damned_institute | Day 40: Lunch

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Day 40: Lunch

*hobble wobble*

"Damn that SCOURGE!" Starscream cried out, the slowly-filling cafeteria producing a jarring echo of his raspy voice. His limping, already bad enough from not knowing how to properly use his crutches, was now exacerbated from the injuries he'd received the shift prior. Despite the gauges in his non-casted leg so lovingly provided by the aforementioned 'patient', Starscream could still put some weight on it, but not so much that he could really stop and rest; relieving the soreness under his arms was out of the question. The nurse that walked behind him with his tray, already upset at having to deal with yet another troublesome inmate, was growing rather impatient as his charge slowly made his way down the food line.

"Just...give me a standard serving of the aquatic creature's flesh, some of those fried potato slices, two bananas, and three bottles of juice," Starscream sighed, his anger from just a moment ago assuaged by the physical exertion needed to move the way he did. "I'm going to sit down here...bring it to me when you're done."

He was hardly surprised to find that one of the bananas was completely bruised along its inner curve, or that the handful of 'chips' on his plate were all on the small side. Tired and frustrated as he was, however, he could barely muster a 'damned flesh-creature' before moving his fingers to the plate, picking one of the longer 'chips' and shoving it into his mouth listlessly.

There was an unusually high concentration of sodium chloride crystals on it. Of COURSE.

[For Tony Stark]

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To say that the distraction that Artemis offered was welcome would be a serious understatement. In fact, the only thing bad about it was that the boy might actually try to eat some of the mess on his plate, but Kakashi could stomach a little torture. Just so long as he didn't have to taste it himself.

"I don't mind at all." Smiling pleasantly behind the mask he wore, the jounin motioned for Artemis to take a seat. So, was he being approached before the boy just needed a place to sit, or was there some purpose behind it? Time would tell, but Kakashi was fairly sure he'd seen the kid around before, even if he couldn't place him right away.

"My names Hatake Kakashi. It's nice to meet you, despite our circumstances."

Artemis slid into his seat, his eyes catching sight of what was... or wasn't... or was (?) on Kakashi's plate. He stared for a fraction longer than what was considered polite, but looked back up at Kakashi the next moment.

"Artemis Fowl the Second," he replied. "Likewise. I believe I've seen you around," he said, delicately moving his fish to the side and beginning to eat the fries with his fork. He looked up curiously at Kakashi's mask.

"Allergies?" Supposedly, it was winter...

Kakashi decided not to comment as Artemis seemed to question the tray that he'd pushed aside. Better not to think about a poor fish that had been so terribly desecrated after it's capture, then served under the pretense of still being edible. Instead, he focused on the other thing that made the boy curious, chuckling as he reached up to tug on the side of his mask.

"So they tell me. In truth, I wear a mask nearly all the time when I'm at home." Why he wore it was something Kakashi didn't really feel like going into, so he simply didn't. It was good not to care about actually giving answers sometimes. "I guess this is how they'll tie that in with the life of Mr. Bolger. I'm not going to complain about it however. I think the people from my world would find it odd actually having to look at my face all the time."

Especially since none of them had ever seen it, except for Jiraiya, possibly. Somehow though, Kakashi doubted the sannin really cared that much.

Suspicious.

That was the only thing Artemis could think when Kakashi didn't elaborate, but he wasn't about to push it. He had no reason to, after all. If the man wanted to wear a mask all the time, he was perfectly within his rights to do so.

"I understand your point," Artemis said with a smile, pausing with his fork just above his plate. "Most of the people I deal with back home find my appearance strange, considering--"

Artemis' shoulders tensed a little and his expression became intently focused and startled at the same time. Something was falling. Something like... rocks. And there were two different emotions that he was hearing, but he could feel the rocks and--

The boy shook his head, massaging the bridge of his nose for a moment. It was coming from him--from Kakashi. "I'm sorry, what were you saying just now?"

