Episode Eighteen: The Bond of Heroes! Blazing Suzaku!
Haruki usually walked to the Kyoukai Public Library with a spring in his step. It was his favorite place in Kyoukai - between the wide variety of books to enjoy, the numerous community events, and the recurring patrons, most of whom he was on friendly terms with, there was always something to do. Besides, the new entry in the Kingdom of Flowers and Lightning series had just dropped - they were sure to have a few copies available to check out.
And yet, Haruki couldn't bring himself to be cheerful right now. In fact, he seemed to be followed by his own personal raincloud as he made the trek to the library. And he knew exactly why this was.
It had all started yesterday, during Pretty Cure's latest battle. He had been fighting his hardest, right alongside Cure Seiryuu and the others. Sure, he was a little shaky compared to everyone else, even Jun, who was as new to being a Pretty Cure as he was, but it wasn't like he didn't know what he was doing.
Most of his teammates had seemed to understand that. His sister… hadn't.
It was just like before, back at the Hallowed Wellspring. Cure Byakko kept distracting herself trying to keep an eye on him, even to her own detriment. Every time Cure Suzaku was in the line of fire, every time he made a tactical misstep or fumbled an attack, she was right there, even if that meant making herself more vulnerable or failing to pay enough attention to the rest of the team.
And yeah, maybe it hadn't been smart for him to get fed up and charge this Nikuina head-on as well, despite both Byakko and Seiryuu trying to stop him, and yeah, he had almost ended up getting flattened,, but his reckless attack gave Genbu an opening to finish off the monster, so it was a net positive, right?
Haruki thought so, anyway. Yasu… didn't. She hadn't said a word about Haruki's behavior. Not in front of their teammates. But once the two had arrived in the Fukuda estate's foyer…
"Haruki!" Yasu wasn't even trying to be stoic. "Why did you charge ahead like that?! You could have been seriously hurt!"
"So? We still won!" Haruki shot back. "I know what I'm doing - you don't have to babysit me!"
Yasu was unmoved. "You ran right at that Nikuina, after Hiroko and I told you to stop. If Izumi hadn't jumped in-"
"Yeah, well, maybe I wouldn't get mad enough to do that if someone would leave me alone!"
"I'm our team's shield, I have to-!"
Haruki balled his fists. "Then act like it, Yasu!" he snapped. "I'm a warrior now, just like everyone else, and you… you just treat me like your baby brother!"
He went stomping up the stairs before Yasu could get in another word in response. She stood at the foot of the stairs and watched him leave. He refused to look back at her, as much as part of him wanted to.
"Because you are!" Yasu called after him.
She was answered by the sound of Haruki's bedroom door slamming, loud enough to echo around the Fukuda estate's foyer.
And here he was now. Yasu had been distancing herself from him since this morning, and Haruki hadn't tried to reach out to Jun or anyone else. He was still angry, and he didn't know who he was angrier at - himself for yelling at his sister like that or Yasu for being so hard-headed. Either way, he felt utterly rotten.
Haruki would have to have to fix this eventually. He hated fighting with his sister more than anything. But if Yasu kept acting like this every time they fought alongside each other…
…he'd try not to worry too hard about it. Not right now. The library was around the corner - maybe they would have some good advice books about resolving conflicts. Or maybe Rie had some advice. She didn't have any siblings that Haruki knew of, but she had been a Cure herself once.
And he completely forgot about all of that as he rounded the corner and arrived in front of the library.
There was an unfamiliar figure at the base of the library steps - a girl who seemed to be around his age. She was dressed strangely warmly for the weather, in a powder blue cardigan and a navy turtleneck knit dress, and her wavy, wine purple hair was tied into a loose bun. She was hesitating nervously at the base of the library steps, as if there were some invisible force field keeping her out.
"Hey, are you alright?" Haruki asked without thinking.
The girl jumped a bit before turning to face Haruki. Her wide red-brown eyes were framed by a pair of circular spectacles, giving her an owlish look, and her skin was unusually pale. She was a few inches shorter than he was and very delicately built. She looked almost like a porcelain doll come to life.
"Is it… okay? To go in there." Her voice was very quiet, barely above a whisper. "I'm not… from here, so-"
"Of course it is!" Haruki said. "You can't check out the books if you're from out of town, but the Kyoukai Public Library is free for everyone to visit! Is this your first time here?"
The girl nodded. "First time traveling. I… don't get out much."
Haruki couldn't help but notice the slightly pained look in the girl's eyes as she said that. There was an entire story behind that sentence… and he wasn't going to pry into it. She clearly needed help, and he would be a lousy excuse for a hero if he didn't provide it. That was all that mattered here.
"Want me to show you around?" he asked. "We can start with the library, and then we can check out the rest of Kyoukai, if you want. I don't mind - heroes are always here to help!"
That got a small but genuine smile out of the girl. "I think I'd like that, um…"
"Haruki Fukuda - you can call me Haruki." He dropped into a bow. "Nice to meet you!"
The girl answered with a short bow of her own. "Shiori Futaba. 'Shiori' is fine. I don't mind."
Haruki grinned. "Then it's settled! Follow me, Shiori-san!"
Shiori stepped forward and grabbed Haruki's hand the moment he prompted her to follow him. She clung tightly to him as they ascended the stairs to the library, tightly enough that he was worried she might make him trip. He tried not to say anything about it. It wasn't like Shiori was trying to be difficult.
Besides, heroes reached out to and supported people in need. They didn't reprimand the people in need of their support. Or get into shouting matches with their sisters, no matter how stubborn that sister was.
Haruki tried his best to push that thought aside as the pair entered the library together.
Shiori seemed to relax a bit once Haruki started showing her around the library. She was clearly a rather timid girl, but she wasn't clinging to him anymore, and she seemed genuinely delighted by the library itself. Sure, Haruki felt bad every time a library staff member or patron greeted him and ended up spooking Shiori, but surely, he could help her feel more confident and comfortable with time.
Heck, maybe the two of them could be book buddies too! Haruki was getting ahead of himself a bit, but Shiori clearly needed a friend, and he got along with most people, especially fellow readers.
"Oh, Shiori-san! Check it out!" Haruki hurried Shiori to the New Releases display at the center of the library floor. "I knew there was a new Kingdom of Flowers and Lightning , but I didn't know the Shining Star Chronicles got a new book too! Have you read either of these?"
"I've never heard of them." Shiori said.
Haruki looked genuinely confused. "You haven't? How about…" His eyes scanned the display "Oh, they also have the newest Guardians of the Ocean… and the new Land of the Living Toys! I've never read that one myself, but a lot of girls I know really like it."
Shiori shook her head. "Haruki-san… I don't know any of these books."
"Huh, really?" Haruki said. "That's odd - most people I know like one of these." He caught himself there. "N-not that you're odd, Shiori-san! I could help you find something you'd like, if you want!"
Shiori's expression darkened. "That's not possible."
She walked away from the display. Haruki followed after her.
"Do your parents not let you read this stuff?" he asked. "There's ways around that! One of my classmates has really strict parents too - she showed me a way to disguise your books so-"
Shiori stopped in her tracks a few inches from the children's section. "I prefer fairy tales. Have you heard of 'Bluebeard', Haruki-san? That's one of my favorites."
"I don't think I could forget it." He shivered a bit. "That part where she finds the other wives gave me nightmares when I was a kid."
Shiori smiled. "It was too bad for them. They would've been much better off not prying."
Haruki would have pointed out that the villain of that piece was thwarted because the heroine defied him, but there was something in Shiori's tone of voice that told him this was far beside the point. To ask about her personal life was to try and open a forbidden door, and it would not end well. That was the point, wasn't it?
Duly noted, then. He just stuck to showing Shiori around the different sections of the library after that, starting at the children's section and working his way around the floor, occasionally stopping to answer Shiori's questions.
