Updates are slower now because the only streaming I can find of the episodes buffers extremely slowly – like, 40 seconds of loading/buffering per two seconds of video…
This chapter starts out pretty cookie-cutter canon, but that will change…
PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Realm PC-8
The next day, the gang was still trying to figure out exactly what the Shining Make Dresser was supposed to do, and how to do it. Nothing they'd tried so far was working, so for lack of any other ideas they had resorted to using it as a regular makeup mirror for now. Blue, meanwhile, seemed conflicted, and it was hard not to understand why; the time drew near for them to confront Queen Mirage, who had once been his beloved partner Cure Mirage. Wanting to clear his head a little, he stepped into the Cross Mirror Room and then the Pikari Shrine, with Megumi following him.
Hime, Yuuko, Iona, and Kuro (and Ribbon & Glasan) spent the next while brainstorming but not really making any headway. Then, however, Kuro sensed a sudden flare of Darkness and Killing Intent from the edge of the city. Hurrying outside, the three Cures transformed, while Kuro 'Traced' Future Trunks' sword, giving her ki-based flight. As the quartet took to the skies and started searching, there was a pulse of Dark magic that raced out across the entire town, leaving everything darkened and dreary, the air becoming colder.
Soon, the girls reached an area where dust and cast-off magical energy filled the air. They arrived in time to see a new enemy stalking toward a downed Cure Lovely. Cure Princess rushed in with a diving kick, but the new girl casually grabbed her by the leg so hard she almost broke it, and slammed Cure Princess into the dirt. Fortune flew in, firing magic blasts that the new enemy just held her hand up and shielded against. Then Kuro fired a ki blast, and when the enemy was distracted she teleported in and swung her blade; the enemy leapt away, dodging the blade by less than half an inch.
"You're a new Phantom Empire agent?" Cure Princess got to her feet. "We'll make you pay for this! …Wait, why does she look like Lovely?"
"That energy signature…" Glasan spoke up. "That's Phantom! He's turned into some kinda dark clone of Cure Lovely!"
Cure Fortune charged, Cure Honey right behind her, the two of them trying a pincer assault. 'Un-Lovely' casually shrugged off the attempt, defending against their attacks and then blasting them with a Darkness wave so powerful it put them down for the count and almost knocked them out of their transformations. Kuro moved in next, weaving around Un-Lovely's attempt to blast her away and hitting the transformed enemy with a rising kick that rocketed her into the sky, taking off to give chase. Still brandishing a Trace of Trunks' sword, she swung it to release slicing waves of ki, only for Un-Lovely to form a blade of dark-red magical energy and swat them aside, moving in to engage the Tracer in an aerial duel.
'What I wouldn't give for a Keyblade or the Master Sword or something like that right now…' Kuro thought. Unfortunately, for some reason, despite being a Tracer and being connected to Illya, she had yet to ever successfully 'Fake' a Keyblade. 'Guess I'm just not pure enough…'
Un-Lovely fired a sizable flame blast, and Kuro met it with a Katon: Gōkakyū, the two attacks canceling each other out. The two came together in the air, clashing blades sending sparks and shockwaves through the air. Kuro teleported backward several meters and fired a Burning Attack, and Un-Lovely caught the blast and, for the first time, had to visibly exert a great deal of effort to shove it upward to detonate high in the clouds overhead.
The transformed Phantom growled, about to cut loose, when the four HC Cures flew back into the fray, led by a revitalized Lovely. Cures Princess and Fortune hemmed Un-Lovely in with magic blasts, and Kuro passed her sword to Cure Lovely as she charged in. Lovely channeled her 'Explosion Bomber' attack's fire through and over the blade, swinging it to crash against Un-Lovely's purple-fire barrier.
"Where is this strength coming from?!" Un-Lovely shouted. "How are you still going?!"
"Because as long as there is love in my heard," Cure Lovely replied, "the love from my family and friends spurring me on… I am invincible!"
