177/We Need to Talk

We Need to Talk
Date of Scene:	15 July 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Seishou Public School
Synopsis:	Makoto and Naota have a few things to talk about. Unfortunately Ikuto interrupts their conversation by BEING A JERK TO A LITTLE GIRL.
Cast of Characters:	Makoto Kino, Ikuto Tsukiyomi, Naota Uneme

---

Naota Uneme has posed:
    Hey, look, it's another school day over and done with, clubs finished. Naota's walking away from the softball meetup, looking every inch like a grubby little smut-faced preteen boy, stretching and sighing with the kind of satisfaction that only comes from a good game. He stops at the school's front gate, though: he scans around, apprehensive. Is he hoping to see someone?

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto, not yet a member of a club, has usually left school grounds by now, the better to hit up the arcade or get a little shopping in before she goes home. Today, however, she had to stay late, so it's only just now that she's making her way to the gate herself, toting her school bag slung carelessly over her shoulder.

The figure standing anxiously near the gates catches her attention; she pauses, opens her mouth to call out, then hesitates in indecision.

It's not like her, she thinks as she catches herself wavering. Nothing will ever get cleared up this way. With that thought, Mako draws in a breath. "Uneme-kun? Waiting for someone?"

Naota Uneme has posed:
    Naota startles. "Ah! Oh, Kino-senpai!" He bows. "I dunno if I'd say I was w-waitin' or anything. More like I was wondering if I was gonna see you or not." He's blushing, but only a touch. "I guess I was. So..." he trails off, "how're you?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
The breath goes out of Makoto in a little laugh, and she answers the bow with an inclination of her head. "Your lucky day, I guess," she quips. "I'm fine."

And then another hesitation, an awkward pause that, once again, Mako pushes herself to break. "...So," she says, with a forced effort at sounding casual, "we should maybe talk, huh?"

Naota Uneme has posed:
More blushing now: Naota fidgets a little. "S-sure. I hope I didn't, y'know, weird you out or startle you or anythin' the other day." He's holding his left albow with his right hand. "It's just somethin' new I've been thinking about, is all. I dunno if it'd make sense to you or not. I mean," he hastily adds, "I'm not saying your stupid, senpai. It's just weird and complicated and I'm not sure if I really get it all myself, y'know? So I wonder if other people will." He sighs. "I'm doubtin' it, though."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto listens, and nods slowly. She doesn't seem weirded out, at least, just thoughtful and a little uncertain. "Well," she says, drawing the word out a bit as she arranges her thoughts, "since it's complicated... maybe it'd be better if you told me about it?"

A beat, then she adds hastily, "You don't have to. But I want to understand. And I'd hate to end up getting the wrong idea by accident."

Naota Uneme has posed:
Naota looks around: it seems like the school's thinned out around this hour, at least. He bites his lip for a second before continuing. "Well, I guess you could say that I've been wonderin' if maybe I should've been... you know." He sits down, back on the school's wall. "Born a girl. It's not like I don't like guy stuff - well, some of it, anyway - but I just wish I could be someone else sometimes. Someone more refined, someone my little sister could look up to."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
It's time to start his experiment. But well, obviously he's not going to do this near Seiyou. He'd be recognized! So let's try Seishou. No one knows him here. Except any of the magical meddlers that might have already seen him. That fish-powered girl probably told all her friends about him. And Tadase yelling at him after Scorn's little shindig probably didn't make a good impression. He'd really only been there to protect Tsukasa. And to a lesser degree, Tadase-- the little king could take care of himself.

Well, that's making him feel bad. And he needs to keep his mind clear for this. He doesn't even know if this is going to work. But let's try it anyway. He can't sense strong heart's eggs that might possibly be born. But Yoru can. So Ikuto's put his Guardian Character to work doing... well, just that. Yoru is scanning for particularly strong heart's eggs.

Down below, a girl is driving a child's small motorized police car down the pathway, making sounds like a police siren! "WEEE-OOOH, WEEE-OOOH, WEEE-OOOH!" Apparently it doesn't have sirens of its own. It'd be cute... except the kid is heading STRAIGHT FOR Naota and Makoto!

And above, atop a nearby building? Yoru picks up on this. "There! The one in the little motorized car, nya!" Yoru floats up as Ikuto crouches down on the roof to retrieve his violin. It would take him a few moments to set up...

Makoto Kino has posed:
As Naota speaks, Makoto's gaze drifts away towards nothing, and she listens while staring off across the school grounds. It takes her a few moments to reply.

