Day 35: Bus 2 (Return Trip)

[tsunagari]

Sai leaned his head woozily against the cool glass of the bus window. Helping out his fellow ninja had been a failed effort thus far, and he didn't have any idea how Naruto had been able to put up with that friend of his for so long. If he was asked to lead Sasuke around in the future, unless they came to terms with their differences before then

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[roger_hug]

Bridget wasn't terribly cheerful at the moment, his arms wrapped tightly around Roger as he took a seat. Burying his face into the soft fur, he sighed. the last trip hadn't been so bad.

It was just that girl. She was ... why was she hurting him? Why had she done it? Why him? He didn't want to think about it, and tried to cheer up a bit with thoughts that he might see Miss Sohma again.

That would be nice, even if only for a moment.

[kagurazuki]

Being out and about all day almost felt like home, though she couldn't remember ever helping someone shoplift or wearing any clothes that were quite so tight. The day had been nice, if a little chilly and she was kind of eager to get back on the bus so she could warm up some. The small jacket that went over her baby-doll shirt didn't do much to keep away the cold since it was cut off just under her bustline. The shirt wasn't any better, not quite meeting her jeans and leaving her tummy feeling chill and breezy most of the day. Kyo wore his shirts like that a lot too, but that was different, Kyo was a boy! Did girls really wear these in America? She probably looked really boyish. Why couldn't they have just given her a skirt? Or a dress

[roger_hug]

(ALways okay!)

Bridget looked up, face instantly lighting up when Miss Sohma came into view. Beaming, he shifted over and gestured to the seat beside him.

"Miss Sohma! Please! Sit." Settling Roger firmly in his lap, Bridget managed to pull his zippered sweater off and waited for the young woman to sit (or decline) before he offered it to her. He didn't really need it.

[kagurazuki]

She startled when Bridget popped up, but was glad to see that he was smiling. She took the seat beside him, smiling back at him. She was kind of surprised when he offered her his jacket though. How did he know she was cold?

Was he just trying to be nice? She hadn't meant to be obvious about it, but maybe it was her fault. Maybe he didn't like the way the shirt looked on her and he was trying to be nice to make her cover it up or maybe it made him uncomfortable or...

"O-oh, um..." she managed, "Thank you. But um... are... are you sure you don't need your jacket? It's chilly out. I already have one, it's just a little small." She gave a short laugh, folding her arms around her waist and trying to pull the shirt down.

[tyki_pon]

Well, that had been pretty useless.

Tyki couldn't help but pout as the nurses ushered him back to the bus. Not only didn't he find anything interesting, he hadn't found any smokes or lighters either.

The Noah slipped into one of the seats next to the window and stared outside.

[For Rhode!]

[sugarsweetblood]

All in all the day had been pretty boring, but she hadn't expected all that much after last time. At least she'd been able to have some ice cream with Kenren. That had been good. She'd need to put that stupid little "shinigami" in her place later, but that didn't need much thought. She already knew where to go for that.

It would be a while back to the place, so Rhode was going to be sure to find someone to play with on the way back. Easiest target was someone who wouldn't try all that hard to squirm away. "Tyki-pon!" Rhode called only a second before tackling her family member from behind. Her arms wrapped around his neck and held tight.

[tyki_pon]

Tyki had been too busy staring outside to notice the other Noah approaching. Not until it was too late, at least. A pair of arms latched onto his neck, catching the man off guard. Yes, the Noah of Pleasure had definitely been an easy target. And not just because his arm was in a sling and his other injuries, though it made the 'squirming away' nearly impossible.

"Oi! Don't call me like that, Rhode!" Tyki whined to his 'niece' as some sort of greeting, a little annoyed at the sound of his 'nickname'. It wasn't a secret that he hated it when people called him like that, something the Earl and even Sheryl had happily abused. They had definitely been a bad influence on Rhode, Tyki was pretty sure of that.

With his good arm he attempted to loosen the arms around his neck. Rhode would be doing a very good job at cutting off his air supply at this rate.

