Nightshift 27: 2nd Floor, Pharmacy

[beloved_less]

[From here.]

Soubi kept a hand flat out on Ritsuka's chest, holding the boy back, but ready to pull him closer should anything come and surprise them from behind.
The torch slowly crawled along the walls, revealing the room piece by piece. It seemed safe, but he wasn't letting go of Ritsuka. He took his hand and walked in.

Comments

[forgot_it_all]

It took all he had not to turn bright red and say something equally stupid when Soubi easily broke the door down. It was good that Soubi didn't laugh or Ritsuka would have taken off like a shot to hide his morbid embarrassment. Not running off when he saw Soubi's smirk was hard enough.

Once they were inside, Ritsuka switched on his own flashlight, tapping it against his thigh once to get the light to turn on. He swept the beam around the room and then slipped away from Soubi to start on the drawers. From what he remembered there were needles and other medications here. The longer he searched, however, the more it seemed that things had changed. There were fewer syringes and more medication, but at least there was something. He collected a few syringe packets and started looking through the medicines for Tamaki. "Not sure what's going to be in here anymore, but check for anything you think you can use. I promised Tamaki I'd pick up some stuff for him."

He wasn't sure what all the names meant, but he knew some of them at least. Rifling through the cabinets, he pulled out any painkillers and sedatives that he came across and stuffed them into his pockets.

[beloved_less]

Soubi wanted to shadow Ritsuka, but he knew it would be silly. They were...relatively safe. Soubi would be in the same room, only a few feet away. He moved over to a cabinet and searched the shelves for anything that looked useful. Not only to Tamaki, but to himself. Painkillers could possibly be exchanged for cigarettes and information. Same with sleeping pills. Gentle medication for patients that had been hurt. Lithium for addicts, perhaps. This place was a junkie's heaven. Laxatives for the staff room teapot, should they pass by.

"How's your neck feeling?" he asked. He wasn't going to let Ritsuka take anything right now, if he was hurting, the pain would probably help a little to keep him awake and alert. But it would be useful to have something on hand tomorrow.

He found a couple of bags stuffed into the corner of a cabinet and pulled them out, holding one out to Ritsuka. He filled his own with as much as he could, making sure to get a bit of everything.

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka had been trying to ignore the injury since setting out at night, but Soubi's question brought his attention back to it. The adrenaline of being outside had helped dull it some, but soon he was sure it was going to wear off. In the meantime, he was just trying to be careful not to whip around too much. His arms and legs were fine by now so he started pulling those bandages off. They itched and he hated that feeling. "Nothing I can't deal with," he said nonchalantly.

Taking the bag from Soubi, he filled it with other things - allergy tablets, vitamins, antibiotics, whatever he could get his hands on - but was careful to leave some space in case they found other things later. These things would really help Tamaki later for his clinic. To anyone else, it looked like Ritsuka and Soubi were drug addicts looking for a good high. With his pockets and the bag mostly full, he turned to his Fighter and sighed slightly. "Not much by the way of weapons, but maybe we'll have better luck in a different room. It looks like they changed some stuff."

He felt a little guilty about having been wrong. He'd suggested they come here after all.

[beloved_less]

Soubi didn't doubt Ritsuka's ability to deal with pain, but it didn't make him any happier. But he nodded, leaving it at that. He'd check the injuries later, if he got a chance.

"Alright," he nodded. He was hoping he was right in thinking there'd be bags in the locker room. It would make carrying these things easier. "Is there anything else you need from here?"

[forgot_it_all]

He shook his head and double checked to make sure he had everything, gathering the bag up so it was easier to carry. "No, I think I'm done here. Should we check next door?"

He hoped Soubi would say no just so he could avoid going in there again. He hadn't seen what attacked him, but he'd never felt so despondent and apathetic in his entire life. It angered him, remembering that night - the only night with Seimei - that had been spent in useless depression. "There might be things living in the lockers..."

[beloved_less]

Soubi looked at Ritsuka. He clearly wasn't eager to into the room. Soubi was left feeling a little depressed at that, since his presence was supposed to make Ritsuka feel safe. Maybe he could con himself into believing Ritsuka was worried about both of them. Maybe he was just concerned.

"How important is the locker room? I can go in first. If we back into a corner, they can't get you without getting through me and I won't let that happen."

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka shrugged, looking away and scratching absently at his arm with his flashlight. "I don't know - I didn't get very far into it."

He realized halfway through his sentence how he sounded and he quickly corrected himself, not wanting to sound weak or useless. Facing Soubi, he gathered his courage and nodded. "I'll be fine. There might be things in there you can use, so we should check everything we can."

He hoped he sounded braver than he felt.

[beloved_less]

Soubi wasn't used to such an uncertain Master, or one so easily frightened, but he understood how hard Ritsuka tried and how determined he was for a boy who'd grown up outside the world that Soubi knew. And he admired that, which was why he wanted to try hard and make things work. But seeing Ritsuka so worried was a little depressing. Soubi was suppose to make him feel invincible and he was clearly failing.

He didn't want to push Ritsuka into this, but he wanted to assure the boy that he'd be there to protect him. All he could do now was nod and follow orders, despite wanting to assure Ritsuka that they could bail out if he got frightened. He took Ritsuka's hand and headed back out into the hall.