Her strike finally broke through the enemy's barrier, the Traced sword disintegrating as its power was released. When the smoke faded, Phantom's transformation had been destroyed, reverting him to his basic state. Snarling with rage, he was engulfed in a blazing dark-red aura. In response, the four Cures came together, reaffirming their strength together… and a brilliant golden light shone out from between them.
The Shining Make Dresser appeared, and the Cure Quartet gathered around it as the Light grew. Phantom tried to charge in and intervene, drawing his sword, only for Kuro to bar his path with a freshly-Traced copy of his blade; looking even angrier at a 'Faker' daring to wield a copy of his sword, he pressed his assault, and Kuro went on the defensive, giving ground and leading him around. …By the time he noticed the light building to an apex, it was too late:
"PreCure: Happiness Big Bang!-!"
As Kuro got out of the way, Phantom turned and stared in shocked horror at the enormous heart-shaped wave of rainbow-colored magic racing out toward him. He had no time to evade or block, and was completely engulfed in the blast. The energy raced out, dispelling the shroud of darkness over the town. As soon as the light had faded enough to not be blinding in its intensity, Kuro looked and saw the four Cures shrouded in sparkling warm light, the bows on their outfits' lower backs larger and fancier-looking, big warm smiles on their faces. Feeling the lovely warmth in the light, Kuro couldn't help but smile as well.
"The power of the Shining Make Dresser…" she murmured. "It's prettier than I expected…"
-Break-
In the wake of the battle, the girls made a decision that Kuro questioned the wisdom of: taking the badly-wounded Phantom in, at least until he was able to leave under his own power. Well, it was mostly Yuuko's idea… Yuuko ended up doing what she could to aid Phantom once he'd regained consciousness, and made it clear that "guest's rights" meant he would come to no harm so long as he was here. He ended up leaving soon after, retreating through a Dark Mirror portal whilst the girls handled a sizable Saiaku by the river, though not before thanking Yuuko for taking care of him… and keeping in mind the warning Blue had given him: a fallen Keyblade Master had 'tamed' the Heartless, and was making plans that would put all Worlds in grave danger. Phantom felt he had to warn Queen Mirage not to even give this 'Xehanort' the time of day if he ever came calling…
Afterwards, Iona got a major shock when Kaido Yuuya, one of Seiji's friends, confessed his 'interest' in her. Poor Iona was left incredibly flustered, having no experience with romance, and the other Cures' cheerful excitement about it wasn't helping. She ended up 'agreeing' to a date with Yuuya at the zoo, with the others and Seiji along for support; Kuro, meanwhile, was busy for the day carrying out Blue's request to aid Western China's Pretty Girl duo against a stubborn foe.
Despite her nervousness, though, Iona did end up having fun with him… until Namekeruda made him into a Saiaku, and an unusually powerful one at that; the fancily-dressed man's bitterness over love gone wrong in his past had pushed him to put an unusual amount of effort into this one. The monster soon had Cures Lovely, Princess, and Honey down for the count, while Fortune was barely standing, as Namekeruda spoke of the fleeting nature and long-lasting suffering that love brought. But Cure Fortune refused to give up. She didn't really understand love yet, but she knew that Yuuya had become important to her, and she vowed to protect him and his feelings, no matter what!
And in response to Cure Fortune's heartfelt feelings, the Shining Make Dresser's power awakened. Fortune was enveloped in Light, her outfit gaining gleaming white with a glistening rainbow sheen as new power flowed within her: Innocent Form. With her new power, she was able to easily outmuscle and outmaneuver the Saiaku, trapping it with her new 'Emerald Illusion' technique, leaving it wide open for a Happiness Big Bang that cleansed it. Afterward, Iona told Yuuya that she still wasn't sure about her own feelings yet, and he told her to take all the time she needed to figure things out.
After that, Cure Lovely's attempts to awaken her own Innocent Form didn't go so well, but she did manage to protect an aspiring young rocket scientist's dreams, holding an extra-strength Saiaku and horde of Choiaku at bay long enough for help to arrive. Then, after some initial difficulties, Hime ended up finding ways to help the school get ready for the yearly culture festival, getting swept up in the joyful atmosphere of everyone helping each other.
