1494/BTW There's This Asteroid

From MahouMUSH
Jump to: navigation, search
BTW There's This Asteroid
Date of Scene: 20 May 2016
Location: Pikarigaoka/Uminari City - Hikawa Shrine
Synopsis: Usa and Kunzite take Mamoru to Ami and Rei for a second opinion on why the hell Mamoru seems to be having an autoimmune attack concurrent with the invasion of Earth by a jillion energy-sucking pink space flowers. Consensus: 'oh damn'.
Cast of Characters: Mamoru Chiba, Kunzite, Usagi Tsukino, Rei Hino, Ami Mizuno


Mamoru Chiba has posed:
So: Kukai suggested Mamoru get someone to check him out and make sure there's no alien plant bits in him exacerbating his apparent massive allergy attack. Hay fever never looked so 104 F. Mamoru decided, as per usual, that hospitals are for people who don't hate hospitals, and this time he decided against Pretty Doctor Iris Shelby's 24-Hour Meguca Clinic because he's roughly a hundred percent certain she'd make him stay there, and besides, Ami's diagnostic methods are something he understands slightly better than Iris' Device. So he called Ami, and Ami called Rei to get a spiritual read on what the hell's the matter with Mamoru, and Usagi fretted so hard she nearly got indigestion, which for Usagi is generally an indication of serious systemic stress.

Right now, it's kind of the middle of the night, because Kunzite's trying to avoid teleporting Mamoru whenever possible, and there are roughly seven billion stairs leading up to the Hikawa Shrine, and Mamoru hurts enough that Kunzite is carrying him, and carrying him up seven billion stairs one by one wouldn't be a particularly smooth journey, so it's Sailor Moon and the Knight of Purity and Affection (carrying the t-shirt-and-jeans-and-hoodie-clad Crown Prince of Earth) that land in the courtyard.
Kunzite has posed:
This is, it should be noted, the first time that Kunzite has set foot on the Shrine's grounds. For some reason, previous to Mercury restoring him to a more-or-less human body, he avoided it entirely or sent Jadeite if necessary.

If he actually braces against any lingering subconscious conviction that his arrival will result in his exploding in purifying flame, well, only Mamoru knows for sure.
Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi holds her stomach, looking very much like she's eaten a bushel of carrots. (Reminder: Usagi. Hates. Carrots.) She takes a moment to swallow the lump in her throat before calling out.

"Ami-chan, Rei-chan, yoo-hoo! Are you here~?" Hey, she may be so worried she's not hungry at the least, but she's still Usagi.

She turns to Kunzite and Mamoru. "Think we should just go on in? Find a place to sit?" Fret, flutter, temperature check.
Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei Hino had been called upon to check Mamoru for lice. And by lice we mean interplanetary plant monster bits. Which is why she's currently in her shrine, meditating, finding her center, and waiting on the others to arrive.

    The one who greets Mamoru and Kunzite isn't the miko. Rather, it's her grandfather, who is currently on the steps sweeping. Being who he is, he of course recognizes Usagi first and more or less ignores the two boys with her.

    With a wide toothy grin, and hands held behind his back, he approaches the group. "Usagi-chan! Here to see my little Rei?" He leans in and covers his mouth to whisper. "She's meditating right now, can't be disturbed, but if you like you can--"

    "GRANDPA YOU BETTER NOT BE HITTING ON MY FRIENDS AGAIN." There's no mistaking whose voice that is.

    Grandpa pouts. "You wound me, Rei-chan! I was just going to show her inside!"

    "Yeah sure you were." Rei suddenly appears at the door of the shrine, noticing Usagi, Mamoru and Kunzite. "Hey guys. Come on in. I've been expecting you."
Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno came early so that she could explain the situation to Rei, and do a little research in a quiet space where losing track of time wouldn't mean not showing up to do what was asked of her. Perhaps Grandpa was actually intending to usher Usagi, Mamoru, and Kunzite in to see her. Perhaps he really was hitting on Usagi.

