tenipuri_xp | RP Log: Sengoku, Kaidoh, Ryoma

Date: January 2nd
Rating: G
Summary: Sengoku has had enough - he's going to escape! But he doesn't want to go alone, so he first asks Kaidoh, and then Ryoma, to go with him.

Note: As of January 2nd, Sengoku has escaped from Ryuhana and is on the run.

Christmas. Now, he's had his fair share of bad Christmas Days... like that one time when he'd accidentally set the poor tree on fire, and when he'd drop and subsequently smashed every ornament he'd gotten his hands on, among other things. So, as one could see, Sengoku was no stranger to bad holidays such as Christmas... however, he had to say that this year's Christmas probably topped them all. Sure, they had school off, and sure, they had a pretty nice dinner provided to them for free; however, all that did not make up for the fact that they were being held at Ryuhana against their will. Yeah, he didn't have too many qualms about that prior to his little meeting with Ryoma, but now it irked him, especially when his family had to come visit him as if he were some criminal. They had to be patted down, and the presents had to be checked. Suffice it to say, the Sengoku family was not particularly happy with the way things had turned out, and that did not exclude the mutant of the family.

Of course, it was then that Sengoku decided he would have none of this anymore. He was ready to walk out the door and say, "Peace out," to his non-homies, and well... be free of all that prison crap. However, he couldn't just walk out with a clear conscience just yet.

He knocked on the door with his knuckles, and stared at the paint, hoping its occupant would open it soon; Sengoku was growing antsy.

Kaidoh had been reading a book that his parents had managed to bring him for Christmas when someone knocked at his door – he hadn’t been expecting anyone, and it didn’t sound like Ken’s knock, but still, he couldn’t just ignore it. The guards didn’t knock, and he’d spend enough time alone lately that he wouldn’t mind having someone to talk to. Slipping a piece of paper in to keep his place, Kaidoh set the book on the bed and opened the door to see Sengoku standing on the other side.

“Um… Hi,” he said, his face breaking into a small smile despite the unusual visit. Sengoku had always been really nice to him – they’d gone out for ice cream and hung out before… all of this happened. And Kaidoh missed talking to him, since they hadn’t gotten much chance since everything had gone, well, sort of crazy. But all of this wasn’t getting him any points for being polite – it wasn’t nice to stare at people without inviting them in. “D-do you want to come in?” Sengoku looked kind of fidgety; Kaidoh hoped he was all right.

Seeing his friend's face, Sengoku couldn't help but let a smile slowly show. "Could I? I wanted to talk to you about something," he answered, looking hopeful.

Kaidoh nodded, glad to let his friend in and indicated that he could take the desk chair if he wanted. “Sure, um, anything you want to talk about,” he said, glancing down the deserted hall before shutting the door quietly and turning around to look at his friend. Maybe it was just him, but it sounded like it might be something important, and Kaidoh wanted to make sure that nothing important was overheard. Maybe it was awful to think it, but he really didn’t trust these guards with any secrets. Maybe it wasn’t their job to be mean, but some of them seemed to do it anyway. He didn’t mean to condemn the few nicer ones with the rest of them, but it was better to be safe than sorry. “What is it?”

Sengoku stepped toward the chair, and glanced down at it, trying to figure out if he wanted to sit or stand. It was decided when he spun around and marched up to Kaidoh. He leaned in close to his ear, and spoke softly in a restrained voice, to hide his anxiety. "I can get out of here; I'm going to get out of here... and I want you to come with me." He couldn't bear the thought of leaving without his friend... or at least, without asking if he'd want to come with him.

Kaidoh started a bit when Sengoku suddenly marched back over to him, leaning close and whispering… Escape? He could escape, from here, and he wanted Kaidoh to come with him? Kaidoh felt his face go cold, and glanced down at his friend, mouth open for a moment before he could really think of anything to say.

Because he really had to… well, think. Wasn’t leaving dangerous? They could get caught – and even if they didn’t, they’d be fugitives, right? Would they even have anywhere to go? And – and what about Ken? He couldn’t just leave Ken here, but… but asking too many people to come with would get all of them caught. Kaidoh knew that, and, well, if Sengoku could leave, Kaidoh didn’t want to hinder his chances. And that wasn’t even starting in on the bad luck that seemed to follow Kaidoh as readily as good luck followed Sengoku.

“I… I…” Kaidoh flushed, now, glancing down at his feet. Sengoku had asked, and that meant so much, how could he turn him down? But he had to… it was for the best. “I can’t, I- I’m sorry. I don’t… I don’t think I can.” He gave his friend a smile, though, to thank him for asking. “But… but thanks. For asking.”

