Epiosde Fourteen: Spark of Destiny! The Secret of Shun Siegel
A/N: Warning for a brief depiction of physical abuse towards the end of this chapter!
It was a beautiful spring afternoon, and the thirteen-year-old girl sprinting down one of Kyoukai City's many shopping streets was enjoying every moment of it. Sure, she had been here plenty of times before, but the surroundings seemed just a bit more colorful now, the wind gently ruffling her bobbed teal hair seemed just a bit fresher, and the flora and fauna around her seemed just a bit more alive.
She paused near a store window, checking out her reflection. A petite girl clad in a green sweatshirt dress and sneakers stared back at her, grinning proudly. A girl with a bright, sparkling future ahead of her - both as a new student at Mirai Academy and as a resident of Kyoukai. A girl who would be enjoying a fresh start, set far from Germany and spent alongside her grandmother, her big sister, and of course-
"Shun! Don't run ahead like that!"
Shun tore her eyes away from her reflection to find a far-from-amused Kimiko standing next to her. Her fiance, a tall and stout man with short and messy light blond hair and dark gold eyes, was leaning heavily against her. Kazuhiko "Kazu" Tsukikage, a big teddy bear of a man, who Shun couldn't help but love. It'd be easy to forget that he had once been known as Prince Tsukimera of the Shade Kingdom, except…
…well, that had everything to do with why he… hadn't been looking so hot these days, and why he looked especially worn out today. Kimi and Kazu never discussed it in front of Shun, but she knew full well what was going on. Their world literally did not want Kazu in it, and he was paying dearly for it.
"I'm not going to disappear, no matter what happens." Shun had overheard Kazu telling Kimi the other night. "But I can't fight anymore, and I can feel myself getting weaker each day. At this rate…"
"It's okay. I can be strong enough for both of us." Kimi said. "At least let me share the burden with you."
Shun put a hand behind her head. "Ahaha… sorry about that! I keep getting carried away."
Kimi sighed in exasperation. "Well, you need to stop getting carried away, Shun. I know you're excited, but Kazu-"
"-will be just fine, I promise." Kazu's voice was heavy with exhaustion, but that didn't stop him from reaching over and playfully ruffling Shun's hair over her joking protests. "C'mon, Kimi, remember how I acted after things settled down? You lost me in the shopping district, what, five times?"
"Six." Kimi corrected. "And your situation was entirely different, Kazu." she added as the three of them continued on their way. "You weren't a little girl who knows better than to run off on her own."
Shun shot Kimi a glare. "I'm literally starting junior high in two weeks!"
Kimi patted Shun on the head. "I suppose you are. But the 'little' part still stands."
"I'll get bigger!" huffed Shun, who stood just a little under 5'2" on a good day. "You did, remember?"
"Are you sure?" Kimi regarded Shun with sisterly concern. "It looks like you shrank a bit, actually." As Shun frantically zipped over to a nearby mirror, desperately checking to make sure she hadn't actually become shorter, Kimi added "Do you need to have your measurements taken while we're here? We need to make sure your uniform's skirt fits properly."
"Ah… actually, I think I want to go with pants. A tie too." Shun frowned as she gave her reflection (which wasn't shorter, thanks!) another once-over. There was nothing wrong with her current look, but it… just wasn't her anymore. Maybe it never had been. "Can I get a haircut too? I want to try something different."
Kimi looked over Shun's shoulder in the mirror. "Oh, are you going for the cool and sporty look? Nice. I could help you with a wardrobe change too, if you like?" She grinned as Shun nodded. "Then it's a deal! I can even hem those pants for you as you keep growing down!"
"I am not shrinking, Kimi!"
Kazu sighed and shook his head as Kimi and Shun broke into a flurry of playful squabbling. "Never change, you two. Never change."
And then the color suddenly drained from the sky,
Everyone in the vicinity froze up in nervous apprehension as the air grew uncomfortably still and the surrounding wildlife grew disconcertingly quiet. And then a region of space in front of Kimi and Shun began to warp and distort… before a massive wave of black vines shot forth from said distortion.
People fled in all directions, screaming, as Kimi shoved Shun out of the vines' path. There was no need - the vines swerved away from both sisters and shot towards Kazu. He tried to get away, only for his exhaustion to quickly get the better of him, leaving him doubled over in pain as he sank to to the ground.
"NO!"
A cyclone of blue spirit power shot forth towards the vines, shredding them into tiny ribbons before they could touch Kazu. Unfortunately, more quickly took their place as additional distortions appeared in the surrounding area, and more black vines shot forth from them, all angled directly at Kazu.
Kimi intercepted every last one without batting an eye. Her entire being blazed radiantly with blue light, and an unseen wind made her sea green hair billow about like a storm-tossed ocean as she fiercely fought to defend her fiance with as much, if not more spirit power than she had once drawn on as Cure Seiryuu. It was a truly awe-inspiring display… but something was going to give, and soon, Shun realized.
Kimi wasn't a Pretty Cure anymore. Kimi, who looked less like a human and more like a vengeful storm goddess by the second, was drawing on much more spirit power than she could safely utilize. At this rate, she would burn herself to cinders, but if she stopped even for a moment, Kazu would… Kazu would…
In the end, all Shun could do was watch helplessly from the sidelines. Watch as the exertion become too much for Kimi, watch as she crumpled to the ground like a broken doll, and watch as the vines flew at Kazu from all directions, as she opened her mouth to-
-scream as she shot bolt upright in bed, gasping for air.
Sweat beaded on Shun's brow as she struggled to catch her breath, in between keeping an ear open for Hayate or Kimi. Nothing. She hadn't woken either of them up this time. Thank god. Kimi would be hosting a tea ceremony for Pretty Cure and their allies tomorrow. The worst thing Shun could do was deprive her sister of much-needed rest.
Her eyes traveled around her neat and tidy bedroom as she tried to gather her thoughts and remind herself of where she was and when she was. There was the bookshelf packed with everything from automotive magazines to tankobons of classic shoujo manga, the display case filled with the many model cars she had assembled, the stuffed animals sitting in a neat pile in a toy hammock near her bed…
Shun hesitated before grabbing the top plushie on said pile - an obviously well-loved plush kirin, the one that… Kazu had purchased for her years ago. Hugging it still helped, but…
"Again, huh? How many times has it been now?" Shun quietly asked the plushie, which offered no answer. Oh well. This still helped too. She forced a smile. "At least I'm used to this one, right?"
Right… it could have been the other recurring nightmare she had been having recently, the one where she found herself back at the Trio's flat as Kooyoo teased her for spacing out on the job, and Kae had a laugh at her silly delusions of ever having been human, let alone good at anything outside of cleaning up after her, so stop babbling nonsense and get back to work, Kasoku! Why else do I keep you around?
Ugh, and the moment she remembered that whole mess, the air around her started feeling uncomfortably heavy again. Shun would have loved to chalk that up to lingering anxiety from her nightmare, but she knew damn well that wasn't the case. Sure, the feeling was far milder now than it had been back then, but she vividly remembered it from her "first" trip to Kyoukai as Kasoku. Pressure from the barrier, right.
But why would Kyoukai's barrier still affect her? She'd turned back into a human in the end… hadn't she?
Shun flopped onto her back, still holding the kirin plush close. Just what had Kae done to her? And what would she say if… no, when they crossed paths once more? She had no idea… but what else was new there? Typical Shun Siegel - as clueless and useless as she'd been three, even ten years ago.
At least she managed to drift back off into sleep soon enough. She had no more dreams that night.
The morning arrived just a bit too early for Shun's liking. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to get out of bed anyway. Her sister and grandmother were already up and around, and besides, Izumi and the others would be arriving at the Yoshimoto estate soon. Sleeping in was not an option here.
Before too long, Shun had gotten dressed - a striped, cream-colored, short-sleeved button-down worn over a teal t-shirt, jeans, and of course, her signature fingerless gloves - and was giving her appearance one last once-over in her dresser mirror. She had to look good for everyone, especially her girlfriend.
As she moved to leave, her eyes drifted towards the framed family photo on her dresser - two young girls, a tall man with a neat goatee, cropped black hair, and slate gray eyes, and a woman with dark teal blue hair worn in loose ringlets and red-brown eyes that seemed to be focused elsewhere. She heaved a wistful sigh before pulling her eyes away and moving on.
