AN:/ Hello everyone.

This is roughly inspired by an AU idea I had for the Shippuden Filler episode Iruka's Dilemma, which I watched during a massive windstorm that swept over my area last week whilst desperately reading any ShikaNaru fics I could get my hands on and looking for any KibaNaru fics that were worth reading.

So, now that I have consumed basically all the ShikaNaru fics I could, as well as finding a horrifically small amount of any KibaNaru fics ((that weren't porn)(where are my adorable foxhound fics? There are NONE. ITS ALL PORN!)(Not that this is a bad thing mind you, it's just not what I'm looking for)) I have decided to make my own fic.

With that said, romance isn't going to be a big part of the plot until later. Until then it's just going to be subtle references to potential crushes and whatnot.

Happy Reading!

*Edit 11/4: Posted this a few days ago and just realized that I've been misspelling Hibachi's name as Hachibi. I have attempted to fix this. If anyone sees any places where I missed, however, please don't be shy and just let me know!

Chapter One:

"When are you gonna get it? You can't play with us."

The statement was clear as day, even across from the playground at Konoha's Ninja Academy. Shikamaru sat up from where he was lying prone on the ground to watch the clouds roll by to see what the commotion was about. It was Hibachi arguing with a now nervously laughing Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto's back was turned to Shikamaru, but he saw her curl slightly inward at Hibachi's declaration. His three goons laughed at clear embarrassment.

"Not only are you a freak, but you're also a girl. You'd be useless in a Test of Courage."

Naruto shoved her hands in her pockets and Shikamaru heard her laugh, high and fake.

"Ha! Yah… I guess so. Well, I'll see ya tomorrow then."

One of Hibachi's goons, the left one, responded, "Whatever. Go away, freak."

"You're funny!"

"Yah, well you're stupid," said the right goon, meanly.

The wide grin that Naruto wore when she turned around was deeply unsettling to Shikamaru. It was plastered on her face like a sticker and obviously fake. Her eyes were closed, and she'd dug her hands even further into her pockets as she pulled her arms close around her. Shikamaru didn't understand it. The behavior made no sense to him. Why was Naruto so desperate for friends that she was trying to join in on Hibachi's stupid games. It wasn't like she didn't have playmates- the sheer amount of time she spent on the playground with him and Choji after school was evidence of that.

She was always the last one to leave. Always.

However, today seemed to be one of the days where Naruto decided she'd rather be alone, than with the other children- not that Shikamaru blamed her. Part of him wanted to join her. Choji was making his normal after school ritual of cloud watching difficult with his excessive chewing. While the large boy was kind and soft-spoken enough that Shikamaru could actually enjoy his company rather than simply tolerate him like he did most people, Choji lacked the ability to chew with his mouth closed.

Naruto kicked a rock out of her path as she left the playground alone, her wide fake grin gone, head hanging low. The rock hit the fence with a pang, then bounced back and hit her shin. Shikamaru heard Naruto swear in pain. Almost immediately after Hibachi laughed, along with most of the playground. Not sure how to respond, Shikamaru stayed silent. The situation wasn't one he could effectively control; it was best to stay out of it. Next to him, Choji just looked sad and shoved more chips in his mouth with worried fervor.

Whirling around in rage, all credence of fake cheer gone, Naruto growled in an eerily animalistic fashion. A part of Shikamaru wondered if Naruto would shout something along the lines of, "When I'm Hokage, you'll all be sorry!"

However, Naruto did nothing but shake her head. Her hands were out of her pockets now, clenched into fists at her chest. Then, she lowered them. Naruto gave the playground children another glare then turned and walked away with a quick stomping pace.

It disturbed and irritated Shikamaru more than if she had just yelled.

