Nocturna set Kemuri's monocle on a small cushion on a pedestal. A sort of memorial for her, even if there was no body, and no grave site in this place. She bowed her head, eyes closed as she clasped her hands together. Behind her stood Chuusha and Gachan, at attention.
"Lady Nocturna," he said. "The two of us will continue working to get the Dream Shards. It won't be much longer; nearly all of them have been found."
She nodded once, then swiftly turned and walked to her room. "I need to rest a little longer," she said. "It wouldn't be wise for me to join you on Earth immediately after I wake up. Gachan, Chuusha, if you would prepare me tea?"
The two of them nodded, bowed. Chuusha glanced at Gachan, frowning and curling her lip a little. "Me? Make tea?" she muttered.
"Do as she said, Chuusha..." Gachan sighed.
Unseen by either of them, Kemuri's monocle, the last thing that remained of her, slowly melted into black ooze.
Once inside her room, Nocturna sank into her throne. The gel she'd sat in was mostly gone now, sitting in small lumps at her feet, pulsing with dark energy. She paid them no mind, her head bowed as she kept her eyes closed. "Oh, Kemuri...first Fureyaa and now you...You tried your hardest, you two."
You're losing soldiers.
Nocturna's eyes snapped open as she regarded the room in irritation. "You think I don't know that?" she hissed. "You think I'm not aware that I'm losing my soldiers, my friends? I'm not an idiot."
"...no. No, you are not." The voice was quiet for a few moments, and Nocturna felt a strange whoosh near her ear, ruffling her bangs somewhat. "But I wonder...what do you plan to do, my dear?"
"Don't be so familiar with me." Nocturna's eyes closed again as she squared her shoulders. "I don't know who you are or where you come from, which leads me to assume you have very little real presence." She smirked, feeling the atmosphere around her change as whoever the voice belonged felt irritated, angry and embarrassed. It seemed to shrink away, even though it had no body, and she spoke again. "My two soldiers will fight harder than ever...they have sworn that.
"But..." Her eyes opened, but remained half-lidded. "They won't be alone. I promise you that."
OP: "Morning Role-Call" - Bukatsudo Five ft. Kaana and Hisa
"Will he be alright?" Fumie asked softly.
Kotone nodded, standing outside the door, facing Fumie, Aoi, and Kurako. "He'll be okay...He just wants to be with Uta a bit longer. And honestly, I agree." She clasped her hands tighter together in front of herself.
It'd been two days since Kemuri's...they didn't know what to call it. Death? Purification? Ascension? Whatever it was, Fureyaa was still understandably depressed about it, and had taken to staying in Uta and Kotone's dorm room. At first, Aoi had wanted to argue, on the grounds that it was highly improper to have a boy living with a girl in the dorms, but one look at the tear stains on Fureyaa's face changed her mind.
(And besides, Kotone had said later, he was mostly staying in the bathroom, for some reason.)
"It'll take some time, but...he'll be alright," Kotone murmured, looking over her shoulder and through the slightly-open door into her room. Fureyaa sat at the coffee table, sniffling quietly as Uta pressed a can of cold coffee into his hands. "He has friends to help him with this..."
"...don't worry about me, girls," Fureyaa's raspy voice came from the room. He lifted his head, smiled vacantly at them. "I – I'll be okay. I told you to do what it took, right? T-To save Kemuri...I'm sure she's happier now..." He looked away, swallowing hard. "...you have Pretty Cure duties and your own lives too. I'll be okay..."
Fumie shut the door softly behind her, her head bowed as she leaned against it.
Her own room was dark; she figured Mari must be already asleep.
"Fumie-tan?"
Oh. Nope.
"M-mari!" Fumie lifted her head, forced a smile as she saw Mari sitting up in bed, brows lowered. "Ah, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
Mari looked down at her blanket, saying nothing at first. For a long while, they were silent. Finally, Mari spoke up, her voice low and quiet. "Fumie-tan...Listen. I know Pretty Cure's really important, but...We're bestest friends forever, aren't we?"
"Huh? Yeah, of course!"
