1580/Renewed Purpose

Renewed Purpose
Date of Scene:	09 June 2016
Location:	Earth Court Frat House
Synopsis:	Kyouko awakens after being unconscious due to her battle with Fiore, and has a talk with Kunzite.
Cast of Characters:	Kunzite, Kyouko Sakura

---

Kunzite has posed:
When Kyouko comes to, there are several things that will be immediately obvious to her.

She's not dead. (Depending on how clear her memory is, she might have been expecting that one.)

She is in a bed. It's not hers.

She's still dressed, except for shoes.

The room has a professionally generic color scheme, white walls, gray carpet, gray curtains, gray blankets. Furnishings in browns, mostly dark, which at least keeps it from turning into a monochrome hell. Right next to the lamp on one of the bedside tables is a tray: a covered pitcher of water and a glass, an array of pastries, a note with her name on it.

You're at Endymion's. The date is (and an 8 is crossed out and a 9 written in) June. Your sister was here but left. She hasn't been back yet.

The writing is clear, black strokes a little heavy. It's unsigned.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is a bit groggy when she first wakes. She had been asleep for over a day, after all- unusual, but perhaps not unexpected given that she had all but expended her soul in what she assumed was going to be a suicide attack.

    Puella are amazing creatures, however- they can be within an inch of death, but so long as the damage to the soul is repaired, they bounce back as if nothing had happened nearly instantly. In this case, all it took was a bunch of sleep (and a Grief Seed, spared even though they are so precious right now) to restore Kyouko to more or less normality.

    At first, she's not sure where she is, and that might have led to trouble if not for the note, which she sees a moment later. Sitting up, she swings out of bed- the fact that she's still in the same clothes noted absently as she grabs a drink of water and a pastry, rising to her feet. A stretch, and then she's padding on bare feet out towards the door to see who is around.

    She remembers what happened. She wants to know what came of it. She's not dead, which is a good sign- or a bad one. She isn't sure.

Kunzite has posed:
The hallway outside looks pretty intact. The living room doesn't look like a disaster area, either, though there's --

-- okay that's a pretty impressively large rectangle of missing carpet.

One of the couches is occupied by a sleeping Mamoru. He doesn't show signs of visiting the land of consciousness himself again anytime soon. Kunzite is seated on the other, at the end nearest to Mamoru's; he's skimming something rapidly on the other boy's tablet, but at the faintest hint of color or movement in his peripheral vision, his head lifts.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko's eyes dart around the living room.. situation assessment. Instincts, no matter if she expects it to be a safe place or not- always need to be aware of what's around. The missing carpet is noticed. Mamoru is given a briefly longer glance, long enough to see that he's still breathing. Once that is ascertained, her eyes shift to Kunzite.

    She doesn't smile, though she gives the young man a quizzical look as she crosses the room. She speaks quietly, unsure it seems if Mamoru is as unconscious as he appears and not wanting to wake him if it turns out he isn't. "Nii-chan. I.." She pauses, glancing around. "Well, I can guess what happened to one degree or another since I'm here, but.. care to fill me in on the details?"

    She sits down on the couch next to Kunzite and looks at him expectantly, though she takes another bite of the pastry in her hand.

Kunzite has posed:
"Good morning," Kunzite answers. It's still morning. If barely so. "Make free with the kitchen when you're done with that. I'd get you something myself, but it turns out that Fiore can teleport here." He puts down the tablet, shifts a little to face Kyouko, and reaches up automatically to push hair that he doesn't presently have out of his face. "He took half of the rest of you with him. In your case, literally half; Jadeite kept your body safe until we could put you back together. Asclepius and Endymion between the two of them tried to put Fiore back together while Jupiter tried to remove the flower."

For once, his gray eyes drop for a moment, before returning to their regard of the Puella. "I have most of the rest of it second-hand. The flower has rooted itself inside Fiore's body. Around various vital organs. It demonstrated that it's capable of healing him itself, after a fashion -- replacing the damaged parts with plant matter -- then retreated.

