damned_institute | Day 30: Cafeteria, Dinner

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Day 30: Cafeteria, Dinner

The cafeteria was all but empty when Zelnick got there. He was a little disappointed; he had gotten the impression that patients usually ate dinner in their rooms, so he hadn't arranged to meet anyone, and there really wasn't anyone to sit by and engage in conversation yet.

Quietly, he collected dinner and a big glass of orange juice, and chose a seat near the food-serving counters. Talking for so long had made him thirsty... and, well, fruit juice was a luxury he had missed.

[Stalk away, my dearest Admiral. <3 ]

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(Nope. I couldn't possibly get sick of Sai. ^^)

Haku looked up and smiled at the other ninja. "Artemis-kun?" He shook his head. "No, I'm not worried. I'm close by sould he require aid, and he has a large group of allies that are also looking out for his safety."

Taking a drink, he considered the room at large. "I just hope that the panic won't cause more harm than the simple end of the day will."

"But being that close to orderlies who could possibly change into monstrosities before they even let us out of the cafeteria? Is he able to defend himself at all?" Perhaps he wasn't entirely as meek as he'd seemed in the showers and Sai simply didn't know. Allies around or not, it could take only seconds for a pair of transformed orderlies to crush him. Sai had been dragged off almost immediately after sundown the day they came back from the field trip, but he hadn't been spared the sight.

"Unless you think they'd let us back to our rooms first?" Their current track record would point otherwise, but who knew how unpredictable they could be.

Haku glanced over at Artemis, then back to Sai. "I am approximatly ten feet from him, should I feel my aid is required. I doubt it will be though." Haku has positioned himself in such a way that he could see both Zabuza-san and Artemis clearly without having to twist in his seat, or even turn his head too far.

"I do not think they will let us back to our rooms." It was somewhat refreshing speaking to Sai. Haku was tired of keeping up the bright and cheery demeanor that he had adopted around so many people lately. He didn't have to pretend with the Leaf ninja.

Sai simply nodded. At the very least Haku wasn't unprepared. There were few enough from their world remaining; it was important that he try and keep an eye on those still around, as well as their companions. Perhaps it was a self-given mission. He deemed it an important one.

He let his eyes roam the cafeteria, taking in those who had orderlies and about how many there might be. A dangerous number, all things considered. Then his eyes caught one particular guarded patient and he found himself squinting to try and get a better look. It was hard to tell, especially since his view kept getting blocked by other patients, but that figure was one he'd had to memorize from photographs. If it was who he through it was...

"Haku-san," he spoke lowly without removing his eyes from the dark-haired man. "The number of missing-nin currently here may have increased by one."

Haku followed Sai's gaze and frowned. He'd seen that face in a bingo book he'd taken off of a hunter-nin. "I see." He glanced at Zabuza-san again, then sighed. "An interesting group they have taken from our world now." Before it had been Naruto that had seemed to connect them all, but with the blond ninja gone, it was now the fact that all but Sai were wanted nukenin.

"That brings us up to five shinobi from our world."

"It does," Sai nodded again. "But this is problematic. That's Uchiha Itachi, brother of Uchiha Sasuke and the reason Sasuke-kun left the village to begin with." Sasuke wanted him dead, but would be in no position now to attempt to take him on. (Was Haku aware yet of the other boy's blindness?) "If Sasuke were to find out that he was here..."

He didn't know what would happen. Itachi would be limited the same as everyone else - this was apparently simply by the fact that he had orderlies on either side. But he would have the advantage over Sasuke simply because he could see and the other couldn't. It was obvious that Naruto's former teammate was not yet accustomed enough to the loss of sight to be able to take on even a very weakened trained shinobi.

Haku considered the other ninja for a moment.

"Sai-san, what reason do you have for caring about Sasuke-kun?" He was curious. If the elder Itachi and Sasuke were to fight, it did not matter to Haku one way or the other which came out on top. Neither were his allies and both were traitors to their respective villages.

Zabuza-san may have been a missing-nin, but he never thought of himself as a traitor.

Sai blinked, cocking his head to the side. "I don't care for Sasuke-kun. He is willing to work alongside me here as an ally. Naruto-kun does care for him as a brother, and for the sake of the bond between them I am willing to see to his safety." Even if Naruto was nowhere to be found. Sai didn't believe that he could be dead.

"And conflict between the few members of our world here will serve no purpose. It will only hurt us in the long run." And trying to keep Sasuke from attempting to kill his brother while here would be a very difficult task.

"Such a fight would indeed be inconvienet," Haku agreed. "However, my Master does not wish to ally himself with Sasuke-kun, and I am bound to follow him." He sighed, mildly annoyed at the situation and turned to look at Sai.

"I hope that does not mean we cannot be allies? I know my Master holds no ill-will towards you, Sai-san, and neither do I."

It was unfortunate but understandable why the two ninja from the Mist Village wouldn't want to ally themselves with Sasuke. Along with the difficulties Itachi was bound to present, this would be even more troublesome. But Sai smiled. In such times you had to do with what you could.

"I have no problem with that, Haku-san, as long as it's mutually beneficial. But you realize that should I have to choose between helping you and helping Sasuke-kun we may find ourselves at odds again."

Haku smiled back and nodded. "I understand. My loyaties to my Master come frist, but so long as we are in agreement, I see no problem with working alongside you."

If he could speak to Zabuza-ssan and explain the situation, he doubted that he would find fault with it either. "Perhaps I can speak with him concerning Sasuke-kun as well."

Sai nodded. "That would be best. I won't turn down working with you if he still refuses, so long as my terms are known." On that subject, the ninja scanned the room for Sasuke, finding him sitting with a blond boy he was sure he'd seen him with before. Another glance found Usopp. He'd just have to keep them in his sights.

Then he was distracted as the man sitting across from Artemis began speaking in a louder tone. Arguing over the events of that morning? Some people didn't adjust well, Sai knew.

Haku frowned slightly in the direction of Artemis. Something was off, but aside from the raised voices causing the orderlies to tense, he was otherwise unconcerned. Either Artemis could handle himself in a verbal fight or he couldn't.

"I accept your terms," Haku said to Sai, though he wasn't really looking at the other boy. He was thinking and planning on how best to get out of this room and to Zabuza-san once night fell.

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Day 30: Cafeteria, Dinner

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