Episode Four: No Way! The Three Heroes are Parting?!

Hiroko was up and around early on Sunday morning. She slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb the still-sleeping Muse and Kichu and prepared to get ready for the day ahead. Today was important - it was the day that she, Izumi, and Yasu would have their first outing together. After all, they needed to get to know each other better now that they were a full-fledged Pretty Cure team.

Or well, a mostly full-fledged Pretty Cure team, Hiroko mused as she began to get dressed. Marina had mentioned them being a team of five before, and when she and Jun had met with Marina in her office the other afternoon, it had been one of the first things Hiroko had brought up with her.

The moment Hiroko had broached the question, Marina had immediately faltered. "You should have those crystals available to you, Hiroko-chan. But… Cure Ouryuu's crystal was lost to us, after Clio…" Her eyes had briefly locked with Jun's before she looked away again. "We were only able to recover a few pieces."

"It's okay!" Jun insisted. She didn't seem quite okay, and Kichu appeared to pick up on it, squeaking discontentedly from his perch on her shoulder. "It isn't your fault! It isn't… anyone's fault."

Hiroko heard Jun's voice falter, and she immediately reached out and gave the blue-haired girl's hand a squeeze. She was already wishing she hadn't asked - sure, neither Jun nor Marina had spelled out what had happened to Clio, but she was astute enough to read between the lines.

Jun squeezed Hiroko's hand right back. "It's okay." she said quietly. "I'm okay, Hironyan. I'm okay." Her words said one thing, but the way she gripped Hiroko's hand a bit too tightly said another.

Silence reigned in Marina's office for a moment or so before she spoke again. "As for Cure Suzaku… her crystal should have been passed to a successor. Should have. I somehow doubt that's the case."

"Then, you mean the person who saved us back then was-" Hiroko began.

Marina nodded. "I suspect so. And if that's the case, she's playing a dangerous game." She saw Hiroko and Jun preparing to speak up and raised a hand. "I'll attend to that matter. To both of those matters. I swear I won't allow you three to fight at a disadvantage."

"Then what should we do?" Hiroko asked.

Marina just smiled. "Focus on getting to know one another better. Learn and grow as a team. No matter how different the three of you are, I know you can understand each other's hearts. That's where the power of Pretty Cure truly lies, Hiroko-chan"

Truly understanding each other's hearts… Hiroko wanted to believe she was on the way to doing that, she thought to herself as she looked in the bathroom mirror and spent a moment taking in her full ensemble - a sky-blue button down, a black and dark gray suspender skirt, black tights, and black boots.

Sure, Izumi was Hiroko's polar opposite in many respects, but she had taken her and Jun under her wing so readily, and the passion she applied to everything she took an interest in was so infectious.

And sure, Hiroko was still a little nervous around Yasu, but there was a genuinely kind and caring girl behind that frosty front, one who was clearly terribly lonely, despite her protests otherwise.

Hiroko headed to the kitchen, rolled up her sleeves, and began to work on breakfast for everyone - a big stack of fluffy souffle-style pancakes for her and Jun and a stack of tiny souffle-style pancakes for Kichu. She wasn't worried about how well she could get along with Izumi and Yasu, she mused as she worked on the pancakes. She was worried about how well Izumi and Yasu would get along with each other.

"Sorry, Tsubasa, but I'm still not sure about this hangout idea." Izumi had told Hiroko after they had tracked her down at the end of her gymnastics practice. The blond was idly doing stretches as she spoke. "Like, okay, I admit it, I was wrong about Fukuda. She likes some people. You, at least. But-"

"Fukuda-san went out of her way for all three of us." Hiroko insisted. "I don't think she dislikes you, Hamasaki-san. She just isn't used to-"

"I somehow doubt that." Izumi immediately shot back. "Look... I'll try and get along with Fukuda. But something tells me being friends is off the table."

Hiroko heaved a quiet sigh as she worked on the pancakes, gradually building up a good-sized stack for her and Jun. She knew Izumi wasn't fond of Yasu, but it was disheartening hearing someone like her give up before she even tried to be friends. But then, Izumi's reaction to her proposal wasn't the only one that had her worried.

Yasu had looked a bit taken aback when Hiroko had caught up with her in the Art Club's room that afternoon.

"The four of us… having an outing together." she echoed as she worked to put away her art supplies. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!" Hiroko said. "We're a team now, Fukuda-san. Why wouldn't I want to include you?"

Yasu said nothing for a moment. Her gaze slid away from Hiroko before she spoke. "I may be trouble." she said quietly. "For all of you. We're very different people."

"All three of us are - and that's okay!" Hiroko tried not to sound too desperate, as much as the idea of Yasu walling herself off made her heart hurt. "If we spend time getting to know each other, it won't matter, right?"

Yasu was silent for a moment more before she offered a rigid "Understood. I'll be there, then."

Hiroko frowned a bit, even as she put the finishing touches on all three stacks of pancakes - a sprinkle of powdered sugar, a pat of butter (or a tiny smidge, in Kichu's case), and a drizzle of maple syrup - and worked on setting the table. Maybe she was just overthinking all of this. Typical Hiroko Tsubasa, worried over nothing. It wouldn't even be the first time. She didn't think she deserved to be a Mirai Academy student or a Pretty Cure, and she was doing decent at those... right? So maybe this would go well.

Hiroko stepped back from the dining room table, taking in her handiwork. With that done, she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.

"I have to try."

That was how she had gotten this far, Hiroko told herself as she went to wake up Muse and Kichu. And that was how she would move forward. As long as she kept that in mind, it would all work out somehow... right?

Pretty Cure had agreed to meet up by the central sealing stone in Kyoukai, which sat right at the center of the city square. It was difficult to miss, between the sizable height of the pillar before Hiroko, Jun, and Kichu, and the striking sight of the golden dragon intricately carved on its side.

"It's beautiful." Hiroko said rapturously.

"Isn't it, Hironyan?" Jun, who was wearing a soft white blouse, a yellow daisy-print romper, and brown loafers, looked equally enchanted, and Kichu was struggling not to leap off her shoulder and launch himself at it. "It's one of the five pillars holding the barrier up! This is the most important one, in fact!"

Small wonder it seemed so impressive, Hiroko mused. Without thinking, she stepped towards the central sealing stone and laid a hand on it. Somehow, the act of doing so seemed to lift all tension from her body and all anxiety from her mind. It almost felt like someone was giving her a comforting hug. She would have remained there for some time… had she not heard thundering footsteps in the distance.

Hiroko jolted out of her trance right in time for Izumi to careen towards her and Jun, narrowly dodging several other passers-by along the way. The blond, who was wearing a black and fuchsia athletic jacket over a hunter green T-shirt and black shorts combo, had to flail her arms a bit to come to a stop, just a foot or so away from Hiroko and Jun.

Izumi grinned at the pair. "Tsubasa! Inoue! Hello! Hope you're ready for-" Her words trailed off into silence as she stared past Hiroko and towards Jun. "Huh? Inoue, what are you doing?"

Hiroko followed Izumi's gaze to find Jun pressing one ear to the sealing stone, a look of intense focus on her face, as if she was listening for something. Kichu, still perched on her shoulder, was mirroring her movements. Whatever she was listening for, it didn't seem like she was hearing it.

"Inoue-san?"

Jun jumped a bit. "Oh! Hironyan! Sorry, I was-" She quickly waved it off. "It's not important! Not right now." Before Hiroko could say another word, she had bounded over to Izumi. "Hi, Izunyan! Are you ready to hang out at-" She looked over at Hiroko. "Where are we going anyway, Hironyan?"

