#kunzite becomes north

[sakuracyanide]

gestures at pgsm zoisite.

in this essay i will explain how pgsm zoisite switches the colors & coding of the direction he's associated with from north to east and why that is fascinating -

[quierorodarnojodan]

Estábamos bromeando con un amigo @mcdonneeli sobre que tenemos muchos ships similares si no casi todos, pero que irónicamente ambos nos peleamos por el mismo pj a usar y por eso jamás podemos rolear las ships xDD entonces me puse hacer la lista a ver que dice mi compatriota desalmado.

Anime/Manga

Axis Power Hetalia

Alemania x Norte De Italia

Austria x Hungría [♥]

Dinamarca x Noruega

España x Sur De Italia

Prussia x Hungría

Prussia x Austria [♥]

Bleach

Ichigo Kurosaki x Uryuu Ishida [♥]

Ikkaku Madarame x Yumichika Ayasegawa

Kyouraku Shunsui x Ukitake Jyuushirou [♥]

Carole & Tuesday

Carole Stanley x Tuesday Simmons

Cyborg 009

Jet Link (002) x Albert Heinrich (004)

Digimon

Ishida Yamato x Yagami Taichi [♥]

Dragon Ball

Goku x Vegeta

Durarara!!

Celty Sturluson x Kishitani Shinra

Kadota Kyohei x Izaya Orihara

Fairy Tails

Levy McGarden x Gajeel Redfox

FullMetal Alchemist

Maes Hughes x Roy Mustang [♥]

Get Backers

Kakei Juubei & Fuuchouin Kazuki

Haikyuu!!

Ooikawa Tooru x Iwaizumi Hajime

Haru wo Daiteita

Kato Youji x Iwaki Kyosuke [♥]

Hunter x Hunter

Hisoka x Illumi Zoldyck

Leorio Paladiknight x Kurapika [♥]

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Joseph Joestar x Caesar Zeppeli

Jotaro Kujo x Noriaki Kakyoin [♥]

Mohammed Abdul x Jean Pierre Polnareff

Kuroko no Basket

Atsushi Murasakibara x Tatsuya Himuro

Kiyoshi Teppei x Makoto Hanamiya [♥]

Midorima Shintaro x Takao Kazunari [♥]

Naruto

Uzumaki Naruto x Uchiha Sasuke

Hatake Kakashi x Umino Iruka [♥]

Haruno Sakura x Yamanaka Ino

One Piece

Eustass Kid x Trafalgar D. Law

Roronoa Zoro x Vinsmoke Sanji

Saint Seiya

Manigoldo x Albafika [♥]

Hyoga x Shun

Sailor Moon

Kunzite x Zoisite

Michiru Kaiō x Haruka Tenou

Sakura Card Captor

Touya Kinomoto x Yukito Tsukishiro [♥]

Shingeki no Kyojin

Erwin Smith x Levi Rivaille

Marco Bott X Jean Kirstein

The Prince of Tennis

Inui Sadaharu x Kaidou Kaoru [♥]

Tiger & Bunny

Kotetsu Kaburagi x Barnaby Brooks Jr.

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru

Hotsuma Renjou x Shusei Usui [♥♥♥]

Cartoons

Adventure Time

Marceline Abadeer x Princess Bubblegum

Marshall Lee x Prince Gumball

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Jet x Zuko [♥]

Ed, Edd n Eddy

Kevin x Edd (Doble D)

Generador Rex

Rex Salazar x Noah Nixon [♥]

Happy Tree Friends

Lumpy x Russell

Shifty x Lifty

Splendid x Flippy

Scooby-Doo

Daphne Blake x Velma Dinkley

The Dragon Prince

Rey Harrow x Viren

The Legend of Korra

Korra x Asami Sato

Iroh II x Bolin

Voltron

Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane x Adam [♥]

Xiaolin Showdown

Chase Young x Jack Spicer

Series

9-1-1

Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz x Evan "Buck" Buckley [♥]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Angel (Angelus) x Spike (William) [♥]

Willow Rosenberg x Tara Maclay

Carmilla

Carmilla Karnstein x Laura Hollis

Class

Matteusz Andrzejewski x Charlie Smith

Common Law

Travis Marks x Wes Mitchell [♥]

Cobra Kai

Daniel LaRusso x Johnny Lawrence

Deadwind (Karppi)

Sofia Karppi x Sakari Nurmi

Downton Abbey

Tom Branson x Thomas Barrow

Richard Ellis x Thomas Barrow

Eyewitness

Lukas Waldenbeck x Philip Shea

Grey's Anatomy

Mark Sloan x Derek Shepherd

Hannibal

Hannibal Lecter x Will Graham

Hawaii Five-0

Danny Williams x Steve McGarret [♥]

Hemlock Grove

Peter Rumancek x Roman Godfrey [♥]

How to Get Away with Murder

Oliver Hampton x Connor Walsh

Iron Fist

Danny Rand x Ward Meachum [♥♥]

Julie and the Phantoms

Alex x Willie

Las chicas del cable

Francisco Gómez x Carlos Cifuentes [♥]

LazyTown

Sportacus x Robbie Rotten

London Spy

Alex x Danny

Merlin

Arhur Pendragone x Merlin

Once Upon a Time

Regina Mills x Emma Swan

Regina Mills x Robin Hood

Shadow and Bone

Aleksander / The Darkling x Kaz Brekker

Jasper Fahey x Kaz Brekker

Star Trek

James T. Kirk x Spock

Leonard MCCoy x Spock

Malcolm Reed x Charles "Trip" Tucker III

Stranger Things

Billy Hargrove x Steve Harrington

Teen Wolf

Derek Hale x Stiles Stilinski

The Alienist

Laszlo Kreizler x John Moore

The Boys

Billy Butcher x Homelander (John)

The Irregulars

Billy x Leopold

Sherlock Holmes x John Watson

The Order

Hamish Duke x Randall Carpio

The Umbrella Academy

Diego Hargreeves x Klaus Hargreeves

The Walking Dead

Daryl Dixon x Rick Grimes

The Witcher

Geralt de Rivia x Jaskier

Torchwood

Jack Harkness x Ianto Jones [♥]

Travelers

Trevor Holden x Philip Pearson

Vampire Diaries

Alaric Saltzman x Damon Salvatore

Warehouse 13

Helena G. Wells x Myka Bering

Películas

Cloud Atlas

Rufus Sixsmith x Robert Frobisher

Sonmi-451 x Hae-Joo Chang

Inception

Eames x Robert Fischer

Dom Cobb x Robert Fischer

IT

Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak

James Bond

James Bond x Q [♥]

Rise of the Guardians

Sandman x Pitch Black

Star Wars

Baze Malbus x Chirrut Îmwe

Poe Dameron x Armitage Hux​ [♥]

The Old Guard

'Joe' Yusuf Al-Kaysani x 'Nicky' Nicolo di Genova

The Road to El Dorado

Tulio x Miguel

U.N.C.L.E.

