Kiriko, Rani and Nova were all seated in the waiting room of a hospital, watching people walk in and out from the room, since it was better than looking at the anxious expressions of those who were seated. Soon-to-be-fathers, relatives who were at wit's end hoping for a surgery to go smoothly, children who had little to no clue what was going on, Kiriko had seen it all and by her second visit she figured she'd seen enough. So, Kiriko opted for studying, while Rani and Nova continued to take in their surroundings from Kiriko's bag. The only reason Nova was to tag along with the two of them was because Asuna was going to be out of town on a trip with her friends.
The walls were painted a very bright white, pristine and unusual to the two fairies and the waiting room was awfully quiet despite how many people were here. The only sounds that could've been heard were from the TV playing in the corner of the room and the receptionists on call at the front desk. Not even the few kids in the room were chatting amongst each other like normal. After only ten minutes of being here, Rani and Nova came to a decision: The waiting room of Kiriko's parents' hospital was nerve-wracking in its own special way and they certainly didn't like being here.
Nova dove deeper into the bag, growing impatient and sick of the strange sterile scent that trailed through the room as she said," How much longer will it take until your parents get out?"
Kiriko shushed Nova as discreetly as she could and shrugged, putting the bag in her lap as she said," I'm not sure. So you'll just have to tough it out."
Kiriko was checking out the university she had her eyes set on for a couple of months now and it just happened to be near the hospital that her parents worked at, so her parents offered to drive her home when their shift was over. Her parents had transferred to this hospital a couple of months ago, so Kiriko wasn't completely familiarized with it. It was a lot bigger than their old workplace, that was certain, but that also meant it was more crowded. Every visit made Kiriko feel a bit anxious in the presence of all the worried patients, but thankfully the staff was really nice to her.
"Let's take a walk." Kiriko suggested as she stood up from her seat and placed her messenger bag over her shoulder.
Kiriko walked through the halls, her movements quieter than usual as she brushed past nurses who crossed paths with her. She hadn't done a lot of walking through this hospital but from her last visit, she remembered that this sector was much more peaceful than the others and just ambled through without question. Kiriko then saw a window in the hall and walked towards it, leaning against the ledge and placing Rani and Nova next to her. The two fairies sat on the ledge and they all stared out the window.
"So, what do you guys think of Earth? Is it better, worse than you imagined?" Kiriko asked casually, her gaze still on the view from the window.
"Oh, Earth is lovely! With so many technological advancements and not to mention the architecture, it's a very exquisite place!" Rani remarked excitedly," Though...perhaps it'd been better if we didn't have to come under these circumstances."
"Yeah, as much as I like Earth too...it would be nice to just be here without having to worry about the kingdom." Nova commented with a sigh.
Kiriko looked towards the fairies and said solemnly," Don't worry, your home will be saved soon enough. I promise. But having said that, if it wasn't for your mission, would you guys have gone to Earth on your own accord?"
The two fairies thought long and hard about Kiriko's question and both of them arrived at an answer simultaneously.
"I think I would've liked to. I've always enjoyed learning about new cultures and customs, though I don't know how I'd be able to blend into the crowds when Earth isn't familiar with our kind." Rani said sheepishly as she looked out the window," It's not like I can magically turn into a human either."
"I probably wouldn't have gone." Nova said in a resolute tone," Despite having some advancements over the kingdom, Earth doesn't hold a candle to the festivities and cuisine we've got at the kingdom. Plus all my friends are there!"
Kiriko nodded in understanding, wondering what life would be like once Rani and Nova were able to go back home again. When they went to figure out how to save Tadashi the two of them seemed to be in low spirits, but they were insistent and said they were perfectly fine though the Cures could tell they were anything but. It was likely the kingdom was getting worse, it was only a matter of time before their last battle anyways.
Kiriko then felt her phone vibrate from her pocket and saw that she had a message from her mom, asking where she was. She texted her back saying that she'd be back in the waiting room soon and collected Rani and Nova from the window ledge. Just as soon as she turned around, she saw little girl in a pair of white pajamas holding a giant cup with a nurse by her side. The girl was pale in complexion, possibly from not getting to go outside a lot and her hair was a very light ash blonde that fell to her knees. She looked fairly content with the cup that she had to hold with both hands but as soon as she laid eyes on Kiriko, she immediately lit up.
"Oh, hi Kagari!" Kiriko said as she knelt slightly to speak with her eye-to-eye," It's been a while since I last saw you. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great!" Kagari beamed as she took a giant slurp from the straw of her cup," Nurse Risa bought me a strawberry milkshake, my favourite! Oh! But we gotta keep it a secret, we can't let the other patients know."
"Your secret's safe with me." Kiriko reassured as she smiled towards Nurse Risa by Kagari's side.
"Your father just did a check-up on Kagari, everything appears to be in order." Risa explained to Kiriko," It probably won't be long until Kagari will be checked out."
