Night 45: M61-M70 Hallway

[arc_wrench]

"Commentary: The comms meatbag shut up quickly tonight! What a relief," HK said, standing up and grabbing his weapons. Scalpels were hidden up his sleeves, and his axe and his shiny new knife were taken in each hand. "Suggestion: If you are leaving the room tonight, it would be best if you come with me. I have infrared capabilities and therefore do

Comments

M63

[notachick]

Despite dinner being the one he usually looked forward to every week - food that was familiar and supposedly comforting - Okita hadn't been able to eat any of it. He'd certainly tried, but in the end, he'd left almost all of it untouched and had just gone to bed. But even then, he hadn't been able to sleep. He kept hoping that the door would open and Guy would come in and that the news of his death would only have been a lie. In the end, Okita had sat in his bed, leaned up against the wall, wondering what he could do for Guy's friends to help them through this time.

Other than finding and killing Sync, of course. If that boy could torture and kill Guy, then he should feel the same in return. Revenge was a bloody business, one that Okita was technically banned from participating in, but just this once, he wanted to make an exception. With Ayumu leaving and no one else here who knew of the Code, it was easy to just slip and break the laws Hijikata had put in place. Surprisingly easy - which was what scared Okita so badly about his own ideas.

Leaving him as he was now, sitting on the bed, watching the door. He heard the Head Doctor's announcement, saw the lights snap out across the Institute as the doors unlocked, and closed his eyes. The Institute hadn't provided him with a new roommate yet; a small comfort that allowed him to have the time he needed alone to clear his thoughts. Soon, however, Junpei would be coming and Okita would need to step back into his role as the teacher and leader.

Letting out a slow breath, he pushed himself off his bed and went to his closet, dressing himself in his kimono and hakama. The haori was left behind for now and then he turned to his dinner. He'd spent all day trying to force others to eat and still hadn't eaten much himself. Sighing, he moved into the seat and picked up the leftovers, trying his best to finish the meal before Junpei appeared.

Re: M63

[screwthegods]

[ From here]

Okita's room was only a short distance from his own, and even injured, Homura traveled there in decent time. The door was closed when he arrived, so Homura paused for a moment. He knew that Okita had a new student coming by that night, and it was possible that the training had already begun. Yet when he heard nothing, Homura hoped it meant that he and Okita might have some time to speak privately before the puppy arrived.

"Okita?" Homura knocked on the door, then moved his hand to the knob. If it were any other person, he would have entered then, but something gave Homura pause this time. Although the reason was as simple as knowing Okita's preference, it still struck Homura as odd in it's own way. He smiled faintly to himself, but released the handle, content to wait until Okita allowed him in.

Re: M63

[notachick]

He'd managed to get through most of his meal and some of the rice before his appetite gave up entirely. It was strange. Ever since entering the Shieikan, Okita had always taken meals with someone else. Save for very rare occasions, he'd also had at least one other person, if not a whole room of other people to share a meal with. In Kyoto, it had been the same thing. The men all ate together with the captains. It served to bolster familiarity in the ranks and also helped chase away the loneliness or the apprehension about upcoming battles or patrols. And ever since coming here, Guy had been at the other desk. There wasn't even a meal laid out for him tonight and the emptiness on the other side of the room made the space seem that much bigger.

Idly pushing the few empty edamame shells about in the dish, Okita closed his eyes and tried to imagine where Claude would be right now. Claude and his friend, off to find--

A knock at the door and a familiar voice interrupted Okita's thoughts and he tensed, especially when he heard the knob jostle. When Homura didn't immediately appear, Okita breathed out slowly and stood from his seat, pushing the tray aside. He had asked to speak to Homura earlier, although now he had so many more thoughts on his mind than just Ayumu. Moving more toward the middle of the room, Okita pushed his grief at losing Guy to the back of his mind and let a smile come to his face. No reason to worry his leader anymore than he already had thanks to him collapsing last night. "Come in. You're the first to arrive."

Re: M63

[screwthegods]

That was interesting. As eager as this student had seemed on the bulletin, something important must have come up for him to delay his arrival. Regardless, Homura was thankful for it, and he made sure to close the door behind him when he entered the room. It would give them some warning when the boy did get there, at least.

Okita was standing in the middle of the room, not wearing his full outfit. Homura suspected that it was because he didn't plan on going out that night, yet it still seemed strange somehow. Most likely it was simply because the demi-god was used to seeing his friend in the bright blue outer coat he always wore. Regardless, Homura returned Okita's smile with one of his own.

"How are you doing, my friend?" The question appeared simple, but held great significance for them both. After last night, when Okita had fallen victim to the gas, then today with Ayumu brainwashed by the prison, and the knowledge that Okita was still dying all the while--there were so many answers to Homura's question. And the honest ones were those that Okita would likely refuse to give.

