Chapter Text
OP: F.L.O.R.A
The moon rose high over Himawarikabe; cozy shops closed, streets quiet, sole illumination being the silent streetlights and only sounds being soft breaths of sleeping strays in the alleyways.
The nightly winds, although gentle and far apart, were freezing cold. Midnight struck the Hanasaki household when 12-year-old Hanasaki Futaba dragged her way down the stairs, awaking to a dry throat. Popping the carton from the fridge door and glass from the cupboard via personal step stool, the pink-haired youth drank, songs of the crickets and cicadas being all registering in her ears -- the front door slowly opening, sadly not being one of them.
Before she could register anything, the young girl was thrown to the floor, glass shattered and milk spilled. Eyelids heavy and vision fuzzy, all Futaba saw was an irregular black shape rushing past her. It hit her! Futaba immediately laid flat, cheek pressed against the cold kitchen floor. Keeping an eye open, she saw the figure rummaging through cabinets and drawers, only to stop at the family room's centerpiece: a potted bouquet of mixed flowers.
'I don't wanna die! Please! Please go away! Don't let me die please!!'
Was all flooding her head. Tearing out the colorful plant-life, the pot fell to the floor and shattered. The figure raised the blooms to their mouth, parting their lips and widening Futaba's eye, many multicolored lights flowed from the petals and into their maw. Flowers now dead, petals black and limp, they threw them down as if garbage. Licking their lips and spitting out a silent snicker, a faint pink glow emitted from their palms, before swiftly exiting the way as they arrived. All Futaba could do was breathe heavily and weakly rise to her feet. Slowly shutting the door, Futaba made her way over to the debris, attempting to "repair" the already gone blooms.
The window behind her open, the nightly winds ripped the curtains apart. Catching her attention on the other side of the glass was the figure standing atop a streetlight across from another, shorter. Moonbeams brought some of their features to light: the figure from before had pale- pink skin, the foreign figure had light-blue eyes and their skin was fair. A deep staring match ensued between the two, before a quick beam of pink energy was fired from the intruder, the foreigner dodging immediately by taking to the streets below. The aftermath, an explosion which shook the surrounding residences. The vibrations shaking an already terrified Futaba to her core, who without question bolted back to her bedroom, locking the door behind her without delay. For the remainder of the night, the shaking young girl shut her eyes, teddy bear-patterned bed sheets over her head.
The following morning the pinkette groggily made her way down the stairs, dressed and backpack in hand -- eyes baggy and hair messy, a yawn escaping her lips every other minute.
"Good morning, Futaba!" Beamed a warm Tsubomi, placing a triangle cut, de-crusted peanut butter sandwich on the table.
"Morning, sis!" She said slipping her backpack and shoes on. Futaba scarfed both pieces down as if a human garbage disposal and waved goodbye to her adult sister, going out the door. From the steps lining her residence's doorsteps to the sidewalk below, Futaba made her way to the bus stop. Waiting patiently by the street sign were her bluenette and brunette friends, Shimagiri Mami and Azusa Fū. Upon reconciling, chatter couldn't help but erupt from them. As the bus rolled up the street, they raced inside alongside 10-15 of their original 30 peers. From episodes of late night anime to food to animals, they conversed along the way to school. Outside the moving mode of transportation was a little (kindergarten-age?) girl. Sitting silently on the sidewalk, an over-sized floral print backpack on her back and flower crown on her head, her pink and blue two-toned eyes opened, revealing white daisy-like pupils.
"No time." Was all that escaped her small stoic frown. In the blink of an eye, she ran at full speed after the vehicle, pastel pink pigtails blowing in the wind.
"You sure you don't need a nap or something? If you take a few Zs in class I'll keep watch." Fū suggested paired with a thumbs up. The bus arrived on the school grounds, all students quickly rushing into the building.
"I'll be fine." The pinkette said - a lie called 'reassurance' as they made their way to the classroom.
"I hope so..." The bluenette added, adjusting her glasses.
In Himawarikabe's skies floated the unidentified intruder dressed in a tattered, black cloak. All visible from their face, a pair of piercing, baggy golden eyes, white pupils resembling flower petals arranged in a circle. A sudden wind tore the garment from their body and revealed the villain- actual villainess; with long, messy lavender locks in ringlets and hole-filled elf ears. She had visible fangs. Present on her temples were green markings resembling leaves. On her body, cloths vary in shades of dull pinks and purples, matching dead flowers and vines gathering from the left of her chest, down her arm and right thigh. With a turn of her head, a drop of sand found itself at her eye level, forming into a hexagonal mirror. In the glass the silhouette of a man took form.
"Doing okay my sweet Foxglove?" He beamed.
"I'd enjoy it if you didn't give me demeaning compliments, father." She responded although a blank-faced voice was more stern than flat.
"Don't be like that dear child, just your father making sure his little girl is alright? Have you found Furawa yet?"
"I understand...and no, apologies..." She responded, turning away.
"It's alright, remember everyone makes mistakes. Just do your best and find her, alright?"
