damned_institute | Day 30: Cafeteria, Breakfast

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Day 30: Cafeteria, Breakfast

Hitsugaya woke with a start.

His entire body ached, but the pain was nowhere near as bad as it had been the night before. His injuries had been tended two with clean gauze and bandages, and he found every movement wasn't agony. He wasn't in the best of shape, but thanks to the miracle of landel's strange time distortion, he had mostly recovered from the vile poison without having to waste anyone else's talents.

And in his hand, still...there was the key.

He dressed quickly, sliding the key onto the key ring from his desk drawer and stuck it into his pocket. Whether the key stood to gain them anything or not, it stood as a vital reminder that they could succeed in this place. There was hope, as insignificant as it often seemed. They could beat this place.

That small shred of hope made getting up worth it.

The nurse who escorted him to breakfast was cheerful, and commented idly about how wonderful it was to see young Tommy Winters up and about again after his unfortunate run-in with a bad case of food poisoning. He smirked slightly, knowing that any lies the institute forced into their heads were only that: lies. He wouldn't buy it for a second. And on top of that, the concept of muffins sounded almost appetizing. While he still preferred his authentic Japanese cuisine, the food here was slowly becoming more and more bearable. He would have preferred a warm bowl of sweet nattou over rice over the mufffins, but they would do. The plain yogurt and fruit, on the other hand, was excellent. He piled his plate high with fruit as usual, and got several small bowls of yogurt as well.

Finding the most convenient table to the end of the food line, he took a seat and scanned for the new arrivals. New arrivals meant people who would be lost and confused. Renji did a good job of making a bulliten post last time...he should recommend abarai-fukutaicho do the same again this time.

[Waiting for Angel]

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Heiji didn't object to the wheelchair this time around. He even let the two orderlies the nurse had brought to his room pick him up and put him in it, and took the pills his nurse gave him for the pain. Tired from the fight last night, and drained from blood loss, he really didn't care what happened to him at this point. He just wanted to sit and be still.

He hoped Kaito was okay--everything blacked out so fast, and he wasn't sure if that was him fainting or the end of the night coming. But they'd won, at the very least. Too bad they really had nothing to show for it except three dozen scratches, bandages on every limb, and broken ties.

Oh shit, the History Club.

Heiji had his nurse bring him to the bulletin board before the cafeteria, where he jotted off a quick note in response to Okita's message. Well, better he get this over with as quickly as possible.

His nurse set him up where he gestured--right across from Okita and set down his tray. Heiji stared at the lone muffin in the center of his plate, to embarrassed and upset to look the man in the eye. He was definitely a shadow of his former, jovial self.

"Hey," he managed.

Okita had been picking apart the cinnamon roll, licking the sugar and cautiously uncertain about the cinnamon when he saw Hijikata walk in. He could only imagine how grumpy the man was for being woken up at dawn rather than his usual just before noon. The ink smear was still obvious on his face and the younger swordsman couldn't help but laugh to himself. How long did an ink stain last? He couldn't remember, but it was definitely worth the few minutes of amusement regardless.

He was about to go over when he saw Heiji wheeled in. He was looking worse than he had last night and that sight immediately sobered Okita up. He sat down again, watching the boy as he moved through the line with his nurse. How to explain everything that happened? How could he have let the boy get that hurt? Why hadn't Homura saved them? Or had something so terrible appeared that not even Homura could do anything about it?

Okita cleaned his hands off on a napkin and took a sip of his tea to clear his throat as Heiji was wheeled up. He looked like hell had spit him back out. "Good morning, Heiji-kun."

How in the world to go about this conversation? "Seems you had some trouble after you left last night. Are the three of you okay?"

Heiji nodded to his muffin, not touching it. "Yeah, uh, some cats attacked me 'n Kuroba. In the room connected to the Autopsy room. I think he's okay. I dunno, I blacked out and I don't know if it was because of my injuries 'r the end of the night, y'know?"

He looked up and frowned, "Who's the third? 'S far as I know, only me 'n Kuroba walked." The teen resumed staring down his muffin. "You want this? I can't eat it."

A peace offering, of sorts, he supposed.

Cats? Was that it? It was a little concerned to hear that Heiji couldn't remember which had come first, but it was worse that the boys had gotten hurt at all. It had been Okita's duty to protect them and he'd failed. "I'm sorry, Heiji-kun. I should have been there to help you."

