Episode Eight: Fight, Seiryuu! The Bonds That Must be Protected

Mirai Academy was abuzz with activity that afternoon. A vast sea of elaborate white picnic tables and chairs decorated the academy grounds, and refreshment tables hung with white and gold rose-print tablecloths framed the area. A banner offering a warm welcome to the families of Mirai Academy's student body hung above the sea of tables, suspended between two trees, which had been decorated with white, gold, and silver ornamentation. Family Day was right around the corner.

The student body and faculty of Mirai had been hard at work getting everything for tomorrow. Everything in the main buildings and the dorms had been polished to a bright sheen, the work of the various school clubs was on full display for the parents, and a sign by the school gates proudly advertised Family Day.

Mirai's third-year junior high students were hard at work getting everything set up for the outdoor banquet tomorrow. Some students had helped place the tables and chairs, others made sure each table was decorated and set appropriately, and still more helped spruce up the surrounding fauna.

It felt strange to be on the other end of this, Hiroko mused as she placed a bouquet of artificial golden roses in the center of one of the picnic tables. Every time she and her parents had visited Chiaki, Hiroko had felt like an intruder in the beautiful, picture-book world a talented girl like her belonged to. Now Chiaki would be the one visiting Hiroko.

Chiaki, who seemed to effortlessly master everything she did, while Hiroko struggled.

Chiaki, who had just belonged to Mirai Academy from the moment she had transferred in.

Chiaki, who always seemed deeply unhappy and frustrated with her younger sibling.

Hiroko heaved a quiet sigh as she continued to set this latest table. It was stupid for her to dread Chiaki's visit. Hadn't she told Yasu herself? The voice in her head was a liar. She belonged to Mirai Academy too. Even if she had to try where Chiaki effortlessly succeeded. Even if she still had no goal, while Chiaki always seemed to have a clear picture of her own future. Even if…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tap on her shoulder.

"Hironyan? Are you okay?" Jun looked incredibly concerned. "You keep spacing out."

Hiroko managed a smile. "I'm alright, Jun. I just have a lot on my mind." It wasn't like she had an actual problem. She hadn't unjustly suffered like Yasu had a few days ago. She would be able to see her family tomorrow, unlike Jun. "It's going to feel strange, being the one being visited."

Izumi, who had been grabbing handfuls of petals from a basket she carried and scattering them all over a nearby refreshment table, looked up. "Oh, right - you mentioned something about a big sister once, didn't you?"

Hiroko nodded. "That's right. Chiaki is an alumnus of Mirai Academy… a very talented one." There had been a few faculty members here who had recognized her as 'Chiaki's little sister'. It shouldn't have set her teeth on edge as much as it did. "She's currently attending a university in Oxford."

Izumi let out a low whistle. "Damn, she must be really smart. I can't even hold a conversation in English." She returned to scattering petals before adding "It must be nice, though, having someone to look up to."

"Yeah!" Jun chirped as she busied herself with decorating another table. "I was an only child until Kichu came along, after all. I'm a little jealous, Hironyan." Kichu let out an offended squeak and she followed up with an apologetic "But being a big sister is really great too!"

Hiroko managed a smile she didn't really feel. "I'm really fortunate, having someone like Chiaki as a sister." She doubted that sounded as convincing as she would have liked. Before Izumi or Jun could say anything further, she quickly changed the subject. "Are you going to be alright tomorrow, Jun? I mean… I know you said your father couldn't make it."

Jun hesitated before replying. "It'll be a little lonely. But… I'll manage! Papa will be able to drop by sooner or later. And besides!" She launched herself towards Hiroko without warning and pulled her into a tight hug. "I have Hironyan and everyone else!" She happily snuggled up to her roommate, apparently completely oblivious to the multiple third-year students who were staring at her. "I won't be lonely at all!"

"That is true." Hiroko's face was on fire. Still, she made no attempts to fight Jun cuddling up to her. Frankly, her roommate's hugs really helped right now. "I hope you're able to enjoy yourself tomorrow, Jun."

Jun beamed as she let go of Hiroko. "I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun! I can't wait to meet Hironyan's family - and Izunyan's too!"

Izumi looked aside. "Yeah, my folks are uh. Not that friendly, Jun. Don't get your hopes up." She forced a smile. "But who knows. Maybe those cookies Hiroko helped me with will work their magic." She tipped a wink at Hiroko. "Shouldn't be shocked your sis is a genius. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Hiroko wasn't sure if her face could possibly burn any hotter. "Ah… thank you, Izumi. But I'm not remotely in Chiaki's league." And knowing Chiaki, her sister would remind her of this at every turn. She tried to push that out of her mind. Pettiness didn't suit her. "Regardless… I'm sure tomorrow will turn out well."

And she would not let her own selfishness ruin that, Hiroko told herself as she, Izumi, and Jun continued to help their fellow third years decorate. She would do what she did best - keep that shameful, jealous part of her where it belonged and focus on making sure everything went smoothly. She had to try.

That was right. She would keep her head up at Family Day tomorrow, no matter what Chiaki said. It wasn't as if her sister was ever wrong about much anyway.

King Kagemera seemed to be deep in thought when Seimono answered his summons, Kamryou right by his side as always. The Shade King hardly seemed to notice that the two had arrived, even as Seimono dutifully genuflected before him, Kamryou following suit right afterward.

Hinyu stood next to Kagemera, sporting an unreadable expression. At first glance, the majordomo seemed perfectly put together… but a closer look revealed that he was a bit paler than usual, a few strands of his hair were out of place, and the right shoulder of his blazer sported a few fresh gashes roughly the size of Kagemera's claws.

Clearly, Seimono mused, Kagemera had not taken the news about Pretty Cure powering up well in the slightest. He could not help but feel a small twinge of sympathy for Hinyu, awful as the majordomo was. He knew far too well what it was like to end up on the wrong end of the Shade King's temper.

The evidence of that was written plainly across his own chest.

Finally, Kagemera seemed to realize Seimono and Kamryou were present. "Ah. There you are. I've been waiting for you, Seimono."

"This one is honored to serve, as always, Your Majesty." Seimono responded dutifully.

Kagemera responded with a low, amused chuff. "So very dutiful as always. That's why I wanted you for this." A pause, then "Hinyu's first experiment may have been a dismal failure, but it also showed me something. We cannot merely harvest despair from the humans. We must cultivate it."

"You do me far too much credit, Your Grace." Hinyu seemed to be laying it on particularly thick as he spoke. Kagemera's latest tantrum must have been truly frightful. "How fortunate for those girls, to redeem themselves by-"

Kagemera fixed Hinyu with a death glare from the corner of one eye. The majordomo immediately fell silent.

"The humans value their attachments, do they not?" Kagemera's gaze pointedly lingered on Kamryou as he spoke. "What if those loved ones were to vanish? I wonder how they would react?"

Seimono felt Kamryou bristling next to him as his own heart sank. What Kagemera was asking from him was the direct opposite of the honorable combat he yearned for. This was low and cowardly work, more befitting someone like Tamakushi or Hinyu than himself. Part of him wanted to say as much.

But… ultimately Seimono was a low and cowardly man. Twenty-odd years of stoic loyalty, of dogged insistence on fair fights could not cancel out the single act of cowardice that had made him what he was. He had no right to put himself above these orders.

"They would be devastated." Seimono replied dutifully. "They deeply treasure their bonds." Humans, it seemed, loved as much and as deeply as spirits did. That he left unspoken. "That much is evident to this one."

Kagemera grinned. "Then you agree. This is the optimal way to advance our goals." He nodded to Hinyu. "I've had Hinyu prepare a gift for your mission. His underlings are good for one thing. I will give him credit for that."

Seimono dutifully rose to his feet, Kamryou following suit… moments before Hinyu tossed something in his direction. Seimono expertly caught it… and felt his heart sink further as he realized what it was. A multi-faceted crystal ball, the size of a small grapefruit, with an ethereal mist swirling within. The last time he had seen this, it had been-

"Thank you so much! I thought I had lost this for good!" Its owner, an elaborately dressed spirit in her early twenties with hair worn in neat teal blue ringlets, beamed as he handed the crystal ball back to her. "You have no idea how important this is to me."

