Clouds, Slides, and Kids (Open)

[sryth]

What was it about the open sky that was so calming? Was it the blue sky? The passing clouds? Whatever it was it was something that just could not be surpassed... well, not by much, at least. Shikamaru blew a smoke ring up to join the other clouds. Laying on his back on top of the slide in the kids play ground with a cigarette hanging lazily out of the slide of his mouth. His clothes loose and hair sloppy, a pair of ear buds blaring some music Naruto had given him that was pretty good for drowning out other noises. He wasn't really listening to the music. It wasn't his normal cup of tea but all things have a purpose.

There was a small tap on the back of his head. He sighed releasing a large cloud of smoke and leaned his head back wards to see the inquisitive look of an upside down 5 year old girl. Wonderful, and I was just starting to really relax. I wonder what this kid wants anyway. He sat up and looked down, just now remembering he was on the slide.Heh, probably wants to use the slide. In fact, he remembered that as a kid himself the slide was his favorite thing in the park. Maybe that's why it was his favorite spot to stare at clouds. Even with all the other people around.

Taking out one ear bud he looked at the shortness in front of him."Eh?"Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Want to use the slide?" The little girl turned her head to the side and pointed to the smoke rising above his head.

"My mom says smoking death sticks is bad for you." Shikamaru put out his Death Stick and lit up a new one. He breathed in another puff and looked back at the girl. Why are kids always stating the obvious? He looked around to see a glaring parent, that he could only assume was the little girls mother. He sighed and turned his gaze back to the short one, "Yeah she's right, and you shouldn't smoke either. Also stay in school and all that jazz."

"OK," the girl grinned,"I just thought you should know." She spun around and ran off to play with her friends. Shikamaru smirked, put his ear bud back in his ear and laid back once more. Kids were weird.

[¡El Bandito!]

At first glance, toads seemed like a great pet for a kid living in urban Tokyo. They lived in a relatively small little space and required rather little attention, only needing to be fed two or three times a week, and they didn't have to be walked or try to eat your homework or sit on your computer keyboard while you tried to play videogames do homework.

The problem, however, was that toads only ate live things. Specifically, bugs. And you couldn't just take a trip down to the local pet shop and ask for a big bag of earthworms and pill bugs; no. Toad cuisine had to be found, lovingly handpicked by the owner. This would be easy enough if Uzumaki Naruto had a yard to find bugs in, but living on the third floor of an apartment building meant that he didn't have this luxury. What he did have, however, was a nearby city park and a plastic container.

And that was all he needed. Hell, it beat homework any day.

It was probably one of the last nice days of the fall: blue sky, a few wispy clouds in the air and while it wasn't scorching hot out it was still warm enough that he could get away with only wearing a light sweatshirt while he poked around in the mud for bugs.

After a fair amount of rooting, he had finally come up with a decent score: two earthworms, several grey pill-bugs, and a rather large slimy snail. Just the kind of thing his toads loved.

He ran his thumb around the edge of the lid, ensuring that it was on tight and that it wouldn't suddenly come flying off and he would end up losing his prize while he finally let himself kick back and enjoy the day, nothing else on his agenda for the moment. It was nice; for the moment all he had to worry about were his amphibians, and not his grades or the upcoming dance or anything else, really. A welcome change for the Blue-eyed Uzumaki.

As he walked around the park, he couldn't help but look over at the playground. If he didn't have his toads to worry about, perhaps he'd go spend some time on the slides and swings, but it looked like there were plenty of kids around that could potentially let loose his pet food if it was left unattended. For a fleeting second, he pondered the thought that perhaps he was getting too old for the swingset and playground he had held so dear when he was a little kid, but he brushed that thought away with an inner 'psssssssh.' There was no such thing as being too old for the playground, really. As long as you could still fit through the tubes and in the swings and slides, there was no question of that, at least in his mind.

As he gazed longingly at the playset, however, it became clear that he wasn't the only one who thought this way, as he noticed someone else more his own age was up on the highest slide platform. A man lazing around with a cigarette and his signature spiky hair...

"Oi! Shikamaru!" he yelled, oblivious to the fact that his lazy classmate had earbuds in. "What are you doing up there? Trying to give all the kids cancer?"