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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He was perhaps lucky, in that when he escaped this place, home was not where he would go next. Home was a place that was cold and bleak and far away and that was exactly where he wanted it to stay. Perhaps Haku was a... traveler as well.

"Be that as it may, I can't imagine you'd want to stay here either, would you?"

"If I am able to leave, I would be quite happy to," Haku agreed. However, the ninja didn't know what would happen to Zabuza-san if they left the hospital grounds.

"As I'm sure everyone here would be."

((ooc: Sorry. Ignore the personal journal.))

Fai gave a short laugh at that. "Fair enough. As fun as the night time is, I think I'd prefer something a little less exciting." He couldn't say the same for some of the ones he'd come across thus far though. Alucard certainly seemed to enjoy himself in the night hours.

"Any plans for escape then? I'm sure this is as good a chance as any, going into town, isn't it?"

Haku shrugged and smiled. "Who knows? We will have to see just what this trip brings, won't we?"

Of course Haku wouldn't try to escape now. There were still too many unknowns to attempt it. He wasn't going to share his misgivings with Fai though. The idea that if he were to leave then he, and by extention Zabuza-san, would return to death upset him deeply.

He wouldn't put his Master through that again.

Wouldn't a patient that had been at Landel's for a while be leaping at the chance for escape? If they were fast enough, it was unlikely they'd be caught. Towns and villages always had lots of places to hide. Didn't it stand to reason then, that escape while in town would be fairly easy to manage? Maybe Haku wasn't as keen on leaving as s/he'd seemed.

"Mm," he smiled, "I guess you're right. Must be exciting though, to finally get out for a little while."

Haku smiled. "It will indeed be quite nice." He glanced out the window. "It feels like a very long time since I've been able to see someplace other than the 'hospital'."

Time moved so strangly within the grounds, he wondered if it would be the same in town. He wondered if the doctor's influence would strech to this 'Doyleton'. And that name..... He frowned thoughtfully.

"Oh, really?" he asked. The man on the radio had implied that the trip was something new and supposedly exciting, but he'd no clue if that meant that they happened once a week or once a month or once a year. "How long have you been here?" Didn't hurt to ask.

Haku smiled. "I've been here for about a week, maybe more," he said. He was reasonably sure of that, but it was hard to tell at times. "This will be my first trip outside of that place."

Sometimes the way people talked made it sound like Landel's was a prison, not a hospital. In a way, it was true. With the trip, he couldn't help but be reminded of the story someone had posted on the message board about the princesses locked up in a castle, only let out once in a while. It didn't please him to think that way, but he couldn't very well deny that it was a fairly close comparison. He would not be locked away again, whether they thought him a monster or not. Perhaps it was selfish, but it was something so many ordinary folks took for granted.

"Mm," he replied, sinking a little more cozily into his seat. He had no more questions for Haku and he was fine with a comfortable silence as the bus bounced along down the road.

Haku wouldn't press for information, considering that it seemed like this man still didn't think much of Landel's. Well, he would. One way or another, Fai would come to see that this place wasn't like other 'world's' he'd visited.

It was obvious in that he was the only new person, upon finding out how long Haku had been here, did not ask questions about the facility.

He settled into his own seat, closing his eyes and starting to meditate.

If Fai seemed a little slow to ask questions, it was probably because he just wasn't all that concerned. It'd only been a single day and that was hardly cause for worry. He was a little disappointed when his bench-mate didn't try to ask him any questions after that, instead Haku began doing some kind of meditation... thing.

Kuro used to do that too, but it was easy, not to mention fun to pester him when he did. He wasn't sure he wanted to pester Haku the same way though. It was probably a little harder to get a rise out of them.

And so, Fai contented himself with humming softly in his seat. He looked up though, when the town came into view. So this was to be their field trip? It was pretty close, so maybe this was where the others were hiding out? He'd have to do some careful checking!

Haku's thoughts were a mess. He was still reeling, though not showing it outwardly, from Zabuza-san's confession this past night and it was difficult to think about much else.

Haku, though, was used to being confused and was able to focus on other matters, pushing his confusion to the side. He smiled without opening his eyes.

"What sorts of weapons do you favor Fai?"

Well that was a bit of an abrupt change. He was good at rolling with the punches though, so he showed no sign of surprise.

"Hmm... oh I don't know, I do alright with most anything," he said easily. As the man appointed to protect not just the royal family, but all of Celes, he had to be good with anything. One never knew when a fight might occur or well, any number of things. He'd been trained since he was a child and he'd plenty of experience. He didn't feel the need to brag, though, and usually stated his skills as plainly as he could.

"Cna you tell me about the friends you're looking for? Perhaps I can help you search." Haku opened his eyes and smiled warmly at Fai.

"After all, two are better than one, or so I've been told."

"Mm.. yes, yes I can definitely do that!" he said after a moment of thought. "Well, first there's Mokona. Moko is little and round and Kuro-chama says it looks like a steamed meat bun." He gave a short laugh, "Ah, and Mokona has long white ears and a short stubby tail and is very soft."

