Day 24: Breakfast

[blood_and_pocky]

Aidou Hanabusa, a vampire, was one of the first into the cafeteria, which was swimming in dim sunlight. A grey morning suited his mood.

The fact that his biological clock was pitching fits was only the cherry on top of the cake; the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. "Waking up", once again, with no memory of how or why he'd been brought back

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[sasuke_of_sound]

"Have you seen Takaya yet?" Sasuke asked abruptly, realizing with a glance around the cafeteria -- rowdy as usual, he noted with some irritation -- that he hadn't seen the other patient yet. What had the kidnap-and-experiment been about? If it was even a legitimate experiment, and not simply fooling around with a human subject. "Or Lee?"

Aidou's comment, apparently apropos of nothing, earned him a blank stare that was partially Huh? and mostly I don't care. Sasuke had his doubts about Aidou's effectiveness, and the vampire's habit of (at least acting) flighty wasn't raising his position.

Still, his questions were at least viable.

"If I don't learn anything new by tonight, I'm heading out to the Courtyard and that general area," he said. "What are you looking for in the med wing?"

Of course, 'anything new' included what the radio spewed out. He'd failed to use the 'clue' last night, but damned if he was going to be stopped tonight.

Yoshiaki seemed to recognize Okita, and Sasuke had no idea who either of them were in their worlds, so he dropped out of that conversation and scanned the room. He spotted more than a few people he wanted a word with -- River not the least, about the experiments, provided he could make head or tail of what she said. Breakfast was almost over, though, and it would have to wait, thanks in part to Aidou's little fit.

[faithful_dog]

"He's not in here," Naoe said with a set jaw, looking away from Okita to stare at the table. He glanced back at the Okita and shook his head. "No, I apologize for staring." He didn't mean to ignore Aidou's question right away, but he was also being asked things directly. He must have been going a bit insane to who the other man reminded him of, he told himself. After all that person had been dead for a long time, besides he wasn't exactly right, more just a feeling and who knew what that was like. Besides, no pictures had ever been taken of the man, and it wouldn't do for a modern day monk to know who he was by sight.

"The med wing?" he asked thoughtfully. "I don't believe so. I've been to a lab and then to where they held those they took away last night." There was a pause. He didn't share his 'plans' for the night, but they included finding Takaya and staying by him.

[blood_and_pocky]

It was a fine group they must have made. A guy who didn't know anything, a kid who thought he knew everything, and another strange guy who... looked a bit off. If they were worth their weight in battle experience, Aidou wasn't seeing it. Then again, he was still pissed from earlier words and earlier insults - one of the selling points to the Academy was it's size and location; it made it all the harder for the Night Class to be exposed to human immodesty and consider teaching them a life lesson. Here, there was no escape.

Not unless he broke yet another vow, and killed Sasuke, then dangled his corpse from the nearest vertical service to display who had done it.

The thought of murder didn't bother him so much as the amount of trouble he'd be in if the council found out. Aidou sighed and wrinkled his nose, pulling out his journal. He'd be grounded for sure.

"I'm not looking for anything in the med wing," Aidou said in response to Sasuke. He'd been invited there once before, and yet didn't have a place for it on the map he had. What opportunities, exactly, would a person have to possibly injure a staff member and escape from their watch while they were removed from the throng and escorted there? No fantastical creatures to deal with during the day, only the minor threat of sedatives and burly human men. "I just wondering about it. It could be something to do during the day." As Aidou mind was racing through potential (and much more detailed) outcomes, he knew just how nebulous his answer was. But if no one asked, he wasn't going to bring it up.

He looked at Naoe, pen and journal at the ready on a tucked-up leg. "Can you tell me where this first laboratory you spoke of is, and a more precise layout of the M-U hallways?" He went straight back to flipping rapidly through pages without a pause, the corners of his mouth turned down in thought; his actions were probably coming off as quite erratic in their speed and suddenness. In truth, Aidou was tired and hungry and not thinking under the best of circumstances. He felt as though the daylight were making him that much more inert, curse it. "If you can't, that's fine, but I'm going to presume you have some sort of skill in "defending yourself" as Uchiha puts it. Don't be offended if I inquire as to who you are and what you can do." Aidou wasn't being purposely rude, just to the point, also to the effect of Sasuke. Proper procedures in conduct were for other times and places, and as a noble from the Aidou family, he knew all about them. He looked up at Naoe once again. "My name is Aidou Hanabusa. Shall we go through formal introductions once more?"

