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Kiuchi knew the Negaverse had cats, he knew the white moon did also, he just hadn’t really met the talking cats before. So when he’d run into Katya earlier in the night, having felt the odd chaos signature, he had agreed without a thought or a care to picking her up and carrying her about cradled in his arms. With a nice warm coat on, since his uniform wasn’t the warmest thing, Kiuchi was happy to lean down and nuzzle into the cat's steel grey fur - she was so soft.
Talking softly his dark eyes half closed in pleasure, he was happy to tell the cat about himself. He knew corrupt cats, and even white moon ones, were important to his court in some way. What he didn’t really know but he knew they were to be kept safe, and this one said her General was friends with his prince. He didn’t have proof, other than what she said, but he couldn’t ask Remarque right now either - he’d do that later.
She was friendly, her little paws would occasionally come up and place themselves on his face or his shoulders, she was responding in a kind voice while purring in his arms. She had offered to hide his energy signature, so no one would come to attack them as he let spoke gently. She had mentioned wanting to travel to mirror space, though he really wasn’t sure he could take her with him. That was why he’d called Acubens and asked her to come and assist him with something, assuring her there was no danger or anything.
Katya had been out walking, planning to do some window shopping and come up with a list of things her owner could get for her. It really didn’t matter, in her opinion, if she couldn’t wear the fur coat she was looking at, fake fur as this cat wasn’t about to wear real fur unless it was the fur she grew herself, when she had sensed the signature of a dark mirror senshi.
They had, it seemed, to her luck come after her signature and after only a few words she was being cuddled and held in his arms, as she should be. He was a nice, though shy, child and she did wonder if there wasn’t a reason for it. Being mindful of his sensitive nature she was gentle with him, petting his cheeks and his shoulders, as they spoke. It was during the talk that she asked about a trip to mirrorspace. She’d yet to see it and was curious, she figured it was for good reason, and to hopefully ensure her trip there she mentioned that her General and the boys Prince were good friends - so Remarque wouldn’t mind if she visited. She just wanted to see the place, see what the dark mirror senshi called home.
Her words it seemed had won him over, if not for her loving nature, as she now rested in his hold as they awaited another senshi’s arrival. This one would come with them, and maybe help them into mirrorspace.
Acubens had been in the middle of her quota when Kiuchi rang her, but as always she happily dropped everything, called her wraith back, and met him where he and the cat were waiting for her. He had mentioned the name Katya, and while Acubens knew the name from when she and the same cat had powered up Crocus, she wasn’t certain that the cat would remember her. Katya probably met a great many senshi in her days, though Acubens had only known one corrupted cat. Never-the-less, Acubens powered down for a moment to drop into a local pet store and grabbed some cat treats. She didn’t know Katya well, but hopefully the flavor that she chose would be at least acceptable. She hurried the rest of the way.
Upon arriving, her face slid into an easy smile. Kiuchi was cuddling the cat, she was unsurprised to see, and Katya didn’t seem to mind at all. The scene made her smile -- for all the time she had missed since Kiuchi moved away, he still hadn’t changed. Acubens ahdn’t realized until that moment that she was a little bit afraid that he might have. That living with a boyfriend might have shifted something in him. She’d adore him to matter what, of course, but it was nice to see that some things had stayed the same.
“Anyone for an adventure in Mirrorspace,” she chirped happily once she was in ear-shot. “It’s a good time too, things have changed since last time, Katya. There’s a whole new world in there and I’m itching to take a peek at it all.” As Acubens spoke, she drew the newly purchased cat treats from her pea-coat pocket and offered them to the cat in Kiuchi’s arms.
---
Having sensed her signature before seeing her the senshi was happy to see the eternal, it had been awhile. The last time they’d been up in space and dealing with a lot of scary things. The senshi of gorgon’s still bore the marks of that as he looked like he had eyeliner lining the bottom of his dark eyes. It wasn’t makeup though, it was what the fading crystal had left on his skin. It wasn’t anything he minded, though it was hard to explain to his partner and there were giggles and stares at school. People in his classes thinking he was wearing makeup, if only he was. Sometimes the teasing really got to him, he was a bit insecure about it, and the teen would duck his head and shuffle quickly to class or to where he was headed.
