NIGHT 65: M1-M10 HALLWAY

[his_legacy]

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.

[To here]

Comments

[knightspirit]

When the door unlocked, Kyousuke didn't waste a second in grabbing his flashlight and making his way into the hall. His first thought was to try and find his way to the medical wing, to get a look for himself at this new clue, but he pushed it aside for now—right now, there was something more important.

He made a glance down the hall, but instead of starting down it, he leaned on the wall next to his own door, keeping the flashlight off. If he stayed like this, he'd remain fairly concealed; people probably wouldn't notice him unless they were passing by him. The disadvantage was that he couldn't see anything, but he didn't need his own light, when what he was looking for was someone else's. ... According to what he'd been told, Sora's room was just a few doors down. If he could, all he really wanted was a quick look, just to make sure he was faring well, and then he could leave. Or maybe the other boy wouldn't even leave his room. He certainly hoped that was the case, but who could know? All he could do was wait.

[lighthearted]

The first sign that something was wrong was when the lights turned off, and Sora realized that he could see almost perfectly without a flashlight. It wasn't supposed to work that way, and it made it clear almost immediately that something in him had changed.

Landel had said five patients would be turning tonight. Was he really in that number?

Before Sora could get a word out to Link about the situation, though, his roommate had run off and dashed down the hall, which meant that Sora was more or less on his own. He felt his chest squeeze in anxiety as he stared down at his hands and realized that tendrils of black smoke were coming off of them.

Sora ran to the door and then stared down the hall. "Wait!" he called out, but Link was already long gone. His roommate was trying to help him, of course, gathering supplies and whatever else was needed, but right now Sora needed a different kind of help. He didn't count as safe anymore.

His heart was beating so fast that he could barely stand it. The intercom had said something about another clue, but it was too late for him. There just hadn't been enough time. Sora stumbled into the hall, his hands shaking as he looked around for anyone who could help.

The improved vision made life a little easier, but at the greatest price. Still, he was able to spot Tsurugi standing in the hall, almost as if he was waiting for something. Sora remembered how he had told Tsurugi to stay safe this morning, but right now he was the only person he could rely on.

Sora moved toward him, unaware that his eyes had already started changing from their normal bright blue to a glowing yellow. "Tsurugi!" he called out. "I need your help!" The darkness was slowly moving from his hands up his arms, and he knew that it had to be obvious what was happening by now. At this point, he just wanted to be restrained so that he couldn't hurt someone if he really did lose himself. He could still barely believe this was real.

[knightspirit]

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.

[lighthearted]

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?

[knightspirit]

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.

M1

[monkeyboy]

As usual Goku didn't waste time once the lights went out and that hidden person began talking to them in their room. It never pertained to him and most of the time the young boy didn't really understand half the words so there was no point trying to comprehend when there were more important matters. You didn't need to make long, fancy speeches to fight. In fact, it kind of made it harder... Hmm maybe the person should continue his monologues so the young boy could easily run up to him and kick him in the balls before he knew what was what.

Grabbing his nyoibo from the closet and fixing his pants so his tail could comfortably sway behind him, Goku set out for the night, eager to meet up with Taura. It was too bad Birdy wasn't going to be with them, but he supposed it meant more monster butt to pound between the two of them. Yeah, he could get behind that definitely.

[To here]

M6

[dispersive]

Scott and he parted ways as soon as night hit. His roommate had his own problems to sort out and so did Luke. Taking his sword from his wardrobe, Luke remembered to grab his fontech torch for once. If Anise and he were going to be rummaging, an artificial source of light was essential.

"Okay," he murmured to no one in particular as he tried to gather his thoughts before leaving. "Let's do this..." He wished Scott luck and left to find Anise, Guy, and his friend Claude. The sooner they got a move on, the more time they could put into searching for another cure as well. So without any further delay, the replica opened their door and left for the larger hallways.

[To here]

[lighthearted]

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.

[knightspirit]

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.

M5

[awokentospring]

Lee felt a little bad leaving behind his roommate without offering to bring him along for the break out, but if the man had others to meet with then Lee would not detain him from them. A True Man kept to his promises, after all!

He gathered his flashlight and without much thought, headed out into the hallway to try his hand at breaking out. His plan was fairly straight-forward. Get to the entrance, and get out. He could manage at least that much. Then after he was free, and the war had been taken care of, Lee would return to free the fellow patients imprisoned here. Priorities.

[to here]

[lighthearted]

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.

[knightspirit]

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.

[lighthearted]

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.

