Sorry for not updating for so long! (Life got in my way...) This chapter's short, but I'm going to write more and more often, okay?
"He's a threat, Adiurat." Makuro Kenta's voice was fierce. "A serious danger to the village! And we can't just do that!"
"I'm aware of that, Makuro." The councilman Adiurat sounded bored and suave in comparison. "I implore you, save it for the rest of the council."
The sound of movement; one of the two men had stood up. Makuro's voice again, low and angry. Shikaku couldn't make out what he said, but the vehemence of it was clear.
"Kages," Adiurat's voice was clearer than Kenta's and far more cutting. His response was dismissive: "Why do you think I'm so eager to have him removed?"
"I think," Makuro Kenta retorted, nearly shouting; "That you're still trying to piss off Nara the Elder. I've told you what Sandaime said, and it's more important now than ever! Do you realise the fucking Akatsuki are here? Does that mean anything to you? We've got to do act, and we've got to do it soon, right now!"
Silence for a moment.
"If you weren't so young, Kenta, I'd be seriously offended by your behaviour. As it is – you're trying my patience. I know what I'm doing. If you interfere... I'll kill you."
Movement; a moment later, a door slammed.
Then Adiurat laughed out loud, and the sinister sound made Shikaku shiver.
Waking up after knocking yourself unconscious through over-exertion is not pleasant. Naruto had been reminded of that far too many times over the last month, and he was reminded of it again as he rolled off Shikamaru's couch and landed on the floor.
"Aurghh..."
He rubbed the bump on the back of his head, hair even messier than before. The ground sure was hard... But- his hitae-ate was missing!
At the thought that someone had interfered with him in his sleep, Naruto shot to his feet and looked around. Then blinked – he trained in a field, not someone's house! Squinting in confusion, he examined his surroundings. Familiar ... Shikamaru's house!
With that, memory kicked in. Ero-sennin shouting at a girl, racing back to Konoha through the night. Akatsuki... he'd been racking his mind for any mention of that name for most of the long, painful ride home. It still didn't mean anything to him.
"Hey,"
Shikamaru was standing in a doorway, holding a bowl and chopsticks. Naruto was relieved; his friend didn't look quite so different and strange as he had done when they'd fought Gaara. His eyes and the whisker-marks were changed, yes, but the same lazy Nara attitude was there. During that fight, his friend had been crazy and feral, almost berserk. Seeing the Nara normal reassured Naruto more than he would have thought - Shikamaru's laid back attitude had always been comforting, even when it meant you had to bribe him to actually do anything. The thought that his dad and/or the bastard-fox had messed that up had worried Naruto.
But... he wasn't exactly going to say so. He wouldn't know how to, anyway, and there were some more important things to take care of first:
"So, you got any ramen for me?"
Shikamaru shook his head in amusement and led the way to the kitchen.
In deference to Naruto's appetite (the blond ninja had spent an an entire day without food and – apparently – weeks with no ramen), they put off talking until after a breakfast that consisted of just about every instant noodle in the house. Shikamaru tried to use the time to think: he wasn't sure what to tell Naruto. He trusted him, but Asuma had made it clear that telling Sasuke about Itachi was a bad idea, so keeping that information from Naruto would be prudent. He considered it, and felt torn. Naruto was a good friend and a better ninja than him, but putting Ino and Chouji in danger was horrible enough already...
It was all so difficult. Too difficult, nearly: there were so many things to consider at the moment.
"Sooo, Shikamaru, what's going on?"
Naruto didn't seem to see that difficulty – he asked the question as if the conversation was about gossip, not threats to peoples' lives.
"Too much at once, actually. It's... complicated."
"Everything's complicated, though!" Naruto gestured widely, indicating 'everything' "I mean, what isn't? Well, except ero-sennin's taste in women, I s'pose, but... come on!"
Shikamaru found himself grinning. And... he really did want to talk to Naruto. Wanted to tell someone what was going on, tell them how all the threads and plot and possibilities were mixed up in his mind.
So he started explaining.
Rumiko was really one of the nicest people Rinku had ever met. The Nara girl's voice was hoarse and scratchy, but she'd talked nonetheless, explaining things about ninja and life and the Nara family. She was strange, though; maybe because of the faint nervousness in her gestures, definitely because of the sadness that lingered in her eyes.
It was hard to remember she was younger than Rinku. Very hard.
But even though talking Rumiko made Rinku feel young, it also made her feel less helpless and awkward than she had before. She'd been feeling hunted and hysterical and terrified for days, and this was definitely an improvement. At least as long as she didn't think about the whole crazy story about demons being hunted. That, like ninja skills and summoned toads, was something too bizarre to comprehend.
But – no. She was somewhere safe now, and she'd try and get on and make friends with the Nara family and then she could live here and maybe even be happy, and when the Akatsuki had gone she could go and look for her aunt and go home. And she wouldn't let herself wonder if the ninja had killed her aunt. Not now.
Makoto wasn't really surprised when his brother entered his room through the window; Kenta had never been patient, and knowing the room number he wouldn't have taken the longer route through the front door when easier access from the outside was available. Still, the palpable fury on his sibling's face was a shock.
"That pathetic bastard Aduirat won't listen to me!" Kenta growled in introduction, striding round his brother's small room to face him across the table. He didn't sit down, though. Makoto sighed: he knew better than to expect greetings but was still irritated by the lack of one.
"He's fucking idiotic! He's going to try and sell the damned host-kid out; we fucking can't let him!"
"And it's nice to see you too, dear brother," Makoto said blandly. It was petty, but it gave him time to think about the previous statement.
"Pay attention, f'r-skies-sake!" Kenta slammed his hands down on the table, furious-eyed, tendons standing out on his neck.. "We can't let that happen."
"Yes, I know. I've never wanted anyone to capture or kill Nara Shikamaru, if you remember."
"Fuck, Makoto. Do you not fucking care? What if some other village get their scheming hands on him, what then? If the seal gets broken, we're all screwed! And if he dies, that seal breaks. Either way, it's not going to be fucking pretty. But I found a way to stop it. I found a way, and I have got to use it. Come on, skies-sake, listen to me!"
Makoto sighed and rested his chin on his hand, looking at his brother's fury and feeling distant from it. Unmoved. He wished he'd said more to Shikamaru, and he regretted the fact his brother was never going to turn back from this route. He couldn't really help either of them, now.
Naruto and Shikamaru set off at once, heading down to the center of the village to meet their teams, which were still training together. Naruto had promised not to mention Itachi to Sasuke, and then told the fox-host that he wanted to be involved in any future rescue missions. Shikamaru felt pleased - he'd missed Naruto's joking view on things. He'd missed the blond's honest enthusiasm.
When Sasuke saw the two of them approach together (Chouji waved, Ino and Sakura were busy discussing something in heated voices and didn't look up), he stalked over to them.
"Idiot." It sounded like a challenge, despite the lack of inflection.
"Oi, bastard, you missed me?"
Sasuke's expression was cold, but there was a flicker of emotion behind the Uchiha mask. He wasn't really all that much like Itachi.
"Not really. I'm going to miss the peace and quiet we had while you were gone, though."
"Really? Well, I missed kicking your arrogant ass, bastard."
Shikamaru really didn't understand those two. But at least it meant Sasuke wouldn't bother him so much... he took a seat beside Chouji, glad to take his mind off his mysterious guest and the Makuro brothers.
...And not knowing that the two most recent problems in his life were about to meet one another. Makuro Kenta was heading for the Nara house, a dangerous scroll of ancient jutsu on his back.