Pretty Cure Fan Fiction ❯ A Mirror Darkly ❯ Chapter 8

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Cure Ace collapsed onto her hands and knees as soon as Cure Passion released her. "Ugh...I hate this�"She could have been referring to the room. It was an old, old western-style mansion, something that could have come straight from Paris in the nineteenth century. Wood panels, preserved flowers in fine vases, chairs and couches made only from real wood and leather, and of course a western garden to match the Yotsuba's. The lone butler had done everything he could to spruce the place up, in anticipation of the need to care for all the Cures going in and out. The dust was gone, power restored to most of the rooms, and lamps where they could be quickly put, but that wasn't really enough to overcome the gloom of such a huge mansion being home to two people most of the year, and four on the rare occasions that the Minazuki family could reunite.That wasn't it, however. She pushed away a water bottle that someone held up in front of her as her body shrank down, returning to the form of Aguri. "What are they doing? An attack every few hours. . . I can't keep up." She looked up to try to register what was going on - the never-ending parade of rotating Cures trying to keep the city under control was leaving her dizzy. Minazuki Karen was present, since it was her house. It looked like Hojo Hibiki and Minamoto Kanade were the ones currently managing the snacks."Aguri, kid." Passion - no, Setsuna, sat down next to her. "Are you and Ai-chan all right? I can try to get them off the train again...maybe some of them will have powers that work."Ai-chan, the baby-like faerie that was her partner, floated up behind her worriedly. "Kyupuri?" Aguri's head dropped as she registered the sympathetic tone from her partner."Last time you tried that didn't you end up in a river?" Aguri pushed herself up to a sitting position. "They took a super-express line?""Yeah," Hibiki had picked up her phone just to be sure. "It'll be hours before they stop again."Setsuna just sighed. "I'm sorry. I've never had trouble with Akarun before. I don't know why I can't land on a moving. . . oh."Aguri sighed and took the bottle, and a long pull from it. "I'm sorry. They at least know to get off, right?""Yes, but that still leaves three hours. Probably three more attacks." Hibiki glanced out the window. "You gonna make it?""If I don't, this world gets overrun," Aguri nodded. "We'll make it."Kanade grinned. "Good. Here, have a cupcake,"At that moment, Setuna's phone rang. "Hello�.MR. KAORU!?"<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />"My name is Aida Mana. I have information that may be of use to you," the pale girl repeated, when no one made a move.Mana and Makoto were the first to finally come up with a reaction to the sudden appearance of the stranger. Simultaneously, they reached out to grab Gemini to start to drag her from the room, but she was having none of it. "What's wrong with you two? This is obviously a fake! Something they cooked up that was meant to - "Nagisa kept her pistol leveled directly at the intruder. "Hands where I can see them! Turn out your pockets and turn all the way around as quickly as you can." Hikari and Honoka recognized the order and made sure to crane their heads to see the girl from all angles as she obeyed the commands. "...no faerie or cell phone," Nagisa was forced to admit, slowly lowering her gun.The pale mirror of Mana stepped into the apartment. "I must apologize. I was under the impression that you knew. This explains much of Rikka's - " her voice trailed off as she recognized the named person. "Perhaps someone should inform me of the conventions in use. This could get confusing." Everyone shuddered at the emotionless way every word was delivered.Alice took a deep breath. This was the most unusual thing she had seen on this trip, and that was saying a lot. There was no reason to be rude about it, though. "Well, for the most part, if there's two of a person the one on this side uses their Cure name."The newest doppleganger tilted her head as she considered the proposal for a moment. "That will not work. I'm not a Precure anymore, and in any event Miss Aida and Miss Gemini have more right to the name than I do, on account of wanting it more. Give me a moment." It was with some bemusement that they watched her draw the kanji of her name on her hand, pause, tilt her head again, and then look up. "I am Aida Shika," she finally declared."You're not 'Aida' anyone!" Gemini's sarcasm could bludgeon a Jikochuu into unconsciousness, but there was an undercurrent to it that set Mana completely on edge. It was like watching a person being turned into a Jikochuu, but somehow horribly slowed down.Shika looked squarely at Regina and Sagittarius. "You did not tell her, and she does not remember."Gemini snapped. "We're not buying it, whoever you are! Get out of here!"Regina, however, spoke up. "No, she doesn't."Gemini smirked triumphantly in a most un-Mana like way. "There, you see, now get out of what did you say?" The last was a complete deadpan. ". . . Regina. . . Alice. . . what do I not remember?" Mana desperately searched for something- anything - to say to stop the horror from coming to pass. To spare her other selves.Regina gulped and started looking at the closed window as if she wanted very much to crash through it and fall to the ground. "What do you remember about the night Rune attacked us?""A sniper took a shot at me, missed. . . then we . . . " Gemini's eyes widened in terror as the memory started to come back. ". . . no. . . no, that's not what happened! He missed! He missed!"A hand landed on Gemini's back, and she suddenly turned to sob into Mana's chest. . . only to realize instead she had embraced the newly-dubbed Shika. And there was something else. She had hugged a great many people before her life had turned upside down. She would almost have expected Shika's body to be colder than normal, but she seemed almost normal. Almost. Gemini brought her hand quickly up to Shika's neck, feeling. "No pulse. Even Jikochuu victims have a pulse, the Psyche isn't really their heart.""You were mistaken that night. Your heart was pierced by the bullet. It was still pumping blood, but there was no way to save it in the long term. The one in my chest is a cybernetic replacement. The most advanced in the world," Shika explained. "But a cybernetic heart does not beat. Even if it adjusts to the need for oxygen in your bloodstream, it only provides a steady flow."Gemini pushed Shika against the wall, and then drew her sword, pointing it at Regina. "What happened to me!? WHAT AM I?!""Calm down!" Mana grabbed Gemini by the shoulders and gently shook her. "There's no need for violence, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all this!"Regina edged towards the door, but Rikka slammed it shut. She started toward the window, but Alice grabbed her wrist and tripped her right back into a sitting position on a cushion. Denied her exit, the Jikochuu princess sighed in defeat. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this." She choked back a short sob. "I'll start from where your memory gets fuzzy. It was Alice the sniper was trying to shoot, not you. . . "<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Sharuru and Lance screamed in sudden pain before going completely inert, returning to their faerie forms.Alice's eyes widened in terror when a red dot appeared on her chest�Regina blinked in puzzlement at the strange man with the long red flashlight in front of her in the window�Mana screamed and leaped to push Alice aside...Rune turned to shout something that might have been 'hold fire' but it was drowned out by the report of the sniper's shot.Alice's eyes went wide as she fell to the ground, Mana's head landing on the concrete next to her. "...no�" She simply could not believe it. She had personally read the reports, of course. All the news her father had been ordered not to publish. The occasional 'accident' when a soldier got too enthusiastic about dealing with the monsters the bullets couldn't hurt.But that happened to other people. People who lived in the Quarantine Zones...like Tokyo was now. It had been so long since the Quarantine had gone up. She had stayed out of loyalty to her friends, hadn't seen her father in person in almost three years.And Mana had now paid the ultimate price. Regina was on the ground, attempting to pick Mana's head up. Rune knelt on the ground as well, pale. But Alice couldn't move. "H..how�"Everyone was amazed when it was Mana who spoke. "I...I'm feeling light headed. Guess it's probably blood loss. He missed my heart, at least...heh, Heart without a heart...that would be funny.""Don't try to talk, Mana!" Rune leaned in. "We're gonna get you to a hospital, you'll be okay�"Regina was just staring. "What's...what's going on?"Mana pushed Rune back, letting Regina cradle her head. "Regina...I don't think we ever got around to explaining death�.I'm�.going to go to sleep soon.""