[sugarsweetblood]

"But, Tykiiii," Rhode whined right back, actually agreeing to take away the name as she pouted, "I've been bored all day." She would have continued, but in looking over him shoulder she found the problem for why he wasn't trying to pry her off him. Blinking a bit, she realized that she wasn't just seeing things. "You're hurt?" That's right, they could get hurt here. No healing abilities to speak of. Still, it was weird seeing another Noah wearing bandages.

[a_spider_can]

[Free!]Peter wasn't sure what god he had angered to get the sort of luck that he had, but he had barely able to get past the park when he'd started feeling terribly nauseous. A nurse had caught sight of him doubled over and suggested that he head back onto the bus to get off his feet. Not about to test his limits, Peter had gone along with it, spending the whole day on the verge of vomiting as he watched all the other patients through the bus window

[sheisthecause]

True to form, Meche was one of the first ones back to the buses, but that didn't mean she liked it. She recognized this feeling of dread. It was the same one she'd felt when Domino had been dragging her onto the S.S. Lambada--when she'd realized there was no way out, no grand possibilities of escape, no one coming for her, and she was damn well going to be stuck there for as long as fate saw fit to keep her there.

It hadn't carried that physical twinge in the pit of her stomach with it when she was dead, though.

Well, she'd met some nice people and had some good food, but that was about it. She still hadn't seen the children, and if Manny had been there, she hadn't run into him. Meche had more than one reason to be worried tonight.

She climbed onto the second bus, looking around for a free seat. Her gaze hit on a young man who looked even worse than she felt. Well, misery loved company--maybe talking would help.

"Is it all right if I sit here?" she asked, indicating the empty seat next to him. "You look like you could use a little

[a_spider_can]

Peter wasn't too surprised when someone came over and asked if she could sit with him - the buses got packed, so it was to be expected. He was a little more puzzled by the fact that it was a woman who was probably in her late twenties or early thirties. For one thing, there weren't many people in that demographic here; for another, being approached by a woman just wasn't something that happened to Peter very often.

He smiled crookedly at her comment, nodding weakly. "Yeah, I guess I could. I've been stuck in this bus all day," he admitted. He wasn't really looking for pity - he just didn't see any point in lying.

So he quickly turned the subject onto her. "Anyway, how was your day? Oh, and my name's Peter." He needed to make sure to get that out before he forgot, since it was way too awkward when you got to know someone and then realized you'd never exchanged names.

[sheisthecause]

"That's too bad," Meche said sympathetically. She wondered for a minute what this nice-looking kid had done to get himself stuck on the bus--tried to make a break for it?--but from the looks of him, he was probably just too under the weather to be walking around in...well, weather like this.

"I'm Mercedes--Meche," she added, extending a hand for him to shake (she'd just be careful not to touch her face until she got to a sink; human contact seemed to be helping here). "And if it's any consolation, you didn't miss much." She gave him a wry smile. "Obviously my brilliant escape plan didn't work out."

[usoppsenchou]

[For Starscream]

As the nurses gently lined everyone up for the bus ride home, Usopp found himself parted from Chopper in the crowd, but didn't want to risk either of them being sedated by struggling to get back to his crewmate's side. Still, he hoped Chopper would be okay when the time came, that he wouldn't sit near anyone dangerous, and that they'd meet inside like they'd promised. Of course we will, two men can't break their word like that! The nice manful Captain Usopp voice inside was reassuring somehow, but he still sat towards the middle of the back of the bus, hoping it would be reasonably far from nurses.

He'd hoped to meet with some others today, maybe that guy from the board who kept wanting to be first mate co-Captain or something, but he hadn't gotten out into the town very far and the morning meeting had been busted by the Doyleton trip. Maybe they'd meet by chance, or just have to arrange another time. Sure, the guy seemed a little off, but if Usopp only socialized with perfectly friendly and sane people, he'd

[whiny_egomaniac]

Starscream trudged his way onto one of the buses at random, resigning himself to the fact that NONE of them was Astrotrain. No one handed him any items of nourishment this time around; luckily for him, his digestive system was not yet suggesting that he should consume anything. Further, dealing with those strange, identical flesh-creatures and their teasing about the object THEY were consuming put him off from the whole 'eating' experience for a while.

