Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, in an age of heroes and magic, there was a god and his knight.

The god was not what one would normally call a god, for he was more of an observer than a being of creation and awesome power. However, he was not powerless. As such, the knight was not a normal knight; for she had been blessed by the god, granted powers that allowed her to outperform and outfight any normal warrior. Together, they fought the threats that descended upon Earth, the planet the god was charged with protecting. Slowly but surely, they bested the forces of darkness.

(They fell in love, too.)

And then - at the climax of their war - their true enemy appeared, a dark mirror of Earth’s god. During the desperate battle, the mirror reached out, looked for a weakness, anything he could use against the god and the knight. He could not hurt the god directly, for they were of equal power, but the knight was fair game (as they say). He found their love, her love for him, and twisted it, transforming the knight into a warped reflection of herself full of hatred and malice. It was a desperate gambit, for the god and the knight were a single blow away from defeating him. And defeat him they did, sealing the mirror within a chest never to be opened again. 

But the mirror’s gambit was not completely futile. For when the god looked back at the knight after their victory, eyes sparkling with triumph, the knight did not share his expression. The mirror had done his work well, and the knight did not hesitate as she attacked.

In desperation, unable to break the spell by himself, the god sealed his love away in the chest as well. That chest was passed from country to country, from generation to generation. As time passed, the seal grew weaker. Within, the knight bided her time, waiting for the day somebody would come and open the lid.

-

(...Princess Himelda… please… help me… let me out!)

(A flash, and then her world ends.)

-

Princess Himelda Window Cure Queen of the Blue Sky, better known to others as Hime, awakens with a gasp. It’s okay , she chants to herself, it’s not real. You’re fine, the world is fine, everything is fine. 

(Oh, but it was real at one time, wasn’t it? The nightmare appears more often than not, these days, taunting her, reminding her of her failures, her inabilities-)

She pulls herself out of bed, still shaken. A wonderful smell drifts through the air, and she stumbles downstairs to the embassy’s kitchen in search of the source.

“Good morning, Hime,” is the greeting that comes from the blue-haired man at the stove. A panda-like creature floats next to him humming a tune, her namesake ribbon already atop her head.

“Guh’mornin’, Blue,” she mumbles back. She sniffs the air again, and her exhaustion evaporates as she realizes what she’s been smelling. “Are those pancakes?” Her gaze drifts to what he’s making on the stovetop, and oh yes, those are definitely pancakes! A stack of them already sits on the counter next to the television, which is playing the morning news, and she eagerly reaches for it. There’s syrup as well, and she gladly pours a sizeable amount onto the delicious, fluffy cakes. Blue always makes the best pancakes. Thoughts of her nightmare dissipate into thin air as she focuses on savoring each bite of her favorite food, not even bothering to take a seat at the table by the window.

“You’ll get sick if you eat all those,” Ribbon chides gently, drifting away from her place by the other end of the stove so she can hover next to Hime.

“I don’t care,” Hime retorts, and stuffs another bite of pancake into her mouth. She’s about to continue her argument when the droning of the television  changes into a cheery jingle - another show must be starting!- and she decides to tune into that instead, only to frown as she glances at the picture on the screen.

“CURE PRINCESS CONTINUES LOSING STREAK,” the title at the bottom of the screen reads, and Hime grimaces as a video of Cure Princess - herself - being hit by a Saiark plays. 

“Poor Cure Princess!” the host, a very peppy lady with short brown hair, chirps. “She hasn’t been doing well, has she? She really needs to be stepping up her game… I don’t think she’s taken down a single Saiark!”

I know that , Hime thinks grumpily. You don’t have to rub it in.

Blue must notice her frustration, because he motions her and Ribbon over to the kitchen table, which is far enough away that the television can’t be heard as well. He’s finished cooking by now, and he has his own fluffy stack piled on a plate. 

“Thank you for the pancakes,” she says as she slides into a chair, because even if she can’t defeat a Saiark she still knows how to be polite . She ignores the fact that those two things have no relation to each other at all.

Blue smiles. “I was stopping by and thought, why don’t I do something nice for my favorite Cure Princess?”

“I’m the only Cure Princess,” she shoots back, grinning. Talking with Blue is nice; he’s like the older brother she never had. They bounce off of one another well, she likes to think.

Blue nods in mock seriousness. “Ah, yes. How could I forget?” Sobering up, he asks, “But joking aside, how are you doing?”

Hime knows that Blue’s able to see what she’s been doing ( how she’s been failing ) with his mirrors, but she appreciates that he’s giving her the opportunity to vent. She doesn’t get it much; she’s the only person in the embassy, and while she loves Ribbon it’s different complaining to someone who’s experienced Cure Fortune as compared to someone who hasn’t. “You heard the television,” she grumbles. “Cure Princess bad, Cure Princess is horrible at this, blah blah blah, and then stupid-”

“-CURE FORTUNE!” the TV host yells excitedly, loud enough that the trio can hear it from the table. Hime glares at the television, which is now displaying a photo of Cure Fortune assisting yesterday’s Saiark victim after the battle. The chair screeches loudly as she gets up, stalks over to the television, and flicks it off.

“-stupid Cure Fortune keeps getting on my ass about how I suck and shouldn’t be a Precure if I’m not taking it seriously. But I am taking it seriously! It’s not my fault the Saiarks are terrifying, and then I get scared, and then I end up losing! It’s hard on my own!” she finishes.

“Language,” Ribbon huffs. Hime ignores her as she returns to the table.

“Actually, I was going to speak to you about that - a partner, that is.”

“Are you saying I should ask Cure Fortune?” Hime asks, confused. If he thinks she’s going to reach out to Cure Fortune , of all people-

“No, not her,” Blue says. “But maybe,” and he reaches into his pocket and takes something out, “you could find someone else.”

-

As it turned out, the thing Blue gave her was a rock . A Crystal of Love, he called it. What’s she supposed to do with a rock? How’s she supposed to find someone with it? There are thousands of people in town, where is she supposed to start?

Those questions are how Hime finds herself at the top of one of the tallest towers in Pikarigaoka. Transformed into her Cure form so she could reach the peak, Hime gazes down at the sea of people milling below.

“There’s so many of them,” Ribbon comments while she peeks over the tower’s edge. “How are you going to find someone?”

Hime ponders the crystal in her hand for a second, then throws it as hard as she can. 

Ribbon screeches. “What did you that for!?”

“Whoever it hits is going to be my new partner,” she declares. Ribbon glares at her. “What?” she asks. “I couldn’t think of any better ideas.”

Below, on the sidewalk, a pink-haired girl stops in her tracks upon feeling something thunk onto her head.

-

The girl’s name is Megumi, Hime learns, as she follows her around Pikarigaoka’s shopping district. She’s not stalking, she swears! She’s just observing! She has to make sure Megumi’s a good fit for the role!

