After her friend, Okamoto Yukari, had been used by Mekuramast and Kainatrol to try to get Moon Pieces, Nakayama Yoko had turned all of her attention to making sure that her friend was okay. This meant blowing off Kawada Asa, whether their plans were for fun, the science project or even Pretty Cure. When Asa confronted her about it, Yoko accused her of being selfish and explained that she cared more about her friend than someone she only talked to because she had to. Asa, who had thought that she and Yoko were friends, ran off, and the confrontation was the talk of Clair Academy.
Once confronted by Asa's friend Hoshi, Yoko locked herself in the garage to modify the family car. Starry, worried about the both of them, had wandered off, intent on bringing Asa back to Yoko's house to help them work it out. Yoko would have stopped him. Of course she would. The people in town would freak, it was a long way for him to walk, what if he got lost...
But she couldn't even move.
"This is pathetic," she muttered to herself, slumping over on the garage steps. "I'm pathetic. What am I even doing?"
She didn't know how many minutes she was waiting, just how many fall leaves were blowing through the opening at the bottom of the garage door. He'd taken a long time. Something made her reach for her transformation phone and open it up. The tracking device would show if Asa had moved.
She hadn't.
Yoko took a deep breath and stood. Where had Starry gone off to?
Futari wa Pretty Cure Blue Moon
Episode 9: Hear Our Story! Tachimany's Trap!
The little orange creature hit the sides of the gold orb he was trapped in, not even cracking it. The orb floated in the air with no effort. This must have been the effects of the Etherium. He'd never been, but he'd heard stories from his family and the other people of the Garden of Days.
"Time and space don't matter there. It's a void, a place of nothing."
"Let me out ~susu!" He banged against the walls, but nobody paid any attention. Tachimany (they'd decided to be twelve people right now, maybe because the knight armour looked more impressive) gave identical smirks and bowed at their comrades.
"I can't believe you," Kainatrol said, scanning the crowd of Tachimany. "You're saying that you found the creature wandering around in broad daylight, completely alone and without Pretty Cure?"
"Indeed we did," said one of their bodies.
"Then it's obviously a trap." She glared as her eye mask gleamed. "I would expect this from a child like Binbeat, but not the most senior of our group."
Tachimany stood and moved together. They shifted into the two white-haired businessmen they'd been when they absconded with Starry and burst out laughing in the same voice.
"What?", Kainatrol snapped.
The body on the left stretched out, and the body on the right leaned back.
"You always give everything such strict definitions," said the one on the left.
"We're more... changeable," the one on the right added, just before they shifted into five teenage girls. One stepped in front of the others, and all of their eye masks glinted in the light, with the gold jewels on the ends sparkling.
"If it's a trap, we'll make it our trap."
"Starry? Starry?" Having changed into respectable clothing, Yoko walked down the street, bending down to look under mailboxes and cautiously peeking into alleys. This was the way that she went to school, so it was the way that he'd know to get to Asa's house, since they passed him off to one another in the classroom. Still, there was no sign of him.
The wind blew something at Yoko. She instinctively flailed and caught it in one hand, holding it out far from her face. It was a once-white tea towel that had gotten one irremovable stain too many and been sent out to the garage, where it amassed various black splotches around the orange taint.
'My oil rag,' Yoko thought, eyes wide. Starry had to be around somewhere. He'd been wearing the thing on his head and dancing around in the garage earlier to try and cheer her up. "Where-"
"You're looking for someone?"
Yoko turned around and quickly hid the rag behind her back. A girl with shiny white hair bounced up to her and smiled.
Yoko pushed her own grey hair back and narrowed her eyes. "Why do you need to know?"
The girl smiled and mimed pushing glasses up, though she didn't have any. "Just wanted to help you out, you see. Looking for a friend who stood you up? A boyfriend who dumped you without saying so?"
"I didn't ask for you or your smart remarks." Yoko glared. "I have no interest in boys, and nobody's stood me up."
"Maybe your pet ran away," the girl said with a smirk. "Is that it?"
"Go away." Yoko pushed past her with one arm.
"Mom?"
Kawada Chikane looked over from her pile of drying dishes. "What is it, Asa?"
