Scene #2556: Identity Crisis

Owner	Pose
Takashi Agera	Takashi Agera was spending some well-deserved time out of the office; sure, most of the knowledge of the world was on the internet, and the internet was connected to Axion, but ever since he'd been younger he'd read books, long before he had money and power, and there was something soothing about a library, something that he always felt helped him soak up the information in the written word. The feeling of his hands turning each page - it was much more tactile than just reading things on a screen. And so here he was, a stack of books in his hand; quantum physics, thermodynamics, cosmology. Very standard stuff. For him. But it also meant he was somewhat in his own head - one of the books was open, and he'd started reading it in the stacks instead of taking it back to a desk, the other books beneath it as he leaned against a shelf in a quiet, unvisited corner.
Sailor Saturn	Yes, a quiet, unsupervised corner... In a mostly quiet, almost empty library... when suddenly... a glaive was there. Almost in a looney toons fashion, the silence glaive came down and with the curved backend gripped and just YOINK! Pulled him back and into one of the rooms usually reserved for students studying quietly... And then Saturn closed and locked the door behind him. And now he was alone in the a locked room with Sailor Saturn. One of the Sailor Senshi. Who he had recently knocked THROUGH A WALL. She peered out, before sighing and shaking her head. "Okay, good, I don't think anyone say," she said, before looking up at him. "You are NOT an easy person to get alone, you know that?" she said with a small smile. "I tried going to your room a few times, but you are just as bad as ever at actually sleeping there. Naughty naughty," she said, scolding him and shaking her head. "You should take better care of yourself. We need to talk, especially after... well. What happened yesterday with... well..." "You know," she said, shaking her head. Wow. That glaive was looking VERY pointy, sharp, and deadly when out of henshin right about now. How quickly could he henshin again?
Takashi Agera	Takashi made a sound of surprise that just kind of extended a bit longer, a sort of undignified 'whaaaaaaaaaoooooooooohey' mess of sound. Then she started talking and she sounded like him and he pulled at the collar of his shirt. "I uh... don't know who you mean? I work at Obsidian but I'm an intern." he spits out quickly. "I didn't do anything yesterday!" he lied. He was perfectly capable of lying especially to save his own butt. "Why were you in my room? I'm just a student, if you have problems with my boss you'll have to take it up with him!" he adds. There's a lot of internal cursing and a lot of wondering if he should just henshin now to save his hide. He's so concerned, in fact, he's blocking out other information - a little panicky - information that might calm him down, say from Axion about nearby Devices.
Sailor Saturn	Sailor Saturn blinked a few times and then snickered. "Oh, don't act so shocked, Riventon, it's not like I don't know exactly who you are. You don't need to play that pretend game with me. Ugh. Seriously, though, comparing me with Catra of all people? I can understand trying to like, pretend not to get it? But nobody thinks you're ignorant, and it's not like they wouldn't tell you. But.... that was still... kind of mean, you know? Didn't... Tuxedo Mask tell you? About... Moon?" she asked, a little sadness on her face. "... That she and... Chibiusa... didn't... you know?" she asked, glancing away from him, leaning back against the wall, a saddened look on her face. "... It was why I knew I had to find you. After that. Because... I knew I couldn't keep putting this off. That and, well... I figured... I had to tell you about... daddy. Since... He's not... well... he's not really my daddy, after all. Turned out he died a long... time ago... that thing wasn't him at all... what they did to me... was intentional... and they were really just playing me for a fool all along..." she mumbled softly. "I guess I was just gullible enough to believe it, huh?" she asked softly.
Takashi Agera	"Riventon... is... my boss." Takashi tries. But it doesn't get anywhere. "His girlfriend? Yeah... He texted me about her just today and it seemed like things had gone south. I'm supposed to meet up with him later." He can say this without commiting to Being Riventon Really. Takashi and Mamoru are brothers. He bites his tongue about Catra, but then more stuff comes out. And he can't entirely... keep his emotions out of that. "Wait, your father? How would I know your father or who he is? Nobody told me anything about that, I really don't know anything about you Senshi, Tuxedo Mask keeps his magical life away from me." He even says Tuxedo Mask, not Mamoru, here. He's a little out of it. "I... don't know what's going on, but... I know I don't like seeing you look that sad. I think you've got the wrong guy, but I'm pretty smart, maybe I can help?" he offers.
