Episode Fifteen: The Summer Festival is Full of Spirit!
To say that the Shade Kingdom had been a hellscape for the past while would have been severely understating things. King Kagemera was a vengeful, petty man, and the moment he realized that the Ouryuu crystal and its thief, Hachime, were lost to him was the moment everyone had to suffer for it.
Nothing Hinyu did seemed to calm Kagemera down. And he had certainly tried. He had spearheaded an investigation of the Shade Palace's serving staff and supervised a mass sweep of the Shade Kingdom's residents, in hopes of smoking out every last trace of sedition. There would not be another Hachime, he swore to Kagemera, not as long as he lived and breathed. The vermin would know their place.
It didn't matter. The rats inside and outside the palace walls had been brought into line, the Tree had feasted well, and not a rumble of rebellion had been detected as of late, and yet, Hinyu was still narrowly escaping maulings at King Kagemera's hands.
By the time the Asjun sisters' little… project was ready to present to Kagemera, Hinyu was severely tempted to toss years of planning to the wind, put the shambling relic before him out of his misery, and let the chips fall where they would. Kagemera was free to go ahead and make his day. Except…
…this little token did what all of Hinyu's hard work could not. Kagemera was genuinely pleased. Even now, as the Dark Triumvirate assembled before him in the audience chamber, he was the picture of smug satisfaction as he held the charm that Kae and Shahei had crafted between two outsized claws.
"I can feel it… the dawning of my era is nigh." Kagemera chuffed contentedly. "You have done excellent work, Hinyu." He grinned, his fangs glinting in the dim light. "I may have underestimated you just a bit."
Hinyu swallowed the fiery bile that rose in his throat as he stepped forward and genuflected. "I am deeply honored by your acknowledgment, Your Grace." Tch. At least this proved the twins, or at least Shahei had some use. "I wish for nothing but your victory - and what you hold now is the culmination of my efforts to-"
King Kagemera let out a low, rumbling snarl, silencing Hinyu instantly.
"Do not flatter yourself." Kagemera leaned forward, hackles raised, as he leered at his trembling majordomo. "We shall see the results first. And there had best be results. I do not abide failure."
As Kagemera spoke, his gaze drifted towards Seimono and Kamryou. Much of the light had left Seimono's eyes, and while his physical presence was as large and intimidating as ever, he somehow seemed much smaller than before. Maybe it was the way he carried himself now, as if someone had physically hollowed him out, leaving a broken shell of a man. As to why that was…
…a look at Kamryou, who was defeatedly clinging to their partner, plainly revealed the answer.
Kamryou had clearly been subject to an extensive repair job. Entire swathes of their body had been replaced by obviously new pieces of cloth, their yarn hair had clearly been rerooted in places, and even one of their black button eyes had been completely replaced by a dark red one, which did not seem to focus as well as their original eye did. Their ragged brown and green cloak had been replaced by an obviously newer red and black one, and somehow, that made them look even more broken.
Hinyu smirked as he regarded the sorry pair out of the corner of one eye. A shame Kamryou had survived the… rather heated private discussion he and Kagemera had with them, after they and Seimono had reported their failure. It didn't make the look of numb horror that Seimono had worn on his face, once Kagemera had asked Kamryou to remain behind, any less satisfying in hindsight, mind.
The branches of the Tree of Wrath rustled, sending a chorus of misery reverberating through the audience chamber as Hinyu rose to his feet, red eyes glinting.
"I will not disappoint, Your Grace. Not when such a monstrous advantage is at our fingertips. Not when we are so close to bringing all three worlds to heel. All is for you. All has always been for you"
Kagemera did not seem to notice or care about anything that Hinyu had just said. He was staring straight past the majordomo and right at Tamakushi, who stepped forward out of the shadows the moment the Shade King glanced her way.
"Well-chosen as always, Your Majesty." Tamakushi graciously accepted the charm from Kagemera before dropping into a bow. "Victory will soon be in your hands."
Hinyu did not betray a hint of emotion as Tamakushi swept past him a moment later. But he had not missed the look of icy contempt she had shot him - no mean feat for a woman without a face - before she had vanished in a burst of light blue foxfire.
Not that it mattered. Let her judge while she still could. His would ultimately be the last laugh.
Seimono and Kamryou vanished from the audience chamber a moment later, leaving Hinyu alone in the audience chamber with Kagemera… and the Tree of Wrath, which only grew louder as its branches shook more intensely. Louder and more…
Hinyu arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"
For the longest time, the Tree of Wrath's chorus of agony had sounded like nothing more than that. Hinyu had been able to hear it more clearly than most for some time, between his naturally sharp hearing and the… gifts he had earned for himself. But it had never sounded like anything coherent. Until now, anyway.
Kagemera was fixing him with a piercing stare. "Hinyu. Medicine."
"As always, Your Grace." Hinyu didn't sound particularly attentive… but he was still conspicuously keeping himself out of mauling range as he added "Do you not hear it?"
Hinyu was answered with a low snarl and an acidic "What are you babbling about?"
Ah. So it really was just him. Now this was an interesting development.
"The Tree is calling out, Your Grace." Hinyu said. "Calling out to… one particular person, it seems."
And that had Kagemera's attention. Hinyu smirked, even as he drank in the sound of the Tree's repeated, desperate-sounding mantra. One voice among the chorus. One name, over and over.
Ki… mi… ko.
"'Kimiko'..." Hinyu echoed. "Was that not her name? The human that Tsukimera-"
"YOU WILL NOT SPEAK THAT NAME!"
It was a miracle that Hinyu escaped the audience chamber in one piece. Well, mostly. One side of his suit jacket had been slashed to ribbons. Irritating - he went through these damn things like water. Maybe he could approach Seimono later. Those wonderful sewing skills of his needed to be put to proper use.
He was still breathing heavily as he leaned outside the chamber doors, Kagemera's roars echoing from within. This was on him for failing to realize the Shade King would respond that strongly to his son's name. The traitorous, backstabbing son who persisted even now in some form. The son who had evaded him for almost a decade before Kagemera had caught up with and made use of him.
His train of thought was disrupted by a roar loud enough to shake the chamber doors and the ground underneath his feet. Medicine, right. Preparing that was essential. It would only dampen the flames of the King's rage for now, but…
…well, patience was a virtue, wasn't it? He, the Shade Kingdom's future regent, would have to try his damndest to hold onto that. He could hold out a bit longer now, couldn't he?
The sun was sinking over the horizon, but Mirai Academy's summer festival was just getting started.
The academy grounds had been completely transformed. A colorfully decorated archway welcomed guests to the site of Mirai's summer festival. Luminous multicolored paper lanterns and eye-catching banners hung overhead, and a variety of softly illuminated booths lined the paths ahead. The delectable smell of fresh-cooked festival food - everything from karaage to taiyaki to yakisoba - wafted through the air, and the soft sound of music mixed with the excited cheers and conversations of guests.
A brightly lit stage was being set up on the far end of Mirai Academy's grounds, and preparations for tonight's fireworks display were already in full swing. It seemed like half of Kyoukai was already here, enjoying delicious food, challenging themselves to the various games the festival had to offer, or just enjoying each other's company. The air was positively abuzz with energy this evening.
Jun eagerly took the whole thing in with the air of a cat who had seen a pond stocked full of particularly large and shiny koi. Her blue eyes sparkled, and she eagerly looked every which way as she and Hiroko arrived at the festival, in search of the rest of their group. Kichu, who was poking his head up from her drawstring bag, looked no less entranced by the sights and smells around him.
Like most everyone else present, Hiroko and Jun were dressed in yukata. Hiroko's was dark blue, with elegant white floral accents, while Jun's was pastel yellow, with pastel pink and blue daisy print. Hiroko's hair was tied up into an elegant bun and accented with a blue and silver floral hair ornament, while Jun's odango buns were accented with several pastel floral hair clips.
Even Kichu was getting in on the fun. The small mouse wore a doll-sized golden happi and a matching headband. He looked even cuter than usual, and he seemed well aware of it.
"Amazing… I didn't know you humans had festivals like this!" Jun said. "And the yukata are so pretty too - especially the one you found for me!" She glomped Hiroko without warning, forcing her friend to flail her arms to keep from falling over. "This is the best! You're the best Hironyan! I love you!"
Jun snuggled up to Hiroko, oblivious to the many stares she was drawing her way, before finishing off with an affectionate headbutt as Kichu threw in a quick nuzzle of his own.