[M5]

[maverickhunterx]

It had been the intercom that woke X from his nap, though through his sleep-addled haze, he hadn't caught any of what was said.

Damn it.

He had taken it easy after eating dinner, lying down on his bed and trying to get some shuteye, though he only felt moderately well-rested. But it was better than the fatigue he had felt after eating, so he supposed he couldn't complain.

Letting out a sigh, he slipped out of bed and knelt down, wincing at the pain in his leg. Lifting the mattress, he groped in the dark.

It had to be--

"Ouch!"

There it was. The tip had cut him, and he could feel a small amount of blood ooze out.

Gripping the shard of glass, he pulled it out, clutching it to him. It didn't do much good against Zero last night, but it could come in handy. It was better than nothing, at any rate.


X got item: [Glass Shard]


He had to find supplies. Had to find a way out...

Struggling to stand, he braced himself on the wall, ignoring the pain in his leg as he limped out of the room and into the hallway, tracing the path that he had taken before.

[To Here!]

[lovesthepain]

It was clear by the way Tsurugi had stared down the door so intently that he had somewhere he was eager to be tonight; Harpuia may not have liked the idea of leaving a human to potential danger, but his roommate seemed capable enough. If he had a plan, then there was no need to interfere.

Harpuia wasn't the type to move out without a plan either. Tonight's foremost priority: visit the second floor janitor closet. If the intercom was to be believed, then it was more important than ever to be properly armed. Once that was out of the way, he would be in a better position to guard Master X -- seeking him out would be a priority as well.

As for Zero...

As if Harpuia would ever worry about him. Zero could take care of himself. Still, it may be worthwhile to make sure that last night's incident would not be repeated; Zero hardly took being controlled very well, after all. Flashlight in hand, he ventured a practice swing -- a sharp twinge of pain from last night's blaster burns, but that was to be expected. Can't be helped, anyway. As prepared as he was ever gonna be, he didn't think twice before striking out into the darkness.

[To here]

M1

[atrabilis]

Again, Nigredo succumbed to the illness; he fell into a heated sleep at the beginning of dinner and hadn't stirred since. Thus, the boy never gained the opportunity to assess his new surroundings, and the prospect of a new roommate (and the state of his predecessor) had yet to set in. As the rest of the world went about their business, he existed within the dark of his unconscious mind, listening to labored beats of his heart.

Night grew, and still, he slept.

[purgatio]

[from here]

No prelude was given for this: Albedo opened the door and walked in, a wary glance behind him at the hall as he did so, before closing the door securely. He stared at it a moment, something being held to all the same, before he turned to see his feverish little brother and the items strewn about his bed. Some deemed a high notice, others less so, but all in all, items were items, and Nigredo...

Perhaps it was a humorous sight to see the highly armed child cross the small room to touch his little brother's hair, but there spoke a worried tenderness all the same. It was a seriousness seldom spoke of--without emotion or delay, Albedo would do the things required, and it was perhaps this, this lack of self in the act that allowed another to recognize all of this for what it was.

Need. The need for another to live more than himself. That was all.

[atrabilis]

It was touch that stirred him, that proved significant enough to call attention upon. Nigredo murmured a sound and shifted uncomfortably underneath the bed sheets before he chanced opening an eye. It took a moment for sense to catch, but eventually, the variant found the presence of one of his own.

"Albedo?" Of course. In this place, there existed no other. "How long..." His voice trailed into brief silence, as if Nigredo had forgotten his intent. It passed as it always did, and he moved to sit. "How long have I been asleep?"

[purgatio]

For a beat, Albedo continued to trace hair, then the hand dropped back to his lap, and he shrugged, a twitch of a gesture. "I can't tell you, love. It's the beginning of night, though."

A moment, shifting. This, perhaps, needed not to be said. Not with Nigredo like this. "I don't want you to leave your room tonight." Even as the thought of leaving his brother in this condition made it feel like a betrayal. The emotion pulsed between them.

[atrabilis]

The beginning of night was an acceptable prospect, for it meant no critical loss of time. Nigredo propped his pillow to the headboard and leaned back, ignoring the threat of vertigo that came with the shift. A weary smile etched onto his lips at the request. "I can't focus my eyes," came the admittance. "I doubt I could leave in this condition."

There was more, of course, facts he had only recently unearthed. They settled like a weight at the back of his head, but nothing in him was so willing to divulge. Not yet and not especially to someone already pressed with concern. Nigredo reached for Albedo's hand.

"I'll be okay." Even as things weren't. He would do what was asked of him.

