Disclaimer: Hello, Senka's first AU!

The phone rang three times before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

Indistinct noise echoed in the background: music, the chatter of a party. She sighed into the receiver.

"Hey, you busy?"

She could hear the sarcasm in his reply even before it left his mouth.

"No, not at all. Just a quiet night at home, as I'm sure you can tell." Over the sound of overenthusiastic laughter, she could hear someone calling his name. "What's up?"

In the darkness, Ino Yamanaka glanced over her shoulder. Her car sat quietly in a snow bank on the side of the road, collecting white flecks as she watched it. Ice was starting to crawl up the windshield.

"Can you come and pick me up?"

She could hear the exasperation in his tone as she talked through the details. No, it wasn't a medical emergency. Yes, she still needed him to come as soon as possible. No, she didn't have anyone else to call. And yes, for the fifteenth time, she was sorry about the trouble.

By the time she hung up the phone, her fingertips were frozen. She tried to rub some life back into them, but in this cold, it wasn't doing much good. She thought about rummaging around the backseat for gloves, but she knew it was a fruitless search. She could picture the nice leather ones her mother had sent her, sitting exactly where she'd left them, half-spilling out of the Amazon box on her kitchen table.

Now, sitting in the frozen snow, she wished she had actually paid attention to one of her mother's hundred warnings about staying warm and preparing herself for the cold weather. Growing up in Okinawa had prepared her for a life full of plenty of rain, but never snow like this. She was not a cold weather creature.

Out on the road, she saw a pair of headlights flash in the distance, but they didn't come her way. She pulled her legs closer to her chest, trying to conserve warmth. The leather seats in her car were growing colder by the minute.

She knew what her mother would say. She would say it served her right, for not listening, for moving to this wretched country in the first place. From the very start, Mrs. Yamanaka had vehemently opposed the idea of her daughter's move, but when Ino had gotten a job offer for a small firm outside of Philadelphia that would pay her twice her salary there in Okinawa, there was little room to protest.

Besides, Ino had been more than ready to leave the confines of her family home. After her father's death in a work accident the previous January, it had been time to seek new opportunities.

Opportunity had presented itself in the form of her childhood friend, Shikamaru Nara, who had returned for his own father's funeral, a result of the same accident. Though they had grown apart in their later years, Ino had never been able to deny that Shikamaru was smart: a dropout at 14, Shikamaru had struck out on his own, pursuing a job offer from the Sabaku Corporation in Philly. Though he hadn't returned to offer a job – or even rekindle a friendship – the idea had caught with Ino. A fresh start in America… how bad could it be? Certainly not worse than here. And sure enough, some research had shown her that there were opportunities for a well-educated young lady versed in both Japanese and English. It was almost ideal.

Now, however, in the middle of the night with a broken-down car and the temperature steadily dropping, she was rethinking that viewpoint.

She fumbled with her phone, watched the screen light up. Half an hour. Half an hour had passed, but it wasn't like she could complain. It was a wonder he was even coming at all.

Even after her move to America, she and Shikamaru weren't what you could call friends. They got lunch, once a month, mostly as a result of the meddling of their mothers. Yoshino Nara talked to her son at least once a month, and she never forgot to ask how her favorite blonde practically-daughter was doing. If Shikamaru didn't have something new to report, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

So that's how it was. Monthly lunches, occasional text messages, the once-in-a-blue moon emergency phone call… she didn't like it, but it was her only option.

She saw him before she heard him, the tires of his Camry gliding silently across the icy roads. She scrambled to get out of the way as he pulled off the road.

He got out of the car with great effort, a frown on his face. Beneath his coat, she caught a glimpse of a black tie.

Office Christmas party, she thought with chagrin. Even worse than I thought.

As he walked toward her, she could see the reprimand forming even before he got the words out.

"What the hell did you do?"

Ino gestured at the tires.

"I was driving home from the store. Guess I had a flat and I didn't know it, and…" She wrinkled her nose, looking at the bald spot on the driver's side front tire.

"You don't regularly check your tire pressure?" The incredulity in his voice was palpable.

"I did it a couple months ago…" She shrugged. " Didn't assume there was a major problem."

Shikamaru stared at her, and then at the car.

"Really."

He trudged over to the car, squatting down in the snow to examine the tires.

