Shikamaru woke with a soft groan. His chakra cools ached, but were relatively full. He sat up, only to catch Hinari, who had slipped into the dip, created from the weight of his elbow. Her bright eyes opened, and she gave him a smile, her two front teeth sparkling. He smiled down at her, and leaned down, rubbing his nose against hers playfully. She giggled, yawning.

A sigh was heard, and the raven looked up, meeting sparkling cerulean blue. Naruto propped herself up on her elbow, long hair messy from sleep, and gave him a groggy smile. She yawned, making Shikamaru yawn. He smiled back, wondering at the butterflies that were flying in his stomach.

Naruto scooped Hinari up, and walked to the kitchen. Shikamaru stretched, getting out of the bed and making his way to the extra dresser that contained his clothes. He grabbed a copy of he outfit he had on and snagged a towel from the closet and went to take a shower.

Naruto hummed softly as she placed Hinari in her high chair, and began making breakfast. She popped some toast into the toaster and stated up some eggs, slicing up ham chunks and throwing them in too. She grabbed a small jar of baby food, some mashed potatoes, and sat next to Hinari, grabbing a small spoon and scooping some of the mushy food up, carefully guiding t to Hinari's mouth.

She switched between feeding Hinari and cooking, not wanting to create a shadow clone to do the work for her. She also set the table, and finished dishing up the food just as Shikamaru walked in, towel drying his long hair. It was starting to near his lower back, just brushing the curve of his spine. He draped the towel on the back of the chair, and clapped his hands together.

"Thank you for the meal, Naru."

"You're welcome Shika."

They dug in, quickly finishing their plates. Shikamaru helped clean up while Naruto went to take Hinari to Yoshino to watch for the day. Shikamaru tied his headband around his head,  and ran a brush through it, easing out the tangles. Soon his hair fell down his back in a straight wave. ( Like Nej from Shippuden.)

Naruto Popped back in, quickly shaking off the slight dizziness from her bloodline. She tied her own headband on, and pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

"Naru?"

"Yeah Shika?"

"You grew your hair back out? I thought you said you wanted it short yesterday. And now you want to reveal that you are a girl?"

Naruto sighed. She let her hair fall, and it cascaded down her back in a glossy waterfall. "To be at my best and to keep my team strong, I cannot hide any secrets from them. I don't know if I am ready for them to know, but I don't have time to worry about that."

Shikamaru sighed too. "If that's what you think you should do, then go for it. But, I will walk you to your team meeting."

Naruto smiled. "You don't have to. When I, Well, me as Rin dropped off Hinari, Ino was knocking at your door. She was raging. She did fawn over Hinari though, So soon, I think I'll tell Yoshino that I am Rin, and we can drop Hinari off together."

Shikamaru nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, That would be nice. Now let's go, or You'll be late. Don't you have a test?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

They left, making sure to lock up, and set off down the street. Naruto didn't even bother to pull her hood up, too happy that Shika was nice enough to walk with her. They attracted many stares, The Nara heir, who was rather handsome with his long hair, walking next to a red-blond girl, who reminded them of someone. Few realized that it was the jinchurki, and the ones who did were surprised.

Naruto noticed the stares, and tried to brush them off. Shikamaru noticed her discomfort, and slipped his hand over hers, and they entwined their fingers. Naruto stood straighter, and began to walk with more confidence, her long mesmerizing hair swaying rhythmically with each step. Shikamaru smiled to himself as he watched her. She was the most mesmerizing thing he had ever seen. Before her were the clouds, but now, compared to her, they were mere dots on a page, boring.

Naruto could feel Shikamaru's gaze, and found herself blushing at the intensity of it. She turned and met his forest green eyes, and was surprised at what she saw in them. It was an emotion no one had ever really looked at her with, one she was unfamiliar towards. Yet, she couldn't place it.  She could feel a strange feeling rise up in her, and she looked away, face red. Her heart was pounding, and it was all because of a look.

She became hyperaware of every movement they made, when their arms brushed, the pressure that was just right between their entwined hands, and the breeze that made his hair seem to float. They were approaching the training ground, and she reluctantly let go of the ravens hand. She stepped forward, towards her teammates who were watching them with no small amount of confusion.

Shikamaru didn't know what drove him to do it but he reached out, grabbing her hand again. He pulled her back and she thumped against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and tucked his face into her shoulder.

"Shika? What is it?"

"You can do it." his voice was muffled but she heard it nonetheless.

"You'll do great today. Kakashi doesn't stand a chance, no matter what test he throws at you."

Naruto smiles, and hugs him back. "I know that baka."

Shikamaru pulled back, and their arms fell. He turned, waving over his shoulder. "Bye Naru!"

The red-blond smiled. "Bye Shika! Don't let Ino kill you."

She turned to her team, who were staring at her. But she couldn't focus on that. She clutched her shirt, right where her heart was.

'What...is this feeling?'