As always, Rukia felt a chill of apprehension when the Head Doctor announced that new patients would be arriving. Would it be anyone else she knew? What if Ichigo was back
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Apprehension, sharp and unrelenting, ran up Homura's spine as he was led to the first of the waiting rooms. From all he knew about visitors, all he had learned from his own experience, it was clear that nothing good could possibly come out of this visit
( ... )
She wore her hair down, but had the ties in her pocket. Honey-colored strands flowed freely down her back as she stepped into the room, a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. The present hadn't been bought at a store, but rather picked at the convent and wrapped carefully in damp paper towels and a clear plastic sheet, tied with a yellow ribbon that was the same color as her hair. She had thought long and hard about what to bring with her, knowing that if her parents found out, she'd never be allowed back. No one knew she had come and that was what she wanted. She saw him sitting there, waiting, that same concentrated look on his face that she'd seen when they first met and went to him.
"Hello, Ethan," she said, standing across from him. She didn't want to sit down yet, just wanting to see him again and remember what it was like to be by his side.
Homura knew that voice, hadn't forgotten it for a single second over the course of five hundred years. She was the only person who could make him stand, who could bring him past every wall he hid behind, that he tried to shelter himself behind.
The woman he loved. The woman he lived for.
"Rinrei," The rational parts of his mind were forsaken, emotion making him swallow hard. He knew it was a cruel circumstance brought on by this place, a show paraded out for his torture and nothing more. But it was her, alive and real, and Homura wanted nothing more in this world to hold her against him, to refuse to be separated ever again.
But for now, he only stared at her, unable to move, but not knowing why.
So Ethan hadn't gotten any better yet. He still called her by that strange name. She took some comfort in the idea that he hadn't forgotten her at least. Her parents had been convinced that when he had gone off to war, that he'd forget her and that would be the end of it. "I'm glad you haven't forgotten."
She hadn't the heart yet to tell him her name was Lily and not Rinrei. She shouldn't encourage his delusions, but she was just happy to see him again. Holding the flowers out to him, she shifted a little nervously and smiled at him. "I brought these for you. I'm in charge of the garden there, and I thought you might like them."
Bella hadn’t been all that pleased when she was led away from her fiancé, and she sent him one last fleeting gaze before finally being led out of the room and to some random waiting room. The nurse was chattering happily - something about how “exciting” visits were.
Whatever. Bella simply shrugged her shoulders and muttered a soft “I guess so,” in response. The nurse, in turn, seemed pleased with this answer and continued the rest of the way in silence.
Sitting down at the chair that she was told to, the teenager let out a sigh once the nurse had wandered away. She had to keep her head on straight. Chances were, whatever they were going to throw at her was going to be fake. As long as she took things in that light, she was going to be fine.
Even if it was Charlie or Alice that were tossed at her, she would be fine. Really, she would be.
… Right?
Taking in a deep breath, Bella released it in a single, silent blow. She could handle this.
It was not Charlie or Alice who had come to see her, though Bella probably would have wished that because Charlie or Alice wouldn't have looked as embarrassing.
The boy who walked into the room looked, to put it short, ridiculous. His shoes were nice, a pleasant mix of sky blue and fluorescent orange, but one probably couldn't see them because his pants were hanging so low that if he bent over, the patients would see more than they ever wanted to. Luckily for them, his backside was obscured by an obnoxiously long white shirt that bore the symbol of a man on a cross, with the words "Jesus is my homie" written underneath them. His hands had incredibly huge rings on them, which spelled out "WWJD" and to compliment that, an obnoxiously huge cross dangled from his neck.
His head was bare - he remembered to take his hat off, since it was polite and stuff.
"Hey Stella," Jordan White smiled, stopping in front of his girlfriend. "Miss me?"
Bella had sat there thinking to herself with her head in her hands - worry filling her thoughts. What was she going to do? Who was going to show up? What -
All her thoughts scattered the moment she heard his voice. Keeping her eyes on the floor (she was yet to see him and his ridiculous attire) Bella let out a shaky breath, and finally whispered out his name. “Jake?”
The last she had heard, he had run away - fled. She couldn’t help but blame herself over that; she had broken his heart, after all. Where had he gone?
Just then, Bella realized that Jake had called her Stella, and let out a soft sigh. It was fake. Of course.
Lifting her head, Bella opened her mouth to speak, but never got that far. Upon first sight, the first sound out of her mouth was a rather loud laugh; her head tilting back as the sound filled the room. “Jake! What in the world are you wearing?!”
"Jordan," Jordan corrected her - the nurses warned him about that, but he was stll a bit surprised that Stella didn't even remember his name! That hurt, but this wasn't the time to show it.
"What do you mean 'what am I wearing?'" Jordan laughed, taking a seat next to his dearest friend. "I'm always wearing stuff like this. Remember, I volunteer at a church and stuff?" He looked at Stella with an amused look that slowly withered as she just laughed and laughed.