"I'm glad you like it." A slightly flustered Hiroko straightened her hair ornament as the pair continued on their way. "Do you have festivals like this at the Hallowed Wellspring?"
Jun's eyes sparkled even more brightly. "All the time! And oh, Hironyan, it's great! They're great! You haven't lived until you've attended a Wellspring festival! The food is so good, and everything is so pretty, and oh, the priests and priestesses put on a ceremonial dance, and I might get to join in this year if I-"
Whatever Jun was going to say next turned into a squeak of alarm as she realized Kichu had escaped once again… and wasn't anywhere near the two of them.
The blue-haired girl's demeanor immediately shifted. The color drained from her face, and sparkle left her eyes, as she frantically scrambled to look for her little brother. Hiroko's heart sank into her chest as she joined her. Kichu likely couldn't have gotten far, and they'd know if the Shade Kingdom was about, but-
-after the near-miss at the hospital, Hiroko couldn't blame Jun for being stressed out, she mused as the pair's search brought them to the outer edge of the festival stalls. If Keiko hadn't inexplicably fumbled at the last moment, Kichu would be in the enemy's hands by now. She couldn't allow another near miss.
Hiroko tried to keep calm as she searched futilely for Kichu. She had to stay strong for Jun. She had to-
-bite back a scream as an eerily cold hand gripped her shoulder… only for that scream to escape her mouth anyway, as she got a look at who - or what had grabbed her.
It was a walking corpse - a shambling female figure with long, scraggly black hair that hung limply in her face, moldering clothing, and ghastly pale, luminescent skin. Hiroko stumbled backward and fell hard on her rear end as the wraith staggered towards her-
"Oh no you don't!"
-only for Izumi Hamaski to leap forward, backflip through the air, and nimbly touch down on the ground before the wraith - an impressive display from a girl in full yukata, hers pink and black with snakeskin print. The blond's eyes gleamed defiantly as she stared down the wraith, readying her folded parasol like a sword.
"How dare you attack my friends during our summer festival!" Izumi dropped into a combat stance as Jun scrambled to Hiroko's aid. "You have truly crossed the line!"
The wraith did not react, past curiously inclining her head… before holding a perfectly unharmed Kichu, who was doing his best not to move a muscle, out to Jun. Izumi's jaw dropped and Hiroko blinked in confusion as Jun happily accepted her little brother from the wraith.
"Thank you, Specter-san!" Jun chirped as she nuzzled Kichu close. "But why did you-?"
"Izumi, stop!"
"Kaori-chan, wait!"
Naomi Hikawa and a visibly out of breath Yasu Fukuda were hurrying towards the scene from opposite directions. Yasu hurried to Hiroko's side, while Naomi approached the wraith. The wraith curiously regarded both girls… before removing her mask, revealing Kaori Takenaka.
"Oh… I didn't think I was that good at being scary." Kaori said absently. "Sorry, Tsubasa-san!" She glanced over at her visibly unimpressed fiancee. "Hm? Nao-chan? Is everything okay?"
"Kaori-chan, you said you'd stay in the haunted house once you got dressed up." Naomi sighed. "And Hamasaki-san, you should know better than to threaten violence like this."
Izumi huffed quietly as she adjusted her obi and tucked her parasol beneath her arm. "Mm. Right. Sorry, Takenaka."
Kaori smiled radiantly. "All is forgiven." She linked arms with Naomi. "You'll forgive me too, won't you, Nao-chan? I just wanted to make sure I made a good enough ghost before we got started."
"If you wander around like this, people will get too used to you, Kaori-chan." Naomi said. "But you do make a wonderful vengeful spirit." She gave Kaori a quick peck on the cheek, prompting the other girl to giggle and flush a bit. "I couldn't ask for a better wife."
Kaori waved cheerfully as Naomi led her off. "Bye bye, everyone! I'm glad your mouse friend is okay, Inoue-san!"
"Thank you, Takenaka-san!" Jun called. Her smile faded slightly as Kichu climbed back in her bag. Normally, she'd wonder whether Kaori knew, but. Right now, all she could think of was how scared she had been. "Please stay put." she said, too quietly for anyone but Kichu to hear. "Please, please, please."
Yasu gingerly helped Hiroko to her feet. "Are you alright?"
Hiroko moved to answer… and then she got a good look at Yasu, and she completely forgot what she was about to say. Her upperclassman was the very picture of elegance, from her soft lavender plum-print yukata to the elegant and elaborate moonflower bouquet hair ornament she wore, to the silver-white tiger-themed netsuke hanging off her obi, to her lip gloss, which caught the moonlight just so-
-and oh god, Hiroko had spent the past while staring, and her face was on fire, and Izumi and Jun were staring at her staring at Yasu, and Yasu herself just looked confused, and-
"Y-yes! Yes! I'm fine." Hiroko sounded a bit too insistent there. "Sorry, I just… you look really nice, Yasu!"
Yasu smiled. "I try. You look lovely as well, Hiroko."
Izumi exchanged glances with Jun. "Y'know, we could split up for now if you two wanna-"
"That's okay!" Hiroko probably sounded a bit too high-pitched there. "I don't want to derail everyone's plans." Or make Yasu feel uncomfortable, because she still couldn't gauge how her upperclassman might feel about her crush on her. "There's a lot we can do together, right?"
Izumi immediately shifted gears. "Damn right there is! I've barely tried any of this food and - oh man, they aren't even finished setting up all the games yet! This summer festival is gonna rule all, you guys!"
Izumi gave a shout before running ahead, forcing Jun to dash after her. Hiroko and Yasu exchanged glances before linking hands and hurrying to catch up to the pair to the best of their abilities.
None of the four noticed how one of the nearby Mirai students had been listening to the group's conversation a little too intently. And one of them noticed the unsettling smile that surfaced on the girl's features before she vanished into the shadows.
Hiroko was no stranger to ring toss, goldfish scooping, or any of the other games commonly played at summer festivals. Sure, she didn't consider herself good at any of them, but that had never bothered her much. The Hiroko of before had considered herself too average to have any hope of winning anything, and besides, wasn't the point ultimately to have fun? There was no point in getting worked up over it.
And yet, here she was, getting worked up over ring toss. She was ten times more confident, ten times surer of herself these days, and ten times more nervous as she fixated on her target - a silver, crescent moon-shaped pendant. Maybe it was because she wanted… no, had to win this time.
Yasu had spotted the pendant in question while she and the others were hurrying to catch up with Shun, who was close by, before they waited for Haruki, who was running late.
"How pretty." she had said, more to herself than anyone else.
And then Hiroko had thrown out "What if I won it for you?" without thinking, and before her brian could cach up to her mouth, Izumi was slapping her encouragingly on the shoulder and complimenting Hiroko on her "bold move" and Jun was pulling her towards the booth.
And now Hiroko's heart was pounding a mile a minute, and her ring felt strangely heavy in her hand. Izumi and Jun were cheering loudly for her, Mieko, who was manning the booth, was asking if she was okay, and Yasu was watching her intently, and the moment she noticed that, Hiroko snapped to attention.
"I have to try!"
Hiroko summoned every last drop of courage she had, fired off a quick mental prayer, and tossed her ring towards its target. To her shock, the ring flew straight and true, neatly landing onto the target.
Izumi pumped a fist. "Hell yeah, I knew you'd rule all at this, Hiroko!"
"Hironyan's amazing!" Jun said as she pulled Hiroko into a tight hug. "Too amazing!"
Hiroko could only stare in disbelief as Mieko handed the pendant over to her. She nearly dropped it before she finally snapped back to reality and wordlessly handed Yasu her prize. The gesture earned a small smile from her upperclassman, who wasted no time in putting the pendant on.
Hiroko smiled right back. "It looks even prettier now."
Oh dear… had that been too forward? Yasu didn't seem bothered by it, but-
-before Hiroko could agonize over that further, someone burst into applause nearby. She wheeled around to find Shun Siegel, who wore a teal and cream-colored pinstriped yukata and a dark teal haori, and a few members of her fangirl squad. Her fangirl squad, who seemed far more interested in her than Shun.
"That was amazing, Tsubasa-san!" one of the girls said. "I wish my technique was half as good!"
Another girl sidled up to her. "Could you show me how you did it? I want to learn from a master!"
