RP Log: Oishi, Rin, Kaidoh

[https://users.livejournal.com/-rattlesnake/]

Date: Monday, 1/29/07
Rating: Violence & Language, ~PG-13
Summary: Oishi, through a stroke of luck, manages to incapacitate one of his captors. He searches out Rin and Kaidoh and together the three escape from the lab in which they're being held.

NOTE: Rin, Kaidoh, and Oishi are now free, but are in hiding from the police and are laying low in Inui's old apartment (which has been abandoned for some time).




Oishi was tired. Exhausted, more exactly. Weeks had passed since he arrived here, to this unnervingly quiet place where he and other teenagers around his age were isolated from everything happening beyond their walls, windows and doors.

And during all of these weeks, Oishi had both been forced to participate and be a subject of the scientists in charge's experimentations.

None of them will die if you help us, Oishi. Please stay true to our guidelines and they'll be fine.

Oishi would have fought back and refused, had they not said and repeated that mantra all over. He was a healer, someone able to save lives and protect others. And if he didn't comply with their demands...

You can keep them safe and alive, Oishi. Their lives and deaths are at least partially in *your* hands. Specially Kaidoh-kun's and Hirakoba's. Don't forget it.

They spoke with sweet voices as they made him use his powers to their advantage, healing or detoxifying the bodies of their other victims as part of their experiments. They also said such things when *he* was their guinea pig, giving Oishi different kinds of substances to see how his powers would react or evolve (injections, pills, etc.).

Even when they didn't keep him collared due to the nature of his powers, Oishi couldn't stand it anymore. The tests, the emotional blackmail, his own guilt, not having any clear info about what was *really* done since they refused to tell him anything - and not having anyone who could support him. He wasn't allowed to see or speak to Kaidoh or Hirakoba outside of the experiments, couldn't tell them that he was sorry for letting this to happen...

And over all, Eiji and Natsuki weren't there. The two persons he loved the most along with his grandparents, his boyfriend (was he still, after the fight proceeding their separation?) and his sister, were far away from Oishi, and he wasn't even sure if he'd ever see them again.

"... Oishi."

Oishi sat up on his bed and saw a doctor coming in, the other man's eyes hard and cold as he looked at the teenaged mutant.

"It's time to go. The tests on you are already scheduled, and you're expected to come with me."

The man took a folder and handed it to Oishi. After some hesitation, Oishi extended his hand and took it, accidentally touching the doctor's hand...

"Ah..."

The doctor's face suddenly twisted, gritting his teeth. Oishi looked at his hands and could see a strange reddish glow surrounding them, very different from the golden light coming from him when he healed someone, or the silvery one that came up when he neutralized or extracted any kind of toxins.

"Oishi... Stop... Oishi..."

The doctor murmured this through gritted teeth as Oishi looked at him in fright. Stop what? He barely knew what was going on! Was this another new power triggered by the experiments?

Dropping the folder, the boy took the man's hand. But the glow grew in intensity, the guy looked more in pain, and Oishi frantically searched for an answer...

When the scarlet light went away and the doctor passed out and fell on the floor, Oishi finally remembered the only time this had happened. It was quite like the time he tried to drive a rich guy away from his sister in the Ryuhana ball, and all of a sudden the kid collapsed after Oishi grabbed him by the wrist. Only that there was no light, back then...

This is your chance, Oishi Syuuichirou! You can get free! Stop thinking of the past and save the other kids, they count on you and this new power!

Oishi bit his lip and forced himself to move. After using his bedsheets as makeshift bonds to tie the man up, he grabbed a small bag containing the few basic things he was allowed to keep, placed the folder and some other things he took from the doctor's pockets inside of it and hurriedly left the room. If he played his cards right, maybe he and his friends still stood a chance.
Days, weeks, months? Rin didn't know how much time passed -- it all blended together, making for a thick, lazy eternity. Every now and then, two men in white uniforms came to his room, with needles and some sort of a drug, which put him to sleep pretty quickly. But... it was obvious they weren't sure what they were doing.

