OP: "Morning Role-Call" - Bukatsudo Five ft. Kaana and Hisa
TODAY'S EPISODE: Every Story Ends. Bestest Friends, Okay?
"You won't have your way..." Ink's grip tightened, both around Honoria and on the Baton of Heart. "Any longer!"
Honoria held tighter, looking to the other girl fearfully. "Ink, listen to me! My team and I couldn't defeat him! You may be strong but Mora has been around for much longer than even my team was! He ate them like it was nothing – you don't stand a chance!"
"That's not true!" Ink cried, still glaring into the darkness.
"You really think so?" the deep, chuckling voice interrupted. "You honestly think you can beat me when other Cures could not? You-"
A blast of pink shot out just then, disappearing into the darkness. Of course it didn't appear to hit anything, but it was the principle of the thing. Cure Aria hovered there, cape billowing about her from the wake of power. A fierce scowl was on her face, teeth grit as she stared ahead. "Do everyone a favor..." she said. "And stop talking!
Pretty Cure Musica Encore!"
The ring of pink light shot out, illuminating the darkness for barely a moment – and then disappeared, ineffective.
The booming laugh that came next echoed all around them, making the girls glance wildly, trying, hoping, to find a source. A mouth, a body, anything! It couldn't be entirely formless...could it?
"Stop talking, and start eating...Sounds good to me."
"Aria, look out!" Beat screamed.
Cure Aria spun around, Baton of Heart in both hands and held before her, just in time to see a large mass of shadow, much darker than the rest of the scene, rush at her. She only had time to note that this piece did not have the shifting purples and reds, but was pure blackness, before-
"Aria!" Beat leaped towards her sister. She held one arm around Aria's shoulders, held the Baton of Heart at the shadow with the other. "Pretty-!"
The serpentine shadow lashed out, wrapping them up like a large python, cutting off their sharp screams of shock. And then they were gone.
Ink didn't even have time to react to their vanishing, because the next instant, there was a sharp tug on – "Honoria!" Ink screamed as the girl was wrenched away from her. She flung her hands out, grabbing her by the wrists and trying to pull her back.
Honoria's eyes were wide, the pupils and irises pinpricks as she was pulled the other direction. "C-Cure Ink-!" she managed to gasp before there was a mighty wrench and she was pulled away. Her wrists slipped easily out of Ink's grasp, and her scream of fright and despair was abruptly cut off as she was pulled into darkness.
"Honoria!" Ink screamed again, then let out a loud, furious roar. She swung the Baton of Heart with all her might, sending out blue blasts of magic at the cloud of darkness she'd vanished into. But when it was torn apart, there was nothing there. Ink whirled around, skirts rustling about her. "Give her back!" she screamed, sending out another blast. "Where is she?!"
"You want her?" came the voice. A huge shadow, a mass that was darker than the void they floated in, loomed behind her, poised like a cobra. "Then come and join her!"
Ink whirled around just as the mass lunged.
"Get away from Fumie-tan!" Jubilation ran in between them, threw her hands out in front of herself. A blast of golden light shot out, tearing a hole in the mass. The rest of it was quickly destroyed, large tears appearing from the hole and ripping it apart. "You okay?" she called over her shoulder.
"I'm fine." Ink turned around again, eyes frantic. "But where's Honoria?"
"Pretty Cure Twirl! Ribbon Wrap!" Twirl threw her ribbons of light out, ensnaring a few shadows just before they could leap at her. They struggled against the light briefly before the ribbons tightened, and they were burst apart. But another one...
"Twirl, look out!" Spice screamed.
Twirl looked over her shoulder, threw her Baton of Heart in front of her. "Pretty Cu-!"
She got no further.
"TWIIIIRL!" Spice shrieked, throwing Cinnamon Blitz at the huge, snake-like shadow that'd ambushed Twirl. But it was too late. With a loud scream, the red Cure was submerged, and when the shadow withdrew, she was no longer there. "Twirl!" Spice screamed again, flying towards the mass.
She gripped it with both hands, the Baton of Heart having vanished into light a second before. She tore at the shadows, not once questioning how they could be tangible, pawing through it like sand. "Twirl! Twirl, where are-!?"