Napoleon Solo x Illya Kuryakin

Libros

Harry Potter

Albus Dumbledore x Gellert Grindelwald [♥]

Harry Potter x Draco Malfoy

Blaise Zabini x Theodore Nott [♥]

Pansy Parkinson x Daphne Greengrass [♥]

James Potter x Severus Snape [♥]

Sirius Black x Remus Lupin

Shadowhunters

Magnus Bane x Alexander G. Lightwood

The Raven Cycle

Ronan Lynch x Adam Parrish

Richard Gansey III x Blue Sargent

Comics

DC Comics

Apollo x Midnighter

Clark Kent x Bruce Wayne [♥]

Diana Prince x Steve Trevor

Garfield Logan x Rachel Roth

Hal Jordan x Barry Allen

Pamela Isley x Harleen Quinzel

Jason Todd x Dick Grayson [♥]

Maggie Sawyer x Kate Kane

Roy Harper x Dick Grayson

Cassandra Cain x Stephanie Brown

Hernan Guerra x Kirk Langstrom

Michael Jon Carter x Ted Kord

Marvel

America Chavez x Kate Bishop

Azazel x Janos Quested

Gambit x Rogue

Erik Lehnsherr & Charles Xavier

Logan x Scott Summers [♥]

Natasha Romanoff x Bruce Banner

Shatterstar x Julio Richter (Rictor) [♥]

Steve Rogers x James B. Barnes [♥]

Theodore Altman x William Kaplan

Tony Stark x Loki Laufeyson [♥]

Vision x Wanda Maximoff

Wade Wilson x Peter Parker

Videojuegos

Assassin's Creed

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad x Malik Al-Sayf [♥]

Ezio Auditore da Firenze x Leonardo Da Vinci

Bayonetta

Bayonetta x Jeanne

Detroit: Become Human

Captain Allen x Gavin Reed

Connor, RK800 x Gavin Reed [♥]

Elijah Kamski x Gavin Reed

Elijah Kamski x Leo Manfred [♥]

Kara, AX400 x Luther, TR400 [♥]

Markus, RK200 x Simon, PL600 [♥]

Nines, RK900 x Gavin Reed

North, WR400 x Chloe, ST200

Ralph, WR600 x Jerry, EM400

Simon, PL600 x Gavin Reed

Devil May Cry

Dante x Vergil [♥]

Nero x V

Final Fantasy VII

Cid Highwind x Vincent Valentine

Final Fantasy XII

Basch fon Ronsenburg x Balthier [♥♥♥]

Kingdom Hearts

Saïx x Axel

Metal Gear

Solidus Snake x Raiden

Overwatch

Gabriel Reyes x Jack Morrison

Resident Evil

Chris Redfield x Leon S. Kennedy [♥♥♥]

Claire Redfield x Moira Burton

Jake Muller x Leon S. Kennedy

Jill Valentine x Chris Redfield

Jill Valentine x Carlos Oliveira [♥♥]

Jill Valentine x Claire Redfield

Rebecca Chambers x Billy Coen

The Evil Within

Sebastian Castellano x Joseph Oda

Podcast

Welcome to Night Vale

Carlos x Cecil Palmer

Crossovers

Samurai Jack/Johnny Bravo

Johnny Bravo x Samurai Jack

Canon x Oc

Deadwind (Karppi)

OMC x Sakari Nurmi

Downton Abbey

OMC x Thomas Barrow

Locke & Key

Tyler Locke x OMC

OMC x Duncan Locke

Lost in Space

OMC x Don West

Pokemon

OMC x x James

The Dragon Prince

Soren x OMC

The Irregulars

OMC x John Watson

The Lord of the Rings

OMC x Legolas

Political Animals

OMC x Thomas James "T.J." Hammond

Resident Evil

Jake Muller x OMC

Star Trek

OMC x Julian Bashir

Warehouse 13

OMC x Steve Jinks

Wizards: Tales of Arcadia

OMC x Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan

Duplas de Actores

Aaron Paul x Hugh Dancy

Bradley James x Colin Morgan

Chris Evans x Sebastian Stan

Daniel Craig x Ben Whishaw

Daniel Sunjata x Aaron Tveit

Dominic Purcell x Wentworth Miller

Edward Holcroft x Ben Whishaw

Gabriella Pession x Richard Flood

Gabriel Macht x Patrick J. Adams

Hanno Koffler x Max Riemelt

Jamie Dornan x Cillian Murphy

Jensen Ackles x Jared Padalecki

Landon Liboiron x Bill Skarsgård

Mads Mikkelsen x Hugh Dancy

Matt Davis x Ian Somerhalder

Michael Fassbender x James McAvoy

Rami Malek x Martin Wallström

Scott Caan x Alex O'Loughlin

Shemar Moore x Matthew Gray Gubler

Tom Hardy x Cillian Murphy

[darkspellmaster]

Some Random thoughts on the Shitennou x Senshi story that’s been brewing in my head....

So For things I have so far in regard to the story that I’m working on : Gathering notes and plot since it’s going to have to fit into the main story...ugh why do I do this to myself. 

This is what I have so far: 

The bad guys in this story aren’t going after Usagi and co, but rather they are focused on Mamoru and the desire to keep the Moon princess away from him at all costs. 

Said team consists of One lead, Four Generals under her, and each of them has two to three lieutenants under them. These Lieutenants each create their own monsters to go after the re born Shitennou that they need to kill so that Mamoru doesn’t have any defense against the main four Generals and the Lead bad guy. 

Said Bad guy has a very gray area she’s in. Unlike Beryl this isn’t coming out of a desire to take him for herself. Rather the feelings stem from a family bond, and the desire to protect him from what she perceives as the reason why he could die (or did in reality previously). She also has a Cassandra like situation where she sees things that are coming but can’t fully comprehend them, and because of that her choices allowed her to be a pawn of an aspect of Chaos. 

Her generals all seem to have a desire to serve her above all else, and they are split even as two males and two females. All four wear uniforms that denotes their position. At least one of the females has yellow ribbons in her red hair, which she keeps up in a Chun Lei like set of buns. 

As a side note, I did have names for them, but the list of their names got lost, so now I’m trying to find the right types of stones or minerals for them. 

What I know about the lead baddie is that she’s less of a show off than most other villains have been. More in line with Kamen Rider like baddies than strictly Sentai villains. Her views actually make sense when paired with her past and what she’s seen for the future. Up in the air right now if I’m going to allow them to be saved or outright killed off. Since they’re not out to wreck the earth or anything like that. They just want the Golden Kingdom back up and running. 

At least one of the Lieutenants falls in love with Minako which brings in some dramatic results for the group later on. Not sure if he remains a foe or becomes a friend...all I have to say for him is Poor Minako. 

As for the Shitennou and their history that I have going so far...

Jadeite:  (Last name first, first name second) 

Human name: Yasuhara Kazuhiko -also known by his stage name Oshi Kazu aka the idol NU. 

What I have for his story so far: 

So Kazuhiko is the most well known of the bunch. His father and mother are both actors and work for the movie studios. So, since this is being based more around Crystal’s Dark Kingdom arc, after his death in the frozen North, Kazuhiko woke up to find himself in the hospital forgetting everything that had happened to him previously with Beryl and the others. By the end of the Dream Arc, he’s gotten to the point that he’s back to normal and has been on tour, however he’s gotten sick of being a star and wants something normal. His parents as a deal agree to let him sign up for the former high school that Mamoru went to, while he agrees that, as NU, he would continue his acting and singing career. 

Of course nothing is as easy as it seems, and the Bad guys (who have been tracking the boys since they’ve come to Tokyo again) have decided to make Kazuhiko the first target. 

