Back at the small island, not far from Tokyo, Cure Spark is training for her own sake. She is waiting for Sakura to show up. Until then, She is quite content to just do a little training all her own. Once she got out of school, she went looking for a few things. She found a few hay bales and made a couple training dummies. Sure those weren't for her. She's obliterate them with ease. She made some that are wooden and bigger then her. Not far from the landing where they trained the night before, There is a tool box of tools borrowed from Infinity Elementry school. They would be taken back the next day of course.
Sitting on a branch, watching the things going on is the little fairy, Lilac who looks a little better then she did a few days ago. Just a little bit of a cold after the events of the four card fiesta. Still She is really happy to be there watching and of course cheering on Spark.
Currently, Cure Spark is going to work. She has her glittering staff in her hand and she is flat out pummeling one of the wooden dummies she put together. THankfully with not real tech in them, they don't explode.
Sakura Kinomoto hovered across the lake, humming softly as she traveled. Her eyes practically lit up when she saw her friend. She waited until she was done with her set before running up. "Spark-sensei!" she called out before jump hugging her. She then looked around at the wooden dummies. "Wow. You've been busy! I wish you'd done me you wanted something like that! I would have used the wood card and made a bunch for you!" Still huggng big sister Sparky. Finally, she pulled back and grinned up to her, before holding out a... small card. Sweet? "I got us a surprise when we're all done~" she said happily.
Cure Spark smiles, "Its okay! It gave me something to do so I wouldn't be destroying stuff today! Plus Sometimes it helps just to do stuff with your hands. I love making things sometimes. I didn't want to blow up anything so, I found some hay and make a couple better training dummies for you. I can handle the shock of the strikes, So I made wooden ones. Plus its really peaceful over here." She smiles and just enjoys hugging the younger girl.
Then she smiles as the gets out a small card and Spark looks at it curiously. "Oh yeah? Surprises can be fun!" She giggles. "So I guess we need to get started don't we?" She smiles.
Quietly she gestures to a straw training dummy. "Here you go. Remember what you learned last night? Lets see some of it. Its okay if you break em. We can make more of those. Though, try not to too much. I don't have any more made tonight." SHe laughs.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. She made her wand form in her hand before gripping it firmly in both hands. her stance was still horrible and she attacked more like she was chopping wood than if she was actually fighting a proper fight. She was as fast as ever and did a few swings, tearing out straw with every strike.
"If we break them, there's no worry. I can probably make more if it comes to it! The cards are really useful and my magic is getting a lot better! I can actually sense the cards now, when I'm close," she said with a big grin. "Hows this? Am I hitting them okay?"
Cure Spark smiles. "Okay lets start again." She moves one of the wooden dummies over beside the straw one so she can show Sakura a little easier. "Alright when you do this, It will help to open up your stance. Look at my legs." She takes a stance. Of course its easier in Precure form. In human form she wouldn't know the first thing about fighting. She blows things up usually. "Try that and take a few swings. See if that helps.
Then with a quick strike, Spark makes several hard hits on the dummy leaving a few scorch marks on it. Given that its wooden and the staff is essentially solid lightning, electic might be able to be felt on the ground as it touches the wood.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, slowly moving her feet around, lead leg forward, other leg back. She tried to mimic her hips as well, before making a few more strikes. She sighed. " a part of me wonders if maybe I should have joined big brother on his kendo lessons." Strike, strike, strike. "Though, I guess I'm pretty lucky! not everyone gets to train with the pretty cutes!"
Strike, strike, strike. She did learn fast, at least. Not strong,but her natural athleticism helped.
Cure Spark smiles as she watches. "Okay try this." She holds out her staff and holds it with her hands seperated on different parts of it. "Like this. It will give you much more control with your weapon." She smiles a little.
Quickly she moves leaving a sparkling light trail behind her. Strike, strike Slash, Strike, kick. The head of the wooden dummy goes flying off. "Oops!"
