Theme #20: The Road Home

The night was cloudless, the moon full enough that the stars stood out in sharp contrast against the blue-black sky. It caught her attention easily and she found herself staring up at them. It didn't matter that she was supposed to be moving, returning home after a rough mission. It didn't matter that a good portion of her body was bruised and broken and she was forcing herself to walk on sheer will power alone. The sky and the stars were just so inviting.

The sky had always been one of her secret fascinations. Like her childhood friend, she would often watch it. Not for the clouds, but for the stars. If she could, she'd simply drown in them. But she knew she couldn't.

"Y'know, when I heard ya stop, I thought y'were hurtin' again?"

Ino blinked and turned to look at her team leader. "Nah, I just...need a break for a moment."

"Told'ja walkin' on a busted leg was stupid." But he didn't force the issue. He simply let her lean against the tree and watched as her eyes again went to the sky. He glanced back over his shoulder, as if trying to figure out what ever it was she was looking at. Seeing nothing, Kiba scratched his scalp and looked back down at her.

"Whut?"

She didn't need to ask him what he meant. She simply pointed. "The stars are really bright tonight. I love to just sit and watch them."

Kiba moved to sit near her. She felt a little warm, but she ignored it. "So, what's so special 'bout 'em? They're just stars. 'Course, with it bein' as clear as it is, it helps us navigate, so I guess it's good."

She found herself smiling, and she murmured quietly, "Ever wonder about them? I mean, you know what they are, stars that is. But, sometimes I feel that... maybe we're all connected in some way. Some theorists say the universe was created in a big bang. That means...we're all created from the same ... stuff. And that we're all connected somehow." She gave a wistful smile. "We're star stuff, y'know?" She looked away from the sky and outright laughed at the blank expression on Kiba's face.

"No wonder you don't got a boyfriend," was his only reply.

Ino simply shrugged. "Well, I figure that any guy that wants to be with me longer than a couple of dates will have to deal with the whole package. Shikamaru has his cloud watching to use for that purpose while I have my funny theory about stars."

"An' any guy that don't get it?"

"Gets the boot. And it's not so much 'not getting'," Ino explained, "It's putting up with. We all have our little quirks. I guess this is just one way of weeding out who'll be worth keeping around."

Kiba looked thoughtful for a moment, simply gazing up at the moonlit sky, while Ino busied herself with re-splinting her leg so they could continue back to Konoha. When she stood up, she caught him looking at her.

"So, I put up with your 'star stuff' spiel, when do we get t'go out?"

For a moment, Ino simply regarded him. He sounded so sincere. For a moment, she thought that she actually connected with him on a level she couldn't achieve with anyone else save for Shikamaru. But that had to have been a trick of her mind. Or, perhaps, a trick of her heart, considering how long it had been since she had the company of someone who was more than a friend.

"I think you're a little bit confused. That logic only applies to people I've already dated and I want to see if they're worth doing more with. I don't use that to see if I'm going to date them first," she said in a light grumble as she pushed herself off the tree. She grabbed her pack and with a slight grunt, started walking. He moved up along side her to make sure she didn't fall over, but he didn't outwardly help her.

"So, that means... we've passed the dating stage an' we're now a couple." He gave a grin and leered a bit. "Care t'seal it with a kiss?"

Ino blinked at the statement. Its randomness and how quickly it ruined a calm, serious mood stunned her. After a moment, however, she laughed. It was a quiet laugh, but it was no less genuine. "You were doing good there for a moment, Kiba. I was almost convinced. But you had to go and ruin it."

The grin he gave was endearing, even with its feral quality. "Wouldn't be me if I didn't."

The statement caused Ino to lapse into silence, and the two made their way home quietly. All Ino could do was reflect on the odd moment that had been shared between them. She tried to figure out why that moment of connection and his words about 'being himself' hit such a chord within her. In the end, Ino simply brushed it off as an isolated incident. She was pretty sure it would be forgotten.

However, a small dog plushy that was delivered to the hospital room she was assigned to upon her return proved her wrong. On its collar was a piece of paper, with a day and time, along with a location, which Ino assumed to be a reservation for a date, and two words which made her smile:

Star stuff.