CHAPTER 8: Sisters and Brothers

-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^1-

Wakabadai

"It's just not fair," moaned Nagisa Misumi between mouthfuls of takoyaki. "It's too cruel, it's just too cruel! I don't believe this!"

With a sympathetic smile, Honoka Yukishiro leaned over the table to pat her hand. "Oh, Nagisa, it'll be all right. I'm sure that Fujimura-kun will come back to visit-"

"How?!" There was a brief shower of crumbs and bonito flakes that accompanied Nagisa's latest outburst. "He's moving to America in three days! America, Honoka! I'm losing him forever, and he'll never know how I feel! My life is over... it's over..." In a state of helpless misery, Nagisa fell forward, her forehead colliding with the surface of the table with an audible thunk. "Just leave me here. Leave me here to die."

Honoka sighed and rubbed her best friend's shoulder. Only someone like Nagisa could weather multiple near-apocalypses with no problems and completely fall to pieces over a boy.

A spirited voice sounded somewhere above them. "Guy troubles, eh?" said Akane Fujita as she took Nagisa's empty tray. "Sounds like you need another batch. Oi, Hikari, Hikaru! Another round!"

"Right away!" The kind, polite voice came from inside the trailer that served as the headquarters for the Tako Cafe, a traveling establishment run by Akane and her two "cousins". Said "cousins", a sister and brother, had a more complicated relationship with Akane than most people knew, including Akane herself... but they were still a family where it counted, blood related or not.

When the famed takoyaki chef was out of earshot, an audible snicker drifted up from somewhere in the vicinity of Nagisa's thigh. "As if Fujipi would have noticed you anyway, ~mepo..." said a squeaky voice from the backpack lying at her side.

This was followed by another, higher-pitched voice from Honoka's shoulder bag. "Mepple! Be nice! Can't you see that Nagisa is troubled, ~mipo?"

More snickering. "She'll be more troubled tonight if she keeps pigging out on all those takoyaki. Even the black hole in Nagisa's stomach can't take it all sometimes, and when it gets backed up- ouch!"

Withdrawing her hand, Nagisa glared down at her pack. "You be quiet! What did I tell you about discussing things like that in front of people?!"

"It's not my fault you eat too much," it grumbled. "That's why Fujipi never noticed you. He doesn't like girls with chipmunk cheeks- ouuuuch! That hurts, ~mepoooo!"

Hard as it was to believe, two schoolgirls talking to and arguing with their bags wasn't that uncommon of an occurrence in Wakabadai... at least not in this part of town. It happened often enough that passers-by simply assumed that the girls were eccentrics... or maybe that they had some new types of hidden earpieces for their cell phones. Either way, it didn't matter. Talking bags were hardly the strangest things to happen to the city, which had more than its share of disasters and unusual incidents...

Or at least, it used to. After the final defeat of the Dark King a month previously, life in Wakabadai settled into safe, predictable normality... strange voices from school bags aside, of course. Dusk Zone and the Zakenna were gone forever, and Cure Black, Cure White, and Shiny Luminous, known together as Precure, were officially retired.

No more reason to worry, apart from Nagisa's long-time crush preparing to move overseas. The Queen of Light gave her blessings for Nagisa and Honoka to live on Earth with her reincarnated will, Hikari; her brother Hikaru, the former will of the Dark King; and their fairy friends Mepple, Mipple, Pollun, and Lulun. For now, all was quiet... and for another week or two at least, there wasn't even schoolwork to worry about. They could spend entire days simply enjoying their youth, basking in the warmth of Wakabadai's spring sunlight as the leaves came out.

Hidden behind a cluster of those newly-budded leaves, blue eyes sparkled with naked greed as they watched the unusual argument happening below. The owner of those eyes had no worries about being seen... no one could see them unless they wanted to be seen, and the time wasn't right yet. Any moment now, though. Any moment now. The new arrival's lips parted into a grin, as they thought of all the others, waiting just as they were waiting, in facets just like this one.

Any moment now...

"Here, Nagisa, this should cheer you up!"

Honoka hardly needed to say anything. Always on the spot when it came to food, Nagisa sprung upright, nostrils flaring. "Is that-"

"Akane-san's special roast beef takoyaki," said Hikari Kujou as she stepped out of the Tako Cafe trailer, bearing a steaming tray full of fresh octopus balls, each cooked to perfection and expertly coated in flaky golden crust. "With extra sauce, your favorite!" As always, close behind the cheerful blonde was her brother Hikaru, eager to help in any way he could. He was of a quieter and more delicate sort than his sister, but just as full of light and curiosity about the human world, with a gentle, ever-present smile just like Hikari's. It was hard to believe that the other selves of these two had been complete opposites and mortal enemies... at times, it was like Hikari and Hikaru had spent a lifetime together instead of just a few weeks.

