Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a sunny afternoon in the mountains. Nodoka, Chiyu, Hinata, Asumi, Rabirin, Pegitan, and Latte were enjoying a nice hike. The flora was quite stunning during this time of day and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

Asumi wiped some sweat off her brow. “Am I melting?”

“No, sweating is normal when you’re getting exercise,” Chiyu responded.

“It’s easier for us since we can hover, nya,” Nyatoran bragged.

Suddenly, Latte’s sneezed and heart-shaped ornament turned yellow. Her muzzle turned slightly purple. Concerned, Nodoka took out the magic stethoscope and held it up to Latte to hear her thoughts.

Latte’s internal voice whispered, “I can hear a tree…it’s crying, latte.”

Just then, a deep voice bellowed, “MEGABYOGEN!”

The gang realized this meant that a Byogen general had released a Megabyogen somewhere nearby, so they continued to follow the path. As they continued onward, they found that parts of the greenery had turned reddish-brown, and it was slowly spreading.

The Cures and Healing Animals felt the ground shaking and heard deafening stomping. They soon came across what form the Megabyogen had taken. It was a tree with yellow eyes and a body that was black and red. Daruizen was standing on a rock with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

“Get them, my precious,” he ordered.

All the girls shouted, “Pretty Cure Operation!” Nodoka, Chiyu, Hinata, and Asumi transformed into Cure Grace, Cure Fontaine, Cure Sparkle, and Cure Earth, respectively.

The Megabyogen attempted to crush Cure Fontaine with its enormous fist, but she jumped on its head and struck it with her fist. It tried to punch her, but she launched herself out of the way and it punched itself instead. Its eyes became spirals for a moment.

“Cure Scan!” shouted Cure Grace. The Tree Element Spirit was then seen inside the left shoulder of the Megabyogen.

Cure Sparkle darted around the Megabyogen as it attempted to stomp on her. While the Megabyogen’s attention was secured on Cure Sparkle, Cure Grace, Cure Earth, and Cure Fontaine sprinted towards it and simultaneously leapt upwards before dealing out terrific kicks.

The Megabyogen stumbled backwards, and its tail rammed into Latte, sending her flying off a nearby ledge. She yelped as she plunged off the side, but she was drowned out by the Megabyogen’s roar of pain, and the size of the beast blocked everyone’s field of vision, so they did not see this.

Latte tumbled down the very steep slope, yipping in pain all the way. She collided into several rocks on the way down and became quite scratched up from the thorns. She then landed in a raging river with a splash and was swept downstream. Her lack of swimming skills kicked in, which was not helped by her fear of water, and she struggled to stay afloat. She flailed in the water and shrieked in terror.

Back with the Cures, they were gaining the upper hand in battle. Cure Earth leapt up and strummed her Earth Windy Harp. “Pretty Cure, Healing Hurricane!” A wave of purple wind burst forth the harp and struck the Megabyogen. This freed the Tree Element Spirit within it.

“Healin’ goodbye…” the Megabyogen groaned as it became a regular conifer again. The corrupted parts of the landscape became green once more.

“Why do you have to be such a thorn in my side?” Daruizen grumbled. He scowled and then vanished.

The Cures went back to their civilian forms. “Anyone wanna get some ice cream?” Hinata suggested. “It’ll beat this heat.”

“Good call,” Nodoka answered, but then she noticed that something was amiss. “Wait, where did Latte go?”

The others looked around, and they realized that Latte was indeed no longer present.

“Oh, no!!” Hinata gasped. “What can we do?!”

Asumi paced in circles anxiously. “What if she’s hurt?!”

“Stay calm, everyone,” Chiyu advised. “We should split up; we’ll cover more ground that way.”

Rabirin flew up a very tall tree, where she could get a better view. Just as she looked in the direction of the river that Latte had fallen into, the latter had run out of strength, and she had sunk underwater. Rabirin just barely missed her as a result and continued to scan the area from that height.

Nyatoran sniffed around by the bushes, but then he caught wind of a terrible smell. He would have wrinkled his nose if he had one. A skunk came out of the bushes. He flinched at the sight of it and ran away.

Chiyu checked a thicket, but there was nothing besides deer grazing in the area. Hinata climbed a different tree so she could see from afar as well. A sparrow didn’t take too kindly to this and started to peck her, so she fell off the branch and into a patch of flowers, which cushioned her fall. Nodoka looked by a different patch of shrubbery and heard some rustling. She looked towards it expectantly, but all that came out was a squirrel, much to her disappointment.

Pegitan dived into a lake and looked underwater, but there was no sign of the puppy princess there, either. He came back up for air, and the girls and Healing Animals reconvened.

“Any luck?” Nodoka asked.

Everyone shook their heads, crestfallen. Asumi looked like she was the most distraught of them all, and she was even fading a bit.

“It’s almost nighttime,” said Chiyu, pointing to the sunset. “We can’t stay out in the wilderness much longer.”

Pegitan clung to Chiyu’s leg and shivered. “It’ll be extra dark and scary, peh.”

“But we have to find Latte,” Asumi said. “She could get into even more danger.”

“She’s right, we can’t just leave her out here!” Hinata agreed.

Nodoka put her arms around them both. “Listen, I’m worried about her, too, but I promise we’ll look for her some more tomorrow. We’ll have better luck then, and I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to put yourselves in danger.”

Asumi couldn’t really argue with that, though she was still reluctant to leave. “Well, alright.”

Back in the river, Latte nearly lost consciousness, but then she caught sight of a log floating. She grabbed onto it and pulled herself on it, coughing. Much to her horror, there was a waterfall up ahead. The log crashed into a rock, and she lost her grip on the log. She met the end of the river, where she free-fell a from a high distance, but she was too weakened to even scream.

On the shore, Laura had been watching the sunset with Kururun. She was packing up her belongings and getting ready to leave, but Kururun saw Latte falling. They tapped Laura’s leg and squeaked.

“No, we can’t stay longer,” Laura said, still putting items into her bag.

Kururun tugged at her arm and squealed louder. Sighing, Laura looked up, and saw Latte landing in the lake at the bottom. With a gasp of surprise, she dove into the water, becoming a mermaid in the process. Laura picked Latte up and pulled her to the surface. She took her to the shore and listened to her heartbeat, which was still going. Latte then coughed and opened her eyes slowly.

“Oh, thank Poseidon you’re alright!” Laura said. Then she took a good, long look at Latte, and when she saw the bowtie like collar on her neck, she raised an eyebrow. “That’s odd. You look just like the dog I’ve been seeing in my dreams lately. This has got to mean something.”

Latte whimpered and gave her puppy-dog eyes. Kururun patted her on the back, looking concerned.

Laura then remembered the other issue at hand. “Oh, you poor thing, you must be lost.” Laura checked her collar, but there was nothing on it. “Who wouldn’t put an address or phone number on their dog’s collar?! That’s ridiculous!”

Latte frowned. As she didn’t have her enchanted stethoscope, she could not tell Laura who she belonged to.

“Well, I better take you home until we figure this out,” Laura noted. She saw Latte shivering, so she wrapped the pup in a towel. Kururun jumped on Laura’s shoulder, and they made their way back home.

Back in the Hanadera household, Asumi had skipped dinner. She was too consumed with worry to eat, and she was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She was still rather transparent from the gloom and stress she was going through.

Nodoka came in and sat in her own bed. She saw how down Asumi was. “Are you alright?”

“I can’t sleep,” Asumi answered. “I’m just…so nervous.”