Whatever the case, the sound of Rei's yelling draws Ami out of her study, and she smiles, amused, and looks up from her work. Today, the bluenette is dressed in a black-and-white striped tanktop beneath a pair of overall jean shorts. Her shoes were doffed at the doorway, leaving her only in a pair of cute fold-over ankle socks with a little bit of lace at the edging.

With the Mercury computer tucked under her arm, Ami makes her way out of Rei's room and joins everyone in the livingroom. "Usagi-chan!" she says happily when her friend comes in. She didn't necessarily expect the blonde, but she's sure not going to complain. No, instead, she's going to rush over to greet her with a hug. "Hi! I didn't know you were coming."
Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru's not actually doing much; he's got a game face on, and he looks alert enough, but Kunzite is literally carrying him and he has his hands and wrists folded in, alternately still or working them fruitlessly, and his head's leaning against Kunzite's chest and shoulder. The game face is pretty much an indication that he hates being seen like this but is going to cope god damn it.

"...hi," he says kind of ruefully. "Sorry. Thanks. Sorry."
Kunzite has posed:
At least the damn hair is growing back. Though for anyone who hasn't seen him since the Incident, the question is still more 'what the hell did you do to it' -- Kunzite, ahem, Kazuo may be past the point at which it can be described as 'fuzz' but isn't at the point at which it can be described as 'anything that looks remotely reasonable.'

This is entirely a side issue. He ferries Mamoru in without a word, possibly because there /are no words/ for Rei's grandfather. Even 'is he always like that?' is left on the dustheap of questions he doesn't want the answers to.

Once they're inside, though, before he finds somewhere to set his burden down more comfortably -- Kazuo tucks his chin in and bends his head till his cheek's against Mamoru's forehead for a moment. Just long enough for him to say more at him than to him, "Will you stop apologizing." It's not even a question; he already knows the answer's no.
Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Despite her...cautious smile at Grandpa, she doesn't really mind his antics, overall. (At least she doesn't have to slap a hand away...) She beams when she sees Rei, waves, and beams more when Ami shows up.

Usagi hugs Ami back, tight and for a moment, happily. "I know! But someone," she jerked her head toward a grumbling Kazuo. "Implied that if I didn't, I'd text so much my phone would melt."

And then another hug, because yay Ami-chan!

She agrees with Kunzite, though. "If you apologize one more time, I won't bring that coffee you like. I'll bring you generic! So there!"

Hah! Firm Usagi!
Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei's grandpa pouts more at Rei. "Fine fine. I know when I'm not wanted." With a look that is almost a whimper, he looks at his granddaughter one last time. The same granddaughter that is crossing her arms and ignoring him, trying hard not to grin or laugh at Usagi's threats of punishment. When he finally does excuse himself, Rei turns around and gestures towards the meditation chamber. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

    She walks towards the door she just came from, but pauses and turns around, suddenly frowning at Mamoru. Her eyes are filled with worry and maybe... a touch of concern? Her frown deepens, and she turns back to her chamber door. "We'd better hurry. I'm not sure if I sense any evil plant parts on you, but something is still very wrong."

    An eyebrow is raised at Kazuo's hair, but no questions are asked. Maybe that's for the better.
Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami finally looks past Usagi towards Kunzite, and ... pauses to stare. "W...what?" she asks, confusedly. No, that's not a complete sentence. Try again, Ami. "What happened to your hair!?"

She looks utterly confused, and more than a little amused. Except Rei's already sensing things, which means Ami has a job to do. "Err, tell me later. First, let's go in the back," she suggests, ussuring everyone away from where Grandpa might wander and see things.

"What's wrong, Rei?" she asks, even as she starts powering up the Mercury Computer. Reaching up to touch her ears, Ami activates her Visor, which flashes magically into place over her eyes. And then she begins studying Mamoru curiously.
Mamoru Chiba has posed:
In answer to Kunzite's telling him to stop apologizing with his face on Mamoru's head, the prince rolls his eyes, then closes them and turns his face into Kazuo's shirt a little bit. When Usagi joins in, he gives her SUCH SIDE-EYE, not moving his head at all. "Rude," he tells her, face pulling into a frown. "And mean."

