Usako and the kid were alright.
Mamoru was relieved, but the feeling was muted in the wake of what had happened. West slowed, his conversation with North continuing quietly; his mind unfocused and detached, Mamoru didn't follow the discussion, his head still wrapped in what had happened back at the school – in what had happened to Yuu. How he had been caught perfectly, surrounded and engulfed entirely in flames. How nothing had been left behind. That meant something, right? They hadn't seen his body – they hadn't seen evidence of his body – that meant his body was not there anymore. That's even what the enemy had said, right? That he wasn't there anymore; that could mean death, but it didn't have to. Moegi could still be alive somewhere. They could find him – they would find him – and rescue him.
West continued forward and Mamoru blindly followed.
That person had said something of serving; if they could find where the black-haired person was, they could find Yuu – supposedly he was taken to serve, as he wouldn't join… Mamoru's brows furrowed, recalling what the opponent had said, his thumb worrying his other fingers as the other's speech rolled around in his head, the urging to renounce ties to him in order to live the life Yuu was meant to live… the guilt he felt over that phrase pulled at him, weighing him down. Was their connection to him holding them back? Wasn't that something he himself had been afraid of, before he learned of whom he really was – that he and his life would be tied to the Prince of Earth and he would lose the dreams he had in order to honor responsibilities of a life long-since past? Nothing had changed – nothing but his own personal role. That they were friends and had been through so much together and shared the same path now did not negate the question of what would happen in the future. Were he in their shoes, he… he wouldn't know what to think about his own future at this point. As of now he didn't know what he wanted to happen – it had only been three days since they finally escaped from their past; they had barely had time to rest, let alone contemplate the future, and here they were thrown into another life-or-death scenario without any knowledge of what was going on except, apparently, that it was still very much tied to him and Yuu's connection to him. Yuu had refused the offer to join the other so vehemently, but what if he hadn't? Would they have taken him anyway?
West jumped down into an alley and detransformed; both he and East followed suit, the three of them emerging in civilian attire onto a street, and followed Kobai as he walked at a brisk pace.
If they had arrived sooner, it wouldn't've happened – he was sure of that. They would've been able to stop it – working together, they would not have been so easily overpowered as one of them alone. Ten seconds sooner, and Moegi would still be here… and it was his fault they were late. If he hadn't insisted someone stay with Usako and the kid, North might've been able to get there in time. If he hadn't sent Midori to Usako's house, East would've been there. If the kid had been where he was supposed to be, none of that would have happened.
He couldn't blame the kid.
… He shouldn't blame the kid.
The kid had no part in this – the enemy that fought Yuu was nothing like the beast-woman that had chased him. Strange things were happening in Tokyo, and while the kid may know something about one such occurrence, that did not mean he knew anything about the other. … but if he had been where he was supposed to be, Yuu would still be with them.
Kobai stopped, Mamoru and Midori with him, and turned his grey-eyed gaze at them. "Hanada's going back to the high school to see what he can dig up with the reporters there; I'm going with him as backup. Wake up, get the kid, and head back to Midori's place; it should be safe there. Helios should be back soon and we can see what he knows about this. Chiba is right – this is not the end of it."
Hanada walked past them then, his green-eyed gaze hanging on Mamoru's for a second before Kobai peeled off to join him and the blond turned his attention to the other, speaking quietly. Mamoru glanced over to Midori, but the brunet avoided his gaze; "I'll call for a ride," he said quietly, and Mamoru watched as he walked away, unsure of what to say, if anything. He wanted to call him back, to talk to him privately, to reassure Midori again, and by extension himself, that they'd get Yuu back, but hesitation stayed his voice and turned his attention back to Kobai's instructions. Midori might not want any assurances out of him, he reasoned as he walked; it was his fault that Midori had been so far away – this was all on him, and no apology or reassurance would make that better.
"Mamochan!"
He looked up, but neither the sound of her voice nor her presence fully alleviated the weight on him. He offered her a weak smile in greeting, but her expression turned to concern despite his attempt. She dug her heels into the dirt, stopping her swing, and stood; as the kid tried to copy her she held up a hand and said something quietly to him and he stayed in his swing as she approached, taking Mamoru's hands in hers gently. "What happened? Kaito said you were on your way, but – what's wrong?"
