fandomhighdorms | The Dorm Stairwell, Monday Early Evening

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The Dorm Stairwell, Monday Early Evening

Between her talk with Michael, in the morning, and then her talk with Jeff, in the afternoon, Ino hadn't felt like hanging around the dorms for a while. So she'd ~~handwavily~~ gone out into the preserve to train.

Training probably had been a stupid idea considering she'd already been tired. The fact that it had been a stupid idea had been emphasized when her chakra had given out on her while she'd been upside-down in a tree.

Hence, there were quite a few scratches on her arms and legs, and Ino had made it back to the dorms through sheer stubbornness. Now she was just sitting on the stairs; resting.

She'd get up soon. Really.

[Mainly for a certain former boyfriend, but open as well.]

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Kabuto was on his way out of the dorms, intending to get in some training of his own. He was dressed (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v192/kiara_jinzan/other/doujin_outfit.jpg) for training (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v192/kiara_jinzan/other/doujin_outfit_02.jpg), tugging a little at his long left sleeve to adjust it properly.

On his way down, he saw Ino sitting on the steps ahead of him...and said nothing, walking right past her.

Ino blinked, staring for a moment, before registering who'd just walked past her. She bit her lip. There was no point--other than the fact that she was scared of what he'd say, really--in putting off apologizing to him. And she doubted she'd have the nerve to knock on his door for a while.

She took a deep breath. "Yakushi-san?"

Had she ever been that formal with him before? It stuck in her throat a bit.

Kabuto paused, not turning around. "Yes, Yamanaka-san?" His voice was coldly polite, but almost pleasant. He would match her keigo level, whatever she decided to use.

She flinched and was glad he couldn't see it. Ino looked down. "I'm sorry," she said, almost inaudibly, "I was stupid."

And possibly even stupider for giving him an opening like that.

"You were." His voice was still pleasant. "At least you are able to see that, now. If you were not able to see that your own actions brought about your current predicament, I would have to re-evaluate my original decision about your level of intelligence." Ino couldn't see the slight smirk forming on Kabuto's face as he talked.

She... she almost deserved that, Ino supposed, stomping down a small flare of anger that sparked at his words.

"I... just," she continued in that same small voice, "... didn't think you'd care."

"Yamanaka-san, let me outline something for you." Kabuto crossed his arms, voice changing subtley into more of a teacher's lecturing tone. "When you decide you are a part of something - a relationship, for example - it is never wise to simply assume things. Particularly things that could result in rather difficult circumstances."

He turned to look at her, still with a hint of that smirk. "You cannot expect to be involved only halfway, Yamanaka-san. Either you are a part of something, or you are not. You finally made that choice, so now...you are not."

"Now I'm not," she agreed quietly, missing his expression thanks to her staring at the ground, and unable to disagree with him.

Ino closed her eyes, blinking back tears because that was no way to have this conversation, and asked hesitantly, "If I... changed my mind... again, would you...?"

Did that even make sense?

"You change your mind so often, Yamanaka-san," Kabuto said, gently chiding. "Figure out what exactly you want, first. Only try again once you know yourself." He turned again, fully intending to continue on his way out.

That... wasn't a no. Ino could live with that, for now.

One other question occured to her though, "Yakushi-san? About my medical studies? Will you..." still teach me?

It wasn't a no, but it wasn't a yes, either.

"There are others who would be able to teach you." Again, it was not a yes or no. However, it was all Ino was going to get. Kabuto waved over his shoulder. "Goodbye, Yamanaka-san." Not giving Ino a chance to reply, he walked off down the stairs.

She didn't try and call him back. At least, at least, he hadn't ripped her to shreds?

... come to think of it... she'd almost have preferred that response. It would've felt like he'd... like he'd cared more. Ino blinked back tears--why did she have to cry so much over him anyway?--and shook her head.

She had to make up her mind, did she? Ino had no idea how to go about doing that.

Triela was walking up the stairs toward her room when she saw Ino and remembered her asking about the gun club. "Ino, right?" she asked with a broad grin which faltered slightly as she took in the other girl's appearance.

Ino glanced up from inspecting one of the scratches. "That's me," she said, tilting her head thoughtfully, "and you're Triela." Right?

"Uh huh," Triela nodded. "Are you okay?"

She blinked, and glanced at herself, then looked sheepish. "It's just scratches and a few bruises," Ino said, "I overdid it with training today."

"Oh yeah?" Triela's head tilted curiously, "What kind of training?"

"Chakra training," she said, stretching, "only I ran too low and, yeah." Fallen out of a tree.

"What training?" she blinked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Chakra," Ino paused, "um, spiritual energy?"

"I have no idea what that is," Triela admitted with a grin and a little laugh.

Ino looked rueful, "I'm not sure how to explain it beyond spiritual energy," she said, "but it lets ninja from my world perform various techniques."

"Oh." Not that that really helped, but Triela shrugged, "Sometimes the girls back home overdo training. Especially when they're new."

That? That would be Ino trying not to bristle defensively. "I'm not new," she said finally after wrestling with her temper, "I've just... got a lot on my mind."

"Oh, no! I'm sorry," Triela said quickly. "I wasn't trying to say you were. Just... remembering, I guess."

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