[notachick]

He hated not knowing things - it was just such a bother and made for really boring conversations on his part. All he could do was listen for clues and soak up information. While doing so was helpful and necessary, it did mean he was only a passive player. Although, the way Yoshiaki was looking at him definitely sparked his interest. Then Aidou pulled out a journal and Okita peered over at him. Perhaps he had one of those in his own room... He'd have to check. Maybe it was with that strange toy he'd found earlier under his pillow.

There was, however, one thing that Okita could contribute and he set his utensils down, wondering if he could get away with pocketing the knife. A quick glance at the nurses nearby said he'd probably get reprimanded. "Aidou-kun has a point - although I believe he and I are the only ones not acquainted. I'm Okita Souji, it's good to meet you, Yoshiaki-san."

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke frowned at the news that Takaya hadn't been seen yet. What the hell had the experiment been? It wasn't as if Sasuke had no experience with bizarre experimentation, but as a general rule his body was to be kept in perfect operation (and as such he wasn't usually a subject, although there had been exceptions).

"Med wing is next to the doctor's offices," Sasuke told Aidou. It was unlikely that the vampire would get away with avoiding 'therapy' in favour of prowling another part of the building, but if Aidou wanted to try it, the results could be useful whether he succeeded or not. "If you want to get there during dayshift, you could probably try it while they're moving people for therapy."

He didn't bother to introduce himself again, as he was apparently (oddly enough) the common link in the group. The useful part of the conversation was likely over by now anyway, he figured. Another glance around the room revealed Sakura and the ninja from the first night -- ... Yiffie? -- talking. There was the odd glance thrown their way, probably over Aidou; the two girls had been working with him during Nightshift. Perhaps he should ask Sakura how useful the vampire was.

No sign of any other shinobi, so Sasuke turned back to his food and keeping track of the conversation between the other three.

[faithful_dog]

Naoe turned to stare very blatantly at Okita now. He said nothing, but it was obvious that he did know that name and that he had been very surprised to hear it. These people can tear us from the pages of history? he thought. Then why had they taken Takaya instead of Kagetora? Why hadn't Naoe been able to have his Master with him instead of the teenage boy? At least then Takaya wouldn't have been tortured or hurt or whatever they had done to him. He wouldn't have to be so worried about the boy either.

"Excuse me," Naoe said, remembering his manners he looked to Aidou. "The M-U hallways are right above where the Female Block is located. After you get up stars that are in the corner in front of that block there is a hallway directly in front of you that will break into another hallway. The first door that will be on your left is locked, but the one after that is the M-U therapy rooms. When you enter there is a long hallway with many doors. We were able to find Takaya-san in one last night but only after the doctors had finished. They left the door open for us. It's nothing too remarkable to point out, but I have a feeling that there might have been more to see when the doctors were still there." He looked curiously at Aidou, wanting to know if he had answered the question or if there was more that was being asked. "As for what I can do... My abilities are very limited because of whatever this place does to us, but other than telling you that I have some spiritual ability I cannot share more than that. I have certain obligations that I will not break, even if it will help me escape this place."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, almost waiting for the challenge or some rude remark. He couldn't explain to them that he couldn't expose too much without the say so of his Master and Kagetora was probably not in the mind set to give orders.

[blood_and_pocky]

Maybe he'd find himself a guinea pig, and see what came out of being taken somewhere out of the way during dayshift. Although results would be twice as viable, Aidou wasn't about to test theories out on his own. Leave that to the expendable ones.

As Naoe explained the layout of the M-U hall - nothing more specific then what he had already had - he made some minor adjustments in his journal, including Sasuke's contribution. He answered Naoe's look with a 'Thank you.' That was one blank spot taken care of.

