2428/Remembering to Breathe

Remembering to Breathe
Date of Scene:	28 January 2017
Location:	Earth Court Frat House
Synopsis:	Usagi, Naru, Mamoru, and Kunzite confer about Ami's disappearance. They have a plan! They also have sniffles, because Usagi.
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Kunzite, Mamoru Chiba, Naru Osaka

---

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's not a cheerful moon rabbit who sneaks onto the balcany of one of the ritziest penthouses in Tokyo. It's not a happy girl who sneaks inside and heads for the kitchen.

"You're getting something to eat, right?" The voice comes through over her communicator. Its feminine and concerced.

Sailor Moon sighs. "Yes, Luna. And some water. Happy?"

The response is immediate. "Yes."

"Have you found anything yet? A ping, a blip, anything?" She pulls out a glass and fills it at the tap.

"Not since the last time you asked me."

"Well try harder!" It perhaps speaks volumes when Usagi snaps at someone like this. Even more so when she's snapping at her cat.

"I'm trying!" The cat's voice, even disembodied, sounds just as exhausted and drained as her charge does.

Sailor Moon's shoulders droop as she leans against the counter. "I know. I...I'm sorry, Luna."

"It's okay." Because it is. Because they're both stressed and drained, and if there's only the occasional snaps and quick apologies, then things are still sort of okay. After a beat, "But there's not a lot that would cause even her communicator to just dissapear. I know it doesn't sound like anything, but that is something, Usagi."

Kunzite has posed:
The kitchen does not look quite like it normally does, somehow. Normally it's clean, yes. But right now it's practically antiseptic -- like something out of a hospital, gleaming a little too much to be an ordinary room, or anything quite used.

Translation: someone has been spending far too much time in it, lately.

Someone appears shortly after the sound of voices, Kazuo in his typical outfit with his hair pulled back in the tail he keeps it in when Mako insists on proper food prep procedures. He doesn't say anything. He just comes around to the doorway, looks at Moon for a moment from where she can see him clearly, and then reaches to put a hand on her shoulder.

Some things are expressed more clearly without words in the way.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She looks up at Kazuo with large eyes. And she knows the answer even before she asks, because he would have said, but she needs moments of hope even if the immediate spiral back down is harsh. "Have you heard anything?"

And its probably not fair to him to have her eyes pleading with him to say yes, or to have them fill with tears a moment later as her face scrunches up in hopeless despair.

At this point, he's probably expecting it when she buries her face against his chest and cries.

Unfortunately, it's not the tears of 'ow I stubbed my toe' but the cries of 'my heart hurts, make it stop.'

Kunzite has posed:
He is not silent in that moment between. "We're almost certain she was here last," he says. "Lacrima put Naru in touch with Ta--"

It's not a nothing: that means they've been working on it, that means that the others have been trying just as hard as she has to find her. That means she isn't alone.

It's not a yes: that means it isn't over.

And of course those together means she can take time to weep.

Kazuo doesn't have a cape to wrap around her, this time, not right now. But all the other concerns from times she wept her heart out against him before are gone: there is no worry about propriety, and no chance that he might contaminate her. So he wraps both arms around her shoulders, and sets one hand at the back of her head, and just holds her as the tears overflow. Not as good as Mamo-hugs, no. But a lot better than a glass of water in a too-clean kitchen.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And then there's a sense of tentative relief from an outside source that floods through their souls, golden and familiar as if he were part of them -- which, after all, he is. The source is initially nowhere nearby; the location somewhere a little bit distant.

Seconds later, elsewhere in the apartment, there's his presence-- but it's accompanied by what, to Kunzite, is the equally familiar energy of the Prince's teleport signature. So he doesn't immediately rejoin them. There's just a sense of 'hang on be right there'.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There's a hierarchy of hugs in Usagi's mind. Mamoru's is top, of course. And then there's 'almost as good as,' which is really quite good, indeed. Makoto is on this list. So is, perhaps surprisingly, Kunzite.

And it does help that she's not alone in this. After all, it does mean that there's not just her who finally just really started searching dark alleys and other such remote places for...

Well, she doesn't want to think what for.

Her eyes close at the sudden shift. She feels a little better for it, of course, but a little better in a lot of hurt and scared isn't quite...better.

And she doesn't rush toward the sensation as she probably normally would. She doesn't shift her feet until she's sure he's done being sick before pouncing him. Because sometimes it isn't until you stop moving that you realize how tired you are.

