Shikamaru awoke with noise emanating from the closed bedroom door. He groaned and smothered his head into his pillow, not wanting to be awake just yet. The sounds wouldn't go away so the lazy man begrudgingly got up from the bed and out of the room. What greeted him was the smell of food that reminded him that her brothers would be arriving in just a few hours.

Temari noticed him and narrowed her eyes. "What happened last night? I sent you to the store, not another town." Her hands were on her hips and she had her full attention on him.

He clenched his jaw and fought back a sigh; it really wouldn't help him in anyway. "I walked by the park, lied down and fell asleep."

"You fell asleep? You could have just came home and slept in our bed, you moron!" Temari's fingers twisted around the wooden spoon in her hand until her knuckles were white. The pressure stopped and she got quieter.

"I got worried."

"You still went to sleep," he pointed out.

"I was also mad." Her eyes narrowed again and once again her fingers tightened around the spoon.

"When will they be here?"

She rolled her eyes and looked at the clock above the stove. "You really should know, Shikamaru. They should be here in about three hours; at 1."

Shikamaru nodded and muttered something about a shower before going back to their room. He really didn't want to converse with her ridiculous brothers. One was annoying and perverted and the other was quiet, brooding, and actually scary. He was pretty sure they also didn't like him, which made the whole ordeal worse. With a sigh Shikamaru stepped into the shower, welcoming the hot water and the steam.

By the time he walked out to the main room, Shikamaru already had his shoes on and his hair up. Temari looked at him curiously.

"Where are you going?"

He shrugged and grabbed his jacket. "Just going for a walk, I'll be back later."

He closed the door behind him too fast to hear anything she had to say about it. Knowing her she'd just remind him to be back later, making a good impression on her brothers, they don't like him anyway, and blah. It was too much for him right now. He just wanted to peace he had the night before.

Hands in his pockets, he made his way to the spot the girl, Ino, had led him to. A ghost of a smile came to his face, remembering her. She was so different than the people he knew. He almost wanted her to meet his fiancée, but he didn't want his fiancée to change her, though he wasn't sure if the woman could change her. She seemed set on her way of life and her way of thinking. His smile grew. Maybe that's why he liked her. He shrugged off the thought when he reached their spot. Instead of seeing a dark sky littered with stars, he saw a cerulean blue sky and bright pale clouds. He made himself cozy on the boulder the girl had been sitting on a lied back, arms folded under his head.

It was so serene. It was quiet. It was quite a sight, too. Just staring into the open sky it wasn't long until he lost consciousness, a more peaceful slumber than when he had slept for the night. A familiar nudge was enough to wake him and when his eyes opened, he was staring into the face of one smiling, bright Ino.

"Glad to see you've become taken with this spot, Shika," she giggled and sat beside the boulder. "I see you like my perch, too." She laughed again and shook her head, her bright blond hair swaying to and fro. She smiled up at the sunny sky and in the daylight, Shikamaru could see how light her eyes really were – they even seemed to match the sky. And her hair, her hair was platinum blond. It was so much prettier with light shining on it.

With Shikamaru lying down and Ino sitting, their faces were about equal height and they were closer than before. He let his eyes run over her face and took into account all he saw. He didn't know if she knew he was studying her, but if she had, she didn't seem to care. Her focus was on the sky, though it often trailed down to the lake underneath.

They stayed in silence for a while, only the chirping of birds and the scattered leaves making any real noise. Oddly enough, Shikamaru was the first to speak, in his quiet voice full of annoyance and lethargy.

"Her brothers are visiting today." He made a face to which she quietly laughed.

"I'm guessing you don't like them?"

He rolled his eyes and looked to the sky. "No, not really. And it's mutual."

She laughed, "Oh, that's so much better! At least it's not unrequited." She smiled up at him and poked his side, trying to get him to loosen up. He looked down at her and shrugged though she could see his lips tilt up.

"Still doesn't make anything better."

"Would be worse if one of the parties were ignorant." She shrugged and this time he let out a small laugh.

