Arron and Trexx

Chapter 16

Third person pov

The rest of the day was fairly simple, and pretty laid back. Shikamaru brought Arron's water back to his bedroom, which they were both sharing for the time being. She finished the bottle from yesterday, starting another. She didn't get far in, but the Nara didn't care. He just sat and read, snacked on some foods, and tossed a ball up and down. He wanted to go outside, and he wanted to go see Choji, but he knew he couldn't leave Arron alone. She'd probably try to follow him anyway, and he didn't think she was ready to be making friends.

"Do you want to go get something to eat? My mom's still gardening somewhere else on the Nara's land, and my dad is still at work." Shikamaru was sure his mother was still out with her friends, tending to the plants and such. Arron glanced up, but that was the only acknowledgment she gave. She hadn't much of anything all day. She just sat around and checked her surroundings, playing with her hands and taking in the occasional deep breath.

Arron was glad there was nothing to do. She was glad she could just sit there, even if she was still feeling very afraid. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been allowed to just sit back and rest. She could have napped if she wanted. But Shikamaru wasn't asleep yet, and she wanted to make sure nobody was awake. When she fell asleep before everyone else, bad things happened. 

"Let's go. We can cloud gaze while we eat if you want some air." Shikamaru shrugged, sliding off his bed and shuffling towards the door. Arron pushed herself up, following after him. The boy didn't bother closing the door behind them. Nobody else was home, and the chances of them getting robbed weren't even one percent.

Shikamaru entered the kitchen idly, Arron following more cautiously behind. She stuck close to him, far too afraid to veer over herself. The house was silent. Shikamaru found it a little eerie, and joking thought to himself that Arron was rubbing off on him. It would be far better once they got outside. Being outside felt peaceful and quiet, but there was always far more noise. You just had to listen for it.

"You can have dairy, right?" Shikamaru paused. He didn't want to make anything, so he was honestly just planning to grab the plate of leftover cheese cubes his mom had left wrapped up in the fridge and eat those. He peered down at Arron, who didn't respond. He took that as an okay and pulled them out. If she died it wouldn't be his fault. 

They exited the house, Arron once again savoring the feeling of the grass against the bottoms of her sore feet. The individual shards seemed to curl around her as she sat down next to Shikamaru, achingly stretching her legs straight out in front of her, wincing as she did so. Shikamaru sat with his legs crossed under him, one hand supporting him as he leaned back slightly and the other shoving cheese cubes into his mouth.

"I like to come out here because it's peaceful. Do you like it outside?" Shikamaru gave Arron a sidelong glance, having to do a double take. He could have sworn he saw shadows crawling up her, creeping up her arms which shakily supported her, and her outstretched legs that were pale and smooth. But they'd been gone in a second.

"Heddychlon." She muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. Shikamaru didn't know what that meant but he nodded anyway, turning his gaze to the clouds. They drifted along like boats down a calm creek, smoothly sailing with no interruptions. He envied the clouds sometimes. They had no worries, able to drift on until they faded away and reformed. 

"That one sort of looks like a dog." Shikamaru said after twenty minutes of silence between them. Arron, who'd been as relaxed as she was going to get, squinted at the sky. He pointed. "That one. The big one right there between the two small ones."

"...Dog?" She whispered. She had an accent he hadn't noticed before. He nodded, blinking when she snorted slightly. She didn't smile, but she definitely seemed amused. "No." She said simply, her lips almost twitching up. He pressed his lips together, his eyes narrowing.

"What do you think it looks like then?" He huffed. She seemed amused, but cautious too, as though talking were against the rules. She looked at the cloud again, her lips pursing slightly in thought. Thoughtfulness was one of the few emotions he'd seen on her face that wasn't negative. 

"Ceffyl... er, horse." Her voice was so quiet he barely heard it. It was stronger than before, not as shaky and sacred. He could tell this girl used to be very strong willed. He thought that maybe she still was, and if not, maybe she would be with a little safety and warmth.

"I guess it sort of does look like a horse." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "But it's definitely still a dog."

Neither of them said anything, but Shikamaru didn't miss the way Arron's body relaxed as the minutes rolled by.