damned_institute | Day 27: Breakfast

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Day 27: Breakfast

Day came too soon.

Sora hadn't been able to find Rena, had instead been forced to crumple onto the grass of the recreational field and bleed all over himself, and hadn't even accomplished what he'd been sent out to do. What he'd been entrusted to do. He didn't know how he was going to be able to face Renji and the others, but he also knew he wasn't going to hide from them, either. That would just be low, after all, and he was ready to face up to the consequences.

He didn't try to make excuses for himself. Even though there had been a Special Counseling patient, they had managed to take her down by sheer numbers. The fact that he hadn't seen any sign of Rena was what had him the most worried. He hoped he could find her today.

The boy laid in his bed for a good while that morning before his nurse finally came in to collect him. She clucked over the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and leg, and asked him if he was okay to walk.

Once Sora assured her he was fine (he didn't really want to use crutches, as that would just attract attention to himself, and he didn't need others worrying over him), they made their way to the cafeteria. Sora yawned and winced against the bright light of morning - it seemed even earlier than usual, and he realized why when they entered the cafeteria and found it empty.

The boy shuffled over to grab a chocolate chip pancake, a bowl of cereal, and a glass of milk (good for the bones, or so his mom had always told him) before settling at a table. He kept an eye on the door, hoping he would see Rena walking in soon.

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Homura glanced ~~down~~ up from his plate as Hitsugaya took his place at the table, nodding in response to the curt greeting. "I did. I made some interesting discoveries yesterday."

He didn't go into detail just yet, however, pausing to eat a bit of his breakfast. Perhaps he'd go back to get some sausage, but the pancakes would do for now, if they were a touch sweet for his tastes.

"Have a hard night?" The pink shade of Hitsugaya's skin was entirely too familiar, the demi-god recognizing the signs of burns. Of course, Homura's lingering injuries were concealed by bandages and by clothes, though that didn't stop an observant eye from seeing them.

Hitsugaya wasn't about to go into the details of his night with Homura. He didn't even want to think about the details of his night. "Nothing I couldn't handle," he answered simply. "What did you find out?"

The food looked positively vile, but it was easy enough to ignore the food and focus on Homura himself. There were a few lingering injuries on Homura as well, he noted, but showing off battle scars was something the 11th division did, not the 10th. It was all very childish. He was more interested in Homura's 'discoveries' than anything else.

So Hitsugaya was determined to be all business. Homura could deal with that, though it did make the encounter a bit more boring...at least, until he thought about all the things he had to ask.

"The person I traveled with and I explored an area that hasn't made it on to your map." Homura grinned, already knowing Hitsugaya would want this place. "We found a good deal of weapons there. Short blades, but much sharper than kitchen knives. I should have an updated copy of the map to give to you soon."

The map was only the bait, however, the offering Homura brought for the information he truly wanted. "I also met someone you might be familiar with. Ichimaru Gin. He wouldn't tell me much about himself, but he's certainly interested in your group."

Hitsugaya listened as Homura mentioned the previously undiscovered location. Short blades, sharper than kitchen knives. That could be incredibly useful. He'd have to make a note to send a team or two to procure them.

The moment he mentioned Ichimaru, however, Hitsugaya's face grew darker. "I'm not surprised," he said. "Ichimaru was once one of us. How is he interested?"

Mentioning that Ichimaru was once a shinigami in the Gotei 13 wasn't going to hurt anything. Ichimaru likely told people that himself. Worse, he might still call himself captain. It was hard to say with that snake.

"He sounded as if he wanted to join your party." Homura noted the way Hitsugaya's face grew dark, and just at the mention of a name. It sparked his curiosity yet again, made him wonder just what crime had Gin committed.

"Would you tell me what he did to make you distrust him so much?" Homura grinned, knowing there was no way Hitsugaya could deny the emotion. "Oh, and he wanted me to send his love, Toshiro-kun."

Ichimaru? Join their party? The idea would have been laughable if it weren't so pathetic. Did he really think they could trust him again? After he joined with Aizen and stood idly by while Aizen cut Momo down?

And he wants to join, all the while still disrespecting him and calling him both by his first name and by such an insulting honorific? No...it was all too shocking to be funny.

"Ichimaru betrayed us," Hitsugaya said simply. "And from when I come, was working with other traitors to destroy the world."

It was all Homura could do to keep from laughing out loud as he heard the crime against Ichimaru. Betraying the established society, trying to destroy the world. If he was going to replace the universe with one of his own creation, Homura and Gin had much more in common than the demi-god initially realized.

"Do you know his reason?" Homura kept his composure, however, quite aware that this was dangerous ground. His connection with the Arts and Crafts group was already fragile, and revealing that he himself had tried something similar would undoubtedly severe it completely.

And Homura wasn't finished with them yet.

His question seemed more like a challenge to the young captain, and he didn't like that at all. "I don't care," he answered honestly. He had hurt Momo. That was all that mattered.