His failure burned. He wanted Heiji to hurt him, to cut him somehow so he'd feel like he had lost something just as Heiji had. Tonight, he would try harder - he would keep the boys from getting hurt.

Then Heiji said that. Homura hadn't showed? Okita was certain he'd seen the man leave the room and go out after him and Heiji. Even without his full faculties, he knew Homura had left - Hijikata had confirmed it. Where had the man gone? He couldn't have disappeared that quickly, could he? Or perhaps something with time had happened and the man had simply been unable to reach them? If he didn't appear at breakfast, Okita would begin the search for him.

"...Homura-san went in my stead to search for you as we were worried for your safety. You didn't see him at all?" Even though that had been Okita's job. He looked down at the muffin and smiled faintly. A peace offering, was it? Perhaps things could be repaired after all. Rather than take it, however, Okita put a cinnamon roll on the detective's plate. "Try this then. You should eat something, Heiji-kun. You need to get your strength up again."

It was time for explanations though and Okita went back to picking his roll apart, scraping off the sugar to be consumed later. "We got off to the wrong foot last night and I believe I should have explained some things. First, however, that shadow we encountered. I'm glad it didn't touch you - it drains its victims of their will, leaving them a shell of their real selves." Okita laughed and licked his sticky fingers. "It was a bit of a pain getting out of that one."

He shook his head, "Nah, it's okay. It's not your job to make sure I don't get hurt. This place is like a death trap--it's pretty hard to avoid getting attacked by something. Especially when you run off by your injured self..." His jaw clenched. Heiji hadn't meant to say that, it sounded as though he were accusing Okita of making him leave which wasn't the case at all.

Heiji blinked, confused, and looked up at Okita. "I never saw him. Well, granted Kuroba and I had bigger problems to worry about than Homuraho, but--" Well, he should just commission a bulldozer if he was going to dig himself a grave, wasn't he? "Yeah, I didn't see 'im."

He nodded at the cinnamon roll, but didn't touch it. He was still too upset and too drugged to eat anything--he felt sick to his stomach. "I'll do my best, but I dunno if I'm going anywhere tonight. I've been smacked around once too many, y'know?" He gave Okita a weak smile.

He listened to Okita's explanation of the shadow, his eyes widening slightly. "Then... you weren't disappointed? With me? It was the monster thing that did it?"

Well that was beyond mind-blowing. How the hell were they supposed to combat something like that? Well, Okita seemed better today, that much was certain. But still, running around a monster-infested building with no will to live was like assisted suicide. At least second-degree manslaughter.

No matter what Heiji said, last night keeping the others from getting hurt had been his job. A scout was supposed to make sure an area was clear, allowing for the remaining members of the group to move without fear of molestation. Worse yet that it had been Okita that might bave been why the boy had run off, taking Kuroba with him.

So both he and Kuroba had sustained significant injuries, Homura had gone missing, and Heiji was acting disrespectfully toward the leader of their group. It was one thing to tease, another to show such blatant distaste for someone's leadership. Subordinates rarely agreed with every mission their commanders accorded them, but calling their leader by such a name would have been cause for punishment in the Shinsengumi. Okita let it slide for now, remembering to suggest that Heiji and Kuroba work beneath the Shinsengumi rather than Homura's direct orders from now. The war god wouldn't stand for such attitudes from people so young and unproven, but Okita wasn't about to leave the boys on their own.

And maybe over time, Okita could train Heiji to think before he used such names.

"Resting would be fine. Until I receive orders from Hijikata-san or Homura-san, we have no plans for the evening," he said, putting a little emphasis on the honorifics. He dropped his journal onto the table, opening it to a random page and jotting down a quick note or two in his usual code before looking back at Heiji. A warm smile replaced the earlier business-like expression and he shook his head. "Why would I be disappointed in you? I'm just glad you weren't touched by that thing. It would have been terrible if you'd wandered off after that."

Certainly, if anything had come at Okita after experiencing the phantasm's kiss, he likely would have died. The will to live, the will to fight, instinct, everything had been stripped from him. Anything, even a rat could have killed him. Noting a few more things in the journal, he closed it and turned his full attention to Heiji. "I'm afraid I should have better explained how the group dynamics worked, but Hijikata-san's sudden reappearance distracted me. Are you still interested in working with me or would you rather be on your own?"