Sailor Saturn	Sailor Saturn blinked a few times, cocking her head to the side and looking confused. "Huh? Are... we being listened to?" she asked. She paused, cocking her head. "No... If we were, you'd have had Axion say something by now. You're acting really weird, you know that?" she said, lightly poking him with the dull end of her glaive before sighing. "... How... would you not... know my father?" she asked softly. "Wait... o-oh no..." And then? She looked worried. She waved her hand and the glaive disappeared, and she rushed forward, grabbing his arm. "D-did they mess with your memories? I-I'm sorry, Riventon-senpai, but I swear, we'll fix this, I promise. I promise. I don't know who did this, but I'll find them and I will make them pay for this. And you are pretty smart. You're the smartest person I know! You taught me a lot and even taught me how to fly, when I was just a Firefly!" she said with a big grin. "But... I guess... you likely don't remember that, either, if they took those memories. Ummmm... okay, so... uhhhhh... I was your ally, your friend. Ummmm.... I had this big.... alien... thing. Put in me, by this alien, who was... pretending to be my dad for a while, but wasn't really my father, and... they pretended to be helping me, but they weren't. You gave me this device, Luminous Titan, which actually DID help me, and..." Oh, now it would be clicking into place. But it was probably a good time for a recap, because I am sure some things she was explaining was giving him some... feelings.
Takashi Agera	"''I'm'' acting weird?" Takashi asked. "You're the one accosting a random civil..." and then she kept talking. And Takashi actually stopped talking. Actually... was quiet... for a long time. "...wait... Hotaru...chan?" he asked, after a very long pause. "Sailor Saturn... you're... Hotaru-chan? That's why Axion can sense Luminous Titan nearby?" he continued. "And all of the stuff about your father... was Hotaru-chan's father?" "I need... a moment." he said. Followed shortly thereafter by mumbling 'the veil giveth and the veil make me feel like a dumbass'.
Sailor Saturn	Sailor Saturn blinked a few times, staring at him. She opened her mouth, then closed her mouth. Opened her mouth, then closed her mouth. Finally... "You didn't... know?" she asked. "I... thought you knew. Obsidian... knew. Mistress 9 was inside me when... Saturn awoke. When she tried to destroy the universe, and then when she was going to destroy Pharaoh 90 and its star system and... me... they were there. Obsidian knows who, what, I am. I thought... they told you. I thought Mamoru-senpai at least told you. It was why... I haven't tried to contact you in a while, I didn't want to put you in danger. I thought I might be being-- OH!" And then she knelt down a little, to look Axion in the eye. Well, eye to device. "I'm so, so sorry, Axion! I would have called you directly and told you, but I only just got Lumie back, I am so sorry! And I don't have Lumie fully functional yet!" It was true, Lumie was still in, for the most part, just standby mode. Almost all functions disabled. Just able to communicate with Hotaru again. "I'm sorry, senpai, I would have said something sooner, but I really thought you knew!"
Takashi Agera	"Of course I didn't KNOW. People don't go around revealing other people's henshins." Takashi said, his face still showing a mix of incredulousness, annoyance, and anger (though the anger isn't at her). "If they did I'd be in real trouble, like I thought I was when Sailor Saturn dragged me out of a library to yell at me." he exclaims. "...also didn't know you were Hotaru-chan when I threw you like that. But don't get on my back and bonk me on the head and that won't happen, either." He says, crossing his arms. "And no, I just knew Mistress Nine had been kicked out of Hotaru-chan." he continues. "And then I gave Luminous Titan to Chibi-usa, who apparently has come back from a future-timeline-thing ''I wasn't invited along to'' using Dark Energy, but not cool business Obsidian style Dark Energy but it sounds like lame Butt Moon style Dark Energy, and I am now finding out my lab assistant is Sailor Saturn and IT'S A LOT RIGHT NOW." He huffs.
Sailor Saturn	Sailor Saturn gave a small nod. "I... guess, people don't give out people's henshins... but... that's for other people... I'm not other people. I'm your number one assistant," she said before she stepped forward and gave him a hug, ending her henshin midway through. Tightening her hug. "You're like..." She trailed off. "... You're my big brother, kind of... if that's okay... you can always know my secret identity..." Hotaru mumbled softly. "Especially now. Because I don't care if they know who I am anymore. If they want to come after me, I'm never coming back with them. That... is not my daddy and I will not listen to him ever again..." she whispered. "When I was there, the only one who cared, the only one who was trying to help me, the only one who was... who was trying to do what was right and helping... was you..." she said softly. "... And Gaito is 'sleeping' with the fishes now, isn't he?" she asked, looking up to give a small wink.