He knew she didn’t know he still carried marks from it but she would surely know where the marks were from, would understand, and that was comforting. Caleb had, after he’d explained it, dropped it as well and ignored it. He was lucky to have some people who didn’t care, it was nice.
Lifting his head as Acubens spoke up he nodded his head. “It would be nice. Katya here wanted to go...and I don’t know if I can bring her too…” She was just a cat but he didn’t think he could do it, and he didn’t want to risk finding out if he could.
“Mmm, the new area is interesting….I like it.” Nodding his head he smiled brightly as Acubens pulled out a packet of cat treats, she really was amazing and thoughtful, and offered some to the cat in his arms.
Her own head lifted, ears twitching, she had sensed the incoming dark mirror senshi before the boy holding her but she hadn’t said anything. She had no worry for the one holding her, he was safe as it was one of his own, had she sensed any other sort of person headed there way she’d have said something and gotten him to move. She wasn’t going to let danger come to him, it was why she was masking his aura. This one was far too innocent and she would, for now, protect that while trying at the same time to get him some experience and give him some confidence. She would work on some plan of attack for this project of hers. First though...she had things to do.
“I believe we’ve met once before.” Nodding her head to the eternal who had turned up. Oh, this was nice...this was good. “I’m ready when you are….though if you wouldn’t mind in providing a name. I really can’t seem to remember if I got it the last time we encountered each other.” She said this even as the other seemed to know her name...hmmm...maybe she had forgotten the others name - how rude. She’d have to remember it this time, if she had infact forgotten it, this was another ally of hers and it would due for her to remember.
“Changes to mirrorspace...do tell. I am rather curious about this and would like to know. I’ve yet to be in mirrorspace so anything you can tell me about the before and after would be appreciated. I am also curious in how you power up your senshi.” She had her reasons for asking but she wasn’t going to divulge that yet...soon though. “Bringing someone into your court required a mirror...does it require that mirror to power up one of your senshi as well?”
“Acubens” the eternal offered with a smile, “and don’t worry about it. You probably meet a million people in a day, I’m not bent out of shape. But you did help me awaken Crocus, my other boy.” Acubens ruffled Kiuchi’s hair as she spoke, though paused in her actions as she caught sight of his face. Corner traced itself in lines across her expression as questions about his sleeping habits and whether his boyfriend was really taking care of him crossed her tongue. It was several seconds before realization crossed her features and she smiled again, lifting her own marked hand, left pale lavender by her own crystalline illness and traced her pattern down her clavicle.
“Me too kiddo. This life can kinda get to you that way. Just think of them as your own personal battle scars. You’re a war vet now.”
Katya’s questions about Mirrorspace diverted her attention and returned the easy smile to her face.
“Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to explore it yet… personal issues to sort out and stuff… but I mean… it’s massive. We can totally take you, just make sure not to jump out of Kiuchi’s arms. Mirrorspace will spit you back out but… not before draining you.” She dug out a few more treats for Katya, pleased to death that the flavor was acceptable, before leading the way to the nearest mirror. Not one of her own, but welcome all the same. It had been a while, and the sensation, like that of passing through water, was a welcome feeling. The common room spread out before her, milky and shifting as always, though with one prominent change.
The towering golden mirror loomed before her, and while she had passed through it once before to claim her own patch of land, she had yet to do any real exploration.
“A while ago,” Acubens began to fill in the gaps for Katya, “Mirrorspace pulled us to… well I don’t really know where, in truth. It was a place called… oh gosh what was it? Solemnia? Somnelia? Salmonella? I have it written down… that’s a suuuper long story though… There was a queen who had been consumed by something called the chaos seed… we beat her, took the seed, and now we have this,” she gestured to the mirror as she approached it.
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“You would be surprised at how few I see. It’ just I have other things to do.” Reading being the main thing, closely followed by window shopping and harassing people who left stores with things she wanted - and should have. “It is good to meet you Acubens. Tell me, the one I awakened that night - he is well?” She questioned, already thinking of asking next where to find him. He was, whether he knew it or not, one of her senshi and she would check in on him.