Hiroko hummed thoughtfully. "Now, that I hadn't quite planned out-"

Izumi grinned and patted Hiroko on the shoulder. "And that's why you have me! Don't worry, Tsubasa, I know all the best places in Kyoukai!" She pumped a fist into the air. "This outing will just rule all!"

"Actually, I thought we could discuss where we'd like to go first." It should have been easier to say that than it was. "Once Fukuda-san arrives-"

"Assuming Fukuda even shows up." Izumi groused.

Hiroko tried not to let any annoyance show on her face. "It'll be fine. Fukuda-san said she would hang out with us." But had she wanted to? She wasn't entirely sure. "I doubt she'd go back on a promise."

"Yeah!" Jun agreed. "Nyasu is-!" Her eyes widened. "Right there! Nyasu! Hello!"

Indeed, Yasu Fukuda was approaching the group. As usual, the cerise-haired girl cut a striking figure, this time in a white button-down, an outsize lavender cardigan, a khaki skirt, white kneesocks, and brown boots. She even had a stylish white and silver handbag with moonflower print. She wouldn't have been out of place in a fashion magazine, Hiroko decided.

Jun tore towards Yasu and tackle-hugged her before the older girl had a moment to react. Yasu looked visibly rattled by the sudden display of affection, but she made no effort to get herself out of the hug either. She just stood there awkwardly, face blank and body rigid until Jun released her.

Yasu took a moment to recover from the sudden burst of affection before she approached the others, nodding stoically to everyone in turn. "Tsubasa. Inoue. Hamasaki. Hello."

"Hello, Fukuda-san!" It was getting easier and easier not to go warm in the face around Yasu, but Hiroko still had to keep herself from staring. "I hope you're doing well."

Izumi didn't quite make eye contact with Yasu. "Oh, hey, Fukuda. We were gonna discuss, like, where the four of us want to hang out and stuff."

Yasu returned Hiroko's greeting with a brief moment of eye contact and a soft noise of acknowledgement. As for Izumi, she received a blunt "I don't really care. I only go out when I'm painting. So I have no preferences."

Izumi looked mildly irked. "Alright. That's… fine, really!" She perked back up, nodding resolutely. "Yeah! It's more than fine! I'll lead the way!" She looked over to Hiroko and Jun. "If that's cool with you guys?"

"I still don't know Kyoukai that well, so… sure?" Jun was looking towards Hiroko for assurance even as she spoke. Kichu was following suit.

Part of Hiroko wanted to say 'no' or to at least make sure Yasu felt included. Now that she got a good look at her upperclassman, she could tell Yasu was already uncomfortable and out of her element. Just dragging her along on whatever Izumi proposed would make things worse, right?

But once again, Izumi was so earnest, and that made her difficult to shoot down. So Hiroko managed a smile and a polite "Sure. I'm alright with that if Fukuda-san is."

Yasu just nodded robotically. It wasn't a reaction that boded well, but then, their outing hadn't even gotten underway. There was still a chance it would work out. They had to try.

The Tree of Wrath was truly impressive in its scope. Its gnarled roots radiated outward from the Shade Palace and grew in a vast network throughout the Shade Kingdom, and its massive trunk grew through the length of said palace and beyond, extending hundreds of feet up into the perpetually gray and dreary sky of the Shade Kingdom. Its upper canopy was equally vast, almost seeming to block out the sun.

It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever beheld, Hinyu mused as he stood in the massive red and black courtyard on the Shade Palace's roof. An especially sizable portion of the tree grew through here, with many low-hanging boughs littering the area. Hinyu ran a hand over one, smiling.

"Growing strong and healthy, I see. I'm so proud of you." He spoke to the tree almost like a proud father - and he beamed like one too when it answered his attention with a chorus of agonized whispering. "Ah, so eager!" He gave the bough a few pats. "We'll have plenty of meals for you soon enough."

As Hinyu spoke, his red eyes traveled to a pulsing, budlike growth on another nearby bough. He grinned at the sight of it, exposing a mouthful of pointed teeth.

"And look at that!" Hinyu clapped his hands together in delight. "Soon, we shall harvest that bloom, and prime another delicious snack for you! A little appetizer before His Most Glorious Majesty" Here, Hinyu's smile faltered, and his tone darkened a bit "so graciously opens the buffet. Won't that be nice?"

It would be nice, Hinyu mused, sighing quietly and closing his eyes as he returned to running his fingers against the closest bough. The Tree of Wrath was as warm as a living thing would be, and its bark pulsed and twitched under his hand. The buffet, not that shambling, broken-down relic Kagemera having anything to do with it.

"Excuse me! Hinyu-sama?"

Hinyu was immediately jolted out of his trance. His lip twitched in annoyance as he wheeled to find… hell if he could put a name to this face, let alone the faces of any of the other palace servants. This one was a young thing, no more than fourteen, with skin the color and texture of old parchment, eyes with ink-black irises… and several more pairs of ink-black eyes, some peppering his body and two more sets on his face.

The majordomo regarded the boy the same way a human might regard a cockroach. "This had best be important, boy." he sniffed. "I have no time for trivialities."

Every eye on the boy's form widened in alarm as he dropped into a hasty bow. "Please forgive any indolence of mine, Hinyu-sama!" He was using the same overly obsequious tone Hinyu used on Kagemera. Was he being mocked? "King Kagemera wishes to talk strategy with you! That, and…"

The boy abruptly trailed off into nervous silence. Hinyu lunged forward without warning, grabbing him roughly by the arm and pulling him towards him. "And what? Spit it out, boy."

The boy's fearful expression suddenly twisted into a smirk. "He wants to know why you're asking children to take the field in your stead." As he spoke, his voice shifted from a timid tenor to a familiar contralto, and his facial features began to vanish one by one. "Where is your spine, dear Hinyu?"

The last vestiges of the boy's form fell away, revealing Tamakushi. Hinyu's face contorted in disgust as he let go of the faceless woman and shoved her away from him. She seemed completely nonplussed.

"Those girls and their little friends are useful and cheap. They can be replaced. I cannot." Hinyu sneered. "His Grace knows and respects that. Do you think I'd still be standing here were that not the case?"

"Perhaps." Tamakushi was beyond amused by Hinyu's reaction. It showed blatantly in her tone and body language. "His Majesty doesn't always swing the axe right away. For all I know, you could be in Seimono's position."

The shift in Hinyu's demeanor was instantaneous. The temperature around the majordomo suddenly spiked as he flung a hand towards Tamakushi. A spiral of white-hot flame leapt forth from his palm and straight at her.

Tamakushi made no effort to dodge. Instead, she coolly leapt backward and summoned her naginata the very second Hinyu moved to strike. She blocked the first flame expertly with her naginata and sliced straight through the second one Hinyu sent at her without missing a beat.

"Do not ever put me in the same category as that traitor!" Hinyu snarled. His features and body language were becoming steadily more bestial by the moment, and Tamakushi could see the phantom outlines of three fox tails twitching agitatedly behind him. "Still that tongue of yours, or I will still it for you!"

Tamakushi just laughed. "That might be a bit difficult, dear Hinyu. But you're welcome to try." She swept past the majordomo. Let him pounce if he wanted. She was ready for that too. "His Majesty does want to talk strategy with you. I wasn't lying about that." She paused before turning on her heel and shifting into a perfect copy of Hinyu. "I could always go in your place. I wouldn't want to part you from your beloved."

Hinyu said nothing. He remained where he was for a moment, still shaking with barely-restrained rage, before he drew a ragged breath and gathered himself, his form shifting back to its normal humanoid state. He stormed past Tamakushi, still visibly fuming and still radiating a good amount of heat.

Tamakushi, still wearing Hinyu's form, smiled in amusement… only for her expression to rapidly fade into one of utter repulsion, moments before she shifted back into her true form.

