NIGHT 54: M31-M40 Hallway

[sanguinario]

[From here.]In a detached way, Edward could recognize how lucky he was to have met Stefan at the time he did. Now with Venom gone, he had no one he trusted outside of Bella and no source of blood. Stefan was a lot more like Edward than Venom had ever been - beyond the most obvious ways, too - but he didn't have the time. They hadn't been trying to

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M37.

[scintillatingly]

While Sora had expected Kairi to suggest something like heading upstairs or trying to get over the wall again, that wasn't what she ended up deciding on at all. The boy watched curiously as his friend moved over to the bed, seeming to settle in rather than heading for the door. Maybe she wanted to spend a bit more time in here. Even if there was no sign of Riku having stayed here, they still knew that he had -- that he'd probably been in here just this morning. It wasn't much of a comfort, but it was something.

And then Kairi explained what she was doing, and Sora couldn't stop a guilty frown from taking over his face. He was always the one who wanted to keep going and keep trying and never give up, but he had to remember that not everyone was like that. Kairi was probably drained from the news of Riku's disappearance, and also fed up after what had happened during the day with that gas. Could he blame her for wanting to take it easy?

It was something she'd only asked of him once before, and hadn't that been when they'd discovered that Rukia was gone? There seemed to be a connection there, and he couldn't fault her for it all. So after a pause, Sora offered a sad smile and shook his head. "No, that's fine! We can just rest for now."

He moved over and sat in the spot that she'd pointed out before, remembering that this had been Riku's bed. Maybe it still was, if he was brainwashed and not gone, but Sora couldn't help but feel like that was just wishful thinking. (And it was messed up that brainwashing was the better option here.)

Part of him felt bad for abandoning his duties as a club leader when he'd sent out the others to work hard through the night, but he got the feeling that almost all of the members would have understood, given the circumstances. "So what did you want to talk about?" he asked her once he'd gotten comfortable, setting his flashlight down next to him on the mattress.

M37.

[kingdomless]

Her smile only grew as Sora took a seat next to her, and she curled her legs under herself, leaning back against the wall just as Sora got himself comfortable as well. Once settled, Kairi turned towards him with a smile.

"Anything!" she told him cheerfully, though a few moments later, she really began to think. "Hmm, well ... let's talk about things that don't include the institute, for starters. It's always good to think of home, once and a while," she agreed with a nod. It may make them sad in the end, but ... Kairi also knew that thinking of home would also make them only regain the resolve they had potentially lost at the loss of Riku. At least, that was how she was currently feeling.

"What do you think Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka are doing without us?" she asked with a small smile. It was funny to think that the three of them were like a trio of their own, just like how she, Sora, and Riku were one as well. "Last time I saw Selphie we were walking home from school ... she wanted to go somewhere, but I declined," she said with a small smile. "I was too busy trying to remember you and Riku. I knew something was missing, but I just didn't know what it was."

"Speaking of," she suddenly said, a realization hitting her. "Why ... why did I forget about you? I still don't understand it."

M37.

[scintillatingly]

Sora's definition of comfortable was letting his legs hang over the side of the bed while he leaned back on his hands. It was kind of funny -- he usually didn't even spend this much time on his own bed, since at dinner he always sat at his desk. While he woke up in that bed, he had to admit that even after all this time it didn't really feel like his.

But it had been some time that he'd slept in his own bed for any long period of time. He'd barely been home for a day or two before he was brought here. Still, it was no surprise that home was what Kairi wanted to talk about, seeing how both of them thought of it so fondly.

As she brought up their three friends from home, Sora automatically smiled and then shrugged. "You know those three. I'm sure they're doing what they always do, running around the islands together and being bored in class. Tidus is probably trying to get the others to spar with him all the time, Wakka is probably still set on setting up a blitzball game, and Selphie is probably wondering if she should give the paopu to one of them." It was kind of interesting the way that trio mirrored himself, Kairi, and Riku, but they were also very different from each other. Still, there was no doubt in Sora's mind that the three of them were doing just fine.

Though then Kairi brought up her memory loss, which drew a sigh out of Sora. He really didn't like the concept of losing memories in the first place, seeing how he'd been a victim of it. He was just glad that Kairi's version of it had been temporary. "I think it has something to do with Roxas," he admitted. "When I was sleeping, they were messing with him... And my memories got screwed with too."

