A/N: This is from a project I belong to over at y!Gallery called Konoha University. Run by the two amazing people gwyllion and lexjamandme, and it's exactly like it sounds. Mmm...who doesn't like the Naruto boys in uniform? XD So, enjoy my random bit of contribution!
Shino glared from behind his sunglasses, highly annoyed at the football team who decided on an impromptu game. Granted they were in a large courtyard made for purposes like this, but it had been a peaceful spring day until the group of hooligans had shown up. They had a football field for purposes like this, not here where the non-jock students could go to study outside. Now the dragonfly that he had been sketching had flown off, leaving it incomplete and up to his memory to fill in the blanks.
He flipped the sketch book closed, then stared at it as he debated. He didn't want to go into any of the main buildings, because they would be filled with people. He didn't want to sit out here with these loud mouthed idiots either. Frowning slightly, he came to a decision and put his supplies away in his backpack. Slinging it over his shoulders, he put in his headphones and turned on his iPod, changing it to something loud. With it locked and safely back in his pocket, he went over to his favorite tree, and climbed it easily.
Sprawling out on a thick branch, he had just pulled out a book – he still had over an hour to kill before his next class – when a football hit the trunk above his head. He caught it as it fell, and looked over to his left to see about half of the people that were playing standing beneath the tree. Without taking out an ear bud, or showing his irritation, he tossed it back down, and cracked open his book again.
Only to have the football hit the bound paper, and knock it out of his hands.
Blinking once, he sighed quietly and simply rolled to the left, easily landing in a crouch before the guy who threw the ball. Standing straight, he tugged his glasses down just enough so he could look over them. Ah, it was who he thought it was. Namikaze Kyuubi, star player on the Konoha football team, and older brother to one of Shino's friends, Naruto.
Sadly, he wasn't surprised by the ugly sneer on the sharply handsome face. Kyuubi had it out for everyone, but especially those that were friends with Naruto. No one knew why, really, just that the two had never gotten along, and were often suspended from the University for the public fistfights they would get into. It was only luck that their father was the Dean, or they never would have been allowed back.
As Kyuubi opened his mouth, Shino held up one finger, in the universal 'wait a moment' sign. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPod, smoothly backing up a step when Kyuubi reached for it. Quickly he shut it off and put it back, raising an eyebrow at the fuming redhead.
"Can I help you, Kyuubi?"
"Yea. You can get your faggot ass out of my line of sight!"
Shino sighed in long suffering patience. Kyuubi was in serious denial, and Naruto had the pictures to prove it. Yet, as per Naruto's odd request, Shino and Sasuke – Naruto's boyfriend – never said anything about the elder's closet tendencies.
"I was under the impression that was what I had done by climbing into the tree," he said calmly, already prepared for what he knew was going to happen.
He was small, and short – barely 5'5, insert sigh here – and positively tiny compared to Kyuubi's bulk and 6'2 height. There had never been a physical altercation between them, though it had come close before. Usually, Shino was around Naruto or Sasuke, or even Kiba, and their presence kept Kyuubi from unleashing anything other than his tongue. However, that didn't mean that Shino didn't know how to fight. In fact, his size made people vastly underestimate him. Added to that was his anti-social tendencies, and his penchant for reading and keeping quiet.
"I could still see you asshole, so you need to go somewhere else," Kyuubi sneered, and the pink haired girl behind him giggled. Shino wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't. Sakura was in their year, but when Sasuke had shot her down publically – and loudly – she had turned around and become Kyuubi's slut – and punching bag.
"I suppose it doesn't matter that since I am an enrolled student here, I have every right to be anywhere on this property that I wish." It wasn't a question; he knew the answer.
Kyuubi just smirked and took a step closer to him, trying to intimidate. It didn't work, and Shino stood his ground, his pale blue eyes glaring slightly.
"You can hand me over your iPod, and I won't beat your ass." The elder held out a hand, wiggling his fingers. "Think of it as a payment for your continued health."
Shino tilted his head to the side a little, calmly reaching up and putting his sunglasses on the top of his head. It would be about this time that his friends would begin making bets as to how many hits it would take for his opponent to be face down in the dirt.
His anger and irritation was getting the better of him though. "Apologizes Kyuubi, but that is something that I cannot do. Naruto bought me this for my birthday," – as evident by the bright ass orange color – "and I would hate to see it broken. However, I am willing to give you something else."
Kyuubi frowned and opened his mouth, but Shino beat him too it. With a swift jab he punched him in the stomach, making him fold over. Then Kyuubi's face met his upward moving knee, sending the man flat onto his back with a broken nose. "The something else? A reason not to fuck with me in the future."
