Silence. Unceasing silence was all there was. Even the breeze made no noise. The pitch-black plants provided little comfort, and the ground was cold and hard. Sable sat in the middle of a dark field in the middle of nowhere. Well, she supposed everything in this kingdom was dark. Despite having left Prince Shadow and his plan to consume everything in his wake, however, she still felt… empty. Something wasn't right.
What concerned her most was that she could feel empty. Before she had met those Cures, all there was for her was a vain attraction to her image and some sense of superiority to everything else. That, and some sense of cold always lingering in the back of her mind. Now, though, the cold had spread everywhere. Her fingers felt like ice, and her heart felt heavy with nothing. She didn't know what was wrong, but she couldn't go back to Prince Shadow and ask. Dusk and Ink were her partners no longer, as evident by the fact that she got thrown away the last time she saw them. The portal had dumped her on the castle's doorstep, which she'd fled from the second she woke up. Honestly, Sable was surprised Ebony and Gloom didn't get to her before that happened.
"Why do I feel this way? That Fairy… he said we were once… human? Just like those Cures? Is that why it hurts so much, why it's so cold…? I don't know any more. I don't know what I am." Sable hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on her arms. "I wish I could just smile like her… like Cure Hope…"
The second those words left her lips, she understood what she had to do. She took a deep breath and looked to the empty sky, void of stars, clouds - void of anything. It was nothing like the human's sky. She wanted to be able to look at that beautiful sky every day. She wanted to be warm. Most of all, she wanted to smile. That meant doing what she feared - admitting her wrongdoings, admitting her vanity was all a farce. It meant facing Cure Hope once and for all.
Jun woke up with a yawn. Today was a Monday, uneventful and ordinary. It was just two weeks away from the Golden Faith Prestige ball, and she couldn't wait. When she finally got ready for school, she went out into the family area to discover that Ume and Azami's family were already eating breakfast. Around a mouthful of food, Azami had explained that Jun's mom was still sleeping. Jun nodded, but she was secretly wondering why. Her mom never slept in, so she was wondering what prompted it. She snuck down the hall to her mother's room quietly. She shared the room with Ume's dad, with a soundproof divider put up between them. Since he was already up, Jun only had to worry about waking her own mom up.
"Mama?" She whispered, peering her head in the doorway. No response, but she didn't hear her gentle snoring like she usually did. She folded the divider slightly to get in to her mom's side, then put it back in its place. There she was, snoozing away. Jun gently shook her mom's shoulder until she came awake with a drowsy 'huh?'
"Oh, g'morning sweetie." she mumbled, yawning. "Mama's not feeling too well. I think I caught a cold."
"And I woke you up, huh? Sorry, mama, you can go back to sleep. I was just worried." Jun gave a wry laugh. She tucked her mom back in the covers and gave her a hug. "Get better soon, mama. I love you."
"Such a good girl to me…" Her mom got out before promptly falling back asleep. Jun left the room and proceeded down the hallway. So her mom was sick, but that wasn't a huge issue. It happened sometimes, and she would get better within a day or two. So what then, Jun wondered, was the horrible feeling she had at the back of her mind? It was like a dark and twisted feeling had taken hold, but she couldn't name what it was or place why it had come up. She went to eat her breakfast and noticed that out of the window it was grey, foggy and drizzling rain. Jun only wondered if the whole day was going to be like this.
"Hey, how are you, sweetheart?" Azami's mom piped up. She ruffled Jun's hair as she took a seat near Ume. "Azami was telling me how good of friends you guys are becoming with those other girls."
"Yeah! They're all really nice and I love hanging out with them. Ryoko's really tall and strong, so they help me with a lot of stuff I can't do by myself. Emika helps me study, and Yuki's so responsible I think we'd go crazy without her. I just wish Ume could hang out with us more outside of Culinary Club!" Jun sighed, putting on a puppy dog face at her best friend.
"Jun, you know I tutor most evenings. I can't help it." She made a serious face, but in the face of her best friend's pretend sad face, she couldn't hold it. She sighed. "Fine. I will make space for one day next week. We'd better do something fun."
"Of course! We'll do all sorts of fun stuff! Like… I wanna see you arm wrestle Ryoko!" Jun grinned. Azami nearly choked on her food and started laughing.