...oh, that's a reli-""And I'm not going to wake up." Mana finished. "I'm...losing a lot of blood."Regina tried to grin. "Well, that's just silly. If you need more there's plenty here." She made a wide gesture to the crowd of soldiers. There was the sound of safeties clicking off, but a single glare from Rune promised icy death to anyone who pulled a trigger again."Wonderful...on top of being a faerie, she's a vampire." Mana giggled. "Oh, yeah, delirium�.you know, it hurts but this isn't as bad as I'd thought. No, Regina...that won't work...I...I think I have to go now�""Mana!" Rune shouted at her again. "Stop it! If you just stay quiet we can fix you up back at the Garden! You'll be good as new!"Mana gave Rune a glare. "Quiet. I...need to give Regina one...last lesson�" Rune fell back onto her hands, scrambling away slightly at the rebuke. Mana turned her head weakly back to Regina. "There was...so much I wanted to say�""Mana...my chest...why does it hurt so much?" Regina asked.Mana's smile brightened. "Maybe�.maybe there's not so much to teach...you finally...figured it out�""What is it?" Regina screamed. "Please!""...it's love, Regina. It shows you care about me." Mana's eyes started to close. "About us...all your friends�""So...that's what...Mana...please...I love you�" Tears began to fall."I...I'd love to." Mana's eyes closed. Tears formed in her closed eyes, as she started to cry. Darkness seemed to close in around her. The soldiers and Jikochuu faded from her perception first, but soon Rikka, and then Alice were gone too, and the only thing left in her world was Regina. But she knew it wouldn't be more than a few more moments with this girl. The most important thing she had ever done, to teach this person holding her hand love. And she wouldn't be around to experience it with her. "I...don't want to go!"Regina's eyes widened, as for the first time, she felt the faintest pulse of darkness come from Mana's heart. There wasn't any time...maybe it wouldn't help...her father would be furious if it worked, saving a Precure. It would be torture, but�there really wasn't a choice. "Don't worry, Mana. This is the last time I'll ever, ever do this to anyone, but for you�.I'll make your wish come true."Rune, Alice, and even the Jikochuu who had been watching silently all suddenly understood the significance of the words, and the snapping of the fingers that followed. A pink heart with a pair of angel's wings, with just the tiniest smudge of a thumbprint rose from the now-dead Mana's chest. It fluttered between Regina's hands, where she clasped it to her chest with tears in her eyes."I'll make you whole again."Rune screamed as she realized what was happening. "Bitch! How dare you?"Regina heard this and stood up. "How dare I? You were her friend, and you did this to her! I'm trying to fix this! She doesn't need a human body anymore!"Rune flinched as if she'd been slapped, but her mind focused on one word. 'Human'. Whatever was happening, Mana wouldn't be human. "You just wanted to make her a monster all along! You never loved her! You're a youkai! You don't even know what the word means!" Rune began to pulse with alternating light and dark energies, beginning to whip up into a snowstorm.Regina closed her eyes. "I could make her even better. Make her forget she ever had a traitor like you for a friend. But I won't. I'll try to be better than that, because Mana would want me to." She looked up. "But that doesn't mean I can't end your existence right now!" The sky suddenly opened, as a lightning bolt descended and blasted Rune off her feet, ending whatever attack she was going to try in one moment of sound and fury. "I will kill all of you for what you did to my best friend!" More lightning bolts, stunning the soldiers out of their stupor even as they raised their weapons to fire.Not that it mattered. At a gesture, their bullets stopped in mid-air, then shot back towards their targets with a resounding BANG noise that sounded suspiciously like the guns being fired a second time. The troops took cover and began to scatter. Satisfied that the humans weren't a threat to Alice and she could play with them at leisure, she turned back towards the stunned Generals. "You. Oh I am so happy you stuck around Bel!""Wait, M'lady, it was just a jo-ERK!" Bel tried to protest his innocence, but found a pair of tiny hands wrapped around his throat before he could blink.Regina had a disturbingly feral smile on her face. "Well, one way or another you're going to help me...oh, look, a sucker!" She noticed the lollipop, now discarded on the ground. "And it looks like you even made a way to contain our essences and hid it all right under our noses. How convenient for me!""Re-regina!" Bel tried again, but he couldn't get more than that out before another bolt of lightning dropped from the sky onto his head. What would have killed him were he human just sent him reeling to the ground, his senses scrambled but still functioning and watching Regina pick up the discarded candy. "No...stop�""Oh...so you want me to stop, do you? What'll you give me, hmm?" Regina said in a mockery of her own sickly-sweet voice when she wanted something."Anything! I swear!"Regina's teeth started to show, resembling fangs in the dim light. "Offer it to me. Give me wealth."Bel looked like he was ready to panic. He looked over his shoulder to Ira and Mamo, but the pair were suddenly hiding behind a dumpster. "Of course, my lady! There's a jewelry strore just dow-"The princess cut him off. "I want power."This, at least, was easy enough for Bel to figure out. He started to relax. "I'm sure we can just ignore this. Just come back and your father will rule the world soon enough.""Anything I want!" Regina snarled at him, taking a few more steps forward.Bel gulped, not sure why the girl was suddenly so intimidating. "Please! I will be your slave!"Regina considered it for a moment. "I want Mana back. And you're going to help me get it.""Yes, yes, of course M'lady!" Bel started to swear, but realized his essence was being drained. "What? Wh..why?""I said you were going to help me�" Regina's grin turned into a nasty smirk. "But really, leaving you alive? I'm not dumb, you'll just turn on me the second you think you have the upper hand. You'll be plenty of help this way.""NOOOOO!" Bel screamed, reached out for the slip of a girl in front of him...and then twitched in pain as another lightning bolt tore through his body."Really, you'll damage the goods. Tut tut, Bel, what a bad servant you turned out to be after all." Regina all but purred. "But it's almost over...and I've made my point." With that, Bel disintegrated into a fine black mist that was absorbed into the green candy. Regina carefully pocketed it and gave the other two Generals a look. "Surprised?"Mamo and Ira looked at each other, going even paler than usual for a moment. As one, they came to the conclusion that they were going to let the other 'play' with this terrifying new Regina, and vanished. "Oh, damn. I'll have to find someone else." a red dot appeared on her chest. She knew what that was now, though. She teleported to the sniper's nest and grabbed him by the throat. "For you, something special!" She decided to take a little bit of the worst of Bel's essence for a spell, lengthening her fingernails into long, strong claws and eyeing the sniper's throat....at that moment, the Psyche that was once Mana started beating against the side of Regina's head. The Jikochuu princess stopped, and looked at the strange little thing in a moment of confusion. "But...but they hurt you." The only response was more ineffectual pounding. "I...I don't care! They deserve to pay!" This caused the little thing to stop for a moment, then it resumed. "...fine, you win. I hope you realize you won't remember this part." One more thump for good measure, and Regina left the man where he fell and teleported back down to the street with the Psyche. "...Alice...are you all right?"Alice swallowed. "I'm...I'm fine...I...what the heck�""Good...because that was definitely overdoing it�" Regina wobbled on her feet momentarily. "We...we can't go back to Mana's place or yours, can we?""No." Alice realized. "You can teleport outside the Quarantine zone, yes? Can you take us with you?""I think...I can just barely manage you and Sebastian with...what's left of Mana." Regina bit back her nervousness. "But you'll need to give me a destination�""Sebastian has something in mind," Alice reassured her. "Maybe even some supplies.""That'd...be nice...we can have a meal when Mana wakes up." Regina grinned weakly. "You should gr..grab the faeries." Her teeth chattered slightly. "...too much power...and there's still so much to do�"Alice nodded, and turned to retrieve the rest of the fallen. Only Rune was conscious, and had both faeries in her hands. They stared at each other, just for a moment, daring each other to act. Regina tried to raise her hand, but no more thunder came. Rune turned, leapt up onto the roof of a nearby office building, and then jumped down over the other side.