"That's great!" Kiriko exclaimed, giving Kagari a high-five," I'm glad to hear you've been making progress."
Kagari nodded happily in response, before she noticed the 'plush toys' in Kiriko's hands and said," Kiriko, your stuffies are sooooo cute! Can I look at them please?"
Kiriko turned pale for a second, and looked down to Rani and Nova, who thankfully didn't appear to have any objections with being in the care of Kagari. Kiriko nodded and handed the two of them to Kagari, who held them with the utmost caution, much unlike any other kid her age who would've hugged them ferociously without warning. Kagari held the two of them and admired their stitching and fabric. They looked like high quality plushies and Kagari thought Kiriko to be lucky to own them. Kagari then gave them both a tight hug.
Rani and Nova were taken aback by Kagari's docile, yet compassionate disposition. She definitely didn't remind them of the other human children on Earth and being around her was almost refreshing.
"Do you have anymore check-ups to do this evening?" Kiriko asked her, though Kagari's gaze was fixated on Rani and Nova.
Kagari shook her head and said," Only two tomorrow. Then in a couple of weeks, I can go home!"
"I see...well, I'm checking out some of the university campuses nearby here this weekend, so if you'd like, you can hold onto my plushies for the evening." Kiriko offered, though Rani and Nova didn't appear to be all that approving. But, once the two of them saw how excited Kagari got, they knew their fate was sealed.
"Really?! Thank you so much! I promise to take good care of them and they'll have a bunch of fun with me!" Kagari exclaimed as she held the two of them high in the air and spun them around," Oh, we're gonna have lots and lots of fun together!"
Rani and Nova were feeling somewhat sick after getting spun around so suddenly but soon enough, Kagari returned to walking back to her room with Nurse Risa, parting ways with Kiriko. As Kagari walked back to her room, Rani and Nova began wondering exactly why Kiriko thought it would be a good idea to leave them with Kagari. Being left with a little kid and pretending to inanimate plush toys all day, did they do something wrong for a punishment this severe? The both of them wracked their brains to think of what they might've done to deserve this. But with both of them unable to arrive to a reasonable explanation, Rani and Nova surmised Kiriko only did this out of the goodness of her heart, feeling bad for Kagari who had to be in the hospital for so long.
Once Kagari was taken into her room, nurse Risa had to take her leave to check on the other patients, so she left Kagari alone with the two fairies. Kagari sat on her bed, facing the two fairies and stared at them for a good couple of moments. Rani and Nova tried to best to hold still while Kagari surveyed them closely, both wondering what she was thinking. Had she caught onto them already? Just the thought of it made them tense up even more, but Kagari failed to notice.
Kagari then held up one of Rani's ears, her eyes widening upon touching it as she said,"Wow, even your ears are really soft!"
Kagari then crossed her legs and furrowed her brows, saying to herself," I guess I should've asked Kiriko for your names. Otherwise I'd feel weird giving you guys new ones, since it'd probably confuse you."
Nova then drew out a deep sigh, alarming both Kagari and Rani as she said," Well, if it's bothering you that much, the name's Nova."
Rani lost it, and then broke her silence saying," Nova, we haven't even been here for ten minutes and you already broke character?"
Kagari was speechless, and then leaned in closer towards the two fairies, who were now much more interesting than she expected. Her eyes were dazzling as she looked at Rani and Nova, patiently waiting for them to say more to prove that she hadn't been imagining things.
"She's a kid, if she tells anyone that we talk, nobody will believe her." Nova pointed out quietly to Rani.
"You guys can talk?" Kagari questioned, as she helped up Rani curiously, before bouncing around excitedly," This is so cool! I've never seen stuffies that can talk before, that means today is going to be a lot more fun now that I know you guys can talk to me! Ooh, what else can you do by the way? Any really cool tricks or-?"
"One question at a time, please!" Rani requested in a weak attempt to have Kagari settle down," Anyways, I'm Rani and this is my friend Nova. Now, we may seem like some strange, peculiar creatures to you, but in our home, we're actually a very normal thing to find."
"Cool, I love learning about other countries! So where are you guys from?" Kagari asked curiously as she sprawled out onto her bed," Somewhere fancy like Italy, or modern and trendy like Hong Kong? Wait no, I got it! You guys are from...Canada!"
"What? No, you see- we're from a Kingdom literally realms away." Rani explained to Kagari, her patience growing thin," Our home is known as the Kingdom of Toys, the Laruan Kingdom."
