[Mushverse; for Tetsuya & Jou]

[greensai]

It's such a nice day outside that I can help fussing around in the garden. It's still too early to bring anything in for dinner, but I can keep the bugs off my young vegetables and the weeds away from my herbs. Tetsuya's beating on something out back; either he's chopping wood or he's murdering something, I can't really tell beyond the swing of an ax and his occasional curses wafting from the backyard to the front. I hope he doesn't aggravate his knee again.

Once the sun starts to think about setting I head back inside, pondering what to fix for dinner as I wash the garden from my hands. There's still some chicken that I should do something with before it goes bad, but I'd like to do something with the fish Tetsuya caught this morning. Maybe I can grill up an assortment of meats and vegetables, then we can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Comments

[greensai]

"I'm sorry," I return Jou's apology. I shouldn't have reacted like that, it's just the thought of going back into battle again has me on edge. And all I want to do is stay here away from everything with Tetsuya, but I know I can't. I know I wouldn't even if I could. I will always be one of the people fighting to protect the peace that others enjoy.

I glance at Tetsuya at Jou's cryptic answer about Katsumi, trying to draw strength from him, like I can pull it from him through out clasped hands. "What does that mean?"

[blackbison]

"Well, we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, for us." I assure Jou. Not that it matters, apparently. If something bad is happening, something worse than Zangyack, we were bound to get pulled into this eventually.

Something inside me twists at Jou's vague response. I let Junichi cling to my hand, squeezing near the point of pain, but I don't mind. He needs me right now. I'm not going anywhere without him, ever again. "What happened?"

[yellowlion]

"I'm glad of that, at least," I say softly.

They have of course picked up on my response about Katsumi. I lean forward and let my head thud once, twice, gently against an unoccupied section of table, then I straighten again. "He's whole, but Kemp did things to him," I say, voice tight. "We're still discovering the full extent of it."

[greensai]

My mind spins with all the implications of that sentence. Did 'things'? That could be anything. Emotional and mental torment, physical torture, any number of experiments...

I stop my imagination from running wild without more information, giving Jou a deeply concerned look. "What sort of things?"

[blackbison]

That doesn't sound good at all. I frown at Joe, gripping Junichi's hand hard. It's good that he's not dead, but that doesn't mean a thing. Katsumi's not exactly a normal kid, I remember that much about him. None of Jou's kids are particularly normal, I don't think, but then again, that's why having Jou, and Megumi and Yuusuke, as parents is good for them.

Generally.

"Damn Kemp," I grumble. I feel twenty years younger immediately.

[yellowlion]

"Physical modifications," I say, shuddering involuntarily at the memory of the first time. Poor kid. Poor, poor kid. "You guys remember Beautiful Beast Kemp, I'm sure. Sim- similar things. He's learning to control it."

[greensai]

I breathe a quick prayer under my breath, then upend my glass of wine and down all that remains. I set the glass back down as steady as I can, then glance at Tetsuya.

"We'll help," I'm making this decision now, for the both of us. Tetsuya can yell at me about it in private later if he needs to.

I look at Jou. "You're family is our family."

[blackbison]

Oh, damn him. I snarl and slam my free hand into the table. Not the most mature reaction, but I'm not sure what else to do. Except grab my wine glass and imitate Junichi, drinking down the last of it.

"Of course." I agree immediately. "We have to make some arrangements, get someone to watch the house. But of course we'll come back with you."

[yellowlion]

I exhale in a big relieved gust of air, shoulders slumping. I pass a hand over my face. I would've accepted them staying here, of course I would've, I'm not a complete asshole.

But I wanted them to agree to at least visit, for our sake and *theirs*. I know they're good fighters, I know they're not stupid, but there are only two of them. If they got ambushed out here... yeah, we have more targets because there are more of us, but there are also more people for backup.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry."

[greensai]

I sigh, resigning myself to moving back to the city for a time. Maybe we can find a nice little house near Jou and his family; I highly doubt their home has enough room to spare for us, but I'd like to keep near them.

"You said the school was the center if the conflict?" I frown, trying to make sense of exactly what's going on. Start strategizing.

[blackbison]

I nod, pat Junichi's hand one last time, then stand from the table. He's ready to get into logic mode, and he was always better at thinking things through than me. "I'm going to go set up the bed in the guest room. You can spend the night, Jou?"

[yellowlion]

"Yes, we're not quite sure why, but various powers are gather-" I do a double take. "I was going to head back tonight, Tetsuya...?"

I look at the clock, and I think about how long it'll take me to go back, and I think about how much more we have to discuss.

I rub my forehead. "Probably be a good idea, thank you. But Yuusuke'll kill me."

[greensai]

I give Jou a knowing little smile. "He hasn't killed you yet, I don't see why he would now."

I watch Tetsuya as he heads for the guestroom, wondering briefly if he still remembers where the spare linens are kept. He'll manage, I'm sure.

"So you were saying something about powers gathering?" I pour another glass of wine, both for myself and for Jou. Just because he's interrupted our peace with bad news doesn't mean he's not a friend and I'm not a proper host. "At the school?"

