861/It Really Is Grand Central

It Really Is Grand Central
Date of Scene:	14 January 2016
Location:	Earth Court Frat House
Synopsis:	Kyouko comes to Mamoru's empty apartment looking for Jadeite. Sayaka comes to Mamoru's empty apartment looking for Kyouko. Kunzite comes to Mamoru's empty apartment looking for NOT TWO PUELLA MAGI, WAIT WHAT, WHY ARE YOU EVEN. Surprisingly little violence ensues. Also, Kyouko accidentally proves once again that she really is an honorary one of Mamoru's guys.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Kyouko Sakura, Kunzite

---

Kunzite has posed:
The penthouse apartment should be full of bookshelves. There should be a telescope. Kendo equipment. Notes and a calendar. Nothing's had time to gather dust; even if the resident hasn't been home, the place has seen intermittent use ... in the last month, more than intermittent.

The rooms are empty even of furniture. The walls are bare. The place echoes, hollow and empty.

Almost empty.

Kunzite arrived eight minutes ago. He hasn't left yet. He hasn't done a damned thing, to be honest; he made himself a pretext to be here, following up on a suggestion he made to Mercury during a conversation that officially never happened, but ... somehow he hasn't actually crossed from arriving in the place to reaching out with his power.

He's walked from room to room, instead, over and over. Circled the startlingly large open spaces, following the wall. Glossed over the place where, when everyone else was out, he added a line to a note with a bunny drawing.

Psychometry has yet to manifest itself. He can't actually tell anything about what happened here, except for the parts he spied on before. Another minute or two, and he'll stop, and test what he came to test, and go.

He's been telling himself that for eight minutes so far, which is a long definition of 'two.'

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko used to come here all the time. She has very fond memories of this place- of eating ramen with Mamoru on the balcony, drinking beers in the kitchen. Even a Puella Thanksgiving where Mamoru hadn't even been there.

    Standing outside the door, she's not really sure why she's even here. Ami had asked her to 'check in' on Jadeite, and although she had balked, saying she didn't want that sort of responsibility and couldn't be troubled to 'babysit', in the time since she had thought.. what? Well, maybe that she didn't want Usagi to give her 'that look' when she got back.

    Of course, they had not told her Jadeite was at Mamoru's apartment, they had just given her a contact number. But she hesitated to call it. Who would answer? Jadeite himself? That seemed awkward. So she had just decided to swing by Mamoru's old place on the off chance he was here, and if he was, eliminate the possibility of havin to call.

    Of course, as she drops onto the balcony, in her henshin (because she doesn't actually have a key to the place) the last thing she expects is to find a totally different Dark General in the premesis..

Kunzite has posed:
Grays there, in the shadows, yes - there are no lights burning. But Kyouko's eyes are more than sharp enough to catch the sweep of white behind him as he moves, turns at the hint of movement in his peripheral vision, looks outward toward the glass of the balcony door.

Definitely not Jadeite.

On the bright side, there's also no energy blast shattering the glass to greet her. This could potentially be considered a positive sign.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko has her hand on the door to the balcony, to pull it open, when she catches the flash of movement and registers what she's seeing. It's kind of a dual-shock- both finding Kunzite here, and finding the apartment utterly empty, bare of furniture and posessions. No one told /her/ they were getting rid of all Mamoru's stuff.

    She tenses at once, falling into a stance that is obviously reflexing with her weight on the balls of her feet and her knees slightly bent. But when no attack is immidiately incoming, her eyes narrow somewhat instead. She pulls the sliding door open with a slight 'whoosh'.

    "What are you doin' here?" Comes her harsh, street-accented accusation. "You already got him, right? Ain't that enough? Or did you have ta come back and steal all his crap, too?" She gestures around the empty apartment, clearly leaping to incorrect conclusions again, as is her wont.

Kunzite has posed:
No spear visible. Not yet. He could reach out with his power, make certain that she wasn't pulling her favorite trick again, wasn't keeping him distracted while she crept up on him from another angle.

He doesn't. He doesn't even bother with finding an excuse for himself. He only folds his arms and takes a step back to lean against the wall behind him.