"Coward."

The minute Izumi had the green light to choose where everyone would hang out, she was off like a shot - or she would have been, had Hiroko not reminded her not to charge ahead without them. Especially with Yasu here, she wanted to say, but something told her her upperclassman wouldn't want to be singled out.

Hiroko was worried about Yasu already. Something about the leery looks the cerise-haired girl gave the passers-by around her, especially when someone nearby laughed, coupled with her tenser-than-usual body language had Hiroko on high alert. And Yasu had picked up on Hiroko's concern too.

"I'm fine, Tsubasa-san. Really." Yasu informed her as Izumi hurried them to the 'top destination for fun in Kyoukai' - the local arcade. "I'm just disused to this. That's all."

"I see." Hiroko responded. "If there's anything I can do to help-"

Yasu looked away. "There's not. Don't let me distract you, Tsubasa-san."

That was a troubling thing to hear from Yasu… but something told Hiroko pressing the issue would just cause more problems. So she just swallowed down her feelings, smiled, and nodded. As usual.

And finally, the group arrived at Kyoukai Leisure Land, the local arcade. The moment Hiroko stepped inside, she felt like she had been slammed by an explosion of multicolored neon energy. Everything, from the carpeting to the decor to the lighting screamed "rainbow neon heaven", and the upbeat music being piped through the area, coupled with the brightly lit neon cabinets only emphasized that.

"It's so sparkly!" Jun looked like a cat who'd seen a Christmas tree she needed to knock over. Her wide blue eyes drank in everything - the crane machines, the rhythm games, the print club booths, the arcade cabinets… Kichu looked similarly enchanted. "I wanna try all of it!"

"Hell yeah! We're right there with you, Inoue!" Izumi pumped her fist. "This is gonna rule all, guys! Don't worry about payment! That's on me!"

Before Hiroko could say a word, Izumi had pulled out some yen notes from the wallet in her pocket, pressing them into her and Yasu's hands before tearing off in the direction of the Dance Dance Revolution cabinets. Jun quietly handed off Kichu to Hiroko, muttering an apology before hurrying off after Izumi.

Hiroko opened her mouth, ready to ask if Yasu wanted to try alongside her, or if they wanted to look for something a bit less intense - and then she noticed the way that her upperclassman was hanging back, an unreadable expression on her face. "Fukuda-san?"

It took a moment for Yasu to even register that Hiroko was speaking to her. All she could register was noise, light, and… people. So many people. People laughing, people cheering, people blurring together into yet another gray, faceless mob, prepared to judge her for-

-and finally, she registered Hiroko's words, coupled with Kichu's concerned squeaking. She looked up, blinking. "I-" can't play that game, I'll wear myself out, and everyone will laugh- "Would like to watch. It seems interesting."

And it was genuinely a joy to watch Izumi and Jun competing. Izumi clearly had a lot of experience with this game, but Jun was really throwing herself into it and giving Izumi a real challenge. In the end, Izumi reigned victorious, but it was clear that Jun had kept her on her toes.

"Oh man, that absolutely ruled all!" Izumi grinned and pumped a fist as she stepped off the machine. "You're a natural, Inoue!" She turned her attention to Hiroko and Yasu. "So, who wants to face the champion?"

Hiroko wanted to volunteer. She wasn't good at these games, but it looked fun, and wasn't having fun with the others the main goal here? But then she noticed how uncomfortable Yasu looked, and the 'yes' died in her mouth.

"You can go again if you'd like, Inoue-san." she told Jun. "Fukuda-san and I are going to look around."

Izumi looked a little let down, but she quickly perked back up. "Gotcha! Have fun, you two!"

"There are all sorts of other things we could do here." Hiroko told Yasu as she guided her away from the others. "Like - oh, I know! Have you ever tried to play a crane game, Fukuda-san? I'm not very good at them, but the prizes you can get are super cute. Or there's collectible card games - a friend of mine introduced me to this one with idols-"

Yasu frowned. "You wanted to play with them, didn't you, Tsubasa-san?"

"I wanted to find something we can all do." Hiroko said. "And you didn't seem comfortable, so-"

Yasu looked away sharply. "It doesn't matter what I think." She noticed how crushed Hiroko seemed and added "I'll defer to your judgment. You know better than I do, Tsubasa-san."

And Hiroko made her best effort to have fun with Yasu. It didn't seem to take. She was unresponsive when Hiroko managed to win a plush cat from the crane game for her, reacted to the Aikatsu arcade cabinets Hiroko showed her towards with blank-faced disinterest, and otherwise shot down any offers Hiroko made to play with her.

It wasn't anything personal, Yasu wanted to say. It was her, not Hiroko. But... there was no way Hiroko would put up with her if she screwed up. She couldn't risk it.

By the time Izumi and Jun regrouped with the pair, Hiroko was feeling more than a little down, despite her best attempts to hide it. Izumi seemed to realize it too, judging by the less-than-impressed look she shot Yasu. But before anything could be said, Jun inadvertently saved the moment by noticing the print club booths.

"Oh! I wanna try those too! They look really fun!" She glanced quizzically at Izumi. "What are they?"

"Photo booths, of course! Lots of filters to play with - and you get some cool stickers when you're done!" Izumi's eyes lit up. "We should all give them a try together! Pretty Cure in purikura! Hell yes!"

Before Hiroko could remind Izumi to turn down her volume (thank goodness the arcade was pretty loud already), the blond had rushed towards the direction of one of the booths, Jun keeping pace right beside her. Yasu coolly followed after them before Hiroko could say a word to her.

The group took plenty of pictures together. Izumi eagerly played with the different filters and effects, while Jun led the group in striking poses for the camera. Even Kichu got in on the action. Yasu was dull-eyed and expressionless in every single photo.

"Well, okay, maybe the arcade was a bad call." Izumi sighed as she led the group away from Kyoukai Leisure Land and towards their next destination. "That's fine! Really! I already had tons of places in mind!" She flashed the others a grin. "Actually, you guys are gonna love this next place, I guarantee it!"

Izumi sounded upbeat, but she was pointedly avoiding eye contact with Yasu, who had remained silent since they had left the arcade. Something seemed to be eating at her upperclassman, and Hiroko was sure it had to do with the absolutely crushed look Jun had worn on her face once the group got their stickers.

Maybe it would work out elsewhere, Hiroko told herself. Maybe someone like Yasu was just out of her element at a place like the arcade. Maybe if they went someplace quieter, it would be okay. Maybe the knot growing in Hiroko's stomach would go away then. They had to try… right?

The place in question turned out to be a dress and accessory shop - Luminous Dress Up. Every inch of it screamed "high class", from the fancy jewelry counters to the racks of gorgeous dresses on display to the luxurious accessories. Izumi had Hiroko figured out - she was absolutely in love with this place.

Jun seemed similarly taken. "It's beautiful, Izunyan!" The blue-haired girl flitted from clothing rack to clothing rack as she and Kichu drank in everything with wide eyes. "Oh gosh, my priestess robes are nothing next to these!"

Izumi smiled approvingly as she followed Hiroko and Jun, fondly watching them looking around. "Yeah, this stuff isn't my thing, but a lot of girls seem to love it. Glad I called- geez, Fukuda, you okay?"

Once again, it took Yasu a moment to register she was being spoken to. The cerise-haired girl had been trailing a pace or so behind the group, expressionless as usual, trying to ignore the shoppers around her, especially when they started conversing amongst themselves. It wasn't as bad here, but-

-and finally, she seemed to register Izumi. "Yes, Hamasaki-san."

