Hey everyone, SAYkokoro is back! Sorry is took me a million years to post this new episode. I had school and my new job. It left me no time to write at all. But, I'm not giving up on this story :) Thank you Cold-heart-Angel23, MonoTheMonochrome, and That random anime fan. I really, really hope this new episode is worth the wait and I hope that I can get back to being consistence with my episode.
*Please excuse any and all grammar errors and spelling errors :)
OP: Your Story Fairytale Pretty Cure! – written by SAYkokoro
ED: DREAM! DREAM! DREAM! ~Waking Up Your Future~
Episode 30: |Before Pink and Blue! How Nijiko Met Kuiru!
The cherry blossom trees aren't as luxurious as they were in January, but they still fill the front of Minwa Academy with a soft pink beauty at the start of the new school year.
Groups of students are standing in the front patio, most of them gushing about what they were up to over the break while others admire their new school colours. You can quickly spot out the first-years in cherry blossom-coloured neckties and bows. With the difficult entrance exams behind them, they all share the same satisfied and bright smiles as they some girls and guys bounce in place like they could barely hold in their excitement.
With a lavender bow tied on her sailor collar, Eko Tanaka stands with her hands on her hips in front of the school.
She takes in a deep breath. "HEEEEELLOOOOO! MIIIIIIIIIIINWAAAAAA!"
"Um, was that really necessary, Eko-chan?" says her friend Anzu Yoshida.
"Aaaaah! Look at all the freshmen!" Eko gushes, ignoring Anzu's comment as she bounces over to Mio Ichijo and peeks over her shoulder ecstatically. "They're so sweet and precious! Like baby angels!"
"I know," Mio grins. "It's hard to believe we were like that two-years-ago."
"And now look at us!" announces Eko as she strikes a pose. "We are third-years. We are the super senpais!"
"There's no such thing as super senpais, Eko-chan," points out Anzu.
"You know what I mean, Anzu-chan," pouts Eko.
"Oh come now, Anzu-chan, don't spoil it for Eko-chan."
Anzu sees the familiar ginger hair in pigtails and smiles. "Oh, but this must be exciting for you, Rio-chan. I almost forgot this is your first year of being a senpai."
Eko scoots over to Rio Aramaki and bumps her in the hip with a sassy expression. "Yeah, Rio-chan, I'm starting to think we're too cool to hang out with an underclassman such as yourself."
Rio flips one of her pigtails unimpressed. "Ha-ha. Very funny, Eko-chan."
"Eko-chan's just teasing you, Rio-chan," reassures Mio. "You know you, Sara-chan, and Fu-chan are always welcome with us."
"Of course, of course," waves off Rio as she looks around. "I think I saw those two already head into the gym for the Entrance Ceremony."
Eko gives Rio a cheeky smile. "But, that's not who you're looking for. You're wondering where Niji-chan is, aren't ya?"
"Tsk," snorts Rio, looking away. "M-maybe."
Eko snickers. "Your poker face sucks, Rio-chan. Don't worry your pretty little head too much. Niji-chan's probably just running a bit late."
Anzu giggles. "Probably wants to make a grand entrance like always."
Mio shares a laugh. "Yeah, remember when she skydived down to school last years. Everyone's faces were priceless."
Rio smiles fondly at the memory. "Yeah, I remember that. I also remember that she missed her target and got her parachute tangled up in a tree."
The group of girl burst into laughter. Too busy laughing to notice a giant white-and-pink coloured panda bear mascot sneak up behind Rio.
Eko is the first to notice followed by Mio and Anzu. "Uh…Rio-chan?"
"Huh?" hums Rio.
Eko points behind her and Rio spins around.
"Surprise!"
"KYAH!"
Rio jumps in alarm and lands right on her butt and makes her friends storm into laughter.
"Flawless landing there, Rio-chan," chuckles the panda mascot.
Rio frowns. "Ha-ha. Very funny, you stupid panda man."
"Ah. Now is that any way to address your best friend, Rio-chan."
The mascot takes off its bear head and long light green hair flows down the front of the costume's shoulder. The only short part of their hair is a few locks tied up in a braid on the left side of their face.
Rio smiles brightly up at the mascot. "Oh, my apologies, I meant you stupid Nijiko panda. My bad."
"That's much better," beams Nijiko as she reaches her hand out and pulls her best friend up onto her feet.
"What's with the costume, Niji-chan?" asks Mio. "You look ri-di-ci-ous."
Nijiko strikes a sexy pose in her panda suit. "Just admit that you're jealous of all of this, Mio-chan."
Mio rolls her eyes playfully. "Okay, you got me, rainbow panda."
"As much as I would love to unsee this. You need to come with me now, Ōmitsu-san."
The girls turn their heads to see Masato Kashima heading towards them as he adjusts his new third-year necktie.
Eko's eyes sparkle. "Oooooh, look at you, Masato-kun!"
All of the girls examine Masato head-to-toe and Nijiko pats him on the head like a puppy dog. "Who's a good Student Council President? You are Kashima. That's right, you are."
"Please stop," says Masato with Eko pulling on his cheek.
"Well, aren't you so suave," teases Nijiko, flicking at his cowlick. "Just watch Fukumoto try to resist you now, Mr. Sophisticated."
Masato pushes up his glasses. "We're not like that, you know, Ōmitsu-san."
"Aaaaw, why not?" complains Eko. "I know Fukumoto is…well…the Ice Witch, but you guys are soooo cute together. Like a bunny and a snake hugging."
"How is a bunny and a snake hugging cute?" questions Anzu.
"Who's the bunny and who's the snake?" asks Rio.
"Who's hugging who?" wonders Mio. "Because if it's the snake, then I think it's just trying to eat the bunny."
"Shut up! You guys know what I mean!" squeaks Eko, flailing her arms angrily. "My point is they're both cold-hearted people. But, they can be cold-hearted people together."
A sweat drop appears on the side of Masato head. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Now spill it, Masato-kun," continues Eko. "You think Tomoka-chan's cute don'tcha? Especially since it seems she's grown quite a bit since last year. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink."
Masato blinks. "Tanaka-san, there is something seriously wrong with you mentally."
All the girls nod their heads in unison. "Yep, yep. This is all true."
"You girls are the worst!" squeals Eko.