"That sounds pretty rough." Her voice is a little softer than it was a moment ago. "And definitely complicated. I feel like, maybe--"

But whatever else she was about to say gets cut off as the toy police car comes rumbling toward them and Mako realizes that it doesn't seem like it's going to change course. "--Whoops," she says, shifting her grip on her bag and instinctively stepping between the car's path and Naota where he's standing against the wall. "Careful!"

Naota Uneme has posed:
Naota nods in agreement to Makoto's sentiment. He opens his mouth to offer some opinion or other--

And then there's a little girl who apparently dreams of being a demolition derby police officer when she grows up. He stands up but quickly finds himself being protected by his senpai! "Hey, it's okay!" He comes out from behind. "Slow down!" he says to the girl, "You want to be careful, in something like that! Someone could get hurt." He doesn't sound angry or upset: he's friendly, with just a hint of stern and a touch of gentleness to pitch the authority of Older Brotherhood just so.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
The girl seen Naota and Makoto a little too late! "Aaaah!" she squeaks, and lets go of the pedal that makes it go forward. The little car stops JUST in time to not slam into Makoto. Though it does bump her leg a little, it isn't enough to hurt. Even if it had been going faster it probably wouldn't have hurt much; these cars are made with the expectation that the drivers are children and will probably run into people. So Makoto's probably safe.

Regardless, the car is stopped. The little girl looks up at the two she almost hit, looking horrified! "I didn't see you, an' I just got this for my birthday today, so I dunno how to drive it right yet! I-I'm sorry!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako was prepared; as the car reaches her she bends forward to let the car nudge against the palm of her hand before it can quite bump into her leg. Its young driver is met with a friendly smile, easy Big Sister warmth to go along with Naota's Older Brother Tone.

"It's okay," she tells the girl, a hint of laughter bubbling underneath her voice. "Happy birthday! Just make sure to keep watching what's ahead of you while you're having fun." She glances toward Naota and grins. "Right?"

Naota Uneme has posed:
Naota nods! "That's right. And happy birthday! Just be sure you're careful." He smiles a little, thinking of his own little sister and, suddenly, feeling a lot less conflicted about things. He stretches and sighs, content, unaware of the mirror in his book bag glowing gently.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
The girl brightens up, and no longer looks like she's about to cry, thanks to dual Oneesan and Oniisan vibes. "Thank you!" she says, to Makoto's and Naota's birthday wishes. She nods to the advice to be careful. "I will! I'm sorry, I'll be more careful." And then she just has to add, drawing herself up proudly, "Carry on, citizen!" And then she's away, wee-oooh-ing on her way!

Just then, up on the building, Ikuto seems ready to strike. Wedging the violin between his shoulder and lowered chin, he closes his eyes. His ears and tail appear... and he begins to play. Sad, mournful music rises from the instrument. He's a skilled player, but that music has more of an effect than just on the emotions... as Makoto and Naota are about to find out...

There's the sound of a violin from somewhere! It sounds so sad. And the girl in the little police car toy stops abruptly. And she starts to slump in her seat. The distinct feeling of something VERY NOT RIGHT begins to come from her. "...Y'know I bet I couldn't..." she mutters to herself. "...I'm scared really easy... you gotta be brave for that. I'm not brave..." As she speaks, the feeling of NOT RIGHT begins to increase...

Makoto Kino has posed:
As the toy car pulls away from her, Makoto straightens back up, tossing out a cheerful salute to the birthday girl. For a moment, she just stands there and watches with an indulgent smile as the little girl drives her police car away...

...until the sound of a violin from somewhere nearby reaches her ears. They're not near enough to the music rooms to be overhearing a student at practice, are they...? Brows drawing together in faint confusion, she glances toward Naota. "Do you hear that?"

In the next moment, out of the corner of her eye, she sees the little girl slumping inside the toy car, and a jolt of alarm like a static shock goes right up her spine. "Hey!" Without pause for thought, Makoto breaks into a jog toward the car, the girl, the feeling of NOT RIGHT. "What's wrong--?"

Naota Uneme has posed:
The swell of music speaks to Naota in all the wrong ways. "I hear it. Who's playing that?" Confused, he follows Makoto when she starts jogging. A hunch has him reach into his bookbag, the better to keep a hand on his mirror. This feels VERY wrong...

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
It's weird... the girl had been smiling just a few moments ago. Now she looked like her heart was about to break. Like fifty children had just been told there was no Santa Claus, all at the same time. "...I'm not brave enough," she says to Makoto in reply to the question. "A policeman's gotta be brave... I'm not brave enough..."

