Nightshift 23: M31-M40 Hallway

[forgot_it_all]

Dinner had been an altogether depressing affair - Tamaki's problems only seemed to underline what Seimei had said earlier about not relying on other people here. Ritsuka had hoped that perhaps he had been wrong, but if Adel was so easily turned against someone like Tamaki, then who could turn on Ritsuka? Or Seimei for that matter

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[forgot_it_all]

Now that he was starting to settle down and his brain wasn't racing to find an anchor amid the chaos, Ritsuka was finally able to pick up on Elena's tone. Was she treating him like he was four or something? Sure he had acted a little irrational, but the hug? The hand-holding? What the hell. He picked up his flashlight before they started off and resisted the urge to rip his hand from hers. He walked with Seimei that way, and recently with Soubi that way, but Elena was still a stranger and this... Hand-holding was rather intimate to him.

He didn't like the idea of stopping to do anything, but if this Reno and President could help them get Seimei out, then he'd have to risk it. Slowly he eased his hand away from hers, bristling a little at her "older sister" tone as he paced his stride to walk side by side with her. The panic had melted completely into a grim determination, his expression hardening to reflect his internal decision. He'd die to save Seimei if that's what it took. "It's fine, but if it ends up they won't come - I'm going on my own. He asked me for something yesterday, but I refused him. If they do it to him now, I'll never forgive myself."

Being so vague was probably not the best route to choose when trying to ingratiate oneself to a potential ally, but Ritsuka was still hanging off Seimei's last words. As long as they were together they were safe, and as long as Ritsuka could get to him, he could save him. Naive, certainly, but that's just how he was sometimes.

[forgot_it_all]

Elena's reaction surprised him a bit - her willingness to leave her friends for someone she barely knew. It didn't seem like the normal sort of reaction. As they walked, Ritsuka glanced up at her. Something about her was familiar... but he was certain they hadn't met before. The thought that he'd forgotten something already was bugging him, but that's what he got for not having his camera. It'd be easier if this stupid place had just let him keep it.

At least Elena picked up quickly and had dropped both the tone and the hand-holding. She'd lost a sibling, too? So she shared his pain, perhaps not the same way, but she shared it. "...then you know how important it is that I get him back safely, regardless of the cost. I can't lose him again."

Then, it suddenly clicked in his head. The hairstyle, the name and the sibling. It seemed strange to suddenly perk up when his brother might be fighting for his life, but remembering Elena was a step for him. "Your sister, wasn't it? I thought you said she visited you here. You're the girl I talked to on the bulletin board - the one with the good art - aren't you?"

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka only nodded, not really wanting to get into the traumas of the past. He didn't need or want to explain how his brother was murdered and then miraculously rose from the dead or faked his own death. He still wasn't 100% clear on what had happened anyway.

He smiled up at her and shook his head lightly. "It's fine - I didn't put thing pieces together at first either. Not like I expected to find anyone who would help tonight anyway, let alone someone I met only through art on the board. And it's A-o-ya-gi," he said, spelling it out. Elena obviously was not from Japan - her hair color told him that much. "And I wouldn't call my drawings adorable. Like I said before, I did it only because Axel asked for pictures."

A coma? Ritsuka was glad he didn't mention Seimei's death now - it only would have worried Elena more. He could tell there was more to the story, but the pain of losing a sibling in any form wasn't something Ritsuka wanted to bring upon her again. He noted her sadness and cataloged it away in his mind. Later perhaps, they could talk more about it. Until then, a simple offering of comfort and implicit understanding would have to do. "I'm sorry - I hope she recovers soon."

He picked up the pace as they neared their goal and dropped back a step to let her lead the way.

[following Elena to here]