And on it went, until they arrived at the magazine section, and Shiori suddenly froze up like a deer in headlights. She was staring at one of the patrons with unusual intensity - Shun Siegel, who was leaning up against a wall near one of the magazine racks as she paged through an auto enthusiast magazine.
Before Haruki could ask what was wrong, Shun had looked up from her magazine and abandoned her reading post. Shiori immediately began clinging to Haruki's arm again.
"Oh, hey, Haru. It's been a while." Shun shot a curious glance at Shiori. She tried to sound as friendly as possible as she spoke. "I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you a friend of Haru's?"
Shiori cuddled close to Haruki. "It's our very first outing together like this!" she said cheerfully. "I'm having a wonderful time so far!"
Shun blinked. "Oh?" Her eyes widened. "Oh! Well, uh, don't let me interrupt you two, then." She tipped Haruki a wink. "Have fun - and let me know if I need to spot you some cash."
Haruki went beet red. "Th-that's not-! We just met! It's literally our first time hanging out together! That's what Shiori-san meant!" Shiori let go of him the moment he said that. Haruki hoped he hadn't hurt her feelings - it wasn't like she meant to embarrass him. "I was giving her a tour of the library, that's all."
And now Shun looked a bit flustered herself. "N-no, it's my bad for assuming. Sorry about that." She shot a furtive glance towards Shiori, who was now browsing the magazines. "Congrats on the promotion, by the way. Izumi did a full dramatic reenactment for me. Makes me wish I could've been there."
Haruki couldn't help but grin at the mental image of Izumi acting out their climactic battle at the town square for her girlfriend, probably in the loudest, most Izumi way possible.
"Oh man, I hope she did me justice." he laughed, before adding "Sorry we left you alone in the support squad, Shun."
Shiori looked up from the magazine racks to stare at Haruki and Shun in confusion before promptly returning to browsing. Haruki really hoped he was being subtle enough about the whole magical boy thing. He had a few explanations ready if he wasn't, if nothing else. Heroes always had to be prepared.
"I won't lie - I'm a little jealous." Shun said. "But I'm too happy for you guys to be bitter. It's probably for the best anyway. Kimi's… not doing too hot, so I've been busy caring for her." She sighed heavily. "I should be doing that right now, but someone chased me out of the house. I'm killing time until she calms down."
"You're having sister problems too, huh?" Haruki said without thinking.
Shun was staring at him in concern now. As Haruki's brain finally caught up to his mouth, he realized that Shiori was as well. In fact, Shiori looked especially concerned.
"You also have a sister, Haruki-san?" Shiori asked.
"Did something happen with you and Yasu?" Shun asked.
"I do, yeah" said Haruki. "And no. Nothing happened." lied Haruki. "Forget I said that." He was already backing away. "C'mon, Shiori-san - we haven't even covered the second floor yet!"
Haruki took off without waiting to see if Shiori would follow him. She let out a quiet sigh before putting away the crafting magazine she had been flipping through. She shot a confused glance at the auto magazine that Shun was holding.
" You're into something like this?" she asked. "How surprising."
She took off before Shun could ask just what she had meant by that.
The atmosphere in the Shade Palace had been incredibly tense as of late. Once again, King Kagemera was at the root of it all. The monarch of the Shade Kingdom had been in ill health for a good ten years now, courtesy of his defeat at Pretty Cure's hands, but his condition, while unenviable, had been perfectly stable. His health had never truly declined, especially not as suddenly and sharply as it had over the past few days.
Within less than a week, the Shade King had become too weak to leave his own bed. He was still issuing edicts from his bedchamber, and his illness hadn't done anything to blunt his infamously nasty temper, but he was too ill and lethargic to do much governing, let alone throttle any subordinates.
Suspicion had fallen on Hinyu almost immediately. The majordomo was almost always by Kagemera's side, personally brought his medicine to him… and had multiple reasons to want him gone, between the Shade King personally doing away with Hinyu's father and the majordomo being a frequent target of Kagemera's wrath, with his latest failure leading to a brutal thrashing he had spent a long while recovering from.
Yes, it all should have been open and shut. And yet, Hinyu had walked away unscathed.
There was no trace of poison, not in Kagemera's system, not in anything he drank or supped from. No hint of curse magic could be found on or near the Shade King either. No investigations turned up anything that might implicate Hinyu. By all appearances, he was perfectly blameless.
But appearances meant absolutely nothing. Tamakushi knew that better than anyone else.
And that was why Hinyu had gone from ordering a group of chatty servants to get out of his way to finding himself pinned to the wall by one of those servants, who was pressing the blade of her spectral naginata to his chest. The rest of the group went scattering. Let them run. She'd gotten what she needed from them.
Hinyu's lip curled in annoyance. "And just what are you trying to accomplish here?"
"Is it not obvious?" Tamakushi pressed the blade of her naginata a bit closer to Hinyu's chest as her disguise fell away. "You do a terrible job of playing coy. Everyone with sense knows what you did."
For a moment, Hinyu simply stared at Tamakushi. And then he drove a flame-coated fist towards her stomach. She managed to twist out of the way before finding herself leaping backwards and out of the way of two consecutive fireballs, which took out a good sized chunk from the floor and a neighboring wall.
"Everyone with sense knows my hands are perfectly clean." Hinyu's hands burned white-hot as he stared down Tamakushi. "Your attachments won't change reality."
Tamakushi let out a low snarl. Instantly, multiple phantoms were assailing Hinyu from every direction, and their faceless summoner shot towards him like a bolt of blue lightning, naginata at the ready
Her anger made her careless. Tamakushi instantly found herself sprawled on the ground, sporting a series of angry-looking scorch marks on her side, as Hinyu stared down at her contemptuously.
"That misguided devotion will be your undoing." he sneered coolly." You gave your heart and soul to a dying man. Don't make that my problem."
Tamakushi let out a hiss of pain as she tried to lever herself off the ground. "One day, your lies will collapse under you. And when that day comes, I shall be the first to spit on your grave."
Hinyu made a noise of derision under his breath as he turned his back. "I've come into a fantastic asset - one that might revolutionize the way we harvest despair, all for His Grace's sake. You were chased out of the Hallowed Wellspring with your tail between your legs by a gaggle of vermin. Worry about yourself."
Tamakushi was left to tremble in rage as she watched Hinyu walk away, humming a jaunty tune under his breath all the while.
King Kagemera… he had been the first person to see her, really see her. He had let a functional nonentity like herself into his inner circle, had given her a purpose, had genuinely needed her, needed the woman she was, when everyone who came before had only prized Tamakushi for what she could do. He had saved her.
And now his flame of life was being slowly smothered. Hardly anyone seemed to care a whit. Did they think Kagemera's death would bring back the days of that weak-minded pacifist King Shirotaku? Were they idiotic enough to think Hinyu would help save them? Tamakushi would not doubt it, unfortunately.
Well. If she had to be one voice of reason in a palace full of complacent fools, so be it. She had no complaints. She was the only person in the Triumvirate with a lick of sense to begin with. She was the only person in the Triumvirate who had any sense of loyalty. If loyalty was what you wanted to call it, anyway.
The worst of tyrants could be loved. And they would be avenged. Hinyu would do best to remember that.
The second floor of the Kyoukai Public Library housed a good number of study rooms and multimedia labs, along with a good-sized audiobook collection, an extensive media library, numerous archives, and a large room that housed Kyoukai's government records.
A reading lounge, which was lit by sunlight filtering through large windows, took up a good chunk of open space on this floor. It sported plush-looking and brightly-colored furniture and large beanbags with equally colorful patterns. Nobody else was there at this hour.
Haruki threw himself into showing Shiori around, just as he had before. But it was clear that she wasn't interested anymore, even if she made a half-hearted show of seeming that way at first. By the time Haruki brought her to the currently-empty reading lounge, she had been obviously phoning it in for a while. She actually seemed interested in the lounge, at least. She spent a good few moments staring at it.
