Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto, the talented Kishimoto does.
Warning: Shounen-ai, slight vulgar language... I thinks that about it...
Author's Babble: Konnichiwa mina! Welcome to the first installment of The Shinobi Chronicles. To start things off I suppose it's best to tell you that this is a joint account between "Scorn Silverstar" and myself, "Unerasable Sin." After hours of brainstorming and allowing out demented muses to mess around with each other, we finally decided to create a joint account together and begin work on this little collection. Now, originally we were going to begin this with a SasuNaru, but because we're too impatient writers and are still working the kinks out that oneshot we just said "screw it!" This oneshot is just as good, if not better than the SasuNaru. So, we hope you enjoy this as much as we did writing it.
You Asked For It
Shikamaru & Kiba
Slowly, Shikamaru trudged up the side of the great hill overlooking the Konoha Academy, towards his favourite childhood resting-place. He used to come up here practically every day after school and simply lounge away the hours until dinner. With a weary sigh, the brunette flopped down onto the dewy grass with a soft thump just out of the shade of a large oak. It was hard to believe that it had been just five years since he had become an official ninja of Konoha but sitting there in the place where his most precious childhood memories took place, those carefree days seemed an eternity away.
"Guess I can't exactly cloud gaze," Shikamaru muttered under his breath as his eyes were met with the starry night sky above. "How troublesome." He felt so disappointed… so dejected… and for the life of him he didn't understand why. It was the middle of the night for Kami's sakes! He would have had to be as oblivious as Naruto not to have realized that when he left his home.
Of course, that's not saying he didn't have a damn good idea as to what might be plaguing his mind. Shikamaru had gotten into a troublesome argument, probably the worst he had ever bothered to actually participate in, with his father earlier that evening. It was stupid really, but anything that required more than a little effort was stupid in his opinion. Although, why his father was angry in the first place was even more stupid than the argument itself, and not something the lazy teenager was likely to forget any time soon.
"I mean," Shikamaru grumbled under his breath as he sat up, "if I don't want to date a troublesome girl that's my business, not his." Because that's what this fight was all about. Shikamaru's taste in partners. "Troublesome, just troublesome."
He hated being frustrated almost as much as he hated wasting energy, especially when he didn't have to. Shikamaru ran a hand over his tightly bound chestnut hair, a habit he fell victim to when he was irritated. "All I wanted to do was tell them the truth…" Because the truth was Nara Shikamaru was gay. "Didn't think they would react this badly…" Shikamaru shut his eyes.
He liked men there was no use in denying it, but to make matters worse -in his father's eyes alone- he had a boyfriend! Inuzuka Kiba, debatably the hottest and most troublesome male in the entire village. To add to the "problem" Kiba had a reputation for being annoying, which Shikamaru could verify. He was probably the only person who could rival Uzumaki Naruto in that department. Of course, Shikamaru would never admit any of this to him. At least not the sexiest male in Konoha part; he told Kiba he was annoying just about every time he saw him.
Gripping the underside of his thighs he drew his long legs up close to his chest. "Troublesome… Troublesome!… TROUBLESOME!…" His body curled inward convulsively, smacking his forehead on his knees as each word passed his lips.
"What's troublesome?" Like a wolf cornering its prey, the source of all his problems and pleasures, emerged from the darkness of the tree branches. Shikamaru didn't open his eyes, he didn't need to since his hearing was more than capable of assuring to him that Kiba's faithful companion, Akamaru, was nowhere to be found. What a stroke of luck… for them both…
In a few short strides the young Inuzuka bridged the gap between the unsettled teen and himself. Crouching down at Shikamaru's side Kiba's pose took on a canine likeness. "You had a fight with your old man, didn't you?" He asked, reading the pony-tailed male like a book.
"Is it really that obvious?" Shikamaru asked, managing to retain his usual bored and lazy tone. Lifting his head Shikamaru threaded his callused fingers through the grass hilltop as he leaned backwards, eyes still closed, until his full body weight was supported on his hands.
"Well, you have been talking to yourself for nearly a half hour now," Kiba replied and by the sound of his voice the Nara could tell he was smirking. "But you don't have to be a genius to figure this one out. We did agree to tell them tonight, remember?"
"Yeah," Shikamaru muttered as the memory of a few nights before came flooding back. "I remember."
It had only dawned on him recently that Kiba and he had been together for two years. It was Kiba, in his blunt and annoying fashion, who had reminded him of this and when he did, Shikamaru was dumb-founded, a feat not easily done to the Nara. He was far too intelligent to be dumb-anything. But this was different. He hadn't pegged Kiba, who was normally brash and crude in any circumstance, as the type to remember anything about dating, least of all anniversaries!
Shikamaru sighed inwardly. When he thought about it, they had made the right decision by choosing to come out of the closet together, but it had been him who declared they would tell their families alone. Kiba was understanding of his decision. After all, no one can date someone for that long and not learn something about their family and what they're like.
