Episode Nineteen: Shiny Days! Friendship in the Sea Breeze!
The summer sun shined high in the air as the ocean's teal waves gently crashed against the sandy shore. The sound of the tides harmonized with the distant cries of coastal birds as the smell of the ocean gently wafted through the air, carried by a gentle ocean breeze. Verdant palm trees stretched towards the sky, offering welcome shade and respite from the heat, and the sky was a particularly lovely blue.
If any place could be called paradise, Izumi Hamasaki decided, this was definitely it.
Kyoukai's beaches were a common tourist attraction, and on a beautiful summer day like this, they were positively packed. But this slice of the shore was different. This was a private beach owned by the Yoshimoto family, whose beach house (more a beach chateau, really) sat atop a nearby hill, looking down on everything. Nobody was here past Pretty Cure and the Yoshimoto-Siegel household.
"Grandma wanted to give the household staff a break." Shun had explained as she and Pretty Cure at lunch at Western Paradise. "So we'll all have to chip in to set things up. I hope that's cool with you guys."
Izumi had responded by leaning over and pecking her girlfriend on the cheek. "You had me at 'beach party', Sieg-kun." she told her red-faced girlfriend. "If you need me to help set up, then I'll rule all at setting up!"
And so far, it was going great! Izumi and Shun were throwing themselves into laying out beach blankets and setting up beach umbrellas while the rest of the team busied themselves with their own tasks. Yeah, it was work, and there was more work where that came from, but! But! The payoff would be worth all of this and more!
She was already prepared for the fun ahead. She had her swimsuit - a striped pink and black midriff-baring tankini and black swim shorts. She had her teammates, who were all rocking cute swimwear of their own. She would have all the beach snacks a girl could ever want. And of course, she had her lovely girlfriend.
Izumi paused from setting up the latest beach umbrella to make a heart shape with her fingers and frame said girlfriend with it. Shun, who was laying out another beach blanket a few feet away, wore a teal short-sleeved button down shirt open over a sleeveless, midriff-baring dark green swim top and gladiolus-print swim trunks, and wow, Izumi had always known Shun was a very attractive girl, she had eyes, but she'd never gotten a good, long look at her in a swimsuit before and - whoa there, calm down, Izumi.
Oof, steam was already starting to come out of her ears. Izumi forced herself to tear her eyes away from Shun and pick her current beach umbrella back up. Right… work first, romance later.
Hiroko and Haruki were busy getting the beach volleyball net ready, while Yasu and Jun were making sure the coolers and canopy-covered picnic tables were set up. Even Kichu was doing his best to help, if you counted pulling inflatable beach toys out of a box as helping. Everyone here certainly did. Izumi had to chip in too!
And yet… Izumi still couldn't focus! She couldn't stop thinking about what lay ahead! There'd be beach volleyball, smashing watermelons, swimming in the ocean, and eventually, the sun would begin to sink over the horizon, and Shun would offer Izumi her hand, and she'd absolutely say, in her most romantic tones-
"Izumi, you shouldn't stand around with the umbrella like that."
Izumi was abruptly jolted out of her romantic fantasy by Shun, who was looking at her with concern.
"Huh? Sieg-kun, that's-" She looked from the beach umbrella, which she was holding far out to her side like a spear, to her girlfriend, and back again. She went slightly pink. "S-sorry, I was a little distracted."
Shun smiled knowingly. "It's cool - I get it. We'll have plenty of time for that later, won't we?"
Izumi went tomato red and nodded stiffly. She unfolded the beach umbrella-
-right as a sudden gust of ocean wind sent it flying out of her hands and further down the beach. Izumi stared after the umbrella blankly as yet another gust sent it soaring away further still. Shun stared right along with her. And then Izumi suddenly let out a loud
"Damn it!"
-and took off running after the umbrella. Like hell she'd let anything ruin her perfect day!
"Be right back!" Izumi called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the distance, before Shun could even think to pursue it herself. She had never run quite hard or so fast, especially not in a pair of beach sandals.
Shun couldn't help but laugh. "Sheesh, you're putting me to shame, Izumi."
Jun, who wore a frilly pastel yellow daisy-print swimsuit, was no less impressed "Izunyan's in top form today, isn't she?" She looked at Yasu curiously. "Is this the power of beachside romance, Nyasu?"
Yasu, who wore a white swim dress with violet trim and a violet chest bow, looked aside. "Maybe." She sighed quietly. "That kind of love isn't something I understand."
She stole a glance at Hiroko, who had just finished helping Haruki, who wore flame-print swim trunks, set up the volleyball net. She really wore that royal blue and white tankini that Yasu had helped her pick out well, and while she looked a bit tired, she also seemed very pleased with herself. It was a very Hiroko expression.
Jun patted Yasu on the shoulder. "Nyasu." she said with the utmost seriousness. "If you want to look for it, I'll help you find it. And then we can cheer each other on, okay?"
Yasu knew exactly what Jun was hinting at here. And she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that herself. But that was another thing she had to leave to Haruki, wasn't it? So she just smiled and nodded.
"Thanks, Jun." As the two returned to setting up she added "I really hope that umbrella didn't get far."
"Boss? Maybe we should stop here. You saw the sign, right?"
Keiko Ninomiya, who wore a frilly violet swim dress and a wide-brimmed sun hat, stared over the tops of her heart-shaped sunglasses at the large, wooden sign in question - Private Beach: No Trespassing Beyond This Point . She laughed flippantly at the sight.
"Ha! As if a mere sign can stop us ! Are we not a fearsome criminal gang of law-breaking ebels?"
"We are not any of the above, and you know it." sighed Shouta Kuromori, who wore a gray and violet short-sleeved hoodie and black board shorts… and was carting around a positively overstuffed backpack. "Let's not trespass and say we did. I'd rather spare myself the headache."
"Do you seriously want to go back there? To that end of the beach?!" Keiko stared incredulously at Shouta. "They're all packed in like sardines! We can't have a picnic like that!"
"I wanted to go back home." Shouta groused. "But oh no, we can't just plant a Wrath Seed and go, Tobi, we need to have ourselves a lovely beach picnic, it's just not summer without a gods-damned beach picnic-"
"But it's important!" said Masaru Aki, who wore a pair of solid dark red swim trunks. "If you haven't enjoyed a beach picnic, you haven't enjoyed summer!"
Keiko and Masaru sighed happily as they envisioned the scene - a picnic blanket spread across the beach, all sorts of delicious hand-made foods, courtesy of Shouta, the sparkling ocean, the glittering sand, and also, Team Black Cross was there, because why not, and they'd all have a super-evil meal together and plot some evil plans and follow that up with some evil fun and then-
Shouta sliced right through his teammates' collective thought bubble. "I saw that latest episode of Miracle Mecha Squadron too, big guy. I know exactly where this beach picnic idea came fr- Kae, what the hell are you doing?!"
Keiko was casually going on ahead, straight in the direction of what appeared to be a hillside mansion. She hardly batted an eye as Shouta frantically scrambled to catch up to her (as best as he could with his current load) as Masaru hurried after him.
"Oh, quit being dramatic." she sniffed. "It's not like the humans will strike us down for-"
And then something rocketed out from the distance and flew straight at her face.
Keiko let out a loud shriek of alarm and summoned her magic staff with a wave of her hand. In the next moment, the fearsome enemy projectile was thoroughly fried by a blast of violet-colored magic. As Keiko gloated triumphantly, Masaru poked at the projectile's smoking remains with his foot.
"Boss… I think it's an umbrella. A normal umbrella."
"N-no! No! That's not it!" Keiko huffed. " That -!" She pointed dramatically at the mangled ex-umbrella "was a weapon! An enemy missile! An ambush against poor Keiko-chan! Imagine if I didn't intercept it in time!"
Shouta let out a snort. "Are you suggesting the humans are targeting you, specifically?"
