22 April
Kazumi thought about what happened yesterday while she mixed the vegetable, beef, and rice together until she made it look uneatable without noticing. Her memory played back when she and Irisawa transformed, the so-called legendary heroes Pretty Cure, according to what Mipple and Mepple told them. 'But why us?' She thought, as she completely had her eyes on the food. 'Why pick random girls from junior high instead of someone who has the experience to do it?' But inside, she find it cool that she can beat up bad guys and be a hero like you see on movies but how will her parents react. Sure, her mother would tell her to quit since it's "too dangerous" for her, and her father would yell at her and probably forbid her to see Irisawa again. She doesn't like the idea of being Irisawa's partner since what happened yesterday, but she feels like it is their destiny to be friends.
'How am I going to befriend Irisawa-san when she doesn't even like me?' Kazumi thought and took a bite from her food while lightly drumming on her cheeks. She knew when Irisawa denied her, obviously, that she didn't want to become her friend. With a sigh, Kazumi closed her eyes with serious face.
'And those creatures, Mipple and Mepple, who are they? And where are they from?' Again, she took one bite of the mixed food and looked up where the voices came from, where her sister and mother talked to each other, not making out what they were saying. Her mother and sister smiled at each other as Saki talked about something that Kazumi didn't catch.
The only words she heard were something about lacrosse and winning, which indicated that Saki was talking about the tournament she won last night. Their mother couldn't go, she was too busy to take their father to the airport, saying goodbye to him and giving him full kisses. However, Saki was happy that her sister came instead, giving all the support she could.
"Onee-chan!" she heard her sister say. She snapped back to reality only to see her mother and her sister with a worried face, but Kazumi just smiled, wondering how their conversations ended so soon while she was thinking.
"Y-you haven't touched your food. Are you alright?" Kazumi reacted quickly. Her smile went to a nervous smile as she replied, standing up from the dinner table.
"Nothing, nothing's wrong. Thank you for the meal." Saki was surprised at how much her sister left on her dish, knowing that she'd eat it all up before they could finish. Her mother glanced at Saki, hoping that she'd know what was bothering her sister, but she shrugged. As Kazumi closed the door, she sighed relief after the escape, and no more questions were asked. She suddenly heard a growl. Holding her stomach, she walked towards the bed.
"I'm still hungry..." she complained as she laid her head on the bed.
"Hey, I need some food too-mepo!" the creature whined while jumping in its smart watch form on her bed. Kazumi snatched him in the air and shouted at him, but Mepple turned his head around.
"Hey, I couldn't eat properly because of your whining!"
"How can you blame me for not eating so well-mepo? You know it's your own fault, pumpkin head!"
"Why you..." she stopped as she heard her stomach growl again, letting the creature go and return to her former position on her bed.
"Too hungry..." Mepple knew that Kazumi was in no mood for arguments or feeding him, but he tried one more time as he jumped over to Kazumi, laid down front of her, and transformed into a stuffed animal, poking her head.
"Please, Kazumi, please give me something to eat." He whined again. Kazumi groaned, irritated, while Mepple transformed into a smart watch again, and she picked him up. Mepple smiled, but she knew that he had to instruct her on how to give him food.
"Okay, so select the food icon-mepo."
Kazumi tapped on the icon above Mepple's head as she's thrown back to the menu and the fairy disappeared, and a hologram of him, only smaller, and the chef appear. Kazumi, with her mouth like "o" excitedly observed.
"What would you like today, Master Mepple? I highly recommend miso soup for dinner." The chef showed Mepple the soup on the silver meal tray while Kazumi drooled. "No, I want okonomiyaki-mepo."
"Okonomiyaki? Isn't it too late for that?" Kazumi asked Mepple, but he ignored her. "But Master Mepple, it's not good for you in this hour."
"I didn't ask you to put me on a diet; I asked for okonomiyaki!-mepo" he shouted at the chef as the chef turned around and closed the lid while murmuring: "Shees, you are a spoiled brat..."
"What was that-mepo?" The chef looked nervous. He took another tray; an okonomiyaki appeared as he opened the lid and changed the topic. "Here," Mepple's eyes shined as he saw the food drooled and picked up chopsticks out of nowhere, yelling.
"Itadakimasu!" Kazumi sighed in jealousy, stood up, and left Mepple alone in her room to get some fresh air. Again, her thoughts about yesterday came back. As Saki passed her, her thoughts came back to the real world, and Kazumi said strictly.