He just smiled and shook his head. "I simply did my duty, Princess. There's no need to thank me."

Hinyu smiled. "Use it well, my friend."

Seimono did not miss the taunt in Hinyu's words. And neither did Kamryou. In the blink of an eye, his partner lunged towards Hinuyu, eyes blazing as they spat an indignant "How dare you mock Seimono-sama-"

-only for Seimono to catch Kamryou by the shoulder and shake his head. Kamryou made no attempt to fight Seimono, but he could still feel them trembling all over with barely-restrained fury. For a moment, Hinyu looked disappointed that Kamryou had not been able to go for him. Seimono pretended he had not seen this.

"This one shall carry out your orders to the letter." Seimono kept his eyes firmly on Kagemera as he spoke. "This will never change."

"I expected no other answer, Seimono." Kagemera could not have sounded more pleased as he spoke. "You would not stand here otherwise."

Seimono was grimly silent as he and Kamryou departed the audience chamber together. Kamryou insisted on carrying the crystal ball. Seimono shouldn't have had to so much as look at things that displeased him.

Once the pair had put a sufficient amount of distance between themselves and the audience chamber. Seimono paused in his tracks before letting out a low, broken-sounding sigh.

"I'm so sorry, Kamryou." He did not look at his partner as he spoke.

Kamryou flew to Seimono's side. "Why are you apologizing, Seimono-sama?" They looked up at him in confusion. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Seimono shook his head sadly. "I am a terribly selfish man. I knew what my lot in life was when I met you." He smiled sadly as he glanced down at Kamryou. "You shouldn't have to deal with such rotten work."

Kamryou responded by cuddling up closer to Seimono. "It isn't rotten, Seimono-sama. Not to me. Not if you're there." They smiled warmly. "That will not change. Ever."

Seimono felt his heart sink once more. There it was again. That certainty. Nothing he said seemed to extinguish it. Another cruelty he had inflicted on Kamryou, perhaps.

He would not say anything about that. Not this time. Because he was a terribly selfish man. Because he had no business troubling them further. Instead, he left it at

"I am truly fortunate to have a partner like you, Kamryou."

He should have never let Kamryou fall for someone like himself, and he should have never allowed himself to fall for Kamryou. His life would be much emptier without Kamryou in it, and he was certain the same held true for them. In his heart, Seimono felt both things to be equally true. The bonds between people were a complicated thing indeed.

Family Day was always a major occasion in Mirai Academy, and this year was no exception. The school grounds were already alive with activity, even at this relatively early hour, and Mirai's faculty had made sure that nobody visiting would be bored.

Indeed, Mirai's Family Day offered a little something for everyone, from the outdoor banquet that offered a vast selection of refreshments to enjoy, to the numerous special exhibits the clubs of Mirai Academy had set up within their respective club rooms. Even the children had something to enjoy - the face-painting booth Hiroko had loved so much as a kid was back up, along with a few arts and crafts tables and even a huge inflatable bounce castle, complete with an immense slide.

Hiroko was still a bundle of nerves, but she couldn't help but smile fondly as she walked around, taking in the sights of the families around her. It was good to see everyone so happy and having so much fun, and the butterflies in her stomach did little to change that.

Yamato Nishimura was happily laughing and chatting it up with a few other fathers by the punchbowl, while a quietly mortified Emi looked on, Misty was excitedly showing her parents around the school grounds - Hiroko didn't understand English well, but she sounded really excited. Shinobu and an equally stylish-looking high school boy were engaged in conversation with a black-haired woman in a suit and tie.

The black-haired woman suddenly looked up from her conversation with what appeared to be her siblings and locked eyes with Hiroko. Something about her gaze was disconcertingly familiar. It made her think of-

"Don't mistake my intentions. I'm not teaming up with three children who haven't even fully awakened."

If she was right, if Cure Suzaku was here on campus... Hiroko drew closer without thinking. Part of her knew she had no right to trouble her senior Cure in such a fashion, especially when Suzaku had made her thoughts on the group quite clear, but another part of her-

-found her resolve crumbling as the black-haired woman tore her gaze away from Hiroko and headed elsewhere, moments before a familiar voice reached Hiroko's ears.

"Are you still waiting for your family?"

Hiroko turned to find Yasu standing near her. Her upperclassman was clearly not at all comfortable being out and about in a crowd of this size, but she seemed slightly more at ease than she usually did.

"It'll probably be a while." Hiroko said. "Mom and Dad have to pick Chiaki up from the airport, and I'm sure her flight took a while." A pause, then "How about you, Yasu? Are you doing alright?"

Yasu nodded. "Mother is always busy on Family Day. I respect that - it requires a lot of attention on her end." she said. "I'm not lonely. Or... if things get too overwhelming, I have someone I can go to." She smiled knowingly at Hiroko.

Hiroko gently took Yasu's hand, her fingers gingerly intertwining with her upperclassman's. "Of course. I'd never go back on my promise." Her face felt hot again. She would not focus on why that was. Not now. "How's Haruki-san doing?"

Yasu just silently gestured towards a group of youths a distance away, in an open patch on the school grounds. It looked like a few of the visiting children had pulled Haruki and Jun into an impromptu game of kickball, and both teens appeared to be having the time of their life. Before either Cure could comment on this, Naomi Hikawa hurried towards them.

"Oh, Fukuda-san! I need-" Her eyes lingered on Yasu and Hiroko's intertwined fingers. "Oh my, I hope I'm not interrupting anything! It's just - there's an issue with the-"

"Sign-in sheets, right? Understood." Yasu replied without missing a beat. Her eyes briefly flitted towards Hiroko, who nodded. Yasu reluctantly let go of Hiroko's hand with a soft "I'll see you later" before following Naomi.

Hiroko watched Yasu and Naomi depart together, an unknowable feeling stirring in her chest before she finally gathered herself and went back to looking around. The black-haired woman... was being led away by a visibly unimpressed Marina. Hiroko bit her lip. She still remembered how tense and upset Marina had become once she and Jun had told her about Suzaku. That confirmed it, didn't it?

She had no business bothering her senior Cures, as much as part of her still wanted to. And hanging with her teammates wasn't an option right now. Jun was playing with Haruki and the others, Yasu was busy helping Naomi, and Izumi... Hiroko had not seen Izumi since Umi Hamasaki had shown up alone to the Family Day Celebration, making a big stink about her husband wanting to sleep in instead of visiting his daughter.

Something about the way Umi had spoken about Izumi's father made Hiroko's heart sink, and the dismissive way Umi had tossed the cookies Izumi had proudly presented her with in her purse, without even giving them a second glance made her blood boil. But Izumi had not seemed bothered at all. Or rather, she had tried not to seem bothered.

"Don't sweat it, Hiroko." Izumi had assured Hiroko, moments before Umi called her over. "Mom's just a little stressed." She tipped her fellow Cure a wink and a peace sign, both of which seemed a bit forced. "I've got it covered!"

There had been an unspoken 'I'm responsible for this' in Izumi's words. Hiroko did not like it at all. It wasn't right to pry into anyone's personal affairs, but that, combined with some of the things Izumi had mentioned around the time of the Cake-Off was enough to make her wonder if-

-and suddenly, a small child collided into Hiroko, forcing her to flail to keep from falling over. The child in question, a four-year-old boy with green eyes and forest green hair the same shade as Kou's barely seemed to notice.

"'scuse me!" he chirped before attempting to run off.

A slightly older girl with hair pulled into short, dark green pigtails ran after the boy, grabbing him by the arm. "Hey! Takeru! What do you say to her?"

"I said ''scuse me', Mayu!" Takeru shot back.

"It's fine, really." Hiroko, who had steadied herself, smiled warmly at the two children. "I know what Takeru-chan meant. No hard feelings here."