Hiroko felt herself faltering a bit. She tried not to let it show, but something told her both Izumi and Yasu had noticed. Maybe if she salvaged it with - ah, that was it! She looked up from the clothing rack (goodness, this stuff wasn't cheap), her eyes bright with inspiration.

"I know something fun we could do, if you guys are interested."

Jun tilted her head quizzically. "Something fun? Like what, Hironyan?"

"When I hung out with friends at my old school, we used to put on little fashion shows." Hiroko explained. "It's fun to see how you'll look in a dress, even if you can't buy it. I'd love to do something like that with everyone." A pause, then "If you're interested, of course."

Izumi shook her head. "Sorry, dresses aren't my thing, Tsubasa." She noticed Hiroko moving to apologize and held up a hand before bringing out her smartphone. "But you know what is? Fashion photography!" She pumped a fist. "Let's do this! This fashion show will rule all!"

Yasu could immediately feel several pairs of eyes on the group. "Quit yelling, Hamasaki-san" Before Izumi could respond, Yasu shifted her attention to Hiroko. "I'll try, Tsubasa-san."

Hiroko smiled warmly at Yasu. "It'll be great, Fukuda-san." Admittedly, part of Hiroko really wanted to see what Yasu would look like in some of these dresses, but Yasu didn't have to know that. "Trust me."

And Hiroko was off, leading an eager Jun and a dishearteningly stiff Yasu in finding dresses to try on. Izumi occupied herself by looking at accessories (it was a shame none of this stuff was really Shun's kind of thing) before making herself comfortable on one of the fancy couches outside the fitting room.

Finally, the fashion shop fashion show was underway. First came Jun, modeling a beautiful cerise turtleneck dress, paired with a yellow waist ribbon and a frilly lilac cardigan with a yellow heart clasp. Jun happily posed and mugged for the camera and Kichu struggled not to follow along with her.

"You look so colorful and fun, Inoue!" Izumi had jumped up from her perch on the couch and was now circling around Jun, eagerly snapping photos. People were staring, but neither girl seemed to care. "Where are you off to in your cute new outfit?"

Jun hummed thoughtfully. "To eat sweets with Hironyan and Kichu! And everyone else who wants to come!" Just then, Hiroko emerged from the fitting room. Jun's eyes lit up as she took in her roommate. "Oh my gosh! Hironyan! You look so pretty!"

Indeed, Hiroko struck an elegant figure in the dress she had chosen - a long-sleeved gown with a teal blue bodice, a white waist ribbon, and a floor-length cerulean skirt decorated with glitter. She looked a bit self-conscious at first, but once Jun's words caught her ears, she relaxed.

Izumi swooped in, eagerly taking pictures. "Tsubasa, you look great! That's a total date night look!" Hiroko went slightly red - both at the comment and the stares of the other customers. Izumi just grinned. "You'd bowl over any partner with that dress. You have to buy it!"

Hiroko's mouth worked silently a few times before she managed a "I- I mean, I'd love to, Hamasaki-san-" Why was 'I could wear it for Yasu' her first thought? "-but it's a bit pricey…"

And then Hiroko realized Yasu was still in the fitting room she had disappeared into. For a moment, Hiroko's smile faltered. Maybe Yasu didn't want to take part. Maybe Hiroko had forced her too far out of her comfort zone. Maybe-

-and then Yasu's voice carried from the fitting room. "The zipper is stuck."

Jun snapped to attention. "I'll get it, Nyasu!"

Jun darted into the fitting room. Moments later, she emerged with Yasu in tow, and Hiroko's breath caught in her throat. Yasu looked nothing short of incredible in the flowing, silver gown she wore, with its off the shoulder sleeve, lavender rose ornament, elegant rose print on the skirt, and violet waist. Calling her "noblewoman-like" was a disservice, Hiroko mused. No, the girl before her looked like a fairy tale princess.

Distantly, Hiroko realized she was staring again - as was most every customer in the store as Izumi swooped in with her camera, seemingly oblivious to how Yasu froze up the moment she sensed attention on her. Suddenly, Yasu seemed less like a princess and more like an out of place mannequin.

"You look amazing, Fukuda!" There was a hint of pleading in Izumi's tone as she snapped a picture or two of an increasingly stiff Yasu. "C'mon, how about a-"

-smile, Yasu knew Izumi was going to say that next, and she wanted to, she really did, but everyone was staring, she could hear them whispering, and Izumi was just making it worse-

Yasu pulled away from Izumi. "I can't." She backed away, trying to ignore the stares, the faces, the crowd. "I can't do this." She backed away towards the fitting room. "You can keep going. I'll wait outside."

Hiroko started towards Yasu. "I'm so sorry, Fukuda-san! I didn't mean to-"

But Yasu had already vanished into the fitting room. This time, Hiroko couldn't hide how crushed she felt, and Jun was right there with her. Izumi, on the other hand, looked plainly annoyed and more than a bit offended on Hiroko's behalf.

By the time the group broke for lunch at Western Paradise, Hiroko was finding it genuinely difficult to remain optimistic. Izumi had refused to speak to Yasu after the group had left the dress store, and while Jun had agreed to call off the fashion show early out of respect for Yasu, she had a difficult time hiding her disappointment. Hiroko was in the same boat, frankly, even if being disappointed felt terribly selfish and wrong.

Even now, there was a gray cloud hanging over the group's lunch table. Izumi and Jun were chattering animatedly about Mirai Academy's club activities over pizza (pineapple for Izumi, squid ink and fish for Jun), as the latter covertly slipped bits of pizza to Kichu, and Hiroko was doing her best to contribute, in between absent nibbles of her mushroom pizza. But Yasu…

Yasu remained silent, absently picking at her salad as Izumi rambled on. Hiroko wasn't sure she had eaten any of it. Between that, how Yasu had been acting, and how worn out she looked now, Hiroko had to speak up.

"Fukuda-san, are you not feeling well?" she asked Yasu. "It's alright if you're not - we can always find some other time to hang out."

Yasu did not look up from her salad. "I'm alright. I have good days and bad days."

Hiroko shook her head. "Fukuda-san, something is clearly the matter." She paused, trying to figure out the best way to phrase things, before adding "Are you not having fun? You don't have to force yourself if you aren't."

Yasu remained silent at first. For a moment, Hiroko was worried she had offended her. But finally, she set her fork down and looked up. "No, I'm really not." She hesitated, clearly troubled by how blunt that had sounded. "I'm sorry. It's not personal."

"I see." It stung to hear that, and it showed plainly on Hiroko's voice and in her voice, despite her efforts to hide it. "I'm sorry if I did anything to make you uncomfortable, Fukuda-san."

Before Yasu could respond, Izumi set her current slice of pizza aside, staring daggers at the cerise-haired girl. "Don't you think that was kind of rude, Fukuda?"

"Oh no, Hamasaki-san, it's not-" Hiroko started.

Izumi kept going. "I mean, sheesh, Tsubasa has been going out of her way to include you, and you're over here acting like somebody died. And now you're just-! You're being super ungrateful, Fukuda."

Yasu dropped her gaze. "I just-"

"Think this is a waste of your precious time, right?" Izumi snapped. "Is that why you've been such a grouch all day? You could have just told Tsubasa and Inoue the truth!"

"It's okay, Izunyan!" Jun insisted. "Nyasu said she's not used to this kind of stuff! Isn't that right, Nyasu?"

Hiroko tried her best to swallow the fireball gradually building in her chest and focus on Yasu. "Right. If anything, I owe you an apology, Fukuda-san."

"You shouldn't have to apologize, Tsubasa." Izumi interjected. "If Fukuda cared about your feelings, she would have been honest about-"

"Please let Fukuda-san speak for herself!" Hiroko had sounded a bit too snappish there, she knew it, but-

Jun hit a fist on the table, drawing everyone's attention towards her. "Guys, please don't fight!" she pleaded. "This isn't why Hironyan brought everyone out here!"

