414/Written In The Stars (Third Take)

Written In The Stars (Third Take)
Date of Scene:	13 September 2023
Location:	Mountains
Synopsis:	After the end of scene 410 and concurrently with scene 411. A destined meeting beneath the stars.
Cast of Characters:	Nephrite, Kazuo Saitou
Tinyplot:	Dangerous Orbits

---

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite and the Mysterious Knight have been teleported. Somewhere nearby, but out of the way of everyone else. He can feel that Hematite and Jadeite are in the area, but he doesn't want to drag this man over to them without a chance to talk first. The night sky overhead provides moonlight and starlight to see by, and that's all. For Nephrite's part, he is greatly weakened. He does not call upon one of the five largest constellation avatars often for many reasons, not the least of which is that it's draining.

    Thankfully, teleportation is relatively easy for a Shitennou. Forceshielding takes up mana and also mental power. If it broke, he would have been in too much shock to rebuild it right away. So, the Mysterious Knight is who allowed Nephrite to still be useful after dropping the Heracles nuke on the barrier.

    All of that is irrelevant right now. Because right now is when these two meet again for the very first time.

    The cliff is not the same one that Kyouka and Hematite and Jadeite were on, but it's still a cliff. A bit stonier, without grass, though there are trees further up the mountain slope. It's fine.

    Nephrite is comfortable with stone.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    Moonlight and starlight is more than enough to see the man Nephrite brought with him by. He'd started out as all varying shadows, black and deep blue except for the braid of silver hair. Now his hair is loose about his shoulders again, long by most standards even if it's shorter by far than Nephrite's own, and the only thing black that he's wearing is his mask; everything else is white, catching the faint light of the waning crescent moon, and the fainter but far steadier light of the stars.

    The teleport is not a shock for him. A flicker of gray eyes to catch where they are, and then another to measure the distance to the cliff's edge, to be sure of their ground; a shift of stance to be able to catch in peripheral vision anything that might move behind Nephrite. Both glance and movement are absent, almost habitual.

    "Thanks," he says, and the amusement in his voice might also be a habit. "I wasn't looking forward to the pitch their voices were about to reach either."

    Ice demons, whirlwinds of shattered glass, no problem. Excited teenagers? ... he'd prefer stone, too.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite nods his head in agreement. "It was a different pitch that I was avoiding. I don't think it would be wise to let them attempt to befriend me or recruit me to their side right now." Besides, someone or something might have been watching. Even feigning being a traitor could have gone very, very badly. He'll have to submit a report to CEO Beryl's office promptly when all of this is done with, to make sure she is aware this was a fake alliance in order to gather intelligence and obtain a vital resource, and to show the results of the operation now that it has concluded.

    Speaking of which, another asset that needs to be recorded... "Should we expose our civilian identities, or is that moving too fast?" Not that they aren't both vaguely aware of who the other is. They don't need to sense auras to recognize that twinge of memory, the echoes of knowing, and their brief almost-encounter at the dance where just seeing the other person was enough to make something go off in their head and heart.

    "I should start with this identity, I suppose." The Dark General steps back and bows formally. "Nephrite. One of the Four Heavenly Kings. A--" What was the word he was going to say? Protector? Shield? Something... Something right on the tip of his tongue... "--advisor to Hematite."

    That wasn't the word.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    "If you're using the word 'expose,' then it would be too fast. Let it wait a little. The way these things go, someone else will probably tell both of us in a few hours anyway." The other man's voice slides toward the wry in that last sentence, an implicit statement: if he's joking, then Nephrite is invited in on it.

    Then the amusement is allowed to slide away. The step back is mirrored, the bow returned in more solemn formality. "Nephrite," he repeats, an acceptance that is easier and more familiar on the tongue than it should be. That that's been happening lately does not make it less notable. "I'd give you a name in return, but I'm not as certain as I should be of what that is." A glance down at his outfit, a rueful tug at the corner of his mouth. "Kaitou Kamen will do."

His attention lifts to Nephrite again, and this time there is no joking at all. "And if Hematite trusts you, then that is enough."

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite tilts his head indulgently. "I agree." Except for that last part. He turns his head slightly to look around. His smile is gone now. "He sometimes trusts people he should not. I wouldn't trust me if I were you. Or if I were him." He is still scanning the surroundings after straightening up. He had a sword when he first teleported into the cabin. It disappeared. It's back now.

    "Kaitou Kamen, is it?" he asks distractedly. "Any connection to someone named Kaitou Ace?"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    The saber that the Galactic Maiden gave the other man before has not vanished; it's still belted in place, undrawn. But it's not his own. He didn't reach for it when the wind-demons came for them. Then again, very few blades can cut the air in a way that it cares about.