"Don't go in my bedroom." Saki scoffed. "As I'd go to your bedroom, it's too messy. No wonder you have no boyfriend." Saki smiled slyly. Kazumi's eyebrow twitched angrily as she attacked her sister with a noogie attack. Their mother, hearing the noise all the way from the living room, ignored it, opened the beer can while she relaxed on the sofa.
"Kazumi, didn't I tell you to stop hurting your sister? And Saki, stop teasing Kazumi." She said it calmly as she took a sip of the beer. Kazumi let her go, as Saki rubbed her head, she looked over to her mom and her sister with a worried face.
"Mom, it's too early to drink, don't you think?" Saki asked.
"One beer can't hurt anyone." Nagisa replied with a smirk.
"No, but four can." Kazumi stated, looking over at the three empty cans on the table. Every time their dad was working on Sundays, their mom stole two or four beers to drink that belonged to their father. Their parents' weren't alcoholics; they only drank in weekends or in parties, but their mom drinks whenever she likes it when dad is away. Kazumi cancelled to go out; she headed to her room and braced herself for more of Mepple's childish behavior. As she was about to go to her room, her mother yelled after her.
"Kazumi, remember to clean up your room." Sighing, Kazumi returned to her bedroom only to find Mepple waiting for her, still in cell phone form, to take him somewhere. She made an angry face as she read his thoughts, but still, she asked to be sure.
"What are you thinking?" she asked in a rude tone. Again, Mepple jumped as he replied to her with a sweeter tone, and his eyes glowed. "I wanna see Mipple!"
"No way, I want to catch my favorite show!" Mepple gave her puppy eyes.
"You want an explanation of our arrival, yes?" She looked at her watch. Seven-thirty. Defeated, she sighed.
"Fine."
April nights were always cold and dark for Kazumi. Walking the street where no one was around, she kept turning around to see if someone was following her. She gained courage as she thought that she was the greatest Jiu Jitsu student at her school and could easily beat the bad guys. Yet, inside she was scared, so she ran as fast as she could to Shizuka's home with Mepple's guidance and Mipple´s presence. When Kazumi arrived at Shizuka's house, she was surprised that it was big and had great space. To her left were a little fountain, green grass visible from the snow, and little statues of birds. To her right was the same, but there were not many statues, only a big space of green grass and a dog house.
The house was the biggest surprise. It looked like it was built almost a hundred years ago, but it also looked brand new. Mepple wasn't surprised; for some reason, he felt like he had been here a long time ago. Not only that, he finds Kazumi to behave like someone he knows, including how they act toward each other. The bark of a dog that ran towards them to be the first to welcome the guests distracted him. The white labrador first jumped on Kazumi, whom she likes, and petted him, her arms away from him, where Mepple is holding. As she stopped and lowered her arms, the dog started the new target, Mepple, and licked him, making him stick his tongue out disgusted.
"Yuuki!" the dog heard her owner call for her. Running towards the guests and her dog, she looked surprised at the guests.
"Fujimura-san?" she questioned Kazumi. "Eh, well, Mepple wanted to meet Mipple and I thought too that maybe we could hang out together. Listen, I'm sorry what happened yesterday-"
"No, it's okay; I'm the one who should apologize to you." Shizuka said and bowed. Kazumi smiled as Shizuka continued.
"So, what brings you guys here?" Kazumi was about to open her mouth to speak but Mepple interjected.
"To see you two-mepo." Kazumi made a closed eye frown over Mepple's reply. 'You mean to see Mipple, right?' she thought, correcting his sentence. Shizuka's face turned into smile.
"What a coincidence! I was thinking of meeting you as well, and Mipple wanted to see Mepple." Kazumi smiled nervously at her.
"Why don't you come in? "She asked politely. Shizuka escorted her to her room. Inside the house was huge; it had many doors that Kazumi couldn't count, decorated with pictures or paintings of her forefathers, obviously, statues once again, and flowers.
"How did you afford to buy this house?" Kazumi asked amazingly. Shizuka turned to her as she answered.
"My great-grandparents bought this in 1904. Our families have been known for geniuses and well-educated people for generations, along with the riches, and it passes on." Kazumi was escorted to Shizuka's bedroom, where Kazumi sat and waited for Shizuka to bring tea for both of them. Mepple and Mipple transformed into plushies as they began to snuggle, to Kazumi's disgust. After some snuggles, Mepple began to explain from the beginning.
"Again? Dark zone?" Kazumi questioned as Mepple nodded.
"The Dark Zone was defeated twenty four years ago, and we need your help-mipo; the Dark Zone has stolen three of the Prism Stones again and is planning to use them to destroy the world-mipo."
