Taking a Walk
By Phishy chan
It was a pleasant day. Far too pleasant for his liking, but, in essence, that was probably his reason for liking it so much in the first place. One wouldn't expect fall to be so lovely in Konoha, but it was. It was beautiful.
And on days like this, just watching clouds would be somewhat of a waste. May as well take a walk and savour the weather while you're at it. You can still see clouds as you walk, right?
Now, Shikamaru generally appreciated peaceful walks. At least he didn't hate them. They were seldom more troublesome than watching clouds. When they did end up being troublesome… well, that was mercifully rare.
So it was particularly ironic that on such a lovely day, and in such a less-annoyed -than-normal mood did Shikamaru happen to come upon… something rather troublesome. Not something- more like someone.
"Oh! Shikamaru!" called Ino, who also, apparently, decided that it was a good day for a walk. "Hey! Watcha doin'?"
"Takin' a walk," he answered.
"Yeah. It's a great day, isn't it?" she asked.
"Sure," he answered.
"Fall is so great in Konoha. I've heard that some places don't have such lovely days in the fall. We're lucky, huh?" she asked.
"I guess," he answered.
"Anyway, you wanna walk with me? It's been a while, ne?" she offered.
Shikamaru's acute brain quickly assessed the situation. If he agreed to go with Ino, he would probably have to put up with her constant conversations. And if something should happen, he, being the male and being the higher-ranked ninja, would probably be obliged to protect her or something. Not only that, he would lose the peace of the solitude he was currently enjoying, and probably wouldn't be able to focus on the clouds due to Ino's overly-inquisitive personality.
"Sure," he answered.
"Great!" Ino cheered, clapping her hands. "So… anything new?"
And so it began.
It was a surprisingly pleasant walk, Shikamaru had to admit. Despite their personality differences, he certainly didn't mind Ino's company that much. Clouds were very nice to look at, but then again, so was she.
They talked of teams and missions of late. Ino talked about certain kinds of conditioner, and Shikamaru suggested "Coast." It earned him a playful slap on the shoulder and a peal of delightful laughter.
He didn't say much. Then again, he didn't really need to. Ino was a girl, and as long as she had a good listener nearby, she could be content. Normally, Shikamaru wouldn't really pay that much attention, but… It was far too enjoyable a day for him to feel any resentment towards anything.
"Ah, Shikamaru, look," Ino pointed out. "Takoyaki! C'mon, let's go buy some."
And indeed, there was a kindly takoyaki stand by the side of the road. A faint complaint from his stomach reminded Shikamaru how peckish he was feeling.
In a few moments, Shikamaru and Ino had cheeks puffed out with the globular snacks. They made their way to a handsome bench next to a handsome tree. Perfect. It was an image out of a lovely storybook.
"Mm…," Ino hummed contentedly. "This is great."
Shikamaru popped another piece into his mouth. "What, the takoyaki?"
"Not just that, everything!" she exclaimed. "It's great! Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. The leaves, the air, the sky, and… Well, yeah, the takoyaki. But everything is just so…"
She let out a noise of supreme contentment and stretched her arms out, trying to rival the spreading branches of the tree behind her. Everything was enormously right in the world.
"Hm…"
Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept through the air and trees, snatching off the leaves with it. A flurry of golden, warm colors swirled around into a maelstrom of pure autumness. Ino gasped with delight and impulsively grabbed onto Shikamaru's arm.
"Fall is my favorite season of the year," Ino grinned. "But that's a bit obvious, isn't it?"
"I guess," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. "Although, I sort of thought you as a summer person."
"Ugh! That means you don't know anything about me!" Ino cried in mock astonishment. "That's disappointing."
"It would be."
"Well, come on. Let's walk home. Maybe you'll learn a little more about me along the way."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Mm hmm!"
-Fin-
A/N: 'Nother one of them rando-one shots that really has nothing to do with anything. All I can say is that fall is quite lovely where I live, and we've been having these really gorgeous days this week. It makes up for all the miserable tests I've had to do.