This story takes place in the Naruto world during Naruto's time as hokage. I haven't gotten that far in the show so all of the knowledge is coming from internet research. I apologize if I got anything wrong. For Black Cat this happens just after Creed Diskenth becomes his number one enemy. This will be a multi chapter fic, but I'm not sure how quickly it will be updated so if you like this first chapter make sure to follow. Rated M for later lemons/yaoi!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Black Cat or any of the characters therein!
Chapter 1
Shikamaru Nara was bored. He was currently walking around town, hands in his pockets and looking for something to do. Normally boredom was not something the lazy jounin ever experienced, but lately it was becoming a more common occurrence. His best friends were busy with their dates and working. Choji had invited Shikamaru out a few times, but with his girlfriend Karui along Shika had felt too much like a third wheel. He didn't want to interrupt his friends lives and he didn't mind being on his own.
Well, at first he hadn't minded. Shikamaru had always liked finding time to himself to cloud watch or just relax, but he had been doing so much of that lately and it was causing his current boredom. Choji had suggested that he get himself a girlfriend, but what his friends didn't know was that he wasn't into women. He was gay and no one knew, not even his own family. It wasn't that he cared what anyone thought of him, it was just that no one had ever asked and he had never felt the need to tell anyone either.
Pausing his walking for a moment, Shikamaru stopped at a food stand to buy an apple. He began to eat it as he walked, surveying the town around him. Most of the people he knew, but there were always visitors and traveling salesmen in the town. Being a cautious shinobi he always kept an eye on any new comers.
When he had finished his apple he walked over to a trash bin that was near the mouth of an alley to throw it away. Glancing up, he noticed someone in the alley. They quickly disappeared around a corner before he could see who it was. Something felt off and he frowned. No one traveled down this alley normally. He decided to follow the person and quickly jumped up onto the roof of one of the buildings beside the alley, being careful not to be seen.
As a jounin of the Leaf he needed to be sure the suspicious person he saw was not a threat. He ran quickly but silently after the figure as they moved away from the buildings and into the woods. Once the figure was beneath the trees they started to move faster and Shikamaru had to work to keep up. Suddenly the figure stopped in a small clearing near one of the many rivers surrounding Konoha.
"Dammit Creed!" the young man shouted in anger.
Shikamaru remained quiet, watching from a perch in a nearby tree. He could only assume the young man was cursing a person, but he did not recognize the name 'Creed.' He could only hope that this person was not a spy. His brows furrowed in concern.
"Why did you send me here? I swear I will kill you when I return!"
The young man stood and turned back toward the village but stood silently, as if contemplating his next move. Shikamaru took this moment to get a good look at the young man. He was wearing black jeans and a black button up shirt. He was also wearing a long black jacket that reminded Shikamaru of the black cloaks of the Akatsuki, but it had no markings and clung tightly to the young mans figure, hiding nothing.
When Shikamaru's eyes came to rest on the young man's face his breath hitched for a moment. His hair was a dark brunette color that appeared almost black in the shadows. The young man's eyes were gold and reminded Shikamaru of a cat's eyes. He appeared young with slightly childlike features, but his jaw line was hard and Shika could see the hardness in his eyes. One last thing caught his eye and he almost laughed, but stopped himself before he could be caught. The young man was wearing a bell around his neck, very similar to a collar that a cat would wear.
The young man didn't seem to be interested in heading back toward the village and as Shikamaru watched he began gathering firewood to camp out for the night. It was getting dark and Shika briefly wondered if he should somehow send word to the Hokage that he was tracking a potential threat, but he decided to observe a little longer first. The brunette started a small fire, but paid close attention to his surroundings and Shikamaru knew he would have to be careful.
Finally the young man laid down in the grass beside the fire and closed his eyes. Shikamaru readjusted himself on the branch and decided to rest for a little while. When morning came Shika woke in time to see the young man kick the last of his fire's embers out and then tuck his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. When he had fled the village he had managed to sneak through the main gate unnoticed. Now the young man turned south and started walking. Throughout that day as Shikamaru followed, the young man made his way around the outside wall of the village, avoiding any guard towers.
Sneaking back over the wall somewhere near the training grounds the young man continued to avoid people and Shikamaru stated close behind. He stopped near training ground three and Shika became tense. A few of the academy students were practicing on that training ground right now and the young man seemed to be observing them. The young man appeared to be very confused by the students actions and Shikamaru furrowed his brows. The students were currently practicing with shuriken and it was a fairly simple thing to do.
