Episode Ten: Izumi and Shun! A Fight Won by a Teardrop!
Izumi was curled up in her bed, miserably holding a pillow close to her chest. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying so much, and her throat felt uncomfortably dry.
She knew it wasn't good to just lay around like this. She should have been at gymnastics practice with the rest of her team, or failing that, making up for the time with her friends she had lost by stupidly focusing on training that hadn't paid off at all. But she just didn't have the heart for… any of that. Not right now.
She looked over to her bedside table. Shun's gladiolus-print scarf sat there, now washed and neatly folded. Izumi had been planning on giving it back to Shun the next day, after she cleaned it. Instead...
"Sieg-kun…"
It wasn't her fault. Hiroko and the others had told Izumi as much over and over. Izumi had no way of knowing that Kae was planning on doing something like that. She was not to blame every time something bad befell the people she cared about. Some things were just out of a person's control.
Izumi wanted to listen. She really did. Something about her current mindset had to change, after all. There was something she had missed. Something that had kept her from powering up like everyone else.
And yet, her guilt over Shun's fate remained, only growing as time marched on. It had been several days since anyone in Kyoukai had seen Shun. It felt like an eternity for Izumi. She had been so sure that she would always have until tomorrow to tell Shun the truth about her feelings. Feelings she'd had since-
It was her very first day at Mirai Academy, and of course, she had to oversleep. Izumi was left dashing at full tilt towards Mirai's classroom building, praying she'd make it through the door before the first bell.
"Ugh, why me?" The classroom building wasn't that far, but… "This does not rule anyth-"
Her foot caught in a crack in the pavement before she could finish that sentence. She was sent flying forward-
-and then someone dashed towards her at top speed before leaping forth and catching her in their arms.
Izumi gave a gasp of surprise before she looked up at her savior - and promptly went slightly pink. She'd been rescued by another junior high school girl - and one of the most handsome girls she had seen in her life, at that.
The other girl's eyes widened a bit as she got a good look at Izumi. "You're-" She caught herself there. "I mean - are you alright?"
It took Izumi a moment to realize the other girl was talking to her. "Huh? I-I mean, yeah! I am now!" Oh geez, her face was on fire, and it only burned hotter as the other girl helped her to her feet. "Thanks a ton, um-"
"Shun Siegel. Pleased to meet you." Shun flashed Izumi a warm, reassuring smile. "And it's no problem. I'm just glad you're okay."
Izumi grinned right back. "Gotcha! I'm Izumi Hamasaki, and I'm-" The morning bell began to chime "-late for homeroom." She moved to take off again. "Sorry, I've gotta-"
Shun gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "I can walk you to class if you want? That's no trouble either."
Izumi looked caught off guard by the offer. "Oh, uh-! Yeah! Sure!" Anything to talk to this cool, handsome girl a little longer. She could be a bit selfish, couldn't she? ""I'm totally cool with that!"
Izumi had quickly fallen for Shun from there. At first, it had been a fairly surface-level crush… and then, as the two had begun to spend time together as friends, her feelings for the older girl had grown into something much deeper.
But even as Izumi and Shun swapped stories over lunch at Western Paradise, killed time together at Kyoukai Leisure Land, or cheered each other on as they chased after their respective athletic dreams, Izumi had kept her feelings for Shun to herself. A girl like that was too good for a girl like her.
It wasn't fair to selfishly hold out on Shun though. She had to be honest about the nature of her feelings someday. She would tell her tomorrow. Izumi had told herself that over and over for almost two years.
And now Izumi was left feeling like she'd taken the promise of tomorrow for granted. She should have told Shun when she'd last seen her. Her fear of the other girl rejecting her feelings felt so ridiculous now.
Izumi rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as she hugged her pillow closer. Where was Shun right now anyway? What kind of things were Kae and her ilk putting her through? Was she safe? Would she be able to find a way out on her own? Would Pretty Cure be able to save her?
No… there had to be something Izumi and her friends could do. They had to try, as Hiroko so often said. But right now, very few solutions were presenting themselves. It was an awful state of affairs, especially for a girl who needed to be in control of things.
"Sieg-kun... wherever you are, please be okay. Please, please be okay."
"And there we go - in record time! How's that, Boss?"
Kae, who was seated on the beat-up couch in what served as her flat's living area, looked up from a thick hardcover book on advanced hexes (there had to be something in here that'd give her the edge over Pretty Cure!) to find a very accomplished-looking Kasoku, fresh off of polishing up all the furniture in the vicinity to a sparkling sheen, yet again.
"Huh? Uh… yeah, it looks great." Kae didn't even attempt to fake enthusiasm this time. "Nice and sparkly."
Kae returned to her reading… or attempted to. Kasoku was still standing there, smiling vacantly and staring expectantly at her like a robot that desperately needed to be given its next order.
Kae tried to ignore it. Tried to. She held out for all of two minutes before she slammed her book shut, glaring daggers at Kasoku.
"Would you stop doing that?!" she snapped. "It's creepy! And annoying! And... and..." It made her feel guilty, for some reason. That she'd keep to herself. Fearsome criminal gang leaders didn't feel guilt. "I don't like it, okay?!"
Kasoku threw up her hands defensively and nervously backed off. "S-sorry… sorry! I was just…" She frowned, rubbing her right temple a bit. "There's something else I've gotta do. Something important. I just can't remember what it is."
"That sounds like a you problem." Kae sniffed. "I don't need anything, if that's what you're so worried about."
Kasoku wasn't deterred. "Don't you want another glass of mixed juice? Or some konpeito? Or… oh! I know!" She set her polishing rag aside and stepped towards Kae. "How about a massage, Boss? I'm pretty good at those, and you're looking kinda-"
Kae responded by throwing her book at Kasoku's face. Her new henchman expertly dodged it, leaving it to hit the floor with a loud thud. Kasoku muttered a frantic apology before scurrying to retrieve the book for Kae, who was already stomping towards her and Shahei's shared bedroom.
"Don't bother. I don't want it anymore." Kae didn't so much as look at Kasoku as the other girl caught up to her. "I don't want anything else tonight, okay?"
Kasoku continued to trail after her like a lost puppy. "Are you sure? If there's any other way I can be useful-"
Kae wheeled around, eyes blazing. "Kasoku. Go be useful somewhere else, and leave me alone!"
And with that said, Kae disappeared into her bedroom and slammed the door behind her... before slamming it several more times, flinging herself across the bed, and screaming in frustration.
Kasoku stared after Kae before staggering over to the kitchen table and collapsing into the nearest chair. She stared down at her reflection in said table (for a moment, she hadn't quite recognized her own face… how odd) before sighing heavily and knocking her forehead against it several times.
It wasn't like she wanted to annoy Kae like that. She just… didn't know what else to do with herself, past keeping the flat tidy and waiting on her boss. She wasn't really good at much of anything else anyway. When had she ever been?
When Kooyoo burst through the door, carrying bags loaded to the top with manga and snack foods, he found Kasoku hunched over the kitchen table, mechanically polishing away at nonexistent dirt spots with her rag. He dropped his bags on the table before gently grabbing his fellow henchman by the arm.
"Hey, uh, Kas? There's not gonna be any table left if you keep doing that."
Kasoku nodded stiffly. "Ah... r-right. Sorry." She went back to staring morosely at her reflection.
"Did Boss yell at you again?" Kooyoo asked as he unloaded his purchases onto the table. "Don't take it personally, okay? She's just..." He looked around before lowering his voice a few steps. "Hinyu-san hasn't talked to her in a while, and she's getting worried. But you didn't hear that from me."
Kasoku made a soft noise of acknowledgement. She was quiet for some time before she looked up, inclining her head curiously. "So… how'd it go? Your trip to the human world, I mean."
"Oh, that?" Kooyoo kept unloading his purchases as he spoke. "It was fine! The Kyuikai people don't notice you unless you do something really weird anyway." A pause, then "Well, there was this one green-haired lady who tried to chase after me… but I got away quickly, so it's okay!"
"You're braver than I am, Kooyoo." As Kasoku spoke, she picked up a manga from Kooyoo's stack of purchases and read the back. Something about a delivery driver getting into street racing? "Street racing, huh…" For a moment, she felt strangely wistful. "Humans sure have weird hobbies."
