A/N: I do not believe that all the other Kirakira Cures never visited Yukari during that one year span between ep48 and 49, so, here we are.
Chapter 17: Lost? Not Quite
Season: Kirakira Precure A La Mode
Pairing: Ichika x Rio
Summary: She cried...
Bold+Italics: Flashback
Italics: thoughts
CAP LOCK: SHOUTING
It was the second day that the group arrived in Confetto Kingdom and they began their sightseeing trip.
Ciel and Rio were still exchanging tips and experiences on making sweets with Yukari, so the other four had to go sightseeing without them.
They had just enjoyed a late lunch and were planning to go to a few more sightseeing spots and the "bakery street" Yukari told them about. "Bakery street", literally, was filled with all sorts of bakeries and patisseries on either side of the road.
It was supposed to be a happy day, unless accidents happened, that is.
While the foursome was walking towards their next destination, Ichika somehow managed to trip over her own leg and fell down the slope on the side of the road.
To make matters worse, the girls didn't notice her missing until some time later.
As for her, she rolled down the slope, into some bushes, then crash into a tree. That caused a few grazes on her arms and legs, a bruise on her forehead, a gash on her left knee and a 45 minute blackout.
She woke up promptly when a rain drop on her face.
"A drizzle?"
After a few moments of collecting her thoughts, she got to a conclusion to look at her watch.
Half past three.
"Half past three? That means I passed out for almost an hour! Oh no! Where's everyone now?"
She tried to recall the itinerary for the day, "Ah, right! They should be heading to the 'bakery street' now. Wait... what's the real name for that street again?"
(If you wanna pull a facepalm now, hold it, things can get worse.)
She started looking for her phone (you know, cuz this is the 21st century) in her small pouch, "Huh? I'm sure I brought it with me today."
She then walked around, despite the wound on her knee stinging, to find a map or a road sign. Then again, she didn't remember what was the name of the cooking school Yukari was studying in.
"What should I do now?!"
(Yes, now you can facepalm)
Cooking school dormitory, 4:30pm
"Eh?! Ichika went missing?" a confounded Kirarin shouted.
"Have you searched the places you were going to visit?" Yukari was trying to keep herself calm, which she never failed to do... except for this time.
"Yes! We can't find her no matter where we looked!" Himari was so worried, she was about to cry.
"We thought she might have come back but it seems not," Akira said, "Where in the world could she be?"
Then, there was a knock on the door, Rio's voice outside said, "Kirarin, I got your food." He came in and raised an eyebrow as he saw all the girls except Ichika here, "Ok, whatever I missed, I sure want to hear it now."
"Ichika got separated from the group and now they can't find her," Yukari summarised.
"Eh?! Ichika went missing?" Rio exclaimed in the same manner Kirarin did.
"I won't believe it if anyone told me you two aren't twins, hehe..." Aoi said, in hopes of lightening the mood, but to no avail.
Rio hastily put down the muffin he got for Kirarin on the closest surface he could find and darted out of the dorm room, yelling, "I'm going to look for her!"
"Should we have told him it's raining outside?" Aoi said, eying the umbrellas.
5:30pm
It wasn't like her to cry, it wasn't like her at all! She had always been the high-spirited one with all the smiles. Nonetheless, there she was, crying in a narrow alleyway that had provided a temporary shelter from the rain for her.
Honestly, who wouldn't cry in a situation like hers? She got cuts and scratches here and there and being damp was just making the pain worse. She didn't know where she was and where she should be. Worst, she didn't know whether anyone could find her.
Helpless. Yes, that is the word, to describe what she was feeling.
Ichika, keep on smiling.
"I know..." she wept, "I know I should smile. But still..."
"ICHIKA!"
Mama?
"ICHIKA! ICHIKA, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
No, someone else. Someone else precious to me. Someone who...
Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw someone standing in the far end of the alleyway, panting.
Ichika almost instantly dried her tears to pretend nothing happened, as she always did, then exclaimed, "Rio-kun!"
Rio rushed in front of her. Before either of them could say a word, he took her into an embrace, "Oh thank goodness I found you! I'm so worried, we're all so worried."
Realising what he was doing, he immediately let go of the girl, he coughed into his hand while blushing furiously.
He sat on the not-too-wet ground as his legs ran out of fuel.
"Rio-kun... how long have you been looking for me...?"
"An hour."
"Have you been running all this time?"
"It doesn't matter," he stood up, "You're alright, right?"
She nodded.
"You've been crying, haven't you?"
"No! Have you ever seen me cry? Please, I'm the Precure of smiles and energy."
Rio didn't do anything, he crossed his arms and waited, until...
Ichika cried, sob at first, then bawled loudly, just like before he had arrived. Even so she was desperately trying to wipe away her tears.
"No... I need to smile..."
Rio embraced her once more, "I'm not going to tell you to stop crying. Crying is a way of expressing your emotions too. You felt lonely, you felt helpless, those are all important emotions, you shouldn't compress your feelings, we all know that can be really dangerous."
Ichika cried and cried and cried, both hands still grasping the edge of her skirt.
"It's okay, I'm here for you," Rio soothed.
At this, she let go of her skirt and slowly wrapped her arms around Rio too. Then she literally cried on his shoulder.
The last time she bawled her eyes out this hard was when her mother came back, that was because she had to let go of all the sadness she'd been hiding. But this time, it was different, she cried because she simply want to cry.
End of Chapter 17