Room 504, Tuesday Evening

[intraspective]

After work Ino had stopped by the weapons locker and inspected her things there. Satisfied that everything there was in good working order, she’d wandered back to her room, showered and wound up in her pajamas before sprawling out on her bed with that book on American History.

Because, seriously, she had to get some reading done, right? Right. She was just going to put her head down and close her eyes for a few moments first though. She wasn’t sleeping, geez. Honest.

[For one, please.]

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[intraspective]

"I didn't say that," she said, frowning at him.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure what you said," he admitted, leaning back on the balls of his feet.

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"Now I'm confused," Ino said plaintively.

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"Why? I didn't say anything!" he protested, not seeing why she was confused.

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"You're not making sense," she said mutinously.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Why am I not making sense?" he demanded. He was making perfect sense to him.

[intraspective]

"'Cause... you're the one that came to see me and now is acting weird?"

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Well, how am I supposed to act when the last time we talked you kicked me out of your room naked?" he asked her. Weird seemed to work pretty well for him.

[intraspective]

"Oh yeah," she said, closing her eyes. "That."

A pause.

"You still came to see me though." And she was rather pleased and surprised at that.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, well..." he looked was watching her, not sure what he was thinking and he was frowning at her expression. "Someone had to."

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"Not many someones in a two person fight," she noted, eyes still closed.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"So..." he was just frowning now. "You wouldn't have come to find me?"

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"I don't know," she said, a bit sleepy still. "I was thinking of it last week, then Liir brought me lunch and..."

That got a bit of a shrug.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

Right.

He clenched his jaw and glanced at the closet. "I wouldn't have asked if I realised what they were." Not that it still didn't sting that well, she cared more about a shirt than having him not walk around naked.

[intraspective]

There was nothing wrong with being naked. Geez.

"You could've asked me to get you clothing from your room," she said, eyes blinking open. "And who told you what they were?"

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"No one," he shrugged. "They're male shirts. Why else would you be so pissed about them?"

[intraspective]

She shrugged slowly. "They're Kabuto's shirts," Ino offered, not looking at him. "First boyfriend--he disappeared into thin air a few weeks after grad. The snake's his too, originally." And the laptop.

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

He nodded and anything he could possibly think to say seemed awkward and inappropriate. Except that he was realising just how present the guy was. "Fandom thing or did he just leave?" he asked finally, not sure that was the right question either. Not sure if he wanted to know.

[intraspective]

"It wasn't intentional," she said. "He sent last summer saying he hadn't planned it, the leaving, and he'd be back."

And he... wasn't.

"Just found all his stuff still in his room and everything."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

He was avoiding looking at her now as he frowned at a plant instead while he tried to fit things into place. "So you kept them in case he comes back?"

[intraspective]

"I don't know," she admitted, "I don't even know what I'd do if he did come back. If that makes sense? But they're all I've still got of him, so..."

Ino studied her blanketed feet. "I wouldn't have cared so much, I think, if he'd left normally. He had been planning to go home after the summer anyway, so it would've ended... but then he just disappeared."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

Ichigo wanted to make a comment about people just leaving without another word, but then he realised that there were situations where he would do the same. If he was needed or if...

He squared his shoulders. "You got worried," he concluded and he finally moved off the spot he'd seemed to be rooted to the ground, taking a step in the direction of the windows.

[intraspective]

"I cried," she said, very quietly. "I hate crying, and I did anyway. Then I was so mad at him, but it was okay 'cause I thought he'd come back and I could yell at him and it'd be okay and then he never did..."

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

It was still awkward and annoying that the confession made it hard for him to continue to just be grumpy. He still wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear about this because it was so obvious she wanted over this and he wasn't sure what that meant. As if this entire thing wasn't confusing enough.

He stood for a moment longer, wavering as his feet didn't quite know which was to go. It wasn't like he was jealous. That was ridiculous. It was...

He didn't know and as if that admission was enough, he went to sit down on the edge of her bed.

[intraspective]

She rested her head against her knees, one hand cautiously reaching out to try and snag his shirt.

Just to touch.