Rekindle the Stars

by teawithmugi

The world has fallen, and the Precure were defeated. Caught by surprise by a massive attack from all their enemies at once, they had no choice but to run and scatter all over the world. Even so, the Precure will not let the world fall into darkness: though the light of the stars is gone, the Precures' hope still shines on. (AU involving all seasons up to Hugtto.)

85. The Promised End

It was still barely noon when they returned to the myriad camps north of Last Light, yet to Mai it was later than she would like. What she learned about Mirage had given her plenty to think about, and the thinking kept her silent on her journey back, but still she questioned if that was the best time to be told such things… But, then again, as Blue himself justified, there could very well not be a later time. Mirage's soul is just the thing we the Precure must fight for, Iona told the Precure, though not all seemed to agree with her. Mai was not so quick to disregard the matter, but still she was uncertain on how she should be feeling.

Content, she told herself was the answer when she looked to her side and saw Saki there with her. Saki's long imprisonment had left her both starved for conversation and lacking in topics to share save for what she experienced in Lucentower, of which there were not many happy memories, given the war waged in the Garden of Light. And though the knowledge that their once-imprisoned families they thought lost had found refuge in Lucentower was at first a relief, Mai could not forget having felt this same belief just before the Death of the Stars, when the Red Rose insisted that those close to the Precure were to take shelter in safehouses in the northern lands, only to soon learn that there would no longer exist any safe places in the world.

She would rather spend her next hours in a rather more pleasant manner. Mai chose to follow the many scents the wind brought from the camps and the many cooking fires and ranges; she wished she had the opportunity to do some cooking of her own, too, but could still appreciate the lightness of being spared any further work the rest of the day. And, though the atmosphere of fear and anticipation was pervasive wherever she went, she was followed by smiles, too, by gratitude, and though nothing so absurd as a devoted soldier running to shake her hand happened, there was no way to ignore the fact that so many people were relying on her, and knew it. Cooks were glad when her eyes turned to them, and even if they would not be taking part in the battle itself, or had only a secondary role to play, they understood that the Precure would be at the front lines, the first to risk their lives and the first to die. They never went as far as outright saying thank you, but gladly offered meals to Mai and Saki almost as though it were meant to be a display of appreciation. The sordid past that the mirror waters had revealed could easily lead Mai to doubt the worth and purpose of the Precure, but all of their efforts had earned them respect and trust once more. Having felt the full brunt and extent of the Precure's failings, this felt much more meaningful than ever before.

Alongside Saki, she tasted cookies and pastries, tasted the bamia, kebabs and kanafehs of the Desert Lands, shared Hawawshi with Cure Nile before savoring more familiar foods, spaghetti and croissants alongside Cure Wave, at long last reunited with her sister; she even tried some rollmops that Reika swore were a delight, an found them not to be quite her taste. By the time lunch was over, Mai felt so absurdly full that she strongly considered rejecting Ayumi's offer to join her in opening a cooler of ice cream from Majorland, a veritable treasure brought by King Mephisto and given to the Precure. Still, the gravity of coming battle made her own nutrition seem like the pettiest of concerns, because Dark Fall's arrival made the prospect of planning to live a long life seem like pure folly.

Hibiki, the first to reach inside, evidently agreed with her. By her side, Kanade whispered half-hearted pleas for her to watch herself, given all she had already eaten, while Setsuna and Love looked on in bemusement. At times, Setsuna's hand reached for Kanade's, at other times, Love's. But there was now only a relaxed happiness between them.

"You're gonna burst, you know," said Kanade to Hibiki, "and, of course, I'm gonna have to be the one to mop up your guts. Have you no shame? You've eaten cakes, eclairs, pies, puddings, cupcakes, marshmallows, dacquoise, even half a dozen fucking moorkops, at which point you were almost throwing up on me."

"I've never heard you swear before," Hibiki said, unconcerned, digging for a flavor she might like. "Well, it's not my fault all those sweets are available in a war camp, is it not? You'd think it'd be like those wartime movies where everyone is having stew and chewing on their own boots."

"It's not just soldiers that the allied kingdoms brought," Mai replied. "Supplies, too, of all sorts, and… Well, some of them happen to be perfect for pastries, especially considering Märchenland and the Desert Lands have been mostly untouched by war."

"And everyone wants to go all out," Setsuna spoke softly, "given the very real possibility of, you know. Death. Not to sound overly morbid, but ever since I left Labyrinth, the very first time, I have… I have not really feared death, you know? The nothingness of it, the eternal void, the unfeeling darkness. It holds no terrors for me, having known Labyrinth's cruelty, so the thought of dying doesn't keep me up at night. But I do wonder, sometimes, when will be the last time I get to enjoy something I like. The last time I'll eat Love's moth- my mother's cooking," she corrected herself. "The last time I'll eat a donut. The last time I'll smell the rain. None of us can ever truly know that, I suppose, but that's the only thing about death that saddens me. And I think that's what everyone's feeling, especially considering Beauty's suggestion that this is to be one great celebration, one last evening of joy before…"

She didn't have to finish her words. Of course, that was in everyone's minds. Mai had not failed to notice the fear, even underneath the joy people had managed to find - a defiant sort of joy, and desperate, a happiness that was not at all relaxed nor entirely honest, but exaggerated, in hopes that the exaggeration would make it true. There was little to smile about, that was the plain truth, which only made it more important for everyone to smile. None could know what terrors death might hold save for those who crossed that final threshold, but the living could always choose to turn their backs to that crushing despair. And now they did just that.

"See, Kanade?" Said Hibiki. "That's your lover girl telling you to stuff it so that I can, in turn, stuff myself," she chuckled. "You like strawberry, right?"

"Strawberry's fine," Kanade grumbled. "You know, they say the soldiers of the northern kingdoms traditionally fast before a battle so that they can fight with purity of body. Just a fun piece of trivia. But then again you wouldn't care much about purity, since you somehow found it in you to eat absolutely anything you could find, even things that should taste horrendous together. I mean, really, fried chicken and then a cupcake? If you hate yourself that much, you could just ask me to verbally abuse you, you know?"

"You know what purity of body meant exactly, right?" Hibiki was unmoved. "It was considered humiliating to empty one's bowels while dying. I, however, do not give a damn about that. In fact, I'm going to spend this entire day and this entire night eating the nastiest, grossest things I can find, so that when we face Dark Fall tomorrow and die, I'll at least prevent my killer from having any satisfaction because my corpse is just going to shit all over them. Imagine boasting about killing a Precure while smelling like that."

"You really need to grow up."

"We might not get that opportunity," said Saki.

"Fine, whatever. You still gonna eat chocolate ice cream after talking about that, Hibiki? How brave."

When at last Kanade gave up on her reprimands and the Precure all enjoyed a little bit of ice cream together - vanilla for Mai, mint for Saki - Egret could not help but hear Setsuna's words in her head. She had been right, of course, and insignificant a thing as this may seem, Mai found herself on the verge of tears after finally tasting something so sweet and cold after years of deprivation. It was not the dessert itself, of course, that she missed so dearly, but the normality, the very feeling of enjoying an insignificant pleasure like so. She kept from crying to spare everyone the embarrassment, but moved away alongside Saki, now determined to look for someone. She gave Ayumi a quick hug, telling her they'd meet again during the evening when all the Precure gathered, and set out with Cure Bloom to find Michiru and Kaoru. She had gratitude in her mind now, after all.

She had expected to find them all by themselves, someplace isolated, but instead Michiru's outgoing nature had found her and her sister a place at a table with Ellen - as always, accompanied by Hummy - and Lulu, as well as that awfully loud and neurotic girl that followed the armies of the Trump Kingdom. Mai still hadn't the slightest notion why she was allowed to remain here.

"Ah, Saki, Mai," Kaoru waved at them, bidding them to approach. "Will you join us? My sister found us, hm, some interesting characters to keep us company, right?"

"Nobody ever called me interesting before!" Hummy was flattered, and only somewhat louder than Emiru, chattering her mouth off at Lulu. "Still, a fairy turned human and an android are interesting company."

"You are an android?" Emiru turned towards Lulu, about to freak out, while Lulu herself regarded her with the same importance one would afford a buzzing fly.

"Yes."

"Do you shoot lasers?"

"No."

"Do you shoot bullets?"

"They are called kinetic ballistic ammunition."

"Do you shoot kinetic ballistic ammunition?"

"Yes."

And so carried on the litany. Mai politely accepted Kaoru's invitation, taking a seat left of her, while Saki sat to the right of Michiru. Saki continued to eat, but when offered another course, Mai realized she did not want to burst open the way Hibiki was certain to, nor did she wish to spend her last night in this world in an infirmary and with an aching stomach. Indeed, temperance was a virtue for a reason.

"I could never properly thank you," said Saki.

"Well, that's no fault of your own," Michiru told her. "We kind of kicked you out in a hurry. Sorry if we were a bit too harsh. It was either that or getting our heads chopped off."

"Sister," Kaoru pointed out, "Dark Fall doesn't have decapitation as an execution method. We would have been beaten to death instead."

"An important distinction indeed," said Mai. "I must thank you, too, for taking care of Saki when I could not."

"H-hey," Saki leaned closer towards her, "you make it sound like you're usually my caretaker or something!"

"Is that bad?" Hummy tilted her head. "Siren- I mean, Ellen is my caretaker and I love her very much. When we were both fairies together, she was always the one to find me food, and also after becoming human she sometimes cleans my litterbox."

"I don't think anyone cared to hear about that, Hummy," Ellen turned red, then looked at Mai. "Your friends told me that they once worked for Dark Fall, under Goyan's orders. I don't know either of you very well, but speaking as someone who had also picked the wrong side, once, I appreciate anyone who gives us a chance. I know it's not easy to trust."

"Erm, well," Saki laughed, "I've been told time and again that I'm a little bit too trusting. In this case, though, it was one of the smartest things I've done. I'm not smart very often, though, or so I'm told…"

"Oh, hush," said Michiru. "The only true stupidity in this life is choosing to live a life of evil, hurting others for pleasure or for your own gain," then, briefly shifting her gaze towards Emiru, she corrected herself. "Well, I suppose there are other kinds of foolishness."

"Emiru," Kaoru interrupted her babbling, which came as a great relief to Lulu, "I hope you have plans of taking shelter once the battle begins. We appreciate the help of all civilians who assisted us with our many preparations, but it won't be safe."

"What!" Emiru jumped to her feet. "Do not dismiss me so! I shall have you know that by sunset I will be made a Precure alongside Lulu, my designated partner."

"Huh?" That was news to Mai. "What's that all about?"

"It was not my choice," Lulu stated the obvious, all the while Emiru continued to grin. "However, as the Blue Rose's new Precure are mainly ill-prepared fighters, Aqua has deemed it wiser to have us fight entirely as teams, that we can make up for each other's weaknesses. I have no weaknesses, so I was assigned to assist the… The most eager recruit. That is her strength, I suppose, that and her attention to detail."

"Erm, that's well and good, but I was really asking what you mean by new Precure."

"An army is defined by the presence of soldiers," Emiru explained, proud, "and soldiers defined by their armaments and ability to fight. Hence, the Blue Rose sees the need to recruit new soldiers who have the deep desire to become Precure."

"Or who are talked into doing so," Lulu interjected.

"My friend Hana has been selected, too. It was an arduous process. Cure Aqua asked us if we are willing to die for the sake of saving the world, and I was somewhat paralyzed in fear at the notion but still managed to give her an affirmative answer, at which point she declared we would be made Precure with the last remaining blue roses, which Cure Ace acquired from Blue and Blossom."

"That…" Mai was looking for a polite way of wording the situation, but Saki spoke her mind before Mai had the chance.

"Wow, they're really just recruiting anyone so they can have bodies to throw at the enemy. That's pretty grim."

"They have the force of will required to fight," Ellen said. "And what does it mean to be a Precure but to be willing to die for the good of the world and its people? You may not say it so bluntly, but it is the truth. Everyone who takes up arms knows that they put their lives at risk when doing so. But for a good cause, that's worth it."

"Well, we're not really Precure," said Michiru. "We can sacrifice plenty, too. So that's something to keep in mind."

"Saki, Mai," Kaoru shifted her head to each one in turn, "we may not be as strong as true Precure, but we will fight with you, too. We will be joining the archers and magicians at the rear, and do what we can to keep you safe."

"If only we could do to Belzei what we did to Goyan," Michiru lamented.

"Having you in the battlefield with us is already a great relief," said Mai, "and I feel more courageous for it already."

"Just don't feel courageous enough to do something stupid," said Michiru. "Courage is for fools with no self-preservation."

"Like when you risked your lives to help me?" Asked Saki.

"Exactly. We want you alive at the end of this. Oh! I had nearly forgotten, but that boy Kenta was looking for you. He asked me to tell you to meet him at, uh… Where was it again, sister?"

"At the southwestern quadrant of the camps, where Märchenland's armies are marshalled."

"That's just where we came from," Saki groaned. "You'll be with us in the evening?"

"If you'll vouch for us," said Michiru. "It seems to be an event mainly for the Precure, although some have expressed their interest in remaining in the outskirts, far from the main event, so to speak."

"By which she means that's where the wine will be," Ellen explained. "It seems Cure Beauty does not wish to have the underage consume alcohol, much less have the older Cures set a poor example for their youngers."

"If she really thinks she can stop youths from getting drunk she really hasn't been to a graduation party for high schoolers," said Mai.

"You speak as though you've been to one," Saki poked fun at her, but Mai was prepared for that.

"I heard from my brother, okay? Come, Saki, you'd better say hi to Kenta, or after the battle he'll come looking for our bones to bother us about forgetting him, and then we'll truly never hear the last of it."

The notion frightened Saki enough to make her quicken her steps, and she didn't even look to her sides as she made her way towards where Kenta swore he would be - knowing Kenta, though, Mai found it quite likely that he would have tired of waiting and have decided to seek them himself, therefore ensuring they would miss each other once again. Such was life.

As they neared Last Light, they were greeted not by Kenta, who should still be somewhat far away, but by Hosshiwa, of all people. Mai was surprised to find her still there, and even more shocked when Namakelder and Oresky revealed themselves to remain in Last Light, too, although the significance of it all was lost on Saki - someday Mai meant to tell her of the time she spent in Last Light without her partner, but now there were better ways to spend her time.

"I figured you would have departed," said Mai. "You were released on Beauty's command, so that you would be free to flee before Dark Fall's coming. In case we lost-"

"We know that, yes," said Hosshiwa. "And I don't expect you to trust us, given that we worked for Mirage, who even now remains your enemy, but I swear we have not heard from her, have no contact with her, and are perfectly content in leaving her behind us."

"Just speak what you really mean, Hosshiwa," Namakelder shrugged. "We would like to fight with you against Dark Fall. We're scum, I'll admit that much, but we're scum with a serious interest in remaining alive, which in turn also implies we're interested in the world remaining undestroyed. A Dark Fall victory would do terrors to our life expectancy, and while Mirage probably wouldn't outright murder us, we also wouldn't enjoy being encased in mirrors for eternity."

"You can even put us in the frontlines where we'll probably die," said Oresky, instantly souring Hosshiwa's expression, "as long as we get a chance to fight."

"Maybe don't do it like that," Namakelder suggested.

"We can't run away," Oresky continued. "All our lives were spent running away from shame, from weakness, from fear, and, most importantly, running away from being the people we could truly be, because being your best is freaking difficult! I mean, how the hell do you Precure do it?"

"Oresky, my boy, you really had a good point there," said Hosshiwa, "up until you regurgitated needless words and ruined everything you had to say. Like you always do. You imbecile."

"It's not like it's easy for us," Mai explained to Oresky. "It is, in fact, very difficult. But with time it got a little bit easier. It'll get easier for you too."

"If we don't die," Hosshiwa pointed out.

"At least we're a bunch of nobodies," said Namakelder, "so nobody will bother torturing us to death. Small comforts, am I right?"

"You know what, I think we'll be going now," said Saki. "We have a friend we should meet, and he's probably going to want to fight, too, and we're going to have to talk him out of it, and that'll take us the better part of the afternoon."

"Goodbye to the three of you," said Mai. Though Hosshiwa had wounded her, Mai couldn't help but pity her somewhat. In her place, anyone would have made the same terrible decisions. "Good luck to you. To us all."

---

Shards of shattered mirrors lingered all along the wooden floor; it had been Makoto who'd broken them, in her sorrow and rage, but now the sight of broken glass greatly disturbed Nozomi. The pieces were too small to reflect anything now, but still Nozomi thought she could see some colors there, a trace of herself and Sword. But of course there was nothing there anymore.

"Her room was left just as it had been when we set out for the Desert Lands," said Makoto. "And I did not linger for long in Last Light after losing my hand. This place is…"

"Frozen in time?" She asked, and Makoto nodded. "I wonder if that was the last time we were…" No, she thought, realizing that she had been happy at times. It was some other feeling she sought, but it was lost now. It had been lost long before Nozomi even realized it. "I used to think we had tasted failure in the Trump Kingdom, and indeed we lost much there, could not achieve what we hoped for… But we won at Miwar. We struck an alliance with the Apostles, we killed important leaders of Nightmare, we breathed life into stars and learned how to make our own shine. Even now we can count on the Apostles for the coming battle, so by all standards we should be able to look back on our days there and see that we have done well. But I know you understand, even if no one else does, given your loss. The hollowness of that victory."

