dinohouse | [Mushverse, mostly for Liveman family] Throwing Kamen Rider Gaia into the mix

The parents are finally in bed and I sigh in relief as I hear the light get switched off. It's about time, I thought they were never coming up. I just need to wait a bit now, give them time to go to sleep before I do this. Eventually though, I get out of bed and make my way downstairs, careful to avoid the creaky stairs.

I should probably tell them I'm working with Gaia and EYES now, but they'd just try to talk me out of it and I need to do this, for any number of reasons; getting paid is only one of them. I rummage inside my bag and pull out the envelope before heading into the kitchen. That's where Megumi keeps her purse and she does the groceries so she gets more. There's a lot of us to feed, after all, and I know she worries about it, even if she won't admit it in front of us. I split the rest of the wages between Jou and Yuusuke before ripping up the envelope and dropping it in the bin.

There. All sorted for the week. I dust my hands off in satisfaction and head back to bed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

yellowlion

I can track him if I need to, anyway. He knows that. And it gives me a measure of comfort.

I shake my head at him. "Go."

From:

hotshotlightning

There's not really much I can say to that so I don't bother. I give him a quick nod instead and head out the door, slipping my shoes on as I reach the front door.

This really better not take too long.

From:

yellowlion

[i.e. Katsumi'll just come back?]

I hate this.

I know I could go after him, but he'd kill me, and I have to show I trust him. Even if he didn't trust me enough to tell me. I'll have to tell the others once he explains.

I'll just perch on the edge of this seat here and watch the door until he comes back.

From:

hotshotlightning

(Can't be arsed with fighting scenes atm. >.>)

I hesitate at the front door, then push it open. While I'd like to think he won't be waiting I know better.

I toe my shoes off once I get inside, rubbing my wrist gingerly. It's only a sprain, I think, nothing exactly life-threatening, but I still hope he doesn't notice.

From:

yellowlion

I've extended my pacing track to basically cover the entirety of the bottom floor of the house.

Ah, there he is.

I grab him by the shoulders. "You okay?"

From:

hotshotlightning

I jump in surprise as he appears out of nowhere to grab my shoulders, holding up my hands placatingly as he does.

"I'm fine, Jou, don't worry."

As if he wouldn't anyway.

From:

yellowlion

I steer him to a seat, casting my eyes over him quickly. Seems whole. "So tell me, then. Make me not worry."

From:

hotshotlightning

I sink down onto the couch, trying to figure out the best place to start. "I just wanted to help," I mutter, toeing at the carpet. They never talked about it in front of us, not wanting us to know, but I couldn't just ignore it. "Things were tight when it was just three of us, then there was Gai as well and I wanted to help. It just... turned out this way."

From:

yellowlion

...

I could hug him. I could kill him.

I settle for the former. "You idiot," I say hoarsely into his hair. "Money being tight doesn't mean you should run out and risk your damn life."

From:

hotshotlightning

I hug him back, relief that he knows making me feel lighter. I guess I hadn't realised just how much it was weighing on me, not telling him.

"It's not the only reason," I mumble into his shoulder. I don't really want to tell him but I might as well come clean while we're talking about it anyway. "It's an important one but not the only one." If it was just money I would have got a regular part time job like everyone else.

From:

yellowlion

I honestly don't know if that makes it better or worse. We're not exactly the best examples of getting normal after school jobs.

"Tell me," I say urgently.

From:

hotshotlightning

"Can we sit down first?" I ask plaintively. This might take a while and I'd rather tell it sitting than standing.

From:

yellowlion

"Brat," I mutter, springing over towards the couch. Of course we can sit goddamn down. I just need him to talk.

From:

hotshotlightning

I follow him over to the couch at a slower pace, sinking down onto it, still thinking.

"How much do you remember from when I first came here?" I ask eventually. It's been almost ten years, I don't remember if we ever talked about this. "About why my family was coming here in the first place. Did we talk about it?"

From:

yellowlion

I shake my head. "Very little. There was always too much to do to really sit down and pump you for information, and you were a kid who didn't really want to talk. I didn't WANT to pump you for information."

I frown. "Should I have pumped you for information?"

From:

hotshotlightning

I shrug. "I don't know, although I suppose it's too late now, right? But it doesn't matter, I remember this, I was just wondering where I needed to start."

I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them, resting my chin on top of them. "My world... it was being destroyed by a virus. It infected everything: people, animals, AI systems, everything. Cities were destroyed, people were killing each other... and there was no antidote, nothing that could counter it. In the end, all we could do was evacuate the uninfected and leave the rest behind."

I rub my thumbs against my thighs uneasily. "I don't know what happened after we left. I would have thought there'd be some quarantine at least, make sure the virus couldn't get off-planet, but I don't know. And even if there was, I think something got past it." I brace myself, biting my bottom lip as I look sideways at him. "It's here. On Earth."

From:

yellowlion

I stare at him for a moment, then shake my head. "So what you're saying is that by not pestering you for details when you first joined me, I've not only left you open to more danger, I've also left the entire planet open."

I thought I had enough of his backstory that I knew all the broad strokes to it, and the details would come out in time if he felt like talking.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

We were busy as hell back then. In some ways busier than we are now. But with Colon's help we could've done some research. Alerted the proper authorities.

I sink back against the seat, rubbing my forehead. I've had better days.

From:

hotshotlightning

"You can't guard space, Jou," I point out, letting go of my knees and stretching my legs out again. "Even with all the Liveman tech you couldn't have stopped this. Earth technology just isn't that advanced yet."

...He's going to blame himself for this, isn't he? I knew it, they all have the same mindset.

From:

yellowlion

I shake my head, cursing myself. "Could've been more prepared," I say grimly. "At least known more about it. So tell me. What is it, why do you have to fight it, what does it do?"

From:

hotshotlightning

I frown at him. Shouldn't that answer really be obvious? "I have to fight it because I can't let the same thing happen here," I point out. "I was a child before, I couldn't do anything; this time I can."

I lean back in my seat and think back. "It turns the infected into monsters and they go on a rampage, destroying everything. Once that happens there's no way to change them back. Or there wasn't, anyway. Here might be different."

From:

yellowlion

In spite of everything that response makes me give him a ridiculously proud smile.

Dammit.

I frown. "You have scientists working on it? And are you a sentai team, or something else?"

From:

hotshotlightning

I nod. "A group called EYES are working on it. It's a bit weird because the captain looks a lot like Yuusuke, it freaks me out a little."

I tap my fingers against the arm of the couch. "And no, not a sentai team. More like the KRC and Fourze. Gamu was doing it all by himself before, but I can transform as well so it helps."

From:

yellowlion

"Looks like Yuusuke?" I repeat thoughtfully. Huh. I don't think Yuusuke has any siblings, at least I hope I'd know by now.

I wonder if I put him in more danger by giving him a brace, or if he's safer because he's protected by a suit. I guess I'll never know, sigh. "Sounds like you're needed," I say wryly. "What happens to the people affected by this? Do they have to be killed?"

I don't want him killing. Even if there's no other way.

From:

hotshotlightning

I nod vehemently. "Like, identical twins looks like him. It's creepy." Especially when he gets irritated and it's as if it's Yusuuke scolding me.

"They're under quarantine for now," I shrug. "Something about Gamu's power suppresses it long enough for that, at least."

From:

yellowlion

"Huh. I'll ask him when I tell him and Megumi about this," I murmur. "They'll want to talk to you too, of course." As I'm sure he knows.

I'm twitchy now. "Okay. As long as you don't give up on these people. I'd be questioning EYES if you were."