[blackbison]

I smirk and wink at Jou on my way out of the room. It wouldn't really be safe for him to head back tonight, not if things are as dire as he's making them out to be. I'd rather him be safe and get in a shouting match with Yuusuke later than be in danger right now.

It takes me three tries at the closets before I find spare linens to make up the guest bed, but Junichi doesn't need to know that.

[yellowlion]

I send Yuusuke and Megumi a quick text.

POPPED BY 2 TALK 2 JUNICHI & TETSUYA, WHOOPS LOST TRACK OF TIME, C U IN MORNING XX

That should pacify them for thirty seconds or so.

Tetsuya has that knowing expression on his face. It's been a while since we've all been together properly, but Yuusuke shouting isn't something you forget easily. To be fair, I'd shout at Yuusuke if he'd taken it on himself to come all the way out here alone without telling me, too.

I don't want to be fair. I just want everyone safe. With no yelling.

I nod my thanks to Junichi and look at the wine in my glass, swirling it around before taking a sip. I don't drink much these days, just the occasional glass. Tonight definitely needs it. "Well, as you know, most times it's one team or one Rider, one group of enemies. We seem to be collecting enemies from all sorts of people. I never expected to spend so much time at school fighting."

[greensai]

"Is it all going on at the school, or are there other centers of power?" I sip at my wine, then take a proper gulp. I'm starting to feel that warm calm that comes with a buzz, and it's making the idea of going back into fighting a lot easier to swallow.

"And tell me about other heroes, if there are any, that have also joined the fight."

[blackbison]

I make the bed up with minimal disaster, hopefully Jou won't mind a few wrinkles around the feet, then return to the kitchen to sit at the table and have some wine and hear what Jou has to say.

I catch the end of Junichi's question and nod behind my glass. He always asks all the smart questions. Really, I'm just the muscle.

[yellowlion]

Tetsuya comes back quickly enough. I'm glad. It's easier to tell them together.

"Mostly at the school, but I've picked up some strange readings elsewhere." These things are never simple. "And, let's see. There are a couple Kamen Riders around. The Go-Busters have been sighted. I'm... I'm not sure but I don't think the entirety of the Shinkenger team has fallen. And," I smile ruefully, "the Gokaigers. One of whom I seem to've adopted."

[greensai]

I nod at the mention of Riders, never having much to do with them myself.

I blink, then tilt my head slightly. "Go-busters?"

I feel for the Shinkengers, I don't even want to think about what they're going through right now, if Tetsuya... no. Not going there.

Of course then I'm blinking dumbly at Jou once again. "Wait... you adopted one of the Gokaigers? I mean, they seemed young, but aren't they adults?"

[blackbison]

I've never heard of the Go-busters either. Riders are okay, usually, even if it did always seem pretty lonely.

I glance at Junichi, then take his hand again and squeeze it. I've been there, fighting my comrades against my will. It's terrible, but if some of them have escaped, then there's hope. That bond is what will break them from the sway of darkness, I'm sure of that much. I have experience in these matters.

"You... One of the pirates? Really?" I think about his kids, and I try to square it with what I know about the Gokaigers, but I never met them. The Keys just showed up one day. "Which one?"

[yellowlion]

"Joe," I say ruefully. "Turns out he's their Blue, and I met him and Ahim, his Pink, and gave over Liveman's power. I only barely remember it. Can't make myself focus on it. Joe forgot, too, and now he's having a helluva time integrating the two sets of memories, poor kid."

The other question's easier and doesn't involve me aching for poor Joe or the rest of his fragmented team. "The Go-Busters are the latest sentai team. Suits are a little weird, but they work well enough. I only really know Red, and only a little."

[greensai]

It pains me, every time, when I hear that yet another Sentai team - or Rider, for that matter - has been called to fight some great evil. Peace never seems to last long, and so many risk their lives...

I worry for Jou's family. Their children, if children are being called to fight.

Wait. Back up. "How do you just forget something like that?"

[blackbison]

Junichi's hurting. He worries so much, especially about younger kids fighting evil. He feels that hurt very intimately. He was so young when we fought. What were we thinking, anyway?

I hope these new teams are less motivated by revenge. It never ends well.

...Oh, Junichi has a point. I raise an eyebrow at Jou, and then my glass of wine too. "My head hurts." I add helpfully.

[yellowlion]

The two of them look tired. Hurt. Worried.

I don't like this one little bit.

"Mine, too," I say ruefully. "We haven't pinned down what happened yet. There have been all kinds of disturbances, including a strange bunch who dimension hopped to pick up Gai -- did I mention that the original Gai was GokaiSilver -- and maybe it was a side effect of the messing around they've done. I've had a few other weird memory gaps but I don't know if it's all from the same source."

[greensai]

I stop myself from laughing affectionately at Tetsuya's comment about his head hurting, instead just giving him a knowing little grin. He's not stupid, not by a long shot, but he's better with direct action, thinking on his feet, and all that.

I have to admit that I'm also having a bit of trouble following Jou's words. He seems to be talking about many things at once, all vaguely related? I sigh, and look down at the table.

"Do you know anything concrete yet?"