[Crossover] To Lofty Goals
Title: To Lofty Goals
Author: Killaurey
Fandom: Naruto/Final Fantasy VII/Fandom High
Rating: T
Word Count: 1,183
Prompt: When they say you're / not that strong / You're not that weak / It’s not your fault / When you climb up to your hill / Up to your place / I hope you're well -- from Not Enough by Our Lady Peace
Summary: They both have goals but, in having them, Hinata means to stay, while Ino needs to go. Yamanaka Ino/Zack Fair.
Author Notes:
puffinmuffin gave me the awesome prompt, so this was all her fault. A missing moment fic set in the Fandom High Universe. AU for both Naruto and FFVII.
"I'm leaving," Ino says abruptly, without greeting, one wet day about a week after Konoha has been left destroyed. "With Zack, I mean."
Hinata looks up from surveying rubble. Her hair is damp and clings to her cheeks. "What?" she asks, straightening, and wondering why Ino would come to her, of all people. "On a mission?"
Though why would Zack be permitted? Desperate times calling for desperate measures? She could believe it.
Ino shakes her head and shifts from one ankle to the next. Hinata takes the time to think that she's never seen Ino look so… defeated. "No," Ino says finally, "not on a mission. I'm leaving. For good."
Ah. Hinata understands, now, some of why Ino has come to her. "Why?" she asks simply.
Haunted blue eyes study her, and then study their surroundings, though Hinata isn't sure if Ino is really looking at anything that Hinata can see.
"You know," Ino says jerkily, "I was right out there, in the middle of all that. Dad saved me, then Zack found me, when I was working. Shikamaru and Chouji haven't come to see me at all. It's been a week. And I still haven't seen them. I guess, you know, I thought maybe it'd get better. Zack and I, we came here so we could get better 'cause there's so much wrong even back on Fandom, back on my--I mean, on Gaia."
Ino closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "No, I suppose I don't mean that, I do mean on my world. Gaia. Zack's world. I ain't never coming back here. I can't. I thought… maybe I could. That Shikamaru and Chouji would forgive me for saving their lives but I guess revenge were more important to them than a part-time teammate. I've been a terrible teammate."
"You haven't," Hinata says quietly.
"I--"
"You haven't," Hinata repeats. "You kept them alive."
Ino just shrugs. "I don't know. It doesn't really matter now anyway. Even if they were going to forgive me that, they won't forgive this. I'm going. Gaia's going to be my home. I've already got a job there. Well, not quite, but I will. Got the offer anyway."
"What will you be doing?"
For the first time, Ino smiles, and it's a bit like the sun coming up. "Intel, mostly, but other dirty work, as need be. Their version of ANBU."
"That suits you."
"Yeah," she says quietly, the smile fading. "And it'll let me… follow Zack. That's stupid, right? Following a boy?"
"I don't think so," Hinata replies. "I've been following one myself."
In a different way than Ino is though, given the way Hinata feels, it's probably not so different underneath all the circumstances.
"It just seems… childish," Ino says, like it's a curse. "And there's stuff I don't know. I know I'm getting in over my head."
"Do you think you'll regret it?" Hinata wonders.
Ino's turns her blue-blasted eyes back to her. They look clearer and more certain than Hinata has seen in… months, even back on Fandom. They remind her of the way Ino used to be, before she ever left Konoha in the first place. Maybe this is why Ino has come to her. To give her this bit of closure. It's a gift, looked at sideways.
"I won't regret it," Ino says. "Not leaving. I'd regret staying. You know, when this happened and we looked around, all I could think was 'thank fuck this wasn't my home'." Ino shivers, wrapping too-thin arms around herself. "That means I've got to go. If I can look at this, where I was born, and think nothing but at least it weren't where my heart is… this ain't for me."
"Leaving doesn't make you weak," Hinata says softly. "It doesn't make you a coward or terrible. It doesn't make you flighty or silly or shameful for leaving. It just means that this isn't your home any longer. Is that so terrible?"
"It should be," Ino says. "It would have been, a few years back. These days…" Ino spreads her hands out and then lets them fall helplessly.
"It's not your fault," Hinata tells her. "It's not because you should've done things differently. It's just… a change. You've changed."
"I wonder…" Ino stares out over the ruined landscape that had been Konohagakure no Sato. "You know," she says abruptly, "you've changed a lot too."
"Yes, I know."
That makes Ino laugh, just a little. "I like you now," she says, as unapologetic as ever about her bluntness. "I didn't hate you or nothing, in the Academy, but you weren't much of my type of people. Now… I think you might be."
