Day 22: Brunch

[dawning-dreams.livejournal.com]

Cid usually liked sleeping in, especially in a place as messed up and uninviting as this, but this happened to be one situation where he really wished he hadn't.

Right there, on the bulletin board. The Head Doctor and he'd fucking missed it? Some part of him wished he'd been there to take his eye out and another part of him knew he wouldn't have been able to. No man that powerful who hid for so long went to dangerous places without some kind of entourage.

Brunch sounded like it'd be filling, at least, though he nearly stopped in his tracks when the bastard announced TEA. TEA. It'd been a damn long while since he'd had some fucking tea, though with all the stress this place had found fit to rain down on his fucking head, it hadn't really been the first priority on his mind. Kinda nice, even if Cid was sure this was just some game the mother fucker was playing to get them all stuck neck-deep in Stockholm Syndrome.

He scanned the mostly-empty room for any sign of a familiar face once he'd piled waffles and sausages and syrup on his plate, though the person he really wanted to talk to was that Reynolds guy. "Spaceship" was the last word he remembered clearly before waking up in his bed, and dammit if he wasn't going to keep it stuck like glue in his mind.

He found a table where he could watch people come into the cafeteria and grabbed for his mug. The steam rising from his drink and the bag of herbs in it was nearly enough to make him grin despite it all, and it was with marked leisure and a little relief that he drank his goddamn tea.

Comments

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

Sasuke set down his tray and sat, making sure to keep his face blank. Time to get this over with.

"Iruka," he nodded at his former teacher. "Sakura. You're new here, then?"

Two things to clarify: one, what they remembered of their world, and two, if they were as drained as the rest of them seemed to be. Some of the other patients had been able to retain some powers, after all. Maybe it was an arbitrary decision?

After that, he wanted to find the girl who'd been screaming that morning.

[she-bloomed.livejournal.com]

Sakura beamed at Iruka. Some things never changed, even when one's surroundings did. It was good to have him here, good to have people at her back like Naruto, Iruka, even Haku seemed particularly helpful! She opened her mouth to reply, to let her former teacher know what she'd found out in her brief stay here, and found herself unable to speak at the sound of that all too familiar voice.

Eyes went wide, and her head refused to turn. She'd seen him in the chapel. How could she be freezing up like this? Hadn't she been prepared?

The grim truth was that she hadn't, or perhaps she simply hadn't been expecting him to actually come over and cross the first boundary. Perhaps Sakura had assumed that she could do so when she was good and ready. After all, it had been two years without a word from him. Why would he care to talk now?

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and quickly composed herself. Sasuke was in the same predicament as the rest of them. No doubt he only aimed to make alliances with those he happened to be familiar with in order to get out of here. It was a cold, thoughtful, intelligent decision on his part. Nothing more.

With her heart set on disappointment, Sakura turned to face him, expression a careful mask even if her eyes betrayed her. And she was sure that they did.

"Sasuke-ku- Sasuke." She kept having to catch herself. "Just today. You?"

[dolphin-king.livejournal.com]

Iruka turned to stare at Sasuke. He hadn't seen the young man since he'd vanished from Konoha that fateful day over two years prior. He'd grown much stronger; that was apparent. Iruka couldn't hide that he was glad to see him doing well, even if it was due to training on the wrong side and for the wrong reasons. He offered him a smile.

"Sasuke. I see you're doing well. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad to see you in good health."

His heart suddenly pounded heavily. Both Sakura and Sasuke were present and accounted for... could this mean...? No. He wouldn't get his hopes up. It was something he'd learned from his time in Landel's. It was pointless to be overly hopeful, but a hope for escape was ever-present. He looked to Sakura.

He hadn't been a Pre-Genin Teacher for as long as he had been for no reason. He could clearly see what she was trying to hide. All of Iruka's instincts screamed to comfort her.

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

Good. He'd expected Sakura to be more reasonable than Naruto, and he hadn't been wrong.

"I've been here two days," he said, starting in on the ramen and ignoring Iruka's sentimental statement. Straight to business, then: "What's the last thing you remember? And how much chakra do you have?"

He paused, and then added nonchalantly, "And did Naruto and Gaara at least get weapons for their wounds?"

[she-bloomed.livejournal.com]

Sakura exchanged a quick glance with Iruka, her eyes mirroring that she was thankful for the very same thing. It was getting harder and harder not to have an outburst, so she re-established her composure and took a deep breath before answering.

Where was Naruto when she needed him?

"I remember going to sleep after a day at the hospital and training with Tsunade-sensei. I didn't detect any use of jutsus or anything... Whoever kidnapped us all was good." The talk of chakra almost made her mouth twitch into a small smile. "I think I could use a little of it if I had a second to concentrate. Naruto said his was sealed, but I don't think that's the case with mine." She forced a short laugh. "I guess now wouldn't be the best time to test out that theory."

