I hear rustling, the sound of cloth sliding over skin, and my face immediately grows hot. There's a dull throb between my thighs, and my brain stops thinking in order to visualize Naruto stripping—all soft, pink skin, and bright eyes, so unimaginatively easy and pliant. But she's not stripping, no matter how much I want her too. She's fidgeting, quite nervously. And if I wasn't so bent on dreaming about her naked, I'd say something. Like…

Now.

"Naruto."

I peek one eye open, to be met with the sky.

"Naruto," I repeat, turning my head to face the blond girl. She's still fidgeting, seemingly lost in whatever troublesome issue that's making her worry.

She shakes her head, before looking at me, a strained smile on her face.

"Shikamaru."

I stare at her for ten seconds, before resuming my cloud-watching.

"Shikamaru, I—" Naruto blushes, as she leans closer to me. I don't really mind. She'll probably look at my eyes, before spouting something about food and running off. If it didn't require too much energy, I'd run off with her, but just thinking about it gives me muscle cramps.

"Sorry, I forgot what I was going to say."

She once told me I had pretty eyes. I was cloud watching, just wanting to get away from everything annoying and troublesome. But she found my secret place. Something about my chakra patterns being specific, I don't really know because I was trying not to strangle the blond where she stood. Then I realized that it would be too much, and I'd have to deal with paperwork.

Naruto stopped talking, getting really close to my face. She smiled, and then told me my eyes reminded her of fresh dirt and chocolate. She told me they were pretty. An offhanded comment in the least, but I didn't get a chance to further investigate, because she was gone, and I was back to hiding from Ino.

"Shikamaru," Naruto begins, smiling at me, "You're really pretty."

I scoff, rolling my eyes.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"I mean it."

"Okay."

Adorable pout. "You don't believe me."

Eye roll. "I believe you. You're a lot prettier than I am, though." I look toward the line of trees behind her. "You're beautiful," I mumble.

It's true.

Naruto is beautiful.

It's a deep, classic beauty, something subtle, yet slightly exotic. Of course, the exotic can be attributed to her physical beauty, with bright hair and bright eyes. Hell, most of Konoha's male population can give you details on how beautiful she is.

But Naruto is not beautiful simply because she is pretty on the outside. Naruto is beautiful, because—because she's pretty on the inside too. She's beautiful, because she dreams. Her head's in the clouds, which is my favorite place to be.

"Hinata's really pretty too," She states, plucking grass. "But she's got Kiba."

She's beautiful, because she can make anyone smile.

"Do you ever think about having a family?"

She's beautiful, because even though she cries over split milk, you can't help but want to destroy the person that tipped over her glass.

"No. Men are troublesome."

She's beautiful, because all she's ever done is never give up, and smile, and somehow I've fallen in love with her for it.

She's really close to my face again, so close I can feel her breathe against my cheek. So close, I could tip my head and have my mouth on her mouth.

"Naruto," I start to speak, pushing her face gently away from mine.

"Shikamaru," She mimics, moving my hands and kissing me.

Kissing.

Me.

We're kissing. And it's awesome, holy shit is it awesome.

We're still for a couple of minutes, before her lips start moving against mine. I've never kissed anybody, so I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I just really don't want this stop, because this is just the beginning to every sexual fantasy I've ever had about Naruto. Her lips are soft, and she kisses awkwardly, with a sort of honest innocence, like maybe this is her first time, too. Maybe it is.

And maybe I can rub it in the Uchiha's face that I gave Naruto her first kiss. 'Gave' meaning she started first, but I'd just leave that part out. It'd be too complicated to explain.

I touch her whiskers. I feel her smile, so I stroke them and she sighs against my mouth. I try to kiss her back as best I can, and she tips her head up—oh. Oh, there.

A shiver makes its way down my spine, and I blush again. The throb between my thighs is back, and as I shift, she pulls away. My blushing face must've done something, because next thing I know, she places a kiss to the corner of my mouth, the underside of my jaw, and then my neck—

Naruto pulls away a final time, chuckling embarrassedly. "I didn't mean to take it that far," She scratches the back of her hair.

"Huh," is the most I can come up with at this moment.

"But I like you," She stares at me intensely, a little too intensely. "And I think you're pretty. And I think we should," She looks away, turning red, "Date."

"Huh," I say again.

"Come get ramen with me," She's on her feet instantaneously, holding out her hand, "And I promise to take you on a real date tomorrow."

I accept, and we walk to get food.

She walks really close, her hand bumping mine every second, before pull back a little and blush like the damn schoolgirl I'm trying not to be.

"I, uh, like you too," I say, letting my hair out of its ponytail, and putting back up.

"I know."

"You know?"

"Choji and Ino aren't real good at keeping secrets, you know?"

"Huh." Damn bastards.

Naruto grins, before poking my cheek. "Second time. Have I rendered the great Nara Shikamaru speechless?"

"Konoha's Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja dare render a Nara speechless?" I snort sarcastically. "I never…"

"Well," Naruto shrugs. "You love me for it."

I don't bother to tell her how right she is.