"Y-yeah, they sure do." Kooyoo looked a bit uncomfortable for some reason. Before Kasoku could press him on it, he quickly changed gears. "Wanna try some karinto? I bought extra for us!"
Soon, Kasoku was attentively listening as Kooyoo excitedly rambled about his day (and his favorite manga, and... most any other subject that popped into his head) while the two split a bag of karinto. She had no idea why he was so nice to someone like her, but she wasn't about to question it too hard. If she was listening to him, it was easier to ignore that awful feeling of having forgotten something.
The worst thing Izumi could do right now was give up on Shun, even as the days marched on and the worsening rumors about what could have happened to her swirled about Mirai. But it was becoming more and more difficult for Izumi to stay hopeful, let alone focus on much of anything. Her thoughts were a maelstrom of anxiety, with one thought cropping up over and over - why haven't you fixed this?
Izumi had spent all of today spaced out, almost missing Mieko's talk of the upcoming camping trip, making a complete fool of herself in math class, and taking a dodgeball to the face in gym. By the time school had let out for the day, Izumi felt like she was about to float off into space.
And then Hiroko and Jun had approached Izumi after everyone had finished cleaning the classroom, bringing her crashing back down to Earth.
"Jun and I were going to have afternoon tea with Yasu." Hiroko said. "Would you like to come with us, Izumi? If you're feeling up to it, of course."
"Yeah, Nyasu said she made this teatime extra-special!" Jun chirped. Kichu squeaked his agreement from her schoolbag. "And it's been a while since we've had tea together, hasn't it?"
Izumi managed a small smile. "I think I'd like that, guys." Even if she felt lower than ever, even if she felt guilty over the obvious worry on her friends' faces, it was wrong to reject an offer like this. "Lead the way."
Izumi had not expected to see such a generous assortment of teatime snacks when she, Hiroko, and Jun had arrived at the sitting room of the Fukuda estate. And she did not miss how many of them were treats she had expressed a fondness for, from scones with blackberry jam to sugar plum cookies.
The sight left her beside herself. "Yasu… you really didn't have to go out of your way like this."
Yasu replied with a small smile. "It was no trouble." She took a sip of tea before adding "I'm worried about you, Izumi. We all are. I want to do what I can to help you feel better."
"I feel the same way." Hiroko said. "I know if we were in trouble, you'd go out of your way to help us, Izumi." She frowned slightly. "I know there's only so much we can do when it comes to Siegel-san, but…"
"Yeah…" Izumi took a bite of a sugar plum cookie. It just didn't taste as good as it should have. Nothing really did lately. "It's not like we can just drop into the Shade Kingdom and rescue her. And I haven't seen Kae or her henchgoons anywhere. Trust me, I've looked."
"Well, Kiminyan did run into Kooyoo last night!" Jun volunteered. "But… he ran off when she tried to talk to him." She sighed sadly. "Marinyan says Kiminyan is taking this really hard too. I don't blame her. I know how scared I was when I thought Kichu had been kidnapped."
Kichu, who was perched on Jun's lap, patted her on the leg. "Chu, chu…"
"We were able to make everything right back then." Hiroko said between sips of tea. "And we'll be able to make everything right this time as well. We have to try."
Izumi took a half-hearted bite of a scone. Did Kimi resent her for her role in her sister's disappearance? She wouldn't blame her. Izumi deserved her ire. Just like she didn't deserve… any of this.
She was silent for some time, letting everyone else's conversation wash over her as she forced herself to eat more of the teatime snacks. The normal Izumi would have been in heaven right now. The Izumi of right now was just focused on not being ungrateful.
Finally, she spoke. "So… what are we supposed to do? About Sieg-kun, I mean. Just wait and hope?"
"It pains me to say it, but we don't have many other options." Yasu said quietly. "Kae can't hold out on us forever. I doubt she's capable of it. But otherwise…"
"One of our other opponents might have information on Siegel-san too." Hiroko said. "I don't know if the Trio know them, or vice-versa, but it's worth a shot. Seimono seems like he'd be willing to volunteer that information." She smiled apologetically. "But… otherwise, Yasu is right. Our options are limited right now."
Jun nodded. "We thought we should focus on what we can do right now - and that's making sure you feel better, Izunnyan. Everyone's been really worried about you!"
Izumi nodded as her eyes slid down to her plate of half-eaten teatime snacks and her barely-touched cup of tea. She should have felt grateful. She shouldn't feel guilty right now. If it had been Hiroko, or Yasu, or Jun in her position, she would have done everything she could to cheer them up. But Izumi was different. Izumi had no business bringing her friends' moods down. Not after her last fight. Not after how she'd doubted them. And not... not with her being...
"Not everything is about you, Izumi! Can't you see your mother and I are doing our best for you?!"
Her eyes darkened. "It doesn't matter how I feel. Sieg-kun's the one who needs help. Not me."
"Izumi, that isn't-" Hiroko started.
Izumi kept going. "No matter how I look at it, it's my fault. I let Sieg-kun down, and now I'm dragging you guys down too." She clenched her hands into fists. "If I wasn't so thoughtless…"
Hiroko and the others were protesting, reassuring Izumi once again that she was not in any way to blame and didn't need to be so hard on herself. Izumi couldn't process any of it properly. Her head was beginning to swim. She couldn't stay here. It was her fault. She had to fix this. It was her responsibility.
Izumi rose to her feet. "Sorry, guys. I know you're trying to help, but..." She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with anyone. "This is my mess. I've gotta clean it up."
And before anyone could say anything further, Izumi had taken off. She did not let herself look back. She would want to stay otherwise.
Kae was a girl who liked her private meetings to be kept, well, very private. She had made that clear from the moment a confused and panicked Kasoku had first regained consciousness in the Trio's residence and been brought up to speed on who she was (a spirit, a resident of the Shade Kingdom, and her newest underling) and what she did (keep the flat in order, starting with the mess that had overtaken it).
Kasoku was not to bother Kae when she was having a private discussion with her sister, Shahei (who always seemed to be hiding in the twins' shared bedroom) and she wasn't allowed to be in the flat when Hinyu visited. And he would drop by today, putting Kae in a good mood that even Kasoku couldn't seem to ruin.
She meant to obey, of course. But see, Kae had left the cash box with today's sales in it behind, and Kasoku couldn't trust herself with something so precious. It was no big deal, she'd assured Kooyoo once the pair had taken down Kae's sales kiosk. She'd drop it off and go. Kae wouldn't even realize she was there.
And she would have done just that… had she not heard a voice carrying from the direction of the twins' slightly ajar bedroom door just as she moved to leave. A voice that set her teeth on edge.
"You're both such clever girls! I want to believe in you! But I trusted you with that pollen, and we know how that turned out, don't we?" Those words positively dripped with honeyed contempt. "I don't like feeling this way, Kae. Surely there's something you can do to fix this."
"Hinyu-sama, look... we... the two of us..." Kae's voice sounded strangely small, and it seemed to grow smaller the more she rambled. "That was just a miscalculation! I didn't mean to- what about that other Nikuina, huh? I thought that'd cancel out- you still went to us, so- we can do better! I promise!"
As Hinyu continued to berate Kae, and Kae continued to protest weakly, Kasoku edged a bit closer to the door, despite her better instincts. One part of her reminded her that she needed to remember her place, that Kae would never forgive her for this kind of behavior. But another part of her just couldn't leave this alone.
Kasoku peered through the crack in the doorway. Hinyu (god, he even looked like a condescending asshole) was standing before Kae, holding a pulsing, partly germinated Wrath Seed pod between his fingers. Kae was trying to look perfectly in control of herself and not at all distressed. It wasn't working.
"You girls are very special - but you are not irreplaceable." Hinyu continued. "It hurts to even consider it, but if you continue to fumble things to this degree, I may just have to-"
And at that moment, Kasoku realized her reflection had been caught by the tri-fold floor mirror in the twins' bedchamber... and Hinyu must have seen it, because he was looking straight in her direction.
Kasoku had a half-second to process this before she suddenly found herself being pinned against the wall of the living area by Hinyu. His grip felt disconcertingly hot, and his eyes shined with malice.
"Haven't you been told it's rude to eavesdrop?" he hissed.
