Hey everyone! I'm finally back with another instalment. This one took longer to write than I expected not only due to my other project 'Succubus Fantasy' which I decided to focus on, but also because I've been having some eye-related issues that I was forced to consult on with a specialist. Fear not, as I'm not going anywhere. I was just told to reduce the time I spend facing a screen, so that's what I've been trying to do.

Anyhow, this chapter is almost as special as chap 8 was. I've just reached my first milestone, which is 10 chapters published in a story. That might not seem much to you, but I'm quite pleased with that little achievement. As such, this instalment is not only longer than usual, but also filled with lots of moments between Naruto and Miku.

There is a lemon near the end of this one, but feel free to skip it or skim through it if you don't feel comfortable reading such scenes. If anything, you've been warned!

~ Chapter 10 : The Cooking Club's First Trip ~

"Ehhh!? Are you kidding me!?"

"No, there's no way, there's got to be some sort of mistake!"

"But his name is right here, isn't it?"

"How did that guy manage to pull something like this off!?"

"First he gets Miku-san and Fujiwara-buchou all for himself, and now this!?"

"Gaaaah! Damn you Uzumakiiii!"

A group of students from all classes gathered around the bulletin board located near the entrance to the school, hoping to either see whether they'd made into the list of passing students or check how badly they've done in their exams - the latter group initially looking more resigned than the rest. Though when they all caught a glimpse of just who had also made it to the top ten in the list, all their faces sported the same incredulous look.

"Ah, sorry, just need to pass through. Oi, step aside a little, would ya?"

Amidst the mass of teenagers standing around the board, a mop of spiky, golden hair began moving around, evading numerous bodies in its path to its destination. The young man that hair belonged to was faced with a deadly glare as he accidentally stepped on the shoe of one of the older students in the Academy, but barely paid it more than a passing glance and a curt 'sorry'.

As everyone else around him noticed exactly who he was, they took a few steps back, making a circle around him and the board, not willing to be anywhere near close to him. All eyes turned to the infamous prankster as he nervously approached the board and allowed his eyes to carefully read its contents. His heart was pounding madly against his chest, and he could feel his hands sweating, but he pushed through those feelings of anxiety and uncertainty as he continued looking for what he intended to find.

'W-What? My name's not here!'

Panicking, the young man checked and double-checked the list on his class, yet his name wasn't written alongside the others. A million thoughts raced through his mind as he tried looking for his name in the other sections of the board, and it was only when his eyes landed on the 'best average' list did he see his name written in golden letters.

N°10: Naruto Uzumaki

"Top ten...?", Naruto mumbled, his mind refusing to believe what he was seeing. "I made it to the top ten?"

He read the list over and over again, until he realized he wasn't imagining things and that he'd really got a spot amongst the best students at the academy.

"YATTA!", a massive grin found its way to his lips as he pumped a fist upwards, ignoring the mixed looks he was getting from people around him. "I did it, I did it!", he chanted joyfully, pulling himself to a stop as a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Gotta go tell Miku-chan about this!"

The very first thing he did as soon as he said that was to turn around in a blur and dash past all the staring students before they could even say anything or try to stop him. He ran down the hallway towards the stairs leading to the second floor, where all second-year classrooms where located, but just as he got there, he was intercepted by two figures who got in his way.

"Heya, Naruto-kun!"

"W-Whoa!"

The blond had to muster all his strength to pull his legs to a stop before he could crash into the pair standing right by the bottom of the staircase. Due to the speed with which he'd been running up until then, his efforts resulted in Naruto skidding and having to flail his arms around so as not to lose balance. He barely managed to keep his ground and stabilize himself, but when he did, he turned to address the two beautiful gals before him.

"Phew, that was close!", he heaved a sigh of relief, realizing they were both okay. "Sorry, Mako-chan, Hana-chan. I was so excited I didn't see where I was going."

Makoto flashed him a smirk. "Hoh~ You're looking really happy today, Naruto-kun", she walked up to him until she was mere inches away from him, placing her arms behind her back as she stared intently into his bright blue eyes. "Now, I wonder why..."

There was a knowing look on Hana's face as she too approached the handsome shinobi and imitated her friend. "I bet he was in a hurry to go see his lovely girlfriend, Miku-chan~", she said slyly, watching as Naruto's face grew filled with surprise.

"...! Y-You know me and Miku are dating?"

Makoto couldn't help but giggle at his reaction, reaching for his right arm. "Of course, you dummy!", she then glued herself to it and saw his eyebrows shooting up. "Miku-chan is our friend, ya thought we wouldn't notice?"

"That's right~", Hana took advantage of the blond's confusion and latched onto his left arm. "Me and Mako-chan, we've known ya two were totes in love with each other for a while~", as Naruto's eyes widened at the revelation and he tried to process all this, wondering whether he really was that transparent, Hana added, "'sides, Miku-chan already gave us aaaaall the details. Gotta say Naruto-kun, when I heard how romantic ya are, I got really jealous of her."

"Me too", Makoto interjected, pressing herself to his side. "I would've never pictured you for the romantic type. Handsome and sweet, what more can a girl ask for?

"H-Huh?", was all the stupefied young man could ask in response to all the things he was being bombarded with, making both gals giggle at his expense.

"Haha, we're just kiddin' Naruto! You should see your face!"

"Yeah, you totes look like a child, how cute~"

An embarrassed blush tinted his cheeks then, and Naruto couldn't avoid feeling ashamed at falling so easily for the gals' teasing. Despite now having a girlfriend, it seemed he was still too gullible and vulnerable to gals' ingenuity, much to his dismay.

"...Say, we know you're in a rush to go see Miku-chan, but mind lending us a hand first?"

Naruto blinked his azure eyes at Makoto's inquiry, turning her way. "A hand?", he repeated. "Uhm, can it wait? I really need to tell Miku something..."

"Awww, com'on Naru-kun, it's only gotta take a minute, tops", Hana insisted, doing her best rendition of the infamous puppy look that had proven countless times in the past to work wonders on the Uzumaki. "We need your help with a tiny, little thing. We really can't do it without ya!"

"Pleaseeee~? Do it for us?"

Naruto was immediately taken aback and rendered speechless as he was faced with not one, but two puppy faces that obliterated any intention of protesting or desire to refuse. Sighing in resignation, the Uzumaki eventually inclined his head ever so slightly. "Okay, fine", he agreed. "But let's make it quick, all right?"

"Right~", Hana chirped happily.

"We knew you wouldn't let us down!"

"Hah... Just lead the way."

The blond allowed the two beautiful gals to pull him by the arm down the hallway in the opposite direction he was heading for, never seeing the knowing look both girls exchanged. As they walked in silence, Naruto hoped whatever was it they wanted him to help with would not take the entirety of their break. After all, he'd rushed to the board to check his marks and be back as fast as possible to meet Miku for lunch, which is what he still intended to do after he finished dealing with this unexpected matter.

Makoto and Hana took Naruto towards the east wing on the first floor, which was an area that contained the faculty room, the student's council and a few other club rooms that would resume their meetings that day after a lengthy period of being cancelled for exams and whatnot. It was at some point during their walk that the Uzumaki caught sight of Hana looking his way with a very weird smile on her face, and he couldn't help but grow curious.

"Oi... Where're we heading?"

"We're quite close, Naruto-kun, just be a little more patient, 'kay?", Makoto told him in a sweet tone, winking her eye at him. "I promise, it'll totes be worth it!"

Naruto gazed intently at Makoto, then at Hana, feeling as though there was something weird going on there. He couldn't exactly say why, but the way the gals were acting was strange, almost like they were on to something.

"...If you say so."

Still, and even if that was the case, there was probably nothing else he could do but play along. He did feel slightly curious as to what could be going through their minds, but guessed they wouldn't tell him if he asked.

Naruto resigned himself once again to follow their lead and let himself be guided towards their destination, whatever it may be. The gals pulled him past many of the doors in their path and towards a particularly sturdy-looking door that Naruto knew very well - it was one he hadn't faced in a few weeks, but also one he didn't think he'd ever fail to recognize.

"The home economics room?", he couldn't help but wonder, blinking his azure eyes. "What are we doing here?"

"Hehehe, wouldn't ya like to know..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Hana's mysterious tone, and watched as she flashed an innocent grin at him. To his right, he heard Makoto giggling impishly. "We're just here to pick somethin' up. It won't take long~!"

Their words did nothing but fuel his ever-rising suspicion, yet he opted to shrug his shoulders and let things play out the way they should. He didn't sense any ill will coming from them, and he trusted both gals equally. After all, they were not only Miku's friends, but his' as well. Or so he liked to believe.

Makoto reached for the door handle and slid it open, nodding curtly at Hana, before both gals tugged on his arms to make him step inside. "Right here, Naruto-kun!"

"Now, everyone~!"

"W-What the?"

"Omedetō, Naruto~!"

From his position at the entrance, the Uzumaki heard two identical blasts coming from his side, making him jump in surprise. Soon enough and before he could register what was going on, he caught sight of a rain of confetti falling from the ceiling onto his head, shoulders and all around. It was a sight that had him staring slightly agape at the small, colorful squares of paper with confused eyes as they allowed gravity to pull them down.

So caught up in his trance was he, that he never noticed Makoto and Hana leaving his side and someone else rushing into his arms.

"Naruto-kun!", he heard someone calling his name, a very feminine voice he'd grown to love more than anything, and he slowly brought his eyes down, intent on finding out if said voice belonged to the same person he thought it did. Soon, he was staring right into the emerald orbs of one Miku Okazaki, who was looking radiant for some reason. "Congrats! I knew you could do it, I never once doubted ya!"

"...?"

The Uzumaki allowed Miku to put her arms around him and embrace him tightly for a minute, his mind still in a haze. He idly raised his head and was met with the sight of Makoto, Hana, Yabe-sensei and Koharu all gathered in front of him, an array of smiles flashed his way.

"...Yabe? Koharu-chan?", Naruto was still looking incredulous even as Miku pulled away from him and captured his hand in hers. "What's going on here?"

No matter how hard he tried, he could not come with any possible explanation as to what was happening. He knew he was looking kind of dumb with the way he glanced around the room and all the people present as if looking for something or someone that could explain matters to him, but he couldn't help himself.

Seeing the table full of different types of food, snacks and drinks only added to his perplexity.

"Well, what do you think?", Yabe stepped up, placing his hands on his hips. "We're celebrating you passing all your exams and making it into the list of best students in the academy."

"A celebration?", Naruto repeated dumbly. "For me?"

"That's right~!", Miku chirped, intertwining their fingers. "We all know how hard ya worked to get back to the club, so a party is totes what you deserve!"

"Oi, Okazaki, don't go around saying it's a party", Yabe lightly scolded her. "If the headmaster finds out we're using the home economics room for something other than to welcome Uzumaki back into the club, I may get in trouble."

"Soz, Yabecchi", the beautiful gal did nothing but rub the back of her head awkwardly for a moment in a very Naruto-esque way. "I guess that slipped my mind, hehe~"

"Hmm, sensei does have a point there", Koharu hummed to herself. "Naruto-san is already on the headmaster's blacklist. I bet he wouldn't hesitate to find a way to put the blame on him if he finds out we broke the rules."

"Ah, com'on! That geezer has nothin' on us!", Makoto said defiantly as she balled her hand into a fist.

"Yeah! If he dares to do anything against Naru-kun, we'll deal with that old-fart ourselves!"

"The only thing you two will be dealing with", Yabe interjected just as Miku's friends were getting pumped up, "is helping me clean this place up after we're done."

"Eh!? But senseeeeei~"

"Mou~ N-Nobody said anything about cleaning~"

As the group laughed at the way both Makoto and Hana hung their heads in defeat and pouted, Naruto inclined his head, looking downwards. Everyone present had gathered that day not only to celebrate his success but because they truly cared for him, and were genuinely happy he'd been able to overcome such an arduous task as were final exams. It made him feel so fortunate, so grateful to have people like them in his life he honestly couldn't believe his luck.

The young man allowed his hair to shadow his eyes from view, feeling tears gathering round the corner of his eyes as his heart swelled with joy. It was at this point that everyone noticed how silent Naruto had grown all of a sudden, with Miku in particular looking worried. "Naruto-kun? What's wrong?", she couldn't help but ask, genuinely concerned.

Neither she nor the others needed to wait long as the Uzumaki slowly raised his head to face everyone, and mustered one of the brightest smiles anyone had ever seen drawn on his visage. "T-This is...", he began, fighting back the tears that threatened to escape the confines of his eyes, "the best thing anyone's ever done for me."

He soon realized he was fighting a losing battle, as the tears he'd been trying to hold back so hard started rolling down his cheeks, a sight that had everyone's faces around him softening. Miku placed her hand on his back and began rubbing it in a comforting manner, smiling tenderly at him.

But despite his current state and the fact his important people were seeing him cry, he never allowed his smile to waver, not until he'd made sure they understood how much this meant to him.

"...T-Thank you, everyone!", there was so much more he wanted to say, to tell each one of them, but the words would not come out. Especially not when those tears he shed were now making it impossible for him to continue trying to keep his composure any longer.

As he brought his face down again and turned it away from the others, unable to stop the cascades of tears that flowed down his cheeks no matter how much he rubbed his eyes with his hands, Miku pulled her arms around him and embraced him tightly, seeking to provide as much comfort as he needed.

