The beach was calm now. Most of the others had gone for a swim or a second round of snacks, but you and Naruto had claimed a corner of sand near the rocks, set up like two artists beginning a sacred project.

Except only one of you actually knew what they were doing.

"Okay, okay, look!" Naruto announced, flipping his red plastic bucket upside-down with all the confidence in the world. He lifted it with a dramatic pop! and grinned. “Another perfect tower!”

You glanced at it, it was lopsided, already cracking at the edges, and had a crooked seashell stuck on top like a makeshift crown.

"Very… regal,” you said, hiding your smile.

"Right? I added the shell. Classy."

Meanwhile, your section of the sand looked like a true sculptor’s corner. Detailed arches, smooth curves, delicate layers of wet sand shaped and smoothed with the side of your hand. You were halfway through building a statue of Sakura, complete with her ninja pose and a tiny sand kunai.

“Whoa, WHOA—wait… how are you doing that?!” Naruto suddenly leaned in, crawling over to your side with wide eyes. “That looks exactly like her! Even the forehead bump!”

"It’s not a bump, it’s a tiara," you muttered, snickering.

He sat beside you, jaw hanging open in awe and maybe a tiny bit of jealousy.

"I mean, come on. Look at mine,” he pointed to his now-sunken tower. “That looks like a sad blob with dandruff.”

"Hey," you giggled, "everyone starts somewhere."

He huffed and flopped onto the sand beside you, watching your hands work. After a beat of silence, he muttered,

"Y’know... you always look cool when you concentrate like that."

You blinked. “Huh?”

“Nothing!” he barked quickly, sitting up again and immediately stacking another messy sand bucket next to yours. “Here! Another tower for your palace! We’ll call it... the backup watch post.”

"It’s three feet tall and leans like it’s about to faint."

"Just like me," he said dramatically, lying down again. You couldn’t help but laugh. He smiled at the sound.