He held her hands lightly, looking down at them rather than looking her in the eye. "Yuu is gone," he replied quietly, not wanting the kid to overhear them.
She tensed. "Gone?" she repeated as a question; despite her body language betraying her original interpretation, he appreciated that she wouldn't so easily accept the worst conclusion.
"He disappeared after being hit by an attack; there was nothing –" he bit off the end of that thought, not wanting to suggest that there had been nothing left of him behind, the notion making him feel sick and worse, and he didn't want any of that for her. There was hope, and he'd present that side of it to her. He reworded, "he wasn't there; I think he was captured, but we don't have anything to go off of."
She hugged him, her embrace warm and comforting in a way he didn't quite feel he deserved given the circumstances of Yuu's disappearance, and tried to reassure him. "You'll find him; you found me, didn't you?"
He returned her embrace but the gesture felt empty on his end; her example had fallen flat. Slowly he disengaged, his hands on her shoulders, still unable to directly look at her as he replied, "We knew where you were and what we were up against – at least we had an idea, anyway," he amended. "We don't even know who or what he was fighting – when West attacked him the enemy disappeared along with Yuu to who-knows-where. We have no leads, and if Helios doesn't know anything I – " he couldn't say it.
Usako just smiled, placing one hand over his, "You'll find another way to get him back. I believe in you." He nodded, and she sighed lightly, glancing back. He followed her gaze to the young redheaded boy who sat dejectedly on the swing, one sneaker digging into the dirt, his small hands holding onto one chain of his swing. "Was the creature that attacked Yuu the same as the one that attacked Rin?"
Rin? From 'Mamoru-only' to a nickname to a nickname for that nickname – the kid definitely responded better to her than to any of the rest of them. He continued to look at the boy as he shook his head to her query, "Not as far as I could tell, but the creature after him looked human to start with, and that's how Yuu's attacker appeared – simply human; I didn't get a really good look at him to see if anything was off about him. I wish I had – I can only hope that Kobai or Midori saw something I missed."
"Where is Midori?" she asked, looking back the way he had come, and Mamoru turned; he had expected to see him sooner, but there was no sign of him. His stomach lurched uncomfortably, but then he spotted Midori's wavy brown hair across and up the street; he nodded that way.
"He's getting the car; we're heading back to the mansion. Helios went to Elysion to check up on things; we're hoping he knows something that can help us." She nodded; behind her, the kid's foot slipped and he spun a little, his hands grabbing tighter to the chain as he resituated himself. "Did you get anything out of him?" he asked, glancing down at her.
Her lips pursed and her brows tightened. "He's scared," she said uncomfortably, glancing periodically back at him, obviously worried. "He wouldn't tell me why specifically – he's hiding something, and he won't answer questions directly, but he definitely doesn't want to go home. He hasn't told me about being attacked the other day, or how he met you or the others – he avoids the topic completely, but still he insists we're related but he won't tell me how." She looked back up at him, and this time he didn't avoid her. He squeezed her shoulders gently in support – he didn't like that the kid was hiding things, either, especially when he was in this kind of trouble. "He wants to go home with me, Mamochan," she finished.
"He can't – "
"I know," she replied quickly, offering a short smile and attempted a laugh, "What would my parents say?"
"And what if something happened?" he continued, knowing she had already thought this through but needing it to be voiced. Even just the thought of her alone against the creature from the other day made him anxious, and while she was willing to laugh off the potential hazards and chalk things up to parental consent, he couldn't leave it at that. "You can't transform – Usako, if anything happened to you…"
"I know," she repeated, quietly interrupting. "I feel the same way about you." She sighed, crossing her arms; he took his hands off of her, putting them instead in his pockets as she glanced back at the kid. "I don't like being so powerless," she commented, "I have the Silver Crystal, but I don't know how to use it, or even if I should try." She looked guilty – he opened his mouth to say something – they had spoken on the plane about how to handle the Crystal and the Senshi, and the consensus they reached was that, for now, it was better not to mess with anything. Usako wanted to keep the senshi out of things, and the Silver Crystal was a wild card they didn't know how to handle or control and that wasn't her fault or something she could so easily change; she seemed more than willing to hold on to the Crystal and keep it secret and safe then, the pair of them having witnessed the extent of its power not yet at full strength, but now that something dangerous was happening again, he understood her willingness to try it out but hoped she would not follow through with the notion, especially not alone, but she interrupted him. "The car is here," she said; he turned to see the sleek black limousine pull to a stop by the curb. She left him, heading back towards the swing set and the kid.