One of the students created a clone for them to practice with, another simple thing, and Shikamaru watched as the young man gaped at them in awe. It was as if he had never seen such a thing and suddenly Shika wasn't as concerned about this man being a threat, but about where he may have come from. He decided that if the young man managed to stay out of trouble until nightfall, he would approach him.
When night came the young man found a secluded spot in the trees not to far from the training grounds and created another small fire. His stomach growled noisily and the young man groaned. Shikamaru decided now was the time to approach the young man and he did so with a boxed lunch in each hand.
"Hello," he said as he walked up to the small fire.
"Who are you?!" The young man was suddenly on his feet and holding what appeared to be a firearm. It was smaller than what Shikamaru was used to seeing, but it had the same shape and the young man was definitely holding it as though it was a weapon.
"I'm Shikamaru. I brought food," he offered, hoping to calm the young man.
Train cautiously lowered his gun as he smelled the food his surprise visitor brought. His stomach growled again in response. Since he had jumped through that portal he hasn't eaten and it's been nearly two full days now. He licked his lips and then his eyes moved from the lunch boxes up to the face of his visitor.
The man was tall and had spiky black hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. He wore black pants and a black sleeveless shirt with a white coat. The coat was short sleeved and completely unzipped allowing the low neckline of the undershirt to show off the man's upper chest and collar bones. There was a short goatee on his chin and he appeared intimidating, that is until he smiled. Train relaxed and placed his gun back into it's holster before taking one of the offered boxes.
"Thank you," he said and then began to eat, quickly devouring the whole box. The other man then handed him the second box. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"I'll eat later," the other man answered and Train shrugged, devouring the second box quickly as well.
"So, who are you kid?" Shikamaru asked once the boy had finished eating.
Train looked up at him thoughtfully. He didn't want to cause any trouble so he decided honesty was the best option. Perhaps this man would be able to help him get back home.
"My name is 13, Black Cat," he pulled his shirt to the side slightly, revealing his tattoo, "but you can call me Train."
"How did you get here Train?" Shikamaru was a little confused by the kid's name. It was very unusual.
"Creed tricked me," Train ground his teeth angrily and glared at the fire. Before Shika could respond the boy continued. "I tried to follow him through one of his portals, but he sent me here when I stepped through. I come from Japan. Do you know how I can get back there?"
"I've never heard of a place called Japan. This is Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves. I've been around, but I've never heard of that place. Are you ok kid?" Shikamaru was suddenly concerned.
"No, that can't be! Do you have a map? Maybe I can find it," Train pleaded. He was feeling a little afraid. Where on earth had Creed sent him?!
"Sure, here you go," Shikamaru handed over a map of the Elemental Nations and watched as Train scoured over it, looking more and more confused every second.
"This isn't right at all! America isn't on here! Neither is Europe or Africa or any other countries I know! What is going on?!"
"Calm down. I don't know what any of those places are, but could you maybe tell me more about this portal you stepped through?" Shikamaru wanted the young man to calm down, but he also wanted to try and help him if he could.
"I don't know much about it. One moment I was in Japan and the next I was in some alley way with strange looking people and buildings nearby. I ran out of town and into the woods where I stayed last night. Now here we are," Train explained. So that alley where I saw him was where he first appeared, Shika thought.
"I think you may be from a different world. You should come with me to see the Hokage tomorrow. He needs to know about this."
"What's a Hokage?" Train asked curiously.
"You mean Japan doesn't have one of those?" Shikamaru asked incredulously. Train continued to stare, uncomprehending. "A leader..." Shika tried.
"You mean the Prime Minister?"
"Interesting. I definitely believe you are not from this world. We'll speak to the Hokage in the morning, but for tonight would you like to sleep inside?"
Shikamaru led Train to his house where they spent the night. At first light Shika woke Train and led him to the Hokage tower. Once they were inside Shikamaru asked the anbu to leave the room. He wanted to discuss this with Naruto alone. Together Shika and Train explained everything they had discussed the night before. Naruto listened quietly until they had both finished.
"I believe you're right Shikamaru. This young man isn't from this world. What did you do for a living back in your world? We'll need to find a cover for you while you're here." Naruto seemed to trust Train and Shikamaru agreed with that feeling.
