Drabble #3 Of the Same Feather

Rated: T

Genre: Humor/Friendship

Summary: they're in different team, but somehow flock together under one mutual interest.


Shadis is beyond exasperated.

Never in his whole life and past experience had he met a bunch of infuriating troublemakers. After all these years, his notorious reputation of being the harshest and strictest Training Corps Instructor has helped him through the toughest ordeals, such as dealing with pussy kids to troublesome brats to even stubborn rebels. But, he supposed he has to question that again if it is much true, because they are quite immune.

Or, as he observes a lot of times, they simply forget all the painful lessons and get so wrapped up in their own little world. And he learns not to underestimate the little sparks of rivalry going on between them because it can end up into a disaster.

Such as Naruto's and Kiba's stupid race against one another one time during a supposed-to-be 3DMG exercise, which sadly turns into a 3DMG show of competition. Or the horse stable catastrophe because Eren and Jean, out of their brilliant minds, made the place as their fighting arena, almost losing all horses if no one noticed them having been set loose. Or their taking opportunities of sparring exercises for their long-awaited physical brawl, to the extent that even bets are made secretly among other trainees.

Having to deal with Naruto and Kiba alone is emotionally challenging. Who knows they have a childhood rivalry in forms of crazy shenanigans and competition. He definitely doesn't need another one from Eren and Jean, although it's a different kind, formed out of contrasting worldviews, ideals, and values. There's really nothing wrong about their competitiveness or trying to best the other. No really, because Shadis himself appreciates rivalry among trainees. It motivates them and pushes their potential. However, these four boys is a different case.

An exception. A peculiar kind of exception. And what makes it peculiar?

It's their temper, he finds out.

Hot as a searing fire. Short to fuse and quick to snap. Raging and blazing, that every sensible part of their mind is believed to have been burned to crisp. No wonder they resort to fight with their fist. Their bodily instinct and violent excitement taking over.

And that same temper is what brings them together, eventually and unfortunate for Shadis' increasingly thin patience. Having to deal four of them altogether in whatever ruckus and shit they cause is a whole another story. Bless his soul. And now, it has even occupied more of the list as of lately.

Such as Kiba's coming up with animal nicknames so Naruto and Eren has a good share of it, which leads to the most intense argument they have ever had. Or just a simple switch of sparring partner that one time, which leads to a bragging and mocking contest who's the best fighter of the four. Shadis learns not to pair up either Naruto or Kiba with either Eren or Jean because instead of trying to separate of the two rivals, these four have become more like rivals against each other than before. Or the idea of punishing them altogether, which backfires than what is expected and creates a greater mess. And the list still goes on, but when these four boys are somehow involved together in one way or another for the uproar they cause, those calamities immediately fall into the unforgettable category. Forever burned into his memories, till he brings them to the grave.

Including today, as reported that a fight breaks loose. As usual.

Not the usual bickering between Naruto and Kiba, or between Jean and Eren. No. This time, it's the four of them, he can tell so easily. Even as he hastens to the scene, he can hear string of curses and their battle cries halfway. Shadis heaves a sigh of frustration and clears his throat to prepare for the loud-mouth contest ahead. The moment he hears "Your idiocy almost fucking kill me, fishcake!" from Jean, he knows for sure this case is real serious. Half-dreading of what's to come, the corps leader half-hopes that they are not at each other's throat in the most literal sense this time.

Damn. I don't sign up for handling these stubborn hotheads.

When he arrives, he is greeted with an aftermath of an ongoing fight. By means of ongoing fight, they're still wrestling and exchanging comebacks. Sighing again, he demands, voice loud as he can muster. Well, the better word is he just explodes, right on the spot where he arrives.

"CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL HAS JUST HAPPENED THIS TIME?!"

Apparently, it took quite a handful of you did this or you did that and unreliable explanations which he doesn't give a damn of before Shadis can catch on to the actual story, with his making sure the boys shut up first and letting the third party who's involved to tell the whole story. As expected, the story itself is an enigma. How they end up with a complicated mess from one thing which leads to another is one common characteristic of the troubles they cause. Like a fire which never ceases to burn when there's a fuel or something flammable. It may as well spread like wildfire.

Like when Naruto chose to relay his flag to Connie by throwing it in a distance of about a hundred feet, as first accounted by Connie in the story.

Like when the flag almost hit Jean when he arched upward, which could result in serious injury or death if Jean's flying fast enough, as emphasized by Jean himself.

Like when Jean swerved all of the sudden to Eren's direction and almost crashed against him. Fortunately, they managed to avoid the collision, but Eren couldn't avoid his depleted gas because of his reflex-based maneuver and has to be stuck among the lower branches of one tree.

Like when Kiba attempted to be not involved, but in actuality, he and Naruto were trying to outrace, or in this context, out-relay one another. It's another common knowledge that anything extreme from Naruto's action is highly based on his stubborn determination to beat his childhood rival.

When fire meets fire, there'll be no end to its burning licks. That's the natural principle of fire. And boy, they are like fire with their ever-present shitty temper acting like their fuel. Perhaps nature has her way to make them meet one another and rekindle their fury into this full-blown fiery mess. At least Shadis has tried, putting each of them in different team and expecting a smooth drill today, and it turns out to be the opposite. But what can be done anyway?

Such is the strange nature of their bond. After all, there is a saying birds of the same feather flock together. It's another inevitable principle of nature.

But now, he has to think of the right punishment for them. He absolutely can't punish them doing the same chores in the same vicinity. He won't repeat the same mistake.