Soon enough, a neat row of shoes was assembled on the edge of the Yoshimoto estate's elaborate and spacious foyer and Shun was happily ushering Pretty Cure and their allies inside.
"I hope you guys found this place without trouble. I know Izumi's the only one who's really-" Shun paused worriedly as she noticed how confused and lost Hiroko and Jun looked. "Something wrong?"
Hiroko, who wore a short-sleeved blue jean jacket over a belted blue and white checked shirt dress and white kneesocks, jumped a bit. "Oh no! No! I just… when you said your house was 'pretty nice', I wasn't expecting, well… a mansion."
Jun, who wore denim skirtalls over a pastel yellow shirt with puffy sleeves and pastel ribbon decor, was drinking in everything with wide eyes alongside Kichu. "It's almost as big as Nyasu and Harunyan's house."
"Oh, right… you guys aren't from around here, so you wouldn't know." said Haruki, who wore a red and white T-shirt with a flaming sword decal and khaki cargo shorts. "The Yoshimoto family has a pretty long history in Kyoukai, don't they, Sis?"
Yasu, who wore a frilly white and violet moonflower-print tunic and dark gray leggings, adjusted her glasses. "Correct. Their family fortune actually predates ours."
"Ehe… I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, Shunyan!" Jun chirped as Hiroko quietly tried to process what had just been casually dropped on her. "You're a prince just like Harunyan, after all!"
Shun went slightly pink and looked aside. "Ah… really? I feel like I don't suit this place, honestly…"
"Now, now, Shun-chan, there's no need to be humble." A elderly woman in full kimono had entered the foyer. Her dusty pink hair was tied into a proper bun, and her dark brown eyes shined with mirth as she took in the sight of Hiroko and the others, who greeted her with a bow. "Looks like everyone is here! It's so good to see you again, Izumi-chan."
Izumi, who wore a black tank top with an ocean wave printed on the front over a bronze camisole, jean shorts, and black and pink wristbands, flashed a grin and a peace sign. "Right back at you, Granny Hayate!"
Hayate affectionately ruffled Izumi's hair before moving to address the others. "Now, let me see - you must be Hiroko-chan, Yasu-chan, Haruki-kun, and Jun-chan, correct?" She smiled warmly at the group. "I feel like I've known you all for a long time - Shun-chan talks about you constantly, you know."
Shun was already growing visibly flustered. If Hayate noticed, she didn't seem to care much.
"Really, thank you very much for taking care of my darling granddaughter." she continued. "She might not look the part, but Shun-chan is a very delicate girl. It does this old woman's heart, knowing her dear girlfriend and her precious friends are looking out for her."
Shun had gone tomato red at this point. "Th-that's quite enough, Grandma!" she sputtered. "Kimi should be finished preparing by now, so…"
"Of course, of course." Hayate affectionately patted Shun's head as she spoke - the fact that she had to reach a bit to do it did not deter the old woman. "It's been a long time since Kimiko-chan received guests in our teahouse - or since I've given a proper tour of our estate. Shall we be off, everyone?"
The teahouse of the Yoshimoto estate was located on its western end, on the edge of a lovingly maintained garden. It was much like the rest of the estate - elegant in its simplicity and cloaked with years of history.
Kimiko Yoshimoto caught the tone well. Even Shun had trouble believing that the young woman in a sky blue kimono, who moved with serene grace as she deftly navigated the steps of a traditional chanoyu ceremony, was the same one who took active pleasure in trolling her little sister and had broken down cry-laughing when Shun realized mid-dinner prep that Izumi had been flirting with her for two years.
"Ah well. You can't be Speed King in all respects." That had been Kimi's take on the situation, and Shun's failure to understand the insult right away had just given her sister more ammunition.
Everyone else present was trying to match the mood as they enjoyed the dango Kimi had offered them. Yasu handled herself with the grace and poise of a princess, and Hiroko and Jun were roughly her equals in that respect. On the other hand, Haruki and Izumi were struggling to maintain seiza position, and Kichu…
"Chuu!" The mouse spirit was having the time of his little life as he polished off another one of the mini, dango skewers that Kimi had personally crafted for him, which were just the right size for his tiny paws, in between loud, noisy squeaks. "Chu, chuuu, chuuuuuu!"
Jun quietly moved to shush her little brother. "Tea ceremonies are supposed to be peaceful, Kichu!" she hissed.
Kichu looked up at Jun, let out a thoughtful-sounding squeak - and launched himself towards Kimi, who was currently whisking thick matcha in the tea bowl.
Haruki gave a cry of alarm and lunged after Kichu. Unfortunately, his legs had fallen asleep, and all the red-haired boy succeeded in doing was tipping over and knocking into Izumi. The impact sent pins and needles through the blond's legs, causing her to let out a loud yelp as she jumped into the air… and staggered around clumsily on her numb feet as she came back down, before tipping over backward.
Hiroko moved to catch Izumi… but she wasn't quite ready for how hard the blond ended up falling, and ended up half-sprawled on the flood, with Izumi on top of her. And as this unfolded around her, Shun lunged forward and tried to catch Kichu instead-
-but alas, the little mouse was too fast even for her. Kichu ended up exactly where he wanted to be - on top of Kimi's head as she finished preparing the tea. She looked up, blinking in surprise, as he let out a loud squeak of triumph.
Jun immediately dropped into a low bow of apology. "I'm so sorry, Kiminyan!" she exclaimed as everyone else scrambled to gather themselves. "I didn't mean to-!"
And Kimi burst out laughing.
"Oh, Muse, Muse, Muse. There is no need for an apology." she said as she gently removed Kichu from her head before affectionately scratching him behind the ears. "I'm doing this as a special treat for Pretty Cure and their friends - my dear little sister included. It doesn't have to be perfect."
Hiroko still couldn't help but feel flustered, despite Kimi's nonchalance. "I suppose it doesn't, but…"
Kimi shook her head. "There's no 'I suppose' here, Tsubasa-san. If the host says 'it's fine', it's fine." She looked down at Kichu. "Now, back to your spot, young man. You do want to share in the koicha, don't you?"
Soon, everyone was engaged in polite small talk as the six teenagers took turns with the bowl filled with thick matcha and Kichu enjoyed a tiny bowl on his own. Kimi was positively glowing as she eagerly listened to Pretty Cure and their allies updating her on their lives, both on and off the battlefield.
It was nice to see Kimi back in her element, Shun mused. Her sister had not hosted any ceremonies in the three years since Kazu had been taken away, and she had fallen ill. She could not stand the idea of having an attack mid-ceremony and causing trouble for her guests. That was her official explanation, but…
"What a callous man, abandoning his fiancee without a word!"
"I heard the grief of it all caused her to fall ill. Such a pitiable woman."
…Shun suspected there was more to it. Kimi was a semi-public figure around Kyoukai - so many people "knew" that her fiance had left her and had little issue approaching her about it. Kimi preferred suffering in silence to broaching the issue, since telling the truth was off the table. Better to withdraw completely.
And speaking of suffering in silence… the more the ceremony went on, the more worried Shun grew about Kimiko. Her sister had sworn up and down that she had never been better, but Shun did not miss the trembling of her hand as she blended the thin matcha, the way she abruptly trailed off mid-conversation, the unsteadiness of her gait as she rose to present the tea bowl to Hiroko-
-before swooning and falling forward. Shun caught Kimi in her arms in one swift, sudden motion as the tea bowl went splashing onto the ground. Kimi was cold with sweat, and she was beginning to hyperventilate as tremors shot through her body.
Izumi sprang to her feet without hesitation. "I'll get Granny Hayate!"
Shun nodded as she scrambled to make sure Kimi was supported properly until help could arrive. It was the only reaction she could really muster right now.
Shun had hardly said a word since the group had arrived at Kyoukai Regional Hospital. The teal-haired girl was staring into space and wringing her hands as she sat on one of the multiple round couches in the hospital waiting room. Izumi sat next to her but Shun hardly seemed to notice she was there.
The others sat nearby. Haruki was half-reading one of the hospital magazines, Jun was quietly cuddling with Kichu, and Yasu was leaning up against Hiroko, who was half-focused on the people milling around the hospital waiting room. Nobody said a word.