Laughter and chatter filled the home economics' room as everyone within its confines enjoyed lunch break together. Miku and Yabe had cooked a variety of delicious dishes for the occasion some days before, when Naruto was still unable to attend club meetings despite having finished sitting for his final exams.

Makoto and Hana had been on it too, as both of them had been tasked with coming up with the best way to bring the Uzumaki to the club without arousing suspicion and also try and get some confetti blasters to surprise him with. Koharu, on the other hand, had been invited to take part in the reunion that very same morning, which she had agreed to after some insistence on Miku's behalf; her accepting to attend said meeting had come a bit reluctantly for a reason only she and Miku knew.

Needless to say, Naruto was more than surprised. That they'd managed to do what they did without him realizing it made him feel a bit shocked, especially when he and Miku spent as much time together as they could and he liked to think he'd gotten better at reading his beautiful girlfriend.

It seemed like he still had a long way to go in that regard.

"That was great!", Naruto exclaimed, patting his belly in a satisfied manner. He was currently in a jovial mood after such a wonderful meal, and it showed in the way he grinned at the group sitting at the table they'd set for lunch. "Thanks, Miku-chan, Yabe, for the meal!"

"One would think you'd finally feel enough gratitude to address me as sensei...", Yabe heaved a sigh, one filled with resignation. It was a reaction that made the other girls giggle.

"One day, Yabe, one day I might just do that", an airy laugh escaped his mouth then at seeing his teacher sweat dropping. "Those kinds of things, they can't be rushed!"

By his side, Miku stifled a giggle with the back of her hand, not seeking to add to her sensei's chagrin any more than was necessary. She then nudged Naruto gently on the ribs to attract his attention her way. "So, Naruki, how does it feel to be among the best of the best in the academy? I bet you're kinda a celebrity now, aren't ya?", her questions were met with a nervous smile from said young man, who proceeded to rub the back of his head in an awkward manner.

"Yeah! How on Earth did you do somethin' like that, Naru-kun?", Hana inched forward, leaning on her elbows. "Everyone says it's stupid how difficult getting to that group is in the first place! Ah, Mako-chan, didn't ya form part of that list once?"

"What?", Koharu, who had been silent up until then, grew interested at this last bit. "Tsuburaya-san made it to the top ten too?"

Feeling all eyes on her, Makoto did her best to shrug the attention off by shaking her head. "Nah, I got close once. Like, one year ago or so. I thought it'd be cool to try, but I quickly realized it takes too much effort and since then, I've always settled for getting passing grades", she smiled nonchalantly as Yabe furrowed his eyebrows her way, looking mildly disappointed. "Ah, but Naruto-kun here making it is really impressive tho. Must've taken some serious studying to get such marks, huh?"

"Hah... Well, about that...", Naruto straightened in his seat, smiling. "It's true I worked myself to the bone to make sure I'd pass this time, but I would have never been able to do this without Koharu-chan's help", turning his eyes until they were focused on a certain raven-haired girl sitting directly across from him, Naruto almost failed to see the president flinching slightly in surprise. "She volunteered to give me private lessons and spent every day teaching me all I needed to know. She is the reason we're celebrating here today. If it wasn't for her, I would have probably failed again."

"..."

Koharu looked strangely unresponsive as Naruto's previous smile turned into a toothy grin and he nodded his head appreciatively at her.

"That's true", Yabe added, placing a hand on the slender girl's shoulder. She didn't show any visible reaction to that other than turning to glance up at her sensei. "Fujirawa here was willing to devote most of her time as the student's council's president to help Uzumaki. She too deserves praise for not only assisting Uzumaki get such good grades, but also make it herself to the list of best students as number one in the campus."

"Ehhhh!? Fujirawa-chan, is that true?"

"What are ya getting so surprised for, Hana, this is the president we're talking about!", Makoto said, chuckling at her best friend's reaction. "She has been in that list practically since she started attending classes here."

Miku nodded her head in confirmation. "She's right, ya know? As a matter of fact, I don't think Koharu ever failed any exam in her life!", a bright smile found its way to her lips at that, an act that was imitated by Naruto. "Everyone knows how much of a genius she is!"

"Ah, yeah, now that I think 'bout it, you're totes right, hehe~"

Koharu did nothing but watch all the smiles she was getting her way, before she averted her eyes and mumbled, "it's really nothing that impressive."

But what was meant to be a remark uttered under her breath reached the ears of everyone present, making Naruto of all them scoff in disagreement. "Not impressive?", he repeated incredulously. "Koharu-chan, you're miles ahead of everyone else at school. Not to mention you're the president of the student's council, which is awesome! I bet nobody could work as hard as you do and still make it to the top."

Naruto could not see it, nobody could see it in fact, but his words were having the opposite effect he intended on Koharu. Instead of looking happy and appreciative at the things he said about her, she kept refusing to meet his' or anyone else's eyes while also doing her best to hide the troubled look that now occupied her visage from view. "I appreciate that, Naruto-san. But honestly, I still have a long way to go before I consider myself worthy of such praise", as she said this, Koharu stood up from her seat and bowed at the group. "I ought to get going now, before the bell rings. But congratulations again, Naruto-san. And thank you, Okazaki-san, Yabe-sensei, for inviting me. It was... fun."

Giving them all a small smile -her eyes lingering on Naruto's surprised expression a bit longer than the rest- Koharu turned around and walked through the door before anyone could even do so much as try to say something for her to stay. An awkward silence ensued her departure, with everyone looking perplexed. Naruto, especially, was agape with confusion as he wondered what could have been the cause for Koharu to act in such an uncharacteristically distant way. 'Huh, I wonder if Koharu-chan's feeling all right. She looked like she was having fun earlier', he mused to himself, raking his brain for an explanation that'd have served to explain her abrupt change of behavior.

"Ne ne, is Fujiwara-chan okay?"

"Yeah... She just up and left", Makoto turned her dark eyes towards Naruto first, then to Miku, seeking for answers. "Did we do something wrong?"

Yabe scratched his head in thought, before eventually shrugging. "I don't think so", he said. "Maybe she just remembered something important she had to do. In any case, you could always check on her later, make sure she's fine."

Both gals nodded at the teacher's suggestion, with Naruto following suit. The latter hoping he didn't make her upset after putting her on the spotlight like he did.

Nobody ever noticed the way Miku folded her arms over her chest, looking pensive about something in particular.

"Man, feels good to be back!"

Naruto could not be any happier than he currently was. He had not only passed all exams, had a 'party' in his honor and enjoyed lunch with his sensei and friends, but also been reinstated as a full member of the cooking club, with everything that entailed. After being banned from club activities for almost a month, being back there after classes were over felt surreal. Even more so when Yabe handed him his old apron, one he only then noticed how terribly he'd missed it.

"Welcome back Naruki~", Miku Okazaki said enthusiastically, looking genuinely content at seeing him back. She was now wearing her usual apron and had her golden hair tied into a ponytail. "We sure missed ya lots, right Yabecchi?"

"Missed is not the word I would use, but yes, we were hoping you'd return and join us in our activities."

Naruto scoffed in response. "Gee, that's cold Yabe."

"Hoh? But Yabecchi, I totes remember ya talkin' non stop about how much of a positive influence Naruto had been in the club and how much we benefited from his energy and enthusiasm!", Miku said, concealing a sly look under an innocent façade as she placed a finger below her lip. "Isn't that like the same as missing him?"

Yabe felt his cheeks flushing slightly at that remark, turning around to hide his face from view. "Ehem!", he cleared his throat loudly. "That was just one time. No need to make such a big deal out of it just because I appreciate Uzumaki's commitment to the club."

As Yabe refused to let his students see the look on his visage, he definitely heard them chuckling at his expense, an act that only added to his embarrassment. Naruto, however, felt a new sense of appreciation at his sensei at hearing he valued him as a member of the club. "Ahaha, don't tell me I am now Yabe's favorite student!", Naruto said half-jokingly, laughing aloud as he saw his sensei flinching as a reaction.

"Eh? No way! I am Yabecchi's favorite!", Miku complained, stomping her feet on the ground in a very child-like manner.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, Miku-chan", Naruto patted her head, grinning from ear to ear as she weakly tried to swat his hand away, a pout adorning her lips. It was such an adorable sight that if Yabe wasn't around, he'd have kissed her right then and there.

"H-Hum! I'll have you know, I have no favorites", finding the chance to finally regain his ground as a teacher, Yabe faced the blonde pair once again, his previous chagrin giving way to seriousness. "But that's enough of that for now. Today marks the day Uzumaki rejoins us", as he said this, a sincere smile finally found its way to his lips. One that the pair of teenagers found contagious. "As such, we'll be working on a very special recipe."

Yabe directed his students' eyes to the board, where the words 'MIXED FRIED RICE' were written alongside the ingredients and instructions they would need to make it themselves.

"Fried rice, huh?", Naruto inquired in a casual manner, reading the steps off the board one more time before heading for his working station. That day Yabe had assigned both students to the same kitchenette, claiming they'd benefit from keeping an eye on each other's cooking and lend a hand whenever necessary. Neither Naruto nor Miku had any desire to complain about this arrangement, the two of them enjoying being close to each other.

"Isn't that a Chinese recipe?"

"That's correct", the sensei inclined his head, seemingly pleased. "It's a very popular dish in China and in other parts of the world."

"Wait a second", Naruto blinked as he noticed something he believed shouldn't be there, amid the other ingredients laid out on the counter. "Wasn't this the leftover rice from today?"

Yabe chuckled. "Indeed. This recipe requires rice that has already been cooked and chilled in the fridge, any other type won't do", he indicated, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows. "Moreover, Fried Rice is actually quite easy if you know exactly what to do. Here, I'll guide you along..."

After the home economics' teacher gave the pair a short, yet detailed demonstration of how to work with their ingredients, Naruto and Miku got started on their meals, both of them taking it slow so as to make sure they wouldn't mess anything up. There were very similar contented looks on their faces at just being able to work side by side, reunited as fellow members of the club.

Miku had just put the wok on the stove and turned it on, when she perked up her head, her features brightening as she'd just had the most wonderful idea ever. "Ne, Yabecchi", her eyes swiveled in the latter's direction, noticing the way he examined Naruto's chopped vegetables with a scrutinizing look. The teacher hummed absently as if to prod her into continuing, which she did a moment later. "It's only a week left until summer vacation, right? Now that Naruki's back, we should defo have a training camp or somethin'!"

"A training camp?", Naruto's interest was immediately piqued the moment he heard that. "You mean, like a trip somewhere nice like the mountains or the beach?"

Miku grinned excitedly. "Yeaaah, that's right~ Oh oh, maybe a festival would be nice too!", a sudden thought crossed her mind at the idea of going to a festival, and she sent a coy smile her boyfriend's way. "Ah, scratch that one. A festival is a place better suited for family, friends or even... couples, hehe~."

While the implications behind her words were lost to Yabe, who was still too engrossed in examining the quality of Naruto's work, the latter did pick up on the meaning she was trying to convey. "A festival sure seems nice to spend with the people you love", his words seemed to have a powerful effect on Miku, who sent a bashful smile at him, struggling to resist the urge of doing what she was thinking of.

"Okay, Uzumaki, not bad. Keep that wok as hot as possible and add some sesame oil before you throw the vegetables in, would you?", giving the blond some instructions, to which Naruto saluted Yabe like a soldier much to Miku's amusement, he finally turned to address his female student's previous inquiry. "Now, what was that about a training camp?"

"Welp, I was thinkin'... this'll be our first summer as members of the cooking club, and me and Naruki wanna do something really cool!"

"Hah... So that's how it is."

Yabe rubbed his forehead for a moment, unsure of what exactly to tell his awaiting students. He could see the hopeful looks on both their faces, especially on Miku's, which made him pause and debate whether he should just brush the matter aside or be honest with them.

In the end, he decided to go with the second option.

"The thing is, I didn't really plan any training camp or club activities for the summer", he told them seriously, folding his arms over his chest. He was about to say something else, but Naruto beat him to it.

"Ah, don't be like that, Yabe! There must be something we can think of", by his side, Miku beamed at Naruto's reasoning, bobbing her head up and down in agreement. "Besides, what else are you gonna do otherwise? Go home and laze away all summer?"

"Well, actually..."

"Hah...?", incredulity spread all over Naruto's face at hearing that. "That's lame, Yabe. And here I was beginning to believe you were cool..."

"Yeah. Didn't wanna say it myself, but you're kinda boring after all, Yabecchi."

The aforementioned man raised an eyebrow at his students' remarks, not really sure why staying at home and relax after such a tough first half of the year was something that could be considered 'lame' or 'boring'. Then again, he mused, the kids before him were just that, kids. He didn't think Naruto and Miku would think the way they did if they were working adults, and Yabe felt strangely relieved at realizing both of them were only a few years away from that world of constant pressure and suffering that was adulthood. 'Some day, Uzumaki, Okazaki, you'll see things my way. Just wait', on the inside, Yabe chuckled darkly to himself, but on the outside, all he mustered was an appeasing smile.

"Okay okay, you've got me. I'll see what I can do about it."

His proclamation was met with blooming smiles from the blonde pair, who turned to each other and laughed excitedly at the prospect of doing something fun together.