Well that was curious. Kakashi had noted a few details about Artemis's appearance that could very well be labeled odd, but it didn't compare to the way the boy just suddenly stopped and stared. It was more than a little strange, and Kakashi watched Artemis's expression carefully to see if there were any hints as to what he might be thinking.

At least, something beyond a headache.

"I wasn't saying anything, Artemis-kun. You were." He still smiled, but Kakashi's concern was fairly evident as he leaned across the table. "Are you all right? You zoned out for a moment there."

Artemis nodded, trying to mentally shove the noise to some other, faraway place in his head. It was starting to become overwhelming again. It was always quieter when he was in his room, but the noise was grating on his nerves, and it felt like the last few were ready to give up the ghost. He couldn't go insane, though. He had to stay solid and on track.

I'm special, I do not make mistakes.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. I thought I heard someone," he said with a smile. "Someone who I thought was gone."

Complete lie, but it could be backed with evidence--and Artemis had a feeling that not even Schuldig would tell Kakashi the truth of what was going on.

"Anyway... yes. You've no doubt picked up on the fact that I am not an ordinary fourteen-year-old. This tends to throw most people for a loop." That's what he had been saying. "And I've caught some people looking at my eyes as well--" Like Disraeli, but he really didn't want to think about that. "--so I can understand where you're coming from," he finished with a smile.

Hearing things? "You might want to be careful who you say that around. Some people might start thinking you belong here." It was a plausible enough explanation, especially since Kakashi himself hadn't heard anything too unusual over the noise around them--girl standing on the table aside. So since he had no reason not to believe it, Kakashi accepted the answer for now.

As for the part about being something other than ordinary, well--the jounin decided to let Artemis's ego (in fine health, apparently) have it's say. He'd been thinking more about the physical characteristics, such as Artemis's eyes and the oddity of the fingers on the boy's right hand. "Ha ha. Well, I've known quite a few people your age, and younger, who weren't what you'd call 'ordinary.' I guess I'm like that too, even now." Because despite not being an old man, Kakashi was still quite a bit beyond 14.

But that bit of ego had also shown Kakashi something else, and he decided to make a guess. "So, someone who isn't ordinary decided to sit with me, and without a nurse's prompting. Does that mean there was something specific you wanted to talk to me about?" It didn't seem in character for an egotistical person to do something at random, after all. And if there was something specific, that would lead to more questions, not the least of which was learning just what had made Artemis take an interest in him in the first place.

Artemis looked a little annoyed at the suggestion that he belonged in such a place, but he supposed it was a fair warning. Still, he didn't much care what people thought of him. Those that mattered knew what had happened and why he would suddenly tense for apparently no reason. Those that had carried him out of that room knew that he was hearing someone suddenly scream, or be killed, or start moaning about how terrible their life was. And it wasn't as though he was doing a stellar job of convincing the staff that he wasn't insane, and frankly he didn't think he could. So what was the harm in pretending he was a paranoid schizophrenic? Or suffering multiple personalities? None really, in the long run.

"I was curious," Artemis said. "And it concerns one of the people my age--one who isn't exactly 'ordinary'. I saw you sitting with him this morning." He tilted his head a little, looking at Kakashi curiously. "It seemed as though you knew Haku. Do you?"

Oh boy. Kakashi was thankfully very good at concealing his expression, and his smile remained unchanged even as Artemis brought up Haku of all people. Speaking with someone from his own world, it might not have been such a big deal to Kakashi. Even talking to someone like SubZero might not have marked the topic as particularly unsafe, as ninja had a way of understanding how the matter of death worked. But he'd literally just met Artemis, and Kakashi had no way of knowing what the boy thought of Haku. If they were actually friends, Artemis would be none-too-pleased to learn that Kakashi had been the one to kill him.

Which was why it was very easy to decide that he wasn't going to tell Artemis that little detail, much less mention the death itself, if he could avoid it.

"I do, yes. He and I are from the same world." Well, depending on what Artemis knew about Haku, he probably also knew certain details about Kakashi too. No point in hiding them. "He's a very respectable ninja, and a formidable one at that. Why do you ask?"