Keiko whipped her sunglasses off, glaring daggers at Shouta. "Some humans might! Most of Pretty Cure is human! And they're definitely our enemies!"
"Ah, right, right, Pretty Cure is shooting at you from their mobile fortress." Shouta deadpanned. "Keiko, I am begging you to use your brain for once in your-"
Keiko was already marching off on her own. Ugh, stupid Shouta, wanting to stand there and nag when they had a picnic to set up, and an enemy to deal with, and only so much time left before her br- henchmen had to think about getting back home when it needed to be the four of them, and-
"You're losing the plot again, dear sister. Would Hinyu-sama approve?"
Keiko winced as Shahei (Shiori?) piped up. Shahei, who had already spent the entire morning silently fuming when Keiko made it clear that she wasn't interested in learning how to make the Wrath Seeds blossom and do all that… viney energy-harvesting stuff. Shahei, who had been quick to point out how… disengaged Keiko was when Hinyu had come calling. It was worrisome, she said. Very worrisome.
Well, once the two of them had separate bodies, Shahei wouldn't worry so much, right? This was just extra motivation to get that spell perfected sooner, rather than later, wasn't it?
"I can enjoy my time here and deliver results." Keiko said. "It's not like I can't mult-!"
Stars exploded in Keiko's vision as someone smacked straight into her at top speed, sending her landing hard on her back as the other person crashed right on top of her. Keiko let out a groan of pain as she looked up dazedly at… two girls? No, one girl. One blond girl. One recognizable blond girl. A Pretty Cure!
Izumi let out a string of muffled obscenities and Keiko let out a squeal of alarm as both girls rapidly disentangled themselves, leapt to their feet, and pointed accusingly at each other.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Izumi snapped.
"Excuse me?! That's my line!" Keiko retorted. "Why did you try to kill me with an umbrella?!"
Izumi stared blankly at Keiko "What the-?" And then she noticed the smoking remains of the beach umbrella she'd been chasing after. "Did you seriously - why would you do that?!"
"Because it tried to kill me, obviously!" Keiko snapped, as if this was a very stupid question. "So! Pretty Cure! What do you have to say for yourself?"
Izumi bit her lip. Arguing with Keiko was guaranteed to go nowhere, and she was a complete twit, just like her friends. But those three twits were also their enemies, and they'd caused Pretty Cure a lot of grief, and they were likely here to cause more, and damn it, now was not the time to stand around and do nothing!
Keiko's pupils shrank in furry as she watched her enemy turn tail and run, instead of facing her properly!
"Excuse me?!" she barked. "If you're gonna try and kill me, I demand you-!"
Wait. Wait . If the umbrella had come from there, and the Pretty Cure had come from there, and now the Pretty Cure was now running to there, then… Keiko Ninomiya knew exactly where she needed to be~!
Izumi swore under her breath as Keiko appeared several feet ahead of her in a burst of violet sparkles. Damn it, she forgot about the whole teleporting thing! If only she had her smartphone on her!
"I'll be going on ahead~!" Keiko called tauntingly. "See you soon~!"
And then Keiko was gone in another burst of violet sparkles. Izumi gritted her teeth as she picked up the pace. Ugh, if Keiko pulled anything, she was getting that long-promised deluxe ass-kicking, guaranteed !
When Izumi arrived back at the site of the beach party, slightly winded and more than a bit strung out, everything was very… normal. Keiko and her goons were nowhere to be seen, her friends were taking a break and relaxing with some ice cold juice, and the atmosphere was as serene as it had ever been. Or it had been until everyone noticed how frantic Izumi was and how hard she was breathing.
Shun was immediately at her girlfriend's side with a bottle of lychee juice. "Izumi! Are you okay?"
Izumi took a big gulp of juice. "Trio's here." she managed. "Dunno what they're doing, but-"
She was interrupted by an explosion of violet sparkles in the middle of the beach party site and an all-too- familiar burst of shrill laughter as Keiko Ninomiya appeared before the group.
"Ohohoho! Foolish girl! You led me right to your secret base!"
Shun already looked utterly worn-out and thoroughly done . Izumi clung a bit harder to her girlfriend as she fixed Keiko with a death stare. Everyone else looked equal parts unimpressed and confused.
Kichu, who Jun was holding tight in her arms, set his head to the side. "Chu?"
Keiko scowled. Ugh, where was the reaction ?! "As I said!" She stomped her foot. "You led me right to your secret base!" And now they all just looked annoyed! What gave?! "Pretty Cure! You've been invaded!"
Izumi facepalmed. "Ninomiya. Use your eyes." she said. "Does this look like a secret base to you?"
Keiko took a moment to look around. Coolers, picnic tables, a portable freezer cart, a volleyball net, beach toys… this didn't look like the site of an enemy base at all! In fact, it looked just like a beach picnic site! Exactly like the one in Miracle Mecha Squadron episode 24, even!
"Ohohoho! Foolish girl! You led me right to your secret beach picnic!" Keiko grinned smugly. "And I'm not leaving." She zipped over to Shun, staring up plaintively at the taller girl. "Dear Shun! I can stay, right?"
Shun looked thoroughly unimpressed. "Ninomiya-san, what part of 'private beach' don't you get ?"
"What part of 'law-breaking criminal' don't you get?" Keiko crossed her arms defensively. "Listen! I no longer wish to invade you! I want to enjoy a nice, non-evil beach picnic! What's the issue with this?"
Hiroko frowned a bit. "Ninomiya-san, I don't want to be cold, but you're still our enemy - and you've done a lot to trouble us."
"Yeah, like stealing all that stuff from Mirai Academy." Haruki said.
"And infecting its students with that despair disease." Yasu added.
"And you kidnapped and brainwashed Sieg-kun - and almost got her killed!" Izumi planted herself defensively in front of Shun, who placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"And then you tried to kidnap Kichu!" Jun cuddled Kichu a bit closer as he stared up at her worriedly. "Do you realize what you almost did, Ninomiya-san?"
Keiko flippantly countered most of what was flung her way - that was forever ago so who cared, she didn't mean for the spores to do that thing and anyway, it could have been worse but it wasn't , so there , and she already said she was sorry, and besides, Shun didn't hate her - but once the stuff about Kichu came up she found herself unconsciously backing away as a heavy weight settled down on her chest.
She did know. She hadn't even wanted to in the end, that hadn't even been her , but... she couldn't throw Shahei under the bus. All she could do was avert her eyes and weakly try to defend herself.
"I didn't know… I wanted Hinyu-sama to look at me, that was why… I know now , so…"
Kichu was staring intently at Keiko. Before Jun could stop him, he shifted into animal form, wriggled out of her grasp, and launched himself towards Keiko. The cerulean-haired girl froze up like a statue as Kichu touched down on her shoulder. She didn't think he'd bite her again, but if he did…
Kichu sniffed Keiko intently, before affectionately nuzzling her face. "Chu!" Keiko stiffened up further as Kichu sniffed the air again and paused, clearly troubled by something. "Chu?" He leaned towards Keiko's sunhat, sniffing more intently now. " Chuuu! Chu chu!"
Keiko squeaked in alarm as Kichu started trying to knock her hat off. Shun plucked the little mouse off Keiko and handed him back to Jun in one fluid motion, before placing an arm around Keiko's shoulders.
"C'mon, it's time to go." Shun said gently but firmly as she led Keiko away from the beach party site. Keiko was visibly upset, but she put up no real resistance "I'll put together a picnic basket for you and your brothers-"
"Henchmen." Keiko sniffled miserably.
Shun sighed. "Right, Boss, my bad ." Keiko really was just a kid playing pretend, wasn't she? A kid with too much power, a shaky grasp of reality, and no adult supervision. It made it difficult to be too hard on her, despite everything she'd pulled. "It might take a bit, but if you three are willing to wait outside-"
" ou! "
A blur of gray and violet suddenly shot towards Shun. The teal-haired girl let out a shocked " Was zur Hölle?! " as the blur slammed right into her, sending her flying towards the picnic tables. Somehow, she narrowly managed to touch down on top of one - before promptly hopping off while muttering an apology.
