Shadows and Fangs

Chapter 13

Enjoy :)

Shikamaru had hoped for a non-boring afternoon, and a non-boring afternoon he got! Temari and Sojiro went on for hours, and it soon became obvious that no compromise would be achieved that day. When he said as much and proposed to meet again in the morning, both shinobi looked equally relieved and annoyed, and it once more struck him how similar they really were. "The only way I see this being resolved immediately would be through a vote, but seeing as there are only two of you it's a moot point," he added off-handedly, pausing as soon as the words left his mouth, the representatives looking at him with wide eyes before they turned to look at each other.

A vote…

"I'll talk to the Kazekage tonight – hopefully we can get a response fairly quickly," Temari said as she inwardly asked herself how they hadn't thought of that before – it was so obvious! With both countries unable and unwilling to let go of their claim, the only way to avoid open conflict was to leave it to the concerned party: the islands themselves.

"And I'll contact the Mizukage," Sojiro said promptly as he stood. "Could you take me to your communications tower?" he asked Shikamaru.

"Of course," Shikamaru replied as he guided them and then waited while they went into private rooms to contact their superiors. He'd just said it like that but…well, if it worked out, it was sure to be easier for everyone involved! Of course, there'd be hurt feelings one way or the other, but realistically speaking the situation was never going to be resolved with everyone being happy. Factually and historically, the islands belonged to Kiri, and yes, their economy needed the boost. But it was true that Suna had in effect rebuilt them after the war, and the children born there since probably associated themselves with the Sand, not the Mist – yet they wouldn't be of voting age. He really gave it a fifty-fifty rate.

Temari was the first to come out – understandably she didn't have to go through as many official channels and intermediates before being allowed to talk to her brother – and she grinned at him as she walked to sit next to him and bump their shoulders. "You genius, you!" she teased him easily.

The so-called 'genius' resisted the urge to roll his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. "I really did just say it like that…Gaara agreed?"

Temari nodded. "He thinks it's an excellent idea. Now he's got to sell it to council of elders, but I'm sure he'll manage," she informed him seriously, looking up as Sojiro walked out.

"The Mizukage agrees that in our rush to handle this situation we've forgotten the very citizens whose lived would be disrupted once more," he started with a nod. "She will present our option to the council tomorrow morning, and will let us know rapidly."

"Suna's basically at the same point," Temari told him as she stood. "I'll make sure to inform Shikamaru as soon as I know more so he can arrange another meeting once we both have our answers," she offered.

"It seems to be all we can do at this point," Sojiro agreed as he turned to Shikamaru. "I will be in touch tomorrow morning. Good evening until then," he said agreeably before turning around and taking his leave.

"Well," Temari drawled as she turned to her friend once they were left alone. "I guess since that's mostly settled we can finally have dinner together, right?" she asked brightly.

Shikamaru grinned at this, shrugging noncommittally. "Yeah, I guess we can."

"Good! Now let's find your man and grab some food!" she declared happily.

"Sure, sure," he was forced to reply – not really as annoyed as he pretended to be.

Finding Kiba wasn't too hard either, he was on logistics assignment that week and therefore simply in the office. "Hey, Temari! Good to see you again!" he said earnestly as he saw them walk in.

"Nice to see you too Kiba – and you're all pale now!" she teased as indeed he'd lost the tan he'd gotten in Suna. She then grinned as she looked at Akamaru. "Oh, Akamaru! Gimme your paw…good boy! That's the smartest dog in world, yes you are!" she cooed as she rubbed his ears.

"You know, between Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, I get the impression Akamaru could single-handedly take over Suna," Kiba mused to Shikamaru as he watched the nin-dog's tail wagging back and forth speedily.

"Not an impression," Shikamaru was forced to agree. "We're gonna get dinner, can you come along?" he then asked him, although he knew it was likely too early for him to be able to leave.

Kiba groaned as he looked back towards his desk. "No, I've got another forty minutes on the clock – go on ahead without me, I'll catch up!" he said with a sigh as he let his hand trail down his lover's arm.