"Well," Heiji sat back in his wheelchair, fumbling with the back of his head. He missed his hat. He really missed his hat. It was almost like he couldn't think clearly without it. "I kind of blew it back there. I embarrassed you in favor of my own personal feelings. It's just..."

He set his jaw. The image of Homura ordering him to empty cabinets still set his teeth on edge. "Look, I don't mind helping. Hell, I don't mind being told to do stuff as long as I respect the person. If I was workin' under you, I wouldn't have given that kind of snappy order a second thought--I would've jus' done it. But that guy just... he treated me like I was his personal servant just because you brought me to him. I mean," he gave a hollow laugh, "It's not like I'm some sort of gift or obligatory due, right? He could treat me like a human bein', if it's not too much trouble."

He sighed, trying to push his frustration and doubt out of his mind. He had to lay his cards out on the table. Heiji was never one to mince words, and he wasn't going to start now. "I deeply respect you, Okita-han. You're strong, and have a sense of humor, but serious when it's necessary, and you earned my respect in town the other day. I want to work with you, I really do," Heiji paused and took a deep breath. Damn tight bandages... "But I can't work with someone who treats me like a lap dog. I can't."

His expression suddenly looked rather helpless. He realized that he was trying to explain a concept that Okita, as a military man, probably couldn't understand. The difference between being an individual and being one of the herd--a pawn. He tore off a small piece of the cinnamon roll and brought it to his mouth, "I guess it's hard to understand... sorry," He popped it into his mouth and chewed.

Embarrassed him? And the way Homura acted? Okita took a second to process that idea before he started laughing, waving a hand back and forth while the other held his stomach. His ribs still smarted a bit. It wasn't like what Heiji said was anything to laugh at - Homura had been short tempered with them, but it was still hilarious. Between laughter and breathing, Okita had a hard time getting out his explanation. "You didn't embarrass me, silly! It was a simple matter of bad matching."

He took in a deep breath, wincing despite himself and settled back in his chair, taking another bite of the melted sugar mess he'd scraped off his cinnamon roll. "Homura-san is a war god, he's not used to dealing with people who aren't warriors and take orders without a second thought. We've butted heads before - notably on the way I still want to kill Himura-san!"

His tone was perhaps a little too light for such a grave statement, but it didn't bother him. Okita picked up the chocolate chip muffin and began picking out the chocolate, reveling in the way it melted on his fingers. "He'll likely scold me for bringing someone untrained, but that doesn't matter much. I get scolded all the time~"

Okita grinned and picked out another chocolate chip, popping it into his mouth. Lap dogs, was it? He understood that better than Heiji probably knew. No one in the Shinsengumi was particularly fond of the bureacratic hoops they had to leap through to keep both the Shogun and Katamori placated. The Aizu warriors had attempted to take over the Ikedaya incident, calling it a victory for Aizu and not the Shinsengumi. Kondou's quick thinking had saved them from that botch up, but it was just indicative of what sort of relationship the samurai had with their ruling class. Of course, Okita would follow Hijikata into a fire if the man gave the order, but that was - as Heiji said - because he respected his leader.

"No one likes to be a lap dog, Heiji-kun. I may be called a bakufu dog, but that doesn't mean I always play nice," the swordsman said, licking his fingers clean. He needed to speak to Homura later about this, but he knew Hijikata wouldn't object. The man was accustomed to Okita's strange adoptive ways by now. "And perhaps we can avoid that situation here completely. If you're willing to take orders from myself and Hijikata-san, that is."

Heiji felt the blood rushing to his face when Okita started laughing at him. He hadn't been that far off-base, had he? Screw this 'feelings' crap, it only made people laugh at him! If he could have sunk down into his chair in sheer humiliation, he probably would have. "I just... y'know, figured that you were scolding me for overreacting about the fire in front of your superior. It's just that, in my time, a lot of shit explodes. Seriously. I don't think I've been on a case in three years that didn't involve fire or explosives. Or a gun. It's just reflex by now."

For Kaito as well... but that was a thought for another time. Something Okita said completely erased the thought.

