Chapter 2:
Shikamaru's thoughts were a mess as he dragged himself out of the shadows of the trees into the tiny clearing where he hid away from the things that got to be too much for him. This was definitely one of those times. He didn't want to worry his friends but he found he didn't care at this point; he needed to cope and this was the only way he knew how. He choked on his next breath however and it turned into a sob as the tears now flowed freely and he collapsed onto the forest floor the shadows that protected him pulling at him and dragging into his misery where his abnormity would expand exponentially before breaking free and he couldn't rein it in.
The pain was too great to cope in this form and so the shadows surrounded him changing him into a form that was used to imbalances in hormones and emotions. This is what his parents couldn't handle and the sobs intensified the change was always so painful and it lasted for nearly three days at least; his fragile family ties had been sacrificed for nothing, his secret had been told for nothing not that Neji ever had the chance to witness the effects of what his family secret did. No one had ever witnessed it besides Chouji and he trusted his best friend not to speak of it ever.
It had been close to a week of laying in the forest and only surviving off of the rations that he kept in his weapons pouch when he heard it. There was a sudden rustling in the distance alerted him to someone's approach and they were approaching fast about 100 km north-east. He shuddered in panic no one could see him like this; his chakra network was too distinguishable to not be recognized by the one approaching. Quickly he let the shadows take him, using the only technique he knew that would obscure him completely, and he melted completely before disappearing just as the two bodies came crashing through the trees into the clearing; one a canine of great proportions, the other a young man with canine like qualities.
'Kiba… and Akamaru…' Shikamaru realized as he shifted knowing he would never be seen but scent was another thing all together and he had forgotten that when he'd used the technique so he was surprised to hear Kiba call him out.
"Come out Shikamaru, I know you're here…You have to be…" Kiba's voice had trailed off, a desperate whisper as he could not see his beloved friend nor could he pin-point his scent, it seemed to be surrounding him but not touching him where he was standing: the only spot that was reached by the moonlight in the late hours of the evening/early morning.
The desperation surprised Shikamaru, so much so that he unknowingly released the technique and stood at the very edge of the clearing partially hidden by a tree and thoroughly hidden by the shadows. "Shika!" Kiba exclaimed whipping around as he sensed me appear. He stopped coming towards Shikamaru when Akamaru growled at the one hidden by the shadows and that's when he caught the change in scents; it still smelled like his beloved friend but there was something different, so minimal, so…feminine. "Shika?" Kiba said in askance not entirely sure his senses were right which was really saying something considering that's what he relied on for survival.
The eyes he could see; the whites were vibrant against the dark of the iris and pupil with the surrounding darkness that engulfed every other physical trait in obscurity. And those eyes seemed softer, still sharp with wit and knowledge, but still effeminate. He heard the sigh and felt the breath as the breeze was nonexistent this deep in the forest.
Again he called his name in askance his head tilted in curiosity, Shika acknowledged, like a puppy. He decided he would take his chances and hope that keeping his voice low and his body to the shadows would be enough to hide this secret. At the fourth call of his name, this time there was agitation, as if Kiba thought he was toying with him and Shika responded.
"What, Kiba?" He could see the change in Kiba as he realized his voice was higher than a male's voice his age should be. Panic coursed through him and he knew Kiba seen it in his eyes as he uttered a brief profanity and leaped to try and get away. The panic did not help to lower his distress that triggered the reaction and in fact brought it to a new high that Shikamaru knew was going to force him to shut down if it got any higher. However, any further thoughts were cut short as he was blindsided by a giant white beast and was pinned down under great white paws. Akamaru sniffed liberally at the person pinned underneath him; barking happily the ninja dog licked the face in excitement. Kiba sighed in relief as he approached the dog pinning who was now confirmed as Shikamaru, even though there was something still off about his scent.
"Why did you run Shika?" Kiba asked kneeling down and meeting the eyes of his broken hearted friend. Shikamaru held his gaze before turning his face and rolling over away from dog and owner.