"But after that, we won't meeting again for the remainder of summer", he waited until their attention was back on them before looking intently at each one, hoping to get his point across. "This isn't a sports club, so we aren't having any meetings like they do on holidays."

Surprisingly enough, his remark elicited quick nods on behalf of both Naruto and Miku, the latter waving her hand dismissively. "That's fine. Me and Naruki, we've already made lots of plans for this summer... Right, Naruto-kun?

"R-Right!", her fellow blond agreed promptly, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Looking forward to it!"

Their strange interaction didn't go unnoticed by Yabe, who raised a hand to his cheek to scratch it. He stared at the odd way those two gazed at each other for a couple of seconds, both sporting weird, almost smitten smiles on their faces, before they returned their attention to their meals, acting as if that silent exchange had never taken place.

It left Yabe wondering whether he was just imagining things again, like he had several times in the span of a few months. The teacher briefly debated whether he should ask them about it but quickly thought against such idea, knowing it was none of his business anyway.

"Ah, by the way Yabecchi", Miku's sweet voice brought the aforementioned back to the present, and just in time to see her leaning on Naruto's shoulder. "In case ya don't know... Naruto and I are dating now."

Yabe's first reaction to such news was look slightly taken aback for a moment, before realization set in, and he merely gave them both a small, albeit sincere smile. "...Took you two long enough."

"A farm, huh?"

When Yabe had announced they were going to help an elderly family in the outskirts of Tokyo, Naruto never imagined they'd live in a farm of all places. Not that there was anything wrong with that, though; he loved being outdoors and doing things in the open, and even if he had no idea what Yabe had in store for that day, he was almost sure this would prove to be a fun experience.

Expecting some kind of work where he'd have to get dirty or at least be under the sun, the Uzumaki had opted to wear some simple yet comfortable clothes he seldom used other than for his training sessions. That day, he was wearing a plain grey sleeveless shirt which exposed his toned arms, a pair of navy-blue joggers and some dark trainers, an attire he thought was appropriate for the occasion, despite Yabe insisting the previous day he and Miku wore their P.E uniforms instead.

Naruto raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he proceeded to inspect the two-story house standing tall next to a large parcel of land. The latter was filled with different types of crops, but from his position it was difficult to tell which ones in specific. What he did see in the distance, was a silo and multiple hay panes lying around the land, where some farm animals pastured.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps alerted the Uzumaki to a newcomer's presence, and he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Yabe walking up to him. "Ah, Yabe, ohayo!", Naruto waved his hand enthusiastically at his sensei, a foxy grin now in place.

"Good morning", Yabe responded, smiling at seeing his male student as energetic as always, despite the time of day. He then gave Naruto a once-over, and immediately noticed he wasn't wearing his gym kit as instructed, but opted to let it slide, given the fact his outfit was somewhat adequate for the kind of work they'd be doing. What did catch his attention other than that though, was seeing they were still one member short, and he couldn't help but ask, "do you know if Okazaki is running late? We should take advantage of the lack of heat to get to work."

Naruto was still unaware of what exactly were they supposed to be doing that day at the farm, but he had the distinct feeling it would be some sort of manual work. "Ah, she texted me earlier. Said she fell asleep. Oh, and that she's sorry and will try to make it here asap."

"Hah...", Yabe sighed in resignation, not really surprised at what he heard. After all, that marked the very first day of summer holidays, and waking up early in that period was almost like torture to most people her age. "Well, no matter. We'll go ahead and get started ourselves", he ultimately decided. "What about you Uzumaki, ready for today?"

"Yeah! Whatever is it you want me to do, just point me at it. I'll have it done in a sec!"

"That's the spirit, kid", Yabe nodded, a pleased look crossing his features. "Let's go meet the owners."

The pair then walked up to a set of iron gates leading to the farm, ignoring the main entrance for the time being. Naruto was briefly wondering whether it wouldn't be a better idea to ring the bell so as to announce themselves rather than just waltz their way in, when he suddenly caught sight of an elderly couple sitting on two identical outdoor recliners by the backdoor to their house and looking fully content on just watching over their farm.

As they approached them, an old man who seemed to be in his late 50s suddenly swiveled his eyes in their direction, confusion overtaking his wrinkled face for a moment before it soon gave way to recognition. "Ah, Yabe. There ya are!", his wavery, high-pitched voice alerted the woman by his side, who glanced over her husband's shoulder to stare at the newcomers.

"Oh, it's Yabe~", she said energetically, struggling a bit to get up her chair due to her advanced age. "We've been waitin' for ya~"

The aforementioned teacher waited with Naruto by his side until both farm owners approached them, before bowing his head slightly. "Good morning", he said. "I'm sorry for coming around so early."

"No need to apologize, son, relax~", the man retorted dismissively. There was a broad smile on his lips as he gazed at Yabe first, and finally at a silent Naruto. "Ah, this must be one of ya students!"

As all sets of eyes turned his way, the shinobi mustered one of his most cheerful grins and aimed it at the pair of farmers.

"Hey jiiji, baachan, the name's Naruto Uzumaki", Naruto placed both arms behind his head as he introduced himself. "Nice to meet ya!"

"O-Oi! Show some proper respect for your elders, Uzumaki!"

Naruto had the decency of looking sheepish as Yabe sent a scowl his way, clearly disappointed at his lack of manners.

"Ease up on the boy a bit, will ya, Yabe?", the farmer told Yabe, roughly patting his shoulder. It was an act that earned him a bewildered look on Yabe's end. "He's just a young man full of energy, isn't that right?"

"You betcha, jiji!"

"My my", the older lady palmed her cheek, gracing him with a kind smile. "Ya look just like my dear Ryosuke when he was younger. So full of vigor!"

"Wahaha! I may look older but I still got a ton of juice left in the tank!"

"Of course ya do, my dear. Ya prove that to me every day~"

At the sight of the elderly couple laughing and grinning coyly at each other, Yabe could not help but feel as though he DID NOT want to know what they meant by that. Just thinking about what they'd said was enough to make him pale and furiously try to shake his head out of any possible scenarios his mind would inadvertently begin to churn out.

Naruto, on the other hand, merely kept up the happy grin he'd been wearing on his lips for a while now, not really getting what was going on but inwardly beginning to like the elderly couple. They sure seemed like nice people all around, which was enough for them to be okay in his book.

"Say Yabe, wasn't there supposed to be two students of ya?"

"Oh, that's right", his wife agreed, nodding her head. "Are they on their way or...?"

But just as Yabe was about to let them know about his female student's current situation, a disembodied voice rang somewhere not too far from their position, making Naruto grin and wave his arm at the newcomer.

"Ossu, Miku-chan! Over here!"

The three grown-ups in the group turned their eyes the way of the gate, where they spotted a 16-year-old girl happily making her way to them. Her long, golden hair was tied up into two braids, and she donned a tight beige t-shirt, a pair of light blue jeans and white shoes, much to Yabe's chagrin. She also sported two of her favorite bracelets around her left wrist, which she usually tried to wear no matter her choice of clothes.

"Ohayo, everyone!", Miku chirped energetically despite the time of day, and her arrival was met with grins from all the people present, except for her sensei, who was frowning at her for some reason unknown to her.

"Okazaki, I thought I told you to come in your gym kit...", Yabe was beginning to feel an incoming headache and they hadn't even started on their duties for the day, a fact that had him massaging his temples.

Miku pulled her tongue out and scratched the back of her head in a very child-like manner. "You did? I guess I forgot!", her words had the effect of rendering Yabe speechless at her statement, inwardly beginning to wonder whether his students even bothered paying attention to him or just pretended to. Miku, however, proceeded to ignore Yabe and walked up to the elderly pair, bowing politely at them. "Thanks for having us today. I hope to have lots of fun today!"

"Wow!", the elderly lady brought a hand to her mouth to hide her surprise from view. "Ain't this girl a cutie?"

"She sure is!", her husband readily agreed, grinning from ear to ear.

Miku smiled gratefully at their kind words, but her attention quickly shifted towards Naruto, who was absently staring at her with glazed eyes. Her smile turned into a sly smirk at that, and she reached for her beloved blond's arm, engulfing it between her breasts. "Hey there, handsome!", she briefly allowed her fingers to trace the muscles on his arm, sending pleasant shivers down his spine. But Miku got no reaction other than that, and she decided to prod him into conversation. "What ya thinkin' about, Na-ru-to-kun~?"

"H-Huh?", broken out of his daze, Naruto turned his azure eyes until they found Miku's emerald ones, and he blushed slightly. "Ah, n-nothing much", he raised a hand to his neck, rubbing it in awkward manner while inwardly hoping she'd not press the matter further.

Which of course she did, knowing very well her boyfriend was hiding something from her.

"Hmmm? Is that right?", she giggled mischievously, leaning closer to him. "Hehe, now we both know that's not true, is it, daaaarling~?"

Naruto felt his blush deepening and his heart thumping in his chest, but he kept his mouth shut, feeling a bit uncomfortable not only as all eyes were on him, but at feeling Miku so close to him. It didn't help that both farmers were laughing at his expense, though not in a mocking way.

"Awww, you heard that, dear? Who woulda thought Yabe's students would be these two lovebirds~"

"Uh-huh, sure did!", the other man chuckled, placing both hands on his hips. "They are just like we were all those years ago. It sure brings back tons of good ol' memories, haha!"

As that strange exchange went on right before his eyes, Yabe merely stood to the side, still unable to come up with a proper response or reaction that would have served for the others to realize he was still there. Not even when Naruto and Miku were approached by the elderly pair and offered working gloves and straw hats did he move a muscle, too focused as he was trying to come to terms with how at ease the older people were around his unabashed students.

It was only the moment he saw them walking away that he blinked his dark eyes, took a deep breath and finally shrugged. 'Well... this is fine', he thought to himself, hearing one of the farmers shouting his name from afar and calling him a 'slowpoke' of all things, much to everybody else's amusement. 'I guess...'

Miku giggled excitedly to herself as she twisted the tomato in her hands and plucked it from the plant, finding the task surprisingly easy. "Ne ne, did ya see that, Naruki? I'm totes a farm girl now!"

Crouching by her side, Naruto flashed the bubbly gal a foxy grin. "Good job, Miku-chan", he gave her a short thumbs-up before turning his attention back to the plants before him. Like the blonde, he too had been tasked with gathering all the cherry tomatoes he came across. "Watch me, now. I'll show ya how a pro does it."

Naruto then allowed his hands to move around in a blur, picking up every tomato within his range of vision and placing it in the basket on the ground beside him, all in a matter of mere seconds. Miku watched with shocked eyes as her fellow blond worked, and could only shake her head in awe as he was done almost as soon as he started. "Whoaaa, you make it look so easy!"

"Hehe", he rubbed the tip of his nose in response, a proud look crossing his features. "It was nothing."

Yabe himself was also impressed with Naruto's efforts, but more so at how fast he was taking in all the farmer's lessons about crops and how to take care of them. Then again, he guessed he shouldn't be too surprised. After all, the boy was way smarter than many of the other teachers gave him credit for, a fact he'd proven by making it to the top 10 student's list at the academy.

It was becoming increasingly clear to him that Naruto liked learning new things, as long as he could find a practical use for them later, or he felt motivated enough to sit down and study whatever was it he needed to acquire.

"It certainly is impressive you can pick them that easily", the teacher casually commented, glancing over his shoulder at Ryosuke, the older man that owned the farm. They were currently working on the opposite end of the orchard, with Ryosuke's wife, Kiko, accompanying them.

"Ahh, cherry tomatoes aren't too hard", he rose a hand to his head and tipped the straw hat he was wearing. "Ya just gotta give 'em a little twist, and that's all."

As Yabe continued conversing with Ryosuke, Naruto glanced at Miku to check on her progress and saw there were still some plants filled with cherry tomatoes she had yet to harvest. "Need a hand, Miku-chan?", he offered. "I'm already done with my side."

In return, Miku flashed him a big smile. "Sure, Naruki!", she chirped before allowing him to inch closer, moving a little. Naruto deliberately worked at a slower pace so as to leave some tomatoes for her, which his girlfriend appreciated. They carried out their current task under a comfortable silence that'd settled between them, which was only broken when one particularly small fruit she'd just plucked slipped from her hand. "Ah!"

Miku's eyes darted in the direction the tomato had gone, having felt it plopping in between her breasts. She didn't need more than a brief glance to see the small, round fruit tucked firmly right in her cleavage, a sight that had her blinking first, then ultimately giggling.

She was about to comment on said fact to Naruto who had yet to notice what'd happened, but a sudden thought crossing her mind gave her a better idea.

"Ahhh~!", doing her best attempt at pretending to be scared, Miku hurriedly tugged on Naruto's shirt to call his attention. "Naruto, Naruto, please save me!"

"Eh? Miku-chan, you okay!?"

Alerted by her sudden pleas, the young shinobi turned her way in an instant and immediately checked her over, concern spreading all over his young visage. He quickly realized what was actually the problem, and his face grew crimson.

"It's gone right through my shirt!", Miku explained, pulling her t-shirt forward to give her boyfriend a view of her bra-covered boobs. "Pick it up for me, will ya?"

"H-Huh!?", an incredulous blink met her request, with Naruto's blush only deepening. "N-No, I can't do that!", he all but said, trying to focus solely on her eyes and not on the tantalizing view before him.

