damned_institute | Nightshift 35: M51-M60 Hallway

Honey picked up his flashlight and Usa-chan and bid farewell to Sai before heading out the door. He could probably find the way on his own, but he knew his cousin was nearby. He'd managed to meet him almost as soon as the doors opened, which meant he had to be close.

The beam of his flashlight moved cautiously up and down the hall and he held Usa-chan just a little tighter. Dark could be good for a lot reasons, taking an enemy by surprise for one, but it didn't mean it wasn't spooky. At least the dark made it hard to see how small and cramped the hallways were.

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/458376.html?thread=37313160#t37313160)]

Mori didn't like leaving his cousin alone any longer than he could and when he rounded the corner and saw a beam of light up ahead, he knew who it was. At that height, it had to be Mitsukuni. He didn't know of many others who were as short as he was and the likelihood of another small person in the same hall was pretty slim. Besides, he could smell Mitsukuni's scent. That was usually dead giveaway.

Making sure to let Mitsukuni know he was approaching, he stopped just inside the beam of light, closet rod resting on his shoulder with the rice pudding in his left hand. He didn't need to say anything because soon he was certain his cousin would.

As predicted, it wasn't long before Takashi showed up, closet rod weapon and all. Though he was happy to see his cousin, he couldn't help his eyes from wandering to the pudding in his left hand. While he didn't understand how Sai or Takashi could stand not to eat their sweets, he was grateful for their sacrifice and offered an honest smile in return.

"Yay! Thanks Takashi!"

The pudding was small and not nearly as cold like last night's ice cream, so he wolfed it down quickly, not wanting to delay. He set the empty dish on the floor near his door and bounced up Takashi's side until he reached the boy's shoulders.

"Mm, so do you mind coming with me to see about Tama-chan? I need to make sure he's ok. Then we can go look around for a phone or computer. I know if anyone finds out we're here, they'll send a rescue party, right?" Not his family perhaps, but Ohtoris or the Suohs were always fairly quick to respond. And if the others had been here for more than a few days, their families had to be worried. This was more than a simple prank. It made him wish he'd been a little more diligent in looking for things like that when they'd been in town.

There were still plenty of smaller things that concerned him. The way the twins remembered things he didn't know about and how he knew about things they had never heard before. It just didn't add up and it didn't sit well with him.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/458376.html)]]

It was later than it should have been when Sai suddenly jerked awake. The sedatives must have had one last kick to them, as he'd nodded off against the side of the bed not long after Honey left.

They'd worn off now, though, and the ninja was quick to gather his things and head for the door. At least it was still night, but he didn't know how much time had passed. He needed to first check on Usopp, then figure out what else there was for him to do...

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/461302.html?thread=37332214#t37332214)]

It took Sano about as long as it ever did to end up outside of Kenshin's door. He showed some restraint though, not barging in just yet, and instead opting to knock. Hard.

"Hey Kenshin." Sanosuke grinned a bit, his mood much improved after the field trip. "You about done dressing? I don't want to have to kick your door in, but I will if you take too long."

Hopefully tonight wouldn't end up completely fucked up.

Well, at least he wasn't kicking in the door. Thank heaven for small miracles?

"This one's been 'done dressing' for a while," Kenshin observed blandly, opening the door. "What do you want to do tonight?" They didn't have any set objectives; no one had posted assignments on the board because they'd been in Doyleton all day. "Would you like to try going outside again?" The special counseling patient had held them up last night, and they'd barely gotten beyond the walls before waking up in their beds, 'safe and sound.'

"Hey, I didn't take that long to get here." Sanosuke's grin was still friendly, and he shrugged as he thought about the question. "We could try to get outside again. Didn't talk to Sunshine too much, but I figured we'd catch up with him or something. Don't know how keen he'd be to work with us again though." Cloud had seemed to have a serious problem with Kenshin's no-kill policy, after all, and Sano knew the same was true in reverse. It didn't matter so much in the end though, cause the fighter would stick to work with Kenshin any time.