"No, it's not fine!" Mayu did not let go of her brother. "You're supposed to say 'sorry' when you run into people, Takeru! Not ''scuse me!' You're being bad!"

Takeru's eyes began to water… before he burst into tears and began to wail at the top of his lungs. Mayu looked horrified that she made her little brother cry… and burst into tears of her own.

Hiroko just knelt down in front of the two small children. "Takeru-chan, Mayu-chan... it's okay." She gently patted both children on the head in turn as she spoke. Chiaki did it like this, right? "There's no need for tears. It's going to be just fine."

Both Takeru and Mayu seemed to calm down a bit... and then they seemed to notice someone behind Hiroko. Both children hurried towards Kou Ishii, who scooped Takeru up in his arms, as Mayu clung to his leg.

"Hey, it's alright. Big bro's gotcha." Kou told Takeru and Mayu before glancing toward Hiroko, who had stood back up. "Do you have kid siblings too, Tsubasa? You handled that like a pro."

Hiroko shook her head. "I'm the youngest in my family. I just know how much my big sister hated it when she made me cry… even if I'd done something to make her upset." she said. "I'm sure Mayu-chan must feel the same way."

Kou blinked a few times. "Man, I get it, but it's hard to see how making anyone upset, Tsubasa." he said. "You're so good at like. Never rocking the boat." Before Hiroko could get a word in edgewise, he looked down at Takeru and Mayu "C'mon, guys - I saw some dorayaki with your names on it!"

Hiroko watched the Ishii siblings leave in the direction of one of the banquet tables, feeling something stir uncomfortably within her. Of course she'd become good at 'never rocking the boat'. She had to with someone like Chiaki as a sister. She...

...heard someone laughing softly behind her.

"You haven't changed at all, Hiroko."

Hiroko's breath caught. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. And sure enough, there she was - Chiaki Tsusbasa, leaning up against a nearby tree. She was a bit taller than Hiroko, with long and flowing brown-black hair and sharply intelligent dark brown eyes framed by wire-frame spectacles. She wore a white long-sleeved jacket over a floral-print dark blue dress.

"Chiaki!" Without thinking, Hiroko moved in for a hug. Chiaki stepped forward and obliged with a short one. Once the Tsubasa siblings parted from the hug, she added "How long have you been here?"

Chiaki smiled wryly. "Long enough." She took a moment to look Hiroko over. "You should carry yourself more proudly, Hiroko. You are a Mirai student." Before Hiroko could manage a response, she added "Mom and Dad are touring the building right now. Let's head over - I want to do some catching up."

And Chiaki took off in the direction of the classroom building. Hiroko opened her mouth to protest… but nothing would come out. She sighed before quietly trailing off after her sister.

You haven't changed either, Chiaki.

Susumu Himura really needed some time away from this party. It was nothing against anyone here - Family Days at Mirai just got very loud, busy, and animated very quickly, and Susumu could only do loud, busy, and animated for so long before he had to step away from the crowd and recharge his mental batteries.

(Frankly, he needed some time to reflect on why Yurika was so… off lately too. She'd never been a particularly energetic or social person, not since she'd quit the idol business in favor of an auto mechanic career, of all things, but he'd never seen his older sister look as well, wilted, as she had lately.

Shinobu had noticed it too, and Susumu knew it'd been eating at his younger sibling like acid. But they understood the same thing Susumu did - Yurika had always been stubbornly insistent on keeping certain things to herself. Even if it was clearly wearing on her. Even if the people trying to reach out to her were family.)

Luckily, the duck pond on the school grounds was pretty much vacant, unless you were a duck. Perfect mental battery-recharging grounds. Shame he hadn't brought anything to feed them. They deserved some-

-wait, was he seeing what he thought he was seeing?

There was a strange, shimmering distortion ahead of Susumu, just over the duck pond. He blinked several times. It did not go away. If anything, it seemed to grow more intense. Alright, so he definitely was seeing this, then. Whatever this was. He stepped forward, scrutinizing the distortion more closely.

"What in the hell is-"

And before he could finish that sentence, Susumu Himura suddenly vanished in a burst of light.

He was not the only one who disappeared. Or would disappear. Several other vanishings took place across Mirai at that same moment. A child who had wandered away from her parents during a tour of the classroom building. An aunt who had left to pick up something from her car. A teenager who had been dragged into watching their younger siblings play in the bounce castle.

Each one suddenly vanished, leaving no trace behind. Their absences would be missed soon, and sorely. And as the vanishings mounted, the despair would multiply, until a Nikuina capable of effortlessly crushing Pretty Cure and shredding the barrier was born. All according to plan.

Kamryou looked down upon the celebration unfolding before them (family... now there was a concept that meant very little to them) from their vantage point on the roof of the classroom building, their face set in a grim expression as they waited for the humans to finally catch onto what was happening.

This business did not please Seimono, which meant it was wrong. But it pleased King Kagemera. And if doing what that despicable man wanted kept their partner alive, Kamryou would swallow all objections they had to his orders. Besides, if they dirtied their hands, Seimono wouldn't have to.

"If it's for Seimono-sama's sake, I can do it. I can do anything."

That was what it meant to be in love, right?

Sakura and Junpei Tsubasa were busy looking around the Music Club's room when Chiaki and Hiroko finally caught up with them. Hiroko had about five seconds to process the fact that her parents were across from her before Junpei, a bespectacled man with brown-black hair and graying temples, suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.

"Hiroko-chan! There you are!" Junpei stepped back, beaming proudly. "How has my little girl been doing?"

Hiroko smiled warmly. "I've been doing well, Papa." She wouldn't think too hard about why his greeting had bothered her. Chiaki was his big girl, Hiroko was his little girl. It had always been that way. "I hope the trip over here went alright."

"It's been smooth sailing all around!" Junpei said. "Chiaki-chan's flight was right on the dot, and the traffic getting over here… well, getting to see my girls made it worth it!"

"I can't believe we have two Mirai students in the family now." said Sakura, a woman with mouse-brown hair worn in a long side plait. "I hope you've been making us proud, Hiroko."

Chiaki, meanwhile, seemed more preoccupied with checking out the Music Club's equipment. Said club, much like the rest of Mirai, had invested in the best amenities money could buy, from high-end instruments to top-quality sound pads, to the point where it looked more like a professional recording studio than a club room for teenagers. Chiaki seemed downright enraptured by all of it.

"Wow, they've really upgraded things since I graduated!" Chiaki's eyes were sparkling as she spoke. "I'm jealous - this is several cuts above what Oxford has."

Sakura laughed softly. "Now, now, Chiaki, I'm sure Oxford couldn't be that far behind." Sakura said. "I heard their music program was treating you very well."

"Oh, they've been very good to me! But you know how it is. Mirai Academy kind of spoils you for everything else." Chiaki shot Hiroko a grin. "You'll understand too someday, Hiroko." Then, before Hiroko could get in a response "I wonder if Ando-sensei is around here. We have a ton to catch up on!" She hurried Sakura and Junpei off. "You know, she actually emailed me the other day-"

Hiroko tried to maintain a smile she did not feel as Chiaki and her parents left for another club room. She trailed behind, listening to Chiaki talk Sakura and Junpei's ear off about her days as a Mirai student and how they tied into her plans for the future - and Chiaki had so many plans. Every now and then, Chiaki's rambling would hit a lull. It was a perfect opportunity for Hiroko to jump in. She made no attempt at doing so.

Even now, the mere thought of doing so felt wrong. After all, even now, she had so little to offer compared to Chiaki. It wouldn't be fair to get in her sister's way. Not when Chiaki was so brilliant.

"I heard your sister made the first chair in our school orchestra! Isn't she amazing?"

"Wow, Chiaki-chan's a natural at tennis! I bet she'll be a superstar athlete someday!"

"Look at that! First prize in the art contest! As expected from our Chiaki!"

At some point during their tour, Hiroko had begun to fall behind Chiaki and her parents. They didn't seem to notice. That was alright. Even as a Mirai student, Hiroko could never shine as brightly as Chiaki did. She had resigned herself to that long ago.

