damned_institute | Day 28: Bus 2

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Day 28: Bus 2

Momo tugged on the collar of the light blue sweater she was wearing as she followed her nurse to wherever these buses were, winding her hair up into its customary bun as she went. It was an odd feeling, knowing she was about to go outside of the institute's borders. Maybe the Head Doctor was about to make an error and the shinigami, as well as everyone else, would no longer be limited and they could finish what they started several nights back.

That was probably too much to hope for. She was feeling better this morning, even with the blood moon, and was mildly looking forward to the bus ride. Captain Jack said he was going to be here this morning and even if it wasn't customary breakfast in the cafeteria, she's be satisfied with him sitting next to her on the bus.

The nurse handed her a muffin, some napkins, and a small box with a straw. She stared at this box for a moment before shaking it. From the sound it contained liquid. How odd... Momo wasn't sure why they would but liquid inside a small paper box - it didn't make any sense to her and she wasn't sure how one was supposed to get it out of the box.

Clambering onto an empty bus, Momo chose to sit in the very back near the emergency exit. Maybe she could force her way out of it as they were moving and escape the limiter enough to come back and level the institute, freeing everyone. Or maybe she just wanted to be able to see everyone that was on the same bus as her. Wishful thinking versus reality.

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Momo chuckled. "Judging from many of the others on this bus, it appears I lucked out with this sweater and pair of pants," she said after another piece of the muffin.

The bus was starting to fill up, so Momo cast a look up the aisle and giggled seeing what the nurses had dressed Hitsugaya in. It was adorable. She would have to tease him about it later. Though who she really was looking for was Captain Jack. She was hoping he wouldn't end up on another bus and was purposefully not sharing her seat with anyone since it was reserved for him. She also hoped, for his sake, he wasn't standing her up again. At least she had pleasant company while she waited.

"Oh, I don't know - I kind of like the smiley faces." She grinned impishly at Ken. "Sometimes people need to be reminded what a smile is."

"I'm friends with a few of them." Ken grinned right back--he obviously hadn't forgotten how. Or at least he recently remembered. "The smiley faces just make them more grumpy."

Ken also looked around the bus--but he didn't see anyone he knew at all. ...scratch that, there was Farfarello. Oh happy day, stuck in an enclosed space with the crazed assassin. Oh, and there was the kid who'd beaned him with a book yesterday. And Hitsugaya...Ken still felt a twinge of guilt when his eyes passed over that particular head of white hair, even if he hadn't so much as laid a finger on him the other night.

Momo giggled again. "My best friend is a grumpy pants I swear doesn't know how to smile unless I tease him so bad he does it just to get me to go away," she said. Half the time she thought Hitsugaya's smile muscles were broken. "It's cute though watching him try and be all stoic and stuff when I know somewhere deep inside is a big huge smile. He probably doesn't like the smiley faces either."

The shinigami really liked the muffin. "Do you know what these berries are called? I've never had them before."

Ken found himself surprised to be considering Aya's stoicism 'cute' as well. And it was fun to tease him about it, even it was like taunting a tiger. One night and he was already completely out of his mind. What the hell was with him?

"They're blueberries, I think," Ken replied, scrutinizing said muffin.

"Blueberries," Momo repeated as she looked at her muffin. "I like the crunchy things on the top too. I hope they have more of these at future breakfasts, however many more of those we have in this place."

A few more bites and a sip of juice later and the shingami tilted her head at Ken. "So Hidaka-san, what sort of things do you like to do for fun?"

"I can't remember what that stuff is called." Ken looked at his muffin. "Although I have to say, I'm not planning on staying for many more breakfasts around here."

He sat back. "I play soccer. I also like to cook, but they don't seem too keen on letting us do that here. I used to do flower arranging, too." He grinned. "What about you, Hinamori-san?" The use of honorific was unfamiliar to Ken (he wasn't usually one prone to proper manners,) but if she seemed insistent on using them...

Momo shrugged. "Neither am I, but sometimes things take longer than one intends on."

As for what she liked to do... "I like to read a lot and spending time with my division. Sometimes I let Ran drag me out for a little sake here and there." She smiled thinking back on her free time with Renji and Kira. "And then there's the games in the forests with two of my closest friends. We're supposed to be training, but it usually ends up in a game of tag."

She tilted her head. "Is soccer a... game of some kind?"

"Yeah. It's a team sport, two teams of eleven and a ball." He grinned. "Usually, anyway. There's two nets that you try and get the ball into, but there's a player guarding each of the nets. I'm usually one of those. The trick is, you can't use your hands unless you're guarding the goal."

Ken smiled fondly. "I used to teach the kids in the neighborhood how to play, too."

"You're not the first one that I've had to explain the game to." Ken looked slightly confused at that. "It's...pretty well known." As in the most popular sport in the world.

Momo's cheeks tinged pink and she ducked her head down a little. 'I'm a bit.,. behind the times when it comes to a lot of human entertainment."

"It does sound fun, though, like you need a lot of coordination and skill to play it." She wondered if she'd be any good at soccer.

Human entertainment? Had Omi said something...

"I'm going to try and put together a proper game for the next time we get an outdoor shift. I tried to get an impromptu one going before, but...it was too short." Ken nearly pouted. "You can join in if you want. If they don't separate everyone again." Ken didn't understand why they separated the groups by gender, really.