"After that, Asclepius coordinated between your sister and Jadeite to get you restored, then took care of Jupiter. You've been unconscious for about a day and a half. Your sister slept here for at least a little, but managed to slip out past us. Mamoru has her phone number, if you need it."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko listens attentively to the summary.. her expression looking hopeful at the mention of flower-removal, then shifting into a scowl at the news that this did not go as it should have. What else is new. She has no particular reaction to her body and Soul Gem being separated- they're obviously back together now, the silver ring glittering on the middle finger of her hand. But upon hearing that her sister was involved, a strange expression crosses her face.

    "She.. was here, huh?" She briefly looks like she's facing an internal struggle, then just sighs. "Yeah.. yeah, I should get that number."

    Then her eyes shift to Mamoru, and her scowl reasserts itself. "And nothing is solved after all, huh? Dammit.. I really thought that.." That she could have taken Fiore out, even if she died too, though she doesn't say that out loud. "That I could cross one problem off of our list, at least.."

    Another sigh. "I'll have to thank Jadeite. I guess someone had to use a Grief Seed too. Christ, we can't afford that." She hadn't considered that because she was planning to be dead and therefore not need it.

Kunzite has posed:
There's this thing about planning to be dead. People keep getting irritated about those plans. Tossing roadblocks in the way of them. It's a problem Kunzite's noticed, too.

Fingers move on the tablet's screen, shifting out of the data he was reviewing, calling up a particular phone number, turning the tablet to show it to Kyouko. "Not solved. But progress. Mercury ran an analysis on the blood last night; it told her a good deal about both Fiore and the plant. She thinks she knows what we have to do." It must be the part of him that's Kazuo that's rebelling against saying it. The idea of extraplanetary threats was nothing new to Kunzite.

"If there was a Grief Seed involved, it must have been earlier; I didn't get information on that. I'll keep hunting for signs of labyrinths, when I can. I'm not as good at it as you are," the you is plural, "but it doesn't hurt to cover more ground."

In case there were Puella not on Homura's list.

That's really what it comes down to, now.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is silent for a few moments, listening to Kunzite's assessment of the situation. She looks at the phone number on the tablet... then wordlessly pulls out her phone and enters it, before putting the phone away again. She'll deal with that in a little while. "I'm glad someone knows what to do." She mutters at the news that Mercury has some sort of plan. Kyouko has never been big on planning.

    "There had to have been a Seed," She notes. "I was.. too far gone to still be sitting here otherwise. Fiore attacked me.. said some BS about wanting revenge or something. That was fine by me, I was gonna put an end to him right then and there, if he was gonna put himself in front of me like that but.. well, I got a good hit in, and then these roots.. they started drainging my energy and I couldn't get away."

    She shakes her head, lookign down at her own knees. "I really thought I was done for, nii-chan- it had hold of my Soul Gem, and I was trapped.. so I decided I'd take him out with me, at least make things easier for the rest of you. S'funny," She turns and looks at Kunzite. "I keep sayin' I ain't a hero, and I still believe that. Heroes fight for justice and principles and crap, and I never had much time for any of that."

    She shakes her head. "But when I really thought I was gonna die.. I realized I was okay with it, as long as I could take him with me and make things better for everybody else left behind. I don't want to die.. but I think I realized then that I ain't scared to die, if it's for a good enough reason."

Kunzite has posed:
There's no comforting touch, not this time -- but when she looks back at Kunzite, he's still watching her, and the steadiness of it is a kind of contact in its own right.

"You never have been," he says. "Longer than you've been in Tokyo, at least. That's what makes you so terrifying in a fight. Most people never get into fights for more than show. Occasionally even you do that. But when you mean it -- most people have limits on what they're willing to do, and what damage they're willing to suffer for it. When in a fight where you're not just toying with your opponent, you leave those limits behind."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko shakes her head slightly, looking away again and out towards the window. "That's.. I mean, yeah. That's true. I never been afraid to do what I had to do to win.. but I think the reasons are changing."