"Why not?", a barely concealed smirk reached her glossy lips, and she moved even closer to him. "As my boyfriend, you gotta take responsibility and help me out when I need ya~"

Naruto could hear the mischievous tone in her voice, a sign that told him she was probably just teasing him like so many other times before. "W-Why do you even need my help? It's r-right t-there!", his azure orbs trailed down on their own accord, but he managed to regain control of his eyes a moment later, much to Miku's enjoyment. "Can't you j-just do it yourself?"

"Nope!", as if betraying her own act, Miku grinned nonchalantly at Naruto, watching incredulity fill his face. "Now be a good boy and take it out. Okay~?"

It was under a stupefied stare that the gal used both hands to open her shirt as much as she possibly could, practically revealing her chest in its entirety. She then leaned forward, flashing her breasts at Naruto, who now could not stop looking at them. His cheeks were so impossibly red he could feel the heat emanating from them, and his heart pounded furiously against his chest.

As he stared at the mounds of flesh, he gulped in a sonorous manner. He could not believe he was actually considering getting his hand in there, but Naruto would be lying if he said the thought had never crossed his mind before. Many times in fact, especially after they'd started dating. 'I know I don't have to do this but... Miku-chan seems really serious', he mused to himself, a bit surprised at his own train of thoughts. 'She's asking me to do it... so it should be okay, right?'

"I'm waiting, Naruki~"

"U-Uhh...", Naruto mumbled weakly, losing all remaining desire to refuse and tell her to do it herself. Finding no other way around it, the blond then clapped his own cheeks, took a deep breath, and nodded. "All right! I guess there's no choice but to help you, Miku-chan!"

"E-Eh? Ah, that's right~ Please, go ahead!"

Miku tensed in anticipation as the Uzumaki slowly raised his hand and began extending it the way of her boobs. Her heart fluttered in her chest and her cheeks blared to life, a coy smile now in place. She felt uncharacteristically shy as she watched the look of determination in Naruto's face, inwardly squealing in delight at knowing her plan had worked and she was just moments away from getting what she wanted.

Or she would have, if not for the sudden voice that rang from right behind Naruto.

"Oi."

Both teens jolted in surprise and glanced up in the direction of the newcomer, only to spot Yabe-sensei standing over Naruto with an odd look on his face. Beside him stood the elderly couple, though instead of looking repulsed or uncomfortable at the sight before them, they were giggling excitedly like a pair of schoolgirls.

"Gah! Yabe!", Naruto stood up in a blur, opening his arms wide so as to try and block Miku from sight.

"What's going on here, Uzumaki?"

A nervous laugh escaped Naruto's lips as he tried thinking of a good excuse that'd serve to appease his suspicious sensei, and evade any misunderstandings at the same time. "Ahh, well, you see...", he began, pursing his lips and looking around in an anxious manner. "We were just picking tomatoes when Miku-chan had a small accident. Uhm, she... she...", unable to come up with a proper lie, Naruto glanced over his shoulder and sent Miku a pleading look. "N-Ne, why don't you tell Yabe what happened?"

Despite his efforts, Miku didn't seem to care much about what Yabe thought and was instead looking very dejected for some reason, a frown now etched on her visage. "Forget it, Yabecchi", she said, getting off her crouching position. The tomato was no longer stuck between her breasts and the latter were properly covered by her t-shirt once again. "It doesn't really matter anymore."

"H-Hah...?"

A perplexed look crossed Naruto's features as he turned her way and watched her huff, folding her arms over her chest. He felt a pang of worry hitting his chest and couldn't help but have the feeling he'd made her upset for some reason - he didn't notice the way Yabe was staring at the pair, and much less the fact the teacher had actually seen what his male student had just been about to do.

"Wahahahaha!", Ryosuke burst into cheerful laughter, holding his belly and leaning back. "You two sure are quite the pair! It warms my old heart seeing two young ones so full of love and passion for each other~"

"My my, if you keep like this, you two will get married in no time~!"

As if the farmers' mere words had served to flip Miku's mood upside down, the gal spun around bearing a wide smile. "Ah, you really think so?", as her eyes now sparkled with happiness, she suddenly threw her arms around Naruto and hugged him from the side, looking completely giddy - the latter was too flabbergasted at Miku's sudden change of mood and Kiko's affirmation to even realize what she'd done.

"I do!", Kiko nodded before smiling kindly at the pair. She was about to say something else, but a frowning Yabe beat her to it.

"Okay, that's enough you two, let's concentrate on-"

"Hahaha, cheer up Yabe!", Ryosuke exclaimed, having the time of his life. "Just let the kids have some fun!", he placed an arm around his wife and pulled her close, much to the latter's delight. "We were just like them when we were young. Honestly, we couldn't keep our hands to ourselves!"

"Oh, stop it, you~"

"Awww, that's so cute~ Ne, Naruto-kun", Miku pressed her body even tighter to Naruto's side, intent on eliciting a reaction out of him. "When we're old, I want us to be just like them, ya got that?"

A very brief look of surprise adorned his features for a moment, before the implications behind Miku's words hit his brain and he relaxed in her arms, a small, yet sincere smile finding its way to his lips. "Y-Yeah, I think I do, Miku-chan", he said, feeling elated at the idea of marrying Miku and growing old together. It evoked a warm feeling in his chest, one that quickly spread to all other parts of his body.

As all this was happening before his very eyes, Yabe felt multiple beads of sweat rolling down his neck, both at the sight of the elderly pair staring proudly at his students as if they were filling in their shoes and at Miku and Naruto smiling to each other, completely oblivious to everyone else around.

If before he wasn't sure, now he knew this had not been one of his brightest ideas.

The hours flew by as Yabe and his students assisted the owners with their work, which not only consisted of harvesting ripe vegetables and fruit, but also watering and adding fertilizer to every plant in the orchards around the farm. It was certainly an arduous task, but nobody really complained, as it gave them a chance to do something they rarely, if ever, did.

Miku had just finished gathering a couple of ripe eggplants from a nearby orchard when she noticed Ryosuke struggling with a wheelbarrow loaded with a manure bag. She walked up to him and gently tapped on his shoulder to catch his attention. "Heeey, are ya gonna carry that by yourself? Let me help you!"

"Ah, are ya sure? These are quite heavy."

"Yeah~ I may not be as strong as Naruki but I still pack a punch", as if to prove herself, Miku flexed her arm, grinning broadly. The old farmer merely shrugged his shoulders and allowed the beautiful girl to pick up the bag from the wheelbarrow, though not without difficulty. With a grunt, Miku shifted the bag and placed it against her body, holding it in the only way she could so as not to drop it on the ground. "S-So, where do you want it?"

"Over there is fine. Thank you, young lady."

"D-Don't...! mention it, haha. Welp, here we go."

From afar, Yabe and Kiko watched with pleased smiles as Miku proceeded to transport the bag in her hands, finding her desire to help as much as she could worthy of praise. She took one step, then another and finally a third one, before all three grown-ups noticed the sway in her steps and the way the bag in her hands started slipping from her grasp.

"A-Ah!"

Yabe saw it all happening and felt the sudden urge to go help her before either the bag or she fell to the ground, but he didn't even get to make a move as someone else beat him to it, appearing from seemingly nowhere.

"…Gotcha."

The aforementioned gal felt the weight in her arms suddenly disappear and her body regaining its balance, a strong pair of hands now assisting her in her efforts. One was around her waist, the other directly under the bag.

Her emerald eyes rose on their own accord until they were staring straight into two pools of deep, oceanic blue that always sent her pulse racing whenever she gazed into them.

"You okay there, Miku-chan?", Naruto asked, and it was only then that Miku noticed how close his face was to hers. Despite having been in that position many times over the past weeks, for some reason she couldn't help but grow shy under his proximity. "I bet that's a bit heavier than you'd thought. Here, let me help you move it."

"...Y-Yeah."

Miku did nothing but let him guide her towards the place she was supposed to drop the bag, a blush tinting her cheeks.

"My my, what a gentleman!"

"They sure look like a married couple already, don't they?"

Despite the elderly pair whispering those things to themselves, Yabe still heard them and let out a tired sigh. He felt relieved Naruto had been there to help the gal before something unfortunate happened, but on the other hand he could not help but feel strangely out of place. The whole day, he'd been subjected to watch not only his students, but also the older pair as well acting inappropriately when all he ever wanted was for Okazaki and Uzumaki to take advantage of that day to learn as much as they could of different types of vegetables and fruits, among other useful things.

It was as if he was third-wheeling in a couple's outing, for some weird reason.

"There", Naruto and Miku dropped the bag near a small orchard which sported tiny sprouts, their stem and leaves visible above the soil. As he was dusting off his hands, he flashed a grin in the blonde beauty's way. "We got it, Miku-chan!"

His girlfriend merely nodded her head and swiveled her eyes to the side, avoiding his gaze. He noticed the abnormal redness in her cheeks, but guessed she was just suffering from the heat. After all, they'd been working non-stop for a couple hours now and the temperature had increased the higher the sun ascended in the sky.

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned the way of Ryosuke and asked, "Oi, is there-?"

"N-Ne, jiji, now that we took care of that...", Miku suddenly interjected, still sporting a blush on her cheeks, but a bit less significant now. "D'ya want us to get the wheelbarrow back to the shed for ya?"

"Us?", Naruto blinked confusedly, but was quickly prevented by asking whatever Miku meant by that when she suddenly latched on his arm and sent a rather intense look his way, one that gave him the impression she had a plan in mind. "U-Uh, I mean, yeah, me and Miku-chan, we'll get it done."

"Hmmm."

Ryosuke only needed a moment to analyze their offer of assistance before his wrinkled lips curled into a knowing smile, one that was mirrored by his giggling wife. Shinji, however, stared at the pair as if they had grown a second head all of a sudden.

"Why would you need two people for that? Uzumaki is more than capable of taking it back on his own..."

"Mah mah, just let the kids go together. It's clear they can't be away from each other, ahahaha~", Ryosuke laughed his trademark hearty laugh, eliciting a stupefied look from Yabe, and renewed giggling from his wife. "Besides, we need more manure for the other orchards, so they'll be just killing two birds with the same stone."

"Hah...", Yabe could not help but let out a defeated sigh, as there was nothing he could say now that the pair had the farmers' permission. "Fine. But I don't want you two wasting time in there. It's getting late already."

"You gotcha Yabecchi~ I promise, we'll be back in a jiffy, right Naruki?"

"Right..."

Naruto didn't know why Miku was looking so happy all of a sudden, but there was a certain excitement in her tone that sent waves of anticipation over his being.

He pulled the wheelbarrow up by the two handles and began making his way towards the building right behind the house with Miku in tow.

The path to the shed wasn't particularly long, so they'd reached their destination before either of them could even make small talk. It was a small place that evidently served as a storage room for the elderly pair; as such, the very first thing that Naruto saw were the many tools lining the walls, the old, rusted tractor parts and plenty of equipment meant to be used in the farm.

Without uttering a word, Naruto took the wheelbarrow inside, leaving it close to the pile of manure bags piled up neatly by the entrance. As he did so, his ears caught the sound of Miku closing one of the doors behind them, halving the amount of light that entered through the entrance and giving the shed a more secluded aspect.

It was an act that didn't elicit a reaction out of him other than to turn around and smile as Miku hurriedly made her way to him, shortening their distance in the blink of an eye. Her soft lips were soon pressed against him, and Naruto was all too happy to accept them.

"Naruto-kun...", Miku breathed out in between kisses, circling his neck with her arms and pulling him close. "You were soooo cool back there, catchin' me like that. I almost couldn't hold myself back..."

Naruto's smile only grew upon hearing all that. "Well, I couldn't stand back and let my beautiful girlfriend have an accident, now, could I?", he said as casually as he could, an act that managed to make Miku giggle.

"My hero~", she wasted no time and seized his lips again, already aware of the fact they couldn't delay their return too long. If they did, then Yabe would get suspicious and may come looking for them.

The once shinobi felt his heart skipping a beat in his chest as Miku pressed herself even tighter against his body, her tongue licking his lips as if asking for permission to enter his mouth. Naruto allowed his lips to part and met her tongue in a battle for dominance. His body temperature skyrocketed as the passion between them grew, and he inadvertently brought his hands to her lower back, dangerously close to her butt.

He could practically feel every inch of her voluptuously body and it was having a dangerous effect on his self-restraint, especially because his girlfriend seemed intent on making him let loose. Her hands tightened their hold on his neck as she kissed him hard, a burning desire welling up inside of him the longer he allowed this to go on.

And it was only the need for air that made Miku pull away from him, her breathing labored. There was a blush of massive proportions on her cheeks as she exhaled her warm breath against his mouth, with the Uzumaki in a similar state.

"W-Whoa, Naruto-kun...", she muttered, her half-lidded eyes staring into his azure ones. She looked oddly dazed after their rather intense make-out. "Now that was something..."

"Y-Yeah", Naruto couldn't help but agree, refusing to let her go from his tight embrace. He was still having trouble to ignore the effect that kiss plus the proximity of her body had exerted on him, evoking dangerous thoughts in his teenage mind.

Miku seemed to take notice of the former fact, and of the other thing that had responded to their session. "Hm... It looks like we have a bit of a problem in our hands, Naruki~", she said slyly, making Naruto blush up a storm.

"I-I'm sorry."