Somehow, Sengoku was hoping for a resounding, Yesss, thank God YES!, but apparently that was too much to ask for. He stared blankly at his once bony friend, as he thought for sure he would come with him, if only to get out of his prison. He felt something sink into his stomach when the answer registered, but he managed a small smile of his own to hide is disappointment. "Oh... no problem! Just... yanno, didn't want to leave you behind and stuff. You'll be okay here, then?"

Kaidoh hoped he hadn’t let Sengoku down – after all, who wanted to escape and run away alone? That sounded just as awful as staying here, when he thought about it. He suddenly felt guilty for refusing, but… but he just couldn’t go. He didn’t dare. And he couldn’t leave everyone else behind. He wanted Sengoku to be all right, though, and he hoped that without Kaidoh he’d have a better chance of escaping.

“Y-yeah, really, I’ll be all right,” he said, nodding as enthusiastically as he could. “I can, um, cover for you, though. If you want. F-for as long as I can.” He paused, biting his lip. “I’m… I really am sorry, Sengoku-san. I… h-here.” Carefully, as he still had nearly as many spikes as he had before, and pulling them out now would be dangerous to them both, Kaidoh gave his friend a careful, brief hug. “Good luck,” he said quietly, wishing with all his might that Sengoku would make it out. Maybe that would help. “Be careful.”

He felt the corners of his lips dip down into a frown, but he quickly fought it, giving Kaidoh a big smile. Despite all the spikes, Sengoku gave his friend another hug, which was the next best thing to a pounce he wanted to give him. "Thanks, I think I'm going to need a lot of it." Somehow, it felt like he was leaving Kaidoh forever as his heart tugged at him. "It won't be long," Sengoku said, speaking about this occupation. "I'm just not very patient about it," he confessed with a smile, hoping that it'll lighten the mood and end things on a good note.

Kaidoh nodded, a small smile mirroring Sengoku’s. “Y-yeah.” He knew what the other was trying to say, and he hoped – truly believed, really – that he was right. Soon, things would be set right, and this would all end, and Sengoku could come back because this would be a free school again where they were safe, where they weren’t prisoners in their own rooms. Soon. Really.

“Yeah, I understand,” Kaidoh added – he hated this place just as much as anyone else, and wanted it to be normal again just as much as the rest of them. “It’ll be okay. I’ll see you… w-well, you know. Soon. Really soon.” He was reluctant to let his friend go – it felt like they wouldn’t see each other again in a long time, not the little time Kaidoh was trying to say it would be. But he didn’t have a choice – and neither did Sengoku. They both had made choices, and now they’d have to carry them out. He kept his smile up, taking a few steps toward the door before pausing, and going back to a drawer to find his favorite bandana – green, with a white pattern. He crossed the room to Sengoku and handed it over. “H-here. Take this. You know, for now.” For luck, he added mentally.

"For me?" Sengoku asked as his eyes trailed down toward the bandana. He then smiled, and graciously took it with both hands, even though he had no clue how to put one on... but it was a nice gesture. He folded the cloth up carefully and slipped it into his pocket. "Thanks... you liked that one a lot, didn't you?" He'd always seen Kaidoh wearing it. "It means a lot. I'll give it right back to you when all this is over with, okay?"

Kaidoh nodded, trying to lighten the moment. “Y-yeah – it’s my favorite. B-be sure to wash it first, okay?” He smiled – wider, letting the happiness that at least Sengoku would be free fuel it, because even something like that really was a relief.

“You’d better, um… get going.” Loathe though he was to finally let his friend leave, the sooner the better, right? “Don’t let me, um, keep you.” Now Kaidoh did make it all the way to the door and open it, standing aside to let the other pass. “I’ll see you,” he said, firmly enough so that they’d both believe it. Because he would. Sengoku would be all right, and that was simply that.

Sengoku smiled at him as he was halfway out the door. He stopped for a moment, however, and touched his shoulder. "See you later then," he answered with a nod and smile of his own. And then he was off, heading down the hallway with his faded smile. It felt rather... final, but he knew it wouldn't be. Sengoku picked his head up and took in a deep breath to calm himself... to keep himself from whimpering like the little crybaby that he was.

He quickly headed down the hallway. Just one more to see, then, and he hoped that the results would be better... that he wouldn't have to leave his two friends behind. Sengoku was soon knocking on Ryoma's door, trying to suppress the frown with a blank expression.