Jadeite is the only one of the boys that is pure Japanese, though his hair and eyes show that his family has had international blood in their genes. 

He first meets Rei when, during a rain storm, to avoid being chased down by fan girls who were stalking him. Kazuhiko wound up in the shrine, and Rei’s grandfather allowed him to stay inside where he could be warmed up. 

Rei doesn’t trust him very much. 

Usagi and Minako are the second to meet him and they wind up working with him when one of the Monsters of the week attacks his high school. 

Jadeite is also the first to be woken up after he puts himself in the way of danger to protect Tuxedo Mask, once he sees he’s Mamoru who’s become a friend to him. 

I decided that since the girls got planets, the boys should get flowers. I’m not sure why, it just was a sort of “Yeah, this makes sense okay” moment, for their first transformation. 

So Jadeite’s is a Lotus, connecting to his harmonious rank. 

Also he uses ice attacks and has a frozen sword. 

Jadeite can pair up with Rei for a fire/ ice attack, and there are levels that the attacks can go at as their power ups come directly from Mamoru and Usagi. He’s the first also to ask forgiveness of Usagi when his memories return, and the stone comes to him after he shows he’s willing to put his life on the line for his prince. 

As with the other boys he can pair up with the different senshi and create new attacks, and do the same with the boys and Mamoru. 

With Usagi he gives her heart attack a frozen boost. Minako’s chains can freeze someone in place, Paired with Makoto her flower wind becomes like mini frozen knives. Mamoru gets a frozen upgrade when he pairs up with him, allowing him to create an icy flash that can freeze people for a moment or two of time, allowing them to get away or blind them with cold. 

With the other shitennou he tends to cause different results to their attacks. Kunzite’s energy blast can, and does set off an ice barrier when paired with Jadeite. Nephrite’s shadows create portals that let him throw the ice shards in different locations allowing his ice to act as a targeted attack moving where the enemy moves. With Zosite it’s an icy electric attack, or a crystal like bomb that goes off showering ice everywhere. 

Not sure how he and the outer senshi work yet as pairings in regard to their powers. 

He’s also the first one to come help the girls when need be and also is trying with Mamoru to figure out why he and the others are now being allowed to come back after their actions in the recent past. 

Straight up, he is the first to admit having any feelings for Rei, and decides to work at the Shrine as a means of getting closer to her and gaining her trust and friendship. Also funny note, he and Nephrite later get into a selling competition over who can sell the most charms for the Shrine. 

He also tries to help Minako get auditions due to his connections. 

Nephrite: Gakuhara Satoshi -No relation to Kazuhiko

Story I have so far: Satoshi or Toshi for short, is from Hawaii and is North American Japanese and several other mixes -he doesn’t know what his mother’s side fully is, except that they have some Irish in there. His father’s family moved to the states pre-ww2 and they run a restaurant on the main Island.  Toshi is actually in college, and came to Japan to learn more about his dad’s side of the family. 

He works at a catering/restaurant business for his Uncle, and is going to college for business in running a restaurant so he can either start his own or take over his grandparents. 

Toshi rides a motor cycle and is also the most open and energetic of the bunch.

After events of the Dark Kingdom, his Uncle and Aunt found him in a motor cycle crash and, as with Kazuhiko, he couldn’t remember anything that happened. He’s since started up classes again at the same college where Mamoru is studying. Though he’s a year above him. The two actually met during lunch and Nephrite connected to Mamoru right away. 

He met Makoto by chance outside the local flower shop as he needed additional flowers for center pieces for an event that the family business was catering. 

Earlier on Toshi actually gives advice to the girls as they are dealing with the weird goings on with Jadeite but doesn’t get involved until he’s targeted. 

Jadeite is always trying to figure out if he remembers or not, and eventually Nephrite get’s targeted fully, and nearly eaten by a plant. Let’s just say the shadows that he controls don’t like it. 

Unlike Jadeite he’s a bit more brutal when it comes to destroying those that would hurt him and those that he cares for. He’s also the most compassionate of the four, seeing himself as a big brother sort to the girls and even Mamoru and later the other boys. 

He’s 19, unlike Jadeite who’s 17 going on 18. 

The interesting thing with Makoto is while his feelings for her do come back he’s struggling with the fact that she’s younger than him, and also that there’s another guy that likes her who’s closer to her age. So he’s constantly having to check his flirting and jealous streak. 

He and Jadeite can team up to create a dark ice attack using his shadows as a portal of sorts for an ice blast. When teaming up with Kunzite the shadows act as an attack around a shielded bubble or at times are used as a distraction or attack, depending on what Kunzite is doing with his energy orbs. Zosite can use the shadows as a means of carrying hidden crystals that can be flung out from them. 

With Makoto, he can do an shadow and wind/electrical attack on the baddies, allowing them to be held in place while she zaps them. With Usagi it’s boosting her tiara attack or allowing her to make everything go dark if they need to escape. Rei’s fire and his shadows cause a ripple affect with the fire doubling the streght of the shadows allowing them to consume monsters that can be taken down that way. Minako is a tricky one, as it seems to give boosts to the speed of her boomerang. Mamoru has it where he, like with Jadeite, upgrades, and the shadows are part of a smoking La bomber, or give him a shadow sword that can cut through a shadow and allow him to pass through an entry that wasn’t there before. 

He’s also the first to want to jump into action, which can be a bad thing at times. 

Also he likes to tease Usagi about Mamo-chan and the others sometimes have to tell him to knock it off. 

When he’s working his hair is pulled back into a pony tail. 

Also the flower for his transformation is a Rose, for obvious reasons. (I think I picked Rose -this may change later. ) 

Zoisite: Real name -Haruki Jun

Story for him: Okay so Jun’s story is a bit different than the others. While his father is a Quarter Japanese, he’s mostly Swiss and lives with his Mother’s sister who is the Ambassador to Japan. Jun is extremely bright, being right up there with Ami in intelligence. Like Rei he has issues with his father and lost his mother at a young age. Un-like Rei this doesn’t stem from his father being too busy, but rather that Jun is a very anti-social person who was treated badly due to his family lineage (IE: How can you be Japanese when you look so damn white?) by his former classmates. 

After the events where he was killed in the Dark Kingdom, He woke up in the hospital in Tokyo under the watchful eye of his Aunt. He was said to have gotten very sick and had a high fever. 

I’m still trying to figure out if he should be in school later with the girls, or if he’d be in a more expensive school. 

Jun is the youngest at age 15 going on 16, and is in the same year as the Senshi 

Anyway, the first one to meet Jun is Ami and Jun get’s annoyed because she’s in his seat, or so he thinks, at a cram school that he went to with his friends. 

Jun gains an obsession with Sailor Mercury after she saves him from a kidnapping by the bad guys. 

He actually wants to become a fashion designer due to his mother being a costume maker for the theater, and for a while goes out of his way to stage things to make the scouts come to him so he can find out who’s Sailor Mercury. 

Jun has a desire to be the most logical of the group of four, and is also the most serious. 

He has a hard time with his transformation because he feels that he was the one that let Beryl back into their lives as he was the first one to get changed into his Dark Kingdom form. 

Jun’s flower is the lily for transformation (don’t ask me why it’s what came up, still trying to figure if that’s the best for him.) 