She never saw the wave of darkness sweeping towards her.
In Atama Academy, Hisa and Kaana were staring out the window, their hands gripping the windowsill so tightly that their knuckles turned white.
People around them were screaming, crying, demanding to know what was going on, what was happening. But it was just a dull roar in their ears.
They stared up at the ooze that covered the dome above them, submerged their shelter. Faintly, bursts of color and light could be seen in Mora; flashes of blue, pink, red, yellow, purple, gold.
The girls were fighting...but was it enough? Were they alright?
And then, abruptly, there was no more purple, yellow, pink, or red.
"Pretty Cure..." whispered Kaana, leaning against the glass and pressing her hands to it. "Pretty Cure, come on..."
Hisa grit her teeth, hesitating one moment before turning and bolting for the stairs.
"Big sister?!"
"Hisa!" Fureyaa yelled, getting a few peoples' attentions. "Hisa, where are you going?"
Jubilation and Ink stood back to back; Ink's Baton of Heart glowing bright blue, Jubilation holding a golden heart between her palms. They stared, pale-faced and trembling, foreheads damp with sweat, into the blackness as all around them, deep, booming laughter was heard.
"This is too easy, Pretty Cure! Too easy! For all the boasting, all the power you all have, not one of you could ever stand to defeat me! You all claim you'll destroy me or seal me away, but in the end..."
Ink gasped in sudden pain, a feeling like cold needles on her skin as the mass of shadow sneaked to wrap around her ankle and pull on her.
"In the end, you and all your dreams will be devoured. Just like the last Cures!"
"That's a lie!" Jubilation seized Ink by the shoulder and pulled her away, the two girls clinging to each other tightly and staring hard.
Those darker masses had to come from somewhere...But where? It had been easier to attack those darker spots, there had been damage down to them. So if they found where they came from then maybe-
"Is it? Is it truly?!"
The girls screamed as suddenly, more serpentine shadows lunged for them, wrapped around them individually. Ink reached over the top of her captor, struggling to reach Jubilation's hand as she did the same. Their fingertips just brushed against each other-
-and then Ink saw nothing. She just floated in darkness, feeling like icy needles were being pushed into every fiber of her being, a horrible numbness starting at her fingertips and the tips of her toes and working its way inward. Her eyes were wide open, almost unseeing, as-
Unable to paint. Unable to draw. Worthless, no talent, no future. No inspiration, no hope, no support from friends.
No friends, no family, no one to love her.
"You haven't been able to hit me where it actually counts, have you? You may have protected the dreams of your friends before, but what about your own? And what happens when you're gone, when I've devoured you?"
Ink felt her consciousness starting to drift, the feeling fading in her arms and legs.
"Dreams are so delicious...I look forward to devouring every last one of them; yours, Earth's, Dream Peaks's, and then who knows? There are so many other worlds, so many wonderful dreams...
It simply isn't right for all to keep those delicious things to yourselves. Why, many of you don't even bother to fight to keep them. So you might as well..."
Ink's eyes began to close.
"Give them up to one who can appreciate them."
Hisa raced up the stairs, breathing heavily. Her chest heaved, sweat trickled down her temple as she threw open the door to the roof, ran across it. Just as Kaana and Fureyaa ran through the door, Hisa threw herself against the fence around the edge of the roof. In one hand she held the Dream Charm high over her head, her other hand gripped the fence.
"PRETTY CUUURE! PRETTY CURE, YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT, PRETTY CURE!"
Kaana raced over to join her sister, shouting skywards. "Go for it, Pretty Cure!"
"Pretty Cure! If you lose, I won't forgive you!" Fureyaa yelled.
Behind them, more people were running through the door to join them at the fence, to stop in the middle of the rooftop, to hang in the doorway. Windows were opening in some of the classrooms as Atama students, teachers, everyone in Brightown leaned out to join in the shouting.
"Pretty Cure! Don't give up!"
"You can do it, Pretty Cure!"
"Fight him! Fight him!"
"We believe in you!"
"...no."
"Hm?"
Ink grit her teeth, eyes closing fully. But they didn't close in resignation, or tiredness. They squeezed shut, her brows twitching slightly as her hands twitched, one leg bent slightly at the knee. "I...said..."