Jack was surprised to hear his "name" among those that were called. Who the hell was gonna visit him in this joint? It wasn't as if he could claim having a lot of people in his life who were concerned about his wellbeing. Maybe it'd be someone come to gloat.
Whatever the case, he'd make them get him out of Landels. There wasn't a single person he couldn't intimidate into doing his wishes when he wanted to. Ok, maybe there were a few, but still...
Enough thought. The Fable settled into a chair and waited for his "visitor" to appear.
As luck would have it, there was someone who Jack couldn't bully or coerce into helping him fly the coop. He was a rather scruffy-looking guy, with wild brown hair. It looked as though he hadn't shaved in a couple days, too. The nurse showed the man into the room (after making him put out his cigarette), wrinkling her nose slightly at the perfect picture of dishevelment. He sat down across from his friend without any invitation.
The Fable's jaw nearly dropped to the floor in surprise. Of all the people who could have come visit him, it was Bigby? Damn it. The oversized wolf was probably just itching to beat on him for something, whether it be winding up here or as far back as stealing from Bluebeard. Beast probably had told Bigby where to start his search for Jack after he stole all his hard earned and legitimate money from him. Hell, maybe they knew about the offshore accounts and Bigby was here to make him talk. Regardless, as unhappy as he was to see the former Sheriff, Jack knew that Bigby would much rather see him incarcerated in the Fabletown jail than in any mundy psyche ward.
He couldn't help but smirk back at his old acquaintance. "Well, Hey there, Sheriff! Long time, no see."
Well, at least John had his occupation right. That was a start, right? Perhaps there wouldn't be anymore of this ridiculous "I'm Jack of Fables!" crap anymore. He didn't really like setting John straight all the time--and what a seriously childish delusion to have. Making movies had obviously gotten to his head.
"Yeah, long time no see," He replied. "How have you been doing? I've heard this place is really nice--good food too."
A visitor? This was certainly unexpected. Recluse sat down in the waiting room, taking a look through the periodicals available. All of them were hopelessly dated, as really should have been expected.
Recluse wasn't worried. He hadn't held any emotional attachments to anyone in decades. The person he hated most in the world was already here. He'd been controlled enough to keep from snapping Marcus' neck thus far. This certainly wouldn't be a problem...
It was always very easy to spot her older brother in a crowd, especially since he towered several inches above the crowd, and even seated he was easy to pick out.
She smiled at him as soon as she saw him. "Jake."
She wasn't really sure what to expect, she had never expected her older brother to go crazy like this.
Recluse tensed slightly as he spotted his visitor. Her. He had to take the few seconds before she spoke to get himself fully under control. She was long dead in his home dimension. That was all that mattered.
But still, seeing his sister, one of the people that had ruined so many of his plans, who had betrayed him... It took a monumental ammount of willpower to project an outward appearance of calm. "Monica. How are things?"
Harry came into the room. He was curious and also pretty nervous about what was going to happen. He didn't know what to expect. He could only think of a few people who might visit him. His aunt and uncle would never come to a place like this, not in his real life or the one that had been concocted for him. It might be the Weasleys but the idea of them being here really bothered him.
And then there was the possibility that Artemis had brought up... that it might be his parents. The people that Harry had most wanted to meet since he could remember were his parents. If Landel's had somehow brought them to him... He wasn't sure how he would handle it.
It would have been in Harry's best interest to learn how to handle it, and quickly. The man and woman who walked in shortly after he sat down did indeed bear striking resemblance to his parents, save perhaps that they appeared a few years older than any photographs he would have had of them, and didn't run to him with open arms (though the woman smiled at him as cheerfully as she could muster).
The man in particular looked as though he wasn't sure he really wanted to be there, every so often glancing at the other patients out of the corner of his eye. As he approached Harry, however, he did flash a quick grin and a "Hey, Tiger," even if that might have seemed a bit inappropriate for addressing someone Harry's age.
Harry stared and didn't believe what his eyes were seeing. He couldn't believe it. His mind closed down and he couldn't even think of how to work his mouth let alone say anything. His heart felt like it was in his throat. His head was spinning. This was so much worse than seeing them in the Mirror when he had been eleven, or visiting their graves.
Without even realizing what he was doing he moved closer to his father and touched him, as if testing to make sure that the man was really there and not a ghost or a hallucination.
The man was a bit startled by the way his son approached him, but a hasty glance from his wife kept him from doing anything to stop it. "Good to see you too, champ..." he went on, warily. "Sorry they wouldn't let us come sooner."
"I know it hasn't been long," the woman added. "But the house has been so empty without you. How are you doing?" She knew it would be too much to get her hopes up just yet, but she couldn't help but wish to see some improvement - any improvement in her son since they'd dropped him off here.
