Work Text:
The Wilted Rose Parts From Her Buds
[Aftermath of the battle at the Kagura den, minutes until sunrise]
"Forgive me, Yuriya, Nemu."
Rosaliard's voice is tinged with sadness and regret, evident with the way her voice cracked slightly. This was going to be the very last time she would be with her two students, her most precious little rose buds. In spite of how she treated them and used them for her plans, deep down her untainted heart, she still saw them as her dearest students, her own apprentices of beauty who had always given their all.
"I'm sure the two of you will be alright."
She had longed to see her two little rose buds blossom with her teachings, but knowing how she needed to be purified to see that, the opportunity will never arrive, her willpower and fierce loyalty to Desperade standing strong. With steady steps, she approaches them to say her last words.
"Please continue to dance beautifully and strongly. Dance however you two want."
She gives Yuriya a reassuring pat on the shoulder and grasps onto Nemu's palm for a brief second, before she grips the weapon on her other hand and raises it high before abruptly bringing it down.
"No... sensei... SENSEI!"
It all happened too fast. With the sound of a loud whip, Rosaliard disappears in a flash of light, leading to the Precures and the brothers covering their eyes from its overwhelming brightness. In desperation, Yuriya and Nemu frantically call out to her, hoping she'd still be around.
"She must be nearby. Everyone, let's look for her!"
Cure Soul takes initiative of the situation. Upon hearing his words, the group began to split up; Soul accompanies Cure Kagura, Nemu, and Cure Lock to head to the left, while Cure Top, Yuriya, and Cure Break head to the right, with Break clasping on to Yuriya's hand tightly as they ran.
"No matter the result, let's all meet up back in front of the Kagura den!" Soul yells out before they take off.
"Right!"
The rest let out a call of affirmation.
A million thoughts swarmed the twins' minds as they and the rest of the Precures searched every nook and cranny of the areas they ended up in. On the left side, Kagura, Soul, Lock and Nemu browsed the Tengen shrine yard, its wide space being a good source of numerous possible hiding spots. Meanwhile on the right side, Top, Break, and Yuriya searched through the nearby forest, hoping they'd catch a glimpse of a ruby red figure amidst the deep green scenery.
As they yelled out to Rosaliard... no, their Himenuma-sensei, in their loudest possible voices, Yuriya and Nemu wished that what was happening to them right now was not real.
They wished they were dreaming, hoping they'd simply wake up from a horrible nightmare and go on with their regular days.
They wished it was a prank, a setup to see them at their lowest. But it was the kind that hurt, one that was never funny, one that leaves a painful mental scar.
They wished that it was all an illusion, clinging onto desperation that there was a spell cast somewhere and wanted to lift it.
But after regrouping with the others, breathing ragged from an endless pursuit, Yuriya and Nemu realized that all that is happening at present is real.
Their mentor, their only dependable figure of their entire lives, was finally gone. Someone who they had once become emotionally attached to, someone who they once trusted, someone who understood their situation on a personal level, vanished in the blink of an eye.
They wished they wouldn't come to terms with it. They wished they were still in the practice rooms with her, doing their usual vogue dance routines. They wished they could hold out their final conversation with one another for a while longer, now realizing that every second they had with her became precious.
After a suffocating, still silence, the Otogiri twins slowly lift up their wrists where their heart-shaped Evil Bracelets had been worn to touch them. Brushing their fingers across the illuminated surface, they now realized that this was the only physical memento they had left of her. A bittersweet item worth cherishing.
Yuriya didn't even realize that hot streams of tears fell down his cheeks and dropped onto his bracelet, his vision blurring. Soon after, he collapses to his knees, head hung low while letting out a broken scream as he clutches his right hand to his chest, the pain of loss finally kicking in as he begins to sob.
Nemu, seeing the state his brother is in at the moment, now had tears streaming down his face as that realization dawned on him, plodding his way to where he was and dropped to his level. He wrapped his around him and leaned his head against his as he too breaks into agonizing sobs.
The Precures all stood there, quietly watching the two brothers grieve for their Himenuma-sensei. No one dared to utter a single word, nor do anything out of respect. They all knew and understood what it was like to have that distraught feeling of losing someone important right in front of their eyes.
Especially Gaku.
After what felt like an entire minute, the pink-haired boy steadily walks his way to approach the twins and envelop both of them into a warm, sympathetic embrace, both arms patting their shoulders in an attempt to physically comfort them.
Eventually, Maito follows suit, wordlessly making his way to Yuriya's side. Kneeling on one knee for good balance, he envelops the older boy into a hug, leaning his head against his shoulder. Hayato repeats the gesture with Nemu, and eventually the seniors join in to encapsulate everyone in their arms.
As this period of mourning goes on, the sun gradually rises from the horizon, marking the transition of a brand new day. The aftermath of the battle lingers within the Kagura den, the group still staying in the same position huddled up together. Melodious bird chirping resonates through the background as the early morning sunrays greet the surroundings with its warm glow.
It was the start of another bitter day.
[One week later, interschool dance competition venue, 3 p.m.]
"Excuse me? Have we met before?"
The twins could not believe who they were talking to.
Something in them gave them the urge to approach the lady with crimson streaks in her black hair wearing a modest beige dress. There was no doubt about it, the person was their Himenuma-sensei... or who once was.
"My memory's all fuzzy, so I apologize if I do not recognize the both of you."
Sadly, that was to be expected. Nobara must have been purified at some point for her to say that, but she could not help but feel that she had seen these boys at some point.
"It's alright, sensei. We just wish to greet you as usual, like what we did with the other teachers present."
Nemu was the one who explained to her. He did not make up that statement, though, the twins did greet the teachers and other staff upon entering the building, but why did it feel like they were trying to lie to her?
Nobara nods in response. Looking up and down at the twins, she then asks, "Are you two perhaps competitors for the dance competition happening later? Your stylish outfits say so."
This time, it was Yuriya who replied back. "Yes, sensei. Our dance genre is Vogue."
The woman lets out a tender smile, her eyes glinting with sparkles and her palm slowly presses to her heart in awe. "My! Such a beautiful genre to dance to. Especially for competitions like this. You two have the finest tastes."
The twins smile back, touched by her compliment. Despite getting purified, her love for all things beautiful never faded.
Realizing something, Himenuma now wears an apologetic look on her face. "My apologies boys, but it seems I have something to attend to. Wishing both of you good luck. May both of you dance as elegantly and beautifully as a blooming rose!"
The brothers give her a bow, to which she returns. She then turns her heel around to leave, strutting away in the opposite direction where Yuriya and Nemu stood.
As they watch her figure slowly shrink into the distance, the bittersweet feelings have begun to kick in. They already knew that she was no longer the same Himenuma-sensei who showered her students with endless praise every time they sang and danced to her. But at the same time, they were clinging onto hope that she had at least gotten a sense of familiarity with them. Even if that hope was little to none.
With heavy hearts, the Otogiris eventually leave in the opposite direction where Himenuma left, making their way to the inside of the venue to get themselves ready and meet up with Gaku, Hayato, and Maito, who they recently became acquainted with after the events of the last battle.
The rose that once looked after them and one they looked up to had wilted, but bloomed yet again with different petals. And all they could wish for her is the utmost best in life, hoping her petals remain untainted of unlovely memories.