"He's my roommate," Artemis replied without hesitation. "And a good friend. He looked upset about something... and I wondered if it had to do with Momochi Zabuza's disappearance."

Kakashi seemed like a nice enough person--which made Artemis all the more wary--but if Haku saw fit to sit down and eat with him, then Artemis didn't have anything to worry about. He thought. Still, if he wanted the truth, he'd have to be up front about things.

"I'm worried about him," he confessed, looking down at his plate and frowning. "He says he's alright, but I can't help but think that there's something else I can do."

He paused, wondering if he should continue. "If... I mean, did you know him very well? If there's anything that might help, I'd like to hear it..."

So that was it. Kakashi didn't answer immediately, instead taking a long moment to study Artemis. As a ninja, he was naturally suspicious when it came to strangers, since deception was a major element in his life. But Artemis seemed sincere, and honestly worried about Haku. If they were good friends, as claimed, then the boy himself could be one of the best things for the ninja right now.

After all, Kakashi was a bit worried too.

"I'm curious, Artemis-kun. Would you tell me just what Haku-kun told you about his life?" It'd give Kakashi a good place to start so far as what to say and what not to say. After all, he respected Haku, and that meant Kakashi wasn't going to spill everything out just because Artemis had asked. "I need to know what you've already learned so I can best explain things to you."

Artemis took a small breath and let it out, his expression remaining, more or less, concerned. "We've been roommates for... seventeen days. No doubt he's still hiding some things from me--everyone has things they don't wish to discuss--but I know about his village, and the death of his family, and..." Artemis cleared his throat. "What he did before he met Momochi-san, and what he is trained to do now.

"And," he took another deep breath--this was all very hard for him to recount. "And I know that he was killed before he awoke here. That someone... somehow put their hand through his heart."

Which still seemed impossible to him, based on the laws of physics, but if Haku said it happened, then it happened.

Seventeen days could be a very short amount of time, or it could be long enough to form nearly unbreakable bonds; Kakashi had seen it more than once, especially under conditions of high stress. Existing in Landel's was very much like fighting a war, so it wasn't too surprising to hear about a friendship that ran deep enough for Haku to share these details with this boy.

The problem Kakashi faced now was how to proceed. It wasn't that he didn't know what he should say; Artemis's story had a notable gap, and it wasn't the fatal one that had been put in Haku's chest. But revealing the details would make it clear that Kakashi had been there at the very least, and if he wasn't careful, even more. Yet at the same time, if the boy truly wanted to understand the impact Zabuza's disappearance had on Haku, he had to know a bit more about that bloody incident.

"That all sounds right. But did he tell you why he was killed?" Kakashi's voice had taken on a serious tone, and he calmly maintained eye contact with Artemis as he spoke of it. "The blow that pierced his chest wasn't meant for Haku-kun. Zabuza-san had been rendered immobile; he was the one that ninja was trying to kill. But Haku-kun saw the attack coming, and purposely blocked it with his own body. Then even in death, he held on tightly to the attacker's arm, so Zabuza-san might have a chance to kill him instead."

It had been years since that fight, but Kakashi still remembered it well. The feeling of muscle and bone giving way to the force of the raikiri, and the blood that splattered over him. Zabuza's confidence when they all realized what Haku had done. Haku's content smile that lasted longer than his grip.

Those details Kakashi left out. He'd already likely told Artemis too much. "No one compelled Haku-kun to make such a choice. He decided completely on his own to give up his life for the sake of Zabuza-san's victory. That is how important Zabuza-san is to Haku-kun."

If one of Kakashi's goals in telling such a story was to prevent Artemis from eating his fish, it worked. The boy became very pale and not-so-subtly slid his tray to the side.