"Oh…" she finally said, right before Haruki could ask her if she was okay. "This is a good place."
Shiori sat down delicately on one of the reading couches before motioning to Haruki to sit down as well. He shot her a puzzled look before plopping down unceremoniously on a nearby beanbag. Shiori leaned forward a bit, looking at Haruki expectantly.
"Do you wanna talk?" Haruki quietly hoped it wasn't about Pretty Cure. He'd take his sibling problems over that.
Shiori nodded. "Haruki-san. Tell me about your sister."
Haruki swallowed hard. Well… at least she wasn't asking about his magical boy activities? And she just wanted to know what Yasu was like , right? Haruki would at least try to look on the bright side.
"Yasu is… well, she's really different from me." Haruki said. "She's pretty reserved and hates sugar-coating stuff. Some people think she's cold and uncaring." He clenched a fist. "And they're wrong . Yasu is really kind, and mature, and… and she's so good at art! You should see her paintings! Actually, if you want, we could swing by my house, and-!" He caught himself there.. "I just really respect her a lot."
"It definitely sounds that way." Shiori said. "And you seem like a very kind boy, Haruki-san. I don't understand why you'd fight with her."
Something about the way Shiori said that hurt. It felt… innocently cruel in a way, and it shouldn't have, because Shiori hadn't said anything wrong . She was just curious. Maybe she even wanted to help.
"It's not like I like fighting with her." And now Haruki had to keep going. "But lately, she's been really overprotective of me. I totally get why, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." A bit of agitation was creeping into his voice. "I feel like she doesn't trust me at all, and she won't listen either. It really sucks."
Shiori just smiled. "I have a sister too. She's loud and hyper and does whatever she wants, whenever she wants. Sometimes, I really wonder what goes through her head." She seemed to space out for a moment before adding "But she's still my most precious person. And I don't think we've ever fought."
"You haven't?" Haruki asked.
"No." Shiori said without hesitation. "We've disagreed, but we've never fought. Neither of us are selfish people. I wonder if that's why?"
Haruki felt something twist inside of him when Shiori said that. Were the two of them selfish people? Haruki had never once seen Yasu that way. Not Yasu, who seemed cold but was always going out of her way for the people she cared about, who was always worrying herself sick over…
…over him. Because she couldn't bear to lose anyone else she loved. She had told him that before, and he still had the nerve to get mad at her for trying to protect him. Because that was ultimately her intent.
Maybe… maybe he was the selfish one. Wasn't he the one who always made it worse? Wasn't he the one who had dug in his heels and lashed out instead of listening? Multiple times?
Shiori hardly seemed to notice Haruki's anguish. "Haruki-san… you did say you were a hero, right?"
Haruki nodded absently. He had told her that. But he hadn't missed the question lying behind Shiori's words - then why aren't you acting like one?
The sound of footsteps suddenly caught Haruki's ears. Rie Gotou was beelining towards the two of them. The indigo-haired woman was holding a stack of binders to her chest with one arm and carrying a thick laptop under the other. She looked a tiny bit strung out, which was saying a lot for someone like her.
"Oh, Haruki, I-" Rie's gaze darted to Shiori. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
Again ? Haruki tried not to betray any exasperation, not with that, and not with Shiori, who proceeded to cling to his arm the moment he got up. That'd be selfish of him too, right?
"You're not - it's okay." Haruki watched Shiori out of the corner of his eye. She didn't seem upset, at least. "Do you need some help, Gotou-san?"
"Actually, yes, I do - if you're up to it." Rie sighed. "I figured I'd better ask you, since you're a regular volunteer here, and the ones we did have for our book matchmaking event dropped out at the last minute." She nodded to Shiori. "You're free to help out too, if you'd like. The more, the merrier!"
Shiori tilted her head to the side. "Book… matchmaking?"
"It's an event they do every year." Haruki said. "You fill out a form with all your likes and dislikes, and the library uses that to match you with a book you'll like. Everyone's supposed to come in and pick up the books they matched with tomorrow - the volunteers are there to help hand them out."
"And we'll need all hands on deck." Rie said. "We got a lot of sign-ups this year."
"Then count me in." Haruki said. "There's no way I could say 'no' to this, Gotou-san."
Shiori's glasses glinted in the sunlight. "If Haruki-san wants to help, then I'd like to help too." She smiled warmly. "It sounds like a lot of fun, Gotou-san."
Rie grinned. "I knew I chose wisely! Well, I'll see you two tomorrow morning, then. I've gotta get going." She was already walking away. "The books everyone matched with aren't going to sort themselves out."
Shiori started after Rie. "Wait! I can help you with that too, can't I?"
Rie shot Shiori an odd look. "Are you sure? Like I said, a lot of people signed up, so there's a ton of books to go through and index. It'd be pretty tedious work for a kid."
"I'm no longer a child. I can endure something like that." Shiori sounded almost too calm. "You should worry more about Haruki-san. I'm sure he'd get overwhelmed by something like this."
"Huh? No, I wouldn't!" Haruki shot back. "If you can handle it, I can handle it, Shiori-san. You're my age, aren't you?"
Shiori smiled serenely. "Perhaps. But I'm grown up either way."
"Well, actually," Rie interjected "I need help prepping the booth too, if that'd be more your thing, Haruki."
"No, that's perfect." Haruki said. "Just show me what I need to do, Gotou-san."
He couldn't help but stare at Shiori as Rie guided him to their destination. Something about Shiori's behavior worried him. Something about Shiori in general bothered him. He didn't know what it was, but…
Shiori met his eyes as they arrived at the storage room. "It's not too late to change, Haruki-san."
Haruki nodded and looked away. Right. He was the person he had to focus on before anything else. He had to keep telling himself that. But part of him didn't want to listen.
Haruki spent a busy couple of hours at the library helping out Rie alongside Shiori and then treating Shiori at Twinkle Etoile, a nearby dessert parlor. She had made it midway into her stack of Soleil Waffles when she abruptly got up, muttered something about needing to check in on her sister, and ran off before Haruki could offer to escort her home.
By the time Haruki was headed home himself, the shadows outside were growing long, and the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. He needed to get back to his sister too. He needed to make things right.
That had been the plan, anyway. But Haruki couldn't think of anything to say to Yasu that evening. The two of them had exchanged a couple vapid pleasantries and a bit of meaningless small talk, but it was clear that neither of them were ready to speak to each other about what had happened yet.
Haruki didn't even know where to start . He had to apologize. He knew that. He had to fix his selfish behavior. He knew that too. But what was he supposed to say? Just how could he fix something this big?
In the end, Haruki found himself lying awake in bed, turning everything that had happened over in his mind, again and again and again.
"Haruki-san… you did say you were a hero, right?"
"It's not too late to change, Haruki-san."
"I will change." he whispered to the ceiling. "Starting tomorrow, I'll definitely change. Because I'm a hero."
He had to be. No matter what. For the sake of the rest of his team. For the sake of everyone he had to support, however he could. People like Shiori. Shiori, who he hadn't been able to stop worrying about. Shiori, who sprouted sharp thorns every time people asked her even the tritest personal questions. Even Rie had gotten a bit of it.
Shiori was hiding something, something that seemed to be hurting her. But you couldn't force a person to open up to you. You had to let them trust you first. That was how it had been with Yasu, right? Hiroko and the others had never forced her to bare her heart. She had done it because she felt safe around them.
Maybe the five of them could help Shiori feel safe too. Maybe he could be a better friend to her, once he had figured out how to be a better brother and a better person. It was a nice thought.
That night, Haruki dreamed of being an adventurer and exploring a treacherous, briar-infested forest alongside Yasu. There was something deep at the heart of these woods, something important. And the forest itself was trying to keep the two knights from getting to it, be it through thorny vines that moved like snakes, roses that breathed noxious fumes, hungry pits of mud, or ravenous monsters.