He knew it wasn't going to be that easy, and was prepared when Kyuubi threw his body towards him, trying for a tackle. Shino merely stepped sideways and tripped him, making the red head go flying into the dirt. He didn't even try to stop the smirk when Kyuubi turned around and there was dirt and leaves stuck to the blood that was flowing down his face.
Kyuubi tried to go for a right, and Shino remembered the many times he had watched Kyuubi and Naruto duke it out. Kyuubi used boxing as his basic fighting style, so it wasn't hard for Shino to duck underneath the punches, or to block to occasional kicks.
Then he saw his opening, and darted in, landing a series of quick, hard punches to his midsection, before taking a step back and nearly doing the splits to land a heel kick to the underside of Kyuubi's chin. The elder staggered back as Shino calmly let his foot drop to the ground behind him, falling into an easy, relaxed stance. Kyuubi was glaring at him, licking the blood off his split lip as it dripped onto his uniform top. Minato was going to have a fit when he saw the blood, Shino knew.
Kyuubi stepped in again, but when Shino thought he was going to go for another right, he got surprised with a left. It got him perfectly in the right eye, and he felt the skin above his eyebrow split. He recovered quickly though, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Naruto and Sasuke running towards them, but he wasn't about to let this fight go to Kyuubi. It was time that the asshole stopped underestimating the little guys.
Upping his speed – to Kyuubi's surprise and his private delight – he moved into the bigger mans personal space, fists and toes flying with precision. He was very careful to avoid the grabbing hands, because he knew if he was caught up, that would be the end of it for him.
Panting harshly, but keeping his speed, he landed a hard punch right below Kyuubi's sternum, and then two to his diaphragm and another few to his ribs, all in quick succession. He heard one crack, but he knew it wasn't completely broken. Taking a quick step back, he used Kyuubi's disorientation to jump, and lash out with both feet, sending the elder back into the same tree that Shino had been lying in. He landed on his back, but he knew how to fall. Besides a stinging from the hard ground, there was no pain as he flipped back upright. Seeing that Kyuubi was down for the count, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming down his heart and breathing.
Without saying a thing, he opened his eyes and pulled his sunglasses back down, before calmly walking past a fawning Sakura and groaning Kyuubi to pick up his book. He also climbed the tree – ignoring how his muscles protested – and grabbed his backpack. Jumping back down, he ignored the gawking football team and casually strolled over to where Naruto and Sasuke waited.
He gazed back at them as they exchanged looks and then looked him over. Naruto lingered on the cut above his eyebrow, before those startling blue eyes flicked over his shoulder. A brief flash of hatred, but when they looked back at him, there was nothing but vicious pride.
With a whoop, Shino was grabbed and spun around, only sighing at the antics of his friend. He was so used to them by now, that one word popped into his mind. Troublesome.
"That was so awesome Shino! I bet you my bastard of a brother will think twice before trying to kick your ass again!"
"That was the point," he murmured, but it was lost as Naruto's whoops of happiness echoed across the clearing. Without turning to look back, the three wandered off in the direction of their dorms, where Shino could get cleaned up and changed.
He still had class, after all.
Several hours later…
"And Shino was like, blam! Double heel kick to the chest, and Kyuu went down!" Naruto laughed loudly, taking another drink of his beer. "Man, that was so awesome seeing his ass get kicked by someone who is a foot shorter than he is! He's not ever gonna live that down!"
Shino just shrugged, nursing his own beer as Naruto regaled the group with what happened. He was neither embarrassed nor proud of what he had done. It didn't matter that it had been Kyuubi; if it had been any other bully who tried the same thing, he would have reacted the same.
He wasn't entirely comfortable with the looks some people were giving him, like Sai and Ino. They were looking as though he was a piece of prime rib, and cooked perfectly. There were others who were looking at him in disbelief, like Kiba. And just like Kiba, he had to say something.
"I know you can fight Shino, but damn. Kyuubi? I don't believe it!"
Kiba was well on his way to being drunk, since it was Friday, and that was why Shino forgave him for what he said next. "You're just a short shit, there's no fucking way!"
Shino calmly sat down his bottle and stood, motioning for Kiba to do the same. They met in the middle of the living room – having the parents most of them did had some perks, like their own apartments – and as soon as they did, he put his sunglasses on the top of his head. Kiba blanched and tried stammering out an apology, but Shino was quicker. He hooked a toe behind Kiba's knee, making it collapse, and punched his friend hard across the face. Kiba was down after that, whimpering and holding his bruised jaw as blood trickled from his mouth.
With a quick shake out of his hand, he settled his glasses back on his nose, and looked around. Naruto, Sasuke, and Shika were smirking, and several others were staring at Kiba and him in disbelief. It also seemed as though he had upgraded from prime rib to a rare, expensive wine, judging by the looks from Ino and Sai.
He knew he had been hanging around Naruto to long when he smirked, and bowed gallantly.
"And that is why you don't fuck with the small people."