Fandom Crystal Tokyo

[Pretzel Heart]

♆ Shizumu Kaiou-Tenou & Etsuko Kaiou-Tenou ⛢​

The palace halls were long and empty, though despite fifty years of disuse they wore their age well. Almost too well. A few knocked over urns and fallen paintings were the only evidence of the struggle that had taken place. Even dust seemed afraid to settle. As if everyone who had one lived there had just... disappeared. But Shizumu didn't have time to ponder as it didn't take long for the sound of running footsteps to create an arc of silver patter behind him. Who would it be? He briefly wondered before turning to find out.

Etsu. He should have known, it always was. Though he didn't know whether he felt more thankful relief that she had followed him, or more frustration that she hadn't stayed away. He was about to lead off with the typical coy remark when he noticed the twin objects clutched in her hands.

"Are you here to join me? Or to bring me back?"

"I... I don't know." They admitted, eyes following his down to the pens. "I just.. You left." Her voices sounded small, even to her. She hadn't thought, but he had left, and she had followed. It had always been that way, one way or another.

She looked around. It was all so familiar, yet to strange. To stand in the ruins of a place you had seen just a few hours ago. To know everything you had known was gone. "I just know... I can't lose you too." She clutched the Uranus Pen in her hand, beyond where a normal pen would have broken. "I don't... I don't want this. I don't want any of it, but I know whatever the hell we have to do, I can't do it without you." Through it all, she'd needed him, as much as he needed her. He was the one who kept her going through the day, and if she lost him so soon after Mom and Mother... It was unthinkable.

At first Shizu just sighed in response, joining his twin in looking about them in the type of awkward silence that had rarely, if ever, fallen between them. God damnit. He had already let her take everything from him. Was he going to let her take this away, too? 'No matter what happens, Etsu is my precious twin.' Isn't that the promise he had made to himself when he left? The last bit of his soul that he had clung onto? Reject them now and all the rumors would come true.

This is stupid.
It's not like you to panic.

But even as he thought that he wondered if it was true.

"Look, Etsu, you're never going to lose me. Even after you finally get sick of me and wish you could." His words came in their usual steady stream, flowing out like a river without a care in the world. Even if its path was carved by faulty confidence. Just which of them was he trying to convince?

"But there’s one thing I refuse to do. And that’s… become like mother. This shouldn't be news. Even if it all goes apeshit and I'm humanity's last hope, I'd rather die with the world."

Even as he said these dark words he reached for their hand. The one holding Sailor Uranus's pen. He wanted to entwine his fingers in hers, but the damn thing was blocking him. So instead he just overlapped her fist, feeling the tension there.

"Just because things change, it doesn't mean they have to end."

The words were what they were, a way to convey thoughts, but his hand, touching her hand as she clutched the pen, that was emotion. A real connection between them that wouldn't be severed. That they wouldn't let be severed.

"Shizu, I don't-" She stopped. What could she say to comfort him? "Are things.. changing?" they almost asked, but they knew the answer wasn't one they wanted to hear. So they backtracked.

"I don't want you to be like mother. I'd never ask that of you. Ever. I love you because you're you, and you never compromise on that. I'm for sure not asking that now. I just don't want you to make Mamo cry with all the mean things you were saying. You know I've got a soft spot for him and his doe eyes." She laughed, a forced bit of humor that echoed off the cold walls. "But we can't rot away in here. You hate the palace, and it's not exactly as pretty as it used to be."

"I'm not going to make you do anything. If you don't wanna do this.. senshi thing" She made a face, clear the idea wasn't exactly appealing to her either. "I'll make sure you don't- even if I have to fight Setsuna myself." It wasn't exactly appealing, the idea of telling the last Queen of their Kingdom to buzz off, but the idea of forcing Shizu to do something that would destroy him was even worse, and she wouldn't let anyone get away with that. "I'll just have to punch your bad guys and mine."

"I know you wouldn't. But they will."