He grinned at his friend then. "But I see that you weren't able to forget me for too long."

M37.

[kingdomless]

Kairi couldn't help but laugh at Sora's comments about their friends, and she nodded her head, grinning. "I wonder how they're doing in school ... without me there to teach him, I doubt Tidus is doing very good with his homework," a laugh. "But I'm sure Selphie is kicking the two of them into shape as we speak."

If she was being truthful, she did miss their friends. After all, when Sora and Riku were gone for that year, they had been the ones to keep her company and chase away her loneliness. However, despite the fact that she missed them, she couldn't help but be glad that none of them were there stuck in the institute like she and Sora were. Sure, they each were able to defend themselves, but not like Sora and Riku could. Especially Selphie, considering she used a jump rope to whip Tidus and Wakka most of the time. Were there even jump ropes in the institute? She doubted it; and she really doubted whips being somewhere as well. At least Tidus knew how to use a sword, and Wakka ... used the blitzball, but still. It wasn't very deadly, now that she thought about it.

At the mention of Roxas, Kairi turned and looked at Sora with a soft tilt of her head, frowning. "I see ... I hope they didn't hurt him."

Just like that, the frown that had appeared was instantly replaced, and she gave Sora a sly smile, eyes narrowing slightly. "Of course. How could I forget someone with hair as spiky and silly as yours? I could spot you out of a crowd of a thousand," ... minus her incident with Neku, of course. "It was strange. When I was with Selphie, I said your name suddenly, and just like that, the memories came flooding back. I couldn't believe how I forgot about you. I'm sorry for that."

M37.

[scintillatingly]

While Sora was tempted to say that Tidus was better off having to learn on his own instead of relying on Kairi all the time, he knew that he'd been just as bad about asking others for help when he'd still gone to school. Part of him felt bad for abandoning all of that, but saving the worlds from dark creatures was a little more important in his opinion.

"He'll manage one way or another," Sora said with a smile. "And yeah, Selphie will keep them in line!" She was much like Kairi in that sense, after all. While Sora did miss all three of them, he knew that they were taking care of each other -- and he'd get to see them eventually. That wasn't something he'd ever give up on.

As for Roxas, Sora wanted to say that he hadn't been hurt too badly, but it occurred to him that he was pretty sketchy on the details of what his Other had gone through while he was sleeping. He knew bits and pieces, but not nearly as much as he should have. He was going to have to ask Roxas about that sooner rather than later, now that he'd thought of it. "I... think he came out of it okay," he said, though he didn't sound as confident as he would have liked.

It was interesting to hear about how Kairi regained her memories, and Sora only smiled as she explained and then apologized. "Oh, don't worry about it," he said with an emphatic shake of his head. "It's not like it was your fault!"

M37.

[kingdomless]

Nodding when Sora agreed that things would be okay on the island, Kairi couldn't help but allow her thoughts to wander to the time when she forgot about Sora. Those few months were strange to her, like a dream within a dream ...

"I know, but ..." she gave him a small smile, almost sad. "This whole time you've been looking out for me, saving me ... just like Riku has, and yet I forgot about you. It makes me feel like an ungrateful child, even though I know I couldn't stop it, but ... it makes me think that maybe I could have remembered you if I was stronger."

Kairi grew silent then, however, she soon let out a laugh, saving a hand as if to show Sora that it wasn't that big of a deal. "But that's just my thinking, so don't worry about it. I'm over it now, anyway. Especially after everything we've all been through, it seems so small in comparison."

And it was true. Hadn't they been through so much? From being brought to the institute, to being tortured and tormented, to being heartbroken and bruised. They had lived through that. They had lived through everything.

"What did they tell you when I didn't show up one morning, Sora?" she suddenly blurted out, staring at the floor. "That I was released? That I was gone?"

M37.

[scintillatingly]

It upset Sora that she would feel that way about it, since it had clearly been out of her control and it had all been fixed in the end, though he could also understand how forgetting him for a time would bother her. He couldn't imagine not remembering Kairi and Riku, after all, which was probably why he'd chosen to forget his memories of Castle Oblivion rather than the alternative.