"It's okay, Papa! I was never very good at the viola anyway."

"I'm sorry… I'm just not much of an athlete. That's more Chiaki's thing."

"Oh no, these are just scribblings. My sister's the real artist."

Chiaki shined and dreamed and excelled, Hiroko stepped back and made sure her sister had the spotlight. That was how it had been for years. If Marina had not coaxed her into going to Mirai Academy, Hiroko would have never taken initiative for once.

Hiroko sighed. "And now you're backsliding. Be better, Hiroko."

The atmosphere in the crowded corridors of this wing of Mirai was subtly different, Hiroko noted as she attempted to figure out where Chiaki had dragged their parents off to now. There was no wrongness in the air, but the people around her seemed strangely disquieted, and the snatches of conversation that made it to her ears seemed to revolve around-

-someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. Hiroko jumped a bit before whirling around to find a slightly frazzled-looking Masami Kurono.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" Masami sounded a little hoarse, and he was even paler than normal. "Anyway... have you seen Sakae anywhere? We were investigating together, and suddenly!" He clapped his hands. "Bam. She's gone too!"

Hiroko shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've-" She frowned a bit. "Investigating? Did something happen, Kurono-san?"

Masami drew in a sharp breath. "Oh yeah. Something's happening alright. You're Fukuda-san's friend, right? Tell her to be careful - five people have already been spirited off!"

Before Hiroko could ask what Masami meant by that, Chiaki suddenly swooped in and pulled her aside, leaving the occult club president to go hit another student up for leads on Sakae's whereabouts.

"Hiroko. Don't just run off like that." Chiaki sounded decidedly unamused. "It sounds like everyone here is losing track of people." She grimaced. "Or I hope they're just losing track of them."

Somehow, Hiroko didn't think it was that simple. She would keep that to herself. "I'm sorry to make you worry, Chiaki. I won't do that again."

Chiaki made a soft noise of approval... before charging off, forcing Hiroko to follow her into the Drama Club's room - a state-of-the art lounge decorated with posters, props, and shelves full of scripts, which led into a small black box theater. In a matter of moments, Chiaki was flitting around the room, talking their parents' ears off about her time among the theater kids of Mirai and happily greeting some of the current Drama Club members. Some part of Hiroko wondered whether she needed to be there at all... especially when it sounded like other things required her attention.

Still... it would be rude to run off completely unprompted. Especially when she hadn't seen her family in a while. Hiroko sighed and quietly resigned herself to browsing the posters that the Drama Club members had displayed. She recognized some of Yasu's artwork on some of these - her fellow Cure really was a master at capturing that soft, flowery style Hiroko associated with older shoujo manga.

It took a moment for Hiroko to realize that Sakura was standing beside her. "What lovely posters!" She glanced towards the signature on the corner of one. "Fukuda-san is a very talented person!"

Hiroko nodded. "Yasu is..." She felt a bit of heat rise to her face as she mentally flailed about for the right words. 'A good friend' didn't feel like it was enough. "...very important to me. I'm so lucky to know her."

"It's good to hear you say that - I know how sad you were about leaving your old friends behind." Sakura said. "What about that goal of yours, Hiroko-chan? Have you found it yet? I know Mirai's Music Club helped Chiaki-chan finally settle on one."

Hiroko felt her heart sink. "Oh no... I haven't really found one yet. Sorry." Admitting to that with Chiaki in the room felt terrible. "I'm just passing time with Home Ec Club right now. I'm decent enough at cooking, so I figured it would suit me."

"You're 'just passing time' with the Home Ec Club, Hiroko?" Hiroko turned to find a decidedly unimpressed Chiaki standing behind her. "Mirai students shouldn't be that passive. Or that unambitious. Be better, Hiroko. That is why you're here, right?"

"Now, you know how Hiroko-chan is." Sakura said. "She's just a very humble person."

Hiroko nervously forced a smile. "Of course, Mama."

Chiaki turned away. "You aren't going to make it far here if you keep acting like that, Hiroko."

Before Hiroko could manage a response, Chiaki appeared to notice a teacher she recognized and hurried off to greet her… moments before a wave of worried conversation began to travel through the room. Talk of people vanishing without a trace, calls inexplicably going unanswered, disappearances that should not have been possible-

-and moments afterward, Hiroko's cell phone lit up with texts from Izumi and Yasu. Both had been hearing similar rumors. Both were no less worried than Hiroko now was.

At least she knew how to handle this particular anxiety source. Hopefully.

Family Day had started off wonderfully for Jun. Sure, she was still a little sad about Sol not being present and a bit worried about how anxious Hiroko clearly was, even as the pair had prepared for the day ahead of them that morning. But it was difficult to be too glum in the face of all the fun stuff to do, all the high-spirited families around her, and all the delicious food... which Kichu, thankfully, had restrained himself around.

And of course, there was Haruki, who had been instantly sympathetic when Jun mentioned her father not being able to attend.

"Mom's never able to spend time with us on Family Day either." Haruki had told her. "It never seems to bother Sis much, but..." He sighed, glancing up at the clouds. "It does get a little lonely sometimes."

"Yeah... I miss Papa a lot too." Jun said. "But even if he wasn't busy, he can't visit me. Not yet." She did not elaborate. With what Haruki knew about her nature, she didn't feel the need to elaborate. "But... it'll be okay. I have my friends. And!" Jun suddenly grabbed Haruki by the hand. "That includes you, Harunyan! Let's go to something fun!"

Haruki had been visibly taken aback... but more than fine with Jun dragging him around the school grounds in search of things to do. And that was now the pair had ended up being roped into a game of kickball by a group of restless children. Or rather, Jun had volunteered, and Haruki had jumped in right after her.

Jun turned out to be a natural at kickball, once the rules were explained to. Sure, her insistence on keeping her "toy mouse" on her shoulder raised some eyebrows, but there was no denying that the blue-haired girl's speed and skill was something else.

But soon, Jun had found herself having to sit the kickball game out, taking shelter in the shade of a nearby tree. Part of it was a simple need to rest, lest she lose her grip on her human form in front of everyone. (Thank goodness for Haruki, who had brought juice and cookies for her while she rested.) And part of it was... well...

...the Shade Kingdom was up to something. Kichu had noticed the change in the air mid-game and had only grown more agitated since.

And then her phone started going off with texts from Pretty Cure, starting with Hiroko.

keep hearing about ppl disappearing. have you + kichu noticed anything? v worried

Izumi and Yasu were hearing similar things, from the sound of it. Jun's lips pressed into a grim line as she leapt to her feet and moved to leave. There was no way she could leave something like this alone!

The moment Haruki noticed Jun getting ready to run off, he abandoned the kickball game and hurried after her.

"Inoue-san! Is-" His question died in his throat as he noticed how rattled Kichu looked and how obviously concerned Jun was. "Is it that red-haired man again? Or the faceless lady?"

Jun nodded. "One of them, yeah." She shot a concerned glance at the kids, who had picked their game back up. "Don't worry about me - I'll have more backup this time."

And by backup she meant 'Pretty Cure' - but Jun wasn't ready to say that quite yet. Even if she was sure he had pieced it together himself by now. Haruki was a smart boy, after all.

Haruki looked a little uncertain, but he made no attempt to stop Jun. "I get it, Inoue-san. Just... be careful, okay?"

"It won't be like before, I promise! And..." Jun beamed at Haruki. "I know you'll be waiting for me! So have faith, Sir Knight!"

And Jun moved to leave... right as one of the kids sent the kickball flying into a nearby cluster of trees.

"Don't worry! I've got it!" Haruki offered a hasty bow to Jun before he scrambled in the direction of the ball...

And then Kichu began to squeak up a storm, right as that feeling of wrongness settled into the air, sending a jolt down Jun's back.

Without thinking, Jun bolted in Haruki's direction, fast as her legs could carry her.

