damned_institute | 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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"It is my duty as a commander to see my people safe," Momo said, her eyes returning to Hokuto. "And as a friend, I will not let you or Signum die." She was more than willing to flash step between the knight and a fatal blow even if it would piss Signum off to no end. There was even less of a question when it came to Hokuto.

"That man is the one we felt last night," she whispered, not trusting ehr voice to not rise in rage as she spoke of him. "He murdered the entire ruling body of Soul Society. He is a traitor and every moment he lives gives him another chance to hurt someone innocent."

"It is my duty as the Vice Captain of the 5th Division to avenge my captain and deliver unto him the death he has been sentenced to." She had a small coughing fit and then looked Hokuto in the eye.

"Do you still wish to continue this?"

Hokuto couldn't much argue with a thing Momo had said--and was wondering what she or Hitsugaya was going to do to her for what probably amounted to insubordination--but she still wanted Momo to consider her own physical condition. The man referred to had to be powerful, and she was definitely still weakened.

Hokuto wondered, too, about the captain referred to--probably not Hitsugaya. Maybe she'd find out later.

There was still one objection she could raise, though. "You're still hurt," Hokuto pointed out, not trying to hide her worry. "That's a big part of what I meant about timing--you haven't had time to heal." If Momo brushed it off, Hokuto couldn't do much, but she'd try to make one last point. Please, fukutaichou...

"My injuries are inconsequential in this matter," Momo replied. "In fact, they are an advantage as I appear quite injured and as such will cause Ichimaru to underestimate me."

She looked Hokuto deep in the eyes. "I am always underestimated."

The shinigami adjusted her grip on the makeshift shank she had concealed once again by the coat sleeve. She took a couple steps past Hokuto before pausing to look back at the girl.

"I do not fault you for trying, nor will anyone else hear about this," she said. "It's between you and me. Now, do not interfere." And with that, she turned to continue on her way, death once more burning in her eyes.

As soon as I kill him, Aizen-sama will be free. He'll come save me, save everyone... right?

For Signum the morning had so far been a frantic one; the large amount of material she'd 'acquired' last night, along with her new blade, had taken a lot of effort to hide before the nurse arrived. The wheelbarrow, as useful as it was, was probably going to end up being ditched or donated to one of these alchemists eventually. The thing was hard to wedge in the closet.

And on top of the business of keeping their stolen goods theirs, there was her worry for Momo, who had been delirious by the time the night had ended. She knew the institute gave good care, but extensive internal injuries weren't simply dealt with. For her own peace of mind, she needed to see the girl. It would be her top priority at breakfast.

...or so she had thought. She'd arrived just in time (which, as usual, meant 'late') to find the girl shrugging off Hokuto with murder written all over her face, and priority: find out how Momo had done became priority: stop Momo from killing someone.

Who 'someone' was wasn't hard to guess. She'd seen the same look when she'd spoken of the source of the power they'd felt the previous night... the one who'd betrayed her organization.

Long strides carried her between Momo and the silver-haired man, and she faced her new captain with open defiance. "Hinamori. Stop."

The words may as well have been commands. Signum knew how to act the deferent servant, but she was just as well suited to leadership.

[skipping with permission]

Momo stopped when Signum interposed herself between the two shinigami, Ichimaru still blissfully unaware his fate was being discussed between three generally unyielding females. This particular female had come upon a situation she didn't want to be in. It was one thing to shrug Hokuto off like she had, but quite another to do the same thing to Signum.

Her eyes narrowed at the knight, her expression not changing. "I will ask you nicely once, Signum, please move out of my way," she said in a calm voice.

"You cannot ask me to let you murder someone nicely, Hinamori. And I cannot comply. You will destroy yourself and destroy Hitsugaya's plans for nothing. Stand down." If a wall in her function she was a wall in her manner, as cold as stone.

Hokuto was standing just a step or two back, ready to act if Signum told her to... as if that was going to happen. But they were a team, even if they stood divided at the moment.

She spared a moment to look hopefully for Hitsugaya, but she wasn't sure about involving him. Honestly, they could probably handle this on their own--even if the outcome wasn't going to be pleasant.

If she wanted to hurt herself that badly, the shinigami could have flash stepped right then and there and been on Gin in an instant. Signum didn't know this, though, and Momo barely stopped herself from pointing it out. Somewhere in the midst of her rage, she had the knowledge of just how wrong it would have been to insinuate Signum's inability to truly stop her. Alright, so maybe she wasn't so sure about how effective her shunpo would be given her current physical state.

Her eyes narrowed further, her anger shifting a bit to the knight. "I'd agree with you if he didn't already have a death sentence upon his head," she said coldly, ignoring what the knight had said about destroying herself and Arts & Crafts. She failed to see how killing the betrayer would effect Arts & Crafts and as for herself... she'd already been destroyed.

And that reminder just made her all the more angry that she was being denied access to shove the broken pen through Gin's neck. So much that she gripped the improvised weapon even tighter.

Snap!

The shinigami suddenly stopped glaring at Signum and looked up at the ceiling in extreme frustration. She'd accidentally snapped her weapon in half and the sharp edges cut into her hand. She rubbed her temple and coughed as she finally looked down at her right hand. It had drawn a little blood, but now she was out a weapon given the remaining pieces were too small to be usable.

"Fine," Momo finally said in a despondent voice. The fight left her and she dropped the pieces of the pen on a nearby table. She pulled the coat closer around her and coughed a few times, pain flashing across her face.

Then the intercom came on and the nurses started to approach. She glanced at both women and followed her nurse to the Sun Room. She would simply need to find another time and place to kill Gin.

Day 27: Breakfast

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