"Now we wait for the topcoat to dry... And we're done!" Natsumi sat back and smiled as Haru brought her hand to her face, staring in awe at her index finger. "Now you've got a cute little daisy on your nail."

"It's so pretty! Thanks, Kumi's Sister!"

Natsumi chuckled. "You can call me Natsumi, you know. It's okay."

Haru shook her head rapidly.

"Oh, let her call you 'Kumi's Sister' if she wants," laughed Momoka. She sat on Natsumi's bed, painting her toenails with sparkly peach polish. "I couldn't call anyone older than me by their first name when I was her age. Telling me to do so only made me self-conscious."

"What's 'self-conscious' mean?" asked Kumi.

"It means 'shy.' Okay, Kumi, what sticker do you want on your nail?" Natsumi patted the spot in front of her as Haru scooted away and Kumi cheerfully took her place.

"A rainbow!"

There was a knock at Natsumi's door, and a moment later Wakana leaned into the room, a huge bowl in her hands. "Who wants popcorn?"

"Meeeee!" four young voices chorused at once.

Wakana walked in, carefully avoiding the throw pillows, nail polish, magazines, and the small CD player quietly playing a pop song. She swept aside a stack of DVDs with her foot, then set down a huge bowl of chocolate-caramel popcorn. "I'll be up in a few minutes with sodas," she added, taking a step back as Rui dove into the bowl.

"Thanks, Mom." Natsumi looked up from working on Kumi's nail to smile appreciatively. "And then you and Dad are holing yourselves away in your room, right?"

"That's right," Wakana laughed. "And we'd rather not have to come out, so no scary movies."

"Mom, the girls are too young for any of the stuff Momoka and I like, anyway," Natsumi pointed out. "We'll put on some family movies or something."

"Well, you're free to raid the fridge and cupboards," Wakana said. "We have more popcorn, if you use the microwave past eleven, hit 'stop' before the timer runs out. I'll bring your sodas and that's the last any of you are seeing me until morning. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" everyone said.

Momoka turned towards Natsumi as Wakana left the room. "It was nice of your parents to let you both have sleepovers."

Indeed, all four of the younger girls were sitting in Natsumi's room, already wearing their pajamas. Their sleeping bags had been piled up in a corner of the room, and would be spread out when they were ready to sleep.

Natsumi and Momoka were in their pajamas as well, though Momoka didn't have her sleeping bag with her.

The room was, in a word, crowded.

"Well, when you wanted to stay over, but then Kumi wanted to have her friends over, they kinda figured it'd be best to knock it out at once," Natsumi laughed. "Okay, Kumi, you're all finished."

"Can I have a glitter topcoat?"

"Okay, okay..."

As Natsumi lifted Kumi's hand again, the ring on the younger girl's finger caught the light and gleamed.

OP: Your Glow

Episode 8:

"A Sparkling Sleepover!"

"And then it's like this: 'out that door... buh-buh-bye.'" Rui stood in front of the TV, slowly performing the dance moves that matched the song lyrics.

In front of her, Haru and Masako slowly copied her. Haru murmured the words to the song under her breath, nodding as she finished the move.

"And then you put it all together like this."

"Like this?"

"Yeah, you've got it - eh, Masako, you don't have to nod your head after you move your shoulders."

"I thought the head-nod gave it a bit of character."

Kumi sat a short distance away, watching her friends dance. Beside her were Momoka and Natsumi, sharing the popcorn and looking through their movie collection. "Rui's a pretty good dancer," Momoka said.

Rui grinned, rubbing the back of her head shyly. "I love dancing! I tried out for the dance squad once, but it didn't really work out."

"Well, don't be discouraged!" said Natsumi. "You can try again next year."

"Or try cheer squad, when you go into junior high," offered Momoka. "I'm sure you'll make it next time."

"Uh-hm. I think so too - so I'm gonna practice way more often, that way I'm pro-level when the next year's auditions pop up!" Rui cheered, pumping her fists and almost smacking Haru in the arm. "Oh, sorry, Haru."

While all of this was going on, the door to Natsumi's room slowly creaked open.

Natsumi, however, didn't notice. She just smiled indulgently and reached for a magazine. "Hey, I did cheer once. If you decide to go for that, just talk to me. I'll give you some pointers."

"Really? Thanks, Kumi's sister!" Rui grinned, then turned to Momoka. "Momoka, did you do cheerleading?"

"Huh? Oh-" Momoka waved her hands in front of herself, smiling awkwardly as her glasses slipped down her nose a bit. "-nononono, definitely not. I'm not nearly coordinated enough for that." Calming down and adjusting her glasses, she hummed quietly and reached for the popcorn. "No, I was more... I was more of the academic type, studying and reading in the library instead. But then I discovered fashion, and- hm?" Momoka blinked, staring as her hand touched something prickly.

There, perched on the edge of the bowl, a few pieces of popcorn between her paws, was Glimmer.

For a few seconds, the hedgehog and girl stared at each other, while Kumi panicked in the background. Then Momoka...

...laughed.