Kimi was sleeping soundly in a hospital room upstairs. It had been some time since she had an attack that bad, and the doctors had wanted to monitor her overnight. The doctors, who had no idea why Kimi had suddenly developed her chronic illness and never would. That was another secret Kimi suffered alone with.
Shun had wanted to stay with Kimi, at least until her sister regained consciousness, so she could give her a proper apology. But Hayate had not been having any of it.
"I can watch over Kimiko-chan. Why don't you and your friends find something fun to do for a while, Shun-chan? It would do you a world of good."
"I have no right to do that." Shun couldn't quite meet Hayate's eyes. "It's my fault that Kimi-"
Hayate laid a firm hand on Shun's shoulder. "Shun-chan. You need to take care of yourself right now - and let your friends take care of you. Your grandmother is not hearing any more objections."
Shun had not argued the point further. The last thing she wanted to do was make a scene in the hallway of a hospital, let alone needlessly upset her grandmother. But that didn't mean she was comfortable just up and taking off after everything that had just happened.
"Looks like I dragged you guys into another mess, huh?" Shun said quietly. "I'm sorry… I should've known something like this would happen."
Izumi shook her head. "Sieg-kun. Listen." She took one of the older girl's hands in hers and gave it a firm squeeze. "What happened is not your fault. And we're here 'cause we want to be here. We're all friends, right?"
Yasu nodded. "No apologies are needed. Besides…" Her eyes darkened a bit as she looked aside. "I think I know why Yoshimoto-san pushed herself like that."
Yasu's words earned her a sympathetic glance from Haruki and a reassuring squeeze of the hand from Hiroko. For a moment, the awkward pall of silence settled back over the group… and then Haruki's stomach began rumbling loudly.
Haruki went pink. "Sorry… I guess my morning training made me hungrier than I thought."
Izumi playfully elbowed him in the side. "Sheesh, Haru… if you're gonna do that, you've gotta fuel up properly! Every good athlete knows that!" She made a big show of getting up and stretching before glancing over at Shun. "Hey, Sieg-kun! That fancy convenience store you like is around here, right? I don't know the way, and my parents… kind of forgot to give me my allowance again, so…"
Shun looked up. "You mean Platinum Crown?" She hesitated… but only for a moment before getting up. "I'll show you two there - and spot you both." She shot a concerned glance at Izumi at the mention of her parents. She didn't want to dredge that up now, but... "We can't have you running out of gas, Haruki."
"Uh… r-right!" Haruki scrambled to his feet. "Thanks, Shun! You're a real bro!"
Yasu couldn't help but smile as she watched Shun playfully ruffling Haruki's hair and Izumi teasing him about getting yet another big sister as he jokingly protested both. As she watched the three depart, the thought of asking Hiroko or Jun if either of them wanted a treat as well crossed her mind…
…and then Jun tapped her and then Hiroko on the shoulder before quietly gesturing in the direction of a patient, who was being wheeled towards the other end of the waiting room by a nurse.
Hiroko's eyes widened. "That's-!"
A quick double-take confirmed it - the patient in question was a visibly exhausted Yurika Himura. Hiroko felt no need to ask why she was here, given everything. She would have asked her teammates if it was right to even approach Yurika… had Jun not bolted in her direction. Hiroko and Yasu exchanged glances before following. Looks like that decision had been made for them.
The Platinum Crown convenience store was a truly impressive place. It was spacious and well-organized, with sizable freezers packed full of delicious-looking frozen treats, shelves upon shelves of savory snacks and sweet candy, fridges lined with delectable-looking sandwiches and salads, and even a bakery that offered a positively massive selection of fresh-baked bread.
Izumi had been having the time of her life browsing the store's selection. The blond had already loaded her shopping basket with what looked like enough food for five girls, and she was still going. Shun couldn't help but smile as she caught a glimpse of Izumi salivating over the bakery selection at the other end of the store. She really didn't do anything halfway, did she? What an incredible girl.
She turned back to the beverage cooler she had been browsing and hummed thoughtfully. She… didn't feel great, but Hayate had been right. Stepping out with friends was at least helping her think a bit more clearly and had removed a bit of the pressure on her chest. Speaking of not feeling great, though…
"Hm? Something up, Haru?"
Haruki was standing at the end of a nearby aisle wearing a pensive expression on his face. He jolted to attention when Shun approached him. "No! I mean… maybe?" His eyes flitted around the area. "I feel like we'll run into a scripted encounter soon. I don't know how else to explain it."
Shun nodded. "Right… the 'something might be wrong with the track, better maneuver carefully' feeling." She frowned. "You know, now that I think about it-"
A chill ran down her spine as the sound of footsteps carried towards her ears. Ah. There was the track hazard now.
"Well, if it isn't the red-eyed twit."
Haruki blinked in confusion as he and Shun turned to find an obviously exhausted Shouta Kuromori. Haruki stared at the newcomer before gesturing to himself and mouthing a silent "me?". He didn't know what he'd done to merit 'twit' status, or who this random angry guy was, but-
Shun moved protectively in front of Haruki. "Well! If it isn't…" She frowned as she got a good look at the boy in front of her. "Sorry, who are you?"
Shouta's eyebrow twitched. "'Who are you?' You steal a guy's job, fold all the towels in his house the wrong way, put the dishes in the wrong cabinets, give his little sister grounds to whine endlessly about how chores are handled, and that's your response, Ekine Kasoku? 'WHO ARE YOU?!'"
The more Shouta ranted, the further he leaned forward, until he was right in Shun's face, and multiple people in Platinum Crown were staring at him, the completely impassive Shun, and the quietly mortified Haruki. For a moment, the entire store was eerily silent…
…and then Shun gently pushed Shouta away from her with all the gravity one would reserve for an annoying bug, and most everyone else in the area moved on with their business. He was too gobsmacked to resist, let alone notice Izumi looming behind him until she laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey. Are you bullying my girlfriend, asshole?"
Shouta spent a moment flailing for a response (first the twit magically found herself a spine, now this tiny girl was managing to unsettle him through presence alone) before he managed a quiet "I wanted to have a perfectly civil conversation-"
Haruki didn't look impressed. "Really? It looked like bullying to me." He shot a quizzical glance towards Shun. "Do you guys know each other, Shun? And why's he calling you 'Kasoku'?"
Shun's eyes flitted to the side. "It's… a long story, Haru." And then, to Shouta "Ah, right! You're Tobi-san, the one who can't fold laundry efficiently. Now I remember!" Shouta opened his mouth to snap at Shun. She instantly cut him off. "Anyway. Where's Kae? You three are a unit, right?"
Shouta snorted dismissively. "Do you really think I'd tell-" And then a light bulb went off in his head. "You know what, go right ahead. Keiko should still be having her little… scholarly debate at the playground around here. Maybe you can convince her to pull her damn weight around the flat, since you're clearly the superior chore guy."
Shun smiled and nodded. "Correct. Thank you." Once again, Shouta moved to snap at her, and once again, she fended him off, this time with a prompt "But sure, I'll go." An unreadable expression crossed her face for a moment as she added "There's something I need to ask her anyway."
"I'm coming with, obviously." Izumi said. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone with her, Sieg-kun."
Haruki still looked thoroughly lost. "I'll tag along too? It's not good to split the party, so…"
Shouta rolled his eyes as the group departed… before starting after Shun. "Wait! Kasoku… Shun… whatever the hell I'm supposed to call you! How are you doing it?"
Shun paused mid-step. "Siegel-san." she said coolly. "And doing what, exactly?"
"You know. What you're doing right now." Shouta said. "Living in Kyuikai like a human." His tone softened a bit. "Look. I don't like you, you don't like me, but things back home are bad. I mean 'there were royal guards searching our flat at three in the morning' bad, and if you can at least give me a hint-!"
Shun's steely expression lost some of its edge. "I'm sorry… I wish I could help. But you're mistaken, Tobi-san. I'm not 'living like' a human, I am one. Believe me, I'd know if that wasn't the case."
Shouta smugly adjusted his glasses. "I believe that you believe it, Siegel-san."
Shouta didn't get any kind of verbal response from Shun as she and her annoying little friends left him behind… but he had obviously struck a nerve, judging by the way she'd tensed up, just for a moment. He'd settle for that.
