724/Sympathy Donuts

Sympathy Donuts
Date of Scene:	17 December 2015
Location:	Earth Court Frat House
Synopsis:	Kyouko brings some sympathy sweets to Usagi, and revelations and apologies result.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Usagi Tsukino, Kyouko Sakura, Kunzite

---

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Its been a hectic week for Kyouko so far. First the whole Mamoru the, then Sayaka made her wish and became a Puella. Things are changing in Kyouko-ville, some for the worse, and some she hasn't quite decided yet.

    Say one thing for her though, she recovers quickly. She had a bit of a breakdown the night Mamoru died, but bounced back pretty quickly- not because she doesn't care, but because she's a bit innured to death. She's had a lot of people close to her die. Doesn't make it any easier, but it has taught her that life goes on, and you have to go with it.

    One thing she had been meaning to do though was to drop by and see how Usagi was doing. She hadn't known the girl very long, but Usagi had been there for her when she needed it, and she imagined that Mamoru's death must be hitting his former girlfriend pretty hard. Seemed like the least she could do was drop by and see how the chick was doing.

    So, after work one evening, she drops by Mamoru's old place with a bag of donuts from the shop. They're the leftovers nobody bought, so they were free, but since they're from today they aren't too stale yet. She rings the bell, waiting in the hallway and shifting restlessly from foot to foot.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi rubs her eyes as she tries to figure out Mamoru's coffee pot. Sheesh, how many buttons...

She managed five hours of sleep. With finals over and school having gotten out early, she's 'at a friend's' to celebrate the beginning of a long weekend.

Well, by managed, I of course mean 'tortured through nightmares.'

Hence, the coffee, even though it's not overly late at night.

If she has her way, she won't be sleeping for a month!

Finally, she looks up the instructions online.

Finally, after a few growls and winces as she rubs the bruises that haven't yet started to fade, she gets a cup going. Man, she kind of thinks it would be better if she had something to go with the coffee. A sweet nibble to counteract the bitterness of the bre--

Bing-bong.

Huh. That's weird.

She creeps toward the door before she peers through the peephole. However, caution is lost when she sees it's Kyouko.

She opens the door with a welcoming smile.

(Of course, she doesn't look all that great. There's bags under her eyes, the smile isn't as genuine as it normally would be, and bruises are just all over her throat.)

"Kyouko-chan, hi! Come in!"

Croaky voiced, she steps aside to let the other girl in.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko has to blink a little bit at the sight of the other girl.. she knew she'd likely have taken it rough but she wasn't expecting quite this level of dishevelment. Still, she can hardly blame Usagi. So she puts on her best smile, though as its her its lopsided and one-fanged. "Hey. Listen, I been meanin' to stop by." She says, as she steps into the apartment and pulls her boots off.

    She holds up the bag with the donuts as she does. "These are for you. Donuts, from my shop." She eyes those bruises again, wondering exactly where the girl might have gotten those. Looks an awful lot like a hand around her neck. But for the moment she doesn't think too hard about it, more concerned with how her gift will be recieved.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi blinks and accepts the bag. She takes it and peeks inside. Her eyebrows raise in pleasant surprise. "Oh! I was just thinking I need something to go with my coffee! Thank you so much!" She gives Kyouko a quick hug before taking the bag to the kitchen.

"Do you want some? Coffee and donuts?"

She pulls out another mug as she prepares to make another.

Either way, she knows the coffee will get drunk.

She turns to Kyouko, a soft, concerned smile on her face. "How are you?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko seems pleased that her gift was appreciated. "Sure, I'll take some coffee." She agrees easily as she returns the hug one-armed and then moves over to the table. Even if she had the emotional fortitude to bounce back from loss, it puts a bit of a damper on her, being here. She had spent some good times here with Mamoru, and they come back to her as she slips into the chair and sits with one leg tucked underneath her.

    "Eh. I'm okay." She says, a bit amused that Usagi is concerned about her, given the circumstances. "I found out Sayaka-chan made her wish yesterday, so I'm still kind of processing that. Y'know, on top of everything else."

    She peers across the room at Usagi. "But how are you holdin' up? I mean, really? I know what its like. I've lost people before."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Coffee mugs in hand, she hooks the bag around a pinkie before going to the table.