"No, don't be", Miku reassured him, not moving an inch. She could feel something hard pressing against her, something that had her smiling a coy smile. "It makes me happy you think of me that way, Naruto-kun", her sincere words didn't ease Naruto's embarrassment, but it did serve to appease him somewhat. "'Sides, you are not the only one here that's having those kinds of thoughts right now..."

Amid the reactions she was probably expecting from him, a surprised gasp was definitely one. Her fellow blond seemed genuinely taken aback by her confession, and as he stared her way with inquiring eyes, she felt like kissing him again with even more intensity than before.

"You do...?", Naruto asked tentatively, almost as if unsure of whether he'd heard her right. "Then, does that mean you'd like to...?"

"'Course I do, dummy. A lot", she told him, giving him a sweet peck on the lips. "I've been thinkin' about it for a while now. And I bet you have too~"

Despite her confident tone, Miku wasn't really sure whether that was the case with her beloved blond. She knew he liked her a lot, and the way his body had reacted today was a clear indicator of said fact, but sometimes she felt slightly afraid she was pushing things forward too quickly. She didn't want to pressure him into doing anything he'd not feel comfortable doing, especially since they hadn't been dating for more than a couple of weeks.

"...I have", Naruto ultimately confessed, making Miku grow even redder at the hoarseness in his voice. "And more than a few times, Miku-chan."

Her pulse quickened upon hearing his proclamation and her heart began beating even faster in her chest, but she didn't let it show in her expression. "Is that so...?", she hummed, trying to conceal a smile behind a serious look but failing spectacularly. She knew Naruto could see it drawn on her lips, but she didn't care in the slightest. "Hm, who woulda thought... Naruki is actually a pervert in disguise... Hehehe~"

The aforementioned male easily caught the mischievous tone in her voice and knew she was teasing around, but he was feeling strangely confident that day to let her do as she pleased. "Heh, you say that, but aren't you the one that wanted me to stick my hand in your boobs?", he shot back, watching her immediately shut up at that, her previous smile growing into an embarrassed one.

"M-Mou~ S-Since when did you get so cheeky?"

"I spend too much time with a certain gal and she's kinda rubbing off on me, ya know?", Naruto grinned triumphantly as Miku faked a pouty look, the former knowing he had managed to turn things around and get on top. "Then again, she's literally the best thing that's ever happened to me, so no complaints here."

"Aww, Naruki..."

Miku seemed to melt in his arms as she once again brought her lips to his', this time in a gentler, more loving manner than before. It was a kiss that wouldn't last long, however, as Naruto heard the faint, yet distinct sound of footsteps approaching, and grew alarmed.

"Miku-chan... wait", he had to summon all his willpower to pull away from the beautiful blonde in his arms, and when he did, there was an innocent look of confusion in her face that made him want to just keep smooching her. "Someone's coming!"

Seeing the urgency in his voice and in his eyes, Miku finally took a step back and used what little time they had to check her attire. And it was while she straightened her shirt that Naruto recalled the 'small' problem in his pants, which presented itself as a huge tent that would no doubt be spotted by whoever was making its way to the shed.

Panic threatened to take a hold of his being as Naruto looked around desperately for something he could use to cover his crotch from view. His heart was pounding madly in his chest as he swiveled his eyes in all directions, not finding anything worth picking up.

As the sound of steps grew even closer, Miku seemed to realize what the problem was and gestured at the back of the shed.

"Use that, Naruki!", she hurriedly told him, and Naruto widened his eyes in realization.

He barely had the chance to pick it up and place it against his mid-section as someone pushed the door open, allowing sunlight to filter back in and blind the pair in the shed for a moment.

"Gah! That hurts, Yabe!"

Naruto's painful remark had the newcomer raising an eyebrow in disdain. "That's perhaps because you two have been locked in here far longer than you should have", the voice of one Yabe Shinji said suspiciously, and the teacher gave both students a careful once-over, before adding, "what kept you, by the way? Weren't you two supposed to be picking up some more manure bags and be back as soon as you finished?"

The gal seemed to think long and hard about Yabe's inquiry, feigning ignorance. She placed a finger under her chin and hummed aloud, an act that made Naruto snicker under his breath. "Manure...? Ah, right!", she then pretended to remember what exactly their task was and she flashed Yabe an apologetic smile. "Soz, Yabecchi. We got a little bit distracted with all the cool stuff in here."

"Yeah, Yabe", Naruto agreed. "Did ya see how many tools those jijis have? I didn't even know some of them existed to begin with!"

Their apparent enthusiasm at the strange collection his family's friends kept in their shed was not shared by Yabe, who couldn't help but fold his arms over his chest, growing even more suspicious. He was having a hard time believing his students, especially at seeing the rather forced grin on his male student's face. "...Why are you hugging a manure bag, Uzumaki?"

His student's reaction only added to his ever-growing suspicion as the former literally twitched at the question, before he began to laugh in a rather awkward way. "H-Haha, ah, I w-was just thinking that it felt very huggable", he lied, feeling a bead of sweat rolling down his neck. "Like a... pillow, yeah!"

"A... pillow?", Yabe repeated incredulously. "You're saying a bag of excrement feels like a pillow?"

"N-No... I mean, kinda?", he sent Miku a pleading look, one his teacher did pick up on, but didn't comment on. "Miku-chan...?"

"Eh?", broken out of her stupor, the beautiful gal could do nothing scratch her own cheek, faking a laugh. "Ah, y-yeah, I think so too. They're so comfy you could take a nap on them~!"

"..."

Yabe stared weirdly at his students for what felt like an eternity, before shaking his head in barely concealed disgust and turned around. "Just make sure you two don't dilly dally. Finish up here and get back to us as soon as you can. We'll be leaving in a bit."

"Leaving?", Naruto couldn't help but ask, inwardly grateful for the fact that his hard-on was beginning to subside slowly but surely.

"Yes, we don't want to overstay our welcome. Ryosuke-san and Kiko-san have already allowed to stay longer than we should have."

And without uttering another word, Yabe finally left the shed and the pair to themselves, not even looking back on his way out. When they found themselves alone, Naruto dropped the bag on the wheelbarrow while heaving a sigh of relief. "That was close", he told Miku, who merely nodded her head.

"Yeah", she said simply. She put her hands behind her back and pondered briefly over something, before her shoulders dropped. "I was hoping we'd have more time for ourselves, ya know?"

The blond smiled at her. "Me too, Miku-chan", he could see the disappointed look in her face, a sight that led him to share her sentiment. He didn't really want their trip to end, mainly because it was their first outing as the cooking club together and he'd been really enjoying it so far. Then again, what he was really itching for right then was for some time alone with the beautiful gal, and he knew they wouldn't have another chance after Yabe decided to call it a day. Unless... "Say... Are you doin' anything later today?"

Miku immediately perked up at his question, and Naruto realized she'd been waiting for him to say something of the sort. "Why~ I'm totally free tonight~", she chirped, a giddy look which was the complete opposite of what she'd been wearing on her face up until a few moments ago crossed her features. "What're ya planning, Naruto-kun?"

"Well… I was thinkin' you could come over. I still owe you for that time we couldn't stay at home, ya know."

He still remembered the last time Miku had intended to meet at his house, only for Naruto to remember at the very last minute he'd promised Koharu he'd watch that anime show with her that day. It was a day that had not ended as well as he'd hoped, given the circumstances.

But since they were now on Sunday, he didn't need to go to work at Miku's father's flower shop. Which meant he had the whole afternoon and evening free just to relax with his girlfriend.

Or something else...

Naruto had to shake his head to get rid of those dangerous thoughts, not wanting to indulge in them. At least not at the moment.

"Why, I thought ya'd never ask!", the beautiful gal retorted excitedly. "I've been meaning to see your place for a while now. I bet it'll be tons of fun! We could even have dinner together. Ahhh~ That's like totes the most romantic thing ever~!"

Seeing the enthusiasm in her voice as she continued listing things they could do, Naruto let out a hearty laugh, knowing he had made the right choice.

"Oi! Get out the way!"

"Sorry!"

"Hey, did anyone see the mop?"

"What!? You lost it already!?"

"Ah, I had it a while ago! Cleaned the tables and the kitchen counter with it!"

"Baaaaka! You are supposed to use mops for the floors!"

"Oi oi, stop shouting! It's not my fault if you two are complete morons who can't follow a simple instruction…"

"What d'ya say!?"

"Yeah! You got a problem or what!?"

Chaos. That was the first thing that Naruto was faced with the moment he opened the door and stepped into his house. A multitude of clones ran to and fro around the first floor in a frenzy, all of them seemingly in a hurry to get their tasks done.

Shouts were exchanged and some of his doppelgangers argued, while others tried to do the things they'd been assigned with and either struggled or failed in their attempts completely.

Naruto didn't even realize he'd dropped the bags in his hands and that he was now gaping at the scene unfolding before his very eyes, incredulity taking over his expression.

"Ah, boss! You're back!"

One of the many Narutos ran up to the original after pushing some dirt under a nearby shelf with a broom, a grin reaching up to his lips as he stood before him.

"Wh… What the hell is going on here?"

Even with his clones running rampant, Naruto could see the mess his kage bunshin had made in his absence. It looked even worse than before he'd left for the store!

"We're just about done with the tasks you gave us, boss!", the clone said nonchalantly, looking proud of himself and his fellow shadow copies. "We ran into some trouble while trying to get ourselves organized at first, but nothing we couldn't handle."

Just then, a certain clone slipped on the floor of the kitchen and fell hard on his butt, bursting into a puff of smoke. All his memories returned to Naruto, who was too baffled to even acknowledge the pain his copy had felt before dispelling.

"Oh", the clone before Naruto blinked his azure eyes, before proceeded to laugh in a rather awkward manner. "H-Hahaha, I forgot to mention I'd just mopped the floor."

Naruto fixated his gaze on his shadow copy, then at the rest who happily saluted him the moment he did so, before commanding them all to dispel at once.

A torrent of memories hit his brain the moment his clones exploded into smoke, making him wince and raise a hand to his skull. "Ugh… I should've done that one by one", he muttered, rubbing the side of the head with a pained look.

He soon put the throbbing in his head aside when he finally took a good look at the state his house had been left in. Most of his cleaning tools were scattered around the floor, and there were a couple of broken plates in the sink. One of the garbage bags his clones were supposed to take out while he went to the nearest convenience store looked like it had ripped open due to how much trash they'd tried to put inside. Thus, some of its contents had fallen on the way to entrance, giving off a foul smell that made Naruto arch his nose in disgust.

The blond shut his eyes so as not to keep looking at the scene and heaved a calming sigh, one that didn't do much to ease his worries. 'Calm down, I still have some time left before Miku-chan gets here', his eyes inadvertently opened to assess just how long would it take for him to clean the place up, and his features immediately dropped. 'Kuso…! If only I had done things myself, I'd have finished by now!'

He knew crying over spilled milk would get him nowhere, so Naruto clapped his cheeks and nodded with determination, intent on stop wasting any more time…

…Only for his eyes to widen as he heard the unmistakable sound of his phone's notification popping up.

It was a message. From Miku no less.

'Hi Naruki! Just wanted to let ya know I'll head out in a few minutes. Mama's giving me a ride. She's soooo happy lol! C ya soon! Xoxo.'

Panic spread to every corner of Naruto's face as he read the message, realizing he had less time that he initially thought he had.

Naruto was having trouble breathing by the time he'd finished fixing the mess his clones had created. He'd worked non-stop to tidy things up as well as he possibly could, given the circumstances. He was thankful he was way faster than any normal human being in that world, as it'd helped him to get many things done in a matter of seconds without relying on his kage bunshin no jutsu.

After swiveling his eyes around the house one last time, Naruto dragged his feet towards the sofa in the living room, slumping down on it. He could feel his heart pounding hard against his chest as he tried getting his breathing back under control.

'I did it', he thought to himself, mustering up a relieved smile. 'I really did it. That must be the fastest I've ever cleaned my place, now that I think about it...'

And not a second too soon, as the bell to the door rang just a moment later, making him jump out of his seat.

'She's here!', Naruto felt nervousness cursing through his body at the realization. He quickly checked himself over and cursed at the fact he'd not been able to change into less casual clothes.

Knowing Miku, she had probably chosen to wear something really special and cute for the occasion, which compared to the plain crimson t-shirt and the shorts he was wearing would definitely stand out.

A rather insistent knock on the door forced Naruto to return to the present. 'Screw it. I can always change later', he decided, heading for the door. "Coming!"

He didn't need more than a second to get to the entrance, and the moment he reached for the knob and pulled the door open, he was instantly met with the sight of his lovely girlfriend, grinning excitedly at him. Her current outfit, he quickly noted, consisted on a white, tight crop-top that exposed her flat belly, light-blue jean shorts which did the same with her tanned legs and a pair of stylish trainers to complete her attire.

Naruto also noticed the way she'd tied her hair into pig tails, which gave her a captivatingly adorable look he found himself mesmerized with for a little while.

"Hey Naruki!", Miku waved her free hand, the other holding a plastic bag filled with what at first glance seemed to be a bunch of snacks and drinks.

"Good eve', Naruto-kun", by her side stood her mother, Miho, a kind smile adorning her lips. "It's been a while, hasn't it…?"

