"Pretty Cur — Kyaah!" Spice screamed as she was smacked aside by the Bakuko, one of its thorny fingers snagging her leg. She screamed again, harsher, before she grit her teeth and bore it. "As I was saying..." she hissed, slowly getting back to her feet. "Pretty Cure Spice! Cinnamon Blitz!"
The Bakuko's eyes went wide in the split-second before the attack washed over it, and one weak "Baku..." later, it was a simple rosebush again.
Cure Ink ran forward, hand out to catch the falling Dream Shard it'd been holding. "Gotcha~!"
Kemuri, a short distance away, ground her teeth and stomped her foot. "D–Damn it!" she screeched, and then vanished into the dark vortex.
In a flash, the Cures shifted back into their civilian forms, and Kotone ran to Aoi when the latter's knees buckled. "Aoi! Are you okay?"
"I—I'm fine," Aoi smiled weakly as she straightened. "I just...I need to see the nurse."
"Do you need someone to go with-"
"No no, don't trouble yourselves, I'll be fine!" Aoi waved them off as she turned to go inside. "I'll see you girls in Fumie's room later."
"Well, if you're sure..." Kotone mumbled after her, then turned to the rest of the girls. "Well, we better get inside and put this with the rest of the Charm."
"Got it~!"
Aoi pulled her skirt up a little, wincing at the long tear in her leg and the blood staining her stockings.
In front of her, the nurse, Hitomi, tsk'd in sympathy. "Yikes, kiddo," she muttered. "I'm not sure if you need to get it stitched up, we'll see after we clean the blood off. How'd you even – Nevermind. Oi, Kagami! Bring the antiseptic!"
"Yes, ma'am!" A younger woman, clearly a student nurse, walked in, holding a bottle and cotton swaps...and then she blanched at the sight of Aoi's wound. "O-Oh my...oh my..." she whimpered, looking a little green around the gills.
Hitomi sighed as she took the items. "C'mon, Kagami, you gotta get used to it eventually..."
Kagami didn't answer, instead nodding and digging for something in her pocket. She found what she was looking for, and held it before her chest, rubbing it between her fingers and whispering something.
Aoi's eyes widened. Another Dream Shard!
OP: "Morning Role-Call" - Bukatsudo Five ft. Kaana and Hisa
"Is Aoi gonna be okay?" Kaana asked, eyes shining with tears.
Fumie smiled awkwardly and waved her hand. "Hey, sure she is! She'll be totally fine! She'll be here any second."
Hisa frowned. "It's strange, though..." she muttered. "Pretty Cure are supposed to have super healing abilities. Why did Spice take such an injury, and keep it when she changed back?"
"I'm sure it's nothing!" Fumie said again, and she withdrew the Dream Charm from her desk drawer. "Come on, let's add this piece now." The usual glowing and merging happened, but immediately afterward, the Dream Charm let out a burst of white light. Fumie let out a quick shriek of surprise and dropped it onto her desk, the others jumping up in shock. Then, just as the glowing intensified, Kaana and Hisa began to glow the same way.
"Wh-what the-?" Hisa gasped.
And then the light flashed again, briefly blinding everyone.
Fumie blinked to clear her vision, and looked to her friends-
-and gaped when she saw two other girls sitting where Kaana and Hisa had been.
"...you guys?!"
TODAY'S EPISODE: The Nurse's Dream! And Our Mascots Are Human?!
"O-Oh my gosh!" one of the girls gasped, staring at her hands. She then moved them to grab at her thick plaits, squealing as she tugged them a bit. "They're real! I'm back!"
"Ooookay, that was unexpected," the other, taller one muttered, turning around as she looked herself over.
Both girls had dark skin and even darker brown hair, and gold eyes. And that was around where similarities ended. The shorter girl looked to be about ten, and wore her hair in two thick plaints tied with pale blue lace, and wore a small white tunic over blue leggings, and white ankle boots with a flare. A blue headband kept her bangs out of her face. She looked at the girls with a large smile, and said, with Kaana's voice "This is amazing!"
The other girl, more like a young woman, had shorter hair, in a pixie-cut. She too wore a white tunic, but hers had mint-green trimming, and she wore green leggings and white boots...and silver armor decorated her shins, arms, and shoulders. She had a belt around her waist with a sheath, and a golden hilt stuck out. The woman ran her hands over her hair and looked at the girl, speaking in Hisa's voice. "I didn't expect that..."