Unfortunately, on the day of the festival, Namekeruda crashed the party, using the student-council present to make a powerful Saiaku. Cure Princess engaged it solo at first, managing to hold it off long enough for the others to arrive, but the Saiaku proved powerful enough to push Kuro & the Cures into a corner. Then, though, Princess' earnest desire to protect the festival that everyone had put so much hard work into awakened her Innocent Form; with it, she was able to easily overpower the Saiaku and use her new 'Windy Wink' to bind it in place so they could finish it off.
Then, the girls got roped into helping Yuuko deliver her family business' lunch to various people around the town, finishing with an extremely crabby old lady and her cockatoo who nonetheless always finished her delivered meals and even washed the used trays despite her complaints. Yuuko explained this as proof that she did enjoy the food, despite Hime's doubts. The next day, though, when they went on another delivery run, they arrived at the old lady's house right after she and her bird were turned into a Saiaku by Hosshiiwa, and with its sonic blasts and its speedy airborne agility it proved a tough opponent. However, Cure Honey espousing the virtues of how delicious food could spread happiness and help forge bonds between people allowed her to awaken her Innocent Form, using her new 'Honey Temptation' technique to hold the beast in place so they could purify it. Afterward, the old woman's cockatoo revealed its owner's loneliness and how she looked forward to Yuuko's visits, and Yuuko so invited her to eat at the restaurant.
A few days later came a big event: Megumi's birthday. What's more, Megumi's father had finally returned home from his overseas business, and her mother was on the mend. However, learning that her mother, whom she'd always wanted to help, could actually live normally and happily without her help so long as she had rest and meds, triggered a crisis of faith in Megumi; how much of her helping others was in fact unnecessary?
At the party, she confessed these worries to Seiji and then to Blue, and the latter was able to comfort her and give her some needed advice & encouragement. Unfortunately, the party's good mood was then spoiled by Oresky, who showed up indignant that his own birthday had been forgotten and ignored by the rest of the Phantom Empire, and was ready to take it out on Megumi's party. He proceeded to capture every guest at the party, including Megumi's parents, in order to create an extra-strength Saiaku.
As the monster beat Kuro & the Cures around, Oresky kept complaining about how nobody remembered his birthday and that he wouldn't allow someone else to celebrate theirs. Cure Lovely responded by offering to share her party with him, make it a b-day party for both of them, but Oresky accused her of trying to deceive and betray him, hinting that such a thing had happened to him in the past. He ranted about how helping others leads only to disappointment, never being appreciated, never truly making a difference, but Lovely replied that even if that outcome was a risk, she still wanted to keep on helping people, how her heart full of love guided her to help others in an effort to spread happiness.
And in response, her heartfelt emotions burst forth, and Cure Lovely finally awakened her Innocent Form. Using her new power, she effortlessly avoided the Saiaku's irregular attacks and froze it in place with Lovely Powerful Kiss, letting the quartet cleanse it and free the party guests. Afterward, Cure Lovely again made the offer to Oresky, who actually seemed to consider it for a moment before rebuffing her, claiming he wouldn't fall for such tricks 'anymore', and teleported out.
"So Oresky was apparently betrayed by people he trusted," Kuro observed, "and Namekeruda had a relationship that went really sour. I wonder if Hosshiiwa has any painful moments from her past that helped drive her to the Phantom Empire's service…"
-Break-
"PreCure: Happiness Big Bang!"
As the heart-shaped explosion of rainbow light reached out, the Saiaku didn't stand a chance, quickly being engulfed and purified. Oresky was enveloped by the energy as well, the light concentrating around him. His clothing lightened in color, as a blissful smile crept onto his face, the purification magic taking hold…
A mighty wave of Darkness shot forth, annihilating the Happiness Big Bang energy and freeing Oresky from its effects. As the burly man fell to his hands & knees, the new enemy made herself known, striding through the smoke. Long purple hair, a purple & black outfit, ragged butterfly wings, glowing red eyes… Seeing her, Cure Fortune went pale, trembling as her breaths came out in trembling squeaks.
