dramadramaduck | [who are you anyway virus]

...Y-Yuri, what are you talking about? That's Erika! Cure Marine! She's been part of the team since just after I became Cure Blossom!

Cure Blossom, I'm fairly certain I'd know about this girl if she'd really been around that long. I don't know any Cure Marine or Erika. Is this some sort of joke?

I-It's not a joke! She lives right next door to me. We're practically inseparable! Because she refuses to let go, but I don't mind... she's my friend.

Are you feeling okay, Yuri?

Then explain how I've never seen her before in my life. I know we're not exactly close, but I wouldn't miss someone always hanging around you.

I'm fine. I'm starting to get more worried about you.

I think there's clearly a larger issue here. Why are you so concerned with our activities? So long as we can do our job, it's fine, right?

...what do you mean, 'why'? Obviously because I feel responsible for you girls. I don't wish to intrude too much, but I have given up on distancing myself completely for a while now.

You should know this, Itsuki.

Okay. I was going to let it go before, but this is a little too much, so I'll be blunt.

Who the hell are you, and why do you know my name? Why would someone I've never met feel responsible for me?

...what are you talking about, Itsuki? Did a Desertrian hit you in the head or something? I'm Yuri, remember? You know, Cure Moonlight. The Precure before you and Cure Blossom.

What are you talking about? It was Blossom and Marine, and then I joined to keep them from turning into a messy red stain on the dirt a little while ago. Well, after Kaitou made me want to strangle him for kidnapping Potpourri.

Moonlight? Is that supposed to be one of the other teams, maybe, and I'm just confused? One of the Precure in Setsuna's world, maybe?

Again with this talk about 'Cure Marine'. I've been keeping in regular contact with all of you, so I'd know if there was a third Precure. I'm not blind.

...also, who the hell is this Kaitou and why is he going around kidnapping fairies?

No, not the other teams. Now I really am starting to think you somehow hit your head, you can't seriously have forgotten all of this. I was the Precure right before you and Cure Blossom. The one that came after Cure Flower. I was the one who lost to Dark Precure while trying to defend the Heart Tree.

Edited 2013-06-24 21:35 (UTC)

...Cure Flower, I recognize. Dark Precure and the Heart Tree, I recognize - I've fought her there. But no Moonlight. I think something's very wrong here. Clearly, you're delusional.

Kaitou, for your information, is a Kamen Rider, and has been looking out for us in no small amount for some time now. He's... important to me, and I won't have you badmouthing him.

I'm delusional? I'm not the one who's completely forgotten about someone else here. Tell me this, then. Cure Flower was active fifty years ago. Cure Blossom started a few months ago. Sabaku first appeared three years ago.

Before Cure Blossom appeared, who do you think fought him and Dark Precure? Someone must have defended Kibogahana for those three years. So who was it?

Kamen... [She pauses, closing her eyes in thought. That sounds familiar. Why does that sound so familiar? It's... It's because...

...she must have heard the term on the community. She sighs and opens her eyes. Yes... Yes, that must be it. That makes sense.] You cannot expect me to like anyone who's kidnapped a fairy. Such an act is unforgivable.

[There's a long pause. Itsuki is aware that this girl is right - however pushy she's being about it - but... it's like something's missing. She knows there has to have been a Cure during that time, but...]

I don't know. I don't know why I would, either. I've only been Cure Sunshine for a few weeks. There's no reason I'd know something like that. [Her eyes narrow.] And there's no reason you should know something like that, either, without being a Precure. And I don't believe that you are.

As for Kaitou... I'll bite. Would you still object if he were flying around the city for weeks unsupervised, and getting into trouble? That's what Kaitou helped us avoid, which was... desirable.

Of course you should know about that. Cure Flower or Cure Blossom would have informed you about it.

And you are correct there. I am not a Precure. [Yuri takes out her broken Precure seed and holds it up for Itsuki to see.] Not anymore.

Isn't that what... [No, that's not what happened. Potpourri didn't fly around for weeks, he found his way over to Itsuki very quickly, because of... something.] How does kidnapping a fairy help avoid that?

[She closes her eyes, thinking back. It hasn't been that long, and as she searches for the memory...] ...I can see it. I see her telling me something, but... when she tries to say the name, it's like nothing's coming out of her mouth, and her lips aren't moving. I don't know. Coming from someone who isn't-

[Her eyes open, and she gasps as she finally sees the shattered Precure Seed, mind racing.] Wha... what the hell...? That... that's not something you can fake. And if you are, I want you to know you're a horrible person...! [But she's shaking now, in confusion and fear. If she's been wrong this whole time... she's been very mean to this person where she shouldn't have.]