Nibbling on the treats, not at all caring if she made a mess of the senshi’s arm as she ate, Katya was pleased that she would be getting a trip to mirrorspace. She had not been there for long, just long enough to help in awakening a dark mirror senshi, this was far better than that. This would be a learning experience for her.
The feeling of entering the new space was certainly unexpected, it wasn’t the same as getting down to the rift or negaspace. It was different but not a bad different.
Listening from where she was curled into the senshi’s arms Katya nodded her head. “That is...interesting. So you went to space then? Or was it somewhere inside the mirror...like another dimension or alternate reality?” They had gone to a palace, to another place, and met a Queen. The one big thing which stuck out, above all else, was the mention of a chaos seed. Was it similar to Metalia perhaps? What was a chaos seed….she would have to do some research, if it was at all possible, on this matter. She would ask Benitoite to assist her in this search, and not just because he had hands though that did play a part, he was another set of eyes and someone else with access to various things.
Looking up and eyeing the mirror she jabbed a paw at it. “This mirror...this was the one which awakened Crocus - right? Is it the only one which does that? Does it also power up one of your senshi or is it done in another manner?” Ever the curious cat who wanted to learn all that she could.
Smiling as Katya nibbled on the treat offered her, she really was a sweet cat, Kiuchi smiled at Acubens as she mentioned him having battle scars, his own dark eyes looking over the marks she herself retained from their time in space. “I don’t think they’ll go away….Caleb...he’s ok with it. But people in school.” People could be, and often were, cruel and most of the time it was simply because they could be...and because someone was different from them - outside the norm.
Stroking the cats fur as more treats were offered up, and rather daintily nibbled, Kiuchi headed into the mirror they had walked to. Katya held tight to his chest the dark mirror senshi took the time to look around. “I want to explore the new area soon...I don’t know everything we can do there…” He did wonder if Acubens had figured things out there...had done anything in the new space. The mentioning of space and the Queen had him shaking his head slowly.
“It was in space.” Answering the feline in his arms. “We were in space...not another dimension or alternate. Like a wormhole inside mirrorspace pulled us into her palace…” Then he looked to Acubens.
“Has anyone heard from that odd one...the one who favored the Queen? I never saw her before then.” So he didn’t know her name, or anything else about her. He had just seen what had happened, and only in bits and pieces as he’d been rather preoccupied with the fighting going on.
Had it been space? Acubens had never been sure, but Kiuchi spoke with such assuredness that it must have been true. She nodded to him with a smile and parroted the word quietly in understanding. At long last. At least that question had been definitively answered for her. Even if that was only one of about fifteen million. “This,” Acubens stood before the mirror with her hands on her hips, “this is a new beast.” Gently, almost reverently, she ran her hands down the gilded frame of the gargantuan mirror. “This came about when the court came back from the lost kingdom of the queen. This leads to a whole new world that we haven’t even barely begun to explore.” Though, if it was like the rest of Mirrospace, Katya would have to be touching one of them at all times. Best to keep a hand on Kiuchi too… it was hard to know how temperamental mirrorspace could be, and this place was a whole new place all together.
“Mirrorscape, it’s called,” Rhona answered the questions that weren’t asked yet. “Different from mirrorspace in its construction and its purpose. It looks like… and I don’t want to jinx it… it looks like a place to live.” She tossed a wide smile over her shoulder at the pair behind her. “The black mirror in the throne room gave Crocus his power as it gives Kiuchi his and my mine. Think of this as a kind of… bougie cousin.” Acubens took a moment to laugh at her own joke before trying to answer the rest of the questions to the best of her abilities.
“As far as I know, the black mirror is the only one capable of giving power, but don’t quote me. Remarque really is the database for all things mirrospace. He’s kind of made this place his pet project. I think it might be where we go to power up basic and super senshi but… I corrupted in from super to eternal so I’m not sure.” Such wide swaths of blank spaces in her understanding. She was getting used to it… actively filling in the gaps was helpful in staving off the feeling of incompetence.