"I'm sorry, I-" Kasoku caught herself there. No. No apologizing. Not to him. "I mean! I don't think you should talk to Boss like that!" The look in Hinyu's eyes sent ice into Kasoku's veins. Somehow, she kept going. "Hasn't she been doing her best for you? Aren't you the adult here? She's just a kid, so-!"
Hinyu's grip burned a bit hotter, singing the shoulders of Kasoku's tunic slightly. "You could have left it at 'I don't think'." And then, to Kae, who was standing behind him, "And who is this. "
Kasoku felt her heart sink at the look of cold resentment Kae shot her. "Oh, her? That's just the cleaning guy." Kae looked away sharply. "Don't waste your energy on that idiot, Hinyu-sama. She's not worth it."
For a minute, it didn't seem like Hinyu was interested in listening. And then he let Kasoku go, leaving her to clumsily regain her bearings... moments before Kooyoo stumbled into the flat. He looked from Hinyu to Kae and then to Kasoku before he scrambled to his fellow henchman's side.
"Oh, there you are, Kas!" Before Kasoku could protest, he was hurrying her towards the entrance of the flat. "We were gonna go out and scout Kyuikai for Boss, remember?"
Kasoku blinked. "We were?" Leaving Kae with Hinyu felt wrong, and the idea of going to the human world was, in a word, terrifying. But… if the alternative meant making Kae even angrier at her, then… "Oh yeah, right, we were!" She forced a smile. "Heh, can't believe I forgot something so important!"
"By all means." Kae had never looked or sounded so tense. "Find a good source of despair, you two. Make yourselves useful."
Right… right. Useful. If she made herself useful, then maybe Kae would forget all of this, Kasoku told herself as she let Kooyoo lead her outside.
Kooyoo was rambling the entire time - first about helping her do "that disguise thing" ("You'll make a great human, I promise!") then about his teleportation abilities ("Sometimes, I misfire a little - sorry about that.") Kasoku tried her best to listen... and to ignore the cool glare Hinyu sent her way as the pair departed.
Part of Izumi wasn't sure what returning to the scene of Shun's disappearance was supposed to accomplish. It wasn't like Kae would have left a portal back to the Shade Kingdom in this alleyway. But another, more desperate part of her, the part of her that needed to be in control of this situation, was adamant that this place must have held some lead to Shun's whereabouts that everyone had missed.
It hadn't, of course. There were no signs of a struggle, no traces of Kae's magic, no hints of Shun's presence, no anything. Izumi felt stupid for thinking there might have been.
Yurika (who looked unusually tired, Izumi noted) was in front of the garage having a smoke break when Izumi emerged from the alleyway. She briefly made eye contact with the blond… before shaking her head, putting out her cigarette, and retreating into the garage. So much for asking her for help.
Izumi cycled nervously through several different stretches - shoulders, hamstrings, chest, quads - as she tried to think of what to do next. No matter how hard she tried, she drew blanks. Great. Great.
"C'mon, Izumi, think." she told herself. "It's not like Sieg-kun is gonna drop out of the sky or s-"
And then there was a flash of dark red light as a loud noise sounded from the next street over, sending Izumi leaping a foot into the air. A noise that sounded almost like a motorcycle engine backfiring.
Izumi bolted in the direction of the noise without a second thought… and froze in her tracks once she got to its source.
She didn't see a motorcycle, or any motor vehicle for that matter. No, Izumi was greeted with a dazed-looking Masaru Aki, sprawled awkwardly in the middle of a currently-vacant street, on top of some other person Izumi couldn't immediately place.
Masaru blinked several times, groaning in exasperation as he regained consciousness. "Oh no… I did it again. Sorry, Kas." He looked around, frowning. He didn't seem to have noticed Izumi… or his unfortunate teammate. "Huh? Kas? Where'd you go?"
"I'm down here…" Masaru's companion wheezed. "S-sorry, you're a little heavy…"
Izumi's heart leapt into her throat. She would recognize that voice anywhere. Sure, it was a lot smaller and thinner than she remembered but! That was Shun! That was unmistakably Shun! Don't tell her that-
Masaru muttered a string of apologies as he helped his companion to her feet. She was strikingly pale and androygnous-looking, with unkempt dark gray-green hair worn in a neck-length style and crimson eyes. She wore a slightly outsize green and black hooded sweatshirt, faded blue jeans, black gloves, and green sneakers.
The girl before Izumi definitely resembled Shun and yet she… also didn't. Izumi didn't quite know how to explain it. It was a bit like how she wouldn't have been able to recognize Seiryuu and Byakko as Hiroko and Yasu had she not known it was them, even if they technically shared the same facial features.
It… didn't matter. Izumi saw no reason to doubt this girl's identity, new look or none. This was definitely-
"Sieg-kun!" Before Masaru or Kasoku could react, Izumi had launched herself towards the latter and pulled her into a tight hug. "You're okay! I was so scared that-!"
Kasoku instantly froze up the moment Izumi hugged her, before frantically escaping the other girl's embrace and ducking behind a very confused-looking Masaru. She peered out from behind him, eyeing Izumi warily.
Izumi's heart sank as she met Kasoku's gaze. There wasn't even a glimmer of recognition in those eyes.
"Sorry… who are you?" Kasoku finally managed to spit out. And then, to Masaru "Do you know this human?"
Masaru nodded. "Oh yeah, that's one of the Pretty Cure - our enemies! See, after we find a good despair source, Boss will create a Nikuina, and then they'll come to fight-"
Kasoku's eyes widened in alarm as she started backing away. "Y-yeah, okay! I've heard enough!" She took a deep breath before addressing the stunned Izumi. "Look. Human girl. Pretty Cure-san-"
"It's Izumi, Sieg-kun-" Izumi replied numbly.
She was answered with a blank stare. "Who's 'Sieg-kun'? It's Kasoku. It's always been Kasoku. You must be confused, Izumi-san."
"No, I'm not!" Izumi started towards Kasoku. "You're definitely her! Sieg-kun this isn't fun-"
Kasoku threw her hands up defensively. "Th-that's enough! I don't know any humans!" She stepped back another pace before nervously glancing towards Masaru. "Can we just go? Boss wouldn't want us wasting time like this, would she?"
It took Masaru a moment to respond. The blond boy seemed to be in the process of - slowly - putting something together in his mind. Finally, he snapped to attention.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, we should. Go." Kasoku was already right ahead of him. He nodded to her before waving goodbye to Izumi. "See ya, Izumi-san! We'll win next time, okay?"
And then the pair were gone. Izumi stared after them. She felt like she was slowly sinking underwater again, just like she had when she learned that Shun had been kidnapped.
Shun was safe. Shun was alive. But she had forgotten everything about who she was… including her bond with Izumi. Shun saw her as someone to be afraid of now. Shun saw her as the enemy.
Izumi tightened her fists as hot tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "Damn it…"
She remained like that for a few moments… before smacking her hands to her temples several times. No. No pity parties. Crying and feeling sorry for herself wouldn't help Shun, and it definitely wouldn't let her make up for the carelessness that had turned Shun into this.
Her hand went for Shun's scarf, neatly folded inside her suit jacket pocket (she felt better, having it on her) before she took a deep breath, nodded, and took off after Masaru and Kasoku.
"So… this is Kyuikai, huh?"
Kasoku, who was idling near an electronics store by Masaru, inclined her head curiously as she looked around, trying to make sense of her new surroundings. Something about this place had her on edge. Was it all these humans milling about? How pleasant and sunny this place was compared to the perpetual gray skies and stale air of the Shade Kingdom? How strangely familiar these streets felt for some reason? Or maybe…
She tugged a bit at the neck of her sweatshirt. "The air's a little heavy here. Is that normal?"
"Oh yeah, that's the barrier." Masaru said casually. "If we stay here too long, we'll go all… ghosty? And then you've gotta pull yourself together when you get back. It kinda hurts." He did not appear to notice Kasoku's horrified reaction. "Boss won't, though, 'cause she's special. She just gets really sleepy."
"Ahaha. Good for Boss." Kasoku wanted nothing more than to turn around and go home after hearing all that. But right. Had to work hard. Had to be useful. She took a deep breath, summoning every drop of confidence she had. "Let's get this done, then! At top speed!" She punched a fist into one open hand... and then the air went right out of her sails. "So… what do we do, exactly?"
