damned_institute | Night 44: M41-M50 Hallway

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Night 44: M41-M50 Hallway

"Stop calling me Greg, it's weird!" Raz protested, but predictably his words were ignored, and the nurse left with his roommate without a sound. The door closed shut, and he was alone once again.

The events that occurred this dinner shift played through his mind over and over again, though he very much didn't want them to. It was bad enough that he got trapped here in the first place, but couldn't he have at least got a friendlier roommate? Really? Was that so much to ask for?

As he contemplated how to deal with this problem, it seemed that all he did was blink, and then the room was dark. The lock unclicked, and Raz knew what that meant.

"Time to get to work," he said to himself, as he grabbed his flashlight and headed out the door.

[to here]

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The metaphor didn't entirely make sense to Hanatarou, and he blinked quizzically at Artemis before realizing that he was being guided over toward where Haku sat. At that point he glanced from one to the other, the words finally sinking in, and he perked up a little in sudden interest.

"Acupressure...like, um, spirit points?" he asked, looking wide-eyed at Haku. "I, uh...er, learned about that, but..." It hadn't even occurred to him to try that here, considering most of the injuries he'd dealt with so far. He was foolish, wasn't he? Such a worthless healer.

"I don't really know what 'spirit points' are," Hake said, shifting to make room, "But I think they might be similar. I can't use them properly, as I don't have full use of my power here."

He held up his hands to show that they were empty. "But I'd like to try?"

"Well, considering how different your worlds must be, the technique can't be exactly the same. At least I would wager it isn't exactly the same," Artemis offered, trying to quash whatever doubts Hanatarou was undoubtedly feeling about Haku using a technique he already knew on him.

"In some ways, Hanatarou, being here is a gift to those of us who are willing to learn from others," he said with a smile. In fact, if one ignored the fact that they were all prisoners against their will and couldn't come and go as they pleased, being amongst those from other worlds wouldn't have been all that bad.

Noticing the invitation inherent in Haku's gesture, Hanatarou cautiously settled on the edge of the bed just in case he'd actually been mistaken. "Um...I'd be curious to see?"

His curiosity about what Haku meant was enough to distract him a bit from the headache which was, indeed, rather strong at the moment. At least his nose had stopped bleeding, so clearly he was just about ready to leave. As soon as he'd seen the demonstration, at least.

Reaching out, Haku settled a light, cool hand on Hanatarou's arm and smiled. "Tell me if you want me to stop and I will. No hard feelings."

He carefully took the healer's hands in his own and quickly found and pressed on the correct points to ease the pain the young man had to be feeling. He couldn't have done anything for the nosebleed, so he was glad it had stopped, though knowing it had happened in the first place was frustrating. After a few moments, Haku's hands moved to touch a few more spots on Hanatarou's arms, his hands getting a bit colder as he worked.

Hopefully, it would work as well on a Healer as on Artemis, but when Haku had done all he could, he drew back his hands and folded them neatly in his lap.

[skipping Arty with permission]

Hanatarou watched Haku work with complete fascination, only halfway aware that the work was being done on him. It was similar to the technique he knew, but subtly different, and it completely distracted him from the pain - until he realized that the treatment had worked and there wasn't as much to notice anyway.

He blinked down at his arms, then glanced up again and offered Haku a shy smile. "That's amazing, Haku-san. Thank you." And if he didn't have to wait a minute to recover, he could hurry off and find the rest of the group, who were undoubtedly waiting for him by now. However long it had been.

Haku smiled and bowed his head. "Perhaps when you're not in a hurry, I can show you a bit?" He settled back and nodded at the door.

"I don't want to keep you from your appointments though. Thank you for letting me help Hanatarou-san."

"Thank you for your assistance, Hanatarou. I really do appreciate it," Artemis assured him. He was glad that Haku had been able to deal with the healer's headache--not only because it would leave Hanatarou fresher for whatever Homura had in mind, but also because wandering around alone at night while compromised was never a good idea. Hanatarou had grown on Artemis, insecurities and all. If he were prone to thinking things were adorable, Hanatarou might have been one of those things.

"Haku's right, though, I don't want to keep you from Homura for too long. Something tells me that he isn't particularly pleasant when things don't go as planned," he said with a smile. "But if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

The reminder that he really did have somewhere to go caught Hanatarou up short; he would have liked to talk to Haku some more, but he really should wait until there was more free time. During the day, maybe, and maybe he should ask if Haku was free tomor--no, he needed to go. He was already late enough and Homura was probably going to be unhappy.

It didn't help matters any that Artemis also seemed to think Homura was the grumpy type. Hanatarou hastily rose again and stepped back, pausing to bob a bow to each of the pair. "Um, I was glad I could help. A little. And thank you for your help, Haku-san." He smiled a little, shyly, then grabbed up his sword again and scurried off.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/728500.html?thread=60624308#t60624308)]

Haku watched him go with a small smile. Honestly, that young man was just begging for someone to come along and kill him. It made Haku feel a bit protective, but he didn't think he could handle following around two people with limited defensive skills. ~~no offence meant of course~~

He looked up at Artemis. "I hope he doesn't get into too much trouble," he said.

"He's protected," Artemis said, moving back to the bed once Hanatarou had gone and he'd closed the door. "Not only is he working with the History division, he's from the same world as Hitsuagaya and the other shinigami.