"If I had, I could argue that he had a right to it," Kunzite replies. "But if I'd intended to steal it, I'd have done so weeks ago; after he started making appearances, there would have been no point in putting it off. Someone else's doing, this time. Not mine."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko seems to consider.. hesitating on the balcony with her hand still on the door, regarding Kunzite in the room with a wariness that is half kicked dog, half hunting wolf. After a moment she lowers her hand from the handle and steps into the apartment, though she leaves the door open behind her and stays near enough to it to effect a rapid escape should this prove to be some sort of trap.

    She glances around the empty room quickly, as if to verify that it's as empty as it looks, before returning her gaze to the man leaning against the wall. "That ain't him and you know it. Not really. The stuff here belonged to Mamoru. Shoulda been his when he got back but. I believe you when you say it wasn't you." What use would Kunzite have for a bunch of furniture and stuff anyway?

    She falls silent for a moment, still tense, but showing no signs of attacking. "So what /are/ you doing here, nii-ch-" She catches herself, and almost curses. "Kunzite. If you're lookin' for Jadeite you're wastin' your time. And no, I don't know where he is either." This is actually the truth.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    To be honest, Sayaka was a little worried. She'd heard about Mamoru becoming captured and brainwashed, and she remembered how he had helped her to bring Kyouko back from the brink. Now, she was just kinda missing him and hoping to return the favor.

    Unfortunately, despite all the rumours, she had yet to actually run into him, especially now that she's a Puella Magi, and has been doing the rounds. Of course, she considered checking his apartment too, and when Sayaka sees that the door is open, curiosity draws her nearer for a closer look.
    She leaps onto the balconey, before she realizes she is not alone!

    "Kyou-chan! What's going on?" Unfortunately, she's never actually met Kunzite, although she's heard a bit about him from other people..

Kunzite has posed:
The darkness in the room is only darkness, so far, not colder or darker than it has a right to be, not charged with anything to draw at the heat of her body or the energy of her life - though a Puella Magi has vastly more resistance to the latter than most, not keeping her life out in the open the way most people do. The point is. No magic, not yet. No shields, no ambient attacks. Which doesn't necessarily mean it's not a trap, but if it is, it hasn't snapped shut yet.

"Isn't it him." Not really a question. Kunzite gives a minute tip of his head, half-granting the point, but only half. "Much of him is still the same. Memories edited, obviously. And measures taken in other ways; you're correct that it's not only him, there. But he was Endymion long before Mamoru Chiba existed. A different Endymion, yes. But we all change, in time."

He doesn't say a word about Jadeite. Maybe that's because there's someone else on the balcony behind her. Kunzite's attention flickers from one Puella to another, and even leaning against the wall, he straightens a little. "Some of us," he adds as an afterthought, "more abruptly than others, it seems."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I remember what it's like." Kyouko says, and there's just a hint of scorn in her voice, just a bit of curl to her lip as Kunzite talks about 'much the same, but memories edited'. "It doesn't work in reverse, you know. I'm me again, but I still remember when I wasn't, clear as day. Like a vivid dream. That's what it's like for him right now, I bet. A dream you can't wake up from."

    "I don't know jack about this Endymion, but Mamoru is Mamoru to me. What somebody used to be ain't as important as what they are now- least, if they ain't only that way cause somebody forced 'em to be." There's a bit of challenge in her tone. After all, she wouldn't want to be judged forever on her past.

    Of course, just then Sayaka lands on the balcony behind her. Kyouko actually /jumps/ when she hears her name, caught that off-guard as she had been focusing on Kunzite completely. She whirls about, her face looking almost.. what, guilty? "Saya-chan! What are you doing here?" She asks, suddenly slightly defensive, as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka smirks, "I've been searching all over town for Mamoru-san, but I guess he's not here, either. I thought I could help, bring him back and all, but..." But, apparently he can only be found it he wants to be.

    She's about to say something more, when she sees the stranger in the room. Eyes narrow upon him warily, "Who are you..And what are you doing in Mamoru-san's apartment?" Sayaka glances back and forth between Kyouko and Kunzite, uncertain of what's going on, but suddenly it feels as if she just interrupted a secret meeting.

    Instinctively, she summons her cutlass as she leaps off the balcony railing, but stays in the door frame, uncertain of how to handle the situation. Is he a friend, or a foe..?

