Beginning of a New Day

[Nara Shikamaru]

Shikamaru entered the near-empty classroom, late as usual. To him, his sleep was more important.

Looking around, he thought 'man, if I knew I was one of the only people coming to school, I wouldn't have come either. Ah who am I kidding, I'd get lectured by my mom before I could finish thinking about it... Where is everyone anyway?'

[Mirai Ira]

There was supposedly a Saturday session for the teacher's extra lecture on chemical bonding, but by the time the sophomore arrived at the classroom, chances of that happening looked near to none. Attendance had been deemed optional, but seeing the lecture as an opportunity to be somewhat productive over the weekend, Ira came anyway.

She had been expecting only a handful of others to come too, but the absolute lack of human activity she felt upon opening the classroom door was shocking. There was only one half-interested looking student sitting in the room, and no teacher to be found.

If there was a cancellation memo, she had definitely not received any word during the time she spent with Hiro. Considering her few options, Ira dropped her nearly empty backpack to the ground and sat down to wait, in hopes that someone would be coming to teach them eventually. The worn desk she had situated in was one away from the other attendee, but the dark haired teen made no move to initiate intimate conversation. She had grown out of the shell of solitude somewhat over the last year, but still found it a very comfortable resting place for when there was no need to put up the extra effort. She contented herself by simply pulling the headphones that were already on her neck, over her decorated ears, and un-paused the Azure Ray song.

"If no one else comes in fifteen minutes, I'm going for ice cream," Ira said pointedly in the other person's direction, without actually looking at him.

'I'll leave the rest up to that guy,' Ira thought with a bored sigh. 'It's too hot to stick around here for long anyway.'

[Nara Shikamaru]

'Well, at least I'm not the only person who's wasted their day. Come to think of it, I am pretty hungry.' shikamaru thought.

"Hey, can I tag along? This was almost my whole day, but since probably nothins gonna happen, I might as well find something to do." he said, yawning when he was finished.

He reached into his bag and grabbed his recent book while the time passed. He opened the bookmark to chapter 30, nearly the end of the book.

[Mirai Ira]

"Hey, can I tag along? This was almost my whole day, but since probably nothins gonna happen, I might as well find something to do," the male said with a lazy yawn.

A corner of Ira's mouth twitched up into a smirk as she watched her company's lethargic actions. She said nothing, however, when he pulled a book out of his bag and flipped near to the end. She said she would wait fifteen minutes, and she had every intention of keeping to that word since there was no pressing matter that made following such a plan difficult. It was a quarter 'til noon though, and the bright sun shining through the windows of the un-conditioned classroom was beginning to grow into a pressing matter.

Five songs played over her headphones.

That meant approximately fifteen minutes had passed, and still no one had shown up for the extra class session.

"What a waste of time this trip was," Ira sighed with annoyance while taking the headphones and placing them gently in her backpack. She rose from the desk and stood for a moment, looking her unknown classmate over, then said, "I guess we're going for ice cream then. I'm Ira Mirai, tenth grader. What's your name?"

[Nara Shikamaru]

"I guess we're going for ice cream then. I'm Ira Mirai, tenth grader. What's your name?" She said.

"I'm Shikamaru Nara, tenth grader. And I guess so. We mght as well ditch because obviously nobody is coming. I'm starving." Shikamaru said, gathering up his stuff and zipping his jacket up.

"You ready to go?" He said while walking out the door.

[Mirai Ira]

'He's got a careless air about him,' Ira thought, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure thing," she answered plainly, while following him out the door.

While walking through the empty halls, the girl merely looked over the gum spotted tiles and semi-beaten lockers noted them in her mind without actually thinking anything of them. It was hard to break her habit of indifferent observation, but there was nothing note-worthy to stir real thought anyway. Ira and Shikamaru left the school building quickly, and in silence, but as they neared the school gates, Ira halted at a thought that came to mind.

"I've got a bike, but what about you? Are we going to walk to Ben and Jerry's or would you rather take a bus?"

[gotmilk]

Hiro sighed for the umpteenth time that afternoon, feeling her muscles instantly relax at the warm temperature. Although children and customers dressed lightly because of the weather, Hiro sported a light jacket with her Ben and Jerry's uniform and still felt perfectly content with herself. Enduring the summer of the States had been much more of a torture than Japan's moderate temperatures of 80 degrees. In fact, this was considered perfect warmth on a sunny day.

"Hii-kun," her coworker's voice knocked Hiro out of her daydream. "I'm going to take my break now. Think you can manage the counter alright? I know it's been a while since you worked." The older woman gave her friendly, yet tired, smile. Her face was covered in a sheen of sweat since the shop's air conditioner had been broken. (Ironically.)

Hiro quickly straightened out her back and bowed politely. "Thank you for your hard work, Uee-san!" Giving her a slight nod, her coworker smiled gratefully and hung her apron before heading out the door. The bell hanging above the entrance gave out a pleasant ring.

[Mirai Ira]

Figuring it rude to simply say, "Figure your own way to get there, and I'll meet you there since I've got my bike," Ira suggested the two ride a bus the several blocks from school to the shop. It was a hot day anyway, and she was sure Shikamaru would be as adverse to making themselves any hotter than they already were; the midday sun was doing a perfect job on its own.

So the two waited a bit at the stop, and boarded the next bus. Even the few minutes they were standing outside the school gates was long enough for Ira to feel glad that she had smeared some sunblock on her exposed skin before leaving the apartment that morning. Konoha summers were not as bad as Sunagakure's, but the old desert-living habit was one the girl was glad she hadn't given up just yet.

The ride was air-conditioned and short, so Ira was too busy basking in the cool-aired glory of public transit to bother making conversation. They simply got off as silently as they had boarded, and prepared themselves for the sugary, icy treat that they had made the trip for.

She spotted the familiar shop window, and went towards it, nodding for her reluctant companion to follow. Ira took quick strides to the shop door, and gave it a gentle push. She met a cool rush of air that greatly contrasted with the humid atmosphere of the outside, and swung the door open far enough for her and Shikamaru to fit through. A light ring notified employees of their arrival, and a friendly greeting of "Welcome to Ben and Jerry's" told Ira something else.

She turned towards the counter, saw a familiar shade of violet, and thingyed an eyebrow.

"Just back and already working? My, how responsible we are," Ira teased.