Masaru hummed. "Well… Boss usually gets her ideas from manga and stuff? So maybe we should go to the bookstore first! Then we'll definitely-" He looked up. "Oh hi, Izumi-san! Did you need anything else?"
Indeed, Izumi stood nearby, leaning casually up against the storefront. Kasoku immediately froze up like a deer in headlights before cowering behind Masaru again. Izumi tried not to react visibly to that, no matter how much it stung. It wasn't Shun's fault she had been twisted into this. It was hers.
Instead, she tried to play it cool. "Yeah, guys, I just had one quick question. Do you know how you're going to harvest despair? Kae is the one who puts all your plans together, isn't she?"
"Well, yeah, but… if we find the right manga, then…" Masaru muttered in response.
"Yeah, you could waste time doing that." Izumi retorted. "Or… I could lend you guys a hand?"
"Huh? But you're…" Masaru's eyes widened. "Ohhhh, I get it! It's like in Chrome Detective Tetsu when Amy secretly trained Akutsune so they could have an honorable duel with Tetsu, right?"
Kasoku, who was peering out from behind Masaru again, looked utterly lost. Izumi, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what the blond boy was talking about.
"Yeah! Or like in Rainbow Squadron Prismapanic when the heroes held a training camp for Pastel Porcine so he could learn how to act like a proper monster of the week!" Izumi said. "I mean, yeah that was a parody series, but it still counts, right?"
Masaru nodded sagely. "Oh yes. Definitely." He grinned and pumped a fist. "Okay, let's do it!"
Kasoku looked horrified at the idea. "Masaru, we can't just-! What would Boss think of this?!"
"Hey, no one's gotta tell her." Masaru said. "And this way, we can get it done at top speed, right, Kas?"
"Well, yeah, but-" Kasoku wrung her hands as she cast another nervous glance at Izumi. She imediately averted her eyes once Izumi met them. Looking at this human made her head hurt, and that was leaving aside the whole Pretty Cure thing. "Working with the enemy is..."
"If it's good enough for the Aberrant Akuma Army, it's good enough for us." Masaru retorted, as if this was a very logical argument. "You won't tell Boss you helped us either, will you, Izumi-san?"
Izumi grinned. "I swear on my honor as your rival! Now, c'mon guys! There are a ton of places we've gotta hit up!" She pumped a fist enthusiastically. "This will just rule all!"
She wasn't sure how long she could keep this up. Even now, she was starting to feel a little tired. But… she couldn't give up on Shun. She had to pull out all the stops until the girl she loved could regain her true self. That was how she'd redeem her mistakes.
It was mealtime at the small, slightly cramped Potari household. Washi, a stately middle-aged woman with graying blue hair and corvid-like features, much like the rest of her children, was currently chopping up vegetables for a hot pot, while Tobi worked at preparing the meat. As for his younger siblings…
"I'm not touching you." Fukuro, a nine-year-old with an unkempt mess of indigo hair, was leaning over his little sister Tsubame, keeping one finger a half-inch away from her shoulder. "I'm not touching you~"
"Tobi!" Tsubame, a five-year-old girl with lavender hair pulled into short pigtails yelled. "Fukuro's not touching me!"
Tobi looked up tiredly at the two children. "Fukuro. Quit not touching your sister."
Fukuro nodded… before proceeding to prod Tsubame repeatedly in the shoulder. She responded by shrieking at the top of her lungs, bringing Hakucho, a twelve-year-old girl with bobbed light blue hair, scrambling into the room. She immediately scooped the wailing Tsubame into her arms.
"There, there… it's okay." Hakucho told the younger girl before she shot Fukuro a glare. "Fukuro! What did Mom say about bothering Tsu-chan?"
"It's not what a good big brother does." Fukuro groused. He looked over at Tobi. "Why'd you quit your job and come back here, huh? You're lucky you're old enough to move out."
"It just didn't work out." Tobi did not look up from the meat he was preparing as he spoke. "These things happen, Fukuro."
Washi looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. "Tobi… you didn't want to leave, did you?"
Oof, there she went again. Reading him like a book. "I wish it'd worked out for you guys' sake." They did need that money. Even if none of them knew - for good reason - where it actually came from. "But it's not so bad. I could always stay here, find a job closer by…" He laughed dryly. "Hell, maybe I'll find a rich husband while I'm here! You never know."
"Tobi…" Washi sighed. "Please don't force yourself." Then to Hakucho, who had since calmed Tsubame down and sent the five-year-old on her way, "Hakucho-chan, could you wash the mushrooms for me?"
Fukuro pushed in front of Hakucho before she could answer. "I've got it, Mom! Let me help!"
"No!" Hakucho protested. "Mom asked me, Fukuro!" Fukuro was already headed over to the sink. Hakucho ran over to Washi, frantic "Mom! Don't let Fukuro steal my job!"
Tobi gritted his teeth as the two went at it. That was right, wasn't it? His job had also been stolen by that… that spineless twit! Gods, where had Kae found him anyway? Was he a cousin of hers? He'd never heard her mention family outside her sister and her sorry excuse for a mother, but they did resemble each other-
-which wasn't relevant! What mattered was that doormat , family or not, was probably out there letting Kae do whatever she wanted! Without him to keep Kae in check, the twins could end up getting badly hurt or doing something they couldn't take back, and the red-eyed coward would just let it happen!
And here he was, just throwing his hands up and making hot pot instead of making up for his earlier misstep and taking back the job that was rightfully his! What kind of sorry excuse for a man was he?!
Fukuro had won the right to wash the mushrooms, while Hakucho thankfully found a distraction in the form of the second-eldest Potari child, Taka, a fifteen-year-old with short, wavy violet hair, who had just arrived with groceries they needed help unloading. And Tobi…
"You know what? I'll give it one more chance, Mom." he said quietly. "I can't just leave it like this."
Washi just smiled. "I believe in you, Tobi. Do whatever you think is right."
Izumi desperately wanted to have a good cry, punch Masaru for helping Kae put Shun through this, or punch Masaru and then have a good cry. She also knew it was a terrible idea. Kasoku was already nervous around her. The worst thing Izumi could do was give her friend more reasons to distrust her.
So, she smiled and laughed as she showed the pair around what she knew were some of Shun's favorite places - Kyoukai Leisure Land, Western Paradise, the artificial riverbank near the shopping district - all while throwing out half-remembered plots from the shows her old elementary school boyfriend loved.
Kasoku, who remained as nervous and on edge as ever, did not seem to recognize any of the places Izumi brought her to. She hadn't lasted half a moment in Kyoukai Leisure Land before bolting, acted like everything in Western Paradise would burn her if she touched it, and reacted to the artificial riverbank with blank-faced disinterest.
At least nobody in the area seemed to recognize Kasoku. That was a relief, Izumi decided - when (not if) Shun returned to normal, nobody would hold this against her.
It didn't make Kasoku's refusal to speak to her hurt any less, though. And it didn't make her any less annoyed with Masaru, who had grown quieter and quieter as the three's 'scouting mission' had continued. Was the guilt finally getting to him?
Something changed once the three swung by Shun's favorite motorcycle shop. Kasoku suddenly froze in place before wincing and pressing a hand to her temple as if she was suffering a bad headache.
Izumi flew to Kasoku's side without thinking. "Oh geez, are you okay?"
"Huh? Ah… yeah, I'm fine." Kasoku did not make eye contact with Izumi, but she was at least speaking to her. That meant something, right? "So… these are 'motor bikes', huh?" She quizzically tilted her head one way and then another as she looked around, eyes as vacant as ever. "Nifty stuff. Kinda wish I knew how to work one."
Izumi was not sure how she'd kept it together after that.
At least Kasoku was much more willing to speak with her afterward. That was a relief in a sense, but it also stung, because now Izumi had a much better picture of what Kae had done to Shun.
That Shun wasn't human anymore was a mere footnote in Izumi's mind. That her friend had smiled vapidly and insisted she had never been good for much of anything, save keeping house for Kae ("So there's no way I could be your 'Speed King' or whatever it was. Sorry, Izumi-san.") stung far more.
