Shika had been peeking in on Shoto for some time now, so she knew the sound she'd heard was coming from his bedroom. She frowned at the feeling of her heart pounding in her chest.

'Every single time,' she thought to herself.

The excitement. The adrenaline. Why couldn't she control herself with him? Why couldn't she stop the curiosity?

It was obvious that Shoto couldn't stand her, yet she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Especially when he was in his bedroom. It had already been three months and yet her heart still raced at the thought of watching him undress.

It was wrong, she knew it was wrong and she always felt so dirty afterwards, but she just couldn't stop herself.

Nearly every day she'd look, and while she hadn't seen anything too bad, Shika had already been watching him long enough to know exactly what Shoto looked like while walking around his bedroom in nothing but his underwear.

It was shameful, yes, but seeing him that way made her feel..."things". Things she'd never felt before. Sure, kissing Shikamaru had done things to her too, but not to this extent. Not to the point that she wanted to sneak into a boy's bedroom!!!

Not that she ever would.

This was becoming somewhat of a problem though. Even she wasn't completely sure why she was so infatuated with Shoto. But whatever it was, it was like she had no control over herself. No matter how hard she tried, her curiosity always won against her better judgment.

A part of her didn't want to look. She really shouldn't, she already knew this, but...

Despite herself, Shika placed her phone down on her bed, pulled herself up and slowly made her over to the open bedroom window. Looking across into Shoto's bedroom, she saw that he'd just gotten out of the bath.

He was naked, except for a pair of blue and red boxer briefs. His upper body was still damp and he was drying his hair with a towel. She watched as he moved about the room for one reason or another before finally taking a seat in his computer chair.

And all the while, he still hadn't bothered to dress.

However, because of the position of his desk, that meant that Shoto was now facing her! Or, rather, her window. Shika was well hidden behind her curtain, so she was sure he couldn't actually see her. But her view of him was clear enough.

Shoto draped the damp towel he'd been using across his shoulders before sitting back and opening his laptop. Shika pouted at this though since his doing so blocked her view of his body. Everything from his waist down was now obscured. Luckily she could still see his chest, upper arms and face just fine, so she couldn't complain too much.

Shika saw the glow of the laptop light up against his skin as it turned on, and watched as he clicked away at the keys and touchpad. For a moment she wondered if maybe he was about to do some homework or something while sitting in his underwear.

Kind of weird, but whatever.

But then he popped his airpods in. Her mind automatically went to music and she found herself wondering just what kind he liked. He always seemed to be listening to music. Shika often saw him walking around with earbuds in, and admittedly, sometimes she fantasized about listening together with him.

However, with the way the lights from the screen flashed and moved around him maybe he wasn't listening to music. He seemed to be watching something though, and Shika curiously wondered just what it was. A music video? A movie maybe?

He seemed focused on it, whatever it was, but only for awhile before she saw him tapping away at the keys again. This time he browsed for much longer. A click here and a tap there before stopping to stare all over again. Maybe he really was doing homework.

It went on like that for so long that Shika almost lost interest. The only thing that really kept her standing there was the fact that she'd gotten lost in her own thoughts while staring at him.

It wasn't until Shoto sat back in his seat again that she finally came to, her eyes coming to focus on his beautifully mysterious face. He was watching something again. Maybe he'd finally found whatever it was he'd been searching for, she thought.

About time.

But then she noticed something else. A movement. It was subtle, but that angle, that position and the slight movement in Shoto's right arm was unmistakable. Now Shika might've been really, really naive, but she was far from dumb!

He couldn't be. He wouldn't! But it looked like...

But there was no way, right?

RIGHT?!?

With wide eyes and both hands covering her mouth, Shika turned away, resting her back against the wall just next to the window. He was probably, definitely doing what she thought he was doing. Maybe.

Mostly likely

Though she'd never actually seen anyone do that before, there was no doubt in her mind. She'd heard her male friends back in Konoha joke and talk about doing things like that enough that it wasn't completely lost on her.

Not that she was complaining. According to health books and conversations she'd had with Sakura and Ino, this was a completely natural thing for him to be doing. It's his body after all, and it's a much safer option than some of the other stuff he could be doing. But who does it in the middle of the freaking day, in front of their open bedroom window like that?!

And why was she so excited just thinking about it?! Shouldn't she be grossed out by it? Wasn't it disgusting? Wasn't she supposed to be weirded out at the thought of seeing something like this? Wasn't she supposed to run away?

But...she wasn't scared, weirded out or disgusted at at. No, if the slight smile on her lips was any indication, Shika would say that she was... exhilarated. Curious and excited.

But she was also nervous and afraid.

This was going way beyond just watching a guy walk around his bedroom half naked. This was something private that was meant only for him. Shika went back and forth in her mind as to whether or not she should look again. Because wouldn't this be going way too far?

Well, yes, yes it is.

But in the end her curiosity and teenage hormones won, and any common sense or morality she may have been saving was tossed aside.

But first she made sure to close her bedroom door, just in case Fuyumi came back home without her noticing. She really didn't want to get caught peeping on Shoto by his older sister. Especially while he was doing something like this. It would be too humiliating and shameful!