“I am, too, but we can’t give up yet,” Nodoka told her, holding her hand. “And if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you won’t have as much energy to look for Latte tomorrow.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Asumi exhaled.

And though it wasn’t so easy for Asumi, she eventually drifted off, as did Nodoka.

Chapter Text

Laura, Kururun, and Latte arrived at the Natsuumi household sometime after the sun had set.

Manatsu skipped to the front door to greet them. “Welcome back, guys! Did you have a good ti-” She then set her eyes on Latte and was overwhelmed by how adorable the little canine was. “Ooh, a stray puppy!! Can we keep her?! Canwecanwecanwe?!”

“Hold your seahorses!” Laura said in exasperation. “She’s already got a collar, so she must have an owner!”

Manatsu was rather deflated. “Aw, man.”

“Hear me out,” Laura began. “I’ve been having strange dreams involving this dog. In it, you’re in a strange land full of fairies and you save them from this giant food monster. The dog is some kind of princess.”

“That’s kinda cool, I’d like to go there,” Manatsu commented.

“Cool? Stay focused here!” Laura grumbled. “In this dream, she was accompanied by a pink-haired girl, a blue-haired girl, a blonde, and someone with purple hair. If my gut feeling is right, then those may be her owners.”

“Can we at least keep her here until we find her real home? Please??” Manatsu pleaded, as her eyes got all big and sparkly. Her puppy-dog eyes were enough to rival Latte’s.

“That’s what I was planning on,” Laura answered.

“Can she sleep in my bed tonight?” Manatsu asked, bouncing in place.

Laura handed Latte to her. “Well, fine, but you’re responsible for her, too.”

Manatsu took Latte to her room and huddled under the covers after she got her PJs on. Latte curled up at the foot of her bed. She was still sad and worried, but she was glad she had someone’s help.

The next morning, in the Byogen Kingdom, King Byogen was having a discussion with the generals. “Fools! Your last attempt at corrupting nature was a complete failure once again!”

Guaiwara flexed his muscles. “Don’tcha worry, Your Dryness, it’ll be a dark day for the planet real soon.”

“I’ve got something, why don’t we hold Princess Latte hostage?” Daruizen suggested. “When the Cures show up, we’ll threaten her and force her little fluffy bodyguards to take us to the Healing Garden so we can release more Megabyogens. If they try to stop us, the little fleabag will get it.”

“The Healing Garden will be ours in due time!” King Byogen cackled. “Brilliant!”

Shindoine was irked that she hadn’t come up with it herself. She felt envy bubbling within herself, so she knew she had to do something of assistance so she would get just as much praise from their ruler. “Hmph, how about I be the one to capture her?”

“Very well, then!” King Byogen answered.

Before she left, Shindoine put on a disguise to make herself look more human. She traveled to the outer world and found herself in Aozora City. She wanted some way to travel faster, so she checked by a parking lot and found a bicycle with a trailer behind it to carry cargo, and it had several boxes. She got on it and cycled down the road.

Back in the Natsuumi household, Laura and Kururun had gone out to see if anyone knew Latte. Laura was showing the townspeople photos of her and asking around. Manatsu stayed behind at the house to look after Latte, who was currently taking a nap in her bedroom.

After some time, Shindoine passed by Manatsu’s house, but she heard Latte’s voice muttering. She peeked into Manatsu's bedroom window and saw Latte moving her legs in her sleep. She was confused as to what Latte was doing there, but she decided not to think about it too hard.

Shindoine slipped in through the window and picked Latte up. Latte opened an eye, and her eyes widened when she saw Shindoine up close. Frightened, she began to bark, but Shindoine covered her mouth with her hand. Manatsu heard Latte and came to see what was going on. She opened the door and saw Shindoine carrying the squirming Latte.

“Hey!!” yelled Manatsu.

Shindoine leapt out the window and wrestled Latte into one of the boxes before cycling off as fast as she could. Manatsu ran outside and chased after her on her own bike. In the box, Latte trembled in fear. There was barely enough room for her to turn around, and it wasn’t easy to breathe in there. Hyperventilating, she barked and yelped, thrashing around in a panic.

Shindoine soon became tired of all the commotion and roared, “SILENCE!”

Latte did not obey. She continued to writhe around and howl. Just then, Shindoine took a sharp turn, and Manatsu tried to turn as well, but one of her wheels ran over a curb, and she fell off her bike, allowing Shindoine to go further than her. The sudden turn caused the box containing Latte to fall off the trailer. Shindoine failed to notice, as she had her eyes on the road up ahead. “Glad she finally shut up,” she thought.

Manatsu got back on her bike and continued to chase Shindoine, but she did not see Latte’s box landing on the road, either. The box broke open from the impact on the ground and Latte came tumbling out. She panted for air. There was a loud thunderclap, and a downpour of rain began. She flinched at the loud sound and dashed off to find some shelter. She ran into an alley, but several eyes gleamed in the darkness. Three feral Dobermans emerged from the shadows and snarled at her. She started to back away nervously, and the dogs gave chase. As she tried to outrun them, she slipped on a puddle of rainwater and fell into a sewer drain.

Latte landed in some water. She tried to dogpaddle, but a wall of water barreled down the hallway. She was swept away by the fast-moving current and flailed in the water, gasping for air. She held onto a tire to stay buoyant, but she was dragged into a whirlpool and into a tunnel. She was washed out and into a pond in a park. Latte yelped and struggled, but then she noticed that it was rather shallow, so she could properly stand up.

Latte got out of the pond, breathing heavily. It was still pouring, so she hid under a bench. She was horribly anxious about being all alone in such an unfamiliar area. She wished so desperately for her friends to come and give her a hug. She thought how Nodoka would take care of her when she was sick, how Asumi was like a second mother to her, how Chiyu would brush her fur, how fun it was to be around Hinata, and how the Healing Animals always protected her. She thought of her mother’s kindness, and she had no idea when she would see her or her homeland of the Healing Garden again. Deeply missing them, she began to cry, and she turned her head skyward, howling in sorrow.

Back with the Healin’ Good Cures, they had gone back to the mountains to continue their search. The Healing Animals flew over the treetops, while the girls scoured the grassy areas. After a few hours, the Healing Animals returned to the clearing where the girls had assembled after they had come up empty-handed.

“Have you found any clues?” Nodoka inquired.

Nyatoran's ears were pulled back in frustration. “Crap, we haven’t even found any paw prints, nya!”

“Don’t say that word, it’s rude,” Chiyu scolded.

“Priorities, rabi!” Rabirin exclaimed.

Asumi looked down at her feet with a dismal expression. She had a feeling that was gnawing away at her on the inside, it was a dreadful sensation within her stomach and her heart. “I should’ve kept a closer eye on her,” she said. “Then she wouldn’t have gone missing. I was…so irresponsible.” She sank to her knees. “I feel awful. My insides feel so icky.”

“It’s called guilt, Asumi,” Nodoka told her, sitting on a rock. “And I feel the same way. I should’ve paid more attention to Latte.”

“No,” Pegitan sniffled. “It was our sworn duty to protect her, but…we couldn’t keep that promise, peh.”

Even the typically prideful Nyatoran felt his share of contrition, and the usually chatty Hinata was oddly silent. She didn’t say it outright, but it was clear from her expression that she blamed herself for this as well.

“And how are we gonna break it to Queen Teatinu, rabi?!” Rabirin yelled, equally distressed and ashamed. “She’ll be heartbroken, rabi!”