She arrived at the cluster of trees. She saw Haruki retrieving the kickball, then pausing, transfixed by something in front of him. She saw a strange, shimmering distortion in the air. And then-

-Haruki suddenly vanished in a burst of light, leaving the kickball to hit the ground and roll towards her feet.

Jun's eyes widened in horror. "Harunyan!"

She wasted no time in tearing towards the school grounds. She and Pretty Cure had to get to the bottom of this, and quickly!

With each moment, the tension in the air around the Tsubasa family grew stronger and stronger, as the worried conversation around them grew louder, and the surrounding crowd steadily thinned. For a moment, most of the Tsubasa family had seemed willing to at least downplay it, even as Hiroko searched for an opening to sneak off.

"It can't actually be that big, can it?" Chiaki had wondered aloud, even as another Mirai student had hurried past, calling out desperately for a friend of hers. "Nothing bad ever happens at Mirai Academy."

Chiaki had clearly been trying to convince herself of that. Hiroko had not missed the slight strain that had crept into her sister's voice or the color that had drained from her face.

And then Junpei Tsubasa had rounded the corner ahead, muttering something about needing to find a water fountain... just as a chill ran down the back of Hiroko's neck and that feeling of wrongness crept into the air.

Hiroko immediately bolted in her father's direction. She rounded the corner to find-

"That's not right!" Chiaki had chased right after Hiroko, with Sakura coming up behind her. Both Tsubasa women joined Hiroko in staring at the empty corridor yawning before them. "He just went that way!"

"Dear?" Sakura called. "Are you there?"

Silence.

Hiroko felt her heart begin to pound harder and harder in her chest. As Chiaki and Sakura struggled to make sense of what had just happened, she retreated a few steps. She had to find her fellow Cures. She had to do something, and now. She-

-narrowly avoided a collision with Yasu. Her fellow Cure was hyperventilating slightly and swaying on her feet, and all the color had drained from her face. Hiroko immediately reached out and steadied her, allowing Yasu to catch her breath.

"Hiroko... Haruki... H-Haruki is-" Yasu was clearly on the edge of tears. She made no attempt to hide it. "Jun saw him- he... he's gone -!"

"I'm sorry." Hiroko tried to keep her voice as level as she could as she gave Yasu's hand a squeeze. "We'll get him back. We'll get everyone back, Yasu. We have to try."

Yasu gave a tearful nod of acknowledgement in response. She took another moment to gather herself before she and Hiroko moved to leave, still hand in hand. Chiaki immediately started after them.

"Hiroko! What did I tell you?! Don't just run off like-!"

Hiroko smiled apologetically at her mother and sister. "Mama... Chiaki... please don't worry. I'll be back soon, I promise."

And Hiroko and Yasu took off before Chiaki or Sakura had a chance to get another word in edgewise. Both women stared after the pair, visibly stunned. Chiaki looked especially shocked.

"Hiroko... what is with you?"

Mirai Academy's Family Day was quickly going sideways. What had been intended as a day of fun, relaxation, and bonding for the student body of Mirai and their loved ones had quickly become a day of panic and heartbreak.

At this point, the disappearances around campus had become far too widespread to ignore. Parents panicked over lost children, children broke down and cried out for parents who had vanished off the face of the earth, and people searched desperately for partners and friends who could no longer answer them.

Seimono and Kamryou, both in human guise, watched the chaos unfolding around them on the school grounds. The mass panic gripping the Family Day celebrations kept most people from even noticing the strange couple currently idling by the inflatable castle. Not that Seimono seemed in much of a mood to celebrate this.

Kamryou was no stranger to Seimono being in a low mood. But they had never seen their partner look this miserable before. They stared up at him with concern.

"This work is way too rotten for Seimono-sama, isn't it?" they asked quietly.

Seimono stared ahead, his eyes hollow. "My feelings on the matter are not relevant." Then, more to himself than to Kamryou. "Forgive me. I should never have let him use that. Especially not like this."

Kamryou opened their mouth, ready to ask Seimono another question... before they thought better of it. There was no point. Not when they could hear Seimono's heart breaking from over here.

"If it displeases Seimono-sama, it shouldn't exist. I'll take the blame."

And before Seimono could stop them, Kamryou darted off. He wasted no time in hurrying off after them. There was no way he could let his partner open themselves up to Kagemera's wrath. He would sooner die than let that happen.

He narrowly missed Yurika Himura, whose eyes narrowed as she noticed the very tall man hurrying past her.

"Don't you realize how selfish you're being?" Marina had been visibly burning with fury as she pulled Yurika aside. "Your body can't handle that power anymore, Yurika. And by denying them the power of Cure Suzaku-"

Yurika had pulled away. "Don't lecture me about selfishness, Marina." She shot her former teammate a cold glare. "I'm not like you. I refuse to let children fight my battles."

"We were children too, Yurika. It wasn't our fault that-"

"That doesn't make it right!" Yurika turned away from Marina. "I'm going to finish what we started. Even if it kills me. I'm not a coward like you are."

Yurika's grip tightened on the Puricell in her suit jacket pocket. She knew Seimono was still active, but she hadn't thought he'd be the one behind something like this. Not that the how and why was important. She had accepted the destiny of a soldier back then, and she would see it through. That was all that mattered.

Izumi had considered Family Day a disaster long before the disappearances had started up. It was supposed to go well. She was supposed to impress her parents with how well she was doing as a Mirai student and a gymnast, wow them with her new cooking skills, and mend their hearts with the cookies she had made, just as Hiroko had helped connect the team's feelings with her cake.

Instead, Umi Hamasaki had been more interested in complaining about her husband than asking about Izumi's school life, Riku Hamasaki had shown up late, prompting another argument over who cared about Izumi more, and the cookies that Izumi had poured so much love, so many of her feelings into…

...had ended up crushed in her mother's purse and unceremoniously tossed away by Umi… prompting her father to swoop in and tell Umi off for hurting their daughter's feelings. Not that he had asked Izumi how she felt about doing that. Neither of them ever asked or cared how she felt.

God, she was so stupid for thinking this would turn out any other way. That she wouldn't just make this worse. As usual.

By the time Naomi Hikawa stormed onto the scene, commandeered the podium that had been set up for Yui Fukuda, and announced that her fiancée, Kaori Takenaka, heiress to the Takenaka conglomerate had been kidnapped, Izumi was desperately searching for an opening, any opening to run off.

Umi didn't seem keen on letting her. "Izumi. Promise me you will never act out like that." Her mother gestured harshly towards Naomi, who was being herded away from the podium by Misty and Shinobu. "God, it's turned into an absolute zoo here. You'd think the headmistress would care about this."

"That's your issue, Umi?" Riku Hamasaki snapped. "People are disappearing! Our daughter could be in serious danger right now!"

"Your daughter, who you had to be begged to visit today." Umi snapped right back. "Don't you dare start, Riku. If you gave even half a damn about Izumi-!"

"If I gave a damn?" Riku countered. "She went out of her way to make you those cookies, and you tossed them away like garbage! I would have never dreamed of-"

At least Umi and Riku were now more preoccupied with tearing into each other than they were making sure Izumi stayed nearby. That was the lone upside of a terrible situation, Izumi decided. As her parents continued to go at each other, she turned and bolted towards the classroom building-

-and narrowly missed careening with a very frantic Jun, who had an equally frantic Kichu perched on her shoulder.

"Izunyan! We need to meet up with the others, and-!"

"Kick some Shade Kingdom ass, right?" Izumi grinned. "Don't worry, Jun - I'm right behind you!"

At least she was capable of solving this kind of problem, Izumi told herself as she and Jun hurried to meet up with Hiroko and Yasu. She could take some solace in that. For now, anyway.

Izumi and Jun were hurrying towards the classroom building when Hiroko and Yasu emerged. Hiroko felt her heart sink as she took in the panic unfolding across the school grounds. Even the sky above them seemed to be steadily losing its color, and the sun no longer seemed to shine as brightly.

