What's this? An early update? It's more likely than you think. I figured that, since the last chapter was on the short side, I would hurry and deliver this even shorter chapter as soon as possible. Hopefully you'll enjoy it - I certainly had a blast with the first scene. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, and now, on with the chapter!
51. Shades of Mediocrity
December 23rd – it was the last day of school before Christmas break, and Kiba had been delaying on his little confrontation with Neji, hoping the situation would resolve itself. Over the past week he had tried conversing with Hinata in private, only to wind up with his head shoved into a locker or, yes, receiving another swift kick to the groin. It was obvious Naruto was right – Neji would only allow Kiba to see Hinata if the dog-boy could prove his worth.
That, of course, meant putting Naruto's plan into action.
And, so, Kiba found himself in a familiar position – standing naked in the locker room, towel in hand, he walked towards the showers. He had been watching Neji for a few minutes, waiting for the Hyuuga to enter the shower area. That was the extent of Naruto's plan – confront Neji while they were both the most vulnerable. The combination of sweat and steam would make Kiba a slippery target, and the wet floor might interfere with Neji's usual fighting style, relying greatly on smooth, swift motions and footwork.
At least, that was the theory. It wasn't like Kiba had great experience fighting while wet and naked. The only other time had been, oddly enough, a month ago with Neji, when he first met Hinata, and that was a very one-sided affair. He had gone over it in his head, however, and he had discussed possible tactics with Shikamaru. That was the one advantage the Inuzuka had – preparedness – and he intended to use it.
With the hot water pouring all around him, Kiba entered the showers, trying his best to look confident as he sauntered over to Neji. That had been one key piece of advice Shikamaru had given him: show confidence. If Kiba looked weak, he'd only give Neji a mental advantage. If he looked cocky, though, there was a chance Kiba could actually beat him. After all, Neji was likely to be thrown off, having to fight another naked guy.
This could be Naruto's dumbest idea yet… but it's just stupid enough to work.
"Hey! Hyuuga!" Kiba barked, standing behind Neji with his hands on his hips. "What do you say you and I have a little chat, huh?"
Glancing over his shoulder irritably, Neji looked surprisingly frightening with his long, brown hair sticking to his face. "Forget it. I'm not going to let you near Hinata."
"Sorry you feel that way," the Inuzuka continued, pounding his fist into his open palm. He grinned wickedly, tilting his head to the side. "Because I'm gonna keep coming after her, whether you like it or not."
"You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" Neji muttered as he began to work shampoo into his flowing locks. "You'll wind up in a coma if you keep this up."
Suddenly, Kiba slammed his hand against the wall just beside Neji's head. His face contorted into a snarl as the Hyuuga looked up at him in mild surprise. "Is that a threat, Hyuuga?"
Neji paused and turned around to face the Inuzuka. "What do you think?"
"I think I've had just about enough of you standing between the two of us. Do you have something against me personally? Or are you just afraid your cousin might fall for me?" Kiba asked, flashing a cocky smile.
For the first time, Neji's cool demeanor cracked. His hand curled into a fist. "Hinata's out of your league. Just leave her alone, Inuzuka."
That's it. I just need to get him to swing first – that way I can call it self-defense. No one has to get expelled over this…
"Out of her league? And why's that? Because I'm not a preppy rich boy like you? Or maybe you're just afraid that I am right for her. She obviously likes me, and it's just tearing you apart, isn't it? You're afraid that she'll be happy, and you couldn't possibly let that happen, could you, you miserable fatalist son of a b–"
Kiba had to take a quick step back as Neji took a swing, his fist passing just beneath the dog-boy's nose. Though he was happy that he had managed to provoke the attack, he was a bit uncomfortable at how quickly the punch had come. The next attack came even quicker, as Neji charged through the showers like a bull for his target. Fortunately, Kiba was able to slide to the side, and Neji only slipped onto the ground as he tried to stop on the wet floor.