"You're so elegant, Tsubasa-san!" yet another girl gushed as she ran up to Hiroko.
"Hey, what did I say about crowding her?" Shun protested as her (were they still hers?) fangirl squad barely stopped themselves from swarming the red-faced Hiroko. Shun tipped Hiroko a wink. "You deserve the praise, Hiroko. You really are something special."
Izumi gently patted Hiroko, who practically had steam shooting out of her ears now, on the shoulder, before sidling up to Shun. "What about you, Sieg-kun? Want a go before I kick this game's ass?"
"Funny you should ask." Shun said. "I just spotted a prize with your name on it, Izumi."
Shun gave Izumi a quick peck on the cheek before she went to collect her rings. Some of her fangirls squealed in delight, a few stared in envy, and either way, Izumi could not string together a coherent response. Not that Hiroko was in any position to judge, she mused as-
"Hey, don't!"
-Jun's cry of alarm caught her ears. The blue-haired girl had narrowly managed to keep Kichu from springing after a passing-by couple enjoying some fresh-grilled squid. She forced a smile and flashed a peace sign as she met Hiroko's eyes. Neither gesture felt entirely genuine.
Hiroko's smile faltered as she watched Jun scramble off to buy a snack for Kichu from a nearby vendor. Would she really be okay tonight? She was seriously starting to wonder.
Shun punched a fist into the palm of her other hand as she faced down the ring toss booth. "Alright! Let's get this done! At top speed!"
The ring Shun had thrown forth did indeed fly at top speed. It flew faster and further than any ring Hiroko had seen thrown before… straight over the plush snake Shun had been aiming for and right into a nearby vendor's stock of candy.
Shun winced a bit before making another attempt. Each ring flew more swiftly than the last… and not a single one found its target. One almost beaned an unlucky passer-by on the head, another smacked into a nearby display of masks, and yet another flew off into the darkness.
"Ah…" Shun seemed to have lost all her color. Her head tilted to one side as she stared blankly into the distance. "Can't win 'em all, I guess…"
Izumi pulled Shun into a hug. "Sieg-kun! That was amazing!" She took Shun's hands in hers, staring adoringly up at her visibly flustered girlfriend. "The Speed King of Kyoukai always impresses!"
"Yeah! That was some S-rank agility! You need to level your accuracy a bit, though."
Haruki, who wore a red yukata with gold peacock feather print and a red haori, was approaching the group. He held one of Shun's rings back out to her.
"This… kind of almost hit me." he said. "I'm lucky these robes give an evasion bonus."
Shun looked utterly sheepish and a bit lost as she accepted the ring… and the others she'd lost, which Izumi and her fangirls had since retrieved. "You uh, chose your equipment well, Haru. Sorry about-"
"Harunyan!" Jun tackle-hugged Haruki before Shun could finish her sentence. He flailed to keep his balance as Jun snuggled up to him, drawing more whispering from the fangirl squad. "Are you hurt? Where were you? Can I make it better? Did you just get here?"
"I'm fine! Really!" Haruki managed to spit out. Jun released him from the hug, giving him one last affectionate headbutt for good measure. "Sorry I'm late! Some… stuff came up at the last minute."
Yasu pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "You mislaid your zori again, didn't you?"
Haruki flushed slightly. "Th-that's not the only reason I- ugh! Does it matter, Sis? We're all together now, right? I'm not that late anyway, am I?"
"Not at all." Hiroko said. "We've barely started ourselves."
"There's all kinds of stuff waiting for us!" Izumi said. "We've got a live performance and laser tag and the haunted house to look forward to, all these snacks to try… and we can't forget the festival games! The shooting gallery, yo-yo fishing, goldfish scooping…"
Jun's eyes grew wide. "Fish? Like… fish fish, Izunyan?"
Kichu looked no less intrigued. "Chu chuu?"
"Yup!" Izumi said. "There's this goldfish pond, and the more you scoop-"
Izumi might as well have not bothered explaining. The moment she said 'goldfish pond' Jun had shot off with the speed of a cat who had just heard the can opener being operated.
Hiroko and the others caught up with Jun just in time to see the blue-haired girl crouch down by the goldfish-scooping pond. Before the attendant, a warm-looking middle-aged woman, could hand Jun her scoop, she shot a hand into the water with lightning speed, snagging a goldfish with the ease of a practiced hunter. Her eyes sparkled as she held her prize between her fingers…
…and then she noticed how everyone was staring at her - her friends, the other people playing, the attendant. Jun let the goldfish slip from between her fingers and back into the pond as she shot a confused glance at the attendant.
"Is this not how you play?"
"N-no?" The attendant looked thoroughly lost. "Miss… you use a scoop. Not your hands."
Jun's eyes widened. "Ohhhh… that's what they mean by scooping!"
Jun clearly wasn't happy about having to use the scoop. But she quickly proved to be a master at the game even if she couldn't use her hands. She approached the game with the ferocity of well, a cat sitting by a well-stocked fishbowl. Her eyes shined dangerously as she snagged fish after fish in her scoop.
Hiroko, who had made it two fish in before her scoop gave up the ghost, was in awe. So was Haruki, who had only lasted a few seconds into the game. But neither could stop worrying about Jun… and not just because she was clearly restraining herself from trying to sample the goldfish.
It was impossible to miss how tightly Jun held the bag containing Kichu to her chest as she played. And it was impossible to ignore the little hints of stress in her expression.
"It's okay!" Jun had insisted when Hiroko had offered to hold Kichu for her. "Kichu is my responsibility, Hironyan… and right now, I need to look after him extra-hard. You don't have to worry about him."
It wasn't exactly Kichu she was worried about, Hiroko mused as a small crowd gathered to watch the girl with the incredible goldfish-scooping streak, who happily ate the attention up. Haruki, who was now enjoying a large taiyaki at a nearby stand, shot Hiroko a concerned look as they exchanged worried nods.
Izumi, Yasu, and Shun were a few yards away, checking out another festival attraction - a target shooting gallery manned by Alan Bell. Both Izumi and Shun were attempting to hit their chosen prizes with the provided cork bullet rifles, as Yasu watched intently, her expression as stoic as ever.
Shun was faring a little better at this game. She was not the most accurate shot, but at least nobody was getting hit with any cork bullets tonight. Izumi, meanwhile, was… to call her shots "wildly aimed" would have been understating it a bit. The blond had a truly remarkable talent for hitting everywhere but anywhere remotely close to the targets.
"I don't remember my aim being this bad!" Izumi groused as she and Shun stepped away from the game. "Ugh, this does not rule all!"
Yasu adjusted her glasses. "You were too aggressive, Izumi." she said matter-of-factly. "A cool head is key in games like this. That's why Hiroko won at ring toss."
"Oh, Yasu." Izumi sighed dramatically. "There's no way I can cool my hot blood down - especially at a summer festival! Maybe this stuff just isn't for me."
"Maybe it isn't for either of us." Shun sighed. Oh well. We'll always have the laser tag course, right?" Shun shared a knowing glance with her girlfriend before shifting her attention to Yasu. "Why don't you have a go? I'm sure you'd be cool-headed enough to win."
Yasu's eyes darkened. "I haven't played in years." she said quietly. "I was afraid people would laugh."
"There's no shame in failing!" Shun said. "And look, if anyone here gives you trouble-"
Yasu raised a hand. "Was afraid." Her eyes flitted towards Hiroko for a moment. "Part of me still is. But… I want to try. Because Hiroko always does."
As Yasu prepared to challenge the shooting gallery, Jun's goldfish-scooping win streak continued. The blue-haired girl was clearly having the time of her life… or she was until she felt a sudden chill running up her back as the hair on the back of her neck prickled a bit. She looked up…
…and felt her breath catch as she met the gaze of one of the people who had gathered to watch her, a boy who stared just a bit too hard at her and smiled just a bit too widely as he met her eyes.
Jun's scoop had torn, but she didn't notice. Nor did she notice the attendant asking her to collect her prize, or Mayu or her friends asking for an encore, or Kou asking her if the werecat rumors were true as Emi admonished him and Shinobu rolled their eyes, as she leapt to her feet…
…and felt how much lighter the bag holding Kichu had grown.
Yasu's crescent moon pendant caught the light as she approached the shooting gallery, Izumi and Shun silently (well, not so silently in Izumi's case) cheering for her all the while. Even now, part of her was insisting she should quit while she was ahead, that she would screw up and everyone would laugh at her, that the many attendees at the festival were waiting for her to screw up for that exact reason.