Takashi Agera	Takashi shakes his head incredulously but when she hugs him he's surely got an arm around her to return it tightly. "I missed you." That's the first thing he says. "But I'm still processing the rest of what you told me, honestly. Doctor Tomoe is dead? I just... just saw him yesterday! That's the sort of thing they'd send notice about..." then slowly his brain catches up with the rest of him. "Ah. That thing. So... it's like a puppet, or something?" He asks. Part of him is curious, but part of him is angry. "He told me he was trying to help you. But he was only hurting you all along? Not misguided... not incompetent... but actively making things worse?" He continues. There's Dark Energy in the room now, even though Takashi isn't in henshin. It's coming from his clenched fists, and he's not willing it up. It stops after a moment. But it's there long enough for her to notice. "I'm so sorry, Hotaru-chan." The comment about Gaito will have to be addressed later; Takashi is not concerned about it at this emotional moment.
Sailor Saturn	Hotaru Tomoe gave a small nod. "Yeah... I... when... the accident happened... it... infected me.... and killed him.... and my mother...." So the thing possessing her, that tortured her for years... also made her an orphan. He might want to catalogue that information for later. "... I guess they were preparing me to be the proper host for Mistress 9. But, I guess there's some good side to that. If not for that, I would have died then. Instead, I ummmm... almost.... destroyed the world. And would have, if I hadn't... woken up... as Saturn and... it was a... thing..." she said sheepishly. "So... yeah. It turns out I'm a Sailor Senshi. Apparently a kind of... scary one, too. They know who I am, but uhhhhh... The one pretending to be my dad hasn't tried to do anything since. Not openly, from what I've seen. And apparently the uhhhhh... Oh, apparently the senshi have past lives and stuff! I ummmm... don't... really... though. Uhhhh... Sailor Saturn was apparently the uhhhhh... kind of... doomsday.... 'when all hope is lost' button. So when things got bad... otherwise, they kept her asleep. They're not doing it this time, though, so they're actually letting me learn how to fight and stuff! It's... kind of hard. I'm really strong! It's actually why I bonked you with the stick, sorry." "... I had to be really careful, if I uhhh... if I'm not careful I kind of like... vaporize... things to dust... or atoms... or powder... eh... heh heh... so I have to... be very, very, very careful. And so I could only use like, no actual force attacks on you..."
Takashi Agera	"Please don't destroy the world. I live here." Takashi says, before side-hugging her again. "Also I appreciate you not atomizing me, but you know it'll get awkward if we both are pulling punches around each other. It might be better if you... didn't fight me?" Takashi says, clear hopefulness in his voice, a hopefulness he's not expecting anything out of, though. After all, he's been through this before. "I'm so sorry all of that happened to you, Hotaru-chan. I really did have no idea. It makes things make sense but... I'm sorry I couldn't help you more than I did."
Sailor Saturn	Hotaru Tomoe blinked a few times before smiling up at him. "Riventon-senpai... If not for you, I'd be dead now, and the world might be dead now. Possibly worse. You listened to me when nobody else would. You helped me. You listened when nobody else would. You bought me time. And that time made all the difference. And now? I have a home, I have a body." She reached out and she took his hand, squeezing it with her own. "I have hands. REAL hands, again. When Mistress 9 took over, she... did something. I guess what he was doing was making a new body for me. For her. And when Saturn took over? Well... she adapted it. And when I go the body back? I got to keep it. And now I'm whole. And I can feel." "... And it sucked. But... I'm still your kohai, Takashi-senpai. But... there are still friends who need our help... And... Why..." She trailed off, taking a slow, deep breath. "I know... there are things you can't, won't say. I know there are things that Obsidian would kill you if you said. But... why did you call it... 'Our' fade, Takashi-senpai?" she asked softly. "... And if you can't... give me any information... can you tell me someone I should go after to get info from?" she asked softly.
Takashi Agera	Takashi takes the praise with noticably less ego than anyone else but Hotaru might expect. "I still didn't help fast enough. That was far too close. If I had spent more time on it maybe I could have saved you a lot of pain." he says. And then he reaches out and squeezes her hand. "Wow... yeah... real hands. I don't think you've ever been so... warm. It's nice. I hope your new life and home is good for you, Hotaru-chan. You deserve good things. Really. You were the best Lab Assistant." he says with a smile. But then she's asking about the Fade and... "Wait, I did?" He asks, blinking. He'd curse under his breath if he was just slightly less controlled. "Sorry. Uh. Oh. Speaking of Obsidian and killing." he says, and now it's a great time to go back to Gaito after all. "...Obsidian needs to think Gaito is dead. I... it's for both of our good. If he wasn't dead and I struck a deal or something, it could be dangerous for both of us, so it's best if everyone thinks I dealt with him like I said." he says. "Okay?"