With the exception of Masato, the group all share a laugh.
"Aaaanyways," sings Nijiko, throwing her panda arm around Masato. "What do ya need of me, Kashima?"
Masato ducks away from her and fixes his glasses. "We are about to start the Entrance Ceremony for the first-years. As the new student council president, I'll be giving the opening speech and you, as the new captain of practically every sport, you'll be introducing the clubs to all the first-years."
"Right, of course," laughs Nijiko, sticking out her tongue. "I almost forgot all about that."
"Shocker," says Masato, examining her panda costume. "So…do you think you could, you know, lose the panda dress-up?"
"Right, right, right," hums Nijiko. "Rio-chan, could you help me? There's just a zipper at the back. I have my uniform underneath."
"Sure thing," nods Rio as her friend scoots around and starts to unzip the costume. "…Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh?" echoes Masato. "Why the uh-oh? Why is she saying uh-oh? There should be no need for an uh-oh!"
"Um…" Rio bites her bottom lip. "I think the zipper's stuck."
Masato hides his face in his hand. "Oh geez."
I don't think any of the first-years were expecting to see one of their upperclassmen to walk onto the gym stage dressed up as an oversize pink-and-white panda, but here we are.
"W-we're excited to have you, f-first-years."
"Youuuuu knooooow, you're gonna have to pay for a new costume, right, Niji-chan," scolds Mio as the final bell of the day rings. "Thanks to you, we had to borrow scissors from the Sowing Club to cut you out of the mascot."
"I know, I know," pouts Nijiko, stretching her arms out to the sky.
"Oh please," hums Rio. "With the kind of money your mother makes, you could buy a million costumes with people already inside."
"Alive or dead?" asks Eko.
"Either or," shrugs Rio.
"Hey, at least you made a…memorable impression on the first-years, Niji-chan," points out Anzu thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that's right," insists Nijiko, flashing smile. "It was all a part of my master plan."
"No it wasn't," Mio, Eko, and Rio say in unison.
Anzu giggles. "Well, I quite enjoyed watching Masato-kun's expression throughout your whole speech. It was quite funny."
"Yeah," Eko snickers. "I thought he was gonna rip off your head at any moment."
"Oh please," snorts Nijiko. "If he had tried anything, I woulda roundhouse kicked him into the sun. There's no replacing this captain!"
"That's true," smiles Rio. "Thanks to you, we might actually make it to nationals this year. Maybe even win!"
"Don't jinx it, Rio-chan!" hushes Mio. "I need Niji-chan's good luck for the championships for judo."
"And the golf tournament," chimes in Eko.
"And for girls' basketball too," agrees Anzu.
"Alright, alright," laughs Nijiko. "I'm sure I have enough good luck to go around."
"Welp, this is my ride," says Eko as she sees her limousine pull up to the school pickup. "See ya girls tomorrow."
"Bye, Eko-chan," waves Mio. "I should get going too. Coming, Anzu-chan?"
"Afternoon tea?" her friend grins.
Mio bobs her head. "Afternoon tea."
"Bye girls," Anzu says as the two head off."
"So long," waves Nijiko.
That left just Nijiko and Rio.
Rio pulls at one of her pigtails. "So…are you staying at that apartment complex still?"
"Yep," pops Nijiko, stretching her arms behind her head. "Just need some breathing space from Mom, you know."
"I guess," hums Rio. "I don't know. I've never had a celebrity mom…and I've never lost my dad before."
"That's was ten-years-ago," says Nijiko with shrug. "I barely remember him and Mom can never stop talking about him. Well, till now."
"You don't need to explain anything to me."
"Thanks."
Rio spots her drive stop in front of the school. "Do you want to stay over tonight?"
Nijiko shakes her head. "Nah, I'm good. I'm probably gonna go up to Daydream Gardens."
"Again?" wonders Rio.
"I like being around the bright colours and the bugs," says Nijiko as a smirk spreads across her face. "Bees, beetles, and worms."
Her fingers crawl up Rio's back and her best friend lets out a squeak. "Don't, Niji-chan! You know I hate bugs!"
Nijiko laughs and pushes her friend to her ride. "Get going. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?
"Okay," snorts Rio with a playful roll of her burgundy-coloured eyes. "Bye-bye, Niji-chan~!"
"So long, Rio-chan~!" waves Nijiko as her friend hops into her car and heads off home.
Nijiko keeps her smile plastered on her face until she sees Rio's car turn the corner and finally lets her grin slip off her face and turn into a deep frown.
"No pressure," she mutters to herself as she starts her long walk home.
Nijiko hates it. The pressure of being the richest girl in school. The pressure of carrying her team. The pressure of carrying all the sports' teams. But, she's just one person. Of course, Nijiko doesn't tell anyone how she really feels. Not Mio, Eko, Anzu, or even her best friend Rio. I mean, what would complaining accomplish? It would just bum everyone out. Nobody needs that when their spirits should be at their highest. Nijiko has to just try to keep it up. Don't break the illusion. Keep pretending to be perfect.
She needs some space. From everything and everyone. The only thing that isn't complicated in her life is Daydream Gardens. And her dad, I guess, since he wasn't alive to make her life any more complicated.
Nijiko is planting a batch of new shrubs in Daydream Gardens. She's wearing gardening glows and digging up small holes across the field and placing the new plants inside before covering the roots up with fresh, soft dirt before pouring clean water on the newborn green bushes.
Nijiko smiles to herself as she works. Well, she wouldn't call it work. It's a fun thing for her. Almost calming. When it comes to gardening, there are no expectations, no pressure, just her and the flowers. Flowers don't talk, don't judge, and don't expect anything from you. As long as you show them care and love, they will bloom full and bright.
"Mommy, what's wrong with these flowers?"
Nijiko ears prick up and her attention turns to a little girl holding her mom's hand. She's pointing at a patch of tulips.
"They're all droopy."
"I don't know, sweetie," murmurs the mom.
The small girl was right. The flowers were drying. The red, pink, and orange colours are greying and starting to wilt. Their heads are withering to kiss the ground and their green leaves are drying up and turn more of a golden colour.
"Oh, don't worry," smiles Nijiko as she gets up and kneels down beside the little girl and the tulips. "They're just sleeping."
"But," pouts the girl, "But, they're not pretty."