Yet there was nothing to be done about it so Shikamaru turned his gaze back to the sky. Large cumulus clouds were looming overhead. Just how big were they? From here they looked about as big as his head, but when he was on the top of the mountain behind their village cumulus clouds were also about as big as his head. So that must mean they were farther away than he could effectively estimate with any tools he had at his disposal, right? Shikamaru held his hand up over his face. Perhaps a kilometer? The size of his fist fit neatly over one of the smaller clouds that looked a little bit like Naruto-

Troublesome. Even without her being on the playground anymore, the girl was still working her way into his thoughts. He wanted to run after her, but he was reluctant to get involved. Getting involved meant going up against Hibachi, which he viewed as more trouble than it was worth. The boy was about as big as Kiba, but more vicious and had three other boys the same size to back him up. Even if Shikamaru could convince Kiba to help (which would be easy as the boy loved a good fight) they wouldn't stand a chance. Not unless Sasuke got involved as well, who was the best in their class at taijutsu; but that was unlikely to ever happen. Uchiha Sasuke was not known for his friendly, good-willing, or charitable nature. Besides that, he and Naruto hated each other.

No, Shikamaru would rather spend his time relaxing while watching clouds than get involved with this god-forsaken mess of a situation which would be sure to only bring him headaches and-

"Shikamaru…"

Shikamaru groaned. He knew what Choji would say.

"Yah?"

"We should go after Naruto."

Shikamaru groaned again.

"You came after me when those kids we were playing ninja with made me leave!" said Choji, who had even put his chips down, now too upset to even eat.

This convinced Shikamaru. If Choji was too upset to eat then he was truly upset. That was something Shikamaru never wanted to see. The two boys weren't related by blood, nor did they look similar in appearance; where Choji was large (some would say fat), Shikamaru was scrawny; where Choji was trusting and open, Shikamaru was scrutinizing and cynical. Yet, for all their differences, Shikamaru couldn't come up with a better word for Choji than brother. So Shikamaru would weather whatever mess came with their involvement, if only for Choji.

Besides, the atmosphere in the playground was now ill-suited for a relaxing afternoon of watching clouds. The tension from earlier still carried; the other children were now warily watching Hibachi, no one wanting to be his next victim now that Naruto had stalked off. Though… with a frown Shikamaru watched Kiba glaring at Hibachi which didn't shock him. Kiba usually played with Naruto when everyone else got tired of his own antics.

That was another mess waiting to happen. It was high time to leave.

"Yah… You're right. We'll go find her."

…

The two didn't have to search long. Within a few minutes of getting into the market district Shikamaru found Naruto stomping down the street wearing an expression that told him she was up to no good.

Choji saw it too, "Uh oh,"

"Yah. Hibachi is gonna get it if Naruto has anything to say about the matter," said Shikamaru, walking fast enough to match Naruto's pace. He'd catch up when Naruto inevitably stopped somewhere. Until then, there wasn't really any point in walking any faster. He didn't quite feel like putting energy into human speech and Naruto was deep into a new battle strategy for a prank, so why bother?

"What do you think she's gonna do this time?"

"Something troublesome…" Whatever it was involved a wooden fox mask. Naruto gasped in a delighted way that gave Shikamaru a shiver up his spine when she saw it. This time her smile was bright, with nothing hidden or fake. She climbed up the platform without a care in the world to look at the red and white ANBU-like mask. It was a complete flip from the angry, sullen energy that Naruto had possessed barely ten seconds ago. Shikamaru had to smile a bit when she danced, jumping up and down. It was cute.

Not that he would ever tell anyone. Most certainly not his mother.

"What the hell are you doing in here? Get out!"

"Wha-?" Suddenly, before Shikamaru knew what was happening the stall owner had violently pushed Naruto out of the stall and off the platform. The result was Naruto falling backwards. The back of her head just barely missed a rock. Next to him Choji gasped. Shikamaru was rigid. Choji started to move forward, but Shikamaru held him back.

Danger. That was the only thing he could sense at the moment.

None of the numerous adults standing around were doing anything. In fact, it was the opposite. Shikamaru would have expected someone to help Naruto up, but they didn't. Instead they were glaring at her like she was the offending party.

