A/N: Once again reminding you that I'm not writing in chronological order. This is set on the first August 15 after Ibara/ Dark Precure came to Earth.

Also, screw chapter 2. The only reason I'm keeping it is because Ibara was introduced there. Everything else was really bad in terms of logic.

And just because no one pointed out, I'm going to assume that none of you guys noticed my flaws in chronology XD. Good, please stay oblivious

Cure Narrative 36: A Life for a Life is Never Fair

Season: Heartcatch

Characters: Yuri T. Ibara T.

Summary: Second chances are profound things, there's no reverting them, nor is there a need to.

(Yuri's POV)

August 15 was quite different this year for my family.

For starters, Ibara had been a part of us since some months ago already, since the day I brought home a young girl I called sister, the last legacy my father left behind, and told mother everything.

There had been a lot of silence, and tears, and occasional groans of grief and fury. It didn't take much to realise that mother was not ready to accept her artificial daughter yet, and I hid my fear of her never being ready.

But things changed. We all changed. My fear was subdued since the moment mother embraced Ibara, the moment my family truly expanded.

Today, a festival which me and my mother ignored, or at least, tried to ignore in the past few years.

Today was Obon.

Neither of us had wanted to address the very possible fate that had befallen father. Even after I had known for certain, the probability of mother being consumed by hatred and sorrow like I had gnawed at my heart.

Now that every secret was revealed, every truth was accepted, I planned to bring up Obon, and steeled myself to gaze upon a frown on my mother's face.

Mother surprised me by taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Let's... celebrate Obon this year..."

I avoided her eyes and nodded silently.

"We will light the Mukaebi, we will make the offerings... and... ah... too bad your father doesn't have a grave..."

Poor Ibara just sat there, utterly confused about all this.

"So why don't we put up a grave for him?" she asked, "I know we don't have anything left to bury but—"

I interrupted, "Good idea, mother. I was thinking of the same thing."

"Relax, Yuri-chan," mother saw through my worries about Ibara's unawareness, "I'm fine."

We explained the whole situation to Ibara. We told her about Obon, about the legends and traditions. And also told her that a "missing person" cannot be regarded dead until seven years after their disappearance.

She listened solemnly and kept quiet for the rest of the night.

And so, Obon came. The first Obon since I was thirteen.

I never had especially strong ties with my grandparents, or other relatives, so Obon in my childhood was just another normal festival, until it disappeared following father's disappearance.

It became so, so much heavier as of now.

We lit the mukaebi on the first day of Obon Week, the fire that was said to lead the deceased spirit back to their family.

I found myself wishing for these old traditions to actually work. I prayed that father's spirit would be guided to us, so that he could see mother again, so that he could see his daughters again.

We prepared the food offerings, and before I could ask why mother made two sets, she already answered.

"It's for your fairy," she explained.

"Mother," I spoke up, wanting to save her the trouble, "Obon is for deceased family members."

"You are the only family Cologne had," mother replied with certainty, but with gentleness as well, "Besides, I'm sure he wants to come back home to see you too."

I shot Ibara an accusing look. I only told mother that I had a fairy partner, who died; the elaborations all came from Ibara.

She just shrugged, and somehow this act made me think.

I worried that mother had not let go yet, I worried that mother would be pained at the mention of father, I constantly worried about whether mother could move on from it all...

Then I questioned myself, had I moved on?

I sat by my windowsill and contemplated about all this before bed that night.

Yes, I accepted the fact, I embraced the guilt and sorrow, I lived on with the regret. I thought I had completely moved on from the two incidents that had tormented me for so long.

Still, why did I hesitate so much when trying to bring up this subject? Why had I always tried to avoid reminding myself of father and Cologne? Why did I throw my little sister that accusing look when I knew she spoke about Cologne?

"Can I come in?" Ibara asked outside the door, and proceeded to come in without waiting for an answer.

"What's wrong?" I turned from the windowsill.

"Since it's Obon, I asked Cure Blossom and the others if I could borrow this, Moonlight," she slammed the door shut with her foot and revealed the Heartcatch Mirage she had been hiding behind her back.

"How many times have I told you not to call us by our Cure names?" I gestured for her to sit in front of my desk and put the Mirage down there.

"Sorry, habit," she shrugged, "Besides, everyone in this house already knows."

"Fine," I heaved a light sigh, "So? Why did you bring the Mirage?"

"Well... for others, the Obon legend may just be a story, but it's different for us!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Let's... let's actually go see father!" Ibara stood up, "Let's go to the Great Heart Tree!"