In a burst of blue light, the Baton of Heart reappeared in her hand. Ink seized it tightly, snapped her eyes open and kicking as if she were underwater – maneuvering herself upwards. "No!
Pretty Cure Ink! Rainbow Wave!"
There was a loud, agonized roar as the pitch-blackness around her burst apart. Ink stood, breathing heavily, sweat beading her brow, as she held her weapon. A bright blue aura surrounded her, illuminated her Baton. "We'll never...give in! Everyone is depending on us to save them! And our dreams...our dreams belong to us!"
Behind her, there was a burst of red light, tearing apart more shadows, and a figure slowly appeared.
"They are ours to do with as we please! We want them to come true, we'll make it happen! We want find a new dream, we'll do that! We'll never let you do something so cruel as eat them!"
"That's right." Twirl groaned as she reappeared, slowly sitting up from a mass of shadow and staggering towards Ink, nearly falling sideways but catching herself at the last moment. One hand went to her side, the other flexed as the Baton of Heart appeared in it. "We can't let their dreams be eaten. We can't let our world be eaten, especially by the likes of you."
"You've hurt so many people," Spice said in a low voice as she too appeared from the darkness, right behind Twirl. Despite the wounds, the tiredness, the fact that Spice was clearly struggling to keep upright, both of them glared at the darker mass in the center.
"We refuse to let you continue," Aria said, pulling herself from a thicker bit of miasma, Beat's arm looped around her shoulders..
"Everyone's...everyone's counting on us," Jubilation said through gritted teeth, ignoring the painfully-cold tingling in her arms. She flung one arm out, sending globs of Mora off of herself to float idly in the air. A casual blast of golden magic destroyed them instantly.
The six girls stood together, glowering at something above and in front of them. "We all...will not let you have your way!"
The miasma around them started churning, moving quickly as if panicked. And with good reason.
The girls' angry gaze was locked right on another pitch-black piece of Mora. One that had the serpentine shadows swirling around it. The core.
Their true target.
In darkness, Honoria opened her eyes, reached out her hand. No, she wasn't gone yet. She wasn't devoured, nor was her dream...
"What is your dream, Honoria?" the blond man asked her as they walked through the palace.
Honoria smiled up at him. "Well, I..."
"Pretty Cure...I hear you, Pretty Cure! I won't give up either!"
"Pretty Cure Spice! Cinnamon Blitz!"
Bursts of yellow tore at the core, resulting in another infuriated roar. Several large, serpentine shadows lashed out, heading straight for the hovering Cure Spice.
But before they could reach her, Cure Aria zoomed in front of her, throwing her cape in front of herself. The shadows smacked into it, shrieking as the all-blocking, all-destroying cape burned them up into nothingness.
From the core's other side, Beat and Twirl leaped upwards, the hair fluttering rapidly from the motion.
"Pretty Cure Beat!"
"Pretty Cure Twirl! Ribbon..."
"Crash!"
Purple and red, ribbons and musical notes, intertwined around each other and drilled into the core of Mora, resulting in another pained roar. The girls grit their teeth, focusing their energy to keep the attack going beyond its normal limits.
"Honoria!" Ink screamed, she and Jubilation leaping up too. They flew towards the core, weaving and avoiding the shadows that pursued them, the blasts of colorful energy that destroyed said shadows. Ink reached the core first, Jubilation joining her a second later. Both of them plunged their hands in, reached around-
-and smiled triumphantly as they found something warm, solid and soft. They pulled-
-and Cure Honoria burst out, a determined expression on her own face.
"Pretty Cure..." Honoria whispered. She smiled briefly, letting Ink and Jubilation hug her close and pull her further from the core. The others joined them, surrounding her in a protective hug. But a moment later, she let go of their hands, floated backwards. Her eyes closed tight as she rested both hands over her heart. "Pretty Cure...When a Cure's time is over, when a new generation appears, the previous one's power is transferred to them. With me remaining as I was, your power is 'unfinished,' incomplete." She opened her eyes, a hard glint to them. "The last thing I can do is give you what should have been yours long ago!"