"Of course I understand," said Makoto. "Even now I feel the pain of what I've lost; my body aches and so does my heart. Victory, yes, but not for us, for we came out of Miwar having only lost and only sacrificed. I suppose that was when I truly learned what it meant to fight so desperately for what you hold dear: it means losing pieces of yourself. I wish I could say I don't regret it, but I'm only human. I want my hand. I miss the person I was, even if I'm more mature, now. Even if the person I was, in fact, was miserable, lost. I do not doubt that what we did was right, that we fight for something good, but that doesn't mean we have to pretend that it doesn't hurt."

"It hurts," Nozomi agreed. She stepped towards the other bedroom in the house, the one that had been Kagami's, and sat on the bed she had made before she left. Her solemn face was streaked by tears and she bit her lip to keep herself from bawling. "We all said, the last time we were together, that we had something to die for. When I said that, I really only considered my own death. I never really thought about how I might move on if… If it was someone else I lost, instead. I hate my words now. I hate the idea that they might have driven Kagami to sacrifice. Is that merely vanity on my part?"

"I cannot say," Makoto's sullen expression made it clear that she wrestled with the question herself. "When I held Alice and my blade neared our hearts, I was very accepting of the notion of dying, for the two of us were in pain, and with no clear way out, I thought we could free us both. If Alice had not been strong enough to fight her curse, then we would be dead now, and I suspect that as we perished I would be somewhat at peace, and that all of our friends would be speaking of us as we now speak of Kagami, she who sacrificed herself for her love and for what she believed to be right… To make sense of the loss, they would place meaning upon it. It would be a beautiful thing… But I'm happy to be alive, now, and know that Kagami, too, would be happy if she were with us. So the beauty and righteousness of it matters very little to the dead, and to the living they are but small comforts that allow us to move on."

Small comfort indeed. Nozomi wished Kagami was there with them, and knew Kagami would have wished for the same. So easily it might have been Makoto instead that they mourned, and the prospect of returning to Last Light having lost both Kagami and Makoto was beyond agonizing.

"I'm happy you're alive, too," Nozomi approached Makoto, held her hand then pulled her close into her embrace. Only then did she weep, overwhelmed by gratitude and regret, each magnifying the other. "I think… I think I would like to leave this place. I need a moment to collect my thoughts. Shall we meet at the celebrations?"

"I wouldn't call them celebrations," said Makoto. "Though that is what Reika intends us to enjoy, it's truly more of one last drink before the storm devours us, so to speak. One last chance to spend time with friends. Knowing the weight of grief, it's hard to celebrate now. But, yes, I'll meet you there, though I doubt I'll linger there all night like others mean to. I… I would like to be with Alice, before… Before dawn."

Nozomi nodded, then turned back while Makoto lingered behind in mournful silence. Nozomi knew little about grieving, in truth, for even after the world was lost to darkness and war she was always met with the urgency of battle and of fighting for light. She had only just kept running, never looking back, but now could do no such thing.

Some sunlight remained outside, but faint, dying fast. Busy and full of life, Last Light was nothing like the little village the Precure had founded under Mirage's guidance. She had, then, hoped she would be able to control all the Precure in the village and the Phoenix Tower, that they would all be her pawns in the future, but more than anyone else she ought to have known that you can never count on unquestioning devotion. She now repeated the same mistakes that led her to become what she was; Nozomi did not fail to grasp how disturbing that knowledge was. It fell upon her and her fellow Precure to break this cycle of torments and treasons. Perhaps that was most frightening of all.

Nozomi expected to find her house empty, with Megumi busy elsewhere - as well as not even aware that this was where Phantom had spent his days in her flesh - but instead she found Kurumi waiting for her inside. Dream recoiled, remembering what had happened the last time they had met there, but promptly recalled that, at least now, Rose had no cause to beat her to a bloody pulp.

Not that Nozomi knew of, at least.

"Are you here to beat me down? I hope not. I can't really fight if you snap my legs in half."

"What? Why would I do that? Don't be weird, Nozomi. I'm just here to talk to you, and since Iona and Reika didn't know where you were, I figured this was as good a place as any to look for you."

"It's not like I'm surgically attached to Beauty and Fortune," Nozomi replied, "or that they know where I am all the time. Have you considered that?"

"Yes, well, they are more responsible than you are, so maybe it'd be wiser for them to always know your whereabouts. Have you considered that? I mean, I told Moonlight where I was going. She didn't seem to care very much, but she knows."

"Was there something you wished to discuss, then?"

"A favor I needed from you, yes," she said. "You have proven yourself a great defender of the Palmier Kingdom, and Prince Coco speaks highly of you and your deeds. I shall be at the frontlines with the Blue Rose's vanguard, and understand well enough that I may not survive the battle. In my absence, I ask that you guard the princes to the best of your ability. I cannot ask you to dedicate your life to that task, don't misunderstand me, but Palmier will need you in the future, should we win. Occupation and war have left the kingdom's population and resources spent, and Dark Fall's end will not bring about an age of unending peace, I'm not naive enough to believe life will henceforth be free of struggle."

"Palmier is my home," Nozomi told her. "I will defend it to the death. You can be sure of that."

"Thank you," Rose nodded. "This is, truly, a relief, not that I had expected you to turn your back on your home. But I didn't wish to march into battle with concerns beyond what lies ahead of me. Palmier is in safe hands, so I can fight knowing that no matter what happens to me, all that I love will still be well-defended… Though I'd rather live."

"I'd rather you live, too," said Nozomi. She had much to say about Kurumi's declaration, but kept her words to herself, for death was not a topic she cared to discuss now. "Say, Kurumi… You wouldn't happen to intend to return to the camps right now, would you? Karen has sworn to fight for your Rose, so you can guide me to her, and I would like to speak to her."

"Hm? Yes, of course, Karen meant to talk to you, too, she just didn't really know when would be a good time. I told her that it's not like we'd have many opportunities, given how pressed for time we are, but she was afraid that you might despise her."

"Then I suppose it can't be helped," she sighed. "I'm going to spend some time with everyone, so take me there and I'll look for Karen. She'll likely have Rin with her to try and talk me into forgiving her, but there's nothing to forgive now… She did what she thought was best, and, like you, I don't want to go into battle with regrets, concerns, or broken bonds. Let's go. As long as we live, we can make amends."

---

As the sun started to set and the Precure turned from Last Light with Orbs of Lux, Rin found that she had other plans; with help from Hibiki, Kanade and Mirai, she got the crowds to disperse from the center of the camps, and there she decided to start her fire.

A signal, she justified her decision to Beauty, for everyone to see that we are to meet here, and that the fires of our passion and resolve burn bright. It was silly, perhaps, but Rin rather enjoyed this kind of grandiose gesture, of letting everyone know that they were not afraid, knowing that in the dark of the night the fires might even be seen by Dark Fall far away. Let them come. Rin had beaten them back once, had held Lucentower against worse odds.

She kept telling herself that, in hopes of the lingering worries dissipating. Now, surrounded by so many of her allies, she managed to keep her cool, remaining distracted enough not to think of battle. It was best to keep things this way, as once the hours began to drag past the fear would set in as Dark Fall neared and all the defenders of Last Light had to take their positions. Beyond that she could not know what to expect.

Cure Sunny joined her flames, her fire a gleaming, beautiful orange. Rin took that as a friendly challenge, and intensified her own magic, a vivid red fighting the orange for dominance of the bonfire. There was no great heat to these magical flames, despite their intensity, as they were more color and light than anything else. But they were beautiful, and that was what mattered. In the end, neither Rouge nor Sunny could best the other's magic, and their colors made spirals together until they appeared to reach the sky, their luminosity almost entirely concealing the dread Serpent Star above. Blasts like fireworks erupted from the flametongue, drawing the eyes of everyone around, staring enchanted by the beauty far above.

New colors, then, joined the fires; Magical granted them a violet spark, Fortune a deeper purple. Saki ran towards the flame and made streaks of pink run along its height, melting elegantly with the purple hues, and then returned to Mai and a boy that stood with them with two drinks in hands. More of the Precure shared their magic, and it was as though the sun had never set at all, so luminous were the camps. Moonlight's silver and Diamond's blue, Honey's yellow and March's green… Almost a rainbow, indeed, but unlike Starfire and its colors, this was not a fire to be feared, but admired, for it was a burning symbol of their unity.

After that, the Precure began to settle down. Sunny bid Rouge goodbye, praising her for her skills, and Rin just accepted the compliment without false modesty. Wait until you see what I can do to Dark Fall, she thought, but remaining true to her resolve in not talking about battle, she said nothing. Instead she joined her friends just as Akane sat down with her own, although there was a noticeable absence by Rouge's side that Karen wouldn't stop gawking at.

"If you'd just get up, look for her and apologize," Rin told her, "Nozomi would come here. Entice her with the feast to come and she'll forget you ever betrayed her trust."

"I don't think you're being very helpful, Rin," Urara told her. "Karen did nothing out of malice. Nozomi will understand that, I know it."

"That does not change the fact that our princess here should get off her ass and look for Nozomi."

"Don't call me princess," said Karen. "I just… She might hate me. I could not bear to receive confirmation of that."

"And thus you'd rather torture yourself by jumping to conclusions," said Komachi. Even if Karen thought herself too good to listen to anyone's advice, she would listen to her lover. Probably. "If only you'd learn to communicate, dearest, you'd avoid so many complications. If you only swallowed your pride and explained your actions rather than hoping everyone else will simply assume you have good intentions…"

"You seem to understand that well enough," Karen grumbled. "You never assume the worst of me."

"That's because I'm your wife, darling dearest," somehow Komachi's gentlest words were often her most biting. Rin wondered if she intended to sound like that.

"Wait. Wife?" Urara asked, and Karen nodded. "Am I the only one who didn't hear about this?"

"Well, most people haven't," Karen said, "but Rin is very proud of being privy to other people's secrets so she'll always tell you when she knows something you don't. Besides, she was by my side when Aguri wedded us."

"Not all can say they were married by a queen," Komachi smiled, "and, even better, there was no need for great formalities because queens make laws as they will, and we asked that she officiate a quiet, private ceremony."

"I'm… Really happy for you," said Urara.

"Karen is most likely happiest because of the tax benefits that come with marriage," Rin laughed, and when nobody else did, she considered explaining her joke before remembering that humor was lost on such company.

"I get it," said Karen, without laughter. "If I happen to die during the battle, then Komachi will be financially set for life even without me. I had not considered that," and neither had Rin, but she chose to let the subject go. "We would not have considered something like this for quite a few years if not for the likelihood of those years never coming to pass. We are, I suppose, very romantic, and Komachi spent so long trapped in her crystal prison that we urgently feel the need to make up for the lost time."

"That's fair," said Rin. "Well, for once I'll offer you my sincere congratulations. You two deserve each other, and I swear I mean it in a nice way."

"Really."

"Yes, really. Still, it is kind of weird. We are pretty young. The two of you not so much, I guess, but-"

"Rin, we're only one year older than you," Komachi said gently, before turning to Urara, "two years older than you, my sweet."

"Komachi," Karen suddenly panicked, "we're twenty."

"You're only realizing your own age now?" Rin asked.

"That is not what I meant. What I meant is that we are twenty years old and have not yet graduated from Cinq Lumières's academy."

"Is that actually what's concerning you?" Komachi asked, before giggling.

"I just feel… Frightened by the notion of my future being so gravely delayed."

"First we need to have a future," Komachi said the least reassuring sentence she could have possibly uttered.

"Can we please change the subject?" Urara asked. "If you keep discussing this, I swear I'll actually want to die in battle."

"Don't even joke about that," Rin told her, stern. She reached for a slice of the huge cake Kanade had baked with Mai's help, intending to savor it throughout the night, but familiar colors caught her eye.

Next to Rose, Nozomi drew closer, and stood silently before the table, as though she wordlessly asked for permission to sit, even as a space next to Rin was very evidently vacant. Karen only nodded, awkward as always, but when Nozomi took her place she finally saw fit to speak.

"I apologize for everything," Karen said to her. "For my deeds and for not seeking you. I take it that Kurumi has told you of my plight?"

"She has," said Nozomi. "I can't fault you for that."

"Nevertheless, I apologize."

"And I accept your apology," Nozomi said with unusual formality. Soon, though, a smile came to her lips; not the easy smile Rin had known for so long, but different, somehow, more serene. Though this was still, of course, the Nozomi that Rin always knew, it was inevitable that time would change her. "I'm happy to be with everyone again. I feared for so long that this would never happen… We have all lost so much to come this far, but still we made it. That's something to be proud of."

"That is absolutely right," said Rin. "I should add, too, that it's a relief that you chose to join us," as she spoke, Karen shifted to the side to make space for Kurumi, "and not your other friends. Why, I was afraid for a moment there that you'd walk past us and head straight to Beauty and Fortune."

"My, are we jealous?"

"Hey, if anything I would probably be grateful that you'd become their problem, not mine."

"Hm. I'll admit I didn't really expect you'd have grown so cold," Nozomi said, seemingly genuinely sad. Rin already began to regret her words.

"L-Listen, it was a joke, a joke!" She tried to appease Nozomi. "I like that you've always been my problem. You weren't even really a problem at all, and-" Noticing the insufferably smug expression on Nozomi's face, Rin decided that she was the one who was the greatest fool here. "You're messing with me. Amazing. I really didn't think you were capable of that kind of deception."

"It's not like she's good at it," said Kurumi, "so it's just you who's bad at reading people. Or maybe you've grown to underestimate your childhood friend, to assume you can tell everything about her, how embarrassing…"

"Shut up, Kurumi."

"No, no, she's right," Karen interjected. "It is embarrassing that you'd believe what is so obviously a joke… My, perhaps you should work on your communication skills?"

"Shut up, Karen," Rin grumbled, and before Komachi could say anything, Rouge told her to shut up too. "Fine, fine, Nozomi. You got me. I suppose I didn't know you as well as I thought I did."

"I guess I've changed."

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Rin told her. "Familiarity is pleasant, but it's not that which gives friendship and love their worth. We've always been together, but even then we did not know the other in her entirety, nor will we ever. And I think that's wonderful. That's the reason my dreams of reuniting with you all were so sweet… Not because I believed we would meet again and see that we had not changed, but because we would get to know one another once again. We may not have enough hours in the night to do that before battle, but when we win-"

"Do you believe we'll win?" Urara interrupted, eliciting laughter from Karen.

"Oh, I truly missed this optimism."

"I'm quite serious," if Rin said it often enough, she believed she might convince herself that it was true.

"I suppose that's better than expecting death," said Komachi, before turning her back and pointing at a distant gathering of Precure, though from afar Rin could not recognize them. "I tried to see what Uta, Kanae and Nemu were up to, and the atmosphere is pretty gloomy, not at all helped by the fact that they were joined by Lady Sorcielle, who is desperately writing down her knowledge of magic onto a diary so that, after we're all dead, maybe in the future someone will find it and restore magic to the world."

"Victory is a possibility," said Nozomi, "never a promise. We fight for the sake of that promise never knowing if it will be fulfilled, but fighting all the same. Sorcielle is a bleak woman, true, but I suppose that's just her way of caring. Planning for a future that she might not be part of. That's not the same as expecting defeat."

"Nozomi…"

"I apologize. I didn't mean to darken the mood. It's just… Not an hour ago I was thinking of Kagami alongside Makoto. She gave her life for the sake of a future she knew would never be hers. And so might we all, or most of us, only some, no one… We fear death, but still fight for love, for friendship, for all that matters so much in our lives and all that makes death so frightening. That's what this terror is about… Not the fear of defeat but the fear of not being there for victory. That's what it means for us to be Precure… We do not fight simply to halt the end. A backed, wounded animal will do that; no, we fight, instead, for what is yet to come. For the days we are not promised, and, beyond that, and perhaps most importantly, for the ones we never shall see."

---

Only now, as she dined with Hime, Megumi, Syrup and Nile did Yuko realize that it had been a long time since she had eaten a meal that hadn't been cooked by her. In fairness, some of the meals the Precure had eaten while on the road were so paltry and simple that it seemed quite generous to say that they had been cooked and not merely dumped onto a bowl with enough stew to make it go down. It had kept them alive, and having known hunger as a child, Yuko had to admit that it was good enough.

But it was, of course, quite pleasant to not have to prepare a dish, to simply sit down and enjoy a meal with friends. Though the food might not taste exactly to her liking as it would have if she had been the one to make it, she found she quite enjoyed the discovery of new tastes to savor, textures unlike any she was familiar with. Discovery, yes, that was the delight of the experience, of dining at a friend's home, of enjoying a restaurant one had never visited. Those were now-distant pleasures she remembered on the eve of her death, though she still found it in her to smile at Hime and to nod when Megumi proposed battle strategies and swore they would come out victorious. Syrup and Nile were swayed, so why should Yuko fill their hearts with fear when she could just pretend everything was fine and that all of their hopes would be made real?

She didn't have to believe in something to nod in agreement. They, too, might have just been fooling themselves for the sake of all others around them. But the truth was they would die; maybe not all of them, thought the optimistic half of Yuko, but the rest of her was convinced that come daybreak they would wage a losing battle and throw their lives into the bowels of the abyss.