By the time the group arrived at the - currently vacant - motocross track, Izumi felt like she was about to fall apart. She still tried her best to hold out. She had to, for Shun's sake.
Kasoku froze up immediately once the group arrived… before pushing right past Izumi and Masaru and beelining straight towards the track. She paced about a bit, growing more and more visibly bothered by something as she looked around... and then abruptly halted in her tracks, stopped dead by another, much more intense headache.
And once again, Izumi was immediately at her side. "Sieg-kun!"
"I've been here before." Kasoku muttered. "But… how would I…?"
Kasoku's hand flew to her temple again. Her head was full of static - the sight of cheering crowds, the smell of exhaust, the roar of engines, and the echo of a thought - "I can do this as long as she's watching." None if it felt like it belonged to her. But it was all strangely nostalgic regardless.
"Of course you've been here, Sieg-kun! You said this was practically your other home!" Izumi gestured towards a nearby spot in the bleachers. "I watched your first race from that exact spot! And I've cheered you on ever since! Just like you've always cheered me on! We promised to support each other, remember?" She looked up pleadingly at the other girl. "Have you really forgotten all of that?"
Kasoku forced herself to meet Izumi's eyes. Looking at the younger girl still made her head hurt, and now it was sending a dull ache into her heart on top of that.
"None of that rings a bell, sorry." She forced a smile and a nonchalant laugh. "Oh well! So what if I forgot a few things? I'm happy where I am, Izumi-san."
Izumi clenched a fist. "Sieg-kun… why are you lying?"
"I… I'm not-" Kasoku felt her heart drop as she briefly looked past Izumi and towards Masaru, who was standing a few feet away. Something about his expression made her feel even worse. "Why would you say that?"
"Because it's obvious!" Izumi shot back. "There are so many people in Kyoukai who love you, Sieg-kun! And you had a dream you wanted to chase after, no matter what!" Her voice began to crack. "Even if you don't remember it clearly… part of you knows something's missing, right?"
Kasoku's gaze slid to the ground. "That doesn't really matter…"
"Yes it does!" Izumi was beginning to tear up. She was way past trying to fight it. "I can fix this, Sieg-kun! I can help you get your old self back! So don't just give up on yourself!"
For a moment, Kasoku was completely silent. And then she laid a reassuring hand on Izumi's shoulder, just like her old self often had. The gesture made Izumi sob harder, and the smile Kasoku gave her - that warm and comforting one Shun was an absolute pro at - just made it even worse.
"I'm sorry, Izumi-san. Please stop forcing yourself." she said softly. "We can be friends, if you want? But…" Even now, that moment with Hinyu was still burned into her mind. "Even if you're right, I can't just abandon Boss."
And the frustration and hopelessness Izumi had been keeping at bay came crashing down onto her shoulders like a ton of bricks. She sharply turned away from Kasoku.
"So… that's it." she said quietly. "I'm sorry, Sieg-kun" A tear splashed onto the dirt below. "Looks like I finally dragged you down too." She shook her head, laughing brokenly. "Guess that's what I do best."
"Huh? Do your teammates tell you that stuff? Is that why you were out here all alone?"
Izumi looked up to find Masaru Aki standing beside her. She wanted to sock him in the jaw more than ever, between that clueless look on his face and… well, everything he'd done. She supposed she could at least hear him out first.
"I was out here to fix what you did." she snarled. "And no, they don't. Say it, I mean. But they probably think it sometimes." She let out a bitter laugh. "I mean, it's true. My parents said that stuff, like, all the time."
Masaru was unperturbed. "Doesn't mean everyone feels that way. Or that it matters what they think." he countered. "My parents never liked me much, and Boss' mom didn't want her - and it doesn't matter, 'cause we have each other! We're family - and a team! And you know what's great about us?"
"What?" Izumi asked coolly.
"Nobody's a burden!" Masaru said. "Everybody's got stuff they can and can't do - like sure, I'm not too bright, but nobody on the Trio is stronger than me! Pretty Cure's the same way, right?"
Izumi's eyes widened as her mind flashed back to her last fight. The moment of her failure, specifically.
"I won't drag them down any longer!"
She nodded absently, even as her mind swirled with questions. Was… that what she had gotten wrong back then? Was it not about her own weakness? Had she been looking at herself the wrong way?
Masaru patted Izumi on the shoulder. "See? So don't say that stuff, Izumi-san! And don't… act like…" His face fell as he looked over at Kasoku, who was looking more troubled by the moment. He… didn't want to end up like Crimson General Carnelian, but… "Hey uh, Kas? There's something I've gotta-"
"Oh? So that's how it is, huh?"
The group turned to find Keiko Ninomiya, who looked decidedly unamused by the sight before her. Kasoku froze up like a deer in headlights at the sight of her boss, prompting Izumi to move protectively in front of the other girl.
"Oh, hi Boss!" Masaru bounded over to Keiko. "Izumi-san was helping us figure out a good-"
"I don't care what she was doing!" Keiko huffed. "I was doing actual work, while you guys were out on a playdate with a Pretty Cure!" She turned away dramatically, sniffling as her eyes welled with tears. "Nobody loves Keiko-chan… nobody wants to help Keiko-chan… it's just not fair!"
Masaru immediately moved to dry Keiko's tears. "Hey, Boss, it's okay - please don't cry!"
Izumi was unmoved. "You have some nerve throwing a pity party, after what you did to Sieg-kun!"
Keiko immediately turned off the fake tears. "Huh? Who's... oh, you mean Kasoku over there?" That 'kun' was troublesome but ultimately meaningless… right? "Trust me, I'd turn her right back into a human if I could. But… I can't! What kind of villain makes a reversible brainwashing spell?"
Kasoku stared at Keiko in disbelief. "Boss? Are you saying that-?"
"Oh, don't look so shocked." Keiko sniped. Ugh, the way Kasoku was looking at her was stirring that stupid guilty feeling back up! She was too depraved and evil for this! "And quit cowering behind that Pretty Cure, idiot. We have work to do~!"
Izumi did not budge. "Sieg-kun, you don't have to listen to her."
Kasoku hesitated… before something about the look Keiko gave her made her falter. She gave Izumi one last apologetic smile before she dutifully headed to Keiko's side. Keiko smirked in triumph as she summoned her staff. Izumi immediately lunged after her... to no avail. Keiko and her henchmen vanished in a burst of violet sparkles, leaving Izumi to pounce at empty air as Keiko's shrill noblewoman's laugh rang in her ears.
And then Izumi's smartphone went off. Something surged up within her as she checked her text messages.
Despite everything, her friends had come through once more. And this time, she understood what that meant, and what she needed to do next.
Izumi immediately hit the ground running. Time for her to - no, for them to make this right!
Kae had brought her henchmen to a salvage yard near the outskirts of Kyoukai. Between the rows upon rows of abandoned vehicles in various states of decay and the eerie silence of the surrounding area, it seemed more like a cemetery for machines than anything else.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kae grinned proudly as flitted about the area. "See, all objects have a spirit! And the machines here have been discarded by humans! So… if we harvest the grudges of these vehicles, we can drive all of Kyuikai into despair! Picture it - a vehicle army fueled by vengeance!"
Kooyoo inclined his head curiously. "Like a… zombie apocalypse? But with cars?"
Kae beamed. "Exactly~!" She burst into another noblewoman's laugh as she readied her magic staff once more. "Ohohoho! That poor background character didn't know what she was doing!"
Yes, that foolish woman with the long, sea green hair - the one who had seen Kae drowning her sorrows in Western Paradise's rainbow frappes, sat down across from her, and lent her an ear. The one who had just smiled and nodded as Kae vented about her job, her life, and the dismal walking mistake that was Ekine Kasoku.
And then that woman had just smiled wryly and offered Kae a place to harvest despair from! As if she wasn't talking to a fearsome criminal gang leader whose depravity knew no bounds! Humans were such idiots!
Kasoku winced and gritted her teeth at the sound of Kae's laughter. Being at this salvage yard was making her head hurt again, her brain's attempt to process what Kae had just casually admitted to was making it worse, and that high-pitched laugh was just the cherry on top.
