Shadows and Fangs

Chapter 3

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"So when d'you cut your hair?" Kiba wondered curiously as he idly leafed through a stack of papers – the proposed plan for the terrain overview of the second portion of the exam, to be precise, so nothing really interesting. He didn't have any assignments that day so Shikamaru had asked him for additional input since he was more familiar than him with the area.

"Some time ago," Shikamaru replied as he didn't look up from his report on the security dispositions for the third round – the war was still too fresh in everyone's minds to allow their genin to kill each other in exhibition fights, so additional measures had to be taken. "Probably not long after you left, actually," he added before reaching for an additional scroll and tsk-ing as the information he was looking for was missing. Truthfully, he was surprised his friend had lasted this long before bringing that up again.

Kiba nodded before grimacing as he saw a spot circled on the map that was in the file – the cacti in that area reeked, and when an Inuzuka said that, people knew it to be true. "So what prompted it?" he continued, stacking a few pages over the offensive map and willing himself to stop remembering that smell.

"Do people need a reason to cut their hair?" Shikamaru wondered with a raised eyebrow.

"The Nara seem to," Kiba countered easily with a grin as he leaned his chin in his palm. "I'm not saying you look bad or anything like that – just curious," he said with a shrug. "Actually you look really good with short hair," he added off-handedly as his eyes trailed back to the papers on the desk.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to reply but the words got caught in his throat. Short hair – Kankuro had short hair – did Kiba prefer short hair, was that it? Resisting the urge to slap himself and mentally resolving to stop overthinking things, he shrugged. "I just wanted a change," he replied evenly.

"I can understand that," the Inuzuka said with a lazy grin. "The need for change is the reason I'm here in the first place after all!" he added, sending a quick glance towards Akamaru as he lay on his side peacefully by their feet, enjoying the cool stone floor.

"What did you want to change?" Shikamaru asked curiously as he finally looked up at him.

Kiba shrugged as he leaned back in his chair and moved his shoulder around with a popping sound. "The way people view me, I guess," he replied as he thought about how to best put it into words. "Back in Konoha, everyone thinks the same things about the Inuzuka: we're loud, obnoxious, and glued to our dogs – which, don't get me wrong, we are, all the way! But it's what a lot of people get stuck on, no matter what. People don't ask my mom for advice, because they'll figure she'll just say to charge in – never mind that it's often the right answer, honestly – and they used to think Hana only knew how to take care of dogs!" he explained as he rolled his eyes at the idiocy of it all. "And I'm the guy who failed his first chuunin exam because of a fart!" he added with a frown, still bitter about the whole thing – and seriously, how come Naruto got applauded for that? Huh? How was it praise-worthy?

Shikamaru winced sympathetically at this – they'd all shared Kiba's pain that day, truly, amid face-palms and horrified expressions.

The Inuzuka then shook his head as though to dissipate the bad memory, willing himself to get back on track. "Anyway. Here, those who know of the Inuzuka just know we're amazing trackers and very stubborn about giving up or dying – now those are preconceptions I'm okay with!" he finished brightly.

Shikamaru grinned back as he had to concede he had a point. People's expectations, good or bad, very quickly got overwhelming and could become really troublesome. "From what I've seen, I'd say you're definitely on the right track," he offered seriously.

"Yeah, I think so too!" Kiba replied happily, to which Akamaru yipped his agreement.

Shikamaru chuckled but then forced himself to snap back to work as he realized he was simply staring at him. "Can you give me the second geographical report?"

Kiba's smile widened slightly but he didn't say anything, just handed him the smelly-cacti scroll he'd previously buried.

Yep. Change was very good.

Except a few days later, things changed a bit too much.

Since coming to Suna, Shikamaru had only spoken with Gaara twice; on the first day, when he'd welcomed him, and then that evening he'd had dinner at the Sand siblings' house. Around that, he'd mainly dealt with Temari, or the other shinobi involved in the exam's organization. So he knew that when he got called to his office, it had to be serious. Kankuro was at his brother's side as usual, but what surprised Shikamaru was that Kiba was also in the room – inwardly and for a second, he feared the problem might concern Konoha.