Good thing Fuyumi always knocked before coming in.

On her slow, sneaky little walk back to the window, Shika heard a sound come from the house nextdoor that she'd never heard before. It was... lewd and instantly made her face heat up. She quickened her pace to the window and made it in just enough time to hear that strange, lewd noise again. But this time the sound came with a view.

There he was, slumped down in his chair, muscles tense, labored breathing, eyes slightly closed and teeth biting down gently on his lower lip.

He was breathtaking and Shika had never seen anything so...exciting, so beautiful...

His right arm was moving much faster than before as the slinder fingers of his left hand slowly teased his nipples. Shika's heart thrummed in her ears and reverberated throughout her entire body as she watched the scene play out before her. Her mind could hardly process what she was seeing.

Shika was buzzing with excitement and yet she felt almost numb as she stood frozen in place. But there was one feeling that stood out more than anything else.

It was that same wonderful yet strange feeling. The one she always got ~down there~ whenever she watched Shoto. It was addicting and most likely the driving force behind her obsession with watching him.

But this time it was much more intense. So intense that she felt like she might just lose her mind.

The feeling was a little uncomfortable, but somehow it felt really, really good if she moved her legs a certain way. But she couldn't do that too much because sometimes she would make a weird little noise when she did, much like the one she'd heard Shoto make earlier. And getting caught by him was the last thing she wanted.

Shoto suddenly made that noise again, hissing and cursing under his breath as if he'd just read Shika's mind. His breathing was ragged as he moved and the faster he went the more his rhythm became unstable. A thin sheen of sweat had settled on his skin and his body was tense and trembling.

And for a moment our poor little Shika was becoming concerned. This was different from the slow, rhythmic pace he'd started off with. Granted this was her first time witnessing such an act and had no idea how these things were supposed to play out, but to her he seemed distressed, like he was in pain almost.

Of course she didn't know any better.

Then suddenly Shoto let out a sound that was so deep and guttural and filled with relief that Shika froze. She was completely awestruck. All she could do was watch and listen. His rhythm slowed as his rigid body twitched, chest heaving as he took long, deep breaths. And Shika realized that Shoto must've reached the end.

Her face was burning as she watched his body slowly begin to relax in the chair again. His breathing was still labored, but growing more controlled as the seconds passed. The muscles in his chest and shoulders finally started to uncoil as his arms slackened and hung over the side of the chair.

Shika was mesmerized; almost hypnotized by everything she'd just witnessed. And for a moment, she studied him, watching his chest as it heaved up and down, but when she finally looked back up at his face she froze. Shoto was staring directly at her. Or rather, directly at her window. But it was as if he knew. As if he could see her standing there just behind the curtain.

Now she was too afraid to move, but no matter how long she stood unmoved, Shoto didn't look away. Not even as he slipped the towel away from around his neck and began to pull himself upright in his seat.

She was already in a panic for fear of being caught, but her eyes grew even wider when she noticed what Shoto was about to do next. He wasn't just sitting up, he was about to stand up! He was about to unknowingly REVEAL IT ALL!!! What the hell was she supposed to do again?! She didn't know! She couldn't think!

Shika was panicking! Frozen, like a deer in headlights!!

But just then, the sound of her phone alerting her of a new message rang through, breaking her out of her silent panic. And that was just enough to pull her back to her senses, making her quickly close her eyes and turn away from Shoto.

Walking away from the window and back over to her bed, Shika let out a loud, anxious sigh of relief. That was close. Too close!! She had never been so happy to receive a new message in her life.

So far she'd managed to avoid seeing that part of Shoto. That was the one thing keeping her guilty conscience from eating her alive through all this peeking. Her one saving grace. She never wanted to disrespect Shoto or invade his privacy to THAT point. Even she had her limits. But today she'd come damn close.

Too damn close for her own liking.

Shika plopped down on her bed, silently willing her heart to slow and her hands to steady themselves as she reached for her phone. It was laying just next to her, face down. She swiped the screen to unlocked it and saw that Mirio had texted her.

Somehow, though, seeing his name there after doing what she'd just done made her feel like the worst person in the world. What would he think of her if he ever found out? Nothing, because he never would if she had anything to do with it.

She clicked on the message to read it.

"Hey, so for my birthday I decided to just have a small get together at my house. My dad's cool with it. Nothing major, just some food, soda, music and maybe some video games or something. Nejire and Tamaki will be here and I'd really like it if you were too. So, will you come?"

Shika smiled softly after reading the message. Mirio was so kind, which only made her feel that much worse. Here he was thinking about her and including her in his birthday celebration. And what had she been doing? Secretly watching some poor, unsuspecting guy through his window like the closet pervert she is.

But as guilty as she felt, this was still Mirio. And she'd be lying if she said that the thought of seeing him didn't fill her stomach with happy little butterflies. Plus, she was kinda curious to see what his bedroom looked like too.

Just as she was about to respond, she received another message from him.