"But...I never see you anymore..." Mari's hand curled into a fist, bunching up her blanket. "I know you have important work to do, but...but I feel like we're drifting further and further apart. Like you don't have time for me anymore...I don't want to lost you, Fumie-tan..." Mari sniffled a bit at that last part, her shoulders starting to shake. "This is super-duper important, but...but you're my bestest friend forever, you mean everything to me! I don't wanna stop that just because...because you have work and newer friends and..."
"H-hey!"
Mari looked up to see Fumie had already scaled the ladder to the top bunk. The blonde smiled awkwardly at her, reached out to take her hands. "Hey, don't ever think that, okay? I know we haven't seen each other in a while...But we're still bestest friends forever! We always will be!"
"But..." Mari looked unsure.
"Hey, hey." Fumie kept that strained, desperate smile on her face as she leaned forward, squeezing Mari's hands. "How about this? You know the carnival that came to town? Tomorrow, after school, you and me will meet there at four o'clock. Okay. We're gonna have a big day, just the two of us!"
"You mean..." Mari's eyes sparkled as she held her breath, daring to hope. "We can finally have our date?"
"Yup! And I super-duper pinkie promise, as your bestest friend forever, we're gonna have fun together!" Fumie held up her pinkie. "Alright?"
For a moment, Mari hesitated, lifting one hand tentatively. Then she grinned, and the two girls linked pinkies. "Super-duper-pinkie-promise!"
Neither girl noticed Kaana and Hisa were listening in.
TODAY'S EPISODE: I'll Make It Up to You! Day at the Carnival!
Fumie and Mari stood outside their door, facing each other. Mari shifted the duffel bag she'd slung over her shoulder. "Okay, I need to drop something off in the lockers before class.."
"And I'll be putting away some easels after class..."
"But four o'clock!" they both said at once, and linked pinkies. "Bestest friends forever, date!" And with that said, they both turned, and walked off.
"Ah, hey, girls?" Fumie smiled nervously when she entered the classroom and set her bag down. "I'm gonna have to skip the PreCure meeting today-"
"A date with Mari. We know." Kurako smirked as she took a sidelong glance at Fumie, amused by her shocked expression. "You know, you're not the only person Kaana and Hisa talk to. Or Ayumu, for that matter..."
"A date? Right now, of all times?" Kurako frowned at the ghost girl in front of them.
Ayumu lowered her head in embarrassment and kept twisting her fingers. "I know it's a bad time..." she whispered. "B-But your fairies wanted me to pass on the news. They said they thought...that some of you deserved to breathe a bit."
Kurako hadn't known it was possible for a ghost to blush.
"I think they're right," Aoi said suddenly, placing a hand on Kurako's shoulder. "Mari's correct in saying she hasn't been able to really spend time with Fumie as of late...and they are best friends; this isn't fair to Mari that we keep Fumie away from her."
"But this is serious business we've got going on!" Kotone argued.
"Then..." Aoi turned her head just a little, allowing the light to reflect off her glasses and obscure her eyes. "Then we'll be good friends, and let Fumie have her date with Mari. If anything should happen, we'll shoulder it ourselves. Alright?"
Everyone glanced at each other, then at Ayumu, who simply nodded and smiled nervously.
"Okay...but," Uta said. "I think we better not mention this part to Fumie. In case she worries...you shouldn't worry when you're on a date; I should know."
"Hey, we've kept ya from Mari enough as it is," Kotone laughed, slapping Fumie on the back. "So hey, man, go to the carnival with her and have a ball!"
"Are you sure-"
"You would've done it anyway, right?" Kurako said, leaning on her elbows. "It's fine. Mari's right; you need to spend more time together..."
"Besides...you never know how much longer you have with someone," Uta added, her eyes darkening a bit as she clasped her hands at the waist. "Someone you think will always be there...someday they might just be gone. That means we have to cherish our friends, our times together...not just as Pretty Cure."
Kurako shook her head slightly, smiled again. "So...so yeah, you go ahead. Don't worry about it."
Fumie wavered a little. "If you're sur-"
"We're sure, we're sure, jeez, sit down and quit mentioning it!" Kotone huffed.
"Well...thank you, then." Fumie grinned. "Thanks a lot!"
Mari dropped the duffel bag on the benches and turned to walk off with a grin. "See ya!"
"Eh? Captain, where're you-"
She grinned wider, looking over her shoulder and making the V-sign. "Heehee...I've got a date~!"