"A long time ago, the Kingdom was built centuries past with the help of three people." Nova explained," There was a mage who created the Well of Wonder, for all the magic to cultivate and grow stronger, the King who ruled the land, and the Priestess who brought life to all the toys in the Kingdom. For a very long time, the Kingdom was a peaceful land where humans and toys could live side by side as the best of friends. But then-"
"- A place where humans and toys can talk to each other become best friends?! That's amazing, I want to go there! I bet it must be super cool, much nicer than a place like this- I mean, like Earth!" Kagari said, her face falling for a second as she looked down at her bed briefly. But soon enough, she was back to her hyperactive self.
"Can every single toy in the kingdom talk?" Kagari asked as she stepped on her bed," If I could go there, I'd bring all my toys so we can talk to each other and play games and explore and maybe even-!"
"Actually, you can only decide on one plush toys to have the ability to speak with you." Rani corrected swiftly," Usually, you pick the one that has been with you the longest, a toy that has gone through the ups and downs with you, that you could consider your dearest friend."
"My dearest friend?" Kagari repeated as she stroked her chin before she sat onto her bed again and reached for something at the corner of it. Kagari held out a white and blue polar bear plush that had a silver ribbon around it neck and a matching pair of earmuffs and mittens.
"I pick this guy! His name is Winter and I've had him for years now." Kagari stated as she held Winter in front of Rani and Nova," I got him one month before I got sick, and he's been with me ever since. He's come to all my surgeries, and he'll be there with me when I check out."
Kagari held Winter's paw to wave it to Rani and Nova, since he couldn't on his own. Kagari then held him tight, thinking about all the good times she had with Winter.
"Winter's probably really proud of me, I'm glad I've got to keep him all this time." Kagari said, still hugging Winter," Oh! So, does that mean you guys have stuffies for best friends too?"
"Not quite." Rani answered curtly, taking a deep breath before she continued," We come from line of fairies whose ancestor started as a plush toy. The plush toy was given the gift of life from the passing owner and from there on, they were no longer a plush mate."
"I see, so...do you know anything about the owner of your ancestor?" Kagari asked curiously.
Rani nodded, smiling a little as she said," My ancestor's owner was a brilliant young girl named Ishani. Ishani loved reading and playing music for all the city to hear. She may have had a big family but she always had time to spend with her plush mate. Ishani and her plush mate grew up together and when Ishani passed away, she decided she would've rather let her plush mate stay at the kingdom a bit longer, so she could experience things like having a family of her own. "
"That's so sweet!" Kagari gushed as she patted Rani's forehead," You sound very proud of your heritage. What about you Nova? What was your ancestor's owner like?"
"Well, um...you see, it's like this...it's just..." Nova stammered out," I...my family doesn't remember our ancestor's owner that well. She was around a very, very long time ago. She's lost to time I guess."
"Oh, well... I guess it makes sense if she passed away a really long time ago." Kagari said in understanding," It's too bad there weren't any cameras around way back then."
"Cameras?" The two of them repeated confusedly.
"You brat, I told you to get some souvenirs while you were there!" Tadashi chided into the phone as he shook his head," You can't tell me you already spend your money on food and video games because there's no way I'm believing that."
"Well, that's not my problem." Asuna said plainly, her mouth stuffed with takoyaki," Tokyo's got a bunch of tourist traps, so I couldn't help but fall for them as a naive first-year in high-school. Plus, you can always i-transfer if you want a souvenir that badly."
"That really isn't the point anymore..." Tadashi groaned as he walked out of the house, his headphones in so he could continue this call," You can't budget money properly! That's it, when you get back, I'm going to teach you the basics of money and how to save along with-"
Asuna hung up on him, no longer interested in what he had to say.
"Asuna?" Tadashi repeated into the phone," Good grief, serves me right for thinking she'd actually buy me something when all she does is spend her money on herself. Damn it, I don't have time to be dealing with this."
Tadashi took a breath and continued to walk out of the house. Today he was supposed to be helping Misato alongside Hayase with his platform deciding and speech writing. Now usually, the three had to be impartial and weren't really supposed to help out any candidates but all they planned to do today was help him organize a platform and revise his speech for grammatical errors, so technically it wasn't like they were having any influence over him. Plus, they offered to help out all the other first-years who had interest in the position.
Unfortunately, they wouldn't get to be helping Shina with anything like this because she confessed to them that she was moving in the next few months, so she couldn't commit to the position. Tadashi remembered Shina looking uncharacteristically frustrated with herself and upset when she had to tell them why she hadn't mentioned any interest in succeeding them. He considering arranging a goodbye party for her once the elections were over to lift her spirits.
When Tadashi arrived at Hayase's house, he found Misato standing at the front porch cautiously, only a few inches away from the front door. Tadashi waved to him and chuckled at the sight of Misato, clearly quite nervous to be at Hayase's house.
"Have you already knocked?" Tadashi asked as he inspected the door, with Misato shaking his head rigidly in response.
Tadashi put his hand on Misato's shoulder, saying," You shouldn't be so worried! Hayase's family is very nice, they love having guests over. Though right now, only his mom is here living with him. His dad and brother are abroad."