[purgatio]

A compress of his heart, enough that stagnancy, reserve, broke without warning, and he nearly threw himself forward despite all of his belongings; dislodging a shotgun to clack against the floor as Albedo wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, head burrowing into stomach. "I don't want to leave you alone."

He didn't want to leave at all. It went against instinct, even as it adhered only to logic. {I don't want to leave you at all,} came the mental sob, a contrast to yet dry eyes. {But if I don't kill them... If I don't find the cure....} There was nothing more important, nothing more trite. It sounded like a line from a novel. It was only all there was. {I have to protect you.}

[atrabilis]

The world collapsed. A brother fell against him, desperation seeping past boundaries and barriers, and Nigredo blinked, comprehension all but lost. The price of a want held weight, dragged his brother down to a sad, unforgiving reality, and he knew. The burden of it. If Albedo wanted, Nigredo could offer understanding in spades; after all, he knew what came from protecting what was most cherished.

He did not argue against the intentions. He did not filter through the semantics and the details. Instead, he held Albedo's head, traced the other's hair with cold and clumsy fingers. {It will be okay.} Even as things weren't. {You're not alone. We're together.} To trudge against life's pitfalls. Nigredo wouldn't just disappear; he wouldn't fall to resignation. He would fight to retain himself for as long as he was able and help Albedo in any way possible. This he placed between them, a sentiment to hold to despite everything. A sentiment that had nothing to do with the self and everything to do with another.

Without another word, he reached to the side and procured a handgun, an unexpected gift from a source recently missed. {Here.} Nigredo pushed it onto Albedo's hand. {It's yours.}

[purgatio]

It was little, and it was everything. Perhaps where another would have rejected the sentiment, claimed that everything must be done by himself, Albedo did not. Where humans would still shake in that fear, Albedo held to stillness. Nigredo was here. They would do this together. And as if to punctuate that, Nigredo pressed one of the guns seen into Albedo's hand, his fingers fitting around the grip in familiar ways. It was bigger than the ones that they had been used to, but it was similar all the same.

He stayed there, hugging Nigredo for a moment, then slowly sat up and breathed. After a moment, calm resolve fought to maintain itself on his features, and he popped the clip out to look over the bullets. Seventeen. This would be more than useful. Albedo smiled at Nigredo, something obscenely gentle in the expression. {Thank you.} For everything. For all of it.

The next moment, the smile had turned more firm. "Now, if we're going to team up, you have to promise to do two things for me, okay? First, if you need anything, you have to tell me, and if your condition changes, you have to tell me that, too. I need to be aware at all times, Nigredo. I won't know the best way to protect you otherwise. And I want to help you, as much as I'm able."

The second was simpler. "I'll be researching, too, but there's rumors already of a cure from others. Try to sort through what you can, and look for it. We'll compare notes frequently and see what we can find."

[atrabilis]

The gratitude was taken, swallowed into the inky black for later consumption. It was enough. More than enough. He could subsist on acceptance and be fine for the time being. As Albedo worked, Nigredo's countenance lightened considerably, enough to lessen the appearance of heat. Perhaps one could call him selfish for the potential loss of lives or morbid for the lack of concern. Perhaps truth lay within those labels, but he could not bring himself to care.

It was what it was. Separation, loneliness, and death--these were no longer an option, the one fact he could not deny.

Albedo continued, setting options to promises, and Nigredo found himself nodding. "Needs, changes in condition, and a cure," he stated. "I promise." There was a pause, heavier than before.

"Albedo." Brother. "Be careful. You have to take care of yourself, too." Alright?

Inside M2

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar sat in his room, slumped in his wheelchair. His dinner remained untouched despite his hunger. The pain persisted in his head, the nausea his stomach. The cramps had only gotten worse throughout the day. Then came the madman on the intercom.

It was difficult to contain a shudder when he mentioned tonight's... body count. Scar had no idea if the transformation would be permanent, or only for the night, or something in between... What would happen if he transformed tonight? There couldn't be that many people sick, and he couldn't deal with the thought of killing Tsubaki, or Rapunzel, or-

Wheeling slowly over to his closet, Scar pulled out his box and subsequently the photograph of his brother. His blood now stained one corner.

The Ishbalan felt too sick to keep up the tough guy act. Too nervous. This place and the people in it were stripping him down to his weakest, and he couldn't quite hide it with anger any longer.

The hope that his brother was out there was what kept him going. He had died in hopes of finding his forgiveness. Now he lived for that same purpose.

[For Tsubaki!]