Kaitou... has a vested interest in our world. He knows how our "story" is supposed to go, and he didn't want Potpourri roaming the city when Kaitou already knew who his partner was. So he brought him to me directly. I didn't argue the point.

That's strange... Something odd is definitely going on here.

Trust me, it's definitely not fake. [To demonstrate a bit more, she lets the Precure Seed glow slightly. No need to go all out and summon a barrier.] It broke during my battle with Dark Precure. Without it whole, I could no longer be Cure Moonlight. That's why Cure Blossom was needed and then later you as well.

He did something like that...? [Something inside of her feels strange. She doesn't know this Kaitou. She's never even heard of him before just now. So why does thinking about him make her feel so strange? She tried to dig deep inside herself, to see if she could find any clue, but there was nothing.

It made her feel oddly... empty.] I see. If you trust him, then I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

...it's real, all right. What's going on...? [She starts to wonder about the possibilities, but the girl - Yuri, she called herself? - keeps talking, and she smiles sadly.] Marine's the missing link there. I heard that, on that first day, Sasorina called her the weakest Precure ever, or something to that effect. There's no way she could have lasted this long otherwise - I love her, don't get me wrong, but Tsubomi alone wouldn't have made it. Marine's like her other half in a fight. I just wish they'd asked me sooner.

I do trust Kaitou. After what he's gone through... there are few people I trust more. My parents, Tsubomi and Erika... clearly, if you're this worried about me, you must have been one of them too. [Itsuki smiles a little more truly.] I'm kind of sorry I don't remember you. Clearly, we were close.

Cure Marine... I should know her, shouldn't I? [She's starting to realize that now. It would be ridiculous to think she couldn't be affected by whatever had happened to make Itsuki forget about her. Possibly it was the community's fault, or the Desert Apostles, but it didn't matter.] It's a shame that I don't. It's impossible for me to have missed her and I can tell you're not lying. So the problem must lie with me.

Something's obviously been messing with our heads. I don't like that.

Close... I'm not sure if I would put it like that. [Yuri smiles.] We don't always see eye to eye and often we end up butting heads when we talk, about one thing or another. But I have always trusted your judgement.

Probably. And if you've got that seed, I should know you. But I don't. And that doesn't make any sense. So, like you said, the only remaining option is that something untoward's happened. And I don't like it either. The upside is, if that's the community's fault, it should wear off soon.

[She listens to Yuri's explanation of their relationship, nodding.] I'm happy to hear that. Hopefully I'll get over myself one of these days, once this blows over... I think I've been causing you undue stress even before this, and I apologize for that.

The community is the most likely suspect here. Erasing or changing memories should be child's play for it. There have been stranger viruses, after all.

I'm getting the feeling that Cure Marine isn't the only person it has made me forget. I should know this Kaitou too, if he's really been this involved.

There's nothing for you to apologize for, really. I'm just as much at fault, if not more. I have a... slight problem with being too stubborn. ['Slight'. Sure, Yuri. But at least she's admitting it for once.] So don't worry about it.

Umm.... Yuri-san?

Cure Marine's been part of the same team as Cure Blossom since before any of them got access to the community.

[She really hated these stupid viruses sometimes.]

That simply cannot be right. I would have known about her by now if that were the case.

... But you HAVE known about her this entire time.

When the community showed that video where Dark Precure called you Cure Moonlight, she and Tsubomi's transformations were shown to us.

No, I have not.

And you are mistaken. It was just Cure Blossom in that video. She has been on her own this whole time, until Cure Sunshine finally joined her a little while ago. It's a miracle she lasted that long by herself, honestly.

Edited 2013-06-25 20:08 (UTC)

... No she wasn't. Trust me, Marine's been there the whole time.

[Anyway, here's a link to the video if you don't believe her.

Hopefully the video won't look different for each person.]

No, she- [Yuri stops herself when she sees the video link and decides to watch it first.

Sure enough, this Cure Marine girl is there. In front of her.

God damn it.]

...sometimes I really hate the community.

... I think everyone's starting to do that if they don't already do.

[Especially after the whole zombie thing.

But of course the community would be involved with this. What else could it be?]

True. This is a new low, though. [The zombies were bad, but there's something very uncomfortable about memories being erased.]