He doesn't argue, though. ...but he does say, one corner of his mouth quirking up a little as he tries to suppress it, "Sorry."

He's clearly pretending really hard -- really really hard -- that Rei's grandpa isn't there, because that would mean Rei's grandpa would actually be aware of him being princess-carried around. Well, potentially aware. There are two pretty girls he's not related to here, after all. Either way, there's a little relief when he leaves; there's just closing his eyes again when Rei says there's something really wrong, and keeping them closed when they follow Rei into the fire room.

He is not admitting to anyone right now that he's asked Zoisite to find him some codeine so he can keep going to school. No: he's just closed a fist in Kunzite's shirt, furrow between his brows. "What's wrong," he repeats, then adds, "and why can't I heal it?"
Kunzite has posed:
So maybe he's not getting Mamoru down anytime soon. Given that someone has decided it's time to physically attach. There could be a complaint about the boy spending too much time with Usagi here, except, well, that would involve the concept of it being possible for Mamoru to spend too much time with Usagi. Nope. "Later," Kazuo agrees to Ami, and carts the prince as convenient for her and Rei, following directions almost suspiciously well.

(Clearly that's Makoto's fault.)
Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi puffs out her cheeks in Great Annoyance. It's only aggravated by his cheeky apology! "That does it! I'm mixing creamer and sugar in with what you already have!"

Will she really? Of course not. She's not, after all, rude or mean.

But, well, even now, he's sometimes able to pull out that girl she was when they first met.

She ignores Kunzite's later by adding her two yen in. "It happened the last time I got all choked up."

Then she realizes something. "Which only took a day to heal. Hmmmm." Ponder, ponder. (Sometimes it's good to think of something else when one feels the urge to throw up due to stress, even if the answer is rather quite obvious.)

She considers this perhaps far longer than she should, and blinks when she finds them all someplace else.

She's alert! Promise!
Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei moves towards her firepit, which is still ablaze from when she was meditating next to it just a few minutes ago. She sits down next to it, tucking her feet underneath her, but she's not facing the fire this time. This time, she's turned towards Mamoru. Her eyes close, and she silently makes several gestures with her hand.

    She's quiet, and her eyes are closed, and her expression is mostly neutral. Mostly. Her eyes shut just a little bit harder, and her lips are just a little bit tighter, and everything about the raven-haired miko is just a bit more rigid.

    After a moment, she opens her eyes, and glances over to Ami. "I... I'm not sure what to say here. He's obviously in pain, but I'm not sensing anything wrong with his body. It's more like it's his soul that's in pain."

    She brings on hand to her chin, sliding a finger against her jawline. "Or... maybe... Maybe it's not something to do with you, but something to do with Earth. What do you think, Ami-chan?"
Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami spends a long time just staring at Mamoru while Rei reaches out with her supernatural senses. Except she's not really staring at him; her eyes are instead flickering at the display far nearer to her face; glyphs and letters and images that are only visible on the inside of her visor. Augmented Reality has the advantage not only of looking really cool, but also of being really hard to intercept.

Even after Rei speaks, Ami doesn't seem inclined to give her opinion straight away. She's too busy studying, comparing, and scanning. Then, after a moment, she frowns. "Hmm," she murmurs, and then proceeds to leave the room entirely.

It's only sixty seconds before Ami returns, then squints at Mamoru hard. "Well that's weird," she says. "There's absolutely nothing new in your pattern. I mean, the stress responses are new, but they're symptoms, not causes. It's not you," she tells Mamoru honestly. "Rei's right, there's nothing wrong with you.

"But," she says, then finally reaches up to banish the visor once more. "There is definitely something weird going on with your connection to the planet. Or well, no, it can't be your connection, because your personal energy levels are all normal. I think ... it might be the planet itself." Pause.