"He didn't even see what I could do though!" Heiji protested. "Sure I got my ass handed to me by cats, but I'm still alive, aren't I? Isn't that what counts? Besides," He pulled off more of the cinnamon roll and stuffed it into his mouth, "Homura-han got his precious metal, so I don't see what he could complain about."

Beat.

"Wait what," He deadpanned, then started laughing, "For a minute there, I thought you said 'war god'. Must be the vicodin." At least, he hoped it was the vicodin. The statement about killing Himura didn't really even register compared to that.

He was a bit taken aback at the proposition. Until minutes ago, he was certain that Okita wouldn't want to even look at his deserting hide again. Well, perhaps second chances really did exist. Heiji shrugged and gave Okita his characteristic smirk, "Hey, if I don't have to look at his face, I'm good." His expression relaxed into a smile, "I'd be happy to work under you, Okita-han."

Okita wiped at the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand and hoped he hadn't left a chocolate smudge anywhere. The last thing he needed to do was give Hijikata a reason to tease back. That wasn't nearly as fun as watching the wrinkle in his forehead grow more pronounced. "Oh the fire? That was Homura-san. He sets things on fire sometimes with his hands."

The swordsman paused for a moment, realizing how strange that sounded and then laughed a little. Deciding to ignore that in favor of explaining group dynamics a bit more. "He'll see soon enough. So long as we keep to the main plan, he won't mind if I keep an extra unit, I think. He's rather into the whole delegation thing, I think."

He picked at the banana muffin, pulling out the nuts and smiled at Heiji, popping a walnut into his mouth. "Yes. I did. He's a god of war - controls fire, is over 500 years old, a terrible flirt, too." He laughed and switched back over to the cinnamon roll, deciding that the sweet mixed well with the nuts. "I failed to mention that before, which I think accounts for you reaction. Nothing could have exploded if Homura-san didn't want it to do so. He focused the burn on his own cloak, using it to distract that shadow beast."

His smile changed slightly, almost imperceptibly - he saw an opportunity and now a pupil. Hijikata would be upset if he found out, but Heiji needed a bit more training with actual combat and Okita wanted to be the one to do it. Tetsu had grown up so well, someone capable of fighting without killing, stronger than Okita could ever hope to be. Just how similar was Heiji to Tetsu? It was good to have someone so willing to follow the Shinsengumi about, someone smart and strong - a good ally, just as Hijikata had ordered. "I'm glad, but for tonight, it might be best to rest unless we can find you one of those mystery healers out there."

Heiji just stared at Okita with his mouth agape, horror stuck on his features. A war god? WHAT THE HELL?!

"Eh... eh heh... heh... right... um... right," Well, he was having breakfast with Okita Souji, so why not a war god? Why not Obi-Wan Kenobi? Why not the Queen of England while they were at it? "I'm sure he wouldn't mind. If he doesn't get in my face, I won't get in his." Well, his deduction of a god-complex wasn't exactly that far off the mark then... Controlling fire, over 500 years old. Sounded like Heiji's worst nightmare. Old and overly powerful. And arrogance the infamous Kaitou Kid couldn't even hope to match.

He snapped out of it, "I have to talk it over with Kuroba, though. He seemed to like you and Hijikata-han well enough--we just both got rubbed the wrong way by Homura."

The fight replayed in his head. The lock pick, the flashlight, the teamwork. There was no doubting it... "I, also think that Kuroba's been trained in something," He tossed a flashlight into the air, hit a cat, then caught it again. He picked a lock in under a minute. Well, Okita didn't need to know all that. "He wasn't bad. One of the cats latched onto his back, and he told me to hit it as hard as I could. Didn't scream 'r nothin'."

But the guy was no swordsman, Heiji knew that much. And archery didn't train you to let cats dig into your back while another person kills it with a blunt instrument. Just what was Kaito?

"Handy with locks too," He picked up the roll and took a bite, seemingly more willing to eat now that he didn't feel so upset and confused. Heiji really was hoping that Okita would take Kuroba under his wing too--he genuinely liked Kaito, and the fact that they both knew Kudo was somewhat comforting--if not a little disconcerting as well. The guy looked so much like Kudo...

"Anyway, whatever happens tonight, even if you need to leave me behind to rest, take Kuroba if he wants to follow you guys, please?"