Yurika hadn't responded poorly to Jun suddenly bolting towards her. In fact, the black-haired woman had hardly responded at all, past shooting a puzzled glance at the Ouryuu Crystal set in Jun's choker and asking her nurse to escort the group to the day room. She seemed… well, burned out.
"I checked myself in." Yurika said quietly. The set of large windows she had wheeled towards, which were located on the far end of the day room, bathed the group in sunlight and gave them an excellent view of the well-maintained gardens outside. "I knew this would happen. I just didn't think I'd fall apart so quickly."
"I don't mind trying to help a bit more." Jun offered. Kichu, who sat on her shoulder, squeaked his agreement. "I can at least do something about the pain."
Yurika shook her head. "You're a kind girl, Muse. But you shouldn't waste your energy on me." Her eyes drifted to a cluster of yellow dahlias outside, which grew near a clutch of soft yellow daisies. "I'm sorry. For the way I treated you back then. Nothing excused what I said. I want to at least leave you with that."
"'Leave you with'…" Hiroko's eyes widened. "You can't possibly be planning to-"
"Is there anyone else who can fight as Cure Suzaku?" Yurika's question seemed more aimed at herself than anyone else. "Maybe 'should fight' is more fitting."
"Harunyan could do it!" Jun blurted without thinking. "That's how my crystal… listen, it's a long story, but-!"
"Fire away. We have time." Yurika said. "I wanted to ask you about the Ouryuu crystal anyway."
And so Jun did just that, with Hiroko and Yasu chipping in where they could. At first, Yurika hardly seemed to be paying attention, but as Jun reached its climax, it was clear she was genuinely engaged. An odd look had entered her eyes for a moment. Something like wistfulness.
Yurika managed a small smile. "I guess I underestimated Haru-kun. He's… a lot like I was, once." Her smile faded as she averted her gaze. "Which is why I can't hand him this burden in good conscience."
"So you're just giving up?" Yasu did not look at all impressed. "It hurt to see Haruki so worried when I had to stay in the hospital. And I'm sure Kimi feels the same way about Shun. What about your siblings?"
Yurika visibly faltered as her mind drifted to Susumu and Shinobu. Both of them had been obviously distressed by the sharp downward turn her health had taken. Especially Shinobu… seeing such an unflappable kid break down and cry as it became clear how weak their sister had become (and unlike Kimi, she couldn't even tell them why), how much pain she was now in was…
…at that moment, the idea of sacrificing herself had become that much more difficult to sit with. At that moment, Yurika found herself wondering what had really gone through Clio's head in her final moments.
"I don't want any more sacrifices, Yurinyan." Kichu hopped into Jun's arms, and she cuddled him close. "Not when there's a way around that. Not when…" She swallowed hard as her eyes welled with tears. "Your siblings… if you just… throw yourself away, 'cause you think you have to, they'll carry it around with them forever. Just like I do with Mama. Just like… just like you do, right?"
Yurika nodded solemnly. "Clio was the mother I wished I had." Her eyes remained fixated on the yellow dahlias. "I'd do anything to bring her back… or at least atone for failing her."
"Then live, Yurinyan. Please live."
A strange feeling welled up in Yurika's chest. Sadness? Regret? Hope? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that something had shifted within her, something that caused her eyes to mist up for the first time in what felt like a small eternity. But… but even so…
"I'll try, Muse. That's all I can promise."
Shun stared blankly at the sight unfolding before her. Izumi and Haruki, who were both working on some of the snacks they bought from Platinum Crown, stared right along with her. None of them had very high expectations for the "scholarly debate" Keiko was apparently involved in, but…
"You're wrong! Super wrong!" Keiko Ninomiya, who was clad in a violet sundress, complete with matching hair ribbon, choker, and sandals, huffed indignantly. "Team Dark Cross' mighty Shadow Kaiser has a punching power of five-thousand kilojoules! It'd crush any of the Black Crystal Empire's mecha!"
Mayu Ishii crossed her arms defiantly. "Oh yeah? And how would the Shadow Kaiser defend against the Umbrite weapons that all Black Crystal Empire robots have, huh?"
…none of them had quite expected it to translate out into "standing in the middle of a public playground arguing with a six-year-old" either. Especially since the six-year-old was beating Keiko soundly.
"Nothing can defend against Umbrite weapons - except Sparklenergy, and only the Kirakira Knights can wield that!" Mayu raised a hand as Keiko leapt to object. "That was a whole entire thing in Kirakira Knight Squadron, so I win, times infinity!" She smirked triumphantly. "And I thought sixth-graders were smart."
Keiko stomped a foot indignantly. "Hey! Who are you calling a - super cute - sixth grader, huh?! I'll have you know that-!" She suddenly froze up mid-sentence, as if listening to an unseen third party, before correcting this to "-I'm expected elsewhere, little girl. We'll have to match wits some other time~"
Mayu pulled down her lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out at Keiko, before running to rejoin a group of other young girls. "Rina-chan, Nene-chan, I won! Let's go celebrate at the arcade!"
"Man, I hope the guy who keeps giving away his crane game prizes is still there." another one of the girls said as the group took off. "I want one too!"
Keiko stuck her tongue out at the group as they left before bounding towards Shun. "There you are! Kas… no! Shun, right? Dear Shun, I was just thinking about y-" She blinked as she noticed the snacks Izumi and Haruki were eating. "Oh? And you brought me treats too! You really do care!"
Keiko snapped her fingers. One of Izumi's dorayaki began to glow violet before zipping out of her bag and into Keiko's hands. Izumi lunged to stop her, only for both Haruki ("It's not worth it.") and Shun ("I'll make some fresh ones for you later, alright?") to intercept her as Keiko-
-handily unwrapped the dorayaki before banishing the wrapper with another snap of her fingers and tossing said dorayaki over her shoulder. Her hair suddenly sprang to life, grabbing the dorayaki in mid-air with the dexterity of octopus tentacles before lowering it towards the back of her head and-
"Did… did you just-?" Haruki had never looked so lost in his life, and Izumi and Shun hardly looked any better… especially as the sound of chewing began to issue from the back of Keiko's head. "What?"
"Hm? Have you never seen a pretty girl eat before, Haru?" As Keiko spoke, Izumi lunged towards her, trying to pinpoint the source of the chewing noises behind her. Keiko nimbly sidestepped the attempt, as her head (?) finished the snack. "But enough about that! We have business to discuss, dear Shun~!"
Shun already looked exhausted. "Let me guess - this is about your chores, right?"
"You mean the menial labor that Tobi cruelly forced onto me in exchange for him rejoining my gang?" Keiko tried to look as wounded and vulnerable as she could. "Can you believe it, dear Shun? Imagine forcing all your household chores on someone, against their will! Oh... it's more than I can possibly bear!"
Keiko swooned dramatically and collapsed into Shun's arms… or would have, had Izumi not pulled Shun, who appeared to have short-circuited from Keiko's utter lack of awareness, to her side. Keiko was left to hit the ground with a yelp of alarm. She immediately sprang back up, visibly fuming.
"Excuse me?! A delicate maiden is suffering over here, moron!" she snapped at Shun. "And what's with that 'oh, you have a lot of nerve' look, huh? I haven't done a single thing wrong!"
"Really?" Izumi clung a bit more tightly to Shun's side as she glared at Keiko. "You obviously learned nothing from last time. Who wouldn't judge you?"
Keiko turned away with a huff. "I haven't kidnapped anyone else, have I?" She glanced towards Shun. "Look… for what it's worth, I am sorry for what I did. I didn't think it'd get that bad, or that I'd feel that bad, or that I'd… almost get you killed." She perked back up. "But that's water under the bridge now, right?"
Shun shook her head. "Sorry, but no, Ninomiya-san. You clearly don't understand what you put me through." Izumi gave Shun's hand a squeeze. Shun squeezed it right back. "I haven't fully recovered from what you did either."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Haruki asked. At least this time everyone else - Keiko included - seemed as lost as he did.
"Kyoukai's barrier is still affecting me." Shun explained. At Izumi's look of concern, she clarified with "It's not disrupting my life or anything… but it shouldn't be happening at all, Ninomiya-san."
