The living room and kitchen are not in the state they are usually in at this hour. It's not a tremendous difference, mind. A little bit of detritus from the previous night's take-out. A couple of dishes in the sink. A lack of a Kazuo lurking to catch visitors.
A lack of a Kazuo answering text messages, either. All day so far.
Kyouko knows something is up. Although she was not present last night when the things occured that have caused this state of affairs (she was at work, and everything happened in such a relatively short time that by the time she was aware something was going on, it was already over), her senses are attuned enough to the Shitennou by this point that she can feel that something is off. Maybe a little bit of that feeling of dread that had been plaguing Kunzite and Zoisite and the others- arriving late to the party for Apatite, but finally intruding on her senses.
Enough so that the 'disarray' (the term here used completely relatively) within the living room is noted with a drawing-together of brows as Kyouko crosses it. She had stopped by the night before but had found everyone apparently already asleep, or at least shut up in their rooms, and forboding aside had not wanting to intrude on anybody. Sleep is often a great healer, after all.
But now it's the morning and such polite concerns are behind her, especially in the lack of text-response. Of all the doors to march up to and knock on, it's really no surprise that she chooses Kunzite's. "Nii-chan? It's me." Called quietly, but firmly.
Whatever got taught today in school is going to have to be reviewed from scratch later. There was a healthy collection of girls who, if they were at school at all, were not paying attention. Naru being amongst them.
Now her key is turning in the lock at ECFH, and she's coming in to the quiet apartment. A glance around as she kicks off her shoes and then can hear Kyouko knocking upon Kunzite's door.
Naru drops her satchel by the couch, and quietly moves to pick up the take out containers.
Kunzite's door is not off the currently-primary living room. It's halfway around the building, in one of the other apartments -- one that sees remarkably little use, for all that both he and Zoisite both technically reside there. Its decoration is rich with subtle color, its furnishings heavier and more ornate. There are delicate things there, fragile things. Paintings. A piano.
It's the space they use when they need to intimidate adults, in short.
For all that, Kunzite's own room is plain and barren, less well-appointed than most of the guest rooms. There are only three things that hint at habitation: a handful of books, a framed piece of calligraphy, a painting of Naru's showing a mountain castle she must have seen on her trip to Europe last summer.
These things are visible for a few moments past Kunzite himself: the door is opened silently after a few seconds, and Kunzite studies Kyouko and Kyouko's hair without words before stepping out to join her. Here, too, there's something wrong. He's still in uniform, cape and all; there is not so much as a stray wrinkle. And the traces of visible warmth and mobility of expression he's been slowly acquiring over the past several months are not in evidence.
"Apatite."
Kyouko steps back as the door opens and Kunzite emerges into the hallway. She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting, but him in full uniform and looking super-serious was not particularly it- although to say that she was surprised, given the general feeling of unease, would also be wrong. It just takes her a few moments to process the 'okay, this is the sort of situation' that this feeds into her awareness.
She resists the urge to henshin into her Apatite uniform on the spot, because she realizes it would be both silly and unnecessary for her to do so (Kunzite does not need the visual reminder of her place- the urge is for her self-confidence alone). Instead, her lips turn down into a faint frown. There is no panic, and no attempts at reassurance or concerned 'are you okays'.
Instead she merely asks, in a low tone, "What happened?"
It would be a lie to say that Naru wasn't trying to listen in. Not trying hard enough to sneak over and peek around a hallway corner like a five year old trying to listen in on plans that don't involve her, but there's a careful choice to do the quieter tidy tasks. She isn't turning on the water for dishes just yet, she's not banging cabinet doors or rattling things. She's simply putting things back in their places. And listening.
"We found the source of the local news stations' reports on schoolgirl violence." (Kunzite ought, at this point, to glance aside at Kyouko with the faintest of creases at the corners of his eyes, and add, "It wasn't you." He does not.) "A girl who looks very much like Mamoru. She became a Senshi, with the Earth's sigil; Mercury called her a fake, but Moon claimed to be able to sense her, like a shadow of the way she can sense Mamoru. She called the other Senshi traitors. Claimed that Mamoru stole her power and her name. Called him a regicide.
