"Ta-na-ba-TA!" a very excited Asahi chirped. Sakura, Akina and Shirana giggled at her as she placed the final hair piece on her head "I attended Tanabata festivals before but ones that always seemed way too organised! This is my first with all of you!"
"I'm glad we can share it with you then" Sakura laughed as she patted her kimono down "also, thank you for these outfits! They're so beautiful!"
"I agree with you. The designs are intricate and wonderfully made" Shirana smiled as she helped Akina with her hair.
"I.. Look like an idiot" Akina said as she stared at herself in the mirror. She never dressed well for anything and always liked to dress as grubby as she possibly could. This time she wore a beautiful light red kimono and her hair was placed into perfection by both Sakura and her sister. She looked at the others. Sakura managed to place her hair up too and although Shirana's hair was always up it seemed to look different that day.
"You don't look silly! I think you look be-au-ti-ful!" Asahi said smiling "Let's go! I'm super excited!"
"We can tell" Shirana said as she opened the door beckoning them outside. The air outside was warm, a perfect occasion for a Tanabata festival. Many others were dressed in their lovely kimono's as they headed to Chanson to meet with the others. Akina lagged behind them as she felt awkward to be dressed so nicely. Sakura slowed down her footsteps to keep up with her.
From a distance, they could see Hanami, Rana and Yukine were dressed nicely in kimono's Asahi had given to them too. Yukine caught sight of Shirana and immediately dashed towards her
"You look...." she looked at Shirana up and down "beautiful!" giggling as she hugged her tightly
"Why thank you. As do you Yukine"
"Thank you! I love love love it!"
Hanami and Rana headed towads them just as Sakura and Akina reached them.
"Our first Tanabata festival! How exciting and thrilling!" Hanamj said with glee in her voice
"Kazuki could NOT calm us down last night! We were too excited!" Rana piped in
"Where is he anyways?"
"He's inside. He was doing some last minute clean ups before we ventured out for the night. Y'know, don't wanna leave a mess" Rana laughed
"You look so pretty Akina!" Hanami suddenly bursted out
"E-eh? N-no.... I feel.... Eh..."
Yukine laughed at her and began to look her up and down "You look prettier than you already were! How did you do that?!"
"How has your face brightened and look even more flushed in today's illuminating light!" Rana teased
"I'm sure your face won't be the only one blushing today" Hanami smiled as Akina began to melt
"Stop doing that! I'm not used to compliments!" the three sisters bowed in unison as they laughed at her who facepalmed. Mr. Sato came outside and smiled as the 7 girls were ready in their attire.
"My my! Don't you all look beautiful today"
"Thank you Mr. Sato! Why aren't you going to the festival?" Sakura questioned
"My dear child, I'm too old to be out there with all you youngsters"
"Nah! You're not that old" Akina teased
Shirana nudged her "Akina" she whispered sternly
"Eep. Sorry"
"Kazuki was just fixing a broken light bulb for me. He'll be heading out soon after dressing"
A few minutes passed as the girls grew impatient "Where's Kazuki?!" Yukine whined
"Right here" from the door they could see Kazuki greeting Mr. Sato as he closed the door to join them
"Well you took your time" Yukine pouted
"I'm sorry Yuki" he patted her head "Let's go"
The girls jumped up and immediately made their way to the festival. He complemented their outfits as they headed their way "You look different Akina"
"Yeah.... Weird?"
"Pretty"
"Eh? Pfft, nah. You look like a Prince"
"Again, I am"
"I know but you don't typically radiate princely energy if you know what I mean"
"Don't take it harshly on yourself. You look nice today"
"Hey Kazuki! Is she pretty only today?" Rana yelled from the front as she turned to look at the two dawdling behind them
"She's always pretty"
"Oh! So she's always pretty huh!?"
"Rana..."
"Have you always thought that, brother dear?"
"Oh my days. She has started" Hanami laughed
"I don't get it" Sakura scratched her head
"I don't either" Yukine said looking at Shirana for help
"It's understandable why you don't get it. Sakura, step up your game a little bit here" Shirana laughed
"Does Kazuki finally have that will to live on?" Rana dramatically asked
"Is Kazuki able to sleep at night?" Hanami also dramatically said as she too pitched in
Asahi who had been spacing out also joined in on the fun "Is our single male here trying to unsingle himself?!"
Sakura suddenly started clapping as she finally understood "Kazuki! No stealing! She was mine first!"
"I... give up" he mumbled as the girls laughed at him. His sisters surrounded him as they playfully teased while Akina continued walking. Shirana and the others laughed as they followed Akina who turned out every now and then to hear them giggling.
"Whatever you guys are doing, I don't get it"
"Nothing nothing, we're almost there look!"
They all looked up to see a huge flight of stairs causing Yukine to grumble quietly.
"I don't have enough chocolate for this!"
"We'll get more when we're up there" Hanami said as she began to climb
"Yay!" Yukine ran up
After a few minutes of long panting, the girls reached the top where many people were dressed wonderfully and the smell was wafting through the air.
