Author's Note: Yo! Here's another chapter for you! I hope you liked the last chapter! Anyway, I see some people started to vote. And, I'm sorry, but I can only put one poll on my profile, which is the teams vote. So, the pairing vote is on the reviews and PMs. Anyway, Please tell me what you think, and keep voting. The pairing won't come for awhile and the Kyuubi Stories are pretty my indefinite, but the team votes will be in a couple chapters. Thank you for the support! Enjoy the story!

Chapter 2: Bird Within a Cage

"So he still refuses to speak," Hiruzen said sighing, and taking a drag of his pipe.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Inochi said. "I ask him every time we meet, but he just keeps shrugging. But, some of the things he draws..."

"Yes," the old Hokage said, somber. "It's discouraging."

"To think," Inochi said. "It's been three years since the accident, and he still refuses to speak."

"That's what worries me, Inochi-san," Sarutobi said. "What would have made that lovable boy, who rarely had a rude thing to say, not speak at all? He was already shy to begin with, not having many role models of how to create social conduct. But, now... How will he ever function in society? I worry about him. He's like my own grandson. ...By the way, has he told you how he's doing at the academy? He did start last week."

"Not much," Inochi admitted. "He just drew pictures of some of the kids in his class, but when I asked him if they were his friends, he started writing in that mysterious journal of his."

"So he hasn't let you see it either," Hiruzen asked.

"No, Hokage-sama," Inochi said. "Though, it does make me curious."
"Me too, Inochi-san," Sarutobi said. "Me too."

Shikamaru was lazily standing while the other kids were picking teams for playing Ninja Tag. If one didn't know him, they might have thought that he was sleeping...even though he was standing up. But, in actuality, he was studying the kids around him. It was such a drag to be here playing ninja when he could be sleeping or watching the clouds...or sleeping. But, his mom—the troublesome woman that she was—thought he should get out more. So, sighing at the unfairness of it all, he waited until they called the teams.

Sadly, for Shikamaru, things were about to get troublesome.

"Wha-What about me," a heavy boy asked.

"Sorry," another boy said, clearly not sorry at all. "But, I don't want you on my team at all. We'd surely lose."
"Yeah," the other boy said. "Your such a slow poke!"

The other kids started to laugh, and the heavy boy started to cry.

"Hey," Shikamaru yelled. "It's not nice to make fun of someone! Plus, he may not be fast, but he's a lot stronger than any of you, which makes up for his speed! I'm outta here. I'd rather not hang out with such troublesome people!"

Shikamaru followed where the boy ran off to during his speech. He run to the roof when he sat next to a man that looked like an older version of the boy sat.

"Hey," Shikamaru drawled. "Can I sit next to you?"

"Why," the boy asked.

"It's the best place to watch the clouds," he answered. "So, can I?"

"U-Uh, yeah," the boy said.

Shikamaru nodded and lay down.

"By the way, I'm Shikamaru," he said.

"Choji," the boy answered. "Would you like some chips?"

Shikamaru nodded, and Choji's dad walked off with a smile.

Naruto was walking in the park. He wanted to join the game of Ninja Tag, but he knew that the group wouldn't let him join. He was the pariah in the village. No one but Iruka-sensei, Inoichi, Jiji, Ayame-nee, and Tuechi-jiji liked him. Anyone else either ignored him, scorned him, or beat him.

The eight year old sighed. At least until he heard the voice start another story. Then he smiled and almost jumped in glee.

"So, I was starting on my sixth tail, and I had just started hanging out with my brother Gyuki more often. You see, by this time I had past Shikaku in power, and he was still jealous. Anyway, we were exploring the human realm, and we had stopped in a clearing... Later, I would think "Kyuubi, why in the world did you stop there! Don't you see what you don!" Well, I thought this because of a terrifying curse... The curse of rap. From the first time that he heard it, Gyuki decided to speak in rap. All the time. It was a horrible, horrible curse."

Naruto was now sitting on a swing, writing in his journal. He would have drawn a picture, but he didn't know how to draw someone rapping...

"Hey," a kid yelled, and Naruto tensed. "Look. It's the mute boy! Hey Dobe! Don't you wanna talk? Maybe you could tell us a story?"

Other kids started to gather around, and Naruto got out of the swing and started backing up... Only to run into another kid. Naruto's head started to spin and he was suddenly pushed down and beat upon. Insults started to fly, and slowly, tears started to silently roll down his cheeks.

Not once did Naruto make a sound.

On a roof watching the clouds, Shikamaru hears a commotion. He muttered "troublesome" as he got up and looked at what it was all about. However, when he did, he was filled with rage.

There in the park where the kids were playing "Ninja Tag" were the kids beating up on a small blond boy. And, the worse part was when he recognized the blond boy as a boy in his class.

Shikamaru started to stalk down the chairs when Choji yelled for him to wait for him.

"Shikamaru," he yelled. "Where are you going?"

"Those bullies are beating up a guy in our class," Shikamaru said.

Choji gasped out, "Who?!"

"The quite blond," Shikamaru said, and Choji tensed.

"What's wrong," Shikamaru asked.

"My mom told me not to go near him," Choji admitted. "Said he was a bad person and did terrible things."

"Hmph," Shikamaru snorted. "The worst thing he has ever done was not talk, Choji. I've seen him in class. He's practically scared of his own shadow. I'm going to help him. You can stay here if you like."

Shikamaru then walked out without a backwards glance, and Choji just watched him walk away, with defeated eyes. He knew that he just lost something. Something that would have become important. But, he didn't know how to get it back. Maybe in time...

...back with Shikamaru...

Shikamaru got to the park, and saw that things have gotten worse. Against his nature, he started running over to the crowd.

"Hey," he exclaimed. "What are you morons doing?! Stop that right now!"

"Why should we," a kid asked.

"Yeah," another asked. "My mom said he was a monster, and if I could, to torment him."

"Don't make me get a sensei or another ninja," Shikamaru growled. "And, when I do, you'll be dropped from the Academy. Do you want that?"

The kids gulped, and ran off.

Cowards, Shikamaru thought. All of them.

"Hey," Shikamaru said to the blond. "Are you alright?"

The blond nodded, and looked at him with awe.

"Your in my class right," Shikamaru asked.

He nodded again.

"Can you speak," Shikamaru asked.

He shook his head.

"Hmm...," Shikamaru hummed. "Do you know how to play Shoji?"