"With what?" Shizuka asked this time.
"They are building a huge machine for some reason; we don't know why-mepo and maybe using the power of the Prism Stones to destroy planets. We sent her to the Garden of Rainbows to find the legendary heroes, Pretty Cure!"
"That's you guys, Mipo." Shizuka and Kazumi shared a glance before they turned back to the creatures.
"Are you sure we can beat those guys?" Kazumi asked.
"Sure-mepo. The former Pretty Cures could beat them in the first place, so why can't you too, mepo?"
"But there is another objective for you to complete, mipo." Mipple said it with a sad tone, almost like a whisper.
"In your time zone, thirteen years ago, there was war between Garden of Beauty and Dark Zone, so we couldn't risk her life-mipo and sent her to Garden of Rainbows. Now the princess is among you, and we need to find her before the Dark Zone can capture her and torture her until she tells them where the Prism Stones are." The girls became worried as they shared a glance with each other. "She is the one who can help you find the Prism stones-mipo."
"How does she know?" Kazumi asked.
"The Prism stones are like pieces of the queen and the princess-mepo. If they go missing, they can tell where they are."
"But why can't the queen search for it then? It's easier." Kazumi said as she placed her hand on her cheek. Mipple and Mepple looked at each other with sorrow, but Mepple replied, hanging his head.
"The Queen... died a long time ago, mepo."
Suddenly, there was silence while they looked down with concentration. Without caution, someone knocked on the door, causing Mepple and Mipple to transform into smart watches and hide on their owner's wrists.
"Shizuka. I brought for you cookies and green tea." A female voice said. As the female opened the door, she was taken aback by Kazumi's appearance.
"Well, hello there, are you Shizuka's friend?" Shizuka stood up and took over the tray her mother was holding. Kazumi noticed that she had a fake arm, as it didn't line up consistently with her skin color.
"Yeah, I'm Fujimura Kazumi," she bowed her head.
"Well, I'd better bring extra cookies and one extra tea. Make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you." Shizuka and Kazumi said it in unison. After she left, there was silence again. Kazumi squeezed her hands nervously and thought about how to start the conversation again. She looked up, and Shizuka did too. At the same time, Shizuka smiled nervously, and Kazumi smiled back. They looked down again, away from each other. Shizuka felt uncomfortable being around Kazumi; her hands would sweat, and she'd automatically squeeze her hands nervously. Mepple and Mipple jumped from their cell forms and, once again, snuggled with each other. They noticed that the two girls were quiet. Mepple broke the silence, but Shizuka was the first one to do so.
"So, aside from that, how's your project coming?" Kazumi looked up to her with a question mark.
"Huh?"
"Don't you remember? You're supposed to write about your future career." Kazumi recalled their teacher's announcement two days ago. She recalled why she couldn't remember—she accidentally fell asleep during class. She widened her eyes as she turned to Shizuka again. "When are we supposed to..." She couldn't finish as Shizuka cut her off, knowing what she was asking.
"It's due Tuesday."
"Craaaaaaaaaaapppppp!" she exclaimed.
"That's what you get, watching shows through the internet all night-mepo." Mepple said she was relaxed.
"If you don't remember it, you kept whining all night about how hungry you were and kept me awake." Their noses met, pushing each other with it.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"How can you argue in a situation like this?" Mipple snapped, ending their fight. They looked away from each other's eyes, ashamed. "And Shizuka, how can you think about your homework?" Shizuka, too, gazed into Mipple's face as she replied.
"I was just trying to calm everyone down. I'm sorry." Mipple sighed, guilty yet relaxed after expressing her feelings. She hopped onto Shizuka's lap to meet her eyes. "No, I'm sorry, Mipo. I'm just stressed out and scared that the Dark Zone will get their hands on the stones."
"What are you talking about, Mepo? The stones have never been in the hands of the Dark Zone," Mepple stated, but he lowered his voice when he remembered something.
"Besides, it happened one time, but that's not the point," He raised his voice again. "Thanks to the Pretty Cure, nothing bad has happened to our world!" Mipple couldn't help but nod her head with a smile on her face.
"Wow, they must have been strong." Kazumi said he was amazed. "Of course-mepo! Why do you think they are called the legendary heroes?" Mepple informed somehow offended but yet was proud inside.
"But what about-" Shizuka was cut off by Kazumi's cell phone. Kazumi placed it by her ear while answering.