Sakura Kinomoto cringes, but nods as she goes, bringing her sword down. "Why does it help with control? Is it like..." She paused and her eyes widened. "O-oh! I can use it like a lever, right? Holding the outer hand still, the back hand to position it. Right?" she asked with a big grin. Yup, fast learner. "That's really cool, sensei!"
Cure Spark nods, "Yes! Plus when you have a hand towards each end of the staff. You have control of both ends. It is easier to control where that end is going. For instance. Right Shoulder, Left Shoulder, Head."
She smiles and unleashes hell on the dummy... She uses both ends of the staff. Right Shoulder, then left shoulder Then quickly she brings the staff overhead, sliding her hand down to one end using full force on where the dummy's head would be. The strike splits the remaining part of the wooden dummy into two.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, trying to duplicate it. Unfortunately, her staff wasn't nearly long enough to function in a similar manner. But she was trying to get the hang of it. "So, ummm... if you don't mind me asking, why are you teaching me staff combat? I mean, my wand's a lot... shorter than a staff, so will it really help me that much?"
She then shook her head. "Not that I'm complaining! I-I'm really happy to do it this way, o f course! Whatever you suggest, sensei!"
Cure Spark smiles a little, "Because your wand doesn't have a blade in it. Plus even a short staff can be used two sided. Lemme see?" She asks. Now Spark is a bit bigger then Sakura and she is asking for a much smaller staff.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, holding out her wand with a big grin. It... likely felt odd in her grip. If she tried to use any magic through it, she'd find it rejected her. Rather... forcefully. But using it to strike would be fine.
Cure Spark takes the wand in her hand. It looks like a baton for her. Quickly she spins it using both hands but striking with one. She changes and strikes with her non-dominant hand. With a fast flourish she brings it upwards along her arm and resting on her shoulder. "That is why I am showing you staff. Its the same premise."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. "Really. I... I think I see. Kind of? So... block... like it was a staff,but swing as if it's a club. Right? I think?" she'd take it and, well, at least she could spin it right. Great with baton use.
Cure Spark smiles and nods, "Use it like its a baton. Fight with it. Beat the bad guy with it." She giggles. She picks up her staff and shortens it a bit. Yup she can do that. With a quick motion she does the same demonstration but with a slightly longer baton. More fitting for her at least.
"Oh there is something else I wanted to mention to you. I know you can have your cards do things. What sort of things can you tell the cards to do? Like windy What can you do with that card? Or wood?"
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a few times and then frowned. She honestly hadn't thought about it much. "Well... I'm still practicing but..." She crossed her arms and thought. "Kero-chan says it's limited by my magic and skill. At the moment I can only have them do simple things, but like... as long as I can ask it, they can do it. He says as I get stronger and I get more cards... pretty much anything will be possible. I can control the weather, time, elements. He says Clow Reed was able to perfectly see the future and he only had to want something and it came true.
Her cheeks then turned red. "T-though... I mean... I-I don't think I'll ever get THAT strong. Eh heh heh heh." She smiled to her. "Thank you for helping me, Spark-sensei..."
Cure Spark smiles a little, "Okay, You've heard what I say when I transform right? Curiosity, Sparking the Fires of Creativity?" She smiles. "Do you know why I say that?" She asks curiously. Quietly she takes a seat on a fallen tree.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, grinning. "Oh, yeah! Tomoyo explained that to me! all magical girls HAVE To have an incantation!" she said sounding way too excited. "I-I was such a dope, I didn't even use an incant at first. so silly..."
Cure Spark looks at Sakura and snickers. "Pretty Cures name themselves. Our little sayings... They are what drives us to be our Pretty Cure selves. When I say that... Here is what I mean. Everything starts with curiosity. It all starts with wondering what if. What if I did this or that or the other thing. What if I want to fly? What if I want to take down a nasty Youma? Then Curiosity kicks up. How would I do it? How would I fly? How would I take down that nasty Youma? It sparks the fire in you to come up with a creative solution. Lets build a machine that lets us defy gravity. Lets use magic to beat the tar out of that youma! Things might go wrong. Things could get messed up. But you never know until you try. Its why I blow things up! I try things. I test my limits. I keep going and eventually, I wind up with a success!