"His actions caused injury to both myself and to others. He manipulated friends to fight against one another, and is willing to destroy countless lives though his act of treason. He is in league with demons who hunger to devour human souls. He threatens not just my society, but the very fabric of the world itself."

He shook his head slightly. "No, I don't care what his reasons are. His actions are reason enough not to trust him. Why do you care?"

Why did Homura care indeed. He had no intention of telling Hitsugaya, not yet, not with the Captain in such a fiery mood. The fact that he didn't care about the reasons at all told Homura clearly that Hitsugaya simply couldn't understand.

"I like to know about the people I deal with." Homura placed an elbow on the table, propping his chin on his hand. Grinning to Hitsugaya, he looked at the little Captain curiously. "He mentioned Kyoka Suigetsu. What does that name mean?"

Kyoka Suigetsu? Aizen's zanpakuto? Why would Ichimaru be bringing that up in conversation. "It's a weapon," Hitsugaya answered, genuinely perplexed. "I don't know why Ichimaru would have brought it up. It's not even his weapon."

He paused, trying to think of any reason that Ichimaru would have mentioned it. "What was the context of the conversation?"

Homura raised an eyebrow at Hitsugaya's shock. The weapon must have been something quite interesting indeed for the mere mention of it's name to get such a reaction.

"I simply asked him a question, and Kyoka Suigetsu was his reply." It was the truth, if not very helpful. The war god wasn't about to reveal what he had asked, just as he had told Gin. "Whose weapon is it, if not Ichimaru's? And what significance does it have?"

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. "What question did you ask?" he queried. He couldn't fathom what Homura would have asked Gin about that would have led to that answer.

"It's the weapon of another traitor," he answered. "I don't know its significance as relevant to Ichimaru."

Well, if ever there were a conversation that could benefit from the presence of a telepath, this one was it. There were whole worlds of information that weren't making it past the men's lips.

Even the concept of waiting to be invited never crossed Schuldig's mind. He simply dropped his tray on the table next to Homura's, sitting down beside him and smirking between the two men.
His seating choice was strategic; he expected to be pissing Hitsugaya off considerably more than Homura. "I'd say 'mind if I join in', except that I'd do the exact same thing regardless of your answers, so let's just skip over that part and take it as read that I'm joining you. I've been meaning to speak to both of you anyway; you in particular." This last was said with a sidelong glance at Hitsugaya. "But if you'd rather continue to omit important details from each other, by all means, continue." He folded his hands under his chin and grinned.

Homura had been about to continue to pry for those very details when the pair was suddenly joined by another man, one Homura had seen, but never had spoken to. And he was certainly right about pissing off Hitsugaya more than the demi-god; Homura was already quite aware that he was leaving out a great deal, and having the same done in return. Schuldig's threat didn't phase him beyond the point where it might cost him an advantage, but a minor one in the end.

"And you can fill in these blanks?" Homura turned his gaze to the new man, the distraction very effective for ignoring Hitsugaya's question. "Are you another that can read minds, then?"

Hitsugaya also wasn't phased by Schuldig's casual threat. Both Homura and Hitsugaya knew that they weren't giving or receiving the full truth. For Hitsugaya, it simply was a matter of trust. He had no idea why Homura was playing the game, but it centered around his earlier assumption that Homura was much like Aizen. Arrogant, clever, and deceitful. Any information given could potentially have been turned against the captain.

Hitsugaya wasn't as disturbed by the telepath's presence as he had been last night. Last night had been a moment of panic, having come to conclusions over...well, he wasn't going to think about that...and fear at having to face it again. Today he was calmer. Concerned deeply over Hinamori...who happened to have intered recently...but mostly composed. He imagined the telepath's need to speak with him stemmed from his investigation over Muraki, and the request for more information that had been offered last night. Likely the information came with a price.

"No," he answered. "We were mostly finished."

"Another?" Schuldig raised a languid eyebrow at Homura. "I'm the only one worth noting. And we have spoken before - on the bulletin board. As I recall, I suggested you go be intimate with a cactus in tasteful haiku." After all, the man had been (or at least had tried to be) intimate with almost everything else...

"In that case," he continued with barely a pause, turning back to Hitsugaya - Schuldig was a master of multitasking, easily able to switch between separate threads of conversation or even maintain several simultaneously, "I believe you wanted to know who Renji's roommate is. Agree to doing me a couple small favors and I can tell you right now."

Homura grinned, remembering the bulletin in question. It had been a rather fun one, in fact. "So that was you. It's nice to have a face to put with the snide remarks."

Homura remained unphased, even as Schuldig turned away. In a way, it was good to have the focus taken off of him for the moment. The information about Gin would remain hidden for now, and Homura got to overhear what Hitsugaya wanted.

Abarai's roommate. Schuldig's blunt manner almost made Homura wish that he knew the name himself, just so he could put a dent in the other man's plans. But he would settle for the opportunity to watch Hitsugaya bargain, to get a better understanding of the Captain who was so reluctant to deal with him.