"And then we'll fight Pretty Cure, right?" Kasoku nervously wrung her hands at the thought. She didn't know Izumi as well as the girl seemed to know… her former self, but… "I don't think that-"
"Nobody cares what you think!" Kae snapped. Kasoku flinched away from her, covering her head with her hands. "Especially not me! And especially after what you pulled! It's a wonder Hinyu-sama still trusts us!"
Kooyoo placed himself in front of the visibly shaken Kasoku. "Don't yell at her, Boss! It's our fault that-"
Kae shoved past him. "Yeah. I know. I chose the wrong human." Her lip curled in disdain as she stared down Kasoku. "'Oh, it's fine if she's not a guy - she works so hard!' 'How did I turn a human into a spirit? Ah, it doesn't matter - it's a bonus perk!' Ugh, I was such an idiot! And I can't even take it back!"
Kasoku looked up. "You… can't take it back." she echoed numbly.
Kae nodded. "That's right~! You'll never be human again, and you'll never get your memories back. Ever." She was trying a little too hard to sound nonchalant. "You'll get over it. And so will your - her human family. That's what do you mean 'they're standing right behind you'?!"
Kae turned stiffly to find Hiroko, Yasu, and Jun assembled nearby. Her jaw dropped, Kasoku stared in confusion at the group, trying to place the faces before her, and Kooyoo-
-grinned and casually waved at them. "Oh, hi, Pretty Cure!" Haha, they were in danger! "How'd you guys know we were here?"
Hiroko just smiled. "It was quite simple." She nodded to Kae. "Kimi-san let us know after you fell for her bait." She readied her Puricell as she addressed the aqua-haired girl. "She had a feeling you would, after that confession."
Yasu readied her Puricell in turn as she nodded to Kasoku. "Don't worry, Siegel-san. We're here to help."
"That's right!" Jun chirped. Kichu echoed her sentiments from his perch on her shoulder. "Izunyan's been fighting really hard to reach you, hasn't she? Now it's our turn to pitch in!"
Kae stared blankly at the group. "That background character was… important?" No, wait, that wasn't the issue here! She grabbed Kasoku by the arms, her expression frantic as she shook the other girl. "You! You didn't tell me you were a friend of Pretty Cure! Is that why you and the blond were together like that?!"
Kasoku's shaky nod and mumbled "I think so?" just made Kae's heart pound even harder, and Kooyoo scrambling to her aid didn't help matters at all. Her solid gold eyes widened in alarm as she let go of Kasoku. Oh god. She was dead. She was going to get killed, and then she would die. She-
"You know, there is one way you could redeem yourself, Kae. There's an experiment I would like to try - one I know you girls definitely can't mess up."
-had a way out! Even if she couldn't harvest despair! Even if she didn't get her car zombies!
"That's right!" Kae pointed triumphantly at the Cures. "You guys can't blow me up if I crush you first!" She produced something from one of her overlong sleeves. "Behold! The instrument of your doom!"
The color drained away from Jun's face as she realized what Kae held. "That's-!"
Indeed, it was a Wrath Seed pod that was germinating on its own as it pulsed and writhed with a strange energy… much like the one Hinyu had used against Jun back then. And before anyone had the chance to stop her, Kae had tossed it at a nearby pile of rusted vehicular remains.
"Appear! Nikuina!" Kae raised a fist glowing with red-black light as the pile of rusted scrap began to glow and increase in size, sending her henchmen scrambling away from it. "Cast the world into despair~!"
The glowing pieces of scrap hovered into the air, shifting into the components of yet another robot-like Nikuina, which assembled itself piece by piece. This one appeared to be made of warped and fused vehicles and sported a crown made of twisted scrap metal, spikes of rust running up its arms, and black vines snaking around its chest. It gave an earth-shaking roar as it drew sealing energy into its mouth.
Hiroko and Yasu immediately sprang into action. "Pretty Cure! Spirit Unleash!"
As Jun and Kichu scrambled for a hiding spot, Cure Seiryuu and Cure Byakko met the Nikuina in combat. Kae smirked approvingly as she watched her creation easily shrug off the jabs of Byakko's White Fleuret and Seiryuu's salvos of wind energy… before marching towards Kasoku, who had taken cover behind a stack of tires and yanking the other girl out of her hiding spot.
"You know, there is one way you can redeem yourself." Kae said. "Keep an eye out for the blond, and keep her away from her friends! That way, Great Speed King will definitely crush them!"
Kasoku did a double-take at the name of Kae's creation, before the nature of her request sunk in. "Boss, I can't… there's no way-!" The idea of hurting Izumi stirred up that dull ache in her heart, and that aside… "I don't even know how to fight!"
Kasoku's protests had no effect on Kae, who was casually pushing the other girl towards the entrance of the salvage yard, even as Kasoku continued to object. "Excuses, excuses! If you can wash the dishes, you can clean her clock!"
Kae gave Kasoku one last rough shove, sending her stumbling forwards several paces. She had to flail her arms wildly to keep herself from falling flat on her face - right as Izumi Hamasaki dashed straight past her. Or tried to, anyway. Kasoku nimbly intercepted Izumi before she could get far.
Izumi did a double-take at her friend's appearance (definitely not human, definitely still Shun) before muttering an apology and attempting to push past her… only for Kasoku to catch her by the arm and effortlessly hold her in place.
Izumi stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously? After what she did to you, Sieg-kun?" She stared past Kasoku and towards the immense Nikuina that Seiryuu and Byakko were fighting, as Kae and Kooyoo perched on its shoulders. Right now, the advantage seemed to be on the Nikuina's side, and that just made Izumi struggle harder against Kasoku's iron grip. "C'mon, this isn't funny!"
Kasoku's solid red eyes flitted towards the fight going on behind her. She grimaced nervously as she let go of Izumi's arm, still clearly intent on cutting off the other girl's exit. "Listen. I'll let you win, alright? I don't wanna hurt you anyway. But... orders are orders."
Izumi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "If that's what it takes, then fine." She steeled herself and readied her Puricell. "But I'm still not giving up on you, Sieg-kun."
This Nikuina was bad news. Jun's reaction to the Wrath Seed pod had made that clear enough, and it became clearer still as Seiryuu and Byakko attempted to wear it down. The more damage it took, the more the vines wrapped around its chest grew, radiating out from its chest and snaking arounds its limbs. And the more those vines grew, the stronger and more aggressive the Nikuina's attacks seemed to become.
Unfortunately, Kae's control over her own monster was steadily slipping as well. The Nikuina did not seem to be listening to the orders she barked at it, and it had already nearly thrown her and Kooyoo off.
On top of that, Pretty Cure was a member short once more. Genbu was on the battlefield this time, but she was currently engaged in combat with the red-eyed spirit that Seiryuu understood to be Shun. The sight made her heart sink - no matter how she looked at it, neither girl was in an enviable position.
"Why would you do something so cruel to Siegel-san?!" Seiryuu landed a flurry of wind-charged blows on the Nikuina, only for it to quickly recover and counter with several rapid-fire punches, forcing her to dodge and wave out of the way. "People aren't dolls for you to manipulate, Kae!"
"I know I messed up, damn it!" Kae snapped. The Nikuina lurched abruptly as the vines spread down the lengths of its arms. Kooyoo had to scramble to her side to keep her steady. "But I can't take it back! Your preaching won't change that!"
"I don't believe that." Byakko intercepted another blow from the Nikuina with one of her shields before hitting it with several well-placed jabs of light from her White Fleuret. It did not seem to have much of an effect. We won't give up on Siegel-san just because you have!"
And as Seiryuu and Byakko fought to take down the Nikuina, Genbu and Kasoku traded blows… for a given definition of "trading blows".
At first, Kasoku had not seemed to know what she was doing. Her movements were hesitant and clumsy, and Genbu felt awful about even pretending to strike back at her as the two's duel - quite deliberately - led them closer and closer to Seiryuu and Byakko.
And then something had suddenly seemed to click into place for Kasoku, and Genbu found herself having to dodge a well-placed whip kick, followed by two swift straight punches from her opponent.
"Hm, okay. I can fight." Kasoku muttered. And then, to Genbu "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"I'm fine, don't worry!" Well, she was physically fine, Genbu mused as she evaded several more kicks and jabs. She kept a wary eye on the Nikuina as they fought. Just a bit more… "How should we end this?"