"You're right," hums Nijiko looking at the withering tulips, its petal crusting at the edges. "You're right. They're not very pretty right now. But, that doesn't mean they can't bounce back and be beautiful again."
Nijiko reaches out and starts pulling away the dirt. "Oh."
"What?" asks the little girl, eagerly crouching down beside Nijiko.
"This dirt is dry," notices Nijiko. "These tulips aren't getting enough water." Nijiko looks at the girl and smiles. "Do you want to help me save these flowers?"
The girl's eyes light up. "Yeah!"
Nijiko grins and brings over her floral shovel, new bag of dirt, and watering can. "Here." She hands her small shovel to the girl. "You can dig up all the bad dirt around the roots and then replace it with this soft, new dirt and then we can water them together."
"Okay!" beams the girl excitedly as she starts shovelling away the dirt and Nijiko follows suit by patting new dirt down.
As the little girl starts watering the tulips, Nijiko reaches out to one of the buds and gently pets one of its dried-up petals. "Come on, little guy. Show everyone how beautiful you shine."
As Nijiko continues to pet the wilting flowers, the tulips all start perking up, and their petals start to soften up and return to their vivid colours of fiery orange, sunny yellow, and precious pink colour.
"Wow!" gasps the little girl as all of the tulips glow with their newfound beauty. "They are so pretty!"
"What did I tell ya," Nijiko smirks as the girl excitedly bounces over to her mom.
She always had that ability around the flowers. It's hard to explain, but whenever she was working, all of the flowers would perk up and bloom brighter than before.
Nijiko looks back to the blooming tulips. The red tulips are bright and strong, they mean "charity and trust". The gorgeous yellow tulips are like the sunshine they mean "one-sided love". The language of flowers, or Hanakotoba. She learned all of it from—
"Nijiko-chan? I knew I'd find you here."
Oh great, huffs Nijiko as she looks down and begins her work with the new shrubs. "Hello, Sara."
Her soon-to-be sister-in-law puts a hand on her hip. "Rio-chan said you'd be here. You've been coming here a lot."
"Is that so," Nijiko mutters uninterestedly. "What do you want?"
Sara narrows her eyes, but not out of anger, it looks more like concern. "Yasuharu-oniisan arrived in France yesterday."
Nijiko hums.
"But, you already know that," continues Sara, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yasuharu-oniisan had tried calling you. Several times. But, you never called him back. Are you avoiding him, or something?"
Nijiko can't help but laugh at that. "Are you sure it's not the other way around? My oh-so-beloved fiancé literally went to France to get away from me."
"Stop it, Nijiko-chan," Sara frowns. "You know that's not why he went. Don't be angry at him and just call him."
Nijiko snorts. "Did you come out here just to tell me that?"
Sara opens her mouth, closes it, and opens it again. "Just call my brother. Please. He really misses you."
Nijiko finally looks up at Sara. "Then he shouldn't have left."
After spending the rest of the day at Daydream Gardens, Nijiko finally makes it home to her new apartment complex.
Everything's just how she left it. Dark and empty.
Nijiko kicks off her sneakers and turns on the lights.
The clean white apartment lights up and Nijiko tosses her book bag onto her living room sofa and heads into the kitchen. She gets into one of the cabinets and finds some precooked ramen noodles and pops it into the microwave. Normally, she'd ask the private kitchen downstairs to cook her up an elegant dinner but she, honestly, doesn't want to talk to anybody right now. Just have some peace and quiet in her bare apartment.
But, that not what destiny has in mind for Nijiko Ōmitsu today.
As Nijiko snuggles into her couch with her warm bull of ramen it happens.
All Nijiko can see is a blizzard of blue and green loom down from her apartment ceiling.
"What the?"
Nijiko quickly puts down her meal to shield her eyes. "Did the electrician screw up my lights?"
Suddenly, something smashes down on her living room table. It breaks through the table, sends her dinner flying, and knocks the sofa over along with Nijiko.
"What the heck?!"
Underneath the broken table, something starts moving. Nijiko reaches behind her on the kitchenette's island something, anything to protect herself with.
"S-stay back!" gasps Nijiko as she grabs hold of something. "I'm warning you! I've got a—"
She pulls out a wooden spoon and a sweat drop appears on the side of her head.
"—a…a…s-super useless spoon."
"Hikaru-sensei? Hikaru-sensei, is that you~kuru?"
"K-kuru?" echoes Nijiko confusedly.
"After all these years~kuru! It is you, Hikaru-sensei!"
Out of the ashes of what was once her living room table, a blue-coloured stuffed animal leaps through the air and hugs Nijiko's face.
"Kyah!" screams Nijiko. "Get off! Get off!"
On impulse, Nijiko starts beating the blue stuffed animal with her wooden spoon.
"Ow~kuru!" squeals the stuffed animal as it suddenly flies up into the air and Nijiko ends up smacking herself in the face with the spoon and flops down on the floor.
"Ouch," moans Nijiko. "Everything hurts."
"Wait~kuru," says the voice.
Nijiko rubs her forehead where a red mark now is and looks up to see the stuffed animal floating a few feet above her. Now that Nijiko can see the plushy a bit better, she can see it isn't any kind of animal. Its whole body is a blue-lavender colour with purple leaf-shaped markings on the sides of its droopy, emerald green eyes. It also has a making of a diamond on its forehead and steel blue ears that resembled leaves too. It's wearing a silver crown atop its head and a dark blue cape with a sky blue opal-shaped pendent in its center.
"You…you are not Hikaru-sensei~kuru," speaks the floating stuffed animal. "I saw your green hair and thought…you looked like Hikaru-sensei."
Nijiko tips her head to the side in confusion.
"This does not make sense~kuru," murmurs the small figure to itself as it starts flying around Nijiko's apartment. "The portal was supposed to bring me straight to Hikaru-sensei. Not…here~kuru. Wherever here is~kuru."
After staring spellbound by the floating being, Nijiko finally finds her voice. "Um…I-I'm sorry. C-can I help you? You're trying to…find…something?"
The creature turns its attention back to Nijiko on the floor and maybe finally notices the damage it did to her apartment. "Oh, deepest apologies, young miss~kuru. I am afraid my manners have escaped me~kuru. Here, let me address myself properly~kuru."