Hitsugaya never was good with bargaining. As a shinigami captain, you rarely had to bargain for anything. He didn't know much; however, he knew enough to know he had to wait for the favors before agreeing to anything.

"Name your favors," Hitsugaya said. Unless he didn't want to voice them in front of Homura. In that case, it could wait. They already knew to be cautious of Muraki. The point of the further investigations was to know what further actions needed to be taken.

Schuldig chuckled. "No need to be too wary, Hitsugaya. Actually, both of these favors benefit Renji, and there can't be too much wrong with that, can there?" He paused briefly to take a bite of his pancakes, which were almost swimming in a pool of syrup. Sugar was important. "In fact, the first is something you might've been inclined to do anyway, whether I asked or not. When Renji goes back to meet with Muraki, I want their session interrupted. I was trying to think of some way to manage it myself, but I expect it'd be easier with help - and you've got connections to any number of people who'd like to help Renji, don't you? I'm sure with all of us working on the problem we can figure out some way to manage it.

"As to the second..." Schuldig took another bite of pancake. "Your investigation into Muraki? Drop it. If you already know he's dangerous and you're going to warn people away from him, then you don't need to know any more than that anyway, really. So just leave it alone."

[skipping with permission]

Hitsugaya pondered Schuldig's words. Was he the man who had made the cryptic conversation with Renji on the boards yesterday, the conversation which the vice captain had torn down moments later? Being a telepath, he likely knew what was going on with Renji.

Hitsugaya didn't like giving up a case, not when there was clear evidence of foul play, and especially not when he didn't know how deep the problem went, or if there was anything he could use in the situation that might help them tear down the facilities.

"Then you know what the problem is. You're a telepath, and I'm guessing you know what's going on. I'll agree to your requests on the following conditions."

He paused briefly. "First, you assure me me that this incident will no longer affect my vice captain's ability to do his duty, or if there are any obstacles, you inform me in private of what those might be. And second, if anything comes up in this situation with Muraki or the other doctors that might directly affect myself or anyone under me, you let me know immediately so that I can address it."

He didn't like compromise, but Schuldig wasn't one of his soldiers. Sometimes agreements had to be made. Farfarello had indicated they were mercenaries. Likely Schuldig could be trusted so long as he was getting something out of the deal.

Which begged the question: What was Schuldig getting out of this?

"I can't promise anything about Renji's actions." Schuldig shrugged. "How can I be held accountable for what he does, or how he reacts? All I can do is tell you what he's thinking, should the mood strike me. But I don't mind keeping you more or less informed about the doctors...but it's all going to be secondhand. The minds of the doctors are blocked off to me, somehow, as with all the staff. I won't know anything about what they're up to that a patient whose mind is accessible doesn't."

[skip skip skipping again!]

"But if something comes up in his thoughts that might impede his work, or put the life of those under him in danger, I want to know," Hitsugaya clarified. " Otherwise, we have a deal."

It was ultimately the reason why he wanted to continue the investigation. If Schuldig could tell Hitsugaya if and when there was an issue relating to this mysterious incident, then he could drop the case.

"I'll tell you what I can. Some things are off-limits even to me." This was part truth, part lie; yes, there were thoughts Schuldig couldn't reach, or that were too well-defended to be worth the effort of reaching. However, what had happened to Renji - which was the crux of the current matter - didn't fall in that category; the telepath simply was choosing not to divulge it to anyone of his own volition. Of course, there was no reason he had to tell anyone that...

"Deal." That had gone remarkably well, as dealings with Schuldig went. Of course, that he'd actually had someone's best interests - or at least their best interests as he perceived them - in mind for a change probably helped. Still, there were some matters even Schuldig found too grave to toy with - remarkably few, but they did exist.

Some part of Homura was disappointed by how easily the agreement had been reached, but that was often the nature of such things. Once the two seemed satisfied, he spoke up, looking curiously at the telepath who joined them.

"And just what is your benefit in all of this?" If Hitsugaya wouldn't ask it, Homura certainly would. "From what I've seen, you don't strike me as one of those who would just do someone a good deed."

Hitsugaya had wondered that himself, but didn't feel it worth mentioning. The telepath had known the thought came into his mind. He was starting to recognize that if he wanted to answer something the captain was wondering, he would have.

Besides, this meant there were now other things he could focus on, like River's investigation into the man she could only assume was Ichimaru. Why did Renji ask her to do that? It wasn't that he was angry with the vice captain for his decision, so much as simply perplexed. Ichimaru had betrayed them all, had stood idly by while Renji's closest friend was scheduled for execution over a crime she did not commit when he knew fully well that she was innocent.

And then there was Momo. Glancing back over to the table where she sat, some pretty-faced man with a definite noble air about him had sat down to talk to her. What does he want? he absently wondered, then shook off the thought and turned his attention back to the conversation at his own table.

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