She ignored the voices in her mind and the prickling on the back of her neck the best she could. This was another step towards her new self. The girl she wanted to be. A girl worthy of being with Hiroko.
Yasu took the shot… and missed. As expected. Izumi and Shun were strong enough to handle the cork rifle properly. She wasn't. But… nobody was laughing. A furtive glance around the area revealed that nobody had even noticed her failure, and if they did notice, they didn't seem to care.
Her further attempts were no more successful. And yet… and yet…
Yasu removed her glasses as she stepped away from the shooting gallery. Her eyes were watering slightly, and her shoulders were trembling, and Izumi and Shun were hurrying to her side.
"Whoa, Yasu, are you okay?" Izumi asked.
Yasu nodded as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Nobody laughed. That's enough for now." She smiled tearfully. "I could do better, though."
"I could help you find a strength-training routine later?" Shun offered. "Artists benefit from that sort of thing anyway, don't they?"
Before Yasu could respond, she felt a sudden weight on her arm - Kichu, who scampered up her shoulder before frantically pulling at the cloth of her yukata with an expression of urgency. "Chuu! Chu chu chu!"
"KICHU!"
A white-faced Jun shot towards Yasu. Hiroko and Haruki followed close behind, but she didn't seem to notice either of them as she snatched the alarmed mouse spirit up with a trembling hand.
"I told you not to run off!" she snapped. "Do you want to get kidnapped?! You know what'll happen if-!"
Kichu stared at Jun with wide, quavering pink eyes… which began to well with tears as he let out a quiet whimper, which quickly turned into loud wailing.
Jun somehow managed to go even paler as she scrambled to placate Kichu. Her eyes darted around, meeting the shocked gazes of her friends, then nearby festivalgoers who just kept staring, before it all became too much, and she bolted, leaving Hiroko and the others behind.
Jun tried to bite back the urge to burst into tears as she sat on the furthest end of the festival grounds, on a bench near Kyoukai's duck pond, gently rocking Kichu back and forth in her arms. She had no business crying and feeling sorry for herself. Not after she had made Kichu cry. Not after she had almost lost her baby brother yet again.
She stared down at Kichu, who had calmed down quite a bit and was lying half-asleep in her arms. That was right. He was just a baby. He had been made, not born, and there was a job only he could do, but otherwise, he was a normal baby spirit. Jun… Jun, on the other hand was…
"This is no job for a child." Iris, the head priest had told her, the day she had been entrusted with Kichu. "As of today, you shall be treated as an adult, with all that entails. Do you understand?"
Muse had struggled to reach Iris' eyes, and not just because he was so much larger than her in this form - a massive, serpentine dragon with rainbow-colored scales, who positively towered over a small cat like herself. It was the sheer weight of what she had volunteered herself for settling in, really. But…
"I do." Muse had forced herself to look at Iris as she spoke. "As Clio's daughter, I'll do just as she would. You can count on me - I promise."
Jun remembered the moment she had witnessed Kichu's creation in the inner sanctum of the Wellspring's main temple. She remembered holding him in her arms for the first time. She remembered swearing to do her utmost, as a priestess, as a big sister, and as a mentor to Pretty Cure, crystal or none.
"I'm sorry." Jun's hand went to the cracked Ouryuu crystal in her choker as she spoke to the half-asleep Kichu. "I should've let a real adult go, I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry…"
Jun's sensitive ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching from two different directions. The blue-haired girl instinctively leapt to her feet, holding Kichu close, as Haruki and Shun came into view. Neither had expected the other to try and chase Jun down, judging by the looks the two exchanged.
"Oh… Harunyan… Shunyan." Jun couldn't even fake a smile right now. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Well, I want to worry about you." Haruki shot back. "You're my friend, Jun. And-" He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "What happened back at the hospital wasn't your fault, okay?"
Shun nodded. "If you want to blame anyone, blame me. I was the idiot who fell for Kae's bullshit and let her into Kimi's room. It isn't your fault that-"
"This isn't about Kae!" Jun snapped. Kichu immediately stirred in her arms, and a look of alarm crossed her face as she struggled to calm herself down. "I got lucky that time, that's all, and they know Kichu's important now, and there will be a next time and a next time, until they take him, and I can't… I can't…"
Whatever Jun was going to say next turned into quiet sobbing, but Haruki didn't miss the way her free hand went to her crystal. Shun hadn't missed it either, judging by the expression on her face. Neither of them were a stranger to what they knew Jun wanted to say. Both of them were familiar with the feeling.
I can't do anything to protect him.
Haruki pulled Jun into a hug, and she broke down crying. "It had to be you, right?" he asked quietly. "That's what makes a hero. That's what I told Madoka-san, back when the two of us were trapped. And… that's what I told Yurika-san earlier. I ran into her on the way over here."
Jun parted from the hug, inclining her head curiously. "It wasn't 'cause you lost your sandals?"
"It was both, actually." Haruki said without thinking. "I-I mean, um! The point is-" Something about the way Jun was looking at him was fraying his nerves a bit. "What I'm trying to say is-"
Shun saved Haruki from further flailing. "You aren't alone, Jun." she said. "I think all of us know what it's like. Feeling helpless to save somebody." Her smile faded. "I watched the Shade Kingdom take Kimi's fiance. I couldn't do anything to help him. I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone else."
Jun looked at Shun with concern. "Shunyan… I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Just being able to talk about it helps." Shun laid a comforting hand on Jun's shoulder. "The burden's lighter if you share it with others. Besides…" She looked a bit awkward as she added "We spirits have to stick together, right?"
Haruki stared at Shun in confusion. Something told him he'd missed out on yet another important plot development. Jun wasn't human, he knew that, and now Shun wasn't human either? And here he was between the two of them, a one hundred percent human boy, whose most impressive accomplishment until a few weeks ago had been acting as a top-level healer in Ultimate Fantasia 14's epic raids.
That… didn't matter, though. Not really. It wasn't powers that made the hero, after all. Even if… even if part of Haruki still would have done anything to become a Pretty Cure himself. Just so he could do more for Jun... for his sister... for everyone, really. Something told him that Shun must have felt the same way.
"What if we started our own team?" Haruki said. "I… I mean, none of us can transform, but you can shape-shift, and you have your priestess powers, Jun, and I… I can kind of use spirit power, and I'm really good at using a sword, and Shun, um… is fast?"
Shun laughed. "That's my brand, yeah. I've got my savate training too, if that counts? And…" That awkward look was back. "I'm still feeling out… you know. The spirit stuff. I've figured out a couple tricks, at least."
Haruki stared as Shun took a deep breath before snapping her fingers… and setting off a small, quickly-dissipating burst of teal sparks, as if the teal-haired girl had just struck a lighter. Jun clapped approvingly at the sight. Haruki just kept staring. Yeah, he was definitely even more lost now.
Jun regarded Haruki inquisitively. "So, you want us to become our own team of three, Harunyan?"
Haruki snapped to attention. "Y-yeah! Like… a sub-team to Pretty Cure? We're basically backline support characters, aren't we? And this way, we can support you too, Jun!" Jun did not respond, She seemed genuinely lost for words. "I know it's not much, but-"
For a moment, Jun remained silent. And then she roughly tackled-hugged Haruki. If Shun hadn't zipped over to stabilize him, he would have been knocked flat onto his back.
"Harunyan!" Jun was crying again, but this time, they were tears of happiness. "I love you, Harunyan! And you too, Shunyan!" She continued to snuggle up to Haruki as she spoke. "I love you guys a lot!"
"Chuu!" agreed Kichu, who had been stirred back into wakefulness, as Jun let go of Haruki.
Haruki clumsily regained his footing. He was tomato red at this point, and his hair was a mess. "I… I'm glad you approve. So, uh…" He threw out a hand. "To the Pretty Cure Support Squad?"
"To the three of us!" Jun chirped as she laid her hand on top of Haruki's.
"Let's light the way to the future! At top speed!" Shun said as she laid her hand on top of Jun's.
Kichu scampered down Jun's arm before laying a tiny paw on top of Shun's hand. "Chu chu chuuu!"
Jun laughed. "Maybe we should make it the four of us."
