I Never Thought To Love You

Ichiraku

Naruto's POV
I yelled excitedly as the bell rang, signaling the end of the last day of school for my first week of the Academy. The duck-ass haircut kid next to me rolled his eyes, but I ignored it. There was a reason I hadn't remembered his name; he was too much of a downer to concern myself with.
"Naruto, we should go get some food," Choji suggested happily.
Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome," he muttered.
"That sounds good to me," I said.
"Better not forget me," Kiba said with a laugh and Akamaru barked, "or him."
I walked up to Kiba and ruffled Akamaru's hair playfully. "Don't worry. You are always welcome. Kiba, not so much," I laughed.
Kiba yelled indignantly and I could've sworn Akamaru smiled.
"Where are we going to eat?" Choji asked.
"I say we go to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate Naruto finally joining us here at school," Shikamaru suggested.
Everyone nodded in agreement. "Hell yeah!" I screamed, excited beyond belief.
"Isn't that where Choji and Shikamaru met you, Naruto?" Kiba asked.
"Yeah," Choji answered. "Me and her ended up in a ramen eating contest."
"And let me guess," Kiba said sarcastically. "Choji won."
"This bitch beat his ass! Believe it!" I tell as we turn into the street where Ichiraku's is.
Kiba's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
Shikamaru chuckled and Choji smiled in a defeated manner. "Yes," Choji muttered. "And Shikamaru's first words to her?"
"Troublesome!" Kiba, Choji, and I yell as Shikamaru rolled his eyes. We busted out laughing as Kiba in the front held the curtain at the restaurant open for everyone.
"Good afternoon, Naruto and friends!" the store owner, Teuchi, greeted us jovially. "School let out already?"
"Yes, sir!" I replied  with just as much enthusiasm, plopping myself down at the counter. Kiba sat to my right and Shikamaru to my left, with Choji next to him.
Ever since the day we met, Shikamaru has done his best to keep us from eating next to each other in order to keep another contest from rising up. Honestly, I find it pretty hilarious.
Teuchi passed Kiba and Shikamaru a menu, knowing already what me and Choji wanted.
Shikamaru looked at his menu closely, scanning through all of the options. "Hm, troublesome," he sighed. "Which one is better?" he asked, turning to me. "Beef or pork?"
"Is that even a question?" Choji cut in. "Beef, for sure!"
"Believe it!" I said with a nod.
Shikamaru just rolls his eyes with his signature comment, ordering beef ramen when Teuchi came back around. I didn't  pay enough attention to what Kiba ordered, but soon enough, four steaming hot bowls of ramen were placed in front of us and we dug in.
We joked around about different things we used to do before Shikamaru and Choji went to the Academy, informing Kiba about most of it, since he had only become our friend recently.
I was so thankful to have made these friends around town before I started the Academy, otherwise I would've been screwed. I mean, I was screwed before, without them, since the only thing most villagers did to me was treat me like shit.
Teuchi and Ayame didn't, though. That's why I came here so often. Well, that and the fact that they made ramen. That was a bonus (the best bonus of a lifetime).
"Naruto," Shikamaru said, dragging out the syllables and waving his hand in front of my face.
"Huh, sorry. What?"
He just looked at me with the shake of his head. "Troublesome lady."
"Hey!" I yelled, hitting him on the back of the head.
"Sorry, sorry. Sheesh," Shikamaru said, bringing his hands up to guard his face.
"That's what I thought," I muttered. I turned around to face Kiba to see what the big deal was because he suddenly burst out laughing for no apparent reason.
"Look at Shika, getting beat up by a girl," he laughed.
"I'll beat your ass too, dog boy! Believe it!" I slammed my palm into the back of his head, careful to avoid Akamaru. The dog seemed to understand that what I did was justified, for he just looked at me calmly as Kiba yelped.
Shikamaru, Choji, and I laughed and Kiba pouted playfully.
"So," I said with a content sigh, having finished my last bowl, "who's paying?"
"Not you," Choji answered and I frowned.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"This is your celebration after all," Shikamaru answered. "I agree with Choji. Me, him, and Kiba can all pitch in to pay the bill."
Kiba nodded and licked his lips. "Sounds good to me. I haven't had Ichiraku's in a while, so it was a nice treat."
It was that moment that Teuchi came over with the check. "There was a mistake with the printing," he said with a wink. "About three bowls of ramen aren't included with the bill."
I smiled so hard it hurt. "Thank you so much, Teuchi! May you and your daughter live in peace for all your days and forever into eternity!"
Teuchi smiled and the boys pulled out their wallets to pay.
Even after paying, we stayed a little longer to finish up every last drop, savoring the taste.
And that's when it happened. That's when my world suddenly crumbled a tiny bit.