    The comments about Hematite's trust are heard out uninterrupted; not agreed with, not disputed. No hair-splitting over kinds of trust. No saying what he meant it was enough for.

    "Haven't heard the name," he answers instead. "That doesn't mean much." There's a tilt of his head with that last. It could be an additional acknowledgment of his own uncertainties, of secrets kept or of memories not yet found.

    What it is is a silent acknowledgment that Nephrite, like the stars, sees more than he can. So he is not looking. He is listening to the sounds beyond them. Breathing the hints of scent and taste carried on the wind; aware of the direction it comes from, aware of changes in that direction. Watching, even if not so much with his eyes.

    For a moment, he doesn't try to fill the silence. Doesn't seem to find it something that needs filling. As if there were briefly better understanding, of matters around them or matters between them alike, without words in the way.

Nephrite has posed:
    Yes. There are a lot of things that don't need to be said here. Some that probably should be. But words can wait. Despite the familiarity, they are not entirely who they once were, or who they knew each other to be. There is... A need to meet again. To get to know each other as they are now. Gaps can be filled, but assumption may send things astray.

    And right now, Nephrite feels that things are very much astray. He steps in close, and asks quietly, "Do you hear voices or anything? I don't have super hearing or anything, but there is something at the edge of my awareness."

    Voices? Whispers? Something indistinct. Something familiar.

    "It's as though..." he squints his stormy blue eyes as he thinks. "It's as though you have lived by the ocean your entire life, and you don't even realize the sound of the waves is there, and then you move away one day, and you can tell there's something missing but you don't know what it is. Then you come back to the ocean one day, and hear it once again, and you realize what was gone. Does that make any sense to you?"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    Voices. Whispers. There is nothing on the wind that he can hear. But... "I think," Kazuo says quietly, "that in some ways your perceptions are better than mine. That you hear things that I don't doesn't make them not real."

    He has spent his entire life knowing something was missing, without the memory of living by the ocean to begin with. Who is he to say one way or the other? Besides --

    He glances off to the side of both of them, the place their field of vision overlaps least. No-one is there. No-one that he can see, at least.

    "I keep half expecting something I can't name, myself. But there's no guarantee it's the same something."

Nephrite has posed:
    "Perhaps." Nephrite says, though he doesn't sound convinced. Detecting things he cannot identify or place isn't exactly confidence-inspiring. "What I do need to say before we part ways, is that you are... Important to me. And all of us. Hematite, Jadeite, and Zoisite." He squints his eyes a bit as though pained to have to say it, but adds on, "And I'm sure Pyrite will become attached to you quickly as well." He doesn't say, 'Because you're Kunzite, and that means you belong with us.' or 'So you're joining our side, right?' or anything else that suggests more than he already has that a claim of allegiance is anticipated.

    Just being among them again is enough. Especially for someone trying to get out of his current predicament. He isn't going to drag others into this pit of darkness if he can avoid it. "Also... If you are alright with it, I'd like to remain in-contact. Jadeite hasn't been answering any texts or calls, but once I speak with him I'll see about getting his number to you as well... I'm not inflicting Pyrite on you. She'll send you endless internet memes and fads and the same animated gif every day. Zoisite..." Nephrite smirks a bit, amused. "I imagine Zoisite will be more than happy to exchange numbers."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    That smile flickers at the corner of Kazuo's mouth again, at the corners of his eyes. "A year ago," he says conversationally, "the world wasn't real to me. A month ago, one thing was. Now there is solid ground. Hell if I'm giving that up." Possibly literally, given rumors about Beryl's superior. "I have a number for you; you can pass it on, or introduce them directly, as you like."

A moment's pause. "And Pyrite, from what I've seen of her, is adorable." At least, if he's out of his mind, he's out of his mind in a familiar way, and one that might bode well for Zoisite. Homicidal and adorable thankfully don't go together quite the same way for everyone else. "That's not an invitation to inflict via text. How do you put up with the flood?"

Nephrite has posed:
    "I told her that if she didn't stop, then I would delete the internet." he says dryly. "That was enough to put some sort of mental block on her. I think Jadeite put an actual block on her phone number. Zoisite never gave contact information to begin with." Nephrite mutters something that sounds like 'clever bastard'. He also looks at the broadsword in his hand, and lets it dissipate into nothing. Psychoplasm is such a handy material.

    Nephrite pulls a phone out of his uniform, and shares his phone number. The adrenaline is still pumping. He wants to get away from here, if locale is the reason he's hearing those sounds. If it's not... Then he is going to become even more perturbed. "Reality... Reality has taken a beating recently for all of us, I imagine. Nothing has changed except our awareness of what was hidden from us before." He sighs heavily. "What we have forgotten, or what was taken from us."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    This time there's an actual laugh, bright and sharp. "Excellent plans on all parts." Possibly especially deleting the Internet. He doesn't inquire about whether Nephrite could delete the whole thing. Wistful Luddite urges are not to be indulged, particularly when the answer might be yes.