Keiko tightened a fist. "Yeah? Well, you know what else shouldn't have happened? You turning into a spirit in the first place!" She stomped away from the group, trembling with rage. "First you spy on Hinyu and me, now you accuse me of things I didn't do!" She gave a nearby jungle gym a hard kick… before desperately trying to pretend she hadn't just hurt her foot. "T-to hell with all of you! I'm out!"
Izumi started after Keiko and grabbed her arm. "Sieg-kun was worried about you two, jackass!" she snapped. "Anyone would be after seeing that!"
A small gasp of alarm escaped the… back of Keiko's head the moment Izumi grabbed her arm. Keiko yanked said arm out of Izumi's grasp in an oddly stiff and jerky manner, as if the limb didn't belong to her, before wheeling around. She looked as if she had been slapped across the face.
"Us… two. How do you know about-?" She jabbed an accusing finger at Shun. "Oh, right, it was you, wasn't it? I told you Shahei's a private person, we both-"
And Haruki was back to feeling adrift on his own. "Wait, you have a sister, Ninomiya-san?"
"A twin sister." Keiko blurted without thinking. And ugh, now Shahei was even more upset, but look, look, she couldn't make their stupid spying ex-cleaning guy unblab that, and it didn't mean Shahei ever had to meet them. It'd be fine. "We're very close too! Closer than you and your sister could ever be~"
Keiko had seriously lost the plot by now, between trying to fight those children and well, this. Shahei was desperately trying to point this out to her sister. Unfortunately, Keiko was on a roll over here.
"And you know what we aren't?" Keiko snapped at Shun as she advanced on the other girl. "Being mistreated or whatever you just assumed, Kasoku! Hinyu-sama and I are two of a kind! We're both loyal servants of King Kagemera, and we're both depraved and evil, and we both want the Shade Kingdom to crush your sad excuse for a world! So why don't you take your pathetic concern and-"
"Verdammter Scheiß, would you STOP?!"
Shun's sudden outburst ripped the wind right out of Keiko's sails. Once again, the bold young villainess had vanished, and all that remained was a shaken thirteen-year-old girl.
"You are nothing like Hinyu." Shun's voice was level, but an undercurrent of fury boiled under her words. "You're self-centered, immature, and you don't think before you go after what you want." She laughed bitterly. "I had you figured out in less than a week, Boss. You're a child. And Hinyu knows that."
"And what is your point?" Keiko's words were haughty, but the smallness of her voice and her inability to maintain eye contact with Shun said far more.
For a moment, she received nothing resembling an answer. And then she felt a reassuring hand being laid on her shoulder. She looked up slowly… and her jaw dropped. Shun was smiling at her. The girl whose life she had casually ruined - and almost ended - was looking at her with sympathy. What was wrong with her?!
"Children have room to grow. You two can be better, Kae. You both deserve better."
Keiko's mouth worked silently, but nothing would come out. And before she could string together a response, Haruki tapped Shun on the shoulder.
"Um… I'm sorry to interrupt, but Sis just texted me. She said your sister woke up a while ago. Everyone is is with her already, so…"
Shahehi immediately snapped to attention. "'Everyone' includes that Hallowed Wellspring girl and her pet. It's better to do these things quickly, isn't it?"
Keiko bit her lip as Shun moved to leave with Izumi and Haruki. "Everything's already set up, though? Tobi and Kooyoo distract them, and then I have my third of the Nikuina grab it! That way, neither of us-"
Shahei didn't verbalize her contempt for Keiko's plan. She didn't have to. Keiko could feel it piercing her from all sides, as Shahei threw in a politely vapid "Oh… I think they're leaving, dear sister."
Leaving to see Shun's sister, right. Shun's sick sister. Her sister, who was sick… wait.
Keiko bolted towards the group. "Hold on!" Shun and the other froze in their tracks as she accosted the teal-haired girl. "What is your sister sick with, exactly?"
Shun tensed visibly. For a moment, it looked like she was going to just keep walking, and then she spoke. "She overused her spirit power a few years back. That's all."
Shun and the others kept walking. Keiko kept following. "Oh? That sounds like an issue a genius chuuni witch could solve! If that really is what's going on, anyway…"
Haruki moved to correct Keiko's choice of title. Izumi shot him a don't tell her sort of look before fixing Keiko with a cool glare. "What are you planning this time?"
Keiko let out an offended huff. "Nothing bad, sheesh!" She looked up pleadingly at Shun, who wasn't meeting her eyes. "I might be able to help you and your sister, if you let me. It's the least I can do after everything, right? So please-!"
Shun hesitated… before sighing in defeat. "Fine. But if you try anything, I will show you out."
"And then I'll give you a deluxe ass-kicking." Izumi added. "So no tricks, Ninomiya."
Keiko dutifully nodded as she fell in with the rest of the group… before withdrawing two pieces of paper from her dress pocket, deftly folding both into paper airplanes, and tossing them into the air when nobody was looking. Both flew towards their destinations - Platinum Crown and the Kyoukai Joyopolis.
Kimi was sitting up in bed when Shun and the others arrived. Hayate was sitting in one by her side and holding her hand, while Hiroko, Yasu, and Jun sat nearby. The group was engaged in animated conversation… or had been until the group made their entrance. Pretty Cure and Jun looked thoroughly confused by Keiko's presence, and Keiko… hardly seemed to notice them.
"The… the… you! From the pizza place!" Keiko sputtered as she pointed at Kimi. "You're… you're her-?!"
Kimi smiled serenely. "Oh, the little girl I met at Western Paradise! Are you well?" Between Kimi's unnervingly polite tone and the way every member of Pretty Cure was staring at her, it was all Keiko could do not to run screaming out of the hospital room. "I hope she didn't give you any trouble, Shun."
Shun forced a smile. "Oh no… no! Actually, Ninomiya-san is here to help!" She shot Keiko a stern look out of the corner of her eye. "With… your illness, specifically."
"Um, y-yeah!" Keiko was conspicuously trying to avoid eye contact with… everyone in the room. "I don't know how much I can do, but you have to try, right?"
Hiroko smiled and nodded. "That's right, Ninomiya-san. I'm proud of you for coming through like this."
"Life is full of surprises, isn't it?" Kimi said knowingly. "But yes, go right ahead, Ninomiya-san." An odd expression crossed her face. "If you think you can help, I at least welcome the attempt."
Keiko nodded stiffly and took a seat in the chair next to Hayate, trying desperately to ignore the ball of anxiety in her chest as Pretty Cure's gazes bore into her, the way being praised by Pretty Cure's leader made her stomach twist, and the frantic buzzing in the back of her head as Shahei tried to get her attention.
"Kae, do you not see it?" Indeed, Kichu was perched on Jun's shoulder, staring at the twins with innocent pink eyes. "If we can at least get one of its hairs-"
"In a room full of Pretty Cure? In front of HER?" Keiko fired back. "At least let me figure this out before we move onto that!" And then, to Hayate "Um, I need her hand for this, so…"
Hayate allowed Keiko to take hold of Kimi's hand. "Are you a magic-user, Keiko-chan?" she asked. "My grandson in law said that sort of thing was quite common in the Shade Kingdom."
"I'm a witch! A genius witch!" Keiko blurted without thinking… and then her brain caught up with her mouth. "W-wait, old lady, how do you know about-?!"
Hayate just smiled. "This old woman has plenty of experience with these sorts of things. No need to worry yourself with the details." She affectionately patted Keiko on the head. "You're clearly a very kind girl. That's what matters, not who you are or where you came from."
Keiko swallowed hard. That gesture, those words… they felt so warm, so different from the tiny scraps of affection Hinyu rarely tossed the twins' way. But Shahei was rapidly losing patience, and as Shade Kingdom spirits, they were on a timer anyway. So she did her best to push those feelings to the back of her mind as she closed her eyes and began to focus her mind's eye on Kimi's spirit power.
Shun watched Keiko with mounting concern as she did… whatever she was doing. The harder Keiko concentrated, the more puzzled she looked… and then a look of understanding suddenly dawned on her face as she muttered an absent "Oh? Is that what's happening here? Interesting~"
The color drained from Shun's face. "Is something wrong?"