"Hey, there's no limit to our party size!" Haruki's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh man! Speaking of! Shun! I haven't figured out your character class! Kichu too - I mean, he's more of an assist character, but-"
Jun couldn't help but smile as she watched Haruki agonize over something Shun… clearly did not understand, at least until Haruki brought up mounted units in some of the games he'd played. Shun Siegel did not understand RPGs, but she did understand horses, the fast vehicles of the animal kingdom.
The anxiety that was still weighing on Jun hadn't gone away. Not really. Kichu was still in danger and even if Haruki and Shun had her back, she still couldn't defend him. Not like she should have been able to. But she did feel a little bit better, at least. Maybe she could breathe a bit easier now. Maybe-
"Sieg-kun! There you are!"
Izumi was frantically hurrying towards the group. Shun was instantly at her girlfriend's side.
"Izumi? What's going on?"
"Nothing good." Izumi was vibrating with nervous energy as she spoke. "The stage's audio equipment is acting up, Misty just ran into her exact double a second ago, and a couple people said they saw actual ghosts around here. Hiroko and Yasu are already checking it out, but-"
"It's not safe for us to be out here, right?" Haruki said. "Especially if it's that faceless lady."
Jun swallowed hard as she looked down at Kichu. Was Tamakushi… no, she would definitely try to take him again, no matter what dirty tricks she had to use, no matter who she had to manipulate in order to-
Izumi had already run off and Shun had taken off right after her. Jun's eyes widened in alarm before she grabbed hold of Haruki's hand and hurried after the pair. Haruki did his best to keep pace with her. It was easier now than it probably would have been on his own, especially in a yukata and sandals.
Maybe it was the energy he felt when he and Jun held hands like this, an energy that felt very much like the sort he'd felt when he and Hachime had done the same. Haruki would puzzle that one out later.
Rie Gotou took a big bite out of her grilled chicken skewer as she watched Marina try her hands at balloon fishing. The green-haired woman was not having much luck. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't manage to get her balloon on the hook before her fishing pole's paper string dissolved, and she was left completely empty-handed.
"Oh, tough luck, Mari." Rie patted the other woman on the shoulder as the pair went looking for something else to do. "Luck just isn't on your side tonight, huh?"
Marina sighed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I hope it's just bad luck. My skills couldn't have declined that much."
"Or perhaps they have, dear. Age catches up with all of us old ladies, you know."
Marina and Rie turned to find Kimiko Yoshimoto standing nearby. She cut a lovely figure in her blue anemone-print yukata and carried herself with her usual effortless grace… but Marina couldn't ignore how pale she had grown and how tired her eyes were. She wasn't at Yurika levels, but. Even then.
"Ahaha. Sure." Marina deadpanned. "That's totally what it is, Kimi."
She tried not to stare too hard at her fellow ex-Cure as she spoke. It was hard not to. Obvious illness aside, Kimi seemed… different somehow. More fey, less tethered to this plane of existence. It'd been like that since she was discharged from the hospital. Had something happened? Kimi hadn't said a word.
"Now, now, darling, there's no shame in growing old." Rie's old lady voice was even less convincing than Kimi's. "Wisdom comes with age, you know."
Marina pressed two fingers to her temple. "You two haven't changed at all, huh?"
"Are you implying you have, Marina-chan?" Kimi's smile only grew as Marina looked aside pointedly. "You've been counting down the minutes until the haunted house opens. Don't think I haven't noticed."
Rie polished off her chicken skewer. "Why don't we go together once it opens? It's been forever since I've seen Mari in her natural habitat." She tossed her skewer into a nearby trash can as the three continued on their way. "Forever since… well, since any of us have really hung out like this."
"It can't be helped." Marina said. "We all have our own responsibilities. There's no time to-"
"You know that isn't the reason." Kimi said. "It's because of who isn't here."
A heavy silence fell over the trio as they came to a stop in the middle of Mirai's festival grounds, three women isolated in a crowd of cheerful, talkative festival-goers. Yurika was missing, of course. She still wanted little to do with the three of them. And even if she had showed up, Clio never would.
"I didn't know you humans had such exciting festivals! I'll have to bring Sol along next year - and my little Muse! I know she'd have so much fun with everyone!"
Rie bit her lip as she mentally fished for the right words to say, if they even existed. And then something caught her eye - a pair of children some yards away, both of whom were playing with sparklers and obviously having the time of their lives. Just like…
"Hey, remember when you introduced Clio-san to sparklers, Mari?" Rie couldn't help but smile at the memory, bittersweet as it was now.
"How could I forget?" Marina said. "That goofy dance she did with them is seared into my brain. God, I was so mortified." She smiled sadly. "I wish I could be half as enthusiastic as she was back then."
"I think we all do." Kimi said. "Clio was so full of life." She smiled as another memory came bubbling to the surface. "Remember when we tried to teach her about goldfish scooping?"
Rie burst into giggles. "She was so confused when they told her not to put her hand in!" she said. "Her hunting technique was pretty impressive, though. If Mochi tried that, he'd probably fall in."
"Clio-san actually knew how to be a cat." Marina said. "I think your Mochi's a bit of a lost cause, Rie."
Before anyone could say anything further, someone cleared their throat nearby - Yurika Himura. Unlike most people present, the black-haired woman was not in yukata. Instead, she wore an outsize orange T-shirt and jeans. She looked a bit better than she had at the hospital, but that wasn't saying much.
Rie's eyes lit up as she bounded towards Yurika. "Yuyu! Long time no see! We were just-!"
The words caught in her throat as she met Yurika's eyes. Yurika, who had been closer to Clio than the rest of them. Yurika, who had distanced herself from the group because she couldn't cope with her loss. Yurika, who was pushing herself so hard even now, because she couldn't move on, not like they had.
Yurika… whose expression softened just a bit. "I know, Rie. I heard." She drew in a slow, ragged breath. "It's okay. Clio would've wanted this, right?"
"I'd like to think so." Rie said. "It hurts a little less if-" She blinked as she noticed Kimi grimace a bit before starting off on her own. "Huh? Something up, Kimi?"
Kimi didn't seem to hear Rie, let alone notice how Marina had hurried to her side or how Yurika was regarding her with concern. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth worked silently before she spoke.
"The air has shifted." Kimi's eyes remained closed as she spoke. "Near the stage… and near Mirai Academy's practice building" She nodded towards both in turn. "It's faint, but-"
And before Kimi could finish that sentence, Yurika had taken off in the direction of the festival's outdoor stage. Marina swore under her breath and moved to take off after her - only for Kimi herself to beat her to the punch, as Rie grabbed her by the hand, muttering something about how Kimi would straighten Yurika out, while they needed to focus on the academy building, because something wasn't right here-
Of course it wasn't? But what could they do, outside of assisting from the sidelines? What could Kimi do to stop Yurika if she decided to self-destruct? Marina would try not to think too hard about either. Not now.
Hiroko wanted to believe that the cold dread in the pit of her stomach had everything to do with the summer festival's haunted house, which she and most of her friends were now lined up to explore. Sure, she knew everything in there would be fake, but if Kaori's costume and the group that had run screaming out of the practice building already were any indication, the scares inside would feel real.
And yeah, that was some of it. But still more had to do with Jun. Shun had returned alone after chasing her down, swearing that Jun was fine, that she just needed a bit of time to herself, that she was certain that Haruki would look after her. And it was true that Jun probably did need space to breathe, but…
…Hiroko's stomach was still doing flips. She was beginning to wonder if she had been right to take Shun at her word and let Izumi cajole everyone into giving the haunted house a go. Both girls meant well, and there hadn't been any definitive signs of Shade Kingdom activity around here, but… but…!
Yasu grabbed hold of Hiroko's hand. "You're worried too, right?" she asked quietly.
Naomi was up front, dressed in flowing black robes and done up in dramatic makeup as she narrated the history of the "cursed manor" the group was about to explore in dramatic tones. The student council president was throwing herself into her part, but Hiroko struggled to pay attention to any of it.
"I am." Hiroko said quietly. "Jun and Haruki couldn't have gotten far. We should-"
Hiroko wasn't able to finish that sentence, because at that moment, the haunted house opened up to a new group, Izumi bolted ahead, hand in hand with Shun, and Hiroko and Yasu found themselves being swept along with the crowd, despite their attempts to get away.
It took Hiroko a moment to get her bearings once most of the crowd dispersed, and she and Yasu were left alone. This wing of Mirai's practice building was almost unrecognizable. The whole area was dimly lit, save for the sickly illumination of hitodama-shaped lighting, and a strange, musty smell hung in the air.