“And as for Kibirev,” Acubens finally sighed, pressing her palm to the cool looking glass for a moment before she allowed herself past it’s barrier, “I’ve not seen or heard from her since we got back. Though… not for lack of trying. Poor lamb… she wanted so much for the queen to be good… and in both of their defense… the queen… the true queen… had been dead for millenia.” They would never know the true face and voice of the woman who ruled the crystal castle. Nor would they know what made the prisoner in the cell tied up in crystals love her. They would never know their great love story, nor understand the full devotion she felt for her people. They would forever carry with them the towering monster who tried to kill them and take their world as she had taken countless others… all in the name of a poisoned and twisted love.
And that… to Acubens… was the true injustice of it all…
“You sound more interested in the black mirror,” Acubens said suddenly, jarring herself out of her own melancholy. “Mirrorscape will be there another time, why don’t we go check the less gauche of the cousins out, huh?” She pulled her hand away from the golden frame, lamenting the change in direction for just a moment though never showing it on her face.
“Kiuchi, lead the way darling. To the Black Mirror!”
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“So mirrorscape...looks like it’s own world - once inside. Like a pocket world of sorts...since it only exists within the mirror. I assume anyway, I could be wrong. Such things are outside of proven science really, as far as I know. But a world which doesn’t interact with the rest of the universe….it is very interesting sounding.” She would like to see this place, though not just yet. She had a small, though private, mission and she was a cat who liked to fulfill her duties.
“Maybe sometime soon you can take me into this mirrorscape. I’m rather curious about it.” And not for some Negaverse reason but she was honestly curious. This was something she could learn about and who knows what possibilities such a thing had. A pocket world of sorts perhaps but there was a lot of things she could learn by investigating this place, potentially anyway.
“I see...so one mirror for one purpose and another for the other...that would make some sense.” Rather than one mirror dividing itself between two things...however would it handle someone going into it to power up and not to go to mirrorscape. Yes,this made sense to her.
Listening to Acubens and Katya he nodded his head slowly. The whole secret little world thing was sort of thrilling for him. It was something which was just there's - a whole little world. It felt special, and it was, it made him feel warm inside at the thought really.
“Has anyone heard from her…? Found out if she’s ok…?” Because she had likely taken things rather hard. He hadn’t seen, or heard, much of what she’d done during things but he knew she had been loyal to the Queen and thought her innocent, and her own court bad, she had bonded to the Queen in fact if he remembered right.
He had thought her innocent at first as well but things had mounted against her and while he’d wanted to think the best he couldn’t, not after those book pages had been found. They were sad and troubling...filled with so many emotions. He had felt for the Queen but realized that she was no longer good but she was the enemy...and to get home, to return to Caleb, she had needed to go - and she had. Would she be reborn though? He hoped so...he hoped she got a chance at something better the next time around, to make up for the last lifetime.
“O-oh, of course.” Nodding his head the dark haired male did take to leading the way to the black mirror, housed within the throne room. He knew, had learned, it was the only room which never changed...and in an ever changing place it was good that something remained the same. Pushing open the doors he headed inside slowly.
Intrigue and worry etched itself across the cats features, as best as it could anyway, her tail twitching. “Perhaps if someone knows where this senshi of yours lives...I can perhaps talk to her - check on her. If there was a fight between you all and her it may be best that someone not involved perhaps seeks her out?” Katya offered, wanting to help if she could. Hearing what happened, though it wasn’t nearly everything she was sure, the Russian blue felt for the poor girl. Perhaps she could help, even a little bit.
“Yes...please. Another time for mirrorscape...I would like to see the black mirror.” She had something to do - something important. Listening to the other two Katya didn’t say anything more as they made for the throne room.
It wasn’t until the door was opened that she jumped from Kiuchi’s arms and approached the mirror. Touching at it gently with her paws. “Come here?” She questioned the two gently. “This mirror is rather attractive...such power - to power you all up…” She whispered, not letting on to what she was about to do. It wasn’t until Kiuchi got closer that she moved herself behind him and jumped. Her paws hitting into him with as much force as she could. She was small, but strong, and hoped that having surprise on her side would achieve what she wanted - him going through the mirror.