Pretty Cure just sat there in stunned silence, blinking and slack-jawed. Finally, Kurako spoke up. "K-K-Kaana and Hisa?!" she cried, her voice about three octaves higher.
"Yeah, this is the real us!" said the young girl – apparently Kaana.
"We were-"
The door opened just then, and Aoi entered, limping slightly. Despite this, an excited expression was on her face. "Girls, girls, I found a- Oh. Ah...hello? Who are you?" she asked, spotting Kaana and Hisa.
Hisa sighed, a hand to her temples. "Let me explain..."
"The Dream Charm did that?" Uta asked, holding said charm above her hand. The near-completed thing swung idly back and forth, reflecting light onto her face in tiny diamonds.
Kaana and Hisa nodded. "It must be regaining its power," Hisa murmured, eyes crinkling a little in happiness. "That's good; it means soon everything will be back to normal."
"So...so a little charm that feeds all the dreams in both worlds is also responsible for you being able to shape-shift, and for the princess to be human?" Kotone asked with a frown, glancing over at Himemiya (this time clad in pink pajamas with little purple clouds). "That's a weird effect..."
"The Dream Charm's secrets can't be easily explained or comprehended," Hisa said simply. Then she smiled broadly, stretched her arms over her head. "But either way, man it feels great to have my body back! To have arms!"
"And hair!" squealed Kaana, still pulling on her plaits.
Aoi cleared her throat. "Erm, I'm sorry to say this, but while it's great that you can have your human bodies...can you still shift into snake forms?" At the two's affronted looks, she hastily added, "B-because it's a bit crowded in the room now! And what if a teacher sees two strange people, not in uniform and carrying a sword? It'd be trouble for both of you!"
Kaana and Hisa exchanged looks, their brows lowered in twin masks of sadness. "Well, she does have a point..." whispered Kaana dejectedly.
"I guess..." Hisa sighed. There was another glow covering both their bodies, and in a flash, they were snakes again. "But we will definitely change back to help you five fight," Hisa added decisively.
"That's right! We couldn't do anything as snakes, but now that we can change back...Hey, we're gonna help you protect both our homes, and our princess!"
"That's fine with us," Kurako smiled.
Aoi suddenly smacked her fist into her open palm. "Right! That reminds me. One of the nurses has a Dream Shard!"
"Wow, that...that was easy," Kaana mumbled in surprise.
Fumie grinned broadly, giving the thumbs-up. "So that'll be two Dream Shards in one day! We are totally on a roll!"
In Despair Horizon, Kemuri sat at a table, head down, fists clenched and trembling on the table's surface. Her eyes looked blank now, dull as her hair fell and shadowed her face.
"Kemuri."
She lifted her head, light reflecting off her monocle, and turned around. Then she gasped and jumped up, rushed over to the person who'd just appeared. "Lady Nocturna! You're not well, you should-"
Nocturna just smiled, locking eyes with Kemuri. "I'm well enough to move about," she said simply. "Not enough to return to Earth or Dream Peaks, but at least I can see you all." Her eyes darkened. "Where is Fureyaa? I haven't seen him nor heard from him in a while."
"Fureyaa..." Kemuri's voice dropped as she felt cold. She swallowed, hands to her chest. "Fureyaa..."
"...he's lost to us, isn't he?" Something flickered in Nocturna's eyes, and she closed them for a moment, resting her hand on her temples. "He's gone."
"...yeah."
"He was a good soldier...Kemuri. This means you, Chuusha, and Gachan must work harder than ever. Do you understand?"
Kemuri clenched her fist. "Yes..." She lifted her head, eyes glittering. "Pretty Cure think they can win? They think they can have dreams? I'll destroy them and prove them wrong."
The bell rang to end classes, and the students all filtered out into the halls. Fumie carried her bag over her shoulder and glanced behind herself, smiling apologetically. "E-Eh, Mari...I wish you could come but-"
"No buts!" Mari whined, stomping her foot. "C'mon, Fumie-tan, I wanna hang out today! We couldn't have our date, you keep ditching me, the stupid club and Pretty Cure duties keep interfering with our schedules, one of us is usually asleep by the time we get to be in our room together...We're supposed to be bestest friends forever!" Mari sobbed.