Ryoma glanced at the door that never told him who was coming, and scrambled to put what he was doing back under the bed in the farthest corner (you never knew, you had to guard against everything, here) and made sure everything looked like it should before he padded silently over to the door, still trying to get it to tell him who was there.

But alas, there was no reply from the wood or the hall outside of it, and Ryoma finally resorted to opening the door – to find Sengoku standing on the other side. He broke into a wide grin – Sengoku always meant the same thing, and Ryoma gladly stepped aside to let the other boy into the room. “I would’ve answered faster, but I never know who anyone is anymore!” he tried to explain, waiting for the other to come into the room before closing the door and leaving everything anonymous again. “Can you stay?” He hoped Sengoku could stay.

It was a little easier to smile, now that Ryoma was within his sight. "Stay? ...Just for a little bit," he replied, knowing what Ryoma wanted. He'd been visiting as often as he could to help his friend out of the collar and regain some of his senses back. "You want your collar off?" he asked anyway, just to make sure.

Ryoma nodded vigorously in reply to Sengoku’s question, getting that funny feeling in his stomach that always accompanied the anticipation of having his collar off. He didn’t care who did it, or how – he just wanted out. It was much nicer with Sengoku than with Yagyuu, though – Yagyuu made everything confusing and mushy and there were too many people in his head, and not the way he wanted them to be. Crowded was different than oppressive. He didn’t like crowds.

Sengoku's smile strengthened, glad that he could be of some immediate help. "Okay, just a second~"

He dug around in his pocket, and from there, he produced a familiar red charm. Holding it in one hand, he touched his collar with the other and concentrated, making his wish. He then heard an audible click, and there was a sudden weight in his hand. He pulled the collar off, grinning at Ryoma, then reached for the others', doing the same; it came off just as easily without the charm's help.

Ryoma grinned as the weight came free from his neck, closing his eyes and spinning around and breathing with his power just like he’d breathe with his lungs, using air borrowed from Sengoku to keep him ahead of the black. He giggled, feeling childish, and stopped mid-spin to sink to the floor with legs crossed, pulling the redhead down with him. “That’s better!” he said, glancing around before indicating the space underneath the bed. “Do you want anything to eat? I’ve been saving it for Momo but you can have a few bites and I don’t think he’d really mind if I said it was for you.”

Sengoku couldn't help but giggle with his friend, at how happy he seemed without that dinky collar. "Nah, it's okay," he told Ryoma. "That Momo likes to eat a lot, doesn't he? I'm not hungry anyway~" Indeed, his appetite was less than usual because of his little plan. "Thanks though," he said gratefully with a genuine smile. "Everything's better with the collar off, isn't it."

Ryoma nodded again; “Yeah, he’s bigger an’ he has to be careful and fill up or he might fall over,” he agreed, with another heady giggle. “Everything’s more solid an’ the colors are back. I miss having colors. There’s only a few when it’s on. I can count ‘em on my fingers and I don’t think that’s enough.” The world felt so different on this side, he never wanted to go back, even if he had to. But he would do anything at all to put that off as long as he could.

But Sengoku was still his guest! There were protocols, right? “Do you wanna play a game? Or do you wanna read a book?” Ryoma still had a few books – he could never remember what language they were in, because it no longer mattered to him, but he might have some that Sengoku could read. He thought.

He smiled at his friend. "I'd love to play a game! But... it's no fun having that thingy on, is it? All the colors run away. And you don't like it here either, do you? Like this, anyway."

Ryoma shook his head. Of course not! It was no fun at all – the doctors made him feel bad with their shots every day, but the collar made him feel even worse. Two things were worse than one, he was sure of that. “No,” he said, making a face at the way things always turned out here, the way things were run and how it was inefficient and insecure. “I hate it. Things aren’t the same. Hide an’ seek is really hard. It makes me tired.” He sighed. But there wasn’t much he could do – if he wanted the things he wanted, he had to earn them, and that was what they told him. So that was what he had to do.

He nodded a bit, then scooted over to sit by Ryoma's side, nudging his shoulder. "Then... you wanna leave with me?"

Leave? Leave? Of course Ryoma wanted to leave – he opened his mouth, nodding – “When? Are you going to run away an’ slip out between the cracks and take the… the collar off an’ never put it back on?” He wanted to do that – wanted desperately to do that, he wanted to leave this place because it was pressing in on him, and it was dark and cold and it made him numb and he was trying to stay alive but it was so hard –

But – but… but wait. Could he just… leave? Just like that, gone like the sunset, and the sun wouldn’t rise the next day? Ryoma frowned, looking under his bed, where he knew the darkness was helping him to hide the… the thing. The thing that was so important he couldn’t even think about it. “But….” He closed his mouth, looking up at Sengoku. There were things to think about here, weren’t there?

