[semi-closed]

[substitutable]

Date & Time: following the mission in world #1530120; over the course of a few days
Location: in various locations
Characters: the Mekakushi Dan & their acquaintances (see the tags for a full list!)
Summary: The Dan needed to cope and deal with the shock and aftermath of the mission, mostly privately but that is a lot of one-on-one talking so we're putting them all here instead of making a gazillion logs.
Warnings: Talks of death, talks of insecurities, a lot of sad talking.

The mission is over, with one world lost, and a dan member they thought they lost came back thanks to the workings of the Initiative. But everything is only fun and games until someone loses a life once, and now the members of the Mekakushi-dan must deal with their shocking encounter with reality. Maybe they're lucky that they still have each other and their friends to turn to. This post is prose and action spam friendly!

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[copia]

Kaede has done an about-face at the door, trying to sort through scattered thoughts. It is better to wait, right? She could turn the hot pot down to a lower level so the food wouldn't burn, and besides, the Dan members were spread throughout the building, so chasing them down wouldn't do her any good.

She goes back and looks at the table again, staring at the hot pot as the assorted vegetables — weirdly mutated vegetables — and tofu boiled away. The strips of beef sit in a covered bowl, ready to be tossed in at any moment.

"Staring won't do you any good, Kaburagi," she states out loud. She lets out a breath and moves to lean against the wall, but then she hears some movement and a door open. They are in the room!!

"Ah—" She goes over and clasps her hands behind her back, placing a smile on her face. It isn't too cheerful, but it isn't sad, either. "Hello."

[concealingeyes]

"Ah, sorry for keeping you waiting..." Kido mutters as she scratches the back of her head. Just because she feels this way, she shouldn't slack off, at least for Kaede's sake. Only then does she realise something actually smells good. Despite her efforts to not eat, her stomach makes an embarrassing sound.

She tries to cover it quickly. "Erm, you made dinner for us? It smells good, whatever it is."

[duplicitoussight]

Tired as he is, Kano's managed to regain enough energy to slip back into his roles. So he puts on a smile for Kaede. Even if it's not bright as it normally would be, he hopes it's some form of comfort. "Ah...! So is that what we smelled? You really are a heroine, Kaede!" He claps his hands together. His voice sounds much too cheerful, like the shiny plastic painted too brightly. He can hear it, too. Does he sound like this all the time?

"Putting together a delicious dinner for us all--it's amazing. But really, you shouldn't have let us slack off."

[copia]

Kaede shakes her head at the apology, "It's okay. I wasn't even sure if you both were in the apartment."

Kido's stomach noise does make her hold back a giggle, but her smile is noticeably bigger and brighter. Kano's heroine comment definitely pleases her, too. (What she does note, and what does not please her, is how freakishly cheerful he sounds. Oh, Kano.)

"And yes, I did indeed make dinner for us! We all have to eat something. Also, regarding slacking off..."

The smile leaves her face as she places her hands on her hips, eyes darting between the both of them. "I...wouldn't mind being temporary leader again for a bit, if it makes it easier for you two. You both need to rest, and so does every other member who went to this mission. Cooking is nothing compared to the craziness of the last few hours, so..." She reaches forward to take each older teen's hand in hers. "Please let me do even a simple thing like dinner to help out."

[concealingeyes]

It feels like everything puts Kido a little closer to tears since she woke up in the med bay. She probably hasn't cried so much since she was six and wishing she could disappear forever. But this time when she rubs her eyes with her free hand, a small smile comes to her face.

Sis would've liked Kaede. For some reason she thinks that as she gives Kaede's hand a squeeze.

"...Sure. You and Kano can share it. Most of my leader duties were pretty much making sure everyone is taken care of anyway." A soft voice whispers Because we're just kids and can't do a thing but she pushes it down. Just give her a break. "Your most important job is keeping Kano in line. Just punch him if he gets irritating."

[duplicitoussight]

It's funny how the youngest of them is probably the strongest out of them right now. The thought elicits a small, short laugh from him. The world is still disoriented for him since they came back from the mission. But little things like this, like having dinner waiting for them on the table, makes the confusion settle a bit.

He, too, squeezes Kaede's hand. She's a goodhearted kid. They're lucky to have someone like her.

"Punch-- hey, wait, wait! That's Leader's thing! Can't you ask her to do something easier? I don't think she can punch hard enough, anyway..."

[copia]

She laughs — a genuine, lighthearted laugh — at the dispute over punching Kano as part of her temporary leadership duties. This is what she wants while they are trapped in this hell hole — laughter and jokes over who will punch who.

"Maybe if I had the Hundred Power to borrow from my dad, but then that would be too hard of a punch! I could always kick you in the shin."

Since she has a hold of their hands, she walks them both over to the dining room table. (Why yes, she is walking backwards as she pulls them.)

"What do you want to drink? I have water and soda and tea! Sit, sit~"

[concealingeyes]

"Tea sounds fine." Kido sits and looks over the table. "I can't remember the last time I made hotpot. I think it's been a while... You did a really good job."