Like Jadeite, Zoisite pledges loyalty right away to Mamoru, though he does see Usagi as a bit of a ditz. Over time he learns to love her for who she is and respect her as his future queen. 

I should note he can’t dance a lick and has two left feet. 

He also gets flustered over the fact that he can look more like a girl than some girls, but is okay with doing so for missions to help the girls out. IE, he can be the bait from time to time. 

He’s actually below Nephrite in leader order, but he’s the strategy guy, so Nephrite tends to defer to him. 

The only person that can get him to at all react in any way other then his normally aloof self is Ami, and she doesn’t know she’s doing that to him. 

Jun speaks at least 4 languages fluently. He’s also the shortest of the bunch. 

When it comes to attacks he uses up to three that seem to be the main mix. 

With Ami he has his electricity connect with her water, and creates a devastating steam like attack that blinds people. With Usagi he can create a force-field that is stronger with her moon power, Rei has it where the crystals channel heat around her and allow her fire attacks more power, Minako has those crystals act as a reflective nature that bounce her light attacks around if need be. Makoto gets a force field around her that grants her a higher charge for her oak lighting attack that won’t bounce back on her. 

Mamoru get’s an upgrade with a mirror like attack that allows him to see and hear things from different tech devices and he can use it to get people’s attention about breaking spells and the like. 

Kunzite with Zosite becomes a very strong and possibly overpowering energy attack that blocks out sight and hearing for a while when hit with it. Jadeite as I said above does the whole freeze bomb with him and Nephrite does the whole shadow thing. 

Kunzite: Aikeizawa Noritaka

Story so far: Noritaka’s got a lot going on for him. His mother is from a royal family in Arabia, making him a prince. His father was a Journalist that was covering there. He actually came to Japan to teach, as he wanted to get away from his family back home. He’s the only one that is out of College and is working at Jubaan High as a Exchange Teacher/Student Teacher in History (Or Japanese Classics, or Geography -still haven’t figured that out yet). 

After the situation with the Dark Kingdom, he actually woke up in his apartment in the same building as Mamoru. That’s how he gets to meet him by chance when Chibi Usa runs into him, literally, on her way to visit Mamoru. 

I should note he’s the oldest of the group at age 25. He’s also got the most complex situation with the girls to date. 

Unlike the others who are single, Kunzite is dating Minako and Usagi’s home room teacher and is engaged to her. This throws in a rather rough kink for Venus and him when he starts to recoginze her and his feelings come back. 

Kunzite is the only one that rejects the offer to join the Shitennou and his guilt is eating at him. 

His feelings of loyalty for Mamoru expand to his family (Usagi and chibi Usa). 

He gets jealous of guys around Minako and has to deal with that.

Flower for Kunzite is an orchid, at least for now.  

I can’t say a lot about what I’m planning with him because of the fact that it could spoil things that I want to have as surprises. Though I can say that as a teacher he’s very strict about the girls getting their work done for school even when he’s got his memory back. 

Kunzite does flirt with Venus when they’re in costume, which keeps driving him back and forth about his feelings for her and his girlfriend. 

His attacks with the boys as per above, Jadeite has the ice barrier attack with him. Nephrite can cause the shadows to act as a distraction or attack depending on what Kunzite needs, and overpowering energy blast that removes sight and hearing with Zosite. 

Mamoru get’s a very large upgrade with Kunzite, allowing his sword to change it’s manifestation into something that can draw out the gravity of the earth and use that to hold someone down. 

Usagi gets an upgrade in a similar vain, only it’s reverse and makes them float with her attack. 

Minako and Kunzite have a chain attack where the orbs circle around the heart and pin the person in place while the heart hits them. Rei gains a energy blast in her fire attack, Ami has a force field around her when she’s doing some tech stuff, Makoto get’s some gravity pull on her throwing attack. 

That’s what I got so far. 

[songofamazon]

The Sailor Moon Super Live Show

 As a DC area resident, I had the distinct pleasure of getting to see the Sailor Moon Live Show when it came for the opening of the National Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend.

Going into it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It wasn’t being billed as a regular musical, and the director’s description as something that “surpasses music, dance, and theater” was not terribly specific. 

It turned out to be a very dance-heavy mini-musical, set late in the first season of Sailor Moon. There were only two sung songs in the actual plot section, but after Sailor Moon and friends won, they moved into a “concert” portion with more singing and dancing.

It was clearly written with an international audience in mind. There was very little dialogue, but what dialogue and singing there was had subtitles on large TV screens beside the stage. It made heavy use of projections and floating light fixtures to advance the story, to a fun and showy degree.

The actors did a great job of showing character through body language and the few meaningless vocalizations (Usagi was always giggling, or uttering things like “mmm” or “aha!”). Everyone on the cast was a great dancer and at least a decent singer. I particularly enjoyed Riona Tatemichi as Tuxedo Kamen.

A spoilerific summary of the show is below the cut:

I might have things out of order, but this is as best as I remember.

The show opened with Beryl killing Jadite, Nephlite, and Zoicite and turning them into gemstones, then handing things over the Kunzite. There is then an intense dance number with all of the youma. There were enough of them on stage, I think at least 4 of the sailors were dressed as youma dancing along.

Then we get the classic scene of Usagi tossing her failed test and Mamoru picking it up.

The prologue ends with an opening theme of an instrumental of Moonlight Densetsu to animated projections from the manga. 

Then, Usagi arrives at school late. She gets scolded especially hard when she realizes that she forgot her books, so a dance number involves her stealing Haruna-sensei’s book. Then Kunzite shows up and turns all of the classmates into youma. Tuxedo Kamen shows up to distract them, Usagi transforms, and Sailor Moon saves the day by changing them all back.

We have some more Dark Kingdom, involving tango-dacing Beryl (that is what all the ruffles on her dress are for) and more Kunzite. 

Usagi day-dreams and imagines a giant package that opens to reveal Tuxedo Kamen. They dance and giggle and ride carosel horses around the stage. It’s the sort of cheeziness you come to love with Sailor Moon. Then she wakes up at Hikawa shrine and sing a song about how they were lonely before they met Usagi. Then they all decide to go to Harajuku, where they have an exciting dance number involving several costume changes. 

Usagi wanders into a game center and plays the Sailor V game. She keeps doing terribly, so when Mamoru wanders in, he makes fun of her, and then plays the game himself (and does way better). He and Usagi start to bond over the game. (I really loved how this, compared to all other versions of the story, gave Usagi and Mamoru a time to slowly become friends before they remember their past love.) Then a poorly disguised Kunzite in a pink bunny suit rolls in another game console conspicuously labled “Dark Kingdom” which Usagi plays. Unsurprisingly, it is a trap, but the other four sailors show up to save the day, and sing a song introducing themselves. This gives Usagi time to transform and finish it off.

However, in the fight, Kunzite and the youma really beat up the girls and capture Tuxedo Kamen. Usagi is heartbroken, and they all sing a slow, dramatic version of Otome no Policy to cheer her up, then Sailor Teleport to the north pole.