"O… Onée-chan…?"
"…Son of a bitch…" Kuro growled out. "Queen Mirage can corrupt Pretty Cures now? And her power level's massive; no two ways about it, this is gonna be bad…"
"I am Cure Tender," the corrupted young woman spoke in monotone, "loyal servant of Queen Mirage."
"S-Servant of…" Cure Lovely murmured.
"That's right."
Behind the corrupted Tender, a massive red-lined mirror appeared, projecting the image of Queen Mirage seated on her plush throne.
"You girls have caused me no end of trouble. So, I decided to fight fire with fire. I went to where Phantom keeps all the Cures he has defeated, sought out the most powerful of them, and transformed her into my new knight, an instrument of my will."
"How… How dare you?!" Cure Fortune glared hatefully at the woman. "Give my sister back!-!"
"Ohoh? So you're Tender's baby sister, hm? …Tender. Kill Cure Fortune."
"Yes, milady…"
The corrupted Cure vanished in a burst of untraceable speed, appearing right in front of a shocked Cure Fortune, with a Dark magic blast charged and pressed against the girl's chest. Fortune didn't even have time to gasp before she was blasted away, her PreCure outfit's defensive properties barely saving her from having a hole blown through her. Dark Tender then rushed at Cures Lovely & Princess, unleashing a barrage of rapid, mighty strikes that they were hard-pressed to block against, pushing them back as she hammered at their guards. Just when she was about to launch a blow that probably would've broken Cure Princess' arm, Cure Honey's golden ribbon wrapped around her arm, holding her in place. In response, Dark Tender growled and yanked Honey down, slamming her into Lovely & Princess, and then blasted all three girls with a Darkness Blast. Kuro came in from the side, but Dark Tender dodged her blows and then hit her with a kick that launched her clear out of the park and into the side of a building.
"Onée-chan, stop this!" Cure Fortune shouted. "Maria! It's me, Iona! Your sister! Stop hurting my friends!"
"It's useless" Queen Mirage replied. "No matter how much you cry and scream, she can't hear anything but my orders."
As if to punctuate that statement, Dark Tender charged up a large amount of Darkness energy and fired it as a huge destructive beam right at Cure Fortune. Suddenly, Blue leapt into the path of the attack, casting a shimmering pale-blue Barrier. The mass of energy crashed against the shield, pushing at it, trying to break free.
"Mirage!" he shouted. "Stop this! This isn't right! This world… is still full of wonderful things, things we can't let be destroyed! I-"
"I already know what you're going to say: 'Everyone's happiness is my happiness; that is the wish and duty of the God of Earth'… I don't want to hear anything more from you. Tender!"
The attack grew in strength, and Blue's barrier began to fracture. Suddenly, Kuro leapt in, grabbed him with one hand and Fortune with the other, and then all three of them vanished in a scintillating red flash just as the barrier failed, the attack going on to carve a trench where they'd just been. The trio appeared several meters to the side, Blue stumbling a bit.
"I did it!" Kuro cheered. "I finally managed to bring someone else with me in a teleport!"
Her good mood quickly evaporated as Queen Mirage's image glared at her with glowing red eyes, an expression mirrored by Dark Tender. The latter's dark power flared, a flame-like purple aura around her. The Cures were back on their feet, but demoralized and injured.
'I… I don't know what to do…' Kuro thought. 'If all else fails, we might have to put her down, but… Her power level's so high, I don't know if I can even manage that. And… No, I can't do that; she's under the enemy's control, but the real Maria Hikawa has to be in there somewhere! But how do we reach her? I don't have enough power, enough Light, to protect my comrades, much less save Maria…'
Suddenly, the Shining Make Dresser appeared by Blue and Kuro. Its mirror glowed, and then Light shot out from it, gathering in front of Kuro and forming into a Card.
"A… A PreCard?" Cure Princess stared.
