have to fear it. Starfire could not hurt the Precure, but was unbearably hot to all others. It was an undying fire that began to burn when a Precure approached it, so that if there was ever the need, she could light a Starlight Flame.
The Flame was easy enough to find; there were not many rooms in the temple, and the largest door led directly to a round chamber with a large brazier in its center. There was a great opening in the ceiling, revealing the sky. Once, Reika would have been able to see a thousand stars if she looked up. Now there was nothing.
"It's not very impressive," Nozomi said, and Reika agreed. The brazier seemed to be ordinary metal, almost rusted, in truth. Still, there was no doubt that it was it.
Reika approached her torch to the brazier, and the slightest touch was enough to ignite it. Quickly the fires began to dance around, rising higher and higher as if reaching for the night sky. It burned white, then blue, then orange, its colors ever shifting, a rainbow of fire. Reika sighed in relief, and looked up to the sky, waiting for stars.
Iona looked to the outside world through the window, but a curtain of darkness covered the landscape. Not that there was anything to see, anyways. The world was just as empty as it was when the sun shone above it. Somehow, that didn't bother Iona anymore. She found tranquility in the frozen world, unchanging, forever deprived of stars. It felt like her heart, now that Maria was gone.
She smiled, despite everything, a smile that mocked herself. What a melodramatic thought; if Maria were to know it, she'd say that Iona was being silly, and she would gently wipe her tears away with a warm finger.
But Iona had to wipe her own tears, and her runny nose too. She looked more like a sickly girl than someone in mourning. Her eyes felt heavy, and her body could drop to the floor at any moment, but she refused to go to bed. She felt as if she had to keep thinking about her sister. Maria, Maria, she said the name to herself, voice muffled by her sobs, she whispered it to the wind so that maybe it would take her sister's name to a faraway place, so that maybe someone would hear it, so that Maria could not be forgotten. Iona wanted to scream to the world about Maria, about how wonderful she was, about how she was a star down on earth, she wanted everyone to know what they had lost. Instead she swallowed her words and watched as her tears fell into the darkness, and wondered how long it would take for them to splash against the rocky ground.
Cure Mirage had been kind enough to give Iona one of the best quarters in the Phoenix Tower; a large, spacious room with a big and comfortable bed, a bathroom all her own, a bookshelf filled with well-organized volumes of Precure lore, tales and history. Maybe one day Iona would have found them interesting, but now, all their titles blended together. Iona had no love for the Precure and their history, not anymore: it was because of the Precure that the stars had died. Were it not for that stupid, spoiled Cure Princess, the night sky wouldn't be so dark, and Maria would still be smiling…
In her anger, Iona tossed the books against the floor, breathing heavily. It was not fair. It should not be like this. It was not Maria's fault, but Hime's… That foolish princess had doomed not only herself, or even just the Blue Sky Kingdom, but the entire world, and everyone who lived in it. Her heart burned as she thought of everything that had been lost because of that child's selfishness. If there was any justice in the world, Hime would be dead by now, trapped eternally in the Garden of Thorns that awaited the sinful, traitorous Cures who chose the path of darkness over the light of the stars.
Of course, Iona didn't actually believe that. There was no justice in the world, that much was clear, else Maria would be by her side now. Most likely, Hime still lived blissfully, while her kingdom was in ruins, not even caring, not even aware that everything was her fault.
"Iona," it was Mirage's voice, coming from behind her, distant, in the corridor. She said something that Iona could not understand, and approached her.
"It'll be like this forever, won't it?"
"Hm? The sky, you mean?" Iona nodded. "I can't say for sure. Perhaps if the Starlight Flames were to burn again, the stars would return, but who would light them? They have all been extinguished, and are now in enemy lands. Right now, it would be madness to try to light them."
"Right now? Then, later…"
"Later, maybe," she said, sitting on Iona's bed. "As a leader of the Precure, I know I am meant to embrace hope like a lover, to always believe in a bright future. However…"
"You don't actually believe we can change the future?"
"I don't know what I believe in," she sighed. "We the Precure have been through many hardships, but none quite like this. Our future truly seems bleaker than it ever did, and you, more than anyone else, can understand that changing the future is a difficult endeavor, if possible at all."
Iona looked at her cards, candles and seashells left scattered on a table. She had not yet asked them about what was to come. She did not want to know. Whatever hope they could give was hollow, and if the fortune they told was despair, well, Iona already had enough of it. She found it hard to care.
"The Starlight Flames, the Precures' greatest creation, but at the same time, our greatest tragedy," Mirage said with eyes closed, speaking more to herself than to Iona. "We gave this world a million stars, and we have grown used to their light, and we even use them to guide us, but now that they are gone, we can't even begin to imagine how to walk in the darkness. We never had to learn. The stars were always shining above us, keeping us safe, even in the darkest of nights, and we thought they would always be there."