"We are faced with a problem of a sensitive political nature," the Kazekage informed them, putting his fears to rest. "As you know, we've been trying to establish better ties with Kusa, and a small delegation has been here for negotiations the past week. One of the delegates has left rather abruptly, and while I'm not eager to jump to conclusions, I would be more reassured if we could ascertain there was no foul play in his early departure."

"He means he'd like you to help me track him down and capture him," Kankuro translated summarily.

"Because we're from Konoha," Shikamaru needlessly stated, as it made sense. Delegates had immunity, but only from the village they were visiting; if and when it came down to it, Gaara could deny having any authority over them as Leaf shinobi, or having given them any instructions.

"We would be very grateful for your assistance," Gaara confirmed pragmatically.

"We're not just dumping this on you though, I'm still coming along since I'm more familiar with the terrain," Kankuro added as he stepped forward.

Shikamaru nodded at them, knowing he would be fully supported by Konoha no matter the outcome as this was exactly the kind of situation Kakashi had had in mind when he'd told him to help the Kazekage if he asked. "Lead the way," he said to Kiba and Akamaru, the two immediately replying with a nod and a bark.

Tracking the runaway took slightly longer than originally planned, because the man was obviously not completely stupid and knew the Kazekage might ask the Konoha smell-tracker for assistance. Still, he hadn't wasted any time in showing his true colors as he attacked them on sight rather than to search for an excuse and try to negotiate once they finally caught up with him. Between the three of them (well, four, counting Akamaru), apprehending him wasn't really an issue, it was getting him alive that turned out to be the hard part. Or at the very least, it wouldn't have been this troublesome if Kiba had listened to him instead of following Kankuro's directives in the heat of battle!

The trip back to the village was quiet, and they handed their unconscious and worse for the wear but still alive prisoner over to an interrogation team before returning to their quarters. For the rest of the world, they'd never been involved in a mission for the Kazekage that night.

Still, to be honest, Shikamaru wasn't really surprised when Kiba closed the door and turned back to him with a frown.

"Want to tell me what your problem is?" the Inuzuka demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Shikamaru huffed as he momentarily ignored him in favor of removing his equipment.

Kiba growled under his breath as he followed him, obviously unwilling to let it go. "Are you seriously that peeved that I followed Kankuro's instructions over yours?" he asked with a frown, figuring he must've put his finger on it as the other man tensed for half a second. "It's nothing against you, he knows the terrain better, that's—"

"As a shinobi from the Leaf, you should still prioritize my orders," Shikamaru cut him calmly, doing his best to remain factual and distant. "If your relationship is going to affect your actions on the field—"

This time it was his turn to be interrupted as Kiba looked at him incredulously. "My relationship? And what the hell do you mean by that?" he demanded crossly.

It took all the Nara's willpower not to look away from him as he shrugged. "I know about you and Kankuro," he said simply, satisfied with the way his voice sounded suitably indifferent.

Kiba was momentarily taken aback and it showed, but he didn't back down, and held himself as he didn't look away either. "You don't know half as much as you seem to think you do," he said with a huff. "Our 'relationship' – if it could even be called that – was over months ago. He's only a friend – a very close one, but a friend," he informed him evenly.

That was officially the best news Shikamaru had received in a long, long time, and because of that, while his intention was to look rightly disinterested, he couldn't keep a sigh of relief from leaving him, and he flinched as he saw Kiba noticed it.

"Shikamaru…" the Inuzuka let out as his eyes widened in realization.

"Don't, Kiba," the Nara said warningly.

"Are you jealous?" Kiba pressed on regardless, because as always, being told not to do something only made him want to do it more.

"Don't be ridiculous," Shikamaru was able to deny – too quickly, too defensively though, and unfortunately for him Kiba was more observant than most gave him credit for. "What you do in private – and who you do it with – is none of my business," he dismissed.

"That much is true," Kiba readily agreed with a shrug. "But you seem to care anyway," he challenged as he stepped closer. "Why?"

"I really don't," Shikamaru insisted in his best bored tone as he walked by him towards his room, forcing himself not to tense up again as Kiba grabbed his elbow in passing. "Let go, Kiba," he said in a low voice.

