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damned_institute2007-12-11 12:42 pm
notachick.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_institute2007-12-11 12:42 pm
Nightshift 28: M61-70 Hallway
[from here]
His room was near the end of this hallway, so he didn't dally at the entrance, moving quickly along the corridor. He trusted that Kenren was behind him or beside him, or something - his senses were dulling by the second. His chest ached from the strain and the wounds he'd received in battle, and his head swam with the effort of trying to stay upright. He hated appearing weak, but he knew that was exactly how he looked at the moment.
His blood on his chest, the nurse's brackish ooze everywhere else, Okita slipped and threw a hand out to catch the wall. He'd apologize to Kenren later for letting the man see him like this, but for now, he needed to reach his goal. They finally arrived at the end of the hall and Okita stepped into his room without bothering to knock.
With the lights out, it was difficult to ascertain where things were, but Okita dropped to his knees by the bed and reached up underneath it, feeling the familiar and comforting chill of steel waiting for him. He pulled the katana out and turned to the closet to retrieve the rest of his supplies when he felt his head go light and he had to rest a moment. "...Forgive me, Kenren-san. I need a moment to collect myself."
His room was near the end of this hallway, so he didn't dally at the entrance, moving quickly along the corridor. He trusted that Kenren was behind him or beside him, or something - his senses were dulling by the second. His chest ached from the strain and the wounds he'd received in battle, and his head swam with the effort of trying to stay upright. He hated appearing weak, but he knew that was exactly how he looked at the moment.
His blood on his chest, the nurse's brackish ooze everywhere else, Okita slipped and threw a hand out to catch the wall. He'd apologize to Kenren later for letting the man see him like this, but for now, he needed to reach his goal. They finally arrived at the end of the hall and Okita stepped into his room without bothering to knock.
With the lights out, it was difficult to ascertain where things were, but Okita dropped to his knees by the bed and reached up underneath it, feeling the familiar and comforting chill of steel waiting for him. He pulled the katana out and turned to the closet to retrieve the rest of his supplies when he felt his head go light and he had to rest a moment. "...Forgive me, Kenren-san. I need a moment to collect myself."
no subject
Kenren followed Okita silently down the corridor, not standing too close, but enough that he could keep an eye on the other man. He didn't look to be in good condition.
He waiting just inside the door as Okita reached for a katana and Kenren couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Damn, he wouldn't mind a decent weapon, not that he wasn't proficient in causing grevious bodily harm with a vegetable peeler, but a katana was just a bit more useful.
He nodded, moving to the door. "I'll just be outside in case anyone shows," he said and stepped outside.
no subject
Kenren was doing the wise thing and waiting outside, so Okita took the moment alone to sink his head into his hands. Whenever he closed his eyes, the darkness swam with specks of light and vertigo choked him. He felt like he was slipping sideways even when he was sitting straight up. Still, it was better than when he had his eyes open - then, he saw the ground sliding away from him to the walls.
Hijikata would have been worried sick if he saw Okita like this, but... well, the man was gone now. Okita hadn't seen him boarding the buses, he hadn't seen him fighting in the unloading zone, he hadn't caught so much as a glimpse of him in the past day or two. He was certainly gone and now Okita was alone and at a disadvantage.
Dropping his hands to the ground, he forced himself up again and set the katana on the bed. He couldn't let his emotions get the best of him tonight - not when the enemy was so close. Pulling the closet doors open, Okita felt his heart stop for longer than should have been possible.
"...what?" he breathed out, reaching a shaking hand out to what he saw before him. "...impossible."
Before him, laid out on a hanger as if he'd done it himself was a familiar blue and white haori jacket and white kimono with purple hakama, tabi and straw geta. It was a spitting image of what he'd worn the last time he'd been on patrol in Mibu. His fingers brushed cloth and Okita's eyes went wide. It was real. It was an honest to God Shinsengumi uniform, as stiff and new as the first day he'd put it on to travel to Kyoto.
Okita had no idea who had given him this, or why, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Quickly he stripped off the offending Landel's uniform, using the shirt to wipe himself clean of blood and throwing the laundry onto the bed behind him. Normally, he would have folded the clothes, put them back where they belonged, but he didn't care right now.
The feel of new cotton, the warmth of the jacket, the comforting tightness around his waist - the First Unit Captain was back. Tying his hair up into a ponytail before wrapping the bandanna around his forehead, Okita tucked his sheet bag in his waistband, along with the katana.
Taking a moment to steady himself again and after a considerable amount of time had passed, Okita stepped out of the door and smiled at Kenren as if nothing had changed about him. "Thank you for waiting for me. Shall we go?"
no subject
Outside the room, Kenren leaned back against the wall, leaning his head back against it and closing his eyes. Damn, he could feel it now, the oddest sensation that something was missing. It was disconcerting to say the least, that he'd become so attached to one person so quickly, but how could he not when he was so close to Tenpou? He just hoped that he was wrong.
He heard the door oepning and turned to greet Okita, but his eyes widened when he saw the clothing that the other man was wearing. That definitely wasn't the usual Landel's clothing and Kenren took a few moments to look the other man up and down, taking in the whole thing. Very nice, even if he did say so himself.
"Heh, if I'd known they wee giving out new clothes like that, I'd have argued a bit more with the nurse over what I got," he said with a grin and then nodded. "Yeah. We should get going."
no subject
Okita laughed, the first time in awhile, and rolled his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his uniform again. The garish blue with white stripes wasn't exactly suited for stealth, but then, the Shinsengumi had never been about secret movements. They were the Shogun's brute force in Kyoto and were meant to stand out for a reason. "Perhaps there is something waiting for you in your room. This was hidden in my closet."
The tabi felt good, warming his feet, and while the straw wasn't getting the best grip on the floor, it was better than the slippers by far. He closed his door behind him, hoping Guy was alright and pressed a hand to the wall again to steady himself. He hated that nurse for what she'd done to him. Not only had one of her numbers drugged him earlier for an honest sparring match, but the monstrosity earlier had gone and made him sick. It wouldn't do for him to appear before Homura and the Battousai in this weakened state, but there was no choice about it.
"Yes, we shou--" Okita stopped abruptly as he sneezed and blinked, amazed at how the simple action actually cleared his head a bit. "...Excuse me. Yes, we should go. I believe I know the way, so let's head off, shall we?"
Keeping his left hand on the wall, Okita held the hilt of his sword with his right and started off toward to the meeting with more than a little spring in his step.
[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254984.html?thread=19445512#t19445512)]