Izumi hurried towards her girlfriend. "Sieg-kun!"
Unfortunately, Shouta Kuromori was far faster than Izumi. In a flash, the violet-haired boy had unceremoniously jettisoned his backpack and was inches away from Shun's face.
"Keep your smug, job-stealing hands off of my little sister!"
Izumi started towards Shouta, but Shun shook her head, all while coolly maintaining eye contact with the violet-haired boy. Izumi hesitantly backed off as Hiroko, Yasu, and Jun exchanged concerned glances before hurrying in the direction of the beach house.
"Well, hello to you too, Kuromori-san." Shun spoke to Shouta like a parent telling off to a child for throwing a tantrum in a supermarket. "I was politely escorting your sister off the premises, since she's not supposed to be here."
"What, and you are?" Shouta fired back.
"Yes?" Shun already felt too tired for words. "My family literally owns this part of the beach. Why wouldn't I-"
Shouta threw a swift right hook at Shun's face. The teal-haired girl just managed to dodge backward before feinting to the left. Shouta fell for it, giving Shun room to maneuver behind him. He swiftly cut off her escape and threw several more blows her way, but they were all incredibly sloppy, making them easy to parry.
"Go, Sieg-kun, go!" Izumi cheered. "You've got this!"
Haruki was also watching the ensuing scuffle from the sidelines in stunned disbelief. Keiko took it all in right beside him, all while casually sipping from a bottle of juice she'd ganked from the cooler.
"He was like this at Platinum Crown too." said Haruki. "What's his problem?"
Keiko looked aside. "Well… I did kind of tell him I preferred Shun's cooking the other night. And I did kind of say something like Shun's not even on our side, and she's more understanding than you' this morning." She sighed nonchalantly. "I didn't think he'd take it so personally ."
Izumi's cheering just pissed Shouta off more. He gave up on trying to break through Shun's guard and charged her head-on at full speed. She managed to throw out a hand and erect a sparkling teal barrier in front of her, right before Shouta's attack could connect.
Shouta let out a surprised squawk as he smacked into the barrier. The impact sent a small ripple of static through his body, leaving his hair standing on end as he staggered backward… and right towards Masaru Aki, who grabbed him from behind and hoisted him off the ground. Shouta was left to flail and hiss like an angry cat as he tried to get out of Masaru's grasp and back at Shun.
"No fighting!" Masaru said sternly. "This is a happy place, Shouta!"
Shun had to take a moment to double over and catch her breath after using her powers. Izumi was instantly by her side.
"Are you okay, Sieg-kun?" she asked.
Shun looked up and affectionately ruffled Izumi's hair. "I am now." Shouta was still fighting to escape Masaru's bear hug while spitting a stream of venom at Shun - something about her needing to stay out of his house, as if she'd ever wanted to be there in the first place. " Verdammt, what a mess."
"Excuse me? What in the world is going on here, young man?"
Hayate Yoshimoto was hurrying towards the scene as best as a woman her age could. Hiroko, Yasu, and Jun were right behind her. Masaru gently let go of Shouta, who just managed to land on his feet.
"I think she's talking to you, Tobi." Masaru said quietly.
"Young man, what is your name?" Hayate asked as she approached Shouta. Her tone and demeanor positively screamed 'not mad but very disappointed'... and it seemed to be having a real effect on Shouta.
"Shouta Kuromori, ma'am." His voice came out as a quiet wheeze, and he barely met Hayate's eyes.
Hayate nodded thoughtfully. "You seem like a very fine young man, Shouta-kun. I'm sure you had a good upbringing, didn't you?"
Shouta forced himself to look up at Hayate. "My mother did her best, ma'am." The fight had gone straight out of him at this point. It was actually a little jarring.
"And what do you think she'd say if she saw you right now, Shouta-kun?" Hayate asked. "Do you think she'd approve of you picking fights like this? Don't you think she'd be disappointed in you?"
Shouta grimaced as he envisioned Potari Washi, who had broken up more than a few fights between her five children over the years and had always come down harshly on the instigator afterward. " We use our words, not our talons" - if he had a coin for how often he'd heard that one, maybe they wouldn't need that geezer.
"Yes. Very." Part of Shouta didn't want to apologize to anyone, least of all a human, but the other part of him was too ashamed not to apologize. "Sorry about that, ma'am."
Hayate smiled as she took Shouta by the arm. "Apology accepted, Shouta-kun." She was already politely but firmly leading him in the direction of the beach house. "Now, how about you calm down at our beach house for a bit? You're free to help me out, if you'd like - there's still plenty to be done."
Shun's eyes widened in alarm as she started after Hayate. "Grandma, if you need help, I'll- "
Hayate smiled and shook her head. "Now, now, Shun-chan, this old woman knows what she's doing." She glanced over at Keiko. "Keiko-chan, would you like to help me as well?"
Keiko was instantly at Hayate's side. "Do you even have to ask?"
Hayate affectionately patted Keiko's head. "You're such a good girl, Keiko-chan." Keiko was too happy to notice the baffled look Shouta was shooting her way. "I know you'll be a huge help."
"And what purpose does this serve, dear sister?" Shahei asked as Keiko happily followed Hayate and Shouta to the beach house. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
"This way, we can stay where we are." Keiko replied. "And if we can stay where we are, we can keep tabs on Pretty Cure and figure out how to beat them once and for all! Criminals must be pragmatic~"
Shahei didn't believe her. She didn't have to say so. She never needed to.
And that… was fine. Keiko would do things her way and Shahei would do things her way. As long as they understood that in the end, then it was fine. And they would always understand each other, because they were twins. Because they were closer than any other pair of twins could be. And they would remain that way, even when they physically separated. There was no need to worry.
Besides… it wasn't like Keiko actually cared about this stupid beach picnic or anything.
Keiko gaped like a codfish as Hayate ushered her and Shouta inside the Yoshimoto beach house. She had never been anywhere quite this big or quite this fancy. The ceilings were high, the rooms were spacious, the high, arched windows illuminated everything beautifully in the sunlight, and the decor, which came in soft shades of white, blue, and teal, was both chic and comfortable-looking.
"It's… it's amazing!" She glanced inquisitively at Hayate. "Hey, old lady, are you rich?"
Shouta elbowed her in the side. "Watch your tone!" he hissed.
Hayate didn't seem at all offended. "We are quite well-off, Keiko-chan. This summer home has been in our family for a few generations now." As she guided Keiko and Shouta towards the kitchen, she added "If I can ask, how are you two holding up? Shun-chan said your home situation is a bit…"
"Well, Shun-chan needs to shut her damn m-" Hayate shot Shouta a reproachful look, forcing him to amend it to "We get by. Keiko's a pretty hard worker, and we do our best to help her out. There's a guy who tosses us some cash now and then too. It's not that bad."
Hinyu was a lot more - and a lot worse - than a 'guy who tossed them cash' but Shouta would leave that unsaid. Nothing good would come from putting that out in the open.
The group had arrived in the kitchen, a spacious affair with ocean blue marble countertops, a large island in the center, and high-end appliances. There was a bit of a mess here and there - clearly, this place had been seeing a fair amount of use, and nobody had the time to clean it properly.
"If you're rich, then Shun's rich… wish I knew that sooner." Keiko sighed. "Hey, old lady, could I have some money? Lots of it, preferably~"
Hayate laughed softly as she unloaded multiple containers from the fridge. "How bold of you, Keiko-chan." Her tone grew more somber as she added "I'd rather just take you in, if at all possible. Girls your age should be worried about doing well in class and making friends, not working to make ends meet."
Keiko's eyes slid to the floor as her mind drifted back to the Trio's all-too-brief stint as Mirai students. Even months later, even after desperately trying to put it out of her mind for Shahei's sake, some part of her still longed for a life she had only enjoyed a brief taste of.