"We are, we are!" Fumie cried, turning around fully and putting her hand on Mari's shoulder. "We are bestest friends forever, it's just..." She faltered and bit her lip, glancing at the ground. "It's just..."
"Heeey, Fumie!" Kotone yelled.
Fumie jumped, looked over her shoulder sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I'll be right there!" Then she turned back towards Mari, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I promise, we'll do something later! I'll meet you for snacks after your club!"
"But-"
"Snacks! After club!" Fumie promised, running off and waving her arm over her head.
Mari just lifted her hand and held it there, staring dully as Fumie joined the girls, and they walked off.
"So what do you think, we just ask for the shard?" Kotone said as they drew nearer the nurse's office.
"Ask for it?"
"Yeah, Aoi, like, we say we lost some jewelry! That's what happened with me and Mitsumi!"
"Hm, that does seem to be the better-"
"Kagami!" The sudden yell made everyone jump in surprise, Uta clinging to Kotone.
A moment later, the blonde nurse burst out of the office, looking green again as she held her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Hitomi followed her out, and took her by the shoulders. Neither of them seemed aware that they had an audience. She squeezed her shoulders a bit after turning her around to face her. "Kagami! It's okay, it's okay, you're fine!"
Kagami whimpered, opening her eyes to look at her partner, sniffled a bit. "I—I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I just, I saw it and I just-"
Another student, an eight-year-old boy, hobbled out just then, a large band-aid over his knee and a lollipop in one hand. "Miss Nurses? Can I go now?"
"Er – yeah, go 'head," Hitomi muttered before fixing her attention back on Kagami.
"Thanks. And thank you very much, Nurse Kagami!" the student said with a smile before hobbling off.
"Kagami, it wasn't a big deal...He just had a little scrape, and now it's gone. He's gone, it's okay. You're okay..."
Aoi cleared her throat just then. "I'm sorry, but uhm...a-are we interrupting something?"
Kagami and Hitomi both jumped and looked to the group, seeing them for the first time. "O-Oh, hi, girls...No, no, you're fine – Ah!" Hitomi's face lit up as she recognized Aoi. "You're th' girl from earlier! How's your leg, huh?" She gave her a thumbs-up. "Bet yer glad ya didn't need stitches after all, eh?"
"Ah...yes..." Aoi laughed awkwardly, adjusting her glasses. "It's feeling a bit better now, Miss Hitomi. Still a bit painful, but injuries don't heal immediately, and it always takes time for pain to go away, yes?"
"That's right. But seriously, if it still hurts tomorrow, come see me and we'll check if it's infected. 'kay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Hoooold on!" Kurako suddenly held a hand up, her head bowed as her eyes closed in slight irritation. "I'm sorry, but we came here for something – Nurse Kagami, have you seen a – Uhm, Nurse Kagami?" Her tone sounded more concerned now as she noticed Kagami was still a bit green.
Hitomi noticed as well. "Ohhhh boy... C'mon, Kagami, let's go inside again," she sighed, draping an arm over Kagami's shoulders and ushering her inside. "You can come if you want," she called over her shoulder at the others.
Eyecatch 1: Kaana and Hisa, in human form, stand together to take a selfie. Hisa takes the picture, and after a flash fills the screen, we see the photo. Pretty Cure have photo-bombed the sisters; Hisa looks in annoyance at Ink, Twirl, and Beat, while Kaana smiles at Spice and Aria. The PCBE logo appears in the corner.
Eyecatch 2: Pretty Cure (as civilians) stand in Fumie's room with the curtain shut. Fumie is holding the Dream Charm in the air by the chain as Kaana and Hisa part the curtains. The sunlight hits the charm and everyone smiles in open-mouthed awe as the whole room is filled with rainbow light. The PCBE logo appears in the corner.
A short time later, Kagami was sitting in one of the chairs, a cool washcloth against her forehead as she took a few deep breaths. Hitomi crouched before her, sighing in a mixture of exasperation and concern. And Pretty Cure stood clustered behind her, exchanging glances.