Once, Rin woke up... in the middle of some surgery. The light above was shining so brightly, making his eyes ache. The room was filled with sounds, clear even though soft... but all of it registered only briefly. For a split second, before the pain of the flesh of his body being held apart, to the bone, attacked his nervous system, making the blonde pass out immediately.

Second time -- when the amount of the drug was still not enough to keep him asleep, without being metabolized by his body -- was just as painful, but he wasn't lucky enough to pass out again. It took them five minutes. Five fucking minutes, to relieve him of the pain... to get the right dose of the drug.

After that, it never happened again. Which didn't mean the pain was gone. Each time he woke up, back in his 'own' room, with the collar on, Rin felt sick. So incredibly sick that he never shifted even an inch from the position he woke up in. There was also the general overall soreness, and dizziness of his powers being manipulated so annoyingly -- free, confined, free, confined. After 5th waking up (yes, he did count) another kind of pain joined everything else -- the pain in his hands and forearms. As if something was trying to rip them apart. The blonde mutant had no idea what it was, no one ever answered any questions, or even spoke to him, but he didn't like it even a bit. No, he wasn't a masochist, even though sometimes it seemed otherwise -- especially when one saw how he... well, was patient with Ryoga.

Ryoga. Whenever Rin thought of the boy, he became even more depressed. He promised he wouldn't leave... and he didn't keep the promise. Even though technically it wasn't his fault... but Rin thought he should have put up more of a fight. He shouldn't have allowed them to take him away so easily. But it wasn't only guilt that he felt. The blonde missed his... what? Roommate? Friend? Boyfriend? It didn't matter what they were, Rin just missed Ryoga. That was that. And on the days that were particularly 'bad', he even thought they were never going to see each other again, this shit would never end and that he'd get brainwashed and turned into some killing machine, or whatever these sick bastards wanted him to become.

Today was one of these days, even though the pain subdued slightly, and he could actually move without throwing up. Rin lay on his side, facing the wall, listless, short locks, messily chopped off, spilled over his forehead and cheek. They cut it, the very first day... and the blonde thought himself ugly since then.

Life just couldn't get any better, could it?

It was very quiet in here. The only noise was that of the ventilation system blowing air through the vent in the ceiling; the room was cold and bare, despite its bed and table and chair and dresser. Kaidoh thought the tiny dresser must be more for show than anything - it contained three pairs of the same thing, hospital scrubs, always clean, always a greyish-white, always folded in the top drawer. He thought they must replace them every time he left - or, perhaps more accurately, was taken - because no one ever came in here for anything other than to feed him and he never left except when he was taken someplace.

He couldn't even really remember where they took him. They'd always give him a shot before taking him anywhere, and the hallway would always get fuzzy and he wasn't sure he was even conscious by the time they'd arrive where they were going. And then he'd wake up back in his room, sometimes with bones missing, sometimes with bones in places they hadn't been before, but every time with his collar on and every time everything hurt so much that he could barely think of much else for long periods of time. Most of the time it felt like his entire skeleton, inside and out, was on fire, burning through his skin, rubbing in places like hot sandpaper, and he wanted it to stop, but it never did. Not even when he was asleep.

To make things worse, the people here didn't speak to him much - not even when he'd asked politely, day after day, until he'd finally given up and fallen silent. He wanted to hear someone else's voice. Anyone's but his own. Most preferably Ken's. If Ken were here, things would somehow be better. Though if Ken were here, he might hurt as much as Kaidoh did, and Kaidoh would never wish that on anyone. So maybe it was better he was here alone, in the long run.

But he wasn't alone. Hirakoba (that was his name, right?) and Oishi were here too, though he'd seen the former only once or twice and the latter not much more than that. He hoped they were all right - hoped that somehow they'd be safe, they'd be left unharmed, though he didn't know what good hoping did anymore.