Seeing the fire in the other teen's eyes, lying humiliated on the tile, Kiba realized that he might be in trouble. If Neji had been able to pulverize him before while completely stoic, Kiba could only imagine what he was capable of when angry. Of course, Kiba had no intention of letting Neji find out, for while he was still lying spread-eagle on the floor, the dog-boy rushed over to land a quick blow. Unfortunately, as he lifted his leg to deliver a kick, Kiba's footing gave out as well, causing him to come crashing down beside the other teen.
And thus began what would become the most infamous fight in Konoha High history. The battle between Gaara and Naruto? That was brutal, but people got over it. After all, the two combatants were now good friends. The catfight between Sakura and Ino, involving hair pulling, biting, and scratches, originating solely in an argument over who loved Sasuke more? Hilarious? Yes. Frightening? Yes. But this fight was on a completely different level.
The reason for this level of infamy? Kiba and Neji were both naked – this was something unprecedented in a fight at Konoha High, and it was the reason why the duo drew such a large crowd as the proceeded to tussle on the shower room floor. Lying side by side, they both struggled to be the first to his feet. Unfortunately, the soapy water made it quite difficult to stand, and so they instead resorted to grappling, glaring at each other as they rolled out of the locker room and into the main locker room.
Straddling the other teen, Neji landed a punch to Kiba's cheek. Spitting out some blood, Kiba forced the other off him with a powerful kick, sending him flying back into the laundry bin full of used towels, gym shirts, and jockstraps. Peeling some of the laundry from him, Neji, seized one of the towels and threw it over Kiba's head, momentarily blinding him. By the time Kiba had pulled the makeshift blindfold off, Neji was already tackling the Inuzuka to the ground, resting his knee on the dog-boy's chest.
Holding up two palms, Kiba blocked Neji's incoming punches and locked eyes in a staring match, digging into the other teen's knuckles with his claw-like nails. Neji was clearly in pain as the nails drew blood, but he refused to back out, instead placing more pressure on Kiba's chest with his knee.
"You're dead, Inuzuka. Do you hear me? Dead," Neji growled, leaning his face in closer to his opponent's.
With a grin, Kiba spat on Neji's face. Immediately, the Hyuuga eased up on the pressure and removed his hands as he wiped the offending liquid from his cheek. It was then that Kiba made his move, pushing Neji away from him as he rose to his feet. By now, a circle of awed spectators had formed around the duo – there was no escape now.
Letting out something like a growl, Kiba charged forward and grabbed Neji just beneath the arms, where he picked him off the ground. He then shoved the Hyuuga up against a nearby locker and readied a punch. Neji was already prepared with a punch of his own, however, and sent his fist crashing into Kiba's eye.
"Son of a bitch!" Kiba cried as he staggered back. Already, he could feel his eye beginning to swell up.
It was Neji's turn to force the dog-boy against the lockers, which, Kiba found, hurt a lot more than one would expect. There, they exchanged blow after blow. A punch to Neji's stomach, a kick to Kiba's side, desperate head butt to Neji's chest – it went on for a short time, until both teens were covered with scratches and mild bruises.
It was then that Kiba saw the all-too familiar attack coming: Neji's foot homing in on Kiba's family jewels. Fortunately, having been on the receiving end of that kick several times, Kiba was ready for it. Gracefully side-stepping the blow, Kiba watched as the kick sailed past before delivering his counterattack. While Neji remained stunned, Kiba lunged forward with his knee, slamming against the Hyuuga's chest.
Neji's eyes went wide as he let out a weak cough. He stumbled back for a moment, trying to catch his breath, before he fell backward and collapsed onto the floor. His breathing heavy, Kiba loomed over his fallen opponent, who stared up at the Inuzuka in a strange combination of fear and disgust.
"You lose, Hyuuga," Kiba declared, resting his foot upon the other teen's chest. "I've shown you how far I'm willing to go for her. So will you leave me and Hinata alone now?"
Neji appeared to consider resisting for a moment, only to finally relent with a sigh. "Only if you put some goddamned pants on."
Kiba smiled. "Gladly."