"Hello? Oh, hi mom…. What, right now? But, but we're talking about some important things here and it's not that late…Oh, man, do I have to? Yes, I know that I should study science more, but-. Can she help me? She's asleep? What, I have to do it alone! No, no, no, please don't do that, I'll come home. Ok, bye." Kazumi faced Shizuka with a gloomy face when she closed the cell phone lid.
"Sorry, I have to go." Kazumi walked past her, grabbed Mepple from the desk, and opened the exit door while using her other hand to put Mepple to his place. "Why are you so depressed?" Still with Mepple in her hand, she turned towards her and replied.
"Mom threatened me to lower my allowance money if I don't go home right away…." She hung her head. Kazumi raised her head back up as she remembered something.
"By the way, Irisawa-san. You were saying before?" Remembering what she was about to say before being cut off, she turned away from her. "Never mind. It wasn't that important." She replied with a closed eye smile. "You sure?" Shizuka nodded. "Ok….Bye then." Kazumi made a small wave to her as she ran away.
The next day, Kazumi and Shizuka walked together to school, they were nervous to each other and couldn't bring out a conversation. Sure, they became little friendlier to each other, it was just that Kazumi didn't know what Shizuka's hobby was or her interest. Kazumi's palms suddenly got sweaty because of the stress. Never in her life have she ever been nervous. 'There's nothing to talk about.' Shizuka thought as she glared at Kazumi. Even though she's been hanging around for a few days, she never realized what her hobbies were or what she'd like to talk about except judo. The awkward silence made things worse for them. They became less confident about talking to each other. 'Come on, Shizuka, talk about something.' Shizuka encouraged herself.
"Uhm...it's hot for April, huh?" Shizuka said nervously as she smiled to Kazumi. "Y-yeah...hope summer won't be too hot." Silence again. Shizuka turned away from her and hit herself in the head. 'It's that the best thing you could do?' Kazumi looked up to the sky.
They almost walked past a takoyaki restaurant; Kazumi snapped out and froze still as her eyes caught on a boy leaving the place. Shizuka followed her gaze with her eyes.
"Bye, mom!" The boy said as he took off. Kazumi still had her eyes on him; her heart was racing, and she suddenly felt her cheeks becoming flustered in her body. She had been seeing him for a couple of times while walking to school. She also noticed a long time ago that he was in school next to her, Boys Junior High School.
"You have a crush on him." Shizuka said immediately. Kazumi moved a step away from her.
"What's with the sudden conversation?" Kazumi asked as her face turned red. "So, you have a crush on him, don't you?" Shizuka asked, ignoring Kazumi's question. Kazumi turned away from her as she replied, pressed her forefingers together, and looked innocently up at Shizuka.
"W-w-well, y-yeah…" she confessed. "Do you know his name?" Shizuka asked immediately. Kazumi shook her head as a no.
Ritsu had her back pressed back against the school wall, tired of waiting for Kazumi and anxious about how late she was. "I know that face." Ritsu said it slyly with a Kansai accent.
"Ya' met that guy again. Didja talk to him." Kazumi shook her head shyly.
"Is she okay?" Shizuka said worried.
"Don't worry 'bout it. It happens all th' time when she meets a guy she has a crush on." Ritsu and Shizuka giggled.
She wore the daily school uniform, but the tie was loose her shirt wasn't properly tucked in, but it seemed like someone had already tried to tuck it, which led her to think that her mother probably did it. Shizuka immediately knew that she was a tomboy like Kazumi but more unfeminine, but they both had their happy-go-lucky attitude. After the introductions, Ritsu went over to Kazumi; she put her arm over her shoulder to tease her about the boy she had crushed and touched her chin. Shizuka watched them goof off and became jealous. But why? She tried to ask herself. She and Kazumi weren't as close as Ritsu and Kazumi, so why would she be jealous? The school bell woke her up to reality, as did the screams from Ritsu and Kazumi.
"Hurry up, Irisawa-san or we'll be late for class." Kazumi shouted as she took her hand.
Exhausted, as usual, after the class, Kazumi sighed in relief as the bell rang. She smiled while taking out her lunch box, but her smile faded as she saw the cold convenience food inside. Her mom didn't waste any energy making lunch for them; instead, she bought convenience food from 7Eleven. Kazumi's eyebrow twisted in disgust and grimaced. She hated convenience food and her mom should know it. Yet, she picked up her chopsticks and ate. "Dammit, mom." She cursed under her breath.
"Wassup!" Ritsu slammed her hands on her table, making Kazumi accidentally gulp down the bite whole. Kazumi grabbed lightly on her throat as she slammed with the other one on the table. Kazumi automatically stood up as Ritsu went behind her and slammed on her back. Kazumi managed to gulp the food and sighed as she sat again.
