Konohagakure no Sato, Thursday Evening (Fandom Time) / Jan. 4th (Konoha Time)

[intraspective]

Ino laughed.

Perched up on a wooden fence, elbows on her knees and her chin propped up in her hands, she watched with bright, rested, eyes as Zack was walked again through the basic steps to walk up a tree.

It was a skill, truly, that wasn't usually taught to those who hadn't gone through the Academy, but her father had decreed that he was going to learn a few things, or so help him, and while she was supportive in the sense that she'd give him theory…

Well, when it came to watching his practical attempts, Ino tended to dissolve into giggles. (Truly, he wasn't doing so badly for someone who, a week and a half ago hadn't known chakra from dirt, but…)

"You've got to keep your eyes open while moving," she called helpfully, before cracking up again.

[NFB, for ze puppy, mmm gratuitous timewarpiness.]

Comments

[intraspective]

“Figurative birds,” she said, with a laugh. “And nooope. No hints at all!”

[puppy_fair]

"Oh, so they're interesting and surprises, then?" Zack couldn't help but grin even more. It was good to hear her laughing again. "Did your figurative birds say that too, or were you the one who wanted to do the surprising?"

[intraspective]

“…Maybe me,” she admitted, ducking her head sheepishly. “Do you mind?”

[puppy_fair]

"When do I ever mind surprises?" Zack laughed softly, and then leaned over to kiss her cheek. So there! "Bring it on!"

Those words were so multi-purpose.

[intraspective]

She hummed at the kiss and led them on a quick path through the village.

Well, truly, it might have been called a city. But you didn’t hide cities. Villages were what you hid.

“You sure?” she teased.

[puppy_fair]

"If you keep asking, I might just have to change my mind," Zack announced, with all the solemnity of a... a really, really solemn thing!

... Yeah, he wasn't going to change his mind just yet.

"Is it really far?"

[intraspective]

"Not stupid far," Ino replied, which wasn't much of an answer at all. "Why? Did you want to go somewhere else?"

[puppy_fair]

"Nope," Zack decided. "Now that you've mentioned there's a surprise, you're stuck doing the way we're going. Curiosity would kill me if we didn't!"

It was true. And an anxious, distracted puppy was a dangerous, dangerous thing.

[intraspective]

"No dying," she ordered and then, with a laugh, sped up her pace. He was it! Or something!

Catch her if he could!

[puppy_fair]

Oh, it was on! Zack didn't even need to tap into that chakra stuff to give her a run for her money! At least, not so long as she stayed on the ground.

She was planning on staying on the ground, right?

[intraspective]

Maybe she was!

For the moment, at least, Ino was content to wend her way skillfully through crowded streets, blonde hair glinting in the sunlight and trying to make sure that she stayed just ahead of where he'd be able to reach her.

It would ruin the game, after all, if she got too far ahead.

[puppy_fair]

It would! And really, Zack was trying too hard not to simply plow through the crowd to catch her so easily as he otherwise might.

Running into people in Midgar was kind of expected. People knew to sidestep if they saw a SOLDIER uniform barrelling towards them. Here in Konoha, he was the outsider. Running people over wasn't just bad form, it was... Well... Okay, all Zack was really worried about was the bad form bit. He was way too nice to just stomp people over.

[intraspective]

It was definitely more polite, the care he was taking. Ino approved.

She also approved of how it made her job of staying ahead of him easier. And then, there was a turn and Ino slipped down it fully expecting him to figure out where to go.

He was watching her after all.

[puppy_fair]

The only reason that Zack nearly skipped on past that turn was because there was somebody between him and the corner that he'd wanted to round, and tripping people over? Still in bad form. And so he was a few extra steps behind by the time he managed to backtrack to take the proper turn, glancing around momentarily before catching the familiar bobble of blonde hair ahead, grinning, and taking off at a run all over again.

"Wait up!"

[intraspective]

Ino laughed, glancing behind her.

"Never!"

Or, more seriously: always.

[puppy_fair]

Oh, that would just encourage him! Zack laughed, crouching down the moment he found a bit of spare roadway, and then launching himself up and forward, maybe showing off a little with a flip in the air before landing in another (very conveniently) bare patch of road up ahead.

"Then don't," he called back, starting on his careful run again. There was something about their winter break vacations that seemed to always end up with a race through the crowd, wasn't there? "But I'll totally catch up anyhow!"

[intraspective]

... Possibly. Yes.

Ino's only verbal response was a laugh as she picked up a bit more spend and, with a jump of her own, fled up to the rooftops.

Would he follow her here?

[puppy_fair]

But of course! Rooftops were way easier than crowds were! Fewer people to trample! And it wasn't like it was a difficult jump, not with the running start that he had going. He landed on one rooftop with a grin, and then took off after her at a mad dash.

"The view is way nicer from up here," he called. Because... hey, it was!

[intraspective]

Up and around giant trees with walkways built around them, by houses with rooftops designed to have the room to run on them, leaping from house to house in easy jumps and laughing at his comment.

"You're interested in the view!?"

Well, fine then!

She was just going to run faster.

[puppy_fair]

"Hey!" Zack was laughing so hard he was almost having difficulty watching where he was going, at this point! "I've seen way worse views!"

Case in point: Midgar.

"I mean, I can see you way better up here!"

He was pushing himself even harder now, aiming to actually catch up as he leapt from one roof to the next, launched himself off of one walkway, and then kept running as he landed on the next. A guy could get pretty fond of a place built this way. It was the perfect playground for puppies, for a start.

[intraspective]

And catch up he was, though they were getting closer and closer to the foot of the Monument and Ino began picking her leaps with a little more care.

It would be embarrassing to have a tumble here, truly.

As far as she was concerned, anyway. "Hurry up!" she carolled. "You're too slow!"

And that was just asking for him to catch her.

(Not, Ino admitted to herself, that getting caught would be such a bad thing.)

[puppy_fair]

"No way! You just know your way around better!"

That was Zack's story and he was sticking to it! He was also being careful to stick to the same route that Ino had taken, because a tumble here would be doubly embarrassing for Zack, especially considering all of the falling that he'd been doing earlier.

[intraspective]

Her only answer was to laugh.

And, at the end of the next rooftop, to leap down, back to the street.

Where a clearing, meant for viewing the Hokage Monument was.

[puppy_fair]

And Zack was all too happy to join her, landing, crouching, and bouncing back up to his feet all in one smooth motion before turning to grin at her.

... And then reaching out toward her.

And poking her on the shoulder.

"Caught you."

[intraspective]

She shushed him gently, stepping closer and wriggling her way under one of his arms, gesturing for him to look. There was an Academy class gathered in the clearing, all of them looking up a blonde woman with brown eyes and a rather... generous... chest, who was wearing the white hat marked with the symbol of fire.

Konoha's Hokage.

"Hokage-sama tells the history about the previous Hokage," she murmured, voice so low that only Zack would hear it. "I thought you'd be interested?"