"What did you mean," Iona asked, suddenly curious, "we gave this world a million stars?" Iona had never heard about this.
"It is a long story," she said, "and I'm afraid I'm in no mood for long stories right now. My head hurts, and I must rest, but I cannot, as refugees are coming to the tower now, and I must greet them, guide them. Cures who survived the Death of the Stars, who knew that the Phoenix Tower was their best hope for sanctuary. I'll tell you the story another time, Iona. Or you could read a book, you know. They are good for more than just being tossed around when you're angry."
The fire that a moment ago was in her heart now rose to her face, not as anger but as a blush of shame. She didn't mean to do that, Iona was always careful with her things, so this was unlike her. She picked up the fallen tomes, and put them back in place, though the shelf did not look nearly as tidy as it had been before.
"Well, I'll go see if there are any other Cures in need of help," Mirage sighed again. It was something she did constantly, as if she somehow was always tired. "It seems that other than me, all the Cures who were leaders and generals of the Red Rose are gone, so I guess it falls on me to lead the remnants to the best of my ability."
The Red Rose… Iona couldn't help but feel frustrated whenever she heard these terms and tales she did not understand well, but somehow was expected to.
"Do you want help?" Iona offered, wanting to be useful. She had already disappointed Mirage by saying no to her request for her to become a Precure, so she felt guilty for staying at the Tower despite not being a Cure, despite not being any help at all.
"I'll accept it," she said. "If you could just keep track of the Cures that are arriving, I'd be very thankful. Even at a time like this, it would be best if we tried to be at least a little bit organized."
Iona agreed, and followed Mirage downstairs. The spiral staircase still seemed too long for Iona, and she would have much preferred a normal one. The first time she ascended and saw the statues of the great Cures, it was certainly impressive, but now, it only made it a chore to go anywhere.
The Phoenix Tower was a wonder of anachronism: its corridors were like those of an ancient castle, lit by torchlight and candelabra, with floor and walls of stone, but Iona's bedroom was very similar to the one she had when she still had a home. Instead of torches or candles, it was a light bulb that kept the darkness away, and she even had a television, though of course there was no use for it, and nothing to watch. Everywhere she looked, it was clear to Iona that the tower had been build ages before, but its inhabitants kept adding to it.
Half a dozen Cures were gathered together at the entrance of the tower. Some were chatting, others looking at the statues, and one girl, anxiety stamped on her face, walked in circles, and looked about to cry.
To make herself useful, Iona began asking their names, where they came from, if they had anything useful to share. They all talked at once, and though Iona tried to control them, it took a stern yell from Mirage for them to speak one at a time.
"I am Cure Nile," said one of them, "I come from the far west, from a city close to the Desert Lands. I have brought news, too; the Desert Apostles are gathering again, ready to fight the remaining Precure."
"How?" Mirage asked. "Dune is dead. Moonlight killed him. Without their leader, they were crushed."
"They have a new leader," Nile said, and when Mirage gave her an inquisitive stare, she began to stutter. "A-Ah, t-that is all I know, sorry. I have only heard whispers about a change of leadership. It was a recent thing. I planned to stay there and find out more, and keep fighting, but… Well, my fellow Cures were all defeated. Alone, I could not face the Apostles, so I thought that the Phoenix Tower was my last hope…"
"You are welcome here," Mirage said, while Iona wrote everything down on parchment. Another relic that proved how old the Tower was, she thought. "Rest now, child. It must have been a long way from the Desert Lands."
Iona asked the others one by one, though mostly they had nothing new to say. Majorland has fallen, the Fountains have been tainted, all they said was already known. Still, Iona wrote down their names and their tales, and sent them to their quarters.
"A-Are there other Cures here?" The last girl asked when it was her time to answer. "We are not the only ones, are we?"
"You are the first Precure to arrive," Iona said, and her words crushed the girl. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm looking for my sister," she said, on the verge of tears. "My name is Orina, Cure Wave. My sister and I were separated, and I thought that maybe I could find her here, she knew it to be a safe place. So I hoped…"
"I see," Iona said, uncomfortable. "I was looking for my sister too, but-"
The girl began to cry, and all that Iona wanted was to be as far away as possible from her. It made her think of Maria again. How could she comfort this girl, when she herself was in need of comfort too?
"Don't lose hope," was all she managed to say. "You'll find her. Even if it is difficult, you need to keep trying, alright? Please don't cry, and don't give up."
