Just a short update to let you know that I'm not dead or anything. Unless I am, and my ghost is typing this... In any case, I don't think I'm dead, just incredibly busy, but the boys started talking to me again so here you go.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, and I am not making money from this story.
6 months later
Shikamaru Nara scanned the empty street in front of the courthouse again and sighed. He patted his pocket for his trusty pack of cigarettes, then groaned when he remembered they weren't there anymore. His wife, Temari, had threatened to castrate him if he came home smelling like smoke just one more time. Being attached to his manly bits as he was, the Nara male quickly gave up smoking. At times like this, though, he wished he had just one stick hidden away somewhere. Today was the final verdict of the final trial of what the media had dubbed "The Sandstorm." It had been a long six months, and so much had happened in that time.
Shikamaru remembered storming into the Akstsuki's fighting arena and yelling...saying...mumbling, "Put your hands up or whatever," and hearing the shocked silence that followed. Of course, that eerie stillness only lasted for the briefest of moments before chaos, once again, reigned supreme. Before he could finish blinking, he'd seen: two bodies on the floor, one breathing, one not; a fist fight between Gaara and Sasuke, with Naruto getting hit by them both trying to break it up; the trainer and trafficker Orochimaru fleeing while his silver-haired companion sank to his knees, bleeding from a stomach wound; Kiba snarling and running into a brawling crowd; Lee leaping through the air to kick a suspiciously masked man who was wearing a red cloud spotted cloak; Ino creeping through flying bodies to deliver first aid (and a few punches) to people in need; Sai, sitting off to the side, scribbling notes like mad.
The Nara male huffed. "Troublesome," he muttered, wishing that he had some sort of secret super power that could freeze people in their tracks and make them do what he wanted them to, which was, namely, be still. He raised a hand in the air, and motioned to his team. Shino echoed his message, then passed it along to anyone who may not have seen it flash. Weapons were pulled out, checked, and positioned. Shikamaru motioned again, and his team moved in, quickly subduing civilians and dispatching any Akatsuki member that tried to flee. From the corner of his eye, he spotted one of the organizers, Shukaku, according to his intel, attempting to sneak away, dragging a large duffel bag and a young woman behind him. Shikamaru made a move to intercept him, but a certain redhead beat him to the punch.
Gaara's head shot up, his nostrils flaring. Turning, his gaze roamed across the melee going on around him. With a dangerous chuckle bubbling up in his throat, he threw Sasuke onto the floor and ran, shoving bodies out of his way. Shikamaru watched from across the rapidly emptying arena how Gaara planted fists in Shukaku's face and gut. The older man coughed and doubled over, but Gaara wasn't nearly finished. He grabbed the man by his hair, yanking his head up, and slamming a knee into his nose. The girl's moved and her hands gestured wildly. Gaara pushed her away, none too gently, and continued his assault on the other male.
Meanwhile, Sasuke struggled against the hold the Naruto had him locked in. While Shikamaru watched, eyes narrowed as he took in the unmoving forms of Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha, Naruto delivered a tooth-rattling right hook to Sasuke's jaw. Mentally, the Nara male cheered, but made sure to keep his his features schooled into passive boredom. Naruto shook his former friend -and first love- and threw him to the floor, where the Uchiha male landed, winded, right next to his long lost older brother. Fists clenching and unclenching, the blond stalked briskly toward his boyfriend. Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his temples. There was a whole lot of explaining to a whole lot of people in his very near future, he just knew it. In the end, the remaining Akatsuki members were rounded up and shipped to an ANBU detention facility. Kabuto, Itachi, and Shukaku were sent, under heavy guard, to an ANBU-affiliated medical facility. Gaara and Sasuke were taken for questioning. The civilians were released after giving statements and contact information. and Naruto…
Shikamaru was forced to orchestrate the arrest of his friend.
"What?" Naruto exclaimed as his hand were cuffed behind his back. "You're arresting me?"
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I have to do this by the book. I'm in enough trouble as it is for bringing you all along with me. But you-" The Nara male sighed. "You killed a man."
"Self-defense," the blond muttered darkly.
"Maybe so," Shikamaru admitted. "But it still has to go on record and be investigated."
"What about Gaara? And...and Sasuke?"
Shikamaru regarded his friend contemplatively. "They'll be fine," he assured the other man. "They just need to answer some questions, get checked out, and then they'll be free to go." At Naruto's questioning look, Shikamaru forced himself to smile. "Everything is going to be fine. I do, however, have some things to tell you, but not right now. For now, let's just get out of here. I can't leave yet, but Shino will escort you back to HQ. And the guys are all okay. None of them were seriously injured."
Naruto's lip trembled. "Gaara needs me."
"He'll be looked after."
"Can I least see him before you take me...wherever?"
Shikamaru sighed. "I'll try to arrange a phone call once you land, okay? That's the best I can offer you right now."
"Thanks, Shikamaru." Naruto allowed Shino to lead him away.
Shikamaru grunted and patted his vest for his pack of cigarettes. "Don't thank me yet, Uzumaki. This still has the potential to end up very, very bad." True to form, the Nara male's prediction was spot on. Naruto spoke to Gaara via video phone from his cell, and the session ended badly. The report Shikamaru received stated that there was growling, snarling, cursing, begging, and finally, weeping, mostly from Naruto's end. The two males had not spoken again.
Which was why, on this sunny spring day, Shikamaru was standing outside of the courthouse, scanning the streets for a shock of red hair. Naruto was expected to receive the verdict in his case, and Gaara had been invited to attend. Temari had passed along the message to her younger brother; she and everyone else only knew that Gaara was "traveling" but regularly checked his email. He refused to communicate with anyone beyond the general inquires to his health. The fact that he was communicating at all, Shikamaru chalked up to the red-haired man's time with their favorite blond.
"Shikamaru," a quiet voice broke into his thoughts. "They're ready."
Bleary eyed, he turned to Shino and gave a sharp nod. "Right. Let's get this over with."