Shouta, who was already looking for things to do around the kitchen, was regarding Keiko with concern. She pointedly averted her eyes, but the strange sense of longing in her chest remained.
"That'd be nice." she said absently. "But…" She frowned. Just how much had Shun told her? "Old lady, I don't know if Shun told you, but I'm not a good girl. Actually, I'm a really bad one, so she might not-"
"'Granny Hayate' is fine. And-" Hayate laid a reassuring hand on Keiko's shoulder as she gently guided her towards the sink. "It would be Shun-chan's call, yes. But something tells me you two could work things out." She lanced towards the kitchen entrance. "Oh, Haruki-kun! Are you also here to help?"
Haruki was standing at the kitchen's arched entryway. Shouta's overstuffed backpack laid at his feet.
"I was just gonna drop this off - Aki-san said you'd need it, Kuromori-san." Haruki said awkwardly. "But I don't mind if you guys don't mind?" And not just because he could keep another eye on these two.
Shouta retrieved his backpack from Haruki. "Oh, uh, thanks… Haruki-san." he said stiffly. Then, to Hayate "Snacks. Which I made. For our beach picnic."
"Oh, how lovely!" Hayate said. "Shouta-kun, Haruki-kun, how about you put together the snack trays? Keiko-chan, you're going to help me clean up. My apologies - Shun-chan and I made a bit of a mess."
Shouta, who had joined Haruki at the island in the middle of the kitchen, had been expecting some resistance on Keiko's end, but no, she picked up the Dread Scrub Brush and got to work without so much as a hint of the dramatic whining and sulking he always got when he nudged her into helping him clean. He wasn't sure whether to be seethingly jealous of or impressed by Hayate.
He tried his best to focus on getting all of his homemade pastries, sweets, and savory snacks arranged on the snack trays, which would be laid out on the picnic tables. He'd packed a fair amount, mostly for Masaru, who ate like two horses, and he was already running out of room.
"That looks really good!" Haruki said. "Did you make all of that yourself, Kuromori-san?"
"Naturally." Shouta looked very proud of himself. "I'm the oldest of five, and Mom's hands were usually full. I'm used to feeding people." He glanced at Haruki's tray. "That doesn't look half bad either."
"I think Shun and Yoshimoto-san made most of it." Haruki pretended how Shouta bristled at the mention of Shun's name. "But Hiroko made a lot of stuff too - like this fruit pizza! She walked me through how to make it and everything." He smiled fondly. "She's amazing - I wish I could cook like her."
"You sound fond of her." Shouta said. "Is this-?"
Haruki went slightly pink. "N-no! I mean… I had a crush, but it didn't go anywhere. But she's still someone I admire a lot. That's fine, isn't it?" He took a moment to check his work so far - he wanted to make sure this snack tray looked extra nice. "Hey… is it normal to-"
"Take a while to get over a crush? Yeah. Trust me, I've been there." Shouta bit back a sigh. Yeah, he'd definitely need another tray. "He's still with that other guy, last I heard. I'm a bit jealous, honestly." He shook his head. "Dating's off the table anyway. My hands are way too full."
Keiko looked up from scrubbing a plate. "I bet you'd be less of a grouch if you had a boyfriend."
"I told you, there's nobody-"
"What about that one guy? You know, the one who works in front of Club Eclipse? The big, furry bear-looking guy you keep making excuses to talk to every time we - mmph! "
Shouta was holding a hand over Keiko's mouth. "How about we stop talking ."
Hayate shot Shouta another disapproving glance, sending him retreating back to the island, as Haruki burst out giggling, prompting both spirits to stare at him in confusion.
"What's so funny?" Keiko and Shouta asked in unison.
"You guys are really like siblings, huh?" Haruki said. "It's actually kind of cute."
"We are siblings." Shouta said before Keiko could protest. "I basically adopted Keiko and Masaru a couple years back, and they've been pains in my neck ever since."
"But you love them all the same, don't you, Shouta-kun?" Hayate smiled fondly. "Love, not blood, is what truly makes a family. I know that from experience."
Shouta nodded stiffly as he returned to work. As he worked, he watched Keiko out of the corner of his eye. From here, she really just seemed like an ordinary girl, freely smiling and laughing as she talked Hayate's ear off about whatever inane thing popped into her head, even as she helped the old woman wipe down the counters and polish the appliances. This was where she belonged, wasn't it? This was how it should have been.
But it wasn't. Even now, there was something brewing in the ocean, because of what that man had ordered Keiko to do. Because Shouta had let it happen. Because Shouta kept letting it happen.
Kae and Shahei… they were just thirteen. They were children. And yet he'd let Hinyu sink his claws into them. Hakucho would be thirteen next month. It'd be a cold day in hell before he let her get anyone near a man like Hinyu. What made the twins less worthy of his protection? And was this the kind of man he wanted to be? One who sacrificed one family to support another?
It wasn't. It definitely wasn't. But… if he was too bold about this… if he tried anything too blatant…
"Ah, right, Potari Hagetaka. A thorn in His Grace's side to the end." A too-wide smile. An intense gaze. "But you know your place, don't you, Tobi? Pity if you didn't."
…he didn't want to share his father's fate. He didn't want to end up as fuel for that tree. Then, something told him it wouldn't be him. There was something else Hinyu could do. Something far crueler.
For now, Shouta would just try to savor this small happiness, he told himself, as Haruki began asking him about his siblings - both adoptive and blood-related. For now, he'd enjoy this small respite, like the coward he was.
Kimiko Yoshimoto smiled as she watched it all from around the corner, before slipping out of sight. She had been genuinely worried for a moment, but it seemed like her concern was unwarranted for once. Maybe this beach party would be a success in more ways than one. What a nice notion that would be.
A cool beach getaway… with the Trio. A cool beach getaway… with the Trio .
Izumi couldn't stop fuming about it. Yeah, sulking wouldn't accomplish much, but how was she not supposed to be bitter about this? Even if Keiko and the other two hadn't done anything yet, it was only a matter of time until the other shoe dropped. She had no reason to expect otherwise at this point.
"Just pretend I'm not here, okay?" Masaru had told the group, as if it was easy to ignore a big wall of muscle like him. "I don't wanna ruin your party."
He hadn't been able to make eye contact with Shun, Izumi noted. Guess the guilt was still eating at him. As it should have. Shun hadn't said a word to him, but she'd looked like she really wanted to.
"We should talk later." Shun said as she and Izumi finished up with pre-swimming stretches. "There's a few things I've wanted to say to him."
Izumi glanced in Masaru's direction. He was crouched a fair distance away, hard at work on a sand sculpture. Jun, Hiroko, and Kichu were working on a sand castle nearby, while Yasu sat underneath a beach umbrella and worked away at her sketchbook, all while keeping a close eye on Masaru.
"Sieg-kun, you don't have to-"
"I know." Shun said. "But if Grandma's gonna let them stay, I may as well try and settle things." She sighed. "I really am a gentle touch, huh?"
Izumi grinned. "It's one of your many charm points."
The two went swimming in the ocean for a while after that. And for a moment, all was well. Izumi had never felt so peaceful or so at home in the ocean. Maybe it was because she was the Pretty Cure of water now, or maybe it was because her girlfriend was at her side, swift and steady as the wind. Either way, all was well.
Or it was until the pair finally returned to shore, and Masaru was still there.
"Why is Granny Hayate letting them stay anyway?" Izumi grumbled as Shun handed her a towel. "She knows what they're really like, doesn't she?"
"I'm pretty sure she figured it out." Shun said as she toweled off her hair. "Nothing really gets past Grandma. Where do you think Kimi got it from?"
"That just makes it worse!" Izumi was agitatedly toweling off her own hair. "If she knows they're our enemies, why would she-?!"