Chiyu approached them. “Hey, we all had to fight that Megabyogen together, and it couldn’t be helped. If we need Queen Teatinu’s help, we’ll talk to her. I’m sure she’ll understand. What’s done is done, and though we can’t change the past, we can still fix this. We have to keep looking. We’ve only just begun.”

Nyatoran's expression became determined. “That’s right, nya. We’ve still got a job to do, nya!”

Hinata got back up. “We’re the Pretty Cure, and we’ve got each other’s backs!”

“Yeah!” everyone cheered.

Chapter Text

When the sun ascended, Latte was awakened by the sound of her stomach loudly voicing its emptiness. The most she had eaten was some grass the previous night. She had spent the night under that same bench. She got up and sniffed around, and a pleasant aroma met her nasal passages. She followed the smell and came across Kabaton sitting at a picnic table, eating a large stack of pancakes on a plate. She approached him and attempted the classic dog trick; the big, sparkly, sad eyes that were difficult to resist.

However, Kabaton was not the least bit moved, and he was in no mood to share his food with anyone. “Get outta here, ya dumb mutt!” he shouted, throwing a fork at her. She dodged it and ran away.

Dissatisfied and a bit hurt by how rude he was about it, Latte continued her search for a meal. She passed through another alley. Though she was disgusted at the thought of it, she was tempted to check a trash can, and she knew she couldn’t afford to be picky at this time. She hopped up on a trash can and took off the lid. A stray cat poked her head out of the can, visibly irritated, and swatted at Latte. Latte was quite intimidated and hopped down to the ground.

More alley cats came out of a nearby dumpster, hissing threateningly. They surrounded Latte until she was cornered against a wall. She whimpered and lowered her head in submission. The cats then pounced on her, unleashing a flurry of claws of teeth. She tried to squirm away, but she was simply too outnumbered. Overwhelmed by pain and fear, she started to cry again.

On the sidewalk, Sora Harewataru and Mashiro Nijigaoka were out taking a stroll. Mashiro was holding Ellee-chan, who started to squirm.

“You want to walk a little?” Mashiro asked.

Ellee-chan nodded enthusiastically. Mashiro put her down and she toddled forward. Right then, Latte’s wailing rang out.

“Someone’s in trouble!” Sora announced, standing up tall and pointing at the sky theatrically. “It’s hero time!” She charged away at full speed.

“Hey, wait!” Mashiro called out, and she picked Ellee-chan back up before following Sora.

Sora entered the alley and saw the cats attacking Latte, who was badly scratched up and yelping. Sora dug into her bag and found a baggie of dried anchovies. She whistled loudly, and the cats stopped assaulting Latte and looked in Sora’s direction.

“Come and get it!” Sora declared, and she threw the fish at them. The cats’ faces lit up and they began a massive feeding frenzy. Sora gestured for Latte to follow her, and they ran off while the cats were still distracted.

When they were a safe distance away, Latte collapsed, both from hunger and how sore she was. Sora picked her up and held her close.

Mashiro and Ellee-chan caught up to them. “Oh, no! Is that dog okay?!” Mashiro gasped in concern.

“We gotta get a vet, on the double!” Sora stated. Latte’s stomach then gurgled noisily. “But first, we’ll have to get this little girl some grub.”

As Mashiro went to a phone booth to make the call, Sora checked her bag and found a chicken sandwich in a Ziploc bag. She gave the sandwich to Latte, who happily ate it in a flash. Ellee-chan toddled over to her and reached out. Latte gave her hand a friendly lick. Ellee-chan giggled.

Soon, they arrived at the vet’s office, where the animal doctor checked Latte over.

“It doesn’t seem like her scratch marks are infected,” the veterinarian said, and he handed Latte over to Sora. “I’ve cleaned up the wounds.”

“Thank goodness,” Mashiro sighed. “Poor little thing’s got to have an owner if that collar is anything to go by.”

“But there isn’t even a phone number on her collar, that sucks,” Sora said.

“Well, perhaps you should post some ‘found’ flyers,” the vet proposed. “That way, everyone in town can see it and they’ll know who to contact.”

“Thanks, doc,” Sora replied.

Meanwhile, with the Healin’ Good Cures and the Healing Animals, they were setting up posters all over town. The posters had a photo of Latte and had a caption saying, “Lost Latte” on them. Nyatoran stuck a poster on a random guy’s leg. The guy turned around in annoyance. Knowing that he couldn’t blow his cover as a talking cat around anyone else, Nyatoran got on all fours and meowed before glancing at Hinata. The man looked at Hinata and huffed indignantly.

Hinata smiled nervously and said, “Um…bad kitty!”

Rabirin started to tear a piece of masking tape off the roll, but it got stuck to her hand. She shook her arm so much that she accidentally pulled more tape off the roll until she unknowingly covered herself in it. “Uh, a little help, rabi?”

Pegitan, on the other hand, was doing better at hanging up the posters. He stuck one on the window of a pet store. Asumi peeked in and saw a little boy picking up a puppy. The puppy licked the boy’s face, causing him to chuckle. Asumi’s heart sank, as the sight of this reminded her of how she would cuddle with Latte. She turned away morosely.

Nodoka, who had hung up a poster on a pole, looked over and saw Asumi’s shoulders slumping. She went up to Asumi and opened her arms, offering a hug. Asumi wrapped her arms around Nodoka, and they embraced each other for a good several seconds. It did make Asumi feel a little better.

Chiyu saw the two of them hugging each other. Her expression darkened, but she knew she had to focus more on the task at hand, so she shook her head and continued to put posters on the walls of buildings.

Later, in Sorashido City, Latte was at Mashiro’s house. Latte and Ellee-chan were playing together. Ellee-chan booped Latte’s nose, causing the latter to giggle.

“We should both put up the flyers tomorrow,” Mashiro told Sora. “Tsubasa can look after Ellee-chan and the pupper while we’re gone.”

Sora nodded. “Good idea. Where is he, again?"

"He's celebrating his birthday with his parents, remember?" Mashiro reminded her.

When Latte heard them, she began to whimper. She knew the Healin’ Good Cures didn’t live anywhere near Sorashido City, so she did not think they would be able to see the flyers.

Sora came over and patted Latte on the head. “Hey, don’t worry, doggo. We’ll find your family soon, I swear it on my honor as a hero.”

Latte licked her hand gratefully. She was glad to find another friend.

Chapter Text

It was a windy day. Sora and Mashiro had indeed left the house to put up “found” flyers. Tsubasa had come home, and he was in the living room with Ellee-chan and Latte. Tsubasa sat in an easy chair and watched as Ellee-chan pet Latte.

Ellee-chan scratched Latte behind the ears, but Latte did not respond. She was looking out the window longingly. She was thinking about all her friends and her mother. The pangs of homesickness ate her up inside, and her ears were sagging limply as she whimpered softly.

Tsubasa noticed how out of sorts she seemed, so he got up. “Maybe what you need is a little fresh air, pooch. How about that?”

Latte nodded. She didn’t mind finding a distraction from her current mood. Tsubasa put Ellee-chan in the carrier sling and opened the front door, and Latte followed him. They wandered through the neighborhood, and gusts of wind flurried past them. Latte’s ears flapped in the breeze.

They came across a strip mall. Kabaton was inside a Home Depot, where he was standing in front of a fan and speaking into it, causing his voice to become distorted. “Welcome to heaaaveeeeeeen!”