"A-Alright," she said, uncertain, and left after Iona gave her the direction for her quarters. She hoped that this girl would receive kinder news of her sister than Iona had to hear. She did not believe it, though. Good news were a rare thing nowadays.
That was all, she thought as she set aside her quill, but two other girls were coming in. Iona faked a smile, as she knew very well that the Phoenix Tower was the last hope of the Precure who arrived, so it was not fitting for them to be greeted by a frown, or a face in despair. It was a false smile, but a smile nonetheless. However, when she saw who it was that entered, her smile became a scowl.
There was no way she could even pretend to smile at Princess.
"What are you doing here?" Iona blurted out. Her tone caught Hime by surprise, and the girl next to her too, the cook. How did Yuko even become a Precure? Iona had no doubt that Hime decided to make her a Precure, that spoiled girl who always got what she wanted.
"Why do you want to know?" Hime asked, defiant. "All Precure are welcomed in the Phoenix Tower, and we are Precure."
"Don't you dare call yourself a Precure," Iona stepped towards her. She put a hand on her pocket, to feel the Pretty Change Mirror that had once belonged to her sister. It was because of this girl that Maria was gone. It was because of this girl that everything was ruined. It took all of Iona's strength to keep her from striking her.
"Why are you so angry?" Hime asked, but Iona noticed a hint of hesitation in her voice. "What happened for you to be like this?"
"You don't even know what you did…"
"W-What I did? Is that why you're so angry at me? Well, everyone is angry at me, I'm used to it. But anger will do you no good, and I have been travelling with Yuko for a long time now, and we are tired. Let us in."
"N-Now, Hime, maybe I should be the one to talk," Yuko said, but Hime shook her head.
"Maria Hikawa. Do you know the name?" Hime didn't answer. "Say that name. Maria Hikawa. Do you know her? Do you know what happened to her?"
"I know her," she said slowly. "I don't know what happened to her, but if she died or something, you can't possibly blame me. I made a mistake, that's all."
"A mistake," Iona didn't know if she should laugh or scream. "Just a mistake. That's all. That's all…"
"I will fix it!" She said, jumping towards Iona. "Look, I'm sorry, I really didn't know what would happen."
"You little idiot," Iona lashed out, "the Precure were winning the war! Dune had just been defeated, and the Trump Kingdom was just a few battles away from being liberated. They were so close… And then you had to take the Dream Collet, didn't you? What were you thinking?"
"I-I wanted to make my dream come true," Hime said. "I wanted to use it to end the war, to make the world safe forever. That's why I took it."
"And lost it immediately!" She approached Hime, who stepped back to hide being Yuko. "It was safe. We didn't need it. We were going to win. We-" Why was she saying we? She was not a Precure. Yet she felt the Pretty Change Mirror grow warm.
"I know I'm wrong," Hime said. "I know it more than anyone else. I didn't think I was being followed. I-"
"Everyone knew you are a spoiled girl, a weak Precure, careless, clumsy and thoughtless, even our enemies. So why did it surprise you that they took the Dream Collet from you?"
She said nothing. She just began to cry. The silence was so absolute that Iona could hear Hime's tears falling on the floor. Iona felt guilty, for a second, but she thought of Maria, and Hime's tears felt like vengeance.
"Please," Yuko said, trying to calm down Hime, "don't be so hard on her. She knows she's wrong, and she paid dearly for it. She lost her parents, her home. Even our friend Megumi. She didn't do it because she's a bad person. She just… She just made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Hers was just more costly than most."
"I can't forgive her," Iona said, thinking of Maria. Would Maria want her to be so cruel to this girl? Iona knew she wouldn't, but she couldn't help it. When she saw this girl cry, when she remembered all she did, it made her happy. It was because of Hime that she was all alone. It was because of Hime that so many kingdoms had fallen, so many had died, so many millions were enslaved, or trapped in mirrors. "I can't," she repeated. "Get out. Leave. Now."
"Please, you can't tell us to leave. It's not safe outside, it is dark and cold, sometimes too hot, and we are hungry. Please…" Yuko said again, and the way she pleaded made Iona hate herself for being so wroth, but now she could not help it anymore. Her heart burned, and her words were fire.
"Leave, or I will make you leave," she took out her sister's Pretty Change Mirror. No, it was hers now. Her body shone as she transformed, and she felt lighter, but stronger, faster. "I don't want you here, Princess. Don't make me hurt you."
She did not even know if she could actually fight them, and she didn't care. The memory of Maria burned, keeping her ablaze, furious. Still, Hime said nothing, and only nodded.
"Alright," she said, defeated. "Yuko, let's go."
"But Hime…"
"Let's find somewhere else," she said, turning back. "Come on."
