Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto universe, or the characters, and I only clam part of the idea for this story. (Other credit in note.)
Author's Note: Holy fuck. I'm actually writing something rated lower than M? Who would have ever guessed, eh? Well, hopefully my writing is still at least decent without all of the steamy lemons. Also, part of this idea is credited to Sable Scribe, who thought up the whole practice killing with animals in school. At least that's where I got it. (And if you like crossovers involving Naruto and Inu Yasha characters of the het variety, go check her out. She has quite a few!)
Read, review, and please enjoy!
The small eleven year old boy sniffled slightly as he weaved his way down the street at a flat out run. School had just let out and the day had not been any sort of good. Chouji had known, just like all of his other classmates aspiring to be ninjas, that this day would eventually come. He had dreaded it since he had entered his next to last year of school, had been hoping and praying that it would never come, but it had anyways.
The Akimichi had known as soon as he walked into the room and spotted Ibiki standing at the front of the small classroom. The small boy had been slightly overcome with shock and a good bit of fear. He had frozen in the door way, feet not listening to him as he tried to force himself to his desk.
Shikamaru's grumble at him for blocking the entry way was the only thing that had him moving into the classroom. He did have his pride, and he wasn't going to back down from this, as gentle a person as he was. He needed to know this, had to be prepared for it when he was in the middle of battle. If he hesitated then, it would be his life on the line.
His best friend had look at him quizzically as Chouji shuffled slowly to his seat. Shikamaru had looked as if he was going to ask him a question, but their sensei for the day spoke up first. Ibiki had a reputation for being a blunt person, and he didn't let anyone down today. He explained how they were going to have to kill a small rabbit in class, and that was all they had to do today.
Chouji felt his heart sink in his chest when he heard those words and had to swallow down a small whimper when Ibiki brought out the small creatures in a medium size cage. He was thankful he wasn't the only one in the room who seemed opposed to the thought. Naruto was staring wide eyed at the little things. Sakura's face was set in a determined look but the Akimichi could see her eyes glistening a bit with tears. Hinata was right out crying and Kiba was trying to comfort the small girl while glaring at the man in the front of the room. Ino was shacking but was wearing the same expression as Sakura. Chouji guessed it was good to have a rival to help a person get through things.
They were each handed a rabbit and a kunai and told to begin. By the end of class, Sakura and Ino were out right sobbing and Hinata had to be taken out of the room. Naruto was staring silently at his desk, tears rolling down his cheeks. Sasuke was watching the small blonde with something akin to sympathy, and reached over to pat him on the shoulder. Naruto started to shake and the small boy outright grabbed the Uchiha's hand. The Akimichi had known the two were closer than what they appeared, but he would have never pegged the two as friends, always rivals, but never friends.
When they were finally dismissed, Chouji bolted out of the room, Shikamaru's yell echoing behind him. After that, all the auburn haired boy could hear was his own blood rushing in his ears and the wind. Chouji didn't slow until he reached a small clearing near the edge of town. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath even as the tears started flowing.
He was more than a little startled to hear foot steps behind him less than two minutes later. Chouji blinked up blurry hazel eyes to find Shikamaru standing there, bent double with his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath.
"Sh-Shika?" Chouji asked in a chocked voice. The brunette looked up, irritation on his face until he caught sight of his friend. Chouji was yet to move from his spot. His cheeks were tear-stained and he could feel snot coating the skin under his nose. Shikamaru sighed at the sight and shook his head.
"What are you doing here?" Chouji managed to ask.
"Following you," Shikamaru answered bluntly. The Nara flopped down beside his friend on the grass and pulled his school bag off his shoulder. Chouji watched as his friend began rummaging around in his bag. He tried to silent himself, but he couldn't help the broken sounds escaping his mouth. Then Shikamaru let out a triumphant sound as he pulled a handkerchief out of his bag.