"What the hell? What's your problem, assface?" yelled Naruto, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. Idiot. Couldn't she see that everyone around her was giving off the air of wanting to publicly stone her? Get out of there, Naruto. Don't confront him. Just get out of there. I'll take you to Dad and he'll fix this. Instead of doing what Shikamaru was attempting to telepathically communicate to her, Naruto mumbled, "I just wanted to look at the mask…"

The villagers around them were whispering now. Fast, heated words that Shikamaru could barely catch.

"Isn't she-?"

"Shh, we're not supposed to talk about that,"

"What a pest. Serves her right."

"Always bringing trouble. She'll bring the plague next thing you know."

Next to him, Choji was eating again, loudly and with obvious worry. "Shikamaru…"

The stall owner looked at the fox mask and almost seemed to grow angrier, "Oh, is that what you wanted?"

"Shikamaru, what do we do?"

"What are we supposed to do? Get in front of an angry mob?" Shikamaru countered. Becoming the next victims of… whatever this was wouldn't help Naruto. If anything, it could put fuel on the fire and make the situation even worse.

Besides, how much help would we really be? The stall owner is two, maybe three times our size. We'll run into her tomorrow at school. I can find out more of what happened and then we'll both go to Dad. He'll take care of it, I know he will. Dad always knows what to do.

"Well, you can have it!"

The shop owner grabbed the mask off the rack, then launched it at Naruto who flinched and immediately covered her face. It was a good thing, too. The wood made contact with a sickening thud.

A couple people gasped, but still no one did anything. Shikamaru gritted his teeth. He wanted to step in, to yell at them, to do anything that wasn't standing around watching it happen... but getting something thrown at him wouldn't help anyone. That, and there was a deadly sort of tension in the air that made the hair on the back of Shikamaru's neck stand up. Naruto stood up and picked the mask up off the ground, staring at it for a moment. A few of the watchers backed up. A mother stepped in front of her child.

They were scared, but not of the stallowner. They were scared of Naruto.

Why? Why?

It made no sense. Naruto pulled pranks, but her pranks were putting dusty chalkboard erasers in the crack of a sliding door, or graffiting the school with rude words painted on the walls. She was about as harmless as Kiba's puppy, Akamaru. Perhaps more so. At least she didn't literally bite you when she was mad.

If anything, it was the stall owner Shikamaru was scared of right now. What the hell made him so confident that he could assault a child in broad daylight without any consequences?

Yet, evidently he could. Had he done it before?

"What are you staring at? Stop staring at me!" Naruto yelled at the onlookers. Then, she turned and saw Shikamaru and Choji. Something between disappointment, fear, and righteous fury flickered in her eyes; it made Shikamaru's stomach roll in such a way that he wanted to vomit. Naruto glared again, "What the hell are you all staring at? Just… Just stop! Why are you looking at me like I'm the bad person? I didn't do anything! You saw what happened! I didn't do anything! That asshole hit me for no reason!"

Naruto whimpered; her breath was frantic. It reminded Shikamaru of one of his family's deer that had been attacked by a wolf. The deer's skin was flayed away by the teeth and claws, hanging off the bright red and bloody flesh that was exposed. It had lain on the ground, eyes wide and in shock, not making a sound other than the pained rattle of it's breathing. When his father approached the deer to put it down it screamed and tried to run, but could only flail as Shikaku plunged a kunai through the base of its neck.

It was an act that Naruto looked like she might welcome at the moment. Instead, she glanced once more at Shikamaru and Choji, blue eyes wide and watery. She looked humiliated. It made Shikamaru's heart feel tight. Say something to her, thought Shikamaru. He opened his mouth, but before any words could leave it Naruto turned on her heel and ran away with a badly repressed sob.

Shikamaru once again turned his gaze to the sky. The cumulus clouds he'd seen earlier were beginning to drift together. The gargantuan storm clouds they were forming loomed overhead; Gods who scrutinized them as if they were insects whose job was to be crushed in the wreckage created from blowing wind and pouring water.

Underneath them Shikamaru felt small and weak.

Underneath them Shikamaru felt like a coward.

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