He didn't like to see her go. None of this should be happening. After everything they just went through, after the battle that finally put their past behind them, they deserved peace. She deserved to be happy, not to be faced with – with all of this. Yuu deserved more than what had happened. None of this was fair to any of them, but he couldn't help but feel responsible for today. He'd make it better – he wouldn't stop until Yuu was back with them, but, in the meantime… how could he face any of them openly? Hanada, Kobai, Midori…
Midori was leaning over, talking to the driver; Mamoru felt terrible, but he didn't have much time to consider what he would say as Usako was back, offering him a smile and his book bag, which he accepted gratefully, having forgotten he had left it there when they took off for… Yuu's school. They approached the car and Midori beat them to the door, opening it for them. "Usagi-chan, want a ride home?" he asked, his voice cheerful, but hollow. He wouldn't look at any of them. Mamoru appreciated that he was trying to be friendly for Usagi's sake.
"Sure!" she replied, her cheerfulness not forced, and slid in first. 'Mamorin' slid in quickly after her, and then, as Mamoru looked to say something to him, Midori went in, sliding in to be as far away as possible. Mamoru ducked in after him and closed the door, the stone in his gut getting heavier. There was no making up with Midori, but they had to work past this or they could make things worse by not being able to work in sync when it counted, but now was not the time to attempt to work it through and air everything out. Maybe later – maybe Hanada would find something that they had missed, maybe Helios knew something about this new enemy, something he had heard sometime before, something from their past that he knew how to handle. Maybe –
Usako gasped and he nearly jumped out of his skin, turning sharply to see her put her head in her hands, and his pulse skyrocketed. One hand shot out across Rin to touch her gently, his power ready to bear as he looked out the windows to catch whatever had happened – Midori was at the edge of his seat, whipping around to look through the front windows – only for Usako to groan, "Mama's going to kill me."
Mama? Confused, Mamoru looked to Midori, who looked back at him for the first time since the incident, and then to her.
"You might as well drop me off here," Usako continued dismally.
"You okay, Usagi-chan?" Midori asked carefully.
"I left my books at the arcade," she groaned, "If I get home without them she's just going to lock me out again."
Sighing in relief, Mamoru relaxed completely and reached for his bag. "I picked them up," he replied, popping open the clasps to show her the bindings.
"Mamochan!" she exclaimed, completely reanimated, "You're the best!" She held her arms open for him and he handed over the books dutifully; she placed them in the seat beside her, making a small stack of them; Mamoru glanced back to see Midori sinking back in his seat, rolling his eyes. He offered the other a knowing smile, which Midori returned, and then looked away again, as though remembering what had happened before. Mamoru closed his bag again, leaning back in his own seat and looking off.
"I'm missing so much work," Usako continued, whining in a way that tight-roped the cute/annoying line. He shook his head, smiling softly. "It's going to take forever to catch up on studying - !" she gasped sharply again, sending Mamoru's pulse racing again, but he knew better than to react quickly again. "I know!" she happily cheered, "I'll ask Ami-chan!"
"One of your new friends?" Mamoru asked, looking over at her.
"Yes! She's a certified Genius and is in my year at my school! She's even farther behind than me because she's been out for so long; we could study together!"
"You know that still means you'll still have to study, right?" Midori quipped teasingly, still looking out the window.
She groaned, "Yes, but it's bound to be better than trying to understand all this by myself." She looked over at the pile of books in the seat with no small amount of disgust.
"I think it sounds like a great plan," Mamoru commented, "Is she ou-" he quickly changed course, not wanting to mention anything to Rin, "-available this week?"
"I think after tomorrow would be better for her schedule," she replied thoughtfully. "I'll call then – maybe everyone would want to study together, that'd make it a lot more fun!"
He smiled encouragingly, happy for her. Not long after, the car slowed to a stop in her neighbourhood and Usako gathered her things, he wondered if she knew how effective she had been in distracting them from what was going on; while he appreciated it, thinking back he felt almost guilty for temporarily putting aside his worry for Yuu. She waved off his attempts to take the books as she gathered them into her lap and hoisted them into her arms. The door opened for her and she turned, "Thank you for the ride, Nero-kun!"