Asa took a deep breath. "I know you're always busy, but can I ask you something?"
Her mother glanced at the old clock on their paint-chipped wall. "I've got time. Ask away."
They sat down on the couch just outside their small kitchen. Asa looked away. "Well... do you think you can still become friends with someone after you have a fight?"
Chikane looked out the window. "At times. Sometimes not."
"When?"
A pause. "Well, it has to be when you both want to. If only one person wants to be around the other person, who wants nothing to do with them, then it makes things worse."
Asa sulked and absently scratched her arm. "I guess..."
Chikane turned her gaze back to her daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. "Asa?"
Asa tilted her head. "What?"
"It's not completely hopeless." She nodded. "If you both decide that you want to be friends, you still can. It just isn't as simple as saying so. You have to want it and be sure that you do. Even after that, you have to keep working at it."
Her daughter tugged at her uniform skirt and looked at the ground. "Are you sure?"
"...I think so." Chikane stood up and frowned. "Just remember this. Don't take the people you care about for granted. Ever."
"...Thanks." Asa looked back up and stood. "That's everything. Good luck at work tonight."
The white-haired girl appeared right in front of Yoko again, as if she hadn't shoved her out of her path.
"I said, go away!"
"You're so set in your ways." The girl sighed. "There's no sense looking for friends. People will always just hurt you."
Yoko resisted flinching like she felt like doing. "The people who hurt you can change."
"No." The white-haired girl quivered almost in imitation of Yoko. "They can't and they won't."
"They can if they really want to!" Yoko stepped forward, her long hair billowing out in the fall wind. "So many people stay with someone because they think the person will change, but as long as there's no reason to, they won't. Still, if people decide to change on their own, because they see for themselves what's wrong, they can."
"Nobody would want to." The other girl's gold skirt whipped around her legs with the same gust. "What kind of reason would you have to stop being selfish?"
"Because I know better."
"That's not enough."
Yoko swatted a flying leaf away from her. "Kawada-san said in class today that everyone needs six things. Love... justice, truth... friendship... courage and happiness."
"Are you joking?" The other girl gaped. "What kind of terrible argument is that? Some ridiculous speech that sounds like it came from a children's story?"
"Knowing her, it did," Yoko said, "but that doesn't matter right now. It makes more sense than you are." She marched past the other girl, slipping her oil rag into her pocket and hoping that it didn't soil the jeans. "I'm sorry, but I'll be leaving."
Asa rolled her transformation phone over and over in her hands. Her mother's reply repeated itself in her head. It would be hard. Maybe it would even be impossible. Even so, there was still that if. At that moment, the phone slipped out of her hand and dropped onto the floor, opening wide.
She knelt down and picked it up. Wait. The tracking screen at the top was weird. Yoko's signal was usually all the way in the northeast end of town. Instead, it was moving closer and closer to the other side. Asa's side.
"She's coming." Asa gaped for a moment. Her expression slowly changed into a smile. She jumped up, grabbed her bag and bolted out the door without a sweater.
Yoko stood at the gates of Sapphire Park. Its condition hadn't changed. There were still tumbleweeds, broken bottles, and piles of garbage everywhere. If her parents found out that she was there, or anywhere in the vicinity, she'd be grounded for two weeks for recklessly endangering herself. Starry had said it was fine. Asa actually lived past there.
She gulped. Her hands tensed into fists. She took a sharp breath and marched right into the run-down park. Every step asked her what she was doing there, but Yoko kept on going, if scanning for potential diabolical kidnappers. That was how she noticed a blue-haired girl, still not having changed out of her Clair Academy uniform, running down the path with a pink and orange phone-like device in her hand.
"Nakayama-san!" Asa called out. She skidded to a stop, sending gravel and dust flying into the air.
Yoko looked to the side. "Kawada-san..." She paused. "I'm... I'm sorry. If you want nothing to do with me after this, I completely understand."
Asa started a sentence a few times, but couldn't say anything.
Yoko looked up, forcing her dark grey eyes to lock onto Asa's blue. "I need your help."
Asa's head jolted back while the rest of her stayed rooted to the ground. "Wait, help? With what?"
"Starry's missing," Yoko explained. "I found something he was carrying, and I followed the exact path that he'd take to find your house, but there's been no other sign of him."