"Kagami, you're an invaluable partner, but you can't keep doing this," Hitomi sighed.
"I can't help it," the other nurse mumbled, sounding small and ashamed. Her eyes opened and she looked at Hitomi from beneath her lashes. "I'm trying to get better at it, I really am..."
"I know, I know...least you're not fainting anymore..." Hitomi said. "Okay, I'm gonna go to the vending machine and get you a ginger ale. Be back." She stood up, gave a smile and nod to the girls, and left the office.
There was a moment of silence before Kagami sighed, lowering the cloth from her forehead. "I really do keep messing this up," she said.
"Messing up, Miss Nurse?" Uta asked softly.
Kagami nodded. She then looked at the group, blushing pink. "I-I know it's really weird, but-"
Suddenly the door burst open, and another child stumbled in. "Nurse Hitomi, Nurse Hitomi!" they wailed, a hand on their shoulder.
"A-Ah, Nurse Hitomi isn't here, just me," Kagami said nervously as she stood up and set the cloth on a nearby countertop. "What's the matter?"
The newcomer, a girl who looked to be one of the third-graders, sniffled and uncovered her shoulder. Her sleeve had been rolled up when she came in, so everyone in the room could clearly see the long scratch with a little smear of red on it.
Kagami blanched again.
"I-I – hic- I was playing outside, near the wooded area, and I fell near some stickerbushes! A-An' one of 'em g-got me!" the child sobbed.
"St-stickerbushes..." Kagami echoed. She sounded weak, her voice a little far-off, and she seemed to sway a little. But she still remained standing, tried to steel herself. One could hear it in her voice. "Y-Yes. Please s-sit in one of th-th-the chairs..." As the student complied, Fumie watched as Kagami dug into her pocket and fished out...a Dream Shard.
Fumie's eyes widened. So Aoi was right!
Kagami held the Dream Shard to her face as she retrieved a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, cottonballs, and a band-aid, muttering to herself. As she moved past the girls, they could hear what she was saying. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. You're a nurse, a nurse, it's okay, you're a great nurse..." She dropped the Shard back into her pocket to free her hands to work. A few moments later, she'd cleaned the blood on the student's shoulder, looking only a little green, and had gently put a band-aid to it. "Th-there..." She smiled, sitting back with her hands on her knees. "That's better...Please be careful around the stickerbushes from now on, alright?"
The student sniffled one last time, and nodded. "'kay. Thank you."
"Just a minute!" Kagami sounded much more chipper now that the wound was covered. She walked over to one of the cupboards and pulled something from inside. Then she presented it with a flourish. "I hope you like strawberry!"
"A lollipop?! Wow, thank you, Miss Nurse!" the student squealed as she took it and happily skipped off.
"Bye now..." Kagami waved, smiling. Then she froze, glanced over her shoulder at the group. "Uhm..."
Pretty Cure stood there, with varying levels of adoration on their faces. "That was so sweet..." Uta sighed.
Kagami blushed and moved back to her seat. "I – I suppose you saw me holding that jewel and whispering too," she mumbled. "Well, the truth is...The truth is, I can't stand the sight of blood!"
Aoi blinked, everything making sense in her mind. Kagami's green pallor when she and the other two students came in wounded, her swaying and shaky words... "You're scared of blood," she said.
"A nurse is scared of blood?" Kotone asked with a frown.
Kagami blushed and nodded. "I – I know it's unusual! I know it's silly and dumb, but..."
"But...if you don't like blood, then why-?" Kotone began.
"Why am I a nurse?" Kagami asked with a soft, sad smile. At everyone's nodding, she sighed again, looked to one of the walls. Everyone followed her gaze to see she was staring at a few doctorates, plaques, some photos of the previous nurses with some of the students. The newest ones showed Hitomi, a few years younger, standing with Kagami, wearing an Atama uniform, and then another of both of them in nurse uniforms. "I've wanted to be a nurse ever since I was little...I always wanted to help people, to make them well. To take whatever was causing them pain or icky feelings, and take it away..."
Kagami, in her senior year at Atama, stood outside the nurse's office, holding a few papers. When the door opened and Hitomi began to step out, Kagami surged forward. The other woman's eyes opened in surprise.
"Nurse Hitomi! I'm going to be a nurse at your side!"