Some found that defiance glorious. Hibiki had voiced such feelings, which were then reflected by other Precure, whose strong voices pledged to die fighting even if they could not win, that if they were to perish, with their last breaths they would utter curses at their enemies and bring them such destruction that even when gone, they could never be forgotten. But that was a child's dream. It mattered very little if the dead were remembered or forgotten; death meant nothing, for it was life that they fought so fiercely to defend. If they were to die, if they were to lose, then nothing would remain but defeat itself, their scattered bones and the rubble of their towers and castles amidst the ruination of the dead world.

Yuko wished the others could see it, and at the same time she was grateful that they did not. Silent she retreated into her own despair and simply acquiesced whenever spoken to, laughed when mirth rose to surround her, and found little to enjoy but the taste of one last meal before the grave.

This was a cold night, and the arcane flames brought no warmth or life with them at all, even as they swirled beautifully in their many colors, a rainbow helix that reached a distant night sky. The fires were brighter than the faraway stars, but were not quite as beautiful. Hime rubbed her hands together for warmth, and Syrup retreated to his diminutive fairy form, finding it easier to warm himself like that. Yuko herself wasn't too troubled by the cold - or she had enough in her mind that she could more or less ignore the world around her.

"We should all go to Yuko's family's restaurant when this is over," Hime uttered words that Yuko dreaded. "If it's alright with you, Yuko, I'd love to help you all rebuild. I'm pretty handy with a hammer! Not that I ever used one, but, well, it's a hammer. How hard can it be?"

"Ah, right," Yuko wasn't sure how to respond. Her first instinct was to just nod blankly, but Hime deserved something better than so lowly a lie. "Thank you, but you shouldn't trouble yourself so. We will be fine, and you have your own family to worry about. We've been through tough times before."

"That would be a sight to see, though," said Nile, "a princess performing such menial labor. It's one thing to take up arms in war, but a hammer…? Now that would be most unusual."

"Even if Hime can't join you," Megumi said, "I'll be there to help you, too. My family often ate at your restaurant, you know, but I never really had the chance."

"You're awfully kind, but, again, we won't be needing any help. You have your own matters to attend to. We'll be fine. We're always fine."

"You've seen the state of the Blue Sky Kingdom, though," said Syrup. "Place's a mess. A few helping hands could go a long way towards fixing everything, because it's really unlikely the restaurant would have been undamaged."

"Stranger things have happened."

"Yuko, don't be like that," Hime told her. "People want to help you because we all love you. We wouldn't want you to struggle during peacetime."

"Will you quit that?" Yuko whispered, and when a confused Hime tilted her head and asked her to repeat herself, Yuko understood that she had the chance to let go of the matter, change the subject and continue to enjoy her meal. Her heart, however, would not let her, and she grit her teeth.

"Yuko?"

"Stop talking about the future as though we'll have one," she rose to her feet. "We are Precure: we will be at the frontlines, and even if our combined forces somehow defeat Dark Fall, all of us will be dead before the next nightfall, because that's what happens to those at the front. They die."

"You don'-"

"Not that we have to worry about that anyways," Yuko spat out words as though they were phlegm, and they burned her tongue, "because we will not win. So stop talking about my family. Stop talking about all I stand to lose. Just leave me be and I'll leave you to your delusions," she said, and began to turn back, not knowing where exactly she would go.

"Honey, wait," Princess called out to her, but Yuko would not have it.

"Please. Just let me be alone. I'll see you again come the time for the battle."

It pained her to speak like this to Hime, sweet Hime, who only meant well, but Yuko could only silence her own feelings for so long. Often, for the sake of everyone around her, she had been able to pretend that she wasn't frightened, that she was stronger than she truly was. But not now, not now that she stared at the darkness, at that precipitous descent into the bowels of the abyss. To this she could not close her eyes, and, headed towards Last Light once more, the sounds of life all around her became abhorrent, scornful, and wherever she looked Yuko saw the lie, that horrid deceit where all those doomed to die come the morn pretended that there was something beautiful about sharing one last night together, one last drink before hell would swallow them.

A testament to our union, Reika had said, but Yuko knew all too well that only the living can remember the dead, that no testament would be remembered nor would ever come to mean anything if they all perished. There was nothing romantic or profound about confronting death, not to Yuko, who felt only terror. Whatever comes after death, the cynical would say, it cannot be worse than this. But only a fool would believe that; learning as she did that the gods were as fallible as any human, she could not believe in paradise, and could imagine nothing but a horror beyond naming: an abyss darker than darkness, anathema to life and light and thought, to all earthly pleasures and sensations. Perhaps the pain of hell could be preferable to oblivion, Yuko thought, because at least then something would remain of her - in eternal agony, yes, but it would be her, and the pain she would know would be a feeling she could name. To not exist, to never again taste her mother's cooking, to never come back home tired to a gentle warmth and peaceful familiarity, to never feel the sun, a morning breeze, sweat on her body, tired feet after long walks, to not even have at least the memory of all that to cling to desperately as everlasting fires and thorns and sulphur consumed her…

She shivered. I don't want to die. I don't want to go into the dark. After all they'd suffered, she truly had believed that they might win, but of course life does not work like that. Relief is never promised to follow pain; there is no such balance. If anything, suffering begets further woes and the downtrodden are only trod upon until they break.

She could turn back. She could hold Hime and say it was wrong of her to despair. But the lie would not buy her the smallest solace. She had wept like this, once, in fear and sorrow, but then the rain could hide her shame, and she found Nozomi, who shared her pain, and together they braved the cold and sullen night. Some part of her prayed she would find someone who could console her heart and whisper ease and hope. Some part of her wanted to cling to this pain, refusing to run from reality as she faced death. There was no running from dreadful truth.

After all, no matter how many stars shone in the sky, or how brightly, the nights were only ever dark.

---

Her sister had a bit much to drink, and Kaoru wished to reprimand her for that, but she was doing far better than some of the others around the long table, and, besides, they would not be seeing much fighting come the dawn, unlike someone like Gelato, deep in her cups and about to pass out.

"Why d'we have to be here anyways?" Aoi babbled at anyone who might hear, which right now meant Kaoru, unfortunate enough to be next to the drunkard. "We're not underage. We can drink. Why's Reika such a wet rag?"

"Surely you don't actually want to spend your last night in this world with some kids, right?" Ciel said. "If they want to die with the taste of orange juice on their lips, that's fine. Although Reika's so bland, her idea of a good time is probably just a cold glass of water."

"Hey, would you guys drink Reika's water?" Asked Kotoha, who was sitting with them even though she was most definitely not old enough to drink. Probably. Maybe in fairy years?

"What." Bibury spat out some wine.

"I mean, if she offered you a glass with a huge chunk of magic ice inside it," Kotoha gestured vaguely, spilling her drink on her dress. "Like. Ice. It's water. If it melts, right? Would you drink that?"

"It's just water," said Kaoru, "so what's special about it? I don't understand your question."

"Hold on," Michiru added, "you're joking, right, sister? That's water that was made by a person. Water that came from a person. Doesn't that make it… Dirty?"

"No? It's magic. You don't have to think that hard about it. It did not come from a person's body, you are not literally drinking someone's fluids."

"Would you eat magic grass?" Kotoha then asked.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Bibury complained, then turned to Ciel, "can we please find somewhere else to get drunk?"

"Hold on, I want to see where this is going."

"What do you mean by magic grass?" Kaoru asked. Michiru stared at her as though that was entirely the wrong question to be asking.

"Oh, you know, vines?" Kotoha shrugged. "Flowers, too, brought to life by magic energies. They're not really food, but if you were starving, would you eat them?"

"That's a strange question," asked Michiru, "and an entirely different matter from the question about ice… Well, from what Mai told me, Last Light's crops have needed magical support to grow quickly and healthily enough to feed the village. So I guess that's your answer. There's nothing weird about magic food."

"But that was soil treatment," Kaoru said. "The magic infused the ground, not the crops themselves. You're contradicting your own argument. You're not really making much sense, sister."

"And clearly this whole conversation is entirely sensible," Rio complained, to which Yukari simply drew him closer, chuckling softly. "What?"

"Nothing. Would you like some more wine?" She turned to Akira, not waiting for Rio to answer. "Would you fetch us some? Pretty please?"

"Haven't you had enough?"

"I've not passed out yet, so no. I'm worried about tomorrow, you know, what with my impending death, so I just know I won't be able to sleep unless I slip into an alcoholic coma."

"Isn't wine somewhat weak for that?" Ichika asked. Though she had joined her friends here, she was remarkably sober.

"Well, the end of the world doesn't exactly bring with it an abundance of variety in alcohol," said Aoi. "Well, there's the meads from Märchenland if you're feeling brave, but they taste like piss."

"You know the taste of piss, huh?" Ciel asked, then guffawed, being the only one inebriated enough to find that funny. "Ah, my cup's empty…"

"Come, sister," Michiru rose to her feet, then took Kaoru's hand. "Don't trouble yourself, Cure Chocolat. We'll go get you all some more wine."

"Oh, thank you so much," said Yukari. "What nice, respectful youngsters. I hope you don't die in battle, and if you do, I hope it's quick and painless."

"Don't say such morbid things," Kotoha moaned, and the way red wine spilled from her mouth like blood was still far more morbid than anything Yukari could scare them with. "Y'know, I think… Think I'll go walk with you. Might clear my head. Ow…"

Kotoha clearly wasn't asking for permission; she simply followed the sisters as they left, headed to a less depressing area of the gathering. Though Kaoru had wanted to experience the taste of wine and the warm lightness it brought to her mind, at least once before she died, she felt she had enough of drunkards for the evening. Ciel and the others were simultaneously gloomy and obnoxious, as though they were counting on defeat because it was easier to imagine failure than accept that victory might come, even if at a ruinous cost.

A stumbling Kotoha found support by clutching to Michiru's arm, and mercifully she remained mostly silent. Despite everything, Kaoru found herself pitying her, as she pitied almost everyone here, everyone who had the misfortune of being tasked with enduring the darkest of days. None could ever be prepared for that; for death and perdition to be so close a reality, not a mere vague concept, to well and truly have no room for failure and no second chances. Kaoru's own legs felt weaker than ever before. To never grow old, to be deprived the right to make youthful mistakes, to face the darkness before having ever truly lived, naught but stalks of grass waiting for the reaping…

Her stomach turned. A lie, she thought, that we've not truly lived. She might have believed that, once, when she and her sister were Dark Fall's servants, before the light reached down to touch them and the sun kissed them the first time. Death is not life's meaning, so why should the end be the measure of all they'd seen and known?

"Damn their wine," Kaoru told Michiru, suddenly. Not too far from them, effervescent laughter sparked life in the night, this last night; many voices she did not know, others she recognized, each voice a promise. "Let's seek our friends."

"Sister?"

"I've no wish to mourn this night. What brought us here, all of us, through war and agony, terror and doubt, was only ever life. Not the fear of death, but all that became dear to us, and that in turn holds us dear. We should be with them. With all that is precious to us. With Saki and Mai, with Marine, March, with everyone who accepted us, welcomed us, everyone whose last hours we can make brighter, more alive, and they in turn to us."

"Kaoru… Is that sentiment coming out of your mouth?"

"Is that so strange? I've always considered myself sentimental, almost excessively so."

"Huh," she said, then grinned. "Of course. Any objections, Kotoha?" Some sound came out of her mouth, that much Kaoru could not put into doubt, but whatever it meant was simply beyond her. "Fantastic. Let's get going, then. Dawn is closer than we might think, and the night is our truest friend now."

---

Queen Aguri tapped her fingertips on the painted table of her pavilion, but whatever thoughts were in her mind she kept to herself, and Rikka simply waited dutifully by her side, in the event Ace required assistance or advice. But past sunset, she kept her silence, and simply stood by herself, lit only by candlelight, as though she was waiting for something. Moonlight had already gone to join the rest of the Precure, as had Kurumi, Karen, Mirai, Nao and Erika. Only the two of them remained here, now. Though Aguri's silence was enigmatic as ever, there was something oddly nostalgic about simply lingering in her presence, wordlessly, without a care about time and duty. It almost made Rikka forget that these last hours of peace were numbered, and quite scarce at that.

"You can join them, Rikka," Aguri finally said, without turning away from the table. "Be with Mana, Alice, Makoto. With everyone else that you hold dear."

"You are dear to me."

"I know. But you should enjoy yourself. Laugh. Smile. When were you last by the side of your precious friends?"

We were fighting one another, Rikka thought, clenching a fist. Even though they would now fight together, in the future their allegiances might bring them to conflict once more.

"You will remain here by yourself, if I go?"

"Yes, I will. I think. I… I cannot hide it," she sighed. "I am troubled, Rikka. Would you hear me out?"

"Always."

"Thank you," she stepped towards Diamond. A child. That was all she was, and so much more. A child without a past and without a childhood. Now that she had claimed the Crown and Marie Ange's memory, as well as the memories of countless Precure throughout the millennia, Rikka sometimes feared that something of Aguri might have been lost. But whenever she was like this, childlike and vulnerable, honest and human, Rikka's concerns disappeared. Nothing could ever change the fundamental truth that before she was Ace, before she was Marie Ange, before she was fate-driven to the Blue Rose, she was, indeed, Aguri.

"Are you afraid, too?"

"Of course I fear death," she admitted, "but something else bothers me even more, right now… My sister," she said, the word still heavy, spat out with difficulty. "We will fight together, now. Regina, who holds the throne that should be mine… A part of me was tempted to have her killed in battle. Who would notice a flurry of arrows, in the heat of combat, aimed at our own allies? I cannot bring myself to give the order, though. It pains me, though I cannot justify why. She should be nothing to me but an enemy, an usurper. She is not truly my sister. But to say that feels like a lie. Our blood is the same only because Ange shed hers to birth us."

"It's not illogical," said Rikka. "I know you're not a hateful person. It is not an emotion that comes easily to you. I would not follow someone hateful and cruel. Those are flaws I cannot excuse. So how could it ever bring you joy or comfort to slay someone who has a connection to you? It's true that she is not your sister. But she could be. Or she could be your friend. She could be your ally. Even if you never come to love her, enmity is not an inevitability. It doesn't have to be, unless you make it so."

"What of Regina?" Aguri asked. "Do you think she would… She would want me as part of her life? Even if only a small part?" She clutched her chest, pained. "I don't wish to hate her. Is that a remnant of Ange's selfishness, now inside me? Ange's desperate refusal to hate herself…? Is this why my feelings have changed?"

"Maybe you understand Regina better now. You know what she has inherited from Ange. And you know that, just like you, she has become more than her creator. More than her birth."

"I hate this shadow," Aguri admitted, "the shadow of Marie Ange, always cast upon me. More than that, I fear it. It feels as though my soul is fragmented. I can tell that these memories are not my own, in my heart I can see the distance between myself and Ange, but I cannot hide from the fact that I was made from her. What if there is no Aguri, not really? Even the part of myself that I consider truly mine… Is it not a fabrication of Marie Ange? Her own conception of selflessness? Even if I have changed, even if I have grown past her, it is only because she let me. What does that make me?"

"It makes you like everyone else," Rikka whispered. "None of us exist detached from the past that brought us where we are. Other people built the world we inhabit, and those very past builders were made by their own parents, their ancestors, shaped by their heritage. You are not broken, Aguri. You can look to your past and see what you were, once, but why should you trust that? Why should that mean anything to you? You did with Ange's gifts and with her memory all that you could and wanted. But there can be no more than that. Marie Ange is gone. She died in war, watching her homeland burn. There is no power in this world that can ever change that. Makoto's love cannot change that. The destruction of the Selfish King could not change that. You cannot change that, either. You will not breathe life into what now is only memory. Whatever paths Ange trod in life, you can always change."

"You will tread with me?" She cried. A childish weeping, the tears of a young girl who first learned the pains of life. Because the truth was that, now that she had reunited with Ange's memory and with her past, now that she had finally come to live without the emptiness in her nature, she could truly begin to live as herself, and not as a broken half blindly scrambling to find a future whilst only looking towards her past.

"Until the end."

A smile appeared on Aguri's lips, discreet and small, but earnest all the same. An endearing smile, the kind that living with Yuri had taught Rikka to appreciate.

"I'm thankful. For everything you've done for me… I'm thankful to have you in my life. I'm sorry I've been so difficult time and time again."

"I'm used to difficult friends," Rikka laughed. "If anything, I'm happy you trust me enough to rely on me. I know it can be difficult to admit you need help. But to be able to help the ones you love, if only slightly, is truly a gift."

"Then I will continue to rely on you," said Aguri, "and in turn I hope you come to rely on me, too. We've been here long enough, so your friends must be starting to wonder where you might be. You go with them, my sweet Rikka, while I go to see my sister. This time, I pray, our meeting is somewhat more amicable than when I met her in the field of battle."

---

Makoto sang for them all, a melancholy but beautiful melody, and Alice by her side was the most enthralled of all listeners; earlier, whilst the Precure were feasting, their songs were jovial, at times almost bawdy, but the stretching of the hours quieted their voices and the feelings and comforts they sought then became softer, subtler. It was not midnight yet, but close to it, and the arc of the moon made all too clear that the night that seemed so young, almost eternal, now had its hours numbered.

Don't forget our song, Rosetta had whispered to Sword before she shared her voice with all gathered before them. Tonight, Makoto had replied in her softest tone, later, when all is done and we can be alone and silent.