Sure, there's plates and such, but that means she'd have more to clean, and hey, that's what napkins are for!

As she sits, she gasps a little. "She made a wish? I don't know much about that, but I know you wanted to avoid that for her. I'm sorry."

She divvies out some donuts on said napkins.

She opens her mouth to say she's fine, but Kyouko doesn't seem to want the standard line. So she thinks as she takes a sip. "I'm holding up by not crying anymore because if I do I won't stop. Eviscerated. Whatever snapped on the roof still feels like it's being shredded by a cheese grater."

She thinks some more. "A bit tired, but when I do sleep, nightmares, so no thank you."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "It's.. alright." Kyouko says, about Sayaka. "It's complicated. I'm not sure what would have been a better option. At least now she can defend herself if she gets attacked, so even if she had to make a wish, I can rest a little bit easier knowing she's not helpless." She quirks her lips. "Even if she did wish to heal her dumb boyfriend." This is muttered under her breath.

    Then she gets a soemwhat sympathetic look on her face as she listens to Usagi. But she nods her head, as she takes her donuts, and bites one, because while giving sympathy is super important, so is eating donuts. She stretches her free hand out to lay briefly on top of Usagi's. Her fingers are rough and calloused- the fingers of someone who works hard and hasn't had a manicure pretty much ever.

    "I know what that's like." She says, quietly. "I mean, it's not exactly the same, but, few years back I lost my whole family in a.. similarly horrible manner. I dun mean to trivialize what you're going through or nothin' I just wanted to say, y'know.. I know what its like." She must really feel that way too, cause Kyouko hardly ever shares details about her past.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi's eyebrows raise at that. She didn't know Sayaka had a boyfriend. (Heck, Usagi thought the two girls were a couple!) "Stupid boyfriend." Solidarity!



Usagi watches Kyouko's hand as the girl speaks. She likes how rough it is.

Then her eyes snap up to Kyouko's. If she had been crying lately, she would be now. Instead, she flips her hand under Kyouko's and clasps their fingers together. "Well. Pain is pain. Kind of. I think loss is it's own category."

Ug she's bad at words! So she gets up and hugs the girl again.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is being mellodramatic, Sayaka is not actually dating the violinist, but cut her some slack, she's had a rough week. As Usagi grips her hand, she squeezes it lightly, her smile a bit bittersweet, though just as lopsided as always. "No argument from me, hun."

    She pauses after a moment, eyeing Usagi's bruised neck again. "What happened to your neck, anyway?" She asks, looking thoughtful once more. She takes a bite out of the donut in her other hand and chews, her eyes on Usagi.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Well, yeah, but melodramatic or not! Usagi's still rooting for you! SOLIDARITY!

Then she sort of freezes in place for a moment.

Man, she really should have worn a scarf.

Oh well.

She clears her throat. "I, um, got it from Mamo-chan." A small look up, not unlike a dog expecting a scolding when she widdled on the carpet. "On the roof."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko narrows her eyes for a moment.. then they widen. "You're Sailor Moon!" She exclaims, breathing out. "Man, that totally makes a lot of sense, I can't believe I didn't figure it-"

    Suddenly she freezes in turn and her eyes go even wider. "Oh shit, I stabbed you. Um.. I'm really sorry about that." She says, pulling her hand back and hiding it with hits mate beneath the table (still holding half a donut). She looks away, off to the side.

    "Donuts seems like a half-assed gift, now."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Her shoulders slump a bit in relief. She always expects a look bordering on disgust when they find out Usagi is Sailor Moon.

And then she's flailing her hands at Kyouko's remembering. "No, no, it's okay! I forgave you already, remember?"

Oh dear. Oh my.

How does she reassure?!

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "You also saved my ass from the Dark Kingdom!" Kyouko says, flailing just a little her self, even though Kyouko doesn't usually do things like flail. It's almost like Sailor Moon is kind of a personal celebrity to her because of that whole saving thing, plus the guilt over the stabbing!