"Y-yes... he mentioned that he gave his life to save so-someone," Artemis said, taking another shaky breath. He wanted things to be quiet for once--to allow for the proper moment of silence and the ability to think clearly and rationally about this. Haku was alive now and that was all that mattered. "And I figured it was Zabuza-san, given how much Haku reveres and respects him. And how proud he said he'd been, to give his life for the person he'd chosen."

Artemis didn't want to talk about this anymore. It was stirring up memories of Renji and his final moments, as well as thoughts of Hitsugaya's death.

"You... seem to know a great deal about this, though," Artemis said, pushing his tray away a little more and forcing a small laugh. "Were you there?"

That actually hadn't been the reason Kakashi told Artemis those particular details, and the jounin stood up enough to reach across the table and touch the boy's shoulder. "Hey, take some deep breaths if you need to. I know that kind of thing isn't easy to hear about." Really, the situation was serious, but he didn't want to send the kid into a panic attack or anything.

Sighing as he took his seat again, Kakashi kept going. No point in stopping now, especially now that the trauma had started. "The reason I told you all that was to be sure you understood just how much Zabuza-san means to Haku-kun. If you really do get it, then you'll know that all you can do right now is be there for him, and do everything you can to keep yourself safe." After all, considering everything that Haku had told Artemis, Kakashi suspected the boy was someone else who mattered a great deal to the ninja. Losing the two people he'd come to value most wouldn't leave Haku in a good place, and that could turn out to be fatal.

He hadn't forgotten the way Haku had tightened his hold on the fork that morning.

Then came the question Kakashi was expecting, and one he waved off with a dismissive flick of his hand. "When famous ninja are defeated, the story tends to spread rather quickly." Which was very true, and hopefully enough to satisfy Artemis. The boy didn't want to know the truth; Kakashi was sure of it, especially considering how he reacted to just hearing scant details. What would he do if he realized he'd been sitting across from the actual killer for a good portion of a meal?

Artemis looked up when Kakashi when his shoulder was touched. He'd gotten used to such displays of concern, but the fact that he'd only known Kakashi for so long made him a little uncomfortable. But he appreciated the gesture.

Keeping himself safe, however, might prove to be a little tricky. That is, if Haku wasn't around him. If Haku was there, anything that tried to get within ten feet of Artemis would probably be systematically cut into julienne fries. And that was probably because Artemis was... the only one left? Could he say that? No, Haku had plenty of people around him. Artemis just happened to be the only one who held him and kissed him and promised unending protection once they escaped.

He hoped...

"That makes sense," Artemis said, nodding and giving Kakashi a weak smile. "Both points, I mean. I've been trying, as of late, to be a source of support--though I haven't been very successful, I'm afraid. Though he keeps telling me I'm doing alright."

Artemis lived in the underground, where the mere mention of Butler's name made bodyguards refuse jobs and move someplace remote--like the Sahara. It made sense to him that something like this would be passed around, though he didn't like to think of such a thing being used as a form of entertainment.

"When these stories get passed around, how is he portrayed? If you don't mind my asking?"

Artemis seemed accepting enough of Kakashi's answers, and the jounin certainly wasn't going to press his luck too much in that regard. Confirmation that Kakashi had indeed been at the scene of Haku's death only made the leap to the truth that much shorter, and it wasn't something Artemis needed to hear then.

But there words the boy was looking for, and Kakashi chuckled softly when Artemis gave him his weak smile. "Artemis-kun, to be blunt, there's only so much you can do in a situation like this. For the people we care for, we want to be able to make all of their pain vanish." Like for Naruto, who Kakashi would have to seek out himself during the final shift, it seemed. "But that's just not possible, and I'm afraid you'll have to accept that. Otherwise, instead of being offered comfort, Haku-kun will end up attempting to comfort you. That seems like quite a selfish thing to ask of someone who has already lost so much to me, even if you don't realize you're doing so."

Which Kakashi could already tell was the case. Strange how it worked: that people so desperate to help would do the opposite when they failed for the perfect success they tried to achieve. Another side-effect of the healthy ego, maybe?