Fumie smiled a little as she set the last of the easels against the wall. "There...that's it." She straightened and looked out the window for a moment. It sure was a pretty day...perfect for what was planned.
Hmm...I bet Mari would like the Ferris wheel. We could see the whole carnival from up there! And she'll drag me all around to get a hot dog and a crepe, and I'll try to win some bears for us. She giggled a bit, wondering if the game stands had any matching bears. Bestest Friends Forever bears would be cool. I haven't felt this relaxed in a while...I should have made plans with Mari ages ago!
"Hey, Motou!"
"Ah, yes?" Fumie blinked and turned around.
The club president stood in the doorway, barely able to stand under the weight of a huge stack of papers in her arms. She could only barely see Fumie over the top, craning her head back and tilting it a bit and only having half of her face visible. "H-Have you finished with the easels?"
"Yep!"
"Th-then...can you h-help me take these to the teacher? Normally I wouldn't ask this but..." Her legs shook slightly. "But these are really heavy and I don't think..."
Fumie bit her lip, glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes to four. "Nnn..."
"I swear, it's just this one thing!"
"Nnn..." She tore her gaze away, eyes squeezing shut for a second. "Yeah! Yeah, but we gotta hurry!" And she ran forward, quickly taking the top half of the paper stack away. As the president exhaled loudly in relief and they both speed-walked to the offices, Fumie bit her lower lip. If I run, I'll make it...I'd only be a minute late!
"Why are we going to the carnival?" Hisa popped out of Kurako's purse, frowning lightly. "We're not the ones on a date...are we?"
Kurako held back an unladylike snort. "No...It's just..." She stopped, as did the rest of the group. Kurako's eyes narrowed slightly, and she tightened her grip on the purse strap. "It's just...something I can't explain..."
"This weird ache in my chest," Aoi whispered, a hand lightly curled over her heart. "I feel like we should be here..."
Kotone's fingers were twitching above her PreCure PC. "Me too...It's like something just pulled us here."
The fairies glanced at each other, their eyes wide. "Something tells you Pretty Cure will be needed," Kaana said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, that's it exactly!" Uta blinked. "How did you-"
"It's something we all know in Dream Peaks. When a Pretty Cure gains strength, when she's reaching her full potential, she just knows where danger is, knows she should be there to stop it. That's how so many Cures just appear when they're needed." Kaana beamed. "The fact that you all sense you should be here is amazing and we should all celebrate! Ah, I love this~!"
"Save the celebrating for after we get rid of whatever's lurking around here," Hisa muttered as the two ducked back into Kurako's purse. "Stay focused, girls."
"Right!"
The dark vortex appeared near some tents, and Chuusha stepped out. She tsk'd quietly, biting at her thumbnail. "Why am I here again...?" she muttered. "Stupid Gachan..."
"The carnival? Why would you go there?" Chuusha asked, blinked in surprise as Nocturna stood before the dark vortex. "I thought you were going to Earth."
"The carnival is on Earth," Nocturna said simply.
"But why even go there?"
Nocturna said nothing...she just stepped through.
Gachan approached Chuusha from behind, and put a hand on her shoulder. He leaned in close to whisper to her. "Follow Lady Nocturna. Make sure nothing happens to her."
"I mean, why couldn't he go? What's he doing all day, huh?" Chuusha sighed and folded her arms under her breasts. "Making tea? Tch..."
Familiar voices grabbed her attention, and glanced to the side to see Pretty Cure walking towards her. Well, not towards her, but her general direction. "They're here too? Hm..." Chuusha turned to look to her other side, smirked when she saw the Ferris wheel a short distance away. "I've got an idea..."
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.
Fumie ran down the street as fast as her legs could carry her. Finally...finally she could meet up with Mari! She checked the time on her watch. Two minutes to four. That was okay, he could make it, the carnival was within her sights!
Mari stood at the entrance, smiling expectantly. That smile grew a bit nervous as she checked the time on her phone. "Nearly four...It's okay, though. Fumie-tan won't lie." She swallowed, sounding like she was trying to convince herself. "Fumie-tan will be here..."