Seeing that I didn't have a reply, she carried on, "Not only father, Cologne too..."

"No."

Silence hung in my room for a while.

"N-no...?" Ibara questioned, "But, why...?"

"They're not there anymore."

"But last time... when I was reborn... they were there...!"

"I'm not sure," I lowered my head, "It could've been the Great Heart Tree's way of thanking us Precure for defeating Dune, or just a miracle like you, or maybe they had come to see you off, I don't know. I was overjoyed then, I wasn't able to think rationally then."

"You mean..." Ibara began, unable to finish.

"They are truly gone," I said, "They've departed for the heavens long ago."

"I thought..." she balled her fists, "I really thought we could go visit them..."

"I'm sorry that your considerations have gone to waste."

She quieted down.

"If there's nothing else you want to say," I began after some time, "You can leave the Mirage to me, and turn in for the night."

She shook her head, "Can I ask you something?"

"Oh? Sure. Go ahead."

"If you could exchange my life to revive either father or Cologne, would you?"

That came so abruptly my mind went blank when I tried to find a response.

"If Cologne could be revived," she carried on, "and the price is my life, would you do it? Would you blame the heavens for giving me a second chance, and not one of the two you actually love?"

"W-why..." I pushed my glasses up, "Why are you saying such things...?"

"Then the answer is 'yes', isn't it?" she sounded very certain, "I knew it. The way you look at me has never changed, the expression you have whenever you face me is the same as when we fought against each other as Dark Precure and Cure Moonlight. You might say that I am your family, but your heart, your instincts never changed."

I then realised why she brought the Heartcatch Mirage tonight, even why she told mother about Cologne, she was trying to prove that she was no longer Dark Precure.

She was trying to prove that she could care for others, all because I made her feel like she was still Dark Precure, I made her feel like an outsider.

It was my fault...

Back to the question, would I?

If the price was my life, I would've paid it gladly. Without Cologne, my life should've ended long ago.

But that wasn't the question, the question was whether I would take someone else's life in order to revive them.

No, that wasn't it either, it was whether I would take her life to revive them.

I would've said "yes" if I were facing Dark Precure.

But I wasn't.

"No," I mumbled.

"Huh?" Ibara probably couldn't hear.

"I said no," I repeated, louder, "The answer is 'no'."

Ibara looked genuinely taken aback, and I was actually a little offended by that.

"I'm sorry," I added, "I'm sorry that you had to ask that in order to feel assured, it shouldn't be this way."

"You're... apologising...?" she remarked.

"Do I have to bow for you to believe me?" I quipped.

"No... that's not what I meant..." she crossed her arms.

I chuckled lightly, "Maybe you're right, maybe I was not being sincere or honest, maybe I still cannot accept you as a sister, maybe I've only been trying to deceive myself and you. I brought you home because father said you were my sister initially—"

"So you're saying..."

"Let me finish. That might've been the original reason, but it has changed. I do want you in my family, not out of obligation or pity, but out of love. I want to show you more of this world you've been in, but have barely known. I want to treat you as my sister, as Tsukikage Ibara, I want to forget the grudges we once had when you were Dark Precure."

"That's quite a lot of 'want to's," she noted.

"True," I admitted bitterly, "Exactly why I had to apologise, because I did not seem to have acted on any of those wants. I'm sorry to say that you are correct and that I still have not forgiven you, there is no way I can lie about it now, and I doubt that you have forgiven me as well."

"That is true."

"But I need you here, by my side, as my sister," I (finally) cut to the point, "so that, one day, such forgiveness can bloom."

"Are... are you speaking the truth?" she asked.

"Do you believe I am?"

She took a moment, then nodded sheepishly.

"Good," I might've smiled, "As for your question, the heavens gave you this second chance to truly live your life, no one has the right to strip you of that chance, keep that in mind. Exchanging a life for a life will never be a fair trade, you know?" that sentence pained me, "So don't do anything stupid out of guilt, though I doubt you would."

"W-why... what makes you think that I'm feeling guilty!?" she questioned, a little flustered.

I laughed a bit, "You can read me like a book, well, so can I. After all, your existence derived from my DNA."

"Anyhow!" she stood up and prepared to exit the room, "I've said all that I wanted to say, I'm leaving!"

"You really aren't honest, are you?"

She stopped at the door and growled, "Blame your DNA!"

End of Chapter 36

A/N: After I finished writing this, I realised it might have to be an AU from chapter 16 as well. I even thought 16 was good at the time I wrote it [pained laughter]...