Honoria began to glow brightly, her hair and clothes moving as if she were underwater. A heart-shaped glow appeared over her chest as she held her arms at her sides, head tilted forward. "This is the last of this generation's Cure power! Use it on Mora, quickly!"
The light shot out at Pretty Cure and Jubilation, enveloping them in it til they were nothing but girl-shaped lights. A second later, a huge, heart-shaped light appeared like an explosion, driving away all the serpentine shadows at once.
"What is this?!" Mora screeched, for once sounding panicked.
Below, Hisa's eyes went wider than ever, seeing the heart in the skies above. "Everyone! Keep cheering for Pretty Cure! Send them all your hope, dreams, and courage!"
"Pretty Cure! You can do it! You can do it, Pretty Cure!"
Cure Ink's eyes were closed as the glow slowly peeled away from her, beginning with her face and moving downward. As it flew away from her what appeared to be tiny diamonds, her new form was revealed. The top she wore was white with short, puffed sleeves with bright blue trim, and the bottom fanned out slightly in pleats. A bright blue split collar of lace brushed her chin, the same blue forming a straight line down the middle of the top and split to wrap around the bottom. The skirt, which slowly transitioned from pale blue to the same bright white of her top, reached just below her knees and billowed elegantly about her white-stockinged legs. Her white shoes were simple slip-on, but they were adorned with large, bright blue jewels on the tops and had the same blue trim. She wore billowing white detached sleeves, the blue trim at the ends, an enormous white bow at the small of her back, and her beret had gotten even larger and turned a brighter shade of blue. Similar to the bow at her back, a large white bow adorned the back of the beret. On her ears dangled bright blue heart-shaped earrings, on her chest was a large bright blue gem in the shape of a heart, from which erupted a white ribbon that gradiated to blue near the center.
Her wavy blonde hair had grown and thickened, reaching her ankles now. Her eyes opened, showing a brighter blue than before.
"The painter of dreams...Super Cure Ink!"
Alongside her, the other Cures had received similar outfits; the bright white with trim and gems of their secondary colors, with a few tweaks of course.
Twirl's now-white leotard had a ruffled miniskirt that transitioned from magenta to white. Instead of the sash descending from her bun, now her own hair had grown as well, flowing in elegant waves from a bun at the crown of her head to touch her mid-calf. And funny enough, a white tiara encircled said bun.
"The graceful dreamer...Super Cure Twirl!"
Spice's glasses were gone, her apron replaced by another, small skirt so she wore layers. Instead of the slip-on shoes, hers were boots that reached mid-calf. Her hair had already been long before, but now it was more voluminous.
"With rich and fulfilling dreams...Super Cure Spice!"
Beat's outfit didn't have pants, but a snug skirt with a split in the side up to the mid-thigh, her top now baring her midriff. Her braid was now a long, wavy ponytail with a thin braid encircling the base before being tied off with a pale purple ribbon.
"Performing the melody of dreams...Super Cure Beat!"
Aria's skirt was long and billowing, with a second shorter one atop it that split in the middle, like low wings. Her ponytails had lengthened and spiraled even more tightly, and were now held in place with bright white ribbon. Instead of detached sleeves like the others, she wore long opera gloves that began at pale pink and shifted to white as it neared the shoulder. Her cape had split and reshaped itself so now she appeared to have angel wings.
"Giving dreams a voice...Super Cure Aria!"
And Jubilation...Jubilation's hair had grown a bit longer, curlier near the ends. She wore a similar outfit to Super Cure Ink as well, but with a longer skirt, one that reached mid-calf. Her shoes were high-heels and had lacy gold trim around the tops, her dress was sleeveless, and she wore gold fingerless gloves beneath the detached sleeves. The heart gem on her chest now bore white, sparkling wings at either side.
"To fight the sadness that crushes dreams...Bright Jubilation!"
Honoria managed to smile softly at them all as she sat behind them, as they'd turned around to face the core of Mora during their introductions. "I believe in you..."
"My dream..." Honoria smiled before continuing. "My dream is to teach. I want to teach new warriors how to fight evil!"
"This is impossible! I was going to devour you!"
"Yeah...you were," Super Cure Beat said coolly.
