Nightshift 33: M-A Block Hallway
[from here]One row over - first row in. Sai had stopped needing to look at the room numbers some time ago. He couldn't help but wonder if Usopp would be surprised to see him. His visits were a regular occurrence, but it wasn't as though he'd told the pirate he'd be coming this night in particular. He didn't think he'd be shooed away, but
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Hijikata paused when he reached the main hallway, looking up and down its shadowy expanse. Tall and black-haired; red hair, "looking like a kid." The others in his group didn't seem to be here yet. He found a position against the wall, just to make sure nothing could sneak up from behind, and prepared to wait.
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He spotted the guy almost as soon as he stepped out into the corridor, and approached him quickly, although making sure not to appear like he was sneaking up on him or anything. Not that Kenren did sneaking.
"Yo. Waiting for me? I'm guessing you're Hijikata?"
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"Yes. You're Kenren?" Hijikata took a step away from the wall, sizing up the other man. Despite the insouciant smile, Kenren moved like a warrior. And he was armed with a katana, a choice that Hijikata couldn't help but approve of. It was always easier to work with allies who fought in a familiar style.
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When Junior got out into the hallway, he noticed Kenren and another tall guy already there. Seemed like he fit the bill for Hijikata, then. He headed over to the two, raising the hand that held his flashlight in a greeting. Probably wasn't a good idea to wave it wildly all over the place, after all; might seem like he was getting attacked by something, or attract something else. "Hey, Kenren," he said to the guy he knew, and then turned to the one he hadn't officially met yet. "I'm Junior. Are you Hijikata?"
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"I am," he replied to the newest newcomer, glancing from one to the other, the last of his earlier worry sinking to a place somewhere at the back of his mind. It wasn't gone - wouldn't be gone until he was certain it was unfounded - but it was no longer a distraction. The demon vice-commander was in control.
"We're following the radio clues tonight. Until the first is broadcast, we have a little time. Tell me about your fighting abilities."
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He moved to lean against the wall comfortably, the katana held loosely in his right hand but in a position that made it easy for him to move and use it if they were suddenly attacked. "I prefer guns, to be honest," Kenren admitted. "But I've had a couple of hundred years working with a katana so I'm decent enough with one at least."
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Still, he just needed to live up to the expectation of handling himself, right? He resisted the urge to tell them 'I'm at least twice as old as I look.' It wouldn't do him a bit of good right now, and it got into all sorts of other stuff he didn't really feel like explaining.
Junior continued to stand away from the wall, glancing down it to make sure there weren't any monsters trying to sneak up on them before giving his own answer. "I prefer guns, too, or some sort of projectile weapon. But I was raised to fight with all sorts of weapons, and I can work with the scalpel I've got." For now, at least, but he left that off. ( ... )
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"Since you're not as well armed," he said to the redheaded boy, "hold the light, and let us do the fighting if we encounter anything two or fewer fighters can handle."
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He looked curiously at Junior at the mention of abilities, but wasn't about to ask since he seemed so hesitant about it.
"All of this is kind of moot unless the radio actually decides to say something sometime soon," Kenren said after a moment. It didn't give clues every night that he'd heard. Would such for this to be one of those nights.
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"Got it," Junior responded automatically, trying not to think too hard on it. It made sense to let the people with the better weapons handle the easier enemies to let their group travel more quickly. He'd still be able to help out with harder enemies. But Kenren was right, it wouldn't make much of a difference if the radio didn't--
Almost as though it had been waiting for that, the radio chose that moment to come alive. That didn't make it any less confusing, given what the message was. Outside? What exactly did that mean? The radio made it sound harder than just getting to the rec field or courtyard, so did they actually mean outside this place entirely? The redhead was under the impression that it was impossible to get over the outer walls or out the front door. Had the radio-lady done something?
"You guys got that, right?" he asked his companions when it was over. "Think it means we can actually go outside now, or what?"
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With possible rewards. "I've heard the hints are reliable," he said. "It might mean we can get beyond the walls."
Though he hadn't understood one word in ten from Landel's mad ranting tonight, part of his mind wondered vaguely if this might have something to do with "hacking" having proven possible.
Decision made, he nodded sharply. "Let's head out," he said. "Through the courtyard to the walls. We'd need a key for the front door, and we don't have one."
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Kaito hurried into the block hallway, glancing back to make sure MOMO was following him. They'd need to get upstairs first, and then to the rooms where Homura and Okita would have been taken to...
In the dark, he heard Hijikata's voice before he actually spotted the man. Kaito was fairly sure he would want to know what had happened, if not need to know.
"Hijikata-san!" he called out, rushing towards the group. He slid to a stop nearby, taking a quick breath before telling him, "Okita-san and Homura... They were both taken by the staff tonight."
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MOMO had no idea where the staff would've taken their captives, but she followed Kaito without question. He seemed to know where he was going, which was a very good thing.
She hadn't counted on Kaito deciding to stop by the group that Junior and Hijikata were a part of, although she wasn't going to complain about that. From the blond man's comments, it seemed that it'd be wise to travel in a larger group when attempting to rescue someone. And even if that hadn't been true, she always felt safer when she was near Junior. Surely they'd be able to rescue Homura and Okita...
Kaito had taken care of informing the group what had happened, so MOMO merely nodded, unsure of what else to say.
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He swallowed, gritting his teeth and forcing himself to retain his composure and when he turned to Hijikata, there was a steely look in his eyes. "What do you think? Two groups? One for each of them?"
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The redhead wasn't entirely certain what it meant...he'd heard about Special Counseling from MOMO, but he'd gone the last few days without asking someone about that CM-US thing that the head doctor mentioned. But he could guess. With both Homura and Okita taken, he guessed that at least one was in for whatever-it-was. Both, if the other didn't get the Special Counseling. It seemed almost like a planned attack on the History Club.
Junior turned to Hijikata when Kenren started speaking, and nodded. Like hell they'd abandon them to whatever the staff had planned. There was no way they could leave them behind. "Yeah, we've gotta go get 'em."
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