[duplicitoussight]

"Ah, I don't think that's any better." He lets out an exaggerated sigh, to show his exasperation. "Kaede, don't follow Kido's way of discipline. She's a bad role model in that regard. Nice girls shouldn't go around kicking guys in the shin, believe me."

At her request he sits, throwing an arm on the chair. Everything smells delicious--he hasn't been keeping track of when he eats, but it's apparently been a while judging by how his stomach aches. "Soda for me, Leader Kaede! And I agree with Kido--it's impressive!"

[copia]

Kaede moves away once they both sit, because she is not going to tolerate either of them suddenly having a bout of "Oh maybe I'll eat later but thanks!" Nope, they are going to eat here and now! She does snicker at Kano's opposition to her suggestion. "But I've heard that nice girls being mean to nice guys is kind of like flirting. But maybe I'm reading something stupid..."

The requested drinks in hand are brought to the table, and she takes her own seat as she smiles. "Thank you!! Hotpot reminds me of home, and I thought something homely like hotpot would be a great choice."

She grabs and uncovers the covered bowl, showing off the strips of seasoned beef sitting inside. "I didn't want the meat to overcook and get tough, so we can toss it in when we're ready. Please, help yourself!"

[concealingeyes]

To ignore the conversation at any mention of 'flirting,' Kido starts to pick out some strips of meat for herself and drops them in. Kaede has a good point, though. This kind of meal does feel nice. Even if Seto isn't here, he would like someone like Kaede, too, and probably be happy they can share a meal with someone else. Even together, Kido and Kano are lonely people after all. It takes more than two to have a family.

"What if we made some desserts together sometime, too?" she asks, filling her bowl while waiting for the meat to finish. "Kano's always eating at weird times and he likes sweets, so it's good to have something already in the fridge when he goes looking..."

[duplicitoussight]

Kano, on the other hand, has no intention of letting a conversation topic like that go untouched. He giggles, hiding his mouth behind a hand. He glances at Kido as he stirs the pot, dropping in some more meat after. "You're talking about the legendary tsundere, aren't you? Well, well, with all the times that Leader'd hit me back home, do you think she'd qualify as one? Anyway, Kido, you make it sound like I'm some sort of wild animal scavenging for food! You're giving Kaede the wrong idea."

So saying, he looks at the girl with an innocent smile. "I don't get up that frequently, honest."

[copia]

She drops in some meat as well, grabbing some vegetables as Kano picks up the conversation. "Kido doesn't seem like the tsundere type, but you have known her longer than I!" (God, if Kaede only knew what metaphorical pot she is stirring with this conversation. Giiiiiiiiiiirl...)

A few chews later, she nods with excitement at Kido's suggestion. "I'd love to! We could make a pie that can be in the fridge, like a chocolate creme pie. And there is nothing wrong with getting up frequently," she quips at him. "It's not like this place is full of people who have a normal sleeping schedule."

[concealingeyes]

"O-Oi, you two, listen!" Kido feels her cheeks turning red. She can't ignore their little side conversation any longer. "I-I'm actually pretty honest about my feelings! Tsunderes aren't, right?!" Though, if she had to be really honest, she probably is a little 'tsundere' maybe.

"Anyway, I don't even know how to flirt so-" She stops. It seems like a good time to shove food in her mouth before she says anything more.

[duplicitoussight]

Kano can't help but snicker at her reaction, not even bothering to hide the smirk on his face. He leans on the table, resting his head on his hand as he teases.

"Ah, did you hear that, Kaede? Our Leader doesn't know how to flirt! How sad, how sad. We should help her out, don't you think?

[copia]

Kaede coughs as she chews her vegetables, trying not to choke. What?? Huh??? Did she just hear him right!?

"I-I don't even know the first thing about flirting!! At least personally..." She grabs her strips of meat from the pot, to distract herself. Oh no, what has she walked into...?

[concealingeyes]

"Don't try putting weird thoughts into Kaede's head!" Kido flicks some rice at Kano's head. "Don't listen to that idiot... He's just a huge flirt."

[duplicitoussight]

He ducks, giggling to himself. "Don't waste food, Leader! Kaede went through so much trouble to make all of this for us!"

He eyes Kido, his smirk not dropping an inch. "Ah, but it's a good thing I'm a huge flirt, isn't it? I can give both of you tips for the future~"

[copia]

"I don't think Kido would let you give me tips on flirting anytime in the near future." A few chews later, "Or...well, ever." She totally shrugs a la Kanye at him as she continues eating. "And to change the conversation~ How's the food?"

[concealingeyes]

Kido breathes a sigh of relief. "The food is really good. Thanks for this. Where'd you learn to cook? Even I didn't know at your age..."

[duplicitoussight]

The conversation topic changed, Kano sticks to stuffing his face. "Right, what Kido said! I'd say it's almost as good as hers. You have competition, Leader."

[copia]

"I help my grandmother a lot back home! Plus she has her own little garden where we grow some vegetables, so it was nice to help her with the vegetables and assist with the cooking. I didn't want her taking on too much, although I'm sure she appreciated me just being good and keeping up in school." She snatches up her strips of beef from the pot and into her bowl. "I definitely can't do anything super complicated, though..."