The others said nothing, merely held their hands over their hearts. Colorful lights swirled around them, making their hair and new clothing billow about, before settling between their hands. They all thrust their arms out, and in bursts of light, their new weapons appeared.
The Scepters of Heart resembled the Batons greatly, though of course they were larger. But that was only the beginning. The ribbons were replaced by a base of diamond that glistened and shimmered rainbow, the handles had a row of thin heart-shaped diamond, and the heart-shaped gem itself gave off an aura and sparks in the girls' respective colors.
Jubilation had one as well, in gold.
The girls all held the Scepters aloft, and a beam of rainbow light shot out from Ink's to move to Twirl's, then Spice's, Beat's, Aria's, Jubilation's, and back. Connecting them all in a circle.
"Let our dreams take flight! Pretty Cure...Sparkling Dream Festival..."
Fireworks burst from the scepters to move to the center of the circle, forming a sparkling, crackling heart of energy.
"MAAAAX!"
The heart blasted towards Mora's core, slamming into it. Mora roared and tried to resist, hold off the attack it clearly wasn't ready for. But the girls just grit their teeth and focused their power harder.
"Let our dreams take flight!" they all remembered.
"My dream...my ream to be a singer! I'll keep fighting for it!" Aria screamed.
"I'll never give up my dream of being a musician! Never!"
"I'll become a great chef! I'm never abandoning that dream!"
"I'll be an Olympian and win Japan and gold! No, three of them!"
"I'm going to live a happy, fulfilling life!" Jubilation cried.
"And I..." Ink grit her teeth before yelling up at Mora. "I'm going to be friends with everyone forever! And I'll keep doing what I love, no matter what happens!"
"Let out dreams take flight!"
The heart started to give off more fireworks that ate away at Mora, gradually enveloped it in light and color. Mora roared as it started to fold in on itself, but the girls paid no mind, gritting their teeth and focusing harder. Screaming as they poured every bit of power, willpower, and hope into that attack.
"And this time..." Ink gasped. "This time, Mora...DON'T COME BAAAAACK!"
"PRETty Cuuuure..."
The light overpowered Mora just then, and burst outward.
In Atama, a strange, dull whumpf was heard. There was a flash of white light, then in the blink of an eye it'd become a ring. The ring expanded rapidly, sweeping over the sky, the city, small sparkles of gold gently raining down from it. The Mora that covered the city, a thick ocean of moving, pulsating goo that had submerged an entire, dome-protected school, was sucked upward in pieces, tearing apart as it went until none of it was left, leaving Brightown clean as it'd been before. Sure a lot of sandwich-board signs were knocked over, anything that'd fallen or been dropped unceremoniously in the streets was still there to litter the ground, but aside from that it looked like nothing had happened to it.
This entire process took place in a single second, so when one of the windows creaked open, no one knew quite what'd happened, how to react.
After a moment, the large doors opened, and the crowd slowly filtered outside, stopping at the edge of the dome to stare out at their...clean, protected, saved city.
Hisa cautiously pocketed the Dream Charm, and as if by an unspoken command, the dome flickered out of existence. Nothing else happened – no ooze to pour at them, nothing to absorb them, no screaming. Just quiet glances at one another, families and friends slowly venturing outside the gates as the first of the morning birdsong was heard.
A little girl broke from the crowd to run ahead. Smiling with tears in her eyes, she stopped, knelt down, and retrieved her teddy bear, hugging it tightly.
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.
"Ibukiiii! You're gonna be late!"
"Hang on, gimme a sec!"
In another city, a blonde girl hurriedly slipped on her shoes outside, hopping a little. That done, she ran down the road to meet her friends.
Halfway there, her phone buzzed.
"Huh?" Ibuki pulled her cell phone out, frowning slightly at the new text notification. Who could possibly be emailing her so early in the day, before school? Her fingers tapped the buttons to open the message...and her eyes widened a little before closing, a little snort escaping her. "Geez, Fumie, so dramatic."
saved the world. ur welcome!
"Fumie-tan, you ready to go?" Mari asked, poking her head into the art room. She'd just got done meeting with her cheering squad, so she was still in her uniform. "We can't keep the girls waiting!"