"Ah, well..." Train scratched the back of his head. He didn't want to seem threatening, but... "I was an assassin. I was raised by Chronos and given the name 13 or Black Cat by them. I recently left them and became a sweeper." At that he received confused looks from both men. "Bounty hunter," he clarified.
"Hmm, we'll have to test your skills and see where you would fit best. Shika, please go get Hinata Hyuga. We need to know how much chakra he has."
While Shikamaru was getting Hinata, Naruto took that time to explain the basics of being a ninja as Train would have to pretend to be one until he figured out how to go home. Train listened intently and was excited to learn anything that may help him with his fighting skills. When Shikamaru arrived back with Hinata, Train immediately stood, ready to find out how much chakra he carried.
"What do you see darling?" Naruto asked his wife.
"His chakra is...black," she answered nervously, "but he has a lot of it." Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged nervous glances.
"Is that bad?" Train asked as he watched their responses.
"It's good that your chakra reserves are large, but you need to be very careful when we begin training. Dark chakra requires extreme control. If you lose control the consequences will be very damaging."
Shikamaru nodded as Naruto explained. Once they were finished talking Naruto told Shika to take Train to the forest of death to test his current skills. Shika asked Train to wait outside and hung back to speak to Naruto alone.
"Do you think it's possible for his chakra to change?" Shikamaru asked.
"As you know, dark chakra is formed from the negative emotions of the heart. For his to be black...he must have had something extremely traumatic happen to him. If it was only gray I would say perhaps there was a chance, but I'm afraid he'll just have to learn to control it as it is," Naruto answered morosely. He didn't like it either, but all they could do was train the young man and hope that he had enough skill to maintain control. Shikamaru nodded and then walked outside to lead Train to the forest of death.
At the end of the day, when they left the forest, Shikamaru was watching Train thoughtfully. The young man had shown a lot of skill, even if he used a strange weapon. Train was very fast and very quiet. His speed reminded the older man of a certain kekkei genkai, but he couldn't think of the name of it right now. Suddenly Shika found himself wondering exactly how old this kid was. He looked to be no older than 16, but this level of skill was unheard of without proper ninja training. His stealth and speed were nearly on par with the anbu. Briefly he wondered what kind of training Chronos had put Train through.
"So, what's next?" Train asked as he walked, hands back in the pockets of his black jeans. Shikamaru quickly figured out their next move.
"We need to get you some new clothes. You need to blend in better." He led them to a clothing store where Train picked out some black pants, similar to what Shika was currently wearing, and some black long sleeve shirts that reminded Shika of Kakashi's clothing. They also picked out some sandals for him before he went into the changing room.
When Train stepped out of the changing room Shikamaru had to swallow, his mouth feeling suddenly dry. The young man was stunning and the black shirt he had on revealed his muscular physic. Shika finally understood why Kakashi always wore those shirts. He shook his head reminding himself that this young man was probably only 16. He himself was 27.
"Good, now we need to get you some proper ninja tools. Let's go," Shikamaru shook his head one more time and then led Train to a weapons shop where they got him a standard tools case, some shuriken and some kuni knives. They also picked up some paper bombs and wire. Finally they went back to the hokage tower to report to Naruto.
"He did extremely well in the forest of death. I think he should be made a shinobi immediately. With his skill set I could see him taking a place in the anbu sir," Shikamaru stated confidently.
"Is that so?" Naruto looked at Train curiously. "Very well, as of this moment you are a shinobi of the Leaf. I'm assigning you to Shikamaru Nara for further training and as your squad leader. You are free to search for a way back to your own world, but when you are not busy with that you will be working with him. In this world we will call you Kuro Neko."
"I don't currently have any students so it will be just you and me for now, Neko," Shika stated and smiled at the young man. He noticed that Train had equipped his tool case and was wearing it on his left leg. He stored that information in the back of his mind for use on their missions.
"You can call me Kuro," Train answered. He wasn't thrilled about this new name, even though it literally translated to 'black cat' it still felt strange. He hoped that Shikamaru would only call him that strange name when they were in public.
"Ok Kuro. Let's go get some food." Shikamaru led them to Ichiraku Ramen where they ate dinner. Since Train had no currency from this world, Shika paid for them both and then they went back to Shikamaru's house. Since there was no telling how long he would be there it had been decided that Train should stay with Shika.
"So, what do you guys do for fun here?" Train asked as he sat down on Shikamaru's couch. He immediately noticed that there was no television or radio.
"Well, we have some games. Do you know what shogi is?" Shikamaru almost regretted suggesting it. He had never met anyone that could beat him and he thought he should at least give his new teammate a chance at beating him.