"Hah! The day Ume beats Ryoko at arm wrestling is the day I cut all of my hair off!" Azami wheezed. Ume rolled her eyes, but she had a small smile on her face.
"You guys are terrible. We can go see a movie together in Friendship Park. They're playing free lawn shows next weekend." She suggested. Jun's face brightened. The parents at the table looked overjoyed to see their kids having so much fun with their friends.
"Yes! That sounds perfect. I'd love to. We'd better get eating, though! Look at the time, we don't wanna be late!"
Jun, with Jubilee in her bag, walked to school with Azami, Ume, and Emika like she usually did. They always met up with Yuki and Ryoko later on in the morning. This morning, though, the fog was overbearing and the distance between her and her friends grew bigger and bigger. Soon, Jun could barely see a meter in front of her. The fog was cold and disheartening, and the drizzle of rain wasn't any help, despite the fact that she had an umbrella.
"Azami? Ume?" she called, only there was no response. "Emika?"
"Cure Hope." A cold, feminine voice. Jun knew who it was immediately.
"Sable." Jun clenched the straps of her bag tightly. Jubilee peered his head out of the bag, a mix of concern and anger evident on his face. "What… what do you want?"
"Jun, why aren't you transforming-jubi…?" Jubilee whispered. Jun patted his head but didn't answer his question. Sable appeared in front of Jun, completely… normal. If anything, her expression was sad. Her arms hung limply at her sides and she simply stood there.
"I need to talk to you. The others are looking for me. I… don't have much time." she murmured. Sable's usual vitriol was all gone now. Her voice sounded hollow, almost depressing. Jun nodded. It could have been a trick… but something told the pink cure it wasn't. Sable's voice and attitude gave it away. Sable's outfit was dirty, her hair was out of its usual pigtails, and she had no makeup on. This was nothing like the way she'd presented herself before.
"Okay." she agreed. And with that, Sable opened a portal. She gestured to it, and Jun, without hesitation, walked straight into it. Something in her gut told her it would be okay. She didn't know what it was. Just like she'd had a bad feeling about today, her instincts kept on going. When she re-appeared on the other side of the portal, she was somewhere she didn't recognize. It was an open field, trees skirting the edges, with a road far in the distance. The fog was lessened here, but it was still drizzling and miserable.
"I moved us further away from town." Sable explained as she followed Jun through the portal. "It'll take them longer to find us this way, so long as neither of us transform."
"Sable, what is this about?" Jun asked, a serious look in her eyes. "You've been appearing in each of the Shaoris we've fought since that day in the park when we met Ryoko. You were upset the last time we talked, and then Ink threw you away…"
"Yes. I'm… not on good terms with the other generals. I failed Prince Shadow. If they find me, I'll go back to meet the sharp end of an arrow. You won't hear from me ever again. Prince Shadow is ruthless." she explained. "But more than that, I… I overheard you and that Fairy talking about how us generals used to be human. Ever since then, it's been fuzzy and I get migraines when I think about it for too long, but… Something's there. I'm not sure what I am. I can't even transform like the other generals any more, but I'm not human, either."
"You are human. You're just… I dunno, you're so focused on the bad things. I think if you can learn to let go of your hatred and vanity, you'd be just like anybody else." Jun suggested. "You can made friends too, Sable."
Sable's eyes widened and it seemed as if a shock of pain went through her. She grabbed her head. "Oh, not again… it hurts… my head…!"
"You can make friends too, Suzue." a gentle hand wiped the tears away. A young girl sniffled.
"I-I can…?" a low, sad voice. The girl who was crying looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes, now.
"Yes, of course you can! Now raise that chin up and go introduce yourself. That's the first step to making a friend, you know. A proper introduction." The gentle voice soothed. "Why don't you practice it on my, first? Like this… Hi! My name is…" the gentle hand gestured for the girl to continue.
"H-Hi…" the girl sniffled. "My name is…"
"Tanaka." Sable whispered. Jun looked confused. "Suzue… Tanaka. My name… you made me remember my name. Before I became… this."
"Suzue. It's a lovely name." Jun gave a gentle smile. Sable gritted her teeth as another wave of pain shot through her head. She collapsed to the ground, and Jun ran forwards to help her. The rain began to pour in buckets.