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"Hello, Ethan," she said, standing across from him. She didn't want to sit down yet, just wanting to see him again and remember what it was like to be by his side.
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The woman he loved. The woman he lived for.
"Rinrei," The rational parts of his mind were forsaken, emotion making him swallow hard. He knew it was a cruel circumstance brought on by this place, a show paraded out for his torture and nothing more. But it was her, alive and real, and Homura wanted nothing more in this world to hold her against him, to refuse to be separated ever again.
But for now, he only stared at her, unable to move, but not knowing why.
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She hadn't the heart yet to tell him her name was Lily and not Rinrei. She shouldn't encourage his delusions, but she was just happy to see him again. Holding the flowers out to him, she shifted a little nervously and smiled at him. "I brought these for you. I'm in charge of the garden there, and I thought you might like them."
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Whatever. Bella simply shrugged her shoulders and muttered a soft “I guess so,” in response. The nurse, in turn, seemed pleased with this answer and continued the rest of the way in silence.
Sitting down at the chair that she was told to, the teenager let out a sigh once the nurse had wandered away. She had to keep her head on straight. Chances were, whatever they were going to throw at her was going to be fake. As long as she took things in that light, she was going to be fine.
Even if it was Charlie or Alice that were tossed at her, she would be fine. Really, she would be.
… Right?
Taking in a deep breath, Bella released it in a single, silent blow. She could handle this.
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The boy who walked into the room looked, to put it short, ridiculous. His shoes were nice, a pleasant mix of sky blue and fluorescent orange, but one probably couldn't see them because his pants were hanging so low that if he bent over, the patients would see more than they ever wanted to. Luckily for them, his backside was obscured by an obnoxiously long white shirt that bore the symbol of a man on a cross, with the words "Jesus is my homie" written underneath them. His hands had incredibly huge rings on them, which spelled out "WWJD" and to compliment that, an obnoxiously huge cross dangled from his neck.
His head was bare - he remembered to take his hat off, since it was polite and stuff.
"Hey Stella," Jordan White smiled, stopping in front of his girlfriend. "Miss me?"
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All her thoughts scattered the moment she heard his voice. Keeping her eyes on the floor (she was yet to see him and his ridiculous attire) Bella let out a shaky breath, and finally whispered out his name. “Jake?”
The last she had heard, he had run away - fled. She couldn’t help but blame herself over that; she had broken his heart, after all. Where had he gone?
Just then, Bella realized that Jake had called her Stella, and let out a soft sigh. It was fake. Of course.
Lifting her head, Bella opened her mouth to speak, but never got that far. Upon first sight, the first sound out of her mouth was a rather loud laugh; her head tilting back as the sound filled the room. “Jake! What in the world are you wearing?!”
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"What do you mean 'what am I wearing?'" Jordan laughed, taking a seat next to his dearest friend. "I'm always wearing stuff like this. Remember, I volunteer at a church and stuff?" He looked at Stella with an amused look that slowly withered as she just laughed and laughed.
"... Don't you remember?"
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Whatever the case, he'd make them get him out of Landels. There wasn't a single person he couldn't intimidate into doing his wishes when he wanted to. Ok, maybe there were a few, but still...
Enough thought. The Fable settled into a chair and waited for his "visitor" to appear.
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"Afternoon, John," The man growled.
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He couldn't help but smirk back at his old acquaintance. "Well, Hey there, Sheriff! Long time, no see."
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"Yeah, long time no see," He replied. "How have you been doing? I've heard this place is really nice--good food too."
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Recluse wasn't worried. He hadn't held any emotional attachments to anyone in decades. The person he hated most in the world was already here. He'd been controlled enough to keep from snapping Marcus' neck thus far. This certainly wouldn't be a problem...
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She smiled at him as soon as she saw him. "Jake."
She wasn't really sure what to expect, she had never expected her older brother to go crazy like this.
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But still, seeing his sister, one of the people that had ruined so many of his plans, who had betrayed him... It took a monumental ammount of willpower to project an outward appearance of calm. "Monica. How are things?"
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"But things are going as well as they can."
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And then there was the possibility that Artemis had brought up... that it might be his parents. The people that Harry had most wanted to meet since he could remember were his parents. If Landel's had somehow brought them to him... He wasn't sure how he would handle it.
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The man in particular looked as though he wasn't sure he really wanted to be there, every so often glancing at the other patients out of the corner of his eye. As he approached Harry, however, he did flash a quick grin and a "Hey, Tiger," even if that might have seemed a bit inappropriate for addressing someone Harry's age.
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Without even realizing what he was doing he moved closer to his father and touched him, as if testing to make sure that the man was really there and not a ghost or a hallucination.
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"I know it hasn't been long," the woman added. "But the house has been so empty without you. How are you doing?" She knew it would be too much to get her hopes up just yet, but she couldn't help but wish to see some improvement - any improvement in her son since they'd dropped him off here.
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