<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />A few short hours later, the three were had found a campsite under an overhanging rock. The chill in the night's air was a reminder that winter had only just ended, and Alice was huddling close to the fire wrapped in a sleeping bag. Regina sat nearby, Mana's Psyche circling around her head and the Lovies that created Cure Heart in her hand. She had also set down a few other objects. A photo album, a diary, and on top of it all, the lollipop she had stolen from Bel."Are you sure you can do this?" Alice asked suddenly.Regina frowned in concentration. "I. . . think so. Normally this wouldn't have a chance, but I was way more careful with pulling it out than I usually am. And Mana's wish was to live on. Her memories of before should be basically there, like a reflection. The better it is, the closer to reality the reflection looks.""...but she won't be human."Regina shrugged. "Yeah. There's going to be some changes. I can't make a perfect copy of her body. But the essence will definitely be right, and so should most of the details. Or we can leave her a Psyche and hope that somehow her body pulled through and put them back together."Alice shivered as she considered the implications of that suggestion. "Do you need anything?""A tub of ice cream and a nice bed," Regina snapped. "But since it's gonna be a few days before we can manage that, be quiet!"It seemed like an eternity, but Regina finally began. Her eyes turned red for a brief moment, as she smiled at some inner thought. When they were blue again, she waved her hands over the pile of objects while Mana's Psyche settled in to wait. Pink energy flowed, and slowly the shape shifted. At first it became only vaguely humanoid, but slowly some details emerged. The figure developed some curves - maybe a touch more than Mana's original form. Her face became detailed, and blue eyes opened before they turned to the magenta that Regina loved so much. Her hair came in, but then spilled all over the ground, growing out of control. Regina tried to reign it in, but the power was running short. Finally, tendrils of black and pink light reached from the empty spot in the new shell's chest, drawing in Mana's Psyche until it settled into place, the skin smoothing over until the whole thing showed no sign of ever being anything other than human.Mana's eyes didn't open as the spell faded, but her naked body started to shiver. Regina lovingly picked her up and slid her into one of the spare sleeping bags. "There. With any luck she'll be out of it for a few hours. I'll go to that city just south of here and steal her some clothes."Alice looked like she wanted to object to that plan, but sighed. "We don't have any money and she needs them. . . I guess we have no choice. Just be careful, okay?"<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Mana grew increasingly worried as the story went on. Gemini's face was a closed book, just looking more and more like Shika's during the whole thing. Regina seemed oblivious, lost in her own world as the blonde recounted what was sounding like the worst night of her life.But when Regina went off to steal a wardrobe, Gemini broke out in laughter. Not a humorous laugh, or even a mocking one, but the kind of laugh that comes from having no other reaction whatsoever. "Th...that's a good one," Her voice was shaky, and she had started to twirl her hair nervously as soon as the laugh stopped. "Okay, okay, that's good, but this was a really bad time for this Re...gi...na."Shika had opened her heavy jacket, and pulled down the shoulder of her sweater as well. The reason for the jacket was obvious. While the gesture could have been a wholly inappropriate attempt at seduction, that was obviously not the case with one look at what had been revealed. First, her breast had what appeared to be a hole in reality in it, a swirl of black and chaotic energy that bore a strong resemblance to the after effect of a Jikochuu attack.That much would have been visible through the sweater, albeit barely. But Shika had pulled lower, to reveal an angry, stitched over and still-fresh scar following the line of her ribcage.Gemini stared at the ashen skin, and screamed.Mana reached out, but Gemini slapped her hand aside and tackled Regina to the ground, hands around her throat. "YOU...YOU!" There was an audible grinding noise as Gemini's hysterical strength was put to use crushing Regina's windpipe. Mana barely managed to get to her feet when Gemini kicked her in the solar plexus, sending her sprawling again. "Rikka was RIGHT! She was telling the truth the whole time and you never told me! WHY!?"Regina couldn't answer with words, but Mana lifted up her head enough to realize the Jikochuu wasn't struggling at all. Instead, she lifted up her hand, and gently brushed Gemini's cheek.Air rushed back into Regina's lungs as Gemini's grip began to loosen, and then she sobbed, suddenly crushing her head against her girlfriend's shoulder. "Oh god, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I don't know what...I'm a monster. Just a monster, just like Rikka's been saying...I'm�"It was Shika's hand on her shoulder that brought her up short. Gemini looked up, just in time to be on the receiving end of a slap that would probably have sent anyone else to the ground, but Gemini's head just snapped around. Shika's eyes were still completely dead, and her tone even. "You are not the monster. You are everything about us that makes us worth being. If either of us is the monster, it would be me.""What do you know about it?!" Gemini laughed bitterly. "A thick jacket, a little bit of science added to the mix and you're still basically human. Do I even need to eat? Have we just been wasting food?"Shika shook her head. "You are still not ready to talk. Please, go do something indulgent. Sleep with your girlfriend, attempt to get drunk, try on some new clothes. If the scientists' hypothesis is correct, you will feel better and it will give you time to calm down.""I don't want to calm down!" Gemini punched her fist into the tatami, the reed splintering under the force.Shika tilted her head at this. "Odd. Your behavior seems to have deviated from what I would expect. Very well. Consider this a condition for the information I have for you. I will not speak on this subject until you are able to have a rational discussion. I will have to return to my hospital room in sixteen hours at most. Decide what's more important.""You�.you�" Gemini's arms trembled in pent-up frustration. "You don't fucking care do you?!""It's impossible for me to care." That caused everyone to stop cold and stare at the odd young girl.Mana swallowed. This was not something she would have expected herself to say, the idea seemed so alien. "What do you mean, you don't care? Everybody cares about people. . . " She twirled her hair slightly.Shika looked at her. "You yourself know this is a lie. Sociopathy is a condition defined by an inability to empathise with other humans. My current condition simply takes this further. I lack emotions, although I have enough knowledge of you that I can simulate yours. I simply choose not to, as it would be a lie."Everyone was surprised when Honoka took a calm seat near her. "This is fascinating. If you don't have emotions, how is it you're able to make decisions without them as a basis?""Two things. First, I do retain certain basic impulses along with full command of my intellect. Hunger, sexual drives, low-level fear reactions. They normally simply do not affect me. In this, I'm really no different from any other victim of a monster attack. What does differ is a magitech procedure developed by the Task Force as an attempt to treat other