782/An Unexpected Guest

An Unexpected Guest
Date of Scene:	01 January 2016
Location:	Pikarigaoka/Uminari City - Hikawa Shrine
Synopsis:	Fleeing from the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite visits the Hikawa Shrine. He finds Rei and Ami, who eventually swap out for Mars and Mercury. Agreements are made to help Jadeite break free of the Dark Kingdom.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Jadeite
Tinyplot:	Broken Crown

---

Rei Hino has posed:
    The Hikawa Shrine is as it normally is today. It's a cold winter day, and the raven-haired miko is in the front, wearing a coat over her usual miko outfit, sweeping the stone pathway and glancing up at visitors as they approach the shrine, greeting them when they come close.

    Once she's finished sweeping, she heads towards the entrance of the shrine, holding her coat around her. She really doesn't want to spend more time outside than she has to.

    A raven lands on her shoulder, and she produces some birdseed, holding it in her hand as the black bird eats.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami Mizuno steps out of the cab she hired to reach the Hikawa shrine dressed in black tights, a white sweater-dress, and a powder blue coat and beanie. Cute as she may look in that getup, the scowl on Ami's face as she strolls up the walk kills the effect.

"I hate travel restrictions," Ami observes to Rei as her introduction as she moves to join the other girl. "Seriously, I don't see what my age has to do with my ability to spend money that is mine. Why do I need an adult to approve of it?" She sighs out her frustration, but slows when she realizes she's scared off the bird Rei was feeding. "S..sorry. I shouldn't be so loud. Uh. Hi, Rei-chan," she murmurs.

Jadeite has posed:
One moment, he's not there, and the next he just suddenly *is*, no fanfare, almost no evidence of the power that manifested him here. Today, Jadeite is *Jadeite*, not Yukimura Saburo, not hidden or veiled in any way. He is himself, maybe more himself than he's been in a long time, still dressed in the precise, prim uniform he's always worn. Gloves, tall boots, collar buttoned all the way to his throat. In the sunlight of the natural world, the blue trim on his uniform seems brighter than usual. It matches his eyes.

Not that he's concerned about that. He has something held in his right hand as he passes under the shrine's gate, his eyes set on the girls with calm certainty. He's *walking* towards them, slowly and deliberately, which is strange enough given Jadeite's usual preference to teleport even short distances. He seems to be trying to make himself look *nonthreatening*, of all things.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei Hino's raven flies away, only to be replaced by another one. When she turns to Ami with a smile, she says, "Oh, it's not big deal. They're just skittish sometimes." She's about to open her mouth to talk about the travel restrictions, but her purple eyes find something much more immediate to focus on.

    Ravens both on the ground and in the trees suddenly take off and fly past the two senshi as the miko's eyes settle upon the visage of the Dark General. "No way... Ami-chan, look."

    Having seen Kunzite the other day, Rei's been constantly thinking about the Shitennou as a whole, and their role in all of this. As threats they are terrifying, but as people they deeply need help. Moreso than they might realize.

    Now Rei, unprotected by her henshin, and without any upper hand or leverage, watches Jadeite slowly approach her. She doesn't know if he comes as a threat or as a person needing help, but he at least seems to be trying to avoid looking like the former.

    For the moment, all she can do is wait and see.

    "Hello. Can we help you?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami turns slowly at Rei's alert, not at all realizing the actual implications of the words until she finishes turning.

The blue-haired girl's starts visibly, and takes a step back behind Rei as if the Miko can protect her. One hand reaches for the little pen in her pocket, but with the other she gently touches Rei's shoulder in silent support.

Yet Ami does not henshin, with Jadeite so close. She just watches, curiously staring at the thing in his hand.

Jadeite has posed:
He stops a few feet from the girls, to give them space. It's so obvious that Jadeite is trying not to crowd them, even though his stance indicates tension. Fear, maybe, though he's schooled it carefully away from his face. He inclines his head towards Rei's question, voice soft in volume and liltilingly musical. "I think you might be able to."

Slowly, smoothly, he lifts his right hand and unclenches it, revealing what he's been holding in it since he arrived. It's the Luna Pen, the gem on the end sparkling faintly. It appears to be undamaged. "I came to return this to its rightful owners, and to ... ask for their help. I thought maybe you could point me in the right direction."

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei squints at Jadeite, frowning. What has this man seen? It's true that the senshi have been meeting here a lot, and a few times when there has been a youma attack they've arrived very quickly. Did he make a connection somehow.

    Rei lets out a sigh, reaching into her pocket to disable the ringtone of her burner phone. She's not making that mistake twice. "I think I can help you contact them. If I gave you a number, would you be able to call it?"