"I will admit, though, it is a little endearing that he has so little self-esteem, considering the things he can do," he said with a small laugh. Artemis couldn't imagine not taking pride in what one did--but he did tend to associate with a lot of people who knew what they were doing and knew that they knew what they were doing. It was... interesting to meet someone who thought he was useless when he was so useful.

"Keeping someone in that sort of mentality is an excellent way to keep control over them," Haku pointed out. He was smiling however.

"He's a good person though and very useful to know."

Artemis chuckled a little. "Well, you know how I feel about 'controlling' people. And there's the question of mind over matter," he said, sitting down on the bed. "If Hanatarou's ability is useful and finely tuned now, think of what it would be like if he didn't doubt himself--if he didn't hold back while thinking he was going to fail. I think he would increase his ability threefold."

He frowned a little at the ceiling. "It's the 'good person' part I worry about, though. He's involved in a tug-of-war right now between Hitsugaya the Second and Homura. No doubt they both make him nervous, and I'm afraid that his decision won't be his own when he makes it."

"Good people are usually being manipulated by someone. It's how things work." Haku smiled and then turned most of his attention to his injuries,flexing his shoulders carefully and moving his leg.

"Still, he is good. If he's this skilled here, in his world he must be quite impressive."

"Who knows, really. Hitsugaya told me he was skilled, but Hitsugaya never was one to do anything but understate what was worthy, and overstate the severity of situations."

Artemis fell silent for a moment, folding his hands in his lap and looking at them.

"Is it terrible that I miss him, even though he's returned?" he asked.

Haku thought about that, then shook his head. "No," he said, shaking his head. "You miss the young man that you met and grew to know. While this returned man shares the face and the past of the old, he lacks the experiences that created the man you knew and respected."

Artemis nodded. "You're right. And I know you're right but it's still... strange to feel as though someone you're seeing right before you is still dead. Even if he seemed a bit jumpy around you."

It was strange. Artemis had never encountered the death of someone close to him until Renji and Hitsugaya. Even when his father was declared dead, he refused to believe it. Perhaps that was supposed to be a stage of grief, but Artemis had never shed a tear for the death of his father--because he'd known Artemis Senior had been alive. There was no other option.

"It's been over a week. I shouldn't still be feeling this way. I only knew them for two weeks..."

Death..." Haku paused, having to think carefully over his words. This was a volatile subject for them both.

"Death isn't something that can just be 'gotten over'. It's very hard to move on. Even though you're looking at Hitsugaya-san here, the young man that you knew is gone. He's quite dead." Sighing, the ninja shook his head slightly.

"A situation such as this forges far stronger bonds than if you were to meet someone outside of it. Knowing someone for two weeks in a calm and relaxed setting means that perhaps you are better than acquaintances, but less that good friends. Here, you're at war and allies are found and clung to far more rapidly. Does that make sense?"

Artemis looked up at Haku from being fixated on his hands and his renewed grief. Silently, he moved next to Haku on the bed. He'd read articles about people forming close relationships with people in similar, dire situations. And these relationships tended to be deeper and more emotional than other relationships formed in the same amount of time but in better, more normal circumstances. It didn't take psychological journals and articles for Haku to know this. It must have been some sort of universal truth--which made him feel a little better about suddenly attaching himself to so many people when he'd never done that before.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense," Artemis said, holding Haku's hand again. "I hope you don't think that... just because we've only known each other for about three weeks, that I'm somehow questioning the depth of our relationship."

Haku squeezed Artemis' hand and shook his head. "No, I wasn't." He smiled. "The attachments we make here are no less valid than the ones we make in less strenuous situations."

Shifting slightly, he moved to lean against his friend. "Besides, for me this is the longest time I've spent with someone that wasn't Z-Zabuza-san." He was proud of himself for that. Only the slightest hitch in his breathing saying that name.

[Sorry for the wait!]

Artemis put a hand on Haku's head, gently stroking his hair in a soothing manner. It had only been a few days since Zabuza had been released, but Artemis supposed that for Haku, it seemed like an eternity. All Artemis could do was be as supportive as possible, and hold Haku up when necessary.

"And you're doing brilliantly," Artemis said, turning and kissing the top of Haku's head softly. "You're very strong on your own, Haku, I hope you're learning that as this ordeal wears on."

"And you're being sappy," Haku teased lightly, leaning against Artemis. He didn't want to think about it, since thinking about it made him want to cry or stab things... neither of which would be appropriate considering the situation.

"You're probably right," Artemis said with a soft chuckle. He wrapped an arm around Haku's shoulders, nonetheless. Even if Haku was brushing off what Artemis was saying, he knew that Haku wasn't as solid as he seemed to be when he was teasing him.

"At least you can rest assured that those moments are few and far between?"

Haku wasn't brushing off what Artemis had to say. He was very grateful, though he wasn't sure how to show it. "I suppose," he said, leaning against his friend. "Though it is entertaining watching you from time to time."

He was still hurting, and he didn't think he'd ever stop hurting, but at least he had his friend still, right?

Artemis laughed a little, holding Haku to him gently. "I'm not certain if I should be flattered or irritated that you take pleasure in my overly-sappy comments that I so painstakingly cobble together just for you. Though I suppose its enough to know that I at least entertain you."

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Night 44: M41-M50 Hallway

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