damned_institute | Nightshift 26: Hallway Outside M1

"I see." Tatsumi pushed the bridge of his glasses up, his mouth tensing. "That is definitely an issue of concern." His words were light, but barely masked the seriousness of his thoughts. Tsuzuki had spoken of a time when the Institute had taken Hisoka and forced him to fight on their side. Perhaps they were fortunate that it had not been Tsuzuki taken instead, with his destructive power.

He looked to Rangiku, considering what they should do next. "Is there any way for him to be defeated? Or should we try to keep people from entering the Sun Room?" Though Tatsumi wasn't the best person to play guard duty, his other plans were obviously canceled for the night, and they might as well put their time to good use.

The secretary nodded at Rangiku's words, knowing neither Rukia nor Renji were in any state to be fighting. "Yes, please. Are you both certain you don't want any escort?"

So Renji had used shunpo; that must have been what did him in, even after being stabbed clear through by Ichimaru's zanpakutou. No wonder she had felt his reiatsu nearly vanish! Unconsciously, the hand that was still fisted into his shirt tightened a little.

She frowned when Renji continued to insist that he meet the mystery person from the bulletin board. "He can take a rain check," she muttered, taking note of the way he avoided looking at everyone, even if he was trying to make the movement look natural. "And you need to change clothes, unless you want to attract every monster in this place. I do, too," she added, looking down at her blood-smeared clothes. Most of it was Renji's, but that nosebleed had been a nasty one.

Looking up at Matsumoto, she managed a smile. "Thank you, Vice Captain." She paused, thinking that this wasn't any of her business, but asked anyway, "You... You won't go into the sun room, will you?" Matsumoto and Ichimaru had been friends - maybe still were. Rukia hoped that the tall woman wouldn't try to reason with the treacherous former captain.

To the new arrival, Tatsumi, she said, "Yes, thank you. We'll be fine, as long as we stay together." Most people would probably take the statement at face value, but Rukia hoped Renji would understand the real meaning behind it, and not try to get away again. If it hadn't been for the way he held her a few minutes ago, she might have begun to think that he really didn't want to be around her.

Slowly, Rukia got to her feet. Her ribs felt like they were on fire, and with every movement her muscles and joints ached. Clenching her jaw, she tried her best to hide the pain; she had simply overextended herself using Kidou. Certainly a night of relative rest would heal the damage.

When Ran grabbed his shoulder, he managed to fight down the urge to twitch; he hadn't been expecting it. All that showed was the muscles of his jaw working. "Yeah, I'll be careful," he told Ran and Tatsumi.

It was too much to hope that Rukia would let him go. And there it was, the trap she'd laid for him, even if she hadn't intended to. There was too much to deal with right now, and suddenly he just felt very tired, like he might as well just give up and let her drag him along by the hand that gripped his shirt so tightly. Maybe he would have resisted more, if he hadn't spoken with River, if... a lot of other things had or hadn't happened. It was too much inner confusion and conflict, and with his headache pounding, he didn't have the energy to deal with it. So he fell back to his last resort of habit; he would follow where she lead.

'As long as we stay together,' she'd said. But they hadn't stuck together, and that was part of the problem. And a scared, childish part of Renji thought that they wouldn't stick together now, not when he'd fallen into a pathetic, irreparable, splintered mess in a mere week. It was hard to imagine other people putting up with him, when he didn't want to put up with himself.

He didn't stand, not yet. He wasn't going anywhere until River was okay, and he didn't feel steady enough to be upright anyway. He kept his head down, still not looking, like it would make the mess disappear, and make him stop feeling sick and afraid. "Yeah," he said, quietly, just for her. His voice sounded like defeat, and that was how he felt, for the first time in his life.

Rangiku returned Rukias smile and nodded. "Don't think anything of it." The question took her a little by surprise; although she wasn't naive enough to even contemplate her meetings with Gin having gone unnoticed, she hadn't expected it to be brought up by Kuchiki of all people. She shook her head, her smile fading a little. "Not unless I have to drag someone out of there or I come up with a very good plan to incapacitate him," she replied. She wasn't foolish enough to think she could get away with going in there. If he was brainwashed, then she'd be in as much danger as anyone else.