Alice knew Makoto would not break her promise, but even so she remained somewhat apprehensive, impatient. She held her lover's hand, and longed to be closer, warmer. Now that they were true to their love for one another, Alice wanted little but to be by Makoto's side all the time, whenever she could, because she knew that time to be scarce and precious, especially now. Part of her lamented the fact that she dedicated less of her attention to Mana and Rikka than she should, but she could not be everywhere, with everyone, and even now both Alice and Makoto remained scarred, wounded, and their shared pain was a constant reminder of what they had gone through. It almost made Alice forget about her concerns for the coming battle: she had faced sure death alongside Makoto, recently, so what terrors could the battlefieldhold for them that they did not already overcome?

The melancholy of Makoto's song seemed to be what everyone here truly wanted, as opposed to a more mirthful harmony. Contrary to Alice's expectations, what they wanted was not to pretend everything was fine, to indulge in loud and bright antics of happiness and youth; not entirely, at least. More than dismissing their fears, what everyone longed for was for comfort, acknowledgment that the coming trials were shared between them all, and that they were not alone in their concerns, their sorrows, their sleeplessness. For it was scarcely a precious thing when loved ones kept company in your happiest hours, and to find a sense of unity was easy in times of peace, calm, prosperity. With death so real a possibility now, and so frightfully close, there was no solace to be found in running from it, in pretending it wasn't there.

She sang of long-dead Precure and warriors alike, of maidens whose loved ones perished in war, and sang of their grief and the heaviness of absence. Her singing inspired tears and a deep, mournful silence. Makoto sang of Cures Winter and Summer, their agonized separation and the misfortune of their ends; sang of fallen Harmonia and of the first time the gates of Luminosa were brought down by darkness and its forces. She sang of death, of separation, of carrying on through the fear, even when no happy ending awaited. These were the feelings of everyone who had come together tonight, refusing to spend what could be their last hours alone with their pain, instead sharing it with everyone until it became bearable, a less lonely sort of torment.

When Makoto grew tired of singing, Ellen chose to take her place, joined by the small fairy that was her constant companion, Hummy. An embarrassed Kanade sang along to her words, while Reika asked Ako if this was a traditional Majorland song. Alice sat closer to Makoto, their arms locked together, and as Sword rested her head on Rosetta's shoulder, Alice chose to inspect her surroundings, wondering if she might find Lulu. Wherever she might be, however, Alice could not quite tell. She asked around if someone might know, and Peace said she had seen her alongside Emiru - Alice wasn't quite sure who that was, as after arriving at Last Light it seemed that suddenly there were far more Precure than she had ever known, even before the Death of the Stars. If Lulu had made a friend, though, Alice would count that as cause to smile. Those were rare, a precious treasure.

"It's almost a happy night," Makoto whispered. "Such a pity that only in these dire times can we share it. Only this brought us together."

"There are ills that come to do good," said Alice. "My words are only my own, but all the pain and sorrow I've endured… I call it all a bargain for having brought me to your side. I would have died in your arms and known happiness, if it had come to that."

"I suppose I can't disagree there. But even so I will always wish that we could have been spared the pain. That we had been wiser from the start."

"All wish for that. But I can't make that come true. All that is in my hands is to decide how I feel now. And I feel warm. I am with you. All my friends are alive; I will fight for them. That is enough for me, now."

"Then it is enough for me as well, my love," Makoto leaned closer, her lips touching Alice's. She'd not yet gotten used to this gesture; a part of her wished she never would. Familiarity had its own sort of beauty, but right now she enjoyed the miraculous novelty of love.

Her eyes tracked every new arrival, eager to greet Mana and Rikka, but, until now, both of them appeared to be by their respective queens' sides. A strange state of affairs, admittedly, because from what Alice heard from Makoto, neither Regina nor Aguri were exactly the image of someone she would be happy to follow. Both selfish in their own ways, both warmongers, both claimants to the same throne. Though she bore them no ill will personally, Alice still hoped that fate would be kind enough to lead one of the two to their death during the coming battle, if only because the world desperately did not need more conflict should they vanquish Dark Fall. If they all fought together here just to fight one another again when this was over, then there truly was no hope for mankind and its future.

But that is just that: the future. For now, she had Makoto, and she had all of her friends. Even if they were not present, even if they were not by her side, they were still with her. They always were.

Once Ellen and Hummy had sung enough for their liking, less trained voices made themselves heard, and they sang melodies that were strange to Alice, but, despite their lack of technique, there was enough heart in their singing to be pleasant, if not remarkable. Pleasant songs to listen to while eating and drinking, never too loud and distracting to interrupt anyone's conversation, but loud enough to keep the silence away. Along the camps, some of the soldiers already attempted to get some sleep, though Alice doubted they would be able to. Still, the time for festivities had passed, and even then it had been a subdued affair. Just friends together, and nothing more. But that was already so much.

Voices called out to Alice, from behind; Uta's was loudest, but Kanae, too, beckoned, while the girl birthed from Dream's spirit kept her silence. Alice left Makoto behind at the table, close to Reika, and she approached Uta, Nemu and Kanae, who seemed unwilling to join the rest.

"You are more than welcome to join us, you know," she told them. "Have you spoken with Nozomi, at least? I'm sure she would enjoy your company."

"We will give her our regards," said Kanae, "but shall not be here long. It was you we wished to talk to first. It was you we wished to thank."

"You owe me nothing, my friends. No thanks are needed. Though if you insist on doing so, I would love it if you were to take a seat close to us and drink with Makoto and I. I'm afraid it's only water, though. Reika does not approve of alcohol, so you'll have to go elsewhere for that."

"It's alright," said Uta. "Our physiology probably prevents us from getting drunk anyways. Shadow couldn't really allow us anything pleasurable or fun. Still, Kanae, I think we can spare a few moments here. It would be discourteous to do otherwise, after such a polite invitation."

"If you say so. There's no harm in it, I suppose. Nemu, what do you say?"

"It… It is your choice," she said, uncertain. "I know little of these matters of socialization… I'll just follow you."

"Oh, don't be that way," said Uta. "Alice has always been kind to us. You'll like her, I'm certain."

That was unusually jovial and gentle of her. Alice almost thought of asking what could have changed her so much, but the answer was obvious. Without the constant burden of knowing one could be killed at any moment, life became a far lighter thing. For that, Alice was happy, and guided her companions to sit with her and Makoto. It was a somewhat tight fit, but not enough to cause discomfort. The girls were given water, as promised, as well as some of the remaining cookies. While Nemu regarded this kindness with some suspicion, Uta and Kanae were happy to eat with their friends.

Friends… The thought of that made Alice smile despite everything. That they were able to come this far was a happy thing indeed. But she knew that happiness could only be short-lived; inevitably their topics of conversation turned towards Kagami.

"We haven't talked to Nozomi since… Since we departed from Shadow's keep," said Kanae. "So we are hesitant. Afraid, even. That she might resent us, that she might wish someone else had given her life. That it might have never come to that in the first place."

"Nozomi is not like that," said Makoto. "She is not unfair. Besides, she cares for you all. Though she mourns Kagami, she finds comfort in knowing her actions could save you. Of course we wish it had been different. But it is not always for us to decide what shall come to pass; Kagami treasured you all enough to die for your sake. If there ever was another way, it is in the past now, and beyond our reach."

"That's bitter," said Alice. "Far too bitter. But it is the truth. I am so grateful that you have survived, that you have earned your freedom. Grateful, too, that you have come to fight by our side, even if Rekka chose to stay behind."

"She is more sensitive than she seems," said Uta. "The death and torment she has experienced pains her, frightens her. She thinks she's a coward for it, but she really isn't. She is not running away from anything, and there is more to courage than to die for a cause. Besides, she means to gather the shards of Kagami's mirror… She still believes there's a chance…"

"Do you believe so as well?" Nemu suddenly asked.

"No. No, I don't think so… I will not put my hopes on that. If I did, how could I mourn, if I refused to accept that she is gone?"

Alice had no answer for that. Not a useful answer, at least. She'd known Kagami less closely than Makoto did, but still she found herself wishing she had done more, somehow… They all wished for that. But it could never be.

"Thank you," said Kanae, the first to rise. "For everything. We will see you on the field of battle come the morning. You have often risked your lives for our sake. We shall do the same for you, now that we have the chance."

---

Sunsetter had a curious weight to it; though the blade itself was thin and light, Reika could nonetheless always feel it sheathed at her waist; to hold it was like holding a feather, but it always cut true and deep, and its very presence seemed to have a sort of weight to it, ever making itself known. An honest blade, Reika though, despite its elegance and its history. As though it wishes to be a perpetual reminder of the fact that it is not a mere ornament but a weapon, one that thirsts for blood. As all weapons do. She looked around to see that, even amidst the many congregations, festivities and friendly gatherings all around the camps, the soldiers all carried their weapons at all times, and were all already armored in anticipation of battle. Around her the sights were fire and smoke, leather and iron, Labyrinth's hardened synthetic fibers and Märchenland's elaborate steelworks. Spears and shields and bows and swords, arrows arranged neatly within thousands and thousands of small jars, torches and vials of grim alchemical concoctions, parchment brimming with arcane power and crystals that held old magics… Their last comforts and pleasures before war were all branded with the preparations for battle.

It was a truth none could escape from. Least of all I. Her fingertips were cold, though none as cold as her sheathed sword, taken from Selene. Would she have chosen to be buried with it, if it had been her choice…? The Precure were always denied common burials; their graves were to be marked and adorned, though it was better still if they were taken to the dark mausoleums scattered across the domains of the Rose. They were warriors. In spite of Blue's grandiose and romantic dreams, in spite of the Rose's gildings and in spite of all their ceremonies, that was what they were: warriors of light, of the stars, of hope and of goodness. Warriors, always, made for the shedding of blood. The Precure who don't die in battle and who make it to old age most often relinquish their duties to peacefully retire, and are thus no longer Precure. Strength of arms is what makes us who we are, in the end, and it is what we amount to. It is what the world needs us for, beneath all else. The notion filled her with ambivalence, and words to ease her worries and answer her doubts evaded her. Let this be the last war we must know, she thought, knowing all too well that all wars ever started were thought to be the last.

Felice walked past her with her dress stained red with wine. She paid no attention to Reika, who in turn had no desire to disturb or scold her. I must speak to her before the night is done, though. Blossom could feel the taint within me. I should let Kotoha know that…

But the night was not yet done. Reika approached Makoto, asking for Uta to make way for her, for just a second. If they were here to meet Nozomi, she would accompany them, but first she wished to speak to Makoto, knowing that she would not have another chance later that night. She could see it in Makoto's eyes, and in Alice's. The rest of the night would be theirs alone, just the two of them. If she wanted to share her thoughts, it would have to be now.

"Makoto," she called to her with some urgency. "Do you recall telling me you were done with war, with fighting?"

"I think of it every time I look at this," she raised her arm, showing the false hand at its end. She should not have been satisfied with such a simple thing. Surely Labyrinth's technology can do something for her, and Yotsuba Corporation, too… "Why do you ask?"

"Do you think there ever will be a time when we are no longer needed?"

"No," she said. "We always have something to offer the world, great or small. But it needn't be only our blood. Are you thinking of the future again, even though we might not live to see another day?"

"So it is with all who draw breath," Reika sighed. "Sunset is always promised, never sunrise. We carry on nonetheless, in anticipation of sunlight. If we win, if we survive, then I want… I want to be selfish."

"Hm?"

"I have given myself to the world many times over. Gladly, always. But I wish to rest. I wish to, just once, not be what anyone else expects me to be. Warrior, leader, strategist, daughter, Beauty… But I also know that I cannot walk away from the world. I cannot leave it behind if it ever needs me, if there is ever the smallest thing I can do to make it better. If more war follows, if our uncertain alliance does not hold, if there is more fighting to come, then I must fight. It may be absurd, but until Dark Fall comes, until this battle is raging around me, then these concerns will trouble me more than the coming battle. What is to come."

"Have you considered cutting off your hand? I kid. I've not thought much of the future, I must admit. I didn't think I would come to live to this day. I thought I would die when my princess was lost. I thought I would die when my hand was cut. I thought I would die when Alice and I came together again. I had accepted death all those times, and it never came. So I'm not the one who might give resolution to your qualms. Right now I live only in the present."

"That's what makes you perfect," Reika told her. "One day, I want to know the present, too, not only a future I plan for, a future self I must shape myself to become. The end of the world may have put most of my plans in life on hold, but now that there's a chance that life might go on, I have to face those plans again, and I… I don't want to."

"Then don't."

"If it were so easy-"

"You came to me so I could convince you of what you already desire. Hoping that someone's permission for you to be happy will put you at ease. If someone tells you it's okay to not be perfect. To tell the truth, you were never perfect to me. Up until I crossed blades with Elena, I was your better in every technique, and whenever I watch you spar or fight I am quite flummoxed by some of your movements. When you wield this beautiful sword you got from Selene, I almost want to scream at you because you are not worthy of it. I love you, but not because of anything you accomplished. We have failed together many times, and helped one another rise to her feet. We have lost and mourned together and have found comfort and joy. That is why I love you. I don't know how you see yourself. What kind of burdens are placed on you, the expectations you believe the world has of you. I shall always love you no matter who you are. Everyone who truly loves you loves you for being Reika Aoki, whatever that is. The daughter any parent would boast of. The girl who led Precure to defeat when she first visited the Trump Kingdom, who then returned to make peace with her enemies. The woman who would sell her soul to save whom she loves. The girl who is afraid, who does not know what to do. Whatever the future holds for you and whatever you make of it, you will always have people by your side. And some of us have seen your sorrow. The true self you try to stifle. I love her. She has saved me when I longed for death."

"Makoto…" She truly didn't know how to respond, and felt more foolish than ever.

"Be selfish," she said. "Rest. Take time for yourself. Come back if the world needs you, or don't. All these paths do not diverge forever, and when you think you see them clearly, in truth you are only staring at fog."

"You… You are right. Thank you. These fears have no mastery over me. I mustn't be afraid of living up to what is expected of me. Whoever I am… I am Reika Aoki."

"You'd do well to remember that. Well, I hope you found this illuminating. Though in truth I've only really said what you wanted to hear."

"Not at all," said Reika. "I treasure your thoughts on the matter. You understand more than most that to stop fighting is not the same as giving up. It is not shameful. And so I thank you. For your words and for being by my side time and time again. Now, I shall leave you alone. You mean to be with Alice, do you not?"

"Yes. Soon. You will meet Nozomi?" Upon her affirmation, Reika turned to Kanae, to tell her that they could go.

And so they went, passing by men and women who had fallen asleep holding their weapons, or still sat by the tables. Reika, however, remained far from sleepy. Midnight was still some minutes away, and she still had much to do tonight, many meetings and many people to talk to. But it was with Iona and Nozomi that she wished to see the sun rise, then walk alongside them to the field of battle. There is still time.

They found Nozomi with her former partners, though Kurumi had made herself their guest as well. They talked of their homelands, talked of their past, a far more pleasant matter than the future. Reika herself had dined with her Märchenland partners over the night, though she would still like to find the time to be with them again before the night was over. Suddenly her time felt far more limited than she had thought it just a moment ago. She looked up to the moon, as though she could make time stretch itself further if she kept watch over it, as a prisoner. But that, of course, was foolish.

"Nozomi," she called out to her. It was the strangest sight, to see Cure Mint by her side and not Kagami; to Reika, it was Komachi, if anyone, who was the replacement, for it was Kagami whom she first met, the friend she came to treasure. "How are you?"

"Not at all sleepy," she said, "and rather full, though I still want to get up and roam the camps looking for more food, to tell the truth. The thought of dying is haunting enough, but if it comes, I know I won't have time for profound lamentations. I'll just regret not having eaten everything I liked when I last had the chance."

"I think most meals are depleted now," Reika said, to Nozomi's displeasure. "We can eat again just before battle, and if we can find the time while the conflict is temporarily halted. Or so I hope."

"So we hope," Karen agreed. "I have studied your defenses, Cure Beauty. You are confident in them, are you not?"

"I am. They will hold. All troops have been instructed to give ground as necessary; the watchtowers, makeshift as they are, will provide a far better force multiplier than facing Dark Fall in the field at all times. But that will be inevitable. There are just too many of them, too few of us."

"I am to lead the cavalry charge," said Karen. "So when you signal to retreat behind the next palisades, signal also for my soldiers to ride forth. I've instructed my men on mounted archery, so we'll only harass Dark Fall's advancing troops again and again. To charge them head-on would be suicidal. If we can flank them decisively, however, and scatter their soldiers, that may win us the battle."

"You've not fought the Zakenna," said Cure Rouge, "so be cautious when you charge. Those fiends know that it is preferable for them to die in battle with us than to live as deserters under Dark Fall. They will not break in mass unless the situation is truly dire for them."

"We make it dire, then," said Uta. "Sorry, I'm no strategist. All I know is that I'm willing to die for victory. Though I wish it won't come to that…"

"It won't," Nozomi promised. "We've known enough sacrifice. Let us think of life and not death. We can win this. We must, and will."

"I've missed you," Reika said, though they had only briefly been apart. "It is these girls who have much to say to you, I only accompanied them to ask you something… When you no longer have any matters to attend to, when you've filled your heart with warmth… Come to Last Light. Iona will come, too. I would like to be with you, before… Before it begins."

