damned_institute | NIGHT 65: M1-M10 HALLWAY

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NIGHT 65: M1-M10 HALLWAY

As soon as the intercom was through, Link was off at a sprint. He carried the pillow case,his flashlight, and the knife from the previous evening.

There were now two tasks to be accomplished: Supplies for Sora, and another clue in the X-Ray Room. Two birds with one stone in the medical wing. There wasn't a moment to lose.

Sora could already be gone by the time he returned.

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What he was looking for never quite came. ... It was strange. He could hear a door opening in the distance, but in the darkness, he couldn't say whose, and whoever it had been been, there was no trail of light to help identify them. He wondered for a second if someone was doing something similar to him, but he realized that he could hear footsteps, which meant someone was actually stupid enough to try traveling down the hall without seeing where they were going.

Someone, or something. His hand tightened around his flashlight.

"Who's there!" the boy called out sharply. He was about to turn the beam on and shine it in that direction, but a voice made him freeze. "Sora...?"

... So he'd been spotted. How had he even known he was there? He shouldn't have been able to see anything like this. But then he heard the plea for help, and realized with trepidation that he could something—eyes, glowing a faint yellow color. He clicked the flashlight on immediately, only find that they belonged to Sora, and that wasn't all. Now that he could actually see the other boy properly, he could see dark tendrils running off of him. It was almost like the aura avatar users gave off, but spiritual energy had a strange kind of glow to it, and this was pure black, more like oozing off shadows. Could this be...?

Suddenly his insides were reeling. ... It was true. The talk of monsters was really true. He hadn't doubted it, but it couldn't have truly set in until a moment like this. There was a stab of panic as he realized he didn't have a single clue what to do about it, but in spite of that, he was able to act quickly.

"You have to get back inside!" he yelled. He darted forward and grabbed Sora by the wrist, not paying the blackness of it any mind. It wasn't a safe move by any means, but his own safety was probably the furthest thing from his mind right now. He just had to drag Sora back into his room as quickly as he possibly could. From there... he really didn't know, but he had to do something.

It wasn't fair to involve someone like Tsurugi, seeing how he was brand new and still so young, but Sora didn't know who else he could turn to at this point. There was Tsubaki, and Rapunzel, and even Kratos, but none of them were close enough for it to matter right here and now. It was lucky enough that Tsurugi was here, even though Sora was already scared that he was going to end up harming the boy somehow.

When the flashlight was turned on, Sora immediately winced and tried to flinch away. And that just felt so wrong, because for Sora the light had always been something warm and inviting. He'd never let himself be scared of the dark, but he didn't want to be a part of it like this.

Of course, this wasn't the first time he'd gone through something like this. There was the first time, when Kairi had saved him, but Sora also remembered what had happened whenever he'd overused his Drive forms. Donald and Goofy had described it to him in detail, how every now and then he'd change into something else entirely. But this was different, something that was being forced on him, and it wasn't like he had Heartless to target in this place.

No, it was only the other patients.

When Tsurugi grabbed his wrist, Sora nodded and moved along with him. All he wanted was to be put in a position where he couldn't hurt anyone, and it had to happen before he lost himself completely.

They stumbled back into his room and while it was dark here as well, he could see just fine. He stayed out of the path of Tsurugi's flashlight and started to look around in a panic. "You need to tie me up somehow!" What could they use?

Sora flinching away from the flashlight didn't escape Kyousuke's notice, and while he didn't know what it meant, he knew that wasn't normal, which made him all the more hurried to get out of the hall. From there... Sora suggested they tie him, which he wasn't the slightest bit keen on, but he didn't have a better plan, and there just wasn't time to consider an alternative move. So after he pushed the door closed again, he let go of the other boy and made finding something they could use his single focus. He was used to mere seconds counting for everything, so despite their situation, it was surprisingly easy to push all thoughts and fears aside for it.

The problem was, what to use? There wasn't anything obvious out in the open, so he'd have to do a search... He remembered the shoes in the cloest—he'd searched there his first night—but that did little good, as the laces wouldn't be very long or durable. He threw open a dresser first, not having ever bothered to take a look inside his own, but that was even less help. If only there were a leather belt... The shirts and pants here would make for poor restraints.

.... But sheets might not, he realized. He could tear it into a few long strips and use those. He wasn't sure how the cloth would hold, but it was really the best lead he had.

"We'll use this," he announced hastily, tearing his way to a bed and pulling a sheet from it. "After that, I'll keep watch on the other side of the door."

