Room 504, Tuesday Late Night

[intraspective]

Ino wasn't quite asleep, but she was pretty close, sprawled out on her bed and in her pajamas. The little bonsai tree she'd picked up earlier was in a place of honour on her desk and every now and then she'd grin at it, then go back to trying to make her eyes focus on the page of one of the scrolls books her Dad wanted her to read. And consider when, exactly, she was going to give people their presents.

She'd probably actually try and sleep soon - unless someone distracted her.

[For the boyfriend~! Mwha.]

Comments

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

Kabuto sighed. "Frustrating, isn't that. Well, we'll get them out occasionally for some target practice. I know I need to do that myself, sometime."

[intraspective]

"It doesn't even make sense," Ino complained, "we know how to keep our weapons out of civilian hands." She echoed his sigh, "That's something at least, I'd go mad if I couldn't practise at all."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"I've still got my medical supplies...scalpels and such. But they did take my kunai." This was a sad, sad thing. Kabuto snuggled Ino, shifting so that they were laying down on her bed. "We'll go practice sometime soon."

[intraspective]

"The most dangerous weapons I've got at the moment, besides the shuriken, are a set of really pointy decorative chop sticks." She wiggled happily against him, "If we're attacked suddenly, I'm reduced to fighting with hair decorations. It's pathetic." Never mind that chakra + chop stick would probably be quite painful on any enemy. "I've considered taking up beading just so I could have a legitimate excuse for metal wire."

"I'll hold you to that," Ino said, "I definitely won't forget."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"You have taijutsu...therefore your hands alone can be lethal weapons." Kabuto was only partially humoring her. Because their hands really could be lethal weapons: He was a good example of it. "Have they taught you the chakra control for it?" One of his hands lit with a blue glow in an almost electrical surge.

[intraspective]

Ino squeaked at the suddenness of it, not at all feeling sleepy all of a sudden. "I've read a little bit of the theory, and I can wrap chakra around other objects," Ino said, "but Dad told me to focus on Shintenshin more."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"Makes sense. It's your family's tradition, isn't it?" Kabuto's blue chakra vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "I just study the things that would be the most useful. There's no family tradition for me to follow."

[intraspective]

"Yeah... I guess both ways have their advantages," Ino said, relaxing now that the chakra was gone. She frowned slightly at him, "Kabuto..." you could practically hear the honorific she left off, "do you ever wish you had a family?"

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"..." Kabuto hesitated before answering. "Yes and no. There are things that I would have liked to experience, but I also didn't have to deal with the hassle of it." He shrugged slightly - about as much as he could with Ino mostly on top of one of his shoulders. "I don't regret the way things have been."

[intraspective]

"Hmmm." She fiddled with his shirt, "It's just, sometimes, you seem a bit... almost bitter."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"Do I?" Kabuto seemed genuinely surprised. "How is that?"

[intraspective]

"Just a little," Ino said, "whenever you mention family traditions."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"I sortof had a family. There's always my adoptive father...not that I remember him very well." Kabuto shrugged again. "Many people put a lot of stock in family traditions. It's a different prespective when you don't have the same sort of background."

[intraspective]

"Doesn't mean you can't want it." Ino told him, pressing her lips softly to his cheek, "Even if it's just a little."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"It's a bit late for that, now," Kabuto reminded her, smiling slightly. "You're sweet, Ino."

[intraspective]

"Not really," Ino disagreed mildly, "I just say what I'm thinking. That's not sweet at all."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

Kabuto grinned. "Okay, fine. You aren't sweet. You're a terrible, horrible person," he teased, poking her side.

[intraspective]

"You like me that way," Ino told him, through her giggles. "And you're worse than me!"

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"Much worse," Kabuto agreed. "I'm a cold-hearted bastard who likes to see other people squirm." Naturally, this was said with a completely straight face.

[intraspective]

Naturally, this only made Ino laugh harder. Even if it was rather... truthful. "See?" She said, "I can't compete with that."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"Of course you can't." Kabuto nuzzled her hair. "Merry Christmas, Ino." He kissed the top of Ino's head, settling back against her pillows.

[intraspective]

She promptly tugged her blankets out from under him, and scrambled beneath them, making sure he got some, then rested her head against his shoulder. "You said that already," she murmured, closing her eyes, "but I suppose that's alright. Merry Christmas, Kabuto..."