Usagi sits hunched over a table in a small restaurant, looking a bit uncharacteristically mopey in front of an alarming number of empty soft-drink glasses. She's been here awhile
( Read more... )
It's a public place. Kaorinite is kind enough to call her enemy out by her civilian name. "Tsukino Usagi," she hisses venomously once she's close enough, right hand clenching where her Buster staff should be. She's wearing a long black coat, which is luckily enough to not draw too much attention from the other patrons.
There's a tight-lipped smile as she stands by the girl's table. "All alone?" she says in a falsely sweet tone.
No way. Didn't work? Well, Kaolinite was tough the first time, too. That's why she used her second transformation in the first place. Shoot shoot shoot.
"An evil person who attacks innocent people just for being in the wrong place can't say those things!" she retorts.
No. It had worked. Sort of. She'll try again. She has to get Kaolinite out of here at least.
"Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!" Come on, or everyone here will be hurt!
Kaorinite's a little tougher than Sailormoon might think.
She raises her staff. "Magus Flash!" The attack dissipates in the blinding light surrounding the woman. When the light itself fades, Kaorinite is rather winded from trying to fend off the attack. "If you're worried about that person, he's fine," she manages. "But it's a convenient enough excuse for you, isn't it?"
Sailormoon might find it strange that Kaorinite hasn't attacked in return yet. Kaorinite doubts she'll even notice.
She's definitely making progress. Her Rainbow Moon Heart Ache even just fended off the Magus Flash she takes as Kaolinite's attack. But that talk of excuses makes no sense and any moral ground Kaolinite had to stand on was lost the second she hurt someone in front of Usagi.
Because of Usagi. Because she couldn't answer that question without putting the ginzuishou in danger. If it weren't so important, and almost even despite it being so important, she'd have gotten rid of the thing ages ago.
Ah! She's got it! Shoot, this must not even be Kaolinite's world. That's why she's here even though they defeated her. Then... what to do?
"This isn't your world, but it's mine," she says. "I don't want to do something to change the fate of yours, but I won't let you hurt anyone here. So go back or I'll defeat you right now!"
The guy wasn't even hurt, geez. Nevermind that Kaorinite probably would hurt someone if it furthered her goals. But so would the Outers, so there! Right?
"I have no interest in your world," Kaorinite answers, lips tightened into a thin, grim line. Those two attacks have exhausted her. Any lesser attack she can take from Sailormoon while laughing about it, but those attacks in succession was a bit much. Like this, if she intends to fight, she'll lose if she doesn't fight back now.
It's the principal of the thing, says one part of her mind that is close to prompting an attack out of her just to beat this child back and teach her a proper lesson. But it's also useless to go this far for a few answers. She could play the empathy card, and try for Sailormoon's supposed bleeding heart, but she won't do that either.
She finally straightens a little, staff held upright beside her. "I didn't come here to fight you," she announces. "And I didn't come here to interfere with your world. I'm trying to help my own world."
Usagi is not an Outer senshi! And for all she knows, that guy is still frozen. But Kaolinite has finally said the magic word to make her pause. Sort of.
"Help?" Can that actually be true? "But you can't help anything by attacking people!"
Kaorinite is barely resisting the urge to epically facepalm.
"That person isn't hurt!" she insists, gesturing exasperatedly to the cafe. Go check if you want, really.
"Because of the Grimm family, Tomoe-kyoju is dead," she says, voice dropping and losing that edge. She clenches her fist tighter around the staff. "And Hotaru-chan is..." she trails off, and looks down a moment. She sets her shoulders then and looks back up.
"Hotaru-chan is...?!" Usagi's alert immediately. Maybe she can't really be blamed for passing over the mention of the death of the man who made an academic career out of trying to kill her, in favor of focusing on the cute girl she knows as Chibiusa's sweet friend.
"He was trying to take over the world and destroy it by giving the holy grail to the Messiah of Darkness!" Of course the ginzuishou destroyed him.
He hadn't even been able to be purified, apparently, because she can't imagine at all that she'd kill him otherwise. In her world, he's still there, so she can't be sure of all the circumstances, but she knows killing him would never be a first choice.
"Your sense of justice is twisted to your conveniences!" she answers. "You can't come to grips with the fact that you might hold something that could hurt those people you call your friends! Because of the ginzuishou's power, Hotaru-chan was corrupted."
No moral ground, Kaolinite. Absolutely none. And really, there's lying, and there's lying so obvious even Usagi can get it.
"That's... not true at all! I've met Hotaru-chan and she's a sweet girl. But Hotaru-chan was always nervous around you. Whatever you're doing to hurt her, I'll find it out in my world and I'll stop you. And I'm sure you'll be stopped from hurting her in your world, too!"
Kaorinite's staff is in front of her offensively and her eyes fly wide with rage.
She grits her teeth and lowers her staff again. "I would never hurt Hotaru-chan! She's like my child! Whatever it's like in this world, it's not the same in mine. I can't ever imagine harming her at all!"
