Chocolate Pudding [Nejiko, Yuugao]

[weighted_wings]

Nejiko felt so very glad to be home. She still needed to adhere to the same rules as when she was in the hospital, but at home on her own futon where she would not freeze. Being home also meant that Yuugao was much less likely to drop in unannounced. That, too, she counted as a blessing. After his dreaming back at the hospital, she in truth did

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[weighted_wings]

Her head snapped to the right to look at the door at the knock, but whether it was because of training or simply being startled from her musings she wouldn't say. Instead she rose from her seat, instinctively smoothing away any wrinkles the pale pewter kimono she wore. The robe was for casual dress, made of lightweight silk that was excellent for Konoha's humid summers, and the headscarf she wore to cover her seal matched it perfectly. Pure white was a color reserved for the main family only, and her usual wardrobe of black felt too much like mourning clothes. She told herself she was over the worst of it, and while her heart agreed it maintained the process was still far from over.

She was still filling out, but her continued improvement and weight gain were noticeable. Tsurude-sama's list had benchmarks she had yet to reach, but she was getting there albeit at a slower rate than in the hospital. Not because she wasn't following his instructions exactly, but because as time progressed the greater the plateaus before the next advancement. She couldn't perform even kata yet (or wasn't allowed to, yet), but she had been taking short walks with plenty of rests so could enjoy the fresh air and the birdsong. Granted, someone was usually watching her when she made this minor excursions to ensure she didn't push herself as she had shown herself to do habitually, but otherwise she was left alone.

A moment of hesitation to affix her features into a neutral expression before she slid the door open. The correct choice, she thought as she saw Yuugao standing there, tupperware in hand. He had dressed, she noted, in a manner less casual than the movie night at the hospital.

"Yuugao-san, good afternoon," she said politely.

[anbu_moon]

"Good afternoon, Nejiko-san," he bowed his head and waited for her to gesture for him to enter before he dared to move forward. She had said that Hyuuga were not allowed to use the Byakugan inside the compound, but he still felt self-conscious. Even if they couldn't see him through the walls with their jutsu...perhaps they could still hear him. It wasn't as if the walls were very thick.

Once she had gestured, he bowed his head again and stepped inside, sinking into a cross-legged pose and setting down the tupperware between them.

"You look better," he said, doing his best to not stare at her room. Sure, going to her hospital room was one thing, but visiting her bedroom was quite another. ...and he really needed to stop embarrassing himself or else he'd start blushing or something even worse.

[weighted_wings]

She demurred away the compliment. "As do you," she said truthfully as she knelt on a flat cushion. Yuugao awake and aware (and a little nervous; good, that meant equal footing) was much preferable to him half-dead, even less aware, and fully armed.

Inviting him in was a risk of a different sort. It was no secret that she had been training with Yuugao. Why should it have been? She was gaining valuable knowledge from an experienced shinobi. No one batted an eye that he was outclan and male. She was also confirmed as "unavailable" as she had made her relationship with Tentsuke public and the drunken episode aside her kin knew she maintained a high sense of decorum and propriety. Add in that her teammates were frequent visitors and the prospect of allowing a mentor into her room as a guest would not be considered improper.

No matter how twitchy it made her inside, being as this was her quite personal space.

Her muted inner turmoil was in fact the reason she didn't suggest they have the visit somewhere more public. Yuugao might not see it, but if any of her cousins saw they would get curious. And Fate help her--and Yuugao--if those cousins happened to be Isamu and/or Osamu. Unlike most everyone else, those two almost never knew when to stop in their teasings. Worse, they would be able to see her discomfort. While they would choose to intervene if she appeared distressed enough, they would also eventually worm enough of the truth from her to get the picture. They had with her in regards to Tentsuke, after all.

No, better her in a small environment she could control and where they were both safe from unwanted scrutiny.