Re: M63

[notachick]

"As well as to be expected." Not an honest answer, but not a dishonest one either. His lungs still hurt from last night, but his coughing wasn't getting any worse than it usually did day by day. Guy was gone and Ayumu was leaving, but Okita still had his mission to focus him - and revenge to consider. He'd kill Sync, even if it meant breaking the Code to do it.

Okita moved back and perched on the edge of his bed, his gaze sliding over to Guy's empty one as he continued talking. "But what of you? I'm afraid I wasn't able to do much last night before that poison got to me. Did everyone make it out alright?"

Re: M63

[screwthegods]

Okita's reply was as close to truthfulness as any Homura had ever received without prying, and he had to wonder at the significance of that. Yet with how tired he had been that day, Okita might well feel the same. Certainly something seemed much more somber about his friend, and Homura didn't miss how Okita's gaze strayed to the other bed. It was much more than a motion to sit, and Homura noted with a frown that the sheets appeared untouched.

"He's gone." Homura both questioned and confirmed with the words, and moved over to Okita's bed. That short distance would be answer enough to Okita's question, as Homura couldn't even take so much as a single step without pain flaring in his body. He sat down beside his friend, purposely leaving a gap so hopefully the man wouldn't be too uncomfortable. A sort of compromise, as so many things were between them.

"No one else was hurt, I believe. Not much time passed after you fell." Homura's gaze moved to the empty bed again, and he paused for a moment before he continued. "Was he brainwashed, or killed?"

Re: M63

[notachick]

Okita didn't need to answer the question in Homura's statement. It was obvious from the lack of the meal and the untouched sheets and Okita's own demeanor that he was gone. Instead, the swordsman just closed his eyes briefly as he sighed. A few moments later, Homura joined him on the bed - but not without some difficulty.

And this 'no one else' was hurt? It meant Homura was. So why hadn't he gotten someone to heal him tonight? Probably for the same reasons he'd done the same before - he tended to give weight to the worst injuries that weren't his own first. "You should have gotten Hanatarou-san to help you then. Even if it meant calling him tonight."

Okita lent an ear to listen to the way Homura breathed and frowned. The normal rhythm was off. But before he could scold the demi-god for not taking care of himself, Homura continued the conversation from before and Okita fell silent momentarily. It had been hard enough to hear the news from Claude, but now he had to be in the blond's position and relay the message. "Murdered in the basement. His neck was broken and another person in his party was also killed. His friends are going up tonight, to pay their last respects and retrieve the body before Landel can get his hands on him."

It was surprisingly easy to talk about, but perhaps it was only because he was detaching himself from the situation. Reporting the death of a comrade was something he'd done so often before. 'Two injured, one killed in battle' was often the way he'd described losing men in his own unit, people he'd trained and worked with every day. It never made it any easier once he was back to his room, but acting like he didn't know the person made it easier while he was talking about it at least.

Re: M63

[screwthegods]

Okita had already scolded him a little, and Homura turned to his friend with a faint smile. "I will, tomorrow night. I can move well enough to defend myself if need be, and I have no plans other than speaking with you tonight." Homura let out a soft chuckle then, knowing that much was also obvious. Okita watched the common board more than Homura himself, and the lack of notes wouldn't have been missed. "Everyone is free to do as they please tonight. Rest or otherwise."

It was something the group needed. Though Homura would willingly push himself to his own death just as he'd done before, he knew that his group needed to endure. That meant giving them time for themselves, if such was called for.

Okita coolly reported his roommate's death, but the remark about location struck the demi-god. He remembered seeing Sanzo one day, how he had appeared, and that it was also related to the basement somehow. "Let me know if they're successful." The words were little more than a murmur, Homura's thoughts too distracting, yet too unfounded to be voiced. And regardless of their success, there was another matter to be addressed. Homura knew Okita well enough to know, after all, that the man would want revenge for his fallen roommate.

"Do you know who killed him?" Though Homura himself had prevented Okita from going after Himura in the name of their war, these circumstances differed. Fighting out the war within the walls, particularly when Himura was from a time beyond it, would only hinder their overall progress. Yet whoever had killed Guy had done so only a night before, and his crime weighed heavily on Okita's shoulders. There were certain things that simply could not be overlooked nor delayed: this murder was among them.

"If so, I'll give you whatever assistance you need when you go after him." Okita would of course be the one to deliver the blow. That was only suiting, given the relationships. But even something as simple as ensuring the target couldn't flee, nor that anyone else could interfere was necessary within the walls of their prison. Homura knew that from his own experience last night.

Re: M63

[notachick]

"Sync - an enemy from Guy-san's home." A mere boy. A boy who had twisted and broken his friend's neck. Okita felt a twinge of guilt as he realized he had no qualms about killing a boy. And if Homura was willing to help? Then all the better.