At the north pole, Beryl slowly brainwashes Tuxedo Kamen trough dance. The transformation from confused and unwilling to evil and loyal was really well done. The sailors arrive and they have a long dance battle, in which Venus summons the sword from the moon. Finally, as she and Kunzite are facing off, everyone suddenly remembers their past life. Both Venus and Kunzite, severely injured falter and stare at each other in realization for a moment, before Beryl kills Kunzite. (To me, that was the most beautiful moment of the musical.) 

They keep fighting and the other sailors and Tuxedo Kamen die one by one, leaving only Sailor Moon and Beryl to their final epic fight. With encouragement from the ghosts of the other sailors, Sailor Moon defeats Beryl and brings everyone back, including Mamoru. 

There is a brief curtain call, and then they transition to the concert portion. The Youma start with an intense light-stick dance number (wota-gei), then the Sailors sing their introduction song again. Beryl and Kunzite get a duet, followed by Tuxedo Kamen. All of the songs were really catchy. The Sailors sing an up-beat Otome no Policy followed by La Soldier. Then, as an encore, they finish with Moonlight Densetsu.

[progeny-of-the-fury]

Crystal Questions

Angel aura quartz: when there’s rainy weather, how do you spend your day? indoors or outdoors?

“I do quite like the rain. Though I would not prefer to be rained on. So... indoors? I would imagine there are some that like getting drenched, but I would not say I am one of them.”

Astrophyllite: when people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?

“Typically it is business related or combat. Very rarely do people come to me for personal problems. Though considering how a great many describe me, I cannot say I am all too surprised.”

Bustamite: what are you looking forward to in the coming months?

“The birth of my children.”

Celestite: what is the most impressive thing you know how to do?

“I would say being a Dragoon is quite impressive. It took turns of training rigorously and the trials nearly had me at my end. Getting to this position was no small feat.”

Dolomite: who never fails to make you laugh? how do they make you laugh?

“My husband, of course. He often makes jokes, I find them quite delightful. For him to have confidence enough to jest about his own afflictions... it makes me feel at ease. Like he has come a long way. Aedida also makes me laugh. She acts very silly at times.”

Fairy quartz: what are some of the small things that make your day better?

“Walking my dogs. Typically, walking my dogs with Killian. It is nice to stroll about the Beds and speak to my husband about my sun. I would say also when working in my office, I have a little basket of felt vegetables that Aedida gave me. They never fail to bring a smile to my face.”

Galena: what is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

“Take a risk. Especially if it is something you want more than anything. The potential failure will not compare to the regret.”

Heulandite: what’s your morning routine?

“I wake early in the morn, just as the sun is beginning to pool into our room. I dress myself for training - which has significantly lessened due to my current state. Once finished, I then return inside to shower and primp myself. By then, Killian is typically awake and preparing breakfast, and we eat together after feeding the dogs and cat. After such, I take my leave to either my family’s estate or to the north for duties.”

Honey calcite: how do you express your love/affection towards someone (can be friend, lover, family, or crush)?

“Most will find touch is not something I offer to very many. It is a sacred thing to me. To touch one, is to show them my trust. And my affection. The more intimate I am, the more I offer my love to another. I am not very good at expressing my love through words. I think they often sound empty. But I know through my actions, that my feelings are real.”

Iolite: what is something that a ton of people are obsessed with but you just don’t get the point of?

“Reputation. I understand the value of one, but... I suppose, not the weight of it? I am very forward with my beliefs, and whether they damage my reputation or not matters very little to me. I do not think my image should deter from my ambition to change the world around me. People can become very shallow in an attempt to uphold their reputation. I cannot say I always feel comfortable at times having to do much the same to hold the reputation of my House to a standard, but I do so more for my mothers sake.”

Kunzite: if money weren’t an issue, what hobby would you pick up?

“Mm. I do not think gil was ever and issue in this regard any how? But... painting? Art in general. I have never been very good at it. I suppose if I could pay for lessons...”

Lazulite: what are some things you’ve had to unlearn? did unlearning them help you grow as a person?

“Shutting myself away from others. It was so much easier in the past... but with my current position and my desires, I have begun to realize I cannot lock who I am away forever. It is dishonest, and I would not look up to a dishonest leader.”

Milky quartz: what’s a topic that fills you with excitement and joy? could you talk about it for hours?

“Killian. Probably. But if I needed to be more reasonable, I would say theology or linguistics. I do love their studies, and I wish to know more about them. Theology especially makes for wonderful conversation... given the right company, of course.”

Rainbow fluorite: how different was your life one year ago? did it change for the better or worse?

“I was a completely different person then. Hidden behind a mask, following the heels of infatuation. So much has changed since then, it feels like centuries ago now. It was for the better, tremendously so.”

Rose quartz: how do you feel about small, intimate gestures like kisses on the forehead, hand brushing against the cheek, etc?

“Mm... they embarrass me. Public displays of affection make me feel uncomfortable. Probably because I like them so much. Only, if they come from someone I care about. I am filled with too much love, you see. It makes it hard to want to contain. Inappropriate, no?”

Selenite: what’s the most heartwarming thing you’ve ever seen?

“Hm...” the woman smiles, “I think that is best left to my own memories.”

Wonderstone: where is the most interesting place you’ve been? would you ever go back?

“Yes. If only I could.”

Zoisite: how are you feeling? what did you do today?

“Not much of any, really. Not outside work, at least. It was a quiet sun. Those can be a blessing.”

Taken from this post, but reformatted!

Tagging: @truth-of-the-warden @aedida @pain-and-pistolet @lightsinshadows @dalmar-ferrera @ragizi @quarcyquestant @jancisstuff @ser-gemini

[kyralih]

cardinal king, arc two, chapter six

Ongoing Sailor Moon fanfiction where the roles are reversed, and instead of Beryl and the Earth Kingdom attacking the Moon, the Moon Kingdom attacked the Earth Kingdom and now, thousands of years later, Mamoru and his Four Heavenly Kings fight to keep Earth safe.

While their past business was wrapped up in the First Arc of their story, their return to Tokyo was met with little in the way of peace, as Mamoru encountered a red haired, red eyed little boy who also calls himself “Mamoru” and insists on being with Usagi, despite the dangers that dog him at every turn. To make matters worse, a surprise attack has them down one King and leaves them with very little information to go off of to get him back.

Can they solve these mysteries before it’s too late?

For more information, media, and links to prior chapters, see this page: Cardinal King

Name reminders! Zoisite–> Hanada, Kaito –> North King Jadeite –> Moegi, Yuu –> South King Nephrite –> Midori, Nero –> East King Kunzite –> Kobai, Khalid –> West King

Morning came, and while his headache was gone he wasn’t exactly eager to push the envelope just yet. He dressed, pressing back the guilt of not attempting to find Yuu immediately by focusing on the plan to engage Luna and see what the Moon’s computers could do for them. As he got dressed he wished that the kid didn’t have such a monopoly over Helios; he missed being able to bounce ideas off of him – he even missed the snide remarks that typically peppered his morning preparations – but what Helios was doing was important, too: they had to keep an eye on Mamorin and see what they could glean from him about where he came from, what his motives were, how Usagi was involved in all of this. Why did those creatures want him so badly? What were those visions about, and how could they stop whatever that was from happening?

He tied his tie, combed his hair, and tossed his comb back into his duffle bag, tucking away the last of his things from his room at Midori’s. Over time he would have become more accustomed to the large rooms and even larger floorplans, but, circumstances aside, he was looking forward to returning home to his little apartment and the comfort it gave him. He checked the time on his communicator watch and gave one last look around the tidied room before he gathered his things and left, closing the door neatly behind him.