"Are you trying to kill me!" Kazumi asked furiously as Ritsu scratched behind her head and constantly apologized. "Anyway, good ne-"
"Ok, class, take your seats." Ritsu was cut off by the teacher. She took her history book from her bag and placed it on the table, while looking over the class. "Let's review what we learned from last lesson. Hmm, let's see…" The teacher put her finger under the chin as she looked over the class several times. "Fujimura-san." As the teacher called her name, Kazumi bolted up from her seat.
"Yes?"
"When were the Asuka-period and what year was when Japan was introduced to Buddhism?" Kazumi's eyebrow twitched; she knew that she picked her on purpose. She always felt the delight stream coming to her.
"Asuka-period was from 538 to 710 A.D, and Buddhism was introduced to Japan in 538 by Baekje." The girl who answered had blonde hair and brown eyes. She looked like a gentle girl. She never talked to the other students; she always sat and ate her lunch alone.
"Very good, Suzuki-san. Now on to the test; the test will start Ritsurrow, following all these questions about Asuka-period. I expect everyone to show up. Especially you, Fujimura-san." Kazumi gave Rina a nervous smile while her eyebrow was twitching.
The bell ran, and Kazumi stood up and stretched as she threw her arms in the air. "Yes, the school's over! I'm worn out."
"Ya' didn't do anythin' durin' the class." Ritsu pointed this out while she had her hand rested under her chin.
Kazumi sweat dropped as she stuffed her stuff in her schoolbag. "Well, yeah." She admitted it, but seconds later she cracked her fist in enthusiasm. "But I will make for it tonight!"
The night rose; Kazumi was sitting behind her desk and studying for the test. She played with the pen as she tried to think of the correct answer to the question she was stuck on.
"Who am I kidding? I can't even solve one problem." Kazumi said to herself as she laid her half body on the desk.
Her room was half dark; she had her table light on. Automatically, she started to think about that boy from All Boys Junior High School. She looked forward as her heart began to beat faster and her cheeks were getting red, not noticing the doodles she's making in her notebook. She snapped out as she heard her lead break and looked down at her notebook. 'Kazumi', a heart shape between 'unknown boy', freaked out and took her eraser, but she missed it on the floor. As she reached down, Mepple changed into a stuffed animal and gazed at the notebook.
"Ooh, I see someone has a crush on someone-mepo." Mepple said with a sly smile while pressing himself against Kazumi's face. A vein popped out of her head, and she held tight to her pencil.
"But it's impossible for a pumpkin head like you-mepo." Mepple crossed his arms as another vein popped out. "It'll take you a million years to get together with someone as handsome as he is-mepo." The third vein popped as she snapped while she broke her pencil in half, and within a second, she stretched Mepple's face with both hands.
When thinking about the answer, Mepple's teasing and punishment, and about that guy, she felt like her head was going to explode. She stood up, stretched her arms, and headed to the kitchen. While she went, she saw Saki playing video games, when she should be studying like her, and her mother reading the newspaper with coffee in her hand. Usually, she drinks one or two beers while watching TV. But she was always like that when their father was at North, announcing a football game. Nagisa wasn't sure when he would come back; she really hated it when he went away from her. But she was kind of relieved since he irritated her with the reunion, which wasn't until three weeks. As Kazumi stubbed her toe and gave a yelp, Nagisa reared her head up from the paper.
"Aren't you supposed to study?" Nagisa asked as she took a sip from her coffee.
"I am, but I need some medicine tablets. Where are they again?" Nagisa turned back to the article she was reading while she replied.
"High closet, to the left." Kazumi went after the instructions and found the tablets. She gulped two down her throat with water. She returned to her room but was stopped when Nagisa spoke to her.
"How are your studies going?" She said, not taking her eyes off the paper. "G-g-good. It's going really well." She lied as she scratched her head. Saki hit the pause button and turned her head toward Kazumi.
"With that nervous tone, it seems she's doing badly." Nagisa put the paper down. "Kazumi." Nagisa said it with a warning tone. Kazumi was still scratching her head but was frozen when Nagisa used that tone. She always knew that it didn't mean good.
"I'm hungry-mepo." Mepple said it suddenly. Kazumi freaked out as Saki and Nagisa looked at her. "What?" Saki asked. "I-I-I'm hungry-mepo. Just kidding." Kazumi covered herself as she stuck her tongue out.