"I never thought you of all people would be abandoning us for other friends," said Rin, who, upon realizing she had managed to cause grief to Urara, promptly apologized. "Well, we'll be fine without you, Nozomi. Don't stress yourself on our behalf."

"Dick."

"Oh, come now, Rin, don't be that way," said Komachi. "We've had Nozomi for many long years. Let her enjoy her time with Fortune and Beauty."

"I have no objections," said Urara, before turning back to Uta, Kanae and Nemu. "Will you girls sit with us? We've not had much time to talk. I really like the way you do your hair, Uta. It's quite mature."

"W-Well, of course it is!" She said, sitting next to Lemonade. Though she had been made to be but a copy of Urara, Reika found that, save for the most superficial of similarities, they were nothing alike. "We might technically be twins, but I'm the pretty one."

"What am I, then?" Urara asked. "The smart one? The talented one?"

"No, I'm all of those things too. Though there's nothing wrong with you, you know. I'd even like to sing a duet with you, someday. Our voices would work well together."

"Um, excuse me," Nemu raised her voice. "I've been… Alive, yes, for nowhere near as long as the rest of you. I almost don't fear risking my life in battle, given how brief it's been. Even so, I would… I would like to ask you something, ah… If you could be so kind as to share some stories of Palmier with me."

"It would be a pleasure," said Komachi, which Reika understood as a sign that it would be a good time to depart. She would have time to be with Nozomi later.

As tomorrow she would not have the opportunity to convene with other Precure before the battle, Reika wished to make the most out of the hours she had left; she sought Setsuna first, finding her where she had been all night, surrounded by Love, Kanade, Hibiki and Inori. The songs had come to an end now, though Hibiki would still hum melodies to herself. Upon Reika's call, Setsuna excused herself, and joined her further from the lights.

"Thank you for securing Labyrinth's support," she told her. "I have heard from Iona that their strange weaponry is highly effective, so it's a good thing that it'll be aimed at our enemies this time."

"Indeed, though we've only some cannons and blasters, and some infused crystals, too, that splinter into thousands of shards upon impact on the ground. The artillery is extremely slow to unleash its strength, and it cannot do so endlessly. Hideaki has made calculations of the battlefield to adjust the artillery, so their reach will be limited to the perimeter of the palisades. They'll need ample signal before firing, and our soldiers absolutely must be far from the blast zone or… Well, artillery is quite indiscriminate, and its range is considerably longer than any archer's, so it is literally impossible to know what they'll be firing upon."

"If they are as devastating as I am told they are, then those difficulties will be worth it. As we give ground, Labyrinth's artillery will prevent Dark Fall's advance from overwhelming us when our backs are turned. Well, I say we but I'll not be at the frontlines. I'll be at the towers with the archers, so I can have a better view of the battlefield. We have repurposed some of the magical mirrors Mirage had granted us to give us a better view from beyond our sight, but we'll really depend on signals and messages to know where reinforcements are needed and how the defense will progress."

"I see… What about Iona and Nozomi?" Setsuna suddenly asked. "Will they be at the frontlines?"

"Hm? The plan is for them to provide reinforcement to the frontlines, yes, but why do you ask?"

"I could not bear to be separated from those I love, even in battle," Setsuna admitted. "I know that Makoto will be unable to be with Alice, and though she wouldn't confess it, that disturbs her greatly. Not knowing how your friends and loved ones fare… A deadly battle is one thing, fighting for your own life, but fearing for others is agonizing indeed. So I'll join Love at the front, even though Kanade will be staying behind to be ready to reinforce the fronts as necessary. Because… This is selfish of me, but it's safer for her to stay behind us, I know that well. Love would risk herself no matter what, and fighting so close to the enemy is what she does best, and I couldn't stand the notion of… Of not knowing if she's safe. It's a bit cold of me, but when the choice is between two people in fear for the ones they cannot fight with and just one… I'll inflict that on Kanade."

"That is best, though not for the reasons you state," Reika said. A cold thing to say, but true. "You and Peach complement one another in battle. You'd do much more together than apart. Even if it hurts to leave Rhythm behind, to know that you'll make her worry, war is no place for such personal feelings. We do what is needed of us. I wish I could be with Nozomi and Iona, too. But I cannot command from the front lines. To let your feelings guide your hand… To do that is to invite disaster. Not just upon me, but everyone who relies on me."

"I should have expected such maturity from you," Setsuna laughed. "Like I said. It was selfish of me. But I will fight to the fullest. This I assure you."

"I know. I'm not worried, and I trust you. I only wanted to exchange some words with you, one last time. To say I appreciate all you've brought us, even when you had every reason in the world to keep the truth to yourself."

"Truths cannot be kept forever," said Setsuna. "I grew to care for Kanade and for Last Light, and owed them honestly. I often feel that I should be the one to thank you for accepting me. I know you'll tell me not to thank you, but I am grateful."

"So I will accept your gratitude," said Reika. "As you must accept mine. I won't take any more of your time. Enjoy the night if you can. Long days await us."

"You should take care, too," Passion warned her. "You're suddenly shouldering a great deal of responsibility. Know that you have many people who are always willing to carry some of that burden by your side."

"I know," she said. "And I'll never forget. Now, if you'll excuse me, I mean to find Ako. Have you seen her?"

Setsuna promptly gave her directions to a long table at the south of the camps, near where Majorland troops were gathered. There, King Mephisto boasted loudly and drunkenly, his daughter by his side, somewhat embarrassed, while her three bodyguards seemed more interested in reveling alongside their king. At least someone's having a good time, she thought, calling Ako to her side. She seemed grateful to escape her father.

"Am I troubling you?"

"Not at all. My father is not currently… Useful. I'd never seen him drunk, to tell the truth, so he must be quite terrified of the coming battle, even if he tries to pretend to be brave. I suppose he is brave to fight despite his fear."

"It is hard to imagine him fearful," Reika smiled. "I've heard the tales of his recklessness in battle."

"Yes, and no tales of his wife and daughter fearing he might not return. I forbade him from leading our armies in the field. This is no border skirmish or a mere uprising to quell. His rashness would get him killed. Now, however, he fears for my life."

"You… Forbade him?"

"Is that so strange?" She asked. Reika's eyes shifted between the tiny girl and her huge father. "The armies of Majorland have fought under my command for years since the stars went out. They will not march without my consent, and that means I get to decide whether my father is allowed to get himself killed or not. I hope to be crowned queen at a very old age, so I need my father to be somewhere he can't do anything stupid. He'll find a way to surprise me, though."

"You will lead in his place, when you are the future of your realm?"

"Father's not so old, he can make another baby if I die. I'm surprised he hasn't yet, considering how he and mother-" She must have seen Reika's distaste, for she turned silent at once. "What? Don't tell me your parents never taught you that."

"I'd rather not delve into the topic right now, thank you," said Reika. "I wouldn't have expected you to so casually bring it up, though. It's like you're not concerned."

"I am," she shrugged. She stared directly into Reika's eyes, and Beauty could only imagine what exactly was the wound hidden behind her eyepatch. "But I worry only as much as it's useful. I care about the future of Majorland, but first I must ensure that this future exists. I must take up arms to fight for it. And if I die, I die. That's the way it is. I've had no choice but to accept that fact and to get used to it since I found myself fighting for Majorland with no help from my parents, with no help from the world beyond our borders."

"I suppose you speak truth," said Reika, "but even so, it is a difficult truth to face. Even to those of us who have become used to putting our lives at risk, the reality of it is always somehow distant. Only in the vaguest words can I begin to conceive of the world without me… I'll follow your advice and think little of it for now."

"It's all we can do, sometimes," said Ako. "It takes courage to admit an unpleasant truth, but it can also be a courageous deed to disregard it and carry on. Well, I ought to go back to my father. Don't want him saying something embarrassing or doing something politically unwise. Last time I saw him drunk he granted knighthood to a songbird. Was there anything else you wished to discuss, or did you just want to exchange some words, given we won't be fighting together?"

"Just that, yes," said Reika. "I've just… Wanted to show my appreciation to those who helped arrange our alliance. It is more than just a matter of survival. It means a great deal."

"It does," Muse said. "Let's hope we don't end up feeding the worms after tomorrow, so that it can continue to be meaningful. Goodnight, Cure Beauty."

"Goodnight, princess."

Reika then traced her footsteps back to where she had seen Kotoha, inebriated and a bit too happy. A part of her felt the obligation to scold Felice, but another part knew that she of all people had no right to reprimand Kotoha, to whom she owed a great deal, and who had been more tolerant with her than perhaps she deserved.

She found her alone, sitting by a tree stump, chopped to provide space and material for the armies. This must have been the northern woods where she hid after Black and White were lost. With some sadness Reika realized that the landscapes surrounding Last Light, already blemished by the Death of the Stars, had now been almost entirely ravaged. War's scars, she knew, though until now the battles she had waged had never forced her to gaze upon the devastation brought in their wake. As she marched towards the city of Trump, her army had foraged and razed, despite her attempts at controlling it. When you light a fire, you cannot forbid it from burning.

"Reika?" Kotoha tried to rise, but couldn't, so Reika simply sat by her side. "Sorry. Headache. Seems fairies weren't made to drink as you humans do. Never heard of… Of a hangover so shortly after drinking. Never going to do this again."

"That might be wise. Drink some water. If you'd like, I'll conjure some ice for you…"

Kotoha stared at her for uncomfortably long.

"No, thank you. I'll be fine. Just don't tell Mirai and Riko about this. They would be devastated and disappointed. I've kept your secrets before, so you can keep mine."

"Of course. But… That is what I hoped to discuss with you, if you have the time…"

"Well, I have the time," Kotoha said, then coughed, "I just don't know if I have the presence of mind required to be useful. But go ahead."

"The corruption within me… Have you truly purged it, entirely? When I spoke to Cure Blossom, she could recognize it."

"I am sure I have," Kotoha met Reika's eyes at last, when she had been avoiding them until now. Felice's own eyes were reddish, as though she had been crying. Was it fear? "If a trace of the taint remained, I would have felt it. I purified your blood, and the unhallowed ink I extracted from it I promptly disposed of with my magic. The last drops of blood I took from you were pure. If you doubt that, then I can peer into your blood again, but I'll find nothing."

"Nevertheless, Blossom found it within me. Something remained. I worry now, I worry that this may trouble me in the future. Even if you purified me, what if it simply returned…?"

"Do you still feel it? The way you felt whilst sullied?" Reika shook her head. "Then perhaps there is nothing to fear. Perhaps what Blossom saw, instead, was something else in you. Your own regret."

"I don't regret what I did," Reika declared. "I took on the curse to save my friends. I have done so, and I have lost nothing. It is said you cannot outwit devils, but the devil that wished to curse me was deranged and witless."

"So you say. You may not have been affected as Miyuki and Yayoi, that's true, but have you truly lost nothing? After all, if you were untroubled, you wouldn't bother seeking me for validation. You're afraid, aren't you? And not of succumbing to the taint as Peace and Happy did, but of something else… Yourself?"

"Is it so obvious? You may be right, I suppose. Blossom said something to that effect to me, in the Garden. That the taint could never make me evil, could never make me a monster, but that instead it would twist me in other ways. I know now that I am not as strong as I thought, nor as pure. I did not have the power to save my friends without bringing darkness into my heart. Would I do it again, if it were the only way…? Would I do something truly heinous if I thought it necessary?"

"Would you?"

Reika was unwilling to put her answer into words.

"I should not feel broken," she said, "because… I have not paid as grave a price as I could have. In a sense that makes me even more apprehensive. I will not say it was easy, but I suffered less than Miyuki and Reika. I changed less. I saw their snarling, furious forms in Morgenluft, but that did not happen to me. But even so, I have changed, and I don't like it."

"Broken, huh? That's the word you choose, then. I'm afraid I have no comfort for you. I can see in your eyes that this is what you're looking for tonight, comfort from someone, from anyone, from everyone. But what troubles you… It is something you cannot even explain, is it? You're struggling with your words even now. What you feel is so profound, it has taken root so deeply in your heart, that you can never truly convey the feeling to anyone else. Not in its entirety."

"What can I do, then…?"

"Live with it," Kotoha said. "You say you're broken, but who in this world can be said to be whole? Imperfect as you are, torn by the shards of shattered mirrors… That's normal, and I don't say that to diminish your sorrow."

"I know. I thank you for your honesty. In the grand scheme of things, perhaps this is but a trifle. I may not be alive long enough to regret my actions, to resent the person I am. That's what I should be thinking about, right? The battle."

"Life would be so much easier if we could think just one thing at a time," Kotoha said, before groaning and looking as though she might retch, though she managed to keep it in. "Not all questions have answers. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to accept that?"

Perhaps it would. Once Kotoha made it clear that she had given her all the advice Reika could expect, Beauty wished her a good night and, again, advised her to drink plenty of water. In the end she couldn't help herself from reprimanding Felice, if gently. Such words mustn't be kept from a friend.

In the sky, the moon had shifted again. It felt like an enemy to Reika; its passage bringing her closer to a dawn she would rather never see, sunrise heralding only promises of horror and death. She reached for Sunsetter, her thoughts returning to Cure Selene. A paragon of the Precure, daughter of a proud house, peerless with a bow… Centuries after her passing, history knew her as the portrait of perfection, but the fears and doubts that might have existed within her were all lost. But she was lost to Mirage, and it was always the troubled who succumbed to her influence, brought low by her virulent sway. Despite everything, Mirage was only one woman, Selene only one girl. The connection brought within Reika a strange chill: the sudden realization that this girl from a different era, a girl that she could see only through the thick mists of time, could have something in common with her, could have suffered as Reika did, could have known the pain of hating herself just as the world around her applauded her, praised her beyond what she deserved, always unaware of the depths within her, blind to how blatantly fallible she was and had ever been.

Her mind felt clear, all of a sudden. This was no true comfort, no true consolation… But her chest felt a little bit less tight now. She was compelled to smile; just how she wished to be when meeting with Nozomi and Iona. Because of how they had come to accept and love her after having seen her worst, Reika felt like she owed them the best of her. The gentlest, the kindest, the most loving of her… She could only love them as much as they deserved when she learned to love herself. She wasn't certain if she ever could, but she would try all the same.

Something else came first. Reika found Hime by chance, roaming the camps by herself, looking for someone. It was not often that Reika did not see Hime by Yuko's side; she realized, then, that it might be unfair of her to judge the two to always be together.

"Princess," she called to her. "You seem distraught."

"Ah. Is it so obvious?" Hime wiped away some discrete tears. "Yes, I… I am looking for Yuko. She is… Afraid. And alone, right now. But I don't know where to find her. She ran from me, and told me not to follow, but… Well, how could I not?"

When Nozomi ran, I did not follow, Reika thought to herself. What did that make her?

"She may not appreciate it," Reika suggested. "It may well be true that she wishes to be alone. There is nothing wrong with that."

"There is everything wrong," said Hime. "Now's not the time for ruminating on one's worst feelings," those words made it so Reika wished to laugh, but her self-control was too great for that. "I don't want her to… To think I would simply abandon her like that."

"I don't think you're abandoning her. You don't need to always be at her side for your love to be true. And you cannot fix her feelings. That is not for you to do."

"But… But… Ah… It was… Arrogant of me to believe I'm always needed at her side when she's suffering, wasn't it…? I just feel so terrible, having always relied on Yuko but not being able to support her. As though I have spent my entire life only using her to deal with my own emotions…"

"You needn't be so uncharitable towards yourself. You are not a bad person, this I know. A bad person wouldn't feel this anxiety. Even so, you should give Yuko space. It is what she asked for, after all."

"You're right," Hime sighed. "Here I was just making this about myself. Thank you, Reika. How are you holding up tonight? I thought I'd see you with Iona and Nozomi. Er, not that I think you have to be with them all the time."

"I will spend the last hours of the night with them," Reika said, "but first there are things I would like to say to some people whilst I still have the opportunity. I've no desire to head to battle carrying the regret of words left unsaid. So I looked for you."

"M-me?"

"Yes. You stayed by Nozomi's side when she was at her lowest and I couldn't help her. Without your help, I cannot know what might have happened to her. So I thank you. For this and for much else. What we went through in Miwar… I don't believe it's possible for us to have braved that horror together without forming a bond of sorts. You mean a great deal to Iona, too. And to myself. When this is over, I hope to follow you to the Blue Sky Kingdom. I don't know when that will be, but I want to be with you when you see your homeland free once more."

"Reika…! We will! We will, of course! Thank you, too. We would not have gotten this far without you. You and Nozomi both, though I know you'd deny it… You'd say it's not as great a deed as I make it out to be… But the star you brought back to life, so soon after darkness ate the skies, if not for that… Few among us would have had the courage to carry on. The hope we were gifted that night, when we felt that all hopes were forever lost… It means a great deal."

"Surely someone else could have done that," Reika said. Truly, it had been so long ago that she had almost entirely forgotten what a grave risk she and Nozomi had taken, not knowing there was a chance for success, much less that success might mean anything.

"No one else did," said Hime. "Yuko and I would not have done so. We thought… We thought that the last thing we could accomplish would be to merely survive. That was what remained for us. A hollow life, defeated, forever deprived of light."

"I didn't even know if I could trust Nozomi at the time," Reika admitted. "If I could rely on her. We were not yet friends, brought together only by circumstance. Only after that… Only then did we accept that hope… So I suppose you're right. What we did together that night has saved us. Without that, the smallest of victories, would I have carried on…? I don't know. It doesn't matter now. There are still stars we must protect, stars we must bring back to life. We'll win the battle tomorrow. And then… And then what comes after is ours to decide."