She turned her attention back to Tatsumi, shaking her head in frustration. "If one of us were at full power, then we would be able to stall him for a while at least, maybe long enough to incapacitate him, but with our powers blocked like this..." she shrugged helplessly. "The only thing I can think is if we could distract him long enough to have someone knock him out, but I doubt it's possible."

"It is a difficult situation." Renji and Rukia seemed content enough to to decide their actions on their own, so Tatsumi focused on Rangiku's idea instead. "How fatigued does this shunpou leave you?"

The secretary remembered how tired he was after using the most basic of his powers, and had little doubt it was the same for the other Shinigami. Still, if there was some method they could use, it could be worth the risk. The damage the Shinigami could cause had been made too clear to simply ignore the threat.

Lips tight, Rukia nodded at Matsumoto's reply. Of all people, she knew how strong the bonds of childhood friendship could be, and she really was concerned that Matsumoto might act without thinking the situation through. The older woman seemed as confident and collected as always, though, so Rukia trusted her words. Glancing at Tatsumi, Rukia didn't butt into the conversation; instead she stayed where she was, close to Renji.

Rukia's frown deepened at the sound of his voice, as well as the fact that he hadn't fought her more. No one seemed to be paying them much attention for the moment, so Rukia gritted her teeth against the ache in her side and squatted down.

She didn't know what to do. Should she just act like usual and bully Renji into cheering up? But that hadn't worked well lately, and for good reason. Rukia felt sick when she accidentally thought about what had happened to him yesterday. She didn't know the details, and didn't want to, but her heart felt like it was being squeezed up through her throat when she imagined Renji in the kind of pain that would put him in this state. He just hadn't been like himself lately, and she hadn't been helping.

Maybe it was time to try a different approach. Glancing over to where River was being seen to, Rukia took a deep, quiet breath. Be his anchor. Tentatively, she reached out to cover the hand in Renji's lap with her own. They were both speckled with drying blood, but his looked so large beneath her own tiny hand. Gently, she squeezed.

Renji listened to the conversation Ran and Tatsumi were having with half an ear; he figured that Ran had it handled. She had a good head on her shoulders, and wasn't hampered by a temper like his.

He half expected Rukia to get on his case; she tended to go the bossy route when it came to cheering people up... or for almost any other occasion. And considering the ass he'd made of himself twice in less than twelve hours with Kurosaki... she had a lot of reason to yell at him. It didn't come, though, and he wondered if maybe she was letting him keep the last shreds of his dignity in front of Tatsumi.

Then she touched his hand. He turned his face enough to look at her; he was pale, but his expression was closed, defensive. Of all things, he hadn't expected that. Maybe she was still worried about... whatever it was she'd been plagued by all day. He turned his hand to hold hers, squeezing back, and gave her what he thought was a reassuring smile. "It's okay," he murmured.

Maybe he couldn't do a damn thing about the sort of mess he was, but maybe it would be okay if he could make her feel better. That was how it had always been.

Now that was a question. She honestly wasn't entirely sure. She'd used Kidou once and that had drained her. Renji had used it and he looked awful, but a lot of that had to be due to his encounter with Gin as well. "I'm not entirely sure. I think maybe a couple of steps. Normally I could manage many more without getting too tired, but I've yet to try it here." She frowned a little. "I'm not sure it would allow me to get close to him though. He can use it to it's full capacity at the moment, so he could move away once he realised I'd used it."

It might be worth a try though. "If he were distracted enough though..." It might give her enough time to at least land a blow.

Tatsumi nodded as he considered Rangiku's guesses. He wasn't a warrior, but the thoughts of a tactical mind weren't so different from those of a good acountant. Weighing gains against losses, deciding acceptable risks, and ultimately walking away with a profit.

"How well do each of you know him? Could you predict where he would appear?" This was perhaps the most important part to the plan Tatsumi was forming. "If you can predict where he'll stop, then I can use my control over shadows against him. It won't be much, but I won't miss."

The look Renji gave her made Rukia's stomach clench. There was so much he wasn't telling her, wasn't letting her in on. She could only hope that they could spend a little time alone tonight, and talk; maybe that would make things better, somehow. "Yeah," she murmured, pretending to agree with him.

Quirking her lips in response to Renji's attempt at a smile, Rukia glanced toward River. The girl seemed to be calming down, and the scarred man was giving her some of his own blood. With limited magical healing, the additional blood would probably help her get up and around sooner.