"You just ate. Why are you hungry again so quickly?" Nagisa asked. "Because she's a glutton like you." Saki replied with a sly smile. Nagisa seized the pen, which lay on the table across her, and threw it on Saki's head. Kazumi laughed as Saki rubbed her head.
"You're mean!" Saki whined, trying to sound innocent.
"You're one to talk!" Kazumi tried to stifle her laughter so she wouldn't be in trouble. "And what are you laughing at, young lady?" Nagisa asked, irritated. Kazumi shook her hand aside as she tried to calm her mother down.
"Nothing, I just remembered something funny that I watched yesterday." Kazumi lied. Nagisa looked at the clock above the sofa. Turning back to Kazumi, she ordered the sisters. "It's getting late. You two go to bed now."
"We're not sleepy." The sisters said in union. Nagisa gazed upon them with a death glare.
"Do you have a death wish?" Promptly, the sisters ran to the room while shouting at her.
"Goodnight." Nagisa gave a sigh and relaxed her shoulders as she sat down again.
Because of getting late to bed, Kazumi and Saki were late. It was usual for Kazumi, but not for Saki, as she was the honest student. The sisters fought over the toast, and it ended with they having to split it in half. As Kazumi opened the door to the classroom, everyone in the class stared at her as she went to her seat. The teacher tabbed her finger on the table as she looked angrily at Kazumi.
"Fujimura-san, you're late again." The teacher informed.
"I'm sorry, Rina-sensei, it won't happen again." Kazumi, of course, never kept her promise, as she always said that whenever she came late. Rina took up her math book and began to speak.
"As I was saying." The teacher began again.
As Kazumi arrived next to her friend, Ritsu suddenly stood up and put her hands on Kazumi's shoulders. "I have great news for ya', Kazumi." She smiled. Kazumi replied with a staring face.
"That guy, you've been eyein' on. I figured out his name. I tried to tell ya' yesterday but...y'know you know, the homeroom started." Ritsu posed her two forefingers in front of Kazumi.
"Ok, get this. His name is Kujou Takezo. His hobby is kenjutsu,"
"Where did you get this information from?" Kazumi asked as she cracked an eyebrow.
"Genius shouldn't expose their secrets." She said it with pride as she smiled.
"You got them from Suzuki-san didn't you?" Ritsu froze. Suzuki was the best friend of Kujou Takezo and they always hung out together. She was also the most gossipy and smart girl. People would rarely see them apart. That would be trouble…
But…there is a chance…
"Kazumi! Let's go!" Ritsu said suddenly, with a big smile, as she took Kazumi's hand and dragged her befuddled friend.
"W-w-w-w-wait a minute, Ritsu, where are we going?"
Tako Café
The restaurant that just opened three days ago attracted customers immediately after its opening and business has been very good since then. Half of these customers were girls who were admiring the owner's son or just ordered there as an excuse to flirt to him. As Kazumi saw all the girls, according to her, looked more attractive than here and had more chances to swap him away, she felt kind of bad for going after him as well. Kazumi stepped back in defeat but Ritsu managed to grab her arm before Kazumi got away. Ritsu gave her a smile and winked at her as she used her head to beckon towards the restaurant, indicating her friend not to give up and give it her best. Again, Kazumi tried to escape but Ritsu dragged her towards the restaurant and inside.
The smell of takoyaki stopped Kazumi on her tracks as she headed towards the golden blonde behind the register, while Ritsu just smiled at her and shook her head.
"Welcome. Can I take yo-"
"I'll have three packs of takoyaki with chocolate!" Kazumi announced as she held three fingers as Ritsu facepalmed. The blonde woman stared at her confusedly, but as Ritsu used her hand to smack Kazumi's head, the blonde woman's befuddle turned into a shock, but slowly she felt herself laughing at those two attracting attention to her.
"I'm sorry. You two remind me of old friends of mine."
"And I'm very sorry for my friend's gluttonous behavior." The blonde woman smiled sadly at Kazumi before replying. "Not at all. I had a friend who was a glutton like her." The blonde woman chuckled at the memory.
"I find it cute." Ritsu gave an 'eh' expression as Kazumi rubbed her head, embarrassed.
"Hikari! What's going on?" Another voice occurred as a tall, brown haired woman entered. Her facial expression immediately changed into a sly look when she got her eyes on Kazumi and Ritsu.
"Oh? Two more girls to admire Takezo?" she asked slyly as she moved near them. "He sure is popular."
"A-A-A-Akane-san!"
"Sorry, sorry, couldn't resist." The woman, Akane, stuck her tongue out.