Watching him stumble and his hands reach out to catch his weight, as if he was going to hit the ground, she watched him pass through the mirror. Good.
“I’m not sure where the senshi lives… and I haven’t seen her power up recently… there was a battle between the queen and the Court. Kibirev was convinced that the queen was innocent, and to an extent, she was. But she was still planning to destroy the earth. We didn’t have a choice but to destroy her, and when we acted on that necessity… Kibirev turned on her own. She attacked us. I’m worried that her shame will isolate her from us, when in reality she needs to be at home with her family. She needs to know that she’s still wanted and welcome.” God she felt like such a failure.
It was only Katya’s musing that saved Acubens from the crushing spiral of her own self doubt. She began to ask about the mirror, make inferences that the eternal did not halt. She smiled, her arms crossed lazily over her chest and her hip cocked comfortably out to the side. She watched as the cat poked and prodded, as much in awe of the mirror as Acubens still found herself. She approached as she was bidding, feeling the smooths surface of the looking glass for herself.
“Yeah, it really is a thing of elegance, isn’t it? And power too. Remarque says -- Hey what the ********’ thoughts were cut short as Katya leapt up, paws landing squarely on Kiuchi’s back, sending him toppling into the mirror. Where had he gone? What had happened to him? Acubens knew that this mirror awakened new dark mirror senshi but what did it do to the awakened ones that it swallowed? Panic rose in her throat and Acubens was caught suddenly between an unshakeable inclination to punt the cat out of their sacred space and deep cloying instinct to try and jump through the mirror herself and dig Kiuchi out with her own hands.
She knew it. She <********> knew it.
Trust no Nega b***h…
Katya though was quick, she hoped anyway, to quell any anger from Acubens which might bring her to harm. “He is fine - he is just ready for more power.” The cat spoke up while looking up at the angered female. Oh, she really hoped the female didn’t do her bodily harm before the other returned as proof to her words. “This mirror can do just what I wanted it to.” She spoke up, tail swaying as she tapped at the edge of the mirror with a paw, as if she could summon the missing senshi to herself.
It wasn’t until the dark haired male was sent back out of the mirror, stumbling, that she was moving to get out of his way less she was tripped over and squashed. She was however, as she took note of, stronger than before. “As I said.” She spoke up, still moving to avoid the teen.
When she found a place to seat herself she was able to take the time to survey just what she had done - it was nice. “I’d say he looks better...certainly feels like he should now.”
Toppling through the mirror was not expected, he hadn’t thought he’d go right through it’s glossy black surface. He’d done it once but to do it again was unexpected, he didn’t know he could. It was an unknown amount of time later that he came out his balance off and feeling distinctly different, stronger, that he almost tripped as he tried to regain his lost balance.
“I wasn’t expecting that…” He’d had no reason to expect it but he wasn’t upset, not from the sound of it anyway. Once he was standing properly, and not at risk of landing on his a**, Kiuchi was able to take the time to look himself over before his dark eyes moved from Acubens to the cat and back to Acubens. “Soooo… Super?”
Acubens heard the cat speaking, but her brain had trouble logging the information away through the fog of her worry. She kept shaking her head and pressing her hands to the glass of the mirror, begging it wordlessly to let her in after Kiuchi. She only jumped back when the surface began to ripple, a sign of nothing good if memory served her right. It had rippled before they were all taken to Altea’s after all. Had Altea come back for them? Had she taken Kiuchi first? If that was the case, then the crystal b***h has just signed her second death warrant…
When Kiuchi came stumbling back out, Acubens brain reset itself. Her lips hung open and her brows knitted into a tight, heavy line above her eyes. The signature that he gave off was… changed. Stronger. The feeling was the same in essence, but it lingered on her nerves longer, weighed on her shoulders with heavier warmth. And as Kiuchi straightened, she noticed more changes. More detail in his fuku, longer gloves, new accessories. Her brain clicked off the changes that she saw like a real life game of “Spot the Difference” for several more long moments before her face finally split.