Just then, the being glows bright sapphire blue and waves its paw over the room. A stream of cyan blue sparkles shower down and, to Nijiko's astonishment, the twinkles settle down onto her broken table and it magically repairs itself. Her bowl of ramen plop back down on top too and fills back up with the spilled broth and noodles. Nijiko holds back a yelp as the sofa is lifted off the ground and props her back up onto its soft cushions. The living room is spotless once again. Like the last two minutes never happened.
The small creature flies down and lands gently on the fixed table and modestly bows his head. "I am a fairy. I am known as Prince Kuiru Noble Heart Glory Sky. Firstborn son of King Sutori and Queen Peiji and heir to Fanciful Kingdom~kuru. I ask for forgiveness for destroying your lovely home~kuru. Please, forgive my clumsy manner~kuru. I…I lost too much to get here~kuru."
Nijiko blushes. He's so polite! He can't be normal! Well…he's not. He's a literal floating fairy prince! "Uh…I-I'm Nijiko Ōmitsu of…Yūkibarano…Japan. Uh, Earth. Um…o-only daughter of Hikaru and Juri Ōmitsu—"
The fairy prince's green eyes suddenly widen. "Hikaru. Hikaru! You are the daughter of Hikaru-sensei!"
"Uh…yes," Nijiko answer. "But, he was just 'dad' to me."
Kuiru rockets into the air with newfound energy. "That is great~kuru! Marvelous~kuru! That's why the portal must have sent me here~kuru!"
"Where is he~kuru?" asks Kuiru, excitement bouncing in his eyes. "Fanciful Kingdom needs his help, you see~kuru. Could you please tell me, young miss~kuru?"
I love that he keeps calling me 'young miss', thinks Nijiko, but her eyes darken. But…my dad…
Nijiko puts on her most polite smile. "I'm sorry. But, I'm afraid Hikaru passed away ten-years-ago."
Just like that, the hope in Kuiru's eyes is snuffed out. "…W-w-what~kuru?"
Nijiko awkwardly picks at a lock of her long hair. "Um, y-yeah. He, uh, got sick when I was little. Really sick. And…that's it."
Kuiru stares off at nothing, but Nijiko can see from his expression that his mind is racing. "I…I see~kuru. I see~kuru. Ten years~kuru. I see~kuru."
Nijiko bites down on her bottom lip. "Um…w-what would you want with my dad?"
Nijiko can tell Kuiru's debating how to explain himself. Like he's holding something back. "I…I knew your father~kuru."
Nijiko blinks. "You…you did? How?"
The fairy prince sighs. "Well, you see, young Nijiko…your father…he…he was not originally from this world~kuru."
Nijiko stifles out a chuckle. "W-what? What the heck are you talking about? Not from this world? What does the even mean?"
She gives her head a shake with a laugh. "Oh, I get it now. I fell asleep!"
Kuiru frowns. "Young miss~kuru?"
"I must have been more tired than I thought," says Nijiko, getting up from the sofa. "I'm sleeping right now! That's the only explanation!"
"Please sit down, young miss~kuru," says Kuiru. "I…I don't know how to explain, in the easiest way possible, that your father was an all-powerful wizard from another world~kuru."
…
… …
"W-w-what?" blinks Nijiko.
Kuiru's eyes widen as he realizes what he just said. "That…that was definitely not the easiest way of saying that~kuru."
"M-my dad…my dad was a wizard?!" stammers Nijiko. She looks down at her dinner. "What was in that ramen noddles?"
Nijiko starts pacing. "Whatever it is, it's making me hallucinate a floating, talking stuffed animal who claims to be a prince fairy from another world and searching for my late-father who was apparently a wizard from this other world too. You know, just a regular day in the life of Nijiko Ōmitsu."
"Please take a breath, young miss~kuru," says the blue fairy with a sigh. "I…I understand this is nonsensical~kuru."
Nijiko glares at the prince. "You have no idea—"
"You're not the only one who is overwhelmed right now~kuru!" snaps Kuiru. "Coming to a new world you're completely clueless about~kuru! Finding out your only hope is gone~kuru!"
The fairy prince tightens his paws. "You're not the only one who feels the entire world is resting on their shoulders~kuru! If I fail—if I can't find like the Pretty Cure—my world will be destroyed~kuru! There is so much riding on me, I can't let them down~kuru!"
Nijiko is silent as Kuiru sighs and regains his temper. "Unfortunately, time is against me right now~kuru. I would love to try to explain myself more clearly to you. You deserve that. But, I have to go before they find me~kuru."
Kuiru flies up into the air and heads towards the back wall of the apartment by the window. With a wave of his paw, the window swiftly opens and Kuiru soars out. "I…I am sorry about your father, young miss~kuru. Your father, Hikaru, was a good man and a great mentor~kuru. Farewell~kuru."
The fairy prince gives me a sad smile before leaving through the window.
"Wait!"
As Kuiru soars out the window, Nijiko jumps out after him and surprises him with a hug.
"Y-you idiot~kuru!" squeals Kuiru.
The two of them immediately start falling.
Luckily, the bushes outside the apartment complex break their fall. Well somewhat.
"You would have done that before I flew out the window~kuru!" barks Kuiru, popping his head out of the bushes.
"It was an impulse thing!" Nijiko snaps back, picking leaves and small twigs from her long hair.
"For the love of light magic, you remind me of my brother~kuru," groans Kuiru. "He always does stuff like that~kuru. Acting before thinking~kuru."
Nijiko tips her head to the side. "You…you have a brother?"
"Younger brother~kuru," nods Kuiru with a heavy sigh. "His name is Bukku. He's…he's here too. Somewhere in…Yūkibarano, was it~kuru?"
"Y-yeah," nods Nijiko.
"I hope he's not in any danger~kuru," frowns Kuiru. "He's…he's very angry at me, but he's my little brother and I…and I love him, you know~kuru."
"Aaaaaw," coos Nijiko, patting Kuiru on the top of his head. "That's sooooo cuuuuute!"
"Please stop that, young miss~kuru," says Kuiru with a deadpan expression as Nijiko pinches at his cheeks.
Nijiko sits crisscross inside the bushes. "So, let me get this straight. You said you were looking for…uh…something and you're being chased by…something else, right?"
