Room 505, Saturday Mid-Afternoon

[sound_loyalty]

The door was closed, and Kabuto was working. He was typing furiously away at his laptop, occasionally pausing to look something up in a book, or one of his older notebooks.

Having not left his room at all that day, Kabuto had no idea anything strange was going on. That ignorance was something that would be corrected all too quickly.

(expecting

Comments

[flowering_mind]

Ino didn't bother knocking. She just opened the door, keeping it shut enough that the kids weren't immediately visible.

"Kabuto," she said 'sweetly'. "you've got several visitors." And then she opened the door enough for the kids to slip in. "Go see him, you two."

Ino had a wicked streak, yes.

[sound_loyalty]

Kabuto really didn't like being interrupted, but he reacted calmly. Closing the screen down on the laptop, he set his books aside and turned around.

The kids didn't seem to phase him, other than a brief eyebrow raise. "...This again? Hmph. You can go ahead and take care of them."

[wee_soundofmind]

Isamu's curiosity was instantly grabbed by the books, and he moved quickly over to the desk. "What are you working on? What's a..." Isamu trailed off, his head cocked to the side as he tried to read the spine of the book. "...I don't know that word."

[wee_soundofmind]

"Of course you wouldn't," Kagami said witheringly. "They're Dad's books and Dad's better than you." She beamed at Dad. "Right, Dad?"

[flowering_mind]

"No insulting each other," she said automatically, before looking at Kabuto. "Yeah, keep dreaming, you're helping to deal with this bit of whacky." That was a glare there. "Consider it payment for not taking me to the prom."

[sound_loyalty]

"What prom?" Kabuto asked boredly. "And this happened last year, as well. I've dealt with it; now it's your turn." He picked up the book in question, marked his place, and closed it properly.

"Any children of mine would understand that projects for Orochimaru-sama are far more important than any sort of interruption." He smirked, looking at Kagami and Isamu. "Am I correct?"

[wee_soundofmind]

"Yeah, Dad's better than us, duh. He's better than you, too." Isamu mirrored Kabuto's smirk. "I'm better than you, too." So much for the 'no insulting each other' order.

[wee_soundofmind]

"Are not!" Kagami protested violently. "I'm quicker and better at taijutsu than you are! And I've got glasses like Dad!"

Which, clearly, made her way better.

[flowering_mind]

"I said no insulting each other," Ino repeated, this time more forcibly. "And the prom that happened last night, geez. You're. Helping."

[wee_soundofmind]

"Yeah, and you go crazy without them!" Isamu quieted just a little at Ino's insistance, but didn't shut up completely. He and Kagami were close as only twins could be, but they still forced each other to be better. Teasing was just a part of that.

[sound_loyalty]

Kabuto frowned, grabbing Isamu by the tied tails of his headband and pulling sharply. "Perhaps she does. However, I fail to see what your excuse is. Go sit." His hand moved to the space between Isamu's shoulderblades, giving him a small shove toward the neatly made bed.

The little ninja boy scowled, but obeyed.

[wee_soundofmind]

"It's not an excuse," Kagami said, with the wounded air of one who has heard this before. "It's a fact."

[flowering_mind]

"Go sit," Ino told Kagami. "With Isamu if you think you can behave. On the other bed if you're just going to keep being bad."

Kagami duly considered this, and headed over to sit on the same bed as Isamu. As far away as she could, just because, but on the same bed.

[sound_loyalty]

"At least they make reasonable sense," Kabuto said, shrugging at Ino. "Last year was far stranger."

[flowering_mind]

"Maybe for you," she muttered.

Her last year had been different from his after all.

[sound_loyalty]

"Last year there were no women involved." He'd let Ino work that out for herself.

"I do have work to do, however. I have a new assignment for after graduation." Kabuto gestured slightly to the collection of books on his desk. "I can't possibly divert my attention to taking care of children for however long they're here."