Anyway, the next question Kakashi could at least offer a nicer answer to. His eye grew almost distant as he considered it, and what the man offered wasn't necessarily the same as the rumors that spread through the underground, but it was still the truth. "As a ninja worthy of respect and honor. He was both very kind in his battles, yet at the same time, very fierce and strong. And when it came down to it, Haku-kun gave up everything to protect the person he admired most. If you met Zabuza-san, you got an idea of his personality. But even he was moved by Haku-kun's pure devotion, to the point of tears."

That... hit a little too close to what had happened last night. Artemis' eyes narrowed and he looked down at the table. "I know that," he said shortly. "But I can't exactly claim that I know everything about the situation. Until a few days ago, the only person who'd ever comforted me was myself--which means that I wasn't exactly reaching out to help anyone else, either." Not without a deal, at least. "I've been trying so hard to put aside everything for him, but I just... can't. It's too much to shove into a dark corner and leave."

This was a dark period--for both of them. Both he and Haku had lost people they cared about, and Artemis couldn't even control his own body anymore. Neither one was suited to hold up the other. And though Artemis pretended, for all he was worth, that he could help Haku through this, it only resulted in breaking points such as last night. He would snap and resent the person for not recognizing how fragile he was at this point. It was a grim situation with no good solution. Artemis simply had to learn how to not break as often. People needed him, they didn't need someone who wouldn't come out of their room.

Artemis nodded, seemingly unfazed by the idea of Zabuza crying. Perhaps because it was a blank void in his head where information should have been... he just couldn't imagine it seriously. "As it should be," he said. "I would be upset if anyone thought otherwise."

Artemis's spark of temper didn't get much more than a raised eyebrow from Kakashi; thankfully, at least one of them did have experience dealing with this sort of thing. Not that Kakashi's results had exactly been spectacular, but hopefully Artemis would be at least a little less stubborn than Sasuke. Whether he was or not, Kakashi had learned an interesting fact; Haku apparently wasn't the only one suffering. Artemis hinted that he had his own issues, though Kakashi couldn't yet guess as to what those were.

"It takes a lot of practice to be able to do something like that." Kakashi would know, since he was the type of person who could smile as he told someone that everyone he'd loved about had been killed. "And a certain type of person, I think. But if something happened to you, I'd imagine Haku-kun would be able to pick up on it. So it's probably that he's doing his best not to burden you."

Hiding everything they were feeling. Somehow, Kakashi doubted that this was the best approach to things, but the one they were most likely to attempt to take. "Whether or not you can push it aside, Artemis-kun, you're the only one who can move past it. Whatever has happened to you, either you'll be consumed by it, or you'll overcome it. But you're the one who chooses which path you go down, even if your friends scream at you to pick differently." And if he was lucky, those screams would get through, even if it took a few years.

At least he seemed to accept Kakashi's story about the rumors being spread. Thankful for that, the jounin nodded, but held his tongue when it came to asking just what Artemis might do even if he was upset. Some buttons just didn't need to be pushed.

Artemis was growing steadily more and more annoyed with the direction the conversation was taking. He knew that Haku wasn't trying to burden him, and Haku knew that something was terribly wrong with Artemis. And to make things worse, Haku also knew that Artemis was pretending that nothing was wrong, when he knew something was terribly wrong with him--and thus Haku worried.

There was no solution to this problem. It was a vicious circle, with the two of them trying so hard to fix the other and appear fine at the same time. And neither one wanted to be the one to give in and lean on the other, when they knew that the other boy was silently suffering their weight.

"Well I don't anticipate losing," Artemis said with finality. "It's not an option. So I don't have multiple paths to chose from: there is only one."

Kakashi could pick up on Artemis's growing annoyance fairly easily, but he didn't comment on it. He might have been calmly eating throughout the conversation, except that his option hadn't changed from bastardized tempura that was going nowhere near Kakashi's mouth. So instead, he once again pulled out his copy of White Fang and began reading. It wasn't as if he'd stopped paying attention to the conversation, or that he was even paying less attention.