"I don't suppose you have a spare?"

Ino turned away, mumbling under her breath. "Not exactly…"

"Troublesome…" he said. "Have you at least called a tow truck?"

At this, she perked up.

"I called! But they said it would take a couple hours. They've been busy this evening."

"So what you're telling me is…" Shikamaru paused for a moment, "…you called me out here to wait for a tow truck?"

She gave her best endearing smile.

"Sort of?"

"Ino!" He leaned against the door of the car, putting his head in his hands. For a moment, Ino watched him, standing in silent exasperation as the snow poured onto the shoulders of his black dress coat.

In the stillness of the night, she was reminded of other times, much longer ago, in the hush of the Nara country estates. As kids, they used to spend long summer nights out in the meadows, staring up at the stars. Those were the good times, the times not plagued by death and the intricacies of maintaining friendships. Now, she wondered why she had called.

Then he looked up. With a long sigh, he trudged back over to his car, calling over his shoulder.

"Well, if we're going to sit here, I'm not standing out in the cold. Come on."

He opened the passenger side door for her and she stepped in gingerly, knocking the snow off her boots before she climbed in and got it all over his floorboards. As much as she was questioning her sanity in calling him, she couldn't deny that the warmth of the heater was welcome relief from the bite of the cold.

Ino rubbed at her fingers, holding the blue tips in front of the vents. At least at this rate, she wouldn't be a snowman by the time the tow truck arrived.

In the driver's seat, Shikamaru fidgeted, pulling at the cuffs of his jacket sleeves. Ino smiled slightly. It was an old habit, one he'd apparently maintained since their school days.

After a few moments of fiddling and protracted silence, he finally ventured to say something.

"So, this is your first winter?"

"Obviously." She said with a hint of derision. "I would hope I wouldn't be this incompetent after living here for more than a year."

He smirked.

"I would hope not." He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "So you like it alright?"

"The winter? God, no. I hate it. All this awful slush and snow, it's like living in a colder, less hospitable version of home."

That brought a snort of laughter from Shikamaru.

"Not what I meant."

"Oh, you meant the US?" Ino swallowed, laughing nervously. "It's okay, I guess. How do you like it?"

"It's alright." He shrugged. "The people are a little talkative for my tastes, which is troublesome. Then again, I had some preparation for that."

He gave a pointed glance over at her, his eyes dancing with suppressed mirth.

"Hey!" Ino punched him in the arm. "I'm not that bad. I just had to talk because you never held up your half of the conversation."

"I'm blaming you if that bruises." He said. "And I've gotten better."

"Clearly."

Ino's fingertips were starting to grow warm, so she pulled them away from the vents. In the darkness of the snow covered night, she saw a flash of headlights. A tow truck, potentially?

But they passed just as quickly as they came. She slumped back into the seat, tugging at her collar.

"Thanks for this."

"What now?" Shikamaru's gaze shifted toward her, flickering from his open cell phone to her face. She felt her cheeks reddening.

"For coming to get me. Sorry. I know it's a total drag for you, and you were obviously at some office function, and…" She sighed. "I didn't come here to be a problem for you, you know? I feel like all I've done is pester you."

The phone screen darkened, and he set it down in the cup holder. He didn't look at her as he spoke.

"Those parties are always boring anyway. A bunch of people taking any excuse they can to drink and act like idiots. I was… glad for the excuse to get away."

"Really?" Ino turned to look at him, her bright eyes solemn. He barely met her gaze, with a look that she recognized as embarrassment.

"Yeah. Troublesome."

Ino stared out at the night, watching the gentle fall of snowflakes blanket her car. The stillness made everything seem pristine, almost enough to make her forget about all the year's woes.

"You know, from the inside, it isn't so bad. Kinda pretty, really. Everything just seems so… hushed."

Shikamaru nodded slowly, resting his hands on the dashboard.

"I can think of worse things."

"Wow, so poetic."

Shikamaru shrugged again.

"You requested a knight in shining armor, not a poet. I can't really help that."

Snuggling into her seat, Ino allowed herself a grin.

"I guess that's true."

She checked her phone again. The tow truck wouldn't be here for another hour at least, but that was alright.

She could think of worse ways to spend her night.

A/N: Inspired by the 50 prompts challenge. Sorry I've been gone for so long. Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think?