I hope that at least this girl is the only person I've forgotten.

I hope so too... and hopefully this won't last long.

[And Honoka really hopes that she hasn't forgotten anyone herself.]

If we're lucky, this will be one of the short viruses. Though even a day or two of this is already more than long enough to make things difficult.

[She sighs.] After this virus is over, I think I should start up a guide to myself of what is normal, in case a virus like this happens again. It would save a lot of trouble.

Yeah. That's... well, I think everyone should do that.

[She pauses.]

But at the very least I'll make sure that Nagisa and I are taken care of with setting that up.

Honestly, I have to wonder why I haven't thought of it before. It will likely be incredibly useful and at least make viruses a little easier.

Of course, I would prefer it if there were no memory alteration viruses to begin with, but I think that's too much to hope for at this point.

I don't even remember how many memory changing viruses we've had so far, so it's probably a good idea.

Though I guess it's not really something people usually think they need to worry about. That might be why no one's come up with it before.

Well, this is certainly a new form of annoyance.

What do you mean?

[ There are seriously no words that can describe just how shocking this turn of events is for Erika. She goes through a series of expressions, all ranging from being in shock to being upset. ]

E-eh?! Yuri-san, that's a mean joke, even for you! You know me!

...I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't. So you are the girl on the left then? if so, please explain what you're doing in that picture.

I've always been in the picture! You know, Cure Marine? Erika Kurumi? .... Little sister to your best friend Momoka?

I wasn't aware Momoka had a sister.

AUGH THIS SUCKS! WHY DOES YURI-SAN REMEMBER TSUBOMI AND ITSUKI BUT NOT ME?!

[Dear god, this girl certainly is a handful. She's now certain she hasn't met this girl before, because she could never forget... this. Even if she wanted to.]

Could you please calm down? You're giving me a headache.

But, Yuri-san doesn't remember me! How am I supposed to calm down after hearing that?!

[ If she were next to Yuri, she'd probably be clinging to her leg... oh well. Whining is the next best thing. ]

[And suddenly Yuri feels inexplicably grateful that she never told her juniors where she lives. Odd.]

...I'm sure you can find a way. [Sigh.] Look, obviously this is very upsetting to you, but I keep a close eye on all Precure activities in Kibogahana and I've never seen you or heard about you. That's not something that would just slip my mind. So please explain how it is that you know me.

[ Erika can find ways to figure out where Yuri lives. But, out of respect she doesn't! ]

I became a Precure not too long after Tsubomi did! In fact, it was only a few days afterwards because I told her about how I dreamt about you fighting at the Great Heart Tree! We first met you when Chypre and Coffret had been kidnapped by Dark Precure and you started talking about the Cosmos flower and its meaning because we were trying to figure out how to save them!

Yes, I remember when Dark Precure kidnapped Chypre and Coffret, but Coffret didn't have a partner at that time. It was only thanks to my intervention that Dark Precure didn't kill Blossom at that...

...wait. You... dreamt about me? [Well that's... a little creepy.]

Ah, I figured Tsubomi's Grandma would have mentioned it... --That's not the point! You can even ask Tsubomi and Itsuki! They'll tell you the exact same thing I am!

Yeah well, I was there at the station when the Snackies attacked and you went to rescue your Mom because Dark Precure was trying to lure you out! I saw how you kicked their butts and still were standing after Dark Precure punched you!

[ She's kind of slipping into the worshipping part of knowing Cure Moonlight... ooops. ]

...fine. I'll ask them. But I still think this 'dream' thing is both a little unbelievable and kind of creepy.

That's... Lots of people saw that. It proves nothing.

It proves a lot of things! The whole entire area was cleared out when Tsubomi and I transformed to help! .... What I don't understand is why you're arguing so much against it when all the evidence proves that I'm not lying!

[ Erika Kurumi. Calling out on BS since 2010... ]

Are you even trying to see my side of things at all?!

You could have stayed behind and hid. Or maybe you saw it on the community, it was broadcast here.

Look, I understand what you're getting at, but that's a lot for me to just believe. What reason do I have to assume that I simply don't remember something incredibly important that you say I absolutely should, it simply makes...

...no...

[Lightbulb.]

...this is a virus. Isn't it?

[who are you anyway virus]

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/l-late tag orz

/patpat

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wow thanks notifs for not telling me about this reply

get with the program, notifs. WE HAVE MINDS TO BREAK.

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