He nodded, mostly to himself at the satisfactory description. "Syaoran is a little bit younger than you probably, and has short, spiky brown hair and dark eyes." He paused, "Then, of course, there's... Miss Sakura." He stopped himself from using the term "princess," as there was no real need to pass that information around. "Those two are rarely seen without one another. She's very sweet, with short chestnut hair curled around her face." Fai used his hands a lot as he described them, looking a bit silly and animated as he spoke.

"Oh, and how could I forget Kuro-chuu?" he smirked. "He's really really tall," Fai said knowingly. "And his face is always angry like this." Fai tried to keep his expression dour, but he couldn't make it last more than a few seconds. "He's a scary ninja with dark spiky hair and red eyes!" Fai laughed again at the thought of Kurogane being at all "scary."

"I wonder if they might be somewhere in town, so if you see them, that would be wonderful!" His mood improved greatly at the thought of seeing them. It had only been a day, but it just seemed odd without the others.

"They sound like a very interesting group of friends," Haku said, smiling. "And a ninja? I know quite a few ninja, but I must admit, I don't know anyone that fits that description."

He nodded once. "I will help you look, Fai." He didn't think they would be found, or, if they were, they wouldn't be like the people Fai remembered. Nobody outside of the hospital was like they remembered...

He laughed and brushed some of the hair from his face, "That's alright, I didn't really expect anyone to, but it was worth a try. I appreciate it."

He gave a short little sigh. There was no use worrying about the things he couldn't change right now. "I'm sure they'll turn up eventually."

"I hope that you do find them," Haku said, voice honest. "And that they are as you remember them. I will keep my eyes open in town."

Haku was lucky that the only person he cared about had been fine. Not everyone had been so fortunate.

"Oh?" Something about the way Haku had put things. The way he remembered them? "Are they not always as such?" He knew the patients were sometimes taken, brainwashed... some even said torture, so... maybe that's what Haku was getting at?

Haku's smile never wavered, but remained warm and friendly. "Not always. I met my father here, and watched others meet with people that they had knwon from before and it's always the same."

Wit ha soft sigh, Haku shook his head. "They seem to believe what this place is saying about us and agree with the instiude." His smile changed into a thoughtful frown. "I was certainly surprised as I had last seen my father back on my world, safely entombed in ice." Of his own creation, along with most of the other villagers. Dead, and how he wanted to forget them.

"Interesting," he said calmly, though his heart raced just a little faster and his smile slipped just a little. It could have appeared to be some kind of sympathy for the death of Haku's father, but in truth it was far from that. The thought of his own past coming back from a tomb of ice and snow to haunt him was a little unsettling. What kind of magic could they use to do such a thing?

"I guess that would be quite a surprise. Are you sure it was him? Not some... oh... I don't know what else it could be, but some kind of copy?" He shrugged, as though innocent to this sort of knowledge.

"I suppose it's possible," he admitted. "But if that is the case, then they do quite the convincing job of it." Haku laughed softly. "I do know for a fact that this place can bring back the dead, and I am quite good at telling copies from fakes."

Besides, Haku was good at the clone technique. He should be able to tell if what he was facing was real or fake.

He'd be able to tell the difference, he told himself firmly. It was the same as the other versions of people they knew as they passed through the other worlds. There had been another Ashura then too. But no Fai... he reminded himself.

There'd been talk of it, on the message board. Bringing back the dead. Perhaps this place was an opportunity in disguise. Perhaps he'd be able to find the way to bring back Fai, the twin who's identity he'd stolen so many years ago. If that were the case, and he was so close to finding out, then maybe... maybe this place was worth all the risk.

"I wonder how they manage that," he said thoughtfully, inwardly hoping Haku would elaborate. How did his bench-mate know for a fact it was true? The father, right? Haku had seen him after his death. "Do you know of any other instances? Or was it just your father that returned to life?" After a moment, he smiled and added, "Ah- I'm sorry, I didn't mean for the conversation to become so serious."

Haku laughed lightly and waved a hand. "Oh, no. I don't mind at all. Even talk of serious things doesn't have to be dour." He thought for a moment.

"It wasn't just my father. If that were the case, I would have simply assumed it was a copy and left the matter rest. However, I know a few people, patients here, who have died only to find themselves placed here." He tilted his head to look around the bus, perhaps trying to find another person who had suffered the same as he.

Not seeing anyone at a cursory glance, Haku smiled back at Fai.

"I died before waking up here, as did one other from my world."

He was relieved that Haku didn't seem to mind speaking about the subject. It interested him deeply, more than he'd care to admit. And most surprising of all, Haku had actually been dead and somehow come back to life! If he could just find out how they'd done it, there was a chance he could bring back Fai. Yuuhi missed his brother more than he could say and the chance to find a way to revive him... it was something too tempting to pass up.

"That's incredible," he said honestly. "You certainly don't look it..." He fidgeted in his seat, a question on the tip of his tongue. "I... I'm sure you've been asked this before, but... do you remember? What it was like? Everyone has theories... Heaven... Hell... Reincarnation... but... I guess I- I'm really just curious. You say you died, so you must remember being dead." He scratched his head, for once he wasn't eloquent or witty or amusing. "I'm sorry, I... I'm at a bit of a loss really."

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Day 28: Bus 1

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