Shattered Skies: The Morning Lights

CHAPTER 9: Storms and Tides

CHAPTER 9: Storms and Tides

-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^1-

Wakabadai

Simultaneously

"Hikari!" shrieked Nagisa, tears rolling down her crimson cheeks. "Hikari and Hikaru Kujou! Your cousins! They're both good kids, they have blonde hair, they're your family and you love them!"

"Nagisa, you've gotta calm down-" said Akane, drawing back from her. She had seen Nagisa upset before, hell, it was a regular occurrence, but nothing like this...

"Calm down? How can I calm down?!" Now Nagisa stood, taking fistfuls of her orange hair. "It was supposed to be over! Dammit, I don't believe this!" With that, she scooped up her backpack and ran, making a beeline for a certain old forest southwest of Wakabadai.

"Nagisa, wait! Please excuse us, Akane-san!" said Honoka in a rush, bowing quickly and retrieving her shoulder bag, then hurrying after her friend. "Nagisa!"

Staring after them, Akane raised a hand in a feeble manner, then dropped it with a mournful sigh. Whatever was going on, she had to trust the girls to work it out. She could only hope that they found these kids they were looking for...

In the foliage of the trees surrounding the park, another figure grinned and disappeared without a sound.

It's not fair. Pouring on all speed, Nagisa ran with no regard for anyone or anything in her way, charging blindly ahead. It's not fair. Being Precure was always supposed to be a temporary thing, that was the deal. Defend the Garden of Light and fight Dusk Zone, then you can go back to your normal life... eating takoyaki in the park, arguing with Mepple, and pining over Fujipi. It was supposed to be over now. Light and darkness were in balance, the Dark King was dead three times over, everyone had a happy ending. It's not fair!

At least she could still take it out on those responsible. If there was one good thing about becoming Cure Black once again, it was that she could now beat the tar out of whoever or whatever had been stupid enough to yank her back into that world... stupid enough to take Hikari from them again.

If she had been thinking clearly, she would have noticed the absence of the usual squeaky voice from her backpack, chiding her for rushing in without thinking. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have realized that Hikari and Hikaru being taken again made no sense... Hikari's powers as Shiny Luminous aside, they were both just normal children now. Of course, thinking clearly was never Nagisa's strong suit at the best of times, and this was hardly one of those.

"Please, wait! Nagisa!" cried Honoka, threading her way through afternoon crowds as she followed that tangle of orange hair. "Nagisa, I can't run well in these shoes! Nagisa!" Normally the voice of reason, Honoka had no head for logic or planning at the moment... all that was on her mind was Nagisa. If she didn't stop, she would likely get herself hurt, or worse... She too failed to notice the unusual silence of her fairy companion.

The chase continued, and Nagisa didn't stop until she reached the clearing in the forest, sweaty and gasping for breath. The mansion, she thought, clenching her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palms. I'll go into the mansion and whale on whoever took away Hikari and Hikaru until they give them back, and then everything will go back to normal. That's gotta be it, right? Please, God...

Wearily, she raised her head, exhausted, but more than ready to tear that damned mansion down around-

Dusk Zone's mansion was still gone. Not so much as a splinter remained... it was a flat, square, bare patch of soil in the middle of the wilderness, just as she had seen it last time.