"I didn't want you to know… I didn't want anyone to know about this shameful disposition…" Kiba was confused; his beloved friend's voice was filled with reproach and self-loathing something he hadn't heard since the first retrieval of Sasuke attempt that ended in failure, at least according the nationally deemed genius. With Kiba's confusion evident, Shikamaru sighed disdainfully before sitting up and answering that confusion with a reply.
"Come with me back to my clearing?" He asked holding a hand out for Kiba which he accepted helping himself up off of his haunches. Releasing Kiba's hand, Shika took to the trees his friend and dog following closely behind him. As the clearing came into view, the trio slowed before stopping just before the comfort of the shadows ended. Sensing his friend's reluctance to enter into the lighted area, Kiba placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before speaking.
"Come on Shika, I gotta make sure you're alright and I can only do that in the light. Your reluctance is worrying me…" He trailed off unsure of what really to say but it seemed to have the desired affect as Shikamaru sighed heavily once more before taking a step towards the light. As soon as he took that step however, Shikamaru felt a shift that told him this would be a mistake and he couldn't tell if it was just that self-loathing voice in his head or actual reason.
"I…Kiba, you have to leave…" Shikamaru found himself saying, feeling it unsafe for his friend to be near him any longer and in the next second he realized why. There was a strong pulse of power that nearly knocked Shikamaru off his feet but did succeed in knocking Kiba back a few feet sliding to a stop before he had a chance to crash into a tree.
"Shika…" Kiba started but never got to finish as a raised hand silenced him. It was in the light of the moon, casting a sharp appearance of talon hands meant to sink into prey. "Kiba!...Leave!" at the guttural order Kiba's eyes focused more clearly on the figure of his friend clearly making out the outline even in the dim lighting thanks to his enhanced eyes. The outline was much more curvy than what was to be expected of a male of any age and it was only another question compounded onto the several others that were the secret that the Nara family has hidden for so long, only to have Shikamaru out it, if only to the leader of the village and the elders. Another pulse of dark power knocked him back once more this time he did collide with one of the many surrounding trees and his worry for his friend and perhaps his life as well were heightened.
"Leave NOW Kiba." Shikamaru ordered once more obviously sensing he had not fled at the first warning but Kiba was all too familiar with primal power and that's what Shikamaru was exuding unendingly; if he kept it up ANBU would be there to detain him in the matter of minutes considering how far they were into the woods and the wards that protected the area. Shaking off his brief hesitation, Kiba stood once more with determination.
"The power does not accept you as a mate. The power will destroy you effortlessly. The power commands you to leave." Shikamaru's off-voice ordered him, now even odder and more robotic than before. Kiba growled sensing this was a time for his primal animalistic side to come out and show it's dominance; releasing it, he over-powered what Shikamaru was putting out and a whimper from Akamaru almost made him waver and lose the dominance battle. Shikamaru shivered at the thrill from the power around him, not really knowing what was going on but feeling an acceptance nowhere near what he thought he would ever have in his lifetime.
The powers raged, Kiba's overcoming Shikamaru's with each step closer that he took and when he was standing before his beloved friend, himself cast in the moonlight while Shikamaru stayed just inside the shadows, the powers were almost at a complete equilibrium and Kiba knew that the one thing he needed to do to reach that stage was to take the last step and wrap his arms around the one person he couldn't forget no matter how much tail he chased.
Kiba took the plunge and wrapped his arms around his beloved friend, pulling him close. The powers clashed mightily before simmering and disappearing into the calmness of acceptance. The affects on Shikamaru were instantaneous; his body shook pressed firmly against Kiba as he was before collapsing altogether against him in exhaustion; his emotions were stretched thin and he physically couldn't be more drained and so his body and brained crashed slumping against his only form of support.
Kiba noticed the shift in weight even as he was confused by the feel of the form that was pressed against him and so laid the body down in the clearing as Akamaru approached and sat by his side as he stared dumbfounded at the genius before him. The coveted secret of the Nara clan was that every second generation could turn into females? How the hell was that something to be ashamed of?