"I do want to check on Ninja Girl though. Make sure she's not still sick or whatever." Sanosuke sounded very casual when he said this. The conversation earlier about jealousy and crap was still fresh in him mind, after all. "Maybe if she hasn't run off herself already, we can get further this time."

"That's true." Kenshin smiled. He was in a fairly good mood tonight, as far as nightshifts went. Because they didn't have an assignment, they didn't have to worry about failing it like they had just about every other nighshift. He'd missed this kind of freedom. It was so much more comfortable than being ordered around. Getting assignments--being told where to be and when--felt too much like Kyoto. Instead of getting the black envelope there was a notice on a public bulletin board, but the idea was the same. It wasn't one he exactly liked, even if he had no choice but to go along with it.

Even Sano's news about Cloud couldn't bring him down. "Well, that's probably for the best," he admitted. Their ideologies were too radically different. It was bad enough that they had people like Homura, Okita, and Hijikata to deal with. Adding another to the list (who wasn't even in their "History Club") seemed like a bit of a stretch.

"That's good idea. Do you know what room she's in?"

"I was kind of thinking that too." Working with a guy who didn't understand the no-killing thing was pretty hard sometimes, especially when they didn't get that Kenshin would step in to save the bad guys. Sanosuke got it though, and he hoped Ninja Girl would too. It'd be pretty bad if they had to stop working with her because of something like that.

Then Kenshin asked Sanosuke if he knew where Ninja Girl was. This made sense, because Sano's sense of direction had always been fantastic. "Uh, not exactly." Grinning a bit sheepishly, Sano raised a hand to scratch the back of his head. "I figured we could just looked around the women's rooms or something. She's pretty hyper, so it shouldn't be too hard to find her if she's there, right?"

At least Sanosuke didn't think it would be. Truth be told, he hadn't really thought much further than that anyway.

Keshin sighed. Trust Sanosuke to charge ahead without exactly thinking first. "Sano..." he said, rubbing his temples. "Well, there are three male patient blocks, and only one female. That works in our favor." Sort of.

"Shall we be off, then?"

[moving here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/458376.html?thread=37529224#t37529224).]

Edited 2008-09-25 04:09 (UTC)

Shadow stretched, his good mood from the previous night still going strong. He hadn't spoken to Valyn but he assumed he'd meet up with the elf as was normal. He finished his dinner and headed out, casting a mage light as he left the room. Perhaps tonight they'd get to explore, making up for their lost two evenings. There were many different plans he had up his sleeve. It was just in putting them into effect.

He whistled to himself as he stepped out into the hallway. Despite the monsters that were sure to come and the other crazy, mad experiments that mayor may not happen, this may just turn out to be a fun evening.

[headed here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/461936.html?thread=37339248#t37424240)]

Rude got himself ready for the night ahead, being sure to remember the knife. If any trouble arose he was more likely to use his fists first, but you never knew when a blade would come in handy.

Hopefully tonight something worthwhile would get done. Or he'd at least get to fight something or someone.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/461936.html?thread=37397616#t37397616).]

Edited 2008-09-23 20:07 (UTC)

After the trip, dinner had been fairly uneventful. The ride home though, had been nothing short of frustrating. That girl had been so difficult to talk to and he didn't understand how she could know those things or make those assumptions about him without really knowing anything about him. He wasn't sure if it bothered him more that she'd said them, or that they sounded so familiar. Some of it sounded so much like the things Rinali had said before.

When the night began, he didn't have anywhere in mind to go. There were no assignments, and he'd not been able to find Rinali or the others long enough to make plans. He was on his own.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/461936.html?thread=37406832#t37406832)]]

Edgeworth said goodbye to his roommate and stepped out into the hallway. He took an extra moment to check his pockets - file, scalpels, journal, flashlight, all in order.

He felt uneasy as he walked down the hallway. Something doesn't feel right. It hadn't felt right since that morning, however. He chalked it up to anxiety, ignoring the low groan from the voice in his head. Fear would only make it worse, and he breathed deeply, trying to steel his nerves.