Keiko opened her eyes. "Yes! Or… no? Define 'wrong', dear Shun." Shun didn't look impressed, and Izumi visibly bristled. Keiko threw her hands up. "Alright, alright! It's… well, it's like this!" She turned to Kimi. "Basically… you aren't human. Or I guess you kind of are, but your body doesn't want to be?"
Everyone was staring at Keiko with varying levels of shock and confusion… except for Kimi, who simply raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Am I becoming a spirit as well, Ninomiya-san?" She sighed. "And I've kept all of my memories, as far as I know. How strange."
"Y-yeah! Very strange!" Keiko squeaked. "But uh, yes, that's it… except part of you doesn't want that, and so your spirit power is kind of fighting itself, and that's wearing you out." She looked aside. "I can't imagine your stupid barrier is helping." she added under her breath.
Shun looked from Keiko to Kimi and back again. "Are you seriously implying that…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't buy it. I know what happened to Kimi, I was there, and besides - I was perfectly normal until you got involved, and we saw what happened to Kazu, there's no way - we would have known if-!"
The more Shun spoke, the more agitated she grew. Her head was filling with static, and she was beginning to tremble a bit. Izumi holding her hand helped, but…
For a moment, the room was dead silent. And then Jun hesitantly raised a hand.
"Um… Shunyan? You know… spirits and humans can have children." she said. "Papa said it used to happen all the time - and that those children could seem perfectly human until something woke up their spirit half… or vice-versa. I'm not saying it has to be the case, but…"
Shun didn't respond. Not verbally. But she did make a soft noise of acknowledgement as her grip on Izumi's hand tightened just a bit. Kimi, meanwhile, seemed perfectly blase about the whole thing.
"Is that so, Muse? It's… certainly possible." Kimi glanced over at Hayate. "Mother was an adult when you took her in, wasn't she? And you didn't know where she came from, right?"
Hayate nodded. "My Yozora was running away from a bad situation. That was all I could ever get out of her. All this old woman needed to know, really." She glanced over at Keiko. "Keiko-chan, do you think-?"
Before Hayate could finish that sentence, the color abruptly drained from the surroundings as a flash of violet lit up the sky and a roar shook the foundations of the hospital.
Chaos erupted immediately. Hayate slumped over in her chair and Haruki crumpled to his knees, as the color drained from their bodies, despite Haruki's best attempts to fight it. Hiroko gave a cry of alarm at the sight outside the hospital window - a Nikuina that looked like a fusion between a red-eyed humanoid mecha and one of Platinum Crown's drink coolers was stomping around outside as Tobi balanced on its shoulder.
Kimi tried to get out of bed, while Shun, who was thoroughly unaffected by the Nikuina's influence, tried to stop her. Izumi shot Keiko a death glare as Pretty Cure and Jun scrambled to move out. And Shahei-
-roughly yanked control of the twins' body away from Keiko. One moment, Keiko was frozen to the spot, paralyzed by a strange sense of reluctance, and the next, she felt her body… their body move on its own. Keiko managed to get out a frantic "Wait, don't!" and then-
-she, or rather, Shahei shot towards Jun and elbowed her sharply in the gut. The blow was hard enough to knock the wind out of Jun and sudden enough for Shahei to grab Kichu and run.
Pretty Cure tried to give chase - only for Shun to shoot past them as Jun shifted into her cat form and zipped ahead of her.
"Focus on that monster!" Shun yelled over her shoulder. "We'll take care of her!"
The sound of someone crashing into something and what sounded like Keiko screaming in anguish sounded from further down the hallway, as another roar shook the hospital foundations. Pretty Cure exchanged glances before readying their Puricells. Further hesitation was not an option.
Tobi was having one hell of a day. First, the royal guard had swept his and everyone else's homes way too goddamn early in the morning because some stupid kid had stolen from Kagemera, which meant everyone had to suffer for it, then he'd run into that… that job stealing jackass and her annoying friends, and now his wonderful teammates had left him stranded up the creek without a paddle!
His Nikuina gave another earth-shaking roar as its chest opened up. A hail of bottle-shaped missiles shot forth from its chest compartment, weaving around and shooting past the numerous skyscrapers and commercial buildings of downtown Kyoukai as they homed in on the members of Pretty Cure.
The three Cures did their best to avoid the salvo, zipping between the surrounding rooftops as they did their best to evade what Seiryuu and Genbu could not shoot out of the air and what Byakko could not deflect with her shields. The missiles exploded into bursts of liquid - soda, juice, even milk tea - as they were destroyed or crashed into the surroundings after failing to strike their targets.
Tobi swore under his breath. He'd spent what felt like a small eternity at that stupid convenience store, monitoring his third of the Wrath Seed as it fed off the energy of the customers, all for the sake of yet another Needlessly Convoluted Plan: by Kae (™) and she hadn't even shown up!
The Nikuina had temporarily exhausted its ammunition, leaving Tobi wide open for an attack. Seiryuu and Byakko, who were standing on the edge of a nearby skyscraper, steeled themselves before leaping forward themselves towards their target, using the front of the skyscraper as a springboard. The Nikuina tore a huge gouge into the ground as braced itself against the ensuing pummeling, while Tobi-
-narrowly dodged a thrown punch from Cure Genbu. The black Cure, who had touched down right next to him, wasted no time in trying to get in another strike, forcing Tobi to parry with his sword. It was a miracle that he succeeded, between his exhaustion and Seiryuu and Byakko wearing down the Nikuina.
"That was your game, wasn't it?!" Genbu snapped. "It was all a big distraction so Kae could try and kidnap Kichu!" Tobi narrowly sidestepped another punch as Genbu sent a high-pressure blast of water his way. He barely managed to slice through it. "I bet you didn't even need Sieg-kun to talk to her!"
Tobi let out a hiss of disgust at the mention of Shun. "I'm not that smart, and I'm not that stupid." he snarled as he unfolded his sword out into its fan mode with a flick of his wrist.
Before Genbu could register what was about to happen, she was smacked into the air by the razor gale that Tobi's fan had summoned. He smirked as he took wing and flew after her… only for Seiryuu to come hurtling at him as Byakko flew to Genbu's aid. Tobi scrambled to parry the blow-
-and then a gigantic, wire-mounted claw shot towards Seiryuu, grabbed her out of the air, and tossed her towards Genbu and Byakko. The white Cure had a half-second to put a shield up before the three went flying into the distance, landing smack into a neighboring skyscraper in an explosion of dust and debris.
A Nikuina that looked like a humanoid version of an empty crane game machine was hurrying in the direction of Tobi's Nikuina, as Kooyoo balanced on its shoulder. The minute it got close, it pulled it into a tight bear hug. There was a flash of red-black light, and when it dissipated, the two Nikuina had combined into a larger humanoid amalgamation of a beverage cooler and a crane grame.
Tobi touched down on the shoulder of the combined Nikuina… and was also pulled into a tight bear hug by Kooyoo, who seemed completely oblivious to the older boy's protests about being unable to breathe.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Kooyoo was grinning ear to ear as he continued to hug Tobi, who was futilely wheezing about his aching ribs. "Sorry, I'm late! I got Boss' note, but I wasn't done winning prizes for everyone, and-" He blinked. "Where's Boss? And the little mouse we were supposed to kidnap?"
Tobi took a few long, ragged breaths as Kooyoo - finally - released him from the hug. "Your guess… is as good as mine, big guy." he wheezed. "We'll be… having words later."
And before either boy could say anything more about that, Pretty Cure shot towards them, putting the pair on the defensive. Just what the hell was keeping the twins?!
It was surreal, being fully conscious for a Nikuina attack. Shun should have ended up like Haruki, Hayate, and the numerous inert, gray figures that populated the hospital halls as she bolted after Muse and Keiko. Shun had ended up like that before. But now? She was completely unscathed.
She could worry about the why of that later. What mattered now was catching up with Keiko - and with how light Shun was on her feet, that took no time at all. She nimbly turned a corner to find-
-an overturned supply cart, an injured Muse, who was struggling to her feet, and Keiko, who was currently having a fight with… herself?
Indeed, Keiko didn't seem to be able to control her own body's movements. She gritted her teeth and dug in her heels as her arms moved on their own. One arm was holding Kichu tightly to her chest, too tightly for the struggling mouse spirit to bite her, while the other was moving to summon her staff.