Oishi had put on a pair of plastic gloves that the doctor was carrying in his pocket, to avoid using his now-unstable powers when not needed. Biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself calm, he walked through the corridors with the stuff he managed to collect inside of the bag. It included a small map of the facility and basic instructions on how to manage the inhibitor collars; both would be vital in this escape.

After successfully avoiding being seen by other doctors (it seemed that people still hadn't noticed what happened with their colleague, thought it'd just be a matter of time to have them on his case...), Oishi reached Hirakoba's room, the closest to his own. So, forcing himself to not hesitate, he opened the unlocked door and stepped in...

Not wasting time to really assess the damage done to Hirakoba (messily-cut hair, injuries of all kinds, etc.), he sat next to the blond. "Hirakoba-kun... It's me, Oishi. I'm a friend of Kaidoh and Echizen Ryoma, and I'll get you and Kaidoh-kun out of this place."

Rin shifted and turned around, surprised to hear his own name -- well, surname, he sometimes forgot what it sounded like, since most tended to call him just 'Rin' -- being spoken out loud. Plus, familiar name was mentioned and the person, as it turned out, was also somewhat familiar. He had seen the boy around in that Ryuhana school. Oishi, huh? Well, after this was over, Rin'd owe him a big one, if everything went well, that is.

How? What? Why? But the blonde didn't waste his voice on asking these questions, only his eyes widened as he noticed lack of a collar. He grabbed his own, and with a hint of desperation, hissed, "Just take this off, please." Everything'd be fine once the collar was off. Everything'd be much, much better. They could get that Kaidoh-kid and run.

"Immediately, Hirakoba-kun."

Quickly, Oishi checked on what he had stolen from the doctor's pockets before tying him up... Ah, one of these things was a keycard, which if his memory served him right, would allow him to free the other. Sliding it once through a slender slit placed next to the collar's blinking red lights was more than enough to disable the device without breaking it, and Oishi easily took it off.

"You're free now," he murmured, and after placing the card inside of the bag, he wrapped his arms around Hirakoba's waist and pulled him up. "We shall leave and search for Kaidoh. Can you walk, or need me to support or heal you?"

A second or two, he appreciated the help, but once his powers kicked in... ok, he never expected such a violent reaction. His body wanted to reject whatever it was that was... inside. Rin fell back to his knees, emptying his stomach right there, on the floor. It didn't matter, he'd be out of this room soon. Ahhh, this was a one time thing, hopefully. He certainly wouldn't be amused were he to throw up again after a brief moment.

The blonde wiped his mouth with the sheets and stood again. He was still sore, he thought, as he stretched, but any unhealed cuts, any bruises, closed up and disappeared. All in all, Rin did feel a tad bit better. Except for his hands... which felt worse than ever. But the adrenaline pumping through his veins allowed him to put up with it -- for now, at least. "I'm fine," somewhat. It wasn't important. "Let's go." There'd be time for thank-you's and other shit like that later. For now... they should get the hell outta here.

Oishi nodded, green eyes narrowed. "I know where Kaidoh-kun is; the papers that I took from these people included a map."

Not exactly expecting a spoken answer from Hirakoba, Oishi took the bag and got ready to open the door, trying to catch any suspicious sounds (steps, voices, etc.) telling them about foreign presences...

After some seconds of waiting, nothing came. And he didn't think they could make Kaidoh wait. Oishi's former fatigue and helplessness were fading away; maybe the life energy he accidentally absorbed from the doctor had to do with it, maybe not. Who knew, and who cared.

"Let's go for Kaidoh-kun," and Oishi stepped out of Hirakoba's room, quickly following the leads written in the map.

Kaidoh had been barely nodding off, seated on his bed and slumped against the wall when he heard the barest hint of footsteps in the hall. He prayed they would pass him by, but no such luck - they stopped at the door, and a moment later (longer than it usually took the doctors to open it, he thought) it swung open into the room, and he blinked blearily at the two figures standing outside his door.

