Konohagakure no Sato, Saturday Afternoon (Fandom Time) / Feb. 15th (Konoha Time)

[intraspective]

Really, it had been a month and a half now and Ino had to admit that she was—feeling better. Between her father teaching Zack (and water walking had proved to be quite a hilarious thing to watch) and her father teaching her, she was feeling useful and busy without it being anything too taxing.

She hadn’t seen either of her previous teammates, which stung, but Ino stomped down firmly on that as she disentangled her mind from her father’s and ignored his look. It wasn’t the first time she’d avoided… whatever it was he’d wanted to talk about.

And she doubted it would be the last.

“That’s enough for now,” he said, after a moment. “How about you go and get some air?”

It was phrased as a suggestion, but Ino was well used to her father’s orders. With a quick kiss to his cheek, she left the room, went down the long, dark hall and out into the sunshine. It was a lovely day—February, already, which made her head hurt if she thought too hard about the days and how they related to Fandom—but, Ino thought, as she leaned against the balcony and pulled out her phone, hitting speed dial, maybe all that time had been what she’d needed.

And, across universes, her phone call reached…

[For ze raspberried one. Mwahaha. NFB.]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

Zack had argued. Zack had argued and reasoned and gods knew that Zack had even come to yelling in order to get back outside once he and the others had reached the monument. In the end, Ino's mother had informed him in no uncertain terms that Ino would be not best pleased if he were to die, and then had made him put on one of the vests that there were so many of, throughout Konoha. Easily recognizable to the Shinobi of the village, she'd explained. Less likely to cause any problems with people he didn't want to run afoul of.

Zack had slipped it on without complaint, nodded, and made his way back outside, making use of his second-last Phoenix Down as a precaution as he went. Now if anything did strike him down, at least it wouldn't stick.

Screaming Ino's name and unafraid now to occasionally take to what was left of the rooftops as he backtracked, Zack was taking Konoha at a run. And no solid structure with any sort of height was safe from him using what Inoichi had taught him to help him get through the chaos around him.

[intraspective]

Zack was screaming and Ino didn't hear him. She didn't hear much, truth be told, being occupied with handling what her father passed to her. Her voice cracking out orders to other shinobi whose names and faces she wouldn't even be able to recall. The orders were in her voice, but they were her father's as he began directing the shinobi in their area, his mind and hers letting him see where the most vulnerable areas were.

Ino handled the words and saw what was going on but heard nothing. Right now, right here, she was an extension of her father, nothing more.

[puppy_fair]

It was taking every last inch of Zack's self-control to keep from slipping into Combat Mode. Now and again, he would have to make use of his sword, or his Materia, throwing out a Curaga here or a Blizzaga there... But no DMW. No risking Limit Breaks or Summons that would do more harm to this village than good. No drawing attention to himself with a glowing yellow feather lingering overhead. The yelling was doing more than enough of that, already.

He called her name again, took a few ragged breaths (so much smoke. Reminiscent of Midgar, now) and pushed onwards.

Willed himself not to panic. Not to quit.

He was starting to doubt that he'd ever be able to find her when he finally spotted that familiar shock of blonde hair. And when he did, he hit that rubble at a run that made men on Haste look slow.

"Ino!"

[intraspective]

His voice, cutting through her work like a blade. Ino could feel her control begin to slip on the steady influx of images she'd been sorting, on the orders that had been on her lips, as blue eyes blinked open and stared.

What was he...?

"Zack?" And she sounded confused. Her father's hands still on her shoulders, her mind still half entangled with his. There was still work to be done.

[puppy_fair]

Zack... probably could have cried out of relief as he tripped over to her, his shoulders rising and falling. He'd run himself so desperately around Konoha that even he had to catch his breath.

"You're okay," he murmured, his own blue eyes so wide that the mako glow behind them could almost cast shadows. "Thank the gods, you're okay..."

Zack's priorities: 1) Ino. 2) Ino. 3) Ino...

[intraspective]

Ino reached up to him, unable to not do so when he was so obviously freaked (and, in truth, the only reasons she was as calm as she was were because she was being useful and her father was right there).

"I'm okay," she replied, the words very gentle. "I'm absolutely okay."

[puppy_fair]

Zack was almost oblivious to Inoichi's presence as he moved forward, wrapping his arms around Ino, not about to let go. Never going to let go...

But he was only going to lose himself in that embrace for a heartbeat, before leaning back enough to look at Ino, at her father.

"What can I do?"

He wasn't one of them. He knew that. But if he wasn't allowed to fight here, to tap into his DMW and tear bloody hell against the invading force, at the very least he could make himself useful with Potions and Curaga.

[intraspective]

Ino was smiling faintly as Zack asked his question of her father and kept her arms around him for the moment. It was reassuring her as much as it was him, she thought, as her father thought, his knowledge expanded by her knowledge of what Zack could do.

And where had he gotten the vest?

"Aid in the evacuation," and it was Inoichi's orders but in Ino's voice as her father stared at nothing and saw everything. "Section--" Ino shook her head and the orders changed slightly. "Go west four blocks. There's people who can't evacuate because of the rubble. Get them out."

[puppy_fair]

Zack nodded, backstepped slightly, and then hesitated for just one moment more.

"How many Potions do you have?"

They'd been out in this longer than he'd been. He'd started today with all he could carry. He still had plenty to spare. For his own peace of mind, admittedly. He'd stock Ino up, it would only take a moment, and then he'd run. Four blocks west. He'd be there in no time.

[intraspective]

"I'm okay," she said, crossing her arms over her stomach and missing being close to him already. "Still got--fifty or so."

That would be enough, wouldn't it?

[puppy_fair]

"That should be plenty," he agreed, taking another two steps, and then backtracking again. "Take this, too."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a spare Blizzaga, and set it in her hand.

In the face of all of this fire, a bit of ice might come in handy.

"I'll be back soon, promise."

And then he was turning on his heel and running.

[intraspective]

Ino's smile showed nothing of the twisted feelings in her chest as she watched him run off, then slipped the materia into her armour.

"Ice," she said, in response to her father's silent question. "To battle the fire."