Without thinking, a cry of elation exploded from her lips and she descended on him, a full head taller than she, though no less subject to her affections. Her hands fluttered just above his fuku, taking the whole image of him in for real this time, repeating her gushing, “Look at you!” Her hands finally settled on either side of his face, her own aching from the force of her smile as she raised herself up on her toes to press her forehead into his.
“Super indeed, Kiuchi. Super indeed.”
Super beautiful. Super powerful. Super proud. Super… just… Super.
When Acubens finally released Kiuchi from her grasp she turned to Katya with a suddenly smaller and more apologetic smile.
“Sorry… that I doubted you. Can I make it up to you?” She pulled the pack of cat treats back out of mirrorspace and held out a small pile for the guardian as an offering.
Watching the happy reaction, she had no doubt the eternal would be happy with this outcome, the cat was happy to sit and continue to watch. Her work done, for the moment, she was proud of what she’d done. Now she also wanted to find that one who had become lost...had turned on her own family to help some Queen. She had betray her group but then been betrayed by the Queen...the poor dear. She had to be feeling some bad things...and Katya wanted to help. She might serve the Negaverse but these too were senshi who served chaos, even if it was a different chaos. Also Remarque was friends with her General. She would try and help.
“It’s alright, I wanted to surprise you both.” Lifting a paw and giving it a wave about. “You showed how much you care for him with your anger. I would expect no less from someone who cares for her fellow team members.” Though she wasn’t about to turn down the offering of more treats.
Stepping forward to nibble and eat the guardian cat turned her green eyes up to the two. “My General is friends with your Prince...and you all serve chaos, though it may be different, I will try and help your court as well because of these things. You are in good hands with me.” Though she had paws and no hands, she was sure the point was made.
Laughing as she finally seemed to see the changes he braced himself for impact, sure she was going to jump him, when all she did was hold his face and talk he found himself smiling. She really was happy, it looked like her face was going to split in two from all the smiling she was doing.
Looking into her eyes, as her forehead was pressed to his own, he nodded slowly. “I won’t be so needy now…” It was likely that he still would be though...he just would have more magic, something stronger, but he was likely to still cling to others as he had a habit of doing. In fact one of his hands had come to grasp the others fuku at some point without him noticing. He only let go when Acubens went to feed the cat some more.
“I didn’t think I’d be ready for this…” He hadn’t felt it in any way really, though he liked this new feel to himself.
“Little word of advice, my dear,” Acubens cooed, “You’re never ready.” She smiled again and gave his shoulders a quick squeeze before she finally let him go, turning to Katya.
“A surprise is… certainly what that was, yeah.” She dumped the small amount of treats on the floor of Katya, standing back up straight to face Kiuchi once more. Not only did he look different… he certainly did but… he also felt different. His magic felt more stable against her nerves, more certain. And was that feeling of his power also influencing the way that she saw him or was Kiuchi also standing a little bit taller now? Here his shoulders a little be father back? Was his spine a little straighter? Acubens smiled and made a few last minute adjustments to Kiuchi’s fuku before finally sighing and deciding that she was done. She needed to leave the boy be.
No.
She needed to let the man be.
Oh christ she was getting choked up again. Acubens swallowed hard and fanned at her eyes, trying to cool them from the heat of yet another bout of tears and forced herself to be calm.
“That’s the thing though Katya,” she said with a trembling voice, “They aren’t my team. They’re my family.” She’d tell the cat the story of her corruption some day, the same way she told Kiuchi. The same way she told Crocus, and Chione, and anyone else who asked and needed to know. How she left her family behind, struck out on her own, and was trying to save the little patch of paradise that she’d finally found.
But not right now.
Right now she forced the emotion from her voice and smoothed out her own fuku before stating, “You’re ready for a realm. Do you want to go now, or keep showing Katya around?”
—
”Let’s keep showing Katya around, I think we can do the realm thing another night.” This was a lot already for him, it would be a lot for anyone right? After a moment, taking a deep calming breath, he nodded his head. “Yeah,. Let’s continue with showing Katya.” He was certain of this, at least for tonight.
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