Okita giggled at the horror written like a bad poem across Heiji's face. People were so obvious with their emotions sometimes. He kept eating and waited until Heiji was a little more controlled before he started speaking again. Homura wouldn't have much of an objection, or so Okita hoped. He had decided to take Heiji as a pseudo-apprentice since he took the hit in the park. He was too valuable to let go.

"Homura-san tends to do that to people," he said, ending that conversation. It was obvious that he didn't rub Okita the wrong way though and, in fact, Okita liked the man well enough. He had his social problems, but then, Okita had his control issues. It all worked out in the end. If Kuroba had as much skill as Heiji seemed to think he did, then perhaps he wouldn't be bad to have around either. Okita made a mental note to watch Kuroba's movements during the day and smiled. "Of course we'll take him - if he wants to go, that is. He seemed like a very level headed young man."

And a very interesting one. Okita couldn't wait to put a few weapons into the boys' hands and see how well they did. Until then... Okita checked the whereabouts of the nurses out of the corner of his eye and leaned across the table, almost a little too close to Heiji for comfort. To anyone else, he probably looked like he was flirting with the kid, but as he moved in close, he slid a package wrapped in his napkin over to him. "I have a gift for you, Heiji-kun - three scalpels from last night's raid. No use going through all the trouble without getting something for it, yes?"

Heiji was internally relieved when Okita agreed to take Kaito with him should Heiji not make it to the party, and in exchange dropped the issue with Homura. He decided then and there not to speak on it in front of Okita again. He'd aired his grievances, told Okita what he thought and why he felt the way he had, and that was that. End of story, case file closed. "Thanks. I feel kinda responsible for him--it's nice to know he'll be with good people."

And hopefully out of both trouble and danger. He still felt partially responsible for the cat attack. If he hadn't walked out on the group and just held his tongue, Kaito probably wouldn't have gotten mixed up in that. He hadn't seen Kaito enter the cafeteria yet... it was disconcerting at the very least.

His mind was brought out of his thoughts when Okita leaned in. Heiji wasn't exactly sure what he'd done to deserve such a look, but he smirked when he was presented with the package.

"You're sweet," He teased back, leaning in slightly, fist supporting his chin. "You sure this won't get you scolded?"

Good people. Okita's face nearly fell at that remark. He never considered himself a good person - he wasn't, after all. Instead, his smile turned fierce and he shook his head. "He'll be with demons, but he'll be safe, Heiji-kun. We don't attack our own." Usually. Kenshin was an exception to the rule.

But back to the topic on hand - the scalpels hidden in the napkin. Okita pulled an innocent look and circled a finger over the thin paper, poking at the weapons beneath it. "Aww, but would you tell on me, Heiji-kun? How could you do that to Kaa-san like that?"

Heiji laughed, "Oh come on, bullshit! You almost apologized for hitting me in the head, and you made the first move to fixing the rift. I think you just like to talk big~" He teased. "But thanks. He could be running around with Landel himself and I wouldn't care as long as he was okay in the long run."

Being a detective, Heiji had very strong opinions on what was considered good and what was unadulterated evil. He'd heard about murderers convincing themselves that what they were doing was right, and conversely heard stories of soldiers who went into therapy because they couldn't live with themselves. People who thought they couldn't go back to being happy ever again.

He was getting a little carried away. The point was, Heiji could tell the difference between a war and a murder. He saw Okita as a soldier, not a person driven by greed or mental instability. That, in Heiji's eyes, and Okita's ability to express himself freely and desire the happiness of others made the swordsman a good person.

But maybe he was missing something. A vital piece.

He tried not to think about it. He didn't want to think about Okita like he was a case to be solved. He didn't, and he wasn't going to.

"I dunno~" Heiji said with a one-shouldered shrug, falling back into his carefree grin, "Tou-san might get upset if he thinks I'm lying to him. Might get a matching stain on the other side of his mouth, and we both don't want that, do we?"