"I'm leaving as soon as possible... and I wanted you to come with me." Sengoku smiled reassuringly at Ryoma. "Can't leave a friend behind, right? And I know you want that thing off more than anything, right?" But then he saw the other's hesitation, and he touched his shoulder gently. "I know it's really sudden... but, if you need more time, I can wait. With the collar off, I think there'll be enough luck for the both of us. We can just walk right out of here!"

“There would be,” Ryoma said – Sengoku was right, he knew they could make things work and make people look the other way and no one would watch them leave, or notice ‘till they’d been gone for hours. That was easy, and Ryoma liked easy things. He wanted to pull his things out from under the bed and nod and take the other’s hand and walk away and he would be free. Sengoku wouldn’t tell him to find Yagyuu, and punish him when he said he couldn’t and no one believed him. Sengoku wouldn’t leave him alone at night or not give him enough food to feed everyone that needed feeding.

But if Ryoma left, and Sengoku left, and Yagyuu was gone… Ryoma had to think about it now. How would Niou ever find his way home? How would he know when it was okay to come home – and what if the doctors found out, somehow, and were so mad at Ryoma that they –

Ryoma felt his mouth tugging into a frown again; he shook his head. “I can’t,” he said quietly. “It’s – I have to – there’s no one else. To do what I have to do. I can’t.” He took a breath. “I – I want to! I don’t want to be here. I want to go with you. I want to – I want to breathe. But… I have to stay here. I can’t go.”

Sengoku blinked at Ryoma hopefully for a moment, before his expression went blank, then shifted into disbelief. It took him a moment to finally realize that his offer was rejected again when he thought for certain that the other would leave with him; they both hated this place and what it had become, and yet, they wished to stay for their own reasons.

Sengoku tried hard to keep the disappointment from showing, but it was hard, because now he realized that he would have to do this all alone. However, he managed to let a small, wavering smile break through. "Oh... well... all right. I just had to try, you know?"

Ryoma, for all that he was fidgety and felt like he couldn’t see clearly, did not miss the disappointment that was clear on the other’s face and in his voice. He felt torn – arms pulled in two different directions, wishing he could rip himself in two and then maybe he could do both. He knew what being alone was like. And it was a lot bigger out there than it was in here.

“I don’t – you don’t – I want to go,” he said, biting his lip and looking around the room, wishing Niou were here, that he could tell him to leave, that he could come with. But as long as Niou was gone, Ryoma was going to take care of him, and even if that meant he had to pretend he wasn’t… he still was. And besides – Ryoma knew what the doctors wanted. And they weren’t going to let it leave, even with all the luck in the world. “I… it’s better if I don’t. For you. They won’t let me go. Keep searching and searching and never give up and you’re better if I’m not there.” But… Ryoma hung his head. He didn’t know what to do. It was so hard.

It sounded sincere... they probably would go on a manhunt for Ryoma, due to the nature of his powers, but Sengoku couldn't help but feel like they were just excuses. But he quickly shook his head. No, he knew Ryoma wanted to get out as much as he did... most likely even more. So he merely smiled at the other mutant to keep him from feeling guilty. "Well... then when I get out, I'll just have to make sure you do too, when the time comes."

Ryoma nodded, giving the other a small smile, because this was important, he meant it. “Okay – okay!” He’d wait and wait until it was okay to leave, but… when it was okay to leave, he wouldn’t question it, wouldn’t turn it down again. Time passed too quickly for that. “I’ll leave when it’s okay. I promise.”

But he couldn’t let Sengoku leave empty-handed. This was too important for that. “Here – wait, you shouldn’t go like that,” Ryoma said, wiggling under the bed and pulling Niou’s backpack open, digging out the food he’d saved and his jacket and his scarf. He wiggled back out from under the bed, shoving the pile at Sengoku. “Here! You can take this.”

Sengoku blinked at the small pile, and he couldn't help but smile despite himself. "Now what'd I say about the food~? Save it for Momo, okay?"

“But they give us more!” Ryoma protested, shoving it a little closer. “Momo’ll be okay, he likes sharing. I’ll save extra for him this week, it’ll be okay, you need it more.” Ryoma was sure it was hard to get food out there, and Sengoku wouldn’t have a job and he couldn’t just walk into a store. Maybe he didn’t know – Ryoma had to tell him, warn him. “You have to be careful,” he said firmly. “You can’t be caught. You have to be like a mouse and run and hide and you can’t go around in the daylight. You can’t.”