Hinata smiles. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Good," Ino says. "How come you can stay? If you wanted, you could go, but you--this is still your home."
"Yes," she agreed, brushing her hands off. "It is. As for how I can stay… I'm not done here yet. There's still something I want."
Ino tilts her head. "What?"
"My father's acknowledgement."
"That's worth staying?"
Hinata nods. "To me."
"I… can't do that," Ino says. "I think trying would break me."
"Then don't break," Hinata says. "I'm not going to punish you for leaving. Or judge you. I want you to be happy. Will you be, if you leave? If you go to Zack's world?"
"I'm probably going to die before I'm twenty," Ino shares. "But… yeah. I think, eventually, I'll be happy there. Will you be, here?"
"Yes," Hinata says. "When you go back, will you arrange to send Yei to me? I left her with Warren but… I don't think I'm coming back. There's too much to do now."
"I will," Ino promises. "I don't know how long Zack and I'll be on Fandom, but even if we're only there a day or two, I'll make certain Yei gets to you. Is there anything else you need?"
"There's weapons in the locker that are mine."
"I'll send those too. Konoha could use them."
They both fall silent, studying the destruction with solemn eyes.
"Hinata," Ino says, as the sun goes down, "don't aim for just your father's acknowledgement. Get Naruto's. Or… no, you should aim for Hokage. Get everyone's acknowledgement."
"I'd be terrible at that," Hinata protests.
"Nah," Ino says, "I don't think you would be."
"Perhaps," she says doubtfully. "And you? What should I wish for you?"
Ino glances at her, something undefinable in her eyes. "I'm going to save the world."
Somehow, Hinata believes her. Naruto makes that sort of proclamation sound like a boost. Ino makes it sound… like a thing that's going to happen. Like the sun will rise in the morning.
That sort of thing.
"To lofty goals," Hinata says softly. "I'll think of you. Write me, if you can."
"Sure thing," Ino says, then just as abruptly as she came, Ino is gone, and night falls.
Hinata lingers in the misty rain for a while, just thinking, then slowly makes her way back to where the survivors are camping.
There's work to be done.
Originally posted on DW. Comment there. (Unless you want to comment here. That's fine too.)
Author: Killaurey
Fandom: Naruto/Final Fantasy VII/Fandom High
Rating: T
Word Count: 1,183
Prompt: When they say you're / not that strong / You're not that weak / It’s not your fault / When you climb up to your hill / Up to your place / I hope you're well -- from Not Enough by Our Lady Peace
Summary: They both have goals but, in having them, Hinata means to stay, while Ino needs to go. Yamanaka Ino/Zack Fair.
Author Notes:
puffinmuffin gave me the awesome prompt, so this was all her fault. A missing moment fic set in the Fandom High Universe. AU for both Naruto and FFVII.
"I'm leaving," Ino says abruptly, without greeting, one wet day about a week after Konoha has been left destroyed. "With Zack, I mean."
Hinata looks up from surveying rubble. Her hair is damp and clings to her cheeks. "What?" she asks, straightening, and wondering why Ino would come to her, of all people. "On a mission?"
Though why would Zack be permitted? Desperate times calling for desperate measures? She could believe it.
Ino shakes her head and shifts from one ankle to the next. Hinata takes the time to think that she's never seen Ino look so… defeated. "No," Ino says finally, "not on a mission. I'm leaving. For good."
Ah. Hinata understands, now, some of why Ino has come to her. "Why?" she asks simply.
Haunted blue eyes study her, and then study their surroundings, though Hinata isn't sure if Ino is really looking at anything that Hinata can see.
"You know," Ino says jerkily, "I was right out there, in the middle of all that. Dad saved me, then Zack found me, when I was working. Shikamaru and Chouji haven't come to see me at all. It's been a week. And I still haven't seen them. I guess, you know, I thought maybe it'd get better. Zack and I, we came here so we could get better 'cause there's so much wrong even back on Fandom, back on my--I mean, on Gaia."
Ino closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "No, I suppose I don't mean that, I do mean on my world. Gaia. Zack's world. I ain't never coming back here. I can't. I thought… maybe I could. That Shikamaru and Chouji would forgive me for saving their lives but I guess revenge were more important to them than a part-time teammate. I've been a terrible teammate."
"You haven't," Hinata says quietly.
"I--"
"You haven't," Hinata repeats. "You kept them alive."