"To put it simply, yes~kuru," nods Kuiru. "I was sent here to save my home, Fanciful Kingdom, from a dark wizard known as Kuroizado and his underlings, the Dark Charm Knights~kuru. I was meant to find your father~kuru. His knowledge and power are one of the only things that can rival Kuroizado but…well…you already said it~kuru."
"That's…that's a lot to take in," says Nijiko.
The two share a long moment of silence.
"So, now what?" asks Nijiko.
Kuiru sighs. "Now, the only things that can possibly defeat Kuroizado are the Pretty Cure."
"P-Pretty Cure?" echoes Nijiko, letting the name roll off her tongue.
"Yes~kuru," murmurs the fairy prince. "Four to be more precise~kuru. The Pretty Cure of Wisdom, Magic, Love, and…the most important, the Pink Cure, the legendary warrior of Dreams~kuru."
Nijiko furrows her eyebrows. "The Pink Cure of Dreams? Why are they the most important? I mean, wouldn't it be magic. You know, since magic is power. How can you defeat someone with dreams?"
Kuiru shakes his head. "You can't create a dream with magic~kuru. Magic, to be blunt, is like a shortcut~kuru. Changing things, moving things without much effort~kuru. But, dreams take determination and hard work to make come true~kuru. If I have any hope of defeating Kuroizado and saving my kingdom, I have to find the Pink Cure~kuru."
"I'll do it."
Kuiru looks up at Nijiko in surprise as she places a hand to her chest. "I will be your Pink Cure!"
She scratches the back of her head. "I mean, visually, I'm not very pink. But, hey, I could always dye my hair."
Kuiru blinks before letting out a burst of laughter. "Dear light magic, you're just like Hikaru-sensei~kuru." He bows his head. "Thank you very much, youn Nijiko, but it's not that simple~kuru. The ability of a Pretty Cure isn't something one chooses~kuru. It's something that you are destined to be~kuru."
"But still, your home was my father's home, right?" presses Nijiko. "So, I want to protect it too!"
"Why the sudden change of tune~kuru?" wonders Kuiru.
Nijiko stands up from inside the shrubs. "I already got about a dozen championships and nationals for school resting on my shoulder, so why not throw something as big as 'saving the world' on to of that."
Kuiru chuckles before it turns into a sad sigh. "At least, I would not be alone through this~kuru."
"Hey, if my dad was a wizard, does that mean I'm one—"
"No~kuru."
Above Japan, above Yūkibarano in the deep blue sky, a dark purple portal swirled with nightmare-black opens up and a man steps out and floats over the bright city.
A Dark Charm Knight. A tall figure with dark skin and strong arms. He has a turquoise-coloured Mohawk with notches on both of his eyebrows, elf-like ears, and dark lavender markings on his face. The underling is wearing a pale purple muscle-shirt, a black scarf, a brown shoulder belt, bulky black boots, and leather pants with a chain of voodoo-style dolls attached to it.
He stares down at the world with dark gold eyes. "Hard to believe that Master believes the princes have escaped to this world. So small. So divided amongst each other. Very irrational creatures."
A woman joins the Dark Charm Knight through the portal. "Humans, Xoanon. They're called humans."
A young boy jumps through the portal too. He unwraps a lollipop and stuffing it in his mouth. "Smart-mouthed as ever, huh, Linda? Well, whatever they are, I can't wait to make them all cry oceans."
Linda smacks the young one on the back of the head. "We can do that later, Thames. Don't lose focus. We'll capture the princes first then—" a wicked smile spreads across her face "—we will have some fun stomping on the human's fragile hearts."
Linda starts out across the sky with Thames following behind, rubbing his smacked cheek. "Okay, okay, but why did you have to hit me, you witch?"
Xoanon watches them go before letting out a sigh. "This stupid world is gonna be the death of me."
As the strong Dark Charm Knight flies out to join his teammates, unbeknownst to him, one of the dolls wrapped around his belt snaps off from his chain and falls to the ground.
"Sooooooo, how can I become a Prissy Cute?" asks Nijiko excitedly. "Do I get a cool costume? Do I get any powers? Can I fly? See through walls? Turn invisible?"
"Pretty Cure~kuru," corrects the fairy prince. "And if you have the potential to actually become a legendary warrior, you have to unlock your PreHeartBook inside your heart~kuru."
"PreH-what-what-book?" poorly repeats Nijiko, grabbing at her shirt. "There's a book inside my chest?!"
"Well, yes and no~kuru," chuckles Kuiru. "There are four PreHeartBooks in this world who have already chosen four girls to have their power~kuru. Once their powers are needed, they will reveal themselves before the chosen girls and grants them the ability to become a Pretty Cure~kuru. Understand~kuru?"
"Sort of," shrugs Nijiko. "At least, I get the gist of it. These…PreHeartBooks have already picked their…owners? So…the chance that I have a PreHeartBook is…pretty darn small, huh?"
"You understand me dilemma~kuru," nods Kuiru. "Like finally a needle in a haystack~kuru. But, I won't let the odds destroy my hope~kuru."
Kuiru tightens his paws and Nijiko can see his emerald green eyes fill up with determination. "I will save my home~kuru. No matter what~kuru."
Nijiko smiles. "Heck yeah. That's what I wanna hear. Don't worry, Kuiru." She thrusts her arm into the air. "I'll become a Pretty Cure somehow and we can do this!"
Just then, something falls in front of Nijiko's face. She blinks and the two of them look down. A doll is slouched on the dirt ground at their feet. The doll has long blonde hair dressed up like a princess, but her tiara is broken and her dress is ripped and faded in colour.
"What the heck is this?" asks Nijiko.
Suddenly, the doll's eyes flash crimson and Kuiru's eyes widen. "Get back~kuru! Get back~kuru!"
"Huh?"
"Endingu…" sings the doll as it suddenly explodes into a storm of dark magic.
"Kyah!" screams Nijiko as she's thrown across the front yard of her apartment complex and lands hard on her stomach.
"NIJIKO!" cries Kuiru.
In the middle of the twister of darkness, the small doll lifts off the ground and starts to grow. It grew bigger and bigger and bigger until it revivals the apartment building.
Nijiko manages to flip over onto her back and gazes up at the giant monster. "Is…is that a zombie-version of the Sleeping Beauty, or what?"