"Make me," Kiba replied with his usual infuriating challenging tone. "What is it that really bothers you? What I do in private? Or who I used to do it with?" he wondered with a small frown.

The shadow-nin raised an eyebrow as he looked back at him. "If you're asking whether I'm bothered that you'd be with a man, the answer is no," he assured him evenly. That'd be hypocritical, but Kiba didn't need to know that much.

Kiba let out a small breath in relief at that. "And that it was with Kankuro?"

"That part only makes me wonder about your tastes," Shikamaru replied plainly, unable to hold back a small smile at Kiba's chuckle.

Kiba pretended to be offended for a second but then sighed. "It's not just about him, you know…I mean, I can find women good-looking, no problem, but I wouldn't want to be more with them," he admitted.

"I'm not bothered by that, it's up to you," Shikamaru replied evenly, surprised by his openness but then not so much – the cat (dog?) was already out of the bag, after all, and holding back wasn't the Inuzuka way.

"Would it bother you if I told you that part of me's always been attracted to you?" Kiba then asked him openly after a short instant of silence. From his corner, Akamaru raised his head to look at them, as though interested in their conversation for the first time.

"I'd take it as a compliment," Shikamaru replied as soon as he could find his voice again, managing to keep it steady through sheer force of will. "But I can't reciprocate, Kiba," he added truthfully. That much at the very least wasn't a lie. He couldn't.

Would he want to? Answering that question would mean entering uncharted territory that actually scared him, so he'd rather leave it at that.

"I figured," Kiba said with a defeated sigh as he pulled his hand back. "But you know me: keeping quiet's not in my nature," he continued with a shallow grin. "We're cool though, right?" he asked with a frown.

"Of course," Shikamaru replied as he mirrored him. His friend gave him the evening's first genuine grin and then turned to walk to his room while removing his equipment, Akamaru getting up and trotting after him. Shikamaru stood in the same spot longer than he cared to admit, the conversation having gone completely off track and having consequently left his brain scattered.

Well…at the very least, he figured he could stop giving Kankuro the stink-eye. Somewhat.

"Wow, don't you look pretty," Temari drawled with a raised eyebrow as she fell into steps with him outside of the main Suna shinobi office. "What got in the way of your beauty sleep?"

Shikamaru resisted the urge to groan as he'd long ago learned it amused her even more. "Nothing that the knowledge that you'll always be around with a kind word for me can't cure, Temari," he replied lazily.

The Sand shinobi laughed at this – or at him, he was never really too sure with her – and stretched her arms over her head. "Think Gaara's close to taking a break?" she wondered as she sent a look towards the highest window over her shoulder.

"I doubt it," Shikamaru noted with a shrug, feeling the corner of his lips pull up as despite her gruffness she did always worry about her brothers. "Hungry?" he then asked, because he was, so what the heck.

"Are you asking me on a date?" Temari teased as she lightly elbowed his side.

"You wish," he muttered as he resisted the urge to cradle his bruised ribs.

"Fine, you're paying," she dismissed happily.

The Leaf shinobi just sighed noncommittally. She always won anyway. Trying to go against her was more trouble than it was worth. Following her towards a small restaurant he knew the siblings favored, he almost stopped in his steps as he noticed Kankuro and Kiba – and Akamaru, of course – sitting at a large table outside with more shinobi, some of whom he recognized and nodded at.

"Always stirring trouble, those two," Temari noted neutrally, wincing as her brother laughed loudly. "Oi, Kankuro! Keep it down, would you? Not everyone wants to lose their hearing to your voice!" she bit at him although true to herself, she managed to make it sound almost fond. Almost. If you squinted. And tilted your head sideways.

Kankuro craned his head back to look up at her at this and grinned. "Hey, dear sister! Your timing's perfect – we were just discussing the many atrocities inflicted upon us by our older siblings! And wouldn't you know it, so far you're the champ!" he said with fake surprise.

Temari sighed as though the weight of the world were on her shoulders and kicked out a foot to break one leg off the sitting stool he was on, not even being phased as he'd anticipated it and hadn't, in fact, come crashing down on the ground as she'd hoped. "Put it on his tab," she told the waitress in a casual tone as she moved inside.