Needless to say, she hasn't been sleeping well.

Kunzite has posed:
The first shift in the direction of that presence wins Usagi a gentle squeeze from Kazuo, rather than immediate release. "He'll be right here," he murmurs down to her, "as soon as he's ready. You'll both want to be in here, anyhow. So you may want to let him come to you."

It's a suggestion, not an attempt at giving her direction; if she tries to move a second time, even the smallest shift of pressure will prompt his arms to fall away. After all, once the Prince in question stops being ill, she will be trading up.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
He'd been practicing a while without dramamine, but when crises start ratcheting up, he starts taking it regularly again -- as he's been over the past few days. Because even if practice lets him get more control over it, if there's an actual crisis he doesn't even want the lingering vertigo.

It still doesn't help with the disorientation, though, and that's what the Prince is recovering from in his bedroom, not too far off. It's a moment before his breathing evens out, before he gets over the feeling of everything being wrong, of most of his body being missing, of his senses cut off-- and then he walks out, walks toward the kitchen, gets to the door already bracing for impact. "I've got a lead--" he says quickly, and then the rest of his breath is gone, chuffed out of him as soon as Usagi pounces and latches on, and his arms automatically close around her, squishing tight.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon nods against Kunzite. It's tempting to rush through, but surprisingly easy to stay put.

And if asked, she'll never say its a trade up! It's a Mamo-chan!

And then he's there, and she forgets for a second how much stronger she is as Sailor Moon. (Fortunately, cracked ribs probably aren't a result.) Legs around his waist, tiny fingers burying into course fabric, her face hiding in his shoulder. She's a ball of sniffles.

"I've been in contact with Jupiter. There's another pair of eyes for us." The disembodied kitty voice sounds as exhausted as the girl in the prince's arms is.

Usagi hears about the lead. She wants to ask about it, but in the moment, she's too focused on absorbing as much of him as she can.

Kunzite has posed:
Kazuo lets her go for that one of course. There's no question there, ever.

And the first few seconds -- those are just for the two of them. And if the Princess starts to come out of sniffling in the Prince's shoulder, well, that's for the two of them, too.

But if she's only clinging and crying ... then he steps closer, and there's an arm more loosely around each of their shoulders as well. Just so that, for a moment, neither of them has to entirely hold up for the other. They don't have to choose to use the option. But they both have the reminder that there are people to catch them, too.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And Endymion does not, in fact, get cracked ribs. Bruised, possibly, but he never minds, and it heals quickly enough-- barely noticeable; he's strong enough to hold her slight form up without henshining, obviously, and hold her he does. Even if his arms shift to support her, linking underneath her. He leans his face into her hair and lets her cry--

--and then there's Kunzite's quiet presence, his arms draping around them, and Mamoru leans them both in lightly against him. With his head against the side of hers, and the top of his own head against Kunzite's jaw, it's that much easier to hold onto calm and spread it to Sailor Moon, return turn some stability and reassure Kunzite. Peace and stillness, resolve and steadiness.

After a moment, he feels it settling over them all, and he murmurs with the faintest amusement, "It would be easier to tell you about it if I could breathe a little more deeply, love."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A moment after he says this, Sailor Moon's death-grip on him loosens as she slides down. (The part of her that struggles to be cheerful wants to tease and say 'You heard him, Kunzite, let the guy breathe!' But she doesn't.)

"Luna's been checking the m--the hospitals for blunettes." It's her own thing to add to this.

And its not that she believes her friend is, well, gone. It's just that quiet part of her she doesn't like listening to understands that at the end of the day, their lives are finite.

After all, usually when a loved one goes missing, they're either cloned, kidnapped, or brainwashed. Sometimes a combination thereof.

And in most cases, she could still feel the friend. There's only been this giant space of nothing once before. And that hadn't been a good omen then, either.

Kunzite has posed:
Moon sliding down means that they're at least all leaning against each other, rather than strangling each other; this is something of an improvement. His arm tightens around her again, no matter that that word got cut off. "We all look," he says quietly. "Naru found a little news, too; things we can rule out, for the most part, but that's still a little of a relief. If you've gotten more, though..." Endymion gets to talk first. Not just because he's the Prince.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
As Sailor Moon slides down, Mamoru kisses the top of her head, but doesn't let go of her; no one's stopping leaning. One hand catches at her bare upper arm, and the other moves to catch Kunzite's bare hand. The contact is still full of reassurance: she's not dead, she's very much alive. She's not hurt.