"…No" Cure Honey replied. "That's not a PreCard… It's a Servant Class Card!"
"…Kuro-chan! Use this!"
As the Class Card floated down into Kuro's hand, and she recognized the warrior's image on its face, she turned as Cure Fortune tossed her something: Cure Tender's old PreChange Mirror. Nodding, she slotted the card into the device, and it melded into her, enveloping her in Light.
"Install! Class Card: Saber!"
The Light burst, and wind blew out from Kuro as magical power flowed through and out from her. Her outfit had transformed, looking like an elegant blue & white dress with plates of gleaming silver armor. Then, she held her hands high, and a mass of Light formed and condensed, taking shape:
"Come forth! Divine Blade: Excalibur!-!"
The beautiful longsword – arcane fae runes carved into the blade, the handle gleaming gold & blue – glowed faintly with Light.
"What… is that?!" Queen Mirage looked genuinely shaken by what she was sensing.
"It's a Divine Construct," Blue replied, "created by the Earth of Kuro-chan's home Realm, pure Hope and Light forged into a weapon to cleave through evil, the Holy Sword of Queen Artoria. That, Mirage, is the Noble Phantasm 'Excalibur'!"
Excalibur's Light flowed over the four Cures, mending their wounds somewhat and bolstering their resolve. Cure Fortune activated her Innocent Form, and Lovely, Princess, & Honey followed suit. Then, Kuro charged. Dark Tender formed a shimmering silver & purple sword and raised it just in time to block the young Tracer's opening strike; as the clang of metal on metal rang out, a blast of wind raced out behind Tender, who strained from the sheer might of the strike.
Dark Tender took to the air, and in response Blue focused & directed his power, and a pair of glowing blue feathered wings of magic formed on Kuro's back, letting her fly up in pursuit. The duo flitted about, clashing in midair with blasts of magic and clanging metal, moving almost too fast to track. As Saber-form Kuro broke off, Innocent-form Princess & Fortune moved in, battering at Dark Tender's guard and dodging her blade's swings & thrusts. Dark Tender blasted Cure Princess away and was about to fire a shot at Cure Honey, but a slicing wave of Light from Kuro's blade hit her, stunning her long enough for Honey's clover-shaped blast of Light magic to strike home. Cure Fortune moved in close and grappled with Dark Tender, trying again to reach her.
"It's futile" Queen Mirage sneered.
"No, it's not!" Cure Lovely shouted. "Despite what you've come to believe, love and happiness are not illusions! Everyone has someone who's precious to them! Even you, right, Mirage?!"
At Cure Lovely's words, Dark Tender stopped her assault, a haunted look on her face, and then clutched at her head.
"She's fighting it…" Kuro realized. "Maria's still in there somewhere!"
Unfortunately, Queen Mirage took notice, and sent another 'pulse' of controlling Dark magic into Cure Tender. The corrupted Cure then fired a massive wave of Darkness bolts that pushed the five girls down to the ground, battering at their defenses. Then, she began charging up an enormous amount of Darkness power, glaring down at the stunned heroines. In response, Saber-form Kuro held Excalibur high and back, and Light-based magical power gathered around it, a hot wind swirling around the girl as her blade glowed increasingly brightly, golden light forming around and extending from it. The others could do nothing but watch in awe as the two enormous powers built up.
The two combatants fired, matching huge waves of Light and Darkness rushing toward each other. The attacks met in the middle, and the earth shook as they strained against each other, light and magic filling the air. Then, Dark Tender's attack began to give way, and was abruptly shattered and dispersed by the blast from Excalibur, her eyes widening as the mass of golden Light streaked upward toward her. The resulting explosion rattled windows and blew away clouds, the heroines forced to shield their eyes.
After several seconds, a lone figure unsteadily floated down, landing hard on her feet. Dark Tender was panting for breath and obviously in pain, her outfit torn in places; her dark butterfly wings disintegrated as soon as her feet touched ground. Seconds later, Kuro collapsed to her hands & knees, her Saber Install coming undone, the Class Card and borrowed PreChange Mirror landing beneath her.