"Mamoru offered her the Chiba name, offered to meet her here. Moon offered her energy. They're humoring her to try to buy time and information, so that we have a chance to figure out what's going on."
Kyouko listens in silence to this summary of events. To her, it seems rather patently ridiculous- but her connection to this side of what it means either to be a Senshi or a member of the Earth Court is not as strong as the others. She's only heard stories, after all, her familiarity with the subject thoroughly modern and not influenced by memories of a long-ago kingdom.
This is not to say she doesn't take what she hears seriously, though, and her faint frown deepens as she listens. "Well." She says when Kunzite finishes. "I assume that's not true." This is said almost offhandedly. She knows Mamoru, and is pretty sure he isn't the type to usurp somebody else's kingdom. Of all the adjectives she might use to describe the Prince of Earth, 'power hungry' doesn't enter the list. She has to admit that she has no knowledge of his family though- the ancient one, not the more modern equivalent (that story she is familiar with). This is likely the reason for her statement. Is it possible this girl has a case and Mamoru just didn't know about it? This seems highly unlikely, but the thought does cross her mind.
Another few moments of silence. Then, "I have three problems with those claims. One, Mamoru wouldn't steal anything from anybody unless he had to for a very good reason. Two, the Senshi don't work for Mamoru so why would that make them traitors? And three, I ain't here because Mamoru is the Prince of anything, rightful or not, so whether he is or he ain't really don't mean jack shit to me."
A heavy sigh a moment later. "I suppose he doesn't see it that way though, which is why we need to do somethin', huh?"
There is just enough noise from the other living room to make both of the highly aware K-team realize that there is someone else awake, moving and probably able to hear them unless they get even more quiet. The quiet tap of a controller being placed on a table, the sound of a couple of plates being moved to the kitchen.
Naru takes a slow breath, let out in a sigh and another as she puts the kettle on, willing to miss a moment of conversation for the sound of water to fill it.
There is, therefore, no conversation to miss. Kunzite falls silent, looking away from Kyouko to move like a ghost through the halls. Out of the space that is far more clearly Zoisite's than his; into a space where Kyouko and Naru both fit more comfortably. Where Kunzite ought to, but does not.
He studies Naru for several seconds before nodding, less to her than at her presence, and picking up the thread of conversation where it was left off. Precisely where it was left off.
"One. Yes. Two. Because they are working for Moon, who accepts Mamoru, rather than for her, as she believes they should. She insulted Moon in one breath and cosseted her in the next; her behavior regarding her is inconsistent. Three. Yes. The title is irrelevant. But his identity and his past mean something to him."
Kyouko's eyes narrow just slightly as Kunzite moves away from her to traverse to the living room. She perhaps thinks this is unnecessary, or some form of his attempting to appease or coddle her. But this isn't the time to bring that up (nor is it really the case anyway), so she just follows in his wake to pick up the conversation when he continues it.
Naru is given a glance, but it seems that Kyouko's feelings on her presence are much the same as Kunzite's.
"That's bullshit, for the record." She says to Kunzite, as he lists off the numerical replies to her objections. "As I understand it, the Senshi never worked for Earth. Wasn't Serenity always on the Moon? Even if this chick really was the rightful ruler of Earth, that don't mean the Senshi should be workin' for her." She falls silent again for a moment, then sighs. "Ahhh, I don't really get all that politics crap anyway, and it don't really matter in the end anyway."
"I get why it's important to Mamoru. Having your self-identity questioned like that ain't easy for anybody, and he, like most of us, already had to go through adjusting it at least once in his life. I might not care about defending his claim on a title, but I do care about defending his happiness and his sense of worth, and for that, I'd go to war, justified by some ancient rights or not."
She glances at Naru for a moment, as if considering her presence before saying what she says next. Then she looks back at Kunzite. "Does this 'Sailor Earth' need to.. go away?" The implication is clear, and Kyouko would never make it if Mamoru was present. But he isn't, and part of her job (at least in her own mind) is to consider the options that he won't. She's been doing that since before her position was official (see: Fiore) and has no intention of stopping now when she thinks such meansures might be called for for the greater good.