He had places to be that night, and hiding in his room wouldn't get him anywhere.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/458376.html)]

Kaito had contemplated staying in that night and getting a full night's sleep. Waking up expecting to still be in bed could have been a nice change of pace from suddenly being in one place and then in another...

The day in town had left him feeling rather satisfied, as well. Well... more satisfied than a day inside, at least. He wouldn't have minded taking an evening off, and he'd almost made up his mind to do so by the time they were taunted over the intercom.

So much for staying in. After that, Kaito was determined to do something, anything, if for nothing else than the simple act of doing it.

The only problem was that he didn't have anything with which to defend himself in case he ran into trouble. He'd already returned the borrowed dowel to Hattori, and after last night, his pipe was also with the detective...

He considered trying to remove the rod from his own closet; he could probably make quick work of it with the screwdriver from the toolkit he'd gotten from the janitor's closet. After a moment's consideration, however, he decided against it. He hadn't learned how to wield it properly, and as long as Hattori wasn't around... he could stick with what he knew better: stealth, speed, subtlety. This would be Kid's night.

With that in mind, he slipped out of the room, heading down the hall.

[To here]

Edited 2008-10-10 06:05 (UTC)

His biological clock wasn't wrong. There was plenty of time to spare before nightfall by the time the buses returned, and it became just another unpleasant dinner in his box of a cell. There was little conversation, only eating. Which was just as well. Wolfram had sapped the desire for conversation right out of him, with the unwanted memories the kid continuously dredged up.

The noble couldn't put up with any more distractions.

When Kaito left, Aidou began the next routine of changing. One outfit and one school uniform wasn't much to go on, but when it came to wearing nothing but Landel's clothes, he couldn't complain. (Well, yes, he could, but a stylish wardrobe was of less priority than, say, everything else.) He chose the dark slacks and dark turtleneck, striped with red near the shoulder seams. His Night Class uniform, though functional, still made him uncomfortable, knowing it'd been ruined one night, and tampered with (even more so) so that it was fixed by morning.

The radio, he put in a pocket. The silver shield... that, he tucked under his arm to take with him.

Exiting into the hall, the vampire stopped to wait for Sasuke. If the boy took too long, there was always taking the proactive approach...

Sasuke had eaten quickly and then gotten what sleep could be had during the latter part of the dinner shift. He would have liked to speak to Allen about Itachi as well, but if the basement was going to be as ... interesting, for lack of a better word, as Aidou implied, then he'd need to be well-rested for it.

When the shift changed, Sasuke slid his sword out from under the bed and grabbed the radio to stick in his pocket. He was getting low on projectiles, he noticed with irritation -- only a handful of nails left. If it weren't for Sai today ...

What was done was done. There was no point sulking; he'd just have to find some other time to deal with it.

Aidou was just down the hall, if Sasuke remembered correctly, so he turned out the door and headed in the direction of the vampire's room.

Aidou was in the middle of a yawn when Sasuke finally emerged, needing a moment before he could speak around it. There were so few opportunities to really give into a good yawn.

His fangs were, after all, fairly noticeable. It wasn't like people would be spotting them in the pitch black.

Uchiha Sasuke sure wouldn't, at least.

"Over here," he finally said, the remnants of the yawn still in his voice. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Aidou sounded like he'd either just gotten up from a nap or was about ready to go for one. Sasuke hoped it was the former and headed over, shifting the sword down and out of immediate threat.

"Did you find a third?" If Aidou hadn't ... there was always the chance of running into someone. Sasuke preferred that option to the idea of looking for his two 'new' allies of the day.

"He refused." More like refused, made Aidou inexplicably uncomfortable with his news, and then wanted to prattle about his personal problems. But Aidou was behaved enough not to blurt that out like a gossiping schoolgirl. "And I didn't meet with anyone else I thought would do."

After the fact, Aidou knew he'd been sloppy, placing a bet entirely on Wolfram without having a suitable contingency plan in place, but he could always hope Sasuke had put some consideration into the venture...

"What about you?"

What was left? Waylaying someone who looked like they could defend themselves, or a defenseless girl that they could take for the sole purpose of opening the door? The hypothetical options themselves weren't what nagged Aidou's better sense, but the person risk involved at having a dud third. They could mess up as badly as his 'team' had last night.