"She still feels like herself, just irritated as hell; she's only loosely connected to Earth, and she's in--"

He shakes his head, a little frustrated. "It's like when Nephrite was missing, but it doesn't feel like a Labyrinth is involved. There's none of that despair. It doesn't feel like there's any dark energy involved, either. But it's-- it's equally complicated. I think we'd get a better lock on her if I drew you both in and traced it back-- through here, I think-- because you're connected to her most strongly, Usako, and because you might have any idea what the hell we're looking at, Kunzite. And through here because you're right, the loose connection's from her teleport corner."

Naru Osaka has posed:
There is a wee bit of warning at least before the closeness is invaded. The sound of the door announces that /someone/ is arriving, and not someone who is willing to arrive via balcony.

No coat, but satchel looped over her shoulder, Naru kicks off her shoes in the entryway to be able to pad barefoot more fully into the apartment. She catches bits of Endymion's words as she approaches the kitchen, lingering in the doorway. A nod at the mention of 'feels like herself', frowing a touch as she hears 'labyrinth' and at least that's in the negative. She looks between all three of them, pretty confident on the topic of the conversation going on.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's an odd sort of reflex, petting Kunzite's arm. Maybe it's a habit of stroking kitty fur. Or maybe he's just fuzzy.

Naru's arrival isn't immediately noticed. She's looking up at Mamoru with wide eyes, genuine hope in them now as her knees quiver in relief. "You...you can feel her? And she's okay?" She sobs out a laugh, and at least now she's crying for another reason. All those evil little thoughts of 'what if' that had kept her from being able to get more than five minutes of sleep at a time are finally snuffed out.

Finally, she spots Naru. She holds out a hand, fingers grabby.

Kunzite has posed:
"That fits," Kazuo says, straightforward. "There's evidence that she left the notes here after she went to argue with Agera. So it may not have been him, for once." He glances toward Naru, and shifts around the pair to make ... not to make room for her, precisely, but to make more convenient space. "You had the meeting earlier, Naru; would you be willing to go over what you found out?"

(His sleeve is definitively not fuzzy. Habit is definitely a good argument, though. Even if Artemis would go fur-on-ends at the thought of there being any similarity at all.)

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Hi, Naru-chan," Endymion says, looking a little tired, but unworried. Yes, there's contact and leaning going on, but Usagi is also gesturing her over; in deference to Naru's mental shenanigans preferences, the Prince lets go of both Kunzite and Usagi, then leans against the counter, arms crossed loosely. He's still right there, he's not withdrawing; he's only taking the empath out of contact. Another reassurance.

He offers a half-smile. "I sort of found her. That 'sort of' is messy and requires a lot of fine-tuning, since she's not actually on earth proper. Weird dimension nonsense I can't really sort out myself, and Usa's link with her is stronger than mine. So-- something to work from, there," he tells Naru, condensing it to the salient details. "But what meeting--?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I met with Takashi this morning." Naru replies simply enough as she moves absently closer to reach out to take that offered hand by Usagi. She might not be a fan of mental shenanigans, but that short list /does/ include Endymion. Still, she comes near enough to give Usagi a squeeze.

"I found out little enough, save that Takashi was shocked and surprised and concerned. He hadn't seen her since they met before Paris, which was before she left the note here." Naru gestures a touch. "So whatever dimensional nonsense that Endy's found isn't his doing." Naru explains.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
And Naru gets a tight squeeze. Maybe it lasts a moment longer than it normally would, but irrationality dictates that if one friend goes missing, others aren't far behind.

Still, like Mamoru, Naru would need lung-use to speak. She still holds onto her hand, though, and unless she becomes some sort of conduit of empathic feedback, keeps hold of it as she leans back into Mamoru.

If she had another hand, she would still be petting Kunzite.

"He doesn't? Good. It means I don't hafta pay him a visit." Her voice is either grumpy or...dark.

Kunzite has posed:
"Weird dimension nonsense," Kazuo says, picking up the term without more comment than a slightly dry note in his voice, "used to be something of a hobby for me. But I can't currently do much of anything with it. I was able to catch some of the last energy traces from her subspace manipulation before they faded, and if I look from the correct angle I can see a hint of where her entrance is, but I can't get enough of a grip on it to do anything with it. Or, in fact, any grip on it at all at present."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Well-- that's a relief," the Prince says to Naru, still leaning, but eyebrows up a little bit. He uncrosses his arms to make it easier for Usagi to lean, and since there's cloth between them it's just his warmth and the steadiness, never flickering for months and months, of his soul at the back of hers; he sticks his hands in his jeans pockets and is a soft wall to prop herself up on. And at Usagi's tone of voice, he lifts his eyebrows and glances down at her, concern of a different kind taking root.