"Suzue, huh? It's a lovely name, too bad you're kinda… ugly." another girl sneered. "I don't know why they'd let an orphan into our school. Isn't she dirty?" the group of girls standing in front of her laughed. Suzue stiffened.
"Wh-What? I'm not… I'm not ugly…" she murmured.
"Uh, yeah you are! Orphans are all homeless kids, so… duh!" The lead girl snickered.
"Tomoko, isn't that a little too mean…?"
"Oh, hush!"
Suzue began to tear up a little. She shook her head.
"No, I'm not homeless…! And I-I'm pretty! Ms. Sachiko says I'm very pretty…"
"Sable! Sable, are you okay?!" Jun gently shook her. Sable groaned. She leaned on Jun, who helped her stand. "What happened?"
"I'm… I'm remembering things…! It's just… just bits and pieces right now, but… my head hurts every time I remember. It feels like it's going to burst…!"
"It's okay. You know, Jubilee said there's a way I can help you, Sable. I want you to be good, too. But you've got to trust me." Jun explained. Sable nodded, still struggling through the throbbing pain in her head.
"Please. Anything to make it stop hurting…!" she sobbed. "I just want to be normal again!"
"I'll try my best… give me your hand."
Another wave of pain.
"Give me your hand, child." a deep, intimidating voice. Bright red eyes and pitch black hair tied into a braid. He wore regal clothing, fit for nothing less than a king… or a prince. Suzue sat in the corner of the room, crying. All of the others were asleep except her… and this man had just suddenly appeared.
"Who… who are you?" she sniffled. The man's eyes burned with an intensity that almost scared her. He extended his hand.
"My name is Prince Shadow. I can make you into the most beautiful person this world has ever seen. You can prove all of them wrong. That anguish, that despair in your heart… it's all their fault." Suzue's chest throbbed and she felt something begin to overtake her. "All you have to do to exact your revenge is take my hand. Be rid of your despair. Be who you were truly meant to be, child."
She said and did nothing except look him in the eyes. Then, as she reached for his hand, everything went black.
"It hurts… it hurts… I won't… I w-won't take his hand…!" She barely managed to choke out her sentence between gritted teeth and tears. Jun lifted her and brought her into the best hug she could manage, supporting Sable since she seemed not to be able to stand.
"It's okay. It's alright. I've got you. We'll get you fixed up. Jubilee, is there anything you can do…?" Jun grunted, trying to keep Sable upright. Jubilee left the bag and nodded.
"I haven't tried it yet on Earth, but-jubi…!" His gem shined and then he poofed away into a large cloud of smoke. When it passed, instead of a bird, there was a tall, tan boy with fluffy brown hair and freckles standing in his place. He wore a suit with a vest, the gem from his chest now dangling from a chain necklace. "Ahh! Okay, here, let me help carry her-jubi."
"Whoa! That's your human form, Jubilee?!" Jun wondered aloud. Jubilee lifted Sable's arm over his shoulders.
"Yes, but that's not important right now-jubi! Focus on Sable-jubi!" he chided. Jun nodded. She looked at Sable seriously.
"Do you want to be yourself again, Sable? Look at me… I can help… But you've gotta be true to yourself! Be honest… do you want to be Sable or Suzue? Who are you truly supposed to be?!" Jun cried. Sable let out an agonizing wail.
"Who are you truly supposed to be?" Prince Shadow held his hands firm behind his back, posture rigid. Suzue was crying on the floor of a darkened castle. "Let those feelings take root. Feel your heart becoming blackened. You can become so much more, child. You can become powerful. So much better than those who tormented you for so long."
"Gh… Ahh!" Suzue cried out in pain. She clutched her chest and it seemed like a black ooze had begun seeping out from between her tightened fingers. Prince Shadow reached forward to touch just a single drop of the ooze and Suzue went limp. Then, with a wave of his hand, all of the ooze whirled into the air and seemed to vanish, then reappear in a small, glass vial. Suzue's body began to jerk haphazardly, and then suddenly change. Her hair got darker, her nails grew into claws, wings sprouted from her back, and her eyes changed color. As she stood, horns seemed to grow from her scalp.
"What's your name?" Prince Shadow asked nonchalantly. The woman - whoever she was - wasn't the young Suzue any longer. She stood to attention.
"Sable. My name is Sable, sir."
"Good… Sable. And what's your goal?"