    "Ahh.. shit." She finally says, dropping her hands and sighing a little bit. "Well.. as long as you don't hold it against me." She glances back up at Usagi. "Seems like you can't spit without hitting a magical girl in Tokyo these days. Makes me wonder what the hell's goin' on." She shrugs her shoulders a little bit, and returns to nomming her donut. "But you ain't a Puella, so it's not like I really need to care.. other than the personal debts, I mean."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi blushes at Kyouko's flailing. She's flail worthy? Awwww!

Then she giggles a bit and hugs on Kyouko a bit more. "Only hugs!"

She sits back down and mulls that over. "Maybe...to counteract the dark stuff? A sort of balance thing?"

And then she's genuinely confused. "What debt?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko hugs Usagi back, but then she smirks as she pulls back again and sits down. "Enough with the hugs, hun, I ain't really the huggin' type, normally. Today's a special occasion but don't let it go to your head."

    She shrugs a little bit at Usagi's proposed explanation for the preponderance of magical girls in recent times. "Maybe. I dunno. Dark stuff's always been there. Just seems like there's.. a concentration, lately. Makes me kinda nervous is all. I'm probably just bein' paranoid. Kinda in my blood."

    Then she blinks at Usagi. "What debt? I know you've had a rough time, hun, but let's go over the past five minutes again. I almost killed you, and then you saved my life. Those are two pretty big debts I owe you, whether or not you forgive me."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
She snorts. "One of these days, you'll be the one asking for the hug! ...Maybe! But I won't. Let it go to my head, I mean."

She sips the coffee, makes a face, shudders. Ew.

"I don't know, either. But it's kinda scary... On the plus side, we're here to help, right?"

And then she's looking down at the table, cheeks flushed, and she gulps the coffee this time.

AUGH HOT!

AUGH GROSS!

"I didn't do it for debts. But, if you feel you owe me, I don't know. Keep...doing what you do?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Ain't nobody been able to stop me yet. Despite tryin' their damndest. If there's one thing in the world I'm an expert at, it's bein' Kyouko Sakura." Kyouko replies, with a roguish wink, before raising her own mug of coffee and swigging from it like someone who lives on the stuff (you try working long hours at a conbenie without it).

    She sets the mug back down and takes another donut from her pile. "I sure hope so. That we're here to help, I mean. I dunno, I don't think I've ever been much help to anybody, but.. I'm tryin' to change that. Not sure it's workin'.." She sure wasn't much help to Mamoru, after all, "But I'm tryin'." A small sigh.

    "Y'know what, Sailor Usagi? Life sucks. Thank christ for donuts." Chomp.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
There's a gentle knock at the door. Beyond, Ami Mizuno stands leaning against the entryway with giant saucer-sized bags beneath her eyes, dressed in a rumply sweater and bluejeans. She looks like she's been dragged through hell and back.

The blue-haired senshi has a tablet held in one hand that matches her hair in colour almost exactly, with silver styling of the mercury logo ont he back surrounding the camera. Even now, exhausted as she is, Ami is continuing to review the data on her tablet while she waits for Usagi to answer the door.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I'm not quite an expert at being Usagi Tsukino, but I'm trying."

She takes a first bite of a donut. This would probably set alarm bells off in other people. There's still donuts, and Usagi has only had one bite.

She looks up at Kyouko, thoughtful. "Well. How about this. To pay off this debt, all you gotta do is keep trying. And if you slip up, so long as you keep trying after that, we'll be okay. Okay?" Kyouko, Usagi hadn't been much help to mamoru either.

"I hear ya." Another bite.

There's a gentle knock at the door. Usagi's brows furrow together. "Twice in one day?"

She gets up, cautious as she'd been when Kyouko'd first knocked. Then she's gasping and throwing the door open. "Ami-chan! You look like you haven't slept in ages!" Oh no. Oh no oh no. It was that horrible, stupid promise she'd made Ami make, isn't it?

"Come in, come in! Even if it's for a nap, please let it be for a nap."

And then, because she hasn't seen Ami since, well, she crushes her friend in a giant bear hug.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is almost to the end of her second donut. She shoots a brief smile to Usagi, but then there's that second knock on the door, and her brows quirk. She tenses slightly, even as Usagi gets all cautious and sneaks up to the door. Force of habit- historically, people who come knocking aren't good news for Kyouko.