XXXXX
Shikamaru lay on the couch in his apartment, the phone pressed up against his ear as he gazed idly at the television. Choji was busy playing Smash Bros., and the Nara was supposed to be participating as well. Instead, his character simply sat on the edge of the screen, occasionally being pushed over as his roommate duked it out with a few computer opponents.
No, Shikamaru couldn't possibly play the game and give Sasuke the attention he deserved at the same time – not when the Uchiha was so clearly nervous and serious about their current subject.
"Look, Sasuke, I'm sure Naruto will love whatever you get him for Christmas – within reason of course. I mean, I doubt a Hallmark card would cut it, but you know what I mean – if he can tell you put some thought into it, it'll mean a lot to him."
Sasuke groaned on the other end. "I know, I know… it's just… well, this idea sounded a lot better in my head."
"You know he'll like the CD…"
"But what if he already has it?"
Shikamaru sighed, "Look, Sasuke, you've seen his collection. You know what music he has – unless he got it within the past 24-hours, I think you're safe. The CD, the luffa, all that stuff will be just fine. I mean, it's Naruto, right? He knows what all that means, and he'll appreciate the significance of it."
"But…"
"Sasuke, just let me talk for a minute. You can be such a pain in the ass when you get worked up over these little things," Shikamaru chastised in a case of tough love. "My real concern is that last item you mentioned…"
Sasuke paused, the only sound on the other end of the line being his slow breaths. "I figured you'd say that…"
"You know what happened the last time, Sasuke. If you're not 100% sure…"
"That was different. This time I know it. I want us to share that…"
Shikamaru chewed on his lower lip for a second, watching as Mario was sent flying off screen for the umpteenth time that match. "Let me ask you this, then. Are you only doing this because it's Christmas? Or is this something that you were planning on doing anyway?"
"If Christmas weren't around the corner, I would've told him weeks ago," Sasuke said, his voice firm and resolute. It caught Shikamaru a bit off guard, hearing such confidence from his friend regarding his love life. Usually Sasuke seemed uncertain about Naruto – he would try to put on a good act, but it was a feeble effort against Shikamaru's perceptiveness. This time, there was none of that wavering that he usually sensed in Sasuke. He wasn't uncertain about Naruto any longer – he knew exactly what he wanted.
Relieved, Shikamaru's lips curled into a smile. "If that's the case, then that's all that matters."
"Glad to have your blessing."
Though Sasuke said it sarcastically, the Nara knew that the words were genuine. After all, he wouldn't have called Shikamaru in the first place if he weren't looking for his advice. "You're welcome, Sasuke. By the way, I'm going to be out of town the next few days to visit my parents, so I thought I'd say this now while I have the chance. Merry Christmas, Sasuke."
"Merry Christmas, Shikamaru."
With that, the teens hung up simultaneously, at which point Shikamaru picked up his controller. "Okay, Choji, no more cheap shots for you."
As the snow fell outside, Shikamaru felt his eyes grow a bit misty in spite of himself. The moody, sulking teen he had met a few years ago had grown up so much in just a few months. It was strange – as much as he and Kakashi had wanted it to happen, he never thought Sasuke would actually change so drastically. To see the transformation take place right before his eyes was surreal. In just a few months, Sasuke had gone from the cold loner to the open, loving teen they had today.
Well… loving might not be the right word. He's certainly not the ass he used to be… at least not as much. It's more like… I'm finally seeing the Sasuke I always felt I knew… the one that was hiding beneath that hardened exterior. And I guess I have Naruto to thank for it…
Smiling, the Nara whispered to himself, "Merry Christmas to you, too, Naruto…"
"What did you say?" Choji asked, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he mashed buttons.
"Oh, nothing," Shikamaru replied wistfully. "Just thinking aloud."
Awkward fights! Awkward phone conversations! What will Kiba do now to win over Hinata, now that Neji's out of the way, and what of Sasuke's Christmas present? He's given a few cryptic hints, but are there any ideas of what he'll actually deliver? And what about Naruto's gift for Sasuke? Gaara and Lee? Kiba and Hinata? Shikamaru and Temari? Kakashi and Iruka? It's a Christmas celebration next time in For Naruto, Whenever I May Find Him!