That, at least, got Izumi to back down. "Y-yeah... point taken." She proceeded to become very interested in her pizza. "Sorry, Tsubasa, Fukuda." she added through a mouthful of lunch. "Won't happen again."

"Apology accepted, Hamasaki-san." Hiroko's words sounded terribly hollow to her own ears.

And for a moment, the group returned to eating their lunch. Or tried to. Hiroko's pizza didn't taste very good anymore, Izumi and Jun were eating their own pizzas in silence, rather than continuing their conversation, and Yasu still barely seemed interested in her salad. Any sense of camaraderie or joy at their lunch table was completely gone. But at least no one was raising their voice at each other.

And then Yasu accidentally knocked her tea over, splashing it all over Hiroko's shirt.

Yasu just stared as Hiroko scrambled to grab some napkins to clean up her shirt and the table around her. Jun immediately followed suit.

"Oh geez, lemme help you with that, Tsubasa!" Izumi scrambled to pitch in... before shooting a glare in Yasu's direction. "You're not even gonna try and help, Fukuda?"

"It's fine!" If Hiroko focused on cleaning up the spilled tea, maybe she'd forget about the increasingly large fireball in her chest. "This was a cheap shirt, so even if it stains-"

"Yeah, it's okay, Izunyan!" Jun said. "Really!"

"It's not about the damn shirt! It's about how she's been treating you guys!" Izumi shot back before rounding on Yasu once again. "Can't you at least apologize, Fukuda?"

Yasu remained frozen in place. "I can't-"

"You can't what?" Izumi shot back. "Say you're sorry? Why? What's the issue here?"

The fireball in Hiroko's chest was growing too large to ignore. "Hamasaki-san, please-!"

If Izumi had heard Hiroko, she gave no indication. She didn't seem to notice all the customers in Western Paradise who were now staring at the group's lunch table either. "If you don't like us, just say so, Fukuda!"

And in that moment, the fireball that had been growing in Hiroko's chest suddenly burst forth. She jumped to her feet, her eyes shining with fury as she slammed both hands on the table as hard as she could.

"SHUT UP, HAMASAKI-SAN!"

Everything in Western Paradise seemed to grind to a halt. A pall of silence fell over the restaurant as Hiroko felt multiple pairs of eyes on her group's table. Izumi looked mortified, Jun looked like she was on the edge of bursting into tears, and the color had completely drained from Yasu's face.

Hiroko's hand flew to her mouth as she realized what she had just done. She remained frozen in place for a moment, trembling all over as hot tears pricked at the corners of her eyes before she bolted out of Western Paradise.

Hiroko had no hope of keeping it together now. The moment she collapsed on the nearest bench outside Western Paradise, the tears started flowing, and they did not stop. She barely responded when Jun took a seat next to her and pulled her into a tight hug, and she hardly noticed when Kichu began to nuzzle up to her, making distressed squeaks all the while.

All Hiroko could think about was how much she hated herself in that moment - for yelling at Izumi, for putting Yasu on the spot, and for having the audacity for being upset at them, when this was all her issue. Izumi had been trying to spare her feelings. Yasu had warned her that she wasn't used to these kinds of outings. She was the one who had pushed for this get-together. She was the one to blame here, wasn't she?

"Hey, uh, Tsubasa?"

Hiroko looked up, blinking back tears. Izumi was standing before her, looking thoroughly cowed. Yasu stood a pace or so away, looking quietly miserable.

"Look, I-" Izumi looked from Hiroko and Jun to Yasu and back again before she managed a quiet "I'm sorry, I went too far. I shouldn't have-"

Hiroko sniffled miserably. "It's okay." She didn't sound okay. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve before rising to her feet. "Maybe Marina-san was wrong." She did not pay eye contact with her teammates as she spoke. "Just because we're Pretty Cure doesn't mean we have to be friends, right?"

It was clear that Hiroko regretted saying such a thing the moment those words left her mouth. The fact was plainly written on her face, even as she turned away sharply and hurried off, Jun following behind her.

Yasu silently watched Hiroko and Jun leave. She looked absolutely crushed and more than a little hurt by Hiroko's words, Izumi noted. It just made her own behavior weigh on her more. She had been so willing to see Yasu as cold and inconsiderate, so willing to go to bat for Hiroko on her behalf, and she'd had it all wrong, hadn't she?

Izumi started towards Yasu. "Fukuda, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have assumed that-"

Yasu looked away. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore." She moved to leave. "If Cure Byakko is needed, let me know. It's better this way."

And Yasu was gone. For a moment, Izumi seemed like she was considering going after her or perhaps Hiroko before thinking better of it and heading off in another direction.

Hiroko was still in low spirits when she and Jun went to a grocery store that afternoon. She was trying to seem somewhat upbeat, if only to keep Jun from worrying, but judging by the concerned looks her roommate and her baby brother were shooting her even now, it wasn't working.

"Hironyan, you didn't really mean it, did you?" Jun asked as Hiroko paused to browse baking ingredients. "About… you know. You guys not having to be friends to be Pretty Cure."

Hiroko hesitated as she reached for a box of cake flour. "That's…" She looked away. "I meant it at the time. I didn't feel like I deserved to be friends with Hamasaki-san or Fukuda-san. I'm the reason things got as bad as they did."

Jun and Kichu looked equally baffled. "How is it your fault, Hironyan?"

"Chu chuu?" Kichu asked from his perch on Jun's head.

Hiroko placed the cake flour in the shopping basket. "I'm not good at it... speaking up when I need to. My sister got after me for it all the time." Her expression darkened a bit. "Chiaki would have called out Hamasaki-san and made sure Fukuda-san was actually happy. She wouldn't have been so scared of rocking the boat."

Jun looked confused. "Right, but Chiaki is Chiaki and Hironyan is Hironyan! And you just wanted everyone to get along, Hironyan! That doesn't mean you don't deserve friends!"

Hiroko hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, even as she went back to browsing ingredients. "I'd like to think that way. And that's why I can't leave things like this. Because I want the three of us to be friends and Pretty Cure." She took a deep breath and nodded resolutely. "I have to try."

Jun and Kichu nodded in unison. "Yeah!" A pause, then "What are you gonna make, anyway? I know you said it was 'something important', but..."

Hiroko just smiled. "Now, that is a secret."

Misty Oliver was seated cross-legged on her bed, softly playing "Layla" on her acoustic guitar when her roommate stumbled into the dorm, collapsed face-first on her own bed, and proceeded to scream into her pillow. Misty abruptly stopped playing and stared at the sight before her before finally finding her voice.

"Izzy? What the heck happened?"

Izumi remained where she was for a moment before finally rolling over, holding her pillow to her chest. "I'm the worst, Misty."

Misty set her guitar aside. "Hey now, you're great at a lot of things, Izzy!"

"Yeah, like being the worst." Izumi kept her gaze focused on the ceiling as she spoke. "I thought Fukuda was being rude to Tsubasa, but she wasn't, she was just scared, and Tsubasa didn't want me defending her, and I was a huge jerk, and... ugh, I ruined everything." She sighed heavily. "I'm such a stupid, hard-headed idiot."

"Hey, you're not stupid, Izzy!" Misty retorted. "Hard-headed, yeah, but not stupid."

Izumi rolled over on her side so she was facing her roommate. "Gee, thanks. You know how to make a girl feel loved, Misty." Her tone was wry and playful despite her words. "I just. Ugh, I dunno what to do now."