He looked away for a moment and saw Tsubasa passing by the store with Ellee-chan in his arms. He grinned maliciously, knowing that he had a prime opportunity to kidnap her.

Ellee-chan noticed Kabaton in the window and began to fuss. She squirmed and moved her arms around, squealing, “Eru, eru!”

Tsubasa glanced at her, wondering what was wrong. Ellee-chan pointed at the window, and Kabaton tried to duck out of sight, but it was too late, Tsubasa had seen him. Tsubasa protectively held Ellee-chan close to himself and rushed away, and Latte trotted behind them both. Irked, Kabaton ran out of the store, knowing he would have to bring in the big guns.

“C’mon, Undergu Energy!” Kabaton bellowed. Dark energy emerged from the ground and enveloped the fan that Kabaton had been messing with. It grew arms and legs, and yellow eyes appeared in the circle in its middle. “RANBORG!” it hollered.

Knowing he had no other choice, Tsubasa transformed into Cure Wing. Ellee-chan’s sling glowed, and she began to hover in the air. She and Latte watched in amazement as Cure Wing took flight and kicked the Ranborg. The Ranborg took a swing at him, but it missed him by an inch.

Cure Wing flew at the Ranborg at full speed, ready to land another attack, but then it got ahold of him and began to squeeze him. Cure Wing could scarcely breathe. Ellee-chan cried out in alarm, and Latte ran over and bit the Ranborg on the leg, causing it to howl in pain and lose its grip of Cure Wing. Growling in frustration, the Ranborg glared at Latte.

“Oop, you asked for it!” Kabaton cackled. The Ranborg inhaled deeply, and the vanes of the fan began to spin. This unleashed gale-force winds that, combined with the heavy breeze that was already going around, were powerful enough to send Cure Wing, Ellee-chan, and Latte backwards. Ellee-chan was knocked out of her floating sling and the force of the gales sent her and Latte flying high in the sky. They both shrieked as they continued to ascend.

Cure Wing was blustered around uncontrollably by the squalls. He struggled to get to them both due to the wind that was pushing him back. He caught Ellee-chan, but Latte was gusted out of his reach. He reached for Latte, but then the Ranborg set its gust setting in reverse, which vacuumed Cure Wing and Ellee-chan towards it and away from Latte.

“No!!” yelled Cure Wing as the Ranborg grabbed him for the second time. The air currents pushed Latte so far away that she was out of sight.

The gales of wind blew Latte’s collar off her neck, and it landed at the bottom of a ravine. The wind gusted her around for miles until she reached Nanairogaoka, and she howled and barked. The winds died down and gravity started to set in, and Latte descended at a rapid pace.

On the ground, Miyuki Hoshizora was skipping on the sidewalk, whistling a tune. She heard screaming from up above. She peered upwards in confusion and saw Latte falling in her direction. She yelped, and before she had the chance to get out of the way, they had a head-on collision. Miyuki had stars circling around her head, and when they faded away, she saw Latte and positively melted.

"Oh my gosh, PUPPY!” she squealed, giving her a big hug. “Wow, if I had a nickel for every time a critter fell right on my face, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.”

Latte was slightly startled by this sudden movement, but she still enjoyed the cuddle overall, and she was grateful that Miyuki saved her, even if it was sort of an accident. She nuzzled Miyuki’s cheek.

“Hmm, you don’t have a collar,” Miyuki said. “I think I’ll hold onto you for now. Candy’s gonna love you, I just know it!”

Back with Cure Wing and Ellee-chan, the former had managed to defeat and purify the Ranborg. He was holding onto Ellee-chan and soaring through the sky, trying to seek Latte.

He passed over the ravine, and he saw something shiny down there. Curious, he flew down to investigate, but then he came across the horrific sight of Latte’s mangled, dirty collar in a bush. He stared at it in shock, and then he hung his head in shame. Ellee-chan simply cooed, unaware of what was on his mind.

Some time later, in Sukoyaka City, the gang decided to take a break from their search party and stopped by a coffee shop for some iced tea. Hinata was looking at her phone, checking social media, and then she saw something that caused her jaw to drop. It was a picture Sora posted of Latte’s “found” poster!

“Guys, look!” she said in excitement, holding up her phone to show them the picture. “Someone’s found Latte!”

Everyone cheered in excitement. Since Sora’s phone number was on the flyer, Asumi contacted her on speed-dial. “Hello, this is Sora Harewataru, right? I heard you found a lost dog, and that happens to be our puppy, Latte! How is she?”

Sora, however, had an unusually grim tone of voice. “Um…about that...”

Asumi’s smile faded. “What? What’s wrong?”

Sora’s voice was shaking. “Our friend, Tsubasa, found her collar in a ravine, and there was no sign of her body anywhere. I-I broke my promise that I’d find her family. I’m so sorry.”

Asumi’s heart lurched. She was trembling all over. Her voice was breaking as she choked out, “It’s- it’s not your fault. Th-thank you anyway. G-goodbye.”

She hung up and put her phone down. The others looked on in sheer heartbreak. Asumi sniffled, and before long, tears began to stream down her face. Such a sensation confused her. “What is this? Am I…perspiring? Why won’t it stop?”

“You’re crying, Asumi,” Nodoka explained, as tears welled up in her own eyes. “You’re in pain inside. W-we all are.”

Chiyu’s eyes watered. She had previously tried to hide how worried she was because she thought it would get in the way of their search for their friend, but she saw no point in hiding it anymore, so she let it all out. She put her head in her hands and sobbed.

“We’ve failed her, peh,” Pegitan wept. “We’ve failed Queen Teatinu, peh. We’ve failed everyone, peh.”

Rabirin clung to Nodoka and cried in her arms. Nyatoran turned away so that no one would see his tears.

Hinata, who made no attempt to hide any tears herself, opened her arms, non-verbally telling everybody to bring it in. They all held each other and wept together.

Chapter Text

When Miyuki arrived home, she took Latte to her bedroom, where Candy was reading a comic book. “Guess who brought home a new little friend!” Miyuki announced gleefully.

Candy looked up from her book and saw Latte. “That’s not a sheepdog, is it, kuru?”

Miyuki shrugged. “Doesn’t look like one, then again, I don’t know what breed she is.”

Latte bounded over to Candy and licked her face. Candy laughed. “Oh, that tickles, kuru!”

“You’ll never guess what’s for dinner,” Miyuki said with a grin. “Okonomiyaki! And Akane’s gonna make it for us!”

“Yay!” Candy cheered, bouncing on Miyuki’s bed. “Her food’s the best, kuru!”

That night, when dinner was served, Latte was circling around the table, eagerly waiting for people to drop their scraps. She may have been sapient, but she was still a dog-like fairy at heart. When nobody was looking, Akane handed Latte some beef.

Miyuki came into her bedroom with two bowls of rice, as well as some okonomiyaki. Akane came in with her. “I got you both some leftovers, in case you wanted them,” Miyuki said.

Candy happily started on her portion. Latte approached the bowl and solemnly began to eat. The rice reminded her of the meals that Nodoka and Asumi gave her. Her homesick feeling was overwhelming. As she slowly chewed it, her eyes welled up, and by the time she finished a few more bites, tears were streaming down her face. She lay down on the ground, sobbing her heart out.

“What’s the matter, girl?” Miyuki asked in concern.

“Is the rice that bad, kuru?” Candy wondered innocently.