While he had expected to drop his stuff off downstairs and head back up to make sure the kid was ready for school – Yuu had done it the morning before, moving him from preparation to preparation yesterday morning with well-practiced ease, his younger sister Kimiko to thank for that, but after… but without him, Mamoru was the only one of them that had any experience dealing with kids and he had assumed he would be in charge of getting him ready; however, he found Rin dressed and having breakfast when he swung by the dining room after putting his things by the door, Khalid sitting across from him and keeping a general eye out.

“Morning,” he addressed, grey eyes glancing up from a newspaper. The kid turned around to look at him, his expression changing from interest to flat acceptance as he turned back to his porridge. Without missing a beat, Khalid cleared his throat, eyes sliding to the redhead.

“Morning,” Rin said gloomily to his breakfast.

What had he done to – Usagi. Right. “Morning,” he replied, more than a little impressed by Khalid and his apparent control over the situation. Khalid had never told them about any younger siblings or cousins or any situation at all wherein he would’ve gotten practice with wrangling children, but then, he wasn’t one to bring stuff like that up unless there was a reason to, and there never had been up until now.

‘Morning,’ Helios’s voice echoed sleepily in his head. ‘More nightmares, but he didn’t say anything useful.’ He heard the unisus fight off a yawn, ‘I’m going to sleep during his classes; here’s hoping they stuff personal belongings in cupboards so I can stretch out.’

He hadn’t even seen Helios; he looked around casually, but a short, swift tilt of Khalid’s head pointed to Rin, and sure enough, the “stuffed toy” Helios was stretched awkwardly across his lap, just the tip of his lavender colored tail visible beneath the table. He wanted to tease him about his snoring, but with Rin there he couldn’t even acknowledge he had heard anything.

“Mamoru,” Khalid addressed, his voice commanding attention despite the casual way he was looking at the newspaper; his brow perked curiously, Mamoru made to respond but Khalid continued without needing a response. “Did you pack your things and tidy your room as I had instructed?” …What? He didn’t even know how to respond, momentarily dumbfounded by the sudden change – until the kid pushed back his chair. Rin – he had meant Rin, not him. Letting out a low breath, he stepped aside as Rin hopped off his seat and made for the door, but the kid was stopped before he could leave with another steady set of instructions by Khalid, “Leave Helios here; you can have him again when you finish.”

Rin sighed moodily but obediently plopped Helios carefully on the edge of the table before leaving the room towards the kitchen and the set of stairs they had used Sunday morning. As soon as the door swung closed, Helios visibly relaxed and Mamoru cracked a smile at his silver-haired friend, asking, “What did you do?”

Khalid set down the paper, looking a little pleased with himself as he folded it neatly, “Nothing.”

“Nothing except intimidate the living daylights out of him,” Midori supplied, throwing open the door and marching in as though he had been waiting for the kid to leave. He sat down with his food.

“I didn’t intimidate him,” Khalid refuted, “I just set a standard that he needs to adhere to and will accept nothing less from him.”

“Intimidation,” Midori repeated, pointing at Khalid with his fork as he dug in to some sort of filled breakfast pastry. Khalid rolled his eyes and Mamoru chuckled; whatever it was, it worked. “I hope he tells us where to drop him off soon,” Nero continued between bites, “We shouldn’t have to play parents.”

Mamoru left to quickly put together breakfast, his eyes on the clock, settling for something fast as he rejoined them in the adjoining dining area. “Helios,” he asked, sitting down near the stretching unisus, who looked to give him as much attention as a half-awake creature could, “I think we should get a communicator for Usagi – “

The unisus nodded his head, ‘I put one together already –‘ In a flourish of his golden horn, a sixth wristwatch communicator clunked down on the table, ‘Just in case whatever is after Rin has its eyes on the Silver Crystal.’

Mamoru thanked him, taking the communicator and slipping it into his pocket to give to her later. It looked practically identical to theirs, though it had silver flourishes rather than accent stones matching their power gems. All in all it looked really respectable, but rather masculine… which meant she wasn’t really going to like it all that much. Even if she appreciated it as it was, he was already making a list of jewelry stores to visit to see about replacing the band to make it something she’d enjoy. …maybe she’d want to go with him. Butterflies fluttered softly in his stomach at the idea, but with everything else going on that afternoon he put the notion on hold. “I’m going to talk to her later about contacting Luna; Kaito and I were thinking last night that we might see if the Lunar computers could hone in on energy signals and help warn us when something abnormal pops up.”

‘It’s a good plan,’ Helios replied thoughtfully.

“What is?” Hanada asked, entering with a bowl of something from the kitchen. He sat down and tucked in as he waited for an answer.

“Attempting to contact the Lunar computers.” Kobai explained, offering nothing else as Kaito nodded once in understanding. “Did you find anything useful on the internet?” he probed.

Kaito swallowed and shrugged, taking a sip of water irritably. “There was gossip about the attack on the school, but everyone’s wrapped up in UFO’s and the leading theory is that it was caused by a UFO,” he rolled his eyes and took another spoonful in agitation.

“UFO’s?” Midori teased, snickering, “Like little green men UFO’s? What kind of sites are you part of, Kaito?”

“Forums that are usually on top of things,” he grumbled. “You know how close they got to figuring us out before – they’re just thrown off by some fuzzy images someone took with their camera of a “landing site” just outside the city. Some are even connecting it to Venus’s attacks, saying that those might’ve been the forward attack for an invasion or something,” he huffed gloomily.

Mamoru’s brows furrowed as he listened; he remembered how Kaito had to deliberately lead discussions astray on the Tokyo Underground site he frequented, pointing them to consider alternative avenues of thought to keep them from figuring out what was really going on. That they had turned into some science fiction fanbase was… …. Well it wasn’t too farfetched considering that was the site Kaito was using to track his movements as Cardinal King when he first started and Khalid’s exploits as the “Evening Star”, and, if he were being honest with himself, before he was personally involved in all that he thought people who were paying attention to the “Evening Star” nonsense were off-center, too. Still… UFO’s…

“Think it’ll blow over soon?” Khalid asked.

“I hope so,” Kaito replied, grumbling something like ‘Ridiculous’ as he finished his breakfast.

 Things went… surprisingly smoothly, especially compared to the day before. He was even able to concentrate during his classes, secure in the notion that if anything went wrong, Helios would be there in an instant and able to warn him immediately. Midori and Hanada found him at lunch, as had been their custom in the prior weeks, and he and Kaito suffered through Nero’s loud complaints about the homework he had piled up from just missing one day of classes, glancing around nervously as he muttered afterwards about how there should be some sort of special circumstances excuse for people who were tired from saving the planet when it came to classwork.

When school ended the three of them made their way to Crown, as they had agreed earlier that morning, and waited for Khalid, Rin, and Helios to arrive and hoped to catch Usagi by chance. Nero immediately distracted himself with a fighting game as they waited, while he and Kaito chose to start on homework in the downtime; he had barely gotten his book open when he was lightly elbowed; he looked over just for Kaito to flip over a page, focused entirely on his work, and casually utter, “Your girlfriend’s here,” a bemused smile tipping up the corner of his mouth.