"If only that was what I had been worried about..." Misato thought to himself, tensing up with Tadashi's hand on his shoulder as Tadashi ran the doorbell.
Hayase was inside his room, his hair streaked bright colours, though he didn't realize it. His notes for today were ready on his side table while he gingerly held his hand out, still in disbelief of what he saw happening before his eyes. In front of him was his old toy rocket ship transporting his pencil case and note books on the low study table he had on his table. It may not have been much of spectacle but still, it was progress. Hayase could feel his heart racing as he watched the rocket he commanded through only his fingertips, while trying to think of what else he could accomplish. Something more complex would've been way cooler, but it wasn't as if he could show this to anyone.
Just then, a memory unwillingly found itself running through Hayase's mind. He was very little at the time and it was from so long ago but the memory was as clear as day.
One of his parents was in tears, sobbing quietly but he couldn't tell who it was since he wasn't in the room. He heard footsteps coming his way so quickly, he ran up the stairs and into his bedroom, trying his best act natural in the case one of his parents came upstairs. Neither of his parents came up for a while but then his mother entered his room and found him playing with his toys. His mother took a deep breath and took a seat opposite of where Hayase was at his play table.
"Hayase, you and I both know you have something special within you, but...for your own safety, to keep you out of harm, it would make me and your father so happy if you ignored it completely, please." Hana said to him, he could tell easily that she was tearing up but he didn't know how to help her or what to say and ended up feeling as upset as she did.
"Discerning this power will keep me out of harm's way. If I pretend it doesn't exist, it'll make my parents worry-free." Hayase thought to himself, his gaze falling to the study table where the play table used to be," I don't want to put them through that again, but it isn't fair that I have to throw away and disregard my magic in order to keep them from worrying."
Suddenly, a loud knock on his bedroom door came and halted his thoughts, resulting in the rocket ship to scatter the loose leaf pages it was transporting all over the table. Hayase sighed and looked over to find a familiar face standing in the doorway.
Hayase's older brother Toya was finally home on break from university and was now home to find that a lot had changed in both the town and his home. For starters, Hayase was looking and acting less like his usual self.
"Yo your friends are here." Toya said, narrowing his eyes at Hayase, before pulling off the beanie from his head and tossing it towards Hayase," You'll need this. I'll give you time to straighten up and I'll let them in."
The next morning, Rani and Nova were sitting in a near empty cafeteria with Kagari. Kagari was eating a bowl of oatmeal while Rani and Nova ate apple slices that Kagari took for them. Kagari's mom accompanied them at the cafeteria but she had to step out for a bit due to a business call.
"Wow, even on her day off, your mom seems to be swamped with work." Rani remarked as she grabbed for another apple slice.
Kagari nodded and said," I guess so. Her job allows her to travel a lot but she hasn't gotten to do any business trips in a while. But in two months from now when I'm checked out and good as new, we're going to go to America for a week!"
"What's an America?" Nova asked dumb-foundedly, causing Kagari to gasp dramatically.
"You've never heard of America?" Kagari questioned in surprise, though Rani had to shush her so she wouldn't draw attention to the table," It's amazing! They've got all these busy and crazy cool cities like New York, and Los Angeles, and Miami. They've even got lots of whisky, soda and rock and roll!"
"That sounds awful." Rani said flatly, narrowing her eyes at Kagari," But you sound really excited about your trip! Come to think of it, you know of a lot of cities and countries for someone your age."
"Oh, well that's because I wanna travel the world when I get better!" Kagari explained, excitement creeping into her voice," I wanna see Rome, and Lichtenstein, and Dubai, and Seoul and Rio de Janeiro...and when I'm done with high-school, I wanna study in America! I even have my "American name" decided on! When I go to the states, they'll know me as..."
Kagari stood up on her seat, pointing her index finger to the ceiling with her other hand on her hip,"...Katie!"
Rani glanced around and saw that people were starting to stare at them again, forcing her to urge Kagari back into her seat.
"You see, I picked that name because my full name is Kagari Tomiaka, and when you put my initials together, they sound like the name Katie!" Kagari explained, practically bouncing in her seat, with the two fairies commending her on her well thought-out English name.
Rubix and Domino were sitting at the rooftop of the hospital with Rubix relishing in the clouded day and the winds that brushed past her. Domino eyed her skeptically, surprised that she wasn't even feeling the slightest chill in this weather. He then turned his attention back to the blueprints he had in his hands, looking at them vacantly while Rubix twirled around for a few moments.
"We need to make this quick." Rubix reminded him once she got closer," There are a lot of potential Defectives that can be made in this confinement."
Domino glared at her and said," It isn't a confinement, it's a hospital. And if I recall correctly, don't you have your own work that needs to be done?"