"...It's impossible..."

OK, that is weird. When she said those two words, another voice did too. It was an unnatural-sounding, demonic but squeaky voice. She sits up in the car, and suddenly wisps of dark energy begin to rise from her. She stares ahead, unseeingly, as a black egg with a large white X on it appears at her chest.

The egg remains there for a moment, then floats up quickly towards the rooftop where Ikuto is playing the violin. As it flies up, the girl slumps in her seat again, eyes sliding closed. She is well and truly unconscious, if anyone checks. She's breathing though.

The egg floating up to where Ikuto is will probably give his location away. But it doesn't matter. Yoru grabs the egg when it gets close. "Gotcha, nya!" As Yoru grabs the egg, Ikuto bends down to quickly put the violin back in its case. When he stands again, Yoru hands the egg off to him.

Ikuto looks at the egg for a moment as it rests in his hand. He's probably been seen, so it's now or never. He releases the egg to float before him, just over his hand. And then he speaks.

"...Ore no kokoro: UNLOCK!"

Okay, no, that doesn't feel right. It's a stranger's heart's egg, a dream he's never had. But suddenly the ambitions flood his heart-- protect and serve... but as through a darkened lens. To control. His is the only law that is true. He is the only true authority!

Visually however? His body glows. A badge appears on his chest, then the glow resolves with a pop into a dark blue policeman's uniform with white gloves. He reaches a hand out before him and makes as if grasping the empty air, but a baton appears in his hand as his hands close around nothing. And then a police cap appears on his head, and an eyepatch appears on one eye.

X-CHARA TRANSFORMATION: TYRANT'S JUSTICE

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Who told you that?" Kneeling by the side of the toy car, Makoto reaches her hand toward the little girl's shoulder, worry and alarm written all over her face. "That's not--"

But it's no good. As Makoto watches, horrified, the egg emerges and the girl collapses, unconscious. Head snapping up, Mako tracks the egg as it floats upward, until she sees Ikuto standing on the rooftop, and though she doesn't fully understand what's just happened here she understands enough for her heart to alight with white-hot anger.

Without even a moment's pause to consider Naota's presence right next to her, she plunges her hand into her school bag and comes up with a green pen with a stylized figure 4 on the cap. The hand gripping the pen thrusts upward over her head, and her voice rings out across the street:

"Jupiter Power, MAKE UP!"

Electricity blooms instantly from the transformation pen, crackling around Makoto in great whorls of energy. When the blaze of light passes, where Makoto Kino stood a moment ago now there's a Sailor Senshi in green and pink - and she looks pissed.

Naota Uneme has posed:
Naota may not know exactly what's going on, but he knows the sound of a heart being stolen when he hears one, even if this seems different from what he's used to. He pulls the mirror out of his bookbag and looks into it for the truth it reflects. "Mirror of the heart, shine with truth! Invincible elegant heroine, Valkyrie Kirin!"

The boy is hidden behind a brilliant flare of yellow light: when it clears there stands a girl in a yellow dress and silver armor, bearing a gem-studded silver scepter. "You again!" She says to the cat-boy. "I don't know what your goal is but as the defender of innocent hearts everywhere I can't allow you to continue!"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto's visible eye narrows. He smirks haughtily. Yoru says quietly to him, "...Ikuto... be careful, nya." Ikuto tilts his head to look at Yoru and nods once. Then he turns to look at the heroes who have appeared, and leaps from the top of the building. He leaps with all the proportionate strength and grace of a cat.

Landing before the two, he shifts slightly and begins to tap his other hand with the baton. "Ladies, you're causing a scene," he says quietly. He sounds leagues from anything like a responsible, trustworthy officer. "Go on about your business, or I may have to detain you for questioning."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Like we're going to listen to that coming from someone as sketchy as you!" Sailor Jupiter fires back immediately, rounding on Ikuto with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Later, when she has time to process, she'll realize that she just gave away her identity to Naota; later she'll parse her kohai's transformation into the magical warrior who's joined her in facing down Ikuto. Right now, though, all of her furious attention is on Ikuto. She jabs a pointing finger toward him. "Explain yourself! You took this girl's dream away, didn't you? If that's the case, the Soldier of Protection, Sailor Jupiter, will never forgive you!"

Naota Uneme has posed:
"Causing a scene? Us? You're the one disturbing the peace here! Taking a kid's dreams and then claiming them for yourself: how can you live with that? I'll make you give it back! And don't think your baton is going to intimidate me!" Valkyrie Kirin dashes forward, spins, raises her scepter... and then brings it down hard at Ikuto, swinging it like it were a club.