There are no questions from Naru about the conversation in progress as it picks up in her area. She glances out to the two of them, acknowledging them as they've acknowledged her and then settles back into the kitchen. To make coffee, and now that the conversational volume has increased sufficiently, to fill the kitchen sink with water to quietly do the dishes that are waiting.
If there was a flinch, or a wince or any reaction at all about Kyouko's offer to 'take /care/ of it', the distance from living room to kitchen masks it upon Naru's face.
The flicker of amusement that should have answered Kyouko's first response is -- by now unsurprisingly -- not there. Emotionless, clinical, like everything else Kunzite's said and shown. "She claims our memories are distorted. I don't believe her; we have independent confirmation, where she so far has exhibited none. And we and the Senshi are in agreement that even if she had some right, her treatment of this city's people would count against her. She claims she needs their energy to make up for what she claims Mamoru steals. Mamoru, in that situation, would make do without magic."
Kyouko's last question is met with a brief, restrained shake of the head. "No. Not once Mamoru and Moon engaged with her. Eliminating her now would do more damage; it's a time when cutting off the problem would lead to the patient bleeding to death. We need their feet back under them, first."
"The right to lead people," Kyouko says, "ain't given by some ancient title, or by who your parents were. You create it with your actions. If she's hurting the people she claims she should be leadin', then any claim she might have loses all legitimacy in my eyes. If that's the way she would rule, even if Mamoru stole the title from her, he'd have been right to do so." No question at all in her mind. Ceremony, law, tradition- these things mean nothing. For Kyouko, deeds are all that matter.
She simply accepts Kunzite's refutation of her question, merely nodding. No relief, or anger. If that is how it is, then that is how it is. Although it doesn't escape her that Kunzite's reply does not rule out such extremes- only states that this isn't the time for them.
"I'm going to tell Tachibana-san that I need a few days off from work." She says, in a tone that does not permit argument. "I want to be around if this comes to a head."
Click. Click. Click. Plates stack up in the drying rack as Naru rinses them, and a few mugs next. There's precious few dishes, take out really doesn't exactly make much of a mess dish wise. Naru takes one of the mugs, after a quick wipe of the outside with a towel to keep it from dripping and stands in the doorway to the kitchen.
A mug held up in silent offer to the two of them. Naru doesn't feel obliged to inturrupt the conversation to ask about their drink preferences.
Kyouko's first statements contain no questions, no obvious fallacies, no clear gaps in information needing to be filled. Kunzite therefore does not respond to them, leaves them to stand without challenge or confirmation. Simply accepted in turn, maybe.
"I doubt this will be resolved in only a few days," he says. "She has her own method of teleport. And Mercury had substantial time to observe her energy patterns, and did not seem to be able to come up with anything clear. Too many mysteries. Still. Do what you wish. Zoisite could use someone else to aggressively assert the obvious at Mamoru; he'll probably try, but even he can't do it for days without a break."
Kunzite's attention flicks to Naru as she comes to the doorway, but her gesture is only technically registered -- as if it held no meaning, as if the mug were an alien object, a mystery in itself.
"Still," Kyouko says, dismissing Kunzite's warning of timeframe with a wave of her hand. "I need to be here. She'll understand." 'Family emergency' might mean different things for Kyouko than it would for your average employer, but the term is probably just as applicable.
Naru's gesture catches her eye, and Kyouko turns her head. Unlike Kunzite, her concern does not render her incapable of human interaction, and she nods her head.. "For both of us, please." She tells the other girl, flashing her a brief smile.
Then she looks back at Kunzite. A moment of consideration. Then she reaches out and takes his hand in both of hers, lightly.
For a moment, it seems like she doesn't know what to say. It's clear she wants to.. what? Reassure him? That seems almost pointless- anything she might say he probably already knows. And she's not naive enough to think that her presence can somehow make things seem better all on its own- she doesn't doubt that Kunzite cares about her, but he also cares about Mamoru, and Zoisite, and everybody else. Telling him not to worry would be equally pointless- worry is justified. It's practically Kunzite's job to worry when it's required.
So in the end, she just says, "At least we can be fairly certain that she won't try to blow up the planet."