"Anytime, Usagi-chan," Midori replied, returning her wave without really looking up.
"I'll see you later, Mamochan!" she said, sliding out of the car and turning to look back in, giving him a smile before turning her attention to the kid, her smile even wider. "Bye Rin! Be good, okay?"
Rin had scooted closer to the open door; Mamoru couldn't see his face, but he heard clearly the hurt in his voice when he replied, "But I thought I was going to stay with you?"
Usagi's smile drooped, her brows creasing in sympathy. "You can't, remember?" she placated softly; he could tell it wasn't easy for her to turn the kid down; not wanting it to be all on her, Mamoru thought of things to use to distract him, but she was already ahead of him. "And besides," she went on with bravado, "Nero's place is so much cooler than mine – he's got that huge theater with fresh popcorn and everything!"
"Yeah," Mamoru agreed, "We could watch another movie—"
"I don't care!" Rin interrupted heatedly, completely ignoring him as he moved closer to the open door. "I don't care about movie theaters or mansions – I want to stay with you!"
"Rin – " she started sympathetically, her blue eyes darting to look back at him for support. Mamoru set his teeth and moved to grab the back of Rin's shirt to restrain him, her look for help dissolving any resolve to attempt to solve this peacefully, but the kid seemed to sense him and lurched forward, just out of his grasp -
"I want to stay with YOU!" Rin cried again, practically shouting as he closed the distance, his arms outstretched; Usako had stepped back out of the doorway, and rather than get hold of her, Rin was met with a barrier in Midori's leg as the brunet slammed his foot against the back of the seat Usagi had vacated, effectively cutting off Rin's escape route. As if on cue, the driver – Mitsuri – shut the door, and Mamoru caught the collar of Rin's uniform on his second attempt. "NO! I want to stay with her!" Rin cried as he struggled against him, banging on the window and trying for the door handle until Mamoru adjusted his hold and pulled him away as the door clicked to lock and the car moved away from the curb. The kid choked back a sob, his face turned away from Mamoru to look out the back window, kneeling to see over the seat.
Mamoru's frustration remained, but guilt ate at him when he saw the flush of the kid's face and the fat tear on his cheek. He, too, looked back, feeling even worse to see Usako standing on her curb all alone, watching them go. Bad piling on worse. He took in a deep, silent breath, and faced forward as they turned out of sight, in time to see Midori slide backwards on the leather bench, putting his foot back on the ground as he settled in the backward-facing seat behind the driver. He crossed his arms and slumped in the seat, his gaze focused on the back of Rin's red head.
Time passed in tense silence as they made their way out of Juuban and the city proper. Eventually Rin wiped his face and turned around, staring at his small hands clasped in his lap. He took in a breath that trembled only slightly before boldly stating, "I want to stay with Usagi."
"Well you can't," Midori returned acidly. Mamoru emphasized with the clear frustration, but had not anticipated Midori's response.
"Yes I can," Rin replied stubbornly, staring at his hands fixedly. "Take me back to Usagi's."
"I'm not taking you back there!" Midori growled, his volume rising with his temper, "So drop it!" Mamoru had never seen this side of Midori – grievances usually rolled off of him; he was passionate, but he had never seen him this angry before, and against a kid – an annoying kid, a frustrating kid, a kid that apparently didn't care if he put Usako in danger by staying with her, but still a kid. It was unexpected almost to the point of concerning.
Looking down at the kid, little red brows knitted and his cheeks pulsed as he grit his teeth, he took a breath, ready to combat whatever Rin said next before Midori could, but Midori jumped on him again before he could say anything.
"I said drop it!" he repeated loudly, "Nothing you say will turn this car around, so don't waste your breath or my time!" Rin visibly swallowed, breathing harder in anger, but didn't say anything; however, that didn't stop Midori from continuing, "Speaking of wasting my time, you knew I was waiting for you after school, why did you sneak off like that?! Do you know how much trouble you caused?!" He sat up straighter, blue eyes baring into the kid as the car slowed, turning up the drive to his manse. "I said I'd watch out for you, but if you don't care about your safety why should I?!"