"Hikari, you're a lifesaver!" Nagisa snatched the tray the moment it was in arm's reach, inhaling the steam with a blissful sigh. "Ohhhh, wow..."

A pink tinge colored Honoka's cheeks. "Um, Nagisa, you've got a little something there..." She patted the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief for emphasis.

"Sorry, sorry!" It took a great deal of willpower for Nagisa to set the tray down long enough to wipe off the thread of drool with the back of her hand.

Yet another small voice emerged from Hikari's pocket. "I don't see how you can possibly be hungry after eating three whole trays, ~popo..."

There was a pregnant pause as the group waited for a fourth voice... but there was no reply.

A pair of round navy eyes lifted the flap of Nagisa's backpack as she tore into the fresh batch of takoyaki. "Eh? Where's Lulun?" said Mepple.

Pollun's voice sighed from Hikari's pocket. "Sleeping, thank goodness. She wanted to play all morning long..."

Giggling softly, Mipple peeked up over the edge of Honoka's bag. "You know she only does that because she loves her big brother."

"I wish she loved me less," moaned the fairy prince. "It's exhausting when someone likes you that much!"

Mipple looked over at Mepple, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, that's not true." Clearly, only the need to stay hidden from civilians prevented her from leaping out for playtime. "Mepple and I love each other a lot, and we never tire each other out!"

"That's right, never ever!" Mepple snorted proudly. "But we're different. As a prince and a brother, you should take responsibility and play with Lulun for as long as she wants!"

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have any responsibilities, ~popo."

"What do you mean?! Looking after Nagisa is a huge responsibility! It's tougher than you can imagine! If I weren't here to keep her on a schedule, she would sit around eating takoyaki all day and getting fat... or fatter than she is alre-yowch, ~mepo!"

"I can hear you, you little traitor!" said Nagisa, aiming a death glare at her backpack. "Wanna keep talking? Go ahead, you've already lost your desserts for the rest of the month."

There was a squeak of horror from within. "A month?! Come on, Nagisa-sama, you know I was just teasing! You're not fat at all... except maybe around your thighs..."

"Now it's two months! And you're the one who needs to lose weight, greedyguts! How many plates of omu-rice did you have for breakfast, a dozen?!"

Honoka and Hikari exchanged bemused looks and shook their heads. Behind his sister, Hikaru blinked in a perplexed fashion as he listened to the back-and-forth.

"Um..." said Honoka with a nervous chuckle as the argument escalated. "Hikari-san, you might want to get another tray or two ready... just put them on the tab."

"I think you're right." Nodding sagely, Hikari smiled, gathered the empty trays, and put her free hand hand on her brother's shoulder. "Come on, Hikaru. I've been meaning to show you how to make patterns with the sauce, anyway. It'll be fun!"

"Fun!" The boy's face broke into a wide smile.

Hand in hand, the siblings walked back toward the trailer.

-static-

Mepple's voice cut off in mid-snark, and Honoka heard a gasp from her shoulder bag.

Paces away, three empty takoyaki trays clattered as they fell to the pavement. Of Hikari and Hikaru Kujou, there was no sign.

In the deafening silence that followed, Wakabadai's passers-by went about their business, no one noticing anything wrong.

Nagisa was first to speak, slowly climbing to her feet and staring at the empty space where her two friends had been walking seconds before. "Hi... Hikari?" Her voice was unnaturally hushed and strained. "Hikaru?"

No answer.

Now Honoka rose, her face pale, her eyes wide with disbelief. "No," she whispered. "No, it can't... be. Not again." An old and painful memory rushed to the forefront of her mind, of an identical feeling of helplessness as someone she cared about vanished into thin air. "N-Nagisa, what... where..."

"Hikari!" Nagisa's voice broke. She rushed to the spot where the two had disappeared, searching for any sign of them... "Hikaru!"... but only the empty trays were left. No. No. No. No... In a blind panic, she stumbled back to where Hikari had been standing, pressing her palm flat against the cement.

There was no warmth. No sign she had ever been there at all.

A friendly face leaned out of the trailer, eyebrows raised. "Nagisa?" said Akane. "What's all the yelling about?"