There was really no question that it had to be done. He'd make sure Sora didn't get out, and that nobody else got in. That in mind, he set to work on the sheet. There was nothing to cut it with, and he wouldn't be able to tear it without getting past the seems, so he started it off with his teeth and then pulled, ending with a long strip of cloth.

As Tsurugi searched, Sora stood in the center of the room, doing his best to control his breathing so that he didn't panic. The worse that he reacted to this, the faster the process might go, and he wanted to delay it as much as possible. Which seemed impossible now, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

As far as he could remember, the closets weren't going to hold anything that would be of use when it came to tying someone up, but Sora decided not to say anything. His mind wasn't working that well right now, so it was probably safest for Tsurugi to double-check.

But in the end, it looked like they'd be using the sheets instead. Sora wished they had something sturdier to work with, but he didn't have any better ideas. "All right," he said shakily. In reality, he didn't like the idea of Tsurugi standing guard. All he wanted was for the boy to help him with this one thing and then get as far away as possible. But he could bring that up later.

Sora moved to the other bed -- his bed -- and stripped it of its sheet, since this would go faster if both of them worked, and they were short on time. As Sora started ripping the sheet apart, he realized that it was way too easy. It looked like his strength had started increasing as he changed, and while that was helpful at the moment, he didn't like what it meant. If he attacked anyone, he would hit that much harder.

Sora glanced over at Tsurugi for a moment and his eyes (which were getting more and more yellow) widened when he realized that something had changed in his vision, too. It wasn't just the fact that he could see in the dark, but now when he looked at the other boy he saw a light shining in the center of his chest -- shining and pulsing. It was his heart.

If this got bad enough, every instinct was going to tell him to tear that out. Sora clenched his jaw and kept working on the sheet as fast as he could.

The sheet was relatively quick work, resulting in a few long, wide pieces of fabric, which Kyousuke began to twist in hopes it would hold better. The tension in the air was thick, and the motion of making the makeshift ropes was so mechanical it was becoming difficult not to get unsettled. He stole a glance at Sora. .... It was getting worse. He felt like he should say something, but what? If Tenma were here, he was sure he'd been insisting that things would work out somehow. He always had a way of saying it with such complete confidence and faith that you could almost believe it too. ... But he wasn't here, and Kyousuke wasn't going to offer empty reassurances without the conviction that they were certain. What was the use in something so meaningless? Words were just words without any action to ensure them. So he grit his teeth, and simply remained silent.

"... Here. Let me get your hands first," he said after a while, holding out one of the 'ropes.' His voice came out... calm. A lot calmer than he felt, especially when the the person he was looking at already didn't look human. He'd never seen anything like this, ever, and couldn't deny his building dread. All he could do was force it down as best he could manage, because acting in a panic would only make this harder, for getting this done, and probably for Sora's state of mind, as well.

Edited 2012-08-13 18:07 (UTC)

It was hard for Sora to keep his focus on ripping out more strips from the sheets when he knew that he was changing more and more with each second, but he realized that there was nothing else to be done. The more that they had to work with in terms of restraints, the better he would feel about how securely he was tied up.

When Tsurugi spoke up, Sora almost startled, snapping his head up to look at the other boy. Tsurugi had a strong rope twisted together now, and while being bound meant that Sora would no longer be able to help with the sheets, it was probably a good idea.

Sora swallowed around the lump in his throat and moved back to sit on the bed before he extended his hands out to Tsurugi. "All right," he said. "Make it as tight as you can." His hands were still swirling with darkness, which made it hard to see where exactly his wrists were, but Sora was more distracted by the fact that it looked like his nails were starting to grow both harder and sharper than before.

For a second, Kyousuke caught himself staring at Sora's hands himself, in a state of belief that this was even happening. He'd seen some strange sights in his lifetime, but this...? And to think that this was intentional. A show put on for the Head Doctor's amusement. 'What makes a human,' he'd asked. ... What a joke. The boy scowled at the thought, most of his fear being replaced by a sudden jolt of pure contempt.

"No, behind you," he corrected, unable to keep the hard edge out of it. "It's harder to get out that way." That, and it meant he wouldn't have to focus there and watch as his hands changed. Taking it out of sight wouldn't change the reality, but it was still for the best. It was bad enough for Kyousuke to see, let alone it were his own body.

He sat next to Sora and pulled his hands behind him, beginning to tie that way. There was some way to do this so it would only pull even tighter if you tried to escape, but he didn't know the pattern, so he settled for something basic, hoping it would hold. He didn't want to touch it or even look at it any longer than he had to, so he made quick work of the process, and if nothing else, his frustration ensured that that rope was pulled particularly tight.