"That's enough, Maria" Cure Fortune pleaded. "Please, just-"
Dark Tender snarled and fired a Darkness blast at Cure Fortune. However, Cure Lovely rushed in, crying out as she leapt into the path of the attack, shielding her comrade. Seeing this happen, Dark Tender gasped, eyes going wide and briefly flickering back to their normal, lavender color as memories replayed. Queen Mirage's influence took hold, and Dark Tender conjured her sword and flash-stepped forward, appearing right in front of Cure Fortune. She swung down…
…and the blade stopped a mere inch from hitting its target. Dark Tender's body trembled, and she groaned and held a hand to her head.
"Please, Onée-chan…" Fortune pleaded. "I know you're still there. No matter what Queen Mirage has done to you… I know you're still my beloved big sister. You always protected and looked out for me; you're still doing that even now. Please… Come back to me."
The red faded from Dark Tender's eyes, which then shed a tear. Then, however, she cried out as a black & purple aura enveloped her.
"G… Get back, Iona!" she cried. "I can't… control…!"
"No… No! I'm not losing you again! Maria!-!"
Suddenly, a shining white light took form in front of Cure Fortune, the light rejuvenating the three other Cures and even restoring some of Blue & Kuro's expended energies. The Shining Make Dresser had moved to where it was needed, shining brighter than ever.
"It has responded to the strength and purity of Iona's emotions…" Blue observed. "Girls, now's your chance!"
The four Innocent Form Pretty Cures gathered around the Shining Make Dresser, and Innocent Lovely drew an infinity symbol across the mirror, causing a red ribbon symbol to light up. Kuro and Blue watched & listened as the sacred power built and moved, guided by the quartet's voices. Finally, the Dresser emitted beams of pink, purple, yellow, and pale-blue, and the girls were enshrouded in their respective colors, shining like angels as they dove at their opponent:
"PreCure: Innocent Purification!-!"
The brilliant rainbow light shone out in all directions, engulfing everything. Blue took his chance to delve through the mirror portal to Queen Mirage's side, ready to confront her and tell her what he should have told her long ago. …Sadly, a mysterious, baleful red light would snatch her away before he could get through to her…
As the sacred Light faded, the girls gathered around the cleansed & freed Maria Hikawa, who soon stirred. The first thing she did was pull Iona into a hug, the younger girl bursting into tears and holding her sister like life depended on it.
"You've become so strong… Thank you, all of you…"
"I think this is yours, née-san" Kuro said with a grin as she staggered over, still a bit woozy from expending so much magical power, as she handed the borrowed PreChange Mirror back to its rightful owner. The Saber Card, meanwhile, had flown back through the Shining Make Dresser's mirror, returning to Illya.
"Are you okay, Kuro-chan?" Yuuko asked.
"I will be. My connection to the Grail will refill my magic reserves. It'll probably take a couple days, though; using Excalibur's power is really taxing…" She looked at the reunion going on. "Worth it, though."
-Break-
That evening, Maria was shown the magic 'footage' explaining the DDF, letting her know who Kuro was and represented, as well as seeing how things went for the HC Cures up til now; seeing how her little sister started out cold and angry and hateful toward Cure Princess, and then seeing her almost die at Kuro's hand, shook her deeply, but she could now see how their bonds had mended and strengthened.
The next day, Cure Tender managed to take down two Saiaku before the HC Cures could even arrive on the scene, deeply impressing Megumi, Hime, & Yuuko. However, she went quiet when it was suggested that she join the Happiness Charge team. When Megumi, Yuuko, and Iona & Maria were on their way home, Maria dropped the bombshell that tomorrow she would be heading over to the USA to be with her & Iona's parents and start helping other Pretty Cures who weren't doing so well in their fights against Phantom Empire forces.