Akane gave Candy a dirty look for that insensitive remark, so Candy held her tongue. It then dawned on Latte that there was no way for them to know that she missed her friends. As far as they were aware, she was just a stray dog due to losing her collar, and the chance of them finding her friends was very small. Upon this realization, she cried even harder and hid under Miyuki’s bed. Akane reached out from under the bed to pet her, and she patted her on the back. Latte continued to weep, and she did not move.

“Maybe she just needs some alone time,” Akane said.

Though Miyuki loved to make people happy, she knew that would probably be the best thing to do. She and the others left the room so Latte could be alone with her sorrow. After a while, Latte cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, in Sukoyaka City, things were no better. The Healin’ Good Cures and Healing Animals had reconvened at Nodoka’s house, and they were all grieving together. Nodoka had taken out some photos of Latte.

“We never even got to say goodbye, rabi,” Rabirin lamented as she blew her nose into a tissue.

Nodoka found a photo of a sleeping Latte and put her hand on it as tears streamed down her face. “Goodnight, sweet princess.”

“Why did this have to happen?” Hinata sobbed. “It’s not fair.”

Chiyu dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “You’re right. It’s not.”

They heard a knocking at the door. Asumi took it upon herself to answer, and there was Queen Teatinu.

“Hello, Asumi, I just wanted to drop in for a visit,” Queen Teatinu greeted her, and then she noticed how transparent Asumi’s body was. “Oh, is something the matter? You look so disheartened.”

It hurt Asumi too much to even say what happened. She looked at Chiyu, who took a deep breath. “She went missing. We tried so hard to find her, but we were too late, and now…she’s gone.”

Queen Teatinu was in a state of stunned silence. She was so overcome with anguish that she could not even stand up anymore, she just sat on the floor, lowering her head as a single tear crept out of her eye.

“We’re sorry, Your Majesty, nya,” Nyatoran sniffled.

“We don’t deserve to be called her guardians, peh,” Pegitan hiccupped.

Asumi spoke up. “I was made to save the Cures and Latte, and I couldn’t even fulfill part of that purpose.” She put her face in her hands, tearing up again. “I just…don’t know what to do about this.”

“A-are you mad at us, rabi?” Rabirin asked, teary-eyed.

Choking back sobs, Queen Teatinu whispered, “No. To be honest, you all have been more than just her guardians. You’ve been her friends, and dare I say it, you’ve been like a second family to her. I know you’ve done your best for her. I am still grateful for all that you’ve done.”

Nodoka was touched. “Oh, Queen…”

“We love you, Your Majesty, peh,” Pegitan sniffed.

“And I will never stop loving you,” Queen Teatinu said.

Asumi rubbed her eyes. Though she was still heartbroken, Queen Teatinu’s words of reassurance had helped her feel less guilty.

Back with Latte, her mood hadn’t improved. She hadn’t gotten out from under the bed since last night. She was just lying there and sighing. Miyuki had tried to make her feel at least a little better by giving her toys and treats, but she did not respond. She missed her friends too much to enjoy any of those.

Miyuki was still concerned about her, but she knew she had to get ready for school. “Can you look after her while I’m gone? Try to be there for her, alright?”

Candy nodded. “Mm-hmm! This Candy can do, kuru!”

With that, Miyuki gathered her studying stuff and headed out. Candy looked under the bed. “So, uh, wanna play, kuru?”

Latte was still lying on her side, facing away from her. Candy took out a rubber ball and squeezed it, causing it to squeak. When she heard this sound, Latte’s instincts kicked into overdrive. Her ears perked up and she ran out from under the bed, wagging her tail enthusiastically.

Candy tossed the ball. “Fetch, kuru!” Latte chased after the ball and caught it in her mouth before bringing it back to her. Candy left Miyuki’s room and opened the front door, and Latte ran outside.

Candy called out, “Go long, kuru!” and threw the ball. It flew over the stone wall in front of the house. Since Miyuki had left the gate open, Latte ran out. Candy then realized she shouldn’t have thrown it so hard, and she chased Latte. “Wait up, kuru!”

They sprinted about a block away. Candy caught up with Latte and stopped to catch her breath. Latte approached her and placed the ball at her feet, looking proud. An engine was heard, and Candy noticed an animal control truck approaching. “Gah! Run!!” she exclaimed, and she dove into a bush. She gestured for Latte to follow her, but Latte just tilted her head quizzically. A man and a woman came out of the truck and saw Latte.

“Get that dog!” yelled the woman.

Startled, Latte turned tail and darted off. The dogcatchers ran after her in hot pursuit. Latte then tripped and faceplanted. The man threw his catchpole around her neck, and though she tried to squirm out of it, he wrestled her into the truck as she protested and squealed.

Candy poked her head out of the bush and saw them carting her away. She was scared, but then she thought of what her older brother Pop would do, and she decided to follow his regular course of action during times of duress. Though she knew there was a chance she would be caught, she knew what she had to do. She raced after the animal control truck and leapt on the back of it. She stumbled and struggled to keep her balance, but she climbed to the left side of the truck and peeked in through a glass window. She saw Latte, who was in a cage, staring at the wall miserably.

Candy tapped on the window. Latte turned around, and when she saw her, she barked. Candy put a stubby hand to her lips and shushed her to avoid getting attention from the driver. She kicked the window to try to shatter it, but the truck accelerated. Candy lost her grip and fell off. Latte barked in alarm.

Candy landed on the road with a thud. She was quite scratched up from the asphalt. She heard vehicles coming up right behind her, and with a yell, she dove out of the way of the oncoming traffic and dodged all the cars until she managed to reach the sidewalk. She knew she would need backup, but Miyuki was still at school.

She then remembered a long-distance friend of Miyuki’s, who had come to town for her vacation. She rushed into a phone booth, but to her dismay, she was too short to reach the phone itself. She picked up a long stick and pressed the numbers with it before pushing the phone out of the receiver.

“What’s up?” Yui Nagomi answered, whose voice was slightly muffled because she was stuffing her face with rice balls.

“Candy’s so glad you picked up, kuru!” Candy said. “See, dogcatchers just caught my puppy pal, kuru! We gotta break her out of there, kuru!”

“A jailbreak, huh?” Yui said as she finished the last of her rice balls, and stood up, ready for action. “Then I know just the man, or dragon, for the job!”

Chapter Text

The dogcatchers arrived at the city pound. The man unlocked Latte’s cage in the truck, and before she had the chance to jump out, he leashed her and hauled her inside the building. The place was very foreboding. It was dark and rather dirty, and as the man took Latte down the hallway full of cages, there were many aggressive-looking dogs. The moment they saw Latte, they barked viciously as saliva frothed from their mouths and they glared at her with their bloodshot eyes. Latte was too frightened to make much of a fuss and she followed the man obediently.

Latte was put in a cage between two animals; a cat who was counting the days he had been there by scratching tally marks on the back wall with his claws, and a parrot who was perfectly replicating the sounds of a harmonica. The parrot went quiet the moment one of the employees passed by.

The employee unhooked the latch of an elderly Shiba Inu’s cage and put a leash around her. The dog looked down in acceptance, and the woman led her to a room. Latte brightened up slightly, as she initially assumed the old dog was going to be adopted, but when she saw the other animals’ melancholic expressions, her smile disappeared. She was mystified. Why did they look so serious?

A crushing realization hit her; the odds of her friends finding her were even more far-fetched. If she was adopted by someone else, it just wouldn’t be the same as her old home, and a new owner would never replace her old friends. Overtaken by hopelessness, she curled up in a shivering ball.