victims."Honoka nodded. "Crudely, they've run a bypass around the missing emotional centers of your mind to allow you to apply thought to fulfilling these basic needs.""Correct."" ;Oh, this is bullshit." Gemini laughed again, nervously. "Probably just a robot or something. . . "Shika looked at Mana and Honoka, as the apparent leaders. "Please have her removed from the room. Until then, this conversation is over."Gemini opened her mouth to argue, but Sagittarius suddenly had a hand on her shoulder, grabbing tightly enough that the girl winced at the roughness. "My room, Mana. Now." The tone was the scariest thing any of the girls had heard all day, and Gemini retreated meekly with the honey-blonde.Shika calmly took a seat near the central table again. "There are two things you need to be informed about. The first is that Cure Rune is. . . very delicate. Of course, so is Cure Gemini.""Of course she's delicate!" Mana crossed her arms in annoyance from the other side of the room. "You just popped in here completely unannounced and turned her world upside down without even an apology!"Nagisa was the one to finally step in. "Look, this isn't helping anyone. Hikari, no offense, but you've been there. Could you?" A nod, and Hikari went after the pair. "As for you, Shika." The pale girl tilted her head curiously as Nagisa searched for something to bring this back to some kind of normalcy. "We were going to order Chinese. Bet you've been missing having anything but hospital food, what with. . . everything.""Chinese food offered for delivery is usually less than optimal nutrition." In hindsight, Nagisa realized she should have expected that.Regina laughed and shook her head. "Gemini's got all the parts that can enjoy that. Still, you should probably eat."Shika shrugged. "If you wish to spend time on this, very well. Please, do bring tea or soda. I'm still constrained by a human body's limits, and those can help me concentrate."Rikka blinked. "Should you really be having caffeine in your condition?""The damage to my original heart exceeds what a cup of tea can do to the current one," Shika mumbled by way of an explanation. "We should eat quickly. You do not have time."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />The food cart was familiar, as was the man operating it. Kaoru was still his old self, mostly. Sunglasses, hair cut way short, purple shirt, apron with a doughnut picture on it, scruffy beard, tan. Really, Setsuna was only surprised by the way he'd moved all the way up here to Tokyo since he'd claimed to love the south. "Mr. Kaoru, what's this about?""Well, gotta be honest, it's about my old job. Or maybe my other job," The guy flipped a doughnut at her, which she easily caught, glancing around."Your. . . other job?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow.Kaoru shrugged. "Well, yeah. You didn't think no one was keeping an eye on you girls, did you? On the job. . . well, guess you can call me Mr. Jay,"Setsuna quickly put everything together. In hindsight, it was actually pretty obvious "That explains why Tarte didn't even phase you." She glanced around, but no one seemed to be paying attention. "Okay, what is this about?"Kaoru sighed. "Yeah, can't get around this. Misumi was way out of line not telling us about things, and now the whole thing's falling apart. Most of the crew missing, and the rest of you girls can't fight your best. It's meant a lot of overtime for me.""We're trying!"Kaoru slammed his spatula down. "Kiddo, I've got a personal meeting with ABE scheduled after work hours. You know, the Prime Minister? We can keep this quiet until about then, maybe. After that you need an answer, or we're going to be ordered to come up with one."Setsuna bit into the confectionary nervously. "These aren't up to your usual,""Yeah, having a little trouble concentrating." Kaoru admitted. "Listen, kiddo. If you really need us to step in this time, just let me know now, okay? If this gets to the higher ups and we don't have something, even if it's letting you Cures in on the support you've never needed till now. . . well, the Minister's something else."Setsuna shuddered. "We have some backup, but they won't be here for two more hours. We know they're at full strength against these guys. Well, they're better than the rest of us anyway.""I'm gonna need more than 'sit tight' for a plan." Karou flipped a few donuts into a carry-out box as he talked, and Setsuna knew she was on the edge of being dismissed. Images of the masked Artificial Precure flashed through her head, along with the soulless marching of Labyrinth's inhabitants from one task to the next when they were under the control of Moebius.Setsuna knew she couldn't let that happen here. One moment might cause everything to go wrong. "Wait, they're still minors, and this could be going on for a week. Can you give them some excuse we can tell their parents for why they need to be in Tokyo?"Kaoru grinned. "Right up our alley. And here," The box was put in her hands. "For our little savior. A baker's dozen of my finest, just the thing to pick her up."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Sagittarius and Sebastian looked at each other. They had never seen anything like this from their Mana before. After being pulled out of the room to get her away from Shika, she had just calmly sat down on the floor. Even in her most confused states, when she was obviously self-destructive, she was active.Gemini hadn't moved in over fifteen minutes. She didn't respond to Sagittarius trying to put a cold drink in her hands. Sebastian had read to her from the news reports of the monster attack, a sure way to take her mind off of whatever was bothering her, which hadn't elicited a peep. Sagittarius had asked for help with an old homework assignment, to nothing so much as a batted eyelash. Sebastian had tried talking about his own project to help them out, which would normally at least get Gemini saying how they needed him at their home. Sagittarius was just considering whether to try making out with her (and whether it was worth the risk of having her neck snapped) when Gemini finally took in a deep enough breath to say something."Go away."Well, it's something, Sagittarius thought, before kneeling in front of her own friend. "Mana. . . ""I don't blame you, Alice," the voice was nearly as toneless as Shika's. "You didn't want me to find out, I found out, it's over. Just stop pretending and go away."Sagittarius cringed at the dismissal, but she wasn't going to leave her friend without a fight. "It's not that I didn't want you to find out, it just. . . wasn't important.""It's very important to Rikka. To the YTF in general. And I think that I kinda deserved to be told that I wasn't human anymore too." It should have been an accusation. That, Sagittarius could have dealt with. It would have indicated that Gemini wanted to think, and when she was thinking she could be reasoned with.Instead, it was just a statement. And the truth. Whatever else, Gemini shouldn't have had to find out about her new body from that. . . thing driving her old one around."Fine. Mana, I should have told you.""Mana's dead." Gemini said. "I have no right to that name, no moreso than the girl calling herself whatever it is out there. There's only one Mana now, and she's going home soon. It's over, Alice.""What?"Gemini stood up. "Itsuki's dying. If I turn her and myself in, you and Regina won't have to fight anymore.""That's not true and you know it. They won't stop, and Regina won't leave you alone.""Well, then, what do I do? I'm just a youkai. Something that was made to think it was Aida Mana and fulfil all of Regina's little fantasies and desires about having a best friend.""Mana, that is NOT true!" Sagittarius grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "C'mon, Mana, Regina didn't just make you. Sure, the body's a creation, but that's not the whole of who you are. Or even the most important thing. Don't you remember? How about our tea parties? Wasn't the rose tea delicious?""Yeah, I guess. But how do I know I'm not just making it up? Filling in blanks?"Sagittarius blinked, taken aback by that. But only for a moment. "How do any of us know? By being with our loved ones, knowing that they wouldn't betray us. . . tell us differently on the big stuff.""You're not helping your case here."Sagittarius laughed. "But I am. Your body is just not a big deal. You're a kind, strong girl who never, ever hesitated to help anyone. You wanted to believe in Santa so you could take his job when you were little. You've always shouldered too much responsibility, but you always found a way to deal with it with your friends. And. . . " Sebastian held out a hand drawn picture of three girls, in crayon. "It has never changed since the first time we met. You just have a. . . new medical condition. Mana. . . I love you. I will always know who you are."Mana blinked rapidly, taking the drawing and looking at it as if in a daze. "Alice.""If there are any personality changes just because your body does, you've overcome them," Alice said firmly. "You're maybe a little more willing to indulge yourself. In your case, that's probably not a bad thing. I've always been afraid we'd ultimately lose you to overwork, and that's not as likely now."Mana took a deep breath. "You're right. You're both right, even though you didn't say anything Sebastian. I'm. . . okay, I'm not fine but I'm gonna take advantage of the Yakuza account, go out and get some melon bread or something I haven't had in months, and if that works I should be ready to deal with this last fight. Then I can feel sorry for myself."Alice's smile seemed to light up the room. "See, it's not so bad, right?"Mana chuckled. "Well, we'll see. I will need to chat with Shika, see what she wants to do about the whole being whole thing. This probably isn't fun for her either. But we'll sort it out."