Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
REVISED 5/30/2015
All posted chapters have been revised. This basically involved cleaned up typos, rewording a little dialogue, fixing a messed up name and correcting a continuity error. While there are very likely still errors because I'm not perfect, these should be a little cleaner. I have redone all that was already posted in order to get myself back in the game of writing. I know it's been getting close to a year now since I've last updated, but I am working on it. Life happened and I'm sorry but I'm back. And if it makes you feel better, my little sister is going to be badgering me to update and since I live with this person and I'll want her off my back, it is likely that you will get more frequent updates now.
No Thanks Necessary
Chapter 6
Shikaku was still sitting on the ground, the sleeping form of Kiba Inuzuka still curled up in his lap, even over an hour later. He ignored the tingling in his feet as they slipped between sleeping and waking from the pressure of the child pushing his legs down into his heels. The boy's grip remained tight, even in slumber, and Shikaku couldn't help but feel for the child. He'd had a rather hard night and the whole debacle wasn't even over yet.
A pair of nurses exited the room, muttering darkly, their eyes catching on the pair.
One scoffed and jerked his head to look away. Setting his jaw he said, "First Academy teachers and now the clans. He turned fierce eyes on Shikaku, "I thought you Naras were supposed to be smart."
Shikaku met his gaze steadily and ground out, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"The f-!"
The man was cut off as Shikaku's shadow froze him in place, locking his jaw so that he could not continue. The Nara darted his eyes down to Kiba importantly before returning them to the nurses.
The message was clear: Be careful what you say. Not everyone here knows the secret.
If anything the man's face became even more contorted in anger. "That thing is a murderer…!"
"He's a little boy!" Shikaku hissed in response. How badly have we let you down Naruto? "He's no different from this boy here!" He pointed out indicating Kiba who was starting to stir, even combined emotional and physical exhaustion not being enough to keep him asleep though this man's tirade.
As the nurse opened his mouth again, Shikaku scoffed in distain, "I wonder if the latest shipment of medical supplies for the hospital has left my clan's storehouse yet…?"
The unspoken threat hung in the air, but his point had been made.
Without another word, the man stomped off down the hallway and Shikaku sighed heavily. He would never make good on that threat, not with the amount of people that would be harmed by the shortage of medicines, but the nurse didn't know that.
Sudden awkward shifting in his lap, alerted him to Kiba's re-acquaintance with consciousness.
The Inuzuka scrambled out of the scarred man's lap as he looked on in tired bemusement.
Kiba had settled on his knees next to the jounin and clenched his hands into his pajama bottoms. "Is Naruto okay?" The boy's eyes looked up so earnestly into Shikaku's that he almost had to look away.
He was rescued in the form of an exhausted Academy Instructor.
"He's sleeping Kiba." Iruka smiled at the boy as his head shot quickly to take in the man. "He's alright. You can go see him if you want, but let him sleep."
The Inuzuka was up and in the room before Iruka had even finished speaking and the screech of a chair against the linoleum floor alerted Shikaku to the boy's current location without even having to look.
Shikaku sighed and pushed himself up to a standing position as Iruka settled himself against the wall with a tired huff.
"Can I ask how you got involved in this mini-nightmare of a night?" Shikaku grumbled while rubbing his face harshly as he tried to bring some more wakefulness into his body. "I'll need it for my report." He added rather offhandedly, but it was true nonetheless.
"Naruto knows not to go to the hospital without an adult." A grim expression settled on the normally positive teacher's face. "They won't see him or they'll send him away. And then whoever does come with literally has to be there the whole time, looking over their shoulders so they give proper care, they'll just stand around in the room and then come out a while later saying that they had done what they could." Iruka sighed and rubbed mindlessly at his forehead.
The explanation was succinct and it was apparent that this wasn't the first time that Naruto had sought out the kindly Iruka to ensure basic medical service. Or maybe, he wondered momentarily, he had just sought the teacher out who then forced them to go to the hospital. Either way, Iruka is too bitter about it to have not been slapped in the face with the shock of it all at least once before, and probably many times.
Shikaku closed his eyed and heaved yet another sigh. The Nara mind, forever making connections between his current experience and past experiences was once again recalling that Kiba was the same age as Shikamaru. And so was Naruto. He felt a clenching around his heart at the thought of that being his boy in there instead of Naruto. What if Kiba had been taking shelter with them instead of the blonde? Shikaku was under no illusions. If he hadn't been able to surprise Biyoku he might not have been able to stop him without further assistance taking the man's sheer rage into account.
"Are you able to tell me what happened?" Iruka interrupted his musings, the eyes gazing at Shikaku filled not just with well fought off sleep, but a complicated swirling mix of worry, fear, exasperation, anger, and a host of other things.
Shikaku sighed. "All is not well in the Inuzuka household. Naruto gave Kiba a place to escape from it. Biyoku found out and…" Shikaku gestured widely in the general direction of Naruto's hospital room. "This happened…" he ended lamely.
He reached back and tugged on his tied hair, a gesture indicating frustration from those who knew him well enough, though it meant nothing to the teacher before him, in order to help himself focus.
Note to self: have a conversation with Shikamaru about sensitive information and how to go about relaying it…particularly in emotionally charged situations.
Shikamaru had never encountered Biyoku, most children didn't as by unspoken agreement of the clan parents they steered their kids clear of the man on the off chance he was in the village, though he was usually on border patrol missions (just whispers that the man was on the border was enough of a deterrent sometimes). And it wasn't like Shikaku walked around the house talking about other ninja of the village. As much as he was able, the shadow clan head liked to try and keep work and home separate. A lot of what he saw was classified anyway so the old practice had come in handy as he had progressed in rank during his career.
When it came down to it though, Biyoku was an unknown variable to Shikamaru, his only knowledge of the man being that he was Kiba's father, an Inuzuka and a ninja of the village. Operating on that information, Shikamaru's logical mind had probably decided that it was safe to share any information with family and ninjas.
By all rights it should have been.
But if the boy had been paying attention to the current situation on hand he would have known that there was something that he was missing. Maybe he would have pulled his father aside and told him privately. Maybe…
But that was pointless now.
Maybe he should play more Shougi with the boy…that would help with critical thinking skills and situational analysis. Besides it's a game that one can play and barely have to move – just their kind of activity really. That should be right up Shikamaru's alley.
Shaking the thought out of his head, Shikaku finally hauled himself up off of the floor and clapped his hand onto Iruka's shoulder. "Thanks for getting them here, but I've got it now. Go home and get some rest, I'll send you an update tomorrow."
Iruka smiled in thanks before trudging down the hall, undoubtedly dreading the morning and a room full of screaming eight-year-olds on scarcely any sleep…though without Naruto and Kiba there it should be much quieter he would think.
He slipped into the room and observed the result of this night. Two exhausted boys, one sleeping beneath the sheets of his hospital bed, the other, head pillowed on crossed arms balanced on the edge of the bed, slumped half off of his chair.
He sighed yet again and muttered about something being more trouble than it was worth before grabbing a spare blanket out of the cupboard against the wall and settling it around Kiba's shoulders.
It was going to be a bad couple of days for these boys he thought idly before settling against the wall to keep vigil until morning.