"Which is precisely why this needs to be done quick, so I can get back to my own task." Rubix responded curtly as she crossed her arms," You've been in quite a bad mood since Jack has been defeated."
"You wouldn't understand." Domino stated in a bitter voice," I'm not upset because Jack was defeated, I lost part of my family. But it's not like you could emphasize or even hope to imagine what that feels like."
Domino was expecting Rubix to roll her eyes or scoff in response, since he was right but it's not like she would've cared either way. Instead, she only stared at him for a few hard moments, though it seemed as if she had been merely zoning off and happened to be looking in his direction. Family was such a vague word to her, she felt like she never had a connection like that and yet, something within her made her doubtful about that. Rubix didn't want to focus on this though and only returned to her current task: creating as many Defectives here as possible. Well, assist Domino in creating as many Defectives as possible.
"So, run the plan over with me one last time." Rubix insisted as she joined Domino in examining the blueprints.
"It's simple really..." Domino said to her as he pointed to each step on the page, with Rubix following along attentively.
Hours later, Kiriko, Mari and Sophie were walking around the district of university and college campuses near the hospital. Kiriko and Mari may have already decided on their universities and majors, but they still wanted to grasp some idea of what their post-secondary school life would be like. Already the two of them were excited by the massive campuses and all different kinds of students, both young and old walking around the district. One of their favourite things so far have to have been the absence of uniforms.
"Oooh, everyone is dressed so nicely! They get to wear their own clothes and show off their style! It'd be so easy to find good photography subjects in a place like this!" Mari gushed as she looked around and saw a pair of girls donned in cute duffel coats.
"Well, almost everyone." Sophie said sheepishly as she saw a student walk across campus in both a sweatshirt and sweat pants.
"This place is close enough to commute by bus, though I heard that many students having been residing on campus." Kiriko said as she spotted a building where a group of boys walked out from. The campus was filled with people but there was enough room that girls didn't feel as if they were in a crowd. Plus, they were only seeing a fraction of the school, heaven knew how packed the rest of the campus was.
"Hey Mari, are you going to any of the schools around here next year?" Kiriko asked as the three of them took a seat.
Mari shook her head and said," No, my school's in the next town, so I'll be dorming there for a bit." Mari explained as she kept her gaze on the campus," We'll be graduating soon...so that means, we'll probably have to get our final battle out of the way."
A silence formed between the group as soon Mari said that, the three all in deep thought about how their time as Pretty Cure was going to come to a close soon. Though whether that was in victory or defeat, the girls couldn't help but wonder.
To ease the sudden tension between the three of them, Mari then said," It'd probably be better if we had it sooner rather than later. I don't think I'd enjoy trying to juggle life as a Pretty Cure with a college workload."
Kiriko nodded in agreement, though she stayed quiet as she continued to look around the university campus. She then stood up from her seat and motioned for the two girls to follow her.
"We're within walking distance from the hospital, so I might as well pick up Rani and Nova since my mom's shift ends soon." Kiriko stated as she lead the group to the hospital.
Kagari sat around inside her room with Nova and Rani by her side. Her mom was just outside the hall, still on call with her business partner. Kagari looked outside and sighed, she was already to take a walk around the hospital courtyard but her mom's work was a higher priority.
"Hey I've been wondering..." Kagari began, still keeping her gaze on the window," I know Nova mentioned having friends at the kingdom but what about you Rani? Do you have a bunch of friends waiting for you back home too?"
"Well, to be honest, I'm a bit of a homebody." Rani answered sheepishly," I'm more of a reserved individual, which is precisely why I requested Nova to come with me."
Nova nodded in agreement, then stood up to say," That's right! Rani may not talk to a lot of people, but we're the best of friends! I've known her ever since we were little."
Kagari lit up, thinking of her own friends she knew for years and smiled to the two of them saying," Aw, that's nice to hear! But you're still little though. Oh and one more thing! The three people you mentioned in your story, the...priestess, mage and the king, are they still around?"
"Of course not, they've been dead for centuries now." Nova explained to her, expecting Rani to back her up but she failed to do anything of the sort. Nova figured Rani just zoned out during their conversation, but Rani's attention hadn't strayed away and she just wore an uncertain look on her face.
"Miss Kagari," A nurse called out to her from the doorway," Your mother has bought you a milkshake."
Kagari jumped up excitedly from her seat and dashed to the door to retrieve the milkshake from the nurse, who was clad in full scrubs plus a surgical mask. The nurse gave the milkshake to Kagari and went to tend to the rest of the patients in the hall. Kagari was about to take a giant sip from her milkshake, but then she smelt something that seemed off. She opened up the lid and was disgusted by what she found.
"Vanilla?! But mom knows my favourite is strawberry." Kagari stated with a grimace as she looked into the milky white milkshake that also had some black kind of sprinkles on top of it," And this kinda looks like that activated charcoal stuff...I can't have it since it'll cause complications with my medication."