Kunzite has posed:
"Interesting," Kunzite says to Kyouko's summary. Like a vivid dream. "Jadeite never reported anything like that, on the instances when he's come close to falling. Then again, Queen Beryl does tailor her methods to the individual. And you were close to him more recently. Perhaps it's similar after all."

Sayaka's question prompts an abrupt shift of expression, a momentary thing that's tangentially related to a smile. Teeth show white in the darkness. "I'm his brother," Kunzite says to her. "You can put that away." And then to Kyouko: "Given that She never did get around to issuing any orders about either of you -- she's safe enough for the moment."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Of course, it could also have been different for Kyouko because, unlike Mamoru or Jadeite, her soul is already a poorly mixed concoction of several different types of magic. Who knows how that might cause the brainwashing to effect her differently. Kyouko registers Kunzite's wording- Jadeite's 'come close' to falling? She really doesn't have the whole story.

    Kyouko moves to put herself between Sayaka and Kunzite as the blue-haired Puella leaps into the doorway and summons her sword. But is she moving to shield Sayaka, or Kunzite? Or both? It's impossible to tell. "Its alright, Saya-chan." She says. Her voice is tight, but she tries to make her tone reassuring. "That's Kunzite.. but he ain't gonna hurt me." She turns back around then, curling her lip in something akin to a sneer as Kunzite tells her Sayaka is 'safe enough'. "No shit she's safe, cause if you tried to lay a hand on her you'd lose it.. either to me, or to her. Sayaka can take care of herself, now." There's almost a hint of pride in her voice.

    Still, there's also notable relief to hear that Beryl apparently never bothered to issue any sort of retaliation against Kyouko for her betrayal. Puzzling, but relieving.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "Wait, Mamoru-san has a brother? Since when..?" Somehow, something doesn't feel quite right about this situation. Why's this stranger wearing some kind of uniform, and why's the apartment empty?

    Deep cerulean eyes narrow, and she takes a step into the apartment, but hesitates when Kyouko moves to intercept her. Her sword is lowered but not summoned away. She doesn't know this guy or trust him, but Kyouko seems to trust him enough..

    "Kyou-chan, what's going on here? Why's this place empty?"

    Somehow, the way Kyouko and Kunzite interact with each other, and the things they speak about...Could he be a member of the Dark Kingdom? One of the people Kyouko fought alongside when she was brainwashed?

    "Kyouko..." She murmurs in confusion, not sure what to do. Has he come to take Kyouko back with him again or....?

Kunzite has posed:
Beryl might have been distracted. At least for the last month or so. For some reason.

"Yes. Because last time you didn't need a dozen other people and an illusion, while I was busy rewriting local reality, in order to keep me distracted enough for you to be able to get one thrust in." ... that is not a sentence that should normally come with a slowly growing pleased expression. But it's there, all the same, an actual smile this time, along with a note in Kunzite's voice that mirrors the one Kyouko has speaking of Sayaka. "It was a good one, though. Very nearly enough, given the rest of the work I had to do before I could see it cared for." 'You almost successfully murdered me' is not a sentence that should sound affectionate.

Then it's Sayaka's turn again. "Four brothers," Kunzite says. "Not that Mamoru Chiba ever met them. But he knew they were missing."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko hears that confused tone in Sayaka's voice, and it hurts her, a little bit- not because of anything Sayaka had done, but because she felt like she was somehow being untruthful with the girl, even though she didn't mean to. Hesitating a moment, she turns and takes a step closer to the other Puella, reaching out to grip her forearm in what she intends to be a reassuring gesture.

    Keeping hold of it, she turns halfway back to face Kunzite, her lip curling again. "I didn't /need/ them. Just so happened they wanted to help." There's no satisfaction in her face as Kunzite talks about how her attack had /almost/ killed him. "I never wanted to kill you. I'm just.. not very good at holding back."

    She glances back to Sayaka for a moment, meeting the girl's eyes although her own are hard to read, before she looks back to Kunzite again. "You never answered me though. What are you doing here, nii-cha-" She does it again, and halts mid-word, before continuing, "Kunzite?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka vaguely remembers Kyouko mentionning that Kunzite was at the big meeting, and between that and the almost...Affectionate exchange between the two of them, Sayaka tenses right up, hand clenched tightly around her sword.