Chances that Sasuke might do something incredibly stupid weren't null, for that matter.

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/458376.html?thread=37849736#t37849736)]

It didn't take long for Naruto to spot Sasuke, and he gave Jiraiya a quick glance before hurrying his way. He was talking with someone Naruto didn't know, and it made him wonder just how many alliances Sasuke had built over his stay at the institute.

"Oi, bastard!" He called, trying not to grin or smirk too much. He stopped short in front of them, nodding at Aidou in greeting.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes at Naruto's greeting--Naruto was horribly lacking in manners sometimes, but this time, it was amusing more than embarrassing.

He also noted Sasuke's companion, someone he didn't recognize, and walked up to the two of them and his student. Knowing that Sasuke couldn't see, Jiraiya made sure his presence was known. "We made good time, it seems."

Sasuke was about to answer that he knew a few possibilities, but hadn't managed to make any concrete plans, when he heard footsteps undeniably heading towards them with purpose.

Two sets. At least somewhat deliberately weighted, as if intending to give themselves away, which ... Sasuke frowned, suspicious. Surely they hadn't made it here already?

A moment later it was pretty obvious that they had. Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh in irritation (subtlety was something eternally lost on Naruto, it seemed) and instead gave both a short nod by way of greeting.

"I had considered this possibility," he said, jerking his head briefly towards Jiraiya and Naruto to illustrate both who the possibility referred to and what he thought about it (not much). He left out the part about not expecting or wanting either of them to make it this quickly.

Then, shortly, to the two Konoha-nin: "We only need one of you."

Aidou might not have carried a flashlight, but nightblindness was not something common among vampires. He eyed both strangers with an overly gracious amount of nonchalance.

An old man with unflattering facial markings, and a homely little blond boy? What did they want?

Though the noble was sure he'd seen the kid's face in Landel's before. He might have been another blond, blue-eyed young male like Wolfram, but his face had none of the sharp, attractive angles good breeding proposed. It were the marks on his cheeks that were familiar.

Looking to Sasuke, he felt a swell of skepticism start to build. A hard habit to break when faced with non-vampires. "No preference?" he asked. Surely one was less useless than the other.

Naruto glared slightly when Sasuke shortly told them that they only needed one of them. At least he hadn't told him to just go away, but it made it sound so cold. Naruto swore his own alliances wouldn't be cold agreements to use each other once in a while.

And Aidou and Sasuke carried on their conversation, seemingly pondering which one they should take with them.

"Hey, what the hell, bastards? We're standing right there, y'know!" He glanced at Jiraiya, wondering if he was just as put off by their attitude as they had been. Probably not; he knew he had a tendency to, sometimes, occasionally, overreact to people. Especially Sasuke.

"And both of us can come if we want to!"

It was surprising to see that Sasuke was already with another one of his "allies". But after Jiraiya saw the way the other boy acted, he became significantly less surprised. Sasuke and the other boy seemed remarkably similar.

Except Jiraiya was thinking he liked the new boy less. He was dismissing the both of them out without a second thought, and Jiraiya found that to a horrible sign of ineptitude. Misjudging--especially underestimating--someone was how a ninja got killed. Of course, Sasuke wouldn't be allied with this boy unless he was useful, so Jiraiya crossed his arms to keep himself from clenching his fists.

Of course, if Jiraiya had known the "boy" was a vampire, his opinion would be a little different.

He ignored Naruto's outburst, instead looking at Sasuke expectantly, doing his best to keep himself centered and calm (especially since Naruto would do enough yelling for the both of them). "Any reason why you only need one of us?"

Jiraiya was already thinking. Either he'd refuse to let either of them go, convince Sasuke to let them both go... or he would let Naruto leave with these two. Like hell he was going to leave his student by himself--not only would that put him in grave danger, but it'd hurt him horribly. Still, Jiraiya wasn't sure he was completely ready to test his theory about Sasuke's behavior towards Naruto.