"A hedgehog!" she cried, carefully scooping Glimmer off the bowl and holding her up to her face. "How cute! Kumi, Natsumi, you guys didn't say you had a pet hedgehog!"

Natsumi blinked slowly. "I... I don't," she mumbled, shooting Kumi an incredulous look. "Kumi? When did-"

"Ahahaha!" Kumi forced a laugh as she snatched Glimmer out of Momoka's hands. She hugged the little hedgehog close to her chest, smiling awkwardly. "Sh-She was a gift! I didn't tell you or Mom yet because I didn't want Mom to make me give her back!"

Behind her, the other three girls exchanged anxious looks. Masako leaned over to whisper to Rui. "Isn't that a dangerous excuse?" she whispered, quietly enough so the older girls couldn't hear. "What if Kumi's sister makes her tell anyway?"

"If that happens, I'll take Glimmer, don't worry," Rui whispered back.

"You?" chimed in Haru. "But your room is-"

"What about my room?"

Natsumi frowned even deeper as she stared at Kumi. "And who gave you a hedgehog?"

"Uhhhhhh- one of my classmates? Kazu?" Kumi tried.

In her arms, Glimmer fought the urge to scream in frustration.

"A boy gave you a hedgehog? Where did he get it? What if it's got rabies or somethi-"

"Natsumi." Momoka laughed and put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, stopping her mid-word. "It's fine. She's showing no signs of rabies, she looks like a normal pet hedgehog, and if Kumi took care of it for so long without anyone noticing then she must be doing a good job. Besides, this is a sleepover, let's not bring down the mood."

Natsumi sighed. "I guess, but... It feels weird to keep a secret from Mom and Dad."

"Hey, we all have our secrets," Momoka laughed again. "There's nothing wrong with a kid keeping a pet in their closet. And if I remember right," she added with a wicked gleam in her eye. "You told me a few weeks ago about how you kept a kitten in your closet for a week when you were Kumi's age."

"Eh, she what?!" Kumi cried, leaning forward and dropping Glimmer onto the floor. (Glimmer yelped indignantly, but it was ignored.) "Natsumi, you did, really? How come I didn't know?!"

Natsumi's face turned scarlet. "Momoka, I told you that in confidence!" she whispered harshly, then sighed. "Okay, yeah, I kept a kitten in my closet. Kumi, you were too young to remember, and Mom and Dad didn't want to tell you what happened anyway in case you wanted to keep it."

"What happened to it?" asked Haru.

"Oh, they gave it to a friend of the family. I was allowed to visit it once in a while." She squinted down at Glimmer, who was trying to look inconspicuous as a pastel hedgehog could. "But that was a kitten, this is a hedgehog... And what's up with her coloring? I've never seen a hedgehog with blue before-"

"She's a special breed!" Haru blurted out. "An, um, albino."

"Huh." Natsumi stared for a few more seconds, then shrugged. "Fine, I'll keep it a secret, Kumi, but you gotta tell Mom and Dad eventually."

"I will, I promise," Kumi laughed nervously, then reached for the DVD stack. "Uhm, can we watch a movie now, please?"

"Sure sure, what do you girls wanna see?"

As Natsumi began to go through the DVDs, and the four girls all began shouting their suggestions, Momoka looked back down at Glimmer. For a second, the two of them made eye contact. Momoka stared, then smiled, ever so slightly.

Eyecatch 1: Kumi, Masako, Haru, and Rui are shown one by one wearing a princess dress in their theme colors. Then the four pose in front of a mirror together as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.

Eyecatch 2: Kumi is shown in front of a vanity, holding a series of earrings up in front of her. She cycles through pink hearts, blue diamonds, yellow teardrops, and green clovers before settling on white crowns. She then clips the crown earrings onto Glimmer's ears as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.

Electrum walked around Onyx's room, idly tidying up. It was his turn to watch over his brother, but he hated to just sit and do nothing. What could even be done when he was in here? Sit in a chair and stare at his brother's sleeping body? Talk to him, not even knowing if it would help, if Onyx could even hear him?

No, he had so many other ways to occupy his time. He could be so much more productive.

He made a face as he moved the cleaning cloth away from Onyx's crystal ball, looking at the dust and dirt he'd scrubbed away. "This is disgusting," he grumbled. "If you were awake to see this..." He shook his head, tsk-ing as he finished cleaning the glass and the table it rested on. "Your heart would break, I swear. You were so proud of your magic tools, too."

Yes, he was talking to Onyx right now. Just because he didn't know if it would work, didn't mean he wouldn't try at all.

"I can't believe Sterling doesn't tidy up while she's in here. Actually, no, I take that back. I do believe it. Silly girl probably worries she'll get her clothes dirty. As if washing and soap doesn't exist."

And suddenly, things seemed... different. Electrum paused, frowning. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the atmosphere had shifted slightly. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, a light shudder going up his spine. It was like someone was standing behind him, with their finger barely hovering over his skin but not touching him.

Slowly, Electrum turned around. "Brother?" he called out.

"No! No, Karin, don't go in there!" Haru cried, hugging a pillow to her chest. "He's a jerk!"