Temari's eyes didn't miss this, and she hummed as she leaned closer to Akamaru. "So I take they're doing well, right?" she asked him quietly, grinning as he barked his agreement. "Good boy, Akamaru!" she praised earnestly.

Shikamaru chuckled at her antics and shrugged his head to the side. "Alright then, let's get going –see you two later," he told the Inuzuka and his nin-dog.

"Later!" Kiba replied with a wave before going back to his work.

"Aw, are you being replaced, Kiba?" one of the other tokubetsu on duty said mockingly, to which her friend chuckled.

Kiba turned to her with a wide grin, the glint in his eyes unmistakable. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening – did you say anything?" Obviously, people still weren't willing to openly mess with him, so as she shrugged and returned to her task, he huffed. "Yeah, I didn't think so either…" he muttered, sharing a look with Akamaru. When he'd finished his work, he left without a glance backwards and wasn't long in finding Shikamaru and Temari.

"Just on time!" Temari teased him. "I was really about to convince Shikamaru to stop waiting for you and order up!"

"You would've broken Akamaru's heart!" Kiba replied with a frown before sitting down, patting his nin-dog as he played along and whined sadly.

The kunoichi looked affronted at this. "I would've ordered something for him!" she insisted before chucking him the menu as she'd already made her choice.

Kiba grabbed it easily and hummed in thoughts as he hesitated, leaning back towards Akamaru to get his opinion. "Say, how's Kankuro?" he then asked her as he reached for Shikamaru's drink and sipped it while waiting for his – and attributed his lover's frown to the stolen drink, not the mention of his ex.

Temari grinned fondly as she always did when talking about her brothers, leaning her cheek in her palm. "Healthy and unbelievably hopeless as usual!" she replied brightly.

Kiba chuckled at this, sharing a quick look with Akamaru. "That sounds like him alright!" he noted, yet again not paying attention to Shikamaru's annoyed expression.

"That's not all," the kunoichi said conspiratorially as she leaned closer to whisper some more news. "He's met someone," she informed him smugly.

"Met someone as in met someone?" Kiba clarified with a raised eyebrow, laughing as she wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Anyone I know?" he wondered.

"I doubt it," Temari replied with a shrug as she leaned back in her seat. "He just recently transferred from the eastern border, he's still getting used to life in Suna – and to having an eyeball of sand following him around randomly!" she added fondly.

Kiba burst out laughing at that because, yeah, he could relate! Gaara had eyeballed him out of the blue a couple of times during the weeks he'd spent with Kankuro. "Ha! That's Gaara for you! How is he anyway?"

"I'm convinced he's having way more fun than a lot of people realize. And he was wondering why you turned his offer down for some time, but I suppose now I can tell him you had a good reason," she noted teasingly with a raised eyebrow.

The Nara finally relaxed as his lover turned to him with a warm grin, visibly agreeing with her.

"Besides," Temari continued as she absently reached to stroke Akamaru's fur. "Shikamaru told me you've also been promoted since? Congratulations!" she offered earnestly. "You boys sure didn't waste any time, huh?"

"Gotta keep busy," Shikamaru tempered with a shrug. Now that they were both there, he knew she'd free to grill them on everything that had happened since they'd left Suna, and she didn't prove him wrong.

"So," Temari started with the same intensity and matter-of-factness she'd displayed during her negotiations earlier that day, pressing her hand down flat on the table in front of her. "A public get-together. You've got to explain that one to me." It wasn't a suggestion, she made that much painfully clear.

Kiba chuckled, sending a quick look towards his lover before grinning innocently. "Your version or mine?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes fondly and – while he was curious what Kiba's 'version' would've been – very simply told Temari the truth. "I was an idiot."

"Ah, yes," the kunoichi replied as though it was obvious – and the Nara's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at this. "So you had to go to great lengths to be forgiven."

"My version had epic battles and a dramatic heartfelt confession in the end, in case anyone was wondering," Kiba noted with a shrug, casually finishing his drink, grin widening as Shikamaru yet again rolled his eyes but bumped their knees together.

Temari chuckled and raised an eyebrow as she reached to poke his forehead. "Somehow I get the feeling his version actually isn't much different when it comes down to it. So then what?"