Actually, Sasuke hadn't asked Aidou to clarify whether the door would only open with three people or just needed at least three people. Obviously he preferred it if Jiraiya and Naruto didn't come as a package -- one Konoha-nin was annoying enough (Sasuke was beginning to discover that they were all disturbingly similar). He remembered Naruto being more independently stupid when he was here last, but then again, he hadn't had his teacher with him.

It was too bad that it had to be Jiraiya this time. Sasuke wouldn't have minded Kakashi returning -- for the brief while the man was here, he'd been as useful as expected from someone of his calibre. Jiraiya was considerably less predictable, and had already proved to be much more protective of his student. Or was Naruto just a lot weaker than Sasuke had thought?

As for Aidou's question, though: Jiraiya was a Sannin. On the other hand, that could mean a good deal less here in Landel's, and Naruto was at least fairly predictable. It wasn't a terrific choice.

Abruptly Sasuke found himself wishing that Sai hadn't proved to be a moron and had to wipe the thought viciously.

"I don't have any preference," he said to Aidou, ignoring the indignant babble coming from Naruto's direction. "They're both shinobi. They'll be able to fight."

He let Aidou answer Jiraiya's question, since the vampire was the one who would know.

Adjusting the fold of his turtleneck, the noble couldn't help but give the informal blond boy a long look. It seemed to simultaneously say 'I'm well aware you're there, and no, you couldn't.'

Yes, he was quite sure he remembered this person, even if they'd never been introduced in person. One of Sasuke's acquaintances from home, without a doubt. Aidou found he preferred the pink-haired Sakura, if it was coming down to a vote.

"Is that so," he said in response to Sasuke. Well, the choices were slim, weren't they? Aidou couldn't even say his pick had fallen through, because Aidou didn't have any worthwhile picks, if he thought about it. As long as they got moving... Perhaps this sudden arrival was for the best. It definitely presented an opportunity. Whether both came or not, they'd have a suitable number, or so Aidou's theory went. At the same time, the chances for disaster and chaos rose astronomically with every stranger Aidou attached himself to during the night, and having three persons he couldn't completely vouch for might wind up becoming an unsalvageable misadventure.

He put his weight on one leg, seemingly in thought, even as his gaze passed over Naruto and Jiraiya in turn. There'd be no choice but to bail out if this became some bizarre variation on a family reunion between the three ninjas. "To get the introductions out of the way, I'm Aidou. Sasuke and I are going to the basement, but I'm rather sure the enterprise requires at least three. So you came at a good time. Will you come?"

On the bright side, a ninja should be more competent than a sleaze like Jack, right? I might have a more competent gathering than last night.

Naruto kept his eyes narrowed, watching both of them carefully. He'd already concluded that Aidou was just as much of an asshole as Sasuke was, and this trip down to the basement probably wouldn't be easy.

But he wasn't going to miss out on a chance to explore, and possibly talk to Sasuke. Though he figured they might be busy, if the place was as dangerous as Sai said. His encounters with monsters only went as far as the one Sasuke ahd been fighting, and he'd not lingered on it. And didn't want to.

"I'll go," Naruto said, glancing at Jiraiya and hoping he was going to let him go.

Jiraiya nodded to Naruto--and then he turned back to Aidou. "I'm Jiraiya, and this is my student, Naruto." He glanced at his student again. "Go ahead, then. I can take care of myself. But I expect a report, so don't go forgetting everything that happened!"

Naruto needed the experience, and Jiraiya suspected that he'd interfere with interactions between Sasuke and Naruto just by being there. Sasuke was experienced, and Aidou looked to be the same. If Jiraiya went, Naruto would keep on looking to him for direction--the boy needed experience working with others that weren't his teammates.

Besides, Jiraiya wanted to find Itachi, if it was possible. He wanted the answers to some very important questions.

So it was Naruto, then. Predictable was good. Maybe the idiot would even know to be quiet in the halls of the Institute. It was apparent that anything said to Naruto could be expected to find its way to Jiraiya -- Sasuke made note.