"His break is in 4 minutes. Good luck, ladies." Akane gave wink to both Ritsu and Kazumi before resuming her kitchen duties, leaving Kazumi red as a tomato. "I am so sorry about that." Hikari bowed.
"Don't worry 'bout it. Now, Kazumi, go out there an' give it yer best." Ritsu pushed Kazumi forward. Kazumi swallowed her pride as she walked forward, through the kitchen and behind the alley door. Kazumi inhaled and exhaled before she opened the door carefully and took a peek outside. Sweat started to form all over her body. 'W-w-w-what should I say? Hi, I came across you yesterday morning and I thought you were cute. Aaagh that's so lame! What should I do, what should I do?'
"Také! (1)"
A young woman's voice caught Kazumi's attention outside, where the owner of the voice ran to the boy Kazumi had a crush on. Her heart ached when she noticed who it was; Suzuki Nodoko, the gossip girl from school. The way Kujou talked to Suzuki, it was familiarity, they used each other's first names; it was like they've known each other for a long time. Kazumi carefully closed the door as her hair covered her face. She gently walked, but slowly, through the kitchen and back to the main hall. Ritsu had been talking to that Hikari person ever since she left; Kazumi prayed that Ritsu wouldn't spot her.
"Hey, Kazumi! How'd it go?"
Those words cut Kazumi's heart deeper as she ignored her friend calling for her. She tried her best not to cry in front of the people. Some of them glanced over to Kazumi and asked if she was okay. As she reached outside, her legs sprouted out, and she ran.
"H-h-h-hey, Kazumi!"
Sunset was upon the city. Ritsu had lost track of Kazumi, and Kazumi herself didn't know where she was, but she just kept on walking. The memory of Suzuki talking to her dream boy was a burned image in her head. Every clip of that memory caused tears in Kazumi's eyes. She wanted to cry, but what was the point? It won't make the boy fall in love with her. Mepple hadn't talked to Kazumi since she ran; he knew what was going on and was going to respect Kazumi's private life. But every silence made Mepple worried. They didn't go along, but Kazumi was Mepple's partner, and Mepple cared for his partners.
As Mepple heard a silent cry coming from her caretaker, Mepple couldn't take it any longer, so he popped his head out of his bag.
"Ka-"
"Well, well, well, look who we have here…"
Looking up, she saw a tall, familiar creature. He folded his arms as he smirked at Kazumi. Kazumi glared daggers at him.
"Would you look at that? The legendary warrior, Cure Black is crying!" Bakudan scoffed.
"Leave me alone! I'm not in the mood!" Kazumi said as she passed by him. Bakudan stepped infront of Kazumi and delivered a punch, making her fly into a wall against her will. Blood came out of the side of her mouth as she breathed heavily and opened one of her eye as she gritted her teeth. She stubbornly stood up weakly, cursing through her teeth. Still on her knee, Bakudan approached to her slowly.
"D-d-damn..."
"What is sadness for you humans? Why do you cry when someone dies, when you feel hurt or betrayed?" Bakudan delivered a knee punch at Kazumi, making Kazumi cough and fall to her knees. Bakudan grabbed Kazumi's hair as he raised it to make her look at his face.
"Tell me." Kazumi replied by spitting her own blood at Bakudan, showing disrespect towards him. "Why you…" Bakudan knee punched Kazumi couple of times before he let her go, and Kazumi fell to the ground, her strength gone.
"Do you want to die?"
Kazumi didn't reply, she had trouble catching her breath after the knee punch. Though, after she recovered and was able to breathe normally again, Kazumi looked at Bakugeki only to smirk at him. Bakudan grinded his teeth as he lifted his fist up and aimed it at Kazumi's head to make it a fatal blow.
"Die!"
Bakudan missed his target as the target suddenly moved to his right, among her was some other girl, and they rolled down hill. Eventually they stopped, and the blonde haired girl stood up with her cellphone ready.
"How dare you…How dare you hurt my partner! I will never forgive you!"
"I-Irisawa-san."
"Fujimura-san. Let's transform!"
Kazumi nodded as she stood up weakly.
Dual Aurora Wave!
Emissary of light, Cure Black
Emissary of light, Cure White
We are Pretty Cure!
Servants of the dark power
Return to the darkness from which you came from!
Bakudan gave a tch as he cursed under his breath. Black looked a little worn out from his beating, but she stubbornly refused to fall down. His eyes scanned through nature until he came across a bridge. Smirking, he lifted his arm as he called out.
