damned_institute | Day 28: Bus 1

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Day 28: Bus 1

Zelgadis was not happy, at all. Not that this was any change, but the events of the past few hours had given him more to angst about than usual. Nightshift had been dreadful: first he was attacked by a small green man and then covered in leeches, neither of which lead to warm fuzzy feelings.

And now this.

When the nurse had come into his room with new clothes he had a small glimmer of hope-- some thief had taken his normal Landel's wear in the night, so perhaps this was a change in luck. However, it was not the godsend he had hoped for. Minus the threat of sedation, there was nothing in the universe that could make Zelgadis wear a bright lemon-yellow shirt. There was a jacket of a slightly more tasteful variety, so Zelgadis made good us of it-- he put all his coupons in a pocket and pulled up the hood. It was almost as good as his cloak. Well, no it wasn't, but it would have to do.

With mild protesting, Zelgadis was lead to a large yellow vehicle. He climbed the stairs, took a seat towards the back, and readied himself for another frustrating day of being attacked and threatened with spoons.

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Homura nodded, his laugh knowing; he'd seen Hijikata and Okita interact, and he knew well enough of their bond. Okita's want of revenge, the guilt he would doubtlessly feel: Homura was intimately familiar with it. And while there were no scriptures to recreate the world with, the mourning swordsman could still do a great deal of damage.

That, more than anything else, was Homura's motivation in this.

"Of course." Homura gave a short nod, and smirked. "It wouldn't be to my advantage if he killed you, correct? We'll also have to work on getting you your sword sooner."

Only then did Homura open his paper bag, pulling out what was a meager meal at best. "Interesting things they've given us so far for this trip."

Kenshin smiled. Homura really did remind him of Saitou, at times. Especially now. "Whether or not it is to your advantage is entirely up to you, but this one would appreciate help in procuring a sword. He feels rather naked without one," he admitted.

The rurouni turned to the sack that he had also been given, taking out the juice box and shaking it. There was obviously liquid inside, but how did he get to it?

"The nurse mentioned something about drinking from this thing...but...it doesn't seem like it would work very well..."

"I can understand that sentiment very well." Homura himself had felt much the same when he first arrived, stripped of both power and blade. There was immense pleasure in having both back, at least to some degree. He had little doubt that even Kenshin would feel it once he had a blade again, despite his oath not to kill.

At Kenshin's prompting, Homura took out his own juice box, looking it over with equal curiosity. The paradise he had known was lacking in such things, leaving the demi-god just as clueless about it as the man beside him.

"Such interesting devices you mortals come up with." Homura looked at the thing from different angles, turning it to try and find an answer.

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up. "There's that 'mortals' thing again. Are you really a god? This one didn't believe it, at first, but he spoke with an 'elf' yesterday."

He was curious!

"A half god, to be precise, but yes. The once War Prince of the Heavens, for nearly five hundred years." Homura grinned, rather amused by the reaction. It was better that Kenshin didn't believe it so easily, Homura much prefering those who remained skeptical until they were offered proof. "The elf's name wouldn't happen to be Valyn, would it?"

A half-god? Kenshin supposed that it might be possible, but it was certainly improbable.

But five hundred years?

In spite of himself, the rurouni smiled. "Please forgive this one his skepticism, but you have aged remarkably well," he laughed.

He wasn't really one to talk. At twenty-eight, he was still being mistaken for someone in his teens!

"Why yes, it would," he said, looking up. "Do you know him?"

Homura laughed, fully aware that the gods of his world looked so much younger than they were. "Thank you. But the truth is, compared to some of the more content gods, I probably look older than I should."

Half a milenia of battle could do that to a heresy.

"Only a little. I fought beside him my first night here, and to him spoke the morning after." The conversation ahdn't gone well, but he still an interest in the man, for his power. "But we haven't spoken since, I'm afraid. How is he doing?"

Kenshin was a Buddhist; he knew a bit about the 'other gods' Homura was referring to. "So...you haven't achieved Nirvana, then?" he asked thoughtfully.

It made sense. No one who devoted his life to war could ever truly be at peace.

"We didn't speak long, but he seems to be doing well. Apparently friends from his homeland have arrived in this place, so he's no longer alone."

Homura considered Kenshin's question, then grinned, closing his eyes. "I achieved what I wanted to when I was alive. I'm satisfied with that."

Niravana was something Homura had never even considered for himself. He was a heresy, and it had been hard enough keeping what he gained during his life--even after the most important was lost.

At the information about Valyn's fellows, Homura only nodded. What could be said in response? The best that could be offered were half-meant congratulations, thankfulness for the newcomers lace with pity.

Kenshin smiled and nodded. That was a very Buddhist answer for Homura to give. "Ultimately, that's all we can ask for," he agreed.

"This one...doesn't know what he would do, if his friends were ever brought to this place," he said, at length. "This one doesn't want Kaoru-dono to think he's abandoned her again, returned to wandering, but he also wants her far from here." Sano would be able to hold his own, of course, but he would never wish this place on any of his friends.

"There's a chance she might not realize that you've gone." Homura watched Kenshin for a moment, wondering how much he knew of the different times and worlds. "There are several from my world here, but we've been taken from different times. One of them is from 500 years ago, while the others are from the more recent past."