"Yeah! I know what that is! Let's play," Train was excited to finally find something familiar in this strange world he had ended up in.
Shikamaru shrugged and then set up the board on the coffee table in front of the couch. They both took a seat on the floor near the table and began to play. When Train beat Shikamaru he brushed it off as him being rusty. He hadn't played in a long time and the kid just got lucky. When Train won for the second time Shika decided he needed a drink. He went to his fridge and got a bottle of sake down from on top of it.
"Is that alcohol? Great idea. May I have some?" Train asked.
"Are you even old enough?" Shikamaru asked skeptically.
"Of course, I always get carded no matter where I go," Train grumbled to himself and pulled out his wallet. Grabbing his photo ID he handed it to Shikamaru who looked at it curiously. He had never seen something like this before. It appeared to be similar to the statistics pages they created for all shinobi, but smaller and in the form of a card. It contained Train's full name, Train Heartnet, photo, his height, 5'9", and his weight, 84 lbs! Shikamaru wondered how the young man was even standing. It seemed strange that someone that tall would be so light. Finally Shikamaru's eyes found Train's birthday. April 13th of...what?! He was 23.
"Here you go," Shikamaru said as he poured a glass of sake for Train and handed it over.
"Thank you," Train said as he tucked his ID back into his wallet and took the drink.
They drank in silence and Shikamaru found his thoughts wandering back to the clothing store. He had found himself thinking Train was extremely attractive, but he had stopped himself as he thought Train was too young. Now that he knew exactly how old the young man was...
"So, what do people do for fun in your world?" Shikamaru asked to distract himself.
"Well, we have games too, but most people prefer to just watch TV or listen to music. We also like to go to the bar where you can do all of those things at once while people bring you food and alcohol. Oh, TV is like...pictures that move and it happens in an electric box with a screen." Train felt odd having to explain everything, but this man seemed to be genuinely interested and since they had to be on the same team, they may as well be friends.
"Do you have any interesting games, other than shogi I mean?" Shika wanted to know more about this man, but he couldn't bring himself to ask any personal questions so he stuck to the current train of conversation.
"There's video games. Those are like television that you control. We also play card games. The kids like to play things like hopscotch or truth or dare," Train watched Shikamaru take another drink and wondered if he would ask for more information about any of the games.
"What's truth or dare?" That game existed in this world as well, but Shikamaru was curious to see if Train would explain it or just offer to demonstrate.
"Would you like to try it?" Shikamaru shrugged in response. "Ok, well, I'll go first so you know what to do. I ask you 'truth or dare' and you have to pick one. Truth or dare?"
"Truth," Shikamaru responded.
"Ok, so now I ask you a question and you have to respond truthfully," he paused for a moment to come up with a good question. "Are you currently in a relationship?"
"No, I'm not," Shika answered. "Can I ask why you wanted to know?"
"You can ask any question, personal or not. I asked that one so that I would know if I should expect any angry visits from a disgruntled girlfriend or boyfriend. Now you can ask me." Train smiled and waited expectantly.
"Ok, umm...truth or dare?"
"I'll go easy on you for now. Truth."
"Hmm...are you a virgin?" Shikamaru fought down a blush, taking another drink so that he could blame it on the alcohol if needed.
"Yes. Now me, truth or dare?"
"Dare I guess..." Shika pretended to still seem like this was the first time he had played this game.
"Just so you know, if you don't want to do what I dare you to do you don't have to, but you do have to call yourself a chicken. I dare you to kiss me," Train blushed this time, but he didn't hide behind his alcohol.
Shikamaru thought about calling himself a chicken and then suggesting they go back to their game of shogi, but when he saw that blush...he slowly set his drink down on the counter behind him and waited while Train did the same with his own cup. Once they were facing each other once more, Shikamaru placed his right hand on Train's cheek and leaned in, tilting his head slightly to the left.
Train felt his breath catch in his throat as Shikamaru leaned in. He closed his eyes and then felt Shika's soft lips against his own. A moment later it was over and he opened his eyes. The older man slowly pulled his hand away from Train's face and turned to grab his cup, downing the remaining contents in one quick drink.
"We should...uh...get some sleep...before our first mission tomorrow," Shikamaru suggested. Train only nodded and followed the older man to the bedroom where there were two futons laid out from the previous night. He laid down on his own and quickly fell asleep.
