It All Started With A Smell

Chapter 1: Somethings Not Quite Right

There was something not quite right about him. The problem was the dark-haired boy had trouble working out was what it was. He had always felt that there was something off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. As they got older, the feeling only got worse. It had started when Iruka-sensei had made them sit next to each other in detention. There had been this smell. He had sniffed, wondering where it was coming from. It was light, but natural, human, but not male, and there were only three people in the room, all males. He had found that the source of the smell was the boy sitting next to him. Unfortunately said boy had noticed.

"Shikamaru, what the hell are you doing? Are you sniffing me?" The boy moved back, nearly falling out of his chair, his face scrunched into a frown.

He fought a blush at the blonde's words. "No," He protested in a huff. "I was wondering where that smell was coming from?"

Confusion filled blue eyes before the blonde sniffed, then pulled his jacket up to his nose and inhaled deeply. "I don't smell anything."

"Naruto, Shikamaru," Barked Iruka-sensei. "No talking!"

The blonde's reply confused Shikamaru, seeing as if the smell was unusual for Naruto to give off, he would have commented, even if it was simply a change in laundry powder or soap. However, it seemed as though Naruto found the somewhat girly smell he gave off as normal. Shikamaru pondered this some more as he put his head down into his crossed arms, trying to go to sleep on the desk. All thoughts were banished from his mind, however, when something hit him on the top of his head.

"No sleeping in class!"

"What a drag!" Shikamaru muttered, sitting up with a lazy yawn.

Naruto put a hand over his mouth, trying to stifle the giggle that escaped his mouth, making Shikamaru raise his eyebrow in surprise. It wasn't often he heard boys giggle. Most boys did their best not to giggle, since it was seen as a girly action. The blonde didn't seem to care though, as he discretely pointed at Shikamaru, who rolled his eyes, thinking that the situation couldn't be that funny until he saw that Iruka-sensei was also smiling in amusement. Naruto decided to take him out of his misery by reaching out, only to have Shikamaru cringe. The other boy didn't seem to notice though, and Shikamaru wasn't even sure why he was so uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Close your eyes."

The blonde brushed his fingers over the top of Shikamaru's head, making the dark-haired boy shutter at the gentle touch. He had never realised how small and soft Naruto's hands were before, even under all the calluses from training. When the boy had stopped, Shikamaru opened his eyes to find the table and his lap covered in white flakes, flakes he quickly realised that were made of chalk dust, left over from the blackboard eraser that Iruka-sensei had thrown at him.

"Thanks," He muttered, his throat constricting around the word as he watched Naruto smack his hands together, getting rid of the chalk. The hands really were small, and slender, covered in smooth, soft but hard skin, a combination he thought impossible.

"You're welcome." Naruto closed his eyes, smiling widely and putting his hands behind his head. "Hey, Iruka-sensei, can we go?"

Iruka-sensei looked at the clock before sighing. He knew that both Naruto and Shikamaru were going to score low on their next test, no matter how long he kept them. He nodded. "Fine, but study for the next test." His words were hollow.

"I do," Naruto muttered glumly before Shikamaru ran from the room, showing more energy than he ever had.

He didn't know why, but the blonde had shaken him, making him uncomfortable. There was something not right about Naruto, but Shikamaru couldn't quite work it out. The only conclusion he could reach was that Naruto was actually a girl, which was ridiculous. Naruto acted and looked like a boy, even if his featured were softer than most boys, with a curved jaw line, rounded eyes, and fuller lips. There was still no way that Naruto was a girl.