"Yeah, just a second!" Fumie slipped her PreCure PC into her jacket pocket after regarding with a small smile.
Even after all this, it hadn't returned to being her simple pocket computer. It was still the PreCure PC, still allowed her to transform. Hisa had said that it was probably because, even after one world was safe, Pretty Cure would always be needed. To save another magical land, to fight criminals, or maybe even to team up with other Cures to save their own world a second time. Or a fifth.
That was just fine with Fumie. She couldn't imagine ever going back to her normal mundane life, not after the adventure she and her friends had had.
Fumie joined Mari in the hallway and they made for the stairs. "Did the rest of the squad want you to stay long?"
"Nah~!" Mari grinned, rubbing the skin beneath her nose. "Well, okay, they did, but I told 'em that I wanted to spend time with Fumie-tan. And after that, they let me go!" She smiled a little sheepishly then, looking at Fumie. "I should have done that earlier. Tell them what I wanted instead of letting them guess. Thanks, Fumie-tan."
"Oh...you're welcome!"
Mari's grin suddenly looked a little cheekier. "Well...I won't tell you what I want from you just yet, though. Maybe I'll let you try to figure that one out~"
Fumie blinked. "Eh?"
"You're so dense sometimes~ Figure it out, Fumie-tan~!" Mari laughed and broke into a run, leaving Fumie behind, blinking mutely.
After she got her bearings, Fumie turned a faint red before running after Mari. "Hey! Hey, c'mon, tell me what that meant! Mari, I'm not a mind-reader, remember?"
On the steps leading out of the building, Fureyaa tugged at the collar of his school uniform. "It itches," he complained. "The tie's way too tight, Uta!"
"But you look nice in it!" Uta laughed behind her hand.
"Is that why you guys get to be casual and I have to wear my uniform? Because you think I look nice?"
"Well-"
Fureyaa smiled. "Because if that's true, then I guess I don't mind!"
"Barf..." Kotone mumbled, earning herself a nudge from Kurako and a faint ahem from Aoi.
"It just feels so weird," he said at last. "Wearing a tie, and such stuffy clothes. Even when I was Hikaru, I wore shorter sleeves than this."
"Sorry, Fureyaa!" Uta said with a laugh and a clap of her hands. "But if you're going to be a student here..." She didn't need to finish that, of course.
Fureyaa had wanted to stay on Earth after all was said and done. They were still figuring out where he'd stay, but so long as he lived in Brightown, he had to go to school. But that was fine with him. As long as it meant spending more time with Uta and the others, it was okay!
He sighed, chuckling lightly. "So when's Casual Friday?"
Mari and Fumie jogged past the infirmary, giving Hitomi a quick wave.
Hitomi smiled, folded her arms as she watched them go. "You know, Kagami?" she said as the blonde nurse exited the recovery room. "I can't explain it, but I just get this...this happy, thankful feeling when I see those two. Yanno?"
Kagami giggled lightly, closing her eyes. "I know just what you mean!"
"By the way, how's our new assistant doing?"
"Well..."
Inside the recovery room, a young boy sat on a chair, his pant legs rolled up to expose his knee, his hands wiping at his eyes. "It hurts so much!"
"Shhh, I know, don't worry," a young woman told him. She held a peroxide-soaked cotton ball in a pair of tweezers and gently dabbed at the wound, blowing gently as she did so. "Just hang in there, okay? It'll be done soon."
Gradually, the boy's sniffles died down, and he lowered his hands to his lap. "It...doesn't hurt anymore."
"See? I tolja!" The nurse smiled and sat back, her long white-blonde hair swaying slightly. "It's my job to get you better and take the pain away – have some faith in me!" she teased.
The boy laughed, wiping his grubby face a bit.
"Now," the nurse added, opening her magenta eyes. "Go see Kagami for your lollipop, and get back to the game. 'kay?"
"Okay!"
The doors opened, and everyone turned towards them, smiling. Fureyaa stopped tugging his collar for a moment to wave. "Heeeey! Ready to go?"
"Ffft, of course we are~!" Mari answered for Fumie, clasping her hand and dragging her to the others.
They were quiet as they began to make their way across the campus, but that didn't last for long.
"The school nurse..." Aoi began.
