damned_institute | Day 51: Breakfast

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Day 51: Breakfast

Yuffie Kisaragi, indomitable bouncing ball of sunshine and unfathomable ebullience, was tired. It'd been a long night full of gibberish and getting nowhere fast.

"Can't I—"

Plucky, who had been busily loading a plate full of French toast and bacon, tittered. "I'm afraid not, Hanna, darling. A chat over a nice, hearty breakfast would do you a world of good, don't you think?"

"Aaaaactually—"

"Come on, let's find you a seat. Plenty to choose from this morning!"

For a long moment, Yuffie seriously considered doing something—anything—to act out. Punch her nurse, rub jam in an orderly's face, climb a wall and hang off the ceiling, jump on a table and parody Loveless… A ruckus like that would definitely jolt her back into gear, right? Sedation aside. And it'd turn Plucky's good day right on its head, which was always a bonus worth shooting for.

But, by the time she'd reached a decision—and it was an epic decision, a really awesome one; everybody'd appreciate the genius, she was sure—she was already alone. Her breakfast tray had been set down neatly by the nurse, who had left with an infuriatingly winsome smile.

"Wow," Yuffie muttered. Shaking her head, she picked a chair at random and threw herself into it. She kicked back, one arm slung across her eyes, to wait. For what, she wasn't totally sure. Some moron to decide that she looked like good company? That was how it usually went.

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After the eighth release seal, Gaara was accepting that this was not merely an illusion. The fact of the shift between night and day was more of a shock. Minato had spoke of differences but this was more severe than a simple change of pace. In between one second and the next, he was lying on his back in the same room he had found himself in before. If not a genjutsu, it was something else near to that.

The apparent change of time kept some things the same. The feel of chakra muted and restrained, both his and the Shukaku's. It was off-balancing, and Gaara felt the prickle of nervousness from the night before returning. Even the threat of powerlessness was a heavy motivator. His mind moved to test possibilities only to fall short. As with last night--he had far too many questions and little to no answers. The room he found himself in gave nothing away. A few items and uniformed clothes. He was fingering the pens when the knock came at the door--something the nurse should have been thankful for. If she had came barging in, he would have reacted, muted chakra or no.

As it was, he stared at her hostilely, and then past her at the orderly watching him. "There's no need to worry," the woman said, falsely cheerful. From the reaction, it wasn't Gaara who was worried. "I was just going to take you to breakfast. You're hungry, aren't you?" She smiled, the expression plastic. There was too much, of irritation and habits pressing forward, to completely throw out the idea of attacking. To move past this pair and seek out his own path. As if the orderly saw the option move through his eyes, the man shifted to reveal two more large men behind him. At least they had studied well enough. To understand that Gaara was a threat despite apparent weaknesses. He stood there as minutes ticked carefully by, weighing the situation. Eventually he moved forward, eying each carefully.

If Minato had been here for a time, then it could be reasoned that Gaara would do well to attempt to learn more about his surroundings. If another opportunity came again, he could take it. For now, he moved to the large room offered, where a plethora of people were seated at tables with more coming in. He himself sat at one, watching the tray placed in front of him. He was not hungry. And he wouldn't so easily trust anything given to him.

[for Naruto]

Naruto was surprised to wake up back in his room. Wait! They'd been fighting! How the hell did he wake up from the middle of a battle!

This place was so screwed up.

He ignored the nurse, more or less, but sulked off to the cafeteria behind her. He was really getting tired of there not being any ramen. The food wasn't awful, but it wasn't something he wanted to eat forever, either. And damn that old short guy for holding them up! They would have really gotten somewhere, like over the wall! Maybe Sakura-chan would help him out again tonight.

Sakura-chan.

He was getting along pretty well with her lately! That brightened his spirits enough to put a smile back on his face. He wasn't quite as optimistic as before, but there had to be a way out of here. They just had to find it.

Naruto got his food and looked around the cafeteria. No familiar pink hair, and no familiar black hair, either. He didn't even see that perverted hermit around here yet.

Wait! Was that..?

He'd heard that there were mostly Konoha-nin here, but he would have recognized that red hair and tattoo anywhere!

He made his way across the room to where Gaara was and sat down across from him without waiting for an invitation.

"Hey! Hey, did you just get here? No one mentioned you to me yet!"