But he did decide that he should get another book from the library soon.

"That sort of thinking can be dangerous." Kakashi turned a page, addressing Artemis without looking up. "If you happen to pick the wrong path. I've heard more than one person say there's only one road open to them, only to have those people meet a tragic end. But! That sort of determination is important to have too." The jounin lowered his book just enough to look at Artemis over the top edge, clearly smiling at the boy even if only his eyes could be seen. "I wish you good luck, Artemis-kun. I'm hoping Haku-kun recovers from this as well...and you, from whatever it is you've suffered."

A muscle went in Artemis' face when Kakashi opened his book and began reading of all things. Honestly, would it kill Kakashi to put off reading until he wasn't having a conversation with someone? Kakashi had no idea that Artemis hated it when people wouldn't even look at him while speaking--as though he wasn't worth the effort.

No doubt Kakashi had noticed Artemis' irritation, mostly because the boy had made no move to hide it. He had no reason to, after all. He wasn't trying to win Kakashi's favor.

Artemis looked back at Kakashi coolly, down at the spine of the book, then back up at him.

"Jack London is a terrible writer. I wonder why you would even bother," he said, trying to hold Kakashi's eyes.

That seemed to have touched a nerve. Unfortunately for Artemis's pride, Kakashi wasn't particularly bothered by the boy's dislike of his hobby. If he let little things like that get under his skin, Kakashi would always be on time, and as experience proved, that only made people think he was suspicious. Of course, maybe it would have helped if Artemis knew that Kakashi was still paying attention to him, along with being able to take note of a few other things in the cafeteria. The benefit of being a capable ninja.

"The nurse picked it out for me on my first day. They didn't have any of the series I normally like to read." Which Artemis was far too young for; Kakashi made note to not go into detail about the Icha Icha books with him. He also didn't look into Artemis's eyes as he spoke; if he was going to get something different, he'd want to finish this book before the day was out. "And even if she hadn't, the title would have been enough to get my attention had I seen it. But I was thinking of picking out something different to read. Do you have any suggestions?"

Artemis narrowed his eyes again. "Michel Foucault," he said, fully intending to torture Kakashi in the long run. "Anything by him is quite interesting--especially The Panopticon. Or The Order of Things." The boy smiled, secretly envisioning Kakashi staring at the impossible prose, unable to make any sense of it.

He wasn't exactly sure why he was still sitting there if Kakashi was intent on reading instead of talking. Especially when he hadn't gotten much more than a lecture from the man--Artemis still had no clue how to go about fixing the situation. But he noted, with some small strain of satisfaction, that this obviously meant that he knew everything that Kakashi knew about Haku--and probably more. Which left him to figure out things on his own. Predictable, honestly. What could he expect from a person who thought it was appropriate to read in front of a new acquaintance?

Artemis began looking around the room, debating whether or not he should just spout out the ending of the book--to show Kakashi the same courtesy, of course. It might not change anything though, and Artemis didn't care if all he wanted to do was read or lecture someone.

He caught sight of Haku, his eyebrows coming together a little. The nurse had said that he and Haku had the same doctor now. Which meant that, possibly, Haku would be seeing Disraeli next shift. He seemed happy enough now--Artemis could only hope that the appointment had already happened.

The boy sighed and turned back to Kakashi. "I have a question for you, actually."

"I'll ask if they have that, then. Thanks." What Artemis thought of Kakashi's renewed reading really didn't matter to the jounin so much. The important thing was that he wasn't pressing Kakashi for further details about Haku's death, or asking if he knew who'd actually done the deed. Not that Kakashi would tell Artemis, but it'd be a bit of a pain to talk his way around it without seeming too suspicious.

But any inclination to relax was very short lived; Artemis had taken a hard look at Haku, and then decided to ask Kakashi a question. It was all the jounin could do not to roll his eyes in less-than-eager anticipation for just whatever thought it was that had crossed the boy's mind. "Then I'll do my best to give you an answer. What is it?"

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