Iona did not take this news well at all. After everything she'd been through to save Maria, her older sister was going to abandon her again? She ran home before anyone could stop her, and late that night she suddenly showed up in the family sparring room, challenging Maria to a match; if she won, Maria would stay. And despite how much Iona had grown in skill, it only took a few exchanges for Maria to win. She tried to talk with Iona after the fight, but the younger girl wasn't having any of it; she ran off, smacking Maria's hand away, and actually somehow conjured a star-shaped barrier despite being in civilian clothes that held just long enough to keep Maria from chasing after her as she fled the household, running to the Blue-Sky Embassy for the night.
'She's leaving me behind…' Iona thought as she drifted off into fitful sleep. 'I went through… so much to save onée-chan, but… she's abandoning me… again…'
As the girl fell asleep, a mysterious black-cloaked figure quietly opened her window from the outside…
-Break-
A Couple Days Later – U.S.A. – 9PM local
Cure Tender watched as another Saiaku vanished, the person it was created from being freed. She let out a sigh as she stood beneath the clouded night sky. In the end, her sister hadn't shown her face around her again before she left, not even to accompany her to the airport. A Saiaku had come out to 'play' while she was on her way out, and Kuro-chan had shown up to keep it at bay long enough for Cures Lovely, Princess, & Honey to arrive… but Cure Fortune didn't come. Thankfully, it had been low-level enough that a Twin Miracle Power Shoot was enough to cleanse it…
"So you're Cure Tender – Maria Hikawa…"
Cure Tender startled, turning to face where the sudden man's voice had come from, seeing only the barest hint of a figure hidden in some shadows nearby.
"Another of Queen Mirage's servants come to make trouble?" she took a stance.
"I am not affiliated with the Phantom Empire" the figure replied. "I serve a different master."
The figure strode out, lowering the hood of his black cloak. Cure Tender stiffened, eyes going wide with shock and a hint of fear, as she beheld the cold, calculating gaze of Saïx fixed upon her.
"W… What are you doing here, Seeker of Darkness?" she asked, glaring at the man.
"Keeping you occupied" the servant of Xehanort replied. "As we speak, Xigbar and Checker Monarch are finishing up a barrier around the city of Pikarogaoka and its surrounding areas. The barrier uses a drop of your blood, shed during one of your earlier battles, as an ingredient; it is meant to keep you out. It will not last forever, of course; a barrier of that scale will degrade and deteriorate, eventually coming undone on its own. But by then, it will be too late."
Cure Tender snarled, a lavender aura wavering around her. "What are you going to do to the girls?!"
"You are mistaken; we haven't targeted the 'Happiness Charge' Cures as a whole." Saïx began to slowly pace, ignoring how Cure Tender's face & body language were like an angry snake coiled to strike. "Your little sister has some… issues resulting from all that has happened between the two of you. In particular, your decision to leave Japan in those girls' hands, travel to another continent, and leave her behind, gave her feelings of loneliness, abandonment, and even betrayal and a hint of resentment. We detected that, and so…"
The blue-haired man smirked. "Master's Heartless crept into Iona's room as she slept, and planted a 'Seed of Darkness' into her Heart. It will feed off those emotions of hers, slowly amplifying and twisting her feelings toward you into betrayal, resentment, anger… hate. And one day, with the right trigger, it will all burst forth, and she will be engulfed in the Darkness, aiding in the bringing of ruin to this World. And when she falls fully and becomes a Heartless, her resultant Nobody will be a fine new vessel for Master Xehanort's essence."
Now, Cure Tender's face was in an expression of utter horror, as she comprehended the magnitude of what had been done to her baby sister. Out of desperation, she prepared to flee and try to find some way, any way to get back to Iona's side before the barrier was completed… only for Saïx to bar her path, and then stomp to summon a barrier around 70 meters across to entrap her in with him.
"You're not going anywhere just yet" he said, summoning his claymore. "As I said, I'm here to keep you occupied, keep you from interfering."
Cure Tender's expression changed to one of rage, and with a flash of pale-purple light she formed a sword of magical energy – Tender Star Saber. She charged, unleashing a rapid flurry of strikes, but Saïx somehow managed to move that big, unwieldy-looking weapon of his with enough grace and speed to block every one of her blows. Then, he made a single wide swing with so much force behind it that even blocking it sent Cure Tender skidding back several feet.
