[OPEN] Body Snatchers

[openedthebasket]

Curious, these pieces of paper. He was reluctant to touch them, but they appeared harmless enough, even as he surveyed them with his Byakugan. Perhaps a child had been overly excited for Tanabata?

In spite of his own foreboding, he bent to pick up an ivory-white one, turning it over between his fingers. Strange...

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[perfectcosmos]

She kissed him on the nose and released him. "You looked like you needed a hug~! This looks delicious."

[openedthebasket]

A strangled, disbelieving sound at the kiss to his nose, the feeling so light that it took him several long, confused minutes to determine what it even was.

He closed his eyes against another flash of pain, then took his seat, trying to ignore it. "Something like this... is my favorite meal," he answered instead, determinedly looking to it as he picked up his chopsticks. "It is simple to make, yet nutritious."

[perfectcosmos]

She gave him a warm smile. "Then it should taste delicious on your sense of taste, right Neji-kun?"

She practically purred the words as she picked up the chopsticks, picking up the first bite.

[openedthebasket]

"One would think." He waited until she started to eat before bothering to set to it himself, trying to dismiss the way his nose kept tingling.

[perfectcosmos]

She finished rather quickly, realizing that the body felt famished as she tucked in, and it really was very good, better than it tended to taste in her body. Though, it could also have just been who cooked it too... When she finished, she put the dishes in the sink and returned to her seat, humming down a scale. Ohhh, that was a great tone.

"You have a great voice, you know that?"

[openedthebasket]

Hm... it didn't taste as good as he'd expected, but she had mentioned that they would share different tastes. In any case, he finished after her, glancing up as she returned and finishing the final bite of noodles.

"Truly? I suppose it is rather good for projecting in terms of orders or warnings."

[perfectcosmos]

"Oh it's good for more than that." Yep, she was loving that tone of voice and deliberately spoke in it, smiling across the table at him.

"But you're always too proper for that mm?"

[openedthebasket]

Acutely uncomfortable with her using his own voice on him like that, he cleared his throat and gathered his dishes, setting them in the sink and beginning to wash them. "I haven't any idea what you are talking about. Would you like anything else?"

[perfectcosmos]

"Hmm no but you'd probably be happier with a few of the tomatoes tucked on the counter." She let the affectation drop, amusement overriding it anyway. "They're good ones."

[openedthebasket]

Finding himself a knife, he retrieved one of the tomatoes and started to slice it, offering her the first one. "Thought I admit, I have never been overly fond of tomatoes... I apologize if the sense extends to you as well, right now."

[perfectcosmos]

She took it and nibbled on it. "Downside of things tasting different."

[openedthebasket]

He huffed quietly through his nose. "My most sincere apologies."

He hesitated then, in the middle of slicing the tomato again, and avoided her gaze.

"I have many things for which I must apologize to you, it seems."

[perfectcosmos]

She blinked, then tilted her head slightly. "I can't think of any."

[openedthebasket]

"For my behavior nearly two weeks ago," he murmured, staring steadfastly at the tomato rather than meet her eyes. "I was... cruel, unnecessarily so. Please forgive me."

[perfectcosmos]

She went over and slid her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek on his head. "Like I said Neji, I can't think of any. You should actually eat a piece of that."

[openedthebasket]

It was... undeniably nice, being hugged like this, though he couldn't escape the utter strangeness of the idea that it was his own body doing the hugging, by Ino's will. He just closed his eyes and bowed his head.

[perfectcosmos]

"No matter what, I'm here when you need me, okay? Don't forget."

She tightened her hold a little, then moved a hand to pluck the knife out of his fingers, setting it down, then returned to the hug.

[openedthebasket]

"I could never."

He allowed her to remove the knife, setting the tomato aside at the same time to just try to relax into her hold. A little ruefully, he couldn't help but think that he was far too tall to be able to truly experience this for himself.

"You are... extremely kind, Ino. Thank you."

[perfectcosmos]

"You're easy to be kind to Neji." She smiled and kissed the top of his head.

[openedthebasket]

He huffed through his nose, but didn't bother to protest directly. Instead, as nice as the hold was, he started to pull away. "While your support is... appreciated, I'm certain you have many things to do other than worry about me."

[perfectcosmos]

She stepped back with a noise of amusement. "Just this second you're all of my every concern, promise."

[openedthebasket]

"Just this second, we should focus on a way to return to normal." He shook his head, taking a breath and letting his lips curve into another deep frown, trying to return to the topic at hand. "You have the most experience with this kind of thing, do you not?"

[perfectcosmos]

"Nope. I have experience with sending my soul elsewhere. I do not have experience with flip flopping around without any discernible way to go back."

[openedthebasket]

"Excellent." He only shook his head and scowled again, glancing to her. "Then what do you propose we do? While I of course cannot speak for you, I do not think such an arrangement would be satisfactory in the long term."

[perfectcosmos]

"I can see the benefits." She gave him an impish smile. "But I'm behaving, even if I don't know how long this will last."