... But these weren't doctors, he realized slowly, shifting up with a small wince as sore muscles took their time to move. It was Oishi... and Hirakoba...? The latter looked slightly worse for the wear, and the former looked awfully rushed and worried... what were they doing here? Had they escaped?

Were they going to take him with them? He slid forward now, off the bed, standing a bit unsteadily. "What are you doing here?" he hissed quietly - what if they were caught? Wouldn't that just make things worse?

"Kaidoh," Oishi quickly said, trying to sound and look strong and serious, even when his heart was beating faster than it had in months. "We three must get out of this place. *Now.*"

In less than five seconds, Oishi had already taken Kaidoh's collar off him just like he did with Hirakoba's, and also helped him to get up from the bed, mentally checking on any physical signals telling him about Kaidoh's physical state. Well, he seemed slightly better than Hirakoba and that was a relief... but they had to leave before the scientists and guards fully reacted. The man he knocked out could be free now...

Kaidoh blinked - they really were going to escape? Right now? He'd barely had time to properly register that when Oishi reached up and released his collar; a wave of disorientation washed over him, as his body reacted to finally being let free, but at least he didn't feel any worse. He'd be all right - his healing factor wasn't as fast or as good as Hirakoba's, but it should be enough for now. He'd be all right, once he was free from this place and could get some real rest, maybe heal properly. And Oishi was a healer - even without his powers, he was good at it. They'd be all right.

If they could get out of here first. "Do... do you even know the way out?" he asked, paling, ears alert for any sounds of guards as the three of them turned now to the door of his room. "A-are you both okay enough to get out?" He didn't know if he could carry someone, but he could try. He wouldn't leave them behind.

Rin stood by the door, paying attention to any sounds outside -- footsteps, words, shuffling. For now there was nothing, thankfully. Everything was a little blinding, a little too loud and intense. Now he understood Ryoma's displeasure about synching him, these many months ago when they first met. For someone not used to it -- and yes, after these two months of having his powers locked up, Rin somewhat fell out of it -- the overflow of sensations could be hellish.

Only his fingertips rested against the wall behind him, the rest of the hands and forearms relaxed, trying not to touch anything at all, just so he wouldn't be bringing himself any unnecessary pain. "We'll be alright," Rin said, looking up at the boy named Kaidoh, "We'll get out," and he didn't add 'no matter what', it didn't need to be voiced.

Seeing that Kaidoh was all right and that Hirakoba looked somewhat better, Oishi looked at Kaidoh and nodded reassuringly. "This is our chance to try going back home, Kaidoh. And we'll use it."

He let go of the younger boy and again paid attention to any sounds that could tip them off about their surroundings. Anything he could catch would be helpful.

Pulling the map out of the bag, he slowly approached to the door where Hirakoba was standing. "Looks like we still have time and there's a back exit not too far from us..."

Kaidoh nodded - home. He wasn't sure if it was safe, or even where it was from here, but they'd worry about that later. Out was just as good right now, and a good deal closer. Butterflies flared up in his stomach as he thought of how close they really were. Maybe they'd get out. Maybe this would all be over...

He followed Oishi to the doorway, glancing at the map in the other's hands. "Yeah... it does... We can go for that." Looking at the other two, Kaidoh decided that he was probably the most sturdy at the moment. "Let... um, let me go first." There were no sounds in the hallway, so once he'd gotten a quick grasp of the direction in which they needed to go, he slipped out the door, trying to keep his steps quiet. Almost as an afterthought, he reached down, pulling a piece of bone from his elbow, wincing as it came free from skin that wasn't quite sure how to heal itself from whatever'd been done to it. He didn't want to have to use it on... on anyone, but... He had to be prepared.