She smiles, "Now lets look at your cards. You have the wood card. I know, I was there when you got it. What are some things you are curious about that wood might be able to do?" She giggles and smirks. "If you want to build that relationship with them where you can do awesome stuff with them, calling them out. Talking to them. Asking them to try stuff... You might get surprised. Before you know it, you might find all new things to do!"
Sakura Kinomoto nodded and then slowly drew out the cards, staring at them. She grinned. "I... I understand. I think. You're curious and... that drives your power. Are all the cutes like that? Curious? Or... is it different for all of you?"
She staredat the cards for a few more moments before closing her eyes. "I... do talk to them. Sometimes. I mean. I don't... really talk. Most of them can't talk and I can't bring them out. But... but they're..." She frowned. "They aren't bad. Even with snow and... everything in the tower. I think..." She sighed. "I think they were testing me. They don't want to hurt anyone. They don't really want to kill anyone. But... they want to make sure I'm worthy. and... and I think I'm beginning to understand Clow Reed through them. I thought he was a cruel man, wasteful. I thought he... but... not anymore. Whenever it comes to the cards, Kero-chan says it's usually something silly. Like he used voice for marco polo. But... I don't think that's what it is. I think... voice came first. And then I think Clow wanted the card to have fun. Not to just... be tools for magic. As powerful as they are. I think he wanted them to enjoy themselves. To... to be friends with him. And..." She hugged them to her chest. "I can feel it. The love they felt for him. And the love he felt for them. It's warm. And soft. And makes me feel all snuggly inside. And that's what I want to be. That's the kind of mage I wanna grow up to be. Kind and soft. And caring and loving. All of these things."
She blushed and then chuckled. "I-I'm sorry... that... that didnt really... answer it well, did it?"
Cure Spark smiles, "Honestly I think all Precure have something that fuels their heart. Its what pushes them to be their very best. Using what is in your heart can be the most powerful weapon possible."
She smiles and listens quietly. Its nice to hear hear perspective. It's even nicer to see the way she handles following in the footsteps of a very powerful mage. "That is actually a really good answer. They are going to need to know how you feel about them. Why not call one of them out and tell them?" She smiles. "This place is good for random stuff So, you can try it right?"
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a few times and then her cheeks flared. Slowly, she flipped through the cards and pulled out flower. She then nodded. "I... I'll try." She took a slow, deep breath and then lifted it up, tapping it with her wand. "Flower! Appear before me!"
There was a bright flickering of magic and... and the card glowed. Light glimmered from it and, rather than an instant effect, she clenched the rod harder, magic surging through it. After a few moments, though, Flower appeared.
The card looked surprised, but then gently smiled. Sakura stood there, panting... before her wand fell from her hand and she fell forward. Flower stepped in to catch the child,stopping her from hitting the ground and gently lowering her to the ground a few moments before she disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms.
Cure Spark smiles and stands up. She extends a hand downward toward Sakura. "Here . Come on. Did you see what I seen there?" She giggles happily. You took a chance. It wasn't easy but you did it." She smiles a little to her student. "What do you think?"
She snickers softly. What she seen was the smile that card had. She seen the potential in the younger girl. She seen that she definitely is pretty special when it comes to this sort of thing.
Sakura Kinomoto just laid there, silent for a moment before she smiled. She weakly took the hand. Her hand was cold and clammy, her grip weak. "Flower... appeared," she said with a little giggle. "I... I actually did it. I maintained her form." Only for a second, of course. But it was there. "I... I feel weak... though..." Ifhelped up, she wouldn't be able to support herself. She'd basically almost emptied her tank all at once. Eventually it'd probably be easy, but for now...