"A-A-A-Akane-san..." Dark, wet spots fell upon the pavement at Nagisa's feet. "Akane-san, I'm sorry... H-H-Hikari and Hikaru... they..."

She didn't even have to see the tears; the girl's voice alone told Akane that this was something way beyond the usual Nagisa outburst. In a flash, her apron was off, and she was at her young friend's side, taking her into her arms like the big sister she never had. "It's okay, it's gonna be okay... just calm down. Calm down and tell me what's wrong..."

Honoka sank slowly back into her seat. With all of her many biology and science classes, she knew the signs of going into mental shock. Her mind examined her symptoms with cold, clinical precision: numbness of her limbs, a sense of detachment, muteness. Right now, a cocktail of adrenaline and norepinephrine was rushing through her veins. More extreme emotional reactions, like those Nagisa was going through, would come later. And she hated that... she wanted so badly to be the one cradling Nagisa, crying with her and telling her that things would be okay, but she was paralyzed... she was paralyzed, and she hated herself for it...

"Hikari," sobbed Nagisa into Akane's arm. "Hikari, she's... she's gone..."

"Shhh." Akane held her close, smiling and speaking as gently as she could. "Don't worry, it'll be all right. We'll find her. Just calm down and tell me... Who is Hikari? What does she look like?"

Akane's attempt to comfort her froze Nagisa's blood in her veins. Even her tears stopped. Oh God. Oh no...

-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^5-

Kibougahana

Simultaneously

Two friends walked home from school down a flower-lined street. It was a peaceful spring evening in the little town of Kibougahana, quiet save for the singing of birds returning to their nests and the cheerful low buzzing of bees visiting many flowers. Now and then, a mother's voice would ring out, calling for her children to come in for supper, or a bus's brakes would squeal as it stopped to let off passengers, but those sounds were so regular as to be almost unnoticeable.

"... taking measurements of the new club members, you see," one friend was saying to the other, in a polite, reserved tone. "Just by looking."

The second girl laughed. "That's my sister for you. It's her talent."

"I remember when she took mine." The first girl turned away, the red rays of sunset reflecting off the square lenses of her glasses. It was hard to tell in the fading light, but her pale cheeks were a bit pink. "It was... uncomfortable. She at least had the decency to confirm them with me privately, instead of shouting them out loud..."

More laughter from the second girl. "She really has changed. A year ago, she wouldn't have cared about your privacy at all. Little Erika has grown up, and actually developed tact. Wonders never cease!"

"Indeed." The first's lips curled upward into a smile that was calm and collected, but warm. "We've all grown up in the past year, haven't we, Momoka?"

"Mmm-hmm. I feel... better." Momoka Kurumi put her hands over her heart and closed her eyes. "Stronger. More confident. Like the things that used to worry me so much are... not gone, but less important. They're not mountains anymore, they're... obstacles."

Now it was the other's turn to chuckle. "I think I know what you mean."

"It's a such lovely night, isn't it?" Momoka ran a few steps forward and spun on her heel, inhaling the blended fragrances of the many blooming flowers that lined the street. "Mmm, you could almost curl up on a park bench like a cat and fall asleep."

"I wouldn't recommend it," said Yuri Tsukikage, raising a slim eyebrow. "The police might take exception to that."

"Oh, pooh." Momoka stuck out her tongue, for a moment looking very much like her younger sister. "Shame on you, spoiling my fun."

"It's not fun if you get ticketed for loitering."

"That only happens in America. The police are more trusting here."

"I wouldn't be so sure..."

Calm, and peace, and quiet. Nothing but two best friends sharing an evening walk home from school, flowers and bees and violet-streaked skies overhead. A half moon peeked out from behind a cloud, which cast a peculiar sparkle of light on one of Yuri's lenses as she adjusted her glasses by their bridge.

-static-

It happened so suddenly that Yuri almost didn't notice it. A tingling sensation at the back of her skull, one she hadn't felt in months. It took her a moment to even recognize it, but when she did, she wondered how she could have ever forgotten. Her calm evaporated like morning dew. "Momoka," she said, a hard edge creeping into her voice, "I think I forgot something back at school. I'll catch up with you later." And with that, before Momoka could reply, she was off, sprinting back the way she came, her long violet hair stirring the petals of many flowers as she passed.

Momoka shrugged and continued on down the street. This was just Yuri's way, she realized that by now... nothing much could be done about it.

Where are you?

It can't be.

Where are you?