"Zakenna! Come forward!" The bridge suddenly got covered with a violet aura around it as it started to shape into a monster. Black and White went to a battle stance, waiting for the enemy's first move. The Zakenna Bridge jumped towards them, White jumped away in time, but meanwhile, in the air she couldn't see her partner. Landing softly on the ground, her eyes widened as she saw her partner lying and struggling to breathe.
"Black!"
"Black, what's wrong-mepo?"
Black ignored the little creature as she shakily stood up. The Zakenna smirked; it had just found an easy target to kill. Zakenna delivered a punch, but Black managed to avoid it this time, but as Zakenna delivered another punch, Black got hit. Zakenna approached Black with its heavy steps, but it felt a painful impact on its back as it fell down. As White landed, she immediately ran to her fallen partner.
"Black, are you ok?"
"Black's move isn't the same as usual-mipo" Mipple remarked.
"It's becau-" Mepple stopped. He didn't want to squeal about what happened. Black sat up as White smiled in relief that her partner was okay. But something was off; Black was crying.
"Zakenna!" The Zakenna aimed at the two girls, but White jumped and avoided the attack, carrying Black with her. White put Black down and started to attack the Zakenna.
"Black, you have to fight-mepo!"
Black ignored the little creature. A flash appeared in her mind: Suzuki chatting with Kujou. Fresh tears started to form again as Black curled into a ball.
"Black!" Mepple yelled. Everything started to feel hazy. She could no longer hear Mepple's cries. Not even a shock couldn't snap out of her.
White landed on the ground with her back, cuts and bruises all over the body as Black snapped back to reality. The Zakenna yelled its name, proud of its victory. Black stared at him; anger started to build inside her. Without a notice, Black stood up, and Mepple transformed back into a smart commune and to Black's wrist.
"How dare you…" Black whispered. Zakenna stared at Black, befuddled. Black lifted her head as the Zakenna started to fear her; her eyes showed full hatred towards the Zakenna.
"How dare you?!"
Before Bakudan could even blink, Black was already repeatedly kicking Zakenna's upper body. Bakugeki stood there, frozen. Black finished the Zakenna by delivering a hard punch in the face, making it fall backwards. Black jumped backwards to her partner, where she was sitting up.
"White." White nodded as she held hands with Black.
"Black thunder!"
"White thunder!" White and black thunder struck on their hands as they held it above their heads.
"Our beautiful souls," White spoke
"Shall crush your evil heart." Black finished. They squished the hands tightly as they continued.
"Pretty Cure Marble Screw!" the thunder increased, that destroyed the Zakennas and shattered into small stars. The person dodged it and cursed, peeved while he yelled to the two girls.
"D-d-dammit…I will be back, Pretty Cure!" With that, he disappeared into thin air.
"Irisawa-san, are you ok?" Kazumi immediately asked when they transformed back to normal. "Yes, thanks to you, Fujimura-san."
"Thank goodness…"
"But what was up with you, Kazumi-mipo? Your attacks were slower than usual-mipo."
"…T-t-tha-"
"Fujimura-san!"
"Kazumi!"
The two girls turned their heads towards the owner of the voice as Mepple and Mipple hid inside their bag. Suzuki and Ritsu ran towards them out of breath. Kazumi smiled nervously for all the trouble she had caused them. Ritsu hit Kazumi on the head lightly as she started to scold her.
"Where the hell have you been? I was so worried, idiot!"
No matter how many times Kazumi apologized, Ritsu was still angry at her and kept calling her idiot. Suzuki stepped forward to face Kazumi, and Kazumi turned her head away.
"I understand why you're upset with me. I noticed you running away and I wanted to clear this mistake. I'm not dating Také."
Kazumi's anger disappeared as she looked at the girl, puzzled.
"We've been friends since we were kids. Our personalities are different; he likes sports, and I like studying. Besides…we already told each other we don't feel that way. So." Suzuki took Kazumi's hands as she continued.
"Fujimura-san, you still have a chance. And I hope that you two will end up together."
Kazumi started to tear up again but felt her face was red again. She never imagined that the quiet Shizuka would be so supportive and friendly.
"Alright, I will help you with this, Fujimura-san!" Shizuka exclaimed enthusiastically.
"W-w-w-w-wait a minute, Irisa-" Kazumi was cut off when Shizuka grabbed her arm as they walked together while giggling.
Ritsu and Suzuki followed them behind. Ritsu smiled, yet she still couldn't help but feel sad somehow. Suzuki noticed as she tilted her head to her right. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine…" She looked over to Shizuka and Kazumi. "Just dandy…"
Please leave a review!