"I mean... maybe you should step back, think about how the other person is feeling, and then act?" Misty said. "I had to learn how to do that after I joined the student council. Shishi and I fought a ton before I got where they were coming from."

"I was wondering how you did it. Himura's a lot." Izumi pulled herself into a sitting position, still hugging her pillow to her chest. "I should've done that, though. I didn't consider how Fukuda, Inoue, or Tsubasa really felt - I just assumed I had it figured out." She sighed, blowing an idle strand of hair out of her face. "But how do I make it up to them?"

Misty moved to put her guitar back in its case. "That part's up to you, Izzy. You know those three better than I do anyway." The two sat in silence for a moment before Misty put her guitar case under the bed and looked up. "Hey... you wanna play a round of Smash with me?"

That seemed to cheer Izumi up a bit. "Hell yeah I do! Hope you're ready for an-ass kicking, Misty!"

Misty grinned. "Oh, now it's on, Izzy!"

The two girls hurried to the living area, ready to distract themselves with a round of video games. And then… well, Misty was right. It was up to Izumi to figure out how to atone for her behavior.

When Yasu returned home, she immediately locked herself in her room, removed her glasses, and curled up in her bed before crying until she had no more tears left to shed. She would have never done such things in public. She had sworn to herself she would never shed tears in front of others again, not after the kind of treatment it had invited. Not after...

"Oh, there goes crybaby Fukuda again! She overreacts to everything!"

"If you didn't make a scene, this wouldn't happen, Fukuda! It's your fault!"

But here... it was okay to cry if she was alone. Nobody was here to judge or mock her for her weakness. She couldn't burden anyone with her pathetic, selfish emotions if she isolated herself.

She looked over at her Puricell, which sat on the end table by her bed. She had been wrong back then, hadn't she? She was better off being alone. She was better off closing off her heart. As if Izumi Hamasaki would have ever stopped hating her. As if she was good enough for someone like Hiroko Tsubasa to be her friend. Why did she allow herself to believe otherwise?

At some point, Yasu must have fallen asleep. When she came to, the light of the setting sun was filtering through her violet silk curtains, and someone was knocking gently on her door.

"Hey, uh, sis? Are you awake?"

Yasu hesitated before sitting up and putting her glasses back on. "You can come in."

Haruki entered. "Dinner's ready - it's your favorite, Vermont curry! I didn't want you to-" And then Haruki noticed his sister's swollen, red-rimmed eyes. His own eyes widened in alarm. "Yasu? What happened?"

Yasu was silent for a moment before she spoke. "It didn't go well." She noticed the look of distress on her brother's face and shook her head. "It's okay. I told Tsubasa-san I'd be trouble. I was right."

Haruki sat down next to Yasu on her bed. "That's not true at all!" He frowned. "Did Izumi say something to you? I mean - I know you guys don't get along, but she doesn't hate you! If I just talk to her-"

Yasu shook her head. "It wasn't Hamasaki-san. Or the others. It was all my fault. I dragged them down." Her eyes slid to the floor. "If I'd been honest sooner, this wouldn't have happened. But I can't-"

"You can, Yasu!" Haruki protested. "Tsubasa-san is a very kind person, and Izumi's like- well, she's like another sister! Neither of them would hate you for being honest! I bet Inoue-san's the same way! Tsubasa-san went out of her way to include you, didn't she?"

Part of Yasu wanted to object to that. But Hiroko had said it herself, hadn't she? She had wanted to get to know Yasu better, long before Yasu had approached her herself. The feeling of someone wanting her around… the feeling of being a part of a team... it was unfamiliar. Frightening, even. But it had felt better than her years of isolation ever had.

Yasu nodded hesitantly. "It felt nice, not being alone." And she didn't want to go back to being alone, as unworthy as she felt. "I... I'll try. To let them know my true feelings. I don't want this to happen again."

Haruki said nothing in response. He simply pulled his sister into a hug. Yasu leaned into it. All things considered, she really needed one.

"You're a wonderful person, sis." Haruki told Yasu as the siblings parted from their hug. "You deserve to be happy."

Yasu looked away, sighing mock-exasperatedly. "You're my little brother. Of course you'd think that way."

"Because I know you better than anyone else." Haruki fired back. "It's one of my sibling powers." Yasu playfully rolled her eyes in response. He teasingly stuck his tongue out. After a moment, he added "Um… so, do you want me to bring a plate of curry up here, or-"

Yasu shook her head before rising to her feet. "That won't be necessary." she said. "I think I'd like eat downstairs with you and Mom."

The Fukuda siblings left the room together, prepared to sit down and enjoy a family meal. Perhaps that would take her mind off of the disaster from earlier, Yasu mused... and give her space to think of what to say tomorrow.

Hiroko woke up feeling well-rested and content enough. For a moment, she could almost forget everything that had gone down yesterday… and then she and Jun ran into Izumi on their way to school. The blond had lost a lot of the usual spring in her step, and she seemed far less energetic than usual.

Hiroko hesitated before hurrying to catch up with Izumi. "Oh... good morning, Hamasaki-san." Her words sounded terribly stiff and forced.

"Hiya, Izunyan!" At least Jun sounded genuine - hopefully, that made up for Hiroko's stiff delivery.

Izumi froze for a moment. She looked genuinely surprised that Hiroko and Jun were going out of their way to speak to her. Finally, she managed a quiet "Tsubasa, Inoue. Hope today's a good one." She was struggling to make eye contact with either of them, and she immediately moved to leave.

"Wait, Hamasaki-san!" Hiroko called after Izumi, who stopped in her tracks. "Um… could you drop by our dorm later today? I have a surprise for you and Fukuda-san."

Izumi hesitated for a moment before managing a "Y-yeah. Sure. I'd be cool with that, Tsubasa."

Hiroko sighed as she watched Izumi hurrying off. "I just hope this works." she told Jun as the pair resumed their trek towards their classroom. "I'm already worried."

"It'll work, Hironyan!" Jun insisted. Kichu squeaked his agreement from her schoolbag. "You three will patch things up and be better than ever soon! I'm sure of it!"

Hiroko and Jun passed by Kou Ishii as they made their way to class. Neither of them noticed the malicious smile that played on his face.

"Oh? Trouble in paradise already? How unfortunate. For them, anyway." He laughed softly, his voice slipping into Tamakushi's contralto tones. "Oh, this shall be an entertaining execution."

Tamakushi disappeared into the crowd of students, a split-second after the actual Kou Ishii noticed her. She heard the boy yelling about how the "weird doppelganger" had returned and demanding his stupid little friend get Pretty Cure involved. It didn't matter. The Wrath Seed was planted, and as for the Cures...

...they would be dealt with swiftly and efficiently, of course. Ah, this was all too perfect!

Something was wrong.

Were she not a Pretty Cure, Hiroko would have written it off as a product of her own mind. The sudden chill she had felt shortly after entering Mirai's classroom building, almost as if a bolt of ice had gone straight through her heart, the feeling of wrongness in the air, the tightness in her chest - she could have written it off as anxiety. But Hiroko was a Pretty Cure who could not write this off. She had to stay vigilant.

...well, stay vigilant and hope she and her teammates could function as a group. Hiroko hadn't seen Yasu anywhere, and Izumi still seemed a little distant throughout homeroom and first period. At least she'd succeeded in texting Yasu an invitation to her dorm after school and received a 'yes' in response.

And then break started, and Yasu showed up in 3-1. Most every student in the room was staring and whispering as Yasu made her way to Hiroko. Yasu seemed completely unbothered - in fact, she seemed almost proud of the attention she was getting. Perhaps she was too focused on Hiroko to care.

"Tsubasa-san, could I speak to you for a moment?" Yasu asked.