All attempts at humor were lost when he casually mentioned Naruto's wounds. Gaara was here too? Why hadn't she noticed that he was hurt?

"Naruto is hurt?" She clenched a fist under the table. "I didn't notice... I might've been able to perform a healing jutsu if I'd known." Realization about the rest of his comment quickly hit her a second later. "But why would they need weapons? I didn't think anyone would let us get our hands on them."

[dolphin-king.livejournal.com]

He couldn't breathe. Naruto was... Naruto was here. Somewhere. Iruka's heart beat so fast against his ribcage he felt it would rupture. The last time he'd seen Naruto was... He clenched his fists, biting his lower lip, trying to work his way out of his shock in order to drive himself to speak.

No words would come. Naruto's chakra had been sealed, just as Iruka's had been. He was hurt, meaning the Kyuubi's chakra wasn't healing him. Iruka felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He shouldn't have been so worried... afterall, Naruto was a young man. He was strong. He could look after himself.

In truth, Iruka couldn't stop worrying. He'd never been good at hiding his emotions, especially when things struck close to home. He looked down at his ramen.

"The last thing I remember is being dragged into a wall while a nurse watched me. I was certain I was going to die. Now I'm here. As for chakra, I have none. Trying to focus it hurts my head, which leads me to believe it's a seal stronger than the ones I've been trained to break." Iruka said in a low voice, trying desperately to mask his concern. He wasn't going to succeed there. He gave Sakura a weak smile, trying to stop himself from making her anxious. "Sakura, you being able to use your healing doesn't surprise me. You always were the top of my class."

He wasn't worried about Sasuke's response. Sasuke had always been rather aloof. Still, the cold demeanor and icy aura he brought with him nearly made Iruka recoil from him. Just what exactly had The Sound done to him?

"Naruto... Naruto is here, is he? With Gaara?" he asked in a small voice, somewhat unlike his own. The worry had raised the pitch slightly, made it shakier. It was embarrassing. He couldn't just ignore what he'd learned though. "He's.. they're hurt, are they? Are they alright?"

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her vague explanation of time. Fine, then, he needed to clarify.

"Have you and Naruto met me yet?" He asked, and then frowned as she revealed that she had use of her chakra.

"The rest of us are completely sealed from our chakra." Not entirely true. He could use Sharingan. For ten seconds. And then he was completely useless. It was equivalent to being completely sealed. "If you can use any, count yourself lucky."

Both of them looked thoroughly panicked at the news that Naruto was injured, which irritated Sasuke. Sakura had just been talking to him; she should have noticed that it wasn't even enough to make him calm.

"Gaara is obviously injured," he said. "Naruto was moving like it. Neither of them are going to die, because the institute is apparently taking care of injuries. We need weapons because monsters and demons come out at night."

All of it was delivered in a deadpan monotone, the expression on his face not shifting between discussing non-fatal wounds and the very real things going bump at night in Landel's.

[she-bloomed.livejournal.com]

Everything Sasuke said just served to confuse Sakura even further. Had she and Naruto met him yet? What was wrong with him? Had Orochimaru used some form of jutsu to scramble his mind or something?

"What are you talking about, Sasuke?" she replied, looking at him like he had three heads. "Naruto has been away training for two years. And I've been busy in Konoha working with Tsunade-sensei. Meeting him was the first I've seen of him in two years." She lowered her eyes, not mentioning their plans to go looking for him together.

"I heard about the chakra issue," Sakura piped up finally, changing the subject as smoothly as she could. "Naruto and Haku have the same problem, but I'm guessing you already know all about that." Thanks to Iruka's efforts, a proud smile managed to find it's way across her face. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei. It took a lot of work, though." She wasn't trying to brag, but at the same time, it was very true. She'd had to provide clear proof that she had precise enough chakra control to manage it.

"Well, at least they'll be alright," Sakura managed quietly before turning to look at Iruka and then Sasuke again in turn. "A-are either of you injured?"

[dolphin-king.livejournal.com]

"It took a lot of work? Sakura, you've never let that stop you before and now is clearly no different. I'm just happy knowing you haven't given up your study habits considering you were one of the few students I had that actually had study habits." he chuckled. Iruka thought about how to answer her question, then answered seriously.

"I'm not injured, no. I woke up without any injuries at all, which is a lot different from my previous location. I'm amazed I don't have..." Iruka let the sentence hang. There was no point in alarming anyone. "No, I'm not injured."

He ate a bit more of his ramen, still worried about Naruto.

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

Sasuke let them talk as he finished his ramen, glancing around the room. The girl they'd met last night was in the cafeteria and talking to someone. Haku was -- Sasuke blinked. Zabuza, too. And causing trouble, apparently.

When he'd said 'not part of the Suna-Konoha alliance,' that hadn't been quite what he'd meant, but it was interesting. He'd talk to Zabuza once he and Haku had figured out what was going on.

"We all come from different times in the same world," he said. "You and Naruto probably come from the same time."

