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.]

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[intraspective]

She shook her head, whole body trembling. "It's not right," Ino whispered. "No one else can just leave."

[puppy_fair]

"No one else has anywhere to leave to," Zack pointed out, frowning. He didn't like it, either. But, all the same... "Do you think they would, if they were given the choice?"

[intraspective]

She shook her head, burying it against his side as a few traitorous tears slipped out.

"No," Ino's response was muffled but comprehensible. "Because this is their home."

[puppy_fair]

He held her even closer, ignoring the ache of protest in his arm.

"It isn't ours," he said softly. "I'll leave them my last four Ethers and one of my un-mastered Curaga. That's all we can really do for them, anymore."

If he gave them one that wasn't mastered, in the hands of somebody who wasn't SOLDIER, it would eventually spawn a Cure. And then someday that one would level and master and do the same.

[intraspective]

"I wish we could do more," she replied, looking up at him. "But I can't... I can't..."

There was nothing for them to do.

[puppy_fair]

Zack could potentially help re-build, but it would be weeks before he was healed enough to do any really heavy lifting, and probably longer than that still before the survivors would really have it in them to start doing anything more than digging for their dead.

"We're leaving, then," he replied, softly. "I'll book the next portal out of here that I can manage. How much time will you need?"

He kind of suspected that she didn't want to do like he did, and just take off on her parents without saying goodbye.

[intraspective]

Not after this. Not--just no.

"A few hours?" she said, not sure at all. "I don't know where my dad is right now."

Busy, always busy, though, while he helped coordinate the relief efforts.

[puppy_fair]

Zack nodded a little.

"It'll probably take me about that long to get a portal out of here anyhow," he admitted.

Somebody hadn't forgotten the terminals last year in their attempt to get to Midgar for the tree lighting.

None of that, this year...

[intraspective]

Ino bobbed her head and pulled away from him, looking guilty.

"Your arm--"

He shouldn't have been using it to hold her so tightly.

[puppy_fair]

"It's feeling better," he fibbed, shrugging. "I'll take something for it once I can get in touch with my supplier through ShinRa. It won't be a problem at all in no time."

[intraspective]

She stared at him, weariness in her eyes. "I can't even tell if you're lying," Ino said, with a sigh. "But it makes me feel better anyway."

[puppy_fair]

He chuckled at that, giving a small shake of his head.

"Don't worry about it, okay? I'll be fine."

Anyhow, his legs were way more injured than his arm was.

[intraspective]

"Promise me, that?" she asked, studying him. "I can't... not you..."

[puppy_fair]

"I promise," Zack replied, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "It takes way more than a few broken bones to keep me down."

Way, way more than that.

[intraspective]

"I'm going to believe you," Ino murmured, turning her head to speak to him. "So you've got to keep to that."