Day 24: Breakfast
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 ( Read more... )
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 ( Read more... )
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?"
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"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.
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"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.
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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.
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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.
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He gave Okita a slightly curious glance when the man mentioned teaching swordsmanship. It was unlikely that there was any opportunity to have anything like a lesson in Landel's, but if Okita could get a sword, Sasuke could always watch. It didn't take much for Sasuke to pick up on things, Sharingan or not.
There was a moment when he realized that he was actually at a loss to answer his own question -- something he'd grown accustomed to having explained by the time he finished pronouncing his family name.
Yohji had said something about ninja, hadn't he?
"I understand that there have been ninja in your 'Japan's' history," he said finally. "I am a ninja, and all that it entails."
With luck, this 'Japan's' ninja were at least similar to what Sasuke knew and was.
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"A ninja?" he asked, a little disbelieving. It wasn't that he didn't think Sasuke was skilled, it was just that the last ninja he had dealt with had been the one who was Kagetora's biological father's servant.
He had been the one to give Naoe the option of saving Takaya's life. The Houjo Clan, the Clan of Kagetora's birth, had trapped Kagetora's soul inside of a mirror and left Takaya's body to die, for Naoe to kill. He had plotted to make it appear as if he had done just that, when in reality he set it up to steal the mirror and Takaya's body. Once the two were seemingly alone on a lake, Naoe's plan was to trap his own soul in the same mirror and then cast their bodies to the bottom of the lake. Then they would have been together forever, no matter how much Kagetora hated him for it there would have been no one else but him around. It had been a beautiful and horrible plan, but then the ninja had appeared and given him a way out.
In the end he saved Takaya because he had come to love the teenager just as much as he loved the 400 year old war lord that he had once been.
It was a little ironic to think that the child that he had been spending the last couple of nightshifts with was also a ninja.
"Is... Lee-kun also a ninja?" he asked. He knew Takaya's roommate was from the same world as Sasuke, but the idea of that strange, annoying youth being of that creed seemed somehow wrong to Naoe.
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Sasuke's seemed interested in the answer too, although probably not in the same ways. That one had obviously been trained to use certain weaponry like swords and knifes and the like. But, unlike Yuffie, proclaiming oneself a 'ninja' in Sasuke's poker faced way only made Aidou want to laugh at him. A lot.
He didn't, though. Aidou did have his respectable upbringing, despite certain appearances. And there was also the hint of an unexplained energy usage, as Sakura had been saying; probably not like manga ninjas, then, and that was the only experience Aidou had with them.
Lee... He wondered at the third member of Sasuke's party from the previous night, and very nearly cringed at memory of the third face. If 'Lee' was that guy, he never wanted to be seen within twenty feet of him.
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Lee - another name added to the list. Okita would have to keep researching these people to see just how everyone was connected. That information might prove valuable if he were able to get it back home.
When Aidou spoke again, Okita tilted his head toward him and laughed lightly. "Oh~ Do you have a swordsman you'd like me to spar with? I'd be more than happy seeing as--"
He stopped mid-sentence as the little plastic spoon reached its limit and suddenly snapped back in Okita's hands. Shocked, he let go and watched helplessly (although, not without some amusement) as the spoon arced gracefully through the air, heading straight for Aidou's face.
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"I am from Otogakure," he answered Okita's question first, as it was the easy part. Sort of. He declined to add that he had formerly been part of Konohagakure -- with luck, they wouldn't need to know. Knowing Sasuke's luck, they'd find out anyway.
A moment, and then with thinly-veiled interest, "I am also trained in swordsmanship, and would be interested in a spar, if it is ever possible in this place."
"Lee is also a ninja," he confirmed for Takaya -- another easy thing. If Lee had improved over the years, he'd be an excellent ally. Landel's did to normal shinobi what fate had done for Lee, and Lee had experience with lack of chakra.
He was about to clarify Lee's especial abilities, possibly explaining a few of his own on the side, when Okita's plastic spoon snapped out of control and flew on a graceful trajectory for the most volatile party present. His lip quirked, just barely, and for only a moment.
That was probably going to be something to watch.
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Naoe nodded slightly when Sasuke told him the truth about Lee. He would have to keep his opinions about the matter to himself, but he wondered if the training that Lee had received even measured up to the training of the ninja he had known since he had been alive.
He watched Okita's spoon fly across the table and his eyebrows arched upwards slightly. He leaned back slightly, preparing for some kind of reaction.
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That stupid plastic spoon Okita had been fiddling with was suddenly flying at him, and he'd already raised his arm up to cover a yawn, leaving him no room to twist and catch it. Even less time to avoid the damn thing, which instead struck the bare skin above his shirt collar, just under his throat. Some pokey plastic bit stung him.
Aidou caught the spoon before it dropped away, clutching it tight in his fist. He'd done that on purpose, the fool. "Why, thank you for that. I'll have to return the favour."
That was definitely enough abuse for a late night.
He lunged at Okita without further warning, instincts having taken the minor offense and insult and turned it into impetus to attack. It was very much a bestial-like thing.
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"You're welcome, Aidou-kun, but it was just--" Aidou lunged and Okita sprang up and out of his seat, sending the chair clattering to the floor. He wasn't fast enough, however, and could see Aidou's hands moving far too close to his throat. Between ducking and throwing up his left arm to take the brunt of the attack, he noticed that both Sasuke and Yoshiaki were carefully sitting this one out. Certainly the best route for them, but that meant Okita had no backup. It sucked to be him.
He could feel Aidou's nails - no, wait, they were too sharp to be regular nails - his claws scratch into his skin, and it took all of his self-control not to jab his own fingers into Aidou's eyes. Instead, he twisted his body to the left to get out of the way and attempted to jump back. Hopefully, Aidou didn't have enough momentum to carry them to the floor or things would get really ugly.
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Okita was wrong. He did have backup. Backup in the form of a small, blond teenager who thought he was a chick.
Claire couldn't understand why the other men were looking as though this was some kind of show, but didn't much care at the moment. Moving as fast as she could, she grabbed Aidou's arms and braced her feet against the floor, trying her hardest to pull him off the young girl.
"What are you doing?!" Claire cried out as she pulled. At the very least, she'd cause enough of a fuss to give the girl a chance to escape.
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Truth be told, Sasuke might have interfered had a blonde girl not run from another part of the room to do so herself. He had no need for allies who squabbled amongst themselves to the point of being useless. He almost had no need for an ally like Aidou who took an accident so personally.
Still, someone else had come, and it looked like Sasuke might be able to avoid putting himself in the middle of trouble for now.
Furthermore, he didn't have responsibility for Aidou or Okita the way he did for anyone truly under his command (with the possible addendum of yet), and thus he didn't even bother to speak, merely raised an eyebrow in their general direction. The intent behind it was up for interpretation.
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He wasn't going to let some teenaged golden haired female show him up so he moved to help her get Aidou off of Okita.
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