The blonde really couldn't care less about being underestimated like that. Whatever, they just had to get out of here. "I'll cover the back," Rin let Oishi go first, walking behind him and still paying close attention to his sharpened senses. Well, when worse came to worst, unlike the boy at the front, he only had his hands to use, which currently were well, out of service, one could say. He'd try at least.

Despite the overall soreness, Rin managed to save a bit of his usual, almost feline like grace, his steps inaudible, even for his own ears. The only sound he himself was making was the hiss of his breath. Soft, but still loud for him. There was no helping that, though.

Oishi carefully walked in the center of the line, checking on the paper and guiding the other boys’ steps while trying to not make unnecessary noises. His steps were slow and light and he also tried to keep at least a part of his focus on their path and its surroundings; he may not have any kind of heightened senses, but he was the one who started this so he thought of himself as the responsible one who had to lead them to freedom...

Just two corridors away from the exit, Oishi heard steps coming towards them. Oh damn, they were so close... but this was no moment to chicken out. He would NOT abandon Hirakoba and Kaidoh to save himself.

As he put the map inside of the bag and was about to take off one of his gloves (no, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to drain these guys like he did to the doctor, but he still wanted to *do something* and not being the one who needed protection...), two guards and a doctor stepped in front of them.

"Stop what you're doing. Stop it right now."

As three figures suddenly stepped out in front of them, Kaidoh froze, blindsided even though he'd known they probably wouldn't get out as easily as he hoped. But he honestly didn't want to hurt anyone - he just wanted to leave. Why was that so much to ask? His mouth hung open a moment; he blinked, staring at the two guards who seemed like they were looking right through him.

Finally, he got his voice working again - thinking of home, thinking of his parents and Hazue and Ken, Kaidoh shook his head, standing his ground and holding up the sharp piece of bone. "No. Please... please move. We're going to leave." He didn't know what else to say, he couldn't threaten them, but... but he would do what he had to. He was at least as heavy as they were, in all their gear. He had natural armor, and healing. And if... if what they'd done to him before still held, his bones were all but unbreakable. "Get out of the way."

... if only being polite worked with humans. Rin had no qualms about hurting people, and actually... felt like kicking some asses, especially of people who did that to them. Who took him from Ryuhana, and made him break a promise. He fisted his hands, eyes narrowing into thin slits, letting the pain remind him of the grudge. It was hard to set the blonde off, but once someone managed to do that... heh, well, interesting things happened.

No, being polite didn't work with these humans and Rin already could hear rushed steps behind them. He grinned and laughed, "Don't talk with them, take them down," with that he turned, awaiting whoever it was that was coming from the other direction. One hand relaxed, resting on his hip -- in the back of his mind, vanity was telling him the effect wasn't as good as it could be when his hair was like before. Whatever... the first person to come out of the corner, and get a brief look at what was happening, met with a knee in his gut... the second guard, who was reaching for a gun, was going to meet with Rin's fist. But that never came. Something ripped the flesh of the blonde's hand, the pain great, but brief and the longest metal blade stopped less than an inch from the guard's face. Suddenly, his forearm felt much, much better... and there were four long and extremely sharp metal blades sticking out from between his knuckles. What the fuck?

The guard was surprised too, but soon he was pointing his gun right back at Rin, shuddering slightly... no, no... quickly, in a flash, the blonde mutant ducked, kicking the man in the head, which sent him crashing into a wall.

"Nonsense," one of the guards facing Kaidoh said harshly, turning to his partner. "You take Kaidoh, I'll face Oishi."

With that, he dashed towards Oishi to try immobilizing him first and then take his bag. Out of reflex, Oishi released the bag and took one of his gloves off, reaching for the man's wrist and gritting his teeth, hoping he'd be able to do to him the same he had done to the doctor he took the info from...

And it happened. Again, brilliant red light surrounded Oishi's hand and his grip on the other man became firmer, not letting go of his prey. The soldier started screaming at him to let go, face pale as his energy was sucked out of him and Oishi absorbed it.