"Hey Kazuki" Rana whispered to him
"Yes?"
"Can you buy me some Yakitori?"
"Yakitori? I don't know where that stall is"
"Um..." she looked around to the girls who were busy looking at other stalls "Akina!"
Akina turned around and walked towards her "Yeah, what's up?"
"Do you know where the Yakitori stand is?"
"Oh yeah sure. I always go there and buy food there. The owner had great food. Why?"
"Help Kazuki buy some!"
"Eh? Sure, if he's paying"
"Okay!" Rana dashed off to the others as she laughed mischievously
"Look's like I'm coming with you"
"Seems so"
"Let's go, if I remember correctly, his stall was somewhere over there".
As those two headed their way to the Yakitori stall, the others turned around and with Rana's lead, they began to follow.
"Should we be following?" Sakura said as she hid behind a stall with dumpling stuffed in her cheeks
"You look like a squirrel" Hanami laughed
"Says you"
"Hey! Let's follow come on!"
Unknown to the two, they went and bought some Yakitori as the others followed. However, as they headed back, nobody was in sight. Akina jumped up and down to see if she could see over other people's heads but failed.
"Where'd they go?" Kazuki said as he looked around
"Huh, they could be anywhere really. Let's walk around, I'm sure they'd be somewhere"
"Sure"
The two walked around to various stalks eating different kinds of food and enjoying themselves. The sun was setting and had turned into a beautiful orange pink color. The two sat down on the grass as they stared at the sky.
"I completely forgot to look for the others" Akina laughed as she began to eat
"Me too..." he stared at the sky and sighed. He knew what the others were up to and they wanted to give him a chance to express himself but the more he looked at her happy expression the more he found himself fumbling around.
"You thirsty?"
"Th-thirsty? Y-yeah" he coughed "yes"
She raised an eyebrow and laughed "well here ya go" as she tossed him a bottled drink. It slipped out of his hands as he tried to catch it.
"Oh dear, he's a fumbler" Shirana said with a sigh
"We followed them to have him being so awkward" Rana laughed
"Sh! Let's leave! This situation is the most important!" Yukine said sternly
"Shirana! The more time she's spending with you, the more she's acting like you" said Asahi
"I'm more surprised that she finely understands the situation" Shirana giggled getting up "let's go"
"Akina..." Kazuki said as Akina turned to look at him. The wind was gently blowing as the stray ends of her hair began to dance along with it. The way her eyes looked at him made him look away. He didn't understand how this came to be. How he ended up in this situation. His thoughts were going wild with thoughts. What am I doing? Does she even share the same feelings? Since when did I get these thoughts? Was it when we first met? Was it when I realised her free spirited nature? Was I drawn towards her because I had not met another girl who wasn't attracted to me? What do I do if I get rejected? Do I accept it?
"Kazuki?"
"Akina... I guess I need to say something"
"Yeah sure" she turned to look at him
"I... think..."
*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*
"Miss. Iiena..." a stern voice called in the darkness.
"Yes Ma'am!"
"Sawahiko.... Failed hasn't he...." she quietly said in the distance. Her nails were one by one hitting the table as her impatience grew "I don't like this situation, you understand that correct?"
"I do Ma'am"
"Good.... Then what happened? Why do I not have any nacharms in my possession?" her voice grew louder and louder the more she spoke. Miss. Iiena gulped and bowed her head
"I will not fail you, Lady Crimson."
"Then... Why are you still standing there?!" Her voice echoed in the dark room, the stray animals dwelling inside immediately scurried out after hearing the voice. Lady Crimson fixed her position in the dark room and Miss. Iiena got up to leave "Wait..."
She turned around to see her standing right in front of her. Her dark hair illuminating in the dark and her red eyes screaming at her as it stared right into herself. Miss. Iiena's eyes turned red as she stepped away.
"You will not fail me!"
"I will.... not fail you..."
*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*
Outside, Miss. Iiena had watched the scene carry on but her heart hurt that it made her angry.
"You think?"
"I think you're done talking" Miss. Iiena came down from the trees and smiled a sinisterly grin "How, endearing"
Akina got up and immediately went into stance. The others from behind the trees came out and stood in front of her. Shocked Akina stared at them as they all glared at Miss. Iiena but she knew to address that later.
Miss. Iiena looked down and laughed causing the girls to step aback. He looked at them with her eyes dressed in red. "Those endearing scenes! I WILL GET RID OF IT!"
Her scream pierced the girls as she transformed herself into a horrifying Tomerunda. Sakura looked at the others and nodded "Let's go!"
"PreCure! Refresh!" They shouted from the top of their lungs as they placed their nacharms into their PreCase
"The Beautiful Warmth of Winter, Cure Crystal!"
"The Endless Smile of Summer, Cure Lumina!"
"The Cool Sound of Autumn, Cure Aria!"