"My goal is to serve you, Prince Shadow, and become the most beautiful person that miserable earth has ever seen." Sable spat. The Prince looked satisfied.
"Good. And do you know who Suzue Tanaka is, Sable?" he asked. Sable rose an eyebrow.
"No, sir. Should I?"
"MY NAME IS SUZUE TANAKA!" Sable screamed. "I…! I just wanted somebody to say I'm pretty…! Just once! I wanted to be accepted! I'm not heartless…! I just wanted a friend! And I got so jealous of your smile, Cure Hope!"
"You are pretty, Sable… no, Suzue. You're beautiful. You can be a good person, too! So please… let me help you!" Jun's Everheart lit up, shining brightly in all directions. It was blinding. When it finally died down, she'd transformed into Cure Hope.
"Please… help…" Sable whimpered. Hope summoned her staff.
"Everheart, become my weapon." she gripped it tightly. She placed Sable's hand around it, too. The Dark Land General held on with all the strength she could muster. "Sparkle and shine, light of the future! Precure… HOPE RADIANCE!"
From the staff, fractals of light resembling ribbons burst forth and enveloped Sable. It was a shining light, sending a beacon into the sky. From inside the light, Sable cried out. It seemed to be burning, hurting her, but at the same time, she could see the darkness evaporating from her. The bottle of black ooze fell out of her coat and smashed open on the ground, and the radiant pink light evaporated it all. Sable herself seemed to have calmed down as the black ooze evaporated, relaxing into a state of bliss. When the light finally dissipated, she fell. Hope and Jubilee caught her, but she looked different. Her hair was a light shade of orange instead of a muddy brown, her eyes softened from burning orange to a soft chocolate color, and she had soft, smooth skin with freckles all over. She looked… happier, somehow. She was asleep, now, and Cure Hope held her gently.
"There you are! We saw the light!" A voice popped up behind Cure Hope. It was Cure Joy and Cure Brave, come along to help. "We thought we lost you in the fog or something! And who are these two?"
"I'm Jubilee-jubi! And this is… this is Sable-jubi. But not anymore, she's human again-jubi…" Jubilee explained. The others seemed shocked.
"What?! Sable is…?! What happened while we were gone?!" Joy asked, kneeling down to touch Suzue's forehead. Hope sighed.
"She came to me. She wanted to be human again. She was remembering her past, but it looked like she was in pain, so I… I did what Jubilee said. I purified her. She said her name was Suzue before she became Sable." She explained. Brave looked down at the sleeping girl.
"Ah… I-I see… so that means, i-if she's human, th-then… the other Generals are, t-too… they might also be in p-pain…" Brave suggested. The others paled.
"That's right. They were human, too." Another set of voices arrived on scene. It was Kind, Strong, and Spirit this time. They also surrounded Suzue, wondering why the sudden change of heart.
"Why did she suddenly come to you, Hope?" Kind asked, gently touching Suzue's forehead. She was burning up with what felt like a fever. "I think the purification worked, but… She's still recovering."
"I felt miserable for a week after having my Negative Energy stolen. I can only imagine what it feels like for her, since she's been corrupted all this time." Joy wondered aloud. Hope hugged Suzue softly.
"Well, we'll take care of her. She's not so evil. I saw her. I don't know where she'll stay, though." Hope pursed her lips. Suddenly, a gust of wind whipped up behind them.
"She'll stay with us, girlie. Can't have her spillin' any secrets to you." The others knew that voice. It was Dusk. Cure Hope, without a word, set down Suzue and looked to Jubilee to take care of her, who nodded. She turned to Dusk and it was clear from the look on her face she was not only serious, she was angry.
"If you want her, you'll be getting through me, first." Cure Hope had an aura about her that said she wasn't going to be messed with. Dusk made a 'tch' sound and transformed.
"Two can play at that game, bubblegum head." Dusk launched himself towards Cure Hope, grabbing her head in his hand and flying off with her. She struggled against him as he flew higher and higher. On the ground, Cure Strong had formed a shield in front of Sable as somebody else launched another attack. Through Dusk's fingers, Hope saw it was Ink. She finally managed to get a good hit in, and Dusk almost dropped her.
"You shouldn't underestimate us just 'cause you won a few times, you stupid kids!" Ink growled. Cure Joy spun her trident in her hands with a smirk.