"Yeah," Kotone said. "I know." She smiled, eyes becoming lidded. "I saw her earlier...Her name's Chinami, apparently."
Uta nodded. "And it's not just her! There was a girl auditioning for the Drama Club the other day..."
"I am a princess of the Land of Confections! I will not stand by and let you take my kingdom to satisfy your hunger! A princess stands and defends what she loves, and I shall do just that!"
The Drama Club applauded, broad smiles on their faces as the girl on stage held her dramatic stance.
"That was great, Miss...?" the leader trailed off, tilting his head.
"Ahaha!" The girl relaxed, tilting her head and rubbing the back of her head, poking her tongue out playfully. The light reflected briefly off her glasses, and made her magenta pigtails look brighter. "Kurumi~! My name's Kurumi!"
"And with Fureyaa here," Aoi said as they exited the school gates. "That's nearly everyone!"
Nearly.
That word dampened the mood a bit, and they lapsed back into silence, walking the path between the trees. Chuusha, Kemuri, Fureyaa, they were all here. But...
Fumie stared at the ground as she remembered the aftermath of their battle.
Super Pretty Cure and Bright Jubilation floated high above the city, among the pale pink, lavender, and orange clouds as dawn broke. Each of them held their Scepters of Heart in their hands for a few moments longer before the weapons vanished in little bubbles of light. Mora was gone. Never to come back.
"It's over now..." Ink said, voice low and trembling slightly. She turned around to look at the others, a slow smile making its way across her face til it nearly reached her ears. She let out a short, barking laugh and leaped at the rest of the girls, who caught her in a massive group hug. Soon, all of them were joining in her joyful, uncontrollable laughter.
Well, almost all of them.
"Honoria!" Ink turned to look at her then. "Honoria, we've done it, thanks to you! Thanks so much!...eh, Honoria?"
Honoria, still in the dress she wore as a ghost haunting the school, just stood with her back to the others, her hands lifted at chest-level, head bowed slightly to look at them. Although the girls couldn't see it, a tiny, rueful smile appeared on her lips. "...it's over."
And then, before everyone's eyes, a tiny sparkle of golden light drifted upwards. And then another. And another.
And then they finally noticed the light, golden aura around Honoria as she turned to face them.
"It's over...Mora's gone."
"Honoria?" Jubilation whispered as everyone's smiles faded.
But Honoria's smile only grew. "Mora took my dreams, my happiness, away from me. He left me as nothing but a shell, a puppet soldier, for a long time...longer than I should have existed. His power, it was the only thing that tied me to this world." She looked down at her hands again, which were glowing so brightly that the fine details could no longer be seen, just gold light. The tips of her fingers were nearly gone now, sparkles floating upward as she was slowly-
"It seems...with Mora gone, my time here is up."
"What?" Aria gasped, hands flying over her mouth. "H-Honoria, that can't be! We...we wanted to save you too!"
"Aria's right!" said Spice, her features twitching slightly. "We wanted to save both worlds, and save you too – it isn't fair if you go away because of us! You can't go away, not when you've finally been freed!"
"But don't you hear yourselves?" Honoria lifted her head again, tears flowing down her glowing face. "You just said it yourself: I'm free.
"I was never meant to exist this long. I've lived, as a hopeless shell, for much longer than humans are supposed to live. My existence was a miserable one...I'm free to move to the next world now. It's a happier ending than you believe, trust me. I'm...I'm glad I could be of help, I'm glad I met all of you! I'm so...so glad..." she whispered.
By now her mid-calves were evaporating as well, and her hands had vanished up to the wrists. As she cried, her tears no longer flowed down her cheeks, but floated away from her in tiny bubbles of light to drift up and join the sparkles. "So please, please don't cry! I'm happy, I'm truly happy!" she said, laughing through her tears.
"There's just...one thing I want from all of you." Honoria looked towards Aria, eyes softening a little more. "Aria?"
"Y-yes?"
"I remember your song...I remember all my time at Atama, all the time I spent with all of you. I remember how much I loved your song. Could you...could you please sing it for me? One more time, as I go?"
"A-Ah! O-Of course!" Aria gasped, and stepped away from the group to be before Honoria. Her hands went over her heart, tears streaming from her eyes. "I-I might cry and ruin it."