When hauled to her feet she'd have to lean on the girl. Even her wand had turned back to a key and she was lightly panting. "Maybe... maybe I'll be able to do it... longer... eventually?"
Cure Spark smiles, "Yes you did. You did that, Sakura-chan. You called out the card. That wasn't them acting on their own. That wasn't Kero. That was all you. using YOUR magic." She helps the girl up and moves her to the fallen tree and lets her sit down. "Flower was proud of you. I seen it in her face. I'm proud of you."
She giggles a little. "Sakura-chan, in time, you will get stronger. You will learn more about magic. YOu'll learn how to use your own type of magic to do what you need to do. I know it."
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a few times. Then, internally, she sqweed. Spark-sensei was proud of her! She'd done it! She'd done it! Were she able to move much, she'd probably have jumped up and down, but as it was she could only form this weak, happy smile. If Spark sat by her, she'd lean against the other girl and nod.
"Thank you. Spark-sensei. I... I'll try my best to learn all the magic I can." She closed her eyes. "Flower is... don't tell the others but... she's... special. To me. I know it's silly but she... kind of... reminds me..." She went silent for a moment. "Of my mother..."
Cure Spark smiles and does sitdown next to Sakura. The girl is honestly proud of the girl. She looks at the younger girl and smiles happily. Then she brings up about Flower being special. "Oh yeah?" And then she hears the reasoning why. She puts her arm around Sakura and just hugs her gently. "ITs okay. I get it." She really does.
Quietly shr looks down at the ground. "I don't know who my father is. I have two mothers. I love them so much. Mom is really wonderful. She cooks a lot. She works from home and makes sure my sister and I are taken care of. My Momma, She's a mechanic. She likes making things. Its really fun seeing her work. I think she is where I get my tech abilities. But, one day, I went to meet Momma at work. We were going to get a gift and a cake for Mom. It was her birthday. Namakelder showed up and put my momma in a mirror. He called out a terribad. Some magical girls showed up and I didn't know what to do. They told me to get out of the area. To run. So I did. I was so scared."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, closing her eyes and resting it on spark's shoulder. "Mmmm hmmm..." Listening to the story. Until she got to that point. Her heart almost stopped and her eyes went wide. She wanted to ask what happened next, but she was quiet. She wanted spark's mom to be okay. She prayed her mom was okay...
Cure Spark frowns, "I ran into a man with blue hair and blue eyes, wearing an open shirt. If I wasn't freaking out I'd say he was cute!" She laughs softly. "Anyway he asked me. 'If I could have the power to help my momma, would I?' I love my family beyond everything. Even my sister. He gave me this little pink crystal. He told me to focus on why I wanted to help my Momma. The next thing I knew I was holding my Prechan Mirror and my first three precards. He told me to use them and he'd send someone to help me. I used the cards and became Cure Spark."
She snickers a little. "When I got back to the fight, The other Magical girls, one was a Puella Magi. She couldn't stay in the fight any longer because her soulgem and stuff. I don't know the ins and outs of it but their magic drains on their soulgem. Another was umm... Well they had gotten knocked out by the terribad. So I fought this monster, I fought with all I was and I won the fight! My momma was freed from the mirror."
She then goes quiet for a moment. "When I went to help my momma, she didn't recognize me. It was a difficult feeling. One of the perks of being Precure is that people don't recognize you. I wanted her to know that I never left her but, I couldn't. I told her that Naomi had run home and she would meet her there."
Sakura Kinomoto let out a sigh of relief. "Really? So people don't... know about you? When you change? That's convenient. I'm... happy," she said with a sigh.
"My dad's an archeologist. Sometimes he goes on digs, but mostly he teaches at the local schools. He's... really amazing. I get my athletics from him! And he's an amazing cook and he takes such good care of Touya and me."