    She gives the Luna Pen a quick glance, before looking back at Jadeite's eyes. "If I might ask... what you might want to do when you meet them? I'd like to know your intentions, if it's all the same to you."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Rei-chan, I'll meet you inside," Ami says very quietly to her friend. She gives Jadeite a very friendly smile--one that doesn't quite reach her heart, because what the heck is he playing at? Still, after the discussion with Kunzite ...

Still, this may be the results of Kunzite's actions. Was he caught? Did Beryl destroy him?

Is there a weakness in the Dark Kingdom, right now, that could be exploited?!

Ami turns and tries her very best to walk naturally up and into the shrine, leaving Rei to talk to Jadeite. Buying herself space to henshin in case everything goes very, very wrong.

Jadeite has posed:
"I might be able to. My current phone is...compromised. But I'm sure I could figure something out." Jadeite continues to offer the pen up on his palm, not moving either to retract the offer or turn it violent. He acknowledges Ami's leaving with a seemingly respectful nod and little else.

Instead, his eyes go right back to Rei's; he's not afraid to meet her gaze. His own is the color of vast ice, hard to read any intention in, but it's steady. "I ... I want to talk to them. I want to help." He blinks, twice, out of rhythm with his other blinking, and then his voice drops even more volume, like he's afraid he might be overheard. "My brothers and I have been...involved in things we shouldn't. I'm here to start to make that right."

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei is secretly glad when Ami leaves view, because that means that Mercury is not far away. Looking down at the Luna Pen, Rei reaches out for it, to pick it up. "I know who this belongs to. However, I must admit I'm a bit worried about the person it was last lent to."

    Her eyes go back up to Jadeite when she finishes that sentence. Her stare is a bit less fake-casual, and he's now more able to see the intensity of her stare. It might be an intensity he finds familiar, though not quite familiar enough to break her henshin.

    "They can help you, but aren't you taking a risk here? There's no protection against eavesdropping here. If you were being watched... couldn't it be bad for you, or your brothers?"

    Rei is slowly finding it more and more difficult to keep up the act. Especially when it's so clear that Rei Hino, mysterious shrine miko, is in some way involved with the Sailor Senshi.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Within the small shrine, Ami finds the place empty, and breathes a sigh of relief. While she likes Rei's grandpa, this is just not the time for dealing with that uncertainty. So instead she finds a way to hide in the shadows while still keeping view of what's going on.

Activating the Mercury Goggles, Ami gives herself a clear view of the scene, and begins very carefully studying Jadeite through them. She doesn't henshin, straight away; that would be a waste, and possibly alert him to her presence, if he truly isn't aggressive. So instead, she merely listens as best she can, and watches. But oh is she ever fingering the Mercury pen nervously.

Jadeite has posed:
Jadeite allows Rei to take the pen without any interference. Even on closer inspection, it seems unharmed and fully functional. He allows the intensity in Rei's gaze without flinching; his walls are still up, but maybe, behind all of that ice, there's a hint of fear and desperation. "Yes. You should be worried about him. I am worried about him too."

And *that's* something, one of the Dark Generals right here, in front of Rei, doing nothing to harm her or try to steal her energy but instead admitting to *any* sort of real, human emotion. "It is an enormous risk. It is a deadly risk. But at this point...it would be worse if I were to go back. I cannot, I have gone too far. I have to go the rest of the way." Or get destroyed in the process.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei takes the Luna Pen into hand, looking it over, and once she's satisfied that it's in good shape she puts in into her pocket. "Technically it's Sailor Moon's pen. I bet she'll be happy to get it back."

    Rei will also have to get Mercury to scan it for anything dangerous, and Rei herself will have to exorcize it just to be sure. Still, it's good to have it back.

    She stands up straight as Jadeite says he's gone too far to go back. She takes in a deep breath, and her intense gaze is mitigated somewhat by a soft sympathy. "I see. In that case, it might be safer for you to be purified. They might have a harder time tracking you if you don't have dark energy in you. I might be able to put up some wards, but they aren't really strong enough for the kind of darkness you're dealing with. We'd need Sailor Moon for that."

    She glances towards the shrine, then back at Jadeite. "Do you have a place to hide until then? I don't know if you knew where Mamo-kun was staying when he was in hiding. If there was an uncompromised safe space, we could put you there."

    She glances down and off to the side. "I wonder if Kunzite-san really was sincere then. He said he was afraid to leave them."