Naru considers Kunzite's lack of answer and then nods as Kyouko does have the wherewithall to answer the silent request. She turns back to the kitchen. Two more mugs. Two coffees and a tea. And a hunt for cookies. Because Kyouko at least probably exists better with biscuits to go with her tea.
Reassurances that the planet isn't in imminent danger, even overhead from the other room, brings a tiny smile to Naru's face as she puts dishes away and makes hot beverages.
Kunzite shows no sign of understanding what Kyouko tells Naru; no sign of confusion, either. As if that, also, were somehow irrelevant to him. Kyouko's taking his hand at least garners some reaction, even if it's no more than his glancing down at the contact. He does not protest; he does not draw his hand away. After a moment, he even lifts his other hand to ruffle one side of her newly-short hair with his fingertips. There's no more emotion in the gesture than there is in his tone, but at least it's an attempt, or an indication that he remembers that attempts can be made.
"She won't try, no," he says. "It will be a side effect. It already is. The energy she uses is innately wild, innately destructive. The act of accessing it is by itself destructive. Fortunately, she seems unable to fuel it on more than a local scale. For now."
If Kyouko is at all reassured by the almost-mechanical ruffling of her hair, she doesn't show it. Not that she seems particularly distraught, but her attitude has become something akin to custodial- as if she recognizes that Kunzite is dealing with a difficult situation by focusing on it entirely. A focus that likely serves the group as a whole well in times of crisis- but which clearly comes at a personal cost.
After a moment, she pushes him lightly to one of the couches which are only a few feet away. "Sit." She says, her tone both soft and firm. "Drink coffee."
Then she nods her head at his words regarding the power this 'Sailor Earth' is using. "Well, that's another indication that her use ain't exactly legit, isn't it?"
There is even coffee. Naru emerges with mugs and caffeine and biscuits and a couple sandwiches to offset the sugar (and making some assuptions about various people's dedication to remembering to eat) to set on the table.
A mug in front of where Kunzite most often sits. A mug in front of Kyouko's spot and the last mug for herself. Naru tucks herself and her coffee into a chair, leaning over to drag her satchel close enough to emerge with a sketchbook and a phone. It's the later that she fiddles with rather than the former as she curls back up in the chair.
Kukai refers to Kunzite as Wall-kun, as often as not. At the moment, he's living up to that name; a real push might have swayed him, the light one does not. He glances at the coffee and the food as if it were a theatrical prop. Wax fruit, or wooden carvings. Decoration, like the complicated little clock Mercury gave them; and as it's less likely to contain hidden cameras or microphones, less relevant.
"She claims, again, that she uses it because Mamoru is blocking her from her rightful power. I don't --"
The sentence is cut off sharply between words; Kunzite's eyes close and he winces slightly, though from no visible stimulus. They open again a moment later and his attention finds Kyouko again. "I don't believe her. But there's just enough trace of familiarity in her energy that I can't use it to disprove her, either. If Mercury finishes her analysis and one of the other senshi shares the results, that may do better. More likely we'll follow their lead."
Kyouko is right about that tendency to focus. Right that it's active now. But that instant of perceptible pain suggests that it's not the only thing happening.
Naru might possibly even be able to guess why.
Kyouko's expression shifts as Kunzite ignores her, becoming a scowl. It does not soften at his wince of pain, although the slight tightening of her brows may indicate some renewed concern, because even if Naru might be able to guess why, Kyouko can't, at least not with any sense of confidence.
She pushes again, harder. "Sit. Drink coffee." She says, more firmly. "If we're waitin' on Mercury than we're waitin' on Mercury, and you standing here like a goddamned post ain't gonna make the results come any faster and you passing out ain't gonna help." Another push, even harder than the last one. "So sit. Drink coffee."
It might be imagination, but there's a slight edge to her words at this point. Perhaps just a little hint of nervous panic. Because Kunzite won't sit and drink coffee, and that's more concerning to her than the possible destruction of the planet.
Naru looks up from her phone as Kunzite's words cut off and she watches Kunzite intently. Silently, but that's hardly unusual right now. Another of those slow breaths, held a moment as she drops her phone in her lap and flips through her sketchbook. She's looking for something in particular, based on the way that she's thumbing through the pages. She stops at a particular page, considering it a moment and then tears it from the book and uncurls to stand and offer it to Kunzite.
