⑭→focus pocus get 'er laid / room in france for the new true maid

Not really. Sometimes the only thing you can do is wait. Maybe everything won't blow up in your face, and maybe everything just feels inevitable.

Not that I know what I'm talking about, hehehe~ after all, the human mind is a complicated thing.

...are you doing okay, Naruto? Y'know, just returning the favor, sweet cheeks. ^~

I'm worried about you, Ino. Among others. But thanks for the kind words~ You're cute when you care. (You're cute regardless, actually. But caring is awesome too. ♥)

No problem~

Me? What the heck are you worried about me for? I'm a big girl, Naruto. And you worry too much for your own good, anyway. Think about the wrinkles!

Aww, Naruto, you're too damn sweet! I'll take that as a "You're cute all the time, Ino!", hehe. ♥

(Hey, you didn't answer my question! Don't get me off-topic.)

You are cute all the time~! How could I speak anything but the truth?

Although- ...yeah, I probably do. I don't know. I'm paranoid-ish.

...god, I'm totally not getting botox when I get older. Maybe I can get ecchi to show me how to wear wrinkles correctly? But, ugh, I'll have them all over my forehead... Ah, well. If Hugh Heffner can manage his batch being old as he is...

(Off-topic? Me? Never~!)

You are paranoid-ish. Too much caffeine? It's this life though, what are you going to do?

I'm sure you'll age handsomely. Please, all Hugh Hefner has going for him at this point is the moolah. Babe, you have enough good looks to last us two lifetimes.

(Except right now.

I know there's some things you can't talk about with me, but...)

No, I know. It's freakin' me out. ...you're not the first person to make that joke in the past week and a half. YOU KNOW BAA-BAA AND ECCHI NEVER LET ME WITHIN HALF A MILE OF IT. And, I mean, I wouldn't give any of this up for the world. This is so much more...people stuff.

As if you don't. I swear, we are possibly the most aesthetically pleasing people in Japan. If we had kids? They would probably sparkle. That's how awesome they would be.

(No, I know. I don't know, Ino. I feel like I need to roll around more in our business affairs, because our friends are going to give me an aneurysm. There are quite a few things I don't think you should have to know about, since a lot of it concerns Hyuuga and Uchiha, and the intimate social goingson of even more volatile individuals, but I can tell you that I'm getting in the middle of it just because I'm me.)

Being on edge so much can't be good for your health, or your sanity, Naruto. People stuff, right up your alley. ^^

Oh, no doubt about the sparkles. They would; and their beauty would stop traffic with a mere glance. Seriously, we would be so hot together, they would need to create a name for us like Brangelina, except we would be Naruino or something.

(Well, what can I say? "I know it's tough"? I don't, at least, not like you know. But you’re our junior leader for a reason, Naruto. We have faith in your judgment.

All I can think of to offer as advice is, pick your battles.

You can’t keep this up forever, this whole involved-in-everything-stress-myself-to-death thing. I know you’re as close to Superman as it gets, but Naruto...you can’t do it all. Even though you have a knack of pulling it off, and then we have no choice but to believe you can do anything.

You're only human, okay? Just...try to stay out of too much trouble and don't get hurt or else I'll get homicidal. We need you alive, blondie. ♥)

You'd think it would be, right? But I totally feel like a camp councilor or something. Tomorrow, we're learning how to roll sleeping bags properly, make good smores, and behave in a way that doesn't make me look bad in front of my fellow oyabun and/or not being pussies. Whichever I can teach 'em faster.

...dude, that would be amazing. We would make tabloids. You know we would.

(Ha. Alive, I can do. You're never going to get rid of me that way - I'll join the legions of the undead if I have to. Nothing kills me and gets away with it, least of all stress. How humiliating would that be?

But I know what you mean, and I'll keep better track of what I need to be focusing on and what I don't; I mean, a lot of this stuff I couldn't fix no matter how hard I tried, and I know it. I've got a lot of stamina but I know I can't go forever.

I mean, I can, but I don't really want to have to. I'm sure it'll be valuable to have the energy to do other shit pretty soon, so I guess I'll just take as much apirin as possible and wait it out.

Or you and I could just go run it off.)