Kuiru quickly flies over to help Nijiko. "It's an Endingu Doll~kuru. A corrupted Fairytale Puppet."
"English please!" demands Nijiko as she stumbles to get to her feet.
"Right, right, right, sorry~kuru," says Kuiru. "In my world, Fairytale Puppets are used to tell stories and help create dreams for the fairies. But, Kuroizado stole them all and used his dark magic to corrupt them and transform into monsters known as Endingu~kuru."
Nijiko huffs. "Endingu Dolls, Endingu, monsters, dark magic. My brain is gonna explode."
"Endingu!" roars the Sleeping Beauty monster, claws down on the ground, destroying the bushes in the front of the apartment complex.
"We can't let it continue~kuru," explains Kuiru. "The Endingu will go berserk and abolish everything in its path~kuru."
At that moment, Nijiko pictures all of her friends and family. Rio, Eko, Anzu, Mio, Sara, Yasuharu, and even Mom. If she doesn't do something, they'll all get hurt. She can't let that happen.
"How can I get a PreHeartBook to come out of my chest?" asks Nijiko.
"Again, not totally how it works~kuru," chimes in Kuiru.
"Oi! PreHeartBook! Let's go!" says Nijiko. "Do your big reveal and let's beat this monster-thing! Come on!"
But, nothing happens.
"Endingu!"
The monster garnet-red eyes sight the fairy prince and charges. Kuiru immediately takes to the sky to get out of the Endingu's reach, but the creature whips its claws at the air and strikes Kuiru.
"Gyah!" The poor prince plummets to the floor and grabs at his side in pain.
"Kuiru!" cries Nijiko.
The monster charges at Kuiru. The fairy manages to regain his bearings and uses his magic. He creates a diamond-shaped shield around himself, but the Endingu easily manages to smash it to pieces with a single strike, sending Kuiru tumbling into the grass.
"It no use~kuru," gasps Kuiru as he struggles to his feet, one of his eyes swollen shut. "The Endingu's dark magic is too strong~kuru."
"Endingu!"
The Sleeping Beauty Endingu's whole body turns bright black with dark magic as it surges forward to harm the defenceless prince.
Nijiko looks on helplessly at Kuiru continues to cast spell after spell of protection against the Endingu only to have each and every one destroy with a single attack from its powerful tail or sharp claws and fangs. But still, Kuiru tries to defend off the monster and protect Nijiko.
"It's alright, young Nijiko," reassures Kuiru. "You are Hikaru-sensei's precious daughter~kuru. I know he would do everything in his power to protect you~kuru. Therefore, I will do everything to protect you in his place~kuru!"
Nijiko's heart freezes.
Kuiru is prepared to put his life on the line for her, a girl he had never met until today, a girl who was born with an unbreakable bond neither of them knew about. At that moment, the girl with the green hair decided to give her life to the small blue fairy prince.
"ENDINGU!"
This time, when the Endingu attacks, Nijiko steps out from Kuiru's shadow, shoving him behind her, ready to take the harm in his place. The Endingu slashes Nijiko in the arm, deep claw marks cutting into her skin and blood soaking through her sleeve.
"NIJIKO!" cries Kuiru.
"It's alright, Kuiru," says Nijiko. "Thing is, damsel in distress really isn't in my character. I'm my known knight in shining armour. And I will do everything in my power to protect you because…"
As the Endingu prepares for another attack, Nijiko looks back at the fairy prince and gives him her bravest smile. "…That's who I am!"
As the Sleeping Beauty Endingu's claws are inches away to crushing Nijiko, a bright green flash stops the monster in its track and sends it tumbling back, crying out and clawing at its blinded eyes in pain.
Nijiko squints against the bright light, but her eyes widen when the light dims and the two look on in amazement as a lime-green book floats in front of them, its pages open and the green light pouring out, keeping the Endingu at bay with its magic.
"The PreHeartBook~kuru," breaths Kuiru.
"That's the PreHeartBook?" says Nijiko.
As a student, Nijiko has read and seem millions of books in her lifetime, but nothing as enchanting as the PreHeartBook in the same green colour at Nijiko's long hair.
Nijiko is dumbfounded as the PreHeartBook's pages close shut and it gracefully floats into her hands.
In her arms, Nijiko can feel that the book is a hardcover hugged in an ivory-coloured frame and white gems on each corner and covered in intricate golden designs with a beautiful emblem in its center.
Kuiru looks down at the PreHeartBook. "You are one~kuru." The prince gazes up at Nijiko. "You are one of the chosen Pretty Cure~kuru."
Nijiko blinks. "…C-cool."
"ENDINGU!"
The Sleeping Beauty Endingu seems to have regained its composure and glares down Nijiko with pure hatred raging in its eyes.
"Oh boy," gulps Nijiko as she desperately turns to Kuiru. "Quick, Kuiru! How…how the heck do I use this thing before this princess freak crushes every bone in my body?!"
The monster starts veering up to charge.
"You open up the pages and say 'Pretty Cure, Unlock My Story'~kuru," explains Kuiru.
"A-and…and then what?"
Kuiru smirks. "And then you can transform into a legendary warrior~kuru."
"What do you mean 'transform'?"
The Endingu bolts at the two of them.
"No time just do it~kuru!"
Nijiko rapidly opens the PreHeartBook. "Right, right, right!"
The creature lunges at the two and Nijiko yells out at the top of her lungs. "Pretty Cure, Unlock My Story!"
The PreHeartBook a high pitch ringing sounds off as a release a blast of light consumes Nijiko and shoots the Endingu away.
"Endingu!" hisses the Endingu as the light weakens it and it starts to shake.
"Young Nijiko," murmurs Kuiru breathlessly. "Are…are you…the Pink Cure?"
Despite all the terrifying and aggressive energy, the light that hugs Nijiko surprisingly brings her bliss and she closes her eyes as the light consumes her. The light magic waltzing around her swirls around her injured arm and cleans up her wound.
The pages of the PreHeartBook flutter out of their holdings and dance around Nijiko like a sky full of stars. The power of the PreHeartBook transforms her long-sleeved shirt and jeans. The magic transforms her clothing into a lime-green top with puff-sleeves that fall down her shoulders, a yellow-and-green collar, a light green bow on her chest, green handless arm gloves, and forest green high heels. Star-shaped earrings pop onto her ears as her long light-green hair becomes longer and turns soft red into a braided ponytail adorn with white wings.