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Yuri had elected to stay up with Itsuki, so after a plate was delivered to her the remaining Cures ate their meal in silence. This was mostly because there was a great deal of fascination as, after every bite, Shika used a cell phone to tally it, looking up every bit of greasy food that had been brought in and portioning it out carefully.Miki shook her head as the girl pushed away her remaining meal. "Even I couldn't do that.""Precise nutrition is best," Shika said by way of an explanation. "The hunger pangs are annoying but can be dealt with."After a nervous chuckle all around, Mana took a deep breath. "All right. We need to get information on the YTF�" she blinked, coming to a conclusion. "Hey, maybe we don't have to go in at all! Shika, what do you know about your own treatments."Shika took a sip of her tea. "I see. So that's your plan. I'm afraid I cannot help you with that. I have the full plan right here. Unfortunately, it includes a detailed action response for the eventuality that my existence becomes public knowledge. My treatments are medical experiments, and your parents consented in exchange for the costs of the artificial heart, and long-term monitored rehabilitation beyond the scope of normal health insurance being covered."Everyone sighed. "That record could still be useful, but we're going to need more," Nagisa rolled her head back. "Unbelievable. Can you at least get us in?""No. I do not have clearance." Shika stared at the wall, as if disinterested. "This was not what I came to discuss.""What's so important?" Rikka finally gave in to her exasperation. "You don't care about us, about the YTF, or anything. So what the heck motivated you to get up out of your tube or whatever it is you sleep in and come see us?""As I stated earlier, Cure Rune has become completely unstable. She requested that I begin imitating Mana as closely as possible, because she wished assurance that Gemini was not the real Mana. She also froze an entire subway car into a block of ice out of anger."Rikka went completely pale. "She doesn't want to blame herself, and she's running out of targets.""Precisely." Shika continued. "If you encounter her again, you must be extremely careful what you say to her. And this seems likely. The plans for the invasion have been moved up."The room erupted into pandemonium as everyone started shouting at once, questions being shouted at the strange girl while she stared impassively back at them. Finally, Makoto shouted "QUIET!"Once everyone had calmed down, Shika sipped her tea before continuing. "Selections for the initial group have begun. Rune was rejected, as were Blossom and Marine. Obvious. I do not know who will be going, no one outside of Bloom and Egret do at this point. But the Artificial enforcement squads will be reorganized tomorrow along lines for the Invasion and Defense groups, and the Invasion groups will be moved out of the Garden permanently. Presumably, once that is complete it will be only days before the invasion begins.""Dammit. It's over." Makoto turned her head away from Shika, unable to bear to look at her. "We don't have time to get in there before they invade.""Actually," Shika interjected, surprising everyone. "Now that I understand your plan, I believe you have a chance. One. Chance. After the invasion groups have been moved out, the Garden will be in confusion. Most of the Artificials will not know many of the people around them. And. . . the day after tomorrow, they are scheduled to accept a group of new Cures for the Artificial program."Alice cocked her head. "How do you know all this?""I have no emotions. Many of the scientists equate this with having no thoughts, but this is incorrect. So when I am inactive they speak quite freely in front of me, and pass rumors between their groups."Miki, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes in even more suspicion. "Why are you helping us?"Shika blinked in complete shock at the suggestion. "I...do not know."Mana was the one who had the answer. "Because you're still me, barely. You like helping people."Shika considered that for a moment. "'Like' is too strong a word, but it feels comfortable."Honoka smiled with a most uncharacteristic slyness. "So our younger girls can slip in with these recruits and get access to the Garden.""Correct. Unfortunately, you will need to arrange this yourself." Shika stood. "Thank you for the meal. I have no clearances myself, so I can no longer assist you. Farewell."Mana grabbed her by the wrist before she could step away from the table. "Nuh-uh. You've still gotta talk to Gemini before you go waltzing out.""If you insist."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Aguri peered over the ledge of the skyscraper. The street was cleared of cars, which was a good thing."I WANNA GO FASTER! FASTER FASTER FAAASSSTER!" A minivan with a human face, eyes of yellow and grinning teeth in the grill, kicking up clouds of foul-smelling smoke as it tore up the street.Aguri sat back down out of sight of the street, looking to her current partners. Melody, Rhythm, and Aqua shook their heads as well. Hibiki shrugged. "Well, it's one street. Maybe we should just. . . let it go for a bit?" Aqua stared at her in disbelief, and Melody waved her hands. "I was just saying, Aguri's not looking so good."It was true. She was pale, her hair stringy with sweat, eyes drooping. Aqua looked between her, Melody, and Rhythm. "It's your decision, Aguri.""I'm not letting them get away with this just because I'm getting a little tired. But how are we going to catch it?"Aqua frowned, but Melody grinned. "Just pound it into the ground!" She jumped over the ledge.Rhythm reached out over the ledge to try to grab her friend, but Melody was too fast and landed in the street, in front of the Jikochuu.Two seconds later, this was proven to be a mistake, as the monster car just rammed into her and sent her flying into a nearby trash can. "Owww�." Melody slowly pushed herself to her feet and looked up, just in time to see the Jikochuu blow her a raspberry and make a U-turn. Rhythm and Aqua landed next to her lightly on their feet."Any more bright ideas?" Rhythm pulled Melody up the rest of the way just for good measure and watched the cloud retreat into the distance.<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Sagittarius and Sebastian stepped back into the public meeting room. "Shika? Are you still here?""My continued presence was requested. I still have fourteen hours before I need to return," the pale girl had finished her tea and was sitting calmly.Nagisa stretched out. "We need to get clearance to the Garden.""Impossible," Sagittarius said.Sebastian, for once, was a little more verbose. "The Garden is the home of the official Precure. Everyone is background checked before clearance is granted. A guest pass would be impossible."Shika suddenly spoke. "That's just what the public is told. The truth is, a Converted or True Cure may invite anyone they wish, at any time. Artificial Cures can earn authorizations as well."Mana beamed. "Then we just need to get Gemini and Rune to make up!""I do not recommend relying on that method," Shika said, with the barest hint of sarcasm."But we don't know anyone else." Mana poutedSagittarius sighed. "Not quite true. I know Mana has some way of getting in contact with Blossom.""I do?" two voices instinctively answered."Gah! Stop that!" Mana jumped away from Shika at the uncanny timing."Sorry. I just barely get her answering to her own name and now we've gotta�" Alice put a comforting hand on her counterpart's shoulder. "Right, right, no time to feel sorry for ourselves."Rikka took a deep breath. "Where'd Gemini go, then? We don't have a lot of time.""I sent her out for some snacks."