DAY 45: LIBRARY

[byname_bynature]

Even before he got sick, Sean had enjoyed reading. His teachers had always said that he read 'ahead of his age group', but he figured that was just because he read more than most kids his age did. He liked everything: fantasy, science fiction, biographies, journal articles... There was just something satisfying about holding a book--something

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[toobothersome]

It was rare to find Shikamaru in a library. It wasn't unthinkable--just because something came naturally didn't mean it couldn't be honed--but even if he did need to read something, it was a matter of signing his name on some ledger and finding somewhere less stuffy. Everything was stuffy here, though, and it was an almost malicious stuffiness, as if the room was packed with too much air and none of it had moved in years. He didn't bother to grab a book, or even look at the titles. As much as he wanted to find a place between the shelves where no one could bother him, that wasn't an option. Even if there was no immediate danger, something was wrong with Sakura. Wrong with a large part of the patient population, sure, but he didn't care about them. He needed to talk to the others, and find out if anyone else was affected.

He'd been subtle with Sakura, because he was afraid to alienate her (women were so unpredictable...you never knew what would set them off), but normally he wouldn't waste energy thinking about what to say to Sai, who'd probably give the same flat reply either way. Unfortunately, from what he'd seen on the bulletin, the deluded people seemed to have returned to their imagined former lives. He knew too much about the other boy's false life to tread heavily...if Sai wasn't affected, Shikamaru was almost certain that something inside him wished he was.

So, he'd be the crazy one himself. Shikamaru sat down across from Sai, giving the other ninja only the briefest instant to adjust to the intrusion. "What's my full name and what's the name of my village?" he asked, voice blunt but words carefully chosen. If he believed in the outside world, Sai could view it as a symptom of Shikamaru's insanity rather than a question of Sai's own. If he was actually sane, though, it wouldn't matter either way. A ninja more used to reading people might pick up on the choice of the word 'village' instead of 'town' and save Shikamaru the effort of confirming his own sanity, but whatever. It'd only take a second.

[tsunagari]

Sai blinked as the other ninja joined him, saving him the trouble of having to seek him out later. The question took him by surprise only briefly, and left a light feeling of relief - relief that he wouldn't have to be the only one trying to convince any others that the false life the Institute handed to them wasn't real. If he was the only one he worried he might have simply given in. It had been hard to tell Shikamaru's stance from the bulletin, but it was clear now that he was being tested. That earned the other ninja a light smile.

"Nara Shikamaru," he said, closing the book and setting it in his lap, "of the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Sai lowered his voice slightly, just so that their conversation was that more difficult to pick out, but not to a whisper. "I am not theirs today, Shikamaru-san."

The smile fell away, leaving his expression cold. "I spoke with Sakura over breakfast."

[toobothersome]

Shikamaru audibly sighed, relieved for the same unspoken reasons. "I don't think she's in any immediate danger," he said, glancing around, but the room was conspicuously lacking in ninja. He was sure others would arrive soon enough--Kakashi wouldn't turn down the possibility of smut, and if Naruto wasn't off sleeping somewhere, he'd have to be wandering around. Why did everyone else get to spend the whole day napping whenever they felt like it?

Shikamaru was certain that he'd never personally return to his home, that he could only trust the other version of himself to take care of everything he needed to take care of. And if that was the case, what was so wrong about falling for the institute's lies? If there was some world out there where she was in some normal school, leading some normal life, never having to watch anyone get killed, it wasn't fair to pull her away kicking and screaming back into a place where she'd spend every night fighting for her life.

But, the risks. What if she remembered the truth out there, and what if this awful night bled out into the surrounding unreality and she was completely alone? She was a strong, skilled kunoichi, but he'd read the monster list. A single person couldn't hold their own against some of those things, not without time to plan. He dragged his hands down his face and rocked his chair back onto two legs, as usual.

Be careful with him, he reminded himself. Taking other people's emotions into account was a pain in the ass, but the last thing he needed to do right now was piss off the wrong person, especially when the whole group needed to be functional in order to deal with this.

"We can't let her go on believing that stuff," Shikamaru finally said, the pause considerable. "but for now, we have to focus on making her seem 'insane' enough that they don't release her. If we..." he dropped the chair back to four legs, feeling it wobble slightly, and blinked before continuing. "Yeah. We can't let her be released."

[tsunagari]

Even Sai could tell that Shikamaru was distressed. It didn't take knowing how to read people so much as having spent enough time with the boy over the past few days. He didn't show it the same way others might, but the issue with Sakura and others being effectively brainwashed yet still within the Institute was certainly bothering him. Sai smiled faintly again, because smiling was what one did to try and comfort others when the proper words couldn't be found.

He'd read that in a book once.

The goal of any truly sane Landel's patient was to escape, not be released, as who knew what happened to those who'd left by that method. As much as Sai wished he could live a life where Shin was still alive and they lived peacefully as brothers, that wasn't his life. When he thought of the town beyond this building, he was reminded of the scrambling undead. How Itachi had been among them. He didn't want to think of anyone else, Sakura included, possibly being a part of that.

He appeared thoughtful, glancing to the side to see if any nurses were paying particularly close attention to them. Did they know, he wondered, who was affected and who wasn't? "If she became violent," he began slowly, "that wouldn't be a good sign of progress."