Haruki wanted to avoid these threats. But he couldn't. Something else was controlling his body for him. Something was forcing him to put himself into the path of danger, over and over. Haruki tried to tell Yasu what was going on. He couldn't do that either. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound.
Yasu was forced to save Haruki again and again. And with every rescue, her shiny white armor and large shield grew more battered and dented, as Yasu herself slowly crumpled under the strain of it all.
By the time the pair approached the heart of the forest, Yasu was at her limit. A hail of writhing vines descended from the canopy above and snaked around her limbs before yanking her into the looming darkness. Haruki opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He could only watch it happen.
He crumpled to his knees like a puppet with severed strings as someone emerged from the forest depths - Shiori, clad in a simple dark-colored dress and a flowing cape fixed with a blue rose clasp. She knelt in front of Haruki.
"Oh, Haruki-san. Don't be sad." Shiori smiled sweetly. "There's no point. You knew this would happen."
Haruki couldn't say a word in response. He couldn't even move anymore. All he could do was shed tears of numb frustration. He was still crying when he woke up.
Something was off with Haruki.
He was a kind and warm-hearted person by nature. He always had been. But he had never been so obliging . He had kicked off the morning by apologizing to Yasu unprompted for their fight the other day before spending the next while tripping over himself to make sure all of her needs were attended to, while Yasu struggled to get a word in edgewise. And then he had actually asked permission to go to the library.
"I don't want to break my promise to Gotou-san and Shiori-san." he explained. "But you come first, Sis. If there's anything you need me for, I'm sure they'll understand."
Right… today was the book matchmaking event at the Kyoukai Public Library, wasn't it? Jun had been talking everyone's ear off about it since she'd gotten wind of the event and filled out the form. It almost made Yasu regret not signing up this year.
Yasu hadn't addressed her brother's odd behavior. She was too shocked to manage a proper response, past telling him she didn't need anything and hoping he had fun. But now she couldn't stop thinking about it. Why was he acting like this all of a sudden? Was it her? It was probably her, wasn't it?
She should have tried to resolve things with him yesterday. But she hadn't. Instead, she had spent most of the day at Hiroko and Jun's dorm, taking solace in the two's company and helping the pair keep tabs on Kichu. A human infant could put away a lot more food and pull many more things off of shelves and out of cabinets than a little mouse could, and it took the three of them to keep the chaos to a minimum.
Yasu had returned home feeling incredibly warm and deeply happy. She always did after spending time with Hiroko. But when she had faced Haruki again, she hadn't been able to bring herself to say anything. And now he had shut away his heart. Just like she had. And she had probably helped cause this.
(And who was 'Shiori-san'? Yasu had never heard Haruki bring up anyone by that name, inside or outside of Mirai Academy. Had she recently moved here?)
Part of Yasu wanted to run to Hiroko for solace and comfort again. She forced herself to demur. Instead, she traveled to the Yoshimoto estate, after confirming that Kimiko was good to receive visitors. Kimi was a bit… eccentric, but she was also an older sister herself, a former Cure, and someone with a younger sibling who… well, Shun had powers and was an ally of theirs. It was close enough.
Kimi, whose sea green hair was now lightly frosted with silver (something she had pointedly pretended not to notice when asked about it), had invited Yasu to the teahouse before brewing a pot for the two of them. She had listened attentively as Yasu spoke of her woes with Haruki and his sudden burst of strange behavior.
"I know I was harsh with him." Yasu's grip on her teacup tightened. "But I have to be. He's new to fighting. He gets careless. I'm afraid that-" Her hands were trembling a little bit. "I can't let anything happen to him. I can't lose another family member."
Kimi gently reached out and steadied Yasu's hands. Her touch was unusually cool.
"It's painful, losing someone precious to you." She smiled sadly. "I never want to experience it again myself. But Haruki chose the destiny of a warrior, Yasu. Just like you did. Please understand that."
Yasu's expression darkened. "If Shun was one of your teammates, if she got hurt in battle, wouldn't you blame yourself? Wouldn't you want to protect her? Would you even want her to fight?"
Kimi took a sip of tea. "If Shun got hurt through her own carelessness, that would be a valuable lesson."
Yasu did not look amused by Kimi's flippant response. Kimi, to her credit, seemed to recognize this. When she spoke next, her tone was much more serious.
"Part of me wants to protect Shun forever. She's my baby sister, after all." Kimi shook her head. "But it's impossible. And even if I could forbid her from auto racing or keep her out of Pretty Cure's business, I wouldn't. Keeping her safe wouldn't be worth ruining her life." Her gaze drifted to the flower gardens outside, visible through the windows of the teahouse. "Flowers do need room to grow properly, Yasu."
Yasu bit her lip as she flashed back to their last two battles. She had just wanted to keep Haruki safe. She had just wanted to protect him, the way she was supposed to. Because she couldn't see him as anyone but her younger brother, despite the path he'd chosen. Because one loss was enough. But…
"I'm our team's shield, I have to-!"
"Then act like it, Yasu!"
…Haruki had been right. Yasu hadn't been acting as her team's shield lately. Just Haruki's. She was so caught up in protecting him that she had neglected everything else. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep him perfectly safe, unless she forced him to stop fighting. And maybe not even then.
And now he was acting like this, and it was all her fault. If she'd been less stubborn…
Yasu stared into her tea. "How do I fix this?"
"Just talk it out with him, Yasu." Kimi said. "As soon as you can. I'm sure Haruki wants to mend that bridge as much as you do. Few people enjoy fighting with their siblings. Even I don't."
Yasu nodded solemnly. She still wasn't sure what to say, but, as Hiroko so often said, she had to try.
Fortunately, Jun had invited Yasu and the others to the library, a moment after the cerise-haired girl parted ways with Kimi,"to pick up my blind date and cheer up Harunyan". Of course, Yasu wasted no time in accepting. The sooner she could speak to Haruki and apologize properly, the better off they'd both be.
"There's a really good sweets place around here too - I know Haru's a fan." Izumi pointed out as the group met up outside the library. "Dunno about you guys, but I always feel better with food in me."
"Me too!" Jun chirped. "I wonder if Harunyan would want to share a parfait with me."
The Kyoukai Public Library was fairly busy. Scores upon scores of people had queued up at the colorful booth that had been set up at the library's center. An eye-catching banner hanging above announced the annual book-matchmaking event, while a semicircle of poster boards behind the booth advertised the joy of discovering a new story and the fun of going on a "blind date" with a new book.
One of the librarians was doing last-minute signups for those who wanted to receive their own match later on, while several volunteers were handing out books to those who matched with one earlier. Haruki was among those volunteers. He smiled, he laughed, he threw himself into greeting every patron as warmly and cheerfully as possible. But even from here, Yasu could tell that his heart wasn't in it.
There was an unfamiliar purple-haired girl ('Shiori-san'?) sitting next to Haruki. Occasionally, Haruki would steal glances at her, seemingly looking for her approval. And if that was the case, he received none. The girl never once looked at him. She was laser-focused on the library patrons and the clock hanging above..
Haruki's queue moved at a steady clip despite its length. Soon, it was Jun's turn to pick up her book. She broke from the ground and bounded up to Haruki, grinning ear to ear.
"Harunyan~! I'm here to meet my blind date!" she chirped.
Kichu popped out from one of her skirtall pockets. "Chuuu~"
Haruki didn't respond. He didn't seem to realize Jun was even there. The purple-haired girl had to reach over and gently tap him on the shoulder.
"Haruki-san… it's not good to ignore people."
Haruki winced. "R-right… sorry, Shiori-san." He blinked as he realized just who was in front of him. "Oh! Jun! And-" He did a double take as he noticed the others. "Huh? Did everyone get matched with a book?"
"No, just me." Jun gently nudged Kichu back into her pocket. "Everyone else is just here to see you." She was bouncing on her heels a bit. "Let's all go eat sweets together once you're done, Harunayan!"