    "Four..Brothers..? Or are you just the ones controlling Mamoru-san now? Generals of the Dark Kingdom?" Eyes narrow again, Growing colder. "Answer me, what are you REALLY doing here, and what has become of this place? Have you come to take Kyouko back?"

    Glancing back at Kyouko as she touches her, tries to reassure her, Sayaka's expression just seems..Confused, maybe even a little hurt. It doesn't help when Kyouko refers to him as Nii-chan for the second time tonight.

Kunzite has posed:
What's he doing here? It's a good question. He even answers it honestly. "Dwelling. I don't regret the decision, you understand. Taking him preserved three lives I'm partial to, including his own." And one to which he's indifferent, but that matters to Kyouko. He glances between the two girls, settles on the one in red again, and continues. "But I'm permitted independent judgment. And I spent months taking his measure before moving on him. I prefer having him closer. But the other thing in his head is unpleasant even by the standards I'm used to. I don't regret the decision. But I dislike some of its consequences."

Kunzite lifts one hand long enough to make a brief slashing gesture in the air; he's careful never to indicate either of the girls, even if there's no magical consequence attached to the motion. Now it's Sayaka he's watching. "I don't know what happened to the place. Ask the Senshi; one of them was leaving maudlin notes for a while. And if I'd come to take her back, I would've done it while she was sleeping here. Besides. If we didn't keep her when she'd thought she wanted to be there, I don't think it'd profit us to try now."

It's the tiniest of slips. Not 'to be with us.' 'To be there.' Over there. Somewhere else. Somewhere he isn't. Just one word; that's all.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Sayaka. Please." Kyouko whispers to the blue-haired girl, squeezing her forearm, as Sayaka starts to throw accusations at Kunzite. She doesn't say any more, but the look she gives the other girl is pleading- unusual for Kyouko, normally so confident and sure of herself.

    She turns her head back towards Kunzite, although she's still mostly facing Sayaka, and Sayaka can see Kyouko's expression grow stony, perhaps even angry, at Kunzite's explanation of taking Mamoru. "Oh, is that so? You dislike some of the consequences? Ain't that the same thing as regret? Sounds like you're just playin' games.. even if with yourself. Believe me, I know what it's like."

    Then, when Kunzite indicates that she somehow had /wanted/ to be with the Dark Kingdom, real anger does flash in her eyes, and she lets go of Sayaka to take a step towards Kunzite, baring her fangs. "Oh ain't that just sweet. Don't try to make it sound like you threw /me/ out. But you're right about one thing- tryin' to take me back would be a mistake."

    She glances back at Sayaka again.. then takes a step backwards towards the other girl, but still facing Kunzite. "Y'know I won't let you keep him. You, or Her, or whoever is doing the keeping. You might think you saved lives by taking him, an' maybe you did. But Mamoru is my friend, and I don't have many of 'em. I won't let 'em go lightly, either."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "Hah." She states simply, coldly. Sayaka doesn't like where this is going, it's almost like he's toying with them, rambling on about useless garbage that isn't really helping them. Is he just buying time for something, or perhaps trying to convince Kyouko to return with him?

    But apparently, it seems he came here for another reason..To simply..Dwell? Is that the kind of thing that evil generals from the Dark Kingdom did even? He mentions the senshi, and she nods. More people she had trouble finding, and Sayaka was hoping to track down at least Sailormars, if not Sailormoon.

    Mind, she'd only met both of them once, but it was the best link she had to finding out where Mamoru was..If she could actually find them, that is.

    "So..You came all this way, just to dwell. Or maybe you came here to spy, and see what's going on, so you could report to your queen, hmm? Either way, you can't be trusted! You're the ones who brainwashed Mamoru, how could you not know where he is?"

    She blinks then, as Kyouko gives her a pleading look, shaking her head. Kunzite's hints that she never wanted to leave cause her to grit her teeth, refusing to believe any of it. "You're wrong! She was confused, lost..You turned her against the people she cared about!"