The only problem with that plan? "But his revenge isn't mine to take. His friend, Claude, he was there when Guy-san was murdered. I think he was forced to watch." The pain on Claude's face, the fact that the entire thing had been some sort of trap, it all lead to the idea that Claude had watched Guy die - had watched Sync kill his best friend here. "It's him who we will be helping, should he need the help."

Leaning back slightly on the bed, Okita closed his eyes and sighed slightly. "It's against the Code to get into private battles like this. I wonder what he would say if he knew."

Re: M63

[screwthegods]

So Okita would leave the actual deed to another. Once Homura heard the circumstances, it was an unsurprising choice. On principle, the demi-god felt a sense of hesitation about offering so much assistance then, but he wouldn't take back his word. This was still for Okita as well, which the next words made all the more evident.

Homura turned his head, his eyes running over Okita's body while he could steal the glance. Another sign of trust, perhaps? That Homura's injury prevented him from taking advantage might come into play, but the moment was inappropriate anyway. So anything Homura might have thought about the pose, or their conversation on the bulletin and after, would remain only thoughts.

For now.

"I never told you whose blood I was covered in last night." Homura too wondered what Hijikata might say, though he didn't try to answer for him. He had too much respect for the man himself, and also Okita's connection to him. Instead, he would provide the only response he could with certainty: his own. "Callisto. She was the one who could've killed Himura by throwing him over the balcony, and did kill Shito." Murder, leading to murder. But unless someone sought vengeance for Callisto's demise, the cycle would end with Homura, so far as that train of events was concerned. Until the next opponent came up against him, and they too met their fate at his hands, all because the demi-god refused to die.

Re: M63

[notachick]

There was a slight silence and Okita realized that someone's eyes were on him - which meant only one person. Opening his eyes, he slid his gaze over and managed to catch Homura as he watched him. Pushing his hands against the bed, Okita sat up straight again, suddenly conscious of how relaxed he'd been in the presence of his leader. Well, his leader and someone who had basically confessed to him not but a day or so ago. He'd been trying not to think of that, but now it all came rushing back and--

Oh, good, conversation change.

"Callisto...?" The woman responsible for killing Homura's previous roommate. And someone Okita had seen mentioned around the board before. Apparently her interest in the History Club had brought her to an unfavorable end. "That's...unfortunate." She could have been useful after all. And anyone capable of throwing Himura off a balcony had to be fast and strong - or just extremely clever at distracting him. "Then I suppose I should be on the lookout for any of her allies in case they come to attack you, hm?"

Re: M63

[screwthegods]

He'd been caught, and Homura's grin widened a touch when Okita sat up. Of course he regretted it, immediately. Even a look was too much to shrug off now that Homura had brought his feelings to light, apparently. That silent refusal stung, moreso than Homura cared to admit, but he turned his gaze away then for the sake of Okita's comfort. So long as the conversation lasted, at least.

"It probably would be wise, but I saw nothing about it on the common board today." Neither asking about Callisto's whereabouts, or mentioning the body Homura had left in the hall. It could of course be in part to the increased censorship by the nurses; bits of torn down pages and smiling faces were clear indications that they seemed to have stepped up their game. Yet Callisto seemed the type to prefer fleeting fancy to more intimate relationships, or so Homura had thought from the two times they met. "As for it being unfortunate...I agree."

He had liked Callisto. And despite his willingness to kill, even Homura still felt regret at times such as these.

He let out a slow breath then, knowing that talk had come to an end. Since they were still alone, and since it had been brought up in silence, perhaps now was the time for Homura to address that other thought.

"Are you always going to be so cautious around me now?" It was a far cry from the playful man who had covered Homura's eyes and prompted him to guess who. Losing that ease of familiarity with one of the people he cared for the most was more pressing to Homura than he cared to admit. Spending time with Okita had been one of the few joys Homura had in this place. Now, if every encounter would be marked by this silent awareness and denial, each would almost become maddening, instead of the calming experiences they'd been before.

Re: M63

[notachick]

Seeing nothing on the board meant nothing today. The staff was being surprisingly fast about this censorship thing - taking down messages and putting these large smiling faces over things. Okita had tried to pull one of them off once to see what was beneath it, but a nurse had come and chased him off before he could. He would still keep an eye out, however, for a few days at least. Until he could be certain that today's brainwashing hadn't merely made someone conveniently forget about their 'friend' somehow.