And thankfully, Megumi does seem to be a good fit for the role. So far, from what Hime can tell, she’s been out running errands for her mother, she’s on good enough terms with one of the restaurants that they gave her complimentary honey candy, and she helped save a little girl’s hat from floating away in the river with help from two other teens, a brunette boy and a girl with hair the color of caramel. She seems to get along with them well, too.

“Go on, talk to her,” Ribbon urges from where she’s hiding behind a wall alongside Hime. 

“Shh,” Hime mutters, peeking around the wall. Megumi is currently sitting on a bench a little bit away from the wall, cleaning the river water off herself. “I’m getting myself ready. I can’t go into this unprepared.”

“Oh, just do it,” her fairy grumbles, and suddenly there’s a weight crashing into her back and Hime falls forward, no longer protected by the safety of the wall.

“Ow,” she pouts. “That hurt .”

“Oh!” Megumi calls out to her (how did she notice?), “are you okay?” And suddenly there’s a hand reaching out to her (wow she got over here fast), and she takes it, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet, and she looks at Megumi to say thank you , but her words have left her and wow, Megumi is very pretty close up.

“Th-thank you,” Hime manages to gasp out before her face flushes scarlet. Oh, words, why must you fail her now?

“Are you hurt?” Megumi frets. The care she’s showing surprises Hime. They’ve just met, why is she so worried for her?

“N-no, I’m okay, I think,” she squeaks.

They stand there awkwardly for what feels like minutes, but what’s probably just a few seconds, and then Megumi gasps. “I love your dress!” she exclaims. “I’ve never seen someone pull off a doll style like that so well before!”

Fashion? She can talk about fashion! Hime adores fashion; one of her favorite ways to pass the time at the embassy is designing outfits she’d like to wear someday. She isn’t able to get out much, but when she does, she loves to look at all the pretty dresses, it’s how she found the one she’s wearing right now with its white lace and doesn’t it look so gorgeous, the way the ruffles accent the brooch on and- oh no, she just said all of that out loud didn’t she? Way to go, Hime. You’re absolutely failing at this conversation, you just went into way too much detail, she’s not going to want to talk to you anymore. Your chances at having a partner friend are ruined. Quick, salvage it! Compliment her! “I like your outfit, too,” she adds on, and she’s realizes telling the truth. Megumi’s green jacket, yellow shirt, and denim skirt shouldn’t work so well together, but somehow she manages it.

“Really? You really think so?” Megumi exclaims, her smile widening. “I usually just go for clothes that give me ease of movement, and I’m not sure I could pull of a pretty dress…” Then she pauses as if she just realized something. “Oh, I never gave my name! I’m Megumi Aino!” she introduces herself, and wow, Hime feels all warm and fuzzy again. Is this what making a friend feels like?

“Himelda Window Cure Queen of the Blue Sky,” Hime stammers in response. 

“Him… Himel…” 

“Y-you can just call me Hime, if you want…” 

“Hime,” Megumi tries, and oh it sounds so lovely in the tones of her voice. “Well, Hime-”

Before Megumi can finish her sentence, she’s cut off by the sound of an explosion in the distance. Hime watches in horror as a bridge on the horizon is suddenly engulfed in a strange, mold-like substance. The mold’s sickly green tint gleams in the sunlight for a second before becoming obscured by a dust cloud.

Saiark.

Without hesitation, Hime breaks into a run in the direction of the Saiark. Megumi exclaims something, but she doesn’t stop to listen. She has to get there, has to stop the Phantom Empire, has to stop the Saiark. This time I’ll succeed , she tells herself. She has to. She can’t keep failing.

(Megumi watches as the girl, Hime, races down the street. Down the street, she realizes, in the direction of the moldy bridge. What the heck is she doing? she thinks. She’s running towards the attack! And without hesitation, 

The crystal in her pocket shines a little brighter, unnoticed.)

As soon as she’s within the mold-infested area Hime takes out her PreChan Mirror and transforms; with a flash of light and a shout of “Pretty Cure! Kururin Mirror Change!” Himelda of the Blue Sky is replaced by Cure Princess, Pretty Cure of the Wind. 

A glowing blue sphere forms in her hands. “Princess Ball!” she screams, and tosses it in the direction of the Saiark. Sphere and Saiark collide, creating an explosion of dust.

“Good shot!” Ribbon cheers. Hime watches, warily, to see if the Saiark is going to emerge from the dust. Nothing. Her mouth shapes into a grin. She’s done it! She’s no longer the losing Cure! Take that , Cure Fortune! 

Then the dust clears. 

Ka-thump. Ka-thump.

The Saiark stalks towards her, and Hime feels all of her courage drain away as she gets her first actual look at it. It’s huge, and menacing, and its angry red glasses leer at her, despite the fact that the pink dress and ribbon-adorned straw hat it wears shouldn’t make it so threatening. This is what happens every time; she might go into battle with bravery, but as soon as she sees what she’s up against she freezes like a deer in the headlights of a car. They’re so big, and loud, and scary, and-

-she’s so lost in her thoughts that she doesn’t realize that the Saiark has charged at her, has gone through the motions to attack, until she’s flying through the air. She crashes into the earth, hard, and lays there, dazed, on her back. 

“Princess!” Ribbon cries out.

(Faintly, she thinks she hears Megumi screaming her name too, but that can’t be right. Megumi shouldn’t be here, she should be back by the wall and the bench, shouldn’t she?)

With blurry vision she squints at the dark shape she’s landed beside until a coffin-shaped mirror comes into focus. There’s a child trapped inside, the victim of this attack. She looks vaguely familiar, and with a jolt she realizes that it’s the girl whose hat Megumi rescued earlier - the same hat that sits on the Saiark now.

“Ah, Cure Princess! I see you’ve come to continue your losses!”the Saiark’s summoner cackles. Judging by the voice, it’s Namakelder this time. Hime manages to lift herself off the ground just enough to see behind the Saiark, and yep, there’s the tall, thin, grasshopper-esque man she’s unfortunately become very familiar with.

She can’t think of a good response, so she decides to focus on standing up again. She hates how weak she is. It’s embarrassing how she can go down with a single hit. Pathetic , sneers a voice inside her head that sounds suspiciously like Fortune.

“No answer, then? That’s disappointing.” A pause. “Anyways. Where was I?” There’s a smug tone of victory in Namakelder’s voice now. “Oh, yes. Finish her off, Saiark!”

The Saiark moves towards her again. Each step it takes feels agonizingly slow, as if it’s taunting her.

She has failed. And though she despises her, Hime finds herself wishing for Cure Fortune to fly down from the sky, to banish the monster to the heavens, but there is no sign that she’s coming. 

( Mom, Dad, everyone… I’m sorry. I failed you. )

“You’ll be a fine addition to Queen Mirage’s collection, you know. A great centerpiece for conversation.”

A shadow falls across her face, and she tries to prepare herself for the worst.

“STOP!”