Then Endymion glances up at Kunzite, expression evening out. "Well, so, we won't be able to get in without someone who can manipulate dimensional space, but between you, me, and Usa we can get a lock on her and figure out where-- maybe what kind of dimensions, how many are..." he trails off, wrinkling his nose. "Nested. Or mangled. Or merged. Like maybe if you can look at it you can figure out what you're dealing with. And maybe you can talk to her, Usa, maybe she has some idea what's going on, or how we can get her out."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru holds Usagi's hand, giving it a little squeeze periodically. Her expression is calm, a well practiced facade that she sees no reason not to continue with. "Weird dimensional nonsense pretty much leaves me out of doing much more than waiting by the phone. I have no means of detecting or manipulating any of it directly, or indirectly. If you can talk to her and find out what went wrong. Was it her own powers going weird, or something external acting upon her portal? Or .." Naru leaves off any other potentials she's come up with.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi...can follow some of what they're talking about. She's not as adept with interdimensional travel as they are, and pretty much only knows 'Take this 'doorway' and there you are.' Or even 'If you put a bottle of cold milk in your subspace pocket, its still cold and fresh six months later.'

In fact, her last experience with a pocket dimesnion, aside from the milk thing, had been Homura's shield. And, well, even if the girl know things about them, she's been suspiciously absent. That or Usagi hasn't been paying attention due to studying for tests and...everying. Its most likely the latter.

She misses the look but feels the concern. She looks up at Mamoru with apologetic eyes and a wince. Normally she's so much better at not even feeling that way, but the last time a friend went missing, whether she knew it or not, Takashi had been to blame.

She flounders a bit, though, because she's as useful as Naru feels when it comes to dimensions. "But I can't feel her..." But Mamoru could...she turns again and clutches at his sleeve, letting go of Naru's hand so both of hers are knotted in fabric. "But if you could take me where I could? Because you can? And and if nothing else I can let her know we're looking for her and miss her and love her?" Her eyes water again but this time she doesn't cry. "She's probably scared and lonely."

Kunzite has posed:
"You have something that none of us do," Kazuo says quietly to Naru. "You have an artist's eye. I don't know whether it's possible for that large a group to work together on these things, and I don't know if you'd be comfortable trying; if not, then there's no shame, and it would be better for you to stand out than to be uncomfortable. But if this were Hana's work, for instance -- if I could show you what I see, you'd be more likely to recognize her signature than I would."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Endymion starts to answer Naru, and then pauses to bend half down to kiss Sailor Moon's head again. In that brief contact, warmth and more reassurance; things never work out well when she feels that way. Angry is good. Dark... well, the side of his face rests against her hair for a second before he straightens up from the craning. And then she's clutching at him and Kunzite's telling Naru things, and Mamoru has to wrench his tired self back to sorting through the buffer of what's being said and what he meant to say.

So he's quiet for a moment, holding up a hand in what's almost supplication. Please. One second. Please.

Then he drops it. "Naru-- not only is there the artist's eye, but you have questions we won't think of. So you're absolutely welcome to look with us. I don't think Hana's involved, since I did not feel anything like a Witch's darkness or a Labyrinth's warping through despair, both of which I'm intimately familiar with, but your perspective is invaluable no matter what the issue turns out to be."

He looks down at Usagi again and pokes her forehead lightly, right above the dip of her tiara. "I can't feel her right now. I can't feel her unless I'm actively looking for her aura and twisting my awareness through that crack in reality, where Kunzite said he can just make out her door. If I'm powering you up and lending you what I've got and you can see what I see, you can do it better than I can. And I'm pretty sure she's more annoyed than literally anything else. So please stop fretting."

Then he looks up to Kunzite again, and he gets a quick, head-tilted half smile. "I'm familiar enough with all of you that it wouldn't be a burden, all of us linked to work together. And don't worry-- all of you-- none of us will see anything you don't want to show. Multisensory brain Skype without the security issues."