Just how much should Okita let the boy detective know? The pleasant mask didn't slip, but Okita began to wonder if he should set him straight. It would be a problem if the boy got the wrong idea about him. The Shinsengumi were demons, they made no claims to be anything but that - bathed in blood, killing whoever stepped over the line, assassinating their own when given the order. Moreover, Okita had been called a demon since he was a child - the boy genius, the demon child, the one who almost killed Yamanami in a simple sparring match, the one no one would match with for fear of dying. Then again, Heiji had seen a little bit of that demon come out already and he still wasn't running away. Perhaps letting him know the truth wasn't so bad. "What a person does for friends and what he does to enemies are two different things, Heiji-kun. No matter what, I'll be sure to keep an eye on Kaito-kun for you."

And perhaps letting Heiji keep a somewhat pure image of him wasn't so bad either.

Okita laughed and cast his eyes over to the other table where Hijikata sat. He looked as grumpy as ever this early in the morning. Okita could only guess how the rest of the day was going to progress and if he'd have to go lining up paper animals along his chest while the man napped. "Not so sure about that~ I think the ink stains become him, don't you?"

"That's true," Heiji said with his usual smile, but he really didn't want to think about this anymore. The more he thought on it, the more he wondered if he was going soft just because he admired Okita so much. Would Kudo or his father see something fundamentally wrong with Okita, at least in the sanity department? Something he'd missed because he was smitten? He was thinking about it now. He couldn't think about it.

That was going to be tough. Not thinking was like concentrating on not seeing anything for Heiji--it was impossible. There was always something going on in the back of his head, whether he wanted it to or not. He needed to stop thinking about this particular subject. Distract himself with something else--anything, really.

He turned as best he could to see what Okita was looking at, and tried to come up with something to say, but he just lost it. He bit his lip as a short laugh tried to escape, but soon realized it was futile and began laughing. "Okay, okay, you win! But seriously, didn't you tell him that it would break if he chewed on it that hard? Looks like you're doing a good job of discrediting him. No one's going to believe he's who he says he is if he looks so 'becoming'!" Heiji continued laughing, coughed a couple times, then tried to settle down. His ribs still weren't being forgiving, apparently.

Okita could see the wheels turning in Heiji's mind and he waited. Would the boy figure it out? His intelligence and natural curiosity were an asset, but they could only be used if Heiji were willing to work with him. He didn't like the idea of conning his allies, letting them get the wrong idea for his own agenda. For small things, that was fine, but in the long run, honesty was a better policy.

There - the subject was pushed to the back of Heiji's mind and Okita sighed a little. He didn't know whether to be relieved or wary.

Then the boy laughed and Okita joined him, pushing his pen behind his ear. "Isn't it more amusing when I didn't tell him?" The swordsman snickered and watched as Hijikata's paranoia levels rose exponentially as a blonde took a seat with him. Okita had seen him around before and he seemed pleasant enough, so for now he let it slide. If anything got violent, there was always the pen and he could jump the tables quick enough to get to Hijikata if the man needed help. "It's the best disguise for him, don't you think? Now if only he was still asleep, I could have drawn on his face or stuck little paper bits in his hair! But if we really want to get at him, I have a surefire method. It just means I'd have to hide for the next day or so."

Oh God, don't look at me like that, Heiji thought as Okita watched him struggle with his thoughts then continue talking about Hijikata. Don't wait for me to figure it out, looking at me expectantly.

For a moment, Heiji looked like he was going to be sick. He rested his forehead in his hand and took several deep breaths. It was useless, though. Once he started thinking, he wouldn't be able to stop. This was going to drive him insane all day, he just knew it.

"S-sorry, I think the pain meds are starting to kick in. Jeez I feel awful. Uh... yeah," He laughed a little. "Tell me about this surefire method you have cooked up. Because if it's bad enough to the point where you have to go into hiding, I might have to as well on charges of conspiracy!"

Heiji was a terrible liar. The boy looked as if he were going to hack up his breakfast from thinking too hard. Okita would have liked to push him, but they were on rocky ground at the moment. He'd have to wait until later, when he was certain he could afford to test the detective's friendship before he tried anything. Losing Heiji again so soon would be a disaster.

Laughing a little, Okita pushed his cup of tea over to Heiji - the hot water should help his stomach. "If you don't mind it, drink some of this. It'll settle your stomach." He smiled, his expression considerably lighter, less inquisitive. "Medication in the future is a little too strong, hm? Those needle things certainly pack a punch!"

