damned_institute | Day 46: Sun Room

Peter woke up suddenly, his body twisting in the bed and then forcing him to catch his breath in pain. Pain, which was coming from his middle because of the thing that had scratched him last night, and after that...

After that, Zach had jumped in front of him like some kind of martyr, like the exact opposite of everything Sylar stood for, to take the next hit for him. It got pretty fuzzy after that, so night must have ended right around then.

The man let out a pained grunt as he straightened himself up in bed. For some reason, he got the feeling that he'd slept in. There was no way for him to really tell without a window in the room, but he just knew. The fact that Sam's bed looked long since vacated was another clue.

Sam, but was he Sam again? Had the brainwashing worn off, as he and Roland had hoped, or was he going to have to go through this nightmare for even longer? He didn't know how long he could handle "Zach" and "Harrison" before he started going batty himself.

Pulling himself out of bed, Peter lifted his shirt and saw that he was tightly bandaged. The scratch most likely wasn't nearly as bad as the bite that "Zach" had received, but it still smarted. He let his shirt fall and then had to deal with a nurse chiding him for sleeping through the morning announcements. Not that Peter really cared at the moment. He was too busy thinking about last night and the fact that in a way, he now owed something to Sylar. Except it hadn't been Sylar. That was something he was sure of now.

Lost in his thoughts, Peter reached the Sun Room right as the rest of the patient populace was trickling in from breakfast. Sighing to himself, he headed over to the bulletin board and then saw a note written in familiar yet unpleasant handwriting. Holding his pen in a vice grip, Peter scribbled out a reply and then stalked over to an armchair and fell into it with a huff.

While Sylar was maddeningly frustrating, there was one good thing about the fact that he was himself again. It meant that Nathan was too.

[For Spock!]

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“Brainwashed him?” Ryoji asked, something akin to surprise appearing on his face. “Really?”

He wondered why they would brainwash Minato of all people, but the thought was fleeting, barely crossing his mind before he dismissed it. Why wouldn't they brainwash him? He was an interesting guy, but freaking people out seemed a bit...

After a pause, he added, “Is he alright?”

"Yeah, he says he's ok, just got a bad headache from someone knocking him out," Junpei replied. "You know that when I mean they brainwashed him, that means they made him fight against the rest of us, right?"

Ryoji was relieved to hear that Minato was okay, but he hadn't realized that's what Junpei had meant. But for some reason... the idea of that guy fighting something didn't really surprise him that much. He couldn't put his finger on why; it was somehow easy to imagine him fighting (would he use a sword? That seemed to fit the mental image, but so did a gun...), and so he laughed.

“Then maybe I should have asked instead if the people he fought are okay?” he asked cheerfully. “I'm glad to hear he's alright, though. I take it he's not brainwashed now?”

Ryoji was taking this far better than Junpei had expected. Well, he might as well move onto the stickier parts.

"Yeah, he's fine and I think everyone he fought's okay." He paused. "Ryoji... there's something I need to tell you about Minato... and me. And Yuka-tan."

“Oh?” Ryoji's curiosity was piqued. Junpei was his friend, and so were Minato and Yukari (sort of), so if there was something Junpei thought he needed to know about them, he was all ears. “What is it, Junpei-kun?”

Junpei fidgeted a bit before continuing. "NBow, you're probably not going to believe me, but I'm not lying, okay dude? But back home there's this extra hour at midnight called the Dark Hour that most people don't know exists. During the Dark Hour, Shadows come out and attack people. They're the real cause behind Apathy Syndrome."

Steeling himself for the instant disbelief he figured was coming, he said, "There are some of us, me, Minato, Yuka-tan, Mitsuru-senpia, Akihiko-senpai, and some others, that have this ability to fight the Shadows. We call it Persona. It's a manifestation of our psyche and lets us cast magic and stuff. Like, I can set stuff on fire with my Persona."

Ryoji was quiet, mulling over what Junpei had claimed. It sounded crazy (an extra hour, or manifestations of their psyches?)--he knew it sounded crazy--but... It fit somehow. Made sense. Explained that feeling in his gut that said Junpei, Minato, and their friends were somehow different that most people.

...Or maybe it was just the fact that it wasn't the craziest thing he'd heard or experienced lately. 'Crazy-ass powers' landing them all in Okawhiphawpa (or wherever) definitely topped that list.

"No, I believe you," he said finally, smiling cheerfully. "But you've gotta show me what you can do sometime, okay? It sounds pretty cool."

...Ryoji believed him? Junpei blinked and stared at his friend as if he'd grown a third head that was sticking out of his ear.

"Dude... if you're just saying you believe me because you don't want to hurt my feelings, I am so punching you in the nuts."

Ryoji winced at the thought of Junpei's potential retaliation, but then laughed.

"No, I'm not saying it for any reason like that; I really do believe you," he said. "I'm not really sure why, but... I just don't think you're making it up."

...that was way too easy. Junpei was tempted to punch Ryoji in the nuts anyways, but decided not to. It'd just start a painful chain reaction and there were hot girls around. Can't be looking too much like dorks in front of them.

"Okay... it's weird that you believe me, but if you say so..." He then grinned. "And burninating shit is a lot of fun. I'll definitely show you Tris sometime."

"Is it really that weird?" Ryoji asked. If Junpei found it strange to be believed, then why had he shared that stuff in the first place? Had he wanted Ryoji to doubt him?

Ryoji shrugged, taking a moment to scope out the rest of the room. "Tris? Oh, is that the name of your Persona?"

"Well, kinda. I wasn't sure about telling you, but with the crap that happens here and that we sometimes have to use our Personas, I figured it'd be better to tell you now than have you accidentally come across one of us using ours," Junpei replied. "It's normal for people to not believe that their friends have monsters in their heads and that there's an extra hour in the day that no one knows about."

He shrugged. "But okay. And my Persona's name is Trismegistos."

"Oh, you should've explained they were monsters in your heads earlier. Once you put it that way..." Ryoji teased, trailing off with a grin on his face.

"But really, it's no stranger than finding ourselves here--and all from different times--is it? Or your girlfriend coming back to life? I find that harder to believe than an extra hour in the day."

He still hadn't gotten to meet said girlfriend, either. Maybe she was here now? He gave the room another look.

Okay, Ryoji had a point. And Junpei wished he hadn't mentioned Chidori.

"Eh, you have to be 'special' to experience the Dark Hour, so no matter what, unless you've got the 'potential' you never know the Dark Hour exists," he clarified. "Anyways, thanks for believing."

A pause. "Oh, and best not to talk about Personas that much, okay? I'd like to pass on being slapped by Yuka-tan for telling people."

Day 46: Sun Room

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