Rani and Nova joined in her looking down at the milkshake, but the two of them recognized the black sprinkles as something else. Nova knocked the milkshake out of Kagari's hand but before it all spilt out, the sprinkles all formed together to create one black diamond shard. The black shard then forced its way towards Kagari as fast as it could.
"Kagari, duck!" Rani shouted to her, who narrowly dodged the shard racing towards her. The shard was stuck in the wall for a few moments and so, the two fairies grabbed the emptied milkshake cup and held it against the wall to keep it from merging with Kagari's Patchwork Heart.
"I doubt we'll be able to keep this thing here for long but Kagari, you need to get out of here!" Rani instructed sternly," This shard is extremely dangerous and we can't let you get caught in all this!"
Kagari nodded in response and ran out of the room, but when she did, she found dozens of people lying unconscious in the halls and virtually everywhere in the hospital. Kagari was too scared to move for a moment as she took in her surroundings with disbelief. She kept her back against the wall for a few moments, before she heard a shriek so loud she clasped her hands against her ears. Kagari then remembered that Rani and Nova were back in her room fighting to keep her safe right now, so to make things easier for the two of them, she ran to best hiding spot she could think of. Kagari hadn't ran this much in a while and the feeling of it was both exhilarating yet dreadful. She could feel her lungs burning from being out of practice but continued on and finally reached her hiding place, panting in her breaths.
There was a janitor's closet next to the door that led to the rooftop that was always open. Kagari tried opening it, but this time, it appeared today was an exception for the always open closet. Kagari was growing frantic, holding the doorknob with both her hands and twisting as hard as she possibly could. She decided if she couldn't open it now, then it wasn't going to open at any point so she opened the door to the rooftop to hide there instead.
Kagari felt a sharp chill run down her spine from being out here without a coat, but what made her feel even worse was the sight of a person she didn't recognize but she could tell was bad news with their strange clothes and floating domino for a head contained in a glass.
"What's this, a little escape artist?" Domino asked coyly, sitting on the ledge of the rooftop with his blueprints still in hand.
When Kiriko, Mari and Sophie all arrived at the hospital, they were shocked to find that the hospital was littered with unconscious people and no sign of a Defective. The three of them then suddenly heard the cry of one, though it sounded like it came from a few floors up. Kiriko looked towards her teammates and gestured for them to take out their PlayPacts.
"Pretty Cure, it's playtime!" The three of them shouted in unison.
"The princess of wishes, Cure Dolly!"
"The sailor of justice, Cure Bubbly!"
"The creator of dreams, Cure Fantasy!"
"When evil is near, playtime is here! Together we are..." The girls said in unison," Toychest Pretty Cure!"
The three of them exchanged expressions, feeling as if something wasn't quite right with their obligatory team introduction phrase.
"Somehow...it doesn't feel quite right saying it without Cure Teddy..." Bubbly confessed sheepishly before the three of them ran towards the nearest staircase. They ran up a bunch of floors, until the screams from the Defective got louder and clearer. Soon, they nearly reached the top, only two levels shy from heading to the rooftop, when Dolly halted them and pressed her ear up against the door that lead to the hallway. She could hear the Defective as clear as day, running around the floors of the hospital, heedless of all the damage it was probably causing. Dolly motioned her fellow Cures to follow her into the hallway of the floor.
The three of them were in a wide, empty hall, devoid of any kind of sound except for the cries from the Defective. The Cures were on guard, each of them darting their eyes around the hall as they slowly walked through it. The Cures footsteps were soft, unable to be heard by the Defective at all, though it wasn't intentional of them. The more time they had spent in the halls by themselves though, the more on edge they became. Soon, they were reaching the end of the hall with having an encounter with the Defective.
Dolly, who was leading the group, found this highly suspicious, since they could all hear the shouting from the Defective, but it was nowhere to be seen. Dolly looked up curiously, just to make sure it hadn't been waiting for them on the ceiling or anything like. Still no sign of the Defective and by now, the Cures were on the opposite end of the hall, now approaching the other hospital staircase. Suddenly, Dolly spun around as a thought came into her mind and the Defective ripped through the one of the doors in the hallway, coming between Dolly and her teammates.
"Wow, another one of these..." Dolly remarked as she took a good look at the Defective that stood before her.
Kagari stood in front of Domino, putting on a brave front as she said to him," I won't forgive you for what you did here today! This place is full of innocent people who just wanna get better, and you don't have the right to hurt them like this!"
Domino was somewhat surprised to watch a child as defenseless as Kagari stand up for the rest of the hospital like this. Her bold and unrelenting attitude reminded him of a certain someone who left him behind but then, he noticed Kagari's balled fists were shaking violently. Domino's expression then softened, it was easy to see that Kagari was standing up to him in spite of her own fear and watching her made him feel a strange sense of pity. Regardless, he wasn't interested in having her get involved in this.
