paradisalogs | Closed

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Who: Once-ler, Tsuna, and an unconscious Ino
What: Two of Ino's friends are worried over her and end up running into each other
When: Today
Where: Clinic
Rating: PG

Tsuna had awoken in his room in the castle feeling disoriented and groggy. When he'd realized where he was, he quickly checked the journal to see if Zelos had returned as well, and sure enough, there he was, ranting away. And after getting into a conversation with him, he quickly remembered Ino's condition, and went straight down to the clinic to check on her.

He goes to her room and opens the door.

"Ino?"

But he finds someone else there, too. Someone he wasn't expecting.

"O-once-ler?"

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The Once-ler has been visiting the clinic regularly since Ino had been knocked out. In fact, he's been spending the majority of his time here. A small part of him knows it's ridiculous, that she's in safe hands and she'll wake up and be FINE. But he still worries, and at least, if he's in the clinic, he can be sure she's still okay. Hell, that she's still here.

He'd been dozing in his chair when Tsuna arrives, catching a brief snatch of sleep before returning to being Very Worried again. He sits up, running a hand through his already tousled hair.

"Oh. Hey, Tsuna."

Tsuna starts when he notices Once-ler's condition. After all, he never did really come off as a particularly compassionate guy to Tsuna. Still, he wore the evidence of being worried, even sleep-deprived.

"U-um, hey. Is it alright if I come in?"

He really isn't. Compassion is one of those things that tends to allude him. He tries to find it sometimes, he honestly, truly does. He just regularly misses the point. But Ino...well, she'll always be a special case unto herself. He'll stretch a little trying to work some circulation back into his limbs.

"Sure, I doubt Ino minds all that much right now."

He makes a tiny smile at that-- he was asking more for Once-ler's benefit than Ino's-- but he got that maybe he wouldn't mind the company anyway. What a funny guy... A self-proclaimed hermit who somehow knew the same crazy bunch of people Tsuna did. How did that even happen?

He walks over next to Once-ler and looks down at Ino, who seemed pretty peaceful.

He speaks quietly, tone dipped with concern. "How has she been?"

The Once-ler's expression moves into something unreadable for a moment, before settling on concern.

"She hasn't changed since she was knocked out," he says, his tone quieter. "She's just slept, and that that's it."

Tsuna frowns softly. Well... hasn't changed isn't necessarily bad. She hasn't gotten worse. But the comfort feels kind of flimsy. She's still knocked out, and for who knows how long?

"Allen-kun says this sort of thing has happened before. He said that while a person is knocked out, they return home for awhile."

He trusted Allen, although he didn't completely understand how Ino was back at home if her body remained in the castle physically.

"Yeah, I heard that, too."

The Once-ler's gaze falls back to Ino, the frown still deep on his features.

"I just hope she does come back."

The thought that she might not, however slim the chances, is something he doesn't want to think about.

"She will."

Allen hadn't mentioned anything about residents leaving after being knocked out. Only the singular case where one of them had completely lost their memories of this place.

... he's not entirely certain if that's better or worse than leaving altogether.

He looks curiously at Once-ler.

"How do you know her, anyway?"

It just seemed kind of weird. Aside from his birthday, this was the first time Tsuna had seen Once-ler out of his little hermit hole. How did he end up meeting someone so social and outgoing? You'd think that'd be exactly the kind of person he'd be offput by...

The Once-ler doesn't answer Tsuna right away, his eyes remaining on Ino's sleeping form. How could he even answer that? Explain how she's one of the very few people in the castle...hell, in his life you treated him like he was worth something, just by being him. Someone he didn't have to pretend for. Someone he loved, despite all attempts not to. She was everything and more.

"She laughed at my songs," he replied, eventually, the smallest of smiles creeping across his face. "I guess she decided I needed a little more sunshine in my life."

Tsuna smiles at his response and looks down at Ino again. He then decides that standing around is pretty awkward sooo he'll go to the other side and take a seat.

"I met Ino not too long after I came here. I was... a little nervous, at first. Getting thrown into such a strange place. And then the castle made us think that we were all related, and it made me think Ino was my big sister."

Oh. The family mess. The Once-ler does his bets not to think about that. It left him with some very unsettling revelations.

"She's that kind of person, I think," he says. "The sort who'll look out for just about anyone who she thinks needs it."

He nods in agreement. "She may not always go about things the right way, but... she always has everyone's best interests at mind, I think."

Like when she tried to set him up with Giotto. He still thought that wasn't the right thing to do, but in the end he forgave her, because he knew that all she wanted was for him and Giotto to get along.

"Even when she really meddles far too much," he replied with a fond chuckle. "But she wouldn't be her if she didn't do that."

And their lives would be considerably less interesting.

Tsuna gave a small noise of agreement, then perks up and looks at Once-ler.

"What have you been up to, by the way? I haven't seen you in awhile."

The Once-ler shrugs.

"Not a whole lot. Staying in my room mostly," he considers. "A kid from my world has shown up, so I've been taking care of him, too."

"Oh, is that so? A friend's showed up from my world, too."

He gives a soft smile.

"It's nice, getting to see someone. It's been the first time since I got here six months ago."

"I won't know him, not back home, for a long time," the Once-ler admitted. "He's from way in my future, but he's been here before. It's good to have him back, though."

"From your future, huh?" Tsuna considers this. "My friend came from my future too, actually. Except, it wasn't that far into the future. Probably an hour at best."

"Only an hour?" the Once-ler gives a small chuckle, leaning back on his chair. "Mine's about fifty years into my future."

He visibly starts at that. "Ehhhh? Fifty years in the future, seriously?!"

The Once-ler nods, trying not to look troubled about this fact. That all that time, he'd be completely and utterly alone. It's a future he knows he can't escape from.

"I'm an old man by the time he finds me."

"That's incredible! So does he know all about you then, or something?"

"Yeah," the Once-ler looks at the ceiling, frowning a little. "He came to find me, and I guess he must have grown on me...or I grew on him. Something."

"He sought you out?" Tsuna says, tone filled with confusion. Who was Once-ler, anyway?

"I live way, way way out of town, on my own," he explains. "Away from everyone. It's kind of a self imposed exile."

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