Before they left, though, Sasuke had to mention the last details of any alliance with him -- something he'd avoided mentioning in front of Itachi, since it concerned him directly. It was fortunate that they'd appeared, Sasuke supposed, even if he still didn't precisely want to work with Konoha-nin.

"I also wanted to clarify," he said, coolly businesslike. "I don't care if you ally with Itachi. But if you attempt to kill him, harm him, or get in my way, our alliance is nullified. You will be my target if you come between us, and I will not hesitate to eliminate you. Understood?"

It was a somewhat sharper version than he'd given Aidou, but Konoha-nin had a history of interfering where they weren't wanted.

Sasuke, Naruto, Jiraiya. Three ninjas acquainted with each other, but of relatively unknown temperaments and abilities. All human, though.

That was glaringly obvious.

The noble shifted the item under his arm, considering each person's without comment. The younger one seemed eager enough, which was in no way a good thing, depending. Sasuke, at least, had a fairly agreeable mentality, making Aidou think he'd have the motive and maybe even the means to keep a fool in line if he had too. Aidou could as well, but he didn't have any personal relations to work off of.

And then there was subject the old man had brought up. Aidou had been thinking about in the back of his mind... revealing knowledge was going to be unavoidable in this kind of situation, but voluntarily sharing it was a different thing. The vampire didn't necessarily want the information he'd gathered--and any information they might soon discover--to be broadcast to everyone's buddies. Maybe Aidou would have to lay down some ground rules...

It wasn't until Sasuke laid out his own terms that Aidou made up his mind. With his free hand, he gestured at Naruto while looking at Jiraiya. Naruto would have a firsthand account of anything that happened, and the old man was looking like the second link in the grapevine. "I have my own request, if you don't mind. Assuming there's progress made tonight, and information is to be passed from student to teacher, I'd appreciate some discretion. Aka: no needless gossiping to everyone you meet, please."

Aidou had no intention of sealing the knowledge he found in a bubble, like some highly paranoid and ill-advised folk, but information needed to be handled with some intellect. Of which he wanted to make sure either stranger had.

Naruto snorted and nearly rolled his eyes when the two spoke out their rules. He wasn't sure why those things needed to be said; or even why everyone seemed so careful around each other. Wasn't it best to just work together to get out as soon as possible? Or maybe there were too many people, and things seemed to get complicated, what with some people being apparently manipulated during Nightshift...it just seemed like so much trouble to him, when things could be a lot simpler.

Maybe it was just Sasuke's side of things he was seeing too much of.

Aidou's request wouldn't be a problem, but Sasuke could be more of one. Naruto wasn't sure he could meet up with Itachi and just let him go (not that he wanted to, but he knew it was bound to happen), and there was no way, in case Itachi attacked him, that he'd just sit there and take it. He hoped Sasuke wasn't including that in his request.

"Uh, okay, no problem for Aidou, but what about self-defense, Sasuke? Can I kick his ass then?"

Jiraiya snorted a little at Aidou's request. What did he look like, a gossiping old woman? Still, he understood Aidou's reasons--information was useful in a place like this. For barter, especially.

"I'll be discrete," Jiraiya reassured him. "Information is a good bargaining tool."

He glanced at Naruto, but said nothing, as he debated with Sasuke over Itachi. It was probably about time to excuse himself from the group so that they could get down to business. Naruto didn't need a babysitter.

Aidou voiced the concern that Sasuke had entertained very vaguely -- that everything Naruto learned would end up with Jiraiya and possibly disseminated -- and Jiraiya promised discretion, which was good. It was one thing to withhold information when it was needed, but the way the other patients in this place operated, it was necessary to have cards to play in an negotiations.

Unfortunate, but probably inevitable.

As for Naruto's question -- Sasuke frowned. He had assumed that Itachi's priority would be to get out, and from Itachi's actions he had guessed that the man intended to form what alliances he could, much like Sasuke's plans. Towards that end, Itachi wouldn't be attacking anyone unprovoked, but Naruto had been his target. Did Itachi know that the nine-tails didn't exist here?