Megumi!?

She must be dreaming, because Megumi is indeed standing in front of her, arms spread out in a feeble attempt at protection. She’s out of breath, trembling, and somehow half of her hair has fallen out of its ponytail, but to Hime she’s her knight in shining armor.

And, amazingly, the Saiark stops in its tracks. For a second, it is like a scene frozen in time. Namakelder, on the bridge. Hime, laying on the group. Megumi, defiantly standing in front of her. The Saiark, a mere foot away from where the two girls are.

“Get out of the way, little girl,” Namakelder sneers, and the scene breaks. “Be smart about this, and mind your own business if you know what’s good for you.”

“No, I won’t! I’m tired of you guys going around and hurting everyone! You’ve hurt my friend Seiji, you’ve hurt Mao-” Mao must be the name of the girl with the hat, “and you’re hurting Hime, who is also my friend!”

“Megumi, get out of the way!” Hime hisses. She finally manages to push herself up onto her feet, but as soon as she stands up a wave of dizziness washes over her. Wow, she is definitely not fit to fight, but there’s no way in hell she’s going to let her friend (friend, wow! She’ll reflect on that fact later) get hurt.

“You’ve dug your grave, then,” Namakelder sighs. He’s looking bored by all of this. “Saiark, get rid of the girl. The one with pink hair, not the blue one.”

And then the Saiark reaches out and Hime screams, “ MEGUMI!” and there’s a glow coming from Megumi’s jacket pocket, and then the Saiark staggers backwards as if it’s been burned. Megumi reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a pink rock ( the crystal! How could Hime have forgotten about that? ), and then that pink rock becomes pure light, and when it’s tangible again it’s no longer a rock but a PreChan Mirror and three cards.

The next few minutes are a blur; Hime hears Ribbon shout, “Megumi, transform!” and then Megumi shouts back, “Okay!” and then Hime’s vision is engulfed in pink light.

-

Blue has just finished cleaning up the kitchen from that morning’s breakfast when the decorative mirror on the far wall begins to shine. Ah, a possible Pretty Cure must be appearing, then. 

He turns around so he can fully look into the mirror, which displays the image of a young girl with pink hair in a ponytail. There’s a glowing Crystal of Love in her hand. He can see Cure Princess behind her, the shock of what she’s seeing evident on her face.

It looks like Himelda’s found a partner, then.

(Love destined to save the Earth is born.)

Chapter Text

“The big love spreading throughout the world! Cure Lovely!”

The light recedes, and Hime can see that Megumi’s changed. Her dusty pink hair, still held up in a ponytail, has gotten brighter and grown longer. Her jacket and denim skirt set has been replaced by a blue vest and a skirt similar to Cure Princess’s own, only in pink instead of blue, and white over-the-knee heeled boots cover her legs. The heart-shaped LovePreBrace sits upon her wrist, gleaming in the sunlight.

It’s the uniform of a Pretty Cure.

The Saiark is the first one to recover from the shock, thrusting a fist in the direct of the two girls. Megumi yelps and instinctively pushes her arms out, palms facing forward. Fist meets hands, but instead of Megumi flying backwards from the force, it’s the Saiark that does, bouncing a few times for good measure before landing on its bottom.

“Wow,” Megumi breathes, gazing at her hands. 

She’s strong, Hime thinks to herself. Stronger than me.

“Lovely! Princess!” Ribbon shouts. “Finish it off while it’s still down!”

“Got it!” Megumi yells back, confidently, and before she’s even finished her one-word reply she’s running. The Saiark is in the process of righting itself, but before it can lift itself back onto its feet Megumi leaps into the air and punches it. It goes down again, but it seems to have realized it can do more than hit things, and it takes off its hat and flings it like a flying disc at Megumi. Hime watches as the bow on her back lengthens itself into glowing pink wings, and Megumi soars out of reach of the hat.

“I’m flying!” Megumi shouts in surprise, then yelps as the wings revert back into a bow, causing her to plummet to the ground.

Oh, shit, Hime really should be helping her, shouldn’t she?

With that thought in mind, she rejoins the battle. The Saiark marches towards Megumi, who’s sitting on the ground, unhurt but dizzy. There’s no way Hime will be able to reach her in time, but…

“Princess Tornado!” she shouts, spinning the dial on her LovePreBrace and pushing her arms out. A whirl of air springs up between Megumi and the Saiark, allowing Megumi enough time to recover.

“Now!” Ribbon shouts again.

“Okay!” Megumi nods, then she spins the dial on her own LovePreBrace, causing the crystal in the center to glow a vibrant pink. Light the same color engulfs her arms. The lights fuse together as she spins her arms around one another, forming a gigantic heart. It floats in front of her for a second before she punches it, sending it speeding forward. The Saiark is hit instantly, engulfed by the heart, and starts to rise into the sky. “Love, return to the heavens!” Megumi commands, and then it is gone. Around them, the mold slowly starts to dissolve.

Namakelder says nothing as he surveys his defeat. Instead, he simply frowns and, without moving a muscle, teleports away to wherever the generals like do go when they’re defeated.

The coffin mirror holding the little girl shatters upon Namakelder’s disappearance. She falls forward, thankfully unhurt, and Hime reaches out to catch her before she hits the ground.

“Mao!” Megumi cries out as she runs over to the two. She leans down to Mao’s eye level, and relief flashes across her face as Mao opens her eyes and rights herself. “Mao, are you okay?”

For a split second, confusion flashes across Mao’s brown eyes. Then she gasps. “You guys are Pretty Cure!” 

“Mao!” shouts another voice, and Hime turns her head to the direction it came from. There’s a boy running towards them, and as he gets closer, she realizes that it’s the same boy that helped Megumi rescue Mao’s hat from the river. 

“Seiji!” Ducking around Hime, Mao scampers over to the boy and throws her arms around his waist in a hug. 

Seiji looks at her with concern. “Are you okay?” he asks, just like Megumi had a minute before.

“Yeah!” Mao chirps. She points over to where Hime and Megumi are standing. “The Precures saved me!” 

“Thank you for saving my sister, Precures,” Seiji tells them. Then, to Mao, he says, “Mom wants us to come home. You can tell her all about meeting the Precures when we get back, OK?”

“Take care!” Hime calls back. Megumi gives them a wave.

“This feeling of happiness…” Ribbon murmurs (when did she get next to them?) as she watches the siblings leave the riverbank. “I can sense it within me!” She twists her body to face Hime. “Rub my nose!” she demands.

“Um,” Hime responds, but she does as Ribbon asks. Then, suddenly, light emerges from the circular backpack on the fairy’s back, which forms into a familiar shape.

PreCards!

There’s two of them; as soon as Hime grasps the cards in her hands the light engulfing them fades away to reveal images of outfits. One looks similar to a roller derby uniform, complete with roller skates. The other consists of a red, ruffled dress with a rose of the same color on the skirt. Flowing detached sleeves, also a vibrant red, and black heels adorned with bows on the ankles accent the costume nicely. This card has writing on the side, Hime notices, similar to her Cure transformation card - Cherry Flamenco , it reads.