"Sounds fun!" Even if it was an unfamiliar game, Momo was very quick on her feet and she knew her short stature was an asset sometimes in team sports.

"I'll definitely play if I'm around," she said with an enthusiastic nod. "You'll just have to forgive my ignorance. But I'm a quick learner."

"That's alright, I like to think I'm a decent teacher." Ken grinned. He had the experience for it. "It wouldn't be hard to fill you in on the rules, they're not too complicated. And all you need to do with the ball is get it into the net."

"Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Awesome," Momo said, using a phrase she'd heard Hokuto use.

As for where she was from... "Ahh... I'm originally from Japan." She couldn't even try to keep the hint that there was more to that out of her voice. Her cheeks colored again and she suddenly got very interested in the remains of her muffin.

"Umm... you?"

"I'm from Japan, as well. Niigata, though I've been living in Tokyo." Between that tone of voice and the earlier comment about not being familiar with human recreation...Ken wasn't the brightest lightbulb ever, but he could figure out something was up from that much.

None of his business, but he couldn't help but be curious.

"Tokyo is an interesting city, full of life, though I haven't been there in a very long time," Momo replied. She thought for a long moment about the very little she could remember from back when she was alive. It really didn't help her much.

"I can't exactly remember where in Japan I was born," she said. "But I think it was somewhere in Hakkaido." Another pause. "It's a beautiful place."

"Hokkaido's a big place." Ken's own home prefecture was much smaller. Hokkaido was an entire island to itself. "I haven't been there much, myself. Traveled there for J-league a couple times, but aside from that I've mostly just been around Honshu."

Momo smiled, nodding along, when the bus suddenly started up. Her eyes widened a bit, a little startled; it had been a very long time since she'd been in a running human vehicle. She did remember spending time in a more public transportation bus trying to take care of both a hollow and the whole it was hunting. Not exactly a favorable memory.

The bus started moving and... Momo was still in her seat alone.

Her face fell as she half stood up and surveyed the bus' occupants. No Jack. And she'd purposefully not let anyone sit with her because she was saving ehr seat for Captain Jack.

The shinigami slouched in her seat, a disappointed look on her face. "And it happens yet again..." And here she'd gone and given Captain Jack another chance. Foolish woman.

Ken steadied himself as the bus jerked and started moving, and then looked at Momo. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. She'd seemed so cheerful just a few moments ago. She'd probably been waiting for someone, and Ken had just sat down and started talking without considering that.

"Sorry, I should've asked if you were waiting for someone, first."

The shingami sighed and tried to give Ken a smile. "No, don't apologize. It's not like you pushed your way to share my seat."

Besides, she'd been watching. If Captain Jack had been on this bus at any time, she would have seen him. Momo turned sideways in her seat, putting her back against the bus side, and pulled her knees to herself.

"I supposedly had a 'date' this morning, but I've apparently been stood up yet again," she said. "Foolish for me to even fancy having a pleasant morning with a man that likes me in a place such as this," she said sadly.

"I have appreciated your company, though."

"You know, the nurses probably just forced him onto another bus. Tough luck for you, 'cause that means you're stuck with me." Ken smiled, friendly and open. "He'll find you in town, then you can yell at him for missing out and he'll buy you things to make it up." At least if it worked anything like Yohji's relationships.

"This is the part where I'm supposed to give you an appropriate flower with a positive meaning, but they're sadly lacking around here." He held out his hand as if it had a single stem in it. "White carnation. 'Sweet and lovely.'"

Momo watched Ken for a moment, a pleasant look of bewilderment upon her face. He was being so sweet and Momo's face once again broke into a bright smile.

"My, Ken-san, aren't you a gentleman," Momo said and pantomimed accepting the 'flower' from him. "I've never been given a white carnation before."

"I'm a florist. It's my job." Ken smiled. "White carnations are also a good luck gift for women."

"Whoever this guy is really is missing out. You have a beautiful smile."

Ken could nearly hear Yohji's voice coming out of his mouth. Guess spending those six months in Germany really had made the older assassin rub off on him.

A pink tinge came to Momo's cheeks at Ken's compliment. See, this was why she liked flirting. It happened so rare in Soul Society and it felt really nice to be treated like she actually was a girl instead of a shinigami.

"You flatter me," she said, "but you are right, Jack-san is certainly missing out." She didn't even realize she;d identified Captain Jack.

She smiled wistfully. "I'm afraid a gift is what it would take to rekindle my luck. It is a shame you don't have a real one. But I have a very good imagination."

As far as Ken knew, Momo was just a normal girl. Sure, a touch strange--but so many things here were strange. He was content to just have a bit of normalcy after the awkwardness and outright bizarre happenings last night.

"Isn't it only flattery if it isn't true or exaggerated?" Ken replied lightly. "I'm doing nothing of the sort."

"They might be growing them in the greenhouse. I didn't see them the last time we were allowed in there, but they're easily cultivated and rather popular." He might even be able to find one in town. "There's always making flowers out of paper. They never wither that way, either."

Momo's blush brightened and she ducked her head down a little with an almost shy smile on her face. "Then thank you, Ken-san,' she said.

"Can a paper flower really be made to look like a carnation?"

She paused and smiled warmly again as she sat up a bit more. "You are welcome to join me over here if you're tired of talking across the aisle..."

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