"I think that is why." Shun's tone grew a bit more somber. "Kazu, Kimi's fiance was an enemy too, once. He did it all for his dad. For a man who didn't care about him. Because he didn't know what that looked like."
Izumi felt something slide into place. "And then Granny Hayate got involved, right?"
Shun nodded. "She was the first adult to show him true kindness. And once he got a taste of it, he couldn't serve his dad anymore. He told me that once."
Izumi bit her lip as her mind drifted to Kae. That was why she was so obsessed with pleasing Hinyu, right? Because she didn't know better things were possible. Had Hayate seen a bit of Kazu in her? Was that why-
"Chuu!"
Kichu had abandoned building the sand castle and was toddling towards Masaru - and Hiroko and Jun hadn't quite noticed yet. Izumi swore under her breath and started towards him - and then Shun caught her arm and shook her head. Not unless they pull anything, her expression said.
And Masaru wasn't. He was cheerfully greeting Kichu, complimenting him on how big he'd grown, and happily accepting the seashell the white-haired infant offered him before using it to decorate the sand dragon he was making. Yasu was even coming over to praise his sculpture-making abilities.
Izumi relaxed a bit. If her girlfriend, who had more reason to hate the Trio than anyone else here combined, could give those three the benefit of the doubt for now, she'd try too. For now, anyway.
Haruki and the others returned from the beach house not long afterward, all with trays piled high with food. Soon, the picnic tables looked more like a buffet line, and everyone was flocking over to load up their plates.
The food that Shouta had made was being snapped up particularly quickly. The violet-haired boy smirked triumphantly at the sight.
"Look how quickly it's going." he told Shun smugly. "I think we both know who the superior chef is."
Shun was unmoved. "Since when was this a contest?" she asked. "Besides, I think it's more of a novelty thing. Most people here haven't tried Shade Kingdom food."
Shouta shot Shun a death glare. "Are you implying my cooking is bad?!"
"That's an entirely new sentence!" Shun shot back. "I just meant-!"
"Oh, Kuromori-san!" Hiroko intercepted Shouta before he could go any further. "I was wondering if you could tell me about the snacks you made - I'd love to learn about Shade Kingdom cuisine!"
"I'd like to hear about your swordplay too." added Haruki, who had accompanied Hiroko. "I heard you're really good at fencing."
Shouta instantly took the bait. "Really good'? That's underselling it. Hell, I'll give you a demonstration." he said as he let Hiroko and Haruki lead him off. "Let me pick your brain about recipes while I'm at it, Tsubasa-san."
Meanwhile, Keiko was seated underneath a beach umbrella next to Yasu, who was showing her a few pages from her current sketchbook. It was mostly drawings of various natural sights around the beach, but there were quite a few rough sketches of her friends and even one of Masaru.
"Ohhh… this is amazing ! I didn't know you were this good at drawing!" Keiko said. "And since you're such a talented artist…" She gave her hair a little flip. "Fukuda-san! I shall give you the honor of drawing me~"
Yasu stared at Keiko coolly. "I never said I was open for requests."
Keiko was undeterred. "I'm one of this century's most beautiful girls - it's impossible not to do me justice!" Yasu was still unmoved. Keiko leaned forward a bit, gazing at her pleadingly. "Pretty please?
"Fine." Yasu sighed. "But I'll need you to hold absolutely still."
As that went on, Masaru was practically inhaling a plate stacked with food as he sat on another beach blanket next to Jun, who was holding Kichu on her lap and feeding bits of food to him.
"Chuu!" Kichu said between bites of food. "Chu chuu chuuu!"
"Do you really think so?" Masaru said around a mouthful of his own food. "I dunno, little guy… I'd rather read a romance story for that kinda thing. Some of them have really deep plots, actually" He washed his food down with a big swig of juice. "You've got a point about battle series, though."
"You have such a way with words, Kichu." Jun giggled. "So… what are your thoughts on period dramas?"
" Chuuuuu ." said Kichu, who had no idea what Big Sis and the big goofy boy were talking about.
Izumi couldn't help but smile as she took it all in from her spot atop her own beach blanket next to Shun. Shouta was giving Haruki a spirited demonstration of his sword technique, with the help of a handy piece of driftwood, while Hiroko looked on approvingly, Keiko was struggling to hold still while Yasu sketched her portrait, and Masaru and Jun were having a spirited debate with a very happy Kichu.
Maybe this day would be perfect after all, with or without the Trio, she thought to herself as she cuddled closer to Shun. And then the sound of footsteps carried towards her ears - Kimiko Yoshimoto was hurrying towards the two of them.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have a phone call, Izumi." Her expression faltered as she added "It's your parents."
And suddenly, the air around Izumi seemed to grow a lot heavier. Maybe she had spoken too soon.
Izumi tried her best to put her phone call with her parents out of her mind as she rejoined everyone. It was nothing serious, she insisted when Shun asked her about it. Even if… even if she'd agreed to share her burdens with others, today was different. Today was supposed to be special. It was supposed to be perfect.
"Izumi. Your father and I have filed for divorce. We've both made plans to leave Kyoukai."
"We'd like you to live with one of us. You shouldn't have to grow up away from your family."
Shun had gone off to talk with Masaru, once Izumi had assured her that yes, she was fine, nothing to worry about. Her girlfriend hadn't accepted this as much as she'd quietly relented. It only stung a little bit.
Izumi couldn't tell what the pair were talking about, not from where she had stood, but she could see Masaru drop into several bows of apology before Shun shook her head and motioned for him to stand up. He had gone to hug her, stopped himself, and instead offered a handshake. Shun had readily accepted it.
"Why don't you come with me to America? I've already found a great gymnastics program for you."
"Umi, don't ask her to uproot herself. Izumi, there's a school in Luminous Town you should look at-"
Keiko had completely forgotten she was supposed to be Pretty Cure's enemy. She was completely absorbed in everyone's beach activities - playing volleyball, building sandcastles, hunting for seashells - and it was very easy to forget she wasn't an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl. She seemed so very happy, so very content with herself. And Izumi was seethingly jealous. Why couldn't she enjoy herself on a day like this?
"Mirai Academy isn't the end-all, Izumi. There are other places that'd better suit your needs."
"You can make a new future, a better future, away from Kyoukai. I'm here to help you."
Izumi couldn't even find fun in smashing watermelons. The normal Izumi would have lost her mind at Shouta rubbing his "keen swordsman skills" in Shun's face, only to hit everywhere but the melon, and thrilled at Haruki, the true master swordsman, getting his in one, but all she could think of was-
"Would it kill you to be a little more grateful, Izumi?"
"We're doing what's best for you!"
-her parents and how little they cared, about her thoughts, about her feelings, about her loved ones and her future and her life, and once it was her turn with the stick, she put every bit of her anger into her swing and-
SPLAT
Izumi was greeted by a round of stunned applause once she took off her blindfold. It was no wonder. She hadn't smashed the melon, she'd utterly pulverized it. The normal Izumi would have proudly gloated about this impressive feat of strength. The Izumi of the now could only manage a weak smile.
She slipped off quietly, once she was absolutely sure that nobody was looking. And once it was clear that nobody was following, she began to run, until her legs went out from under her, right at the edge of the public beach area. And as she collapsed to her knees, everything came out at once.
She screamed, she wailed, she cried, she tore at the sand with her fists and gave it several hard kicks for good measure. Let the nearby beachgoers judge her. She didn't care anymore. She didn't care about anyth-
"This is a terrible place to have a moment, Hamasaki-san! People are watching!"
And of course Keiko Frigging Ninomiya had shown up, as if Izumi's mood wasn't foul enough.
"Don't you have to be annoying somewhere else?" she snarled.
Keiko didn't seem to notice or care about Izumi's irritation. She just parked herself beside the other girl, as if Izumi had invited her to be there.
"Why'd you run off on your own like that?" Keiko asked. "Dear Shun's back there tearing her hair out over you!" She gave a dismissive little huff. "And I thought you heroes were considerate ."