"If you meet Itachi," and he turned a bit towards the Sannin to make sure that he understood that this was meant for him as well. It was also information that Aidou should keep in mind, for that matter. "Your best bet is to run as fast as you can. There is no point to his attacking Naruto if the Kyuubi isn't available here. It shouldn't be a problem."

"I’m glad we can agree."

While the personal discussions continued, Aidou looked away and suppressed another yawn. ‘Master’ and ‘student’ were a lot alike, that was for sure. Figures.

He only cast a sidelong glance at the others at Sasuke’s strange little warning… perhaps not so strange for the involved. That Sasuke was warning two of the companions he’d apparently deemed competent enough to consider for a trip to the basement to flee from his older brother was interesting enough. Aidou, for his part, wasn’t terribly worried about running into Itachi or having to back down from him.

The night was getting on already. "If you all agree, then, shall we go?"

Naruto had been about to ask Sasuke what he meant by the Kyuubi being unavailable here, but Aidou spoke and made him change his mind. He wasn't sure he wanted to discuss that openly, and he could ask Sasuke what he meant or how he even knew later on. He himself hadn't noticed, yet, but the Kyuubi only really manifested when he was incredibly upset or physically hurt.

Which hadn't happened here yet.

"Okay, let's go!" Naruto grinned, excited about the idea of leaving and going to do something exciting.

Even if it was with two uptight bastards. He'd make do.

"I'll see you later then, Naruto!" Jiraiya uncrossed his arms and moved out of their way, grinning a bit to Naruto. "Remember that I expect a full report."

Naruto would probably forget even with that last minute reminder, but it was worth a try. Jiraiya wondered what laid ahead for his student. Although the way Sasuke had phrased that the Kyuubi being unavailable was troubling, Jiraiya knew he couldn't as the boy any more about what he meant.

Sasuke seemed to be adapting to his blindness, at least, but Jiraiya wasn't all that surprised. He was the type to adapt to nearly anything. The question was if Sasuke was really coping, or just making himself cope....

It seemed like the warning had actually gone down the right way, somewhat to Sasuke's surprise. The nine-tails was probably still not around, then, or Naruto had actually developed a certain amount of sense between the time he'd last been in Landel's and now. At any rate, that was good enough for the time being.

Shifting his grip on the sword into a fully defensive position, Sasuke nodded at Aidou and started out in the direction of the main hall, expecting the others to follow. He was assuming Aidou would take over the lead position when they reached a point where the vampire knew the road better.

At that point Sasuke would take rearguard; if Naruto really was new to Landel's, then Sasuke preferred to keep him in a position where he'd be unlikely to be the first line of defence.

[[sorry for taking so long! going out to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/458376.html?thread=38113160#t38113160)]]

Jiraiya watched the three leave, schooling his expression as Naruto's back went out of view. He knew Naruto could handle himself, but...

The Sannin broke that trail of thought. Jiraiya had to believe in his student. So, instead of worrying, he began walking, hoping to meet up with another person he could partner with.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/458376.html?thread=38195592#t38195592).]

As far as Xigbar was concerned, he'd spent too much time with everyone else. Too much time flirting around instead of getting laid, too much time in company he didn't much care about. Not nearly enough time spent on his own.

So then, Xigbar leisurely finished off his dinner, stretched out his limbs, and gathered all of his weapons together. Time to hurry on his way and spend some time on his own. Now the real question was, where to go? He'd find it out once he was on his way~!

(http://community.livejournal.com/damned/461936.html)

The feeling in the room after Edgeworth had left for the night was unsettling. For a long time Mikami sat indecisively at his desk, flashlight held in his left hand and ballpoint pen in his right, writing down most of what he'd observed during the last day and touching up what he'd entered before.

And had anyone been around to see it, they likely would have thought his next action was completely random - suddenly, he gathered up the journal and pens, grabbed the radio, and went to and out through the door.

But despite the dangers listed right there in his journal, he just had to get more information.

Crane had said he was in room M80, and he was starting from M59. If he was correct, it shouldn't be all that far away- right here at the end of the hall was M60, after all....

Edited 2008-10-04 14:54 (UTC)

Nightshift 35: M51-M60 Hallway

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