"You could knock me out?" Kasoku suggested. At Genbu's horrified reaction, she amended it to "Or pretend to? I doubt Boss would notice if-"
Whatever Kasoku was going to say next turned into a squeak of alarm as the Nikuina, which the pair had drawn a bit too close to, narrowly missed stepping on her. Genbu promptly scooped the other girl up in her arms and leapt out of the way, right as-
-Kae noticed what they were up to. "Hey! Kasoku! What are you doing?!" The aqua-haired girl was staring daggers at Genbu and the visibly flustered Kasoku from her perch atop her Nikuina. She was already strung out by the black vines steadily overtaking said Nikuina and this was not helping. "What part of 'clean her clock' don't you get?!"
Kasoku put a nonchalant hand behind her head. "Ahaha... sorry, Boss! I guess Genbu-san's just too strong for me!" As she spoke, she motioned for Genbu to rejoin her friends with her free hand.
Kae crammed a whirlwind of thought into the next split-second. Of course Kasoku would screw this up too! Now Pretty Cure would reunite and destroy her, assuming her own Nikuina didn't crush her first, and Hinyu would hate her and Shahei for screwing up again, and yet another adult would throw them away, and-
"Surely there's something you can do to fix this."
Nononono wait. There was. Her spell had… somehow been good enough to turn a lowly human into a spirit like herself. Maybe if she made it a bit more intense, she could make Kasoku a bit stronger! Heh, it wasn't like you could erase someone's memories more!
"Don't worry about that, Kasoku!" Kae grinned as she readied her magic staff. "I'll fix you right up~!"
As Genbu dashed towards the Nikuina, Kae took a deep breath and focused on Kasoku's spirit power. She could see her own violet-colored magic intertwined with her target's now-murky green life force. If she just made that magic a bit more intense, then-
-for a moment, nothing happened. And then Kasoku suddenly froze up before collapsing to her knees and crying out in pain. Her hands flew to her head as her form began to blaze with violet energy.
Kooyoo looked utterly horrified. "Siegel-san!"
Genbu immediately forgot about the Nikuina and flew to Kasoku's side. "Sieg-kun! Sieg-kun, are you-?"
The violet aura surrounding Kasoku suddenly dissipated as she hauled herself to her feet. Genbu felt her blood freeze as she met Kasoku's eyes. There was nothing recognizably human left in the other girl's expression.
Kasoku abruptly lunged towards Genbu and nailed her in the chest with a hard piston kick. The black Cure was sent flying backwards and careening into a pile of scrap.
"Genbu!" Seiryuu cursed her inability to rush to her fellow Cure's aid. If only the Nikuina wasn't putting so much pressure on her and Byakko! "What did you, do, Kae?!"
Kae stared wide-eyed at the sight. "I… I was just trying to power her up a bit!" As her panic mounted, the vines growing on the Nikuina continued to spread. "I didn't think that-!"
Genbu got back on her feet - and Kasoku immediately went after her. She moved like a precise machine, sending a hail of rapid-fire kicks and jabs the black Cure's way.
It took everything Genbu had to avoid Kasoku's attacks and stay out of the Nikuina's line of fire as the two zipped and darted around the salvage yard. Shun had always been very light on her feet, and the spell she was under seemed to augment that tenfold. It was only a matter of time before she wore Genbu down completely.
"Sieg-kun, please stop!" Genbu pleaded. "I know you don't want to do this! You said you didn't want to hurt me, didn't you?!"
Kasoku did not seem to hear Genbu's words, let alone recognize the girl before her. Rather, she seemed even more determined to cut Genbu down. She lunged at Genbu again, forcing the black Cure to leap out of the way. She barely had a moment to catch her breath before Kasoku advanced on her once more.
Still, Genbu had to keep trying. "Sieg-kun! You aren't a Shade Kingdom servant! You aren't a bad person! So please-!"
Kasoku responded by narrowing her eyes and firing a crackling bolt of dark green spirit power from her palm. Genbu barely managed to sidestep it, leaving the bolt to hit another pile of scrap behind her, reducing it to molten fragements.
Byakko was visibly livid at this point. "Can you not do anything to stop this?"
Kae shook her head. "N-no! I don't know how!" The smug villainess that Kae tried so hard to present herself as was nowhere to be seen. In her place stood what Kae truly was at her core - a distressed 13-year-old girl who was far out of her depth. Her solid gold eyes welled with tears as she clung to a visibly rattled Kooyoo. "I can't fix it! I can't!"
And at that moment, the vines overtook the Nikuina completely. Kae had a half second to process this on top of everything else before the Nikuina lit up with a red-black glow, and she and Kooyoo were flung right off of it. She was able to use her magic to slow Koyoo's fall, keeping him from a hard collision with the ground, but she-
-did not have the hard landing she expected, courtesy of someone catching her in their arms. Not Pretty Cure - none of them had been able to get to her in time. Long hair, wings... an angel? No-
Kooyoo's eyes lit up. "Tobi!"
"The one and only." Tobi deadpanned. And then, to Kae "Listen, we really need to talk about… your…"
Toib's words died in his throat as he looked up and realized what was happening around him. His jaw dropped at the sight. The salvage yard was thoroughly trashed, the red-eyed twit had gone utterly ballistic and was attempting to duel one of the Pretty Cure to the death as the latter futilely begged and pleaded with her opponent, and the Nikuina, the one Kae must have sent out-
-the thing looked more plant than machine at this point. A malevolent red-black aura surrounded the Nikuina as it attempted to destroy the other two Pretty Cure, who had been forced on the defensive. The vines surrounding its form lashed out at the pair and the spikes of rust growing from its arms had grown unusually long and sharp. Being struck dead-on with one of those things would be bad news for most anyone, spirit or Cure.
"I'm sorry." Kae was trembling all over as she stared at the scene unfolding before her. "I can't take it back, I can't control it, I can't-"
And that technically wasn't Tobi's problem. But if leaving this mess be meant seeing Kae like this, then well...
"I have to do everything around here, don't I?" Tobi sighed in mock exasperation as he gently sat Kae down. He withdrew his sword from its sheath before nodding to Kooyoo. "Care to help take out some trash, big guy?"
Kooyoo needed no further prompting. "Would I!"
Genbu was growing desperate. No matter how much she begged or pleaded with Kasoku, nothing seemed to work. And no matter how hard her friends fought, the Nikuina seemed to push back harder. But she couldn't just give up. She promised herself she would do everything she could to save Shun. She-
"Sieg-kun… I'm sorry!" Genbu said as she dodged several rapid-fire piston kicks, each charged with electrified spirit power. "I kept telling myself I had until tomorrow! I thought I was better off keeping my feelings hidden." She didn't know if Kasoku could hear her. She kept going. "But I wasn't! I never was!"
Suddenly, Seiryuu and Byakko had some rather unexpected backup - Kooyoo and Tobi. The latter used the razor wind from his sword to slice away the vines lashing out at the two Cures, while the former used his strength to pummel away at it bare-handed. The vines seemed to grow right back, but…
"If it's anything like the other one, it needs energy to heal!" Seiryuu nodded to Tobi. "We should be able to wear it down if we keep hacking at the vines!"
"Right, right." Inwardly, Tobi marveled at how thoroughly sideways this fight had gone already. But whatever. This was for Kae's sake, ultimately. "Mind those spikes too. They seem like bad news."
Genbu was rapidly wearing out. One of the bolts of spirit power Kasoku flung at her caught across the shoulder, ripping a chunk out of one of her shoulder pads. Another struck her on the side, sending a surge of pain through her body as it visibly singed her uniform's top. Still, she did not back down.
"I've never been happier than when I was with you!" Genbu's eyes were welling with tears now. She was past trying to stop it. "I was afraid of what would happen if I told you the truth! I was scared I'd lose what we had!"
Seiryuu's gambit was working. As she and Tobi hacked away at the vines covering the Nikuina, its movements grew more sluggish, allowing Byakko and Kooyoo to pummel it freely. But at the same time, the spikes on its arms grew longer and sharper, and the malevolent energy surrounding them built.
Genbu narrowly evaded another electrified strike from Kasoku. "I wanted to go cruising along the beach with you, just once!" The words flowed easily now, even if none of them seemed to have an effect. "I wanted us to chase our dreams together forever!"