“My first PreCards…” Hime whispers to herself. No, that’s not right. “Actually,” and here she looks at Megumi, “they’re our PreCards. We’re partners now, after all.”

“Eh?”

Shit, she never told Megumi about the crystal, did she?

Mao tugs at Seiji’s hoodie sleeve. “The pink one knew my name,” she states as they walk away from the bridge.

“Huh?” Seiji asks. Their walk has been silent until this point, both of them lost in thought. The phone in his pocket buzzes, probably another text from Mom asking about Mao. She’s been frantic since the reports of a Saiark sighting started coming in, which worsened once she realized the monster was wearing her daughter’s hat, and he texts back a quick “ she’s ok kinda quiet tho ”.

“The pink one,” Mao repeats. “She said my name. When I woke up.”

“Weird,” Seiji replies, watching another message from Mom come in. “Maybe she’s somebody we know.”

“Ah, well, you see, there was a crystal that was given to me. To help me find a Precure partner. And so I ended up throwing it off a building to see who it’d hit because I didn’t have any better ideas. And it hit you.”

Her new partner’s eyes widen in realization. “So that’s why you were following me around all afternoon!”

Now it’s Hime’s turn to be confused. “Huh?” There’s no way Megumi should know that Cure Princess, the warrior, and Princess Hime, the weird girl she just met, are the same person. A Cure’s identity is sacred. Nobody aside from your teammates (if you have them) should know, as Blue has stressed the importance to her many times. I’ve seen too many lost because they let someone know, and then that someone was put in danger because of their knowledge, he had said. So, usually, Hime’s been very careful. 

“I, um…” Megumi rubs the back of her head sheepishly. “I saw you transform earlier.”

Well, shit.

She decides to drop her transformation (although she checks to make sure there’s nobody else around), because there’s no point in keeping it up if Megumi already knows, is there? Shining light engulfs her body, similar to before, and within seconds she is no longer Cure Princess, but just Himelda. A few moments later, Megumi detransforms as well, leaving the two of them standing there in silence, with only the sound of the gently flowing river filling the air.

Then the Cure Line in her pocket buzzes.

Blue: Hime, do you think you could return to the embassy? Bring Cure Lovely along, please.

She looks up from her phone at Megumi. “Are you free tonight?”

Blue Sky Kingdom’s Japanese embassy is located on a quiet street in a stately mansion of tan brick and blue shingles. The two turrets on either end and peaked roof evoke the architectural style of her home, and every time Hime walks up to it she’s overcome with homesickness. 

The stately wooden door of the embassy creaks as she pushes it open. “I’m back!” she calls into the entry hallway. 

“Welcome back,” greets Blue, as he steps around the corner. “And welcome to the Blue Sky Embassy, Cure Lovely,” he says to Megumi, who’s currently distracted by the elegant detailing and decor within the hall.

Megumi snaps to attention, a sheepish look on her face. “Hi?”

Blue gestures to the hall behind him, where Hime knows a sitting room is located off to the right. “Follow me, please. We have much to discuss.”

“Before we start,” Blue says to Megumi after they’ve all settled on the sitting room’s couches - Hime and Megumi on one, with Ribbon sitting on the armrest next to Hime, while Blue sits on the couch opposite them - “I want to ask you if you’re completely alright with becoming a Pretty Cure. It’s absolutely fine if you’re not comfortable with it. This is a heavy duty.”

Megumi’s hands tighten around the around the PreChanMirror in her lap. “I want to be a Precure.” Her mouth is set in a determined line. “I want to help others. I want to help defeat the Phantom Empire. And I want to be Hime’s partner.”

Hime can only stare at her with admiration. Wow, Megumi’s literally perfect. Strong? Brave? Selfless? Honestly, she’s more than Hime could ever deserve to have as a partner.

“Well then!” chirps Ribbon. “We’ll need to lay down some rules, then, now that you’re a Cure!” She sounds way too happy about this for something so boring. Usually, it’s Blue who explains everything, but Hime absolutely understands why he’s letting Ribbon do it. After hundreds of Cures, it must be a nice break.

“Rule number one!” the fairy says, waving a white paw for emphasis, “Never give out your identity to someone who’s not a Precure!”

Oh, that was absolutely directed at her. Mentally, Hime sends a quick prayer to Axia that Blue will never find out she accidentally gave out her identity to Megumi before Megumi became Cure Lovely.

“Nobody?” The aforementioned girl leans over to look at Ribbon. “I can’t even tell my mom?”

The couch across from Megumi and Hime rustles as Blue sits back. “In the past,” he begins, expression heavy, “the Phantom Empire has manipulated Cures’ relationships with others to their advantage. Do you know of Cure Tender?”

Cure Tender.

The Silver Moon of Pikarigaoka , they had called her. She had made battles look almost effortless with her potent, yet elegant, attacks. Hime had only met her once, shortly after the Blue Sky Kingdom had fallen. Despite her grief, she had been awestruck; it was the first time she had met a Pretty Cure in person. She had been so kind despite knowing what Hime had done  that day, sitting in this very room with Hime as Blue informed her of the Phantom Empire threat. 

“Of course I know Cure Tender,” is Megumi’s answer.

With that confirmation, Blue continues his tale. “Cure Tender was defeated because she told her sister who she was. Then, when that sister followed along to one of her battles, the general who Tender was fighting aimed for her. Tender stepped in his path.”

The room is silent except for the faint sound of a car passing by outside.

“Oh,” Megumi says, voice suddenly very quiet.

Blue didn’t tell Megumi how the story ended, but he didn’t have to. Hime knows how it ended, however, because she was with Blue when he went to the park by Pikarigaoka Junior High that night, the place where that final battle (though both of them had desperately hoped that had not truly been her final fight) took place. There was no sign of Tender; not even her PreChan Mirror was left. And all Hime could think as she starred at the charred grass was, This was my fault.

Ribbon, bless her, tries to salvage the mood. With forced cheer, she continues on. “Rule number two! Don’t use your Precure powers selfishly!”

It seems to work, though, as Megumi perks back up. And so the list goes on, and on, until everybody, except for Ribbon, is yawning. 

“And, finally, once you collect one of every PreCard, you can make a wish!”

 Oh thank Axia, Ribbon’s finally finishing up. 

“Ooo! We’ve also got something for you!” 

Never mind.

(She’s so bored that she doesn’t notice Megumi perk up when Ribbon mentions the wish.)

The fairy gestures her paw out towards Blue like she’s a game show host, and Blue reaches into one of his pockets to take out a device identical to the one Hime received his text on earlier. “This is a Cure Line,” he tells Megumi, who’s looking at the item with obvious wonder.