Jadeite has posed:
For a few moments, Jadeite doesn't actually answer any questions. He opens his mouth, then shuts it again, his eyebrows dropping over his eyes. The expression, as aloof as it is around its edges, is clear. Who /is/ this girl who knows so much?

Rei Hino has posed:
    "I guess it isn't fair to you," says Rei. "Putting yourself out like this, without knowing who we are. I think I can get you to a proper senshi."

    Rei turns her head towards the shrine, to where she thinks Ami is hiding. "Mercury-chan, could you come out for a minute? Could you talk to him while I go get someone else?"

    Rei's intuition is at least telling her that this man is sincere. She's willing to trust him. And considering that she's increasingly sure that both Venus and Ami helped Kunzite escape, she's willing to bet that Mercury would feel the same.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
What!? Mercury-chan! Ami starts at being called out, but hastily draws her wand out of her pocket. With a hasty, "Mercury Power, Make up," she draws on the power of Mercury to become one of the Senshi.

Mercury emerges not from where Ami had been, but from behind Jadeite. When did she learn to teleport!? "Of course, Hino-san," Mercury says, as she approaches. Her eyes narrow a little, behind the big blue visor that covers her eyes. "Hello, Jadeite," she says as she stops a cautious distance away.

Jadeite has posed:
Jadeite doesn't *jump*, precisely, as Mercury appears behind him, but he does sweep a step backwards and away, making a loose triangle out of their meeting rather than allowing himself to be flanked. With the Luna Pen out of his hands, he doesn't seem to have anything else to do with them, so he clasps them behind his back and inclines his head towards Mercury as she arrives. "Sailor Mercury."

He glances back to Rei, and then allowshimself a long breath, something like a sigh. "No. I do not have a place to stay. *Her* realm is all I've ever had. Kunzite said you would be able to free me from the last of her hold on me. He worried it might kill me. It is important that it does not. I have to free the others, too." And yet--he appears to be considering the *option*, at the very least.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei listens to the rest of what Jadeite has to say, and then slips away into the shrine. Moments later, Sailor Mars also appears from behind a tree. Sneaky senshi and their angles. She must have found some way to hide her approach.

    "Thanks for coming, Mercury."

    She approaches Jadeite in a non-threatening way, keeping to that triangle he tried to maintain before she left. "We can hide you... as for you surviving being Escalated, well... there are checks that we can make first. If I recall, Mercury's own research seemed to indicate that Kunzite's own blood had been affected. Apatite was able to be restored that way, but she also wasn't in as long."

    Mars glances to Mercury at the mention of freeing the others, and then turns back to Jadeite. "Kunzite said something similar. I think I'm starting to get the picture."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"In fact," Mercury chimes in right after Rei, "We actually shouldn't speak so openly." She raises her hand and a ball of bluegreen energy forms there. "Hyperspatial Sphere: Generate!" The ball expands rapidly and smoothly, engulfing the trio within a small, featureless space. This is definitely not the Shrine anymore.

"When we spoke with Kunzite," Mercury observes, "he seemed to believe Beryl might be able to watch him at any time. There are ways we can disguise you," she notes to Jadeite, "which should avoid Beryl's gaze. And unfortunately I need to perform a few experiments on you before I will be confident that Moon Healing Escalation won't kill you outright. I will conduct them as swiftly as possible, but I don't wish to throw your life away carelessly by asking Sailor Moon to purify you."

"Forgive me," Mercury notes, "but the first of these tests may hurt. Mars, can we see what an Ofuda does to him?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    At Mercury's request, Mars does produce an ofuda from whereever those come from, and places it on Jadeite's forehead. "Akuryo Taisan!" she says, not quite shouting it, but saying it firmly. It's not a combat situation after all.

Jadeite has posed:
Surprise passes over Jadeite's face when the sphere expands into existence around them. He doesn't have a *great* deal of time to react to that, because shortly thereafter, Sailor Mars is trying to exorcise him.

If only it were that easy. The darkness that has been planted near to Jadeite's heart is more resiliant than can be uprooted with a single Ofuda. Yet, it isn't without effect, either; the minute the paper makes contact with his skin, Jadeite freezes in place. His eyes widen, and his voice pops in his throat once or twice in an expression of pain. Very, *very* slowly, a film of ice starts to creep in from the edges of the Ofuda, but what Jadeite says, through gritted teeth, is, "This is. Very. Uncomfortable."

Rei Hino has posed:
    Mars watches Jadeite, and the effect that the ofuda has on his forehead. The ice creeps up alongside it. His complaints earn him an apologetic smile, saying, "I'm sorry about that, but this kind of test does need to be performed. Especially if we don't want to throw your life away."