Hiroko hesitated, but only for a moment. "Of course, Fukuda-san." Izumi wasn't back from getting some fresh air yet, and Jun was busy chatting with Kou about something. Looked like it would just be her. The notion sent a chill down her back, for whatever reason. "I really wanted to speak with you anyway."

The further Yasu led her from 3-1, the harder Hiroko's heart pounded in her chest. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was… well, how she always was around Yasu. Or maybe it was something else. Something about Yasu seemed off, somehow. Something about how she had carried herself hadn't… been right.

Hiroko found her hand flying to the Puricell in her bag as Yasu led her outside the classroom building - they couldn't risk being overheard, Yasu had explained. By the time they stopped a fair distance away from the building, Hiroko was on high alert. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"What did you want to discuss, Fukuda-san?" She couldn't just throw around accusations. But something… something wasn't right. Hiroko smiled nonetheless. "You can tell me anything."

The way Yasu had reacted to being the center of attention at the dress store, the way she had reacted to being the center of attention in 3-1… it had been different enough to stick in Hiroko's mind. Enough that she couldn't let her guard down.

Yasu took a deep breath… before reaching into her schoolbag and offering Hiroko her Puricell. "I'm sorry, Tsubasa-san. I can't be your ally anymore."

Hiroko's grip tightened on her Puricell. "There's no need to think that way, Fukuda-san!" And the real Yasu wouldn't… right? "The three of us can make this right - there's no need to just give up!"

Yasu remained where she was, still holding out the Puricell towards Hiroko. When she didn't take it, the cerise-haired girl stepped forward. "No… you don't understand. It's impossible now." Her eyes took on a cold, inhuman glint. "Yasu Fukuda cannot be a Pretty Cure. She has been dealt with."

Hiroko's eyes widened in alarm at not-Yasu's words. The doppelganger took advantage of the opening, thrusting a translucent blue hand with razor sharp talons towards Hiroko's chest. Hiroko narrowly managed to sidestep the blow, only for the doppelganger to round on her again.

Before not-Yasu could strike once more, a dark blue blur slammed into her from behind, followed by a smaller while one. The doppelganger gave an inhuman howl as Muse and Kichu sank their teeth into her leg. Her form flickered several times before it broke apart into an army of small blue ghosts.

Hiroko screamed as the ghosts flew at her face, frantically batting them away as they dissolved into nothingness. It took her a moment to realize Muse and Kichu were trying to address her.

"Hironyan! Hironyan, are you okay?" Muse looked downright frantic. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize until Ishii-san said something!"

Hiroko, now chalk white, could only manage a stiff nod. She was in one piece. But Izumi and Yasu… had Tamakushi sent similar doppelgangers after them? Had they really been 'dealt with'?

Before she could ponder such things, the sky above the central courtyard darkened, as a reddish-black pillar of light erupted in the distance and an inhuman roar cut through the air. Hiroko and the mascots immediately sprang into action. She couldn't leave this alone… even if she had to face it alone.

When Hiroko, Muse, and Kichu arrived at the central courtyard, they were greeted with a disheartening sight. The unconscious gray bodies of Mirai students littered the area around the courtyard, and the bronze fountain of Minerva had been transformed into a towering Nikuina, which was already at work eating away at the barrier.

The Nikuina's summoner, Tamakushi, stood balanced on the remains of the fountain's platform. She visibly tensed the moment Hiroko and the mascots arrived on the scene.

"Cure Seiryuu. You're still alive." She drew a sharp breath of annoyance. "This will not do."

The Nikuina gave another ground-shaking roar as its red eyes homed in on Hiroko. She had a half-second to get out of the way before it lunged forward and thrust its spear towards her. Multi-colored petals swirled through the air as the spear tore through a nearby flowerbed.

Hiroko readied her Puricell. "Pretty Cure! Spirit Unleash!"

Cure Seiryuu touched down on the ground as Muse and Kichu hurried to safety. The Nikuina wasted no time in striking at Cure Seiryuu again. Petals swirled and danced in the air as the blue Cure fought to avoid getting skewered and took advantage of any openings the Nikuina gave her to get hits in.

Tamakushi seemed content to watch Seiryuu and the Nikuina trade blows. "Such an impressive display." She laughed softly. "But it doesn't matter. Your teammates are gone, you know."

Seiryuu's blood turned to ice as she faltered slightly. "That… that can't be true!"

The Nikuina took advantage of Seiryuu's moment of weakness. It swung the blunt end of its spear towards the blue Cure right as she attempted to land a flying punch, smacking her across the side. Seiryuu was sent flying into another flower bed, leaving another burst of petals in her wake. The Nikuina advanced on her, ready to finish her off.

"It is true, Cure Seiryuu." Tamakushi sneered. "You allowed your team to fall apart. And your teammates lost their lives because of you. You aren't even worthy of execution at my hands."

The Nikuina brought its spear down… only for a resounding 'clang' to cut through the air as it struck against a shimmering white barrier.

Cure Byakko stood in front of Cure Seiryuu, channeling all her spirit power into the small shield she had summoned. "How dare you desecrate Mother's garden like this!" The white Cure looked and sounded downright livid. "And how dare you say such cruel things to Seiryuu!"

Seiryuu's eyes welled with tears of relief as she struggled to her feet. "Byakko! You're okay!"

Byakko just smiled and nodded before turning her attention back to the Nikuina. She gave a cry of exertion as she channeled one last burst of energy into her shield, shoving it towards the Nikuina. It was sent reeling backward, giving the blue Cure and the white Cure a chance to disengage and regroup.

"Two survivors." Tamakushi bristled visibly as orbs of foxfire began to dance around her form. "Unacceptable. Unacceptable!"

Before Seiryuu or Byakko could go after the Nikuina, the pair was assailed from all directions by a hail of small, pale blue phantoms. Seiryuu found herself struggling not to scream as the phantoms clawed at her and Byakko with ice-cold hands, keeping both from focusing properly on the Nikuina.

The Nikuina charged forward at full speed, spear at the ready-

-and then a black and bronze blur struck it hard from above, connecting in a burst of dark violet water. The Nikuina was thrown off-course, leaving it to bury its spear deeply in a nearby tree.

Cure Genbu touched down nearby. She flashed a grin and a peace sign at her teammates. "Sorry I'm late, guys!"

"No, Genbu." Cure Byakko took advantage of the opening to nail the attacking phantoms with several well-aimed blasts of light, as Cure Seiryuu dispelled still more with a small tornado. "You're right on time."

Seiryuu breathed a sigh of relief as the three Cures regrouped. "I'm so glad everyone's alright - Tamakushi had me scared for a moment."

Tamakushi was visibly fuming. "How?! How are all three of you still alive?!"

Byakko fixed her with a glare. "Do you really think we'd fall for those forgeries, Tamakushi? The real Hamasaki-san actually regretted her actions."

"And the real Tsubasa would have never said that nasty stuff about me and Fukuda!" Genbu said.

Seiryuu nodded. "Even if your puppets can look like us, we already know each other's hearts better than that. And we'll only understand each other more with time! Because we're a team! And I want us to stay that way!"

Muse watched the events from her hiding spot. "Everyone!"

Tamakushi was far less impressed. "Such pithy words." she spat. "My heart bleeds for you all. Nikuina!"

The Nikuina, which had been focused on getting its spear out of the tree, abandoned said spear in favor of charging at Pretty Cure. As it charged, Tamakushi summoned her naginata and leapt into the action. Byakko leapt in front of Seiryuu and Genbu, shield at the ready.

"I'll hold her off." she said as she fought to parry Tamakushi's strikes. "You have a plan, right, Seiryuu?"