Kairi was right about the fact that what had happened back then didn't really have much to do with their current situation, though. Even Xemnas had been captured by this place, which meant that their enemy was much stronger; for all he knew, it was them up against a whole army. While there were enough patients here to maybe stand a chance if they had their powers back, that depended on a lot of things.

Before he had a chance to reassure the girl or once again tell her not to worry about forgetting him for that time, she came out with a totally different question.

"Oh, well... It took me a while to realize you were gone, since it's hard to keep in touch here. But when I finally asked, they said you'd been released, yeah." Sora hadn't known what to think of it or if to believe them, but clearly the nurses lied sometimes, seeing how the girl had just been in the medical wing for all that time. He was going to be more clear with how he asked if this ever happened again.

M37.

[kingdomless]

Took him a while to realize she was gone. Kairi couldn't help but feel bad about that as well; she made a mental note to contact him during the day more often, so he didn't have to worry. Maybe that would help.

"Released," she whispered, frowning. "I wonder what ... that means. To them, I mean. Since obviously I was not released. ... Maybe released of whatever weird power this place has over all of the patients." At that, Kairi couldn't help but look down at her hands, wondering if she was right. If she was released ... did that mean the Darkness had gone away for that short amount of time? Obviously it was back now, however; she could feel it coursing through her veins as they spoke. Had it appeared once again?

But then, another thought. "The medical ward, where I was. ... Do you ... think there are other patients trapped there, like I was?"

It made sense. What if all of the "released patients" were simply in the ward, being made to sleep until whatever control had been taken away was placed back on them? She didn't think she had been experimented on after she woke up, however. Even if her memories were a bit fuzzy, she still felt the same as she had before she fell asleep. So maybe ... nothing really had happened.

M37.

[scintillatingly]

As far as Sora was concerned, Kairi was just giving the nurses too much credit there. He didn't hate them as much as a lot of the other patients did, but he also was pretty sure he knew what had happened. "I'm guessing they just lied and told me that so that I would stop bothering them." If they had told him that Kairi was in the medical wing, he would have kept asking them if he could be taken there, or at least pestered them about when she would be released. It had probably been easier for them to lie.

Which bothered him, but at least he would know better than to believe everything the nurses told him. Well, it would be the soldiers now, which meant that it was a completely different situation anyway. Still, Sora was going to double-check things.

However, Kairi's question about the medical wing did get Sora thinking. "That place has almost always been blocked off. I think it was open before the institute rearranged itself, but ever since then it's been impossible for us to get to."

It was kind of weird, now that he thought about it. If it was under repairs or something along those lines, then how could Kairi have been there for days? Maybe she'd been in an infirmary on the third floor or something weird like that. Sora didn't have much of a clue, and he doubted anyone would give them a straight answer about it. "So... I don't really know," he eventually admitted.

M37.

[kingdomless]

"Blocked off, really?" Kairi asked, wide eyed. "That's so strange ... I remember waking up and the nurse telling me I was in the medical ward, but I was surprised ..." But she couldn't remember what it looked like. How odd.

And if it was as old as Sora said it was, then that was even odder. If it was impossible to get to ... then how had she, and probably other patients, been allowed in and out without even knowing it? What was really going on in that ward? Of course, her curiosity was getting the best of her. She had an idea.

"There has to be some way to get into it. I mean, I know it's blocked off now, but what if it opens later on? What if it only opens some nights, and no one ever knew, because we've all thought this entire time that it was closed permanently? Maybe ... we should look into it one of these nights. You and I, especially considering Landel is gone now. Maybe the nurses and staff are gone, too? Since all I've seen since the sun room have been soldiers leading the patients to the rooms. Even the intercom wasn't a staff member." She was talking a lot, but Kairi couldn't help but feel like maybe she was on to something.

And if not ... well. Curiosity should always be followed.

M37.

[scintillatingly]

"You woke up in your room, though, right?" Sora didn't know if anyone had an idea of what the medical wing actually looked like these days. It seemed like it would never open, and he also had to wonder if there was some reason for that. Either something important was hidden there, or it didn't exist in the first place. He knew where the place was supposed to be -- right by the doctor's offices -- but it also had a bunch of stuff blocking it off, so...