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Gemini all but skipped back towards the meeting room, a tall triple-stack of ice cream on her cone in one hand, grinning broadly. She only stopped when she found herself looking at a concerned Hikari. "Oh, hey.""I came to see if you were all right, but Sagittarius said you'd gone out and not to worry,"Gemini winced. "You didn't tell Regina, right? I just . . . ""Ice cream, I see." Hikari nodded. "I didn't, but should I have? You're acting entirely too cheerful.""Oh, that, that. It's fine, it's fine!" Gemini's grin was almost manic. "I know, I know, suicidal people are usually really cheerful, but this is great news!""Okay, I am worried now." Hikari glanced behind her. "Gemini, what are you thinking?"Gemini shrugged. "Well, it's not like it's all bad. Regina made a new body for me, and I should have all her powers, right? Imagine what I could do! And all I need is just some ice cream, a good girlfriend, and a great imagination for helping people!"". . . okay." The blonde faerie took a nervous step back. "Just. . . uhm. . ."Gemini blinked. "Wait, you're seriously worried that I'm gonna. . . what, let this go to my head?""The thought had occurred," Hikari noted. "Just what are you planning to do?"Gemini shrugged. "Hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Maybe take over the country,""ACK!" Hikari waved her hands wildly. "You can't do that!""Why not?""Uhm, well, wouldn't the people object?"Gemini grinned. "Oh, I'm sure I'll get elected. Like I said, haven't thought that far ahead yet."Hikari shook her head. "Just be careful, okay. Think this through. You're not better just because you're different now.""Yeah, got it."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />The meeting room had emptied out, leaving only Shika to sit in place while they waited for Gemini to finally return. Regina stared at the results of her handiwork for minutes on end, while Shika showed no response. Finally, the Jikochuu couldn't take it anymore. "C'mon, yell at me!""Why?"Regina stomped up to her and looked Shika in the eye. "Get angry! Scared! Happy! The only sign of life you've shown is complimenting me for being hot!""You are attractive. Would you like me to kiss you?" Shika raised an eyebrow.Regina jumped back as if she'd just been bitten. "What the hell is wrong with you?"Shika tilted her head. "We've established this. I do not have emotions.""Then how do you. . . ugh, I can't deal with this!""I have caused offense," Shika actually sighed. "I apologize. But there is something you should know.""What?" Regina snapped at the seemingly empty shell."Mana loves you. Truly. It is the thing that drove her, even before. . . this."Regina blinked. "H-how can you be sure?""I do not have emotions. I do remember having emotions." Shika explained. "Perhaps more clearly than Gemini does herself, I know them all. So you should know this."Regina pouted and looked away. "Thanks. And I'm sorry about what I did to you for Mana's sake.""I will survive."Regina swallowed nervously. "But you can't live.""This may be my role. If Gemini wishes to become human again, I have to die.""WHAT?!" Regina shrieked. "That's not right!""It is what it is."Regina grabbed her. "Hey, c'mon. . . there's gotta be something. Don't you get a say in this?""That would require I have a preference."Regina swallowed. "You. . . don't care?""We have established this.""Pfeh. . . what'll you do if Gemini decides she likes things the way they are?" Regina tried next.Once again Shika showed that expression of vague surprise, followed by deep thought "I haven't thought about it. For the moment, I assumed she would prefer to remain as she is. She is stronger, and I have not tested the artificial heart under combat conditions." Shika shrugged. "There are a few things in my medical records that might be tried. I will read them when I return.""And that's why I'm sorry. Whatever you do to be normal again is gonna be hard work, and that's my fault." Regina's voice was quiet."Then I accept."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />The afternoon back in Mana's home world, the situation had descended into farce. The monster simply refused to stop and fight. Every time someone tried, the car ran them over, and while they failed to stop it more and more car accidents were piling up on the streets of Oogai. The police had managed to set up a dragnet, barricading off the streets in a large section of the suburb, but the property damage was still getting off the scale.Melody and Rhythm were just about to jump down from the top of a building to give it another try when three more Cures - March, Mint, and Peach, arrived. Peach was the first to speak. "What've we got?"Aguri groaned, not having had time to recover properly from her ordeal in defeating half a dozen monsters already that day. "That car just keeps running off, and I'm ti-" She corrected herself. "In need of rest. We've got to get this done soon."Aqua confirmed it with a glance at the town clock. "The leaders have been unleashing a new monster every hour. As it is, this next batch will put Aguri into two fights in much too rapid succession."Mint frowned, then stated calmly "We should wait, then. Try to lure the monsters together so she can handle both of them at once.""Absolutely not!" Aguri's shout was met with looks of concern all around. "I will not let you guys tell me I can't do this.""Even if you can't?" March asked with a bit of acid. "Kid, no one knows more than me what it's like to lose. . . ""No you don't! You never lost! Not like. . . " Aguri sighed. "My world was already destroyed by these guys. . . or. . . wait. . . "There were definite looks shared between the older Cures, and Mint kneeled down next to Aguri. "All right, Aguri. But what if we restrain this one somehow?"Aguri blinked in surprise. "That would work. . . "March nodded. "All right. I'll go grab Lemonade. It disrupts the schedule, but we don't have a choice." A moment later, the green-clad Cure was hopping over the rooftops and Mint was peering down at the street."Still�"Aqua thought for a moment. "We need a way to stop it for a few moments. . . any ideas?"Melody and Rhythm grinned. "Actually, we might have one." Rhythm looked towards the barricades set up by the police.Melody continued. "It may be a long shot, but if this guy's as dumb as the Negatones. . . and it looks like the leaders aren't around to give it directions either."A few minutes later, the Cures found a six-lane street running through the middle of town. Melody had run off to find what she needed for the plan, while March dropped Lemonade off and returned to the other side of the city. The car's squealing tires could be heard in the distance, and most other drivers had cleared the streets in an unusual display of good sense. Aguri finally opened up her cell phone to call the others. "Melody, Rhythm, it's headed this way? Are you back yet?""Almost," Melody's voice confirmed. "Just distract it for a moment and we'll do the rest."Ace nodded to Aqua. "You're up."Cure Aqua made the jump down just as the car turned the corner at dangerously high speed. Conscious of the fact that this was a really dumb idea, she stood perfectly still. "OUTTA MY WAY!" The Jikochuu shouted, picking up speed.At the last possible moment, Aqua jumped ten feet into the air. The monster's tires squealed as it peeled out, trying to turn around and come at her again. Eventually, it came to a stop, smoke coming from the spinning tires.A sudden battle-cry stopped the car in its' tracks, when Melody and Rhythm hopped down from the opposite building, putting yellow-painted sawhorses across the road, each with a sign saying "Detour" hanging from it. The Jikochuu's tires stopped spinning, staring at the signs in confusion. Melody and Rhythm leaped over it, planting more down behind the creature, then gave each other a high-five.The car-monster somehow looked at the road behind itself in a moment of doubt, driving in fast circles for just a few rotations.It was enough. Lemonade stood on the edge of the building to get her shot. "Precure...PRSIM CHAIN!" Two chains of yellow energy lashed out, and wrapped themselves around the car. Lemonade shortened the chains, and the back end lifted up. The engine roared, but with no traction the wheels spun uselessly."Got it!" Lemonade shouted.Aguri collapsed in relief. "Can you hold it for twenty minutes? Maybe then we can lure the monster here and then we'll be done." Except there was no need to wait. A giant bulldozer turned the corner and started roaring towards them, an obvious cousin of the car by its' appearance. "...Ai-chan?"Two minutes later, Cure Ace had eradicated two Jikochuu with one shot. Two minutes and four seconds later, Aguri was sprawled out unconscious on the ground.