It seemed Jack's resolve was beginning to affect Domino in some way, for now he too was having trouble finding the motivation to fight. Regardless, he didn't it see it likely that he would try to target someone as physically weak as Kagari.
He decided letting her run away would've been best but before he could even suggest that to her, Rubix returned. For once, Rubix appeared to be in good spirits, though the only indication of this was a very, very small on her face while her eyes looked vacant. That was until she saw Kagari standing a few feet away from Domino.
"I'll take care of her." Rubix reassured to her teammate, though Domino didn't think her definition of 'take care' matched his. But even if he wanted to protest, Domino already knew Rubix was much stronger than him, everyone at Asperity knew that Rubix wasn't a force to be messed with. But the only thing stronger than Rubix's fighting skills was her loyalty to Lilith. She always acted as if her only option was to follow Lilith's orders and while the rest of the Asperity members had done the same, they were beginning to feel doubt and lots of it.
Domino wanted Kagari to stay away from Rubix, to escape and not have to be subjected to what Rubix would've done to her. But, the fact that he was undoubtedly powerless in comparison to Rubix, that the odds were against him and he didn't stand a chance had him allowing Rubix to do as she wished. Domino fell silent and Rubix thought nothing of it, walking towards Kagari. She kneeled in front of her and said softly,
"You have nothing to worry about, ok?"
The Defective, made from Kagari's bear Winter, was a lot harder to communicate with than Dolly expected. The Defective wasn't giving her any chances to speak with it and only continued to fight with the Pretty Cure mindlessly. The Defective was surprisingly quick on its feet, and rivalled the girls in terms of power with its sole attack of blowing snow towards them. Bubbly and Fantasy tried to keep the Defective from performing that attack, since they didn't have any way of countering it.
Bubbly gracefully dodged a punch from the Defective, jumping up onto one of the beds lying in the hallways, but not expecting it to roll so easily and started to zoom past the hall on it.
"Bubbly, get back here! We don't have time for this!" Fantasy called out.
"Do you actually think I did this on purpose?!" Bubbly shouted back, before she noticed she was on her way to colliding into the hallway exit door. She shrieked as she held her hands in front of herself, forming a giant bubble in front of the door to prevent the collision. Fantasy ran to her side, though she didn't have to travel far since the bubble launched Bubbly right back to their compact battlefield.
"Has Dolly gotten through to that grouchy Defective yet?" Bubbly asked, her tone sounding impatient as she jumped off the bed, with Fantasy shaking her head in response.
"She said this one is different from the others...it may have the appearance of a plush toy but there isn't any getting through to it," Fantasy explained worriedly as she studied the Defective," Not to mention, it's stronger than expected, even without the snow blowing."
Dolly tried to swing a punch at the Defective, but she missed and found herself getting frustrated quick. She really didn't want to do this, but the Defective didn't give her any other choice. So, she held her hands out and shouted,
"Pretty Cure, wishful cyclone!"
The violet and pink whirlwind tore past the walls to reach the Defective, and while looked like it would've been able to knock the Defective down, it did no such thing and was only deflected when the Defective swung the back of it hands towards it. The Defective then pressed its hands together and turned its attention towards Bubbly and Fantasy.
"What is it doing?" Dolly asked under her breath as she narrowed her eyes at the Defective, before realization struck her.
"Get out of the way!" Dolly shouted to the two of them, but her words didn't reach in time and the attack the Defective was preparing had already been dealt. The two Cures were met with an attack that froze them from head to toe. The both of them looked like figures made from ice, Dolly couldn't believe her eyes as she dashed towards the two of them. She was scared of letting their frozen figures break apart and she couldn't think of a way to thaw them out. She knew she wouldn't be able to be able to fix them, but she also knew now wasn't any time to be brooding over her loss.
Just then, Domino and Rubix appeared in the hallway, with Kagari clinging to Rubix's side nervously. Once Kagari saw the Defective, she was horrified by her beloved bear's new form and ran towards it.
"Winter, what did they do to you?!" Kagari asked Winter, but he wouldn't give her an answer.
Domino looked at Rubix in question, who only responded with," I thought they could use a little reunion."
Kagari then started thinking about how this could've happen, before she thought to herself," She must've took Winter when she was delivering that milkshake!"
Kagari ran even closer to the Defective, completely heedless of the danger that came with being near it and shook the Defective's hand to gain its attention. Dolly chased after Kagari and tried to pull her away from the Defective, but to no avail.
"Winter, you can't be doing this kinda stuff, you're going to hurt all our friends at the hospital!" Kagari pleaded the Defective, who was trying to be pulled away from the ten foot tall bear by Dolly.