"Midori!" Mamoru cautioned hastily as the car slowed to a stop. The doors unlocked automatically and Rin immediately bolted, throwing his small weight against the door so hard that he practically fell out of the car, staying upright only by having a tight grip on the handle. "Rin!" Mamoru called after him, but the kid righted himself and ran at full speed into the mansion's waiting doors and disappeared from sight. Mamoru opened his own door and stepped out and sighed with frustration, thinking of all of the potential spots in the huge house for a young boy to hide in.
Midori stepped out of the limo on the other side, glaring at the house. "He'll get over it," he stated quietly, "just give him a few hours to sulk." And with that, he stalked off, his hands deep in his pockets, heading for the back of the house.
"Where are you going?" Mamoru called after him incredulously, feeling the conversation had yet to begin, let alone end -
"To punch something," Nero projected, without looking back.
Mamoru made to follow him, but stopped mid-step, frustration meeting guilt and immobilizing him.
Yuu.
Midori.
Usako.
Rin.
His hands turned to fists at his sides, then slackened, then formed fists again as various emotions rocked him in quick succession. What right did he have to be upset with Midori? He couldn't blame him for being angry, with him or with Rin. He was worried for his friend, but, considering what had happened, he didn't think he'd be much good in helping him right now. Him or the kid. Or Usako. Or Yuu. Or anyone. He didn't have any answers, or any insight, and that frustrated him, too. Wishing he could also go punch something but not wanting to run into Midori, he closed the car door behind him and strode inside the mansion, found a quiet room, and stewed.
…
"There you are," Hanada's voice rang out with a hint of annoyance as the room's overhead light flicked on. Mamoru winced in the sudden change, blinking to ease the sharp pain in the back of his eyes; the sun had set, but he hadn't felt like getting up. "This house is ridiculous – we shouldn't need to use the communicators to get everyone in one spot. C'mon, Helios is back."
Helios? Mamoru stood, stiff muscles protesting as he pushed himself forward, crossing the room in two strides and following Hanada out into the hall. "Did you find anything at the school?" he asked, the question winning out over his concern at Hanada and Kobai being back for any extended period of time without sharing their findings.
Hanada glanced back at him once; their eyes met, and from that one look told him everything he needed to know. Whatever Hanada had found, it hadn't changed anything. "We'll figure something out," he stated. Mamoru nodded, trying to stay optimistic despite the sinking feeling in his stomach. Hanada was the cleverest person he knew – if he couldn't come up with anything, and if Helios didn't know anything about this new enemy…
They turned into the study they had brainstormed in on Saturday night and found Kobai and Midori were already there, the room growing quiet as they entered. Helios's gaze was steady on Kobai, his wings still with shock – they must have just told him what had happened, which meant he didn't have to waste time with catching him up. "Helios, do you know anything about this enemy?"
'I –' Helios started to answer before composing himself. He shook his mane and turned to face Mamoru completely. 'I would need to gather more information; however, on first description, I have no memory of any instance like this happening in the past.'
He nodded, feeling like those last bridges connecting him to Yuu had fallen. How could they hope to find him now?
'You have tried locating him through Psychometry?' Helios prodded in a rhetorical fashion, and Mamoru's brows furrowed in confusion at his phrase, and then his breath caught with the realization of what he meant. Psy-location – the technique he had tried to use to find Serenity when he first awoke as Endymion; he could use that same technique to find Yuu by searching for his Soul Gem. He hadn't even thought of that, and he felt like an idiot for forgetting that he could do something like that after today. The blood left his face with the realization of just how far his oversight reached - how much time could he have saved with searching for Usako and the kid if he had just used psylocation to begin with?!
Frustrated and disgusted with himself, he knelt down, putting his hands flat on the carpet on either side of him. He closed his eyes, released the breath he had been holding and drew in another cold shot of air, taking hold of his power and gathering it in his hands… and then released it, sending it out in an ever-growing circle around him as lights popped up in his mind's eye. The bright pink of Kobai's Kunzite, the deep blue of Hanada's Zoisite, the soft green of Midori's Nephrite, Helio's deep bronze-gold, various soft white lights that populated the mansion and the homes beyond; he pushed himself further, catching hundreds of lights more, then thousands, each one representing the soul of a citizen of Tokyo; he caught strong glows of red, blue, green and orange-yellow scattered throughout the city, one not too far from the cool, steady glow of silver; he caught various other colors, none shining as brightly but shining faintly. He pushed himself farther, and farther still, his minds' eye crowded with lights… but none of them were what he was searching for.
