itneverwas
in
damned
Nightshift 25: M21-M30 Hallway
As soon as the doors had unlocked, Xemnas already headed outside. His amber eyes scanned the dark hallway, but there were patients nor monsters lurking within the darkness. Keeping his flashlight off as to avoid any unwanted attention, the Superior quickly proceeded
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Whereas she completely understood the reasoning behind his decision to seat the vice captains as he did, she couldn't help but feel her pride reacting to it, though she didn't vocalize it in any way. She knew her friend didn't mean it like that, and perhaps that was why he decided to reassure her.
Momo moved closer to Hitsugaya's back and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you," she said in full earnest. "I know you're worried about me, and I guess I can't really blame you for it. I'm sorry about this morning, Shiro-chan. And about... pointing my... sword... at... you... before." Her last words were a struggle to say without bursting into tears.
She stayed there for a moment, breathing deeply and pushing the tears back. "I can't think about that now. I... have a mission." She squeezed his shoulder a little. "I'll be fine. Signum-kun is with me. She's an advanced modified soul. I'm not going about tonight with a human."
She let go and returned to attention. "Take care of yourself, too, Shiro-chan." A pause. "Anything else, Taichou?"
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Mission, Hinamori, she reminded herself.
Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Momo bowed, even though he couldn't see her. "Yes, sir," she replied and headed back to Signum and Sora.
(( Hop!))
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Hitsugaya didn't have to wait long before Sora had come to join him in Hinamori's place. It looked like there was still no sign of Rena and Kairi, and Sora had to wonder what was taking them so long. They had gotten directions on how to get here, right? So...
Well, he was getting ahead of himself. First he needed to talk to Hitsugaya about what he would be doing tonight.
"Hey," he greeted casually as he joined the other boy.
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But duty came first, and had had spent too long building walls to hold in those feelings. He wished she hadn't come to this forsaken place. It filled him with doubt every time he saw her, and a flurry of emotions he didn't quite understand. Duty was easier, and there were so many people counting on him.
He turned to glance at Sora as he approached. He was casual and warm. If he weren't used to Matsumoto's own degree of casual, he might have wondered what Renji saw in this boy. He said he was good enough to lead, but was he really?
"As I'm sure you realized," he said calmly, watching Sora with an evaluating eye. "My name is Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro. I'm sorry we did not have the chance to meet during the day, but it doesn't matter much. I know you were successful. Good work."
He pulled out one of the copied maps and held it out for the boy. "Here is a map of what we know. On the boards I will be using basketweaving as code for requisitions. I want you to take anything that we can use for a weapon from the shed. Bats, croquette mallets, if it's better than fighting barehanded, we want it. Any questions?" As usual, it was quick and too the point. He wondered if Renji had been as military when he spoke to the boy before.
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It was nice to be complimented for what he had accomplished the night before, but Sora still wasn't sure if he had done that great of a job. He, Artemis, and Rena had all gotten hurt, after all. Still, he made sure to thank Hitsugaya for the kind words.
Renji had given him orders, as had others in the past. He knew how to listen. After all, if he didn't, then he would end up doing something wrong, and he didn't want to disappoint anyone. He had to do his part! So he took the map and then paid close attention as Hitsugaya relayed the orders. "The shed on the recreational field, right? Got it!" He smiled at the other boy. He looked around his age or younger, and yet he acted super-serious. It was weird. "I'll do my best." Even though his feet were still sore and his neck was all wrapped up (man, it was uncomfortable), he was still ready to contribute.
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"Good," he answered. He glanced around to see if the rest of Sora's team were here yet. So far, no luck. His team wasn't here, either...and Byakko's crew still had to report in.
"Your team is meeting you here, right?" he asked. He thought about asking the other boy if he knew about the special counseling and the other special projects they liked to hoist upon the prisoners, but thought better on it. If he and this Kairi were as close as Renji had mentioned, telling him not to wait too long for his team because they may have been delayed by Martin Landel's monstrous night crew would only cause undue stress.
On the other hand, if Jean had been the one pulled away, going solo might be a bad idea. Still, it was better than waiting forever for someone who simply wasn't going to show up.
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Sora pulled his arms up behind his head and then leaned himself against the wall. "So, that girl... Hinamori. She's your friend, or what?" Maybe they were just working together, but either way, Sora had to admit that he was curious.
Hopefully Hitsugaya wouldn't mind a little small talk.
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Momo, on the other hand, was something different altogether.
"She's the brat I grew up with," Hitsugaya answered grumpily, moving towards the wall and leaning up against it. "Became Vice Captain of the Fifth, still comes by to pester me."
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"It's nice that you still see her," he said with a soft smile. "I think it's good to stay close to childhood friends like that. But you guys both fight?" he asked, tilting his head curiously. It would be nice to meet other people who were like him--people who fought hard toward a goal despite their young age.
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If Hitsugaya had known Sora's thoughts about Hitsugaya's 'young age,' he would have scoffed. As it was, he only rested his bat against the wall and glanced down the hall impatiently.
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Hitsugaya-taicho looked a little annoyed, like he was waiting for something. Seeing that, Jean rushed up towards where the white-haired spirit was standing. She hadn't realized so much time had passed...
"My apologies," she said, slowing down and bowing. "It seems I have kept you waiting."
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It wasn't too difficult to spot Sora among the strangers in the darkness; Rena knew only one boy with semi-spiky brown hair. "Sora-san!" The girl rushed over and skidded to a halt just short of the group, a miracle she hadn't knocked into one of them with the momentum she had.
Acknowledging the others and her fatigue with a quick, slumping bow, Rena opened her mouth to deliver the conclusion she had reached back at the female dorms. Or would have, except no words came out. Instead, Rena found herself huffing and puffing for a good couple of minutes, her respiratory system making up for that recent trek across hallways. Not the best time for "catch-up," considering.
Finally, "Kairi...san...not...in her...room!"
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He would have introduced himself and asked for her name, but then someone he did know ran over. "Rena!" he called out as she made her way over. But wait...
Why wasn't Kairi with her?
It was obvious that the girl had been in a rush and had something to say, so Sora managed to hold back and wait until she got the words out.
"What?!" he snapped, though there was no anger in his tone--just concern. Though he was attempting to come up with reasons for why his friend wouldn't have been in her room, he knew that there was only one thing that could have happened.
He clenched his fists. "They... they took her."
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Hitsugaya nodded his head to Jean as she arrived. "Nah," he answered. "I'm still waiting to brief another team. We're o..."
He stopped mid-sentence as Sora called out to a young girl. Rena...right, one of the members of Sora's team. She rushed up to them as if in a panic. Something was going on. Like Sora, he decided to wait for her to speak before interjecting anything on his own.
It was Sora's reaction, however, that surprised him. Renji had mentioned Sora and Kairi had a romantic connection, and yet the young boy didn't panic. He didn't get angry, or go rushing off into the dark by himself on some juvenile and barely conceived plan to save her. He was impressed.
"Then we have to take her back," Hitsugaya answered decisively. He didn't know what she looked like and hadn't seen her spirit threads; however, Renji probably did. "We need someone who can track her. Abarai Renji's seen Kairi before, he should be able to find her."
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When that was finished, it was clear the weapons supply run would have to wait. She had no idea what it meant to be "taken," but judging from the boy's reaction, it didn't seem pleasant. And the lives of fellow comrades was much more important than finding weapons. Jean only hoped that hand-to-hand combat would be all she needed tonight.
"I will help," she said, in a final, if polite, tone.
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