Room 504, Friday Early Afternoon

[intraspective]

There was nothing quite like training all morning, taking a long hot shower, then collapsing onto your bed and flipping through gardening magazines and making notes.

And, you know, not thinking about what she had to do. That worked. Maybe if she just stayed in her room it’d all be okay for another day.

Luck ran in her family. Surely that meant this tactic would work. She'd keep her promise to A.J., but really, did it have to be today?

[Door is shut, post is for a certain alien-boy, but open if you come before him in the timeline.]

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[intraspective]

"It was," Ino said, watching him, "it was. You're smart, and funny, I find you ridiculously attractive, and I really like spending time with you."

All true.

"But we're not," a deep breath, wavering slightly, "I don't... it wouldn't work. We're too different."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

He stopped, looking down at his feet.

"Comes to the same thing, in the end."

[intraspective]

"I'm still your friend," she said, trying to keep the wobble out of her voice, "I still want to be your friend. It's just... I couldn't..."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if I can deal with that, Ino, if you're gonna be with him."

[intraspective]

Well.

She... that, that hurt, but Ino couldn't blame him.

"It won't change my feelings," she said quietly, "because even if you don't want me to be a friend, I'll still care."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"You know what I wanted from you", he said just as quietly.

[intraspective]

"I'm, I'm sorry I can't be that for you," she said, ducking her head, "I am. But I still care. Always."

But she was always apologizing around him. Ino hated that.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Something here wasn't enough", he said with a half-shrug.

Whatever she said, he thought it was him.

[intraspective]

"It wasn't that," she said, head coming up, "nothing to do with who you are." And everything to do with the way they just didn't mesh in the right spots.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"'We're too different'", he quoted back at her. "Sounds like it was who I am."

[intraspective]

"I'm sorry we're not suited," she said, "but I never wanted you to think that. You're great, but we are too different."

Ino tried to think of a way to word it. "If you killed someone, how would you react? Say, it was someone who wasn't the best type of person, but hadn't actually done anything to you."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Depends", he said slowly. "If they'd done anything to people who mattered..."

[intraspective]

"They didn't," she said, "say that they aren't nice but they haven't done anything to anyone you've cared about."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Depends", was all he could say. "There must have been something."

[intraspective]

That got a faint smile, though she wasn't amused. "Say it was on orders that you had to, and yes, you killed them. How would you react?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I don't take orders from anyone but Max. There'd be a reason."

[intraspective]

She shook her head. "You're not getting it. That's one of the problems."

Ino looked at him. "I'm pretty sure that I could kill someone who'd never done anything wrong to me, under orders, and not lose any sleep over it. That's who I am."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"So, what, I'm not hard enough for you?" he demanded.

[intraspective]

"It's not about being hard," she said, "some of the sweetest people ever back home wouldn't have any problems with it. In my home killing people isn't a big deal. In your world, it is. You can't change that without breaking who you are."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"But we're not in either of our worlds", he said softly. "Does it matter that much?"

[intraspective]

"Yeah," she said helplessly, "it does. It's not something you can learn either, and I wouldn't want you to--the consensus is that what I think is okay, and normal, is actually pretty bad here."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

He looked at her for a long moment, then turned away again.

"However you want it, Ino. I don't beg, and you wouldn't change your mind if I did."

[intraspective]

"It's better this way," she said, because she had to believe it was, "I'm sorry."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I'm gonna go now", he said, reaching for the door. "I hope you're happy with Kabuto."

[intraspective]

"Okay," she said, looking away, "but I'm still your friend. No matter what. I'm sorry it happened this way."