Seeing white at the corner of his vision, he took in another breath and tried again, this time ignoring anything but the specific green of Jadeite, but still it was too much, too many, and too far; how had he done this before? How had he known that Serenity's soul gem had not been on Earth when now he could barely check Tokyo alone?! Frustrated, he concentrated further, forcing his powers farther – until his shoulders shook under someone's grasp, knocking him firmly out of the meditative state he had going. Eyes opening wide, annoyance burning in his chest, sound seemed to return suddenly –
"That's enough for now," Kobai stated, his voice calm yet firm as he released Mamoru's shoulders and helped him to stand; feeling weak and dizzy for his efforts and his voice still lost to him, Mamoru could not refute him, and found himself being seated in one of the plush armchairs before Kobai stepped back to lean against one of the wooden tables and Hanada closed the distance.
The blonde handed over a wad of white tissues. "Your nose is bleeding," he explained, a note of disbelief in his tone as Mamoru accepted the tissues and pressed them to his face, not exactly sure what Hanada was getting at. He had never had a bloody nose before – something he used to figure was a weird quirk but what had eventually been accredited to the Golden Crystal within him – but as he pulled the tissue back it was soaked in red blood. He dabbed at it again, looking, like the rest of them were, to Helios for some explanation.
'Strain,' Helios explained offhandedly, 'He needs more practice with the skill; it'd be better if you practiced with it while transformed – your uniform is outfitted with energetic conduits; you'd get the best effect in your Royal Attire from the Golden Age. The Crystal's efforts were directed to the task you set them to; in a moment the membrane should heal as the energy regathers in you.'
He nodded, accepting fresh tissues from Hanada and applying them, feeling the warm tingling sensation slowly creep up on him just as Helios had suggested, but as his nosebleed stopped a headache gathered like a storm at the top of his skull.
"No sign of him then?" Midori asked quietly.
Without looking at him, he shook his head negatively, his guilt and shame at not thinking of this sooner keeping him from making eye-contact. "I could only get as far as the other side of Tokyo though," he stated.
"Well, now we know they're not keeping him there and that's something," Hanada tried, the forced optimism sounding strange coming from him. … it would have usually felt at home coming from Midori. He appreciated Hanada's attempt, but felt it might've had the opposite reaction than what the blond had intended.
"What about the beast-woman?" Kobai cut in, changing the subject as he addressed Helios. "Did Beryl know anything? Had there been any other rifts opening between Elysion's dimension and our own?"
Helios shook his head, 'None that she was aware of; the description I gave her did not remind her of anything, either, but she promised to search the Archives to see what she could find of little-Mamoru's stalker.'
"You might want to update her about the attack earlier today and see if she could search for anything in that regard, too; I'll give you what I can of the conversation between the enemy and South in case it's useful."
"…where is the kid, anyway?" Hanada asked.
"Beats me – he went off sulking when we got back," Midori stated acidly, "I couldn't keep an eye on him when he was at school so don't trust me to keep an eye on him here –"
"Midori!" Kobai cut the brunet off sharply.
"I'll find him," Mamoru stated, his head swimming uncomfortably with the change in pressure as he quickly stood and turned towards the door, tossing his handful of bloody tissues into a wastebasket as he left. His head pounded with every heartbeat and every step, his mood falling as his headache built. He should've found Rin earlier. He should've made sure the kid had had dinner, done his homework, had a bath and gone to bed on time – the kid's needs should've come first, no matter how terrible he felt. He moved down the hallway towards Rin's bedroom, sensing Hanada catching up to him.
"Kobai is talking to Midori – " Hanada started, but stopped when Mamoru held up a hand, reaching for the doorknob. They'd take care of Rin first; once he was in bed for the night they could get into other things.
He opened the kid's bedroom door. "Hey Rin?" he called, "What do you want for –" he cut off his sentence, rushing inside and over to the open windows. The bed was a mess – the sheets pulled off, pillows everywhere – and one of the tall cabinets was open wide and folded covers scattered everywhere. One lone piece sheet was tied to one of the bed stands and led out of the window, tied to another at the sill, and another halfway down to the next story.
Rin was gone.