He looked towards the door and his heart skipped a beat – sure enough, Usako was there, taking an exaggerated breath of the arcade air as she held the door open for two of her new/old friends: Mercury and Jupiter, their civilian names escaping him for the moment. Mercury’s uniform matched Usako’s while Jupiter’s did not; he was glad they were still able to coordinate despite not being in the same school. He stood, hesitating for just long enough for the three of them to get in and get used to the lower light before he would approach, the guilt of taking up Usagi’s time when she was trying to make friends with them staying him for even a moment longer; however, Jupiter spotted him, her green eyes landing on him with a flash of recognition, and while he couldn’t hear what she said, the next moment Usako turned her bright smile to him, his heartrate rising as though to meet her as she rushed over and embraced him, calling out her nickname for him. Her arms around him, he felt stronger and weaker at once, both energized and invigorated to do what needed to be done and wanting nothing more than to stay there with her, to tell her about everything that had happened, everything that had gone on, and talk things out. … but there wasn’t time for the latter. Gently he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, smiling down at her, unable to help the small circles he traced with his thumbs.

“Usako,” he greeted warmly, pleased at the blush across her cheeks, but reality pulled too strongly to let them linger. “Could I…” he trailed off, glancing back at her waiting friends, “talk to you for a minute?”

Her brows furrowed with worry, turning her head to find Hanada and then the other direction, looking for – his heart jerked when he realized what she was looking for, that she was checking roll. Her voice wavered as she replied, “Sure! Let me just tell Ami-chan and Mako-chan – I’ll be right back.” She backed away, turned, and rejoined her friends; he took his seat by Hanada again, closing his textbook as he watched her explain something, her voice bright and excited as she dragged her friends over to a row of arcade games, sat them both down, and popped in a few yen to get the game started. Nero ambled over, made a few jokes, and then both of them made their way back.

As they settled at the little booth, Nero across from Kaito, Usagi across from him, she leaned in, and in a quiet voice of concern, asked simply, “Khalid?”

He shook his head, but before he could answer Nero replied, “He’s fine – jeez, Mamoru, what did you tell her?”

He rolled his eyes, but was grateful for the other’s tone – Usagi relaxed instantly, but bit her lip, “Did Mamorin run away again? I haven’t seen him – “

“Nothing like that,” he shook his head to reassure her, “There was an incident last night, and with any luck he won’t be attempting to run away again.”

“Last night?” she repeated.

“Long story,” Kaito replied, looking at their surroundings pointedly, “And not exactly what we wanted to talk to you about today.” She straightened curiously, waiting for him to continue. “Do you still have that belt?” Kaito continued, his tone casual but his green gaze pointed, “The one with the moonstones?”

She blinked, confused, but nodded her head, “I do – do you need it?” She looked back at him and he could practically see the questions in her eyes, questions he wanted to answer but knew Kaito was right to remind them that they were very much in public. He nodded.

“We wanted to try something,” he weakly explained.

She kept eye contact with him, her worry and concern practically drowning him with guilt. He gently took the fist she had made of her hands on the table, silently promising he’d tell her everything the moment he could, and slowly her hands unclenched to hold his. She nodded. “I’ll go get it –“

He squeezed her hands gently as she stood and she paused by the head of the table. “You don’t have to go now,” he said quietly, glancing over to the brunette who towered over the shorter girl intent on the video game in front of them. “I can get it from you later tonight – it wouldn’t work before the moon rises anyway, right?”

She smiled, following his glance. “Okay,” she stated quietly, looking back to him, “Tonight then.”

He wouldn’t miss it –

“It’s probably going to be later tonight,” Nero stated, breaking their mood entirely, “We’re fixing up his apartment and it’s an absolute mess –“

“Oh!” she nearly jumped, looking down at him guiltily, “I should help with that!”

“Don’t worry about it,” he smiled –

“Yeah, Kaito’ll cover for you,” Nero grinned, reaching over to wrap his arm around Hanada’s shoulder, “Won’t you, Kaito-kun~?”

The blond was none-too-pleased by the sudden hug.

Her brows furrowed nervously; he stood with her. “Don’t worry about it, really. And as for your questions earlier, here,” He dug into his pocket, passing over the golden crystal to retrieve the watch, which he then presented. “I know it’s not really your style – I can go with you sometime to replace the band, at least –“

“I love it,” she interrupted, smiling sincerely and offering out her wrist.

He fastened it securely, trying to ignore how soft her skin was; once it was set, she turned her arm to look at it. “When an alarm goes off, turn the hands to noon to open the channel,” he explained; she nodded, glancing up at him. “If you need to contact us, do the same – hands at noon. Once the conversation is over, click the face back down and it will automatically reset to the correct time.”

“Got it,” she replied, catching his hand as he moved to pull away.

“And don’t try using it for lovey-dovey stuff,” Nero broke in casually, causing Mamoru to roll his eyes. “There are no private channels on that thing – if one of us hears it, we all hear it.”

She laughed, “Okay! Well then, I’ll call all of you later about the belt!” Abruptly, she pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek. “See you later,” she said quietly, then pushed away, offering them a wave before turning to join her friends.

‘We’re here,’ Helios’s voice called before Mamoru could sit down again – before, even, Nero could say anything about his red cheeks. Gathering his things into his satchel, he cut him off with a nonchalant “Yeah, yeah,” and made for the door.

Khalid and Rin had just entered when he, Kaito and Nero made it to the door; he had hoped the kid wouldn’t see Usako – it’d make things easier to leave and let her have time with Jupi—Mako-chan and Ami-chan – but no such luck.

“Usagi-chan!” Rin exclaimed almost immediately, reaching out as though to go to her, but then he paused, “Who’s with her?” he asked, turning to look up at Khalid.

“Friends,” Khalid replied. “Friends that she hasn’t seen in a very long time – we’ll let her be then, shall we?”

“Okay,” Rin replied agreeably, shocking Mamoru in how easily he was turned aside. Shocking him further, Rin’s small hand grabbed his, as easily and casually as anything, though his eyes were locked on the girls with Usako. “We’re going to clean your apartment, right?” he asked absently.

“That’s right,” Mamoru replied, glancing at Khalid, but his attention was still on the kid, grey eyes narrowing as he followed Rin’s gaze. Nero looked perplexed, which satisfied Mamoru’s own feelings. What had gotten into Rin?

“We should go then,” the kid declared, pulling him back outside, only breaking eye-contact with the girls once they were completely out of the arcade. “How dirty is it, anyway?” he asked, his face screwed up curiously.

 …

“This is a disaster zone,” Rin declared matter-of-factly when they arrived, crossing his arms in the threshold. “What happened?”

“Gorilla,” Kaito said evenly, stepping through with his shoes on and passing immediately to the living room to stand staring at the space with his hands on his hips.

“Sewer monsters, I heard,” Nero corrected, stepping around the kid to plant himself in the kitchen, looking over the debris on the counters and the floor thoughtfully.

“C’mon, what was it?” Rin asked, staring up at Mamoru with his arms crossed.

Mamoru shrugged, “I don’t know, I wasn’t here when it happened.”

“Ghosts, then,” Khalid replied, pushing past both of them to stand where the table used to be. “What’s the plan?” he asked of Nero, who turned to look over the rooms.