"Hironyan! Nyasu!" Jun immediately bolted towards the pair. "There's a Nikuina somewhere around here! I… haven't really seen it, but Kichu and I can definitely feel it. We can help track it down!"

Kichu nodded firmly. "Chu chuu!"

Hiroko nodded resolutely. "We'll definitely track it down and save everyone. We have to try!"

And Pretty Cure and their allies hurried off, in search of their unseen opponent. Or most of them did. Before Hiroko could follow her teammates, someone grabbed her by the arm.

"Hiroko! What are you trying to do?!" Chiaki Tsubasa demanded. "Dad is gone, and Mom just vanished in front of me! I can't let you go too!"

Hiroko pulled away from her sister. "Chiaki, I promise it's okay-"

"No, it's not okay! I'm not letting my little sister go charging off after… after whatever the hell this is!" Hiroko started off anyway, and Chiaki ran ahead of her, cutting off her escape path. "I should be the one who protects you, Hiroko! At least stay behind me while I-"

And at that moment, the feelings that Hiroko had been bottling up since the beginning of Family Day and perhaps even before that finally burst out.

"Would you stop making everything about you?!" Hiroko snapped. "That's all you've done since you got here! That's all you ever do!"

Chiaki stared at Hiroko, visibly gobsmacked. For a moment, silence and tension thick enough to cut with a knife hung in the air between the Tsubasa siblings. And then Chiaki's eyes darkened.

"You have no business saying that to me, Hiroko." she retorted coolly. " You're the one who never speaks up."

"Why would I? You always wanted the spotlight for yourself!" Hiroko protested. "Compared to you, I'm not-!"

Chiaki hardly seemed to hear Hiroko. "You know, I really thought you'd be better by now! I saw how hard you fought to get into Mirai Academy! I thought you'd be challenging yourself as a Mirai student too! Why are you still holding back?!"

Hiroko opened her mouth to protest further but nothing would come out. Because Chiaki was right. She had held back, before and after she had been accepted into Mirai.

"You're so good at like. Never rocking the boat."

Because she was scared of what might happen if she tried. Because she wasn't as good as Chiaki. Because she didn't deserve to be a Pretty Cure. Because she didn't want to cause issues.

Even when it led her to miss opportunities. Even when it had almost put Muse in danger before she had wised up. Even when she had helped make things worse between her teammates. It had all been her.

"You're a Mirai student, Hiroko! You earned your way in, so act like it!" The more Chiaki spoke, the more worked up she became. "I never once asked for permission to shine! And I never asked you to stay out of my way! You just assumed -"

Whatever Chiaki was going to say next died in her throat as her gaze drifted towards… something that seemed to be hovering above Hiroko. Her eyes widened with horror... and then she roughly shoved Hiroko aside.

Hiroko had half a moment to register what had just happened... and then her sister vanished in a flash of light as the air above her shifted and warped.

"Chiaki!"

As Hiroko stared in horror at the empty space her sister had once occupied, the sound of panicked yelling carried towards her from the direction of Family Day's main site, followed by a frantic

"Hironyan!" Hiroko hardly protested when Muse leapt into her arms, Kichu in tow. "Thank goodness! I thought-" Muse quickly snapped herself out of it. "I mean! We need to hurry! Something big is happening!"

Muse didn't need to tell Hiroko twice. Hiroko dashed towards the source of the commotion, still holding Muse and Kichu close.

A battle was already unfolding above Family Day's main site when Hiroko arrived on the scene with Muse and Kichu in tow… but not between her fellow Cures and the Shade Kingdom. No, Izumi and Yasu were standing by, clearly ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation, as two figures duked it out above them. Or rather, as one figure struggled to land hits on the other, which shrugged them off easily.

Yasu and Izumi gave Hiroko and the spirits a small nod of acknowledgement as she joined them. Her hand immediately went to her Puricell. Transforming was definitely not an option right now, not when there were so many panicked and confused civilians in the area watching the scene above them.

It took Hiroko a moment to realize that Kamryou was one of the figures, with how quickly they were zipping about as they tried to take down… the very thing that had carried off Chiaki - a strange, hazy distortion in the air, roughly half their size

"Nikuina! I order you to stop! Now!" Cloth tendrils leapt from Kamryou's form, lashing out at their opponent. None managed to hit their mark. "You're displeasing Seimono-sama!"

Izumi stared in bafflement. "Wait, can they not control their own monster? What gives?"

Her question was answered a half-second later as the distortion pulsed with an unearthly burst of violet energy. Multiple civilians in the area staggered backwards, wincing in pain, and Kamryou was sent flying… right into the arms of an uncharacteristically livid Seimono.

"That's enough!" he snapped. "Nikuina! Stand down!"

For a moment, nothing happened. And then several more distortions appeared in the air around the one that Kamryou had been clashing with. The smaller distortions merged into a much larger one, which began to shift and warp in form as it descended towards the ground.

There was a flash of red-black light, and suddenly, the Nikuina was revealed in its full glory: a massive, translucent turtle-like creature with a red-eyed head on a long, sinewy neck and an immense, spherical shell with hundreds of gem-like facets.

Hiroko felt her blood freeze. An image of one of the people who had vanished today was contained within each facet of the Nikuina's shell. She spotted Sakae Yukishiro, Haruki Fukuda, and yes, Chiaki and her parents among their number. Each person appeared unconscious, but that was frankly, cold comfort.

Screams tore through the air as most every civilian in the area scattered and fled… right as the Nikuina gave a massive, earth-shaking roar. Tendrils of golden light were drawn into its mouth at a much more rapid rate than before as the civilians in the area collapsed, the color draining from their bodies.

Hiroko allowed Muse and Kichu to leap from her arms and hurry to safety before she rounded on Seimono, her eyes blazing.

"What happened to wanting honorable combat?!" she snapped. "Why would you do something like this?!"

Seimono could not meet her eyes. "It isn't about what I want or don't want." His voice sounded utterly empty and hollow as he spoke. Kamryou simply glared at her as they clung to their partner like a limpet. "If you want them back, then fight for it, Pretty Cure."

There were so many things Hiroko wanted to say in response to that. But Seimono was right. The only way to save Chiaki and the others would be to take down their captor. So instead, she readied her Puricell, her eyes shining resolutely, as Izumi and Yasu readied theirs in turn.

"Pretty Cure! Spirit Unleash!"

"Soaring blue star! Cure Seiryuu!"

"Rushing black star! Cure Genbu!"

"Shimmering white star! Cure Byakko!"

The Nikuina gave a roar and charged towards Pretty Cure, who sprang to meet it in combat. Cure Seiryuu kept her distance and shot several blasts of wind towards the facets of the Nikuina's shell, Cure Genbu pelted it with water-charged fisticuffs, and Cure Byakko summoned her White Fleuret in a flash of white light before hitting the Nikuina with a rapid-fire rain of light-charged jabs.

None of their attacks seemed to have much of an effect at all. Genbu and Byakko's assaults bounced right off the Nikuina, while Seiryuu's spirit power provoked only the slightest reaction. The three Cures regrouped before the Nikuina charged them once more, forcing them to scatter in three directions.

"Damn it, how are we supposed to bust them out?!" As Genbu spoke, she flexed one of her visibly sore hands. "It hurts just to punch that thing!"

Byakko frowned, her gaze laser-focused on the facet containing her brother. "There has to be something we can do."

The Nikuina atttempted to rush Seiryuu down. She narrowly dodged, prompting it to double back and attempt to charge her again. Seiryuu rushed towards it, leaping into the air and using its back as a springboard as Byakko deliberately baited the Nikuina, shield at the ready. As the Nikuina charged Byakko, Seiryuu hit it with another burst of wind from her palm in mid-air. It definitely had an effect - several facets were slightly cracked by her attack.

Seiryuu touched down next to Byakko and Genbu. "Pure spirit power seems to hurt it! Can you back me up?"

Genbu and Byakko nodded without hesitation. As the Nikuina rushed them down, Seiryuu aimed her palm at it, sending a blue gale its way, as Genbu created a ribbon of water energy from her hand, and Byakko fired a shimmering white laser from hers.