Izumi shot her a cold glare. "Says the girl who brainwashes people."
For a moment, it looked like Keiko was going to get defensive again… and then her expression faltered, and she became very interested in the ocean. The two girls stood there in silence for a few moments, side-by-side, and then the dam on Izumi's emotions finally broke.
Everything came out at once. Her parents' constant, self-centered arguments, the way they had never seemed to care about her until they needed a bludgeon to beat the other with, the way she had been left to do so many things on her own because they weren't there, the way they expected her to just up and abandon everything she held dear, because in the end, she was still a trophy for one of them to claim.
Izumi felt horribly spent at the end of it all. "It's stupid, isn't it? I'm stupid as hell for caring so much."
"They sound stupid." Keiko huffed. "I'd be mad too if-"
"Who's mad?" Izumi forced a smile. "This is a relief! I don't have to waste energy on them anymore! I don't have to keep trying!" She laughed bitterly. "No matter what I did… no matter how hard I tried… it wasn't gonna be enough, was it? Nothing was gonna be enough because I'm not enough! " She dug her nails into her palms as she began to shake. "If I wasn't… if I wasn't me , would they still-"
"Would you stop ?!"
A wave crashed hard against the shore in the wake of Keiko's outburst. Izumi could only stare.
"Who cares what they think?!" Keiko snapped. "You don't need those people! Even if… even if they weren't there, you still found people who loved you, right? You've still done all sorts of things, haven't you? You still have a future and dreams and a life… and if they don't care about it, then to hell with them! "
Keiko's eyes were welling with tears, and her voice was starting to crack. Something told Izumi the other girl wasn't talking about Umi and Riku Hamasaki. No, she realized as she remembered what Masaru had told her back then. Keiko definitely wasn't.
"It wasn't your fault, Ninomiya." Izumi said without thinking. "You or your sister. It wasn't."
"I told everyone at the orphanage they were wrong. That she'd come back for us." Keiko sounded very small and vulnerable now. "I really believed that. For eleven years." Her gaze slowly slid to the ground as her voice cracked further. "Why… why didn't she want…"
Izumi wished she knew the answer. But she didn't. She had been asking herself a similar question, over and over, for fifteen years. It wasn't fair. That was all she really knew. It just wasn't fair.
And then Izumi did something that surprised even herself. She hugged Keiko, whispering words of comfort to the other girl as she sobbed against Izumi's chest, as Izumi shed tears of her own. Because at that moment, Keiko wasn't her enemy. She was simply a girl like her. A girl who had been let down by the people who should have loved her most.
Keiko leaned into the hug. It wasn't the first time she'd been hugged like this. But it was the first hug she'd received from a girl around her age. That it was her enemy hardly mattered right now. Right now, she-
"Dear sister… what part of the information-gathering process is this ?"
-felt her limbs starting to go rigid, felt her sister's fear and revulsion suffusing her mind-
"If you back out, Hinyu-sama won't be happy. You don't want that, Kae. We don't want that."
Izumi must have felt Keiko go stiff, because she'd suddenly let go of her, and was looking at her with concern, and Keiko wanted to say something about it, but her body wouldn't listen, or rather, Shahei wouldn't, but she couldn't tell Izumi why this was happening, she'd promised Shahei, she'd promised -!
"Ninomiya?"
Keiko couldn't respond. Shahei had the reins now, and she was tightening them by the second, and Keiko understood why. They and Pretty Cure and their friends lived in different worlds. They were on different sides. And they and Hinyu were on different levels. Nobody would care if he disposed of them.
Shahei was just trying to help. Shahei was just trying to protect her. And yet, and yet-!
Footsteps were thundering towards the group. Masaru and Shouta. Pretty Cure. Shun. Her henchmen… no, her brothers were hurrying to her side, her enemies were asking if she was alright, and Keiko couldn't do anything. She couldn't move under her own power, no matter how much she fought Shahei's control.
Izumi started towards Keiko. "Ninomiya, what's wrong?"
Keiko could only stare mutely at Izumi as her arm jerked stiffly into the air on its own, as if she was little more than an oversized marionette. Her hand glowed with red-black energy as she clenched her fist in a similarly stiff and jerky manner. The moment she did so, the ocean glowed red-black as the sky went gray.
Screams filled the air and multitudes of beach-goers ran for their lives as a humanoid Nikuina made from old wooden boat wreckage pulled itself out of the water and began to eagerly feed on sealing energy. Those unlucky enough to remain in the vicinity lost their color and collapsed where they stood.
Keiko felt her strings snap a moment later. She was free to act on her own now. Not that it really mattered. It was too late to take this back now. All she could do was play out her assigned role. She let her human disguise fall away as she stepped backward. She forced a triumphant smirk. She burst out laughing.
"Ohohoho! You're all such idiots!" Kae's delivery sounded off, even to her own ears. "It was all a trick! I deceived you! And now you're all right where I want you!"
Kae disappeared in a burst of violet sparkles before reappearing atop her Nikuina. Masaru and Shouta exchanged glances before raising fists glowing with red-black energy as well. Two more Nikuina rose up from the ocean - one made from a fused amalgamation of abandoned beach umbrellas and beach toys, another made of slippery, algae-covered rock - and shambled towards the one Kae had summoned.
In a flash, the three Nikuina had combined into a humanoid mecha with limbs made of ocean rock and mangled beach supplies and a torso forged from an old ship, complete with a row of cannons jutting from its chest. Kooyoo and Tobi appeared on the Nikuina's shoulders.
"If we're doing this, we're doing it properly!" Tobi said. "Pretty Cure! You know the drill!"
For a moment, Izumi felt a rush of panic, because she was in her swimsuit and had left her Puricell behind at the beach house - and then someone tossed it her way.
Shun indicated the beach tote she'd brought with her. "Always good to be prepared, right?"
Izumi nodded as she readied her Puricell. She was so lucky to have Shun in her life. So lucky to have her teammates, who were readying their Puricells as well.. Even if she meant very little to her parents in the grand scheme of things, she had all of them. And hopefully, it could stay that way.
"Pretty Cure! Spirit Unleash!"
Kae forced a smile as Pretty Cure came running at the Trio's Nikuina. Even if it was five on three now, even if they'd powered up, it didn't matter. She'd still throw everything she had into crushing them. Because it was what she did. Or rather, what Hinyu expected her to do. Nothing else mattered.
"Go, Great Sea King!" Kae shouted. "Hit them with a full salvo!"
Cannonballs of concentrated water fired from the Nikuina's chest, forcing Byakko to intercept what her teammates could not evade with shield after shield. Each shattered into tiny bits under the sheer force of the impact of the cannonballs, which carved out sizable chunks from the surrounding beach.
The fingers of the Nikuina's left hand were cannons unto themselves. Pressurized bullets of sticky algae fired from them, forcing Seiryuu to rip them apart with the Azure Wings and her wind while Suzaku used his fire and the Scarlet Sword to handle the rest.
A missile shaped like a beach umbrella fired from the Nikuina's right forearm, straight at Genbu and Ouryuu. The gold Cure stopped its advance with her vines, only for it to pop open and break right out of them before striking Genbu head-on and sending the black Cure flying far into the distance.
"Ha!" Kae posed triumphantly. "Turnabout is fair pl-"
A blazing dark violet meteor rocketed out from the distance and slammed into the Nikuina with the force of a speeding truck. It was a furious Cure Genbu, who drove the Nikuina further and further backward as she battered it with a hail of spirit power-infused fisticuffs.
The Nikuina was too off-balance to retaliate properly. The other members of Pretty Cure seized the opening Genbu had given them. Suddenly, the Nikuina was being assailed from all angles. Kae blasted frantically at Pretty Cure with her staff. She couldn't hit a single one of them. Her attacks were way too sloppy, and they were far too fast.