"Oh and no worries, my dad will be here the entire time. I can have him call your guardian if need be. Just in case of course"

Shika's heart was aching! He was just too pure and she didn't deserve to be his crush. Hell, she didn't even deserve him as a friend! Mirio was like the perfect example of a do-good hero! She could learn a thing or two from him. Like how not to be a creepy peeper!!!

"I'd love to come Mirio-kun. I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Great! It'll be this Saturday. It starts at around five."

"I was wondering though if I could come by and pick you up a couple of hours early? I could use a little help getting things set up before Tamaki and Nejire get here."

"Would that be okay Sunshine?"

"Sure thing! I'd be happy to help"

"Sweet! Thanks Sunshine!"

" No problem!"

And with that, the convention ended.

But suddenly she heard a soft knock at her door. It scared the crap out of her! Shika's eyes and guilt-stricken mind instantly stray over to her window. What if it was Shoto? What if he really had noticed her and came over to confront her? What would she do?

But it was Fuyumi's voice that came in from the other side.

"Shika-chan, are you awake? I'm back now. Sorry to ask, but could you come help me put away some of the stuff I bought? I kind of went crazy while shopping."

Shika giggled. " 'Kay! Of course I'll help, Fuyu-nee. I'll be out in a sec," she said as she placed her phone back on the bed and walked over to open her bedroom door.

Fuyumi instantly smiled when she saw Shika, but the younger girl could only force an awkward smile in return. Damn guilt! The two walked back down together and Shika was shocked at the sheer amount of bags she saw sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Fuyu-nee! Did you buy the entire store!?"

"Well, not exactly," she said, smiling sheepishly, "It's just that I kept seeing stuff and I couldn't not buy it. It's not all from one store. I bought food for the house, snacks that you like, some items for my job, some items for my students, some shoes that I really liked, oh, and I even got some other stuff for you," the older woman said as she rummaged through the bags.

Finally she found what she was looking for.

"See!? I found this really cute pajama set that I thought would be super comfy and adorable on you! I got it in periwinkle since I didn't know your favorite color."

She handed it over and Shika took it as she spoke.

"Onee-chan...you shouldn't have. You really didn't have to buy me anything," she said, tears already stinging her eyes.

"Well I know I didn't have to silly. I just wanted to. I told you, didn't I? You're like the little sister I never had. I really do mean that. Every day has been really fun since you got here."

"Fuyu-nee..." Shika couldn't stop her tears.

"Aww, come here," Fuyumi said as she walked over and wrapped her arms around her, "Don't cry, Shika-chan. It's just a small gift to show how much I've enjoyed you being here. So smile. I want you to be happy, okay?" Shika nodded and Fuyumi continued, "So, do you like it?" Shika nodded again. "Good! Now, let's put this stuff up so I can show you your other things!"

"Fuyu-neeeee..."

~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~

After putting everything away and seeing everything that Fuyumi had purchased for her, the two sat in the common room to watch a little television together. It was during this time that Fuyumi received a call informing her that Shika's new hero costume was finally ready to be picked up.

It had taken much, much longer to get all the necessary paperwork done before they could even start working on her costume, but finally it was complete!

Shika was excited, but it was already getting late in the day so she decided to wait until tomorrow after school to pick it up. However, her heart sank when Fuyumi suggested that Shoto go with her.

She explained that he had some items he needed to pick up in the area as well so it made since that the two travel together. Especially since he knew the area better.

Shika wanted to argue that she was sure one of her friends wouldn't mind going with her instead. Mirio would certainly agree without a second thought, but she didn't want Fuyumi to think that she had a problem with Shoto.

Which was true. She really didn't have a problem with Shoto.

It was quite the opposite, unfortunately. She couldn't keep her shameful, perverted eyes off of him. And it was Shoto who seemed as if he couldn't stand the sight of her. He'd probably be super pissed that he had to waste his precious time having to be around her for so long.

Shika wasn't really looking forward to seeing him after the situation earlier anyway so she was kind of hoping he'd refuse. That way she wouldn't have to spend her afternoon trying to hide her shame while simultaneously trying not to be caught sneaking glances at him.

Honestly, other than when she peeped on him, Shika tried to give Shoto his distance, so she really had no idea why she was so infatuated with him. She didn't even like him. At least, not in a romantic way.

She didn't get the same nervous feeling in her belly around him like she used to whenever she saw Shikamaru or even the giddiness she feels whenever she's with or just thinking about Mirio.

Other than overwhelming guilt and shame, she felt nothing whenever he came over for dinner. Even on the first day they met. So why was she so obsessed with him? It was most likely due to the fact that she hadn't really had the chance to get to know him. And that was because he made it blatantly obvious that he wanted ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with her.

But still, she could never pass up the chance to catch a glance whenever she heard him enter his bedroom. It truly was a terrible obsession. However, Shika couldn't help but wonder; was it really him that she obsessed over? Or was it a secret obsession with the feeling she got whenever she found herself peeping in on him?

That new feeling. The breathlessness, the tingling, the adrenaline...the desperation to touch. It was both exciting and frightening. A feeling she'd never really experienced before, and one that could seemingly only be elicited by Shoto.

Whatever it was, Shika really, really liked it...a lot.