"You could never," Honoria whispered.
Aria chuckled briefly before she shut her eyes and lowered her head.
Once upon a time I heard you calling
A quiet voice that said my name so gently
And though you're oh so far away, I'll find you
So please don't cry anymore
Just then, Beat's voice joined hers, and she too stepped forward, looking tearfully at Honoria. Her sister glanced at her in surprise before turning her gaze back to the glowing, fading girl.
Hear my voice, and know that you're not alone
These words, I'll dedicate them all to you
Searching far and wide, until the end of time
Following your voice, and singing with my own
Spice, Twirl, Jubilation, Ink; they all joined in then, stepping forward to stand around and behind Aria in a vision of solidarity. All of them were crying, but that didn't affect the song.
There you were, so lonely and afraid
I held your hand and our fingers intertwined
"I love you," were the words you sang to me
"And I'll love you forever," were the words I sang in response
I could see it, a light shining brightly in your eyes
And it chased all the darkness away
Honoria just smiled even more, the tears pouring faster as her face was obscured with light. "Everyone...thank you!"
Those were her last words, as what little remained of her burst into golden sparks to drift upwards, towards the few stars that remained.
Once upon a time I heard you calling
A quiet voice that sang the words "I love you"
Though you were oh so far away, I found you
So please, keep on singing
"You know..." Kurako said finally. "I think...I've been thinking about it, these past few days, and I think I'm...I'm a little more okay with what happened. It's like...It's like, she'd been through a lot, a lot of horrible things, and now...Now it's like, she can rest. She can sleep."
"Yeah," Uta said with a nod. "I'm sure she'll eventually be reborn too, but...not for a while. She deserves to rest, after all she's been through."
"Then what about Gachan?" Mari asked.
Fureyaa was the one who answered. "I think...Gachan loved Honoria. I think the reason he's not with us either is because...he didn't want to leave her alone."
Everyone nodded. That sounded the most reasonable.
Of course, they would still be sad about what'd happened, they would miss Ayumu dearly, but really, this was probably the best thing that could have happened.
"Well!" Fumie suddenly declared, jogging to the front of the group and turning around to face them. She stood in the middle of the path, hands clasped behind her back, smiling broadly. "Enough of this! Pretty Cure saved two worlds, and a princess, and a fellow Cure! We should be happy!"
"Kaana and Hisa have already gone home, but we can still visit...that's another reason to smile!" Kurako laughed.
"Yeah, and we can all be together for a long time, right? Be friends forever?" added Aoi.
Kotone laughed, clapping a hand on Aoi's shoulder. "Ffft, of course! After what we've gone through, is there any doubt?"
"We'll stick together no matter what, as Cures and friends." Uta clasped Fureyaa's hand, the two exchanging glances.
"And we'll all achieve those dreams we mentioned before, right~?" Mari laughed.
"Right!"
Fumie glanced at her cell phone. "Whoop. Kaana and Hisa are expecting us now. You guys ready?" She smiled broadly when they all nodded, and pulled out her PreCure PC. The rest of the Cures, and Mari, did as well. Fumie tapped a button to bring up a new screen.
Contact Dream Peaks?
Yes/No
She tapped "Yes," there was a burst of white light (a faint pipipipipi sound could be heard), and then they were all gone.
Himemiya stood at the head of the crowd, everyone gazing skyward. Hisa and Kaana, in their human forms, flanked her, unable to stop smiling at their princess.
Hisa's eyes suddenly widened, and she stepped forward to point up at the sky. "There they are!"
There was a bright light, and when it faded, six figures were swooping downwards, linking hands one by one as the crowd below cheered and cried their welcomes.
"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!"
"Me, Fureyaa! I have no clever introduction!"
"The strong, joyous heart, Jubilation!"
"Protecting everyone's dreams, Pretty Cure Bukatsudo Energetic!"
"Everyone...thank you very much!"
ED: "Just Close Your Eyes" - Yukari Tamura
(Author's Note: Wow. It's over. It's finally over. I have such mixed feelings about this, but wow, just wow. Well, a big thank you to everyone who read, enjoyed, or both!)