At present, it seemed that Sasuke had the longest 'memory' of them all.

"Where were you before?" He asked Iruka. He hadn't heard of anything happening in Konohagakure, although he hadn't really been keeping tabs.

"I was injured my first night here, but it's healed quickly." Too quickly. If Sakura could use chakra, she'd be useful to have around when the doors unlocked. If, like Naruto, she was still foolish enough to stay around him.

[be-my-tool.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/65478.html?thread=3330502#t3330502")]\

Zabuza was angry now. He wasn't allowed to talk to Haku and Haku hadn't struggled to see him. That could only mean that Haku thought it best he not struggle either.

That meant he would have to find answers elsewhere. He didn't want to talk to those useless brats who had been lead, taught by the Copy Ninja, but they were the only people who he noticed and knew.

He hated this and it was very obvious. Was Haku trying to teach him something?

Screw that.

Zabuza would find his way. He always did.

He moved towards the children and some guy with a scar on his face. The brats had grown, and that unsettled him. How long had he been 'dead'.

"What the hell is going on around here?" he demanded as soon as he was among them. "I'm supposed to be dead not playing with some useless piles of flesh who won't even talk to my own tool."

The one that had heard that Haku was more than a tool to him wasn't here, thankfully, only the completely useless girl and the boy who almost pissed himself the first time they had faced off.

He wondered how strong they were now.

[she-bloomed.livejournal.com]

Unlike some of their more bashful classmates, Sakura was all smiles, a light blush crossing her cheeks at the compliment. It wasn't like she thrived on praise or something as silly as Sasuke's attention anymore, but who didn't like to have their hard work noticed?

"Hey, part of it was having such a good teacher," she assured Iruka with a grin. The way his voice trailed off like that was a little worrisome, but so long as he wasn't gravely injured now...

"The same time?" Sasuke was just getting more and more confusing the longer they spoke. Her heart skipped a beat, and she opened her mouth to ask him exactly what he remembered when a very harsh interruption forced its way into their conversation.

In the form of Zabuza. The ninja that Kakashi-sensei had defeated during that first mission. Green eyes widened and blinked again in confusion at the demand and at the other ninja's presence, but logic dictated that if Haku were here, it would be very possible for Zabuza to be as well. And he certainly didn't seem too happy about it. Sakura frowned at the outburst, not so afraid of him as she might've been a few years ago.

"I'm new here too, so I can't really give you any answers," she snapped, clearly annoyed at the interruption. Had she really expected someone like him to know how to say 'excuse me'? "You should probably calm down and take a seat if you want information. Throwing a tantrum isn't going to help anything!"

[dolphin-king.livejournal.com]

"Sakura, stop." Iruka said seriously, not wanting her to become the victim of what clearly stood out as a not-so-calm individual. He stood up and moved in front of the table to protect his once-students. Iruka wasn't sure who this new person was... but he was certain he'd read about him before. either way, he wouldn't risk anyone being hurt. "Please calm down. We're all in the same boat and fighting now won't help any of us."

He maintained a serious stance, keeping his defenses up.

"Up until only a short time ago, I was dead too I believe. I haven't the slightest idea how any of us came to be here, but I don't believe anyone else has any more of a clue than you or myself." he explained slowly, not wanting to anger the man who looked as if he could snap at any moment. "As for the restrictions being forced upon you by the people here, I think they're ridiculous as well... but this is why it would be best for us all to work together as opposed to separately."

He took a breath, then spoke quietly.

"My name is Iruka. I am a Chuunin of Konoha. These young people were once students of mine, so I tend to get protective of them. I can see that you're strong... I think it would be an advantage to all of us if we worked together." he bowed his head out of respect, eager to end what could be a bad situation.

...it was then he realized that Sasuke might have other thoughts on the matter. He prayed that wasn't the case.

[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

Sasuke was unsurprised when Zabuza arrived at their table -- they were older, but probably still recognizable, after all -- but he was surprised when Zabuza complained that the staff wouldn't let him see Haku.

"They admit that you know each other?" He asked, frowning. "Didn't they give you a fake name and past?"

Sakura's snippy response to Zabuza made Sasuke's mouth twitch for a moment (this was Sakura, the girl whose primary task during their mission had been to stand in front of Tazuna and scream when danger approached?), but he schooled his expression back into blank seriousness within a second. Iruka's words helped.

"You died?" He asked Iruka. If something had happened in Konohagakure that had resulted in casualties, it would have caught Orochimaru's notice. Unless Iruka came from a time later than even Sasuke had. "What do you remember happening in our world?"

He ignored Iruka's offer to work together. He'd work with other shinobi if they happened to meet and have the same goals, as had happened with other patients in the previous nights. Still, he eyed Zabuza with interest. It would be worthwhile to see how much he'd improved compared to someone who had once been outright terrifying. If only there were a way to arrange a fight in this place ...