Shikamaru smirked as he followed her, shooting one last look at the lively group – who were all laughing with Kankuro. As his eyes met Kiba's, he responded to his grin with a nod by habit, but when his friend shrugged his head questioningly towards Temari, the Nara could only raise an eyebrow and send a look towards Kankuro. Kiba rolled his eyes at this and Shikamaru decided to leave it at that as he turned around – besides, it was dangerous to keep Temari waiting.

"You can see the exam's almost there – plenty of strangers around," Temari noted conversationally as she was already sipping on some tea – the staff obviously knew the Sand Siblings well.

Shikamaru nodded noncommittally as he kept himself from pointing out that her brothers were among the strangest residents of the city. "I just want it to be over! I really wish they'd stop putting me in charge of coordinating these exams, it has to be among the most troublesome things ever invented!" he complained as he leaned his head on his hand.

"Then stop doing such a good job of it every time," she replied pragmatically as she pulled out a small fan to lightly wind herself. "Oh, wait, wait! Let me guess: that would be even more troublesome, right?" she taunted with a smirk.

"Despite your complaining, you're worse than your brother when it comes to getting on someone's nerves," Shikamaru informed her plainly with a lazy grin.

"Runs in the family," Temari immediately dismissed. "At least I'm not petting Kiba in the middle of the restaurant," she then added as she looked over his shoulder with a frown.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he snapped around despite himself only to see that while Kankuro had gotten himself a new chair and was petting Akamaru's head, Kiba was currently involved in an animated debate – if the flailing arms were any indication – with two kunoichi. Sighing in relief, he turned back to Temari in annoyance.

"Oh, it's only Akamaru – I really can't tell them apart from this distance," the infuriating woman drawled innocently.

"You're the devil," he informed her deadpan.

"Nice to meet you!" she replied with a wide happy grin. She dropped it and her eyes narrowed however as she looked over his shoulder again. "I doubt he'd be much opposed to you petting him, though," she commented seriously, but lightly, as was her habit.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this. "We're still talking about Akamaru, right?" he muttered.

Temari laughed and shrugged, looking up as their orders were brought – and it figured that she'd ordered for him too, just because he'd lagged behind for ten seconds. "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night! Or keeps you up," she added shrewdly, reminding him that she'd noticed right away he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

"You're so troublesome," the shadow-nin couldn't help but point out as he resisted the urge to groan. "And you know me too well," he added, voice laced with resentment. Not for the first time in his life, he felt extremely sympathetic towards both Kankuro and Gaara while she had the indecency to look really pleased with herself.

The other group was gone by the time they left, and they split as Temari returned towards the main office with lunch for Gaara while he headed to the communications tower as it was time for his report to Konoha. Thankfully, it was only for the form, and he didn't have any setbacks to report on, nor any backups to request – to his greatest satisfaction. He didn't like all the administrative hassle linked to the chuunin qualification exams, but he'd much rather suffer it alone and do things his own way than have to contend with 'teamwork' on top of it – yeah, he'd made that one clear to Tsunade, and thankfully she'd passed the message on to Kakashi. The exam was in little over two weeks, so he'd be in Suna for another three days, maybe four if absolutely necessary, but then he'd go back to Konoha. The jounin who'd signed up their teams would take over from there; as Suna organized these exams there was no need for a Konoha shinobi like himself who didn't have any particular interest in any candidates to remain. In a sense, he was both looking forward to and dreading that.

He loved Konoha, sure, and yeah, it was always nice to go back home, but when he was away, he really felt more like himself, like his own person, as opposed to the 'genius spawn of the Nara clan' people back home viewed him as. That was the real reason he didn't deny the requests for him to travel to the other villages to assist with exam preparations or anything that needed inter-village collaboration, when if he really didn't want to, all he had to do was say so – not that he'd ever stop complaining though, that was a matter of principles, and he was a principled man after all.

Kiba wasn't there when he returned to the guest quarters, but he remembered he'd heard him mention he'd agreed to assist in a survival training class for genin – Team 8 had always excelled at that, so he wasn't surprised.