% She went silent for a little bit. "Never... met any of my other family. Mom passed away when I was a lot younger. And I don't think I have any grandparents or anything. Dad doesn't talk about it much and... well, I don't ask."
"If... if something was to happen to daddy, I don't know what I'd do. I don't think I could take it..."
Cure Spark hugs Sakura tight. "You will be alright, Sakura-chan. In time you will be a lot stronger then you can imagine and you will be able to handle a lot of the crazy stuff out here. I know when I started, I never thought I would be challenging generals and nearly purifying them!"
She smiles softly, "I am pretty sure that you would fight tooth and nail to protect your dad and that is a really good thing. You will do it well."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, giving a very gentle yawn. "Mmmmm hmmm. I... I hope one day I can be strong and brave like you, Spark-sensei. I'll... I'll work hard, every day, for you. And for all the other girls. Each and every single one of you. So amazing," she whispered gently. "So strong. and amazing. And cool." She gave another soft yawn, nestling up a bit.
"I... I never had much family but... but now it's like I have so many new brothers and sisters. And... and I want... to become strong enough I can protect each and every one of you... Keep... everyone... safe. Make sure... it'll all... be... alright..." Her eyes blinked blearily and she leaned in a little more. "I... I need to get my... my key. I promised a... a surprise. I just... need to... to use... Sweet..."
Cure Spark smiles and kneels down to pick up the key. She hands it back to Sakura. "Here you go. Don't tire yourself out anymore though. Don't want you to hurt yourself. You took a big risk in summoning Flower but you did it and that is something to be proud of."
She smiles a little. "I'm just another girl who is in over her head." When she starts talking about family, Spark just blushes bright. "I am happy to be considered family. I've never had a little sister before. I've always been the little sister in my family. I think I am one of the youngest of the Precures!"
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, closing her eyes and clasping her key to her chest, her eyes closed. "Mmm... hmmm... hee hee... you're proud of me," she said in a happy, dreamy state.
"I... I think you're a great big sister," she whispered softly. "I... feel safe around you. You... give me that... same... warm gooey feeling in my heart that... Haruka-sempai and Hannah-sempai give me," she mumbled gently. "If...if you're okay with... me being your little sister. I'll... try to make you proud..."
Cure Spark smiles a little to Sakura, "I would be honored to have you as a little sister, Sakura-chan. Right now though I think you are going to wind up falling asleep! I think I might have to fly you home." She giggles happily.
She doesn't know Haruka but she does know Hannah. Thats not a bad thing either. She is a friend of Hannah and Haruna not to mention hoping to help get Hannah out of her current situation so she can be a full on good hero and not with some of the other types. "You already do Imouto."
Sakura Kinomoto nods, slowly putting the key around her neck. "No... no... I can.. walk. I'll be... fi... zzzzzz." And then she fell over into Spark's lap, head laying on it and lightly snoring.
Seemed actually summoning the spirit from the card was a bit more than she was capable of at the moment. But... she was getting there. Piece by piece. A little bit each day. and now she had a teacher.
Cure Spark smiles and laughs a little. Any surprises will need to wait til another day. Quietly she picks up the younger girl. Pretty Cure perks. Gotta love that extra strength. Even though she's a little older then the girl, she likely couldn't lift her without her powers.
Her backbow shifts to a pair of wings and she lifts off. Her gaze goes up to the tree where Lilac is resting. "Lilac, come along. I will come back for the tools and stuff tomorrow." She states as the fairy yawns, sneezes, and flies over to join Spark. Quickly both take flight. Spark begins flying across the ocean and making her way towards Tokyo. "Okay Sakura, Sorry to wake you but I'm going to need some directions!"
Sakura Kinomoto mumbled softly, shaking her head. "Not... not 'sleep... the... the chicken and the... go right and... watch out for... grabby squid and..." Well, it wouldn't be easy to follow directions, but they'd get there soon enough. And sneaking her inside was easy enough... There was no one else home, after all. Just a note board that said Touya: work, and dad: research project.