Listening to Matsumoto and Tatsumi's conversation, Rukia looked to Renji. "You faced him, just now. Do any of us stand a chance?" Against a Shinigami - a captain, at that - with his full powers, Rukia didn't think any of them had much hope of landing a successful attack. It was like pitting an ordinary human against a Shinigami.

Somehow, Rukia's answer didn't make him feel any better.

But he had a question to answer, which was probably better than dwelling on... whatever was going on, or on his own worries. Keeping one eye on River and those helping her - thankfully she was calming down - he turned his attention to Ran and Tatsumi.

"Don't," he said. "We're completely outclassed. It's hard to get how, bad from here, maybe, but..." Which was true. They'd never been in a situation like this before, not so limited like this. "Going up against him will do nothing, no matter how good your plan is. He can use kidou, and he doesn't need the incantation." Unless they could knock Gin unconscious in an instant - not fucking likely - they were toast. "He could probably just crush us with his reiatsu if he felt like it. We can't push it back." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "And as much as I hate to sound like I empathize with Ichimaru or something, Ran, I'd hate to be him tomorrow if he hurt you. You know, assuming he's not a total asshole."

At that, he cast a sidelong glance at Rukia. He'd already hurt her a lot, unintentionally, and in ways that didn't leave wounds. And he was making it worse, constantly. Just that made him sick. He didn't know what Ran's thing with Ichimaru was, exactly, but if it was anything close to what he and Rukia had, well...

It was something he could empathize with, all too much. There was a reason his greatest fear - here, at least - was being put in Ichimaru's position.

At that, she laughed bitterly and shook her head. "I don't think there's anyone could predict him with much accuracy," she responded, her tone tight. Except possibly Aizen and that was the main problem, wasn't it? At one time, maybe she'd have been able to predict him, but he'd been sneaky even back then.

She nodded in response to Renji's words. He did have a point. With kidou and shunpou on his side, they didn't stand much of a chance, even if they managed to distract him for a short time.

Her eyes widened a little in surprise when Renji mentioned her relationship with Gin. Empathy? From Renji? "He could have killed me, back when he fought Captain. But he just walked away," she said softly. Shinsou had nearly shattered Haineko with the blow meant for Hinamori, and another shot could easily have killed her as well. But he'd just walked away like he kept doing. But Renji's words made sense. If he felt anything for her, then she wouldn't want to put him in that position.

She shook herself out of those dark thought and smiled at the three of them brightly. "I'll go check on River. Tatsumi-san, if you have any plans you wish to carry out tonight, then I'm amenable." With that, she walked off towards the other little group of people and the fallen girl.

[To Here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/187539.html?thread=13096339#t13096339)]

Tatsumi was tempted to proceed on his own once he heard their disbelief. There were ways to make his plan work still. But the risk was great, too great, and he couldn't afford to be wasteful.

Always seek a profit.

He watched as Rangiku moved off, and considered the other options for a moment. Looking to the pair still with him, he shook his head. "I doubt there are enough here still able to guard the doors. What other tasks does your group need done? Perhaps Rangiku-san and I can devote ourselves to them." Along with Xigbar, if the man ever bothered to show up. This was the second night he was late, and his initial impression on Tatsumi hadn't been favorable.

Rukia watched Renji as he spoke, somewhat surprised by his words. She had suspected all along that Ichimaru and Matsumoto were romantically involved, but this pretty much confirmed it. Especially since Renji seemed like fairly good friends with the vice captain of the Tenth Division. She didn't miss the look he gave her when he mentioned Ichimaru not wanting to hurt Matsumoto. Was Renji afraid he might be put in the same situation as Ichimaru was now?

Looking down, Rukia wondered what she would do if he were taken for Special Counseling. But she knew. She would find him. She didn't know what she would do after that, but she wouldn't leave him.

She watched as Matsumoto went to check on River, then spoke quietly to Tatsumi. "I know there is still mapping to be done, on the second floor. And of course, we always need to collect metal for the alchemists..." She gave Renji a questioning look, since he would likely know better what the Arts & Crafts Division needed.

"Any kind of supplies," Renji said. "Metal is most important to keep the alchemists going as fast as they can here. But things that can be used as weapons are just as good. Bandages and stuff like that. Mapping the second floor or finding the way down into the basement since that's apparently a new area." That was all he could think of, and pretty much everything that their entire team had been concentrating on, here. "Anything you do is appreciated."