"Story of Magic…"
Kuiru smiles and lets out a light-hearted chuckle. "Ha, magic~kuru. You really left your mark haven't you, Hikaru-sensei."
"…Cure Enchant!"
The new legendary warrior opens her eyes and expects she'd be head-to-toe in bright pink, but her heart stumbles when she'd dressed all in green. The only thing close to pink is her bright red hair.
"I'm not…I'm not pink," murmurs Nijiko, looking down at her hands and pale green arm gloves.
Kuiru shakes his head. "That doesn't matter~kuru. You're the Pretty Cure of Magic~kuru. There is still so much you can do for your world~kuru."
The fairy prince points at the monster. "Starting with defeating that Endingu~kuru!"
Cure Enchant lets herself take a breath to refocus and turns her attention the Endingu. "Right! Let's whoop this monster's butt."
A sweat drop appears on the side of her head. "…How do I do that exactly?"
Kuiru falls over in disbelief. "You're a legendary warrior~kuru! You fight it~kuru! Weaken it, make it waste its power, and then purify it back to its original form~kuru. Simple, simple~kuru."
"Yeah, you make it sounds like a real walk in the park," mutters Cure Enchant as she bends herself down, putting one hand on her knee and the other on the ground. "Alright, you monster freak…"
Cure Enchant launches off the ground and revs her fist for a punch. "…Let me see if you can bleed!"
The Green PreCure socks the Endingu right in the jaw and the monster fumbles to the ground. However, Cure Enchant moved faster and stronger than expected and ends up tripping over her own feet and face plants into the grass.
"Ow," muffles Cure Enchant into the grass.
"As a Pretty Cure, your speed and strength are…amplified~kuru," explains Kuiru from a safe distance.
"Geez, thanks for the heads up," snorts Cure Enchant with a roll of her eyes.
"Focus, Cure Enchant~kuur!"
"Endingu!"
The monster strikes the green warrior in the side with its tail. Cure Enchant manages to hold her arms out to block it and gets a grip of the tail in her arms.
"Ready to go for a trip?"
With all of her strength, Cure Enchant whips the Endingu across the front of the apartment complex and the monster's body drills into the ground.
"Oh, I'm not done just yet," Cure Enchant smirks. "Emerald Flash!...Wait…what?"
The green warrior nearly jumps out of her skin as a burst of chartreuse-green light sparks out of her hands and strikes the Endingu in the chest.
"Woah!" gasps Cure Enchant. "That's amazing! Let's see what else I can do! Enchanted Blade!"
A sword of pure light magic appears in Cure Enchant's hands. "Coolio!"
With that the Pretty Cure of Magic rockets towards the Sleeping Beauty monster and slashes it across its arm and up its shoulder. The blouse of its dress rips open and the creature lets out a rage-filled roar and claws at Cure Enchant. But, she's ready.
"Magic Armour!"
A faint green glow illuminates around Cure Enchant as she makes an X with her arm, stopping the Endingu's attack cold.
"PreCure Kick!" announces Cure Enchant at she kickflips the monster square in the chin and sends it toppling to the ground.
"Ha!" Cure Enchant smirks, rolling back her shoulders. "Is that all ya got?"
The Sleeping Beauty Endingu leers at the legendary warrior. But, instead of charging at her again, it takes in a deep breath. "E-nd-in-gu~ !"
The monster blares out a violent song that makes Cure Enchant cups her ears in pain. "Kyah!"
The sound waves echo through the yard and the apartment, breaking every single window and causing Cure Enchant to falls to her knees, trying to block the high-pitch singing. "E-n-d-i-n-g-u !"
"Ohmigod, you're a terrible singer!" complains Cure Enchant as feels her eyes starting to droop. "You're prince ain't here, honey. Go back into your little coma and wait for him!"
Cure Enchant braises herself with her hand as she grows more and more tired. "Dang it. How…how…can I defeat this thing if I freaking fall…fall…asleep?"
Cure Enchant's hand brushes up against one of the pieces of glass that the monster broke with its singing. "Ouch…sharp…I…I could…prick my finger…that…that would suck."
Wait.
Wait a minute.
"That…that can't be it," mutters Cure Enchant as she tightens her grip around the shard of glass. "It…it can't be like…like in the fairytales…right?"
How did it go again? Lord knows the last time a read a fairytale storybook. But, didn't Sleeping Beauty prick her finger and it sent her into a deep sleep? So I wonder…if I could recreate this…could that be the key to defeating the Endingu?
"Before…before I start seeing stars…" huffs Cure Enchant as she wobbles to get back on her feet. She holds the piece of glass tightly in her hand. "Let's…let's try it!"
If I'm the Pretty Cure of Magic…
Cure Enchant closes her eyes and focuses. Focuses on the piece of broken glass in her hand.
If I'm the Green Cure of Magic…somehow…somehow…I'll change this around…
The piece of glass shines bright green.
"Cure Enchant?" blinks Kuiru. "What are you up to~kuru?"
I can use magic…right?
The glass's form starts to melt away.
Then…magic…turn this useless piece of glass into something useful! Turn it into a single point! A needle!
The light dies away and Cure Enchant looks down at her open hand to see that the jagged shard of glass had transformed into a long, sharp needle.
"En-di-gu~ !" sings the Sleeping Beauty Endingu. "E-n-d-i-g-u~ !"
"Eh," shrugs Cure Enchant as she clasps her hands over her ears. "My mom sings better. Magic Armour!"
Like before, the green outline shields the green warrior's body, but this time, she focuses her magic to her ears and manages to block out all the sound.
"Sorry, Sleeping Beauty," says Cure Enchant as she bolts towards the monster. "But, this story has come to an end!"
"Endingu!"
The monster tries to attack the Green PreCure with its claws again. Big mistake.
Cure Enchant jumps over its hand and comes crashing down, pining its hand to the ground between her legs. With her free hands, Cure Enchant stabs the needle right in the Sleeping Beauty Endingu's finger.
"E-End…" murmurs the monster as its eyes start to droop and its head falls forward. "Ending…"
The creature's eyes close completely and its grumbles slowly turn to snores.