"What is with you?!" Keiko yelled, seemingly to open air. She didn't seem to notice Shun, who was leerily watching her even as she hurried to make sure Muse was okay. "You've been tetchy all day and now this?!" She hissed as her free hand glowed light blue. "Could we at least talk first?!"
"Our mission is done. It's time to go, Kae."
"The hell it is!" Keiko snapped as magic staff appeared in her hand in a burst of light blue sparkles, despite her attempts to fight it. "I can't just leave my bro- henchmen hanging! And what about-!"
"Don't get distracted, dear sister. Good leaders should remain focused."
Keiko moved to slam her staff on the ground - or at least her arm did - and Shun and Muse snapped to attention. Muse leapt forward and sank her teeth and claws into the arm Keiko was holding Kichu with, forcing her to loosen her grip on the mouse spirit, while Shun disarmed Keiko in one swift motion, sending her staff clattering to the ground. Kichu, now free to move, began to glow faintly as he bit Keiko hard on the arm.
Keiko arched her back and screamed in pain as the… back of her head let out a shocked gasp. She made one last fumbling attempt at holding onto Kichu as the strength began to leave her legs… and then slumped to the ground as Kichu wriggled out of her grasp and leapt towards Muse. The cat spirit shifted into human form before expertly catching Kichu and cuddling him close.
Shun instinctively scrambled to Keiko's side and offered a hand to the younger girl, who was breathing heavily and whimpering in pain as she laid half-crumpled on the ground. She couldn't just leave her like this, enemy or not.
"Ninomiya-san, are you alright?"
Keiko looked up at Shun with unfocused slate-gray eyes. She hesitated, as if the hand Shun was offering might burn her on contact, as her eyes began to rapidly flicker back and forth between her usual dark gold and slate gray… before stabilizing at dark gold as she slapped Shun's hand away. She unsteadily staggered to her feet… and burst into another noblewoman's laugh.
"Ohohoho! Did you think a mere mouse could take me down?" As she spoke, her human appearance fell away, and her magic staff flew into her waiting hand. "Wow, you two are even stupider than I thought!"
And then Kae vanished in a burst of violet sparkles… right as another roar rocked the hospital's foundations. Jun and Shun exchanged glances… before heading onward. There wasn't much either of them could do compared to Pretty Cure, but just hanging back here didn't feel right either.
Two-thirds of a Nikuina wasn't much of an improvement from one-third of a Nikuina, unfortunately. Although Tobi and Kooyoo were both giving it their all, it didn't change the fact that they were fighting with an obvious, Kae-induced handicap - and that Pretty Cure had improved a lot since the last time they fought. Tobi would have been a little impressed if they didn't piss him off so much.
The Nikuina's movements were growing unsteady and sluggish. Seiryuu, Genbu, and Byakko faced it down, readying one last combined strike. If this latest barrage of missiles didn't take them out, well, stick a fork in Tobi, because he was officially done, even if Kooyoo was still as gung-ho as ever.
Pretty Cure moved to strike. The Nikuina's chest compartment opened up. And Kooyoo gasped in surprise as he caught sight of… something nearby.
"Wait! Tobi! That's the mouse we were supposed to grab! And Siegel-san! Hi, Siegel-san!"
Indeed, Shun and Jun, the latter of whom was holding Kichu close to her chest, had ascended to the hospital rooftop in hopes of getting a better view of the action. Both girls had a half-second to process the scene laid out in front of them… and then Tobi let out a desperate "Kooyoo, wait!" as the Nikuina abruptly swerved towards the pair, right as it discharged its missiles.
Shun was fast enough to pull Jun out of the way of the wire-mounted crane that rocketed in the blue-haired girl's direction… but not fast enough to get out of the path of the handful of missiles that had been thrown off their trajectory and were now zipping towards them.
Pretty Cure immediately shifted course in favor of protecting their allies - but none of them would be fast enough to deal with all of the incoming projectiles and get to their allies in time. Shun felt her blood freeze as memories of her first close scrape with death flooded into her mind-
-and then something welled up from within her like a surge of electricity. A feeling that was at once strangely alien and disconcertingly familiar.
Shun instinctively threw out a hand, and a sparkling barrier of teal energy sprang up in front of her and Jun. The barrier held long enough to absorb the impact of the several of the missiles flying their way before vanishing in a burst of sparks. Shun had just enough time to pull Jun and Kichu close to her chest before dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way of the last few missiles.
Jun let out a gasp as she met Shun's eyes, which had turned red-gold. "Shunyan, that was-!"
"Y-yeah." Shun's eyes had already returned to their usual slate gray. She was breathing heavily - partly from the wave of fatigue that had suddenly hit her and partly from how much heavier the air had grown. At least that latter feeling was already fading. "I think I'm ready to believe you, Jun."
Tobi's eyebrow twitched. "A job-stealing twit, a confirmed liar, and a walking doom magnet. Gods, I despise you." he hissed under his breath. And then, to Kooyoo "We need to bail before-"
And then a loud whinny sounded in the distance, as a massive figure barreled towards the Nikuina - yet another Nikuina, this one a humanoid formed from a horse-shaped playground ride.
Tobi had to grab on to Kooyoo to keep from being thrown off the pair's Nikuina as the newcomer slammed into it. There was a flash of red-black light, and finally, the Trio's Nikuina took shape - an even larger humanoid amalgamation of a beverage cooler, crane game, and horse-shaped playground ride. The Nikuina let out another roar, as Kae appeared on its head in a burst of violet sparkles.
"Ohohoho! I hope you didn't think you'd win, Pretty Cure!" Kae pulled another charm out of one of her overlong sleeves. "Great Amusement King will turn things around easily!"
Tobi's jaw dropped. "Now you show up?!" His feathers fluffed out in agitation as he noticed the charm Kae had pulled out. "And why are you using - Kae! Do you not remember our talk? About the square-cube law?"
Kae rolled her eyes. "Oh, Tobi. Squared cubes aren't relevant here!" She smirked triumphantly at Pretty Cure, who seemed more confused than anything else. "Now! Watch it and be amazed!" She threw the charm, which began to glow violet, up into the air. "Magic charm, make my Nikuina grow!"
The charm came down and landed smack on the Nikuina's forehead. Pretty Cure and their allies braced themselves as the ground began to rumble threateningly. The sky above them darkened even further, and the Nikuina glowed violet as it easily doubled in size. As the light dissipated, the now-giant Nikuina gave an earth-shaking roar, drawing in massive ribbons of sealing energy. It lurched towards Pretty Cure-
-and promptly tipped over.
Kae narrowly managed to teleport the Trio off of their unfortunate creation and onto the rooftop of a nearby building, right before the Nikuina fell face-first onto the pavement below, sending a shockwave through the area and leaving an enormous crater in its wake.
Shun and Jun, who had since struggled to their feet, stared in bafflement at the sight before them, as Kichu inclined his head and let out a puzzled "Chu?"
Byakko stared expressionlessly at the sight before her. "We should probably-"
"Deal with it, yeah." Genbu had never looked more awkward. "This is embarrassing."
Seiryuu nodded stiffly. "I'll… do the honors."
The blue Cure leapt off her rooftop perch, using her spirit power to slow her fall as she touched down in front of the fallen Nikuina. She summoned her Azure Wings and focused her spirit power as a wind kicked up about her and blue delphinium petals swirled around her.
"Pretty Cure! Azure Tornado!"
The Nikuina let out a pitiful-sounding groan as it was engulfed in a blue tornado and vanished, leaving behind an empty crane game, a drink cooler, and a playground ride… along with three withered pieces of a Wrath Seed pod and a few motes of light.
Tobi snorted in disgust as the damage to the surroundings reverted. "Well, Kae, I hope you're happy with-" His eyes widened in shock as he noticed Kae swaying on her feet. He caught the aqua-haired girl in his arms right as she lost consciousness. "Gods, what did you do?"
Kooyoo scrambled frantically to Kae's side. "Is Boss gonna be okay?"
"Hopefully." Tobi said. "It looks like she's exhausted herself again." Hopefully, that was all it was. "Let's head out, big guy. I'll make a pot of herbal tea once we're home. I think we all need a cup."