    Its true that the ofuda is more for youma-scale enemies, and not Dark General-scale targets. He could probably resist the ward a bit better. Still, that makes it that much safer to test with.

    She turns to Mercury, watching her until Ami says she needs something else.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami shrugs just faintly. "Didn't kill him," she points out. So very scientific. She waves a hand, then says, "The rest will need to wait. Do ... you generals have some sort of ability to Henshin? Magical transformations seem to throw off the ability to scry on a target rather effectively," she notes. "I have a place in mind to keep you safe until I can complete the other tests, but it would be best not to take you there until we have ensured you cannot be easily found."

Jadeite has posed:
The answer to Ami's question seems to simply be Jadeite *actually Henshining*. There's no flash of color, nothing really happens except he's abruptly not in his Dark Kingdom uniform any longer. Instead, he's wearing the Infinity University school uniform. Rei, at least, has met him before in this form, while he was calling himself Saburo. While he was supposed to be Mamoru's *friend.* "I can disguise myself. I could look nothing like myself at all if I chose to. That isn't the problem. *Her* being able to track me by *her* energy is a bigger problem. The sooner that is taken care of, the better."

Rei Hino has posed:
    Mars gives Mercury a horrified smirk. Is she trolling? "Something like that wouldn't kill him unless he was an illusion or something. In which case it'd be a very complex illusion that brought us back the Luna Pen."

    When she watches Jadeite transform, she blinks. She has seen this person before. It was a friend of Mamoru's. She's... not really sure how to process that.

    After all... he really is Mamoru's friend, on some level. It's technically not even a lie. The current form, Jadeite, is far more of a lie, really.

    "So we'll either have to find a way to block that energy, or remove it entirely. Preferably the latter, in the long term."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Mercury winks at Mars. "Could have been a complex illusion," she points out, then turns to regard t he boy that's taken Jadeite's place. And she has to pause to stare at him for a moment, working her mouth quietly. "Well, I should be surprised by this," she says thoughtfully, "but oddly I'm not. Hello, Yukimura-san," she says with a chuckle. "Very well, this will do for now. Mars, I need to collect a few things. I was thinking Mamoru's apartment might be appropriate, but I'll leave that to your discretion. Will you also alert the other Senshi? But don't let Venus kill him, or Moon purify him, until I've at least run one more test."

Jadeite has posed:
"I *could* have had an illusion bring the pen back. Or a youma. I felt this was a gesture better made in person." Jadeite admits, his tone absolutely benign, as if that's the kind of thing one should be admitting to tenative allies who were resolutely one's enemies no more than forty-eight hours ago. He nods, first at Ami's greeting and then at her information, before he ends up pulling both lips into his mouth to press them into a thoughtful grimace. Kunzite's worries echo around in his skull before Jadeite manages to half-voice them, "...You mentioned that Kunzite's blood had been corrupted. If that is true--does that mean that Moon's purification will kill him?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    "Mamoru's apartment isn't exactly empty," points out Mars. "A certain someone likes to sleep there." She reaches up to pluck the ofuda from Jadeite's head, and steps back from him as she puts the ofuda away. "That said, we could just warn her ahead of time. It's probably the best place for him to be, all things considered. If and when we get Sailor Moon to purify him, we can look into getting him a more permanent residence. Mamoru might not mind paying for him."

    "And sure, I'll contact the others."

    To Jadeite, Mars offers a helpless shrug. "We don't know. I hope not. We might have to test each one of you to make sure. If you're all the same as Apatite, it shouldn't."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Mercury gives Mars a helpless look. "I don't know where else to put him," she admits to the miko. "Just use your judgement. Let me know what you decide," she says, then looks back to Jadeite. "Keep this disguise on until you've been purified by Sailor Moon. It's the best thing I can think of to keep her from finding you. I'll meet back up with you tonight to finish my tests."

Jadeite has posed:
It isn't the assurance that Jadeite wants to hear, but at least it's honesty. He closes his eyes, briefly, and simply nods again. "I'm ready to go." There's a slightly longer pause, and then, almost as if he isn't used to being this open or saying words like this, "...thank you."

Rei Hino has posed:
    "Then we should go," says Mars. "I think you've at least shown us enough good faith for us to trust you this much. Besides, the apartment is a good place for you. It's where your brother used to live, after all."

    At the words of thanks, Mars offers a small smile, and a wink. "We'll get through this, no matter what happens. It'll be okay."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
With that, Mercury banishes her hyperspatial sphere, then nods to Mars. "Good luck," she says, then leaps for the rooftops, heading on her way to collect the things she'll need to perform a few tests. And maybe for insurance.