Hi! This is a rather strange addition. Not the first to be published on a whim…But anyways, this is a little oneshot-based series of shipping fics with Naruto as the lucky guy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, its story and characters.

Forging a Relationship

The sun was setting, its red, circular shape slowly transforming the azure sky into a bold orange. Two distinct people were at a park by an isolated tree facing the lake, which reflected the sun's light brilliantly. The water's surface resembled saffron hue along with white, caustic highlights making the glasslike body of water display a natural beauty rarely seen by those who don't notice the finer details in life.

These two people, side by side, looked fixedly at the horizon. One of the two, a woman faced her company. She was pacing back and forth quickly, and was hesitant to say her piece. She talked it over with the girls, but she still couldn't express her thoughts as she'd like to do, what she would like to say to the person beside her.

"You can do it!" Cheered one of her female friends. "He may be an idiot, but he's sure to notice a romantic rendezvous!" One of the sitting next to her friend nodded. She too believed the boy in question wasn't that slow when it came to noticing love. Granted, Hinata was able to do that for year without ever being caught.

"I don't know…" The girl replied. "It feels so weird…to fall in love with your best friend of all people."

"My goodness…you've been harboring these feelings for a long time; why not admit it already? It'll only hurt you if you keep denying it. Look at Hinata; she lost a huge weight on her shoulders! She may have been rejected -politely- but she moved on, and he's the biggest bachelor candidate in the market as of late! Don't you want to snag him for yourself?"

"Senpai? Why did you call me out here?" The boy asked. She stopped her anxious pacing to face him. "What's wrong?" He stepped forward, and cradled her shoulders, preventing escape.

"I-I have something important to say…"

"Go on. You don't have to act shy around me, Senpai."

"Were Chunin now, and you still call me Senpai. Stop it. We're the same rank; we're equals now." He shook his head, denying her statement like nothing. Annoyed, she flicked her ex-Kouhai's forehead strongly, and made a noticeable sound upon contact.

"Ow!"

"Oh please. You've handled better." She snapped at him. "Don't call me Senpai anymore, okay? It was cute for a while, but you can't keep saying that anymore, okay?"

He saluted with his trademark grin splitting his face. "You got it, Senpai!" Immediately, he got his head smacked by a heavy fist hammering down on him.

"Idiot! I just to-"

"Heheheheh! Senpai, you look so cute angry like that." With his innocent smile, the unintended effect multiplied several times, causing her to blush visibly. "Oh? You can blush, Senpai? Heh! With you being such boy, I never thought you could be womanly- bleh!" He was punched in the gut because of her embarrassment.

"Well? Are you not ready to talk about it? We can always talk about it another time, you know."

"Go for it. I'm sure he'd love to hear it from you."

"See! Even Hinata agrees. Just go do it!" Her friend ordered, pushing the idea closer and closer. "What have you got to lose?"

"I-"

"Nothing."

"No! I- ah…Um… It's just…this is quite embarrassing to say."

"What's so embarrassing about what you'll say?"

"He won't get it until you say it clearly for him. Hints will never work, so say it in a way he doesn't forget!

"…I love you." She was bashful and reluctant to say it, but she accomplished her goal; she confessed. The sunset reflected her flawless cheeks, glowing golden due to the meeting rays. It was the first time he ever saw her beauty under this light, and he absolutely loved every second of it. Hands intertwined behind her back, she turned away to hide her growing blush.

Those words were ones he thought he'd never hear from someone like her. Standing in place, he gawked at his best friend's confession. A beauty like her talking to a beast like him about love…unthinkable to say the least. He scratched his chin with his left finger, a sign of his uncertain response. He wanted to respond truthfully to her with all of his heart and soul dedicated to that one answer, but he didn't know how he actually felt for her. They were friends, that much he could ascertain from their relationship.

"Why me, Senpai?" he asked, "What did I do to make you love me? When did you learn that you loved me all along?"

