Huggable Kitten B3, Friday Late Afternoon

[intraspective]

Friday afternoon and Ino was sprawled out on her bed with an anatomy text. Talk about boring. This was better than brooding about Cal, or giving into the urge to go and strangle Ichigo though, so whatever. The text, at the moment, was closed and she was testing how well she'd managed to retain what she'd studied.

Ino wondered, really, if she'd ever feel like she knew enough to actually feel confident in her abilities while working at the clinic. What had she been thinking, seriously? She didn't know anything about healing.

Bruises and cuts were only the tiniest tip of the knowledge she needed to know. She sighed, and focused again on her studying.

[For Hinata, then open afterwards.]

Comments

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata slipped into the alcove. "Ino-san?"

[intraspective]

Yeah, Ino made a face at her book again. Great.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Ino said, shutting her text with a snap. "What can I do for you?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"A s-scroll came for you," Hinata said, wishing that she hadn't noticed the expression Ino had made at her entrance.

[intraspective]

"Joy," Ino said, severely lacking enthusiasm. "Any idea what it says?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I n-never checked," Hinata said, almost coolly. "I p-presume it was d-delivered to m-me only to e-ensure that y-you got it."

[intraspective]

Ino shrugged, but didn't deny it. "Give it here then."

Ugh. She did not need this.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"It's f-from your father," she said, handing over the scroll. "I c-can't imagine w-what it says."

[intraspective]

That got a moment's pause as she glanced up and wondered if that was sarcasm. It sounded like sarcasm, but it was Hinata, so...

"I can," Ino replied, shaking her head and opening the scroll.

It was, surprisingly, short. That did not stop her from sighing.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

“B-Bad news?” Hinata asked curiously.

[intraspective]

Ino wrinkled her nose. “Nah,” she said reassuringly. “Just Dad wanting me home for Mom’s birthday, nothing that’s a big deal, really.”

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata glanced at her and wondered if Ino-san could say that only because she’d always had a mother.

“W-When is i-it?” she couldn’t help but be curious.

[intraspective]

“Monday,” Ino said, rolling her eyes. “But Dad wants me there Sunday.”

What a pain.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata took a few tentative steps over to the bed, sitting down gingerly and half expecting Ino-san to kick her out.

“Y-You’re going, r-right?”

[intraspective]

“Who knows?”

Ino said, dropping the scroll next to her textbook and twisting onto her side to glance at Hinata. “I don’t think it’d be much fun to go home for a lecture, really.”

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

“Ino-san! B-But your mother’s...”

[intraspective]

That got a half-shrug. “Didn’t go home for Dad’s either.”

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata just looked at her.

[intraspective]

She rolled her eyes. “What? Seriously, this can’t be a surprise to you, geez. You had to bring me the scroll, what do you think that says ‘bout the current state of things back home?”

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

“T-That rather than a-avoiding writing h-home, maybe y-you should do it m-more often,” Hinata said quietly.

[intraspective]

Ino glanced sideways at her. “So I can get lectured by him?”

Um. Not really into that, thanks.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

“S-So if a m-mission goes w-wrong, y-you won’t regret n-not writing.”

It happened. Frequently.

[intraspective]

“My Dad is not going to die.”

A child’s stubbornness. She knew it was easily possible.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

“A-And if it does?”

[intraspective]

“He’s not,” Ino said flatly, warning in her voice. “He’s not.”

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata just tilted her head at Ino-san and waited patiently.