And as this went on, Seimono made no attempts to stop it. He simply watched the ensuing fight, his expression growing more solemn by the moment.

Kamryou looked up at him in concern. "Seimono-sama, we need to-"

Seimono shook his head. "They're already fighting at a disadvantage. I have no right to make it worse."

As Seimono spoke, Pretty Cure's attacks combined together as one, creating a beautiful hail of glittering diamond dust that rained down upon the Nikuina. It gave another roar, drawing still more sealing energy into its mouth as even more minute cracks appeared in its shell...

...and then it suddenly vanished from view.

The Nikuina wasn't gone. Seiryuu could still feel its presence. But neither she nor her fellow Cures could see it. And it was all too happy to take advantage of that. Before any of the Cures could get their bearings, the now-invisible Nikuina charged towards them at top speed, its footsteps thundering through the air.

Byakko leapt in front of Seiryuu and Genbu and summoned one of her shields. Her shield couldn't hold up against the sheer force of the Nikuina's charge for long. Byakko's shield shattered, and Pretty Cure was sent flying into the air and slamming into one of the tables at the banquet site, snapping it in half.

Muse immediately rushed to the group's aid, Kichu in tow. "Everyone!"

"We'll be okay!" Seiryuu gritted her teeth as she and her teammates hauled themselves to their feet. "I'm not giving up until everyone's-"

And then Genbu gasped in alarm before shoving Seiryuu out of the way.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion this time. Seiryuu saw the strange beam of violet light shot from what must have been the Nikuina's direction, saw the Genbu leap in front of it, saw the beam make contact with Genbu… and then her fellow Cure vanished completely, much like Chiaki had.

Seiryuu's eyes widened in horror. "No!"

"Izunyan!" Muse cried.

That got a reaction out of Seimono. Without warning, he rushed towards the Nikuina before unsheating his two-handed sword and swinging it towards the ground. The resulting shockwave tore in the direction the beam had issued from, ripping up the ground in its wake.

The Nikuina roared as the shockwave struck it, causing it to become visible again. Its eyes flashed with fury before it charged straight at Seimono. He responded by using his sword to block the Nikuina's advance, holding steady even as it fought with all its strength to unseat him.

"Nikuina. Release Cure Genbu this instant." Seimono snapped. "Those three will have a fair fight."

Seiryuu and Byakko exchanged glances before readying another combined spirit power attack. It would be foolish to waste this chance, especially now that the Nikuina had captured one of their own.

Seiryuu and Byakko's sparkling gale struck true, further cracking multiple facets all over the Nikuina's shell. It wasn't enough to break any of them, however. Kamryou furiously zipped towards the Nikuina and lashed its shell with cloth tendrils from their body.

"How dare you go against Seimono-sama!" they snapped. "Release that Cure right now, or-!"

The Nikuina responded by abruptly disengaging with Seimono... and spitting another beam towards Kamryou. They vanished before they could even finish their sentence. Before anyone present could react, it disappeared once more… before raining a hail of beams towards its opponents.

Seiryuu and Seimono were able to get out of the way in time. Byakko was not so lucky. The white Cure was just half a step too slow... and before Seiryuu could get to her, she vanished too.

Something in Seiryuu snapped. "Byakko!" Her form blazed with blue spirit power as she tried desperately to pin down the Nikuina's location. "Give her back! Give everyone back!"

Seiryuu charged recklessly after the Nikuina - or she would have, had Seimono not stopped her with a raised hand.

"Rushing it isn't going to do any good. You should know that better than anyone."

"You're the one who-!" Seiryuu began... before she noticed how utterly crushed Seimono looked. Something within her caught at that. "You didn't want to do it, did you? You... don't want to do any of it, right? So why did you still-?"

Seimono hardly seemed offended by Seiryuu's response. "Because I can't be anything else, Cure Seiryuu. Once a coward, always a coward."

The utter resignation in Seimono's voice made Seiryuu's heart ache. Something told her he had completely given up on himself. Just like she had, in a sense, for all those years. It wasn't quite comparable, no, but hadn't she resigned herself to being unremarkable? Hadn't she chosen - still chose to keep her head down?

"I never once asked for permission to shine!"

Chiaki had just gone out and taken what she wanted. Surely, she could do the same. Surely, she could stop letting herself down.

"What about your partner?" Seiryuu said. "Kamryou - you really love them, don't you? Are you going to just let them-"

Seiryuu was answered not with a response from Seimono but with a sudden roar of fury as the Nikuina, still invisible, charged full tilt in her direction. Seimono immediately placed himself in front of it, holding it off with his sword once more.

"Cure Seiryuu." Seimono was already being pushed back slightly as he spoke. He clearly would not hold out as long this time. "After this fight, we will be enemies once more. But for now-"

Seiryuu nodded in acknowledgement - right before a red and orange blur shot right into the Nikuina like a shooting star, leaving a burst of red flame on impact. The Nikuina was sent staggering backward before it could break through Seimono's guard, right as a familiar red-clad figure touched down elegantly before Seiryuu and Seimono.

Seiryuu's eyes immediately lit up. "Cure Suzaku!"

Suzaku briefly locked eyes with Seiryuu... before looking away. "I'm not here to help... either of you." Seiryuu did not miss the recognition Suzaku's her eyes as her gaze flitted to Seimono, nor the small nod of acknowledgement that Seimono sent her way. "Cure Seiryuu. You know how to locate this Nikuina, right?"

For a moment, Seiryuu wanted to ask what Suzaku meant - and then it clicked into place in her mind. No one here was more attuned to the wind than her.

That was right, she told herself as her brooch began to glow with blue light. There were things she excelled at as Cure Seiryuu. And there were surely things she exceled at as Hiroko. If she kept thinking that way, surely, she would make it.

Seiryuu closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her spirit power within her as she listened to the sound of the wind for any hints of a disturbance. And then her eyes flew open as she suddenly wheeled behind her and fired a high-pressure blast of wind from her hand.

It struck true, drawing yet another pained roar from the Nikuina. That was Seimono's cue to act. Once again, he slammed his sword into the ground, this time with far more force than before. The resulting shockwave was easily enough to temporarily stun the Nikuina, causing it to drop its invisibility yet again.

And then Cure Suzaku jumped in, summoning her bow in a flash of red light before firing into the air. A hail of fiery red arrows rained down upon the Nikuina, each finding their place in litany of cracks in its shell's facets that Seiryuu, Genbu, and Byakko's earlier attacks had caused.

The facets shattered on impact as the Nikuina slumped to the ground, too damaged to move further. There was a flash of light, and suddenly, everyone that the Nikuina had kidnapped over the course of the day materialized in the vicinity. Suzaku and Seimono immediately hurried to their aid.

Most everyone who had been brought back was very much unconscious… except for Seiryuu's teammates, who appeared next to her, visibly dazed but none the worse for wear. Muse immediately hurried to make sure they were okay.

As Muse fussed over Genbu and Byakko, Seiryuu faced down the Nikuina, her eyes shining resolutely.

"Everyone - I'm going to end this right now!"

That was right - she would close the book on both the nightmare that Family Day had become and her old, overly passive self. Perhaps one of those books would take longer to close than the other, but… it was just like she had told Yasu, right? Changing little by little was still changing.

The Nikuina suddenly got its second wind and charged towards Seiryuu. She was more than ready for it.

As the Nikuina drew close, there was a flash of blue light that stunned it in place, right before an orb of blue light emerged from Seiryuu's brooch and resolved into a blue four-armed discus with blades shaped like wings and a silver heart in the center.

"Another Spirit Arm!" Both Muse and Kichu looked beyond delighted.

Seiryuu immediately took hold of her own weapon - the Azure Wings, her mind told her - as her form began to shine with blue spirit power.

"Pretty Cure!" Blue delphinium petals danced and swirled about Seiryuu, and a powerful wind kicked up around her. "Azure Tornado!"