The picture on the page is of a tree in autumn, the golden light bathing down upon it, the leaves rustling softly in an unfelt breeze. Naru looks up at him, and there's an arch of her brow in question. Offer certainly.
This time Kunzite has to shift weight to maintain his position. The first reiteration of her instructions garners her a blink, and a casual "No." No emotional weight in that, either. No aggression or annoyance. Just a negation.
The second, and Naru's offer --
Kunzite reclaims his hand from Kyouko's, and sets it on her shoulder. His other rests in mirror-image on Naru's shoulder for a moment. "No," he says to her, as well. "Putting pressure on burns doesn't heal them. I have reserves for a while. But the other idea is a good one; I'll consult with the caracal."
His attention flicks back to Kyouko, and he adds as if in some attempt at explanation, "I've been carrying one of Madoka's arrow-rains for two months now. If I rest here at present, there's the chance I may not be able to keep hold of it. But you're right that I need rest. And Naru's right. There's somewhere I can go that improves the odds, and eliminates the risk. So I will."
He lets his hands drop; steps back, and bows to both girls. And lets the shadows take him, and is gone.
Kyouko might have other opinions on what you do with burns, but she's a Puella and what works for her doesn't necessarily work for other people. Still, Kunzite tells her 'no', causing her scowl to deepen and her eyes to widen slightly- not out of any genuine anger, but out of sudden concern above and beyond any she might feel for Mamoru's state of mind.
His hand on her shoulder quiets her somewhat, and she glances at it while he speaks, then looks back up to him, her expression one of silent entreaty for just a moment. Then he just leaves, with a minimum of explanation. It's a non-explanation, as far as Kyouko is concerned, because she doesn't know exactly what happened to Kunzite the previous evening- his limited retelling of events (which did not include that) the only one she's had.
For a moment, she stands there after he vanishes, looking at the floor and seeming to be considering how, exactly, she should react. Eventually, she turns around and sits down on the couch and reaches out for her tea. If there's a sniffle or two, she trusts Naru to pretend not to notice.
Telling, perhaps, that her reaction to a threat to Mamoru is 'We'll deal with it' in a very professional manner, while her reaction to Kunzite behaving in a way she considers worrying is to almost lose her composure. Maybe it's just because she has so much less experience with the latter.
She sips her tea, and after a moment when she looks back up and across at Naru, she seems more or less to have settled. The smile she offers seems genuine enough, if just a bit strained. "Thanks, Naru-chan." She gestures with the mug to indicate for what she is offering thanks.
There is just the tiniest bit of startle as Kunzite puts his hand on Naru's shoulder, but she just nods to his no and the explination. Which clearly is more enlightening to her than it was the Kyouko. As he steps back and vanishes she lets out a breath in a slow sigh.
Picture gets tucked back into her sketchbook and Naru collects up her coffee and a cookie as she doesn't remark upon Kyouko's sniffles. Allergies. Or onions. Only logical answer. Clearly.
"He'll heal." Naru notes quietly, finally breaking her silence. "And rest will help that. I don't think this, any of this, is a 'right this second' sort of experience. Mercury was still analysing data when I inturrupted her to go to school." She takes a sip from her coffee as she curls up in her chair and drops her sketchbook back into her satchel.
Kyouko sips her tea again for a few moments.. then reaches for a bisuit. Concerned or no, Kyouko always feels better with a snack. Chomp.
"I know." She says, in response to Naru's words, still studying her tea cup more than looking up at the other girl. "Don't mean I gotta like seein' him like this, though." Memories of the Dark Kingdom reside in her mind, too, of course, though she tries not to dwell on them at times like these.
She sighs a little bit, then sits up a bit straighter. "Well. Guess that just means I need to pick up the slack while he's restin'." She says, mostly to herself- despite Naru just saying this is not an urgent emergency sort of situation.
"No. I don't think anyone does." Naru agrees quietly and clearly also generally feels better with a snack. Or at least less hungry. "Least of all him, I should expect." She pauses a moment, watching her coffee, a little nod at the mention of Kyouko taking up the slack.