Hitomi paused, stared...and then smiled.
"I eventually became a nurse, and came back here, to help the students at the school I'd attended...But there was a problem."
Kagami's hands shook as she tried to dab the hydrogen peroxide on a student's cut. Finally, she sobbed and thrust the cottonball at Hitomi.
"I've n-never liked blood. Even when I was little..but I love helping people." Kagami held the Dream Shard up again, rubbing it with her thumb and forefinger. "I found this just last week...And when I have it with me, it reminds me of just that."
The girls exchanged glances as Kagami held the Shard to her heart. "Can we really take it now?" Uta whispered, her eyes teary.
"Well we have no choice, do we?" Kurako whispered. "We still need to complete the Dream Charm."
"It's not the Shard that reminds you of your dream."
The other girls looked up, noticing that Fumie had spoken louder than either Kurako or Uta. And that she'd stepped away from them and was smiling directly at Kagami. "It's not the Shard," she repeated. "It's you. It's all you."
Kagami blinked, holding the Shard closer to her chest. "Me?"
"Yes! You didn't have the Shard until last week, right? And even so, you've spent all those years in school, all this time being a nurse here, even if you hate the sight of blood, because you love helping people. You never had the Shard back then; it's not the Shard that reminds you to believe in your dreams." Fumie's smile brightened and she reached out, clasped Kagami's free hand. "It's you. One-hundred percent."
"...me," Kagami echoed.
"That's totally not true at all!"
Kemuri stood in the doorway, just as haggard and upset as she looked back in Despair Horizon. She bared her teeth angrily, gripping the doorframe hard enough to splinter the wood, and in her other hand sat a Dream-Eating Crane.
The others gasped, shocked at her appearance. "K-Kemuri..." Aoi whispered.
"O-Oh my!" Kagami moved forward, hands outstretched. "You look awful, miss! Th-those dark circles, your hair, a-and you're shaking...Please, sit down and let me-!"
"Don't touch me!" Kemuri shrieked and slapped Kagami's hand away. In doing so, the force of her strike knocked Kagami's whole body aside. The nurse let out a shriek as she flew into a wall, smacking her head against it, and sliding down, unconscious, to the floor. A few items on the shelf above her head fell down. "Don't you touch me! You've got one of those horrible Shards!" Kemuri breathed, her chest heaving from the pain in her heart. "And you just keep blathering on and on and on and on! About your stupid dreams!" She stormed past the nurse's body, glaring directly at Pretty Cure. "Why can't any of you understand?! None of your dreams will come true! You should just let us take them!"
"K-Kemuri-!" Uta began.
"Shut up and let us take them!" Kemuri shrieked again, raising the Dream-Eating Crane high above her head, then threw it down. It landed on a fallen bottle of antiseptic, which glowed, and a second later...
"BAKUKO-KUUU!" A giant bottle of antiseptic stood there, noodle-like arms and legs ending in giant balls of cotton. The familiar angry eyes were on the label, a keyhole-shaped mark between them.
"Kemuri...!" Kurako began, then stopped, clenching her teeth. She reached into her uniform pocket and produced the PreCure PC. "Everyone!"
"Right!"
"Pretty Cure! Show my future!"
"Painting the world with new tints, Cure Ink!"
"Spinning with grace and strength, Cure Twirl!"
"Adding flavor and zest to life, Cure Spice!"
"Drumming a new life's rhythm, Cure Beat!"
"Joyfully singing life's song...Cure Aria!"
"Protecting everyone's dreams, Pretty Cure Bukatsudo Energetic!"
"Baaa-kuuuu!" Before the girls could make a move, the Bakuko leaned forward, and a blast of antiseptic shot out.
The girls jumped away, but-
"Ow! A-Aria!" Twirl cried when she and Aria jumped to the same corner and bumped heads.
"I-I'm sorry, Twirl! There's not a lot of room for a battle in here!"
And then the overpowering smell of antiseptic hit everyone's noses.
"G-Gyaaah!" Ink cried hoarsely, sinking to her knees with her hands over her mouth. She started coughing loudly, her whole body shaking. "I-It burns – my th-throat is burning!"
"Mine too!" Beat choked out, trying to lift her vest to cover her mouth.