And as the Nikuna was on its last legs, the spikes on its arms suddenly detached and flew towards its opponents. Tobi was able to snipe one out of the air, Seiryuu eliminated two more, Byakko and Kooyoo eliminated two others, but one…
...flew past them and straight towards Genbu, who was too focused on getting through to Kasoku to notice. None of them would be fast enough to stop it, let alone get Genbu away from Kasoku, who was readying one last spirit power-infused blow.
Genbu stared down Kasoku as her friend coolly prepared to finish her off. This was it. It was now or never.
"I love you, Shun! I always have!"
The Nikuina crumpled to the ground, as the rogue spike flew towards Genbu-
-and then Kasoku leapt in front of it.
Her eyes widened in pain and then dimmed as the spike found its place through her chest. There was a flash of violet light as the spike disintegrated, and Kasoku's appearance fell away. In her place was Shun Siegel, who collapsed to the ground, completely unmoving.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from there. Genbu was numbly aware of Jun scrambling to Shun's aid, of Seiryuu and Byakko rushing to her side and helping her to her feet, of Tobi yelling at Shun for being an idiot, of Kae bursting into tears-
Genbu wanted to scream. But she couldn't. After everything, she felt too burned out to manage that.
Tobi and Kooyoo hurried to Kae's side as Jun attended to Shun, her hands glowing with golden light as she tried to do something about her injuries. The teal-haired girl was no longer visibly wounded at this point, but…
"She's still breathing." Jun said quietly. "But… it's really shallow…"
Genbu nodded in acknowledgement. There was still hope, then. But…
Her eyes welled with tears. "It's my fault that…" She caught herself as she felt Seiryuu and Byakko's hands gently squeeze hers. "No... that's not it, is it? Sieg-kun did that because she cared about me. Not because I dragged her down." She shook her head. "I had it all wrong before."
Genbu's brooch began to glow faintly with dark violet light as she gathered her resolve. That was right. Even if her parents thought she was a burden, that didn't mean everyone did. Even if she wanted to be the reliable one, there was no shame in having others look out for her when she needed it. That was what it meant to have allies, right?
The Nikuina staggered to its feet. Without thinking, Genbu dashed forward to meet it. Seiryuu and Byakko were at her side immediately. As her teammates sprang forward, knocking the Nikuina back with a spirit power-charged double kick, Genbu's brooch began to shine with dark violet light.
"That's right… as long as we look out for each other… as long as we support each other, we'll definitely win!" The light of Genbu's brooch grew more intense. "That's what it means to be strong!"
There was a flash of dark violet light, as an orb of light emerged from Genbu's brooch before resolving into a black gymnastics ribbon with a bronze, heart-tipped handle. Her eyes shined resolutely as she grabbed hold of her Spirit Arm - the Black Ribbon- and her form began to shine with dark violet spirit power.
"Pretty Cure!" Violet hyacinth petals danced and swirled about Genbu, and globules of water rose up around her as she swirled the Black Ribbon in front of her, causing dark violet energy to build up within it. "Black Maelstrom!"
An immense, spiraling, and serpentine-looking ribbon of dark violet water leapt forth from the Black Ribbon and tore towards the Nikuina, wrapping about every inch its form before completely engulfing it in an enormous sphere of water.
The black Cure turned away and pumped her fist victoriously as the Nikuina exploded in an enormous, heart-shaped burst of shining dark violet light. When the light cleared, nothing remained of it outside of a few orbs of light, the withered remains of the strange Wrath Seed pod, and a pile of rusted scrap.
Genbu smiled in satisfaction, even as her transformation faded, and exhaustion overcame her, forcing her to her knees.
"That was for Sieg-kun."
In the end, Kae had lost miserably again. She couldn't find it in herself to fume about it. She just felt... weirdly empty.
She didn't understand, she mused as she watched Pretty Cure and the Hallowed Wellspring spirits attending to… Shun, that was Kasoku's human name, right? The villains she admired never showed regrets. Beauty General Lilith would have never batted an eye at getting a friend of the heroes killed like this.
But there was reading something in a manga, and there was seeing it in front of you. And there was imagining something, and there was actually doing it. Space Team Cross-3 wasn't real. And the idea of say, driving everyone in Mirai to eternal despair was… well, it never had gone past an idea thanks to Tobi... and maybe her as well, she supposed.
But this? This was very much real. Kae had effectively erased Shun from existence with her spell, and now it seemed like the older girl was going to die soon. Kae had already been eaten up with guilt at the former, and she definitely could not live with the latter. And she couldn't do anything to take this back either.
...well, she couldn't do anything, anyway. That was the beauty of being one of the Asjun sisters, wasn't it?
Muse was completely burnt out, to the point that she could no longer hold onto her human form. Sure, Shun was still breathing thanks to her, but the teal-haired girl showed no signs of regaining consciousness.
Muse shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Izunyan."
Izumi nodded tearfully. "It's not your fault, Muse." And she wouldn't blame herself, no matter how much some part of her still wanted to, she told herself as she held Shun's hand. It was still warm for now, but... "You did everything you could."
And before anyone could say anything further, Kae suddenly approached the group. Or well, the girl in question looked like Kae, but there was something subtly off about her. Something that Izumi couldn't quite place. The aqua-haired girl did not make eye contact with any of them as she approached Shun.
"Please move." Kae(?) sounded oddly wispy and subdued as she readied her staff. The crystal on top now glowed light blue instead of violet.
Muse obliged, and Kae (?) stepped forward before laying the tip of her staff on Shun's chest and focusing, muttering a series of incantations under her breath. There was a flash of pale blue light, and the aqua-haired girl began to sway on her feet, before her eyes suddenly rolled back into her head and she fell backward. Kooyoo hurried forward and caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground.
Tobi looked over at the unconscious Shahei and sighed. "If I'm right, she'll be out cold for at least a day. We'll have to hold down the fort until then." He motioned for Kooyoo to follow him. "Sheesh, the things I come back to."
Kooyoo hesitated. "But what about-"
Tobi was already walking off. "That'll work out, trust me. Not much we can do anyway."
The members of Pretty Cure did not notice the Trio's departure, least of all Izumi. Nor did she notice the way the color had subtly flowed back into Shun's face, or the way her shallow and ragged breathing had suddenly stabilized. But she did notice when Shun's fingers twitched a bit before intertwining with her own.
"Izumi?"
Shun Siegel sounded utterly exhausted and a bit disoriented, and her gaze was slightly unfocused as she glanced around at Izumi and her allies. But… but she was…
Izumi burst into tears. "Sieg-kun!" Once again, she pulled Shun into a hug without a second thought. "You're okay!"
And this time, Shun leaned right into the hug. She gently patted Izumi on the back as the girl sobbed into her shoulder. "It's okay, Izumi. I'm not going any-" Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, verdammt. That was it, wasn't it?"
Hiroko looked at Shun in concern as she and Izumi parted from their hug. "Is something wrong, Siegel-san?"
Shun nodded as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "I… I remember feeling like there was something important I had to do. Something I'd forgotten." She sighed and shook her head. "It was The Pearl. I was going to take you there, Izumi, and then those two sidetracked me and - god, I'm so sorry."
Izumi just smiled. "It's okay." She removed Shun's neatly-folded scarf from her blazer pocket and gingerly pressed it into the older girl's hand. "We can make up for a missed outing. But nobody can replace you."
Shun smiled right back. "I can't argue with that." Every part of her ached, and her head was an utter mess. She only had the foggiest idea of what she had been doing between running afoul of Keiko and Masaru and waking up here, and she knew she would have a lot to sort out in the coming days, between, well, that and the matter of Pretty Cure's identities. But that was an issue for future Shun. What mattered right now was this. "Then we'll make up for it later. As many times as you want."
Izumi's eyes lit up. "Of course!"
Despite everything that had happened today, Izumi was not sure she had ever felt happier. She was surrounded by people who cared about her, she had been able to overcome her own heart, and she had finally been able to make her feelings known to the girl she loved.
There was a lot that would need to be taken care of, from getting Shun back home, to addressing the matter of Shun's disappearance, to preparing for whatever else the Shade Kingdom would throw at them. But for now… for now, all seemed right with the world.