"How did your folks take it?" Shikamaru asked, finally opening his dark eyes and glancing at his boyfriend's crimson painted face.
"Oh, not too bad." Kiba grinned, running a clawed hand through his unruly brown hair. "Grams fainted and mum did a double take so fast her neck cracked, but for the most part they weren't surprised. Sis told me after; I've always done strange things so they've learned early on to take whatever I do in stride." He chuckled slightly, which sent shivers rolling up the Leaf's spine. "As long I don't cause too much hell and I'm happy they're alright, even grams. Actually, they were more surprised when I told them I was dating you then anything else."
"Why?" Shikamaru drawled, arching a brow as he turned to look at Kiba properly. "I'm not good enough for their son?"
"No, no," Kiba laughed. The sound reminded Shikamaru forcefully of a dog barking, but he smirked faintly all the same. Of course, if he hadn't been brooding over the night's earlier screaming match, he would have found it ironic how the Inuzuka Clan so resemble the creatures they care for. But the slight amusement he would receive from this thought was too troublesome with everything else on his mind. "Mum and the rest just thought the Nara Clan were… well, you know-"
"…A bunch of homophobes?" Shikamaru replied dully, filling in what his boyfriend obviously felt too uncomfortable to say. "Yeah, I kind-of noticed."
"And that-"
"…Their bigotry rubbed off on me?" Shikamaru's voice was off-hand and bored, but his gaze was locked on Kiba's tanned face, unconsciously searching his prey's expression for some kind of comfort, an outlet for all the frustration that had built up within him over the past few years. At some point while they were talking, he noticed vaguely, they had moved closer to one another, like two magnets drawn together by some unseen and uncontrollable force. They were mere inches apart now; Shikamaru could feel Kiba's breath on his face… His lover met his eyes automatically, holding it with a beastly determination that could only come from someone who had grown up amongst one of the fiercest creatures in the wild.
The two Leah remained like this for a long time, simply studying each other's face as if dead set on burning it into their memory forever. As they continued to stare one thing became clear, they shared the same eyes: dark and almond-like in shape. But this observation credited appearance alone for both teens eyes gave a glimpse into two separate people, unique in all other respects. Kiba's eyes, Shikamaru noted, were unusually bright considering their colour, revealing a fierce, wild, untamable spirit. But they contained a clear, unyielding calmness as well. It was as if he were staring into Kiba's eyes, but seeing someone with three times the life experiences. His face also was quite expressive, hosting an expansive variety of emotions, ranging from the simple to the complex. Shikamaru had only three basic expressions: bored, annoyed and mildly content. Anything more troublesome than that were few and far between.
Shikamaru's eyes, so unlike his own, the Inuzuka observed, had the other boy entranced within seconds. The patience Kiba saw there was mind-boggling. But, he supposed Shikamaru had to have seventy years worth of it. How else dose one explain the strategists uncanny love and skill for the old man's games of Go and shoji? Kiba sighed inwardly. There was wisdom in those sad eyes unlike any the Hidden Village of Konoha had ever seen. Thoughts and ideas Kiba couldn't even begin to understand, and his boyfriend wasn't exactly bursting to enlighten anyone. Truth be told, he was more than certain the Nara would take his thoughts to the grave. Despite this thought, however, Kiba could just picture himself getting lost in his eyes, which only proved he was either too stupid or love-struck to look away.
"I'll let you in on a little secret, Kiba," Shikamaru said in a low voice, "I'd do anything, no matter how troublesome, to protect those precious to me."
"And who might they be, I wonder?" The dog-lover questioned, his voice just as low with a mischievous smirk overcoming his mouth.
"Why tell you when I can show you?" Shikamaru breathed before grabbing the collar of Kiba's gray jacket and pulling him into a lip crushing kiss. It was amazing and it was made all the more pleasurable when Kiba's mouth responded all too eagerly. It wasn't like they had never kissed before, Shikamaru could clearly recall locking lips on numerous occasions, but it had never been so passionate… so ravenous… almost as if all his frustration was released the moment their mouths met.
When they finally broke apart, Kiba tumbled backwards onto the grass, panting heavily. "Th-That was different," Kiba gasped, his handsome face one of utter shock, "But good… really good…"
Shikamaru smirked. He hated to admit it, but the Inuzuka looked so cute with that dumbfounded expression on his face. "Want some more?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off of his boyfriend's slightly parted lips and quell his desire to taste the Inuzuka again. 'Fuck yes,' the Leaf thought as Kiba slowly nodded his head. If wanting to make the other boy pant, sweat and moan his name was wrong, Shikamaru didn't want to be right. Besides, he could always blame his out of character behaviour on stress and raging teenaged hormones later. "Alright," he smirked, "but remember, you asked for it."
Owari