[lostonlifesroad]

Breakfast had turned out to be interesting, to say the very least. Kakashi had taken his time, checking over the bulletin when the meal was done, and noting that it appeared the nurses were doing the same. So Landel had been serious about stepped up security; the ninja would definitely need to develop more codes for their personal use then. Ones that not only wouldn't reveal what they wanted to keep secret, but also wouldn't attract unwanted attention from their captors.

Someone had already started, it seemed, and with a small sigh, Kakashi took down the game Shikamaru played. He could tell where it looked like the chuunin went wrong, and more importantly, what he'd been testing. Had it been because of the experiment, or because of what Sakura--or rather, Courtney had posted? That another of the ninja had been brainwashed was disturbing, to say the least. It also raised the concern of keeping both her and Sasuke there, since if they were present, there might be something the ninja could do for them.

Or so Kakashi could hope.

It didn't take long for him to find Shikamaru and Sai talking after he entered the library. They were in what had quickly become his favorite section, after all. Either some force had decided to be kind to him, or the ninja wanted to talk to Kakashi, who was betting on the latter.

"That one isn't bad." Kakashi gave Sai a friendly grin as he walked up, waving to both the boys. In truth he hadn't read the novel Sai was holding yet, but he'd become a fast fan. "You might like it, Sai. And even you, Shikamaru. The women aren't so pushy in them."

[toobothersome]

"That's why they're in the fiction section," Shikamaru said, wrinkling his nose. Had Kakashi seriously made it through that many books in the time he'd been here? The jounin was dedicated, sure, but there was a line between dedication and...and whatever the hell you'd call that. He didn't hide his relief, though, when greeted by his real name. That was one troublesome situation averted. It did seem odd that Sai would pick out one of those novels, though, but it might just be part of his research into what normal people said and did. A horrible, horrible place to start, but then again, he'd already witnessed enough of Sakura and Ino's behavior to know the true nature of the opposite sex.

Kakashi's appearance was a great relief. Any third party would help, but Kakashi in particular was good at this kind of thing. Shikamaru nudged a chair with his foot to involve him as quickly as possible. The atmosphere of the library was becoming even more bothersome, and he wanted to get somewhere where the air didn't smell so much like old books.

It took Shikamaru only a second longer than usual to process the meaning of Sai's suggestion, and he considered it carefully. It was a good one, so his mind moved on to possible execution. "Easy enough, as long as her temper's the same," he continued, choosing words to immediately bring Kakashi up to speed.

Shikamaru rested his chin in the palm of his hand. He understood the brightness of the room, since people were supposed to be reading, but why was the place so damn loud? Some acoustic thing? He could even hear the sound of carpet crunching under feet, and this was a library. It was like there was no point in whispering at all. Still, he continued as quietly as possible. "I'm probably not the best candidate right now," he added.

[tsunagari]

A slight raising of his eyebrows was all Sai showed in response to Kakashi's sudden arrival. He actually hadn't expected the Jounin to show up, and hadn't picked this section of the library for that purpose, either. He'd been rather aimless as he searched the shelves, but he supposed his selection had been nicely coincidental. The smile was turned to the older man, and he offered the book out in one hand, having little interest in reading it himself.

It was fortunate that he too seemed to be unaffected by whatever had happened to Sakura. Kakashi would be able to hold the group together better than either he or Shikamaru could. "We were discussing Sakura's new view on life," he said, as if that wasn't already apparent.

If he noticed any further uncomfortableness on Shikamaru's part, he wrote it off as having to do with the situation at hand. The chuunin was already clearly worried.

[lostonlifesroad]

Kakashi gave a cheerful enough laugh in response to Shikamaru's claim. He may very well been right, or at least thought he was, given the females that he found himself around most. Either way, Kakashi didn't miss the invitation, and slid into the seat Shikamaru had indicated. Between Sai and Shikamaru's comments, it wasn't hard to guess just what they were planning. It was definitely a concern, given the Institute's habit of releasing 'cured' patients. But at the same time, something about it didn't sit well with Kakashi. After all, who had actually ever seen one of these people, aside from the visitors?

"It's not just Sakura. Sasuke's the same way. Naruto is still himself, however." Which left Jiraiya unaccounted for among the Leaf-nin, and Haku from their world. Not to mention the assorted people the ninja had met during their stay here. And to top things off, the bulletin was being more strictly monitored than ever, making communication all the more difficult. The ninja who hadn't been brainwashed would be able to figure out a code based on their common background, but what about Renamon or Artemis?

Kakashi let out a quiet sigh. To use Shikamaru's favorite word, this was going to turn out to be rather troublesome.

"But we might not worry about them being released. Think about everything that's happened recently." None of which were memories that the ninja would want to dwell upon, Kakashi included. But those events all seemed designed to drive a single point home. "It's like the Head Doctor is trying to tell us how easily he can get to any of us." Neither Sai nor Shikamaru would need examples, given how personally they'd been affected by what had happened. "It's almost the same as killing so many people only to bring them back to life the next morning. Since they haven't already been released, I'd imagine that the people affected by this latest turn of events will be back to normal sometime soon."

But the question was when. It was still early in the day, but night would be there all too soon. "Still, we should keep an eye on them. If it looks like one of them is about to be set free, your idea should work." Kakashi had to agree that Shikamaru wouldn't be the best one to start a fight, however. Not with the trauma he'd suffered the night before. "Sai and I should be able to react quickly enough, if it comes down to that."