He kind of hoped that Gaara had just gotten here, because then he would get to be the one to tell someone else something, when usually it was the other way around. YES!

...He didn't stop to think that more shinobi showing up was, in fact, not a really good sign.

People had trailed in, some moving to the food line automatically and others being escorted to a seat. The way others acted seemed to differ highly, but the balance of power was perfectly clear. Even those who seemed to resent the treatment did so grudgingly. It told him more than he had known. That there were worse threats in store that he didn't know about.

As it was, watching the people came in gave him warning. His mind severed and went in two different direction at the bright blond hair making its way towards him. Because it was Naruto. Because Naruto couldn't possibly be here. Green eyes widened, and he watched the other sit across from him, acting as if they were supposed to be here. Or even that it was something planned. Surprise took the form of silence. If Naruto was here, what did that mean? Did he, too, feel like his chakra was being held in check? Did he know anything about where they were?

In the end, none of those made it past his lips. Despite his characteristic stoicism, what he said held no purpose. An observation made apparent. "...You're taller."

Naruto looked genuinely confused by Gaara's response. Of all the things to say, he'd commented on his height?

"What? No I'm not. I wish I was! But I just saw you a few months ago! I'm not taller."

He peered at Gaara, narrowing his eyes, trying to figure out if there was something different about him. Was there? He wasn't sure. Maybe he was remembering something else, or he was just plain wrong. But anyway, that didn't really matter. Gaara was just Gaara, and now he could join their team effort to get the hell out of this place! That was the most important thing. Naruto had seen Gaara fight, so he knew what a valuable asset he was.

"So you did just get here, right? Did you talk to anyone yet?"

...No, he was. But Naruto had already brushed over the concern. He was right, of course. It had been a few months. But was it normal for Naruto to act so nonchalant with him now? Unsure, Gaara internalized. Was the correct response something in turn, or something not even close? Now, however, was not the time. If Naruto was speaking like that, then the other had at least been here longer than Gaara himself. So he would do well to gain information.

"Yes, I did," he answered quietly. "I spoke with someone last night, but they had no explanation." He leveled his gaze at Naruto. "Why are we here?" More to the point, how had they gotten here? It still was discomforting.

Naruto paused, swallowed the bite of food he'd been busily chewing, and thought for a second.

Actually, he didn't know why they were here. He hadn't really thought to ask, and no one had offered that information. That was kind of strange, now that he thought about it. Everyone had been pretty informative up to now, so why hadn't they mentioned the why?

He smiled, apologetically. "Well, um! Um, I don't know why. I just know that this so-called doctor guy brought us all here. Even people who are dead, but no one told me how they did that. It's really hard to get out, too, because you wake up back in your bed even if you're in the middle of a fight or something! But don't worry. We'll figure out how to get out! It can't be that impossible."

His question hadn't been answered, but Naruto had given away more in the few sentences spoken. If the one in charge was a doctor, experiments would be a heavy reason. Especially if both he and Naruto were here. Though the possibilities there, Gaara did not want to touch on. With both the Kyuubi and the Shukaku, there would be a fearsome amount of destructive power. Let alone the amount of other people here. If they all held something of use as well, something similar. It would be a military force beyond all reckoning.

He brought his attention back to focus. Waking back up explained the morning's sudden shift. If that was perfectly normal, it would most likely get in the way of anything one tried to accomplish. As well as keeping them here. His mouth twisted into a slight frown, considering. There were a few things he needed clarified. Naruto had mentioned ones who were dead. "...A resurrection technique?" Forbidden, but that had not stopped others before.

But more to the point. "Are there others here as well?" Mentioning 'they' would give hints to that, but he had to make certain. As well as something that had been plaguing him. He glanced over the room as he spoke, voice carefully neutral. "Have you noticed anything different about your chakra?"

[if that BIG REVEAL is too much, let me know, and I'll edit it so Naruto doesn't mention it.]

"I guess it must be, but who can do something like that? I mean other than old lady Chiyo did to you. But that meant she had to die, too, so I don't know how it's possible!"

He tapped his fork on his chin for a second, thinking. His thoughts sort of trailed off at Gaara's question, though.

"Huh? Oh. Oh! Um, let me see...Ero-sennin is here, and Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-chan, and Sasuke, and Shikamaru, and Sai, and I think that's it! I haven't heard anyone else."