    Today it seems like it's not a problem though, as it turns out to be that girl who thought she was good at DDR or something. Oh, that's right- she had been there with Usagi and girl-Mamoru at the time, so she was probably a friend also. She sure looks rough enough for that to make sense.

    Usagi goes about greeting Ami in her way, and Kyouko just stays where she is, chewing on her donut, feeling a little akward.
e

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami nearly collapses into Usagi-chan's arms at that forceful hug; barely able to hold herself upright against it. So instead she just puts her own arms around Usagi and rests her forehead on the blonde's shoulder.

"Hello, Usagi-chan," Ami mumble sinto that shoulder. "No ... I'm okay. I don't need a nap, yet. I've calculated I can go another sixteen hours before I've reached the point that I need to sleep or risk brain damage. When this bout of nodoze wears off I'll catch a few hours."

When she's finally released enough to look up, Ami spots Kyouko, and her eyes widen. "You!" she says, pointing a trembling finger. "I need to talk to you. Oh god, you may have the key to all of this."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi, of course, takes this excuse to fret. "Brain damage? No, that's not gonna happen. When it wears off, you're gonna nap here and I'm gonna make sure you do!" Then, curiosity. "Nodoze? Where would I get that? Or, you know, something to keep from dreaming?"

Even as she's saying this, she's guiding Ami to the table. "Kyouko-chan does?"

Her interest is piqued, of course, but so is her guilt. She squishes Ami into another hug. "I shouldn't have asked you that, I'm so sorry."

Her eyes sting, and nope, nope, nope. So she sits Ami at the table and nopes her way into the kitchen. "I'm making you some tea."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko eyes Ami, then jumps slightly when she's pointed at, eyes darting, looking for an escape route. "W-what? The key to what? I didn't do it, I swear?" She pushes the chair back away from the table, starting to get up.

    "Listen, kid, I dunno what you think you know or what you think /I/ know but I ain't lookin' for a fight, okay? I just came to visit Usagi. If you wanna challenge me to DDR or somethin' it'll have to wait."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami allows herself to be ushered to a seat, and then sinks heavily into the chair. She holds the Mercury computer in her lap, but leans forward just a little to stare at Kyouko. "No, no, you misunderstand," she says, head bobbing a little in her exhaustion and excitement. "You're ..." she trails off, then makes a disgusted face. "No, that's why. You don't know."

Ami explains, "I'm Sailor Mercury. Usagi-chan, tell her I'm Sailor Mercury. I'm sorry, I don't want to fight, either. I am trying to solve this. To bring him back, or at least--" she pauses briefly, "--at least to figure out how they took him, and where they are, so we can--" This time, Ami doesn't finish the thought.

"Look, it was when you went in," Ami says to Kyouko. "Something about you was the trigger. They used you to the last. I'm sorry. I need to scan you. Can I please scan you?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi's hands pause on the kettle. "So it's possible, then? It could have been...not him?"

She clears her throat as the water nears boiling and pours it over a tea bag. Sorry, Ami-chan, no fancy tea.

She brings it out to Ami-chan, blinks, and remembers what she was asked to confirm. "Yes. She's Mercury." Then she lightly pokes Ami's shoulder. "Now you can't be annoyed I told her who I was, neener."

Then she is chewing her lip. Scan?

Maybe that would tell her if that pain she feels in her chest is real or imagined. "Could you scan me? After?" Then she looks up at Kyouko. "Or before, if you want it to make sure there's no shenanigans?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko blinks a little bit at Ami, but then she just kind of shrugs. Makes sense, really. Like she said- can't spit without hitting a magical girl, and this girl was with Mamoru and Mamoru basically doesn't know any non-magical girls. She doesn't really have any trouble accepting this.

    She narrows her eyes slightly at the girl's words, though. "You can't bring back the dead. I think I would know." But then she pauses, listening to what else they have to say.. and after a moment, she says, "But you sure as hell can add to the dead, and if you can figure out where to point me to get at the sons-of-bitches who did this, then I'll help any way I can."

    Then she goes a little pale. "What do you mean I was the trigger? What happened to Mamoru didn't have anything to do with me."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami reaches up to touch her left ear, where a trio of blue stud earings sparkle in place. "I'll scan you in a moment, Usagi-chan," Ami promises as the blue visor sparkles into being over her eyes.

