damned_institute | Nightshift 38: M31-M40 Hallway

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Nightshift 38: M31-M40 Hallway

(From here.)

Holding a gun, ammo, a katana, and a kunai wasn't very easy. Especially when walking around a dark area at night. He'd waited for Akihiko to leave because Homura probably would have skinned him alive if his roommate had found out the club was in possession of a gun. And a key.

But he made it safely to M39 without falling on anything, which was a bonus considering he couldn't see a bloody thing without his flashlight on. He set his katana aside for a moment and knocked on the door.

"Uh... Kenren-han?" he called softly. "It's Hattori Heiji, the young guy from last night? I have that thing you need."

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Kio didn't understand. He just wanted to go home. Again, that feeling of helplessness washed all over him. He was so close to giving up. With that patient file in hand, he would see what lies they had concocted about him. He would tell his nurses he was ready to go home.

Except he couldn't give up. Who did Ritsuka have here? Soubi, sure. Some other people, maybe. But on that trip to Goura, which neither the boy nor Sou-chan seemed to recall, Kio had realised that Ritsuka was not Seimei and he had been happier for it. He'd thought, fool that he was, that he could make everything better.

Putting his hand on top of Ritsuka's head, Kio patted the hair gently. "How can you know for sure? I woke up here, with these clothes on, no lollipops or earrings. What if they did something to you?" He sounded lost and alone and desperately wanted Sou-chan here. Kio looked straight into the boy's eyes. "If Sou-chan did anything, you tell me. I'll have a word with him. You can trust me, Ritsuka."

This place was meant to break people and Ritsuka had seen it first hand. The shock upon seeing Seimei again and then the pain of losing him had nearly done it. Learning that his ears might have been taken instead of just...vanished somehow had nearly done it, too. But Ritsuka wasn't one to sit around and let someone else destroy him. He'd lost too much already and he had learned that he needed to be strong or Soubi would falter, which meant he could be strong for Kio, too.

The guy looked lost and whatever had happened that kept Kio away from Soubi, it had hurt. Ritsuka didn't quite understand why Soubi had been cold to Kio on the board, but he had to suspect it was something to do with just not wanting to believe. Ritsuka didn't want to believe that a lot of people were here, like Soubi for one. And Kio for another. He wanted to believe that they were safe at home, not here in this house of horrors. Maybe Soubi was the same way.

"There are creatures here that attack...people who aren't adults yet," Ritsuka muttered, looking down as Kio patted his head. He didn't like that feeling, but he wasn't going to say anything against it when it looked like Kio was a kicked puppy anyway. "They attacked me - so I know. And Soubi's a moron, but he's not that stupid - give him a little credit." Ritsuka paused and then finally looked up into Kio's eyes, returning his gaze evenly. "And listen, whatever happened tonight? Put a little faith in Soubi. When things get bad, he always turned to you not me. Whatever strain is on your guys' relationship-" Ugh, he hated that word. "-it's probably temporary, okay?"

Kio didn't want to break. He kept telling himself there was a reasonable, logical explanation for all this. That it was just his overacting imagination on some drug they were feeding him to keep him sedated. It meant it was like a bad dream. He could wake up from it if he wanted to, right?

Except not. How many times in the few days he'd been here had he dreamed of going home? He wanted to wake up in the grass outside the building, with a raging headache, like a bad hangover. Kio most certainly did not want to stay in here, with mutant rats, innocent children and a Sou-chan willing to replace him with a guy in a mullet. Instead, he'd made a promise and dream or no dream, he would see it to the end.

Kio blinked in surprise. Sure, the ears and tail weren't there, but if those creatures could tell... would Ritsuka lie to him? To protect Soubi? He hovered on the edge, almost willing to buy everything that Ritsuka was saying, when he realised it wasn't any of his business. Unless Sou-chan had forced himself, it had been willing. Perverted and strange, but willing. "Okay, Ritsuka. I know he's not stupid, but he's not himself here. I... you and him... neither of you wants to believe we made it to Goura." Kio shook his head and smiled. "I've known him longer than you, that's all. You have to remember, Ritsuka. Before he met you, he was a shell, a living zombie. You brought him alive. That's no small feat.

The man turned towards the way he'd come. Patient files. His hand rested idly on Ritsuka's head, but Kio withdrew it. He smiled down at the boy. "Shall we go get my file, then?"

"I never said I didn't want to believe - I said I didn't remember that," Ritsuka said quickly, correcting him. He honestly had no recollection of ever making it to the school, but after being here and hearing stories from other people, he wasn't sure if it was all that unusual. "Neither does Soubi. I thought someone might have explained this to you, but here's how this place works: there is no logical explanation, so stop looking for one. I could go into the philosophical and theoretical reasons behind our mismatched memories, but it probably wouldn't help you any."

That and after hearing Kio dig in that 'I've known him longer' thing, Ritsuka wasn't sure he wanted to. Ritsuka hadn't known anyone longer than anyone else. Not even Seimei. So he fell silent and looked away, shifting his backpack on his shoulders. "Yeah, the files. They're in the entry way, divided into two rooms on either side - A through M in one and N through Z in the other."

"I'm sorry, it's just... the last I remember is so different from yours..." Oh, someone had told him about the Institute all right. In very blunt and clear terms, which Kio had appreciated, to a certain degree. However, he still felt that everything had a logical explanation. "You know, I keep thinking that I'm in a room in that place, drugged out of my mind and this is one big hallucination." Kio laughed. "I bet it's things like this that make people go crazy."

His smile vanished when he saw Ritsuka's face. He'd hurt the boy. Again. "I'm sorry. I should think before I speak." He wanted to make it good again. He'd promised. He wanted to take Ritsuka's hand and go find the file. But that would be too easy. "Let's go, then." Shining his flashlight ahead, Kio started to walk down the corridor.

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Nightshift 38: M31-M40 Hallway

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