Seiryuu hesitated - but only for a moment. "Of course!" She and Genbu shifted their focus to the charging Nikuina, both Cures narrowly avoiding its blows. "It's lost a lot of its reach. If we can create an opening to take it down-"

"And that's where I come in!" Genbu said as she parried another strike from the Nikuina. "Seiryuu, how cold can you make your wind? I wanna try something."

Seiryuu blinked. "I've never thought about it before. But! I'll see what I can do!"

Byakko watched out of the corner of her eye as Seiryuu and Genbu touched down near the Nikuina, even as she fought to keep Tamakushi from breaking through her guard. Her shield was fairly durable, but small, and it had little hope of lasting against Tamakushi's naginata. If she could hold out until her teammates finished the job...

As Byakko continued to play defense, Genbu sent two bolts of dark violet water into the air. "Seiryuu!"

"Right!" Seriyuu aimed a hand at the two bolts of water, concentrating on making the wind that leapt from her palm as cold as possible.

It worked - the two bolts froze into dark violet icicles. That was Genbu's cue to act. As the Nikuina charged towards Seiryuu, the black Cure leapt up and grabbed the icicles from the air. She twirled and spun them around like rhythmic gymnastics clubs as she sprang at the Nikuina, giving it a rapid-fire walloping on the head.

The Nikuina staggered backwards and fell in a sprawled heap. Seiryuu wasted no time in facing it down, summoning her spirit power as blue delphinium petals swirled about her form.

"Pretty Cure! Azure Tornado!"

A blizzard of multicolored petals joined the blue delphinium petals summoned by Seiryuu's finisher as the Nikuina was swept up in a maelstrom of blue wind. It gave one last roar as it disappeared, leaving behind dispersing motes of light and a spent, withered Wrath Seed behind. Moments later, the damage to the courtyard reverted itself.

Cure Seiryuu collapsed to her knees as her transformation dissolved. That was Cure Byakko's cue to disengage with Tamakushi, joining Genbu in standing defensively in front of Hiroko. The black Cure and the white Cure were clearly ready to retaliate against the faceless woman if she tried anything.

Tamakushi stared down Pretty Cure as well as someone without eyes could… before she gave a disdainful 'tch' and looked away. "Enjoy your little 'victory' Pretty Cure. You will be dealt with." With that said, she vanished in a burst of blue foxfire.

Muse and Kichu hurried to meet Pretty Cure as Genbu and Byakko released their transformations and helped Hiroko to her feet. "Everyone! Are you alright?"

Hiroko nodded. "We're definitely-" Just then, the bells in the clocktower began to chime. Hiroko's shoulders slumped. "-going to be late for class."

Izumi looked as defeated as Hiroko did. "Sucks that 'had to fight a monster' isn't an excuse." She glanced around awkwardly at her companions before adding "Um… are we still good for this afternoon?"

"I'm not averse to it." Yasu looked just as awkward. She was silent for a moment or so before adding "I'll… see you then."

And with that said, the cerise-haired girl headed off. Hiroko, Izumi, and Jun exchanged glances before doing the same.

Hiroko and Jun already had the table set when Izumi arrived, followed shortly by Yasu. There was definitely an air of awkwardness between the two as they took as they each claimed a seat cushion at Hiroko's urging, joining Jun and Kichu. However, the tension that had been there around lunch yesterday was gone, along with the dread Hiroko had felt. Everything was going to be fine. She was sure of it.

Hiroko greeted both with a warm smile. "Please wait a moment - I'll be right back!"

Hiroko hurried into the kitchen before Izumi or Yasu could say a word to her, before returning with a covered cake dish. She set it gingerly in the middle of the table before uncovering it to reveal a red velvet cake. Beautiful icing flowers decorated its surface in a radiating pattern not unlike that of Mirai Academy's garden - blue delphiniums, violet hyacinths, and white moonflowers, with a yellow daisy in the center.

"And here we are." Hiroko said. "I hope it looks alright."

Yasu shook her head. "It's more than 'alright', Tsubasa-san. It looks beautiful."

Hiroko went a bit pink. "Th-thank you." She proceeded to become very interested in cutting slices of cake for everyone and serving said slices, lest Yasu notice how much her face was burning. "I wanted to put my feelings for everyone in this cake, so every bit of it had to be perfect."

"Hironyan spent hours in the kitchen working on it." Jun said between contented bites of cake. Kichu was demolishing his own tiny slice. "She really went all-out!"

Izumi wasted no time in taking a bite of her slice. "And it tastes as good as it looks! You really went all-out for us, Tsubasa! Even… after…" Her face fell a bit as she trailed off into silence.

Hiroko nodded. "I wanted to find some way to make it up to everyone. I made a lot of mistakes yesterday. I said things I didn't mean, and I didn't speak up when I should have. I should have called you out sooner, Hamasaki-san, and I should have made sure Fukuda-san felt comfortable."

"Yeah, well, I should have considered how you guys were feeling before I just. Assumed stuff." Izumi retorted. She hesitated a moment before shifting her attention to Yasu. "Especially you, Fukuda. The way I treated you back then was awful."

"It was." Yasu replied bluntly. "But… I can see why you assumed I was being cold. Why so many people do." She hesitated, struggling to meet the eyes of everyone at the table before she spoke again. "I don't… hate people. But they make me nervous. Especially when they stare." She dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry."

Without thinking, Hiroko reached over and laid her hand over Yasu's own. "That isn't anything you need to apologize for, Fukuda-san. I wish I'd considered such things before we all went out."

"Yeah!" Izumi said. "I was the one who kept yelling and drawing all that attention, back in the dress shop. And I was the one who dragged you guys to the arcade and stuff. You did nothing wrong!"

"We could never be upset with you for that, Nyasu!" Jun agreed.

Yasu looked genuinely shocked by everyone's reactions to her admission. "You guys… thank you." She took a few delicate bites of her own cake before adding "To be honest... I want to change. I want to play games and try on dresses with everyone. But the people…"

"We can help you work on that, bit by bit." Hiroko said. "There are things I'd like to change about myself too, and it sounds like Hamasaki-san is the same way. If we support each other and listen to each others' hearts, I'm sure we can be better. We have to try."

Izumi nodded. "I don't want us to fight like this again. So I'll do whatever I can to make sure it doesn't happen. Because we rock as a team, wouldn't you say, Tsu-" She paused mid-sentence, frowning. "Y'know, if we're gonna be pals, it feels weird sticking to last names."

"I suppose it does, Izumi." Hiroko said. "I'm not averse to it if everyone else isn't."

"I don't mind at all, Hiroko-san." Yasu said.

Hiroko shook her head. "You don't have to use '-san', Yasu. We're friends here, aren't we?"

Yasu seemed caught off-guard by Hiroko's words. "Friends…" she echoed before solemnly nodding to each of her teammates in turn. "Hiroko… Izumi… Jun - I look forward to working with everyone."

"Chu chuu!" Kichu agreed… before launching himself face-first at the rest of the cake.

Jun lunged forward to catch the mouse spirit. "Hey, Kichu! That's for everybody!"

Jun managed to pull Kichu away from the cake - but not before he'd taken a huge bite out of one side. His white fur was covered in red cake residue, and his cheeks were puffed up comically with cake.

Jun tried to look stern with her baby brother, who looked way too proud of himself, but she couldn't make it. She held onto her stern expression for a few seconds before she burst out laughing. Hiroko and Izumi were right behind her. Even Yasu quietly giggled at the sight behind a hand politely raised to her mouth.

Yes… Pretty Cure and their allies would surely have difficult times ahead of them. Their battles were only beginning, and there was still the matter of the missing crystals. But for now, Hiroko decided, everything seemed a bit brighter. As long as their hearts were united… surely, everything would work out.