"I haven't heard from Usagi yet. I won't hear from Mamoru, but if you do, could you let me know how he's doing?" Naru asks, looking over at Kyouko.
Kyouko spins her teacup between her fingers idly as she chews on the cookie.. then glances up as Naru makes a request of her. "Yeah.. yeah, I will." She says after a moment. "I'm gonna track him down and check on him myself in a little bit. I'll let you know."
She's not rushing off to do it though, likely because she knows that Mamoru has plenty of people who are going to wanting to check in on him, and recognizes at least that one more trying to force herself into the pack isn't likely to help matters. She'll wait a bit and make sure he isn't overloaded first.
Naru is quiet again, thoughtful as she as much holds her coffee as drinks it and then there's a whole different tack of conversation initiated. "Do you know Venus at all?" She asks, fairly out of nowhere.
Naru looks up, over to Kyouko again, her voice neutral, her expression quiet.
Kyouko may be as grateful for the change in topic, as tangential as it is, than for anything else, although as Naru looks across at her she just shakes her head.
"No. I don't know any of the Senshi very well, aside from Usagi and Mako-chan." She says, with a faint lift of her shoulders. "Mamoru was my friend before he even really knew Usagi, and although I've gotten somewhat close to her, and to Mako-chan through our training, the others have pretty much always sorta just been 'friends of friends', if you follow me."
She tilts her head slightly. "I know there was some trouble with her.. and I know she likes to start fights. Not that I have any room to talk." A faint smirk.
"I met her in France, of all places." Naru comments thoughtfully. "I.. vaguely recall her being there when I got rescued, but that whole experience is a kinda messed up haze, so it doesnt really count." She mmms softly and nods. "I know them a bit better than that. Some of them. I barely know Rei, I want to know Mako better than I do, which is coming along. Minako? Not at all, really. Ami, Usagi and I are all in the same class, it helps a lot. Makoto is too, but she only transfered in last year."
Naru mmms softly and nods. "Yeah. Moon launched herself at her in tears. I.. try not to get in the way of Senshi stuff. Or Shitennou stuff, for that matter."
"I don't think anyone thinks you get in the way, Naru-chan." Kyouko says, with a slight smile as she sips again from her tea, shifting on the couch.. seeming a bit more at ease now that a few minutes have passed and she has had time to more fully regain her composure. "I for one, am grateful to have you around. A lot of us," A vague gesture meaning 'magical folks' are rather.." A pause, "intense. Kinda comes with the territory. Even nii-chan, in his way." She doesn't think Naru would debate that at this juncture.
"It helps to have somebody around who is kinda.. reassuring?" She laughs slightly. "Don't take that anythin' but a compliment, but it's true. You're a calming presence, Naru-chan, and I think that's valuable. I think nii-chan does too." The evidence for this conclusion being that Kunzite made no attempt to chase Naru away during the earlier conversation.
"And I'm glad to be that." Naru nods in agreement, a little bit bashful at the praise. "Kunzite digs me out often enough, being able to help at all is nice. I meant more internal team dynamics. I try and be respectful of that line." She considers her words and then nods, comfortable with the choice. "Which isn't quite the same."
Naru leans over, to collect another cookie. Well. Two, while she's there and then settles back in her chair. "I grew up with Usagi. I promise you that she did not become the whirlwind of love and energy spontaneously when she became Moon. Years in the making."
"Yeah, I know." Kyouko says, whether to the fact that Naru and Usagi grew up together, or that Usagi has always been like she is, or more likely both. "I just didn't want you to think that we resented you presence.. or at least, I don't, and I know nii-chan doesn't."
She chews on the last of her cookie, and then stands, stretching. "Anyway. Thanks again. There's some stuff needs doin'." She doesn't specify, but probably doesn't need to. Alert mode is go.
She heads for the balcony. "Keep an eye on things, huh Naru-chan? If you hear anything new, text me. I'll let you know when I talk to Mamoru." And then she's gone out the door.
"If something happens, I'll text you." Naru nods in agreement, not quite moving yet, even if Kyouko is vanishing. She has her coffee to finish, and Fiore might need a visit. And the dishes need putting away. "Take care, Kyouko."