"The Intelligent Life of Spring, Cure Cerise!"
"Greet Chances with a Smile, Hi! Chance PreCure!"
The girls glared at the Tomerunda standing before them.
"We need to see what happened to her! ~foru"
The girls nodded but it proved to be difficult this time.
Crystal was thrown into a tree with Flake immediately running towards her to help her.
"S-she's strong"
"She's full of hatred" Lumina panted "It's so difficult. I would use our new items but we need to gather them all"
"Surely with the power we have, we can help her pain"
"From what I can see, they're people who know the siblings" Cerise appeared stumbling as she was hit towards them.
"Any ideas on who she is?"
"I... I don't know... We worked with so many people! ~Purin"
The Tomerunda saw them all gathered together and smiled "I have you now!" it said in it's booming voice. The girls stepped back in stance, ready to defend themselves but she came to a stop.
"N-no!" it yelled "Go away! Get away! NO!" the Tomerunda frantically waved it's hands around as if defending themselves from something.
"Didn't Sawahiko do this multiple times?" Crystal said. They looked around but couldn't find anything "What's it saying no to?"
The four siblings looked at each other with their eyebrows raised.
"Go see who it is! ~purin"
"Now's the time to do it! ~supa"
Aria nodded as she ran towards the Tomerunda who was still panicking from something. Tapping her forehead she entered a beautiful palace garden where a girl was awkwardly standing behind a pillar.
She beautiful long light purple hair that floated around her. The top was in a bun and she was fiddling around with her feet. Aria moved herself to see what she was looking at. There, in the corner of the garden, calming piano was heard. There, Kazuki was sitting in his princely attire. Although his back was only shown, the girl was completely mesmerized by him. Aria smiled and patted her causing her to jump.
"W-who are you?"
"I'll explain that later but who are you?"
"I'm Hyla... The Queen's personal maid. Are you somebody important? I-I'll leave!"
"No! Wait"
Hyla turned around and looked at Aria awkwardly which caused Aria to smile and walk towards her.
"Do you like him?"
"EH! No! No! That... I can't... I wouldn't dare..."
"But you would.... Right?"
"I.... huh?"
"You know you probably shouldn't but you do anyways. You like Prince Forte correct?"
"I.... What's the point... I do like him. With all my heart! Yet... I can never find the chance to express my love to him...."
"Is that all you want to do?"
"Yes! It's my dream... Even if I get rejected!"
"Well, anger isn't the answer"
"Please know, you will have another chance. Seize it"
"I.. wait!"
Aria came out as the others looked at her shocked "what happened?!"
"I don't know..."
They looked at the Tomerunda who had sat down and what appeared to be tears coming out if it's eyes.
"A chance will come. There is a time and season for everything. Maybe it just wasn't your season"
The Tomerunda looked at her as she stepped towards it to give it a warm embrace but as she parted from it a bright glow came from within her.
"The guide of peace?! ~foru"
"Peace?" Aria held it tightly "Tornado accent!"
*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*
"Hyla?"
Hyla opened her to eyes to find herself looking up at Akina and on her lap. She jerked up and found the royal children gathered around her.
"Hyla?" Hanami looked at her and smiled "We're so glad you're back!"
"I... I don't understand.... I had a dream that I was fighting.." she looked at their expressions and paused "That wasn't a dream was it...?"
"Eheh, nope" Rana smiled as she sat beside her
"I... I'm sorry! I really am terribly sorry your highnesses! Please punish me! I cannot be forgiven for what I have done!" She immediately knelt down on her knees as she faced the four siblings awaiting her punishment.
"Hyla. Stand" Kazuki calmly said
"I don't deserve to your highness!"
The sisters looked at each other "well, there's only one thing to do!" they all looked at Rana who knelt down on her face too.
"Eh?" Sakura looked at Shirana
"I don't know everything Sakura. Especially things she does"
"Your highness! Why must you bow! You didn't do anything wrong!"
"We all make mistakes, big or small" Hanami said as she too knelt in front of her head. Yukine stared at those and copied
"We are all equals" Kazuki said as he knelt down too.
"This is quite a scene" Akina laughed
"I don't deserve the forgiveness you're giving me... I was simply horrible to you all! Words I never dreamed of saying came out of me... I..."
"We forgive you Hyla"
The four helped her up as she lay her head down. Akina went towards her and held her hand, she looked up "Y-you?"
"Everything has a season, a chance will come"
"Thank you. Your words have really comforted me and gave me a peace I never felt before. I shall wait for that season and seize it with all the chances I have!"
"There's a season for everything huh" Kazuki smiled as he looked at the sky "Guess I too, shall wait for that season of chances"
*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*
"Sir. Kage... Sawahiko... Now Miss. Iiena.... Those three have failed me! I won't ever forgive them!" Lady Crimson's heals angrily tapped the ground with every footstep she made. She looked out the small window she had "what better person to do it...." she turned to look at herself in the mirror "than me".