A beat. He reaches up to scrub at his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I need-- a nap, or a recharge, or something first."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I am very familiar with Hana's work." Naru agrees with a nod. "Not just her art style, but the feel of how she bends reality about her, it doens't feel of despair, not currently at least." Her voice is just as calm about this as everything else, as if being familiar, and apparently comfortable, with how a witch bends reality is normal. Of course it is. "I agree, however, that nothing about this has her feel to it. She's .." Naru pauses there, shaking her head a little, cutting off that diversion as irrelevent.

"If it is possible, then I am willing to try. Wraiths make me uncomfortable." Naru comments, in the next understatement of the century. "But few other things do."

There's a thoughtful pause and then an almost sheepish admission from Naru. "If my head is too closed off for brain Skype, you might have to help me find middle ground, Endy. My control is still fairly binary."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi strokes her chin in throught. "Hmmm, yes. Naru-chan's really good at a lot of things she doesn't think of."

"I know you can't now, I meant later." And then she gives him a Look. It's mildly amused, which is an improvement. "And that's...kind of like suggesting my favorite color not be pink anymore."

Silly.

And then she chews her lip at him. "Nap? Can I..."

And then, no. A sigh. Sleep can wait. She turns back to Kunzite and Naru. "Is there anything I can do that you can think of until I'm needed as an Ami-chan-radar?"

Kunzite has posed:
"Nap," Kazuo says to Mamoru, but it's a noun rather than an imperative. It's almost in chorus with Usagi. The two of them may possibly have met him once or twice. Usagi's question, though, he bounces back to Naru with a glance.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I'll figure something out after I take a breather," Mamoru tells Naru, pushing off the counter and dropping his hand on the top of Usagi's head. "And you being clinically unable to stop fretting even when you have solid evidence and a plan in the works is why no," he tells her with a quick, lopsided smile, affectionate and-- very, very tired. He glances at Kunzite as his hand slides off blonde hair, gives a different half-smile, and then just slips out of the room toward his bed, which beckons.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Has anyone talked to Ami's mother?" Naru asks, almost hesitantly. "Because she's probably losing her mind, and if she hasn't gone to the police yet, she will be soon, and we should probably be prepared for that." She nods to Endymion. "It'll work out fine. Nap well." She looks back to the other two and takes a slow breath, centering.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Her Look doesn't change much. Her sticking out her tongue is as much playful as it is, in a weird way, seceding a claim to victory in the argument. She lets her hand trail on his arm as he walks toward a blissful nap, and she sighs longingly after.

Then she turns back and shakes her head. "I called her the first afternoon. She's called and texted some. She knows Ami is missing and knows I don't know where she is. But that's...about it."

Kunzite has posed:
Dealing with parents: not something Kazuo has a surprising amount of experience with. (It hasn't hit Sunday yet. His own father, this lifetime, would only have noticed with annoyance that he had to make his own breakfast, and possibly left a sternly worded note or two about not missing school by sleeping in, which he would not have been surprised not to see moved. ... Sunday, on the other hand, the skies would have fallen. And Sunday is only a few hours away.)

In the meantime, he inclines his head to Mamoru's departure, and fades a silent step back or two from the girls. As he told Naru earlier: the dividing line between what Ami permits, where Mamoru's guys are concerned, and what is Too Far falls right at the Mizuno home's front door. And windows.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru nods, looking relieved by that, even as little as it is. "Okay. I'm glad someone has.. thank you Usagi. I don't know that we've got much more to tell her either, but at least someone's in contact with her."

She takes a few steps, towards the kettle "If I made coffee, or tea.. would anyone else want some?" Naru asks, taking a few moments of distraction. "Also, as freaked out as we all are about Ami, is anything else exploding immediately?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi offers a small smile and a nod. She's actually very pleased that she's helping! Even if its only with parents, which for her, is easier than it is for, well, most people.

And then she sighs and rubs her hands over her face. "Do you think you can make a coffee that's...not...too coffee flavored? Like maybe coffee sneezes into a cup of milk and sugar?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I.." Naru pauses at the notion of coffee sneezes.. "Coffee up your nose sucks." She comments absently, but having more than enough experience to speak authoritatively. She moves to fill the kettle, to begin the prospect of coffee making.

"I think I can manage something vaguely coffee /ish/ with more milk than coffee." Naru confirms as she sets the kettle to boiling. "I did learn that the super sweet hot chocolate at Gullwing is pretty good mixed half and half with the dark roast."