Hiroko grabbed tightly onto Yasu's hand as they walked forward, keeping an eye out for Izumi and Shun. Old furniture, moldering stacks of books, and what looked like old bones laid here and there, and the surroundings were splattered with fake blood. Something had gouged deep claw marks in the nearby wall and mangled bits of the surroundings, and plastic tsukumogami hung here and there.
As the pair advanced further in, Hiroko met the eyes of a nearby portrait of a woman… which looked back at her, blinking. Hiroko gave a yelp of alarm, let go of Yasu's hand, and backed into a wall, which reached out at her with a multitude of grasping hands. Yasu promptly pulled her away from them.
"Are you alright?" Yasu was almost eerily calm, which just made Hiroko feel more self-conscious.
Hiroko felt a surge of heat rise to her face. "I'll live." she muttered. "Maybe we should turn around and-"
The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, as the sound of multiple bodies crumpling to the floor reached Hiroko and Yasu's ears.
Suddenly, nothing else, be it her embarrassment or the creepy atmosphere of the haunted house or her desire to leave said haunted house, mattered to Hiroko. She and Yasu charged forward hand in hand, fighting their way past a giant spider web, drop-down skeletons and tsukumogami, and a barrage of holographic ghosts to reach Izumi, Shun… and several colorless, unconscious bodies.
Izumi had already dropped into a combat stance. "Sieg-kun, please get out of here. The three of us will-"
Shun didn't respond. The teal-haired girl stood rigid, staring out blankly into space. The color drained from Izumi's face as she gently nudged her girlfriend… who dissolved into a flurry of light blue wisps. Izumi staggered backward, panicked apologies for being fooled again tumbling from her mouth, as an inhuman moan rang through the air and Kaori staggered out of the darkness.
Well, Hiroko would have loved to believe it was still Kaori in that costume, anyway. Unfortunately, its inhuman movements, its glowing red eyes, and the colorless bodies around them, told a different story. The animate costume let out another inhuman moan as it steadily began to grow in size.
Hiroko immediately readied her Puricell. "Everyone!"
Izumi and Yasu were right behind her. "Pretty Cure! Spirit Unleash!"
The wraith Nikuina was now large enough for its head to scrape the ceiling above it. It let out a discordant shrike, shattering the (fake) blood-stained glass of the surrounding windows as numerous haunted house decorations around it began to glow red-black as well. It lunged towards Pretty Cure, who lept backward through the now-empty window behind them, touching down on the ground below.
The Nikuina flew out the window right after Pretty Cure… and an army of animate haunted house props followed suit. Pretty Cure found themselves surrounded on all sides by the giant wraith Nikuina and its underlings - red-eyed skeletons, spiders, and various tsukumogami.
Chaos was already erupting around them. The crowds near Mirai's practice building were succumbing to the Nikuina's influence and crumpling unconscious to the ground. Screams of terror and the sound of thundering footsteps filled the air as the color drained from the sky above the practice building…
…and the sky on the other end of the festival grounds, near the outdoor stage.
Cure Seiryuu had a half-second to process this and what it meant before the Nikuina dove towards Pretty Cure like a hungry bird of prey as its underlings rushed them from all sides. Suddenly, Pretty Cure was forced into action… even as the roar of another Nikuina sounded in the distance.
A silent, horrified understanding passed between the members of Pretty Cure. Jun, Haruki, Shun… the three of them were in terrible danger. Pretty Cure couldn't be in two places at once. And Tamakushi, wherever she even was, had seized on that. Unless even one of them could break through…
Seiryuu met the wraith Nikuina with a cyclone blasted from her palm, sending it flying into the air. She clambered atop the practice building in three swift jumps before leaping after it, using the roof as a springboard, and sending it crashing into the ground with a flying kick.
That was the plan, anyway, because the wraith Nikuina's long, scraggly hair suddenly took on a life of its own and lashed towards the blue Cure, grabbing her by the leg, before throwing full-forced her into Cure Genbu, who was doing her best to flood off the advancing army of smaller Nikuina alongside Cure Byakko.
Seiryuu wasn't able to warn Genbu before she was sent colliding into the black Cure. The pair flew backwards, colliding hard into an abandoned merchandise stall, spilling plastic masks and toys everywhere. The army of Nikuina swarmed after the pair as they tried to get back on their feet.
Byakko touched down in front of the prone Seiryuu and Genbu and erected a shield in front of her, putting all of her focus into strengthening it. That held off some of the smaller Nikuina and gave her teammates just enough of a window to recover before Byakko's shield broke and the army descended on them.
The wraith Nikuina gave another moan, drawing ribbons of sealing energy into its mouth, as Pretty Cure was forced onto the defensive. Seiryuu, Genbu, and Byakko fought with all their might to get through the underlings and to the main Nikuina or at least buy one of them an opening.
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be happening. Seiryuu sliced through opponents with her Azure Wings and blew them away with her wind, Genbu crushed opponents with pressurized water in between lashing and lassoing them with her Black Ribbon, and Byakko elegantly deflected attacks with her metallic shields as she gracefully picked off foes with her White Fleuret. It didn't matter. They just kept coming, and none of them were giving Pretty Cure any quarter.
They had to try. Seiryuu told herself that over and over as she fought. No matter how daunting it was, they had to try. That sentiment had carried Seiryuu through so much, ever since she'd arrived at Mirai.
But would it be enough this time?
The crowd around the outdoor festival stage had been fairly sparse, making Shun mercifully easy to locate, once Jun and Haruki caught up to her. The teal-haired girl was lending an ear as Misty and several other Mirai students in rocker attire vented to her and Izumi about the sound stage equipment.
"I seriously don't know what's going on!" Misty groused. "One minute, it was all good, the next-" A bit of ear-splitting feedback noise rang through the air, as a nearby technician apologized. "This happens!"
"Ugh, and we're on in half an hour too!" her bandmate added. "Look, Siegel-san, you know machines, right? Can't you go and like, patch everything up real quick?"
Shun blinked. "Not unless it's something you can drive."
"We could just give it a few good kicks until it works?" Izumi suggested, eliciting some confused glances and whispering from Misty and the others. "That'll work, right, Oliver-san?"
Shun balked visibly (since when did Izumi use her roommate's surname?!) right as Kichu began squeaking up a storm and the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped.
Jun's blood turned to ice as another burst of feedback noise cut through the air, this one much louder and far more painful than before. Everyone in the surroundings winced in pain and covered their ears as the sound equipment on the stage began to glow red-black, and the color began to drain from the sky.
The thing pretending to be Izumi seized the advantage and lunged after Shun, shaping its arm into a razor-sharp blade. Shun narrowly managed to snap back to her senses and step out of the way before dispatching the copy with a well-placed right hook, causing it to dissolve into a flurry of light blue wisps.
The sound equipment writhed, levitated into the air, and began to steadily increase in size as it continued to glow. There was a flash, and a draconic Nikuina made of sound equipment loomed before everyone. It had eight red-eyed heads, which sat atop stalks made of thick, gnarled sound cables. The creature gave an another ear-piercing roar as its eight heads began drawing sealing energy into their mouths.
Most everyone in the vicinity attempted to flee. None of them got far before they succumbed to the influence of the Nikuina. Haruki was no exception. He was clearly trying to stay on his feet as he and Jun attempted to retreat, and he had retained much of his color, but Jun could feel him steadily going limp in her grasp.
The Nikuina zeroed in on the pair and bounded towards them. Jun leapt in front of Haruki and fired a burst of golden spirit power at it from her palm. It struck true and actually seemed to hurt the creature, which let out a pained roar before lashing several of its heads towards Jun.
Jun let out a yelp before shifting into spirit form. Kichu clung onto Muse's fur for dear life as she bolted out of the way of the Nikuina's strike. Before the Nikuina could try again, something struck it hard in the back - a fast-flying, hard-hitting rock, courtesy of Shun Siegel. The teal-haired girl had several more rocks where that came from - they didn't all hit their target, but the ones that did connect further damaged the - oddly vulnerable - Nikuina.
"Take Haru and get out of here!" Shun did her best to lead the Nikuina towards her and away from Muse and Haruki, all while keeping herself out of danger. She was doing remarkably well so far, but even then, she was clearly aware she was outmatched. "I can hold out until Pretty Cure arrives!"