His stance was clear, it was an 'us' versus 'them' mentality. A gauntlet thrown that would eventually have to be answered- perhaps not that day, perhaps not till many days after, but eventually it would become inescapable. And it was Etsu's alone to bear.

But they were with him now. For Shizu that was enough. At her last words Shizumu finally felt secure that they were still on the same side. He smiled more genuinely than he had all day, releasing their hand.

"What, you got a thing for Moon? Didn't know Sentient Puddle was your type." He punctuated this jab with a light hum-like laugh as he playfully spun around and continued to walk down the hall, knowing full well he shouldn't really be one to talk in that regard. If he had a type it would probably include words like 'hot' and 'taken,' which would inevitably get anyone into trouble when strung together.

She'll fight both our bad guys, yea right. As if she wasn't doing that already.

Though Shizumu's greatest foe wasn't exactly one they could punch.

"No shit, I don't wanna stay in this creepy ass tomb a second longer. Duh, that's why I left. Damn kids were taking too long, asking all those dumb questions as if someone who's been stuck to a door would know anything about the outside."

Having always been more of a hands-on type of learner, Shizumu had grown impatient with being lectured and was itching to get out into this strange new world. They had already lost so much time... but his life would go on, and he was planning to make the most of it. First on his hit list was the Entertainment District. Fifty years was an eternity in the fast-paced world he lived, but surely there still had to be some remnant of the night life he had known. Shizumu had stayed just long enough to catch Pluto saying something about how they needed to go to the Catacombs near his mother's old concert hall. No thanks, had been his immediate response. Though if that's where Etsu wanted to be, he would see her there before slipping off on his own.

"So, any chance that while mooning after your 'doe eyes' you took a minute to memorize his house? Because I have no idea how to get out."

She followed his quip with a light laugh. Things were alright. For now, at least, and she'd stopped trying to plan for the future with Shizu a few years ago. She tucked the pens away in the pocket of her jacket and took off after him.

"Hahahahahah, mooning that's hilarious. Listen, he's just got really cute cheeks. Don't tell me you haven't thought about pinching them once or twice!"They gave a mock defense, holding their now free hands up. "And yeah, I know my way out, but something tells me that those doors haven't been opened in the last 50 years. The air's so stale I'm surprised Hisako hasn't had some kind of attack." Hisako... what was she thinking right now, after the two of them had run off? She seemed to want revenge, but that had seemed so unlike her. A moment of guilt passed Etsu- they would follow Shizu anywhere, but was that going to mean leaving everyone else behind? They shook the thought away. They'd already made up their mind. Shizu came first, always.

Collab made with the ever lovely and talented The Succubi Queen ;>​

 

[EndymionRose]

Masami

Hearing her best friend’s calls, Masami stopped and turned to face her. As Ryoko spoke she turned and looked down the hall where the twins had gone. “I guess you have a point.” She replied. And as she was alone with the person she trusted most, she let her defensive wall bend slightly, and fell against the closest wall. “But doesn’t he see we’re all hurting? I ... I don’t know what I’m doing Ryoko.” Tears welled up in her eyes for the first time since she woke up, the tears couldn’t stop from flowing. “The last conversation I had with her was a fight over some stupid concert. Why? Why did I have to be so reckless? Why did I have to be such a bad daughter?!” She couldn’t stop herself. Ryoko was the only one Masami had ever revealed her true self to and now, in this hall full of echoes and memories, with just the two of them, there was no possible way that the younger girl could hide the turmoil of guilt and sadness that had raged within her since being awoken from her crystal coffin.