Masako stared at the TV in confusion. "I don't get it," she said quietly, looking towards Kumi. "Josuke is rude to Karin's friends. Why does she still like him?"

Kumi nodded slowly, a similar frown on her own face. She sat cross-legged on top of her pillow, with Glimmer sitting on her knee. A small bowl of popcorn sat in front of her, matching everyone else's person portions. "I think she's better with Ryotaro," she said. "Ryotaro's kinda a loner, yeah, but he's a lot nicer to his classmates. Josuke was a jerk who made fun of one of the girls during Sports Day."

"And Ryotaro is way nicer to Karin's little sister!" Rui added. "Josuke called her names!"

Natsumi snorted as she popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Yeah, I know. As soon as someone was rude to my little sister, I'd kick them to the curb. Like, c'mon, she's just a kid, what the heck is your problem?"

"Wait wait wait!" Haru gasped. She and Momoka were the only ones enraptured by the movie, some made-for-TV drama that had once aired on the Family Network on their movie night. "Wait, she's telling him off, look!"

'And one more thing...' the girl on the TV said, glaring at her classmate, furious tears in her eyes. 'My baby sister is not a brat!' And with that, she ran off, her school bag thumping against her back as she did.

Haru whooped, clapping wildly. "Yeah! You tell him! No go find Ryotaro!"

Masako looked up at Natsumi and Momoka. "Is high school always this dramatic?"

The girls looked at each other for a second, then promptly burst into laughter. "No way," Natsumi laughed, waving a hand. "Not nearly."

"I think the most dramatic thing was when Satoko was caught plagiarizing her essay homework."

"Oooh, what happened?" asked Kumi, perking up and scooting closer to her sister.

"Well, okay, so we were assigned to-"

"Would you guys stop it?!" Haru suddenly shouted, hugging her pillow closer to her body. She glared at the TV, the glow reflecting on her glasses and obscuring her eyes. "I'm trying to watch the movie!"

Everyone laughed quietly, but settled back and continued with the film.

"-but the townspeople knew the truth, and they whispered about it for many nights: Ichabod had been spirited away by the Headless Horseman. The schoolhouse was abandoned, but on some nights, it was said you could hear the wailing of Ichabod's ghost." Natsumi held the flashlight under her face as she wrapped up her tale, gazing around at the wide-eyed audience.

Kumi gulped audibly. "Is it true, Natsumi?"

"True as I can recall."

"Ugghhhh!" Rui wailed, flopping backwards onto her sleeping bag. "How am I supposed to sleep now?!"

"If it makes you feel better," said Momoka, "a horse can't get in here."

"But I'm gonna have nightmares!"

"Don't worry," Momoka said. "The two of us will protect the rest of you."

"At least until breakfast." Natsumi yawned, switching off the flashlight and climbing up into her bed. "Okay, everyone, sleep time. It's already two AM."

Nobody complained. Instead, they pulled open their sleeping bags, and wiggled inside, yawning or blinking tiredly. Kumi scootched over to make room for Glimmer on her pillow.

Her ring caught the moonlight and gleamed again.

Momoka noticed. "Hey, girls," she said, pausing halfway into Natsumi's bed. "Wouldn't it be more comfortable if you took your rings off?"

"Huh?" Kumi looked down at her ring, as if surprised to see it. "Oh, no, it's fine."

"Yeah, we forget they're even there sometimes," Masako mumbled, already half-asleep.

"...but they look like nice rings. You don't want them to chip by accident, do you?"

"We're fine," Haru sighed sleepily, curling up in her bag.

Rui just snored, but even that sounded like an agreement.

Momoka paused again, hmm-ing to herself, then let the matter drop.

"Brooootheeeer~!" Sterling strode down the hall towards Onyx's rooms, her arms laden with shopping bags. "I'm back~! And I brought souvenirs~! I found you the most adorable jacket that'll bring out your eyes and-"

"Sterling!" Electrum ran forward, his eyes uncharacteristically wide. He grabbed her arm, tugging her down the hall. "Quickly! Look!"

His expression and tone were so serious that Sterling didn't object. She said nothing, instead allowing her other arm to go slack and drop her bags onto the floor. This was clearly more important than shopping.

Sterling stumbled in the doorway to Onyx's room, dropping the rest of her bags when Electrum finally released her. She rubbed it slightly, glancing at Electrum before beginning, "What's going on? Is something wro-"

"Is that Sterling?"

The familiar, deep voice caused Sterling to freeze. She slowly turned her head to look towards Onyx's body.

Electrum nodded quickly. "It is, Brother. She's here, we're both here."

Onyx was still lying supine, his eyes still closed. But there was a slight change. The red brooch, which had previously been on the nightstand, was now fixed to his collar. Its surface shifted and pulsed with strange, swirling colors and tones, a dark aura surrounding it.

When Onyx's voice sounded again, it sounded strange, as if he were in a great, hollow room. Sterling knew, somehow, that the voice was coming from the brooch.

"Onyx...?" she whispered, stepping forward. "Brother?"

"Sterling... Electrum. I've been waiting to hear your voices again."

ED: Miracles Can Happen