For all her travels as a shinobi and foreign ambassador, they never brought her to the sea. She has seen desert and mountain and lake and iceberg and just about everything else the world had to offer but never waves or wet sand or the horizon when blue meets blue. That was a lapse Shikamaru could not overlook.
He knew the perfect place: a secluded outcropping near the Land of Waves. The path was surrounded by trees and led uphill so as to hide the view until they reached the very end of the cliff and the whole world opened up all at once. It was truly magnificent. It was the only view he loved more than cloud-watching. The outcropping was far enough out from the shore that the sea seemed to stretch on forever in all directions. There were no boats or islands to obstruct the blue so it simply continued until it met the lighter, truer color at the horizon. The waves crashed persistently against the rocks in large swells, causing a fine spray to fill the air and taste of salt. The rhythmic sound of the confrontation reached them high up on the cliff. The sun would set slightly off center to the right in a few hours, but right now was his favorite time to watch the waves. With the lighting a few hours before sunset and the ever-changing motion of the waves, the water was precisely the same color as her eyes.
But this time, as he led her out onto the edge, he avoided the sea in favor of a much rarer and more beautiful view. He watched her face as she was first struck by the world in front of her. Her eyes widening and lips parting slightly in a soft intake of breath. He watched as she slowly absorbed everything that lay before her. Her lips slowly forming a smile and her body leaning forward unconsciously in order to become closer to it all. He watched as she slowly sunk to the ground, eyes never once blinking or wavering in their analysis and memorization, and hung her legs over the edge of the cliff. He followed her, his own eyes just as persistent and true in their study of her.
He loved the way her emotionless, harsh exterior melted away when it was just the two of them. He knew how much it cost her to put her mask away, how scared and vulnerable and raw it made her feel. He knew he was the only person outside of her brothers who saw her without it and he loved how she trusted him so completely to show him her shock and wonder.
Slowly, as if waking up from a good dream, her eyes moved to his and he saw in them all the things she was not yet able to say. He smiled back at her, trying to convey that he understood and that she was welcome and that he loved her too, knowing that these were words she was not ready to hear either.
They stayed there alternating between watching the sea and each other. And when the sun finally sank beneath the horizon, her hand reached for his under the safety and cover of dark.