I've been awake for at least twenty minutes, although I have no intention of getting up because I am way too comfortable. I forgot about leaving my window open a bit from last night, and I smile when a cool breeze blows across my forehead. From the birds chirping outside to the soft, lavender/orange light that shines in subtle rays on the floor, I can tell today is gunna be a good one. I close my eyes for maybe a fraction of a second before someone gives a quick knock outside my door before coming in. Kakashi is fully dressed, clucking at me with his tongue when he sees that I'm still in bed. I wonder if Shikamaru is up. Probably not.

"What happened to you promising to get up earlier?" Kakashi asks me.

"I don't remember making that promise." I mumble.

He walks over to me before peeling the covers off swiftly, and I turn over on my other side and curl my body with my knees brought up, kind of like a rollie- pollie.

Kakashi sighs. "Exactly."

He doesn't say anything more for a minute, so I assume that he left. All of a sudden I am so shocked by the hands that tickle my sides that I let out a loud shriek. I try to re-curl myself even tighter, but I honestly have to say that I am completely at Kakashi's mercy. I can even hear him chuckling. Footsteps come rushing down the hall, and Shikamaru slides to a stop in the doorway, clutching the frame to stop him from falling on his face. His dark grey eyes are big until he relaxes, his face drawing back into his usual bored expression.

"Can't a guy wake up to at least one peaceful morning?" I knew he was joking, even if his face remained stoic.

I guess Kakashi knew it too, because after un-curling me for the last time , he stood up and said with an eye smile " Would hash browns make it better?"

Shikamaru's left eyebrow twitched before his mouth lifted in a tiny smirk. "I think that would do just fine."

If there's one food that Shikamaru and I absolutely love, its hash browns. And Kakashi can make 'em mean too.

Shikamaru and I sit on the window seat while Kakashi moves everywhere around our small kitchen. After a few minutes he peeks his head around the corner and calls "Come get it!"

Shikamaru and I practically leap of the ledge and barrel into the kitchen, Kakashi handing us our plates before he follows us with his own. He takes a seat on the floor in front of us with his legs crossed. We all talk about random things, such as what we think the day is going to be like, who can eat their food the fastest, and what's going on in the village, etc. Its the small stuff like this that makes me love life. Come to think of it, this is usually how our mornings usually start- with all of us together. Kakashi points out Shikamaru's slight bed- head, and the creases in his mask tell me he's smiling. I remember how Kakashi used to not like the idea of Shikamaru spending the night, because even though he's my best friend, he's still a guy. My brother is always lecturing me about "boys with their ulterior motives" and whatnot. After all this time though, he's gotten used to it. We eat our breakfast quickly, and after putting our dishes in the sink Shikamaru and I dash out the door, Kakashi giving me a quick hair ruffle on my way out. The academy isn't all that far from the house...that is, if you run. We have a brief talk with some of our classmates along the way, and they all look just as tired as I feel. We make it in a couple minutes before Iruka- Sensei, and Shikamaru gives my side a nudge with his elbow.

Most of us in this class are on the way to becoming Genin-ninja. My eyes land on Naruto, who's eating a bowl of ramen. How he got that in here, I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I love that boy. There's just something about him that's always made me feel like we're connected or something. I admire him a lot, his strength and courage is the kind that makes other people feel strong too. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that he is one of the best pranksters in the whole village. Naruto turns around in his seat and gives me a cheeky smile with his mouth full of ramen, and I wave to him, feeling my own mouth pulling up into a smile of my own.

"Naruto! Get rid of that food!" Iruka-Sensei shouts, and Naruto manages one more bite of ramen before its taken away.

His mouth turns down at the corners into a frown. Shikamaru gives a small snort beside me. "As you all know, each beginning ninja is assigned to a team. These teams usually consist of three members, two boy and one girl. Before all that happens though, some of us-" Iruka-Sensei glances at Naruto- "need to work a bit harder with some of the jutsu techniques."

Kiba, who sits in the row in front of me, nudged the guy next to him, all the while making faces at Naruto. There's no doubt he was talking about him. Come to think of it, practically everyone in the room was staring at him...and for some reason I'm starting to feel angry. What gives them the right to judge what they can't understand? The remainder of class is spent working on any jutsu that gives us trouble, or any jutsu we want. We're allowed to go outside, and I take a deep breath as soon as I walk out the door. Shikamaru and I find a spot to practice near a cluster of trees, and Shikamaru leans against one of the trunks. Looking around the field, I notice that everyone is in some kind of group...except Naruto, who's half hidden by some bushes. I take a step forward when my body comes to a jerking stop. I look down, and sure enough, I'm caught in Shikamaru's shadow trap.

"Gotcha" He says.

I roll my eyes, but smile nonetheless. "Hey, I'll be back. Im gunna talk to Naruto."

Shikamaru nods, and as I walk away I see Choji walk towards him.

As I get closer to the bush I can hear Naruto grunting. As soon as I part some of the foliage with my hand, Naruto comes into full view. His eyes are squeezed shut and his forehead shines with sweat.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He yells, and a cloud of smoke appears wit ha loud POOF!.

When it clears another version of Naruto takes its place, and I smile to myself. This jutsu in particular has always given him trouble. Naruto opens his eyes slowly and lets out a loud cheer when he sees that his clone is still standing..but all of a sudden it wavers before disappearing, shredding itself into the air. Naruto lets out a soft "Oh.." and his shoulders slump forward.

I step through the bush towards him. "You almost had it"

He jumps a little before reaching a hand to the back of his head. "Oh hey Amedoru...didn't know you were there. How long have you been watching me?" he asks with a nervous laugh.

"Not very long."

A small moment of uncomfortable silence surrounds us, becoming interrupted when a black bird shoots out of the treetops. A few leaves flutter to the ground, and I bend over to pick one up. "Don't get too discouraged, Naruto. It just takes time. Not to mention focus."

Shikamaru calls my name "Amedoru! C'mon!"

I tuck the leaf behind my ear and turn to leave. " I'll see ya later, okay?"

Naruto's arm returns to his side as he gives me a big smile. "Sure thing! And uh..thanks."

Usually whenever classes are over for the day, Shikamaru and I get food from the Rice Shop and take it to the field to eat. Then afterwards we lie on our backs and watch the clouds. In spite of the nice morning we had, however, the sky was now turning into a slate grey. We decide to eat inside the shop this time before heading home. We always take turns walking the other home, and tonight was my turn. I peek my head inside the front door of the Nara home and say a quick "Hey" to Shikamaru's mom who invites me inside. This actually leads me into staying an hour late. Before I go she wraps some smoked fish for Kakashi. He's probably too tired to have cooked anything for himself. I run home, and by the time I get to the front door the sky's turned into an even darker shade of grey. Kakashi is sitting in the armchair in the living room reading his Itcha Itcha book, though he closes it and puts it away as soon as he sees me.

"I was beginning to get a little worried." He says.

I sit on the arm of the chair and hand him the fish. "Sorry I'm home late. Shikamaru's mom made this for you though."

Kakashi turns in after he's done eating, giving me a pat on the head as he gets out of the armchair. I crawl in the chair to take his place and notice the orange book sunk a little into the chair cushion. I raise an eyebrow and reach for it, but just when my fingers are about to touch it my brothers voice carries down the hall:

"Don't even think about it!"