"Yes, father." Foxglove responded, before the means of communication disintegrated into reality. A faint ringing in her ears caught her attention.
Himawarikabe's Municipal School's alarm rang.
The cause- a fire drill...
The fresh outta college 20something-year-old, Ms. Chiba immediately rushed the juveniles outside the building. Being new to both the school system and its 'events', the young adult couldn't help but fret, sweating buckets over a hypothetical fire. With the entire student population outside its doors, the principal had few words: "Just a practice drill, students. You may all return to your lessons." With these being said, nothing but snide remarks and scoffs escaped the youths. Watching from a long distance was the petite girl from before, basically strangling the straps of her bag over her shoulders. Her brows narrowed.
"I have a question." Asked a flat vice from the crowd. The youths parting down the middle, revealing an uninterested source, Foxglove. Her pupils gaining a slight twinkle, she scanned the surrounding humans -- their Inner Flowers blooming before her eyes from within the 'flowerpots' called their souls. Roses to her right and begonias left, the budding Rafflesia within the principal was the one drawing the villainess in. Levitating toward the middle aged man, Foxglove forcefully (and painfully) ripped the plant from his psyche with a swift tug, the school official dropping stone-cold, trickles of blood escaping his lips and a strange green energy from the center of his chest. Popping it into her mouth, pink energy surged through her body. From the horrific act, all were running for their lives, screaming at the top of their lungs...all but Futaba and her friends, who remained paralyzed with fear.
"Ahhh..." She relievingly sighed, the flowers decorating her arm slowly gaining color. Simply stretching her arms turned the surrounding area a dull green color and killed all surrounding plant life. A floral energy beam rushed toward the elemental being, sending her into the ground. From the impact site, she brushed herself off and narrowed her eyes, the approaching girl being the interruption.
"So you're Furawa?" Foxglove asked, the super-powered girl nodding in response. Furawa immediately went for a second attack, only for her wrists and ankles to be constricted via roots at Foxglove's feet. Struggling, the vines swiftly spiraled up her body and tightened with each movement, and furthermore draining the magic from her body. Furawa made feeble, Foxglove turned her attention to the terrified trio.
"I-Its y-you...you broke in! You're the burglar...!" Futaba spat out, tears flooding her eyes, pointing at Foxglove and her body returning to its previous shakiness. Foxglove rolled her eyes, vines sprouting from underneath them and cocooned Fū, and Mami. Their Inner Flowers began slowly tearing from their chests; Futaba could only watch as bouquets of illuminating clematis and azaleas ripped through the chests of her screaming, agony-filled friends. Large tears dripped down Futaba's now red face.
"L-Let them go! St-Stop what you're doing...Please, I'm begging you! T-Take my flower instead, leave theirs and everyone else's!" Futaba said, her voice weak. Hearing these words, Furawa's eyes widened. Gathering her last spec of magic she opened her backpack, inside a compact mirror and collection of small crystal orbs.
"I, Furawa of Flora World, have found Pretty Cure!"
Furawa called, the pink orb gaining an immediate glow and meeting Futaba's left palm. Upon contact with the jewel, Futaba's eyes shot open and a large aura surrounded her being, 'roots' of pink magic surging through her hand, up her arm and throughout her entire body, only to cease in the center of her chest. There, a cherry blossom of light sprouted and blossomed.
"I'm...I'm scared...!! What's happening!?" Futaba said, a mixture of confusion and fear seeping into her very core. With a rush of energy, Foxglove attempted to cease this birth, only for her attack to be fired directly back via an invisible barrier present around the pinkette. "Hanasaki Futaba, listen to me. Say these words: Petal Fragment, Heart Bloom!" She instructed.
"...Pe-Petal Fragment...!?" Futaba copied, before the orb became engulfed in light particles and transformed into a corsage of cherry blossoms, a pink-red bow, pale gemstone embedded in the center and a matching ribbon around her wrist. "Heart Bloom!" She added.
'I wish I knew what's going on! Just let everyone and my friends be safe! I don't want to die!'
Wrist drawn to her chest, the identical flowers met and a sudden flash of light consumed Futaba, beginning the sequence:
Futaba found herself floating a void, various shades of pink and flower buds as far as the eye could see. With pink light concealing her nudity Futaba twirled, cuing a tornado of petals to spiral around her. Vines spiraled her arms and legs before imploding, becoming her wristlets and boots, followed by the contents of the tornado finding its way at her torso, becoming her dress. Her hair lightened a few shades and styled itself, gaining paler highlights and small blossoms tied in here, and there. Opening her now lighter eyes, her earrings and choker took form before she brought a smiling blossom to her chest, where it became a red bow, turquoise heart gem and arranged petals being the clasp.
"Grown with Heart and a Smile! Blooming Happily, Cure Spring!"
The heroine in pink admired her-new-self in surprise, before the words just passing her teeth and lips registered in her head. "Cure...Spring?" She pondered, pointing to herself.
ED: Rain and Sun -SKIES-