"I won't be done for a while." Haruki couldn't manage to meet Jun's eyes, and he couldn't even look right at Yasu. "Sorry, Jun. I hope you guys have fun."
Shiori sighed quietly as Haruki handed Jun her book before reluctantly hurrying her and the others along. "Oh… that's too bad, Haruki-san. It'd be nice if we had a book for all of your friends."
The crowd began to thin out soon afterward. As Haruki idly wondered how many more people would show up today, he felt a hand on his shoulder - Rie, who was looking at him with concern.
"Good work today, Haruki. I'll take over from here, alright?"
Haruki faltered. "Huh? But we're not close to done, Gotou-san! I promised you I'd-!"
"That was before you were under the weather." Rie said. "It's no good if you force yourself, Haruki." She shooed a still-reluctant Haruki away from his spot, which she promptly took over. "Besides, a cute girl wants to eat sweets with you. You don't wanna say no to that, do you?"
Haruki went slightly pink. Was Rie trying to imply… ugh, no, that wasn't it! Jun was just a friend! And he had to put what Yasu wanted first, he sharply reminded himself. It had to be this way from now on.
"I… guess I'm off, then." he said quietly. "Bye, Gotou-san, Shiori-san. See you later."
Shiori smiled sweetly as Haruki took off. "Bye-bye~"
Haruki knew he was a little worn-out. But he didn't realize how bad his exhaustion was until Pretty Cure arrived at Twinkle Etoile's pristine white veranda, and he was struck by a sudden wave of dizziness. Izumi instantly zipped over to his side and steadied him before he could hit the ground.
"Sorry for making you do this." he muttered as Izumi led him to an outdoor table.
"C'mon, Haru, there's no reason to say 'sorry'." Izumi said. "We're friends, aren't we?" She turned to the others. "And since we're friends, I'm treating everyone to sweets today! Get whatever you want!"
Yasu shook her head. "Izumi, it'd be better if I-"
"I will treat us." Izumi insisted. "Don't worry - money's not an issue today!" She grinned proudly. "You can thank the handsome stranger who decided to cover our tab."
Hiroko smiled. "I'll be sure to thank her with a big plate of pfannkuchen tomorrow." She went to sit down near Haruki - only for Izumi to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"
"We're getting desserts for five people. I can't carry all that back on my own." Izumi looked pointedly at Jun. "Actually, I think we'll need three people to get it all."
Jun shared a knowing look with Izumi. "Of course, Izunyan!" She deposited her book on the table before glancing over at Haruki. "Harunyan! Wanna split a Milky Way Parfait with me? I know it's really big, but the two of us-"
" Chuuu ."
"-the three of us could totally finish it off if we share it! How about it?"
Haruki forced a smile. "If it makes you happy, then, sure."
Yasu didn't miss the way Jun's expression faltered as Haruki said that, nor did she miss the knowing look Hiroko shot at her, after Yasu ordered an apple tart, and the rest of her team hurried inside to order. She knew exactly what Hiroko and the others were doing. She appreciated it. This was for her and Haruki to sort out.
It was a beautiful summer afternoon in Kyoukai. There were plenty of people out and about, chatting animatedly, and the tables around the Fukuda siblings were fairly busy. Many people seemed to have a book or two with them. Yasu swore she recognized a few of the people here from the library.
Haruki seemed to notice it too. "I guess they all had the same idea we did."
"Sweets and good books go well together, don't they?" Yasu said. "Maybe I should have signed up too."
Haruki's eyes slid to the ground. "I'm sorry, Sis. I should've reminded you earlier, but-"
"Don't apologize for that." Yasu said. "Why would you - Haruki, what's gotten into you? Why are you acting like this?"
"I'm always the one who starts our fights. You're always covering for me." Haruki said blandly, almost emotionlessly. Yasu was again reminded disturbingly of her old self. "I can't be selfish anymore. I can't. I can't." His eyes were welling with tears. "What if you get hurt trying to save me? What if next time-"
Yasu shook her head. "Haruki. Listen." He didn't respond. She got up from her spot and sat next to him. "I can't stand to see you like this." Her brother said nothing, but he didn't push her away either. "I should have listened before. And I'm here to listen now . So please don't-"
An errant gust of wind suddenly blew open Jun's book… and every other book in the vicinity. The scent of roses wafted through the air as translucent black rose petals fluttered around the area like falling snow.
Both Fukuda siblings were instantly on high alert - but neither of them was prepared for the vines of red-black energy that suddenly erupted from between the pages of Jun's book and attempted to ensnare Yasu. Haruki just managed to push his sister aside before flinging the book off the table. As the book hit the ground, the vines vanished, and a foul-smelling black mist escaped from it.
Most of the people nearby weren't as lucky. Vines had erupted from their books as well, ensnaring almost every single person they targeted. Agonized screams filed the air as the victims crumpled to the ground, gradually draining of their energy and color as the vines painfully constricted their bodies.
Panic set in. Tables were abandoned, desserts were trampled underfoot, and books were tossed aside as people frantically tried to get away. Not that it would do much good. Even the people in the area around Twinkle Etoile were being affected. In fact, Haruki realized with horror as he scrambled around the veranda, frantically checking every single book in the area, there were plenty of victims around Kyoukai.
"They're all from the matchmaking event… I gave these out." He couldn't stop shaking, and his heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest. "I didn't even notice-!"
Had every single book been… been tainted like this? How many people were suffering because he had failed to notice something like this? How many people had been hurt because of him?
Yasu was telling him this wasn't his fault and begging him not to blame himself. Hiroko and the others had burst outside. Izumi was demanding to know what was going on and whose ass needed to be kicked, while Jun tried to comfort a crying Kichu, set off by the sheer amount of negative energy in the air.
Haruki heard all of it. He couldn't process any of it.
Who would do something like this? Where were they now? Were they lurking nearby? Or were they lurking underneath Rie and Shiori's noses back at the…
A gasp of alarm left Jun's mouth as she and the others noticed the orbs of red-black energy rising from the prone bodies of each victim and drifting in the direction of the Kyoukai Public Library. The sky above the library was slowly going gray, and Haruki swore he could hear screams of anguish far in the distance. Worse, the air around here was feeling strangely… thin. If he focused, he could almost see bits of gold flaking away from the surrounding air. Was that the barrier? Oh god.
Haruki's eyes were welling with tears. "I should have… I should have…"
Should have been able to tell, should have kept an eye out, should have known the Shade Kingdom would find any way to get at this city and at them, should have been there to protect Shiori and Rie and everyone else who was suffering now, should have done anything else but stand here uselessly like this!
Something broke inside of Haruki. All thoughts of staying put, of keeping himself safe for Yasu's sake vanished. Nothing else mattered past doing something.
He tore off towards the library before anyone could stop him.
The number of unconscious gray bodies lying about only grew in frequency as Haruki hurried towards the Kyoukai Public Library. Unlike before, plenty of people in the area were fully conscious. Some were fleeing in blind terror, others were frantically trying to wake up their loved ones or attempting to get them to safety, while still more wondered where Pretty Cure was and if they were going to save them.
Haruki wished he could have reassured them. But even if he could have told the scared and frantic people around them that he was a Cure himself, there was no way he would have. There wasn't any time.
The hero was kind. The hero was selfless. The hero atoned for his mistakes. He had to fix this! He had to!
The grounds of the Kyoukai Public Library looked like a miniature warzone. There were so many people here. So many people Haruki knew he had given books to. All of them had been overcome by despair and bound in vines. The air was eerily still, uncannily silent, and heavy with the smell of decaying roses.