“I’ve got people coming to take out anything broken, so I guess we just… pile everything broken on the floor in here. Replacement furniture will be arriving later.”

“Let’s hope the removal happens before the delivery, then,” Kaito remarked, his hands still on his hips.

Mamoru hoisted Rin up and carried him across the kitchen floor and over the upended table so the kid wouldn’t come into contact with any broken, sharp edges, and placed him beside Kaito. “You’re in charge of the objects to keep, okay? Arrange them nicely on this side of the room,” he motioned to the primarily untouched half by the window and his desk; that should keep him out of trouble. “We’ll hand stuff to Kaito, Kaito will hand stuff to you. Okay?”

Rin nodded, then moved closer to the window. “Okay.” Mamoru turned to get to work with the mess in the kitchen, but didn’t get far – “Is that blood on the couch?”

He glanced over just in time for Kaito to toss the cushion into the pile of broken things in the kitchen. “Might’ve been,” the blond replied, “Best to toss it, just to be safe. Looks like it’s time for a new couch.”

They got down to work; sorting things didn’t take too long. Beyond two mugs found miraculously intact beneath the upended table, most of what was on the floor and countertops was to be trashed; nothing that the fight touched seemed to have survived. He didn’t mind too much – it was just stuff – but it was weird to see it all go, having had most of those objects since he moved in years ago. As they were working, he heard Rin and Kaito giving each other instructions over tidying the living room. A few hours passed, Nero’s people coming in to clear out a few loads of broken objects as they continued checking on objects within his cabinets. He heard the TV click on not long after the third load was taken out and glanced over to see Kaito and the kid sitting on the couch together.

“Bored, are they?” Nero commented quietly, picking up a chunk of wood and miming throwing it at Kaito’s head – Mamoru held up a hand to stop him, playing along –

“This is where you ran into Mamoru, wasn’t it?” Kaito asked conversationally, the kid glanced away from the screen and over to him, and Mamoru and Nero immediately got back to work, though more quietly than before. “Do you parents live around here?”

“No,” Rin replied, returning his attention to the television screen.

“What were you doing here, then? Were you meeting up with them?”

“This is Ace Reporter Minami Koi, first on the scene at the attack on the school yesterday and the first at the attack on the ice-cream shop today –“

Everyone stopped working. Ice cream shop? Khalid immediately put down the cup he was holding and stepped over the broken chairs to see what was on screen; Mamoru and Nero followed. The news anchor continued, her perch comfortable in a chair across from a high-school aged young man with short-cut brown hair, who looked into the camera confidently when he wasn’t giving the hostess his attention.

“Minami-san, how did you come by both incidents so quickly?”

“A good reporter never reveals his sources,” Minami quipped with a smile; the hostess smiled and waved her hand as though to wave him off. “Honestly, though, as with any breaking story, you just have to keep an eye and an ear out for action. I just got to the right place at the right time when action hit.”

“That’s incredible! Especially for someone your age. Is there any reporter you look up to?”

“There used to be,” Minami replied, looking thoughtful and a bit forlorn. “I used to admire him – he was always first with the scoop, and his analysis of breaking news stories was always top-notch; I wanted to improve so I could get on his level, compete with him professionally; he used to admit to wanting to run a newspaper,” he laughed sadly, “I wanted to help him with that dream, but I never seemed to have caught his attention. And now… even with so many odd things happening in Tokyo, he is silent. I wonder what happened to him…”

“Well, Minami-san, you are in luck! Surely if someone so into the news is still in Tokyo, they would be watching this program – we have the latest, from the source to your screens, after all! Maybe if you call out to him, he will supply you with an answer!”

“That is a great idea,” Minami replied, smiling gratefully. Mamoru wanted the segment to finish already – what attack on an ice cream shop? “I’ll do just that. So I’m calling out to you, Hanada Kaito.” Kaito? “You, who inspired me so much, and have so let me down recently. You had such a promising future, and now, when the news is more important than ever, our streets are more dangerous than ever, you are nowhere to be seen. I want to get to the bottom of this story – if you are worth anything in the news business, you will meet me tonight for an interview at Chess Tower. If you do not show, I, and all of Tokyo, will be assured of your retirement from this fast-paced industry, and will no longer give you or your stories any credence. That’s seven o’clock, Chess Tower. Be there or be forever forgotten, Hanada Kaito.” And with that, Minami checked his watch, stood, and shook the anchor’s hand. With a smile and final wave to the camera, he left the stage, the anchor looking behind him questioningly.

“We’ll get back with Chieko-san just after these messages!” an announcer proclaimed.

“Idiot,” Kaito groaned halfway under his breath.

“That’s you, right?” Rin asked, muting the television.

“Yeah, that’s me,” the blond replied, checking his watch. “Of course he gives me half an hour to get there. Moron.” He stood and retied his hair, glancing around for a mirror to straighten his uniform. “No time to change or anything.”

“You’re going, then?” Khalid confirmed.

“Don’t really have a choice,” Kaito replied, “Not if I want to hold onto my reputation.” He finished looking himself over in the mirror, frowning slightly, and made for the kitchen. “I take four days off and they’re already calling me a has-been. I’ll show him. I’ll check in after I deal with this bottom-feeder.” He stopped by the door and waved.

“Going alone?” Khalid questioned, his tone a little heavier.

“Nothing to worry about. Except my sanity,” he opened the door but paused, glancing back, “Why don’t you guys go pick out Mamoru’s new furniture? Maybe pick up ice-cream on the way back?”

He meant for them to investigate the attack then. “Sounds like a plan to me,” Nero replied, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles.

“Great. Get some mint chocolate chip for me. Later.” He closed the door.

Turns out he didn’t have much for dinner for four, so they left soon after to find some food, the kid in tow, and then to make the rounds in furniture stores, hoping to hear more about which ice-cream place had been attacked so they could accidentally pick that one out, do some quick investigating, and then find an in-business store and get back to the apartment. The kid would never know what they were actually doing.

The plan went off pretty well; Nero talked them into getting something from his favorite hot dispensers, so they ate while walking towards the first furniture store. The third store they tried had the news on in the background; after ten minutes of wandering and “trying out couches”, they heard the name of the ice cream parlor that had been attacked; Mamoru “liked” the next couch they sat on and they immediately ordered it and got out, heading for a store called “Bob-Floy”. They had to catch a bus to get there, but Nero sold going there convincingly enough for Rin, despite saying he forgot what its name was.

The place was a disaster – there was practically nothing left, a though a natural disaster had hit in just this one spot. There was something weird in the air around it, too – like something was… missing, or something was present that shouldn’t be there. They wanted to investigate more; distracting Rin, Khalid was about to step over the police tape to take a look through the rubble when their watches went off.

7:15. Mamoru stepped away from Rin, motioning for him to stay put, halfway wondering how they were going to explain this away, and set the dial to noon, expecting to see Usako; it was getting late enough.

Instead, North King’s right eye and mask took up most of the central view screen, the camera angled to see behind the pillar he had his back pressed against. Minami Koi was there, but he was different – his hair was spiked, tipped with white, his eyes glowing bright blue as he looked around the black and white room carefully, a table flipped over before him, two plush red chairs askew. “Trouble at Chess Tower,” North whispered.

Minami looked exactly at them, and the image went dark.

Kaito.