Okita giggled at the idea of Heiji running helter-skelter around the Sun Room trying to avoid Hijikata's wrath and pressed a finger to his lips with a wink. Secrecy was important for this project, even if the culprit's identity was going to be blatantly obvious. "I'll only tell if you can keep a secret, Heiji-kun. It's my secret weapon, after all."

"Yeah, thanks," Heiji took the cup and took a few tentative sips. It rested nice and warm in his stomach, diffusing some of the pain medication he'd taken earlier. "I've never done particularly well with meds, really. Especially when I haven't eaten anything. Jeez, you'd think that the nurses wouldn't give me this shit on an empty stomach," He sighed. "Don't even get me started on the sedation drugs. I had a headache for hours after that. And in my neck, man! In. My. Neck!" He snorted, moving the cup to his lips again. "Could've punctured somethin'."

He grinned, "You can trust me, I'm a detective. Secrets are my business." Of course, his job was uncovering secrets and blowing them wide open... But if a friend confided in him, he would never divulge something he was told to keep secret unless it was destructive. Teasing 'Hijikata-tou-san' wasn't exactly murder or suicide. Maybe causing emotional distress, but it would be amusing nonetheless.

Okita smiled at Heiji as he drank the tea, glad to see the boy was letting himself get distracted again. This was much more pleasant than seeing him struggle between reverence for a historical ideal and the truth that lay behind it. Okita hated seeing people get their dreams crushed like that. He laughed a little and tapped a finger against his temple, grinning wide. "Trust me, I know. I think yesterday was my first day where I didn't spend some portion of the day on those drugs. Such a silly habit those nurses have."

If only Heiji knew how destructive this secret really was, perhaps he wouldn't have asked. Of course, it was only dangerous is people couldn't keep running long enough or hide well enough to get away from Hijikata's wild sprint. "Poetry," Okita said simply, dropping his voice suspiciously low. If Hijikata caught whiff of this mischief before it even entered the planning stages, it would ruin Okita's chances for months. "His poetry is absolutely some of the best I've ever read - absolutely anyone who reads them would get a laugh out of them! But he's so terribly proud of them and protects them like a mother bear."

Okita leaned back and smiled. "So I memorized them all the last time I stole his book."

"I've managed to avoid it since the field trip, thank goodness. I'd rather not have to deal with a headache that monumental again... I think I also made someone dislike me quite a bit," He giggled, remembering flirting rather intensely with Rinali on the bus, much to Allen's intense displeasure. "They probably like to sedate you so much because they're jealous of your hair. Or your innate ability to attract devastatingly attractive men. Or boys, in my case~" He laughed.

Heiji's eyebrows raised slightly. He knew that poetry was a pretty big deal from even before Okita's time, but he had no idea that Hijikata of all people practiced it. Probably because, as Okita had said, he guarded his work so closely.

"You didn't," Heiji bit his knuckle to keep from laughing. He was going to hurt himself if he laughed much more. "Oh man, we're going to have to put out a general warning--No one leave your room tomorrow! Wrath of demon captain, coming through!"

Okita doubled over, laughing hysterically at the idea of being sedated because of his hair. It took him a moment or two to catch his breath again, but once he had, he dramatically flipped his hair over his shoulder and grinned. "I take good care of it, if you ever want tips. It's part of the reason all of you flock to me, I'm sure."

He couldn't keep a straight face any longer and broke into another giggle fit. "Oh, but I did!" he said, coughing into his hand to catch his breath. "I'm remarkably good at finding wherever he hides it, you know. And he's a demon vice-commander. Hiding in your room won't do any good~"

"Hey, whatever tips you have concernin' your hair, if they lead to sedation, I don't wanna know!" Heiji was having difficulty catching his breath as well, but it felt good to be laughing and joking again. No doubt they were causing a scene, but the detective really didn't care. He hadn't laughed this hard in a good long while. He was going to enjoy himself for the moment, damn it. "But if it's the shameless flirting, I'm done for as well!"

"Oh a vice-commander! We're all screwed now!" Heiji giggled, "You wouldn't unleash that on me, would you kaa-san? It'd take forever to get the blood off the walls and bedsheets. Not to mention the time Hijikata would do in solitary confinement for slaughtering a patient in his sleep!"

Day 30: Cafeteria, Breakfast

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