Sengoku blinked again, as he truly didn't think about all that. That he wouldn't be able to show himself in daylight because, he realized, once they find out he's gone, he'll be a hunted man as well. He sighed softly, shaking his head. "Maybe I shouldn't have registered after all..." he murmured to himself, frowning. But he picked his head up and smiled just a bit for Ryoma. "But don't worry. I'll find food somehow. Save it for Momo, and you need to eat as well," he scolded lightheartedly. "You're getting skinny!" Now he was feeling like a mother.

Ryoma watched the other’s face, glad he’d warned him about the danger. It was very important. Ryoma had to go out and look for Yagyuu every day, and it was hard. It was really hard. He’d been doing his best, but every day he remembered less and less. He didn’t want anything to happen to Sengoku. Not if he could stop it.

He sighed, still wishing Sengoku would take the food. Ryoma wasn’t very hungry much, and when he was, it was worth it, because his stomach growling kept it from going numb. He’d just keep saving it for Momo. But it was cold outside, and he didn’t want Sengoku to get cold. Even if he had his own coat, where would he sleep? He could use it for a pillow. Or he could use it for a blanket. And the scarf was really warm. “Then you should still take these. You need extra shielding.” He nodded firmly.

Sengoku sighed, a helpless smile over his lips; it seemed that Ryoma was pretty determined to give him something. Well, he shouldn't subject the other mutant to twisting his arm any further. Graciously, Sengoku took the coat and scarf, wrapping the latter around his neck. "Thanks... these'll help a lot. ...You sure you don't wanna come?" he had to ask one last time, just to make sure.

“Good,” Ryoma nodded once, pleased that the other had accepted at least part of the offering, and sat back a little. His smile wavered a little, but he had to shake his head, even if it was better when his bangs fell into his eyes. “I – I’m sorry. I can’t come. You have to be alone or you won’t look like nothing when you walk by them. I can’t hide from them like you can.” It really was better this way. Even if now… now Ryoma had no one to take his collar off, no one to let him breathe, and nothing to breathe even if he managed to get it off on his own. He didn’t want Sengoku to know how trapped it made him feel, how much smaller the walls were growing even while they were sitting here, so he offered up a goofy grin and pushed himself to his feet. “You’ll walk right by~ Like no one was ever there. Not the mutant they’re looking for!”

Sengoku nodded slightly, somewhat understanding his friend's dilemma. But his smile strengthened at his friend's... it was always easier to feel better with a positive little grin. "And when I'm out, I'll think of ways to get you out, too. So, hang tight, okay?" He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Ryoma, giving him a tight hug.

Ryoma nodded, burying his face against Sengoku’s shoulder a moment and trying to remember this moment as clearly as possible, for later when he had to suffocate again. “Tight is the only way to hang – too loose and the knots come undone, don’t want to fall down the rabbit hole and end up upside-down,” he replied, still offering a smile because it was all he had left to give, for now. “Keep really quiet and don’t go out in the sun, remember.”

Sengoku wasn't quite sure if any of that made sense, but Ryoma did give out sound advice. "Quiet as a tiny, tiny mouse," he promised with a little grin of his own. Another squeeze and the red-haired mutant let go. "And remember, if you hear someone at the door, you should get your collar back on, all right? Think it might be safe to leave it off until then."

“Okay. I will – no one will know, same as before. It’s a secret,” Ryoma promised; it would help for a little while, he thought – he could feel Sengoku and close his eyes and watch him leave, but once he was gone the movie would end and there wouldn’t be much point to trying to keep his head above the water, anyway. Reluctantly he gave his friend a gentle shove towards the door. “You should go, the longer you stay the less time they have to be distracted. If you want to go then don’t let your feet walk slow.”

"They'll be moving as fast as they can go~" he promised as he stepped toward the door. He opened it, but paused as he turned back around. "And thanks, for the coat and scarf... and I'll see you soon," Sengoku smiled gratefully at his friend. With a little wave, he left, walking briskly for his room. He had a few things to pack before he'd be sneaking out.

Ryoma nodded one final time, glad to hear it. Sengoku was smart, he’d remember, he’d get away. He watched his friend’s retreating back for a moment, then closed the door and went back to the bed, taking his collar and holding it against his chest, laying back down and looking at the wall. He’d wait until Sengoku was gone, long gone, too far away to follow in his head and then he’d put it back on. And then he’d tell the ceiling to never, ever let him go near Sengoku again, and to forget what he felt like, and he’d say it until he didn’t have to say it anymore to understand it. And he hoped that would work.