Megumi reaches out to take the smartphone-esque tool from his grip. “Woah,” she breathes, taking in the Cure Line’s pink shell and polka-dot face surrounding the screen.

“You’ll be able to contact us, and other Precures, using this,” Blue says to her. Megumi seems to take that as her cue to start experimenting with the device, tapping at the screen and pressing the bow-shaped button at the bottom.

“Oh, no,” Megumi suddenly cries after a few moments, setting the Cure Line down and burying her face in her hands. “I was supposed to be home with the groceries an hour ago!” She springs up from her place on the couch, grabbing the Cure Line again. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go!”

“I can show you out!” Hime offers, rising up from the sofa as well. The route to the front door isn’t hard - it’s right around the corner - but she isn’t ready to say goodbye to her new partner yet.

The walk is short enough that they don’t have much time for a conversation. Hime opens the entryway door for the other girl, allowing the fading light of the sun to stream into the hall. 

Megumi steps onto the sidewalk, but instead of leaving she turns around to face Hime. “Are you busy tomorrow?” 

“Um, no,” Hime responds. She isn’t ever busy, really. There’s not much for the exiled princess of the Blue Sky Kingdom to do if she doesn’t want to be recognized in public. It was a miracle she wasn’t recognized today. “Why?”

“Did you want to go shopping with me?”

“Um.” If she goes out to the stores, she’ll definitely be seen by someone , which is something she doesn’t feel like dealing with. The fiftieth “wow you’re the princess, how did you survive, how are you doing,” is no easier than the first. But Megumi’s looking at her, and she really does want to get to know her…

Forget being recognized, actually. She’ll figure out the publicity problem later. Spending time with Megumi’s more important. “I’d love to!”

Megumi beams. “I have to go, but I can message you later!” She cheerfully waves, then turns around and begins down the path, apparently taking that as her cue to leave.

Hime stands there, watching, as Megumi disappears around the treeline. The Cure Line in her pocket buzzes for the second time that day.

Cure Lovely 17:42

see you tomorrow! ^-^ what time were you thinking?

Her heart can’t help but skip a beat at the thought.

Chapter Text

“Hello, my lovely viewers! It’s me, Miyo Masuko, back with another exciting report!”

The woman on the television is practically dancing around her set. She gestures to a screen to her left, and a blurry photo of a girl with a bright pink ponytail appears.

“Rumors are circulating that Pikarigaoka has gained yet another Pretty Cure! According to my very reliable sources, she was first sighted at Kaido Shopping Mall, fighting alongside Cure Princess, though I’ve also heard whispers that she was at the recent bridge attack! Does this mean we’ll finally see Cure Princess score a win, now that she has help?”

The image on the screen changes to a different Cure, this one with curly blonde hair and a blue dress with a white apron. “In other news, Cure Spade took down a Saiark in London…”

Curecord

Cure Earl 7:21

Bonsoir, mes amis!

Cure Southern Cross 7:21

its 5 in the morning here

Cure Earl 7:21

I know that, ma cherie! I just wanted to check in with everybody <3

Cure Sheriff 7:21

ewwwww take the lovey dovey stuff somewhere else

Cure Spade 7:22

Guys guys guys I had a realization!!!!!!

What if the phantom empire is like. doing this for clout

They want popularity and the best way to get popular is the media

Easy way to get media attention is with big flashy spectacles

We the precures are just cogs in the phantom empire clout machine

-> Everybody, please welcome Cure Lovely!

Cure Southern Cross 7:22

OH????

Cure Lovely 7:22

hi!!!

Cure Sheriff 7:22

spade with all due respect what the fuck

Cure Spade 7:23

Why else would they be doing this. They clearly want attention

Cure Earl 7:23

Welcome, Cure Lovely! 

Cure Lovely 7:24 

thank you!!!!! i am very excited to be here!!!!!

Cure Sheriff 7:24

spade no that’s not how that works. that’s not how any of this works

spade. spade. they have said multiple times they want to destroy all love and happiness

Cure Spade 7:24

For clout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cure Earl 7:24

@Cure Spade @Cure Sheriff Take it to private messages, please.

Cure Southern Cross 7:25

so lovely where u from? havent seen u on news yet

Cure Lovely 7:25

japan!!! i’m cure princess’s new teammate :) 

Cure Desert Rose 7:25

oh Cure Princess! how is she? she’s never spoken in here so all we know is from the news

Cure Southern Cross 7:26

is fortune as stuck up as the clips seem 2 make her

Cure Lovely 7:26

princess is doing fine!!! also i don’t know i haven’t met fortune yet

Cure Southern Cross 7:27

shame i wanted the deets 

DM: Cure Princess

Cure Lovely 4:20

hime you should talk in the general chat

Cure Princess 4:20

no

Cure Lovely 4:20

why not

Cure Princess 4:21

masuko’s precure hour reminds me enough already that i’m bad at this. i don’t need more reminders

Cure Lovely 4:21

you’re not bad at this!!!!

and they’re really nice!!! i’m sure they care about you. they were asking me about you when i said i was your partner

anyways i think you should try 

Cure Princess 4:29

i’ll think about it

by the way, i wanted to say thanks for the shopping trip yesterday

it was fun even if it got interrupted by namakelder

Cure Lovely 4:29

np!!!!

“Pretty Cure, Passion Dynamite!”

The Choiarks piled on top of Hime are violently blown away in a sudden blast of flame. “Thanks,” she gasps to Megumi as she picks herself up off the ground.

This is the first time she’s seen Choiarks in any of their battles, though she’s heard rumors of them popping up in other countries. But even though they’re a lot smaller than a regular Saiark, she’s still not having any luck. 

With the Choiarks out of the way, the red flamenco dress adorning Megumi disappears in a flash of red light, replaced by her normal Cure uniform. Cherry Flamenco is still the only attack PreCard they’ve got so far, and it’s ended up unofficially belonging to Hime’s partner. Which, to be honest to herself, is fair. It was Megumi who defeated the Saiark that granted them that card, after all. 

Just, her brain whispers, just like how she’s defeated every Saiark they’ve battled since, and you still can’t make a scratch.

“Look out, Pikarigaoka! The Choiarks are among us!”

Next to Miyo, her ever-present television displays a group of Saiark-esque monsters in fighting stances. The biggest difference, however, is that they’re much smaller than the average Saiark.

“But don’t fear! Cure Lovely was there to save the day!”

The display changes to shaky footage of the recent battle; Cure Princess is barely visible as she struggles under a mass of Choiarks. An explosion lights up the screen and the camera rapidly pans over to Cure Lovely, clad in her Cherry Flamenco form. 

“ Pretty Cure Passion Dynamite made another appearance! I haven’t seen an attack like that since Cure Tender…”

DM: Cure Southern Cross

Cure Southern Cross 3:00

yo lovey 

any luck with princess?

Cure Lovely 3:31

no, sorry!! i did ask her though!!

i can ask her about it again if you want!