"Wait, that sounds really bad, actually," Ami says, eyes widening a little.
Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Meanwhile, Mamoru's half-distracted between gripping Kunzite and trying to figure out where Usagi's got to -- well, no, he knows where she is, but maybe why she's also in outer space. He chews on his lip briefly, making a face as he opens the hand that'd closed on Kazuo's shirt, then says to Rei and Ami both, "Well, the planet is screaming. It hates it. It's being invaded, it's an actual invasion. Like energy-draining space kudzu."

That's certainly a mental image. No it's not one he wants, also, kudzu doesn't have thorns and the stuff gripping Usagi and Kunzite certainly did.

His words are coming out in kind of a monotone, getting faster and less inflected the more he talks. "They've eaten other planets before. From the inside out, hollowed them until they just imploded. There was no center. There's an asteroid. Neph said it's on the approach and it's pink? And Fiore nearly teleported me last time, when we called for help. Mako-chan punched in the window and got him away just in time. I could half see it. It was those flowers, far as the eye could see, every direction. Mountains of them. Nothing but stars above."
Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo doesn't usually have much of an expression. What there is shades toward the grim, silently, as Rei and Ami and Mamoru speak; then those traces of reaction are folded up and put away. There's a moment in which he glances to Ami, as if about to ask her a question -- but she's already banished the visor, and that answers it.

So his attention turns to Usagi instead; if he can catch her eye, he tilts his head a little, as if gesturing with it for her to come over by him and Mamoru. "Lend a hand?" he asks her. "If he can keep tracking this conversation at all, it'll likely take both of us."

After that, he leans his head down till he's in contact with Mamoru again, skin touching skin.
Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi jerks and blinks at Kunzite's little nod. It's amazing what little things could pull one out from the depths of thought.

She walks over, but because Mamoru had been a smart-ass first, she figures she'll return the favor. By slow clapping.

That's a hand, right?

This doesn't of course, stop her from threading her fingers through Mamoru's.

It's probably indicative of how much Usagi hates this if she'd rather relive certain events.

After all. The pain had been about the same. So what? The only thing--

She snaps her free fingers. "Ah-hah!" The lack of emotional evisceration! (She's sure she has Mamoru to thank for that five-hundred yen word.)

Then she blushes and clears her throat, and tries to track back to the present. "Wouldn't it burn up in the atmosphere, though?"

"Not necessarily." Luna, showing up out of literally nowhere, hops down from her high perch onto Ami's shoulder. A happy face rub in greeting. "You're lucky you have a tracker on you, Usagi-chan. Otherwise you'd be in a lot more trouble."

The twin-tailed girl puffs out her cheeks again. "Stalker."
Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei blinks as Luna shows up, crosses her arms and frowns. Between Ami confirming what she found, and Mamoru's explanation... Everything fits together. Granted, the picture that information paints isn't a very happy one.

    "Entire worlds, hollowed out from the inside. If he's doing that to the Earth, then that explains the feeling I'm getting from you." She scratches her chin, putting the pieces together. "So the migraines you're getting don't seem to have a physical cause. You are having symptoms that you can't heal, and neither Ami-chan or I can find anything actually wrong with you. I think that's pretty conclusive. It also explains why you can just heal your own body in order to make the problem go away."

    After a moment, she pushes herself off the ground, rising to her feet and placing a hand on her hip. "If you want to make the pain go away, you'd have to heal the planet, and we'd also have to eliminate the source of the problem: the xenian blooms."
Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Or the asteroid that they're connected to," Ami says thoughtfully, "if they are indeed connected to it." She sighs and rubs her nose, then closes her eyes. "I'll look in Eternity and see if there's any information on this, but I doubt it. We're probably going to have to solve this one on our own. Either way, I think there's no question what we need to do."
Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Can't do much of anything," Mamoru says, fingers threaded through but -- that hurts. He's trying not to say so. His hand not tightening on Usagi's might say it for him, though. Joints. "But yes. Get the xenians out. It's a world-threat. Ami-chan... Agera-san wants to help with world-enders. Don't show him Eternity Main, though, he has an Eclipse badge. I'd tell him myself, but... tell him about the asteroid too. It's probably where the energy is going. Making more of them. Kyouko also told me to just tell her what to stab. I can't think of anything else. Write it down when I get to the palaces. Maybe communicator."
Kunzite has posed:
Kunzite's fallen silent, not contributing. Not even greeting Luna, or narrowing eyes at Usagi for the slow clap. Just silent.
Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Her shoulders sag a bit, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she removes her fingers from his.