Scratching his cheek in embarrassment at both the implication behind the older woman's words and the knowing smile in Miku's face, Naruto nodded his head ever so slightly. "H-Hah… It really has, Okazaki-san…"

"Ufufu, there's no need to be so formal, Naruto-kun", the older woman giggled slyly at the nervousness her son-in-law displayed before her. "Even if you're now dating my Miku, I'd like you to feel comfortable around me. We're kind of like family, aren't we?"

Miku's visage lit up at the mention of them both being a couple, sending a coy smile towards his boyfriend who didn't seem to have seen it.

"A-Ah, right", the aforementioned blond retorted, visibly relaxing. He then realized they were all still standing at the entrance, and cleared his throat. "Would you like to come in?"

"Why, I thought ya'd never ask, Naruki!", Miku chirped.

"That's sweet of you to ask, Naruto-kun, but I should be on my way now. Darling will be home any time now."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding, briefly wondering whether his boss was aware of the fact his daughter was coming over to stay at her boyfriend's house. A boyfriend who lived alone and had a house all to himself.

It didn't seem that way to him though, and specially not after seeing the way Miku and her mother glanced at each other at the mention of Takahiro.

He didn't know whether to feel relieved that was the case or horrified at the prospect of his boss finding out later. The mere thought of that terrifying and oppressive aura of his was enough to send multiple shivers down his spine.

"But I hope you kids have lots of fun tonight", Miho commented casually, before adding, "and please Naruto-kun, take good care of my Miku. Be nice to her."

Seeing the way Miho winked her eye at Naruto had the latter blushing slightly, and ultimately averting his eyes to the side. There was something in her words that the Uzumaki found oddly suggestive for some reason, but guessed he was merely imagining things.

A moment later, the older woman gave her daughter a quick hug and turned around in the direction of her own car, leaving the teenage pair by the entrance.

"Bye, mama!", Miku shouted energetically and waited until her mum got in the car, turned on the engine and drove off before finally turning to Naruto. "So, shall we?"

"Y-Yeah. Please, come in."

Naruto locked the door behind them as Miku changed into some slippers the former had previously prepared for her. Immediately, her bright emerald eyes were drawn to the living room before her, which was quite more spacious than she'd initially imagined.

"Whoa… So, this is where you live!"

Miku sent her beloved blond an enthusiastic smile as she promptly started touring round the first floor, checking everything out with curious eyes. The mere sight of the bubbly gal examining his stuff like he possessed the most wonderful things in the whole world brought a smile to his lips, and helped him relax at long last.

He'd initially been worried Miku would not like his house for whatever reason, but that was not the case. If anything, she seemed to genuinely like the place, which made him happy.

"Wah~ Must be nice having a whole house all for yourself, right?"

"It does feel a bit empty sometimes, but eh, can't complain", Naruto commented, allowing his own eyes to move around the living room and then the kitchen. The place hasn't changed much in the years he'd spent living there, as he thought it all looked fine the way his old-grandfatherly figure had intended it to. "This place is miles ahead the old apartment I had back at my village. Plus, I don't have to pay rent, so that's great."

Miku nodded her head at the last bit, but opted to focus on the first words Naruto had uttered earlier. A revelation that had her turning away from the collection of encyclopaedias on a shelf by the wall and glance at her fellow blond. He was currently staring absently at nowhere in particular, his gaze unfocused. "Empty, huh? Welp! Ya don't have to worry 'bout that no more, Naruto-kun! I'll come visit you whenever you want to", Miku assured, flashing him with a girly smile. "Even if you don't want me to, I'll be here anyway!"

Naruto could not help but laugh heartily in response, as he had the feeling she was probably being serious. "Sure thing! My doors are always open for you!", he told her, his lips curling into a sincere grin, an action that had her beaming at his response.

Miku felt elated at the prospect of being able to spend time with Naruto in his house without having to worry about nobody around to bother them. It was almost as if they were a married couple, starting a new life together in their own house. The thought of moving to her boyfriend's house made her heart skip a beat, but she quickly put it aside for the time being, contenting herself with focusing on the present.

As things stood, Miku would have Naruto all for herself, and this time Yabe would not be around to interrupt them.

"By the way, Miku-chan, do you want me to take that bag for you? You'll get tired of carrying it around."

Miku was broken out of her stupor at the voice of Naruto, who was now standing beside her. She felt a blush tinting her cheeks at being caught in a trance, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "The bag…? Oh, that's right! Here, I bought this for today", Miku handed it to her boyfriend, and her heart thudded in her chest as she felt his fingers brushing against her skin for a moment. "A-Ah, there's some green tea, iced-coffee and some Pocky."

"Pocky?", Naruto blinked his eyes confusedly.

"Eh? Don't tell me you've never tried it!"

"Uh, no, it's not that", the blond shook his head no, offering the gal beauty a small smile. "I was just surprised stores would sell it here, too. I thought it was only something you could find in Konoha."

"You're kiddin', right? Pocky is the most popular chocolate in Japan! 'Course it's sold everywhere, silly!", giggling at the way Naruto shrugged his shoulders, clearly not aware of said fact, Miku added, "I bet you've never eaten Pocky the way it's meant to!"

"The way it's meant to…?", he repeated aloud. "How's that?"

"Here, let me show ya."

Miku took one of the two Pocky boxes stored inside the bag and promptly opened it, pulling a significantly thin yet long stick of chocolate. Then, she placed one end of the stick between her teeth, pointing the other end at a visibly confused Uzumaki.

"Alright", she said through gritted teeth, "eat."

"…? Eh, but if I do that…"

Naruto didn't see the point in finishing his sentence, as he finally saw what Miku's real intentions were. His cheeks were tinted red and his pulse quickened, but even so he felt no desire to turn down her offer.

Gulping silently, he tentatively bit down on the other end of the stick, watching the beautiful gal batting her eyelashes invitingly at him. The chocolate was delicious, he mused, but it was the prize awaiting him at the end that had Naruto growing expectant.

One after another, both teens took small bites of the Pocky, all the while staring into each other's eyes, until only an insignificant amount separated their lips. And as Naruto paused for a brief moment to see what Miku would do, she merely smiled a coy smile and ate the rest of the stick, finally bringing their lips together.

Naruto was momentarily taken aback as Miku instantly deepened the kiss, throwing her arms around his muscular frame. The bag he was still holding fell from his hand as he pressed her against him, before meeting her intensity with an equal amount.

He could taste the sweet flavor of chocolate in her mouth as his tongue locked with hers', forgetting about the need for air until it became painfully obvious they could not keep going and they pulled away.

As Naruto held Miku close in his arms, both panted heavily, their faces almost equally red in a display of the current state they were now in.

"And t-that's… How you eat a Pocky…", Miku muttered, her half-lidded emerald eyes never looking away from his azure ones.

"Hah… Never woulda thought eating chocolate would feel this good…"

A sudden silence ensued his words, with Miku smiling abashedly at his last remark and at the state she knew he was in. It was easy to tell due to his proximity and the heated look in his eyes, two signals that was evoking a certain warmth in her.

"…"

"…"

"Uhm, a-are you hungry, Miku-chan? Maybe I should get started on dinner before it gets late…"

And it was with those words that Naruto effectively managed to break Miku out of her reverie, making her absently nod her head in response and try and compose herself before she let her impulses overcome her will.

Unbeknownst to her, Naruto was in a similar state, and it'd taken all his willpower to turn around and head for the kitchen, his heart now hammering in his chest.

Despite having been able to stop himself before things could escalate any further, Naruto'd felt a certain kind of tension between them both as they made dinner together - Miku insisted to help him after hearing exactly what kind of dish he'd be preparing, which was his own version of miso ramen.

That tension surfaced in the slightest things, like when their hands would inadvertently brush against each other or when he caught her staring his way with an odd look in her face. Every time he met her eyes, he'd feel his pulse racing and a certain feeling of anticipation welling up inside him.

Such tension seemed to momentarily vanish after they sat down at the table, both now intent on trying out the miso soup they'd prepared together.

"Uwah~ That's delicious!", Miku exclaimed after slurping on some noodles, a big smile drawing on her lips. "I'm impressed, Naruki! Your recipe is totes better than all those ramen stands I've been to!"

"Haha, I'm glad you like it", Naruto smiled in appreciation, rubbing the tip of his nose.

"Where d'ya learn to make this, by the way?", as she brought a rather small Narutomaki to her mouth, she inspected it for a second, before eating it in one motion. "I don't think Yabbechi ever taught us how to make ramen, now, did he?"

Her fellow blond shook his head no. "Nah, it was just somethin' I saw on a video. Decided to try it out for myself, figured it'd be easy to prepare", Naruto was silently impressed and pleased when he saw Miku finishing up her first bowl and ask for a second serving, a request he happily obliged to.

As she ate with gusto, the blond figured now was a good time to ask something that had been on his mind for a while now and allowed his lips to part.

"Hey Miku-chan, I was wondering…", he began, waiting 'till her attention was back on him. She rose her eyes from her bowl and met his orbs across the table. "Does boss…. I mean, your touchan know you're having dinner with me tonight?"

His question was instantly met with silence on Miku's behalf, who merely blinked her emerald eyes, never allowing her calm expression to change. Then, and just as Naruto was beginning to wonder whether she'd heard what he said, Miku tilted her head to the side and hummed thoughtfully. "Papa? Ah, no, he doesn't."

"…Oh, I see", the blond retorted, growing a bit worried.

He didn't really know whether her father would ever find out they were meeting alone, at night and at his house of all places, but it was his possible reaction he feared. Takahiro was a very strange man, and as such, Naruto could not tell how would he react after learning the truth.

He just hoped he'd not decide to go Yakuza on him, or fire him, or something equally terrifying.

"So, I guess your kaachan is coming to pick you up later, right?"

"Hmmm", Miku hummed thoughtfully and placed a finger under her lip. "Mama is probably going to bed in a while, so I won't be botherin' her tonight."

Naruto nodded. "Then, d'ya want me to walk you home later? I know it's a bit far, but I don't mind. I want to see you get home safe, even if it gets really late."

The first response he got to his offer was her emerald eyes blinking his way, almost as if her mind was processing what he'd just told her. And then, Miku smiled. It was not a grateful or appreciative smile, but rather a coy one.

"Naruto-kun… I wasn't planning to go back home tonight", the beautiful gal said softly, almost tentatively. "I was actually thinking of like, staying with you. Keep you company…"

"W-What?", a massive blush exploded across his cheeks at her remark, having not expected her answer.

"I mean, unless you don't want me to…"

"I-I do!", Naruto interjected, reaching for her hand across the table. He placed his hand atop hers and gave it a squeeze in an attempt to prove his words. "I really do. But… aren't your parents going to worry?"

"It's okay", she quickly told him. "Mama already knows I'm staying!"

"R-Really…?"

"Yup!"

"O-Oh…", trying to shake the feeling that Miku had been planning this all along, Naruto focused on the awaiting gal one more time. "Well, in that case… I have plenty of room here so you're m-more than welcome."

Miku couldn't help but giggle at his shyness, inwardly happy he wanted her to stay. So much so, that she grabbed his outstretched hand and planted a sweet kiss to his knuckles, making him flush. "Great!", she chirped. "We don't really need to wake up early tomorrow, so we can have lots of fun!"

The actual meaning behind her words was lost to Naruto, who smiled coyly at seeing her enthusiasm. The idea of Miku staying the night did make him a bit nervous, especially at the fact the guest room was directly across from his own in the second floor, but he guessed everything would be fine as long as he respected her space.

He never even realized what Miku had planned for that night…

The hours had practically flown by as Naruto and Miku spent the remainder of dinner listening to the former's astonishing stories of all the times he'd got into trouble because of his infamous pranks and basking in each other's company. Laughter filled the Uzumaki's usually silent house, and for the first time in years, it felt like a warm home to him once again.

Unlike all the other times they'd met, knowing Miku would not leave actually served to put him at ease. He really enjoyed having her around, as her mere presence was enough to brighten his day.

"Thanks Miku-chan", Naruto told her as he placed the last of the dishes back in the cupboard. "You didn't have to help me, though. You already gave me a hand with the cooking."

"Welp, I wanted to! 'Sides, it's what couples do, right?", Miku beamed, "they are there for each other no matter what."

Naruto could see the reasoning behind her words and was soon nodding in agreement. "I guess you're right", he said, scratching his cheek. "If it was the other way round, I'd do the same."

"Hehe, I know ya would", Miku nodded her head. Her smile then turned mysterious for some reason unknown to Naruto, and she leaned towards him. "Say Naruto-kun, I've seen most of your house… but ya still haven't showed me your room…"

"Huh? You wanna see my room?", the blond couldn't help ask, genuinely curious. "Why?"

His evident confusion was met with a cute pout on behalf of his girlfriend. "Mou~ Do I really need to explain it?", she childishly folded her arms over her chest. "I just wanna see it, 'kay? It's where my Naruki sleeps everyday so…"

Naruto shrugged at that, not really seeing the harm of showing it to her after what he believed was a very logical answer. "Sure, Miku-chan, I can show it to you if you want."

"Hehe, what are we waiting for then~?"

Instant glee followed his statement as Miku seized his hand and started pulling him in the opposite direction.

"Oi, slow down a bit, you don't even know where my room is!"