"My mother wants to kill him, and his best friend threatened to kill me," Shikamaru replied with a shrug.

"Shino's an awesome best friend," Kiba commented as if he were stating an undeniable, universal truth – the sky is blue, the grass is green, and Shino Aburame is an awesome best friend.

"We'll take your word for it," Temari said slowly. Truly, she'd never really been able to understand the bug user; he was just too hard to read, even harder than Gaara, in her opinion – although in all fairness, maybe she was biased on that particular point, as his sister. That Shino and Kiba were so close never ceased to surprise her – and the rest of the world, from what she'd repeatedly gathered.

"Even kids love him! He's started teaching at the academy as a substitute, and he's a natural!" Kiba insisted with a frown, immediately perking up at the mention of children as it made his mind jump to another subject. "Did Shikamaru tell you? My sister Hana had a daughter!" he said excitedly.

Temari cocked her head to the side at this, mentally trying to put a face on the name as she knew she'd seen the older Inuzuka before, but couldn't quite remember her – she promptly gave up though as her brain just conjured an image of a long-haired Kiba with lipstick. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but smile at his proud look. "No, he didn't. Congratulations!" she said earnestly. "Is it a little Inuzuka in training, then? I remember when you came back from attending the wedding, you mentioned her husband married into the Inuzuka clan," she wondered curiously.

"Yep, she's a little Inuzuka pup," he replied easily. "It's really exciting! I'm so impatient to watch her grow up!"

Shikamaru smiled lazily at this, remembering feeling the same way about Mirai – and also about Kao, in a sense, he had to admit.

Temari chuckled as she rested her chin in her hand, looking at them in turn. "I'm not crazy about kids," she admitted honestly – she just didn't know what to do with miniature people who didn't understand you when you spoke to them and weren't capable of handling themselves without needing constant supervision (although it was actually frightening how many adults fit that description too). "But…I guess when they're the children of people you really care about, it's different," she tempered. No one she was personally really close to had had children yet, but she figured it had to feel different.

Shikamaru nodded as this was exactly how he'd always felt. He didn't leave it at that however, because sometimes the tables had to be turned, it was only fair. "Does that mean Gaara and Kankuro won't get to be uncles? How sad…" he goaded with a mock-sigh.

Kiba snorted in amusement and busied himself with patting Akamaru as Temari raised an eyebrow at him – he knew what happened to those who laughed at her, he'd seen it enough times hanging around the Sand siblings in Suna.

Instead of resorting to violence however, she simply grimaced to express her displeasure at the notion. "Oh, the council's pushing for it – 'keep the lineage going' and all that," she told them with a roll of her eyes. "They're not pestering Kankuro because of course no one figures he's going to get a woman pregnant voluntarily, and they leave Gaara alone because…well…Gaara, you know?" she needlessly trailed off as she waved a hand about.

"Which leaves you," Shikamaru finished with a raised eyebrow.

"Lucky me, huh?" Temari replied with perfectly faked pep. "I mean it's not like they're making it an official motion during council meetings; and no one's dared to mention arranged marriages again since my brothers and I simply narrowed our eyes and visibly emitted enough murderous vibrations the first and only time it happened. But the not-so-subtle reminders are there," she tempered.

"Yep, lucky you!" Kiba noted sympathetically as Akamaru went over to rest his head on her lap, tail wagging as she reached to scratch him behind his ears as he so loved.

"Hey, they haven't given up on you, actually!" she then told Shikamaru in amusement. "'You get along well with the Nara of Konoha, Temari', they're fond of saying!"

Kiba frowned as he watched them laugh, only marginally relaxing when Shikamaru drawled that they were obviously behind on their information. He forced himself to snap out of it though and jumped right in to tease her once more – something he loved doing, she reminded him so much of his own sister, at times, and he knew that despite her complaining she enjoyed it as well. And well, he couldn't deny that part of him would always feel a bit nostalgic of his days in Suna – having her there brought some of it back, and it felt nice.