"Oh, you still need help with that, do you?"
The two girls turned around. The slightly older white-haired girl walked up to them, her sparkly gold skirt swishing around in the fall wind.
Yoko stepped in front of Asa. "What are you doing here? I told you to go away."
"Oh, don't be like that." The girl played with her hair. "Your little speech was meant to cause some kind of change of heart, so you shouldn't be so surprised if it worked. Anyway, you still don't know how to find your pet."
"Do you?" Asa stepped forward, but Yoko blocked her path, still glaring at the white-haired girl.
"Of course!", the stranger said. "You'll just have to listen. Is there anything he'd come back for if he saw it? Something he was looking for, maybe?"
"Moon Pieces..." Asa whispered, her hand going to her phone.
The girl smirked. "Found you, Pretty Cure."
"Not so fast."
All three turned their heads to an expanse of litter-adorned dead grass. A woman with fluffy, bright red hair walked up to them, her only other identification being the pearlescent heart on the end of her necklace. That was enough for the white-haired girl to glare and step backwards.
"Dawn!" She growled. "What brought you here!"
"Concern," 'Dawn' replied. "Besides, you know I can't go by that name anymore. On to the point of this: those girls want to know where their friend is."
"Oh?" She snapped her fingers. Four identical girls jumped out from trees and bushes and stood right next to her. All five of them held up their hands, and distinct white eye masks with gold studs appeared. When they all put them on, their outfits faded away to gaudy dresses in white and gold.
"Etherium!" Asa's grip tightened on her phone. "Who are you people?"
"We are Tachimany," one body said, and all five bowed.
"Also known as the Shifting Multitudes," another said.
They shifted into eight figures in gold hooded cloaks. "For a reason, you see."
Yoko stood her ground. "Where did you take Starry?"
"Well..." One of Tachimany's bodies held out a hand. A golden orb with glowing solid walls appeared, floating in front of them, with Starry trying to bodycheck the walls.
"Ow ~susu..." He rubbed his side, looked up and gasped. "Yoko and Asa ~susu!"
The girls nodded. "We'll get you out," Yoko said.
"Hmm, hmm." The body levitating the orb looked over at the one directly beside (him? Her? In this form, it was hard to tell what they were). "Do you know what I'm thinking?"
"Of course," the other said. "We're all the same." This one drew out a black diamond-like object. Yoko, Asa and the person once called Dawn stepped back in shock.
"Is that..." Yoko blinked.
"It is," the red-haired woman said.
"No way!" Asa stared.
Body two tossed the diamond-thing at the orb in front of body one. The objects merged, and all eight bodies stepped back to allow for space. The orb grew in size, Starry suspended in the air in the middle. A distorted face with glowing eyes appeared on the front.
"Hidoinaa!"
"No way!" Asa ran up beside Yoko. "They turned the thing holding him into a Hidoinaa!"
Yoko pulled out her Moon Card and took a deep breath. "Kawada-san, I know this is taking you for granted after everything, but..."
"No time for that!" Asa smiled and slashed her own Moon Card in her phone. "Go ahead!"
Yoko's eyes widened a little. She nodded and slashed the card. They grabbed one another's hands.
"Dual Infinite Phase!"
The red-haired woman shielded her eyes and walked away as the lights appeared. Tachimany watched Pretty Cure emerge in interest.
"On behalf of the light..." Asa posed in her pink and orange dress. "I am Cure Sunday!"
"In the name of the shadows..." Yoko followed suit in her black and blue outfit. "I am Cure Night!"
"We are Pretty Cure!"
"We'll defend at all hours..."
"To ensure a peaceful era!"
Tachimany rubbed their chins in thought. "Not the exact same speech, is it?", said one body.
"Well, that's only natural," said another.
"Go and get them, Hidoinaa!", commanded a third.
It turned, looked around, and locked onto the two girls before speeding toward them. They broke into a run down the path.
"Help ~susu!" Starry struggled and flailed in the air in the middle of the transparent orb-monster. "I can't get out ~susu!"