Those two phrases clashed against each other in Yuri's mind as she ran. Logic and reason told her that she couldn't possibly be feeling what it was she was feeling. It was simply an echo of the past, nothing more. Her heart, however... her heart saw this as no echo. She knew this feeling, this tightness in her chest, the iron weight in her stomach, the prickling of the fine hairs on the nape of her neck. And even though the logical part of her brain dismissed it as a ridiculous action, her heart made her reach underneath her collar, grasp the seed hanging on its chain around her neck, and run her fingers over it, just to be sure.

The seed was whole, just as it should have been.

But the feeling remained.

Where are you?

By now, she had reached the fountain, a short distance from Kaoruko's greenhouse by the riverside. Water fell in sheets from the fountain's peak, making musical sounds... how appropriate that it would be here that this should happen. Just a few meters away from where she was reborn... it was if the heavens had aligned.

Where are you?

A shadow passed in front of the half moon above, a black shape almost like a huge bird of prey, and Yuri felt that shadow come long before she saw it with her own eyes.

Slowly, gracefully, it descended, alighting on the peak of the fountain. Great shapes unfurled from its back, and Yuri's heart lurched... wings. Not just one, but a pair of ebony wings, featherless and webbed like those of a bat, spreading out a meter wide, dwarfing her in their shade.

The shadow opened two eyes that gleamed gold, set within a stark white face, a face horribly familiar... a face that smiled at her. That unnerved Yuri more than the wings, more than the shadow's inexplicable return... she was smiling.

"Good evening, Cure Moonlight." whispered Dark Precure, low and soft as silk. "Good evening, onee-sama."

Yuri's hand shot to the seed around her neck. The other reached into the pocketspace that every Cure could access, drawing forward the Heart Pot and its integrated compact. The seed slammed into its groove as she shouted, "Precure, Open My Heart!"

In a glimmer of silver light, the quiet schoolgirl Yuri Tsukikage disappeared. In her place was a radiant figure in a flowing white dress, her lavender hair blowing in the evening breeze, her hand upon the green heart-shaped emblem on her breast. "A lone flower, gleaming in the light of the moon..." she intoned, cupping her hands together and spreading her fingers before standing straight and proud. "Cure Moonlight!"

"Yes," said Dark Precure. Her lips pulled back in a rictus grin. "Yes, that's right, onee-sama. You know me. You remember."

A violet flash, and Moonlight's signature Tact was in her hand, pointed at the winged dark figure. "You're not real," she hissed. "You're a fake. An illusion. Who are you? Who sent you?"

Dark Precure laughed... the sound was akin to an icy winter wind. "You know me, onee-sama. I'm part of you. I am you. How could I be a fake? I remember it all... how you killed me. How I died in Father's arms, fading away..."

This wasn't fair. It didn't make sense. It was all wrong... Moonlight's feet left the ground. Launching into the air, she hurtled toward her dark counterpart. The two exchanged a flurry of savage blows, faster than human eyes could follow, neither giving quarter. Every motion was perfect, every punch sure, every kick fluid... they matched each other flawlessly, sisters by blood and science if not relation, black versus white, Cain versus Abel.

At the first sign of an opening, Moonlight pulled back her free hand. "Moonlight Silver Impact!" Power gathered in her palm, and she thrust it forward, releasing it all at once in a concussive blast.

The hit connected. Dark Precure was thrown backward half a kilometer, only stopping when she caught the air with a flap of her wings. Still she smiled... "What's wrong, onee-sama? I came back to see you. To bring us together again, as we should be."

"Liar!" Moonlight spat the word in a ferocious snarl. "I defeated you! You're dead! You won't haunt me anymore!"

"At least part of that is right," purred Dark Precure. She vanished in a streak of red light...

The next thing Moonlight felt was a spear of blinding pain, lancing through her back. Searing, agonizing pain, consuming her from the inside out...

Dark Precure grinned wider, twisting the hand now buried deep inside Moonlight's ribs, reaching for her heart. "I won't haunt you anymore, because we're going to be together, onee-sama. It's going to be all right."

No. The word penetrated the red haze fogging Moonlight's mind. This is wrong. It's all wrong... It's all gone wrong...!

"We've been waiting for you," whispered Dark Precure in her ear. Her fingers closed around something... not Moonlight's heart, but something deeper, something she didn't even know was there. Something painful for her to touch, it was so pure and warm and bright... "We'll all be together. Come with me. Join me, and your partner, and Father... in Hell."

END OF CHAPTER 8