He grinned slightly. "I believe I'm from further in their future. Kenren knew of me from Heaven, but none of the others remember."

Such an interesting end to everything.

"There are certain people I wouldn't be as upset to see here." Shien and Zenon, of course. The men who had fought with him, and who Homura knew could take care of themselves. "But others...I wouldn't wan them to experience any part of this place."

"This is true," Kenshin agreed heavily. He hoped that was the case. Kaoru-dono had...broken, when he'd left for Kyoto. The last thing he wanted was for that to happen again. They'd moved beyond that. Before he had been stolen away to this place, he had finally started to feel like he could really open up to her, love her. It would probably take years to heal all the wounds that Tomoe had left, but he was getting there. Or he would have been, if not for this place.

He smiled a little. "With no one from his home--" (he still had issues saying 'world') "--to compare notes with, this one cannot say for sure 'when' he was from." And that was probably for the best. It wasn't any fun to hear what the future held!

Yahiko and Kaoru-dono, especially, he would never want here...but... "This one also knows of a few people who he thinks would be able to handle themselves better than others." He laughed. "This one's friend Sanosuke, for instance, would probably see the monsters as a challenge. He's been complaining, of late, that the fights haven't been as interesting."

Homura nodded slightly. He hadn't had such worries, hadn't needed to, really. In his world, he was dead, and there wasn't a future for him, so to speak. He would likely be reincarnated, of course, but how much of his past would he remember?

Sanzo had forgotten about his time in Heaven. Would Homura as well?

But the conversation was taking a more light-hearted turn, and the demi-god welcomed it. He grinned, nodding. "One of my allies had a particular fondness for the struggles of mortal life. If I remember correctly, he said that it suited him better than Heaven could."

His smile turned softer, thinking of Zenon and Shien. "I believe he was right."

"Our companions would probably get on rather well," Kenshin laughed. Even if Sano was a "mortal," and Homura's companion was, apparently, not.

"Sano...used to be a fight merchant." Zanza. "People would pay him to fight with them. He'd decide his rate based on how much he enjoyed the fight." Kenshin smiled wryly. "Very dangerous."

Homura grinned, the idea of this occupation sounding like something Zenon--or any of them, really--would greatly enjoy. "Does he like to drink? Zenon always made a point of asking for a shot of the strongest alcohol available. Perhaps they'd be able to bond over that."

"Oro? He really isn't that much of a drinker," Kenshin said thoughtfully. "He likes his sake well enough, but he doesn't drink...heavily." But all young men his age liked their sake well enough.

"That might be for the best." Homura smiled as he considered it. "From the sounds of it, things could spark rather easily between them. I'd rather not be the one to have to get between them if they do start to fight."

Kenshin laughed. "Probably. Sano's definitely a hot-headed person, and from the sound of it, your Zenon must be as well. No, this one also would not like to be caught in the middle of that."

Homura had to quickly agree; Zenon's temper could get the better of him sometimes. But then, so could anyone's in the end. Even Shien, so quiet and controlled normally, could lose that restraint if pushed.

And perhaps so could Kenshin. Homura hadn't forgotten that momentary change he'd seen in the man, so quick it was questionable if the others had seen it. "Last night, when we fought the creatures. For just a moment, you had a different look in your eyes."

Before he could speak further, however, the buses lurched forward, the vehicles starting to move. Homura was shocked for a moment, but then he grinned. So this was what it was like; he'd seen iron vehicles before, as Sanzo's party had one. But this was his first time riding in one.

It was a strange sensation. On the whole, Homura liked teleportation better, if only for that it was much, much faster.

Outwardly, Kenshin's face remained pleasant and unconcerned. Inwardly, he was berating himself for his lack of control, of judgement. So Homura had seen. Even killing the vaguely humanoid creatures had been risky. It was a slippery slope, and one that Kenshin did not want to start taking.

"This one--oro~?!"

Kenshin completely forgot what he was supposed to be talking about as the buses shuddered to life and started to move. He'd never seen anything like it before! They were like train cars, but...where was the engine? Where were the tracks?!

"Oroo..."

Homura had the feeling he was about to hear something very interesting when Kenshin suddenly made--well, it was still an interesting sound. Just not entirely in the way the demi-god had expected. He laughed as it came out again, wondering just what an oro was, and if it was common mortal speak where Kenshin came from.

"Iron vehicles are beyond your time, I take it?" He'd noticed certain hesitations before, particularly when it came to the bathrooms. "They're used by mortals for transportations. Some of the humans from my world had one, though it was smaller and didn't have a roof."

Homura thought about it for a moment, unable to help a grin as he added. "And it turned into a dragon one of them kept as a pet."

How many oro's would that earn him?

Right now, Kenshin couldn't have been further from Battousai if he'd tried. Instead of the cool, collected hitokiri, he was the bumbling but well-meaning rurouni, currently clinging to the side of the bus for dear life.

Shishio Makoto? No problem. The Bakumatsu? Piece of cake. Public transit? Now that was something else entirely.

"No, these are apparently quite far off in this one's future," Kenshin laughed. "They resemble trains most closely...but...where's the engine? Where are the tracks?"

Homura's comment about dragons earned him a raised eyebrow. "Oro? You come from quite an interesting place, Homura." Gods and dragons, huh?

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Day 28: Bus 1

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