"Oh yeah? I bet I could take you down!" As she looked Ink in the eyes, she spun around and launched it at Dusk in the air, who hadn't been expecting it. He dodged it, but at the same time, being distracted, he dropped Cure Hope. Cure Brave leapt up to catch her and Joy's trident, landing safely on the ground.
"Thanks for catching me!" Cure Hope sighed with relief. Brave looked red but nodded and tossed Joy's trident back to her. Dusk began whipping up a forceful gust of wind with his wings, nearly forcing the Cures off their feet. Kind, however, launched a ring at him, catching his wings. Dusk plummeted without them, and right before he hit the ground, Strong launched into him with a roundhouse kick. He flew across the field and crash-landed into a tree.
"Haha! Who's a stupid kid now?!" Strong cheered. Ink took off towards his cohort and when he got to him, tugged on Kind's ring until it snapped. The two got up, looked at each other, and nodded. Out of their suit jackets, they brought the vials the Cures had come to know well - Negative Energy. They smashed them on the ground, and from them, rose giant monsters they'd fought several times before. Shaori.
"Upset-rii! Upset-rii! I can't find my friends-rii!" A Shaori similar to the one Hope had fought when she first transformed appeared. It was Ume's feelings. The other one - a copy of the first - roared after. "Scared-rii! Scared-rii! Where did my friends go-rii!"
"Again…!" Hope grew angry, launching forward at the two. "First, you hurt Suzue, who just wanted to live a normal life… And then, you trample on my friend's feelings by putting them on display…! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!"
"Cure Hope, w-wait…!" Cure Joy called out after her. Blinded by her anger, Cure Hope didn't see the Shaori throwing thick, globby balls of whatever they were made out of at her. One hit her, effectively pinning her to the ground. Brave ran over to free her like she had a while ago.
"Brave Flash…!" the flash of light was muted and Brave's hands instead ended up stuck in the tar-like substance. She grumbled and tried to yank her hands out to no avail.
"Hah! You think we'd fall for that trick twice?!" Dusk cackled. He whipped up another gust, blowing away Cure Kind so she couldn't tie his wings again. Cure Strong went after her, catching her before she hit anything. While they were distracted with catching Kind, however, one of the Shaori had thrown another glob at them. Kind and Strong were pinned down, now, too. The only ones left were Joy and Spirit, both preoccupied with keeping Dusk and Ink from reaching Suzue.
"Hnn… my head…" A faint voice groaned. It was Suzue, waking up from fainting. She looked around at the chaos, confused and slightly scared. Then, she spotted the other cures who had been pinned down. She saw Hope, struggling, and the others fighting the two Generals and began to piece it together.
"Wh-What is this stuff?!" Brave cried. "It's expanding…! Hope! Keep your head above it or y-you won't be able to b-breathe…!"
"Cure… Hope…? Can't breathe…?" Suzue murmured. The dull, throbbing pain in her head kept her from thinking clearly. "Gotta… Help…" Suzue stood on wobbly legs, trying her best not to fall over as she made her way to Cure Hope and Cure Brave. The others didn't seem to notice her, too distracted by their fights. Hope, however, had absolutely seen her and was not happy about it.
"Suzue! If you can move, get out of here! They're after you!" She yelled. Suzue shook her head with as much strength as she could muster.
"You're my… friend… you saved me… gotta… Return the favor…" she just barely got the words out. Jubilee, on the sidelines, noticed the faintest of orange lights from his jewel.
"It couldn't be-jubi…" he whispered.
"Are you crazy?! You're in no shape for it! It's because you're my friend I'm telling you to run!" Hope yelled. Suzue's expression turned upset. Hope could see tears welling up, too.
"N… No! I refuse to leave you behind…!" She almost broke down crying. She dug her hands into the ooze, pulling furiously at it, only getting herself stuck more and more. On the other side of the field, Jubilee's light shone a little brighter. He looked at it for a second, then back to Suzue.
"But she was corrupted for so long-jubi… How can she… jubi…?"
"Why?!" Hope felt tears in her eyes as well.
"Because you're my first friend! You taught me to be truthful with my feelings… I don't want to see your smile disappear!" Suzue sobbed. She turned to Dusk and Ink, tears still streaming down her face. "Stop… Stop…! STOP HURTING MY FRIEND!"
And then, Jubilee's gem burst into a blinding orange light.