"He's being controlled by those two, there's no getting through to him right now." Dolly said as she urged Kagari to let go of Winter, though she was doubtful that Kagari was even listening to her. Kagari shook her head and only held on tighter. When she gripped the Defective's leg a little too tightly though, she finally got the Defective's attention, but it seemed rather irritated by the two of them. The Defective glowered towards Kagari and Dolly, the former finally letting go of it after seeing the dark look in its eye.
The Defective was preparing itself to use the same attack from before that entrapped Bubbly and Fantasy, but just then, a pair of voices were heard.
"Stop right there!" Rani and Nova shouted in unison, standing in the doorway that led to the staircase. All eyes were on the two fairies, who walked closer towards the Defective with matching determined looks on their faces.
"You two of all people oughta stay away, please don't come any closer!" Dolly advised them sternly, but they didn't listen.
"Dolly can't you see? This Defective is way stronger than all the others since it was made from multiple people." Nova said as the two of them marched on," And with your team in this situation, we have no other choice!"
Dolly sighed, as she thought to herself," With a Defective this strong, the last thing I'd want is for the two of them to get caught in the crossfire and get hurt."
Rubix crossed her arms, seeming uninterested in the pair of fairies while Domino chuckled at the sight of them walking so bravely towards the Defective that was easily ten times their size.
"Are Dumbo and Rarity going to save the day?" Domino asked jokingly before the two of them stopped walking and stood just a few inches away from the frozen Bubbly and Fantasy.
"Hmm, hopefully this shouldn't be too tricky, after all, we've got the upper hand." Rani said to Nova, who only nodded in response.
"Do those two really think they stand a chance against this Defective?" Dolly thought to herself doubtfully as she held Kagari close.
Everyone in the room shared the same thoughts about this proposed battle between the fairies and the Defective; those thoughts being that the fairies were certain to lose.
"Now Nova!" Rani shouted and in the blink of an eye, Bubbly and Fantasy's petrifications were reversed. The two Cures looked surprised as they moved around curiously, just as confused as everyone else within the vicinity.
"How did you do that?!" Rubix questioned in pure shock as Nova wore a smug look on her face.
"You left one of those dark diamonds of yours behind. We hadn't intended to make use of it, but it seemed that was the only way to break off the ice." Rani explained to her," You have been causing needless trouble for far too long. Cure Cheer didn't pass on just so history could repeat itself!"
"Cure Cheer?" Rubix repeated with disdain. Just saying that name made her blood boil and Domino could see she was getting worked up just by the thought of her, so he pressed a button on his control panel to make cloud appear over her head and dispel a mass of snow on her.
Rubix shuddered and brushed the snow off of herself as she glared to Domino, asking him," What did you do that for?"
"So you can chill out." Domino answered flatly.
Kagari clung to Winter's leg again, shaking it in a near violent manner as she said to him," Winter, I know you can hear me, you have to stop right now! Otherwise you'll be doing something you'll regret!"
Dolly sighed, trying to separate Kagari from the Defective as she said, "I already told you Winter can't hear you, he's-"
The Defective then stared down at Kagari, not as irritated as before though it wore a rather pained look on its face. Upon seeing the Defective's expression, Kagari held onto the Defective's leg tighter, as if she was giving it a hug. The Defective then picked up Kagari and let her sit in its palm.
"I know you're not doing this willingly, but if you let the Pretty Cure help, they can change you back to normal! The last thing I want is to watch you hurt others against your own will." Kagari said to the Defective. The Defective stared at Kagari for a few long moments and then nodded as it brought her close for a hug. Kagari gave the Cures a thumbs-up and the Defective put her down.
The Cures then summoned their scepters along with their toy toppers and held them out high, shouting in unison,
"Playtime begins! Patchwork Form!"
The Cures outfits changed and the three of them held their scepters out in front of the Defective, as they all called out,
" Pretty Cure, Playtime Paradise!"
A swarm of kaleidoscopic lights circled around the Defective and smothered it, reverting it back into its original form.
The Defective was purified and fell into Kagari's arms, who hugged her bear as tight as she could.
"But we used so many corrupted Patchwork Hearts, there's no way she could've gotten through to it!" Rubix stated in sheer disbelief, but Domino didn't seem as concerned as her. The two of them disappeared back to Asperity, while the Cures ran to the staircase entrance to reverse their transformation without any unwanted attention.
"Today has been quite a success, and not only because we managed to save an entire hospital populace from Asperity." Rani deduced to the girls as she held out a very small fragment from the black diamond that Nova used to unthaw Bubbly and Fantasy," After all this time, we've finally managed to acquire a part of these things. Now we can figure out how we can stop Asperity from making Defectives and even more!"
"Seriously?! That's great!" Kiriko exclaimed as she cupped her hand so Rani could let her hold the shard.
Kiriko held it up to the light as she said, " These shards have been the cause for all this chaos, it's about time we figured out how they work to get rid of them for good."