Muse shifted back into human form as she flailed for an answer. And then the sound of a far-off roar caught her sensitive ears. A Nikuina's roar. A roar that came from the other end of the festival grounds.
Time seemed to stop for Jun as the implications of that noise sunk in for her. And something within her broke as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Flashes of blue, dark violet, and white. Seiryuu, Genbu, and Byakko, clashing with an entirely different opponent, under a gray sky.
Pretty Cure always came through. Jun might have been fairly helpless herself, but it didn't matter, because Pretty Cure wasn't. Pretty Cure was always there for her. For all of them. Except now… now, they were…
Jun stared numbly into the distance. "Pretty Cure… isn't coming."
Those words managed to make Shun hesitate slightly, allowing the Nikuina to close the gap and lash its heads towards her at full force. Shun reflexively flung out a hand and summoned another sparkling teal barrier. It broke apart into a shower of teal sparks on impact, giving her just enough room to roll out of the way.
The Nikuina ended up ramming its heads into the ground where Shun had once stood. She seized the advantage and took a deep breath before firing a small bolt of electrified spirit power from her palm at the creature. It wasn't much, but it at least seemed to hurt it a little.
Yurika watched the scene unfolding before her from her vantage point on a nearby hill. Her hand gripped her Puricell tightly. If she transformed, she could have easily taken down this Nikuina on her own. But…
"I don't want any more sacrifices, Yurinyan."
…unfortunately, the question of whether to throw her life away no longer felt as simple as it once had. Part of Yuika was afraid of what would happen if she transformed again. Part of her wanted to live. And some very small part of of her-
"This isn't a JRPG, Haru-kun. Kagemera and his followers will not pull their punches. You can't reload a failed save. And the bonds you share might not be enough in the end. Would you still fight, knowing that?"
"I would. Having the strength to protect my friends would be worth all of that, Yurika-san."
-almost wanted to turn away from everything she had sworn herself to. To pass down the sword she had sworn to never, ever let go of, even if it killed her. But even then… even then, the thought of placing that burden on a child was-!
Unfortunately, those two tricks had left Shun a bit winded, too winded to get out of the way as the Nikuina yanked its heads out of the dirt and rounded on her. Jun gave a cry of alarm as she zipped towards Shun-
-right as the Nikuina took a large ball of pressurized wind to the chest. It tore a massive gouge out of the earth as it flew backward and collided hard with the outdoor stage, reducing much of it to splinters.
Kimi stood some yards away, her eyes glinting defiantly as she stared down the Nikuina. Her hands pulsed with blue spirit power and an invisible wind blew about her, making her long, sea green hair billow about. She cut a thoroughly impressive - almost regal - figure.
Jun couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight. Kichu stared right along with her. "Kiminyan…"
Haruki, who had managed to pull himself to a kneeling position, looked every bit as awed as Jun did.
Shun didn't look awed in the slightest as she started towards her sister. "Kimi, why are you-?!"
Kimi just smiled nonchalantly. "Is that some sort of trick question, Shun?"
Before Shun could muster a response, the Nikuina barreled towards Kimi. She laughed playfully as she managed to sidestep it, sending it barreling past her several yards, before sending several blades of razor wind in its direction. Several of the Nikuina's heads dropped onto the ground, neatly sliced off at the neck.
It was a truly impressive sight... and then Kimi suddenly let out a cry of pain before doubling over and breathing heavily. The Nikuina let out another ear-splitting roar, this one loud enough to make the ground beneath everyone's feet tremor and crack before charging full towards the stunned Kimi.
Shun flung herself in front of her sister without a second thought. She barely managed to throw up another shield up right as the Nikuina swung its heads towards the pair. Said shield absorbed a bit of the initial impact, but it didn't save the Yoshimoto-Siegel sisters from being knocked high into the air.
Jun watched in horror as Kimi and Shun hit the ground hard some distance away. The pair were still breathing, but they didn't get back up.
And now it was back down to her and Haruki again. She immediately placed herself in front of Haruki as the Nikuina fixed him in its sights. Not that it would do much good. She was a priestess of the Hallowed Wellspring, guardian of the hope of two worlds, and the leader of the Pretty Cure Support Squad... and yet, in the end, she wouldn't be able to protect anyone.
Or would she? Was there not one thing she could do? Did she not carry some power with her? Had it not come through for her before, back in the forest? Maybe... just maybe...
Jun pressed a trembling hand to her cracked Ouryuu crystal. "Please... please give me strength!" she fervently whispered under her breath as she summoned every last drop of spirit power she had. "Please... please!"
Yurika's chest caught as she went for her Puricell. The Nikuina was hurt badly. It probably wasn't even a full-powered one, judging by how easy it had been for Kimi to wound it like that. Cure Suzaku could have dispatched it without breaking a sweat. And yet, she couldn't make herself transform.
Even now, Haruki was trying to struggle to his feet. Even now, his body felt too heavy to move. And even if he could, there still was very little he could actually do to help Jun in her hour of need. It shouldn't have been like this, he thought as his eyes welled with frustrated tears. If only… if only he could-!
Nothing was happening. Jun kept trying. "Ouryuu crystal! If you can hear me, then please!" She had to protect Kichu, no matter what! She had to be there for Haruki... for Hiroko... for all her her precious people! It couldn't end like this! It just couldn't! "Let me protect all of them!"
The Nikuina reared up and struck. Yurika readied her Puricell. Jun cried out in alarm-
And there was a blinding flash of golden light.
Seiryuu, Genbu, and Byakko stood back to back to back as they faced down the flood of Nikuina surrounding them, while the wraith Nikuina loomed in the distance. Every time an opening to strike at it presented itself, its seemingly army of underlings pulled them back into the fray.
An awful, ear-piercing roar sounded in the distance. Seiryuu gritted her teeth. She had to stay focused. Panicking wouldn't accomplish anything here.
But it was getting difficult to maintain that focus, even as the three leapt back into the fray. Especially knowing that another Nikuina was attacking on the other end of the festival grounds. Especially knowing that Jun and the others couldn't fight like they could.
And then a bolt of violet water shot out from the darkness, taking out the lantern ghost that had been flying at Cure Seiryuu.
Several of the smaller Nikuina froze, looking around for the unseen assailant... and then a laser of sparkling white light shot from the opposite direction, skewering a spider Nikuina.
Marina Ishii emerged from the shadows. "Pretty Cure!" Her glasses glinted dangerously as she spoke. "Focus on the main Nikuina. Rie and I will take down the smaller ones!"
"That's right!" Rie chirped as she emerged from the shadows on the other side. "Leave the cleanup to your seniors, okay?"
Under normal circumstances, Pretty Cure would have been hesitant to leave this to their seniors, not when this would surely cause the two women needless strain. But these were not normal circumstances.
As Marina and Rie focused their firepower on the smaller Nikuina, Seiryuu zipped towards the main Nikuina. As Genbu threw herself into helping Marina and Rie, while keeping the herd of smaller Nikuina from getting too close to the two women, Byakko fell in next to Seiryuu. The two exchanged a knowing glance as the wraith Nikuina dove towards them. As it dove, it let out another loud shrike as its hair sprung to life and shot out at the pair.
Once again, Seiryuu flung out her palm and sent a blue cyclone of spirit power towards the wraith Nikuina. As she did so, Byakko created several metallic white energy swords in rapid succession and threw them towards the cyclone that Seiryuu had created.
The Nikuina was unable to avoid the resulting whirling vortex of blades, which buffeted every inch of its body... and left it with a ragged crew cut, as the rest of its hair fell into a useless pile on the ground.
Seiryuu and Byakko shot towards the Nikuina before it could recover, subjecting it to a hail of elementally charged rapid-fire fisticuffs before sending it flying high into the air with a two-person uppercut, which connected in a burst of blue and white light. The Nikuina crashed hard onto the ground, leaving a small crater in its wake.
Byakko stepped forward, readying her White Fleuet. "I'll finish it off." She kept her eyes on the Nikuina as she spoke. "Seiryuu - please save Haruki and the others!"
Seiryuu did not hesitate before hurrying off. She knew Byakko, Genbu, and her seniors could handle the rest.
Jun's eyes flew open as she realized that she was very much in one piece. In fact, she had never felt quite so alive. She could feel the aether that comprised her body buzzing with raw energy, and everything around her seemed much clearer and more vibrant than it had before.