It was certainly odd to have to think in terms of humans having power. Only the touch of a vampire would ever bestow those sorts of abilities on a human, but here, Aidou had seen too many unnatural things. He had dug his heels in a bit like the choleric old bats (er... excluding Ichijou's grandfather) on the council tended to do, but he was loosening up to the idea. A little, anyway. It'd be just as annoying to overestimate them, as underestimate them.

Despite not giving his full name when prompted, Aidou liked Naoe's answer regarding his capabilities. Obligations that wouldn't be broken. Yes, that was exactly right. He nodded, adding a few fine lines to his map. "I understand. I would also prefer certain people to keep their gigantic mouths shut."

He didn't look at either Okita or Sasuke, wry smirk curling one corner of his mouth. If they didn't understand what he meant, they were really stupid. Aidou wasn't put out by the impromptu reveal - this time - but he shouldn't and wasn't going to be parading around the fact he was a vampire. If he'd had full use of his abilities to mind wipe, hell yeah he'd be vocal about it, only he didn't... so it was rather moot. (He still fully expected word to spread. If it wasn't Alucard, it'd be this kid, or Okita. They were all gossip-happy.)

[notachick]

Doctor's offices, med wing, M-U hallways - all of this was upstairs, which would help explain where the stairs he'd seen earlier led. The female blocks were no doubt separated from the rooms he woke up in earlier, and, as the others talked, he carefully wrote a map within his own head. He was lucky Sasuke and the others were so talkative and free with their information. It was good to know that daytime went in shifts and that therapy was next. Conversations from the bulletin board let him know what the nighttime was something to be feared (or perhaps embraced). The idea of "experiments" concerned him, but it seemed like no one had a choice in that. Behind his pleasant smile, Okita calculated things out, weighed the options, and drew plans for later. He wanted to explore tonight, to test the limits of this facility, and learn more about exactly where he was and when.

Yoshiaki's initial shock was something the swordsman knew he'd have to get used to, if Aidou's previous claims were correct. The man's dedication to his previous obligations was admirable, however, and Okita smiled gently at him. "Don't be so defensive, Yoshiaki-san. We aren't going to make you break your promise-" He paused and laughed a little. "At least, I won't."

And Aidou's pointed remark didn't go unnoticed either. The smile disappeared into a time-perfected pout and Okita huffed slightly. Even if he didn't really take offense, he knew Aidou would probably take pleasure in seeing someone react to his statement. And if Aidou reacted, then he could keep teasing. If he didn't, no loss there either. At least Okita knew he was privy to a secret (or a semi-secret) and that was enough to keep him interested. If the conversation stopped being productive, he'd move over to those two girls who had been eying them for awhile.

His miniature pseudo-tantrum over, Okita picked up his plastic knife and fiddled with it as he leaned back in his chair. "So what do you all do for fun here, hm? I heard that the nighttime provides a little excitement - anyone care to elaborate a little more for the newcomer?"

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke glanced down to finish his meal and, when he glanced back up, realized that Zabuza and Haku had entered the cafeteria. (And Iruka, he noticed after a while, but Iruka mattered less.) Still need to talk to Zabuza, he noted, and shrugged at Aidou's obvious jab.

"You're not the enemy. I have no need to share information about you," he said flatly, and left it at that -- and all possible other meanings.

Of course, if Aidou's semi-secret became a bargaining chip for some reason, there was also no need to keep it from anyone who wanted to know. It wasn't as if Aidou had been precisely discreet so far, given his habit of declaiming his superiority and debasing Alucard as a 'low' vampire.

Yoshiaki's obligations were probably to Takaya, Sasuke thought with a hint of dry amusement. That was precisely why he wanted to get to the boy -- it would become a two-for-one deal -- and somehow this place kept foiling his attempts. Nonetheless, a Konohagakure upbringing made loyalty a thing to respect, even if Otogakure also made it annoying. A brief nod acknowledged Yoshiaki's words.

He raised an eyebrow at Okita's flippant lead-in to Nightshift, slightly amused.