    "Used to be anger.. or pride. I couldn't bear to be defeated, couldn't stomach the thought of losing, so even if I died, at least nobody'd say I was weak."

    "But the other day, I wasn't thinking like that at all. I was just thinkin' about Saya-chan, and you guys.. and Momo-chan." She sighs. "That if I could leave the world better off, I didn't mind dyin'." She tilts her head as she glances back at Kunzite, then across at Mamoru. "I guess most people'd call that a good thing. I just.. hadn't realized it before. How much all of you have changed me.. the way I think. It's.. a bit startling, honestly."

Kunzite has posed:
And before she fought for pride, what was she willing to die for? What was she willing to contract for in the first place? Kunzite doesn't know, but Momo's fierce determination to protect her says a great deal.

"I don't know about justice," Kunzite says after a moment. "Principles aren't my problem. I've fought for people. Or anger, yes. Or because it was fun. But only one of those three has ever really proved worthwhile."

He doesn't follow her glance to Mamoru. He probably doesn't have to. Still watching her, instead. "The important question is. Still yourself?"

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko is silent for a moment as she considers this question. "Am I the same self that I was a year ago? I dunno. I don't think so. But I dun think changing is a bad thing, nii-chan, as long as you're happier with the way you are at the end than the way you were at the beginning. An' I think that's true for me, right now."

    "Fightin' is what I'm good at- it might be the only thing I'm really, truely good at. An' that's okay.. as long as I'm fighting because I want to, and because it needs to be done, and not just because I don't know what else to do. Realizing that my fight has purpose.. I think that's kinda a big deal. Maybe I should thank Fiore for that." Her tone makes it sound like this isn't likely.

    Then she looks over and grins that fangy grin of hers. "Still myself? Yeah, I think so. After all, I'm Kyouko Godamned Sakura. That ain't ever gonna change."

Kunzite has posed:
That fangy grin wins something at the corner of Kunzite's mouth, one of those almost-smiles. "Good." They need more universal constants around here.

"If you're around the right people -- they make you more yourself, rather than less. It's if that ever changes that you need to worry." Something she knows at a gut level, and he knows it. Why Sayaka could reach Apatite, among a hundred other things.

A flicker of remote worry crosses the back of his mind. But it's for Takashi Agera, of all people. Not relevant right now. "If you want to send Fiore a card," he adds, adopting much the same tone she'd used, "we can see that it gets delivered. I'm sure we can find a way to fold it into a sharp enough point."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko snorts softly in amusement, before standing up again and sighing. "I dunno, nii-chan.. Fiore's still out there, the world's still in danger.. still no Grief Seeds in sight, an' now we know Kyubey is doin' it on purpose.. seems like nothin's any better than it was before."

    She glances down to him, and there's fierce determination in her eyes. "But it feels better. I feel better, nii-chan. Maybe I needed to almost die to knock me outta whatever funk I was in, but I can't deny it.. I'm rarin' ta go."

    She brings her fists together in front of her, cracks her knuckles. "I sure as hell hope I get another chance to swing at Fiore, but even if I don't, he'll get what's comin' to him. Kyubey's next on my list."

    She pauses, then sighs again. "...Guess I better call my sister first of all, though."

Kunzite has posed:
"Most changes for the better happen where we can't see them. Most changes for the worse happen where we can." That little shift at the corner of his mouth becomes something firmer, something that echoes the look in her eyes. "That means we get to surprise them." And one day, Kyubey is going to be due for one hell of a surprise.

There's another pause.