He spent the evening fighting the urge to go over at the Sand siblings' to check whether Kankuro was on that mission as well.

He blamed Temari.

On Shikamaru's last evening in Suna two days later, he walked into his quarters to find Kiba had returned. He complained about the desert's heat so much he almost whined, but it was obvious he'd enjoyed himself.

"Genin are so cute and helpless!" he cooed as he played a game of tug with Akamaru using what suspiciously looked like a towel. The air smelled faintly of wet dog, so he figured it was the aftermath of giving the nin-dog a bath.

"You're not that much older," Shikamaru reminded him with a raised eyebrow as he removed his vest and stretched his shoulders. Besides, if someone had called Kiba 'cute and helpless' as a genin, he would've ripped that person's throat out – with his bare teeth.

Kiba very maturely poked his tongue out at him as he yanked the towel towards himself, dragging the oversized dog along. "Okay, okay! I give!" he called out beneath heaps of fur. "It was really fun though! They had to find ways to sustain themselves within a certain zone, all the while trying to avoid us tracking them down too easily!" he explained as he moved his hands about as though to describe the exercise.

"How's Akamaru? The heat wasn't too bad, was it?" Shikamaru wondered as he cocked his head to the side, smiling lightly as the nin-dog in question stopped by him to nuzzle his hand as though to thank him for asking.

The Inuzuka grinned proudly at this. "Well, we've been here for over nine months now, we're both used to it," he said with a boastful shrug.

"Has it been that long already?" Shikamaru wondered out loud, not really expecting an answer, hand absently scratching Akamaru's ear. "I'm going back tomorrow, by the way," he informed him.

"So soon?" Kiba asked with a frown as his head snapped towards him.

"Well, the exam's coming up, so I need to go back to give the final green light," the shadow-nin replied with a shrug. "Do you know any of the candidates?" he then asked him curiously.

Kiba shrugged at that. "Not from Konoha, I don't think so. But a friend I've made over here is entering her team, so if they make it to the finals I'm hoping I'll be posted somewhere I can keep an eye out for them," he replied evenly. "What about you? You did all the hard work setting things up, and you won't even take the perks?" he asked back with a raised eyebrow.

Shikamaru huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Coming back right after making the trip home? Way too troublesome. Besides, I don't personally know any candidates," he replied with a shrug.

Kiba nodded back as it made sense. He then frowned and his expression turned more serious as he looked up at him. "So…before you go then, can I ask you something?"

"Sure?" Shikamaru replied with a frown.

"You won't like it," Kiba warned him as he leaned back to sit on the couch's armrest.

The Nara's frown deepened and he forced himself not to tense too much, as he figured there weren't many subjects that would fit that description between them. Not being one to run though, he simply nodded once – besides, a part of him expected Kiba to go ahead anyway whether he agreed or not.

Kiba smiled quickly before his eyes darted to his hands and then back up to his friend. "So when I told you I was attracted to you, you said you can't reciprocate my feelings," he started, waiting for another nod before continuing. "You didn't say 'don't', or anything like that, you specifically said can't, and I know you, you don't use words at random, so I've been wondering…why 'can't'?" he finally asked shrewdly.

Well shit.

Of all the times to demonstrate a sharp mind, Kiba had to pick now, did he?

He could try to play it off, naturally. Say something like 'you're reading too much into it', but he'd see right through him. And he didn't really want to – lying was often much too troublesome, for all the extra energy it took. "Because it's accurate – I can't," he replied simply instead.

"Why?" the Inuzuka insisted as he looked truly puzzled.

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" Shikamaru wondered as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "We're both men. To add to the troublesomeness, I'm saddled with this somewhat famous reputation. So in what world does that work out? I can't," he repeated, miraculously managing to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"But you'd want to?" Kiba instantly asked in such a hopeful tone that it nearly dissolved all of the other man's resolve.

"Why are you insisting, Kiba?" Shikamaru asked with a sigh, feeling suddenly tired. "It doesn't matter."

Kiba obviously wasn't about to settle for dismissive answers. "It matters to me," he said seriously as he moved to stand in front of him. "I know what I want, and I have no reservations about making it known – you should try it, you might like it," he advised in a low voice.