"Yes. Thank you. For your advice, for your words, for everything. Goodnight, Reika."

"Goodnight, Princess."

She knew where she would head to next; there was a time, Reika knew, where she would have spent the entire night with her former partners, and only them. A pang of guilt bit her heart. Now that we are finally together, I should have given them all of my time… But of course she could not. There were always other matters to attend to, always more preparations to make. And in the past years her world had expanded so much. Unhappy as the circumstances of their meetings could be, Reika had known and come to love so many people… Surely her oldest friends would understand.

They greeted her with joy, and in a second Reika felt foolish for ever worrying, for ever feeling any sort of guilt. If they truly loved her, then that love would endure any absence. She sat by Nao's side, a seat that had been saved for her. Smiles received her.

"I hope I'm not late," she said.

"Not at all," Akane told her. "There's no such thing. Besides, you had things to deal with, didn't you?"

"Yes. Thank you for understanding."

"Why so formal, Reika?" Miyuki laughed. "Don't be weird."

"Have you dealt with everything you needed to?" Yayoi asked her.

"Almost everything. But the rest is for later," she said, leaning against Nao, resting her head on her shoulder. That's right. It used to be that I would have such a hard time allowing myself to be close to others like this. "For now… For now I'll be with you all again. That's more than good enough for me. I have missed you all dearly."

---

Regina paced left and right, always approaching the flaps of her pavilion just as she managed to build up some of the courage to walk outside, but it always departed her, and she continued to walk circles as the hours stretched past her, leaving midnight behind.

"You should just go," Mana told her. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Do you actually want me to answer that question?" Regina scoffed. "I can think of a litany of horrible things."

"That's only because you are wracked with a morbid imagination. If the Precure were truly going to do something horrible to you, you would not have come this far. You were at their mercy before, were you not?"

"Their mercy… You cannot speak as though you are not one of them, Mana. You are a Precure."

"And I am your friend. And I love you. And I am a great deal of things in addition to being a Precure. But if you want to be that way, then that's fine as well, because if I, a Precure, could come to love you despite all the nasty things you said to me when we first met, then surely the others can do just the same. Though I'd hope they won't love you the same way I do. I would be quite jealous."

"M-Mana… Don't tease me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she guffawed. "I'm not teasing, though. It's the truth. Besides, maybe you're right and some people don't like you. Do you like them?"

"Erm, I guess not? I don't think about every single person out there."

"So you shouldn't care so much about their opinions. The people who matter are always the ones who love you. So you should listen to me when I tell you that you should join everyone. We're having fun. When we're not thinking about our impending deaths, that is. I guess it's kind of inevitable that we'd think about that a lot. Still! Fun! And it would be even more fun with you there!"

"If we live through this," Regina approached Mana, "I hope you don't consider a career in politics, or sales, or, for that matter, in anything that requires you to convince anyone of something."

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Mana scratched her chin. "You wound me, princess. I actually think I could have a promising future in politics. Why, as soon as our home stops being a dreary old monarchy, I'll be the first elected head of state."

"Democracy is never catching on," said Regina. "Your Rose has insisted on that for so long, and look how many times you just elected Mirage, one of Mirage's cronies, or someone who's so harmless that nothing really changes."

"Next time, for sure!" Mana laughed. "Next time…"

Silence. Perhaps Regina shouldn't have said anything, if all her words could manage was to make Mana sad, afraid. Regina came closer to her, to comfort her, enveloping Heart in her arms, but she always felt awkward doing that. As though she was doing something wrong, something unwanted… Mana had never reprimanded her, and she always accepted her love, but even so, Regina still found it difficult to acknowledge herself as one deserving of affection.

"It's okay," Mana said, though it clearly was not. "This isn't something I should be worried about right now. My mind must be clear. Only then can I focus on what matters."

"Don't brush off your feelings like that," Regina reminded her. It was a lesson that Mana had taught her. "It's okay. I'm here with you even if you're sad… For whatever good that'll do. The future… The future is ours. Until we get proved wrong, we are free to dream of it as much as we'd like. I dream of you by my side. Us, two queens… There's nobody alive who'll forbid me from that. No one who'll force me into a political marriage. No one to demand heirs from me, consequences be damned. I don't care if a succession crisis follows my death, you know. I'm selfish like that."

"Regina…" She managed to smile. Her eyes drifted towards the bed on the corner of the pavilion, close to Regina's armor and her Dragon Glaive. "We should… I want to…"

"Yes, Mana…?"

"Maybe it's fine if we stay here for the night. Maybe it's fine, after all, if you don't leave. Maybe we should-"

A voice called from outside. Mana's confusion showed her unfamiliarity with it, but Regina knew it well. Aguri. Regina let go of Cure Heart, half furious and half thankful, and asked Cure Ace to come inside.

"Good evening," Aguri said, ever gracious. "To you both. I would have thought I would find you with your friends, Cure Heart."

"I was, for a time. Now I'm with another friend."

"Could I ask you to leave?" Aguri requested. "I would like to speak with Regina, and I'd rather remain in private."

"I'm sorry," said Mana. "I don't think that-"

"It's alright," Regina told her. "She won't hurt me. Go on, Mana. Join the others. Enjoy the rest of the night."

"You-"

"I'll come for you when I'm done here," said Regina, gazing into Aguri's eyes. The last time they had been this close to one another, they were trying to kill the other. But the Aguri from them was not the same Aguri that stood before her. "I'll see you there, Mana."

"Very well. I'll take my leave."

Though she lingered somewhat too long, soon Mana left Regina alone with her sister. Sister. She had felt that way once, but did she still truly believe it?

"Could I offer you some water? Erm, I don't actually have water here," Regina tried her best to be diplomatic. "But I can tell someone to get some."

"It's alright," Aguri stepped closer. "There are… Things I would like to discuss with you. About the future. Cure Diamond advised me to seek you, to not leave this for later… Which, I suppose, is wise. While it's very likely that this will never end up being relevant, I would not like to go to the grave without talking to you one last time."

"Ah. Then I will hear you out."

"Thank you," Aguri paused. She struggled with her words; despite her wisdom and despite the Crown restoring to her not just the memories of Marie Ange but of a hundred Precure before her, Aguri was still a child. "When we briefly lived together, I was… I was not willing to befriend you. Neither were you anything but hostile and cruel. In my own way, I was, too. Thus we could only ever repel one another, could only hate the other. When you called me sister, I… I despised you for that. We were the spawn of Marie Ange's folly, but not her children, not her blood. All we shared was our loathsome origin. Our state of perpetual longing for what we used to be. So I think it was good that we grew apart. Indeed, we grew, which would not happen if we were together, stifling one another, each of us the incarnation of what the other had lost, had been. We were halves. Half of Ange. Half of a person. Half living."

"I understand what you're trying to say," Regina told her. "Without you, without the possibility of restoring Ange, I had no choice but to… To be Regina. Myself. A strange thing, to be born with fully-formed memories - if incomplete - and already being something, someone. We were not ourselves; we were only imitations of a dead woman. Her pieces fighting for dominion, devoid of their own identity. Even now, when I try to remember how I was and how I once felt, it's distant, strange, refuses to be put into words."

"You were half of Ange. You were not yet Regina," Aguri said what Regina couldn't. "I felt that too, so I understand you. For so long I thought that what I am is just one piece of Ange. I thought that the incomplete being was Aguri. But that's not the truth. I was not myself yet. Not until I lived free of Ange and her remains. Not until I suffered and loved and had my own feelings. To anyone else the distinction might be vague, insignificant. But we know that it means a great deal. If nothing else, we have that bond."

"Yes. If nothing else… But it doesn't have to be that way."

"No, it doesn't," Aguri smiled. It was the first time Regina saw such an expression. "You know, before I wore the Crown, I was afraid that Aguri would fade. That my existence would simply be absorbed by the memories of the crown, just one of thousands, that I would lose myself. But I did not change, not truly. I know more than I did before. I remember things I forgot. But… I am I. And I am what has been made of me, what I chose to become, and not any role determined for me before my birth. I know now what Ange was thinking when she split her soul. I know now what she wanted each of us to be. I know now why I was made! And I reject it! I reject it all! I am not Ange, I am not the savior she wished to create, and I am not her redemption. And if I can choose to reject that, then I can also choose to reject blood. We needn't have shared a womb to be sisters. I would choose you as my sister, if you would have me as yours."

"A-Aguri… Of course-"

"I am not done. I have been thinking a great deal since acquiring the Crown. I have examined the mistakes of the Precure past, the errors of the Crown's very maker. I relinquish the Golden Crown and I relinquish any claim to any throne. You are my elder sister, after all. You're the true heir."

"Are you certain?" Regina didn't doubt Aguri's words, but she certainly hadn't expected such a statement. "It is no light thing, and I know that you have come this far because you wanted this, your birthright… If you would give this up-"

"Don't get me wrong. I am not doing this for your sake, though you are the first one I would reveal this to. I have my Rose. I will not give it up. In a way, the Blue Rose, like the Rainbow Rose, is a greater power than any kingdom. I have not given up my desire to bring truth to the world and to change it into a better place, and so I am not giving up power. But I am not Ange, and thus I don't intend to hold the Trump Kingdom. Least of all go to war over it. I don't need to follow the path placed before me with my creation. And so I won't. And I would call you sister. Because our bond is not one of blood but one of being and understanding. Will you… Will you accept me?"

"Yes!" She ran towards Aguri, holding her close. "Yes, of course… I always wanted… Always wanted you to be my friend, but I didn't know how to make friends, much less how to be one. Even now, I must admit, I am… I still struggle with a great many feelings. For us to be sisters, I know, will be no easy thing. Not after all we've done to one another. But to not hate you anymore, and to not be despised… To stand before someone who understands what it feels to be the way I am, to smile at her, to be her family… Yes. I would do anything for that, if there is the slightest possibility of it working out."

"Then let us make it work," Aguri declared. "Though we'll struggle and though we'll likely be bitter more often than we'd like. If you're alright with that."

"Of course I am," Regina took Aguri's hand. "That's sisterhood, or so I hear. Until you came, I was afraid, you know, to leave and join the others, but now I think I've found my courage. Will you accompany me? Hours still stand before us and sunrise. Let us see this union that Cure Beauty has managed, shall we?"

Their hands tightly clasped, they walked into the night side by side, and though the strangeness of it all overwhelmed Regina - and would continue to do so for a long time to come - she didn't mind it. She'd never known a perfect family, anyways, and this was better than anything she'd lived through. She knew well that she might die tomorrow; thus, Regina didn't hesitate to thank the stars for granting her happiness and family one last time, one last night.

---

Trembling legs nearly brought Ciel tumbling down the grassy knoll just west of the camps, by the Phoenix Hill. Whether it was the cold, her exhaustion, her fear or her excitement, she could not tell, but she certainly felt something, and felt it strongly. That at least she could not doubt, that this was a place of memory and of longing, her eyes drawn to the path carved on the hill, disappearing into the darkness above.

Here was where she lost her brother. She didn't know it at the time, of course, neither of them did, for how could they? Hand in hand the twins made the arduous ascent to the Tower, having nothing but the rose-sealed letter Mirage had given them. She glanced sadly at his expression by her side now, but Rio had grown enigmatic and silent since they parted. Pained eyes hid behind his mask, for even now he refused to remove it, not when he was near others; he was ashamed of his burns, his wounds, his body. This could not change easily, certainly not at the hands of Ciel or Yukari; Rio always let shame define him. He might have accepted Ciel back into his life, but that did not equal love, much less forgiveness. I never forgave him either. Even now she didn't know if she could; the words ate her from the inside, but she couldn't spit them out. They were a sickness in her, one she couldn't purge. In time they would go back to bitterness, from bitterness to resentment, from resentment to hatred.

Bibury, Ichika and Yukari followed them, while Akira and Aoi had been left behind to spend time with their family and with their wine, in that order. Bibury complained about her knees, needing help from Ichika to make her way up the mound, while Yukari was silent. But it was not her usual silence, that silence of self-satisfaction and of pleasure in keeping secrets from others, a silence behind a smile at those she blindfolded. She kept Ciel's secret from Bibury and Ichika, from Rio most of all, but she was solemn now, her easy smiles distant and forsaken. Ciel couldn't recall having ever seen her like this, and it was a strange thing indeed, but perhaps that meant she understood the gravity of the situation.

"Do you recognize this place?" Ciel asked her companions. She knew they each would have a different answer.

"The path to the Tower?" Ichika proposed. She wasn't wrong, but it was not actually relevant now. "One of the paths, at least. But this is out of the way, far from the main roads… And the steps are steeper than the ones I journeyed across. I did not come this way, I do not know this path."

"It would be a concealed path, normally," said Bibury. "Not now that all the forests here were cut down but when I first met with Mirage, she instructed me to meet her halfway up there. Without her map and directions, I would not have found it, but now of course it's plain to see."

"A secret entrance?" Ichika asked.

"Of sorts," Rio explained. "There are always matters the Red Rose could not deal with in broad daylight, people who could not come through the front doors. There are deep underground vaults underneath the Tower, archives and libraries. This pathway leads to a small door opened only from the inside, leading to old tunnels underneath the Tower. Mirage told me of them; they were constructed millennia ago when the Tower was a true seat of power and might one day come under siege. A secret escape was needed."

"We met in those tunnels," Ciel said. "Mirage knew them well, and there we were hidden to discuss with her all kinds of deeds that would earn us the right to become Precure. Theft, fraud, forgery, blackmail. I stopped at assassination. Pikario didn't."

"Did you bring us here to ask for help to kill Mirage?" Ichika asked. "If you know the tunnels well…"

"I considered it, I'll admit it. But we would just die. There is no defeating Mirage in the very heart of her power. Besides, the tunnels have been brought down long ago, so it is doubtful we would even be able to reach Mirage. That is not how we win, I'm afraid, though I'd love to watch Mirage's life leave her eyes."

"Why, then?" Ichika asked.

"This is… Where we fled, is it not?" Bibury turned to Ciel. "You saved my life here, and Yukari saved Rio's. I do not recognize this place without the tall trees surrounding it, the bright mushrooms and canopies hiding the sky. But this is where-"

"Where Mirage tried to kill us," Rio said. "Where she burned me with Starfire. Where…"

He didn't say what he was certainly thinking. Where my sister abandoned me. It was true. Ciel had left him to die there, and if not for Yukari accompanying her, her brother would burn.

"Mirage destroyed us here," Ciel said. Only Ichika hadn't been there, but Ciel wanted her to join them all the same. She had kept Rio close to her when Ciel left his side, and for that she was grateful, to her and to Yukari, Bibury… "We stopped being a family here. Here is what broke us; what made us worse people than we had been, than we could ever be. No, not only Mirage… The fault lies with me, too. It is never just the fault of one evil heart, after all, that's not how the world works… Nevertheless, this is where… Where my brother was hurt. Where I became a person I still despise being. Harsh, cruel, bitter and hateful."

"You don't have to apologize," Rio told her. "There's nothing you can do to take that all back, anyways."

"You're wrong. I want to do more than apologize. I'm sorry I did not tell you and Bibury why I brought you here, but I'm grateful you followed me. That you'd accept my invitation on such a dark and dire night. Yukari, please."

Ichika and Bibury were the first to turn to her, but Rio's eyes remained fixed upon his sister. Being here wounds him. Ciel felt a sting of regret for bringing him to this of all places, but she knew it was best. It was the only way to undo some of the pain, to replace some of the memories. That one day we might sleep and dream of here, tonight, and not the night we left one another…

A blue rose rested on Yukari's palm. In full bloom, it shone a gentle light, and its stem coiled around Yukari's wrist, alive, soft as silk. Yukari extended her hand to Rio.

"Yukari…? You approve of this?" He asked her. "I already rejected Ciel's offer. I do not want-"

"You do," Macaron said. "I know you well. I have wiped your tears and held you as you cried yourself to sleep. And I have heard your words."

"That dream is dead."

"This is no dream," Ciel said. "This is your rose. This is what you fought for, this is what you endured your scars for. It should have been the two of us together. It always should have been that way. In a kind world, it would have been. But the world is unkind. Women like Mirage make it so. But the two of us don't have to be unkind. The two of us don't have to be rotten like the world. Our suffering made us worse people, but we can be better. We can be the brother and sister we are meant to be, sharing our heartfelt desire to be Precure together, to fight together, to make the world a better place together, as much as we can."

"You wanted it so," Ichika whispered. "Rio, I know…"

"It doesn't matter what I wanted," he hesitated. "And we will always be brother and sister, Ciel, we share the same blood-"

"Let us share the same fate, then," she said. "Let us share the same joy. If you'll allow yourself to be honest, if you'll lower your guard this once, then you'll know your feelings are true."

"But… But…"

"None of us would ever force you," Ciel approached him. "But I won't abide your denial of your own happiness. We are not children anymore; this is not our foolish dream of being important, of saving the world. It is about our love instead. It is about our bond. It cannot be what it once was, but… But it can be more."

He said nothing. He only looked at Ciel, slowly clenched his fists, until, finally, he couldn't hold it inside him anymore. Weeping, he threw himself onto his sister, and held her, embraced her, squeezed her, kissed her. Ciel caressed his head; she was his older sister, and an older sister should always be there to support her beloved brother.