Kooyoo was holding on the Nikuina for dear life. "Boss, maybe we should just-"
"N-no! No! I can't!" Kae snapped. "Great Sea King! Unleash your Charybdis Punch!"
The Nikuina extended both of its arms out to its sides before spinning around rapidly. The Trio were forced to grab onto each other for support, lest they be thrown off As the Nikuina spun, it surrounded itself with a tornado of sparking red-black energy. The five members of Pretty Cure were blasted away violently on impact. Each collided with the ground in an explosion of sand, one by one by one.
Kooyoo was trying to catch his breath and Tobi looked more than a little green. And Kae… Kae felt sick. But she could also feel Shahei lurking in the back of her mind, reminding her to stay on task .
"Ohohoho! You're still going down like chumps - even as a team of five!" Kae sounded even less genuine now. "Now! Pretty Cure! Prepare to-"
Her words dried up as she noticed Shun, who was watching the battle from a safe vantage point. Shun looked disappointed in her. How stupid. Kae was a horrible person. You couldn't expect anything out of someone like her. If anyone should have known that, it should have been the girl she had made a brainwashed puppet out of. If Shun still wanted to believe in her, that just proved…
"You two can be better, Kae. You both deserve better."
…how very stupid she was. How stupid they all were. This was fine. She enjoyed this! She… she…
"You're such a good girl, Keiko-chan."
…felt a tear slowly trickling down her face. Why was that? Why was she so upset? Why… why was she-?
Tobi was laying a hand on her shoulder. "Kae. We got the energy, right? Let's just screw off and pretend we fought them. Kooyoo and I need to return soon anyway."
Kae pulled away from him. "No! I have to do this!" Pretty Cure was already getting back up on their feet after all. "Pretty Cure! Now is the moment of your destruction! I've been waiting for this day!"
"Oh, bullshit!"
Genbu was staring daggers at Kae as she got back up on her feet. Her teammates were right behind her. Kae tried to protest, but the black Cure wouldn't let her.
"Cut the toku villain crap, Kae!" Genbu snapped. "That isn't what you want! And this isn't who you are!" She tightened her fists as she stared Kae down. "The real Kae is the one who comforted me just a moment ago!"
Suzaku nodded. "She's the one who went out of her way to help Yoshimoto-san. The one who loves to tease her big brothers."
"She's the girl who was smiling and laughing while she played with everyone on the beach!" Ouryuu said. "The one who built a beautiful sand castle with me and Kichu!"
"Chuu!" Kichu agreed from his spot in Ouryuu's vest pocket.
"And she's the girl who really did want to stay at Mirai Academy." Byakko said. "Even if she lied and said it meant nothing to her."
Kae said nothing. She wasn't making eye contact with anyone. She was just staring down at her hands and trembling. Seiryuu tentatively stepped towards her.
"Kae… that's who you actually want to be, isn't it?" Seiryuu said. "If that's the future you want, we can help you! We don't have to fight!"
"Shut up…" Kae snarled. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Tears rolled down her face as she fixed Pretty Cure with a death glare. "Quit talking like you know me! None of you people know a thing about me!"
"I suppose you're right." Seiryuu smiled sympathetically. "But they do."
Kae's heart sank as she looked first to Kooyoo, who looked absolutely crushed, and then to Tobi, who hardly looked any better.
"Kae… I don't wanna play 'fearsome criminal gang' anymore." Kooyoo said quietly.
"You and Shahei aren't like us." Tobi said. "You two can live in the human world. Sounds like you even have a place to stay. If that's what you want, I'll help make it happen."
For a moment, Kae saw a vision of what could have been. Herself and her sister, side by side as Mirai Academy students. Keiko and Shiori. Two ordinary girls with no worries or concerns, past making good marks and getting along with their friends. Two ordinary girls who were free to enjoy parfaits or drink tea or go window-shopping or whatever else caught their fancy together. Two ordinary girls with a guardian who actually loved them.
And then she felt Shahei's presence flare up in her mind once again as she was greeted by a vision of Hinyu. Hinyu, who was back at the Shade Palace, waiting for… no, expecting results. And if they stayed here while Kooyoo and Tobi went back on their own, then-
"I told you…"
She couldn't get out of this. They couldn't get out of this. Not that easily. It didn't matter what she wanted!
"...to SHUT UP!"
The Nikuina's chest cannons unleashed a full-powered attack in Pretty Cure's direction - a massive, destructive sphere of water. It was exactly what Seiryuu was waiting for. The blue Cure met it with a blast of chilly wind from her palm, changing it into a massive ice ball, which continued to hurtle towards Genbu, Suzaku, and Byakko.
The three Cures were more than ready for the gigantic ball of ice. The moment it drew close enough, the trio it it with a combined straight punch, sending it rolling at top speed towards the Nikuina like a massive chilly bowling ball. Kae let out a squeak of alarm the moment she realized what was happening and tried to get the Nikuina to move out of the way.
No luck - it was rooted to the spot by golden flora sprouting from the ground. Ouryuu, who stood close by, tipped the group a wink as the giant ice ball collided with the Nikuina, freezing it solid as the Trio were thrown high into the air. The frozen Nikuina tipped neatly over like a gigantic bowling pin. It was a perfect strike!
Tobi easily slowed his fall thanks to his wings, and Kooyoo just managed to drop into a roll before shakily getting to his feet, but Kae-
-was just barely saved from a hard impact with the ground, thanks to the streak of teal that had shot towards her - Shun, who was now breathing heavily as she held Kae close. Kae was too shocked to verbalize the "why?!" that was written all over her face.
"Okay! Let's wrap this up!" Genbu said. She summoned her Black Ribbon and prepared to execute her finisher. "Pretty Cure! Black Maelstrom!"
The Nikuina was engulfed in a sphere of water before vanishing in a heart-shaped burst of dark violet light, leaving behind some slimy sea rocks, the splintered remains of a wooden boat, and the mangled ghost of beach supplies, along with three pieces of a Wrath Seed pod, which quickly crumbled to dust.
Genbu let out a sigh of satisfaction as her transformation faded and she began to sway on her feet. Hiroko and Haruki went to catch her as they and the others released their own transformations. And Kae-
-wriggled out of Shun's grasp. The older girl started after her and was answered with an icy death glare.
"Don't. Don't bother." Kae glanced around at the rest of the group. It hurt to see them look at her like this, but Hinyu wouldn't… Shahei wouldn't… she couldn't… not anymore. "All of you… forget about me! Forget all of this!" She stomped her foot. "I wish I never crashed your stupid beach picnic!"
And then she was gone in a burst of violet sparkles. Kooyoo and Tobi shot Pretty Cure and Shun apologetic looks before they also vanished.
It was the dead of night, and neither of the Asjun sisters could sleep.
The two's aqua blue hair spilled out on the bed as the pair stared out into space, Kae in one direction, Shahei in the other. From this angle, and with the bedclothes on, they almost looked like two girls sleeping back to back, as opposed to two girls sharing the exact same body.
"You're angry at me, aren't you?" Shahei asked.
Normally, Kae would have denied it. Shahei was her twin sister. The person most like her in the entire world. The person who had smiled and squared her shoulders and taken the cruelty of the orphanage staff in Kae's place until the twins and Kooyoo had escaped alongside each other, and Kae had
"It's okay. I'll take the lead from now on. It's my turn to keep you safe, Shahei."
promised to keep her safe, promised to repay her sister for those eleven years by sheltering her from the world that had hurt her, by being the face everyone saw in public. She owed Shahei so much. She loved Shahei so much. But now… right now, she really did resent her a bit. It felt worse than anything ever had.
"I wasn't gonna keep it going for that much longer. You didn't have to take over like that."
Shahei sighed heavily. "Dear sister, you really should stop lying. You're terrible at it."