Meanwhile, back at Naota's house, a hamster (curiously blue, but even more curious in that nobody ever seems to remark on this) nibbles on sunflower seeds and has a thought: "I hope Naoko's gotten out of the habit of just hitting people with her scepter. That's not really a very refined use for it." With a little hamster shrug he goes back to nibbling.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
"She wasn't using it anyway," Ikuto points out. "You heard her-- she's easily frightened. Police need to be brave. She can't do it. It's impossible." Oddly, HIS voice does that weird dual-voiced speaking when he says 'it's impossible', and his eyes glow briefly too.

And then suddenly the Kirin is coming after him! He grins, fangs clearly showing. He hops back a step and then raises his baton to intercept the scepter. Instead of just blocking though, he swats the haft of the weapon with that baton, hard. Less block and more parry. Though the wince of pain when the weapons collide is clearly seen-- that hurt! With the strike, though, he's trying to send the Kirin off-balance by knocking the weapon away.

However, in doing so, he does seem to be open for attack from someone else. Particularly when he pauses to taunt, "You do know that attacking an officer is a crime, I hope. There will be... penalties for that."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Sailor Jupiter's chin lifts at Ikuto's justification of his actions. "That's not for you to decide! Even if the path's difficult, she still deserves the chance to try!"

The sole of her boot scuffs the pavement as she shifts her stance, raising a fist that sparks with electricity. "Just like Kirin-san said - we'll make you give it back!"

She hasn't even finished making this declaration before she lunges into motion, taking advantage of the opening Valkyrie Kirin and Ikuto's own taunting impulse has given to drive her fist toward him.

Naota Uneme has posed:
Kirin's not too hard to drive off-balance by anyone who can keep their head when fighting her: she stumbles backwards and barely manages to avoid the indignation of landing on her magical tushie. "Bring on your penalties, uh, evil policeman-cat!" Seriously, what's his name? She's got the scepter forward again, waiting for an opening and for Jupiter not to be in the line of fire.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Electric punches are very unpleasant. As Ikuto finds out. Kirin's attack and his own arrogance leaves him wide open for Makoto's electric fist to slam right into his chest. He gives a surprised yelp and flies back, landing some distance away, on one knee. He doesn't immediately get up, either. He's shaking his head as though trying to clear it-- either Makoto's electricity messed him up more than he initially thought, or something else is at play here.

When he does finally stand up, he looks at both the girls, the smirk coming back. "Bring them on?" He points at the two of them and says, in English, "You Are Under Arrest." His voice echoes abnormally, and as he speaks each word, dark energy begins to rise from him in wisps. The hand that he points at the two girls shifts until he is aiming his palm at them. And then from that hand, two pairs of phantasmal handcuffs are launched! They are... incredibly weak, but they're designed to try and clamp onto arms.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto's English is... not great. In point of fact, she really only knows one phrase in English, and that isn't it, so when Ikuto makes his pronouncement there's not so much as a glimmer of comprehension on Sailor Jupiter's face.

If she'd understood what he said, maybe she could've avoided the pair of hancuffs he fires in her direction! As it is, they latch into place on her arms. Jupiter looks down bemusedly at her own hands, now secured in front of her...

...and then threads of lightning sizzle up around her feet, bright shivering lines of energy that race up her legs and body, over her shoulders, down her arms as the lines of muscle definition stand out in sudden tension.

SNAP

As the broken cuffs dissipate back into wisps of darkness, Jupiter squares her stance and glares at Ikuto. "What else've you got?"

Naota Uneme has posed:
Kirin sees the projectile coming and tries to take it like a true baseball player, swinging her scepter to try and knock it out of the park. The handcuffs snake around and clasp her wrists together, but the force of her swing is still there! "You're not gonna win that easily!" She continues to spin, letting the momentum carry her another step forward and then, at just the right moment, she lets go of her scepter, flinging it head-first at Ikuto!

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto pauses as Makoto gets out of the dark energy cuffs. Well, that was... not what he intended. Clearly he needs to work on this some more. Some part of him, that rational part of himself that's buried under someone else's darkly-tainted dream, wants to flee. It recognizes he's too weak to take on both of these heroes. But the only thing he can hear is the barking voice of the X-Character he's Character Transformed with.