Once an hour or so had passed, Ran Hanamichi tiptoed by the entrance with Mem-Mem, humming the Mission Impossible theme. Looking exasperated, Mem-Mem elbowed her to shut her up.

Ran blushed and shrugged, and then she spoke into her walkie-talkie. “Yui, I’m at the pound, over.”

Yui’s voice came out of the walkie-talkie. “Alright, just wait until the desk lady isn’t looking, and then Mem-Mem can go in, but make sure he stays outta sight.” Ran did not answer, as she started to let her mind wander at the sight of a food truck. “Uh, hello?” Yui asked.

“Huh?! Oh, right!” Ran said, going back to reality. Mem-Mem shushed her again.

A moment later, the woman at the desk went back to her computer and typed on it. Ran pointed for Mem-Mem to enter. The automatic door opened when Mem-Mem got close to it. The woman looked up from her computer, and Mem-Mem quickly lay low. The desk lady briefly wondered how the door had opened by itself, but she chalked it up to a malfunction and went back to typing.

Mem-Mem tiptoed past her and silently flew into the area where all the other critters were kept. The dogs ferociously barked at him on sight. He feared that the sound would attract another employee, so he knew he had to hurry. He followed the sound of a harmonica, which brought him to the parrot’s cage. Mem-Mem saw Latte’s cage out of the corner of his eye. She was lying down with dull eyes, looking very despondent. He noticed that she had bows on her ears, a heart-shaped ornament, and tan fur, per the description he had been given.

“Psst!” he whispered, tapping on the bars. “I’m here to get you free, mem.”

Latte lifted her head up and caught sight of him. Since the latch on the cage was rather tall for Mem-Mem to reach, he flew upwards and undid the latch before opening the door. Latte skipped out and gave him a big hug in appreciation. The display of gratitude was quickly cut short when the dogs began to bark again. Mem-Mem hoisted Latte by the shoulders and flew her out of the kennel room. In the lobby, the desk lady had dozed off at her computer, lying facedown on the keyboard. Since she was in the middle of writing an email to someone, there were many lines of gibberish that were only increasing. Mem-Mem and Latte hovered past the woman and out the automatic door. He placed her on the ground and panted, as she was bigger than him and heavier in comparison.

“Mission complete,” Ran reported to Yui.

“Okay, meet me by the bakery,” Yui said. “I just texted Miyuki and she said she’ll meet us there with Candy after school.”

Latte basked in the freedom and skipped behind them as they made their way to their destination. When they arrived, Yui had ordered carrot cake for them. As they ate, Latte wanted some carrot cake, too, and she knew how to get it. She stood on her hind legs and gave the “pleading dog” face at full blast.

“Aww, this one’s a keeper!” Miyuki said, and she took a picture of Latte.

Latte rubbed her paws against her fur to make it look extra fluffy and rolled on her back. Yui knew she couldn’t miss out on this opportunity either, so she snapped a photo with her phone, as did Ran. They all posted their pictures on their respective social media accounts.

Meanwhile, in Sorashido City, it was rather quiet in Mashiro’s house. Sora had spent most of the day in her room, ruminating about what she could have done to save Latte. The more she thought about it, the more aggravated she became. Right when her level of anger was starting to reach a critical level, Mashiro came in with Ellee-chan. Mashiro was similarly downcast, but Ellee-chan was still oblivious to what was going on.

“I just wanted to check on you,” Mashiro greeted her.

Sora was not in the mood to talk. “Just go away.”

Mashiro was slightly taken aback by this curt response, and Ellee-chan stopped smiling. “Are…are you sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?”

Sora huffed. “Some hero I turned out to be, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Mashiro asked.

“I said I would take that pup home, I swore it on my honor and everything!” Sora shouted in frustration. “A true hero keeps their word, but I didn’t!”

“But it wasn’t your fault,” Mashiro tried to reassure her.

“Oh, we never should’ve left that dog behind,” Sora groaned, rubbing her temples. “If we were all together, we could’ve all fought that Ranborg, and none of this would’ve happened.”

Tsubasa was walking by the door when he heard what Sora said. He already felt terrible enough about not keeping Latte safe, but that only compounded his feelings of shame.

Mashiro’s shoulders were tensing up uneasily. “B-but we left the house to find people who knew her, remember?”

“And that was boneheaded of us!” Sora yelled.

“There was no way for any of us to know he would strike at that time!” Mashiro protested. “We were on the other side of town, we couldn’t see what was going on!”

The maelstrom of fury had overridden Sora, and she was not thinking straight. “You know what, it’s not my fault. It’s YOUR fault!”

Ellee-chan had never seen Sora this incensed before, and she was petrified. Shaking like a leaf, she clung to Mashiro. Mashiro herself was appalled. “What?! How?!”

Sora pointed an accusing finger. “If I recall correctly, it was your idea to put up the flyers without the dog!”

Mashiro was getting infuriated, and she went on the defensive. “I was just trying to help! We all were!!”

“Well, you didn’t!” Sora screamed. “And there’s no way this can be fixed!”

Mashiro’s eyes welled up with tears, and she promptly blew a fuse. “Do you think I’m not upset about this?! Tsubasa and I wanted to find her owners just as much as you did! Did it mean nothing to you?!”

This question caught Sora off-guard, and her rage began to deflate. Hit with self-doubt, she could only utter, “Well…I…uh…”

“Oh, forget it!” Mashiro sobbed. “You’ve said more than enough!”

Ellee-chan started to cry along with her, and she buried her face in Mashiro’s arm. Mashiro flung the door open and ran out of the room in tears, passing by Tsubasa, who just stood there with his mouth hanging open. His expression then became one of disgust.

Sora glanced at him. “Tsubasa?”

Tsubasa just shook his head and stormed off. Sora slumped back on her bed, exhausted by her flare-up, and panted heavily. She thought about all the harsh words she had unleashed, how she drove her very best friend and an innocent baby like Ellee-chan to tears, and the look Tsubasa gave her. Her heart was filled with remorse, and now she didn’t know how to fix what she had broken.

“I’m nobody’s hero,” she thought to herself as a tear ran down her cheek.

Chapter Text

After Sora had gotten her tears out, she stared at the ceiling as she took some time to ponder. How could she make things right with Mashiro, Ellee-chan, and Tsubasa? At the very least, she knew the first step she had to take. She stepped out of her room and went to find her friends.

All three of her friends were on the couch. Mashiro had calmed down, but her eyes were red from crying. Tsubasa was holding Ellee-chan, who looked quite relaxed.

Sora approached them cautiously. “Guys?”

When they laid eyes on her, their expressions darkened. Tsubasa gave her another disapproving look, Mashiro averted her eyes, and Ellee-chan whimpered, afraid that she would snap again.

“I’m really sorry, guys,” she said. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

“Indeed,” Tsubasa huffed, crossing his arms. “You know, it really hurt me when I heard you say you shouldn’t have left that dog alone with me and Ellee-chan. I really did try to keep them both safe. I felt like my best wasn’t enough.”

Sora’s heart lurched. She had no idea that he’d heard that part of what she said. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. You’re a knight, and a knight never gives up. You didn’t give up on doing what’s right.”

Tsubasa did not answer at first. He was taking some time to consider Sora’s words. Mashiro still wasn’t looking at Sora, and Ellee-chan was trembling. Clearly, the pain was still present in Mashiro, and Ellee-chan was still shaken by her explosion.