The taller of the two boys turned to his friend and motioned for him to sit down. Chouji did so, flopping down on his bottom in the grass. Shikamaru scooted closer to him and began wiping away the snot on his friend's face. After a few moments, the Akimichi took the piece of cloth from the brunette and started to clean his own face.
Shikamaru watched him for a moment, waiting for the other boy to calm down a bit. When it didn't happen, the Nara sighed. He turned and laid out in the grass. Chouji remained sitting, having not really noticed that his friend had changed positions. He was slightly startled when he felt a hand grab his arm and tug gently.
Chouji looked over his shoulder to find his best friend looking at him expectantly.
"Lay back, Chouji," Shikamaru told him and Chouji followed the request almost blindly. He laid back beside the other boy and then found himself pulled against the brunette. Chouji blushed slightly at the action, but he didn't pull away. As shy as he was at times, he had been friends with Shikamaru for longer than he could actually remember. He felt closer to the taller boy than any of the other people in his life, including his father. He would never let his father see him crying, but he readily accepted the comfort the Nara provided.
The auburn haired boy buried his face in his friends shoulder, and sobbed until he had no tears left. As the Akimichi tried to regulate his breathing, Shikamaru finally spoke up.
"You weren't the only one crying," he told him in his usual bluntness.
"I know," Chouji answered, voice hoarse from all the crying, "But I'm a boy. I'm not supposed to cry." Shikamaru scoffed at the answer and rolled on his side to look his friend in the eyes. Chouji blushed fiercely at the look but didn't look away. He knew the Nara was intense for an eleven year old, he had heard Shikaku-san and his father say it many times, but his friend really freaked him out sometimes.
"It doesn't matter whether you are a boy or a girl, you can cry whenever you want. I don't see why we need to act so proud as boys. It's way too troublesome." Chouji laughed at his friend's use of his new favorite word. The boy had picked it up one day out of the blue and hadn't stopped using it since.
Shikamaru smiled at the laugh and rubbed a hand up and down the auburn haired boy's side. He squeezed gently at the Akimichi's hip, which made Chouji blush. He did look away this time. Shikamaru really was maturing faster than he was, in more ways than just his personality. But he trusted his friend and the Akimichi wasn't all that worried about it.
"We're going to have to do it again, you know," Shikamaru stated. Chouji nodded his head, and a small sob escaped him at the thought. He really, really didn't want to do that again. But this was the life he had semi chosen and he planned to stick with it.
"Next time, don't run and well come here together, just you and me. And you can cry as much as you want and we can stay here as long as you like." Chouji looked up at his friend at the statement, and a hint of a smile twitched the corners of his lips.
"Really?" Chouji asked, caught between believing his friend and doubting him.
"Yep, we can even sleep here if you want," the Nara said and then yawned loudly, "That actually sounds like a good idea." The taller boy pulled Chouji closer to him, snuggling his face into the Akimichi's auburn hair. Chouji fisted his hands if Shikamaru's shirt and buried his face in the other boy's chest. Just as he was falling asleep, Chouji felt a small pressure against his forehead and blinked his eyes open sleepily to find himself staring at the tanned column of the Nara's throat. It took him a moment to realize what he was feeling with the other boy kissing him on the forehead.
For some reason, it didn't strike him as odd and the Akimichi found great comfort in the action. Chouji smiled contentedly and closed his eyes. He felt safe and warm in the circle of his friend's arms. Add in the fact that it had been a terrible day for him and that he had cried himself almost sick and it was no wonder that the shorter boy fell asleep almost instantly. The Nara wasn't far behind, holding tight to his friend in his sleep.
That was how their parents found them, wrapped contentedly in each other's arms. Neither Shikaku nor Chouza wanted to disturb them. So the two men spread a blanket across the two boys and settled against two trees to wait patiently until the children woke up.
Author's Note: I couldn't help myself. I had to hint at something behind the scenes. But no worries, no shota to be found here. I promise. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you for reading and please review so I know how I did!