And then suddenly the scepter comes flying at him. This too is completely unexpected! Maybe he could have caught it if he'd been prepared for it. But since he isn't? CRACK! Right in the forehead. He goes back and over with a grunt, and the darkness cuffs weaken further. Kirin should have not one bit of difficulty pulling free if she chooses.

Something's happening though. Ikuto stands, and then stumbles again. Suddenly he seems fatigued. The visage of the evil feline police officer is beginning to fade a bit, increasingly like it's an illusion over Ikuto's normal form.

However, now is the perfect chance! He's down, fatigued, and looks like he doesn't have a lot in him anyway. Now is the time to strike!

Makoto Kino has posed:
Jupiter sees the opportunity, and she doesn't hesitate for a moment. "Kirin-san!" she calls to her impromptu ally as she raises her arms to hold them crossed in front of her and an electrical charge begins to spark from the tiny lightning rod set in her tiara. "Now!"

The shout is followed by a rumble of thunder, and the sizzle of energy collecting around her hands and forearms before Sailor Jupiter throws out her hands and releases all of it toward Ikuto in a bolt of pure lightning. "Supreme Thunder!"

Naota Uneme has posed:
Valkyrie Kirin doesn't need her senpai to tell her twice. She holds out a hand, the scepter flying back to it, then raises it one final time. "Let's end this! PRISMATIC DIAMOND!" Motes of light sparkle around her and fly to orbit the scepter. With a second gesture the lights gather together and then launch themselves at the evil cat-policeman-person in an explosion of rainbow lights.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
There is definitely no dodging THAT. Not in Ikuto's current state. Ad he's just started to stand up, too! The lightning impacts first, square in the chest, and he emits a cry of pain. However, it holds him in place for the Kirin's attack. The light strikes him square on, and THAT knocks him back. He skids on the ground at the end of his travel, and doesn't look like he's getting up.

Finally, though, he pushes himself to his knees, panting. He looks like he's going to get up again... but a moment later, his chest begins to glow with dark energy. He makes a choked sound and clutches his chest, but to no avail. The X-Egg exits through the dark glow, and as it does, the trappings of the police uniform disappears. He appears as he did before the change, in the black suit. Not only that, but the blackness begins to flake away from the egg's surface, too! In a few moments the egg is pure white.

"NYA!"

This from the roof of the building he'd been on. Ikuto turns his head, and nods. Slowly, shakily he gets to his feet. And he smirks again, though it's clearly pained. Yeah, no wonder he's in pain after that. But still, he's happy. For a couple of reasons, actually. He's proven he can do this. And he's also proven that these heroes just might be strong enough to bring Easter down...

"...Thank you." Yeah, THAT wasn't ominous AT ALL, was it?

The ears and tail reappear, but not the police uniform. And though he winces hard, he leaps away, back towards the building he was on at first. He can't leave that violin behind...

In the meantime, that pure white egg flies back to the little girl, phasing through her chest with a gentle rippling effect. She takes a deep breath, then opens her eyes and sits up. "...What happened?" she asks, looking around in confusion.

Naota Uneme has posed:
"Nothing you need to worry about." Valkyrie Kirin smiles, that same smile she had when she was reassuring the girl earlier. "Just remember: you're braver than you think you are. Don't let anyone else try to take that from you." Normally she'd jump off at this point but, well, there's another magical girl present and so she's not sure of the etiquette involved.

Makoto Kino has posed:
The smile, the thanks, leave Sailor Jupiter looking more than a little confused as Ikuto makes his escape - enough so that she doesn't think to pursue until it's far too late to catch up anyway. "...what was that about?"

But never mind; they have more immediate concerns. Namely the little girl, who fortunately doesn't seem any the worse for wear for her experiences. Pushing back the rush of relief to try and keep it from showing too plainly on her face, Jupiter grins and nods her agreement with Kirin's words. "We thought there was a suspicious person around," she adds, "but it seems like seeing a brave officer already here scared him away." The words are punctuated with an approving thumbs-up. "Keep up the good work!"

Then Sailor Jupiter looks aside to Valkyrie Kirin, and considers what to do now. "I guess we should get going, huh?"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
The girl looks to the Kirin, not recognizing her. Her eyes are wide in surprise. "Me? Brave?" she asks, incredulous. And then Makoto speaks about a brave officer! "Really?!" The girl doesn't remember, but she really likes the thought of having scared off a scary person. "Yeah! I'll get 'em next time!" She salutes! And when Makoto says to keep up the good work, she nods. "I will!" she promises. And then she's back WEE-OOOH-ing down the sidewalk in her police car! This time uninterrupted!