Ino just shrugs. "I don't know. It doesn't really matter now anyway. Even if they were going to forgive me that, they won't forgive this. I'm going. Gaia's going to be my home. I've already got a job there. Well, not quite, but I will. Got the offer anyway."
"What will you be doing?"
For the first time, Ino smiles, and it's a bit like the sun coming up. "Intel, mostly, but other dirty work, as need be. Their version of ANBU."
"That suits you."
"Yeah," she says quietly, the smile fading. "And it'll let me… follow Zack. That's stupid, right? Following a boy?"
"I don't think so," Hinata replies. "I've been following one myself."
In a different way than Ino is though, given the way Hinata feels, it's probably not so different underneath all the circumstances.
"It just seems… childish," Ino says, like it's a curse. "And there's stuff I don't know. I know I'm getting in over my head."
"Do you think you'll regret it?" Hinata wonders.
Ino's turns her blue-blasted eyes back to her. They look clearer and more certain than Hinata has seen in… months, even back on Fandom. They remind her of the way Ino used to be, before she ever left Konoha in the first place. Maybe this is why Ino has come to her. To give her this bit of closure. It's a gift, looked at sideways.
"I won't regret it," Ino says. "Not leaving. I'd regret staying. You know, when this happened and we looked around, all I could think was 'thank fuck this wasn't my home'." Ino shivers, wrapping too-thin arms around herself. "That means I've got to go. If I can look at this, where I was born, and think nothing but at least it weren't where my heart is… this ain't for me."
"Leaving doesn't make you weak," Hinata says softly. "It doesn't make you a coward or terrible. It doesn't make you flighty or silly or shameful for leaving. It just means that this isn't your home any longer. Is that so terrible?"
"It should be," Ino says. "It would have been, a few years back. These days…" Ino spreads her hands out and then lets them fall helplessly.
"It's not your fault," Hinata tells her. "It's not because you should've done things differently. It's just… a change. You've changed."
"I wonder…" Ino stares out over the ruined landscape that had been Konohagakure no Sato. "You know," she says abruptly, "you've changed a lot too."
"Yes, I know."
That makes Ino laugh, just a little. "I like you now," she says, as unapologetic as ever about her bluntness. "I didn't hate you or nothing, in the Academy, but you weren't much of my type of people. Now… I think you might be."
Hinata smiles. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Good," Ino says. "How come you can stay? If you wanted, you could go, but you--this is still your home."
"Yes," she agreed, brushing her hands off. "It is. As for how I can stay… I'm not done here yet. There's still something I want."
Ino tilts her head. "What?"
"My father's acknowledgement."
"That's worth staying?"
Hinata nods. "To me."
"I… can't do that," Ino says. "I think trying would break me."
"Then don't break," Hinata says. "I'm not going to punish you for leaving. Or judge you. I want you to be happy. Will you be, if you leave? If you go to Zack's world?"
"I'm probably going to die before I'm twenty," Ino shares. "But… yeah. I think, eventually, I'll be happy there. Will you be, here?"
"Yes," Hinata says. "When you go back, will you arrange to send Yei to me? I left her with Warren but… I don't think I'm coming back. There's too much to do now."
"I will," Ino promises. "I don't know how long Zack and I'll be on Fandom, but even if we're only there a day or two, I'll make certain Yei gets to you. Is there anything else you need?"
"There's weapons in the locker that are mine."
"I'll send those too. Konoha could use them."
They both fall silent, studying the destruction with solemn eyes.
"Hinata," Ino says, as the sun goes down, "don't aim for just your father's acknowledgement. Get Naruto's. Or… no, you should aim for Hokage. Get everyone's acknowledgement."
"I'd be terrible at that," Hinata protests.
"Nah," Ino says, "I don't think you would be."
"Perhaps," she says doubtfully. "And you? What should I wish for you?"
Ino glances at her, something undefinable in her eyes. "I'm going to save the world."
Somehow, Hinata believes her. Naruto makes that sort of proclamation sound like a boost. Ino makes it sound… like a thing that's going to happen. Like the sun will rise in the morning.
That sort of thing.
"To lofty goals," Hinata says softly. "I'll think of you. Write me, if you can."
"Sure thing," Ino says, then just as abruptly as she came, Ino is gone, and night falls.
Hinata lingers in the misty rain for a while, just thinking, then slowly makes her way back to where the survivors are camping.
There's work to be done.
Originally posted on DW. Comment there. (Unless you want to comment here. That's fine too.)