He only let go when the light faded away and the soldier fainted. He turned and saw that Hirakoba was fighting against other soldiers (... what? claws? what the hell had they done to him?!), so he looked towards Kaidoh and went to him...

Kaidoh felt his stomach drop as first Hirakoba spoke (and not politely, at that), then the guard in front of him. Just as he heard more guards - and noise - from behind them, the guards in front of them lunged towards himself and Oishi, and there was nothing he could do but try to defend himself while not killing the guard - or getting killed himself. He was pretty sure Ken would never forgive him for that.

It was easier than he'd thought - maybe it was all the training, maybe it was the adrenaline, Kaidoh didn't know, but the bone in his hand, being both sharp and unbreakable, damaged the man's gun more than enough to render it useless without doing any harm to its owner. But it didn't stop there - Kaidoh ducked as the man grabbed at him, coming up hard with a spiky shoulder into his stomach, and vaulted the man behind him, hearing him land with a dull thud. And a groan (which, to Kaidoh's relief, meant he would be all right, but not getting up anytime soon).

Which was all fine and good, but there were three more figures approaching from the front, and Kaidoh was pretty sure Hirakoba must have his hands full behind them, from all the noise going on. He shook his head, closing his eyes a moment before pulling another bone and rushing one of the three new figures. They needed to finish this quickly. Before too many others got hurt.

The second guard Rin kicked was knocked out unconscious, while the first one got up a little too quickly. The blonde was still distracted with what just happened, and he didn't duck the first blow... but the next hit belonged to him. From the crunch beneath his fist -- the one which did not release the claws (though from the familiarity of pain in that one, he suspected the cause was exactly the same) -- he could tell he broke the man's nose. Well, oops, sorry, the man was to blame, not Rin... who told him to try to stop them, huh?

Oh yes, another two? What the fuck? Were Rin not currently busy trying to retract the claws in his right hand, he'd roll his eyes at how stubborn the idiots were. Really... couldn't they see they did not stand a chance even when the three mutants were sore, in pain and tired? Bah. After a brief second Rin just gave up on pulling the metal blades back and well, they wouldn't be going away so why not use them? He took a swing at one of the guns, and was surprised how little resistance of the metal he felt. Wow, this was some good stuff. As much as it was a pain in the ass, for this situation, it was useful.

His muscles tensed, getting ready for next attack and just then... the flesh of his other hand was ripped as the second set of four blades appeared.

...

Wasn't this fun?

But it also effectively eliminated his fists from use. He wasn't here to kill, but knock out and run... though if something bad happened... then it certainly would be an accident, and thankyouverymuch, but that's what Rin'd consider it as. And hey accidents happen, right?

Once again, the blonde kicked out his foot, which met with one guard's crotch. Once back on the ground -- even if only for a second, he jumped up again, spinning in the air to kick the other guard. But damn... these idiots were soft. Or perhaps it was Rin was not exactly controlling his own strength. Then again, in this situation, why should he?

More? This seemed endless, and Oishi only knew the basics of self-defense since his power was more energy-oriented and he had spent the major part of his training at medlab, with Mariko-sensei and the doctors. Still, he wouldn't be a burden on Kaidoh and Hirakoba, and he wouldn't lose the chance to use this new power of his that had allowed him to create this situation in the first place.

The next guard who attacked Oishi also ended up knocked out thanks to his new draining powers, red light appearing once again as he grabbed the man by the arm and focused himself. And these new skills would be used as many times as required, if it helped him and the others to return home safely.

Kaidoh really didn't like fighting - he knew the guards weren't just going to let them go, but he couldn't help wishing no one had to be hurt. It wasn't right that they were here in the first place, but that didn't make fighting their way out any more justified. Nonetheless, now was not the time to be thinking that, as two guards rushed him at once, forcing him to slash at one with the bone spike he'd pulled with one hand and swing for the other guard's gut with his other hand, fist connecting with - and breaking a number of ribs. Kaidoh winced as the guard stopped and fell abruptly; he still had the other to worry about, however, as he'd been slashed but wasn't down. Aiming a bony knee to the other's side, Kaidoh stumbled over the fallen bodies and towards the exit a little - there wasn't anyone else coming from this direction, maybe they'd be able to escape and outrun - or otherwise lose - any of the reinforcements coming from behind.