"Hyah!" He yelled. "Darn it…" He looked at his handiwork, far less than subpar. He was practicing his aim with a Shuriken, but his aim was horrendous. Out of the twenty he threw, only two manage to hit the range, but even then, it wasn't a desirable spot to hit. Saddened by the sight for the nth amount of time, he grabbed the pointy projectiles to restart his training exercise.

His next throw strayed from its desired path, and went past the trees, deeper into training ground territory. He heard a shriek come from the other side, so he ran to the source in hopes that he didn't hurt anyone.

"Hey! Was it you that threw this Shuriken?" A slightly older girl asked.

"I-I'm sorry!" He said quickly. "I was practicing my aim when this happened."

"Really? How bad of an aim can you get?"

"Bad." He answered cryptically. He motioned her to follow him. She saw the range, and frowned upon the sight. None hit bullseye, nor reached the rings near the center; his precision was out of whack as well.

"Sheesh…you are a bad shot." He looked down, ashamed of his ineptitude. "But, I can work with it. Do you want me to teach you how to throw properly?"

"But I am throwing it properly!" He retorted.

"You aren't if your aim is this bad. So, do you want help?"

He kneeled and bowed his head all the way to the ground in overdramatic and comical fashion that made her giggle lightly."Please, Senpai!"

"I loved you ever since you became my friend. I fell in love with you because you were being goofy, lovable self." She replied, still refusing her turn her head. "You're kind-hearted,"

"Senpai!" He shouted as he ran towards her with a box tied with a ribbon. "I got you a present!"

"What is it?" She queried to her underclassman.

"Open it up!" He answered happily. He bounced with joy at the idea of his present being received with positive remarks; he worked hard on it for the last few weeks, injuring his fingers because of his lack of proficiency in the art.

She opened the box to see a custom built weapons pouch, crudely made with some splotches of professionalism on some areas. It contained three sections, one for Kunai, Shuriken, and medical supplies. Basically, it was a pouch connected by two others, the sections are the walls of the pouches. Cut to be more seamless, its shape resembled an 'M' The left and right sections were meant to hold the Kunai and medical supplies, whereas the Shuriken were placed at the center. Outside the pouch were several straps designed to hold scrolls of any kind.

"I see you had help."

"Your Dad was kind enough to help me sew this together. Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you." She answered, and gave him a hug, enough to choke him. He had to pat her back to signal her that he was being choked by her embrace. "Thank you. I love it."

"You're welcome, Senpai!"

"Strong, inspirational…"

"Why won't you give up?!" His opponent questioned. "I've blocked all your Chakra points! So why do you still stand?!"

"I've been told…" He breathed deeply, his fatigue and sign of injury on full display, "that I don't give up easily." He smirked weakly. "I won't give up, Neji. I won't bow down to any threat or obstacle in my way!"

"Loyal,"

"I'll save Gaara! No matter what it takes, I'll pry him off your hands, Akatsuki! Even if I'm black and blue with blood all over, I will save him because he's my friend!"

Each adjective she used made him blush a deeper shade of red than the former. "You're also supportive, understanding, and adorable."

"Why not ask him out? You like him, right? You're a beautiful, growing woman, strong, determined, with an admirable dream. Senpai, he'll love to be with you. He's stupid if he doesn't notice your beauty!" He offered his hand to her. "So? Why don't you go right now? Sun's still up, and he left only minutes ago; you can catch up. Go to him, Senpai."

"Me? Adorable?" He tested the words. It didn't fit with him at all. He was battle-hardened, not adorable. "What drug have you been taking? I want some of that." The girl huffed, annoyed by his depreciation for himself.

"Oh come on! I just confessed to you, and this is what you say? You're a heartbreaker." She pouted childishly, almost making him snicker.

Feeling slightly guilty, he scratched his head as he responded, "Sorry. It's…just so foreign to me. I never pegged you to be in love with me at all. What happened with you and your teammate? I thought you hit it off well."

"We ended it." She answered sadly. He clamped up his mouth to prevent more prying questions from leaking through his overactive mouth.