"It is Yukari you should reach for, you know," she whispered into his ear. "You can go to her now."

"Soon," he whispered back. "Just hold me for a while."

Ciel wanted nothing else. When at last he let go of her, they finally smiled at one another. How she missed that smile.

"You know," he said just as he made his way to Yukari, reaching for the blue rose. "If you truly did not wish to become a Precure, Ciel, if it meant nothing to you, then you would not have taken the name you promised when we were children. You'll be Cure Parfait, I'd tell you, and you-"

"You'll be Cure Waffle. I remember. I never forgot."

---

She came to the gathering just in time to meet Rikka, the two of them running to each other's arms, with so much to say to one another and so little time, but somehow that only made Mana feel happier to be with Rikka one more time, one last time. Darkness had fallen over all the camps as only a few scant fires still burned, and more and more soldiers prepared to take their positions for the coming battle. She did not seek to learn just how many hours had passed, having no desire to have her last night be one with counted moments; sunrise would come no matter her deeds and thoughts, and with it the end. What sort of end it would be was all that remained to be decided.

"It seems we just missed Makoto and Alice," Rikka told her, guiding her to the rest of the Precure. They remained together in song and mirth, but it was nothing like the loud celebrations of before. Now there was the feeling of the encroaching morning, the quiet melancholy of a frail happiness coming to an end. "A pity. I would have liked to speak with them at length. I've missed them so much."

"Me too. But I don't blame them," Mana said, sitting on the first empty chair she could find, next to a fire still weakly kindled. "They will not fight together. Makoto will command troops, while Alice will fight at the front lines. So they won't be able to be with one another when… You know."

Rikka nodded. They could only speak of it in uncertain terms, this fear that made words into poison, a fear that Mana hoped she might silence by avoiding it. Thus far it had been in vain, but of course the night was not yet over.

No food and no drinks remained now; all appetites had been sated throughout the night, but desire failed to match reality, so before sunrise they had already run out of the sweets they so dearly savored, the wine they sipped either discretely or shamelessly, their most beloved dishes. In a way it was as though the warmth and happiness of the night had begun to fade alongside the lights. Now came fear and concern, and gone was the celebration of unity and the high ideals Cure Beauty aspired to; any remaining indulgence was solely a distraction from the truth of the devastation to come.

"We have missed so much of each other's lives," Mana remarked. "But at the same time, all that we went through… They are not easy experiences to share, no happy tales told before a fire. A part of me wants to know what you endured, how you suffered, but it would bring me no joy to learn all that, just as it wouldn't be a relief if I told you all I went through. But that same part of me also wants to tell you that I wish I had been by your side when you were alone, when you were sad. A childish hope, and senseless, too, because if given the choice, I would not truly walk away from Regina and from what we accomplished."

"I feel much the same," Rikka admitted. "I wish that things were different, that they were better, happier, that I had not failed my dear friends, but confronted with the reality of what it would mean if things had gone differently, I don't want to go back. Is this logical of me?" She laughed. "I doubt it. Suffering and loss have strange impacts, I've learned. My life isn't better for having endured those pains, but despite knowing that, I don't want a different life. To be someone else, to refuse the person I am now… It is abhorrent. But isn't that stupid? Anyone should like to be free of pain and struggle. It's not even that my suffering made me stronger or anything like that, it's more… It's more that I can't relinquish all that hardship and sadness. I lived through them as well as I could, so they are part of me now. I would not tear myself apart."

"I don't think it's stupid," Mana said. Rikka had never said anything stupid, as far as Mana was concerned. "It matters not what could have been, and it is beyond our grasp, but we reach for it anyways. I wish Alice hadn't been all by herself while working for Nightmare; I wish Makoto hadn't lost her hand. When you love someone, you want to be their hero. The root of your resentment is the desire to have done things differently. If it was ever truly in our hands is something I cannot ever know. All I know is I'm glad to be with you again."

"So am I," Rikka said, then, after a brief silence, continued. "Where will you be fighting tomorrow?"

"Beauty tasked me with a force of archers to support the center," said Mana. "She fears the fighting will be fiercest there: the west front will be reinforced by the Apostles and their cavalry, the east front close to the Blue Rose's camps. That's where you'll be, I presume," Rikka nodded. "So you'll be with Reika. That's good. She's reliable."

"So you'll be alone, then."

"Well, not quite, given that I'll be leading some hundreds of soldiers. I suppose I'll be far from anyone I know well. You sound worried."

"Of course I worry. I just told you that I wish I could have been by your side when you needed help."

"I won't be at the frontlines," said Mana. "That's where the real danger is. It's Alice you should worry about. She has command of the west front alongside Regina. I trust them both, but still… How can I not be afraid? Far from the frontlines, there's very little I can do but provide support. There was a time when I might have protested that assignment, you know. I would have declared that I would rather risk my life with everyone at the front."

"But not now?"

"I've caused people enough trouble trying to be a martyr," Mana smiled, though the memory brought her sadness. "Songs tell that war is a time for heroism, that dying to save the ones you love is proof of love. I don't entirely disagree, but I understand now that's not the whole truth. I have a part to play, a task I'm best suited for. As much as it pains me to know that I must watch our allies and our friends die without being able to rush to their aid, it would be a selfish arrogance on my part to think that I alone can turn the tide of battle. I've learned from Regina that selfishness is not always a sin, but I won't put everything at risk for that."

Rikka nodded. Her hands were fidgety, tugging at her skirt, and she looked everywhere but directly at Mana. Heart, too, found some comfort in avoiding any frightening thoughts and words, focusing instead on the world around her. When she did so by Rikka's side, it felt as though time had stopped, the world frozen in this last moment before war and devastation. She wondered if it might be so bad, after all, if time halted forever now. To live eternally in the fear of coming horror, but just before it, before the nightmares were brought to vivid flesh… It hurt, the grip that tension had on her heart, but even that was better than the reality of battle and bloodshed. She watched, then, and waited.

Armored boots trod heavily on the barren ground, headed north. Fires started to go out, voices grew silent and the songs came to an end; Hummy and Ellen attempted to rouse the Precure into singing the Melody of Happiness, but only shy, tentative notes came out, followed by the faraway crackling of bonfires. Men and women who would be sheltered at Last Light made one last journey to the northern palisades and watchtowers, carrying pots and quivers filled to the brim with arrows, stakes to reinforce the defenses, stones and oil and - very carefully - jars of Starfire.

How far the moon has swayed. I swear I have seen it rise not long ago… Mana wondered if she might find in the night sky the star she had brought back to life so long ago, when she believed she was giving her life to save her friends. There were so many of them now, and though she recognized most of the constellations, many stars were still missing, their Flames lingering alone in distant keeps and towers. Clouds swallowed them before revealing them again, but they always seemed somewhat different when Mana saw them again… Only the black blot directly above the Phoenix Tower never changed, never moved. All through the night, the unholy mark of Ophiuchus bled in the dark. In the future, will they speak of these days as we speak today of the first Precure?

A chill. It would be a cold morning; rainy, perhaps. A voice she didn't recognize remarked the same just some meters away, to no response. Mana caught Rikka staring at the Precure, and joined her. Even in the Tower I had not seen so many of our kind all together. Rhythm and Melody shared one last slice of cake together, an ugly, misshapen thing that nonetheless looked quite delectable; Felice rested against Miracle's shoulder, before Magical called for them to see something with her; Sunny and Peace were unusually entertained by a game of rock-paper-scissors, while Lemonade and Nile took bets on who would win; Bloom had fallen asleep atop her own plate, and there was nothing Egret could do to wake her up - best to leave her be, let her rest her eyes for a moment; March said goodnight to Beauty just as she left for Last Light, and further to the south she caught a glimpse of three girls meeting with Cure Princess, explaining they had been locked away inside mirrors until not long ago, and, upon being freed, returned to Last Light at once. And then there were so many people Mana had never seen, so many names she did not know, many Precure she had seen only from afar, now appearing so much older, scarred and sterner, but resolute all the same.

How much time was passing, she wondered, with Rikka and I in absolute silence, though we've so much to say to one another…? More time than she'd like: soon enough she was greeting Regina and Aguri, who arrived together, like sisters, and immediately looked for Moonlight, Rose, Aqua. No doubt Aguri meant to give them good news; she gave Rikka a knowing smile as she passed by, and a quick wave before carrying on her way. And, even now, more soldiers arrived from the south, carrying the large, ornate banners of the clans of the Desert Lands. Then, the world darkened somewhat, a thick cloud enveloping the moon that until then shone almost directly upon Rikka. Mana wondered what she should say, what she even had to say…

If I say everything that dwells within my heart, then it will feel like a farewell. That was the feeling that so profoundly disturbed her; the desire to pretend that the danger was not real, that of course they would meet again, of course they would still have all the time in the world together once this was done… If she spoke out, if she told Rikka all that she wished to say, all the words she would rue to carry with her to the grave, then she would be admitting just how close the abyss in front of her was, how dark and endless it appeared when she peered into its depths. Silence might be better, after all. But even so…

"I'm afraid," she admitted. "It feels like such a shameful thing to say, but it is the truth."

"There is no shame in fear. It's wise."

"But I feel ashamed and weak nonetheless," Mana looked wistfully at Rikka, and no longer avoided her gaze. "And I'm afraid that if I even admit to those fears, they may come to pass. If I don't speak, if I hold my tongue, then even if terrible things happen, they won't be my fault. But if I do, then tragedy will happen because of me, because I thought it into existence."

"It doesn't work that way."

"I know. But I feel it anyway. Do you remember, Rikka, when we were never afraid?" It might have been another life entirely. "When the four of us, Alice and Makoto and you and I, when we'd prepare for battle almost without truly taking it seriously, laughing together, making plans for next week, when we would be free…"

"I remember. I miss it. It was foolish of us, but I miss it. The only thing I felt was pride, satisfaction in the knowledge that we were doing something so important, something that would help save the world and everyone in it… We still are doing just that, I suppose, but it does not feel the same. I feel… Cold. Only cold."

"Me too," said Mana. She took Rikka's hand; despite her words, her fingers were warm, soft. "We won't fight side by side, but you're with me, and I am with you."

"Always. Until the end," Rikka smiled, but sadness returned to her face almost at once. "This is it, isn't it, Mana?" She nodded. "It… It can't be more than a few hours before the sun rises."

"Yeah," Mana closed her eyes. She hadn't slept in a while, but she never felt as awake and alert as she did now. "I would kill for just another hour. Just one more night…"

She couldn't tell whether it was her hand that had started to shake, or Rikka's. She breathed in deep, and opened her eyes again. A harsh wind blew the ashes of bonfires northward, then scattered them into the night.

---

Last Light was empty, silent and dark, in a way Makoto had never seen. A ghost village like so many she had found during her journeys, but this one place she once knew well. To see it like this, though just as a consequence of all its inhabitants being busy elsewhere, was a strange, uncomfortable sight. If they were to lose the coming battle, would this be all that remained of Last Light before Dark Fall burned it to the ground? Why was that by itself so saddening, when Makoto would not be alive to suffer that sight, if they lost?

Not tonight. Tonight I must think of other things. More important things. Things worth living for.

Alice was the first to walk inside the house, slow steps towards the stairs. Makoto locked the door behind them, leaving the key upon the hole, and joined Alice. They took their time, ascending each step slowly, as though the night was endless. If they rushed, if they felt any sense of urgency, the spell would be broken. Urgency was for the world outside, not for the two of them together. They kissed halfway up the stairs, then again at the top, again just outside Makoto's bedroom, and even as she fumbled with the doorknob Makoto's neck was still tickled by Alice's warm kisses. Only the howling wind reminded Makoto of the cold; here she was safe, here she was warm, here she was happy.

The last door closed behind them. Alice shone a light on the room, alive with the glow of fire. With the windows closed shut, there was no telling what hour it could be. Makoto didn't care, either. Alice approached their bed, while Makoto carefully removed her prosthetics, placing the hand atop her locked chest. Alice did not shudder at the sight of her scar. It felt better this way; she only wore that ugly thing because she was tired of the pitying looks of others. In truth, the prosthetics she had so hastily acquired were quite uncomfortable, and not at all a proper replacement for what she had lost. But they silenced the concern of onlookers who thought she might be in pain, traumatized, bitter. It made her loss no longer be a public concern, and that was all she wanted.

"After this is over," Alice whispered, "will you come to the Yotsuba campus to try an implant? I hear Doctor Traum has made great progress. Lulu looks entirely human, does she not?"

"I suppose," said Makoto. "Is it so obvious that I am still troubled?"

"Anyone would be. You put on a brave face and you refuse pity, which I respect, but you are not made of steel, you know. Nor are you the sort of person who would see it as a blessing in disguise. No, you would find that quite disrespectful, patronizing. Am I right?"

"You are," she admitted. "The happiness I have found is not due to the loss of my hand; it is not trauma that does that, I know. Even so, I would not be where I am if it had not brought me to this point. So I refrain from judgment. If I were to feel it again," she raised her hand, looking at her stump, "it would not be to wield a sword. No, not again, not for anyone's sake but yours and yours alone. But, yes, I would like to hold you with both arms, hold both your hands. I would accept that."

"Whatever happens," Rosetta pulled her close, sat by her side, "you are not broken, and I lack for nothing in your love, your body, your soul, your voice. I am happy. Right here, right now… I am happy, nothing else. With you."

Makoto rose, extended a hand to Alice, who returned to her feet. Alice was holding back from blushing, she could tell; Makoto herself felt warm, but didn't know if it was passion or embarrassment. What do I have to be embarrassed of? It's my body.

The thought made her acutely aware of all her scars. She pulled her arm away from Alice, whose scars in no way disturbed Makoto as much as her own did. They did not avert their eyes from each other, though that might have made it easier for Makoto - but being easy was not what made her feel so warm and alive. She slipped out of her shoes and tossed them towards a corner, then her socks, her jacket… Then came the hardest part.

It was not just the act of revealing herself before Alice, of course, but also the effort of pulling down her pants and removing her shirt with only one hand. She didn't want to feel frustrated, not here, not now, so she held back from sighing, but she knew that there would not soon be an end to the constant reminders of what she had lost. Alice knew better than to help her, and for that Makoto was grateful; it was not that she felt ashamed in letting Alice know her limitations, but that she knew she could do these things by herself, despite the difficulty.

When she saw Alice again, she saw the deep scars that ran all over her naked body. They were far too profound to ever fade; lines of mismatched, stitched flesh split her torso underneath her breasts, and the bandages on her belly had turned brown, almost fused to the skin. A Precure might not be too grievously hindered when fighting with such wounds, but they were more than warriors. There was more to their bodies than the purpose they served in war.

Alice's eyes hesitated away from Makoto's gaze, who, in turn, shivered at being so plainly exposed. She had been hurt so often that some of her bones simply could never heal, return to how they had been. Her left leg ever so slightly twisted, her ribs uneven on one side, nails left red and cracked. But the scars were the worst thing, hers far more unsightly than Alice's. Most of the wounds she suffered had never been well and truly treated with anything other than rest. We Precure can live through anything, Makoto was once told. But that did not mean the results would always look pretty. Transformed, perhaps, but she refused. I was Makoto before I ever was Cure Sword, and it is Alice whom I love, not Cure Rosetta.

"You're beautiful," Alice said, which had to be a lie, but Makoto wanted to believe it, and smiled as though she did. "Sorry, I… I just said what came to mind."

"That's fine," Makoto said, anxiously pressing her body against Alice's. She expected the same pain that stabbed her whenever she touched the wound right underneath her navel, but it did not come. Or perhaps it did, but she simply did not care. "Thank you… For being with me."

"Always," Alice said in a soft, gentle sigh, resting her head against Makoto's, then pulling her towards the bed. "I could not… I could not die… Before being with you…"

"We died together once, my love," Makoto's lips sought Alice's, coming down on her with each passing breath. "You in my arms, I in yours, bleeding… Death is no stranger to us."

"I would have died then," said Alice. "Though I'd never want you to die, if you had to, then if it were by my side… I could accept that. I could smile, and I did. Do you wonder, Makoto, if maybe we didn't actually get out of Nightmare? We died there, together, and this is just our dying dream. Days borrowed from love's lullabies…"

"I don't know," she replied, "and I don't care. I don't care about the way we died together in Nightmare's tower and I don't care about the way we'll die when Dark Fall comes for us… I care only for now."

Something ached in her body, but Makoto found she enjoyed this ache. When they touched, awkwardly, clumsy and foolish, if what Makoto felt was pain, it was the pain of being alive, so overwhelmingly alive. Pleasure, too, followed the initial ache, but it was nothing like what she had dreamed of. Better, worse, she couldn't tell, and didn't care to, wanting only to treasure it.

"We should…" Alice's hands reached for Makoto's cheek, pulling her towards her face until their breaths were joining, and Makoto felt her body gradually halt until it reached a perfect equilibrium of unceasing pleasure and warmth, feeling her scars brushing against Alice's. "We should run… Abandon this place… Flee, find somewhere to be… They'll forgive us… We're just two women, only two soldiers… If the Rainbow Rose wins this battle, it won't be because of our efforts, and if the battle is lost, there would be no way we could change things… We ought to… To live. Far from this. Far from the world."

Makoto failed to immediately deny her; that desire dwelled within her, too. Once, all she had to offer to the world was martial skill, but no more. She was not a soldier anymore, and no longer had such intentions. Living for battle and the shedding of blood had only brought her to anguish.