"It would be odd," he agreed with a nod.

"It would be like, 'Why are they so mean to me? I think they're cool!'" She laughed, "That would be ridiculous."

He smiled. "That would be ridiculous."

"See? At least you're all on the same page."

His smile grew. "Right, at least it's a mutual dislike."

She grinned. "So much better, right?"

"Oh yeah, so much."

Once again they shared a comfortable silence. It was nice until Ino decided it was time for the both of them to leave.

"Alright, c'mon." She stood and pushed him gently to try to get him moving.

"Why?"

She rolled her blues. "You've got people to entertain and I have more world adventures to go on." She grinned and sent him a wink before pushing him again, this time a little rougher. He groaned and reluctantly shuffled off the boulder.

"I guess you're right…"

"Of course I am! Now, let's get going."

It seemed to be great timing that the girl had because by the time Shikamaru got home, Temari was still alone. She looked over from the kitchen with an eyebrow raised.

"I see you're actually on time."

"Were you expecting me to be late?"

"Well… Yeah, actually."

He shrugged and took a seat on the couch.

"So when should they be here?"

"A few minutes."

He nodded and there was silence. It wasn't as comfortable as the silence he shared with Ino, but it was better than being yelled at. It was better than fighting. Temari moved to sit in the seat adjacent to him and they sat in a somewhat awkward stillness. A knock on the door interrupted the quiet and Temari jumped up to open the door.

"Hey! I see you're finally here before us!" Kankuro greeted Temari with a hug and when Shikamaru stood, he slapped him on the back, a little rougher than necessary. Gaara enter the house quietly, only saying a soft "Hello" to the two and an extra glare just for Shikamaru. Shikamaru's jaw clenched in irritation and he sat back down, already wanting nothing more than to be back at their spot. Ino could even accompany him, he could use someone to have a light conversation with.

It was an awkward affair that only he seemed to be feeling. The three siblings chatted, well, not so much Gaara, and he was left out. He didn't really want to talk to Kankuro, but being left out made him annoyed. He shifted uncomfortably before standing and saying he was going to head out. Gaara sent him a glare but other than that he was waved off. He sighed and went back out the door, already headed for the one place that he decided was his own, even if he did share it with another person.

When he got there, he noted that Ino was already there. She was seated on her boulder – his boulder – her legs folded to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her face was buried in them and he was fairly sure she was crying. His brow furrowed in displeasure and he slowly walked to her.

"What's wrong?"

She gasped in surprise and her head snapped up, eyes wide and certainly watery.

"Oh, Shika!" She smiled brokenly and waved her hand at him while wiping off her face, "It's nothing, I'm okay." She gave a shaky laugh, "Just life getting to me a little, you know?" She sniffed and found that while she wiped away tears, more were taking their place.

He frowned and went closer to her. "I know." He pulled her to her chest and let her cry on him, ignoring how his shirt was dampening. She grasped his shirt in her hands and his hold tightened, wishing to comfort her more. "It's okay," he whispered, rubbing her back. She nodded her head into him, trying to believe him.

Finally she calmed down and soon they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the large rock. He urged her to tell him about it and she did.

"It really is just life," She started with a sigh, "I go on with a smile all the time, because, really, in such a broken world someone should be positive." She gave him a weak smile, "But I have my own problems, too. I guess this is just my way of letting it out…" She sniffed and he hooked his arm around her shoulders, once again pulling her toward him.

"You could always talk to me, Ino." His voice was soft and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. No one had had her best interest in mind.

"No, I couldn't burden you with that, I know you have your own stuff to worry about."

He rolled his eyes. "We're friends. Isn't that what friends do?"

"I guess…" She grumbled. "But then I'll be nothing but complain-y and you'll grow sick of me and get mad and-!"

"Ino! Calm down! Geez," He sighed and shook his head, bringing her closer. "I kind of like you. So shut up."

She beamed. "You're so sweet, Shika!" She threw her arms around him and he grumbled though the smile on his face kept her hanging on.