Ami studies the readout on her visor for several moments as she looks Kyouko over, then wrinkles her nose. "Not entirely unexpected," she notes. "Would you mind transforming?" she asks Kyouko. "I'd like to scan your henshin as well. And your spear, if it's alright."

While she waits for that, Ami then turns to scan Usagi, curiously. But typical Ami, she doesn't say anything without confirmation, which means poor Usagi will probably wonder what exactly it is that has her frowning.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi looks up at Kyouko, and for a moment the mask slips. She's as sad as she is, as heartbroken as she tries to hide. "I'll help you, Kyouko-chan. With that. If you want." And she's dead serious, because her boyfriend's dead. Maybe.

She blinks at Ami. "What's that frown for? Am I actually okay and it's all in my head?"

She, of course, expects this to be the case. But that doesn't mean she isn't dissapointed.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko looks at Usagi, and catches that moment of slippage, and feels really bad all of a sudden. Despite her previous warnings against over-hugging, she steps over mid-scan (possibly to Ami's annoyance) and gives Usagi another hug. "There, there, Usagi-chan. We'll tear that damn place into rubble and then burn the remains, I promise." Kyouko-comfort is a bit harsher than many other forms of comfort.

    Then she looks back over to Ami. She narrows her eyes slightly again, simply because she doesn't know what the girl is looking for, and doesn't like being poked and prodded (even metaphorically), especially after her experience with Miss White. But, on the other hand, Usagi seems to trust this girl, and she wants to help Usagi right now, so..

    She nods, and with a red flash her Soul Gem appears in her hand, and then she henshins with another, larger red flash. Her spear materializes in her hand, and she leans it back against her shoulder. "Alright.

Kunzite has posed:
Kyouko's changed form takes longer to scan; there's more power to deal with, more complexities to analyze. She herself -- there's nothing, no residuum from her time in the Dark Kingdom; Ami's hypothesis that an effect could have survived the Moon Healing Escalation is proved out wrong, telling Mercury something about how that effect works, something about the purification and the darkness. That leaves two other hypotheses. Either the Dark Kingdom has access to some power that can move in and out of barriers with relative ease - or they planted their people early, and at least two significant players on their side were resident within the orphanage even while Daisuke and Naru were acting as volunteers. Waiting. Watching. Letting them go through their motions. Somehow unseen.

It's hard to tell which of those remaining possibilities is the more disturbing.

And it is not, in fact, true that there is no dark energy about Kyouko at all. It's just not contaminating her herself, and it's not organized in the fashion that a spell would be.

Kyouko's spear is a part of her henshin. In a sense, it's a part of her. And it has enough independent reality to maintain tiny traces. A faint glowing hint of Mamoru's golden energy, torn out that night on the rooftop. And beneath that --

It's certainly not part of the spear. It's residue on the spear. It's had almost a week to dissipate; there must be little of the original remaining. Which makes how much there is, and how coherent, disturbing. But the traces are clear: it shares signs with the energy that lingered around the teenager who was watching the kitten-youma, and a few hints of patterns in common with the energy that contested Hannah for control of the Barrier at the children's home. Work back six days, then, and the energy residue on the spear must have been concentrated enough to manifest physically --

When Kyouko stabbed Kunzite, he literally bled dark energy.

Give the Dark Kingdom enough time with someone, and something there must be able to change much more than just their minds.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Kyouko's confort may be harsher, but that it's given at all causes a smile on Usagi's face. "That almost sounds...theraputic." But she knows, even now, that she probably couldn't actually kill anyone. (And she still has hope for Mamoru's...whoever they are to him. She knows them, at least now, or at the very least thinks she does...)

She cuts off the train of thought by whispering before Kyouko pulls away. "Don't worry, it's still not going to my head."

She is so very proud of herself for not jumping at the sight of the spear.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami turns her attention back to Kyouko once she's finished her henshin, and she blinks once behind that visor, completely surprised by what she doesn't see. It takes her several moments to get past the su rprise and really look at Kyouko, head to toe, spear and all.

And then she finds it.