As the bus was somewhat empty and still filling, he found himself sitting at an aisle seat across from a...well, an odd-looking human would be a decent descriptor, if he didn't find all flesh-creatures odd-looking to start. Nevertheless, this one's olfactory organ was...UNUSUALLY long, and noticeably so as well. What a curious creature, the former scientist mused. This human's proboscis is more elongated than any of the others I've ever encountered. Perhaps a flaw in his gestational development? Or could it serve some useful evolutionary purpose?A sudden recollection sprang to

[usoppsenchou]

Usopp looked up at the newcomer and grinned widely, rubbing the side of his nose a bit, not with self-consciousness but pride. "I am the legendary Captain Usopp! You must be someone I spoke to on the boards, right? Go ahead and sit down, it's better to have something to talk about on the trip back anyway." After all, if he didn't, he'd spend the trip trembling in fear or wondering what his crewmates were doing, and if they were being eaten by nurses or evil birds yet

[whiny_egomaniac]

"Captain...that would be a military rank, correct?" Starscream said, brimming with what seemed like joy for the first time since his arrival here. He took the seat offered to him and immediately followed up on his own question. "I, too, am - or was, in my world, a person of great military importance as well: first Air Commander, then Leader of the Decepticons, Starscream

[whiteychan]

It was a very different Hitsugaya who entered the bus than the one who had left the bus that morning. His normal grumpy face that he showed the world had softened somewhat, going from a constantly annoyed look to a deeply profound gaze as, for the first time in years, he tried to make sense of the emotions that had until so very recently been bottled up and locked in the darkest corner of his mind. Now they were unleashed, and no amount of force could put them back where they belonged.

He took a seat near the front, briefly hoping this was the bus he saw Fowl enter yet not caring enough to actually look for the dumbass. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass window of the bus and stared out at the other patients as they filed into their respective busses. He hoped to catch a glimpse of Momo, but one was not presenting itself.

What the hell was wrong with him? Was he actually pining over that dumbass girl who never seemed to make any damn sense? He had work to do! He hadn't had the opportunity to speak with any of the

[screwthegods]

It was also a different Homura who was led onto the second bus that time. He wasn't the same as he once was, but he felt stronger just for his conversation with Allelujah. The knowledge that there was someone who understood was invaluable, and the confidence born from the choices he had made even more so. It would be a struggle to live that way, yes, but one he honestly though he could devote himself entirely to, because it was the way he wanted to live.

A faint smile was clear in his expression, and Homura was so caught up in these thoughts that he didn't notice at first that there was someone sitting beside him. When he did, however, he turned to the boy, little more than a child from how he looked, and nodded slightly. "Hello there."

Someone so young. It wasn't as much of a shock to Homura, who knew Heaven had taken a child like Nataku for their purposes. But it was still horrifying.

[whiteychan]

Hitsugaya tensed on hearing that voice. Of all the people he didn't want to speak with right now, Homura was in the top ten. He glanced over at the man, forcing his confusion as far down as he could manage. It didn't fit in the same compartment that he was used to, so some of it still spilled out and undoubtedly showed itself on his face.

"Homura-san," he said with a sigh. He wanted to tell Homura it wasn't the best time, but knowing the man he'd probably try prying if he indicated that he had something he didn't want to share. "Was there something you needed?"

[screwthegods]

Homura was equally confused when Hitsugaya sighed at him. It was obvious from the address by name that they had known each other, but like nearly everyone else, the demi-god had no recognition of the boy. It also seemed the child didn't want Homura there. But the bus was quickly filling, and there was little to be done towards moving to another seat then.

"Only a place to sit during the trip." He smiled lightly, idly wondering just what had the boy looking so frustrated. He didn't pry, however, instead addressing what to him was a more important concern. "And I'm afraid I don't remember who you are. I was taken for experimentation two nights ago, and my memory was lost."

It was almost routine to say it by this point. Homura nearly felt ready to put it on a sign simply for ease.