"You know most people keep actual fruit in their fruit bowls."
The sound of Ino's voice drew Gaara's attention away from the papers he was grading at the kitchen table toward the island, where she had immediately hoisted herself upon after they had entered the room, claiming her perch. Gaara squinted slightly to study the object she held between two delicate fingers.
Okay weird.
Even he didn't know how to explain how a fluorescent green bouncy ball could possibly end up there. His money was on Kankuro, who had once left the telephone in the fridge. To this day, Temari swore they were still a standing joke at the phone company.
Bastards.
Not quite knowing how to respond to Ino's apparent knack for plucking mysteries from thin air, Gaara chose to not respond at all and held his silence. Well- temporarily at least. History was not exactly on his side in the case of silence.
Gaara won his silent bet minutes later when Ino's leg-swinging escalated into leg thumping, slowly building up speed until it was regular as his heart beat. Come to think of it, it was hitting the exact same beat as his heart. In some obscure part of his brain, Gaara wondered if she could actually hear his heart, despite her haphazard-position on the island- halfway across the kitchen.
It wasn't long before the incessant thumping pushed him over the edge and he was free-falling into shark-infested waters. Snap went his pencil in frustration. "Do you mind?" he demanded hotly as he shoved back from his chair- the thing normal people sat on.
"Sixty-four."
Gaara had to close his eyes briefly, not quite trusting himself to speak yet after being confronted with another one of Ino's cryptic and vague numbers. They always seemed to lead to fun, happy-times revelations. Sarcasm should be noted.
Silently counting to five (he didn't have the patience to make it ten), Gaara confirmed he had a check on his considerable temper before crossing his arms and asking, "Excuse me?" in polite disbelief.
"I had expected only about fifty-two, give or take, but I seem to be off my game today I'm afraid," she explained, rather forlornly. Or, at least in her mind she explained.
In reality, she was met with Gaara's blank stare.
"How many repetitions it took to distract you," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You've been grading the same paper for the past hour and a half. I've heard of impossible standards but give the poor kid a break!"
Gaara's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but still with a visible degree of incredulousness, and his eyes darted over his shoulder on an impulse entirely separate from his conscious mind. Sure enough, sitting on top of the stack was the same sheet he had originally sat down to. He distinctly remembered this, having always found it strange (but never summoning the interest to ask) why Tenten never signed her papers with a last name. It had always been merely Tenten.
Unknowingly, he had spent the better part of the evening staring at the same god damn sheet of paper until it had become an almost maniacal obsession, a habit dating back to his youth. It had taken therapists several years to touch upon the subject- yet this seemingly air-headed blonde (Gaara fully admitted to this being his initial interpretation of the lunacy that was Ino) had picked up on it almost immediately. Air-headed she was obviously not.
Okay, maybe obviously wasn't quite the right word considering she was currently engrossed with bouncing her newly discovered treasure against the cabinet. And annoyingly close to his ear at that.
"I'm pretty sure I bruised my heel in the process," she carried on, lifting her leg to display the slightly discolored flesh for emphasis. Gaara's pupils dilated slightly as the dark material of her skirt from classes earlier rode up, exposing more skin of her creamy thighs and causing his latent hormones to run rampant.
Gaara started as a cool piece of metal jabbed into the back of his neck. What the hell? Without his noticing, Gaara had wandered over to lean against the counter during Ino's explanation, draw to the whimsical quality of a voice who thought beyond their years. At least the shock had torn his eyes away from Ino's legs so shouldn't excuse him of indecent staring.
Gaara blew out a mental sigh, silently bowing down to whoever originated the phrase "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" as he too hoisted himself onto the counter opposite of Ino's island.
XXXXXXX
"Temari did you know that ramifications is a synonym for-" Kankuro never did get to share what fun new fact his intellectual toilet paper had revealed as his sister violently schussed him. She did however beckon him to join her in peering around kitchen door. Kankuro's eyes almost bugged at of his head as he came face to face with Ino and his little brother sitting across from each other atop the polished culinary surfaces.
"They've been just sitting there for the past half hour playing catch!" Temari said in awe, not quite grasping the concept.
"For a kid who never allowed himself to have a real childhood, that's certainly… innocent. It's almost like he's living in reverse, seeing as I'm so used to considering him as boring as an old man the age of thirty."
"That's as good a way of putting it as any I suppose."
"I just wish he wouldn't have skipped the hormone-crazed adolescent stage though- this whole child-like wonder episode is seriously starting to mess with my mojo."
Temari gave an involuntary shudder, vigorously shaking her head in attempts to banish repressed memories of Kankuro in his own "hormone-crazed adolescent stage". "First of all- you have less mojo than an alphabet without o's, which just leaves you with mj (and we all know how that worked out for Mr. Thriller himself). Second of all- be careful what you wish for; it's two in the morning, you really think Ino's going home tonight.
Kankuro paled in response.
XXXXXXX
Ino had indeed not gone home that night. She also had not gone to sleep. Her and Gaara's innocent game of catch had turned into the two flinging the little green ball at each other's heads at astonishing speeds, which had once more escalated into what had to be the most violent game of tag in history. So no, Ino had most certainly not gone to sleep.
And that was how Hinata saw as she stumbled into their dorm at seven in the morning, bleary eyed and sporting several interesting circular red marks. Due to her rather disheveled appearance, Hinata felt no malice when Ino immediately dropped face-first onto her bed, as graceful as an elephant in a tutu.
"Sorry 'bout yesterday." Ino's voice was muffled by her pillow but Hinata heard loud and clear.
"Apology accepted Ino," she replied softly. "I'm not mad at you not really. I just- I don't understand why- out of all of the guys on campus- Sakura holds… interest… in our professor. Wasn't Sasuke enough? Sai? Naruto- a boy who loved her more than the sun?"
"Even more than ramen," Ino agreed with a reluctant smirk.
Hinata smiled softly in response, glad to see Ino's sense of humor hadn't been washed away in the ever-rising torrent of betrayal. Though Ino's beauty had been legendary back in their high school days, it had always been her smile that stuck in everyone's minds, the honesty so openly displayed had been haunting. To see her smile fade would be like seeing the sun whited out- while there would be other stars shining out there, all would seem almost artificial due to their distance.
But for now, it was enough to know that she could still embrace the world with the same whole-heartedness that she had before… well, just before everything.
XXXXXXX
"You're doing what?" Gaara's voice may have been low and even but his tone could not be interpreted any way other than menacing death threat.
"I'm taking Sakura Haruno out," Kankuro said nervously while rubbing the back of his neck in a compulsive manner. If he managed to make it out of this with both testicles still attached, it would be the act of a merciful God. Or maybe God was holding out for some bus to come out of nowhere on the day he forgets to do his laundry and goes commando.
Oh well- you don't know if the waters over your until you jump, after all.
XXXXXXX
So I wasn't sure when I would be able to get the rest of it done so I decided to give you all this much so yes I know it is short. Basically, I hoped this chapter kind of illustrate the difference between Gaara and Ino and how these same differences are what is drawing Gaara in which makes for an interesting relationship. Next chapter (should all go well) I'm thinking that they will move further forward as a "couple" but please tell me if you think this is too fast and I am rushing!