Ami stands and approaches Kyouko, not suddenly but slowly and with shaky arms and a bobbing head. "Your spear," she says, tilting her head as she studies it this way and that, then narrows her eyes as she focuses on the residual energy.

"That's right," she murmurs thoughtfully. "You stabbed him with it, didn't you?"

Ami reaches up to stroke her own cheek in thought, then touches her trio of earings again, banishing the Mercury goggles. "I could kiss you," she tells Kyouko, then turns to point at Usagi. "You said he tasted like a coffee mug, but not coffee? Mamoru tastes like coffee. Do you mean he felt empty?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko blinks back at Ami at the girl's surprised look.. and as she stands and walks closer, Kyouko backs off a step uncertainly. She glances at her spear as Ami brings attention to it.. blinking again at the mention of stabbing. She had stabbed several 'hims' with it, and she's not sure sure which one the other girl finds significant in this case.

    The goggles are banished, and it seems this 'exam' is over, so to speak, and Kyouko relaxes slightly. When Ami says she could kiss her, Kyouko smirks, and replies, "Sorry kid, I like my blue a few shades lighter." And then she flushes for some reason and looks away out the window, shifting.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi hides a bit of a grin and Kyouko's blush before she answers Ami.

"Yeah. I mean, he felt and smelled like him. But, normally, you know? He has different..." It's her turn to blush. "Ah, flavors? Like coffee. Or chocolate. Or whatever he's eaten." She leaves out the minty toothepaste, because apparently kissing someone in the morning wasn't done! "But on the roof? It was like...he was just a clean mug. He didn't feel empty. He felt like Mamo-chan. Just...tasted...like...that."

She is fretting over her scan! How psychosomatic is her paaaain!

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Gross." Kyouko comments to Usagi's description of Mamoru's various snog-flavors. But she grins.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami can't really disagree with Kyouko's opinion, but she doesn't argue it, either. Instead, she presses, "Wait, you mean like ... literal? I thought you were being figurative. He literally tasted like a clean mug?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko rolls her eyes a little bit. "As fascinating as this conversation is, I think I've heard enough for now." She offers Usagi a genuine, toothy smile. "Glad to see you're holdin' up, hun. Keep the rest of the donuts. Enjoy."

    She eyes Ami. "You let me know if you find anything about how to get to those assholes. Cause if you do, I wanna be first through the breach." She glances at Usagi. "Well, maybe second. Y'know." She turns and walks over towards the balcony.

    "Anyway. I got shit to do. I'll see you guys around." And then she darts out through the door and carelessly throws herself over the balcony and out into space, still in henshin. Been a while since she's done that. It feels good.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi nods. "Right. He wasn't empty, he just--" She breaks off to stick her tongue out at Kyouko's comment, smiling a little. "It's like...his tongue had never eaten or drunken anything ever. Not even acid reflux. (Not, of course, that I know what that would taste like, but even if I did!) What was it we learned in Biology? Something about pee-ache balance? He didn't even have Mamo-chan's that. Which is sweet by the way! Ah, I mean--"

Her cheeks are aflame!

And then Kyouko's leaving and she's blushing even more! "Sorry, Kyouko-chan..."

Then her smile is soft. "I get the feeling there will be many people lined up for firsties. We can form a moving Red-Rover line."

And then Kyouko is leaping away, and Usagi races to the balcony. "Stay safe!"

Then she's turning to Ami. "Okay, I gotta know. Is this pain I'm feeling real or just in my head?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami takes a single, tiny step back from Usagi. Kyouko's exit doesn't even register. Instead, she just stares for a very long time.

Ami turns away and pulls her phone out of her pocket and begins texting several people at once. Poor Usagi doesn't even get a word, for the moment.

With the texts done, she says, "There is absolutely nothing different about you." She looks up to Usagi, then explains, "Not because of his death, and not because we discovered you are the princess. Your signature is identical to the scan I made of you the day of the Orphanage. Your energy is the same."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Her eyes burn. "So...it just...I'm imagining this? It--"

She blinks back the tears, harder than she's had to for awhile.

And finally, there's no mother henning, there's no concerned for anyone else to protect her. "It's always there, Ami-chan." Her fingers tap her chest, over her heart. "I can still feel where he should be, but isn't. It's sandpaper and hacksaws, and it's always there."