“I went too far with my anger. I can understand why you’re scared of me now,” Sora told Ellee-chan, and then she looked at Mashiro with crestfallen shame. “And, Mashiro? I am grateful for what you’ve done. It was wrong of me to blame you for what happened, and you were just trying to comfort me. You did what you did to help her, and me. I’m sorry I ever made it seem like you didn’t care.”

Upon hearing this, Mashiro turned back at her. Ellee-chan looked less scared.

“I understand if you don’t forgive me. You are true heroes, more than I ever was. A true hero doesn’t make their teammates feel inadequate.” Sora turned away, too choked up to say another word.

Tsubasa’s expression softened. When Mashiro saw just how much Sora regretted her actions, she felt her own grudge wither away. They both knew that Sora was speaking from the heart. Mashiro then finally spoke. “But, Sora, heroes make mistakes. They’re only human.”

“Real heroes learn from their mistakes, as I know you have,” Tsubasa added.

Sora felt like she had a massive weight taken off her shoulders and heaved a great sigh of relief for good measure. Ellee-chan reached for her, no longer having any hard feelings. Sora picked her up for a hug, and the other two joined in on the snuggle sandwich. For a while, they didn’t say anything, they just held each other close.

Sora soon spoke up again. “You know, now that we’re feeling a little better, how about we look up something funny?”

The other two agreed to that. They went online, and they spent a good several minutes laughing at pictures of animals doing amusing things. Sora briefly stopped to take a sip of water, and then checked Yui’s account to see if she had posted anything regarding her vacation, as they were online friends. She saw something that made her heart skip a beat. She found the pictures Yui had posted of Latte begging for their food, and this surprised her so much that she spat her drink right out.

Tsubasa cringed a bit. “Uh, what was that for?”

“You guys, check this out!!” Sora turned her phone towards them.

“That dog looks…familiar,” Mashiro mused, squinting her eyes.

“Hey, she has that heart-shaped thing on her forehead!” Tsubasa yelled, pointing at the middle of Latte’s forehead.

They all looked at each other as their eyes widened, and Sora quickly started texting Yui.

At this point, Yui had taken Latte to the place her family rented for their trip. Though Latte was glad to have found freedom, the yearning feeling within her heart had not faded away, and she was lying on the floor, wondering how her friends had been. Kome-Kome rolled a ball towards her as an offer to play, but Latte just sniffled and looked away. Yui watched them, and she wondered if there was anything she could do about it. Just then, Sora’s text went through, and her phone’s notification sound chimed. She picked it up and looked at it.

“hey yui, about that pupper you posted? we’ve been trying to find her owners” said the text.

Yui texted back, “wait, really?!”

Sora answered, “that’s right, can you take her to us?”

Yui typed, “will do”

Sora texted, “we’ve got a plan, but it’s better if I explain in person, so can you sleep at mashiro’s for the night?”

Yui replied, “of course, see ya!”

“Great news, li’l girl,” Yui said with a grin as she walked over to Latte. “You’re going home!”

Latte froze for a moment, and then her tail began to wag as joy flowed through her body. She stood on her hind legs and danced in sheer elation, barking gleefully. Kome-Kome joined in and hopped around in excitement.

Yui went into the kitchen, where her mother Akiho was having some coffee. “Hey, mom? Could I stay over at Sora and Mashiro’s house for the night?”

“Hmm, that’s a little sudden, but I don’t see why not,” Akiho answered. “Sorashido City’s only about an hour-long drive from here.”

Yui assembled her possessions and put them in a duffel bag. When Akiho got the car warmed up, Yui sat in the backseat, and Latte sat in her lap. As the car started moving, Latte put her head out the window and her ears flopped back in the wind. The car passed by several trees and scenic overlooks, and Latte could see the glistening ocean from there. It was hard to believe that her journey was almost over.

Chapter Text

Akiho dropped Yui and Latte off at the Nijigaoka household. Yui waved goodbye to her mother and went inside with Latte, where Sora, Mashiro, Tsubasa, and Ellee-chan were waiting for them both. Sora felt even happier to see Latte in person, especially with the knowledge that she could properly fulfill her promise now. She kneeled to Latte’s level, and Latte hopped into her arms, nuzzling her.

“Aw, man, thank God you’re alright!” Sora laughed in relief.

Tsubasa, Ellee-chan, and Mashiro were just as ecstatic and relieved. They all got their share of kisses and cuddles from Latte.

After those salutations, Yui asked, “Alright, what’s the plan?”

Sora grinned. “You see, we know the whereabouts of her owners since we checked the caller ID, and we’re gonna surprise them!”

“Ooh, I love surprises, especially giving them!” Yui said eagerly. “How are we gonna get there?”

“We’ll take the bus to Sukoyaka City,” Tsubasa said.

“Are dogs allowed on there, though?” Yui questioned.

Sora went quiet. She hadn’t exactly thought of that possibility.

“We’ll pass her off as a plush toy,” Tsubasa clarified.

“Wouldn’t that be a lie, though?” Sora asked apprehensively. “Heroes shouldn’t ever lie.”

“Listen, Sora-chan,” Mashiro said, looking into Sora’s eyes. “While honesty may be the best policy, sometimes you should lie in order to protect yourself or someone else.”

Sora considered this for a moment. “I guess that does make sense,” she admitted.

Ellee-chan started to doze off in Mashiro’s arms. Mashiro noticed this. “I think I should stay behind and look after Ellee-chan while she takes her nap. Best of luck to you all.”

“I’ll see you when we get back,” Sora told her, and they went on their way.

When they reached the bus stop, Yui whispered to Latte, “You must be as quiet and still as possible, okay?”

Latte nodded obediently. The bus arrived, and the gang filed in. The bus driver took notice of Latte.

“Nice stuffed animal,” the driver commented. “It almost looks real.”

Sora chuckled nervously. “Uh-huh, thanks.”

There were three other passengers; a businessman who was reading a newspaper to pass the time, and a woman with a sleeping baby on her lap. Sora took her seat next to the lady and her son, while Yui and Tsubasa sat on the other side.

An hour and a half passed. It wasn’t too difficult for Latte to keep still, especially since she was considering taking a nap. Just as she started to close her eyes, the baby started to wake up. When he saw Latte, he reached over and patted her neck.

Latte tensed up. Her neck was extremely ticklish, but she knew she couldn’t crack up, or she would give the game away. The baby, remaining oblivious, continued to tap her neck. Latte snorted, and she did her hardest not to laugh. She tried to think of something serious, like how she felt when she missed her friends, but it was no use. She burst out guffawing, and this attracted the attention of the other passengers, as well as the bus driver, who scowled at them in disapproval. The Cures all grinned awkwardly.

The bus driver pulled over by a gas station and sternly pointed to the door. The gang exited the vehicle in defeat. As the bus took off, the gang glanced at each other in uncertainty. Latte looked down in disappointment.

“Now what?” Tsubasa groaned.

“We can’t lose heart now!” Sora declared, pumping a fist in resolve. “If one plan fails, a backup can get you back out!” She marched up to the road and thrust her arm out, putting her thumb up to hitchhike.

Yui and Tsubasa shrugged, deciding it was better than nothing. They walked up beside her and put their thumbs out as well. Latte tried to do the same thing, but since she had no thumbs, she just put her front leg out. Several cars breezed by, ignoring them. One orange car sped by and narrowly missed Sora, who shook her fist in vexation.

A taxi pulled up. “Got any money?” the driver asked.