Once they parted ways with Temari outside, Shikamaru turned to Kiba inquisitively, absently watching Akamaru as he trotted peacefully in front of them. "Kiba?"

"Yeah?" Kiba replied absently as he reached for his arm and pulled his hand out of his pocket to join it with his.

The Nara rolled his eyes fondly at this – sometimes, Kiba really behaved like a dog would, demanding affection in such an earnest way that it couldn't be denied. What he wanted to ask was whether he'd told Kankuro about their night together after he'd left Suna, but for some reason he couldn't go through with his original idea – maybe it was because he really didn't like it when the puppeteer was mentioned, even by himself. So he asked about another – inconsequential – thing he'd been wondering about as well. "I never really asked you but…when did you tell Shino about us?"

Kiba blinked at this, obviously not expecting this question nor seeing where it came from, and shrugged. "When I came back for the wedding I guess. I mean it's Shino, I've never kept anything from him – a fact he's often complained about!" he added with a self-satisfied grin.

Shikamaru had no doubt the Aburame felt that way.

"Buut…I might have actively complained to him about you after you pushed me away," the Inuzuka then added.

"I suppose that's why he's always looking at me with that warning expression," Shikamaru noted with a defeated sigh – but that was friendship, he couldn't complain about it. "And the others?" he then wondered curiously.

"I don't kiss and tell!" Kiba replied with mock-shock. "Hana and mom figured it out right away though – scents don't lie. But otherwise everyone else just found out when the village did!" he added teasingly.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes playfully at this, telling him he was troublesome just for the principle. Inwardly, he was glad that Kiba hadn't discussed this with Kankuro – and a part of him was happier still that Temari would tell her brother the good news. He didn't like being petty, but sometimes it just came too easily – and felt too good.

"How about you?" Kiba then asked as he cocked his head to the side. "Did you keep everyone in the dark, like Chouji and Ino, or did someone know?"

Shikamaru shook his head at this. "Kurenai figured us out, so she's the only one who gave me advice with you in mind, but Chouji and Ino…pretty much knew everything but your name," he replied.

"Why? I mean if they already knew I was a man, why not tell them it was me?" the Inuzuka asked back, puzzled.

"Because I was sure they'd get involved – like they did when they thought it was Omoi!" Shikamaru reminded him, unable not to chuckle at the memory – poor Omoi…! He then sighed as he saw they'd reached the intersection where the paths to their respective clan grounds split.

"You're not coming with me?" Kiba asked with a frown.

The Nara sighed once more at this, shaking his head. "It's really troublesome, but since I'm technically in charge of the negotiators I have to be at my registered address in case there's a problem," he explained.

Kiba nodded as it made sense and didn't let it bother him as he stepped closer to press a kiss to his lips. "Well you know where to find me once your work's done," he reminded him slyly.

Shikamaru shook his head but just kissed him again, pushing him back before he could get carried away.

He was almost annoyed when there turned out not to be any problems that night, meaning he could've effectively spent it with Kiba. Work. It never went the way you wanted it to, did it?

How troublesome.

Shikamaru had long ago learned that there was one thing more annoying – and infinitely scarier – than having his mother wake him up by yelling his name.

Having his mother wake him up in a decidedly good mood.

That one had shivers running down his spine, making him snap wide awake and sit up immediately.

"You have a visitor," Yoshino said with a smug grin, almost sing-songing it and even chuckling scarily.

Shikamaru frowned as he dragged himself towards the door, not having to stay in the dark for long as he soon saw Temari sitting in the living-room – politely insisting she'd already had breakfast, thank you, and alright, just a cup of tea, thank you very much. "What're you doing here so early?" he asked with a frown as he yawned without restraint.

"I've got Gaara's answer!" she informed him brightly as she leaned back on her hands.

The shadow-nin sighed as he slumped down opposite of her, resting his head on his hand. "You know, there are official channels in place for that – showing up at my home unannounced is not appropriate," he informed her in (mostly) fake annoyance.

"Oh, did I interrupt poor Shika's beauty sleep?" Temari cooed insufferably. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?" she worried as she reached to poke his face.