<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />The next morning Yuri was dragged away from her sleeping spot next to the wall by the most disturbing thing she had ever seen.A perky Gemini.Whatever she had managed to miss, the girl was now completely energized and nearly indistinguishable from the Mana she knew, aside from the long hair. Any trace of the moody, death-seeking warrior seemed to have been eradicated overnight. Yuri was starting to wish for the old Gemini back already. For one thing, the old Gemini would likely not have shoved her into the shower, then popped a piece of toast into her mouth so she could have a meal before being dragged to. . . wherever she was being dragged. Probably a good distance away, if the bookshelf was any indication.Gemini beamed, and mischieviously put her hands a bit too low on Yuri's back, eliciting a yelp. "C'mon, c'mon, there's someone I've gotta meet and I need you on bodyguard duty!""I'm not going anywhere with a molester." Yuri glanced back at just where Gemini had put her hands, getting the girl to blush."Okay, sorry about that. But really, we need to go soon!"Yuri put her hands on her hips. "Where are we going? Why me? And who will be watching Itsuki while we're gone?"Gemini blinked momentarily in confusion. "Oh, right. Well, in reverse order. Mana and Honoka will be handling it, and I've got another doctor coming by to check up later so you don't need to worry. I picked you because you're familiar with the area. . . . Kibougahana.""We're going to see Kaoruko Hanasaki." It wasn't a question.Gemini nodded. "And Blossom. She'll be there on leave, since it'll be her last chance."Yuri shook her head. "Okay, I can see why you'd want a bodyguard. Tsubomi can be a handful in our world. . . here. . . "Finally something cracked through Gemini's cheerful exterior. "Yeah. Not gonna be a fun social meeting, but I'm sure I can get through to her this time."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />The return of the Kibougahana Cures should have been triumphant. In Aguri's opinion, it could at least have meant a break in the action. From Erika's point of view, it could at least have been an opportunity to cut loose and show the new kid how it was done.Instead, the number of monsters appearing in the city had only increased when the Jikochuu had realized that another team that could handle their monsters had shown up. Now instead of one an hour, it was up to two or even three. The thing that made it even worse was that night time hadn't slowed them down much. Everyone was handling it, but they all knew it was only a matter of time before someone made a mistake."Aguri, sleep," someone, Aguri could no longer distinguish between the various concerned voices, said. "You've been at this for almost ten hours now, and passed out once. You can't take any more."Aguri tried to force herself to her feet, but her knees wobbled involuntarily under her. "A few minutes...I'll be fine in a few minutes.""No you won't!" Another voice. . she recognized them now, it was Rouge, or Rin, and the first was Reikka, or Beauty, it was all blending together. "Aguri, your body could shut down on you in the middle of a fight! You're too young to push yourself this hard!""Can't...can't..." Aguri took a deep breath. "We've almost got them. They stopped using special Jikochuu about sunset. They're losing focus...losing interest...just gotta keep the pressure on them..."Reikka put a cold cup of tea in her hands, which she gratefully drank down. "Aguri, you're their target. That's why they're doing this. If you want to beat them, you have to live.""My life doesn't matter." Aguri said reflexively, suddenly feeling even woozier. "I have to defeat the Jikochuu. Can't let...them...win..."Rin looked down at the girl, who had suddenly passed out. "Drugged tea?""I've been known to be sneaky now and again," Reikka grinned at the older girl.Rin shrugged. "Well, whatever works. Help me tuck her in. She's right about one thing, we've still got a fight to win."<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Yuri hardly recognized the botanical garden. The outside of the greenhouse, home to a more traditional decorative garden, had obviously not been attended to in years - plants allowed to grow wild and unruly without proper trimming had absolutely ruined the aesthetic appeal. The winding stone and concrete paths were cracked, and even the park had seen better days, with chipped paint on the various bits of playground equipment.The inside was even worse, in her opinion. Oh, it was well maintained, but many of the rare plants that it would once have housed were gone. In their place, a variety of blooms that clearly did not come from Earth were being tended, mostly by robots. Here, a flower ending in a peppermint. There, mushrooms in the shape of teddy bears. Yuri suddenly realized that it was a cross-section of plants from other worlds. Moments later she got a sick feeling as she realized they were mostly from the worlds that had supplied the Precure's partners.Gemini put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Yeah. In some cases these are the last known surviving specimens." Yuri went absolutely cold at the implications of that one sentence, but Gemini forced her to keep moving into the old picnic area, where she and her own Precure friends had had. . . well, fewer discussions than she would like, in hindsight. There, she saw Kaoruko sitting calmly with a spread out and sipping her tea. Couppe, the giant teddy bear of a faerie, was hunched over nearby like a fuzzy rock."Ah, Miss Gemini. . . always nice to receive guests," Kaoruko squinted while she was speaking, her eyesight deteriorated a bit. "And who is this with. . . you. . . " her voice trailed off in astonishment. "Yuri? But, I saw you. . .""I'm sorry Karouko," Yuri shook her head, and stepped closer to make sure the old woman could see her clearly. "I'm not Yuri as you knew her.""Oh?" Kaoruko raised an eyebrow at that, but then smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter. Always happy to have Precure guests. Sit, sit. I'll make some more tea. I assume you're here to talk with my granddaughter, Gemini.""If it isn't too much trouble," Gemini took her seat just off the blanket, calmly floating an inch off the ground to avoid grass stains.Kaoruko called back over her shoulder. "I see you didn't bring your girlfriend today. Thanks for that, but she does like those cookies I keep on hand. Would you like to take some back for her?""Yes, please," Gemini smiled softly for a moment, then perked up. "Actually, could you bring out a couple for me as well?"Kaoroku smirked slightly. "Feeling a little indulgent today, are we?" The treats emerged from the bag, and Gemini took two and nibbled on one. "Oh, what is keeping that granddaughter of mine? " Just then, the door to the main garden opened.Blossom seemed to be the mirror image of Tsubomi. Her pink military jacket over a white button-down shirt, and a daringly short skirt that the Tsubomi Yuri knew would never dare wear, were really the only immediate clues this was a different young woman. Flower earrings, her hair worn in the same ponytail as Cure Blossom, just the way Tsubomi had gotten in the habit of when she was getting ready for a date, and even her wide-lensed spectacles. Yuri had to restrain herself from waving and just stood up, palming her compact behind her back."Grandma, I'm ba-YOU!" Blossom's greeting cut off suddenly when she recognized Gemini. To Yuri's amazement, she pulled off her pendant, a cracked red Heart Seed, the gem-like surface refracting light in a dazzling kaleidoscope of color that threatened to make her dizzy, even at this distance. "Grandma! What are you doing, didn't you see the news!? She attacked a lab!" Her attention shifted back to the other girl "You've got some nerve showing your face to me after that!""Tsubomi!" Kaoruko rebuked, causing her grandaughter to step back. "Miss Gemini