"Great job, Cure Enchant!" beams Kuiru. "Now, you have to purify the Endingu~kuru! Take out your PreHeartBook~kuru! It'll know what to do~kuru!"
"Roger," nods Cure Enchant as her green PreHeartBook pop out and she grabs it swiftly with one hand. "Don't worry, Endingu. You're going to go back to your normal self now."
The Pretty Cure of Magic waves her hand over the pages of the PreHeartBook and a bright magic circle surrounds the dreaming Endingu. A light begins to consume the monster, dissolving away all of the dark magic.
"Pretty Cure…Magical Illumination!"
The giant monster fizzles away into pure-white sparkles that settle into the grass and the walls of Cure Enchant's home, restoring the windows and ground like the battle had never even happened.
Cure Enchant walks over to where the Endingu once stood and sees a small doll sitting in the grass in its place. A small doll with a golden tiara, long blonde hair, and a pink princess dress.
Cure Enchant crotches down and picks up the precious doll in her hands. "Hello there, little one. Gotta say you're much cuter now."
"Spectacular job, Cure Enchant," smiles Kuiru as he floats over and lands on her shoulder. "Now, open up PreHeartBook and let the Fairytale Puppet return to where it rightfully belongs~kuru."
Cure Enchant nods her head and pulls out her PreHeartBook and hold it out to the Sleeping Beauty doll.
The Fairytale Puppet smiles sweetly. "Thank you, miss."
Cure Enchant blinks in surprise, but before she can respond, the princess doll hops into the pages of the book and disappears into the drawings.
Kuiru nods his head. "Well done~kuru. Well done~kuru."
The Green PreCure lets herself catch her breath. "Thanks. But, um, how do I stop being…this?" Gestures to everything.
Kuiru grins. "Just will yourself back to your normal form~kuru. Think in your mind, 'go back to normal'~kuru. Then you will~kuru. It'll get easier with practice~kuru"
"Sure," chuckles Cure Enchant. "Easy-peasy."
The Pretty Cure of Magic closes her eyes and pictures herself in her mind, her green eyes, long green hair, her t-shirt and jeans.
"See~kuru," says Kuiru. "There you go, young Nijiko."
When Cure Enchant reopens her eyes, she looks down and immediately recognizes her old pair of faded jeans and shirt. She checks her hair falling down her shoulders. Still light green. Just like her dad.
Nijiko leans back and lets out a laugh. "This is crazy! I can't believe I just did that! Man, I can't wait to tell Rio-chan!"
Kuiru eyes widen. "No~kuru. No, no, no, no~kuru! You can't tell anyone about this~kuru!"
Nijiko tips her head to the side. "What? Why not?"
"If Kuroizado…if the Dark Charm Knights find about who you are, they will target your friends and family~kuru," murmurs Kuiru. "Kuroizado will find a way to harm those you love~kuru. You can't tell them~kuru. In order to protect them~kuru."
At that moment, everyone went through Nijiko's head. Mom, Rio, Eko, Anzu, Mio, Sara, and Yasuharu. Her Suru. If this Kuroizado guy or Dark Charm Knights laid one finger on any of them, she would break that finger.
"Well, you know Kuroizado better than I do," murmurs Nijiko. "If you think it's for the best."
Kuiru bobs his head. "I'm sorry, young Nijiko. But, Kuroizado will do anything to recreate this world along with mine~kuru. It doesn't matter who he hurts~kuru."
Nijiko quietly just nods her head.
Kuiru looks around. "Um…we should probably head back inside~kuru. Before anyone gets suspicious~kuru."
"Okay," mutter Nijiko as she stands up and heads back inside the apartment.
She gets back up into her room with Kuiru flying behind her. "Nijiko?"
Nijiko heads into her bedroom, but Kuiru stops at her door. "Um…may I enter~kuru?"
Nijiko shrugs. "Sure."
Kuiru is hesitant, but floats into her room and watches as Nijiko heads over to her bedside dresser and opens to top draw and pulls something out. Kuiru peeks over her shoulder and looks down. "Is…is that…?"
Nijiko smiles softly. "Yeah, that's my dad. The last picture I ever took with him."
It's a picture of five-year-old Nijiko with her long hair and dresses up in a white dress. She's sitting on her dad's knee and he's tickling her with a wide smile on his face.
"My mom said he was sick around this time," explains Nijiko. "But, even still, he's smiling through it all…for me."
"But…but he was happy~kuru?" asks Kuiru. "Hikaru-sensei, he was happy~kuru?"
Nijiko swallows as she contemplating the question. "I…I think so. No. I know he was. He was happy with my mom. And he loved me with all his heart."
Kuiru smiles gently. "Then I'm happy too~kuru."
Nijiko brushes her thumb over her dad's face. "Do you really think I look like my dad?"
"Of course~kuru," grins Kuiru. "Although…your hair is way too long~kuru. Hikaru-sensei's hair is short~kuru."
Nijiko perks up. "That's true."
She suddenly bolts up and rushes over into the bathroom with Kuiru trailing behind, confused. "Nijiko?"
Nijiko pulls out a pair of hairdresser scissors. "You're right. My hair is too long."
Nijiko grabs at a lock of her hair and snips it off.
"Woah, woah, woah~kuru! What on earth are you doing~kuru?"
Nijiko turns to Kuiru and smiles. "I wanna look more like Dad. His hair was short. So—" she snips another lock of hair and lets it fall to the floor "—let's fix that."
Next Time on Fairytale Pretty Cure!
Nijiko: And that's how me and Kuiru met.
Bukku: Uh, nobody asked—
Imari: Awww, that's sooo cute!
Tomoka: Such as gentleman as always, Kuiru.
Kuiru: Why thank you, Tomoka.
Imari: Now, let's get back to it everyone!
Bukku: Let's hope this one doesn't take nearly six months to write~buku.
Imari: Ryoma Goes On a Date?! Not Created To Love!
Nijiko: And, hey, we're planning on doing a vote.
Tomoka: You can leave it in your review or other opinion if you like.
Imari: You get to vote for the girl Ryoma will go on the date with in the next episode. How cool huh?
Nijiko: So, we'll let you decide between Eko Tanaka, Mio Ichijo, or Anzu Yoshida!...wait...why are these all my friends—
Imari: So please vote and it will be written into the next episode!
Tomoka: See you next time everyone!