"Just go to the damn store!" The woman screeched, fists balled and eyes narrowed.
Shikamaru sighed in exasperation. Why the woman couldn't go to the store herself was beyond him. Not only was he on the verge of sleep, as it was rather late, but she was constantly whining about how they never got out of the house and how was felt so trapped all the time.
"I'll go in the morning." He attempted to turn his back on her by turning so he was facing the back of the couch, but she didn't seem to like that.
"No you won't! You never do anything in the mornings, Shikamaru! You just sleep in! I'm left to do everything around here and you know they're supposed to be coming over tomorrow afternoon and-"
"Fine!" He swiftly stood up and didn't miss a beat when grabbing his jacket and slipping it on while making it out the front door. It closed behind him and he sighed in relief. Finally there was silence. A few stars were sparkling overhead and he was glad a few were out to take the place of his beloved clouds.
He had climbed down the few steps onto the sidewalk when he realized he hadn't grabbed his keys. Knowing his fiancée, if he were to go in, she'd scream his head off about how rude he was and how that was just completely unacceptable! He hung his head before shoving his hands in his pockets. Guess walking it was, then.
Shikamaru had walked to the store before, of course, and regularly it would take about 20 minutes. With how things were tonight and how he definitely didn't want to be home, it would be at least 30, maybe longer. He was vaguely sure she wouldn't mind, either. It might even give her time to cool off. He rolled his eyes. Who was he kidding? She'd huff and continue what she was doing, constantly muttering about how he was good for nothing, lazy, always late, and blah blah blah.
They had been engaged for eight months, eight long months. After the fifth month all they ever seemed to be doing was arguing, fighting. It was wearing on him. There were moments of random, sporadic peace that reminded him why they were getting married, but those moments were becoming increasingly rare. He wondered if she was starting to feel that wall between them, too.
The slight chill in the air was enough to send a shiver up his spine. But he breathed in the cool, fresh air and almost felt content. Going past a park that led to a trail, Shikamaru paused. He looked back the way he came and looked into the park. Willing to risk a furious fiancée, he meandered into the park and sat on a bench he was familiar with. It gave him a perfect view of the sky where the trees parted like it was just for him. Not too long had gone by when he just got up and actually laid beneath the parted trees, thankful there weren't any people around. Usually bikers made doing it dangerous, but there were none at night.
The young man couldn't tell you how long he lied there like that, enjoying the silence and the twinkling starts above him until he felt something nudge his side. His eyes drifted over and fell on a pale face full of bemusement. She didn't seem to be much younger than him, but her face was full of life, life that he no longer had, even being still young himself. Pale blond hair was illuminated by the moonlight and he could tell she had blue eyes, though they looked dark.
"Whatcha doin' down there?" She asked, staring down at him. Her voice was high pitched and girly, but it was also friendly and inviting.
He looked back up at her as though it were normal. "Laying down."
She smiled and rolled her eyes, tucking her music player into her jean pocket. The girl then swung her hair to her other shoulder and sat down next to him, still looking down.
"Why?"
While Shikamaru had been enjoying the silence, he didn't mind the girl being there. He still would prefer the silence, but her open voice was nice. It soothed his ear from the constant bickering that he lived with.
"It's nice." He motioned to the sky overhead and she glanced up. Her hands went behind her so she could more easily lean back and get a better sight, and she nodded appreciatively.
"It is nice. It's also late. And you're in a park." She smiled down at him again with mirth. He just shrugged and continued to look at the stars, counting them all over in his mind, connecting them, recalling all he had learned about them.
The girl chuckled to herself and shook her head, opting to follow suit. The silence didn't last too long when she got up, brushed off her pants and nudged him with her foot again. He looked up at her in question to which she smiled brightly to.
"C'mon, I wanna show you something."
He mused her invitation in his mind. Obviously it would mean taking even longer to get home, which would greatly infuriate Temari, but it also meant that he could be somewhere else. He should be going to the store, but he would already be getting yelled at. Besides, what was there to lose? The girl just wanted to show him something, right? And this girl seemed nice.
He stood up and brushed off his jeans. He then said, with a nod, "Okay."
She grinned and took his arm to lead him in the right direction before letting go. She walked with her head high and with such confidence it made him drawn. The smile on her face only dimmed, but it never really went away. There was purpose in her stride and he found himself wanting to get to know this girl more. He didn't know why, but he thought she'd make a good friend. She'd be different, unpresuming. He didn't know how he knew this, but it almost seemed obvious.
The silence was comfortable and it lasted a while. He was completely comfortable with the silence, but, while she seemed okay with it, she appreciated noise.
"So you often just lie over there?" She inquired, thinking back to where she found him.
He shrugged. "Not really, it just sounded nice at the moment."
The blond nodded as though she really knew what he meant. "That's my life, right there." She laughed and smiled brightly again. "By the way, my name's Ino!" She paused in their walking and stuck her hand out for him to take.
Shikamaru was slightly caught off guard by the girl's rather random introduction. He stopped just a second off from her and looked at her hand with mild interest before taking it in his own.
"Shikamaru."
She laughed again and he found it was contagious, smiling along with her.
"Shika, huh? Cute name! Mine, on the other hand, is so not. Named after a freaking boar; so not cool." She laughed again, though more contained and shook her head.
He gave a slight smile and yet again shrugged, "At least there's no comparison."
Ino gave him an odd look as though not sure what to make of what he said. The look vanished within just a few seconds before replaced with one of her bubbly smiles. "Well thanks, Shika!" She lightly nudged his arm with a loose fist and began walking again. He blinked after her before trailing after her.
"So if you don't usually lie out there, what makes tonight different?"
Shikamaru grunted and rolled his neck, feeling the pressures of back home. "I just needed to relax a little, my fiancée has been driving me crazy."
Ino nodded. "I see…" She gave him a quirky smile and a light bump, "Probably just trying to get you used to being married." She laughed and Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle himself.
"Yeah, maybe that's it…"
He trailed off and she took the hint to not prod more about it. She got reacquainted with the silence and it was Shikamaru's turn to question.
"What brings you out here?"
"Oh I'm always out and about. This time of night it the perfect time to go all the places that are normally too crowded."
Shikamaru sighed. "The world's too crowded," he mumbled.
Ino rolled her eyes with a smile, "Exactly."
He looked at the girl next to him and wondered how he got to meet such a different person. Just being in the right place at the right time by chance, he figured. It wasn't often someone would easily take in to account his less optimistic view of the world, but this girl he just met did. And she even seemed to make it not so dark.