"Monsters," he said, matter-of-fact. "Brainwashed patients, moving buildings, human-looking creatures with weird powers. The usual."

[faithful_dog]

"I'm sure you won't have too much trouble Okita-san," Naoe said carefully, looking at the swordsman. "I've been here a few nights already and have yet to really encounter any 'monsters'." He glanced at Aidou but said nothing else.

It was the truth though. All of the talk about how horrible the night was and other than having to deal with Takaya being hurt by the doctors, who were probably humans, he hadn't really encountered anything more terrifying than a few rusted doors.

"I'm not saying that they aren't here, so many people have spoken of them, including Takaya-san," and of course he believed Takaya. "But I have no doubts in your ability to survive."

[blood_and_pocky]

He accepted Okita's response with a internal sigh of resignation - it was so like Ichijou, it really ticked him off. He couldn't say he wished any of the Night Class were here exactly, being weak and degraded and trapped like he was, but... it was lonely! There was no one to talk to! In a life or death situation, even the girls were smart enough not to give in to their hormones, so he didn't even have a flock of ladies trailing him around.

As for Sasuke's statement, Aidou trusted it as readily as he trusted any other human who said 'You're not the enemy'. The metaphor about trees and termites didn't apply to him in the same ways; if the kid claimed he was a hard kill, then Aidou was near immortal. The only thing that mattered was Kaname-sama's viewpoint on the matter, and he was walking a fine line on it.

Aidou didn't comment on any nightshift escapades he'd had. He just shrugged and said, "Should anything come up before a nightshift begins, there are plenty of ways to contact each other."

In any case, the four of them most likely had very different plans for this coming night.

[notachick]

Well, Sasuke certainly clarified things, didn't he. It all seemed rather fantastical, but he couldn't let that little fact get in the way of his belief. He was in the future, after all, and that voided any claim he had to normalcy. Sasuke, for all of Aidou's disparaging looks, had skill and Okita knew that would be important sooner or later. More than likely, he had friends, too, and that would certainly be an advantage. Aidou didn't seem the type to make friends and Yoshiaki was thoroughly dedicated to one person. If Okita was going to network, it would likely be through Sasuke.

He laughed glibly as everyone answered in turn and noted the information down. It'd be luck of the draw whether or not he'd get attacked tonight then. "Just the usual monsters and demons, hm? That's good to know. I should fit right in."

Yoshiaki's confidence in him, however, was a little unexpected. Had he become that famous through the ages? "Thank you, Yoshiaki-san - that's very kind of you to say."

Aidou seemed to have calmed down some, as well, which meant Okita had an easier time of not stabbing him in the face. In fact, perhaps Aidou would be the perfect target until he met some new people. He seemed easy to rile up. Okita assumed he meant the bulletin board thing in the other room and tried to balance the plastic knife of his fingertip. "Should we need to contact each other, would leaving a message on the board be best? Or is that too much of a security risk?"

[sasuke_of_sound]

Regardless of whether Okita had monsters and the like in his world, he swallowed the information without flinching, which was impressive. He'd likely be useful once he'd finished figuring out what was going on.

"The nurses monitor the board," Sasuke said in response to Okita's question. He'd noticed the crossouts and edits and been vaguely amused by them. "If you can be subtle, it should be fine. If it's possible to send word, that's better."

He couldn't state with any certainty whether the Institute used the messages on the bulletin board to decide attacks -- it seemed like the written goals had met the usual rate of varying success, but not specifically targeted.

To be honest, Sasuke wasn't entirely uninterested in meeting some of the more dangerous monsters around the place. If he couldn't break out right away, there was no reason not to test his strength if the opportunity was offered. So far, the only really troubling things he'd met had been the two little girls -- he still didn't know what to make of either.

"What sort of fighting did you normally do on your world?" He asked the group, although he focused on Yoshiaki and Okita, assuming that Aidou would be stingy with his answers again.

[faithful_dog]

Naoe nodded slightly to Okita. He didn't feel like explaining any more than what he had already said though and instead thought about the best way to answer Sasuke's question.