Haruki stared in awe at the sight before him. Jun was clad in a robe of sparkling gold, and yellow daisy petals whirled gracefully around her body. Her dark blue hair, which had come undone from its twin buns, hung in loose curls around her face, and her bright blue eyes shined with life.
He felt a sudden pressure on his shoulder and looked over (suddenly, it was far easier to move) to find Kichu perched on top of it. "Chuu! Chu chu chuuu!"
Haruki couldn't understand a word the mouse spirit had said, but he liked to think it was an expression of pride in his big sister. He understood completely. Haruki was very proud of Jun too.
Jun stared down at her hands. Tears of happiness welled in her eyes as she realized what she had just done. Even if it was an incomplete transformation, even if she knew it wouldn't last long, for now, this would be enough to finish off her opponent, who was clearly on its last legs. This would be enough to protect everyone.
"Get ready, Nikuina!" said Jun… no, Cure Ouryuu as she faced down the Nikuina, who had been flung back by her partial transformation. "I'll heal this world with my radiant soul!"
The Nikuina summoned one last burst of strength and charged towards Ouryuu. As it drew near, it lashed its remaining heads towards her with all the force it could muster. Ouryuu did not bat an eye as she created a seed of golden light in her palm before throwing it towards the Nikuina's mass of necks. The seed erupted into a flowering vine of golden light on impact, which rapidly snaked around the Nikuina's necks and tied them together. The shock abruptly jerked it backward, stopping it in its tracks.
Someone was helping Haruki to his feet. He looked up in shock to find Yurika Himura. The black-haired woman looked as exhausted as ever, but there was a light in her eyes that hadn't been there for a while.
"Huh? Yurika-san?"
Kichu looked no less confused. "Chuu?"
Yurika wasn't looking at either. Her focus was on Cure Ouryuu. "She's shining so brilliantly." she said quietly. "I guess I wasn't needed after all."
The Nikuina was too stunned to dodge the straight punch that Ouryuu threw at it, which connected in an explosion of yellow petals. It careened into what was left of the outdoor stage before collapsing into a heap.
Ouryuu threw her hands out in front of her. A gigantic golden flowerbud manifested in front of her before slowly blooming into a sparkling golden daisy. As it gradually opened, a radiant light slowly built within its center, and once it had fully blossomed, a brilliant laser of golden light shot forth from the daisy, which exploded into a flurry of yellow petals. The Nikuina gave one last roar as the attack connected with it in a blinding flash of gold.
All that remained of the Nikuina was a pile of sound equipment, a few motes of light, and one third of a Wrath Seed pod, which crumbled into nothing, right as the strength left Ouryuu's body, and her partial transformation faded. Someone caught her before she could hit the ground - Cure Seiryuu.
Jun looked up foggily at Seiryuu. "Huh? Hironyan?"
Seiryuu nodded… before pulling Jun into a hug. "Thank goodness… I was so scared that-!"
Jun's eyes welled with tears once more as Seiryuu broke down sobbing. She patted the blue Cure on the shoulder. Kichu leapt onto Seiryuu's shoulder and got in a few gentle nuzzles for good measure. "It's okay, Hironyan. I'm not going anywhere. I prom-"
And then Haruki screamed.
Yurika was holding the red-haired boy to her chest with one hand, as another pointed the blade of a light blue translucent naginata at his throat. An inhuman grin warped the black-haired woman's features, which vanished one by one off her face before her form fell away, revealing Tamakushi.
The sight of Haruki in distress instantly gave Jun her second wind. "Let go of Harunyan!"
Jun shot towards Tamakushi, who effortlessly sent her flying with a side kick. The blue-haired girl hit the ground hard before transforming back into her cat form. Her small chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to get back up, to no avail. Tamakushi turned her eyeless gaze on Seiryuu, who was readying an attack.
"Oh? Are you sure you want to do that, Cure Seiryuu? I don't have to spare him." As Tamakushi spoke, she brought the blade of her naginata just a bit closer to Haruki, who was trembling a bit, despite his best attempts to keep his composure. "In fact, I don't want to." Her tone turned downright acidic. "I haven't forgotten about your smart mouth, boy."
Cure Genbu was hurrying towards the group, with an exhausted Yasu in her arms. She wouldn't get there in time. Not before Kichu fixed Tamamushi in his sights, his little body quaking with rage.
He hated her. He hated this awful faceless lady a whole lot. It was bad enough that she enjoyed hurting people and playing dirty tricks and saying awful things, especially to Big Sis. But now she was holding one of Big Sis' friends - a member of his team - hostage and… and threatening to hurt him! He wouldn't let her!
Time seemed to stop for the little mouse as he gathered his energy and sprang towards Tamakushi, ready to sink his teeth into whatever part of her he managed to bite. Everyone around him seemed to move in slow motion as he soared towards his opponent like a tiny meteor-
-only for Tamakushi to suddenly let go of Haruki before tossing something in Kichu's direction.
The charm that the Asjun sisters had created struck Kichu dead-on mid-leap. Muse watched in horror as her baby brother, the hope of the Hallowed Wellspring and Earth, and her sworn protectorate, was encased in a solid sphere of red-black energy.
Genbu immediately dove for the sphere... right as one of Tamakushi's phantoms to appear and effortlessly snatch it out of the air before vanishing. Genbu was left springing at empty air... and unable to get out of the way as Tamakushi drove the blunt end of her naginata into her stomach, driving her back and leaving her doubled over in pain.
Tamakushi sniffed disdainfully as she regarded the fallen Genbu, then Yasu and Seiryuu. All looked equally stunned by what had just happened. "I'd love to execute you three myself, but I have business to attend to." She cast her gaze towards Muse. "Know this - I could have taken that mouse at any time. But I deserved to have a bit of fun first. This is a festival."
Muse was helpless to do anything as Tamakushi vanished in a burst of light blue foxfire. She wanted to scream, but she felt way too weak. She wanted to move, but her body refused to obey her. She couldn't even see clearly anymore, as spots were rapidly invading her vision, and her head was beginning to spin.
Soon, the spots overwhelmed her vision completely, and everything went black.
Hiroko wasted no time in taking Muse back to the dorms. She didn't know what else to do right now, past doing what she could for her friend. That it gave her something else to focus on was an added bonus, self-centered as that sounded. If she let herself think too hard about what had just happened and what could happen now that the Shade Kingdom had seized Kichu, she would be too overwhelmed to do anything.
Everyone else had departed ahead of Hiroko. Izumi had refused to leave Shun and Kimi's side as a silently solemn Hayate arrived to bring the sisters back to the Yoshimoto estate, and Yasu had immediately escorted Haruki home, once he had confirmed that Yurika, the real Yurika was alive, laying unconscious near the outdoor stage. The red-haired boy was trying to keep a brave face, but he was clearly badly shaken by what had happened.
Hiroko didn't blame him, she mused as laid in bed that night, struggling to settle down to sleep. Muse, who had not stirred even once since the pair had returned to the dorms, laid on an elaborate bed of pillows near her head. She wasn't sure how she was keeping it together at all.
"We'll get through this too." Hiroko whispered to the ceiling. Her words sounded less like a statement of reassurance and more like a desperate prayer. "We have to try."
Somehow, despite everything, Hiroko managed to drift off into sleep... for an hour or so before something jolted her awake in the middle of the night. A feeling of something being deeply wrong. And it didn't take much time for Hiroko to realize what that something was.
Muse was missing... and so was the pile of pillows she had been laying on.
Hiroko sat bolt upright in bed and scrambled to turn on her bedside lamp. "Muse?"
No response.
Hiroko was instantly up and out of bed. It was a warm summer night, but she still felt uncomfortably cold in her blue cotton nightgown as she frantically searched the dorm for her roomate. It quickly became clear that this was a futile effort.
It wasn't just that Muse was gone, Hiroko realized as she stumbled into the living area, having exhausted all other search possiblities. Every trace of Muse was gone, from her clothing to her personal items to her favorite plush to her name on their door's faceplate. Everything that proved that a spirit named Muse... that a girl named Jun Inoue lived here had vanished as quickly and suddenly as it had appeared, back when all of this had started.
Hiroko gradually sank down onto her knees, holding her arms tightly to her chest. She felt horribly cold and utterly spent emotionally, to the point of numbness. It took her a moment to realize she was crying.