Yuko tried to protest one more time, but silenced herself. She turned back as well, and alongside Hime, she left the Phoenix Tower. As they faded away, devoured by the night's veil, the fires in Iona began to die down, and when her heart was cold again, it hurt. She should not have done that. A Precure should not be like that. Maria would have been ashamed of her. That thought hurt the most.
Iona ran outside, to look for Hime and Yuko, but they were already gone. It was too dark to find them, on this starless night.
Not starless, she noticed as she saw a single star twinkling fraily. Iona could not even bring herself to care about it, though she knew it was a miracle. She just stood there, thinking, feeling guilty over her anger, and feeling angry for her guilt. She looked up, hoping that the star would bring her some comfort, but it was a single light against the darkness, too small to do anything.
She stepped back inside, thinking a thousand thoughts at once, all of them tearing her apart. She looked at herself, at her own Precure form, and it felt so wrong. She looked so much like her sister, but her sister would never have been so cruel.
Iona returned to her bedroom, hands shaking, body shivering. She looked at all her fortune-telling objects, and felt compelled to ask them about the future. She took her cards, shuffled and cut them, and then laid them out. She began to choose them, to read them, but they revealed nothing useful, nothing new. Your fortunes will change, they said. That was what they always said.
"Cure Fortune," she said to herself, staring at those cards that showed nothing, laughing despite everything. She needed a name, didn't she? Cure Fortune… A perfect name for one without a future.
Nozomi had always loved parties, but somehow she could not bring herself to enjoy this one. The fairies, freed from their masks, celebrated with music and food and cheering, but that joy did not reach Nozomi's heart. She just stared at Coco, still asleep on a tiny bed, the perfect size for a fairy. She wondered when he would awaken. Soon, she hoped, but there was no way to know. Pinceau told her to wait, and she waited, but she had never been good at it. She walked around, thinking a thousand thoughts that she forgot a moment later. She sighed, and sat down by Coco's side.
She had never been able to have fun when she was all by herself. Nozomi saw fairies dancing together, flowers on their heads, and she thought of Rin. Rin would often put flowers on Nozomi's hair when they were together alone at the gardens of the Cinq Lumières. There was empty space in her heart that Rin had once filled, as well as Urara, Komachi, Karen… More than anything else, she wished they could be with her. If they were, she would feel no fear, no doubt, no worries. No matter how hard things were, when she had her companions, she could overcome them.
Now, she was not so sure. Pinceau was a stranger to her, and did not seem to want to be much more than that, and trying to approach Reika was like braving a blizzard. Whenever Nozomi asked her about her life, her answers were so short, as if she did not even want to answer them. But still Nozomi wanted to know, she wanted to get closer to Reika. They should cling together, now that the world was empty and dark, but Nozomi's best efforts all failed. Nozomi looked outside her window, and saw a lone star shining, a flimsy light, a frail thing that was drowned by the darkness around it. By itself, it made no difference.
"Excuse me," a high-pitched voice called her. It was a fairy, white and with short ears that made it look much alike a mouse. "Miss Dream, King Donuts would like to thank you and Miss Beauty personally for lighting the Starlight Flame, for freeing us."
"Ah," Nozomi said, embarrassed. She hoped she would not be asked to make a speech. "Alright. I'm going."
She followed the fairy through well-lit corridors: the torches on the walls had been lit, and the palace, though still a bit empty, looked almost beautiful. Still, there was much work to be done, Pinceau and King Donuts had said, and on the next day, the citizens of the Doughnut Kingdom would start rebuilding.
Reika, Pinceau, the king and a hundred fairies awaited for her at the throne room. On the corners of the walls, Nozomi could still see cobwebs, and parts of the floor were still thick with dust. Still, she could not deny that the lights made the place look warmer and more inviting, much unlike the cold and dead room they had found when they first came to Frosting.
"Cure Dream," the king said in a fatherly tone. As he began to speak, the music quickly died down as the musicians put down their instruments. "I'm thankful you have joined us."
"It's an honor," Nozomi said, kneeling. She had learned that it was proper to do so when Rin screamed at her for being disrespectful when she met the king and queen of the Blue Sky Kingdom. Since then, Nozomi never forgot her courtesies.
"You and Beauty have done us a great favor, the greatest favor we could have asked for in our hour of need," he began. "You brought back our stars," he said, and Nozomi almost said that it was only a single star, but bit her lip and held back her words, "bringing a little light into this darkest night. So long as the stars shine above us, evil cannot reach us. Such is what is said in the Pledge. The magic of the stars protects us from the dark powers of our enemies, breaking the spell that kept us enslaved by Nightmare's masks, and in return, we protect the Starlight Flames."