"Mostly," he said carefully. "I would help those who came to my temple through spiritual troubles." It was vague and a half lie. It was true that to live his life as Yoshiaki he did do just that, but that wasn't 'most' of what he did at all.

He wasn't about to explain to them that he had spent the last four hundred years banishing angry spirits back to the afterlife or fighting the Feudal Underground. He wasn't going to go into details about the Japanese gods that Kagetora could summon, or the protection spells they used during fights. He wasn't going to go into spiritual shields or his telepathy. There was no reason to even touch on the abilities of the others in Kagetora's little army; Haruie's ability to sense spirits and read minds or Nagahide's powerful psychic abilities or Katsunaga's own special abilities. There could be no details given to these people about the Yashashuu, the five people that were the only force protecting Japan from the angry souls that threatened to destroy the balance in the world of the living.

No, he was only a monk who during his off time smoked, drank and drove expensive cars. If they wanted to ride him off as useless in a fight, then so be it. He couldn't expose what he really was and still remain loyal to Kagetora or to Lord Kenshin.

[blood_and_pocky]

That Okita didn't do more than accept the facts was sort of disappointing, especially at the 'monsters' and 'demons' part. People who didn't scare easy were just as boring as people who did.

If Aidou had had a better plan for this breakfast shift other than inwardly curse over his foiled efforts and torture inanimate objects in lieu of better prey, he would've shot his current company out of the water long ago. First, there'd been Okita's annoying and familiar presence, then there'd been Sasuke with his idiocy, and talk of long dead Shinsengumi, and Sasuke failing at more things cognizant, useless information being passed around, and some pseudo-monk who was probably in heroine withdrawal or something similar... It was all stupid. The whole 'team' thing didn't suit him (unless it was with Akatsuki, because Akatsuki was at least equal to Aidou, and far better company at that).

It was just a fact of life: human males were automatically emasculated in comparison to vampire males which subconsciously set them at odds, ergo it was a biological factor that Aidou had no say in. He could kind of forgive the kid, since it wasn't his fault... but not really. Aidou wasn't in to that whole forgiveness thing either.

"What sort of fighting did you do?" Aidou inquired at length, turning his gaze on the boy in question. Sasuke had been correct; he wasn't about to divulge his life's story unless directly asked. And, obviously, heavily censored.

On the other hand, if he'd been born under a different family name, he might've been raised completely anti-human, and wouldn't they cry when he repaid their insults in full? It was an amusing thought, actually. His thoughts always seemed to turn that way when he was hungry and in a lousy mood...

Aidou ruffled his bangs with a sharp exhale. This annoying little prison ward was so boisterous. And what else annoyed him? Being annoyed all the time. He needed something to distract himself.

[notachick]

His complete acceptance of the monsters bit seemed to ruffle a few feathers. Really, he didn't quite believe that monsters were going to appear that night. He'd fought with the conjurer's demons before, so he thought it wouldn't be worse than that. Joking about things was easier than openly brooding anyway.

Yoshiaki was certainly vague, wasn't he... Okita tried his best to keep from giggling under his breath. Yoshiaki reminded him of Saitou with his careful and serious nature. Didn't any of these people know how to laugh? Well, if the two others in his group weren't going to volunteer information, then perhaps it would be best to remain on the reticent side, too.

"I thought the nurses' might, but then - I'm used to passing around secret notes, so it shouldn't be a problem." That was a half-truth. He was used to sneaking things passed Hijikata-san or around the Choushuu, not nurses, and never right in front of them. "As for fighting, I did a bit of this and that - worked at a dojo, taught some swordsmanship, the usual for people in my time."

He knew Aidou would call him on that, and he was waiting. It was obvious that the Shinsengumi weren't part of Sasuke's world, or that Sasuke came from a different time. Even if Aidou (or even Yoshiaki) decided not to say a thing, it wouldn't be that much of a loss. Now that the conversation had turned to Sasuke, Okita listened intently with a pleasant smile on his face. Learning about this boy's abilities would be far more interesting since he was much less tight-lipped.