"I hate you, woman," Shikamaru informed her with a groan, absently swatting her hand away.

"No you don't," Temari replied matter-of-factly with a wide grin before letting her eyes trail over him critically. "Well? Go get changed, I've got negotiations to conclude!" she pressed cheekily.

"I do hate you," Shikamaru insisted as he stood and walked back to get changed with another jaw-popping yawn. He was tempted to go back to sleep just to annoy her, but then he figured she wouldn't let that stop her from dragging him out herself, so he just got ready as quickly as he could – but in a leisurely way. His mother was in an animated discussion with their guest when he returned, and he smiled despite himself at her excitement. "Okay, let's go settle that dispute," he said evenly as he stifled another yawn.

"What about breakfast?" Yoshino asked with a frown.

"I'll eat something over there – we'll have to wait for our third party to be ready after all," he replied with a shrug – and he didn't really know Sojiro, granted, but he had a feeling he'd have more than enough time for breakfast until the Kiri shinobi joined them.

Yoshino nodded back, trusting he'd find a way. She then grinned as she turned back to Temari. "Temari, you must stay with us for dinner tonight," she invited eagerly.

Temari chuckled self-consciously but then noticed her friend had frozen and was frowning, so she put on an apologetic look. "That's very kind of you, but depending on the outcome of this meeting I'll likely be heading out today already – I don't like leaving my brothers on their own for long," she replied earnestly.

Yoshino sighed in disappointment but nodded. "I understand – work must come first. I was like you once – but do remember to also live life from time to time or before you'll know it you'll have one of him," she said as she shrugged a thumb towards her son, "reminding you that you're old!"

"What is it with everyone over thirty calling themselves old in this village?" Shikamaru muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes and made for the exit. "I'll see you tomorrow – I'm staying at Kiba's tonight," he threw over his shoulder.

It didn't escape Temari's notice how Yoshino frowned imperceptibly, and she quickly said her own – much more polite – goodbye before following her friend out. After a few minutes walking in silence, she sighed – she wasn't good with sulking people. "She sure wishes we'd hook up, huh?" she wondered rhetorically, deciding to tackle the problem head-on as usual.

"Oh, you, Ino, Hinata – even Tenten although she can never remember her name," Shikamaru informed her in annoyance. Every woman he'd ever spoken to. Everyone who wasn't Kiba.

"Don't worry, even if I end up staying another night, I'll find an excuse," she assured him with a more genuine smile.

Shikamaru smirked absently and then sighed as he turned to look at her. "I'll treat you."

"I take it Kiba doesn't get dinner invitations," Temari noted with a frown although he didn't really need to reply to that. Wordlessly, she reached to punch his shoulder, and grinned widely as he raised an eyebrow, amused despite himself. "I'm troublesome, aren't I?" she asked with fake helplessness.

"It takes the fun out of it if you say it yourself," he informed her lazily. But yeah. Okay. She wasn't all that troublesome, sometimes. As if he'd ever say it out loud though.

As he'd surmised, they'd had to wait another few hour before receiving Kiri's reply. But, at least, it was in line with Suna's: a vote would be held. Konoha, as a neutral party, would supervise it, to ensure that the tally wouldn't be tampered with, and Shikamaru hoped against hope that they wouldn't ask for him. Temari's smirk naturally informed him otherwise.

With friends like her, who needed enemies?

Still, he had to admit he was sad to see her go. They were so busy after all, it was impossible to know for sure when they'd meet again. It made him take more interest in these new technological developments he kept hearing about – something about more easily accessible long-distance radio transmitters, as opposed to how things were now, restricted to the village's command centers. Their world had been changing at a sometimes alarming pace since the war ended, as the different countries started sharing more and more with each other – it came with the times, he supposed. Not that he could really complain about any of it, really.

For the principle though, when asked, he would always say it was troublesome.

A man had to stick to his principles after all.

TBC

In the final movie, it appears everyone has mobile phones, but as this is still some time before, I'd assume it's not widely spread yet, and it stands to reason the first who'd get access to this kind of technology would be the government, so to say.
ps: Akamaru could take over Suna in his sleep. Just saying.