Haruki's hand went to the Puricell in the pocket of his cargo shorts as he inched closer to the library. He didn't hear anything that sounded like a Nikuina. Maybe it was lurking inside? Or maybe the person behind this really was hiding within instead. Maybe there wasn't a Nikuina after all. Maybe-
Someone on the library steps had grabbed his ankle - Shiori Futaba. She had already lost most of her color, her glasses were askew on her face, and her expression was the picture of hurt and confusion.
"Haruki-san… why did you leave?"
She lost consciousness before Haruki could say a word to her - right as the library steps began to shake violently. Haruki was forced to back away hastily as a massive figure violently burst through the roof of the library in an explosion of red-black energy and scattered debris. A massive shadow fell over Haruki, as an ear-splitting screen cut through the air, and the scent of decay grew heavier still.
It was a wyvern. A gigantic wyvern Nikuina with glowing red eyes made from the paper and canvas of multitudes of books. Withered-looking vines snaked around the entirety of its body, and withered-looking roses sprouted from those vines. The wyvern let out another shriek, drawing ribbons of sealing energy into its mouth at a truly meteoric rate, even as it fixed Haruki in its sights.
Haruki instantly readied his Puricell. He'd make this right the only way he knew how!
"Pretty Cure!" Haruki pushed the front five buttons of his Puricell in sequence as his form roared with red energy. "Spirit Unleash!"
Haruki was suspended in a sparkling red void, his clothing replaced with a robe of sparkling red light. A sword of glowing red flame took shape in his hand, and he resolutely held it aloft. A bolt of burning red descended from the heavens as the sword's glow increased in intensity and red flames danced at his feet before exploding into a column of shimmering red fire.
As the fire swirled around Haruki, his outfit took form piece by piece in shimmers of flame. First came a frilly light red dress shirt with winglike shoulder pads and puffy dark red shorts, then light red wrist-length gloves with flared red trim and orange heart-shaped ornaments on the backs of the hands, and finally, shin-length dark red lace-up boots with orange trim.
The column of flames dissipated as Haruki brandished the sword of flame in a heroic fashion. It broke apart into a shower of red sparks, most of which gathered about his body before resolving in a flash of red light into a red tailcoat with orange trim, feathered feathered edges, and a flared orange chest bow with a heart-shaped red crystal clasp. The remaining sparks took the form of a frilly red beret.
As the beret materialized on Haruki's head, his hair tinted red-orange, grew a bit longer and spikier, and flared out at the ends as his eyes turned bright red. He gained red heart earrings and a red choker with an orange flame charm as a pink and white pouch holding his Puricell appeared at his waist.
Finally, he touched down on the ground, red fire surging up around him and red sunflower petals swirling about him as he posed.
"Burning red star! Cure Suzaku!"
The Nikuina dove towards Cure Suzaku, attempting to scoop him up in its massive talons. The red Cure managed to leap out of the way, leaving its talons to instead savage some of the trees surrounding the library plaza. He narrowed his eyes before countering with a burst of flame from his palm… which instantly fizzled on impact, leaving the Nikuina free to keep advancing on its opponent.
Suzaku countered with several more blasts of flame, followed by a fire-charged leaping kick to the stomach, once the NIkuina closed the gap and tried to snare him in its talons. None of his attacks did much. It wasn't just that the Nikuina was tough. It was that his powers weren't working properly.
Suzaku leapt out of the way of another attack before touching down on the ruined remains of the library rooftop. Was it because he had lost faith in himself? Was that why his spirit power was fizzling like this?
The Nikuina wasn't going to give Suzaku room to contemplate this. It zipped towards the red Cure, who narrowly evaded its attack. The Nikuina let out a frustrated screech before spitting a glob of white sludge at Suzaku. It caught him hard across his left side, sending him flying towards the ground below.
It wasn't sludge, Suzaku realized with horror as he barely managed to right himself. It was paper pulp. His left arm and a good bit of his left torso were encased in paper mache, which had hardened to the consistency of concrete. And the Nikuina was flying around, raining down more pulp in Suzaku's direction. He had to take evasive action and at least hold the line before it turned him into a paper mache statue.
He didn't last long. Between his fizzling powers and the heavy paper mache cast that slowed him down and effectively left him with one arm, Suzaku could only dodge the salvo for so long - and he had no hope of getting close enough to strike the Nikuina. It smacked him with more sludge once he actually tried.
Suzaku let out a cry of alarm as he found his entire body encased in a paper mache cast, leaving only his head free. He was helpless to fight back as the Nikuina snatched him up in its talons, tossed him high into the air, and flew after him, jaws first.
"I won't let you!"
Something had snatched Suzaku away from the jaws of defeat - a pair of golden flowering vines, which lashed around his waist before pulling him towards Cure Ouryuu. As the gold Cure pulled Suzaku to safety, Cure Genbu used her Black Ribbon to bind the Nikuina's jaws shut, while Cure Seiryuu and Cure Byakko worked to hold it in place.
Ouryuu summoned her Golden Harp with a wave of her hand. A few plucks of its strings made Suzaku's bindings dissolve like wet sugar. He drew a few shaky breaths as Ouryuu helped him to his feet.
"Are you okay, Suzaku?" she asked.
Kichu poked his head out from a pocket on Ouryuu's vest. "Chuu?"
Suzaku opened his mouth to answer - and then the Nikuina glowed red-black as it overpowered and threw off Seiryuu, Genbu, and Byakko before flying straight at Ouryuu. Suzaku let out a gasp of alarm and tackled Ouryuu out of the way before hitting the Nikuina with a fireball from his palm.
He tried to, anyway. The fireball fizzled away before it could reach the Nikuina, which effortlessly knocked Suzaku aside before spitting a glob of paper pulp at Ouryuu. The Gold Harp went flying out of Ouryuu's grasp as she was encased in a paper mache cocoon, leaving only her head free.
The Nikuina let out a roar of triumph before swooping not towards Suzaku but towards Seiryuu, Genbu, and Byakko, who had just managed to recover. Byakko was attempting to draw the Nikuina's attention while Seiryuu and Genbu regrouped with Suzaku and Ouryuu, and if he just stood there …
Images from Suzaku's nightmare played in his mind as he zipped towards the Nikuina-
"Why did you charge ahead like that?! You could have been seriously hurt!"
-only for hesitation to grip his heart, right as the Nikuina locked eyes with him. It lost all interest in Byakko and zeroed in on Suzaku. It almost seemed to be taunting the white Cure as it plucked the red Cure up in its talons and shot upwards into the air.
Byakko rose to the bait. As Seiryuu and Genbu worked to free Ouryuu, the white Cure springboarded into the air off the nearest rooftop and towards the Nikuina. It let out what almost sounded like a sadistic sneer as it threw Suzaku right at her. She effortlessly caught her brother with one arm, right as the Nikuina spat a particularly large glob of paper pulp right at her. Byakko threw up a shield to counter it.
It would not be enough. Byakko's shield shattered into tiny pieces under the sheer impact of the Nikuina's strike. Both siblings were violently flung towards the ground below, landing heavily enough on the steps of the library to leave a small crater in their wake.
Seiryuu, Genbu, and Ouryuu tried to go to their teammates' aid. They would not be fast enough. Three cries of anguish cut through the air as the blue, black, and gold Cures dropped to the ground one by one, each bound in paper mache cocoons. The Nikuina let out a derisive huff as it walked past the fallen Cures and towards Byakko and Suzaku, who were getting themselves out of the crater.
It really was taunting them, like a cat playing with its food, Suzaku realized as Byakko pulled him out of the crater and to his feet. There was no other way to explain why it was moving so slowly, so deliberately. As that sunk in, he felt something shift in the air.
The feeling of being watched. An overpowering aura of malice. A sense of venomous hatred.
He saw no summoner in sight. But whoever had did this, whoever had infected the books like this and planted a Nikuina in the library wanted people to suffer. Something told Suzaku it wanted him , specifically, to suffer. And maybe… maybe he deserved that. Maybe this was his fault. He didn't know anymore.