Sora checked her wallet. She had used the last of her money to pay for that bus fee. She snickered sheepishly. “Uh…can you take an IOU?”

The cab driver gave her an unimpressed look. “…Bye.” She then drove off without another word.

Another car pulled over. The glass of the window rolled down, revealing that the driver was none other than Rosemary. “Yui, sweetie, as I live and breathe!”

Yui was surprised and delighted. “Mari-chan!”

“What’re you and these fellas doing out in the middle of nowhere?” Rosemary inquired.

“We’ve got to get to Sukoyaka City to take this pup home,” Yui explained. “Can you take us there?”

Rosemary fawned over how adorable Latte was. “Well, of course I’ll give you a lift! Who could say no to that face?”

They all got in, with Yui calling shotgun and the others taking the backseats. Latte was in Sora’s lap, gazing out the window in eager anticipation. She was getting more excited by the minute; she knew it wouldn’t be long before she could see her friends and mother again.

Once another hour passed, Tsubasa checked the location from the ID just as Rosemary drove near the Hanadera household. “Looks like this is the place!”

Rosemary parked the car, allowing them all to hop out. Sora, Yui, and Tsubasa approached the front door. Tsubasa was about to knock it, but Yui had an idea.

“Hold on,” Yui said, and she turned to Latte. “Hide in those bushes over there.”

Latte obeyed and jumped into the shrubbery. Tsubasa then knocked on the door. Nodoka answered, looking very dispirited. “Hello?”

“I’ve heard you’ve been looking for someone,” Sora said with her hands behind her back.

Yui whistled, and Latte came out of hiding. When she met eyes with Nodoka, a look of pure, unadulterated joy appeared on Latte’s face as she bolted over to her, barking. Nodoka was momentarily astonished, but then a powerful surge of joy struck her.

“LATTE!” she screamed as Latte threw herself into her arms, and she began to laugh jubilantly. She kissed Latte on the forehead. “Oh, I’m never letting you out of my sight again!”

Inside the house, the Healin’ Good Cures, Healing Animals, and Queen Teatinu had congregated to continue mourning their supposed loss. They heard Latte barking happily from outside.

Rabirin’s ears had gone completely limp. “Oh, I can still hear her little voice, rabi.”

Nodoka motioned to Tsubasa, Yui, and Sora for them to follow her inside. They all hurried into the doorway. Nodoka called out, “Guys! Latte’s back!”

“Oh, don’t try to cheer us up, we’re trying to grieve here,” Hinata said as she wiped her eyes with a tissue, and then she did a double take. “Wait, what?!”

They whipped their heads up. When they saw Latte running towards them, their expressions of despondence disappeared and were replaced by ear-to-ear grins. Uproarious cheers erupted from them, and they all took turns petting Latte and passing her around as she showered them in doggie kisses.

When Asumi held Latte close to her heart, she felt her eyes leaking once more. “I don’t understand. I’m just so happy, but I still can’t stop these tears from flowing. Is there something wrong with me?”

Nodoka smiled as tears formed in her own eyes. “Not at all, Asumi.”

“Oh, my wonderful, precious baby girl,” Queen Teatinu sighed blissfully as she nuzzled her daughter.

Hinata then glomped Sora, momentarily startling her. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!”

“Well, the credit doesn’t just go to me,” Sora chuckled. She gestured towards the others. “My friends here had a hand in this.”

Tsubasa took a bow. “It was our pleasure.”

Queen Teatinu stood up tall. “The Healing Kingdom sends their warmest thanks now that the princess is safe and sound.”

“Wow, a princess?” Yui said in amazement. “That’s a pretty great honor.”

“Aw, you lost your collar, that’s too bad, peh,” Pegitan said.

“No matter, the Healing Kingdom can make her a new one,” Queen Teatinu reassured him.

“Perhaps she should be microchipped in case she ever goes missing again,” Chiyu advised.

Nodoka nodded. “You’re right. I’ll take her to the vet tomorrow.”

“How can we ever repay you?” Queen Teatinu asked Sora and the crew.

“No need,” Sora told her. “It’s all in a day’s work.”

The celebration and cuddle session continued for a good long while. A pleasant warmth filled everyone’s hearts, but none of them felt it more than Latte. Though she had gone through a lot to make it home, all that mattered to her was that she was surrounded by her loved ones, as well as some new friends. It was all worth it in the end.

Chapter Text

Three weeks had passed since Latte returned to the Hanadera household. Things had mainly gone back to the way they were. Around this time, the moon had ascended, and the inhabitants of the household had fallen asleep. They were all having pleasant dreams.

The sole exception was Latte, who was tossing and turning in her slumber. Beads of sweat covered her forehead as she kicked her legs. She was having a nightmare.

In her dream, Latte was in town with her friends. The sky had turned dark red, thunder filled the air, and the ground was quaking. The gang looked around anxiously and a ginormous shadow covered the ground. It was Neo King Byogen, who loomed over the girls with an evil smirk on his face.

The girls transformed into their Cure forms, but before they could even land a single attack, Neo King Byogen absorbed them and the Healing Animals into his body. They were gone before Latte’s very eyes. Barking, Latte tried to run after Neo King Byogen, but this did nothing, as he was beginning to vanish. As he faded away, Latte could hear the voices of her friends screaming in agony. Latte was at her wit’s end. Beside herself with terror, she curled into a fetal position, trembling violently as tremors shook the planet.

“Latte!!” Nodoka shouted in anguish.

In the real world, Nodoka was nudging Latte, who was thrashing in her sleep and yipping in panic. “Latte? Latte? Are you okay?”

With a loud yelp, Latte burst awake in a cold sweat, panting like mad. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and when Nodoka caught her eye, she sprung into her arms, shivering all over.

Asumi sat up in bed. She was awakened by the commotion. “Mm? What’s going on?”

“I think she had another nightmare,” Nodoka informed her as she rocked Latte gently.

Asumi sighed. “The poor girl. This has happened so often.”

Whimpering, Latte reached for Asumi. Nodoka walked up to Asumi and handed the pup over to her. When Asumi picked her up, Latte buried her face in her chest.

Nodoka knew that Latte had something on her mind that she wanted to get off her chest, so she held up the magic stethoscope, and Latte’s internal voice came out. “I dreamed we were separated, latte. I know it’s all over now, but I’m just scared I’ll lose you again, latte. If it happens again, I don’t know what I’ll do, latte. The thought of it is just too much to bear, latte.”

“Oh, Latte, I understand how you feel,” Nodoka told Latte as she rubbed her back. “We know how strongly you missed us, and we missed you just as much. We’re going to do our best not to let something like that happen again.”

“Besides, if you get lost again, the microchip can help you find your way back home,” Asumi pointed out. She cradled Latte in her arms and put a hand on the puppy princess’s chest, where her heart was beating steadily. “And just remember, even if you don’t know where we are, we will never be too far from you as long as you keep us in your heart.”

Latte felt comforted by their gentle words. She was getting comfortable in the warmth of Asumi’s strong arms.

“I think you better sleep with us for the rest of the night,” Nodoka recommended.

Latte nodded in agreement and yawned. “I love you guys so much, latte,” she murmured.

“We love you, too,” Asumi whispered.

The girls brought Latte to their bedroom. When Asumi got under the covers, Latte curled up on Asumi’s abdomen. The rest of the night was much more peaceful. They all knew that it would take a while for Latte to overcome her trauma, but the fact that she had her friends to help her through it was a nice consolation.