"I c-can't...b-breathe..." Aria wheezed.
In the corner, Kagami stirred, coughing herself as her eyes opened. "That...scent..." she mumbled.
Kemuri staggered back, her own hands over her mouth as she hacked and coughed. "Th-this is perfect!" she still managed to gasp out. She opened her eyes, a few tears collecting in the corners from the overpowering smell, but grinned. "Bakuko, get them again!"
"Bakuuu!" The Bakuko aimed-
-and then there was a blast of cold air.
The Bakuko stepped back in surprise, straightening again. "Baku?"
"What?" snapped Kemuri.
Nurse Kagami stood by the now-open window as a cold wind flew in, waving the curtains and everyone's hair and clothes. And most importantly, dispelling the smell and burning sensation. She leaned over the sill, breathing heavily with one hand on her head. "Always..." she whispered. Then she swallowed, and her voice grew stronger. "When using antiseptic, always do so in a well-ventilated area!"
Pretty Cure lowered their hands from their mouths one by one, taking loud breaths of fresh air. "I can breathe again!" Ink cried.
"I'm gonna need water, but I can breathe!" Spice added.
Kemuri stared right at Kagami. "H-How are you- Why are you helping them?" she snapped. "Why do you even bother trying?! Stop trying right now, dreams can't come true! They just can't! You and everyone else should give up!"
"I can't give up!" Kagami shouted back. "I have to help people – I love to help people when they're hurt, or sick!"
"You can't even stand the sight of blood! You get sick when you see it!" Kemuri threw her arms out, chest puffed up. "How can you even think you'll achieve your dream anyway?!"
"That doesn't matter!" Ink screamed just then. She ran forward, accomplishing an impressive speed considering how tiny the room was, and punched the Bakuko right in the midsection. Even though her attack was on the Bakuko, she fixed her gaze on Kemuri. "It doesn't matter if she hates blood! She makes people better again, she takes the pain away! Her fears don't make her less of a great nurse!"
"That's right!" Twirl charged forward, leaped into the air and kicked the Bakuko near the top of its body. "And it shouldn't matter, because she's facing her fear every day! She doesn't care about the sight of blood, all she cares about is the people!"
The image of Kagami swallowing her fear to help the child with the scratch flashed into everyone's mind. How she'd done it all on her own. How she'd smiled as she gave the child a lollipop afterward.
"Don't insult Nurse Kagami!" Aria shouted, delivering a punch to the Bakuko's side. "She's pursuing her dreams, and that's the most important thing!"
"She's very good to us! Who cares if she gets green at a scratch, or a skinned knee, huh?" Beat added, kicking the Bakuko's legs out from under it. "She works past that!"
"For all of our sakes!" Spice yelled, throwing a blast of energy at the reeling Bakuko. It stumbled back and fell against the counter, upsetting numerous other utensils. "Even when she sees someone is injured, even when she sees the blood, she still helps us! She never lets her fears interfere with her dreams, or her love of helping people!"
Kagami, still at the window, widened her eyes slightly. "That's..."
Hitomi watched as Kagami dabbed antiseptic on the student's knee. "Kagami, are you sure-"
"I can do it...I can do it!" she murmured, looking green. Though her hands shook and she looked ready to vomit at any second, she finished cleaning the area, and pressed a band-aid over it. Then, her hands still shaking, she smiled and handed over a lemon lollipop. Only then did she gasp and rush out of the office. "Done! I'm sorry, let me breathe a moment!"
"...that's right. That's all right!" she gasped, eyes brightening.
"For happiness and dreams!"
"We won't let you get away with this!"
"Pretty Cure Sparkling Dream Festival!"
As the light started to overwhelm the Bakuko, Kemuri threw an arm over her eyes and jumped away, out of the danger-zone.
The fireworks exploded around the Bakuko, trapped inside the powerful attack. "Baku...bak..." it murmured sleepily.
"Ganbatte!"
In another flash of light, the Bakuko was gone, only the bottle of antiseptic remaining. A wave of soft light washed over the office, righting the utensils that'd fallen, cleaning spills and restoring antiseptic to their bottles, and re-organizing the room. Kagami blinked, surprised, and pulled her hand away from her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore..." she whispered in amazement.