Cure Southern Cross 3:39

thats ok, no worries

dw about it it’s no big deal

The Detective PreCard is one of their best cards yet, Hime decides, gazing upon the plaid fabric that pairs wonderfully with the frills of the outfit. Truly, it is a work of art, she is forever in Megumi’s debt for this-

“Hey, Hime, what’re you gonna wish for?”

Hime glances down from the smooth vinyl couch she’s laying on to look at Megumi, who looks back at her from her position on the sitting room floor. The binder with their PreCards - five so far, if one counts Cherry Flamenco in with the set of outfits - sits open in front of her.

Megumi seems to take her lack of an answer as confusion, and hurriedly adds, “Ribbon said that if we got one of every PreCard, we’d be able to make a wish…”

She frowns, fidgets with the Detective PreCard, and answers, “I want to free my parents.” She fiddles with the PreCard again, and she can’t think of anything else to say, except, “I miss them.”

She misses her mother’s laugh, her father congratulating her on finishing a design. She misses wandering into her mother’s study after a long day, asking her for help on her schoolwork. She misses home . Blue is nice, Ribbon is nice, Megumi is wonderful, but none of them can replace the people she’s lost. 

But enough of that, she thinks, realizing her eyes have become wet. Time to get off that subject. She shifts on the couch so she can lay on her stomach. “What would you wish for?”

“I’m going to wish the Phantom Empire away.”

Hime frowns. “The wish doesn’t have enough power for that. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh. Um,” A pink flush spreads across Megumi’s face and she plucks at the rug in contemplation. “My mom’s been sick. So I think I want to wish for her to get better, then, if it can do that.”

Huh. That’s really noble of her. Here Hime is, wanting her parents back because she misses them, while Megumi is willing to give up her wish to help her mother.

Megumi is truly the perfect Precure, isn’t she?

DM: Cure Lovely

Cure Lovely 12:01

we need a team name!!!!!!

Cure Princess 8:59

megumi why did you text me at 12 am

Cure Lovely 9:00

because we need a team name!!!

do you want to hear my ideas

Cure Princess 9:00

fine

Cure Lovely 9:01

mirror change pretty cure!!!

Cure Princess 9:03

no

Cure Lovely 9:04

shining hearts pretty cure

Cure Princess 9:04

eh

Cure Lovely 9:05

royal touch pretty cure. because you’re cure princess. 

Cure Princess 9:05

i’ll think about it

“Checking in with our very own Pikarigaoka Cures, it looks like Lovely’s scored another win! Isn’t she the coolest!?”

Pause, then zoom in.

“But it looks like Cure Princess might not be thinking the same thing! She’s looking pretty frustrated here, isn’t she? We can only guess what’s going through her mind…”

Hime flops onto her bed and sighs. An entire month since Cure Lovely debuted, and she’s still not any better. Five Saiarks, and Lovely’s done most of the work defeating them. 

She’s still the loser Cure, and the realization stings.

Megumi doesn’t deserve a partner like her. She needs someone who can actually help, who can actually win battles, who isn’t the laughingstock of the media (not that she looks at most media these days, but Masuko’s show is enough to tell her what they’re thinking)

Megumi deserves someone else, and she’s opening up her Cure Line to message her, but as she hovers her fingers over the keyboard she hesitates.

The Cure Line clunks softly as she sets it on her nightstand. 

She doesn’t want to confront her, she’s never been good with that sort of stuff, but if she just doesn’t talk to her… maybe Megumi will get the hint?

(She stubbornly ignores the voice in her head that tells her this is a horrible idea.)

Chapter Text

DM: Cure Lovely

Cure Lovely 6:01

hi hime!!! 

i wanted to ask you something!!!!

Cure Lovely 1:29

hime?

Cure Lovely 4:00

i stopped by the embassy but ribbon said you weren’t feeling well?

Cure Lovely 12:56

hime please respond!

Cure Lovely 8:29

hime????

-

She’s lying on her bed when the phone on her nightstand buzzes for what feels like the hundredth time in the past few days. She doesn’t have to look at the screen to know that it’s Megumi again. There’s nobody else who’d be messaging her anyways, barring Blue, and Blue doesn’t text often in the first place. 

She can’t believe Megumi hasn’t given up yet. For someone so good with people, she doesn’t seem to be getting the hint. It would be endearing if she didn’t want Megumi to just go away so she doesn’t have to think about her anymore.

Unfortunately, however, she’s still thinking about her ex-partner ( is it “ex” if you never told her? ) when her bedroom door creaks open. Hime can’t see who it is, but she can hear little feet softly patter across the hardwood floor, so it must be Ribbon. Her suspicions are confirmed when she feels the comforter barely dip beside her a few seconds later.

“You should get up,” Ribbon chides. “You’ve been in here all day.”

“Mmmph,” she grumbles into her pillow. “Tryin’ to sleep.” Which isn’t a lie! She hasn’t been sleeping well the past few days! It’s not her fault the nightmares have returned and keep her up at night!

Ribbon sighs. “You can’t keep hiding in your room, Hime.”

“Yes I can,” Hime mumbles into her chicken pillow. It’s so soft, she could stay on it forever. Which is what she was trying to do before Ribbon came in.

“No, you can’t! Because I’ve got a job for you!”

She buries herself deeper into the pillow so she doesn’t have to respond. 

“Oh, come on! ” is the only warning Hime gets before a furry mass slams into her, attempting to push her off her bed. “Get up! This isn’t healthy! You can’t keep hiding away in your room! I don’t know what’s going on with you and Megumi, but it’s no excuse to hide away from the world!”

The Cure Line buzzes again. “Fine,” Hime huffs, glaring at the offending object. “What do you want?”

“We’re running low on food,” Ribbon tells her. “If you want dinner, you’re going to get us groceries.”

The Cure Line buzzes a third time. Hime sighs. “Give me a PreCard.”

Maybe Ribbon’s right that going outside will get Megumi off her mind.

-

Going outside did not, in fact, get Megumi off her mind.

When she turns onto the street where all the shops are located, she realizes it’s the street where she met Megumi for the first time. 

The universe must be taunting her.

With a sigh, she digs the shopping list given to her by Ribbon out of her shorts pocket. None of the PreCards they’ve obtained work well for casual wear, so she picked the soccer player card because it was the closest she could get. It’s better than the roller skater card. Using that card to go shopping with Megumi ( stop thinking of her! ) had been such a pain. 

Well then. Back on track. She’s at the supermarket, and as she heads inside she checks the list again. Ribbon wanted carrots, eggs, broccoli ( ew ), rice, meat…

Selecting the items and stammering her way through an interaction with the cashier does offer a bit of a distraction, but her thoughts drift back to her former partner as she exits the shop through its sliding doors. 

Axia, she misses her. 

She slumps down on a bench nearby, watching the river on the opposite end of the street lazily drift along. Oh god, she’s messed up. 

