Shanan and Shikamaru had been secretly dating for over a month already. She was still working with Kakashi most days on the no-handed jutsu technique. But she and Shikamaru tried to sneak in some time together when they could. They still hadn't made their relationship public, but that was mostly due to how much fun they both had in being sneaky. At least they thought they were being sneaky. Neji, Lee and Hinata were all aware that they were together.

They did go on the occasional date, but they avoided anywhere where they'd run into people they knew and they only held hands if they were sure that they wouldn't be seen.

Shanan had always loved spending time with Kakashi, since they were good friends, but she also needed to spend time with her boyfriend now. Even if she hadn't told Kakashi she'd had a new one and that that was why she wanted to leave early sometimes. She trusted Kakashi, but talking about Sasuke for any reason still made her emotional.

Today was one of those days that she had left early so she could get ready for her date with Shikamaru. They always ended up in her bed afterwards. And sometimes before. And sometimes during, because they'd never even made it out. But tonight they had. They usually just wandered through the busiest part of the village, where it was easier to blend in and duck away from anyone they knew. And tonight was no different. They had plans to eat after they shopped around and looked through some of the cuter outdoor markets, but then Shanan noticed Asuma Sensei and Kurenai Sensei and tugged on Shikamaru's arm for them to hide somewhere before they were seen.

"Oh, we don't need to hide from them," he said as he waved to Asuma.

"Oh, you told him?" Shanan asked, a bit surprised. "I thought we weren't saying anything yet."

Shikamaru stopped waving and turned to look at her with his head tilted. "I didn't tell anyone. Do you remember that night at the bar and you said you vaguely remembered us making out in a different booth?" he asked as he put his hands around her waist.

Shanan nodded at him, thoroughly confused.

"He found me like two days later and had a talk with me." He laughed as he remembered the conversation. "We were all over each other that night and everyone there saw us. He said they almost came over to pull us apart, but then we just stopped because we were both ready to pass out. Well anyway, he gave me a lengthy talking to about sex and it was the worst day of my life," he said casually. "But, he knows about us. He could even tell as soon as we'd done it," he waved at Asuma again now that he was closer.

"He could tell?" Shanan asked.

"Yeah, he said something along the lines of, 'you suddenly look like a man, should I be worried' or something like that."

Shanan hid her face in her hands. If Asuma knew, did Kakashi know too? She didn't want him to, because it just felt really awkward. She really hoped that they didn't share those kinds of details about their students like that. Or was Kakashi her student? Either way, she wasn't ready to have him see her differently and she could tell he didn't really approve of her drinking. He didn't find her stories as funny as Tenzo always had.

"Oh hey, you two," Asuma said as he walked up to them. "On one of your secret dates?"

"Yes, very secret," Shanan said with a hint of warning.

"If you think I'm gonna tell anyone, I have much better things to do than gossip about whatever it is that teenagers do," he said coolly.

Shikamaru laughed a bit nervously. "Have you guys eaten?" he asked them.

"Not yet, we're just on our way now, actually," Kurenai told him.

"Good! Us too," Shikamaru said as he grabbed Shanan's hand. "We'll go together."

"Why?" Shanan asked under her breath as they started to walk.

Shikamaru stayed quiet as he responded to her. "Because, Asuma is my mentor, and I know he'll like you. He's not gonna say anything. He's cool. I promise."

Shanan sighed quietly. "Ok... I'll do it for you," she said quietly as she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. She didn't truly have a problem if people found out, but she had always hated explaining herself.

Shikamaru stopped and held her back as he pulled her close. "Thank you," he said as he looked into her eyes.

Shanan wrapped her arms around his neck and started to pull him down for a kiss.

"Are you guys joining us or not?" Asuma said as he laughed and shook his head at them.

Shikamaru grabbed her hand. "Come on."

Kurenai playfully nudged him with her elbow. "Leave 'em alone. It wasn't THAT long ago when we were like that."

"I'm just giving the kid a hard time," he said as they turned around and started walking.

Shanan and Shikamaru caught up with them just before they entered the restaurant.

They picked a corner booth and looked around as they sat to make sure no one they knew was there.

"Doesn't this get exhausting?" Asuma said as he sat.

"Not really, we like it." Shikamaru shrugged.

"I can see it. Sneaking around is exciting," Kurenai said.

"I guess. What'll you do if people find out though?"

Shikamaru looked at Shanan and smiled and then looked back at Asuma. "That's ok. It'll still be fun. We always have fun together."

"We do," Shanan said with a smile.

They ordered their food and ended up having a really pleasant conversation. Asuma did seem pretty easygoing and Shanan had already known Kurenai to be pleasant. She was Hinata's Sensei and was very well cut out for the job.

Shikamaru seemed to enjoy pushing their luck all night, though, as he mostly kept his hand on the inside of her thigh under her skirt and any time he shifted his body or moved he'd squeeze it to let her know he hadn't forgotten it was there. Shanan was both annoyed about it and completely turned on by it.

Not that he ever needed to do much. She'd been insanely attracted to him for awhile now and he had admitted to having a crush on her for years before she'd ever even noticed him. Nevertheless, as soon as they got back to her place, they were all over each other.

"You think you're so smooth," she said between kisses.

He didn't say anything. He pulled away slightly and smirked at her as he looked down at her lips. Then he put his fingers in her hair as he pulled her close and kissed her deeply again.

By the time they reached Shanan's bed, they were completely undressed and she was kinda glad that nobody was in either of the apartments next to her.

Afterwards, they were both surprised to find that neither of them had fallen asleep right away, like they normally did. They both laid facing the wall as he held her close and kissed her behind her ear occasionally and she would smile and try to match his breathing as she held his hand in place.

It seemed every day that they were together he fell deeper in love with her. He kept wanting to tell her, but for whatever reason, he decided to let her say it first, just in case.

And she did love him. Very much. She knew she did. She just wasn't ready to say it to someone else just yet. But he knew that she was his in every way and that the words would come soon enough.

For now, they would lay together and feel butterflies together and enjoy each other's company together.