After that... His legs next, he guessed. He stood stiffly, with clenched fists, to grab more material. He tried to avoid looking at Sora at all as he did so, because it was getting less easy, and he didn't want him to see if he happened to cringe away.

Right, behind his back. That made sense, but once again, it was hard for Sora to think straight. As Tsurugi sat down, Sora turned so that his back was facing him to make the job of tying his hands easier. While he wanted to be relieved at the sensation of the cloth tightening around his wrists, the fact of the matter was that Tsurugi's proximity was becoming a problem.

Sora didn't even need to be looking at Tsurugi to sense his heart, to feel it pulsing and almost calling to him. Sora tried to employ logic. He already had a heart, even if his body was trying to tell him otherwise, so he didn't need more. He wasn't some Heartless that had no mind of its own and only wanted to subsist off of others. He was supposed to be the one who stopped those things.

Sora dragged in a breath, trying to calm himself down. It helped when Tsurugi moved away, and Sora tested the restraints in the meantime. It seemed like they would work well enough, but how long would that last? Either way, it was getting harder and harder to resist the temptation to pounce the other boy and tear into his chest, which meant --

"You need to get out of here," Sora said thickly. "I don't think -- I don't think I'm going to be me for much longer." He knew that he should be tied down further, but he didn't want to risk Tsurugi getting close to him again.

Kyousuke froze as he retrieved another length of cloth, Sora's comment sending adrenaline running through him. ... It would be easier, admittedly. He could just run out and save himself, and leave Sora to contend with things himself. But running wasn't how he did things, nor was abandoning people. That wasn't how Raimon did things. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Fight it!" he yelled back instead, making himself move more quickly. He should have said that from the very beginning.

There was no time to lose. If he could just take care of the rest, he could shut the door behind him, and make sure nobody got in or out. He moved in for the boy's ankles, and began to weave the cloth tight. ... Just a little more. He just hoped that this would hold. If he didn't make it, he wasn't sure what would happen, but he couldn't let that deter him.

Fight it. Sora squeezed his eyes shut and dragged in breaths as fast as he could, but nothing seemed to help. He felt a pain in his hands as his fingers completely hardened and started turning into claws. He shifted his arms around, battling against the urge to shred the cloth restraints apart and lunge for Tsurugi in the same motion.

But instead of listening to him, the other boy came close again, so close that the warm glow of his heart was impossible to ignore. Sora felt Tsurugi grab for his ankles and was torn between relief and frustration. He didn't know where his own thoughts ended and the instincts of something else began.

"I'm trying," he forced out, bowing his head as he wriggled around ineffectively. But the rest of his body was turning that same inky black, and he could see it on his arms and his chest. Before long, there wasn't going to be any of him left, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Sora just hoped that Tsurugi finished and got out of here before that happened.

This was cutting it close. ... Really close. He could see the blackness growing, spreading out and consuming everything, and Sora couldn't stay still any longer. It made things a little harder, and made it obvious that Kyousuke had reached the point he was putting himself in serious danger. Even so, it had to be done. If Sora got away before he finished, he wouldn't be the only one in trouble. Others could get attacked, and they'd probably fight back. ... They wouldn't know. Kyousuke knew the other boy was still there, trying not to give in, but he didn't look like a boy anymore, he looked like something else. And people tended to value their lives above everything.

He finished tying, and stepped back abruptly. He was starting to get seized with the urge to just run away, as fast he could, but he couldn't do that, so he ignored it. The best thing to do now was to close the door behind him, but for a moment he had to look on at the inky creature in front of him. ... Was Sora still in there? Could he even be saved like this? What if this meant it was already too late? ... That wouldn't get them anywhere, though. They'd just have to try.

The transformation was progressing more rapidly by the second, and by the time that Tsurugi was done, there was nothing of Sora left behind the creature's glowing yellow eyes. Even his hair and clothing had been consumed with black, and the wisps of darkness were rising off of him near constantly at that point.

Rational thought no longer existed. Sora was a Heartless now, the antithesis of everything he normally stood for. He'd turned into the very thing that he usually fought, and there was no stopping it now.

With his claws, he sliced the restraints around his wrists into ribbons, undoing all of the work that they'd put in to keep things safe. His ankles were freed through brute strength, as he pulled his legs apart from each other until the cloth ripped.

And then -- then he was free to hunt, and there was a perfect target right in front of him. Sora leapt off of the bed at an inhuman speed, literally pouncing for Tsurugi with clawed hands extended. He knocked the boy to the ground and started to dig his claws into Tsurugi's chest, hoping to get to the heart caged within.