Ink lowered her Baton of Heart and looked to Kemuri. With the sun at her back, her form silhouetted, she looked like an avenging warrior... But her expression was sympathetic. "Kemuri..." she began.
Kemuri just backed up, breathing heavily. "You all stay away from me!" she screamed.
"But Kemuri-" Twirl tried to speak.
"Stay away from me! Why do you all even...j-just stay away!" Kemuri looked wildly between Kagami and Pretty Cure, and the next moment, she vanished into the dark vortex.
Everyone stood there in stunned silence, the image of a haggard, panting Kemuri still fresh in their minds. "Kemuri..." Ink whispered. "What's happening to you?"
"Uhm...you girls..."
The jumped in surprised and turned around. Kagami walked away from the window and towards them. Specifically, to Cure Spice. "I...thank you. For all your kind words," she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "It meant a lot to me...Even though you don't even know me."
"Actually, we-" Ink began, stopping herself only when Twirl elbowed her.
"And...you know, one of the students here said I didn't need this. But maybe..." She smiled softly, and pressed the Dream Shard into Spice's palm, closed her fingers over it. "Maybe you do. I can't explain it, but I feel I should give you this."
Spice smiled at the Shard in her closed hand, then looked to Kagami. "Thank you."
"No...thank you." Kagami kept smiling, til she remembered something. "Th-the other students who were here! They're safe, right?"
"Who, them? Ah, don't worry!" Beat laughed, waving her hand. "We saw to it that they were taken somewhere safe."
Kagami sighed in relief. "Thank goodness..."
"Oi, Kagami!"
"Whoop! Gotta go!" Beat yelled, and then she grabbed Aria by the shoulder and ran to the door, followed by the others.
"Wait! Wait, what if you're hurt, I-!" Kagami cried, running after them. But once she got to the door, she leaned out, looked in the direction they'd taken off...and they'd already vanished. "Huh?"
"Kagami!" Hitomi walked up to her, a bottle of ginger ale in her hand. "Sorry I took so long. Apparently all but one machine shut down, and of course that means everyone wants a drink at the same time...Hey, you okay? You look stunned."
Kagami stared, wide-eyed, at Hitomi for a moment before sighing and smiling. "It's nothing, Hitomi..."
Mari walked down the hallway with the rest of her club, though she walked at a brisker pace, a bright smile on her face.
"Mari? Miss Captain, where're ya going?"
"I'm meeting a friend!" she called over her shoulder.
"Sheesh...didn't even notice Suzune scraped her knee," someone muttered, helping the aforementioned girl into the nurse's office. "Hey, nurses, help!"
Hitomi looked up, a lollipop in her mouth. "Another one? Man, everyone's getting' hurt today. Oi, Kagami, it's another one. You wanna step out?"
"No." Kagami smiled, shaky but persistent as she approached the injured girl. "I can do this. Come on, miss, let's get you to the chair," she said.
"Fumie-tan!" Mari cried, barging into the room. "Fumie-tan, I got some-" She frozen, smile faltering as she saw Fumie, asleep on her bed. "...Fumie-tan?"
"Sorry, Mari," Kaana chuckled nervously. "There was another Bakuko attack, and I guess it wore her out..." Then her eyes brightened. "Hey, are those cookies?" In a burst of light, she'd shifted to her human form, leaping off the desk to take some.
Hisa shifted to her own human form. "K-Kaana, that's rude!"
"No." Mari's voice was hollow as she glanced to Fumie's sleeping form. "No...someone might as well eat them."
In Despair Horizon, Kemuri sat at the same table she had before. She looked worse than ever, staring at nothing as those words rang in her ears.
"She's pursuing her dreams, and that's the most important thing!"
"I can't give up!"
Her hands clenched into fists. "Why? Why?"
Behind her, Nocturna just stood and stared at her, eyes narrowed slightly in what seemed to be concern.
ED: "Just Close Your Eyes" - Yukari Tamura
ON THE NEXT EPISODE:
Fumie: "Kemuri looks awful! She seems to be at her limits!"
Kurako: "Kemuri, please stop this! Remember- Remember! There has to be something that gave you joy! Next time on Pretty Cure Bukatsudo Energetic: 'Kemuri's Stand!' I don't think I can make the next meeting..."