Where the hell is one supposed to touch someone who's being carried about by someone twice her size?

Finally, her hand just settles on the back of his.
Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami reaches up to pull Luna down from her shoulders, cuddling the cat close to her chest. "He already knows about it, but I haven't let him t--" pause, wait, what? "He has a what?" Ami asks, turning to Mamoru uncertainly. She peers at him, then takes a step towards him. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" she asks. She's not angry, but she's definitely not happy.
Rei Hino has posed:
    "If you get a hold of one of those xenian blooms, I might be able to do a fire reading on it." Rei suggests quietly. "Other than that, there isn't much I can add. Well, except for the obvious um... firepower, when we decide to attack. No pun intended."

    Rei lies. She fully intended that pun.
Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Didn't remember until now. Think he was an intern or something, dunno. Was last summer. Hannah's party..." Mamoru kind of mumbles toward the end, sounding apologetic. Warmth filters between himself and Usagi, through her touch; relief, an attempt not to be apologetic but let's be real; a mental image of that text he sent her last year, the equation for infinite love. And then he says, "Gotta go. Comm you. Thank you. Glad no plant bits."
Ami Mizuno has posed:
"... Eclipse," Ami says, then turns towards Rei uncertainly. "Did you know?" she asks. Then Usagi. And Luna. She pets Luna behind the ears--maybe a little too rough. "Maybe it was just ... an internship. Maybe he isn't really working for them." Maybe.
Rei Hino has posed:
    "I really had no idea," says Rei. Well, she didn't. She barely even interacted with Takashi that much. "But I mean... with the dark energy I'm not really surprised? I know it's not his fault, but..."
Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi relaxes and her smile is warm.

Turning to Ami, she blinks and shrugs. "I...don't know much about him beyond what you've told me. Somebody here gets cranky when he's brought up -- or he did."

Luna basks in the scritches, then when they become too hard she brings her teeth firmly down on Ami's hand. Not enough to break skin, but enough to give a warning of 'hey, stop that.'

Usagi snorts. Then giggles. "Watch out, Rei-chan. You'll be given pun-itive charges."
Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami lets out a soft yelp, but stops petting Luna quite so hard. "Sorry," she mumbles, then snuggles her nose in against the cat's neck, clearly worried. "I think I need to go," she says softly, then offers the cat towards Usagi. "I'll look into ... Eternity," she explains, looking to the others. "Sorry." And then she turns and raises her hand. A ball of pure light forms in her palm, then twists and turns outwards until it becomes a doorway. On the other end, Ami's bedroom is plainly visible down a long hallway. "See you later," she says, as she steps through.
Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei snerks at Usagi's punishing response. "Usagi-chan, that joke was criminal!"

    She offers an apologetic look to Ami. "Sorry. We didn't have good news for anyone today."
Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna purrs loudly at the apology, rubbing her face against Ami's forehead. "It's okay." Then she's being handed over to Usagi, who takes her. "Take care of yourself!"

Usagi waves at Ami. "Bye, Ami-chan! Take care! I'll try to come see you sooooon~!"

She's been...neglectful of her friend duties lately. She feels bad for it.

But she hides it! She tilts her nose up at Rei. "It would have been criminal if there were repundancies in my jokes."
Rei Hino has posed:
    RePUNdancies?! Rei groans and rolls her eyes. She waves at Ami as she leaves, then turns back to the bunny. "Well you're a regular gatling pun today, aren't you? Maybe we should start calling you the punny bunny."