Kae opened her mouth to defend herself, but nothing would come out. Because Shahei was right. She was lying. For a moment there, she really had forgotten everything - her mission, her nature, her loyalty to Hinyu - in favor of friendship with people she was supposed to defeat. People she had already hurt. People she felt happier and safer around than she had in years. People she still wanted to be around.
Pretty Cure was right. That was the real her. It always had been. And it always would be. But…
"Focus on pleasing Hinyu-sama for now." Shahei said. "Once we separate, you can do as you please."
"Like I'd leave you behind, Shahei!" Kae scoffed. "We'll both be free to do what we want!"
Kae was answered by dead silence.
"Shahei?"
"We're meeting with Hinyu-sama tomorrow morning. We should both get some rest."
"Shahei, promise me we'll-"
" Good night , Kae."
And then Shahei was out cold, leaving Kae alone with her thoughts… and a pit of cold dread in her stomach. Just what kind of future was her sister envisioning?
Most of Pretty Cure had returned home by the time the moon crept over the horizon. But not Izumi. She had remained behind at the beach house with the Yoshimoto-Siegel family.
"It's summer vacation - I don't have to sleep in the dorms." she'd said. "And I… don't really want to, so…"
Shun hadn't pressed her for an explanation. There was no need for one. She'd just smiled, pecked her girlfriend on the forehead, and asked her to help her and Hayate get the kitchen tidied up again.
"I do hope Keiko-chan is doing alright." Hayate said as the three worked. "I can't help but worry."
"Yeah…" Shun's face fell at the mention of Keiko. She absorbed herself in organizing the boxes of picnic leftovers before she added "Hey, Grandma. If Ninomiya-san needed somewhere to stay-"
"Then she has a room waiting at the Yoshimoto estate." Hayate said as she polished up the countertops. "You do as well, Izumi-chan. You're Shun-chan's beloved partner - that makes you part of the family."
Izumi was too red-faced to keep cleaning the dishes. "Granny Hayate… you're talking like we're already married!" she muttered as she buried her face in her hands - before frantically whirling around to face Shun. "N-not like I wouldn't… I m-mean, junior high's really early for…"
Shun was just as red-faced. "Y-yeah… let's save that conversation for university." She smiled warmly. "I wouldn't mind you moving in, though. You won't have to grow up away from family then, right?"
Izumi's eyes welled with tears. "It'd definitely rule all! Thank you so much!" She sniffled a bit as she wiped her eyes with her arm. "But Sieg-kun, would you really be cool with… y'know, sharing a house with Ninomiya?"
"I'd rather not leave her there." Shun began to put the containers back in the fridge. "No matter how many people she hurts, no matter what she does, if she's still working with that man…"
"...then she's the one who loses. And I think she knows that. Which means it's up to us to help her." Izumi said. "Plus… I guess it wouldn't be all bad, having her and her sister as roommates."
"Yeah. Ninomiya-san's pretty tolerable when she drops the villain stuff." Shun finished putting the containers away. "Besides, having to live with Kimi would probably be enough punishment for her."
Shun shut the refrigerator door - and found herself face to face with Kimiko Yoshimoto. The green-haired woman's lips were smiling, but her eyes definitely were not..
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, Shun?" Kimi's tone was nothing but cheerful as she laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm sure my beloved little sister wouldn't dare insult me behind my back."
Shun muttered something about Kimi needing to get her ears checked before attempting to sweep past her. Kimi responded by zipping over to the sink with unusual speed, grabbing the sink's sprayer attachment, and nailing her sister with a blast of water. Shun was too stunned to move.
"Hey!" Izumi grabbed her scrub brush and wielded it like a sword as she wheeled on Kimi. "Attacking Sieg-kun out of the blue like that… you have truly crossed the line!"
"Is that so?" Kimi grabbed a soup ladle from the drying rack. " Well . Have at you, then!"
Izumi grimaced - before grabbing a nearby spatula and tossing it to Shun, who joined Izumi by her side.
"Have at both of us!" Izumi said as she brandished her scrub brush.
Shun proudly brandished her spatula. "Our combo won't be defeated!"
"Girls!" Hayate pounded a fist on the counter. "This is no place to-!" It was too late to protest. Kimi, Shun, and Izumi were already deep into their two on one fencing match. "At least be careful!"
By the time Izumi and Shun finally retired to bed, the two of them were very tired and very satisfied. This was a large beach house - Izumi could have easily had a room to herself. But she didn't feel comfortable sleeping alone. Besides, as she'd pointed out, even if Shun's bed wasn't that big, she was a small girl.
And so Izumi Hamasaki ended what had turned out to be a fairly turbulent day on a perfect note - cuddled up against her girlfriend, who held her close as the pair slept soundly. For now, all was well.
That night, Shun dreamed of standing atop a hill overlooking the Shade Kingdom. The atmosphere was even drearier and colder than she remembered, and the sky was thick with storm clouds. The roots of the Tree of Wrath choked the life out of multiple buildings, and the Tree itself seemed to completely block out the sun. It was uncomfortably cold, moreso in a sleep shirt and boxers. Shun couldn't help but shiver.
"It pains me to see it like this. I should have done more. I should have been more."
Shun only hazily recognized the voice of the woman standing beside her, and she only clearly recalled her face from the many photographs around the Yoshimoto estate. She had not seen her in person since she was a toddler, after all. But it was unmistakably her - Yozora Yoshimoto. Her and Kimi's mother.
Yozora was clearly well into her mid-forties now. Her long, teal-blue hair, still worn in ringlets, was threaded with gray, and there were pronounced crow's feet at the corners of her red-brown eyes. She was clearly terribly exhausted, and yet, she carried herself with the same calm dignity as Kimi and Hayate.
There were so many things Shun wanted to say to her. So many things she wanted to ask. But none of it was making it to her mouth. She could only stare as Yozora gently cupped her face with one hand.
"Oh, Shun. You've grown up to be a fine young woman." Yozora felt very solid and very real for a dream figure. "I should have been there for you. For all of you." She reluctantly stepped away from Shun as she cast her eyes towards the Shade Kingdom. "But my obligations went far beyond you four. I'm sorry."
Before Shun could ask what Yozora meant by… well, any of that, the world around them dissolved. When it came back into focus, the two stood in front of a pair of high doors deep within a dusty, stale-smelling chamber. A sprawling network of thorny, rose-laden vines bound the doors in front of the pair.
Those vines had been there for a long time. Their thorns could shred anything that touched them, and their blue blooms would greet any interlopers with a facefull of poison. But if Shun tried hard enough, they would surely move for her. She instinctively understood this on some level. How strange.
"A heart of light and a heart of shadow. When the two resonate, the path to a new future will open."
Shun looked over at her mother, who was staring fixedly at the two doors. She would have asked what that meant, and then she remembered Pretty Cure's account of their trip to the Hallowed Wellspring.
"The Lux Carillon and the Umbra Carillion, right?"
Yozora nodded. "I no longer have the right to wield it. I had my turn as a warrior. I failed in the worst possible way. And now, my hands are far too stained to resume that mantle." She turned to face Shun. "I have no right to ask you to take up my sword. But if you are willing to fight, knowing what that means-"
Shun shook her head. "If you're getting at what I think you're getting at, then… you don't have to ask." This she understood at least. "There are people I want to protect. People I need to save, no matter what. I've dreamed of having the power to do so for a long time."
The two's surroundings had dissolved yet again. Shun and Yozora were suspended in an endless void of shadow. Their only real illumination was the soft teal glow that Yozora held out to Shun.
"Then, I entrust this star to you. May it shine again someday."
Shun awoke to the soft glow of the morning sun creeping in through her bedroom curtains, the pleasant warmth of her girlfriend, who was snoozing gently as she snuggled up to her, and the realization that she was holding onto something - a spherical, teal-colored crystal with a neat crack running down its length and the faint remnants of a lightning storm dancing within.
She stared at the crystal in bafflement as she turned it over and over in her hand. She was going to have a lot to talk about with Izumi once she was up and around, wasn't she?