Within seconds, everything they'd been trying to prevent was completely ruined. Kyousuke had certain instincts for things happening faster than he could control, but not the right kind. Something coming at him with this sort of speed meant either to hold his ground or break his way past; all his training didn't account for something trying to claw its way into him. He wasn't used to trying to block in quite that manner, either, so it was really no wonder he was overpowered before he could do much about it.

He exhaled sharply as he hit the floor, hands gripping at the ones tearing into him, struggling to try and prevent them from going any further. It didn't hurt as much as he would have thought because of the adrenaline, and he was used to pain, so that didn't disturb him too much. ... It was the sight of this ... black thing over him, and the blood that was beginning to seep out of his chest that really got to him.

"Stop!" he yelled out. If it were possible that Sora could still hear him through all this... But the creature was stronger than he was, and he grit his teeth. He had to get it off of him before he punctured something important. Pulling wasn't working, but with his leg power... He tried to kick the creature away, as hard as he could manage. A regular human would probably take some serious damage, but this thing wasn't human anymore, so who knew what it could withstand. He could only hope it was enough to get it off of him, but not injure it too seriously.

The blood that was drawn only seemed to throw Sora into more of a frenzy, the instincts that were now a part of him going into overdrive. If he clawed deeper, past the flesh and bone, he'd reach what he was looking for. Tsurugi was young, and while his life hadn't been simple, he'd overcome many obstacles, hadn't he? That meant his heart was strong and bright.

But a few things got in the way. When Tsurugi yelled at him, the Anti-Form flinched slightly, more from shock than because it caused him any pain. The kick was something the boy-turned-monster wasn't as ready for. Both of Tsurugi's feet managed to hit him in the gut, causing him to jump off of him for a moment.

But he wasn't going to give up that easily. On all fours now, he circled around Tsurugi at a dizzying pace before jumping toward him again, claws ready to continuing unlocking the door to Tsurugi's heart -- or, in cruder terms, to tear his chest open.

The kick didn't push the creature as far as Kyousuke would have liked, but it was at least enough enough to let him recover. Immediately, he pressed a hand to his chest, trying to stop the flow of blood. It didn't seem to be helping much, but he couldn't keep his focus there long enough tell, instead pulling himself to his feet and watching the thing circling around him at an incredible speed.

He had to do something, and fast. What, exactly, was the problem. He wasn't about to let himself get shred into, but he couldn't just attack the creature, when he had no idea how that would end up effecting Sora. It was a monster, but it was also still human. If he seriously injured it, and it came back in that state... But then, that might be his only option to stop it. He grit his teeth as he realized it. Was there at least some way he could buy some time...?

Back in the hall, there had been a moment where Sora had flinched away from the light, almost like it was painful. It was crazy, a longshot, but by this point, Kyousuke was just desperate enough to give it a try. At the creature jumped at him, he made a lunge for his flashlight, discarded amidst the shuffle, and shone it directly at it. He tried to brace himself as he did it; if by any chance this didn't work, he was about to get torn into again.

Right as the creature was about to land on top of Tsurugi, the light hit it straight-on, burning its eyes and its skin as it suddenly seized up, wanting to stop itself from moving any closer to that source. While it didn't make a sound of any sort, the way that it pulled away was enough of a clue that it wasn't interested in attacking Tsurugi any longer.

It had to decide what to do next, of course, and its yellow eyes darted around as it considered its options with the limited intelligence it had. There were hallways out there, ones that were dark and filled with prey that would be less prepared. It could go after them instead.

And so, without another action taken against Tsurugi, the thing that had once been Sora spun around and then bolted out of the room, causing the door to slam behind it. It scurried down the hall, already focused on other prospects.

[To here.]

[From here]

Link hardly even noticed at first as Sora slipped by him like a shadow. When he turned around, breathing heavily from the run, it took a moment for it to dawn on him that he was too late.

He nearly turned around to chase Sora down the main halls, but Link knew that he wouldn't be of any use lugging around this pillow case. So he made his way into his room, intending to leave the bag behind and run off after Sora. Maybe he could still be-

But that thought was interrupted by the sight of smeared blood around the room.

Huffing and puffing a little from the run, Link decided that he ought to keep the medical kit with him, instead. He left the tiny knives he had found in the medical wing, though, in his closet. He didn't need someone finding them who shouldn't be.

[To here]

Edited 2012-08-17 15:59 (UTC)

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NIGHT 65: M1-M10 HALLWAY

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