Saïx swung his blade a few times, each swing releasing a fast crescent-shaped slicing wave of energy. Cure Tender formed a star-shaped shield, and when she saw the first cutting wave near-completely gouge through it she leapt out of the way to dodge the rest instead of relying on her conjured defense. She fired a lavender-hued magic blast down at Saïx, who crossed his arms to block the hit, skidding back a couple meters, and then charged in to meet her as she landed, hitting her in the side with a heavy swing that sent her tumbling. He then leapt high to bring his weapon down on her from above, but she rolled out of the way and hit him with a rising kick to the jaw that sent him stumbling back, and then a quick-fired magic blast that knocked him over.
"Impressive…" he remarked with a slight groan as he sprang back up to his feet. "But how long can you keep it up?"
She responded by firing a star-shaped energy blast at him, but he leapt high to avoid it and then fired several Darkness-type Sagitta Magica down at her. Cure Tender batted them away with her sword and her hand, but then Saïx came back down and moved in with a knee to her gut, staggering her; even stunned, though, she managed to roll to the side to avoid his follow-up claymore strike, and blasted him with a close-range star-shaped dual eye-beam shot. Frowning, Saïx shifted his grip on his weapon and moved to engage her in another duel, enchanted weapon and mana-forged weapon clashing in the night.
As the fight rolled on for a few more minutes, it seemed the two were evenly matched; in fact, Cure Tender appeared to have the slight edge in this fight. However, as they broke off to stare each other down for a moment, the clouds overhead finally blew away, allowing the full moon's light to shine down on the battlefield. Saïx's impassive expression changed to a confident smirk, his body shimmering as he absorbed the natural magical energy in the moonlight.
Cure Tender remembered what Saïx could do, realized what was happening, just as the man's power flared, a raging aura springing up around him as he roared out. His eyes became a uniform glowing golden-yellow, his hair bushed out and became messier, and the X-shaped scar on his face became more pronounced and jagged. Finally, the tip of his claymore split into two large, identical halves, each with four massive, pale-blue bladed spikes of 'solid Moonlight'. Cure Tender took a step back, feeling instinctive fear at the sudden surge in his power level; compared to absorbing the light of the moon-like Lesser Kingdom Hearts, taking in the power of the actual Moon had boosted his power level significantly higher.
She fired another star-shaped magic blast at Saïx, who simply stood in place and let it crash into him, barely even budging. Then, with a roar, he rushed at her with frightening speed, effortlessly deflecting the optic blast she fired at him. He vanished from sight with a burst of speed, and before she could realize what was happening his kick to the side of her head sent her flying, bouncing along the pavement and slamming into the barrier. Groaning, Cure Tender got to her feet, and then frantically started moving to dodge and outrun a flurry of brightly-glowing, slicing waves of deadly magic being flung at her. Saïx leapt in, unleashing a damaging shockwave upon landing that blasted Tender back. Then, he flashed forward and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground as she struggled.
"All shall be lost to you…" he growled.
He dropped her, and as she fell he hit her in the gut with a rising uppercut that bent her over his fist and made a sound like a cannon firing. Then, he flung her into the air, only to catch her with his blade and then slam her into the ground so hard that it shattered the pavement for several meters around, creating a sizable crater. When the dust faded, Maria's transformation had come undone, leaving her lying there weakly groaning, trying to move.
The gleaming light lessened as Saïx released his enhanced state, and he began to walk away, undoing the barrier around the area. "My work here is done" he said. "That was more than enough time for the barrier to be erected. The next time you see your sister, she will belong to the Darkness. Treasure this World's Light while you still can, for soon it shall be blotted out."
As he vanished through a Corridor of Darkness, Maria lay there in the crater, defeat and worry and sorrow eating at her Heart. All she could do was hope and pray that Iona was strong enough to resist, that her friends might be able to become aware of what had happened and stop it before it was too late…
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: assault on the Phantom Empire…