A loud cacophony of screams sounded just then, Pretty Cure looking up in horror to see a Ferris wheel Bakuko stomping in place. Now, that alone wasn't too awful, it looked just as it always had, except for the eyes, keyhole mark, and noodley appendages. No, the horrifying part was, even from where they stood, the girls could see the people who had been inside the Ferris wheel were screaming and pounding on the doors and windows for dear life, pleading to be let out, pleading for someone to save them, children screaming and crying for their parents...
And then, before their eyes, one door gave way, and a small girl with pigtails pitched forward, eyes wide in horror.
"Pretty Cure! Show my future!"
"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!"
"Bakuko-kuuu!"
"MOMMYYYYY!" the girl shrieked as she began to plummet.
There was a sudden streak of bright red light, and the girl opened her eyes, for she'd shut them tight when gravity had taken effect. A girl with red eyes and hair in a large black bun smiled down at her reassuringly. "You okay, sweetie?" she asked, gently falling to the ground.
The girl nodded mutely as they landed, the Cure pressing her into the arms of a nearby staff member.
"Good." Cure Twirl ruffled the girl's hair. "Head for the exit, quickly!" she cried to the staff member.
"Yes, miss Cure!" he yelled, and took off. Cure Twirl could hear him offering further reassurances to the shocked child.
"Get the others out, first! Then we deal with the Bakuko!" she yelled to the rest of Pretty Cure.
"Right!"
There was a flash of bright light from Kurako's purse, abandoned on the ground, and suddenly the human forms of Kaana and Hisa stood at either side of it. Hisa unsheathed her sword, glaring fiercely at the Bakuko. "And we'll help."
Down below, Chuusha watched as she leaned against an abandoned hot dog cart, calmly munching on a hot dog with ketchup. "Well, I was supposed to find Nocturna, but I guess I can have some fun a bit...It is pretty amusing," she added, watching as Cure Spice caught a full-grown man and his date from their cart, "seeing them try to get the humans in time. 's like a game show," she said, taking another bite.
"Hm...I wonder where Lady Nocturna is, anyway. She's missing a great show."
Fumie skidded to a halt, her eyes wide in horror as she saw the Ferris wheel Bakuko. I have to help-! She charged forward, then stopped. Turned to look off towards the proper entrance to the park. Then back at the Bakuko.
"But..."
"You mean...We can finally have our date?"
"Yup! And I super-duper pinkie promise, as your bestest friend forever, we're gonna have fun together!"
Fumie turned towards the entrance, looking torn. She had promised Mari...they hadn't spent time together anymore, she had promised, she'd promised...
Someone screamed in the distance.
She'd promised...
"Super-duper-pinkie-promise! Date!"
Fumie grit her teeth.
"C'mon, gimme your hand already..." Hisa grunted, reaching into the cart.
There weren't many civilians left, thankfully. Pretty Cure had already cleared most of them out and deposited them safely to the ground. Not an easy feat by any means, for the Bakuko had kept swinging its arms at the girls, tried to flee, and that meant the people were being thrown around inside it, or falling out when the doors gave way.
Most of the group were able to catch the civilians; not one person getting injured.
Kaana and Beat, on the other hand, had taken to attacking the Bakuko and trying to avoid their friends and civilians, to keep it from stomping off.
"Pretty Cure Beat! Melody Crash!" Beat shouted, firing her attack at the monster's legs. She deliberately aimed a little to the left of it, so it wasn't defeated, just unable to move. "Kaana, how are you holding up over there?"
Kaana, her mouth set in a thin, firm line, pulled back another glowing white arrow. "Good so far!" she yelled, releasing it at the Bakuko's foot. The arrow hit, passing through the foot and embedding itself into the cement ground. She grinned as the Bakuko roared in fury. "There! That'll keep him from leaving!"
"...I wish you'd told me earlier that you could do that," Beat muttered.
"Sorry..."
"Gimme your hand already, gimme your — gyah!" Hisa screamed as the Bakuko reared back, roaring loudly. The person in the cart fell out the other side. "Nooo!"
– and was caught by Cure Aria. "You okay, mister?"
"Y-yeah..."
Hisa sighed in relief. "That's the last of them...Whoa!"
The Bakuko hadn't been finished yet. With another roar ("BAKUUUUU!") it began thrashing around, apparently figuring it could just shake everyone off instead of running to cause destruction. Of course, the civilians were all safe and sound, but...
