damned_institute | Hallway Outside Sun Room

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Hallway Outside Sun Room

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The feeling was strong. There was something out there. And as he neared the Sun Room, it was even stronger. It felt like an Akuma, but he couldn't be sure, not in this place. As much as he didn't want to wait around here, he had to meet Emily. He couldn't help thinking that they should have picked a safer place. He'd never been very good at planning things though. He just had to take things as they came, one at a time.

He leaned against the wall with a sigh and settled in to wait, moving his flashlight up and down the hall just to be sure nothing was coming after him.

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Kikyo fell into silence, sitting in the darkness while John sang softly to himself. Kougaiji's hair felt soft to the touch, silky smooth under his calloused fingertips. It was red, a deep wine color like Ran's had been. Ran's was darker than he remembered.

Was his heart darker as well? Kikyo's own raven locks slipped over his ear, shadowing his face as it tumbled over his shoulder in dark strands. He could still smell the scent of tea in his hair.

He closed his eyes, though he was not sleepy, and pictured in his mind the face of a boy he once knew.

Jack finished reciting "Whiskey in a Jar" and stared off into the dark, away from Kikyo and Kou. He needed something more to sing or do to distract himself, but he just wasn't feeling it. Why did Kikyo have to be such a...such a....

Whatever the word was. He'd think of it eventually. When his brain didn't hurt.

He sat there, quietly for a moment, then turned back to Kikyo to address him. However, in the darkness, he saw something else to Kikyo's profile, causing his eyes to go wide for a moment. Long black hair, feminine features- Jesus Christ was SHE here too?!

"Snow?!" He cried before he thought about it.

John's exclamation jarred Kikyo from his memories most inconveniently. His eyes snapped open and narrowed in the wounded man's direction, rather put off that the damn urban ninja was still conscious. Stubborn as well as uncivil, no surprise there.

The man was obviously having hallucinations in his blood deprived state, if he was seeing snow.

He pushed a lock of his long hair behind his shoulder with his fingers haughtily and without a word. Maybe if he said nothing, the man would fall back asleep, like he should have a long time ago.

Jack shook his head (which hurt more than it should, in his opinion). No, Snow wasn't here. Definately not. That was Kikyo, the bastard who...who...

Damn it, it really did look like Snow from over here, didn't it? But if Snow was here...

Jack pressed his back against the wall and looked about a bit concerned. "Where's Bigby, Snow?" God damn, if the Sheriff (or ex-sheriff) was here, Jack was going to be in quite a bit of trouble, no doubt of it, especially since at least one Mundy was aware of his Fable nature. "He's not here, is he?" Not that he expected Ms. White to answer his question straight or be especially nice to him; she'd never really been, though she'd never been especially MEAN either.

With a suppressed sigh, Kikyo replied to him calmly, like as though he had conversations with half delirious people every day of his life.

"I am sorry to tell you I do not know." At least it was an honest answer, though it sounded a little curt (and certainly not apologetic in the least). From the sound of it, the 'snow' John spoke of wasn't weather related at all, but a person's name.

Kougaiji reminded Kikyo so much of Ran, maybe it should come to no surprise that other 'patients' here made similar associations.

When "Snow" spoke, it immediately occurred to Jack that this was NOT Snow's voice. Not at all. He blinked twice, shook his head again, and tried to refocus on Kikyo.

"You're definately not Snow."

Right. It was Kikyo, the pain in his ass. Not Snow White, not by a long shot. As long as he could remember that, he wouldn't make the same mistake again. But that didn't explain why the room was spinning. How could he even tell? It was so dark!

"....I feel funny..." he mumbled.

"Hn." This man seemed to like pointing out the obvious. Kikyo would have rolled his eyes, if that was the kind of thing he did. Instead, he snorted softly and murmured, "Then sleep, you foolish thing. Before you mistake me again for someone else."

"No, I'd rather not," Jack replied curtly. "I'm fine as is. I've walked away from worse, like that time I was skewered on the fence and Gary had to come and ask the fence nicely to let me go and then all the wounds healed, or like the time all those cars hit me and I was back in two days or when I fought all those giants and stole their money..." Jack continued to ramble and boast his exploits, unrestrained or censored for the moment. Kikyo was so smug and Jack thought it was only right that he be put in his place and know EXACTLY how great the Fable REALLY was.

There he went off again on his tall tales, this time with elaborations on his many mishaps and misadventures. Kikyo was not in the mood to compare battle scars or the length of one's prowess.

Peace...was that so much to ask for? He'd never met such a talkative half-unconscious man in his life.

"Misfortune seems to follow you wherever you go," he said unsympathetically. "Walk away from this, and we'll both of us be the happier."

Jack glared at Kikyo. "Do you have any idea who I am, you stupid Mundy? I've had a good deal of misfortune, sure, but I always come out on top. And do you know why that is?"

Stupid? Kikyo's eyes narrowed sharply.