Seiryuu flung the Azure Wings towards the Nikuina. It spun rapidly and blazed radiantly with blue spirit power, forming an enormous blue cyclone that ripped towards the Nikuina at lightning speed, tearing up the ground in its path.

The blue Cure turned away and bowed gracefully as the Nikuina exploded in an enormous, heart-shaped burst of radiant blue light. When the light cleared, nothing remained of the Nikuina past a few orbs of light, a withered Wrath Seed pod and a multi-faceted crystal ball… which rolled towards the feet of Seimono, who had wordlessly taken in the whole thing, even as he held an unconscious Kamryou close.

Seimono said nothing as he retrieved the crystal ball. He simply gave Pretty Cure a small nod of acknowledgement before vanishing in a burst of gold dust.

Seiryuu felt herself growing light-headed and her grip on her transformation slipping away, even as the damage wrought by the Nikuina faded away. As Hiroko sank to her knees, her teammates moved to her side, even as they released their own transformations. She immediately pulled them both into a hug, as Muse and Kichu nuzzled up to her.

Pretty Cure remained like that for a while. It was some time before any of them realized that Cure Suzaku had long since vanished.

There was no way that Family Day could have gone back to normal after everything that had happened. There were some half-hearted attempts at starting some of the attractions and exhibits back up, and Yui had done her best to do damage control in the wake of today's events, but it was clear that the entire thing had ultimately been derailed beyond repair.

Still, Hiroko mused as she sat on the steps of the classroom building, taking in the early evening air, seeing everyone's tearful reunions with their loved ones took quite a bit of the sting off.

Most everyone had been trying to make sense of what had happened. Some people had accepted the reality of the supernatural mass kidnapping, others had adamantly insisted they had just wandered off and gotten lost for a bit, while still more were adamant the whole thing had been a dream.

Whatever the case… Pretty Cure was a popular topic among many of the people who had been kidnapped. Hiroko had heard many of the kidnapped people bringing the three of them up, be it as real heroes who had saved everyone or benevolent dream figures. She hoped she had put on a good showing for them.

Hiroko's teammates had already gone off on their own. Yasu was insistent on keeping Haruki close and making sure he was alright, and Jun had been equally insistent on sticking around. When Hiroko had last seen the three of them, they were getting their faces painted.

Yasu wore a full face of tiger stripes very well, she had to admit.

Izumi, meanwhile, had been insistent on avoiding her parents - "I think I've done all I can do today" she had told Hiroko. Besides, she had insisted, Hayate Yoshimoto, Shun and Kimiko's grandmother, had been among the people carried off today. She had to help Shun make sure she was alright.

Hiroko only realized that Chiaki had sat down beside her when her sister spoke.

"Hiroko… I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I really wanted to help you, but… I was pretty harsh about it."

Hiroko shook her head. "It's fine - I shouldn't have said what I said either." She sighed, taking in the sight of the people still milling about on the school grounds. "You were right anyway. I was holding myself back."

"Of course I was right. I'm your big sister, after all." Chiaki said wryly. "But… I probably shouldn't have put it like that. Or been so… look, I had to work at everything I'm good at, and nobody gave me permission to try. I just did my best to reach the more talented people around me."

"And you wanted to be that kind of person to me, right?" Hiroko said. "You wanted to set an example."

Chiaki nodded. "I thought if I kept trying my best, you'd be inspired to do your best as well. When I saw you fighting to apply to Mirai Academy, I thought it was finally working. But I had it all wrong, didn't I?"

"I mean, you do come on pretty strong." Hiroko said. "But you aren't all wrong. I have been trying to change. And I'm going to keep pushing myself to be better. I'm going to find my own goal - I have to try."

Chiaki patted Hiroko on the head. "And you will succeed! I'll help however I can - and I'll try to be a better cheerleader for you." She was quiet for a moment before adding "Man… today was wild though, wasn't it? Mass kidnappings, void monsters, magical girls - my girlfriend is gonna flip after hearing about this!"

Hiroko felt a record scratch in her head. "H-huh? Girlfriend?"

Chiaki blinked. "Yeah? Why are you so shocked? You have a girlfriend too, don't you?" She laughed. "Man, it was wild. I thought I had high standards for guys - and then I met Alice! Turns out I actually like girls."

Part of Hiroko felt like she had to correct Chiaki's assumption regarding Yasu. But another part of her felt wrong denying that Yasu was, in any sense, more than a friend. So in the end, she settled on

"I'm really happy for you, Chiaki."

"And I'm happy for you, Hiroko." Chiaki got up and stretched before adding "Hey - do you want to swing by Western Paradise before we leave? The four of us didn't get that much quality time, so-"

Hiroko immediately joined Chiaki. "Of course! There's a lot I want to tell you guys about anyway."

And with that said, the Tsubasa siblings took off together, hand in hand.

When Kamryou returned to their and Seimono's shared bedchamber that night, Seimono was seated cross-legged in a corner of the room, dead silent. He was staring down at his hands as if they had been deeply stained - tainted by something that only he could see.

Kamryou was immediately at his side. They took one of his hands in their own, offering their partner a reassuring smile.

"They're good, strong hands, Seimono-sama. I like them a lot."

Seimono smiled sadly. "I wish I could still see it that way, Kamryou."

"I see it that way!" Kamryou protested. "Seimono-sama isn't weak or a coward! Pretty Cure has no right to-"

"It has little to do with Pretty Cure." Seimono said. "Kamryou… I'm far weaker than you take me for."

The Shade Kingdom had Pretty Cure of its own, once. They had not been needed for well over a century, not for battle. The Shade Kingdom was a peaceful, pacifistic place. No, the five young women who had held the titles of Pretty Cure some twenty-odd years ago had performed a purely ceremonial function.

They had not stood a chance when Kagemera and his army had invaded.

Cure Shinryuu. Cure Shishi. Cure Tenma. Cure Kirin. Cure Houou. They had all fought as valiantly as they could. But they had not been prepared for what Kagemera and those that served him would throw at them. Silver, yellow, violet, teal, and pink. One after another, each of those brilliant lights had gone out.

Those hands of his had not been strong enough to protect any of them. That sword of his had not been good enough to defend the kingdom he loved. And when Kagemera had taken over after his forces had decimated his fellow guardsmen-

"Your loyalty or your life. Decide, Seimono."

-his heart had not been strong enough to resist. He became just like everyone else Kagemera had not cut down. Just another tool for the false Shade King to use. And not even one that would ever be truly trusted. After all-

-in the end, one Pretty Cure, one member of the Shade Kingdom's royal family had survived. When Seimono found her, her solid red-gold eyes were wide with terror, her once neat and tidy teal blue ringlets were a mess, and she was holding her cracked and broken teal crystal to her chest like her life depended on it.

But she was still alive. Princess Soyokaze… Seimono had smuggled her out of the Shade Kingdom without protest. Even if he was supposed to be her enemy now. Even if she was not supposed to live. Even if-

"Seimono! How dare you defy me!"

-it was a miracle that Kagemera had not killed him where he stood, once he found out what had happened. He had still come very close. And he planned to finish what he started the very second Seimono ceased to be of use. He had made that quite clear.

"Did you think your betrayal would mean anything, Seimono? I've already had that woman killed."

Part of him wanted to believe that Kagemera had been lying. That Soyokaze had escaped somehow and kept that flame of hope alive. But another part of Seimono had given up on hope. Even if-

"You didn't want to do it, did you? You... don't want to do any of it, right?"

-even if Cure Seiryuu had been right. It didn't matter. Or it wouldn't matter, were it not for-

"Seimono-sama?" The feeling of Kamryou's hands gripping his brought Seimono back to earth. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing that you or I can fix." Seimono said. "Let's retire to bed, Kamryou - we have another day ahead of us."

That was right, Seimono told himself as the pair prepared for another night together. Even if he had no right to make Kamryou fall for him, even if he was selfish for dragging them into his affairs… were it not for them, he would have given up completely. As it was… he could face another day, as long as they were by his side.

Love continued to be a strange thing indeed.