Hisa grit her teeth as she clung desperately to the top of the cart she was on, flattening her body. No, no, no! she thought, panicking. She wasn't like the Pretty Cure, she couldn't just jump and land on her feet, she didn't have super-powers like they did! If she tried to jump, she'd die, if she fell, she'd die, she'd-
Her eyes opened wide as she finally, with one last mighty shake of the Bakuko, lost her grip, and slid off the top of the cart. "N-n-no, no, please..." she pleaded, her voice unusually high and trembling. But her plea went unanswered, and the next instant she was staring at the ground as it began to rush to meet her. "Noo-!"
"Gotcha!" A hand wrapped around her wrist, suddenly halting her fall.
Hisa looked up and saw Cure Spice, her own body flat against the top of the cart, one hand tightly gripping the edge as she held onto Hisa's wrist, her teeth grit. "C-Cure Spice?"
"I got you, Hisa! I've got you, it's okay!" Spice yelled above the Bakuko's furious roars. Her arm was trembling, straining slightly...and Hisa realized she was trying to pull her back up. But even with a Cure's enhanced strength, the position she was in wouldn't allow it. She couldn't pull Hisa back up if she was leveled like that – were she standing, it could work, but the Bakuko wouldn't her do that, so-
"L-Let me go!" Hisa yelled up at her. She blinked, tears appearing in her eyes. "Just let me go, you have to defeat this thing! I'll be fine! Someone will catch me!" Well, she hoped so anyway...even if they did, she was not interested in falling, even for a mere two seconds.
Spice just shook her head. "I'm not letting go!" she gasped. "Hisa...Hisa, can you still shape-shift?"
"Y-Yeah-"
"Then turn into a snake, and crawl up my arm!"
"What?!" Hisa's eyes widened. "But you hate touching snakes!"
Spice's eyes were tightly shut, tears gathered in the corners as she shouted back. "I know! Just hurry!" She then began muttering something under her breath that Hisa couldn't hear.
Hisa just stared upward a moment longer before drawing her mouth into a thin line, and nodded once. In a burst of light, she shifted to her snake form, wrapped around Spice's wrist, and quickly slithered up her arm. When she reached the shoulder area and was moving onto the cart, she heard what Spice was saying.
"Separate the eggs and beat whites softly before folding into the mixture, gradually add cocoa powder and pour mixture into baking pan and cherries..."
Hisa smiled, nudging the side of Spice's face to get her attention. "Ready."
Still muttering ("place the pan inside the oven and bake for half an hour..."), Spice stood, and leaped from the cart.
Fumie still hadn't come...Mari checked the time again, her smile gone. "Fumie-tan...should be here," she whispered.
"Are you waiting for someone?"
Mari jumped, smiling brightly and turning around. "Fumie-tan – oh." She deflated, brows turning downward. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I knew..." She tilted her head as the person kept approaching. "Who are you, by the way?"
Spice landed on the ground gracefully, letting out a gasp of relief when Hisa jumped from her shoulder and shifted back to human form. "There. Everyone's safe, right?"
"Everyone but us!" Aria shouted as Beat and Kaana rejoined the group. "We've got to stop that thing, quickly-"
"BAKUUUU!" the Bakuko roared again, pulling its foot up and finally freeing itself. It glowered at the girls for a second before tucking in its limbs and rolling towards them at top-speed. "DIIIE!"
"No!" A blast of blue light shot into its side before it could get too far, knocking it off-course. It uncurled itself and glared at the newcomer as she stood atop a food stand.
The others followed its gaze, jaws dropped in surprise.
"Ink!" Twirl yelled. "We told you-"
"I'm sorry! I couldn't – I had to-!" Ink shouted back, jumping from the stand. "Let's just get rid of this thing, so I can meet Mari!"
"Right!"
Mari stared into the carnival. Her smile was totally gone; she'd just seen the flash of blue light. And only one person that she knew of was associated with blue light. "Fumie-tan..." she whispered.
Someone put a hand on her shoulder.
"For happiness and dreams!"
"We won't let you get away with this!"
"Pretty Cure Sparkling Dream Festival!"
The fireworks exploded around the Bakuko, quickly purifying it. "Baku...bak..." it murmured sleepily.