"All right!" Sunday skidded to a stop, spraying gravel and dust into the wind, and struck an open palm out at the monster. It stumbled back a bit, but resumed its course. Night stopped, leapt back and kicked the monster between the eyes to send it further back. She landed on the ground next to her partner and watched as it shook itself and kept going.
"A Second Spin should take care of this thing quickly!" Sunday struck out at the monster as it came towards them.
"Are you crazy?" Night punched it at the same time. "Starry's stuck in there! That's probably dangerous!"
Sunday whipped her head back to look at the other girl while she fought. "If we can't do that, how are we supposed to - augh!" The Hidoinaa flew right into her and sent her flying into a tree, cracking the trunk. She dropped to the ground.
"Asa!" Night ran over to her partner. "Can you get up?"
Sunday forced herself to try to stand, clinging to the broken trunk. "What, no 'look what you did to the tree'?"
Night grabbed her under the arm and brought her to her feet. "That was the Hidoinaa's fault. Anyone could see that." She let go and kept a watch out in case the monster attacked again. "Even someone as single-minded as me."
"Night..." Sunday got back into a fighting stance and turned towards the Hidoinaa.
"Hidoinaaa!" It flew towards them again, rolling in the air.
"Help ~susu!" Starry rolled along with it, holding his head.
Night and Sunday stood back to back, heads turned to face the Hidoinaa, and struck out their palms just as Sunday had earlier. The Hidoinaa cried out and rolled further back down the path. Tachimany jumped out of its way and raised their eyebrows.
"Hidoinaa..." The Hidoinaa slowed to a stop as Pretty Cure were running after it. Just before it rolled back into place so that it was facing forward, the side where their combined attack had hit it showed, displaying a prominent crack.
"Did you see that?", Night asked.
"Absolutely," Sunday replied.
"Oh?" Tachimany shifted into the five teenage girls again. "What are you two on about now?"
Night ran up to the Hidoinaa and kicked it sideways, sending it spinning like a top. "You think you're so great just because we can't use the Second Spin now?"
Sunday dashed over to the other side and chopped it with her arm. It spun back towards her partner. "There are still some things we can do!"
Starry's eyes had turned to spirals as he floated around in the core of the orb Hidoinaa. "I'm getting dizzy ~susu..."
"Don't worry!" Night ran up to the Hidoinaa and punched it. "We'll get you out!"
Sunday ran up and hit the Hidoinaa at the same time that Night did. "Just wait a little longer!"
The orb monster started spinning in place from the impact on both sides. They looked at each other through it and nodded. Both leapt into the air above the Hidoinaa. They aimed landing kicks at its very top and came crashing down onto it.
"We're not giving up just because of that!"
The orb cracked. First a little, but the girls wouldn't let up. The cracks spread until they covered the entire orb. Finally, it shattered into transparent gold-coloured pieces. They burned up in blue fire just like they would with a Second Spin. Night and Sunday landed on their feet.
"Susu..." Starry stumbled dizzily on the ground. Night picked him up in her arms and patted him on the head.
"Interesting," Tachimany said, gathering together. "Too bad, but at least we've got something to say." They teleported out of the park.
Night sighed and hugged the little orange creature. "I'm sorry. Both of you. I knew what I should have done, but I was being too stubborn about it."
Sunday shook her head. "Hey, I was expecting too much without even asking you. It's not all your fault, you know."
Starry nodded. "Don't be sad, either of you ~susu. Everything's better now, right ~susu?"
"Yeah..." Sunday looked around for witnesses and detransformed. "I think so."
Night reluctantly detransformed as well. "Are you sure this is safe?"
"Yeah!" Asa smiled and put her phone back in its pouch. "Be more confident, Yoko."
"I'm confident enough-" Yoko froze. "What was that?"
Asa sweatdropped. "Well, you called me Asa a couple minutes ago, so I thought it was only fair."
"I did?" Oh. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Well... then it is."
The red-haired woman, now in a shaded room, sat down on a couch and sighed. "It was Tachimany this time."
The person sitting next to her turned his head. "Them again. I'm sure I can guess, but what were they after?"
"Moon Pieces, mostly." She leaned against him and sighed, playing with the pearlescent heart charm on her necklace. "What am I even doing? I should just leave things to Pretty Cure like I'm supposed to."
They stayed silent for a moment.