A slight pause settled between them and Okita thought now might be the time to bring up Ayumu's change, when Homura brought the conversation full circle. Right back to that uncomfortable topic that Okita had been trying to avoid. If only because he still didn't have a real answer for Homura. Outright refusal would be kindest, but it was also a lie. He'd be lying if he didn't say he wished he could have what most people did at some point in their lives. But he'd also be lying to himself if he let himself have that. In how many more days would he be too weak to be of any use? A week at most? A month? The doctors hadn't exactly given him a very long life projection after all. And while Okita tried to remain optimistic in the face of it all, it was hard to ignore the coughing as it grew more and more severe day by day. And he didn't really get much time to play anymore, which helped take his mind off it.

Leaning forward, Okita watched his own feet as he toed the ground with a woven sandal. "...Not always." He felt his bangs brush against his cheek and he was suddenly reminded that his hair was in a braid and really ineffectual at hiding his face like it usually did. If he reached back and undid Ayumu's braid, it would be obvious he was trying to hide, but if he didn't do something, then Homura might lean forward as well and catch the uncharacteristically shy expression on Okita's face. Time for a different strategy. "Only until I get things cleared in my head. Until then, maybe you should learn how to better braid hair so you can try again someday. Ayumu-san did a good job, don't you think?"

Re: M63

[screwthegods]

How difficult had those two words been? Okita hid his feelings well, one of the characteristics Homura found most frustrating about the man. But those words had been simple honesty, both apologetic and promising. That alone made Homura happy to hear them, even as Okita dipped forward. Homura knew his friend well enough to recognize what the gesture should have been, even as Okita tried to best handle the braid. Opening himself verbally even that much would leave the man feeling vulnerable.

The mention of Ayumu served as a reminder to Homura that he needed to address that issue with Okita as well. Already aware of Yuuko's actions thanks to Himura, Homura knew that any acknowledgment of Okita's statement would lead into that topic--and away from this. So instead, Homura offered no reply, instead reaching his hand out towards the braid in question. The woman really had done a good job, and Homura ran his fingers over the twisted locks for a moment. Now would Okita run, or simply remain frozen in panic at the touch? That reaction also frustrated Homura.

"She did. Perhaps she could give me lessons." Homura's fingers brushed over Okita's cheek as he spoke the words, a final allowance even as he gave in to what he knew the other man wanted. Just the tips touched the skin, the demi-god pushing back Okita's bangs so he could better see his friend's face. It had only taken a few seconds total, then Homura pulled his hand away, letting the strands fall back into place. It was enough, and Okita didn't deserve any more of that brand of torture.

"Or perhaps it would be better to say that Yuuko could. Correct?" Now giving in fully to Okita's whim, Homura carefully laid back on the bed. The shift hurt, and he couldn't help a hitched breath before he settled back. Yet the position left Okita free to move as he pleased, without worry of Homura's quick pursuit. Perhaps he'd find comfort in the relinquished control, though Homura suspected he'd rather put the affair out of his mind entirely.

Re: M63

[whos_da_man]

[from here]

M63... M63... M63!

Junpei stopped at the door to his teacher, knocked and called out, "Yo, sensei!"

While he waited, the teen shifted his load around, dropping the mesh bag full of the catcher's equipment to the floor and rest the wooden pole and baseball bat against his legs. Adjusting his baseball cap, he wondered if Okita was one of the people that had been given their clothes back. Seeing some real early Japanese swordsman clothes would be so cool.

Re: M63

[notachick]

When Homura didn't reply right away, Okita wondered if he already knew about Ayumu. Or if he was thinking more on what Okita had said. It was likely the latter, and his suspicions were confirmed when he felt fingers touching his hair. Before he wouldn't have minded such a gesture, might even have picked up the braid himself and bapped Homura with the end of it to tease him about how much better Ayumu was than him, but awkwardness was never something he dealt well with and awkwardness of this nature was all the more frustrating. Back home, everyone was just...friends. They kept emotional attachments like these out of it and shared a bond like brothers or family instead.

The way Homura moved his hand to brush the hair out of Okita's face, however, was definitely not like the way his friends did though. Not when his fingertips touched his skin and wasn't followed with a 'Souji, you really should cut your bangs - you look like a girl!' As expected, he stayed still when Homura touched him, glancing at the demi-god out of the corner of his eye. Too slow, apparently, because Homura was already gone, laying back on the bed with a pained sound. With his personal space cleared, Okita relaxed a bit more and shrugged. "She might also be able to teach you not to walk around with broken ribs." He paused. "If she were still herself. Yes, it's Yuuko, now. She'll be joining Hijikata-san soon enough, I suppos--"

There was a knock at the door, followed by a newly familiar voice calling out to him and Okita smiled slightly. Junpei had arrived and that meant his time alone with Homura had come to an end. "Might as well get comfortable, Homura-san. I'm not letting you wander around in your state unless absolutely necessary - and I'm sure you came to see what my new student is like anyway."

Pushing off from the bed, Okita stood in the middle of the room and turned to face the door. It was time to work. "You can come in."