"While your encouragement to ask him worked, we realized that after a few years of dating, it wouldn't work out, so we decided together that breaking up would be the best course of action." He frowned. Breaking up got her lonely, and he was the reserve man meant to console her. He took a step back, and was ready to leave her. "It was him that showed me how much I loved you." He halted his exit, and listen to her. "He pointed out how often I'd bring you into our conversations, you know. Almost every conversation had a piece of you in it, and he said that we break up so that I can be with the person my heart wants." The soft voice she used to speak at that moment made his heart throb slightly. Her voiced dripped of longing for him.

Believing her words, he continued to ask, "A-Are you fine with…a guy like me?" She noted his change in tone over that last word, and didn't know what to make of it. She gazed over her shoulder and noticed him lowering his gaze, and his hair shadowing and blocking her view of his eyes. His shoulders trembled slightly, "I don't know much about love, and dates and stuff, I'm not sure if I can make you happy the way I am right now; I'd be a horrible boyfriend. I can only beat things up, and even then it's not polished like the others. I'm a failure of a Shinobi." He said with conviction. "I only know three justus, I have subpar close combat abilities, abysmal control over illusions, and my skills with a weapon is much to be desired despite how much you've taught me. I can't be stealthy, and I suck at capturing and interrogating. I have no admirable skills to offer, and I sure as hell don't know how to interact in tolerable fashion. Do you still want to be with me?"

"Yes." She turned around to face him. "I love you, Naruto Uzumaki. Being with you makes me feel safe." She moved her hands to grab his unclenched hands, and gripped them firmly, "I know our job is a dangerous one, but it's reassuring that whenever you're near, I can relax even for a tiny bit. You are unique in every way; don't lower yourself." She expressed her sentiments by taking a step forward and nuzzling her forehead onto his collarbones. "Please…won't you love me back?"

He closed his hands, locking it with hers. She looked up from her position with surprised eyes. He gave her a small smile. It wasn't like his cheek-to-cheek grin he usually gave; It was a normal, handsome smile that made her heart aflutter. With a soft voice, he said, "I can't promise anything…but I'll try, Tenten."

She scrunched her eyes, annoyed by this new boy who took over her beloved. Never had she seen him this soft-spoken. "Make a proper answer. I won't accept that half-hearted reply."

"Well what do you want me to say?" He asked. "I just got confessed to, and I don't even know my feelings for you. I can't give a straight answer under these conditions!" He was panicking; she could see it clear as day. Inwardly, she smiled. This Naruto was hers to witness on her own, and she loved every second of this newly timid Shinobi.

"The brash, straightforward Naruto Uzumaki can't answer a straight yes or no question? That's a first."

"Hey-"

"Answer my question." She ordered.

"Hah...it's been a while since I've done this but..." She wondered what he'd say next; however, her thoughts were scrambled. Thrown into a blender of emotions, she never expected to see the one she love kiss her tenderly. Left hand clutching her hair, he delicately grasped her left shoulder, and leaned forward even more, deepening the kiss. Smooth lips met firm, soft and loving ones, and her mind worked slower than usual because she couldn't fathom this outcome. But this is Naruto, the unpredictable Shinobi, and she doesn't want it any other way. She cupped his face, and returned his show of affection. They were like this for a minute, but to them, it was passionate, love-filled hours. Electricity sparked wildly, the hormones worked in overdrive, the animated kiss only got more intimate by the second.

The sunset made them silhouettes to those who passed by them. All spectators could see was a loving couple showing their affection under the setting sun.

They broke their kiss, and he asked, "Is that good enough?"

"Still not a yes or no to me." She slyly answered back. She received a peck on the nose.

"Yes. I love you."

Yeah…mind was working some grade-A sappy romance. I got no idea why this came to me. Hey, free read, right? I hope you enjoyed this.

If anyone is inspired to make a fic out of this oneshot, then by all means, go ahead. Just PM me if you want to do it.

This is Azure, signing off.