has been a perfectly cordial guest today. I see she even thoughtfully left you more room on the blanket to sit. And besides, she brought someone very interesting for you to meet."Blossom only then realized there was someone else in the room, looking at Yuri in a mix of puzzlement and anger that quickly faded to astonishment, then resignation. "What of it? I already knew Regina could revive the dead."Gemini rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Did everyone in the world know I'd been shot besides me?""Wait, you didn't know?" Blossom gave this idea all the credulity it probably deserved if one didn't know the circumstances. "Are you two here to switch sides just because you found out?"Yuri had had enough. "Hanasaki Tsubomi, I am here personally on behalf of my universe to request your help in stopping the people here from launching an ill-advised invasion.""No dice, youkai," Blossom hmphed. "I know about the invasion. Just wishing I could go. Miss Gemini, thank you for your past intelligence regarding King Jikochuu, and I suggest you check your allies more thoroughly in the future. Not that we'll be needing your services any longer."Gemini leveled her best flat stare at Blossom. "They're not going after King Jikochuu. Your superiors intend to invade a human world for the crime of having Precure who have effectively defended their world without the 'help' of a strongarm government.""Bull," Blossom shook her head. "Where's the proof?"Yuri pulled out her own Heart Seed, the purple medallion nearly totally repaired. "You saw me die, during the fight with Dune, yes?"Blossom quirked an eyebrow. "Yes.""Then, by your logic, there's no way I can transform into Cure Moonlight. If I'm really a youkai, I should be one of Regina's Cures." Yuri didn't wait for the response. "PRECURE, OPEN MY HEART!"Blossom and Gemini flinched from the blinding purple light, while Kaoruko watched it very closely and Couppe lifted his head to observe as well. When it was done, Moonlight stood in the middle of the garden, waiting to see Blossom's reaction. It was a bit less than impressed at first, and she nearly went for her own Perfume. . . until Couppe was suddenly standing right in front of Yuri protectively. "What?!"Kaoruko nodded. "That should be proof enough for you, granddaughter. Couppe knows his own."Blossom looked for just a moment like she was about to shout more objections, but then just sighed. "Fine. I believe you. Grandmother." The last word sounded like a farewell, and she punctuated it by turning back to the door.Gemini was in front of her. Blossom blinked in surprise. "Out of the way, youkai. I may have to be polite in my grandmother's home, but I don't have to listen to this nonsense.""Oh, on the contrary, you do," Kaoruko's voice was firm. "After all, I'm certainly not going to put up with my granddaughter being an accessory to mass murder. I may not be quite old enough to remember the war, but I remember growing up afterwards. You are not going to have any part in that, do you hear me?!""Grandmother!" Blossom's shock and disbelief were clear. "They-they're lying! Trying to cover their own tracks for their part in attacking innocent civilians!""We only attacked that lab because we got word that they were using it for illegal human experiments," Gemini snarked back. "Who gave us that intel again? Oh, right, you did Blossom! Instead Regina and I barely got out with our lives by jumping through the portal. By the way, we never did find any test subjects. Just a lab full of 'innocent' scientists and enough gun-toting soldiers to make even a youkai general consider new career options. Face it, Hanasaki, they're on to you."Blossom went pale. "I-if you really think I led you into a trap, why are you back here?"Gemini shrugged. "Because if I really thought you were that malicious, we wouldn't have been working together in the first place. You just blindly trusted your contact when our partnership is semi-public knowledge. Stupid, but I can't fault your intent. Where did you get that file, anyway? The encryption was way too easy to crack. The records on the human experiment stuff was doctored in, but the rest was way too spot-on."Blossom hung her head suddenly. "Marine. Marine gave me the file."Gemini snorted. "Figures. Only good youkai to her is a dead youkai.""She's not tha...okay." Blossom couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "Fine. . . so what do you need?""I'm told you can get people into the Garden." Gemini shrugged. "We're going to go looking for skeletons, hopefully blow the real experiments wide open.""Impossible." Blossom's statement was firm, and final. "Yuri, you're too old. Gemini, you and your regular crew have enough Jikochuu around them that you'd trip the sensors. We'd be caught in minutes. You'd need hours, if not days.""So it has to be younger Cures, without a direct line to Jikochuu as a power source."Blossom considered that for a moment. "If you know anyone like that. . . ""There's another version of me running around," Gemini grinned. "And Rune, actually, and Alice. Plus another girl. Nozomi doesn't look anything like Nightmare anymore," She considered the matter for a moment, mentally putting her in an Artificial uniform. "A bit on the old side but she's short so she can probably pass.""So. . five?" Blossom nodded. "I might be able to get five people through.""Good." Yuri interjected. "Sorry to interrupt, but now that we've got that settled. . . thanks to Shika we have a time frame, but we're going to need to find some way to communicate. . . "Kaoroku smiled. "There are channels normally reserved for use by the scientific 'community.' It piggy-backs on the cell network and can enter and leave the Garden. . . and I thought it might come in handy one day." Couppe set a box down, having gone to get it from. . . somewhere. In it were a set of cell phones and some discreet-looking headsets in flesh tones. "These should work, as long as you're not caught."Yuri nodded. "Yes, this will do nicely. Thank you, Missus Hanasaki. I think now you should just keep your head down.""I'll do no such thing, young lady!"<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" />Marine had felt better. She had looked way better. Even her Cure body, her hair always perfectly styled, was starting to feel a bit sore and in need of a touch-up. She yawned heavily, looking at Blossom and Sunshine. "Hey, wanna hit me with another Forte girls? Better than coffee.""Isn't this like that time you realized you had three days left to study for a math test?" Sunshine asked. Although she was pulling out her Tambourine. "I guess it's all right though. How long have we been awake?""Twenty six hours for me," Blossom managed to groan out. "This is worse than studying for the college exams.""At least the exams aren't actually trying to kill you. You just wish you were dead," Marine nodded in agreement. "C'mon Sunshine, hit me."Sunshine hung her head momentarily in embarrassment, but she did what was asked. Much more energetic after the magic flooded their bodies, Blossom looked up to the horizon. "How long has it been since the last attack?""Almost an hour. They're slowing down." Sunshine confirmed.Marine grinned and thrust her fist in the air. "Aww yeah! We are awesome!""Indeed. I am in awe that someone with your attitude has ruined my plans," a deep, masculine voice announced. Everyone looked up."Bel," Blossom recognized the Jikochuu from the description.The man peered over his sunglasses. "Oh, you've heard of me." He shrugged dismissively. "That makes my job a bit harder. Sorry, girls, but you won't make it to the next monster attack in time.""Why are you doing this?!" Sunshine fell into a ready stance, while Potpurri silently floated to her shoulder to bring her flying cape out."Because we really need to get rid of Ace at some point," Bel shrugged. "Knowing the others were out of town just made now convenient. But you had to show up and ruin things." He noticed that the pink one - he really couldn't be bothered to keep track of names at this rate - was hanging her head down low. "Aww, gonna cry?"Blossom's shoulders shook, but her voice was quiet. "Everyone's just trying to live their lives here. You've driven them into hiding for almost an entire day, hurt I don't know how many hundreds of them. This is how the other world started to go wrong."Bel chuckled. "Of course. That's what we want - a world where Selfishness rules and everybody's looking out for number one!"Suddenly, Blossom looked up at him, eyes clear and bright. "You did all this just to kill that little girl!? I've had ENOUGH!"