But it’s not like she can simply text Megumi to apologize, can she? She’s probably livid, wondering why Hime’s been ignoring her. She can’t just barge in with, “hey i know i’ve been ignoring you the past few days!! what’s up-”

“Would you like to try some candy?”

She lets out an ungraceful squeak, surprised by the sudden voice. When she looks up, there’s a girl around her age standing beside the bench, outstretched arm presenting a bowl filled with little golden spheres. She looks familiar, but Hime can’t remember where she’s seen her before.

“U-um,” Hime stammers. Quick, think! What’s the best response to this interaction? “Sure?”

The other girl beams in response as she plops a candy into Hime’s hand. “Here you go!”

Cautiously, she sticks the candy in her mouth and chews. Her apprehension melts away when a pleasant honey flavor spreads across her tongue. She can’t help but smile at the taste. “It’s good,” she tells the sample-giver.

“I’m glad you like it!” the other girl chirps, sitting down on the bench next to Hime. “If you ever want more, you can find them at the Oomori Family Restaurant down the street!” She points at a cheery-looking stall with a green awning a few stores down from the supermarket. 

The two of them are still looking when a group of girls walk up to the stall’s ordering window, and Hime frowns as she sees a flash of pink hair, but it’s the wrong shade, it can’t be Megumi-

“Are you alright?” 

-and her train of thought is broken as Omori Restaurant Girl shifts into her line of sight, blocking her view of the stall. 

“I’m fine,” Hime responds, even though it’s probably obvious that she isn’t.

Restaurant Girl frowns, clear concern in her brown eyes. “You don’t look fine.”

“I am, really,” Hime attempts to assure her. “I just… I just thought I saw someone I knew.” Restaurant Girl says nothing, and Hime takes her silence as a cue that Restaurant Girl wants her to continue her story. 

And with a jolt, Hime realizes that she does want to continue. Because keeping her problems to herself hasn’t done her any good. It’s how she got into this position in the first place.

So maybe talking with someone else will. 

And so she spills.

“I was, well, partnered up with someone for a -” can’t really say you’re a Precure, keep it vague, “-project, and. Well. She was a lot better at it than me. And people kept pointing out how much better she was at it than me. And it frustrated me a lot, because I already felt like I was useless, and so eventually I decided she’d be better off without me, but I’m not good at confrontation, so I decided I’d just ignore her and hope she’d move on? But I miss her, and I think I’ve made a mistake, and I want to talk to her again, but she’s probably super mad at me, so I don’t know how to talk to her?”

That was a lot at once. Oops.

But Restaurant Girl doesn’t seem phased by her outburst. Instead, she looks thoughtful. “I’ve never been in that situation before, but one of my best friends is currently going through something like that right now, but from the other side. Apparently an online friend of hers suddenly won’t respond to her messages. She’s been really worried about it. So, if your project partner is anything like my friend, I would just message her! They’ll probably be relieved to hear from you.” She flushes. “Sorry for the unwanted advice! I should have asked!”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Hime responds, hoping that her tone is reassuring enough. “I think I needed advice!” She reaches into her pocket for the Cure Line. “In fact, I think I’m going to message her right now!” 

The Cure Line is not in her pocket. Right. She had left it at the embassy, because Megumi wouldn’t stop messaging her.

She quickly gets up from the bench. “I left it at home, so I’m going to get it!” She tells Restaurant Girl. “Thank you, ah,”

“Yuko!” Restaurant Girl ( Yuko ) tells her. “Yuko Oomori!”

Hime grabs the grocery bags and sets off in the direction of the embassy. “Thank you, Yuko!” 

Wow, Ribbon was right! Going outside really did help!

-

(“Your happiness from helping a total stranger… ugh, what a joke! Come on out, Saiark!”)

-

Hime hasn’t even left the street when she hears an explosion and the sound of screaming behind her, and then suddenly there’s massive desserts appearing everywhere. She yelps as she nearly trips over a dainty-looking piece of cake.

Turning around, she sees a massive Saiark in the middle of the road that looks as if it’s made out of Yuko’s honey candy, and her horrible suspicion is confirmed when she sees the coffin-shaped mirror holding a girl with caramel-brown hair wearing yellow overalls.

She reaches for her PreChan Mirror.

-

“Cure Princess! I’m delighted to see you! I had been hoping to prove myself against Lovely or Fortune, but I guess you’ll have to do for now…”

The Phantom Empire general isn’t Namakelder. Instead, it’s a lady with frosty blue curls and a frilly pink dress. 

“I’m sure you’re wondering why Namakelder isn’t here today! You see, Queen Mirage hasn’t been impressed with his performance lately, even after she allowed him the use of Choiarks! So I, Hosshiwa, have come instead!”

She hadn’t really been wondering, no. 

“Now, prepare yourself! Saiark, attack!”

The Saiark charges towards her at Hosshiwa’s command, sticky globs of something - candy? - shooting from its arm. Hime just barely manages to get out of the way, grimacing as a glob grazes her and sticks to one of her pigtails.

She lands shakily on the side of the street. The Saiark lifts its arm cannon again, ready to fire, and Hime frantically spins the dial on her LovePreBrace. “Princess Tornado!” she shouts, sending a spiral of wind towards the incoming barrage. 

The attack, thankfully, hits, and Hime sighs in relief as the candy globs are blown in the opposite direction. But she knows it’s not enough. 

“Lovely Beam!”

A cloud of smoke fans out behind the Saiark, which collapses. Megumi, transformed into Cure Lovely, stands behind it.

Her face lights up when she spots Hime. “Princess!” she shouts, leaping over the downed Saiark and wrapping her arms around Hime.

She had so many things she wanted to say to Megumi, but now that they’re face-to-face, her voice is failing her. 

Megumi doesn’t wait for a reply. With her arms still around Hime, she cries, “I was so worried about you! I didn’t hear from you for days! I thought something was wrong!”

Oh, Yuko was right, she thinks, but she isn’t able to dwell on it, because out of the corner of her eye, she sees the Saiark shift. “Lovely,” she mutters.

But Megumi isn’t listening. “I didn’t know where you were, I came over but Ribbon said you felt sick, but last you were sick you still-”

The Saiark rises to its feet.

“ Lovely! ” Hime yells, and then she’s yanking Megumi behind a massive sundae-rock-thing as the Saiark fires again, dust flying up as the honey projectiles slam against the sundae.

“Thanks,” Megumi coughs. The firing has stopped, and she peeks out from behind the barrier to see what the Saiark is doing. Apparently satisfied that it’s not about to fire again, she stands up.  “But seriously, where were you?”

She’s still on this???

“Can’t we talk about this later?” 

“No!” Megumi shouts. “I don’t want you to disappear again!”

“I’m not!” Hime shouts back.