"Ganbatte!"
The light washed over everything, the Bakuko turning back into a simple Ferris wheel. All the destruction it had caused to the carnival was reversed, and it was as if nothing bad had happened. Eventually, people would return to the carnival, grateful to the Pretty Cure. And...
Ink lowered her Baton of Heart with a loud sigh. "Finally..."
Twirl stepped forward. "Ink..." She smiled, put her hand on Ink's back and nudged her forward. "Go find Mari," she said gently.
With a smile, Ink nodded, and was about to turn and get going when-
"Pretty Cuuure!" A blast of dark energy shot out at the group, striking Twirl right in the chest.
Twirl screamed and fell back, the dark energy crackling around her. "Wh-What?" she gasped.
"Cure Twirl!" Spice moved to help her out, and was shot down by another blast, falling and skidding on her side. "Ah!"
"Who's there?!" The remaining Cures held their Batons tightly as they glanced around.
They soon got their answer when a girl appeared, hovering above them. She smiled darkly at them, tilting her head to the side and letting her long, black hair that descended from her crown braid sway in the breeze. She chuckled as she softly landed on the ground. "Pretty Cure...has to go!" she shouted gleefully, ducking down and charging up another blast.
"No you don't!" Kaana and Hisa ran in front of the girls, weapons out, Hisa's sword held as if to block the attack.
But the newcomer only threw two attacks, striking Kaana in the head and then Hisa in the legs. "Stop getting in my way!" she shouted as she charged towards them. Before the two soldiers could react, she attacked; aiming a powerful punch at Kaana's stomach and kicking Hisa in the side.
Neither of them had fully expected it, and even if they had, she fought harder than they expected. The sisters screamed as they flew back, Kaana finally skidding to a halt and Hisa slamming into a games tent. And then both were still.
"I said stop getting in the way!" the girl shouted, raising her fist and slamming it downward. A wave of dark energy shot out, knocking the other girls over before they could react.
Cure Ink trembled as she stood back up – that attack was stronger than she'd expected! Who was this girl?! "I don't know who you are..." she said, in a low voice. "But you won't get away with this!" She charged forward then, preparing an attack of her own...
...only for her fist to be met with a powerful grip as the black-haired girl caught her. "Don't be like that," she said simply, smiling.
Ink struggled to pull herself loose for a second before she tried to attack with her other fist. "Let me go!"
"Why would I want to do that?" the girl asked. "I mean..."
Ink suddenly stopped, eyes slamming open wide, and she felt as if the entire world stopped. A cold chill ran down her spine, sweat appearing at her temples.
"We're supposed to be bestest friends forever."
"...Mari?" Ink whispered feebly, as the black-haired, red-eyed girl finally let her go.
"Isn't it amazing..." Another girl smiled as she stepped out from behind the new girl. "What the heart is susceptible to when it's lonely, unwanted, abandoned?" She smirked at the look of shock and despair of Ink's face, tilting her head. "Hm? Oh, don't look so surprised...didn't you know this would happen? Didn't you know that you abandoning your best friend would do this to her?" She sighed, resting a hand on her chest as if this were a great burden to reveal. "I guess not...you're such selfish Cures," she said.
Chuusha ran forward just then, having spotted the new activity. "Lady Nocturna, you-" she cried before stopping. "Who is this-?"
"Our new friend, Jubilation," Nocturna said. "Didn't I say you two wouldn't be fighting alone?"
Ink just stood there, numb with her hands trembling. "Mari...Mari, what..."
"Come on," Nocturna smirked. The dark vortex appeared behind her, and she took Mari's hand and started to lead her back into it. "You too, Chuusha. Let's give Pretty Cure time to process this a moment."
"Mari-!"
Mari smiled, but it looked nothing like her usual one, colder and more robotic.
And then the dark vortex closed.
"Mari?" Ink whispered, voice quavering. "MARIII!"
ED: "Just Close Your Eyes" - Yukari Tamura
ON THE NEXT EPISODE:
Fumie: "It's all my fault...what have I done? Just what have I done?!"
Aoi: "Next time on Pretty Cure Bukatsudo Energetic: 'A New Enemy?! Jubilation!' ...I don't think any of us can make the next meeting..."