Byakko was already planting herself in front of Suzaku, White Fleuret at the ready. His eyes widened in alarm as he grabbed her arm. He couldn't… like in his nightmare… he couldn't-!"
"Sis, please…" His voice was already cracking a bit. "Please don't. You'll just get hurt again."
Byakko kept her eyes fixed on the Nikuina. "I told you, didn't I? I'm our team's shield." The rest of her team was within reach - but something told her if she made any sudden moves, the Nikuina would be on her. "Besides… if the hero gives up, the world falls, right? We both have to keep going."
Suzaku shook his head. "I'm not a hero… I don't deserve that." Tears rolled down his face and splashed onto the pavement below. "J-just a stupid kid who gets other people hurt, who charges ahead like an idiot… who gets into stupid fights with his big sister, because he only thinks about himself! I'm nothing !"
"You're wrong! "
Byakko's eyes were welling with tears now. Suzaku was too stunned by the sight to keep sobbing.
"Do you think Yurika-san would give her powers to 'nothing'? Do you think 'nothing' would risk himself to save Jun's life? Do you think I'd be afraid of losing 'nothing'?!" She pulled her brother into a tight hug. "I'm afraid of losing you , Haruki. I was so afraid that I didn't listen . That I lost sight of something important."
Suzaku looked downright floored. "You mean…?"
Byakko nodded as she released her brother from the hug. "I want us to be partners on the battlefield. Equals. It'll be hard for me to get used to that." she said. "But I have to try. Because if I don't learn how, we'll both pay for it."
The Nikuina drew steadily closer as Byakko offered a hand to Suzaku. As he moved to take it, the unknown presence in the air grew stronger. The hatred was still there, the malice was still there, but now there was something else - anger. Whatever was behind the Nikuina was furious at this turn of events.
Suzaku didn't care. Not anymore. He accepted Byakko's hand without hesitation.
As the siblings shared a firm handshake, Suzaku felt something within him roar back to life - his spirit power. The same spirit power that had fizzled under the weight of his self-doubt. The same spirit power that now surrounded him with an fiery red glow, just as Byakko's surrounded her with a steely white.
The Nikuina let out a scream of fury and shot into the air. Suzaku grinned.
"Alright!" he said. "Let's show them the might of our Co-op de Grace!'
The Nikuina dove towards Byakko and Suzaku, who effortlessly zipped out of the way, before escaping up onto a neighboring rooftop, still hand-in-hand. It flew upwards, scanning the area intently for its quarry, who surprised it from above with a spirit power-charged flying double kick.
A meteor of white and red slammed hard into the Nikuina, which plummeted violently towards the ground in an explosion of dirt and debris. Byakko and Suzaku let go of each other's hands as they touched down on opposite sides of the Nikuina. Both siblings exchanged a knowing glance as they focused their spirit power.
Suzaku sent a charged-up fireball towards one of its wings. "Eat some Kafrizzle!"
Byakko sent a hail of white energy swords towards the other wing. "And taste my blades!"
One wing burned up in an explosion of fire, the other was ripped to tiny shreds. The Nikuina was now officially grounded.
"Nyasu and Harunyan's combo is amazing!" Ouryuu said as she and the others watched from the sidelines. "I knew they could do it!"
Genbu hadn't given up on trying to free herself from her paper mache bindings. "I… hope they give it the ass-kicking of the century." she said as she continued to struggle. "It and whoever made this thing!"
Seiryuu said nothing. She was proud of Byakko and Suzaku. But she couldn't stop dwelling on what Genbu had pointed out. Just who had summoned this? And why this method of attack?
The Nikuina was down but not out. It gave another roar as it charged ferociously at Byakko. Suzaku was instantly by her side. As the white Cure focused on enduring the assault with her shields, the red Cure focused on keeping the pressure off of her. He couldn't help but smile a bit.
This was it, wasn't it? This was how it should have been. It wasn't about him needing to listen to Byakko no matter what or her being in charge of protecting him unconditionally. It was about them understanding each other. It was about them having each other's backs.
"Fire and metal would be pretty rough on paper, right?" Suzaku mused aloud. He hardly noticed the way his brooch had begun to glow with red light.
"That's understating it." Byakko had not looked so gleeful in years. "Let's do it."
The white Cure and the red Cure dashed ahead, leading the Nikuina on a wild chase, before abruptly going in opposite directions. Before it could settle on who to go after first, Suzaku shot several fireballs into the air as Byakko followed with several more energy swords. What came down was a hail of molten, white-hot metal, which pulverized the Nikuina's paper body. Its legs crumpled underneath it as it slowly sank to the ground, weighed down by a mantle of rapidly solidifying metal.
There was no way the Nikuina could give anyone any trouble now. All that remained was to finish it off. Byakko simply stepped aside. Suzaku didn't ask why. He knew now. He definitely knew now.
I guess you were wrong, Shiori-san. This was the real answer. It always was.
Maybe this wouldn't be the last time Suzaku charged ahead like an idiot. Maybe this wouldn't be the last time Byakko let her protective instincts get the better of her. Maybe they would never have that ideal relationship that Shiori and her sister seemed to share. And maybe that was okay after all.
"We understand each other's hearts." Suzaku's brooch glowed more intensely. "And as long as we do that, we'll definitely win in the end!"
There was a flash of red light. Suzaku stared in awe as an orb of red light emerged from his brooch before resolving into the shape of a sword with a red-gold blade, a red grip, and an orange heart-shaped pommel. Suzaku stared at it in awe as he plucked it from the air. A blade of his very own, much like his sister's. A weapon that felt instinctively his. His personal Spirit Arm - the Scarlet Sword!
Cure Suzaku blazed with red spirit power as he raised the Scarlet Sword in the air. "Pretty Cure!" Orbs of flame danced about him and red sunflower petals swirled around him as the blade of the Scarlet Sword ignited and the air around him began to shimmer and warp with heat. "Scarlet Inferno!"
Suzaku pointed the Scarlet Sword at the Nikuina. The flames surrounding its blade grew in intensity, and leapt forth towards the Nikuina, taking the form of an enormous firebird, which flew straight towards its target before connecting into a burst of searing flame.
The red Cure turned away, striking a heroic pose and tossing his sword in the air as the Nikuina exploded in an enormous heart-shaped burst of radiant red light. When the light cleared, all that remained of the Nikuina was a pile of library books and a few motes of light. There was no Wrath Seed Pod to be found.
Suzaku felt himself growing dizzy. Byakko easily caught him in her arms as his transformation faded and the damage to the surrounding area began to reverse itself. As the surroundings healed, the many victims in the area began to recover as well. The vines that bound them withered away to dust as the color returned to their forms and the pained expressions left their faces.
As the rest of Pretty Cure caught up to the siblings, the rest of the team released their transformations, leaving Haruki to lean against Yasu. The Fukuda siblings exchanged tired but content glances. There would be a lot to talk about in the near future. But for now, there was no need for words.
In the end, Pretty Cure got to enjoy some treats at Twinkle Etoile in earnest. It was a wonderful conclusion to a very rocky couple of days. Except… well, there was someone missing. Shiori. Haruki had wanted to make sure she was okay after the battle was over - and to invite her to enjoy sweets with everyone. But when he had hurried back to the library steps to check on her, she was gone.
"'Shiori-san' - was that the girl at the booth?" Jun asked. The two of them were sitting at one of the tables at Twinkle Etoile's veranda. Kichu, now in human form, sat on Jun's lap. The rest of the team had vanished inside. Jun and Haruki's order would need two people to carry, it seemed. "Who is she, Harunyan?"
"She's a friend." Haruki said. " I think she could use a few, at least. I hope she's okay."
Jun laid a hand over his. "It's okay, Harunyan. I'm sure she made it home alright. And I'm sure you guys will see each other again." She grinned. "And when we do, I'll be her friend too!"
Kichu pumped a small fist into the air. "Chuuu!"