He grinned, glad he was able to give that information, then stopped.

"Oh! Yeah! Kiba is here too."

There! That was everyone! At least, he hoped he'd gotten everyone. He couldn't think of anyone else that had been mentioned, and he hadn't spoken to all of them himself. Oh well, close enough.

[haha, as long as that one thing isn't mentioned, I'm fine. yay, confusion!]

Part of his mind took the list Naruto was expanding on and detailed it away. The other was specifically focused on the first three sentences Naruto had said. Chiyo.... The name was known to him. One of the village elders who did not want or like Suna's cooperation with other villages. She was caught in the past, as things were. But that was not the point, was it?

There was no need to affirm, ask 'what'. Gaara's question had led to Naruto's answer--the conclusion was that she did something that had to do with that. No, more, if he was truthful. If he believed Naruto, she had did that to him.

When? How? The possibility of that was too slim to stand by itself. Slowly, he asked, "Naruto.... What did Chiyo-baa-sama do?"

Naruto titled his head, confusion plain on his face.

"What, how did you forget? Akatsuki did something to you, where they...what is it called...they extracted Shukaku from you. And you..."

He trailed off and looked down at his food. This was hard to get into. He didn't like to think about someone he cared about dying.

"She had to give her life to bring you back," he said. He was no longer smiling, and his voice had dropped some.

He wanted to get home and show those Akatsuki guys once and for all that they couldn't just keep doing this to people. He wanted to get Sasuke to come home with them, so he wouldn't be tied up with Akatsuki anymore.

He wanted everything to be right, and as long as they were stuck here, it wouldn't be.

This was heard above all else. "They extracted Shukaku from you." The result of that--his own death--and what Chiyo-baa-sama had done--give her own to bring him back (but the why, he couldn't ascertain)--those things had become clear. The words said, though. Those were shaking and doubted beyond anything. If anyone but Naruto had said it.... And even then, the question of why he had spoken something so untrue.

Obviously shaken, but still maintaining a reserve, he shook his head. "Nothing was extracted." His hand rose to lay against his chest. "It's still here." The possibility of it being extracted... For a moment, Gaara couldn't begin to fathom it.

Edited 2010-08-16 05:30 (UTC)

Naruto looked genuinely confused.

"What, really? Hey, does that mean those Akatsuki guys were lying to us? I was pretty sure they took it out, though. But that's great! If they were just lying, maybe there' not as big of a threat as I thought!"

He felt like there was something seriously off about all this, but he was trying to remain optimistic about it. There was a lot he didn't know, anyway. Somehow they were just...on different pages, somehow?

He wished Kakashi or Sakura was around just then. One of them would probably know what to do.

The name came as familiar and nothing more. A byword, perhaps said in passing. More to the point was the other's insistence on the incident in question. If Gaara had died, he would think he would have remembered it. Something else then. A trick? A genjutsu? Having something be seen... But why his own death? And if he went in that vein, why hers?

Genuinely confused, Gaara shook his head again, stoicism crumbling as time passed. Firmly, he held to the prior subject. "Nothing happened to me." With this Akatsuki mentioned and anyone else. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, because it did happen, of course! Akatsuki went to the Sand and kidnapped you, and we had to come rescue you. Old lady Chiyo didn't want to help at first, but she finally did, and then we got there, and...like I told you!"

He was still really confused. How come Gaara didn't remember? Did coming back to life mean you wouldn't remember something?

He was about to say something else, but the nurse came and interrupted them. Apparently it was time to go.

"Hey, hey, wait! Gaara, do you want to come find me later? I'm in M94 okay?"

[I figured this was the easiest way for YOU KNOW WHAT to not come up. :D;;]

[XDD true. sorry. =P]

None of that made any sense. Kidnapped. Rescued? How did any of that...? His musings were interrupted by a woman appearing at the table to duplicate the actions of others trailing from the room. They were to go somewhere else then. His head still fought against the explanation given to him, but he nodded anyway. A room number. As long as nothing else came up, he would go there later.

There was still too much that didn't make any sense.

Naruto wanted to keep talking, but the nurse sure was in a hurry. He just hoped Gaara would remember his room number so they could talk later.

In the meantime, he'd try to get in touch with Sakura and see where to go from here.

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Day 51: Breakfast

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