The Pledge. Of course Nozomi knew about it, every Precure did. Countless thousands of years ago, when the Precure were still scattered all over the world with no organization or leadership, the Order of the Red Rose was founded by Cures Empress, Priestess, Magician. Before then, the world was dark, plagued by undying evils, but those three Precure worked together to vanquish their foes, and to create the Starlight Flames, bringing the stars to life where once there were none. It was because of them that the night sky was full of stars, and the world was safe. In return for the protection of the Precures, all the countries agreed to support the Red Rose in whatever they needed. Such was the Pledge between the Cures and the rest of the world.
"I have no words to properly thank you," he said, "but as our champions, you may ask me for anything, and if I can give it to you, I will do it. You have my full support as well, and my kingdom's as well."
"Anything…" Nozomi wanted to ask for her friends back, but she knew that was not appropriate. "I just want to rest for a while. I'm exhausted."
"Likewise, said Reika. Her eyes met Nozomi, and she smiled.
"Very well," the king said, almost disappointed. "Well, you have free reign in my castle, so you may do whatever please you. As for me, I must talk to Cure Pinceau, so I need to leave as well."
King Donuts began to whisper something that only Pinceau could hear, though Nozomi did not care enough to try to listen. She turned back, and returned to her quarters. Behind her, Reika followed her and did the same.
"You did well tonight," Reika said. "I would have fallen if not for you. Thank you."
"You saved me as well. Everything I heard about your skill was true. You really are an amazing fighter."
"Thank you," she said, her voice still cold, as if she just repeated something she had said a hundred times before without meaning it. "And… Sorry for arguing with you."
"It's alright," Nozomi knew there was no point in being bitter over the past. What was done was done. "It might have been for the best."
"Do you want to get some air?" Reika asked, pointing at the open door that led to the castle gardens. Nozomi only nodded, and followed her.
The night was still warm, though it seemed a little bit colder close to Reika. The two of them looked up, at the lone star that tried to fight the darkness all by itself.
"Almost like us," Nozomi said without thinking. Reika gave her a puzzled look, and Nozomi hurried to explain. "Ah, I mean… It's just a single star, no? Darkness surrounds it, and though it tries its best, its light is too dim to fight it."
"Are we the star, then? Just the two of us, fighting the night, the darkness?"
"So it seems," Nozomi laughed. "We don't know how many other Cures are there, or where they are. There's Pinceau, yes, but… Ah, I'm sorry, I must sound so stupid."
"You don't," Reika put a hand on Nozomi's shoulder, and stepped closer to her. "I understand what you mean. It does seem kind of hopeless, no?"
"I wouldn't call it that," Nozomi said. Nothing was truly hopeless, she said once to Urara. Some things are so extremely difficult that they might never come true, and even if they do, you must fight so hard that sometimes it might feel like it's not even worth it, but nothing is ever hopeless. "But it is sad sometimes. And lonely, too."
"Hm? You feel lonely, Nozomi?"
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just… May I be honest?"
"Please be."
"I barely know you, and you are so different from me. You are so smart, so calm and gentle, and thoughtful… I'm kind of dumb, hasty, and sometimes I'm a bit too rough… I just feel like you would be better off with someone else."
"I wondered that too, sometimes," somehow the fact that she admitted it made it less painful. "And I also don't mean any offense, it's just that I miss my friends. I don't know to fight without them. I'm trying my best, but it still feels so wrong, like I'm screwing up at every step."
"You aren't! We aren't screwing up. We've done rather well, actually, you and I, considering how dire our situation is. I think we can work together, if we try."
"Then we must try," Reika smiled.
"I want to get to know you," Nozomi blurted out. "I want to be your friend, Reika. I want to fight by our side, and I want the two of us to not feel lonely anymore. Do you want that too?"
"I do," she said, and for the first time her smile seemed warm. "Tell me," she sat down, and Nozomi did the same, "where did you use to live?"
"I wasn't born there, but since I became a Precure, I had my quarters at the Cinq Lumières, shared with my friend Rin."
"Oh, the Cinq Lumières? I always wanted to go there, I heard it's an excellent academy, and…"
Under the night sky, they shared tales, they shared dreams, and they shared laughter. Reika's laughter was so gentle, and just as elegant as she was. Nozomi almost felt embarrassed when she guffawed loudly, but she was enjoying herself far too much to feel bad. Far away, she could hear music coming from inside the castle, and even farther, the sounds of the city, of Frosting, now alive again. The night was still black and eerie, but as the single star shone high above, Nozomi could not help but notice that the world was indeed just a little bit brighter.