"Just be careful what habits you pass on to your sister when you start talking to her," Kunzite says. "If she tries to call herself Momo Goddamned Sakura, I might not be able to keep a straight face."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko's eyes soften for a moment as she thinks about her sister. It's clear that, regardless of the fact that she's known about the younger Sakura's reappearance for a few days, it still hasn't really sunk in. "She.. well. She's her own kind of Sakura. But I don't think you'll be disappointed in her. I never was." She says quietly.

    "I.. said some things I shouldn't have to her the other day. But.. I wasn't thinkin' straight. I mean.. well. I shouldn't doubt that people can come back from the dead. I seen it with my own eyes.. I was dead, and here I am. It's just.."

    She glances up, then away again quickly, still standing beside the couch. "It's my fault she died, her and my mom. Because I was stupid and naive. That was the worst mistake of my life. It's.. hard to face her. She said she doesn't blame me, but.. I blame me."

Kunzite has posed:
"It's harder when they're not angry. You want to put things right with them. But there's no way to." Since there's nothing that needs to be put right in the first place. Kunzite gets to his own feet after a moment, glancing at Mamoru again, and then risking a start toward the kitchen. "Tell me you're going to take something with you when you go. Your sister doesn't eat enough, and if someone doesn't start dealing with them, the leftovers are going to organize into an army and evict us from the apartment."

It's a few moments that he adds, turned away from Kyouko now, "She blames your father."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I'll take whatever you wanna give me." Kyouko says, following Kunzite towards the kitchen after a moment. "Mighta been a time when I wouldn't want handouts.. still don't really want handouts. But I kinda feel like this is my home as much as my own apartment these days.. can't be handouts if they're from your own kitchen, right?" A bit of a lopsided grin.

    He mentions that Momo blames her father, and her expression falls. Her eyes dart across the room, seeking something to focus on but not finding anything except Mamoru's sleeping form. "I blame my father too. What he did.. ain't no world where that was the right answer, no matter how messed up things got. Don't change the fact that he wouldn't have done it if not for me, though."

    She pauses by the entrance to the kitchen, waiting. "But, there ain't no changin' that now, I guess. It's past.. and even if the dead can come back, you can't change what happened in the first place. I know that.. it's just not easy to face."

Kunzite has posed:
Kunzite was not joking. Inroads have been made on the baked goods. That only means that half of the kitchen's counter space is stacked with them. The refrigerator is full. The freezer is full.

Makoto might for some reason have been a little bit stressed.

Kunzite checks the contents of one of the containers in the refrigerator, then passes it straight back to Kyouko: sesame-ginger chicken. mixed with noodles. An insulated bag plays host to more leftovers, then is stashed atop containers of muffins, cupcakes, cookies. He's already aware that one of Momo's larger magic expenditures is probably going to wind up being restoring her teeth.

And he's not at all sure Momo's eaten since the last time he shoved food at her.

And he's not at all trying to avoid having to respond to conversation about families. But there's only so long he can put that off.

"No," he says finally. "It isn't. Even when you didn't do anything wrong in the first place. Even when everything wrong was done by someone else. You never stop thinking that you should have been able to make it come out differently."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko watches the pile of food growing. Well, at least you know with her (and Momo) it'll never go to waste. "Yeah." She says to the words, not feeling the need to add much more. "Maybe I can do better this time."

    She crosses the distance and hugs Kunzite- brief, but tight, and then steps back to claim the assembled leftovers. "Alright.. I'm gonna go and see if I can find her. Tell Jadeite I said thanks if you see him.. I'll do it myself when I get the chance." She doesn't say 'and keep an eye on Mamoru' because she knows she doesn't need to- that's what Kunzite would do regardless of what anyone said.

    "Thanks, nii-chan." And then she is retreating towards the door, bag of food in hand.

Kunzite has posed:
Brief but tight answer, as ever. "I'll pass that on." Nothing more than that is said; and then he's crossing quickly back to the living room.

Because Fiore can teleport into the apartment.

So someone had better be in arm's reach of Mamoru. All the time.