Kooyoo shot a hesitant glance in Kichu's direction before nodding and falling in with Tobi. The pair vanished in a flash of dark gray light and a flurry of black feathers.
The afternoon sun hung high in the air as Shun's motorbike traveled down a road that bordered Kyoukai's beautiful southern beach. Izumi held Shun tightly as she rode pillion behind her girlfriend. She had dreamed of something like this for so long, and the reality was even more wonderful.
"Hey, Sieg-kun?" Izumi had asked after Hayate had brought everyone back to the Yoshimoto estate, and the others had departed. "Would it be alright if I hung around for a bit longer?"
Shun had never looked more appreciative. "I didn't feel like letting you go home anyway, Izumi." Despite everything, she still managed a playful smile. "Wait right there - I have something for you."
The 'something' had been a motorcycle helmet of her very own - a black one with sporty pink accents, which Izumi wore proudly now as the two had their long-promised beachside cruise.
Kimi had chased everyone out of her hospital room after all was said and done. A woman in her condition couldn't rest with this many people watching her, and if they had any sense, they'd get some rest too.
"She's lying." Shun told Izumi later on. "Kimi's not like me. She needs to be alone when something's eating at her. It's how she's always been."
Izumi couldn't blame Kimi, not really. How did you begin to process something like that? She wasn't sure she would've handled it well, and Kimi seemed to be made of much sterner stuff than the two of them combined.
Everyone else had parted ways. Hiroko and Yasu had obligations back at the dorms, and Jun had been very insistent on dragging Haruki with her to Kyoukai Leisure Land… after handing off Kichu to Hiroko. She was deeply rattled by Keiko's attempted mousenapping even now, and Izumi did not blame her at all. Ugh, Keiko had officially earned that promised deluxe ass-kicking, plus interest.
Eventually, Shun's bike came to a stop, and soon, Shun and Izumi were enjoying a beachside stroll together. The ocean bordering Kyoukai was a beautiful teal blue, and it sparkled like a precious jewel in the sunlight. A gentle ocean breeze was blowing, further enhancing the effect.
At first, Shun was the picture of contentment as she paused to take in the sight, the gentle wind ruffling her short teal hair all the while. But then her smile faded, and her expression grew pensive. Izumi regarded her girlfriend with concern as she took her place by her side. A few moments passed before she finally spoke.
"You know… no matter what happens, you're still you." Izumi gently intertwined her fingers with Shun's. "Nothing's ever gonna change that. I know it won't."
"That means a lot to me, Izumi." Shun's eyes remained fixed on the ocean. "This is just… I don't know. It's not like there aren't upsides here. I've wanted something like this for… god, since I learned Kimi was a Pretty Cure. But I'm also afraid that…" She bit her lip. "If things get worse, if this world rejects Kimi and me-"
"Then I'll kick its ass!" Izumi said without hesitation. "I'm not gonna lose you, Sieg-kun. I came way too close to that once. Never again." She pumped a fist. "Besides! You've got powers! Once you get some proper training, we can team up and bust heads together!"
Shun stifled a laugh as she watched Izumi start enthusiastically shadowboxing the air. "I wouldn't go that far." she said. "But… thanks. You really do inspire me, Izumi. You always have."
Izumi paused mid-shadowbox. "I have?"
Shun nodded. "From the moment we first met." She hesitated before speaking again. "When I was six, Dad and I went to Kyoukai to visit Grandma and Kimi, and I wandered off on my own. I got lost, and I couldn't ask for help, since my Japanese wasn't great. I was scared out of my mind, and then-"
"It's okay! Izumi is here to protect you!"
"-you showed up and helped a panicking crybaby like me, no questions asked." Shun said. "And after that, I decided I wanted to become as strong and kind as the girl who helped me was. I… hope it paid off."
Izumi's jaw dropped. "W-wait. That was you?" Now that she thought about it… the girl she had helped all those years ago did have teal hair, didn't she? But… it was still difficult to reconcile the tiny girl in the jumper dress and the handsome butch next to her. "You were my first princess, Sieg-kun?!"
"I-I mean, I don't blame you for not remembering!" Shun sputtered. "I haven't worn a skirt since I started junior high, and I got a lot taller, and I… kind of… deliberately neglected to tell you, so-"
Izumi was speechless for a moment. And then she broke down giggling.
"Oh my god, this is amazing! We really… I mean, partners should inspire each other, but… all this time-!" She caught herself… before tackle-hugging Shun. "I'm glad it ended up like this." As Izumi spoke, she met Shun's eyes, and... well, if now wasn' t the right time to ask, when was? "And... um, if it's okay, I'd like to-"
Shun was too flustered to verbalize anything beyond a shaky nod. That was enough.
A wave crashed against the shore as the pair as Shun held Izumi close, and Izumi moved in for the kiss. Izumi had to lean up a bit to reach Shun's lips, and somehow, that just made it more perfect. This was also even better than she had dreamed it to be, she mused as the pair parted from the kiss. Neither girl had ever looked quite so radiant.
"I love you, Izumi." Shun said. "Nothing's going to change that either."
There were a lot of uncertainties hanging above Shun right now. How to make the most of powers she barely understood, what might be lying ahead of her and Kimi now, how to get Keiko and her sister (who had raised many more questions themselves) away from that shitheel before it was too late, and well…
…who had Yozora Yoshimoto really been? Shun hardly knew a thing about her - she had dropped off the face of the earth thirteen years ago, not long after she and her husband had separated, and Shun and her father had relocated to Germany. Kimi disliked speaking about her more than she had to. But if the two of them were right, if Yozora had been from the Shade Kingdom, then they both needed answers.
That was right… the road ahead would not be easy to navigate or simple to travel on. But as long as she and Izumi had each other, Shun could cruise down that road with confidence. She was quite certain of that.
Shahei sat at the twins' work desk, staring down at the materials in front of her - spell paper, ink, a brush, and of course, all the necessary reagents… namely the hairs plucked off that mouse spirit. A shame this wasn't the entire thing, but this would still give Hinyu what he wanted. That was the entire point.
Kae had returned to consciousness for a few minutes after Shahei had first woken up in their bedroom, but otherwise, her sister had been out cold, too weakened by whatever that thing had done to them to so much as stir. Even now, the bite mark on Shahei's hand… on their hand throbbed and burned. Even now, Shahei felt as if something was ripping the two of them down the middle from within.
Not that it really bothered her. Kae, maybe, but Shahei would endure. Shahei existed to endure.
"Kae… are you upset with me? I know I acted rashly back there."
"You? Never! You're my one and only sister, after all~"
Kae was an awful liar. She always had been. An awful liar, a terrible strategist, a complete flake, and well… it was just as that irritating half-spirit girl had said, wasn't it? Kae was a child. But Shahei was not, had not been for a long time. Shahei, the shield, had taken on so much so Kae could remain a child.
And it seemed there would be much more to endure yet. It was fine. It was fine. It was-
"Once we remove that thing from Pretty Cure's possession, our mission is as good as won." Hinyu had told her over tea the other evening. He had started showing up more frequently, long after Kae had fallen asleep and those other two had retired to bed. "I know you two can find a means to seize it."
"Perhaps." Shahei took a terse sip from her own teacup. "But why us, Hinyu-sama? Could you not-"
Her teacup splintered into a million pieces as it hit the ground.
Shahei let out a quiet gasp as Hinyu yanked her roughly to her feet. His claws dug into her arm, and his grip felt uncomfortably hot. She instinctively went limp in his grasp, staring up at him with dead, glassy eyes. When she spoke, her tone was no less lifeless.
"If you make too much noise, you'll wake everyone up."
Hinyu's face twisted into a disgusted snarl as he dropped Shahei with all the ceremony of a man discarding a soiled rag. She lay crumpled and unmoving on the ground like a broken doll. He snorted in contempt before turning his back on her and walking away.
It did not hurt. None of it ever hurt. Dolls could not feel pain, after all.
"The royal guard will be sweeping these residences tonight. I asked them to go easy on you four. Do not force me to reconsider, Shahei."
Shahei smiled brokenly as she organized her tools. A bitter laugh escaped her mouth as she got to work, her poor, naive sister's words from earlier endlessly looping in the back of her mind.
"Oh, Kae… you have no idea, do you?"