Despite his protests, Miku dutifully ignored him and guided him upstairs, already aware his room was not on the first floor. Naruto almost lost his footing as she pulled him up the steps, clearly in a hurry to get to their destination.

As soon as they made it to the end, Miku saw two doors facing each other, and a third one at the far end of the corridor. She sent her beloved blond an inquisitive over her shoulder, making him chuckle.

"It's the first door to the left."

Now armed with the information she'd once lacked, Miku tugged on Naruto's hand to get him moving again, taking him to his bedroom door.

"Excuse me~"

"Yeah, go ahead."

The moment she pushed it open and stepped inside his private chambers, her emerald eyes were met with a rather clean and ample space. Right by the opposite wall there was a queen-sized bed facing a dark-wooden desk and a single office chair, while a little more to the center of the room was a comfortable-looking sofa lying before a small coffee table, and a TV against the wall across from it.

Miku hummed in appreciation as she took a good look around, noticing the empty shelves by the door, and the fan hanging from above.

"Nice room, Naruki!", the gal couldn't help but say, sincerely impressed. "I dunno why, but I was kinda expecting your room to be suuuper messy. No offense, tho."

"None taken", Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Actually, my room is usually a mess, but I did some cleaning before you arrived. You know, just in case you wanted to check it out or somethin'…"

A light blush tinted his cheeks at his own remark, making Miku giggle. "Hehehe, you know me well, Naruto-kun. Too well, I'd say."

She graced him with a smile before she continued her inspection of the room she was now in. Immediately, her emerald eyes caught sight of the two photo frames placed atop the table, something that had her quickly making her way in said direction.

"…! Those are…"

Miku picked the first frame up in her hands, growing giddy the moment she recognized the people in the photo. It was them. She and Naruto. A memento of their very first date.

"Yup", Naruto closed the door behind him and headed for his bed, plopping down on it. "The pictures we took in Harajuku."

"You kept them…", Miku muttered to herself, an angelical smile now adorning her features. "I guess they must mean a lot to you, huh?"

"Yeah…", the blond agreed, placing his hands on his bed. "Every memory I have with you is special to me. That's why I need to keep things that remind me of you close, so that I'm always thinking of you", as the last word left his mouth, Naruto's mind immediately hit him with a sudden realization, one that had him flinching visibly. "Uh, that was kinda corny now that I think about it, gomen."

"Aww you can be as corny as you'd like with me Naruki", Miku told him as she placed the picture back in its place. "I totes love that sweet side of you. It makes me fall for you all over again~"

Miku was about to turn around and engulf her beloved blond in a hug when she noticed there was another frame she had not taken a look at yet. She fixated her eyes on the odd picture before her, picking it up so as to have a closer look.

"Ne, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

Without even acknowledging the fact she was now sitting very close next to him on his bed, of all places, Miku showed the picture she was holding to her boyfriend. "Look, is this you?", the resemblance was uncanny, and yet the gal felt like asking just for the sake of it, intent on learning the full context behind the photo.

Naruto only needed a once-over to realize what had piqued her curiosity, and he was soon smiling in an almost nostalgic way. "Ah, yeah. That's when I was 13", he said simply, watching her face lit up. "It's a picture of my old team, back at Konoha."

"Waaah~ Young Naruto-kun was so cute~ Even if you looked angry", she heard her fellow blond chuckling awkwardly by her side, his hand now scratching his head. "Why are ya'll wearing that… thingy around your foreheads? Those headbands or somethin'."

"We used to call those 'hitai-ate' back in Konoha. We wore them as a sort of identification", Naruto explained, pointing his finger directly at the center of the protector he was wearing in the picture. "And that's the symbol of our village. A leaf."

"Hoh~ So that's why your village is called Konoha!", Miku's features lit up in realization, a quick nod from her fellow blond confirming her remark. Miku then moved her eyes from the kid version of Naruto and focused them on the other people in the picture, particularly on the black-haired boy who was the target of Naruto's glare. "Ne ne, who's that?"

"Who? Oh, that?", Miku didn't notice it, but Naruto's expression immediately hardened the moment he laid eyes on his rival. "That's Sasuke Uchiha. My rival back at Konoha."

The busty gal by his side blinked, before realization hit her mind and she turned to Naruto with an excited look. "Wait, when you say rival, you mean a friend?"

"Uh… No, not really", Naruto shook his head no, an act that had her enthusiasm deflating a moment later. "I used to think he was a friend, but then he betrayed us and left in search of revenge", the blond took notice of the intrigued look on her face, and briefly entertained the thought of sharing the full story with her, but quickly decided not to. "It's a really long story. Maybe some other day I'll tell it to you, if you want to listen to it."

Miku's curiosity was greatly piqued by what she heard and saw reflected in Naruto. She could tell there was some history between them, maybe some bad blood even, but she opted not to press for more details, aware this was a matter her boyfriend did not want to talk about for the time being.

"I'd like to, Naruki. Whenever you're ready to do so, I'll be all ears, 'kay?"

"Thanks, Miku-chan", Naruto responded sincerely, giving her a loving kiss in the cheek, one that made her smile. "Now, let's see… This here is Kakashi Hatake. My sensei. He is kind of weird sometimes, and he's really obsessed with porn novels. The Icha Icha series are his absolute favorite."

"Hmmm…?", Miku hummed slyly as she stared at the scarecrow-like man standing behind the three children in the picture, his face covered by a mask of some sort. "Have you ever read those novels? Now don't lie to me, I'll know~"

"Of course not", the blond replied in a confident manner, despite the look Miku was now sending his way. "Kakashi-sensei tried getting me into it once, but most of that stuff just flew over my head back then. Never really saw what was so special about it."

"Hehehe, just as I thought, Naruto-kun is as pure-hearted as it gets~", she brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle at a sudden thought that crossed her mind, which had her looking mischievous all of a sudden. "Unless… You're hiding some hentai somewhere nearby!"

"W-What!? N-No, I don't have anything like that!", Naruto fervently denied, knowing full well she was just teasing him but still feeling mildly nervous at her insinuation.

"Mufufu, I know, I was only joking", winking an eye at a now grumbling blond, the gal beauty felt she'd had enough fun out of messing around with him and turned back to the picture, as there was still one person left she wanted to ask about. "Anyway, who's this girl by the middle? The one with the pink hair."

Naruto all but forgot about his previous state and focused on the photo once again. "Ah, that's Sakura Haruno. She and I went to the same academy."

"I see", Miku took another look at the smiling girl, and furrowed her eyebrows for some reason. "Her forehead is like, the biggest I've ever seen!"

The gal didn't mean it in a bad way, but those words had blurted out of her mouth before she could think about what she'd said. Then again, it only elicited a hearty laugh from Naruto, which served to appease Miku somewhat. "Ahahaha! If she heard you saying that, she'd probably screech at you and insult you back."

For some unknown reason to her, Miku didn't have trouble believing that'd be the case. "Best to avoid angering her, then", she resolved, ignoring as Naruto nodded at that and muttered 'wise decision' under his breath. The gal's mind now focused on something else, a thought that had suddenly materialized a moment ago. "Say Naruki… ya seem to konw an awful lot about this Sakura…"

"Well, yeah", Naruto nodded to himself, ignoring the rather intense look Miku was sending his way. "I used to have a massive crush on her when I was a kid, so I'd always try to get close to her whenever I could", he shrugged his shoulders at the torrent of memories that resurfaced as he spoke, "but she'd always brush me off. Said I was a loser and that I wasn't worth her time."

At first, the Uzumaki didn't really see it, but Miku's face contorted into a frown, one born of distaste. She'd felt initially jealous at the mention of Naruto liking another girl, but that quickly turned to anger at the last part.

"Huh, sounds like quite a catch, if ya ask me", the sarcasm in her voice was not lost to Naruto, who couldn't help but nervously rub the back of his head. "And say… did anythin' ever happen between you two? Like, ya know…"

Naruto blinked his azure eyes for a few seconds, before his mind caught up with the implication behind her words and took notice of the odd look in her expression. "No, never", he said sincerely. "She never really saw me as more than an idiot, while Sasuke to her was the coolest guy to ever live. Besides, I haven't seen her in years, and even if I did, the feelings I had for her are long gone now.

"Does that mean ya don't like her anymore?"

"Nope", a smile found its way to his features then, one he sent Miku's way as he reached for her hand. "Now I like someone else. Someone who's much prettier and always kind to me."

Despite her previous feelings, Miku felt her lips curling into a smile of her own. "Hoh~? I wonder who that could be…"

"Welp, why don't I show you exactly who I'm talking about…?"

Naruto raised a hand to her cheek, rubbing his thumb against her soft skin. It was a gesture that caused her to lean into his touch and her lips to part ever so slightly - her eyes trailing down to his mouth almost on their own accord. Slowly, he shortened whatever distance there was between them and met her lips in a tender, loving kiss.

Immediately, Miku placed her hands on his chest and shut her eyes, relaxing as his arms found their way around her frame. The kiss did not stay gentle for long, as Naruto was soon taking control and pushing his tongue inside her oral cavity. Their tongues swirled in a wet dance as desire welled up inside them both almost to the point of no return.

The intensity between their kiss grew to unsuspected levels, and it was as Miku brought her hands to his head that Naruto forced himself to pull back.

"Miku-chan, wait…", he had to resist the urge to seize her lips once again at the way she stared into his eyes, her sight glazed over with desire. "If we keep doin' this, I might lose control…"

Naruto may have been inexperienced when it came to things like that, but he wasn't stupid. The fact they were both alone in his room with nobody around to be mindful of was dangerous enough without considering how heated their last lip-locking sessions had been. He was burning with desire for her, to do more than just kissing, but he didn't want to press her into it.

"But Naruto…", Miku's warm breath hit his lips, and the way her delicate fingers tenderly stroked his head sent shivers down his spine, "that's totes what I'm hoping will happen…"

It was as if those words had served as the confirmation Naruto had been waiting for all that time to finally let go of his self-restraint and kiss her hungrily. As their tongues twirled in a heated dance, she reached for his hand and guided it to her breast, catching the Uzumaki off guard for a second.

"Miku…", he muttered in between kisses, gently cupping the mound of flesh in his hand, an act that elicited a pleasured gasp from his fellow blonde.

"H-Hold on. Let me take this off for ya."

Naruto was then treated to the sight of Miku taking her t-shirt off, revealing a pink-laced bra that was barely holding onto her huge breasts. It was a sight that Naruto had seen before, but with the two of them alone and in their current state, he could not take his eyes off it, nor did he want to.

Miku felt a sudden warmth spreading to her lower regions at the way her boyfriend stared at her tits, making her smile on the outside. "Ne…", she began, reaching for her bra hook, "are ya just going to stare at them or… do somethin' else?"

The moment the hook was unclasped and she removed the final piece of garment covering her orbs from view, Naruto's breath hitched in his throat.

Free from their boundaries, Miku's breasts were even more beautiful that he could have ever imagined. Despite their prominent size, Naruto noted how perky they were, and the way her small, puffy nipples stood erect, almost as if eagerly awaiting his touch, had him drooling.

Naruto could not hold himself back anymore and quickly brought his hands to her mounds, cupping and fondling them with innocent astonishment.

"Whoa Miku-chan…", he then said, fascinated at how soft they felt to his touch. "They're so pretty…"

Her cheeks darkened in response at his remark, but right when she was about to reply, a sudden wave of pleasure ran through her body as Naruto focused his attention on her puffy nipples, rubbing them in a tentative way.

His experiments were rewarded as Miku couldn't hold back a gasp that then escaped her lips, making Naruto pause.

"Miku-chan?"

"I-It's okay", she told him, prodding him into continuing. "When you touched there… it felt good."

"Really?", Naruto's eyes rose to meet her emerald ones, a smile reaching his lips. "You mean, these two?"

"…!"

As his fingers went back to working on her puffy nipples, this time more confidently than before, Naruto quickly learned he was doing the right thing, based on the way Miku's breath hitched and she began making low, pleasured noises.

"Ah~, b-be gentle with them, Naruki~"

Ignoring her, the blond lightly pinched on her nipples, making her squirm. Then, and in a stroke of inspiration, Naruto pulled his head down and brought his mouth to her left nipple, taking it inside his mouth.

Miku could do nothing but moan as a stronger wave of pleasure hit her, the latter only increasing as she felt him beginning to lick and suck on the protruding bud while his other hand continued with its ministrations on her other breast.

Led by these new sensations she was experiencing, Miku had the sudden urge to make Naruto feel just as good if not more than how she felt at the moment, and so her eyes inadvertently turned down to his crotch, where she saw a massive tent in his shorts.

Miku stretched her hand towards the bulge and when her fingers reached it, she felt Naruto pausing for a moment. "W-What's this, Naruki~? You got hard just by sucking on my boobs?

"…"

"Hehe, you perv~", she started rubbing his girth, making the blond let out a muffled moan as he still continued to suck on the hardened nipple like a newborn. "A-Ah, I g-guess I have no other choice but to do my best to make you feel suuuper good~"

Naruto experienced a powerful jolt of pleasure as Miku's delicate hands rubbed his member. Even if it was still clothed, her ministrations were making it twitch and grow even bigger against his pants. Soon, very soon, his pulsing erection became so painfully tight in his shorts that it seemed as if it was begging to be set free from its boundaries.