He turned, looking about wildly for Oishi and Hirakoba - wait, Hirakoba had claws? They looked... the looked like the ones Kaidoh had developed (and lost? They hadn't returned, but did that mean they were gone?) a while back, but they weren't bone, they were metal, and looked a good deal more menacing. And there were more of them. Kaidoh stood, slackjawed for a moment, until he finally snapped back into the present and realized he could ask questions later.

"It's clear ahead!" he called, trying to keep eyes on the hallway ahead and also on his friends, in case they needed help. He wasn't much of a fighter, but Oishi was even less so. Kaidoh would help him if he needed it. Hirakoba seemed to be enjoying himself, and not in any trouble at all at the moment. "Come on!"

Ok, better use this opportunity when the guards were still unconscious and just run for it. The faster they get out the better. The less guards on their way... even better, yes. Rin nudged one of the lying men with his foot and shrugged, "Sorry," with that, the blonde turned around, meaning to grab Oishi and Kaidoh and yeah... sprint to the exit. Well damn, sure, he would do, were it not for how his hands were at the moment. He'd only hurt the two boys were he to do that.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing the map-thing from the ground, where it had been dropped during the fight. As he walked -- fast, in a rush, as rare as it was for the blonde mutant -- he looked it over, figuring out where they were and where they should go. Well, they weren't far...

Next person trying to stop him, would get a face-full of sharp, metal claws... which he still didn't know how to pull back. Annoying and amusing at the same time. Ahh, life... two extremes mixed together, giving him so much and taking it away the very next moment. And all Rin wanted was to finish his studies, find a job and live his life peacefully.

Oishi nodded quietly, putting on the gloves (the last thing he needed was to knock-out Hirakoba and Kaidoh by accident...) and picking up the bag from the floor. On the outside he was calm and cool, no matter how inside he still feared a possible unfavorable outcome.

Oishi sighed and retook the lead of the trio, walking with firm and cautious steps towards the door. "This is the last one, according to the map," he told the other boys. "If we can go past it, we'll be out of the building..."

Kaidoh nodded nervously, ears straining, trying to listen for sounds ahead of or behind them. all he heard were a few faint shuffles and moans from the guards on the floor; they didn't sound like they were getting up to follow, so he fell into wary step behind Oishi as they made their way to the last door that stood between them and freedom. He could almost taste it. They were close. Never mind that he had absolutely no idea what they were going to do once they got out of here.

They'd think of something.

They reached the door; "It... it's gotta be locked," he whispered fiercely, knowing they wouldn't be lucky enough to find it any other way. "Do you have the key for it, Oishi-san?" Maybe that was too much to hope for. Maybe he could pull a piece of bone and break the lock...

Oishi's hand rested on the doorknob and tried to open the door. "Useless," he murmured, "it's locked, and this man didn't have any keys with him..."

His ears caught voices coming from the outside, and he stared at his partners. There were still people left and coming in between them and their freedom...

In a much better mood, since he got off a bit of the irritation on the guards and his hands weren't aching as much, Rin regarded the door for a second... "I'll open the door~," and from what he heard, there were two more guards outside, "And you two get ready to knock out the guys outside. There's two of them." They shouldn't have any problems with them... if the two younger boys managed to be quick enough. Well, there goes hope, the blonde thought raising one clawed fist and smashing it a little above the lock. The metal blades went through easily, like a knife through butter. Then, he forced them to slide down and all through the lock, which did not give that much resistance.