Megumi charges at the Saiark, launching herself into a flying kick. “Then why have you been avoiding me? Was it something I did? Because if it was because of me, just tell me!”

“No!” Hime yells back. “It’s not because of you! It’s because of me!” She dodges the Saiark’s fist. “Because I felt like I was useless! I haven’t been able to finish off a single Saiark! The television is constantly reminding me how bad I am at this! So,” she sighs, “So I thought I was dragging you down. I thought if I stopped talking to you you’d find someone else.”

Megumi’s kick lands on the Saiark. Megumi, however, apparently has not considered that the Saiark is covered in honey. Honey that has proved to stick to anything it makes contact with.

“I- You’re not useless!” Megumi screams as she struggles to free herself. “And I don’t want a different partner! I want you !” 

For the second time that day, her words fail her.

“It doesn’t matter to me how ‘good’ of a Precure you are! I don’t want a different partner!” She smiles. “I like you for you, Princess. And besides,” she laughs, shrugging a little, “I don’t think I could do this on my own, either.”

Hosshiwa clears her throat, startling Hime. She’d completely forgot the general was there. “I hate to interrupt this heart-to-heart,” she smirks, “but Queen Mirage wanted me to make this quick.”

With a flick of her hand, the Saiark charges forward, cannon at the ready. Think, Hime, think! What could take it down?

If they can’t directly attack it… 

She jumps out of the way of another projectile. That’s it! Spinning the dial on her LovePreBrace again, she shouts, “Princess Bullet Machine Gun!”

Blue discs appear on her hands, and she thrusts her hands forward. The discs break into tiny pieces, aiming themselves at the Saiark one after another.

Lovely Beam must have damaged it more than they thought, because her attack is enough that the Saiark falls.

“What are you doing!?” screams Hosshiwa. “Get up!”

The Saiark only whimpers in response.

A blue light shines from Hime’s LovePreBrace. She’s seen this before with Fortune’s and Lovely’s Braces when the fight is nearing its end, which means…

She taps her hand against the crystal heart in the center of the LovePreBrace. “Pretty Cure!” she shouts as the light shoots out of her weapon, forming the shape of a circular target, which she punches. “Blue Courage Shoot!”

The circles hit the Saiark, which begins to rise into the air as it’s engulfed in light.

“Courage!” Hime commands, just like she’s seen the others do. “Return to the heavens!”

And the Saiark is gone, Hosshiwa disappears, and the area returns to normal, how it looked before the attack. 

“Princess!” Megumi yells, running over and hugging Hime for the second time that day. “You did it!”

“Ow…”

 Oh! Yuko!

Megumi sits down on the bench next to her. “Are you alright, Y- uh, miss?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry!” Yuko chirps. “My head’s just a little sore, I think!” Her eyes widen, realizing just who is talking to her. “Did I…?”

Megumi nods.

Yuko lets out a sigh. “I knew it’d happen eventually,” she says quietly, though she doesn’t sound upset. “Wait!” she adds on. “Could I get an autograph?”

Hime blinks. Nobody’s ever asked them for an autograph before.

“It’s not for me!” Yuko adds on. “One of my best friends is a huge fan!”

She’s not sure what the expression on Megumi’s face is, but whatever it is, it’s unreadable. “Y-yeah,” Megumi chokes out. “We don’t have a pen, though.”

“Wait here!” Yuko tells them, and suddenly the brunette has left run down to a stall with a green awning - her family’s shop , Hime recalls - before returning with a napkin and a marker. “I couldn’t find any paper, sorry!”

Yuko hands the marker to Megumi, who studies the napkin with unusual intensity before finally scribbling a signature. She passes the marker to Hime, and she writes “Cure Princess” in elegant script, adding a tiny drawing of a wing at the end for a flourish. 

“Thank you!” Yuko exclaims when they pass the napkin back to her. “Megumi’s going to love this!”

MEGUMI!?

Of course that’s why she looked so familiar, she was the girl at the river with Megumi that day! The universe truly is out to get her today. Of course the person she talked to was Megumi’s best friend!

“We need to go now, take care!” Megumi stammers awkwardly to Yuko, taking ahold of Hime’s hand to drag her away. “Bye!”

Yuko gives them a wave. “Thanks again!”

-

She doesn’t manage to get back to her room until after dinner. She picks the Cure Line up from her nightstand, grimacing at the amount of messages from Megumi, when a next text comes in.

DM: Cure Lovely 

Cure Princess 7:26

i’m sorry about. well. everything

i have reflected on my actions. it was stupid of me

Cure Lovely 7:27

please don’t think i was mad at you today!!

i promise i’m not!!

i thought i had made you upset and that you didn’t want to be friends anymore!!

Cure Princess 7:28

no not at all i was mad at myself you did nothing wrong

and i shouldn’t have done that to you

Cure Lovely 7:28

i’m just glad you’re okay :)

“The happy feeling of reconciliation with a friend…” Ribbon says, startling her. “They’re overflowing!” And Hime knows what comes next, so she reaches out to rub Ribbon’s nose. Light spills out from Ribbon’s backpack, solidifying into two sets of PreCards.

Sherbet Ballet , the title of the first one reads, comprised of a purple ballet uniform paired with ballet slippers. Teacher is apparently the name of the second PreCard, sporting a fashionable blazer and three-quarter-length pants. 

One step closer to their wishes.

Her Cure Line buzzes again, and she picks it up to see another message from Megumi.

Cure Lovely 7:29

btw did you want to join me and my friends for ice cream tomorrow???

-

The bell above the door of the shop tinkles merrily as Hime enters. She spots Megumi immediately, situated at a table in the back with Yuko and a brown-haired boy, all still wearing their cream and red uniforms that declare them students at the local middle school. A look of surprise flashes across Megumi’s face when she sees Hime, but she eagerly waves her over.

“This is my friend Hime! The one I told you about!”

“Megumi,” the boy says, “that’s Princess Himelda.”

“I told you her name was Hime!”

“The princess of the Blue Sky! Who hasn’t been seen in months! How’d you even meet her?”

 Before Megumi and Seiji can start bickering, Yuko interjects. “It’s nice to meet you, Himelda!” 

“Y-you can just call me Hime!” Hime stammers, feeling the heat rush to her face. 

“Seiji,” the boy introduces himself. “Honestly, we thought you didn’t exist.”

It’s a bit later, when Yuko and Seiji are engrossed in a discussion of their own, that Megumi whispers to her, “You didn’t use a PreCard.”

“I feel like I’ve been avoiding the world long enough,” she says. And it’s the truth. Last night, as she was thinking about the upcoming meeting with Megumi’s friends, she had wondered which PreCard to use. And then she had realized that she’s been using the PreCards to hide.

Every time she’s had a problem - Megumi, the other Cures, the world - her solution has been hiding away. It hasn’t been doing her any good.

So, she tells herself, maybe she’ll try to step outside for once.

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Curecord

Cure Princess 11:00

hi