Rakushun

Rakushun stood listening to Prince Mamoru’s rambling of questions. It was a familiar sound, that brought back memories of him gardening while the older royal regaled him with stories of his mother’s youth, the Silver Millennium, and even facts about the flowers that Raku had been working on that day. It was a short lived comfort. Knowing that the subject of today’s breathless chatter was about gathering supplies. Choosing to not wait for Sailor Pluto’s response Rakushun forced himself to look up and respond. “I can help carry some things.” He offered before turning to Akemi and Hisako. “What do you think Akemi? Supplies and then r-revenge?” The word was awkward on his lips. Especially with the small hope that he had some family left. And the fact that his closest friend was the one speaking of revenge worried him. He thought back to one of Mamoru’s stories, the one about the time when Hisako’s mother had become possessed by an evil entity and had tread down the path of darkness only to be saved by Mamoru’s mother in the form of Super Sailor Moon. Could Hisako be traveling down the same path? And with Akemi supporting this thought, could she be going as well? From Mamoru’s stories, Raku knew that the Senshi were not goddesses of pure goodness, but the defining trait of every senshi was the ability to chose light over darkness. Rakushun was torn, he wanted to be there for his best friend, and his prince, but he didn’t think that he was worthy of taking his mother’s mantle. Really all he wanted to do was go home and curl up in his bed and let the power of Jupiter pass to someone better suited to helping the others. He barely knew the other royals besides his two friends, Hisako and Mamoru, the best he had ever hoped for was to be able to support from behind the scenes and now he was being asked to step into the spotlight. How in the world was he going to handle this?

 

[Olissa]

Hisako

If Hisako had realized how others had interpreted her words, she would have objected. Vengeance wasn't all she was after, if anything she was merely quoting a movie that Etsuko had once shown her. About superheroes trying to defend the world from an alien invasion. It had made enough sense in her head. No one seemed to respond to the quote though, so Hisako had mentally shrugged at the matter. Whether or not others got her little attempt to lighten the mood wasn't pressing enough compared to what they were facing.

Her attention was pulled to Rakushun who spiraled down in his cry that this was not what he wanted. She felt for him. This place, this life, it wasn't where he had felt at ease. Yes, there was a lot of potential in that kind heart of his, but how would that help him if he didn't see all the good it could do? Mamoru had gone over to his side to console him. She smiled. There was something very heartwarming about how the Prince came to Rakushun for an embrace.

More questions had been asked, most notably on how to leave this place. She frowned at the Last Queen's words. Apparently this wasn't going to be as quick and easy, seeing as to how Shizumu had walked away, Etsuko swiftly following suit before it had been explained that they needed to come together and teleport out.

Although Shizumu didn't really seem to care for Hisako, she figured Etsuko would listen to her if she ran after them to tell them the curious turn of events. And she would have, if Masami and soon after Ryoko as well hadn't already rushed out of the room.
The littlest one couldn't help but be a bit weary of the outcome. Not all of those four seemed to get along very well. She shook her head and turned her attention back to the people here in this room.

Briefly she locked eyes with Setsuna, giving the grownup an unconfident smile. Things weren't going over as smoothly as planned, though in a way that was to be expected. This bunch never really conformed to the confinement's of standard procedures and expectations.

Hisako turned her attention to Mamoru when he rattled off question after question. In a sense it made sense to bring what they could to the outside world. Anything that could help themselves and the resistance to survive.
Hisako shot another glance at Setsuna who seemed to be at a point to object.

"I think," she quickly cut in, following Rakushun's words, "we can go and get a bag or two with stuff. It beats the alternative of waiting here, twiddling our thumbs till the others return, right?"
To that Sailor Pluto nodded.
"If we split up into pairs we can get more ground covered."
She turned her attention to Akemi with a lighthearted smile. "If you don't mind teaming up with me?"

Seeing as, out of the four here, Akemi wasn't as close to the guys as she was to Hisako, the frail girl figured this might be the most beneficial pairings to split up in.