Kunzite has posed:
"It worked." Kunzite's tone is flat; his expression is a faintly irritated mask, the shadow of a frown. He folds his arms again, the equivalent of sheathing a weapon. "She ordered his capture, not his death - and his actual death would have been markedly easier to achieve than the feigned one, believe me. He's only half himself, but he's still breathing. And the results pleased Her enough that She returned another hostage. It worked. I wouldn't trade it for the alternative."

She. Her. When he's talking about Beryl, the tone is markedly different than when he's talking about Kyouko, or Sayaka. There's never any doubt, in those moments, that the pronoun refers to some specific person, even if Sayaka might not know exactly who.

Kyouko's antagonism and declarations are accepted steadily; there might even be the faintest momentary softening of his expression, in response to her assertion. Sayaka's -- well. It's only five words of it that prompt him to tip his head back and regard the ceiling for a moment rather than the girls; she's still talking when he returns his attention to her directly.

"Of course she was," he says. "Queen Beryl has a habit of making bargains with people without explaining all the details. Endymion is the only one of us I can think of who didn't make that mistake."

There are reasons that the Shitennou gravitate toward the Puella Magi, just a little.

"And of course I know where he is, or at least where he intended to be about now. Discussing strategy for your monster-Witch problem with the Akemi girl, and probably making her regret every moment of it. He hasn't changed that much."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko listens to Sayaka, as fiery as she herself can be, defending her. And it warms her heart. And she listens to Kunzite, similarly defending her, if only by admitting that she had been tricked.. and including the fact, even indirectly, that the same might have happened to him once upon a time.

    Sayaka can see her expression soften slightly as well, just for a moment, before turning hard again, determined. Her hand slides down, and she grips Sayaka's hand firmly, as if drawing strength from it, before turning again to face Kunzite directly.

    When she speaks, her voice is clear and calm, but firm and without room for argument or reproach. "Nii-chan, you're right. I was lost and confused. I didn't know what I was anymore, or where I belonged. But the person She made out of me.. is not who I want to be either. Maybe I could have belonged there, but.." She squeezes Sayaka's hand, "I made a choice not to."

    She takes another breath. "Still. While I was there.. you were kind to me. You made me feel wanted, and very few people have ever done that for me, not since my family died. You didn't have to, but you did. I won't ever forget that."

    "But even if you regret it, and even if you were kind to me, and even if I miss you, I can't let you get away with taking people like Mamoru away from all the people that care about them. I refuse to be part of it, and I refuse to allow it." She looks him right in the eye. "I'd love for you to be my nii-chan again, Kunzite. But until you make the choice that I made, and walk away from it, even if you think it's for some greater good, I will fight you with every ounce of strength that I have."

    "I really, really hope that I won't have to kill you, nii-chan. And I hope we can see each other again on.. better terms."

    And then she's turning to walk back out the door, pulling Sayaka along with her by the hand. Sayaka can see from her expression that she's upset, troubled- but her expression is also firm, still determined. She meant what she said. She will Kunzite if she has to- she just really doesn't want to. "Come on, Saya-chan. Mamoru isn't here. We're leaving."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "She?" Who is this she...Sayaka can only imagine. The way they speak of 'Her' implies that She is the real...Would that be..Their queen, then?

    She shakes her head, not liking the way that Kunzite speaks as if he were being merciful to brainwash Mamoru like that. "That doesn't change anything. You're still evil, you're still our enemy, and I cant believe why you'd even attend a meeting to 'help' us to fight Walpurgisnacht. One would have to be crazy to believe your intentions were genuine and you wouldn't just stab us in the back.."

    Kyouko says her peace and Sayaka actually smiles softly, glancing at her, tightenning her grip on Kyouko's hand..For a moment, she gets a strange warm and fuzzy feeling, accompanied by the usual confused feelings as she has brief visions of Kyousuke in her mind.

    Squeezing her eyes shut, she looks away briefly, before glancing back at Kyouko. "Yeah..Let's find Mamoru.."

Kunzite has posed:
It's only when they're walking away, that Kunzite lets his expression relax. Lets just the faintest trace of a smile show again. Anyone else that might be watching wouldn't be able to read it right, anyhow.

But their backs are turned to him. And it might only be later, if ever, that Sayaka realizes there was literally no stabbing in them.

Maybe never. She doesn't know that it's just as easy for him to call his own sword.