When he pulled his hand back, and all the door needed now was a hard kick... which it received -- and effectively (plus completely accidentally) knocked out one of the guards outside. He was just standing a little bit too close to it. That's all. Ooops, Rin's bad... then again, the man'd end up unconscious anyway, so why should he care?

Kaidoh nodded, waiting for Hirakoba to kick in the door, glad they were nearly out. He was starting to shake - whether it was from exertion or, more likely, adrenaline, he didn't know, but he wanted this to be over. He wanted to go home and crawl into bed and hide under the covers and never come out. But he couldn't do that - in fact, where could they even go? They couldn't go to any of their homes. They couldn't go to Ryuhana...

Just then, the blonde mutant kicked at the door, and a muffled cry told that at least one of the guards had been standing too close to it. That left only one - Kaidoh pounced on him before Oishi could, knocking his gun away easily and then knocking him into the brick wall with a swift, sharp elbow to the gut.

And just like that, they were free.

With nowhere to go to.

Blinking in the bright sunlight, Kaidoh stepped fully out of the building, looking around, trying to rack his brain for anywhere they could go, could wait until things were safe again. They needed someplace to rest and recuperate and wait. They needed...

Wait! He blinked again, looking around. "I... I think..." He recognized this area - just barely, but recognized it nonetheless. He'd usually seen it in the dark. "I might know someplace we can go." He was fairly sure its original occupant was no longer there. But he was also fairly sure no one else would have moved in in the meantime.

Oishi looked and Kaidoh, and for the first time in weeks he smiled openly. Nodding, he gave the younger mutant his approval. He had done everything he could already; it was time to leave the rest to the others, and having Kaidoh sorta taking the lead now would very likely give the other boy a very needed push and some bits of courage.

"I'll trust your judgment, Kaidoh," he said, before looking at Hirakoba. "What do you think, Hirakoba-kun?"

Sunshine... even though very weak, as it was still winter, the rays felt wonderful on his skin. But ah, Rin shuddered when chilly gust of wind hit the bare skin of his forearms, but he was relaxed. Free finally. He ran his hands through the annoyingly short locks, but his attention didn't linger there for long... as he just then noticed that he somehow retracted the claws. The usual, dull throb was back, wounds on his knuckles were healing quickly. Knowing how to pull them out and back could be some useful knowledge. And there he were not even noting when things were happening to his body. Bloody brilliant.

The other two boys were talking, at first he didn't pay attention to it, but once the words hit him... Rin nearly blurted out he wanted to go back to Ryuhana. But he was supposedly the oldest of the three, so he should at least try to act smart. "Anywhere's good, as long as it's safe," Rin shrugged, his mood becoming gloom again as more and more conflicting thoughts invaded his mind.

Kaidoh nodded, doing a double-take as he realized that Hirakoba... no longer had claws. He must've retracted them... he was much better at that sort of thing than Kaidoh had been, it'd taken Kaidoh days to figure out how to get rid of his. Though he supposed Hirakoba's must work on a very different level - after all, he didn't grow bones (or metal) naturally. Or at least as naturally as something like that could be considered.

But now was not the time to think about the similarities - or differences - in their mutations. Right now they needed to get out of here. "Where I've got in mind... we should be safe," he assured the others, pointing in what he hoped was the correct direction. "It's... it's not much, but no one will look for us there." Making sure the others were all right, he set nervously in what should be the direction of Inui-san's apartment. He knew the building, knew the street it was on, knew the door and the inside. They'd probably have to sleep on the floor, and there'd be no food. But it was inside, and private, and safe. He hoped Inui-san wouldn't mind, wherever he was.

There was nothing else they could do right then, other than leaving. The knocked-out people would come back to their senses soon, besides the three were anxious to leave the place where they had suffered so much in the hands of... them. Just 'them'. While his body felt relatively fine thanks to the energy he 'stole' from the persons he used his new powers on, Oishi needed to try seeing what to do from then on.

So, he nodded again. "Yes, you're right. Please guide us there, Kaidoh."