"We should stay," Makoto said softly, looking into Alice's eyes. Alice's hands held on to her head and pulled her closer, as if to urge her to whisper secrets into her ears. "There are things we cannot escape from. Once I might have said… Hang the world, hang everyone in it, damn it all. But I want to see it… To live it… To be by your side in peace. I would run from the world once it no longer needed me, but now, even if it is only within my power to make the slightest difference, I would… I would fight. Die for it as I would have died for you, with you. Death no longer frightens me, no more than to watch the end and do nothing."

"I can't run either… I only… Hoped that you might be the strength I needed to be a coward, just this once, because I cannot flee alone anymore. Together, then… We die tomorrow, or we live, but we no longer run."

Makoto closed her eyes, and felt Alice's breath, and nothing else. Spent, breathless, she fell to her back, next to Alice, and placed her arm beneath her lover's head. She opened her eyes again to see Alice smiling, her hair disheveled, a tooth missing, but the smile so true, so full of life and sunshine and all that had ever touched Makoto's heart… And free of shame. Makoto smiled, then, a fool for having ever been afraid of this.

"How long… How long do we have?" Alice whispered, not waiting for an answer. "What time is it…?"

"Ours, my love," Makoto held her, felt her, loved her. "This time is ours."

---

She watched the stars with Mirai like she so often did years ago. Their hands made a natural fit, or so Riko liked to believe it; they were rougher now, but that mattered little. Things still felt the same, when she disregarded the missing stars - easy enough to do in Mirai's presence. It was like a frozen image of the days she missed so dearly, that neither loss nor fear could erase.

"We're only missing Haa," Mirai said. "It would be like the old days in the Pumpkin Kingdom. Except more crowded. And not as cold. Not so similar then, I suppose."

"It's fine like this," Riko said. It was exceedingly rare that she found herself so serene, so in control of her own anxiety. When it happened, it was almost always when she was with Mirai. Somehow the gravity of what was to come grounded her in reality more than the petty problems that would keep her up at night years ago. This she would have to deal with no matter what, and that kept her mind in a state of stability. "Kotoha was enjoying herself with friends. She's not literally our daughter, besides, so we can't force her to be by our side."

"Still, she grew up faster than I expected," said Mirai. "I mean, she looks more or less the same as the last time we were all together, but she is mature. She had to be, I suppose. Despite everything, you and I had some company after the stars went out. The poor girl was all by herself."

So was I, I just didn't know it at the time. Mirage extended her the hand of friendship, but she would only ever make Riko the vessel of her ambitions. Literally, as had happened to Sorcielle in Luminosa. But Mirai didn't have to know about all that she had endured. The future was theirs, not the past, and it was for the sake of that future that they would fight. Why else?

She looked towards the north, wondering if she might notice any change, and then to the east, looking for a glimpse of the rising sun, but still it was dark. She knew, besides, that it was not truly the sun that would announce the coming of battle, but Dark Fall's arrival, and they certainly wouldn't wait for light. There would be no missing it, with all the scouts keeping constant watch in the far north of the camps, ready to alert everyone of any news. Trumpets, bells, screams and wolfish howls would echo in the night, urging the Precure and their allies to take their positions.

If it were entirely up to her, Riko would already be in her place; dawn was nearer than it might seem, and she feared her nerves might fail her if she began to march north alongside all the legions. By now the majority of the troops would be close to where they would mount their defence, but Riko would still need to walk a fair bit to join the archers and mages from Märchenland who would support the western front. It would be chaos, she expected, even before Dark Fall was upon them. It would be no easy task to maintain constant supply lines to restock the archers and arcanists as their arrows and runes depleted, to keep everyone fed, to replace damaged weapons and broken shields. Her father Lian had been tasked with the duty of defending the supply trains from any possible attack coming from the air, or from afar; Riko was immensely relieved to know that he would be far from where the fighting would be deadliest, but the same could not be said for Liz and Lilia. She would have liked to fight alongside them, but they were sworn to Hikari and the Blue Rose, so it was the eastern front they would assist instead.

And Mirai would be with them, too.

"Say, Mirai," Riko suddenly asked. "If you could decide, would you rather fight next to someone you love, knowing you might have to watch harm come to them, or would you fight away from them, fearing what might happen when you're not by their side?"

"Hm. I think the latter. No…" She jumped to her feet, as though that would help her think harder. "Actually, yes. Yes, being apart is better. In this case, at least."

"How so?"

"I'm no seasoned warrior or anything of the sort, but in every battle I fought thus far I lost myself in the fire and violence, and only through that detachment from everything else could I survive, could I fight… If I thought of anything else, feared for anything else, I would be paralyzed with fright. It's one thing to say you'll fight to protect the people you love, but I don't think I would be capable of fighting while my eyes inevitably drift towards you, or Kotoha, or anyone else…"

Riko said nothing. She understood where Mirai was coming from, but was unsure if she could agree. Most likely she would feel miserable no matter what, and none of this mattered.

A figure approached them; Riko assumed it might be Reika commanding them to take their positions, so close was the dawn, but instead it was Sorcielle, silent and subtle as always. She did not often deliberately seek the company of others, so this was certainly new.

"It appears we will fight together," she told Riko. "Once I called you a pitiful excuse for a witch. I would like to take that back."

"Yes, well," Riko began, uncertain of how she should respond, "I was pretty inept when we first crossed paths, and was not even a Precure yet."

"Yes, you were quite shameful," Sorcielle continued. "That concealed the solid grasp you have on theory, and you wear the light and power of stars well. I have no qualms about fighting by your side."

"Thank you, Sorcielle," Riko tried to smile. "That's the highest praise I ever heard from you."

"I am… Not good with compliments. Or with conversation. Or with anything save magecraft. Still I wished to apologize to you for the harshness of my words in the past. That was far from proper."

"It's in the past."

"Indeed, but I wanted to apologize all the same. I understand now that my resentment was unwarranted, my obsession with proving myself through mastery of my craft was poison. I've long stifled myself, and if I hope to be more than I am, then I must challenge my own weaknesses. So, I… I greet you, Cure Magical. And bid you a good night, or what remains of it. And your friend too, erm…"

"I'm Mirai Asahina," she said, extending her hand, which Sorcielle was a bit too late to grab, and shook it so feebly that Riko was compelled to laugh. "Cure Miracle. You were with Riko when she met Mirage, were you not? You must have also been through so much, then."

"I think we all have. Only the dead and lost have been spared such tribulations. To live in such times… It demands a special kind of greatness, I would say. In another life, I might have dedicated myself to the study of magic as a purely academic concern. Drawn by vanity to public displays of magic only as spectacle, that likely would be all I could aspire to. A court magician, perhaps… But in this darkness, my magic and power are given purpose. This… This brings me some joy, I think I might say… Of course, none would ever wish to be tasked with living through tragedy and disaster as we have, but that is not ours to decide. Ours is to prove we match the challenge before us, not for the sake of pride or ambition but the sake of something greater. The greatest of all things, in fact. I hope - no, I must prevail. My resolve and efforts have brought me here, and finally, before me, I see what is both opportunity and duty. Ah, I'm sorry. These were probably weird things to say. As I said, I have never really engaged much in conversation… So I speak and speak and speak."

"No," Riko beckoned, gesturing for her to sit next to her. "I understand what you mean. Even if you're bad at conversation, I think you work your words well. You're right… It is quite daunting, isn't it?" Mirai nodded, then leaned on Riko. She was so peaceful that Riko could easily forget what was soon to come. "I dreamt of proving myself, of having the power to change the world, save it, but it was a child's notion of salvation. I, the savior, powerful enough to be worthy of love and admiration… Though I now have the power to fight, I don't see myself the way I did in my dreams. I understand it's not about myself anymore, but also what I can do for others, for everyone around me…"

"So those were your dreams," Mirai said, unmoving. She smiled. "My dreams were of running away. I think I would have fled if not for Lucentower being stuck between Dark Fall and an ocean. Even when I became a Precure, I was frightened, fighting only out of impulse, having nowhere else to go and nothing to do but take up arms or die. I can't run away now, though. I have a responsibility. All of us do. To the world, yes, but that's a bit too grandiose for someone like me. But to my friends, to my family… You're right, Sorcielle. It would be best if no harm had ever come to them. If there had never been a time that demanded us to be stronger than we thought we could ever be."

"We've no choice now," said Riko. A strange realization came to her. "Everyone we admire, everyone we want to be like, they've all faced this, too. Whether it's legendary Precure of our past or great reformers, anyone who was called to put their skills to the aid of others in times of crisis and disaster… I had never… Never really thought of it like that… Bravery seems so easy in books. But from a distance you can never understand what it meant, how it felt, to those great Precure, to everyone… I think only now I understand why all those stories matter so much. Truly, I-"

The bleating of a horn interrupted her words. The Desert Apostles' war horn, she recognized it, brief and blaring, strong and curt as the people who endured epochs of war with the Precure and now stood by their side as allies. Then came the elaborate war cries of Majorland, almost a symphony. Screams, bells, fires lit once more, though none nearly as bright as the Starlight Flame that blazed in the heart of Last Light. Pavilions emptied, Procure gathered around long tables rose to their feet, men and women took spears and bows and swords, commanding shouts relaying orders all over the camps. In the midst of the commotion Riko heard that scouts had finally reported Dark Fall's approach only some miles north. Riko rose, clumsily, as, without realizing, she had begun to grip Mirai's hand with all her strength, the only way she could keep herself from trembling.

It was time. She let go.

---

The last time they had been together, just the three of them, Iona had been stabbed, Reika almost killed, and Nozomi's clothes were stained red with the blood of her friends. This was much more pleasant, Iona found, even if it would not last long. The three met in the center of Last Light, right underneath the Starlight Flame that Iona had brought to life. We would meet here together again, she had promised. They had used what remained of the night to talk of pleasant aimless nothings, to reminisce, to hope for the future and to make plans.

To mourn Kagami.

Iona and Reika had wept enough, but Nozomi did not even begin to cry. She had been suffering longer than anyone else. Rekka, who stayed behind at Shadow's keep, held hopes of repairing the shattered mirror and saving Kagami. Iona wished she could share that belief, but to think of mirrors only filled her with woe and emptiness. Besides, there was nothing she could do about any of these matters, not until the battle was won. If it was won.

"Do you think we can win?" Iona suddenly asked.

"Numbers alone do not determine wars," said Reika. "We have made our preparations, and I am confident in them. I am confident in us."

"I know you'll let nothing happen to me," said Iona to Nozomi, "and Reika will be supporting us from afar. I know the danger is great, but all things considered, I feel… If not safe, then at peace, somehow."

"I'm not afraid of defeat," said Nozomi. "If anything, what I fear is… The price of victory. What we might lose, and whom."

No one could respond. The Starlight Fire crackled atop the roof over their heads. The communal center of Last Light had fallen into disrepair and disuse, and its state somewhat saddened Iona, but she had seen this village rise from nothing. To an outsider, Last Light might be unsightly, hastily-made, only a collection of wooden cabins with some small gardens between one another to try and hide the simplicity. Despite her own attempts and all the time that had passed, Iona had never truly come to see this as her home, not like her house in the Blue Sky Kingdom, where she had lived all her life until the Death of the Stars. But she still loved Last Light, and it was a special place to her. It was her triumph, their triumph, everyone's triumph.

"Why don't we ask the Fates?" Iona asked, suddenly remembering her deck of cards. She had left it here the last time she had been in Last Light, and in no time she found it just where she had left it, inside a weathered purple bag left to the side of one of the ranges. It must have slipped her mind, when she hastily left the village to head towards Labyrinth. "They're all here, still, thank goodness. Do you remember what the cards said when… When I read them while we were headed to Trump… The first time the three of us were…"

"When we became friends," said Nozomi, smiling so gently. No resentment seemed to linger from the way Iona treated her when they first met, though Fortune herself would often remember it and her heart would hurt. "The Fates said, uh… I remember a rainbow."

"The Rainbow card?" Iona didn't recall that. "You sure? Well, I recall the Star card, I'm certain of that, and it's exceedingly rare for the Rainbow and the Star to match…"

"Our results appeared quite fortunate," said Reika. "All I remember is that you drew the Girl card. Three separate instances of it, in fact. It struck me as quite the meaningful coincidence."

"Eh, well," Iona shrugged. "There's five of those in the deck, so it's not that unlikely. I don't remember the way I interpreted it then, but now… Now I would say it represents that our union coalesced into light. I suppose in our case it was quite literal, with starlight, but we did achieve much to be proud of."

"Your interpretation of the Fates can change with time?" Reika asked. "Are you certain that this fortune telling is accurate?"

"It's accurate enough," Iona said. "If my own understanding didn't change, if I didn't grow, then that would be strange indeed. Besides, this is just for fun. In the Hope Kingdom they find the Fates to be so laughably inaccurate that they only use the deck to play card games with. So we shouldn't take this so seriously."

She shuffled. Her hands were not as fast as they used to be, and she lacked practice. Still, she managed to place a selection of them before Nozomi and Reika, and gestured for the two of them to select one together. Once they were in agreement, Iona unveiled it.

"The Warrior. Well. Not much to interpret about that one. Now, you and I will choose together, Beauty. When you're ready."

Their fingers bumped against each other two or three times, but when they finally reached a card in agreement, Iona took it and looked into the Rainbow. Thus far, it seemed less like a prediction of the future and more a very self-evident description of current affairs. Unlikely, Iona thought at first, but that was how the Fates worked: they referred to ethereal concepts that could be applied to almost every situation. Everyone saw themselves in them, no matter what, and it was the fortune teller's duty to be able to guide them to a productive understanding rather than the easiest, most obvious one.

When Iona and Nozomi were to choose a card together, they were in perfect synchrony, and in less than a second flipped over the Star card. Now, the last two were for Iona to select alone. Patiently, she pored over the cards before her, even though it should make no difference whether she grabbed them by chance or deliberately. She wouldn't know anyways.

"The Sunset," Iona said. "Hm. The Fates speak of war. The Star refers not just to the night sky but to the power of the Precure, and the Rainbow reinforces that interpretation… An omen, indeed, because the Sunset has a specific meaning. A conclusion, the end of a trial or a period of your life. The fifth, last card, then, may refer to what we can expect about the battle. The most relevant cards, I think, would be… Sunrise, to represent renewal and a new beginning, but a hopeful one, given the other Fates… The Girl could represent a prophecy that one single person may turn the tide of battle, bring it to an end. The Hourglass would be quite inconclusive, but might mean something like, hm, the battle will stretch on for a long, long time, but whether it will end in victory or defeat would not be made clear."

"Would the Fates be content with teasing us like that?" Nozomi asked. "How cruel."

"Well, there are also omens that are… Somewhat less favorable. Blood. Death. We shouldn't hope for those."

"Does it matter?" Reika asked. "After all, would it really matter what end the Fates promise? If we learn of it and cannot change it, then the knowledge is useless, and if we can change it, then… It's even more useless."

"Aren't you the slightest bit curious?" Nozomi asked. "I mean, thus far the cards seem pretty pertinent. I'd be quite energized to go to battle knowing that fate itself favors us, and if it doesn't, then I'd be even more eager to prove it wrong so I can tell it to go suck m-"

"Ahem. What I mean is that we needn't have our own uncertainty reinforced. We know that the end is unclear. No matter what the cards say, one way or another we will only reach that end by forcing our way through the mists that obscure it. Whether to our victory or to our deaths, we cannot yet know. And I would say we defied fate many times before."

"Well," Iona shrugged. "Like I said, this is just for fun. I didn't really expect the Fates would seem to be aware of our situation. To tell the truth, I only really wanted to… To say something nice. Something optimistic. I guess I learned that from you, Nozomi."

"We all learned from each other," she replied. "I'm touched, though, that you'd see me as an optimist. You've seen the worst of me."

"I've seen the best, too. And many times I have heard from your mouth exactly what I needed to hear. Hope, happiness. I want to be like that to the two of you, you know?"

"You already are," said Reika, "my dearest Iona. That you'd even think about this little bit of joy is simply-"

Someone knocked on the door. A face and voice Iona didn't recognize. A soldier, perhaps. There was only one thing they would be called for. The three of them rose to their feet, Iona still holding on to the last selected card, while Reika carried Sunsetter at her side.

"Dark Fall will be here soon," Reika stated. "We ought to go. I'll lead the archers in receiving our enemies with a bloody rain before they've even reached our palisades."

"Soften them up for us as best as you can, then," said Nozomi. She was the first to walk back into the streets of Last Light, and Reika followed right behind.

Iona remained there. Curiosity compelled her to flip over the last card. It meant nothing, didn't it? There would be no harm in just looking. She wouldn't take it seriously anyways, whether it was the Sunrise, the Hourglass, the Girl…

Death.

She hesitated one last moment. Finally, she put the card back where it had been, its back turned to her, a beautifully filigreed illustration of golden spirals and butterflies. When she was done, she immediately found she could not recall which one exactly it had been. They would all keep their secrets forever now.

She walked outside, closing the door behind her, and, with all the courage she could muster, stepped towards her fate.

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The next chapter may take a while, given how very busy I am, and will continue to be in the coming weeks. Also because it's an extremely long chapter; I'll almost certainly post it in parts. Thank you for reading, and see you next chapter, whenever that is.