Releasing her tit from his clutch, the Uzumaki smashed his lips against Miku, briefly surprising her. He kissed her with as much passion as he could muster and only stopped to allow Miku to pull his t-shirt above his head, revealing his muscular upper body to her lustful gaze.

"Naruto…", Miku mumbled, tugging on his shorts with a bashful smile. There was a small, almost imperceptible blush on her cheeks as they both sat on the bed, half-naked. "I… I wanna go all the way."

"…You sure, Miku-chan?"

"Yeah", her head inclined ever so slightly, meeting his intense stare. "I wanna become one with you tonight."

"…I want that too, Miku", Naruto admitted, his voice hoarse. There was a loving look in her eyes that made his heart skip a beat and left him awestruck for a second, as he promptly saw how intense that feeling was for him.

As the gal pressed her lips gently against his', the bed creaked under them as Miku fell back on it, pulling Naruto down with her. He smooched her and then began trailing kisses down her neck, her chest and her flat stomach, hearing her whisper his name in pleasure.

And then, as he reached her hips, he slowly pulled the zipper of her shorts down, before sliding the garment down her legs and then discard it to the side. The sight that awaited him made him gulp silently, and for the first time that night, Miku grew shy under his heated stare.

"U-Uhm, y-ya like what ya see…?"

Naruto was broken out of his stupor by Miku's hopeful tone, and quickly realized she was now expecting an answer out of him. He could see the bashful look on her face as she averted her eyes to the side, probably worried that Naruto would not find the sight of her naked an attractive one.

"I do", the blond reassured her, enthralled by her beauty. Honestly, just looking at her lying down on his bed almost fully naked was taking a heavy toll on his ability to hold back, but he managed anyway, as he had the feeling Miku was a bit nervous. "You're so beautiful, Miku."

The aforementioned went beet red at his words, her chest swelling with joy at hearing Naruto's sincere remark. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest as her beloved blond reached for her pink panties, which sported a wet patch.

"C-Can I…?", he asked nervously, receiving only a nod in response which prod him into action, finally pulling the panties down and revealing her most sacred spot for his virgin eyes to witness.

Despite being the very first time he saw Miku fully naked, Naruto's face lowered instinctively to her slit, and a strong sweet smell assaulted his nose. It was a smell that fueled the flames of his arousal.

"D-Don't stare at it from so close, it's embarrassing~", Miku whined, though she made no visible attempts at covering her dignity or pulling Naruto away from her crotch.

Naruto had the sudden desire to apply the same treatment to her pink cunt that he did to her breasts, and before Miku could even see it coming, he inclined his head even further down, giving her slit a tentative lick.

"…!"

A loud gasp escaped Miku's mouth at that, a sign that revealed that what he just did had felt good. 'Then… if I do this, it should feel even better…'

Naruto brought his mouth to her lower lips, sliding his tongue into her folds. He twirled it around and lapped on her flowing juices, which had a sweet, delectable taste to them. As his tongue picked up the pace, ravaging her insides, Miku's moans grew louder with every passing second.

"Hmmn! A-Ah, y-yes, right t-there Naruto!", she moaned loudly, shutting her eyes in ecstasy. "A~hn! K-K-Keep doing that~"

Spurred on by her state, Naruto pushed his tongue even deeper, his lips now pressed tightly against her cunt. He inadvertently graced her swollen clit with her nose, making her gasp and bring her hands to the back of his head, pushing him against her entrance.

"Ahh~ N-No, w-wait, t-that part is-!", an electric jolt of pleasure running through her whole body had her shut up and arching her head back, her body trembling as a powerful feeling began welling up in her nether regions. "Oh, o-oh Na-Naruto I'm a-about to-!"

Without any warning, Miku's walls suddenly clamped down on his tongue and a short torrent of her nectar flooded his mouth. Naruto only needed a second to realize what'd just happened, but when he did, he began drinking on her juices, not wanting it to go to waste.

He could still feel her body shaking after that orgasm that hit her, and the realization he had been the one to make her climax made him incredibly proud of himself. "N-Not bad for a first time, huh, Miku-chan?", he commented sheepishly as he rose his head to check on the unresponsive blonde, who was now panting heavily and staring at him with lust-filled eyes.

"M-Mou~, that's not fair Naruto-kun", Miku's face was all flushed, and there was a now pout on her glossy lips. She looked so beautifully innocent that Naruto could not believe such a goddess was lying naked in front of him. "I don't wanna be the only one that feels good."

"Trust me Miku-chan, that felt pretty satisfying to me too."

He meant that, he really did. But there was also the problem between his legs that was begging to be taken care of, and Miku did not fail to see it.

"N-No more teasin'", she told him, reaching for his bulge once again and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I want you to take me. Make me yours, Naruto."

There was a pleading hint to her voice as she opened her legs and placed her arms under her breasts that made Naruto's member twitch in anticipation. His hands moved in a frenzy as he finally removed his shorts and then his boxers, and the moment he did so, his dick sprung to attention, making Miku widen her eyes.

'I-It's so big! Senpai said ochinchis were quite a thing, but I never really believed her!'

Despite being slightly afraid at whether his huge dick would fit in her pussy, her body trembled in anticipation. She could see pre-cum oozing from the tip already, which made her realize just how much Naruto had been holding back all that time.

"M-Miku-chan", the Uzumaki positioned himself above Miku, lining his cock with her warm entrance. He rubbed it against her lower lips, making them both moan softly. "Are y-you really sure you want to do this?"

Miku saw the affectionate look on his face and could not help but smile, touched by his genuine concern. She brought his visage to hers and kissed him passionately, in hopes of him seeing just how much she wanted this.

When they parted a few seconds later, Miku mustered a loving smile, one that she flashed his way. "Yes, Naruki. You're the only one that I'd ever think of doing this with", Naruto's features lit up at her claim, and soon he was returning her smile with one of his own. "But please, be gentle. I-It's my first time."

Naruto nodded, pressing the head of dick against her slit. "I promise, Miku-chan", he told her soothingly, before slowly bringing his hips forward, pushing his cock past her entrance.

A soft, low groan left his lips as he began the arduous task of plunging his rod all the way in, while Miku's breath hitched as a wave of pain washed over her.

Miku's insides felt incredibly tight as Naruto continued to sheathe his rod as slowly as he possibly could, almost failing to see the pained look on the gal's face as she put her arms around his wide back. At some point, his shaft came across some sort of wall, which prevented him from inserting his dick fully.

Amidst the pleasure he was experiencing just by being inside her, Naruto briefly remembered that talk he'd had with Jiraiya at some point during their trip to find Tsunade the sannin, and the word 'hymen' came to mind.

If what his old, perverted sensei had told him was true, then he'd need to take matters into his own hands.

"M-Miku-chan, this is going to hurt a bit, but…"

"I-It's f-fine", she retorted, doing her best to sound confident, but failing to do so due to the searing pain she was experiencing. "I… I c-can handle it."

Nodding his head, Naruto decided there was no point in making Miku suffer and quickly pushed his hardened dick forward, tearing through her hymen and fully sheathing it in her warm folds. Miku gritted her teeth to prevent herself from screaming in pain, and Naruto felt her nails digging almost painfully on his back, making him hold his ground.

Despite how much he wanted to start moving, he remained still and instead focused on placing soft, gentle kisses on her forehead and cheeks, holding her close while waiting for the pain to go away.

After a few seconds, Miku's features relaxed slightly and she gave Naruto a nod. "I'm… I-I'm okay Naruto-kun, you can start moving now."

The aforementioned was more than glad to do as he was told and started thrusting his hips at a slow rhythm to avoid hurting his beautiful gal. A trail of blood mixed with her juices leaked down her entrance as Miku's previous whimpers soon turned into soft moans, the latter growing in volumes as Naruto increased the speed of his thrusts a bit more.

"A-Ahh… T-That feels g-good, Naruto", Miku moaned loudly, pulling Naruto down so that she could kiss him. She could practically feel his dick reaching to unsuspected depths, and the longer she got pounded by it, the better it felt. "D-Don't stop! Ahnn~ Do it h-harder!"

The busty gal smashed her mouth against his' as she felt his dick plunging even deeper inside her, the pleasure now being so intoxicating she was having trouble thinking straight. There was a tint of pain mixed in, but right then she barely even registered said sensation anymore.

Naruto met her tongue in a battle for dominance as he pounded deep into her warm cunt, feeling her insides doing their best to milk him out of his seed. It was taking all his willpower just to prolong the moment as much as he possibly could, not wanting to ejaculate just yet.

"M-Miku-chan, your p-pussy is too tight!", Naruto exclaimed, gritting his teeth as the walls of her vagina did nothing to ease the pressure on his cock.

"O-Ohhh yes~ I-It… Ahh~ It m-must l-love your o-ochinchi. O-Oh K-Kami-sama, you're b-being so rough~"

Miku's screams of ecstasy were silenced by Naruto's mouth, who seized her lips before she could alert the whole neighborhood to their passionate love-making. He was sure they must have heard them already, given how noisy they were being at the moment, but he didn't care.

As Naruto kissed her passionately and continued thrusting into her at fast speeds, he could feel her breasts bouncing and jiggling against his chest, and hear her muffled moans inside his mouth – a combination that only served to accelerate his impending orgasm.

"O-Oh, Miku-chan, I'm g-gonna cum soon!"

"D-Do it! C-Cum inside m-my tight little p-pussy~ Ahhhh~ I-If you k-keep m-moving l-like that I w-will… Ahnnn!"

Shoving his tongue inside her mouth, Naruto brought his hips forward and buried the full extent of his shaft within her incredibly tight folds, groaning in crazed pleasure as her walls clamped down on his meat rod.

Miku screams were once again muffled by Naruto's mouth as she climaxed as hard, if not harder than before. A mind-numbing orgasm rocked her body and made her shake, her womb being filled now with hot, white seed, prolonging her ecstasy.

They orgasms lasted for a while longer, but once they finally died down, both teenagers were left panting heavily as Naruto pulled out of Miku and collapsed by her side, almost ignoring as she cuddled into him.

"Hah, hah… You okay Miku-chan?"

"…Yeah", she nuzzled her head against the crook of his neck, wanting to be as close to his warmth as she could. "That was incredible, Naruto-kun."

"It really was", he retorted, taking a deep breath. Now that his excitement had finally died down, Naruto's heartbeat slowed down to normal levels. Despite the fact both him and the gorgeous gal in his arms had just lost their virginity, his mind was not focusing on anything in particular as he merely stared at his wooden ceiling, happy just to hold Miku in his arms.

"Hey Naruki…", after a few seconds of quietness, the gal suddenly picked her head up so as to look into Naruto's azure eyes, and the latter thought he could see Miku's emerald orbs sparkling. "D'ya think we'll be together forever?"

Her question managed to take Naruto aback a bit, especially after seeing how intense her gaze had grown all of a sudden. That question… It was one he himself had found himself thinking about from time to time, and even more so when both of them were together.

That Miku too wondered about it almost made Naruto smile at the apparent fact both of them were afraid of things not working out in the end, of their relationship ending at some point in the future. And even if time had helped to wane his doubts on the matter, he felt important to say what he really believed to Miku, to be honest with her.

"I don't know, Miku-chan", he admitted, boring his eyes into hers. "But what I do know is that nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you."

"…! N-Naruto… You really mean that?"

"You bet I do", Naruto gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead, an act that elicited a beautiful smile from her. "I believe I once told you I was willin' to do my best to make this work between us. I never go back on my words, ya know? When I asked you to be my girlfriend, I was planning to go all in. Like, get married someday and start a family."

"Oh Naruki… Ya don't know how happy that makes me feel~"

Sighing in delight, Miku kissed his cheek lovingly and went back to nuzzling in the crook of his neck. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, a peaceful silence settled over them as tiredness began to set in and Naruto's eyes grew heavy. He'd been awake since before dawn, and after such a long day, he was already way past his bedtime.

Plus, he felt so comfortable holding Miku close he didn't even realize he was already drifting off to sleep, or that the gal had left the bed for a moment so as to turn the lights off and get ready for bed.

He barely even registered the fact she once again lied down next to him and cuddled with him, placing one leg over his own.

"Naruto-kun…"

"Hmmm?"

Morpheus was already extending his invitation to a peaceful slumber to Naruto as Miku mumbled something under her breath, three words that had been mustered with the weight of all the feelings she had for him. "I love you."

"…I love you too… Miku", Naruto retorted in a half-asleep state, his eyes now fully closed and his breathing slow and even.

The last thing he felt before he felt asleep was something wet and soft touching his lips.

To be continued...

Two/Three more chapters to go! We are finally reaching the conclusion of Gal's Ai, and with it, the inevitable finale.

Initially, I was going to publish this last week, but I wasn't satisfied with the number of scenes I had written for this chap. So, I decided to take my time with it, instead of posting something that didn't meet my expectations. Hence why this chapter is as long as it currently is. Thus, I feel this is lengthy enough after a three-week interval with no updates.

So, what did you think of the lemon scene? I tried going for a more 'heartfelt' approach considering this story is mostly focused on fluff and romance. This was my second time writing sexual scenes, so I hope you enjoyed it.

Next time, the Kyuubi will finally make an appearance. And I'll also provide more time for Koharu and Naruto. It's clear they have some things they need to sort out, so stay tuned for that.

That's all I have for now. Until next time, take care everyone! Luke out.