 

[Olissa]

Ryoko

A bit twisted mixture of emotions welled up when Masami questioned if he couldn't see everyone was in pain. She'd love to say she knew he was aware and he just acted out in pain and it was all easily fixed, but it wasn't. He had made it so blatantly clear he didn't care about any opinion other than 1 or maybe 2. Etsuko being the first and foremost. Okay fine, yes that annoyed her a little more than it should and it was derailing her train of thought. Was Etsu really able to bring him back to the group, ready to cooperate? She had to keep her head high and keep hoping, even if she wasn't the eternal optimist. Unlike others like Hisako, like Masami.

Though the Masami here before her seemed like a far cry from that little bundle of joy she had been the day before. The day before fifty years ago. Ryoko listened and let Masami say her words. Once her last words were spoken Ryoko remained quiet for a long time. The only thing she did was move closer to her pseudo little sis and pulled her closer to a hug.

For the longest time only her sobs could be heard in the cold empty halls of the palace.

"I'm sure she forgave you." Ryoko eventyally said. Before Masami could interject she broke the embrace just enough to be able to look Masami in the eye. "You had a fight, but you know deep down she has always loved you. And if she was still angry with you, would she have willingly given herself up for you?" She pulled out her own mother's pen. Her pen she had to remind herself. "We can't change the past. But we can honor their last wish."
Heroically said, but did she even believe it herself?

 

[EndymionRose]

Rakushun

At the mention of being alone with Prince Mamoru, Raku was both comforted and worried. After all he had just had the most epic meltdown of his life in front of everyone. While he had been alone in the great garden with Mamoru it was never after he had just had such a breakdown. He was worried that the prince would think less of him for it. Yet, there was also comfort. If Mamoru’s opinion of him didn’t change then Raku knew how things would go. They would head into the rooms and the prince would tell Raku what to collect, And while they worked Mamoru would rambling on about things, either history or his current problems and Raku would listen as he always did interjecting when asked. It was a safe sureness that Raku found he was looking forward to after everything Sailor Pluto had told him. He didn’t realize but a blush creeped up into his cheeks as he was lost in thought and memories of his days in the garden.

Masami

Masami readily returned Ryoko’s embrace sobbing into her older “sister’s” shoulder. When Ryoko pulled away and assured her of her mother’s love for her, Masami managed a small smile. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “Thank you Ryoko. You always seem to have the answers I need to hear.” She quickly hugged the older royal again. Then she looked up and down the hallway. “So should we go back and check on the others?”

 

[The Succubi Queen]

AkemiAkemi hadn't really been paying attention to the chatter around her. She saw Ryoko and Masami take off, and knew at the that point it was pointless to follow Shizu and Etsu. If anyone could drag both of them back, it was Ryoko (even if Etsu only followed to stay with Shizu.)

She jumped back to reality when Rakushun said her name- supplies? Did they even know what they could carry with them? They had no idea where they were going, what useful supplies could exist in the inside of a rotting museum to a dead legacy? She didn't say anything to him though, not before Hisako spoke, suggesting she and Akemi go together.

She pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. Well, there was no sense in any of sharing her doom and gloom now. She'd just end up like the twins, trapped and wandering a palace cut off from the outside world. The two of them would have to come back eventually. No, no, it was better to get a read on the situation in the real world, and figure out how how to break from the group once they all actually knew what was going on.

She took the goggles and set them on her forehead. It was the best place for them right now, since she hadn't exactly brought a purse with her into her 50 year crystal coma. "Yeah, let's grab some stuff- who knows, maybe there's something usable in this place. Raku, you go with The Prince." It was just easier that way. She wouldn't have to pretend to be nice to Mamo, and she wouldn't have to deal with any awkward silences with Hisako.

"So, what are we even looking for?" She asked Hisako, vaguely gesturing down one of the hallways that the twins, Ryoko, and Masami hadn't gone down. "Like, weapons and stuff we can sell for cash, or like.. food? Did we even have any non-perishables in the Royal Palace of Neo-Queen Serenity?" She said the name of the palace in a mockingly grandiose voice.

She shot her friend a grin, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Then again, that's what they were all doing right? No time to be sad, the world needs saving! How often had their parents done this, back in the day?