It seemed like Kairi was set on checking it out, though, and Sora couldn't blame her considering the fact that she'd supposedly been there for a number of days. He would have been curious about that place if he'd been in her position, and he was willing to spend part of a night looking into it, even if didn't lead to anything.

"I think the staff is gone," he said first and foremost, letting out a sigh. While it would be nice to not have to deal with the nurses and orderlies anymore, the soldiers weren't any better. They were just going to be meaner.

"But yeah, we can check it out some night. Even tomorrow night, if you want! If we can't get through, we can always head upstairs instead." Sora knew that there were a lot of interesting rooms and supply areas up there, so there would be no harm in taking that path again.

M37.

[kingdomless]

"I ... I think so," Kairi told Sora, frowning. "My memory of waking up is kind of hazy. I just remember the nurse saying I was only out for a day or two, though. And that was a lie ..." She didn't know how long she had been asleep for, to be honest. And ... really, she didn't want to know.

However, Sora was still speaking, and when he agreed that he thought the staff was gone, she nodded her head, frowning. "I wonder if they're gone for good. I would expect Landel to not back down so easily, but ... I don't know. He looked pretty angry when he left the Sun Room. I wonder how him and the new guy are related?"

She knew that the new man was a general, and he had men with guns ... but what else?

Thankfully, she wasn't able to dwell on it any longer, because Sora was agreeing that they could look upstairs, if she wanted to. "Really? I'd like that," she said with a smile. "And yes, if we can't get through, we can always look for other things to do! Other things to find. Maybe some bandages and whatnot, just for safe keeping, I mean."

M37.

[scintillatingly]

The more that Sora heard, the more it seemed like the nurses had been lying to them more than he'd realized. He'd always tried to be polite to them, but that had clearly not favored him as well as he'd thought. Then again, Kairi's situation was pretty unique, as he hadn't heard of a lot of people who ended up in the medical wing for a long time like that. Maybe it was something he should ask about on the bulletin.

"I guess the new general was higher ranked than Landel, if he was able to toss him out so easily. He might come back, though. I wouldn't count it out, anyway." If Landel had been powerful enough to capture all of them and keep them here, then he should have been able to handle a takeover like this, right? Maybe he was just biding his time or something.

Sora didn't really know for sure either way, but he was going to keep his mind open to all options. Today had already proved that they could take nothing for granted.

"Right, exactly," the boy agreed when Kairi brought up bandages. That was a good example of the sort of thing they could grab to make the night worthwhile, even if their true goal failed. He wasn't counting on being able to get through into the medical wing, so he wanted to make sure to have a back-up plan.

M37.

[kingdomless]

Higher up than Landel? "Really?" Kairi asked, wide eyed. That sounded just dandy. "It certainly sounds like he can, considering he was able to toss Landel out as easily as he did. ... It's frightening to think about, in a way."

But ... she didn't want to dwell on the fear.

Instead she focused on how Sora agreed that her idea was a good one, and she smiled. "There has to be some other things we can collect as well, and maybe hand out to the patients that need things like that. It would be a good way to help, especially if some of them have no way to dress their wounds. We could store things during the day and give them out at night, kind of ... like a store or something. Except we're not selling the items for other things." It was a good idea, if she did say so herself. Maybe she could do that on nights and go out with Sora on other nights? It could prove useful, especially considering no one knew what was going to happen once morning came.

Morning. Another thing she also didn't want to think about. Hopefully there would be no painful gas to blind her and the rest of the patients again.

Re: M37.

[scintillatingly]

Sora wasn't very interested in focusing on how much worse things could get, either. Working themselves up about it wasn't going to get them anywhere. As bad as it might turn out to be, he knew that he and Kairi would be okay one way or another, and so he left it at that.

Besides, it seemed like Kairi was more interested in talking about things they could do to help the other patients. Gathering supplies and handing them out was part of what Arts and Crafts was supposed to entail, but Riku had always called it a waste of time. Then again, that was how Riku was. He cared the most about people close to him and was focused first and foremost on escape. Sora, meanwhile, didn't see it as a bad idea.

"Yeah, there's no harm in grabbing extras if we find ourselves up there," he said with a smile. "And if you want to hand them out to others, I'm sure people would appreciate it!" If they didn't, then they would have to take it up with him. Sora was going to support any idea of Kairi's one-hundred percent, after all.