"I have no idea, I'm sure," he replied coldly, answering both questions at once. And his tone of voice made it clear that he cared not to hear the response that John seemed so eager to give, either.

Was Kikyo's attitude going to stop Jack? Hell no!

"I'll tell you why. I'm Jack of the FUCKIN' tales and EVERYONE loves me. You all don't actually want me to fail and so you'll never let me. So deal with it, Kikyo, you love me and can't live without me." Self satisfied, Jack nodded and smirked at Kikyo. "What do you think of THAT, huh?"

"......" Blinking, Kikyo sat there for a moment not sure how to answer. The urban ninja was possibly more insane than he was, if that was at all possible. At least Kikyo was able to keep on an appearance of sanity, if the mood suited him.

"...I'm sorry to inform you then, that living with you is a pleasure I shall gladly forego," he finally said.

Jack smiled widely. "Ah, but you don't mean that, babe. You and everyone else would be BEGGING to have me back if I were ever to leave ya."

Kikyo snorted. That was quite unlikely.

"Well then...perhaps you should make haste, and give us a dramatic exit, if you wish to prove yourself right," he replied. And he added with no small degree of condescension, "...Jack."

Jack, in response, pulled himself up to his feet and attempted to meander off again. To his credit, he made it a good few steps before being overwhelmed with a great heaviness. Sinking to the ground again, he cursed his injuries and glared at Kikyo.

"If any of my shit is missing when I wake up," he threatened, "I'm coming after you."

He shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable unconsciousness.

"Fear not, I've no interest in your belongings, clever weapons and all," Kikyo said with a snort. As though he would be tempted to root through his person! Of course, Kikyo made no promises that he would intervene on Jack's behalf should any passerby come through while he lay prone on the ground.

He'd bandaged the man with reluctance, and sat through his deluded diatribe even more grudgingly. Kikyo's generosity was already depleted for the long haul.

"Well, GOOD," mumbled the Fable and he let himself slip away and into a state of sleep.

The sweet nothing of deep sleep slipped away as Kougaiji felt himself stirring, like surfacing under cool water towards consciousness. In most of cases, he would have jerked up the moment he had some of his wits about him, but this time there was pain, and when he tried to pull up violently, he felt his body resisting so persistently he couldn't do much more than whimper silently and lay still until the sharpest pain subsided.

During those brief moments, he made observations the best he could. There was something warm under his head and on his head, a hand, gentle.

"Yaoine?" he whispered, throat dry and voice raspy.

How long had it been since John finally zonked out, leaving Kikyo in his much welcomed peace? He'd given a slight sigh of relief when the silence finally came. If Kikyo didn't have Kougaiji resting in his lap, he might have knocked the urban ninja over his head just to speed his way into sleepy land.

He felt Kougaiji shift in his lap, slowly waking.

The hand upon Kougaiji's head was gentle, but firm at the same time, keeping him there so he didn't stir too suddenly again.

Obviously, the boy was still half asleep, mistaking Kikyo for someone else. This seemed to happen often this night.

"No...it is Kikyo," he murmured, fingering redish locks with his slender fingers.

"...mm, Kikyo." Kougaiji frowned, memories flickering against his consciousness. White rooms, smiling nurse, dirty laughter from an intercom, blood - Landel's. He blinked open his eyes slowly, gazing up at his roommate, Kikyo's face just a spot of pale within the darkness.

"Is it night still?" he asked silently, opting to let the world stop its spinning before he'd even try getting up.

"Yes...it is night still," Kikyo answered. Somewhere in his heart, he remembered a voice like this..

It's not morning yet - why are you still up?

Whispers of a past that would not return.

Stay...it's cold here.

His fingertips paused on Kougaiji's forehead.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

Swallowing, Kougaiji tried to blink off some of the mistiness of his eyes with lousy results, growling silently for the failed attempt. He paused to think Kikyo's question, not knowing how to answer. How was he feeling?

"I dunno, hurts," he muttered softly. He wasn't used to waking up to this much pain. This human body was so slow in regenerating. He was also thirsty, but knew by experience that Kikyo wouldn't give him anything to drink even if the man would have something. Something about shock and whatever, he couldn't remember Yaoine's lectures in this condition.

Kikyo nodded in response, for what else was there to say? Of course he would be in pain. He couldn't do anything about it. Did he even want to?

But for some reason, he wished to distract him maybe a little from his pain. And so he spoke again after a moment's silence, in his warm and maybe slightly teasing voice,

"...how were the cherries?"

Kougaiji stared up at the man, arching a pair of elegant brows in question.

"Cherries?" What the hell was that about? It sounded vaguely familiar, like a fainting memory, or a lingering dream... Dream, yes, he had been dreaming.

"Uh.. damn. I didn't...?" He would have blushed if there had been enough blood in his body to rush into his cheeks, but as it was, he just felt compelled to turn his head away, thankfully hiding behind his crimson bangs that fanned across his face. The sudden movement brought in a flare of pain and he hissed between his teeth few very carefully chosen curses.

Hallway Outside Sun Room

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