Usagi reflexively brings her arms forward as well. It's then that it hits her.
"It's you!" She stares wide-eyed at Kaolinite. "You're the reason I was told to keep Chibi-usa away from Hotaru-chan!" (It's way past time to save her identity, if Kaolinite's professor is already gone.)
"I was told to keep her away because Hotaru-chan was being corrupted by you! That's why Hotaru-chan was so reluctant to look at you and be with you!"
The voice is horrified much more than anything else, even the righteous anger gone behind shock and concern.
"Whatever you're doing in there to her, please, stop it! It's really hurting her!"
It's a public place. Kaorinite is kind enough to call her enemy out by her civilian name. "Tsukino Usagi," she hisses venomously once she's close enough, right hand clenching where her Buster staff should be. She's wearing a long black coat, which is luckily enough to not draw too much attention from the other patrons.
There's a tight-lipped smile as she stands by the girl's table. "All alone?" she says in a falsely sweet tone.
Reply
"An evil person who attacks innocent people just for being in the wrong place can't say those things!" she retorts.
No. It had worked. Sort of. She'll try again. She has to get Kaolinite out of here at least.
"Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!" Come on, or everyone here will be hurt!
Reply
She raises her staff. "Magus Flash!" The attack dissipates in the blinding light surrounding the woman. When the light itself fades, Kaorinite is rather winded from trying to fend off the attack. "If you're worried about that person, he's fine," she manages. "But it's a convenient enough excuse for you, isn't it?"
Sailormoon might find it strange that Kaorinite hasn't attacked in return yet. Kaorinite doubts she'll even notice.
Reply
Because of Usagi. Because she couldn't answer that question without putting the ginzuishou in danger. If it weren't so important, and almost even despite it being so important, she'd have gotten rid of the thing ages ago.
Ah! She's got it! Shoot, this must not even be Kaolinite's world. That's why she's here even though they defeated her. Then... what to do?
"This isn't your world, but it's mine," she says. "I don't want to do something to change the fate of yours, but I won't let you hurt anyone here. So go back or I'll defeat you right now!"
Reply
"I have no interest in your world," Kaorinite answers, lips tightened into a thin, grim line. Those two attacks have exhausted her. Any lesser attack she can take from Sailormoon while laughing about it, but those attacks in succession was a bit much. Like this, if she intends to fight, she'll lose if she doesn't fight back now.
It's the principal of the thing, says one part of her mind that is close to prompting an attack out of her just to beat this child back and teach her a proper lesson. But it's also useless to go this far for a few answers. She could play the empathy card, and try for Sailormoon's supposed bleeding heart, but she won't do that either.
She finally straightens a little, staff held upright beside her. "I didn't come here to fight you," she announces. "And I didn't come here to interfere with your world. I'm trying to help my own world."
Reply
"Help?" Can that actually be true? "But you can't help anything by attacking people!"
Reply
"That person isn't hurt!" she insists, gesturing exasperatedly to the cafe. Go check if you want, really.
"Because of the Grimm family, Tomoe-kyoju is dead," she says, voice dropping and losing that edge. She clenches her fist tighter around the staff. "And Hotaru-chan is..." she trails off, and looks down a moment. She sets her shoulders then and looks back up.
Reply
Reply
"Gone," she says, having to grit out the word. "Because of the ginzuishou."
Reply
He hadn't even been able to be purified, apparently, because she can't imagine at all that she'd kill him otherwise. In her world, he's still there, so she can't be sure of all the circumstances, but she knows killing him would never be a first choice.
Reply
"Not Tomoe-Kyoju," she says darkly. "Hotaru-chan!"
She takes a breath, two, to compose herself. "Tomoe-Kyoju was killed because of Damask of the Grimm family. I already said that."
Reply
"There's no way that would happen! There's no way the ginzuishou would be used to hurt someone innocent!" And she won't be swayed by lies, Kaolinite.
Reply
Reply
"That's... not true at all! I've met Hotaru-chan and she's a sweet girl. But Hotaru-chan was always nervous around you. Whatever you're doing to hurt her, I'll find it out in my world and I'll stop you. And I'm sure you'll be stopped from hurting her in your world, too!"
Reply
She grits her teeth and lowers her staff again. "I would never hurt Hotaru-chan! She's like my child! Whatever it's like in this world, it's not the same in mine. I can't ever imagine harming her at all!"
Reply
"It's you!" She stares wide-eyed at Kaolinite. "You're the reason I was told to keep Chibi-usa away from Hotaru-chan!" (It's way past time to save her identity, if Kaolinite's professor is already gone.)
"I was told to keep her away because Hotaru-chan was being corrupted by you! That's why Hotaru-chan was so reluctant to look at you and be with you!"
The voice is horrified much more than anything else, even the righteous anger gone behind shock and concern.
"Whatever you're doing in there to her, please, stop it! It's really hurting her!"
Reply
Leave a comment