"I know what I want," Shikamaru argued matter-of-factly. "I just have enough presence of mind to realize when it's not wise to go after it."

"Well it should be," the Inuzuka declared as he huffed in annoyance. "I want you – and without getting too much ahead of myself, I think I can take away from this conversation that you want me back. So what's stopping us? Except for your weird ideas, that is," he asked him point blank.

It wasn't every day that Kiba managed to strike Shikamaru speechless – by saying smart things, not senseless jokes, that one was a much more regular occurrence. The shadow-nin could only look at him with a frown, waiting for him to waver or brush it off with a grin, but when minutes passed and it became obvious neither of those was going to happen, he started thinking about what he'd said – really thinking. Did he want him? Yes, undoubtedly, no point in denying that any longer at this stage. Was that smart? No, most definitely not, and giving into it would easily number amongst the stupidest things he'd ever done. Would it be worth it?

Yeah…most likely. Certainly. Without a doubt.

Kiba seemed to notice he was slowly lowering his defenses, because he stepped even closer – too close – and grabbed his face between his hands. "Stop me anytime," he said before leaning in to press his lips to his.

But Shikamaru didn't stop him – how could he? Not then, not later when he felt hands at the hem of his shirt, and not even later when he was pushed back towards Kiba's bedroom.

Shikamaru Nara in Konoha might've stopped him, but Shikamaru as he was in Suna was free, even if it was only for one night.

And he'd been right. It was worth it.

He wasn't really surprised by Kiba's confidence, with the way he naturally put him at ease, kissing and grinning and never holding back. Shikamaru knew what he was supposed to do of course, but well…theoretical knowledge would always be second to the practical side of it, and Kiba annoyingly had him beat at that. He was comfortable guiding him along, never quite telling him what to do, but always being very expressive in letting him know how he felt. Kiba never pretended, never faked anything, he'd always been honest – bluntly so – and Shikamaru suddenly appreciated that trait of character as never before. Because they were already sharing something so intimate; Kiba replacing self-consciousness with openness made it so easy to lose himself in him—with him.

To his credit, the Inuzuka waited a good eight minutes after their breathing had calmed down before bringing reality crashing back in. "So…wanna talk about it?" he asked tentatively.

Shikamaru felt caught between chuckling and rolling his eyes, so he did both. "Now you want to talk?"

"Not so much, I just want to know where we stand," Kiba replied evenly as he turned to his side to face his profile, absently raising a finger to trail it over a faded scar on his friend's collarbone. "'Cause if you regret it to the point of never being able to look me in the eyes again I'd rather know right away," he continued seriously.

Shikamaru frowned as he turned his head to look at him at this, noting his hesitant grin and the small sigh he let out in relief as their eyes met. "Did you really think I'd do that?" he wondered, almost insulted at the thought.

"Well," Kiba drawled as he rested his chin on his shoulder. "Up until very recently I'd have never thought you'd actually sleep with me, so that shows how much I really know you in the end, right?" he trailed off rhetorically.

"That's because you suddenly started making sense – something I never thought I'd see you do outside of a mission!" Shikamaru badgered him back.

Of course Kiba would choose that moment to revert to his obnoxious self. "Oh, so it was my mouth that got you? Good to know!" he said happily.

"You're too troublesome!" Shikamaru muttered, although he was aware that a grin betrayed his true feelings on the matter. A wave of self-consciousness surged in him at that moment and he looked at his friend with another frown. "Are you…okay—I mean I hope I wasn't…" Huh. Well apparently sex stripped him of his ability to speak coherently – good to know!

Kiba for his part seemed to understand him anyway because his grin widened and he shook his head. "I'm okay and you were great!" he assured him easily.

Shikamaru nodded back, inwardly hating how pleased those words made him.

Kiba smiled back at him and for a moment he was scared that he'd given him the wrong impression – that this was anything beyond this one night – because it couldn't be. It could never leave Suna. But then the Inuzuka closed his eyes and settled more comfortably against his shoulder. Shikamaru blinked a few times and relaxed.

Yeah, sleep sounded good.

He hadn't slept that well since long before the war.

TBC