That'd be nice, Haruki mused. Jun was good at getting along with all kinds of people - she'd probably be better at getting to know Shiori than he had been. He still wished he knew where she lived, or at least where she was staying. And if she would be okay. Something told him that Shiori wasn't exactly safe at home. He really hoped he was reading too far into things. He had trouble believing he wasn't.
"Incoming!" Izumi called out. "Precious cargo, coming through!"
Yasu had emerged onto the veranda, carrying a tray with her, Hiroko, and Izumi's orders. Behind her was Hiroko and Izumi, who were carrying the biggest parfait Haruki had ever seen in his life between the two of them. He could hardly see Jun over the top of it.
Haruki's jaw dropped. "That's a Cosmo Parfait?!"
"You said you were hungry enough to eat a Milky Way Parfait on your own." Jun said casually. "And I wanna split a parfait with you no matter what. It's important."
"Why is it important?" And why was his face warm all of a sudden?
Jun just smiled. "Because Harunyan is my hero!"
"Chuuuuu!" Kichu agreed… before launching himself straight at the Cosmo Parfait.
The table dissolved into a mess of chaos as Jun and Hiroko struggled to keep the world's most determined - and apparently hungriest - baby from personally inhaling what felt like the world's biggest parfait as Izumi stood by the table and announced there was nothing to see here, which just made the customers around them more curious, before she also jumped in to do Kichu damage control.
It was all very chaotic and embarrassing and Haruki couldn't help but break down giggle-snorting, which just made Yasu break down laughing too. The two siblings exchanged glances before they both burst out laughing again. It'd been a long time since they'd laughed together like this. Seven long years, in fact.
Hopefully, they'd share many more moments together like this. Hopefully, the road they'd travel together, as siblings and as warriors, would be a lot smoother. Haruki wanted to believe in that future.
Shiori Futaba was indeed headed home. It wasn't like there was any point in lingering further. She had no more use for that city, for that library, for that boy. Not today, anyway.
The streets of Kyoukai were quiet at this hour. Shiori did not acknowledge the few people that were out and about and pointedly ignored the few people who did try to address her. Nothing they had to say was worth noting. None of them were worth her time. Only one person would ever be, and she always knew exactly where she was.
She quietly vanished into a nearby alleyway. As she disappeared into the shadows, her disguise fell away bit by bit.
Her red-brown eyes tinted dark gold as she removed her glasses, which disappeared in a shower of light blue sparkles. Her hair changed from wine purple to cerulean as she released it from its braided bun, allowing it to flow freely. Her beauty mark returned to its rightful place at the right corner of her lip.
It felt like releasing a breath she'd been holding for hours. In a sense, she had. Glamors weren't exactly easy to keep up, especially for this length of time.
As she slipped out of this dimension and back into her own, her appearance continued to shift. Her cerulean locks turned aqua blue, her eyes became solid gold, her skin went chalk white, and her human attire gave way to her usual frilly dress and tights - an ensemble of her sister's design, in her favorite colors.
She did not acknowledge any of the people who tried to address her in this world either. They weren't worth her time either. Nobody was. Nobody except her sister. She stopped for nothing until she was back in the privacy of her bedroom, parting the back of her hair in front of the tri-fold floor mirror.
"How would you say I did?" Shahei Asjun asked her twin, who was reflected into the opposite mirror. This felt so strange. It should have been the other way around. "I was improvising a bit… I hope it was alright."
Kae Asjun Dama looked outright baffled by her twin's words. "Alright?! Shahei, that was incredible! Five hundred out of ten!" Shahei had never seen her sister look quite so proud or quite so happy. "You're truly the superior criminal genius!" She frowned a bit. "But why did you-?"
Shahei mirrored her twin's expression. "Why did I what , dear sister?"
"You said it yourself, didn't you? You hate people. I need to be the one dealing with them." Kae said. "But there you were, messing with those other humans like a pro! Why the sudden change?"
Shahei felt her mouth grow dry. "That's…"
She could feel it even now. Fingers grasping her chin, forcing her to look up, as the claws at their ends dug ever-so-slightly into her face. Red eyes that seemed to burn straight through her as they regarded her the same way one would a particularly useful piece of machinery.
"You came up with this all on your own? I underestimated you, Shahei."
"...I guess I wanted to give it a try. It's not fair making you do all the work, Kae."
Kae seemed to accept that explanation at least. "Well… if you're happy with that, Shahei, then I'm happy for you! Ohoho… we really are a criminal duo~!" Her tone grew a bit… forced-sounding as she added "Hopefully, we're in the clear with Hinyu-sama now. You spoke to him while I was asleep, right?"
"You're acquiting yourself nicely. It's a shame about that sister of yours."
"I… did." Shahei said stiffly. "I was surprised. I've never spoken to him one-on-one like that." she lied.
For a moment, Kae looked like there was something she wanted to ask. Something was making her uneasy and Shahei could feel that unease almost as if it was her own. And then she felt Kae trying to push that unease aside as she apparently thought better of what she was going to say and went with
"I'm sure Hinyu-sama is really proud of you, Shahei. I don't think I could've pulled off something like that."
Shahei tried not to wince when Kae said that. Her sister meant nothing wrong. She knew that. But it felt awful all the same. Kae really could be cruelly innocent at times.
"Actually, I felt a little awkward hanging around being all useless while you did cool spy stuff." Kae added. "I never thought about it before, since I'm usually the one in front, but I… really don't add much, huh?"
"I don't care." Shahei said bluntly. "We have always been together. And we will always be together. It isn't like I can leave you at home, dear sister."
"What if you could?"
Shahei felt like a lead weight had suddenly been dropped on her chest. She stared wide-eyed at Kae as her sister's words rang in her ears. She couldn't really be suggesting…
"I've been thinking lately - even if we share the same body, our souls are completely different." Kae said. "And I know we've kind of gotten in each other's way before, haven't we? And now Hinyu-sama is giving you separate jobs, right? It'll get a little awkward if we're having to plan around… us."
Oh god. She was suggesting it. Why? Why?!
Kae didn't seem to notice Shahei's distress. "Sure, it's probably risky. Difficult too. But we're the century's greatest magical geniuses! Nothing's beyond us - not even giving ourselves separate bodies~!"
"Separate bodies…" Shahei echoed mechanically.
The notion chilled her to the bone. Kae was the one with friends, with dreams, with actual hopes for the future. Shahei had nothing. Shahei was nothing. She had no function, no purpose, no anything beyond protecting Kae. If the two of them were separated, nothing would stop Kae from walking away. And if Kae left her…
…if Kae left her, then…
"Don't you resent her, Shahei? What has she ever done for you? For either of us?"
Her stomach twisted as she heard Hinyu's voice in her mind, remembered how sympathetic he had played at being, as if she didn't know what he was truly like, as if she hadn't been fearfully watching for any sudden shifts in his demeanor, as if she enjoyed him saying such vile things about her sister.
"I can't imagine what it's like, always having that millstone around your neck. You poor girl."
Maybe… maybe it would be better if Kae could leave. Kae didn't need to be shackled to Hinyu, not when she had clearly lost her admiration for him, not when he had obviously grown to despise her. Kae didn't need to be shackled to someone like her, not when she was clearly just getting in the way of her dreams.
"Surely you've wished to be rid of her. I'd never dream of judging you for that."
Shahei's body was also Kae's body. When she was hurt, Kae was she suffered, Kae suffered. And if Hinyu killed her, he would also kill Kae. This would always be the case, unless… unless…
An empty smile. "You know, dear sister…" A hollow voice. "It might be worth trying."
It hurt. The very idea of being separated from Kae hurt so much. But perhaps this would be for the best. Perhaps it was inevitable. She was an empty doll, after all. A doll better off dancing on strings tied to Hinyu's fingers than burdening Kae. It was fine. Children outgrew their dolls eventually.