Sailor Saturn	Hotaru Tomoe sighed and then gave him the gentlest, most loving look. "Oh Takashi-senpai. You are the dumbest, smartest onii-san I could possibly have," she said. "You shouldn't be so greedy, don't be mean to yourself and disappointed just because you didn't save me all on your own, be happy you have everyone the opportunities needed to save me. Otherwise, all of that suffering I went through would have been meaningless." "... And it would have been meaningless. And that... would have been terrible." Her hand shook a little when she held his, just a little. "... I hope you'll always see me as your favorite lab assistant, Takashi-senpai..." she said softly. "And... Lumi? Send Axion our new contact information. I am expect much more frequent contacts now, you know. I'm not hiding, so don't think I won't come marching up to Obsidian Tower if I have to. I know half the people there. I still have my Oresky fanclub membership card, you know," she said huffily, putting her hands on her hips, before giving him a small smile. "But... I... know we'll have to still fight. But I won't hurt you much. And I know you'll try not to hurt me much. And as far as anyone will know? You 'killed' Gaito. But... ummmm... just... be careful... We're going to keep working on this fade thing... but... I don't... know how it works... you always were the smart one... but... If... it does get me?" "... I know I'm still probably the best host for Mistress 9, if Saturn wasn't here. So... when that... just... I'm sorry if... you have to... see a side... of me... you don't like... senpai... sorry."
Takashi Agera	Takashi laughs a bit. "I'll take that as the insulting compliment it was intended as, I guess?" He says, rubbing the back of his neck. "But... if I wasn't greedy how would you know it was me?" He asks with a smirk. "It won't be enough if I can't save everyone." There's a lot there to unpack, and a lot that gives him a little laugh, but, he shakes his head. "Before -you- Fade, Hotaru-chan, I should have enough time to solve everything. And don't think I'm not going to solve that fake-ass so-called man who pretended to be your father long before ''that''." He says. "He's kept some things under wraps but I think he's about to have a lot to answer for in terms of moving too fast..." he grumbles. "If you think he didn't make himself a ''personal'' problem that he kinda was already... well, you know how I'm taking this." He says. "But... I know this is hard to hear and understand, but I think the Fade is good. It's good for you, and my brother, and his girlfriend. Every time you put yourself at risk, there's a chance you might not come back. There's a lot of you I care about, it sucks having to fight you." Takashi says. "And look, I know you want to save everyone, but... soon I'll be able to do that. I'm already so much stronger than anyone has had a chance to even witness. That whole fight, I was barely trying. I'm not going to let anyone destroy the world; I'm not going to let the crazy part of Obsidian win. So there's not going to be any reason for any of you to risk your lives, alright? Don't fight the Fade. It's a chance for you to all be safe and happy; in a world that you don't have to feel compelled to protect. Let me do that."
Sailor Saturn	Hotaru Tomoe nodded. "Uh huh! Like every good big brother can," she said happily. However, as he kept talking ,she just smiled. And she looked up at him with those eyes. Those eyes filled with belief, with trust. With love. That believed in all those words he said. But were just as willing to call him out on ALL of his bullshit because they knew JUST how full of it he was. And believe you me, he was SO full of it. And she smiled, before she lunged forward, giving him a great, big, massive hug. "I believe in you," she said softly. "Until the day I fade, I will be Sailor Saturn. And I will fight against dark energy and I will fight against threats to this world and this universe." "And I will never, ever, even for a moment, ever not believe that everything you do, everything you try, everything you strive for, is for the greater good. I really, truly believe that, somehow, someway, sempai, you'll make things better. Because... you really are the smartest person I know," she said softly, squeezing him as tightly as she could. "But... for now? I'm going to have to keep trying to do things I can. Because just like you can't sit down and watch me hurting, I can't sit by and watch other people hurting. It's not easy just... doing nothing, while others suffer. Besides, even if I didn't have powers, I'd still feel compelled to try and protect this world. The only difference is, now I can actually do it and won't die when I run at the monsters." She then pulled back, letting him go. "... I'm going to come to your dorm room this friday, after school, we're getting shakes. Oh! See if you can get Fate and Norie and Arf! Lab partner hangout! It can be like old times! And I am not taking no for an answer!" she said, dashing out the door before he could say no... ... And if he tried to say no over device communication? Luminous Titan would respond with 'Negatory communications denied'.