It bothered him, that no one would be guarding the sun room. A lot. It bothered him that Ichimaru would be claiming a lot more blood before the night was out, and he wasn't even doing it of his own will. Which reminded him, he needed to talk to River... but tomorrow. She seemed to be in no shape for it tonight.

"Probably don't need anyone that able-bodied just to guard a door and warn people off," he murmured to himself. The obvious choice was himself. At least that way, he would be something approaching useful for the night. Though Rukia had certainly had a point; he needed to change into clothing that was less bloody first if he had any notion of being out in the halls. He wasn't in much shape to be fighting things right now. "First things first," he said.

He felt steady enough now to get to his feet, and he did so, though he took his time. It made him feel old almost, which was a bit strange, but there was no residual pain from the wound; Rukia had done a really good job, which was probably why she was looking so flat right now. He also picked up the sword. Rukia had brought it to him, if unintentionally, and even if he wasn't going to be fighting anything, just holding it made him feel better.

He grimaced as the bloody, slashed shirt clung to his stomach. For a moment, his hand gripped the hem; he thought about just taking the damn thing off, before Rukia told him too. But as in the showers before, he didn't particularly feel like even being partially naked around people. He frowned, letting his hand drop to his side.

Tatsumi nodded, and decided not to press further on the more specific areas. Rangiku would most likely know where they could collect supplies other than the restroom, and perhaps that would be for the best in the end. Even if it wasn't the kitchen, it was better to get something.

"Thank you both for the advice. I will do everything I can." Tatsumi smiled politely, and gave a small bow. The pair seemed nearly ready to leave, and he looked in the direction Rangiku had traveled again, wondering if she would be finished soon. "Be safe."

Rukia stood again when Renji got up. Thankfully her hair hung in her face, hiding the grimace of pain the movement caused. She felt like her whole body had been pulled through a wringer, but at least the bloody nose had stopped. She certainly wasn't in any shape to fight, but she would be okay after a little rest.

"We could come back later to guard the door," she suggested, unconsciously mimicking Renji's thoughts, "Though we wouldn't be much use if something decided to attack us." Running sticky hands through her tangled hair, she made a face, adding, "Well, let's go get cleaned up, anyway. I don't want to be in these clothes when they start stinking."

In a way, this felt really good. This was a normal enough conversation for two shinigami to be having, and it was practical; no messy emotions to deal with for just a few minutes. Realistically, Rukia knew that they would have to deal with some of those emotions tonight, but... not just yet. She and Renji could go wash up and change clothes, and maybe go back to see Colonel Mustang and apologize for leaving so suddenly. After that, they could talk. Or something.

"Thank you, Tatsumi," she said, bowing. "You be safe as well."

Eyes fixed on her feet, she turned away and reached up to take hold of Renji's fingers.

"Yeah," Renji admitted, though he wasn't happy about it. He really did just want to lay down and rest. The worst side of that was how tenuous it made his self control, when he'd already been worried about keeping himself together around everyone in general and Rukia in particular. "Aren't a lot of options for cleaning up," he said. "Bathroom's are out." There was no clean water to be had there.

He look from Rukia to River again; she seemed to be doing better, and she had many people helping, watching, standing guard against an attack. He'd talk to her tomorrow; neither of them were in any sort of shape to discuss business now, her thought. But he was certain now, at least, that she would be okay, and that was what mattered to him the most.

He gave Tatsumi a nod, and let Rukia take his hand. He didn't have the energy to fight now; it was easier to just be drawn in her wake. "We should stop by Mustang's first," he said. "To get your sword."

"Oh," she said, somewhat confused, "What's wrong with the bathrooms? Too dangerous?" Perhaps monsters were common there; Renji had been here a lot longer, so he might have found that to be the case.

Following Renji's gaze to where River and the others were, Rukia let out a soft breath. River looked like she would be okay.

Rukia looked up at Renji as she turned away from the group hovering over River. Tugging gently on his hand, she started walking toward the first M-block. "All right," she said quietly, "I just hope he's still there."

[Going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/184780.html?thread=13438924#t13438924).]

Nightshift 26: Hallway Outside M1 - M40 Blocks

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