    Speaking of Luddite, the white coat-and-tails outfit does not prove to contain a phone. Perhaps a mundane precaution. Perhaps he hasn't figured out how to store and summon it yet, or perhaps he wants Nephrite to think that ... but that level of analysis is asking for a return into trouble. He repeats silently the number Nephrite shares, and shares one in return, whether by entering it directly and saving Nephrite the trouble, or by telling him aloud and saving Nephrite the potential security issues.

    Breathing is a security issue. But there's no way around that one.

    "I remember ... very little. So far." The admission is a low-voiced one in turn. Not one he wants to make. Only necessary. "But I remember how he was taken from us. And that is enough."

    What he does not and does not need to say: it is not to be allowed to happen again.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite's eyes, clouded as they are instead of the clear blue they once were in a time long ago, still show his determination to prevent such a failure on their part ever again. "I remember." he says icily. He will make sure the one responsible pays someday. He just needs to keep that part of himself locked away for a while longer. He is loyal until the moment he can reveal who he is loyal TO.

    Either way, the number is recorded. Nephrite resolves the 'no phone' issue for Kunz--Kazu--the Mysterious Knight by conjuring up what appears to be a very flat brick. On the inside are inscribed all the necessary contact information for each of them, as well as any other information he couldn't say out loud, or even think about. "If you can't manipulate psychoplasm, then you can crack it open like an egg. The inside will remain undamaged. This message will also disappear eventually, so once you are somewhere secure, do what you need to. I can't maintain a construct indefinitely when it's out of my sight for too long."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    The Knight - if that's what he is - takes it without question voiced. "Before dawn." Which by this time is not so far away indeed. And he is talking to Nephrite. Astronomical dawn comes before the mortal eye can hope to perceive it.

    It is highly unlikely that he is not considering the possibility that it might be a trap. After all, Nephrite did just warn him about trust. But even if Nephrite intended a trap, there are too many wild cards... and he could, most simply, have done such a thing in the fight. Instead of containing his magic so carefully, and with such effort.

    A breath. One more, of a quickly vanishing few in Nephrite's presence tonight. He means to say 'until later, then,' casual, surface-unworried. His voice betrays him again. Because the word it chooses this time is, "Nephrite." A moment's pause. "He needs you, too."

    Stupid. Nephrite knows that. But there is no other way he can find to say something as simple as 'take care.'

Nephrite has posed:
    Oddly enough, Nephrite is not, in fact, considering the possibility that his 'new' acquaintance is considering the possibility of a trap. It's too calming to be around him again... Even if it's only for the second time in this life. He has visions of a tall, tan-skinned figure, broad shouldered, with a pristine white mantle to match his snowy white hair. Strength, courage, determination, and -- if rumor is to be believed -- a hidden softer side that rarely comes out.

    A man one can trust, and a man to fear angering.

    But not for those close to him.

    "I know. Steps are being taken." he says solemnly. Steps to make sure he is still here to provide what's needed. Perhaps in the past he would have proceeded down the path of freedom through sacrifice. Perhaps he might again one day in the future.

    Right now he needs to be what he once was. The word that was taken from him, just like so much else. What was it... He knows it. He uses it plenty, doesn't he? It's in his vocabulary. He closes his eyes and focuses, pushing down the Shadow inside of him, trying to block out the voices and whispers. He can't tell if they're becoming louder or not. He can't tell if they're coming closer or not. But they're making him irritable.

    Because he's scared.

    "Guardian." he blurts out suddenly, eyes opening. "I am his Guardian." He shakes his head, as if that will help keep the encroaching fog at bay. Thne he sighs. "This meeting draws to a close. Is there anywhere I can drop you off? Hematite and Jadeite just teleported somewhere."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
    Guardian.

    "Yes."

    And there's the gesture he's seen used so often, though not by the man before him. A hand on Nephrite's shoulder, brief and solid. A contact to focus on for a moment - something outside himself, instead of a focus trapped inside his head with the whispers. From what Hematite-Darien-Mamoru said about needing real things, live things ... maybe it will help.

    It's not pushed too long, though. He lets his hand drop after a moment. "Anywhere in the city, if that's convenient. I can find my way." And the more distance he has to travel, the more time he has to find out what he can do like this. Somehow he suspects it's going to be a little different from his morning runs with Naru.

    Which are also likely to be a little different. But at least they probably won't involve shrapnel, now.

Nephrite has posed:
    It helps.

    Nephrite returns the gesture, clapping his own hand on the Mysterious Knight's shoulder. He teleports away and hopes the voices don't follow him.

    He hopes that he doesn't somehow spread them to his old friend, like the sickness born of his sins.