Shadows and Fangs

Chapter 19

Not for the first time in his life, Kiba held himself back from groaning in agony before the combined looks of his mother and sister. "Would the two of you get off my back already?" he muttered with a scowl, briefly glancing at his brother in law. "Help me out here, would you?"

But Aoba, whipped traitor that he was, merely held Kao up closer to him and shook his head. "Imagine those cheeks with the red triangles, Kiba. You don't want to miss this!" he repeated his wife and mother in law's words.

Kiba finally let out that groan and Shikamaru bit his lips to keep from chuckling, sharing a knowing look with Akamaru. Sometimes, loyalty was hard, huh?

"I know that! I said that!" the tracker wheezed out, suddenly feeling tired. "And of course I'll want to be there! I just can't do as you say and demand that time off when I'm new on the job! That's not how it works!" he insisted, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. It was natural that he wanted to attend Kao's third birthday, since she'd finally officially join the clan, but he didn't think he'd be in any position to make vacation demands yet. (Besides, it was still almost ten months away, they were clearly all getting ahead of themselves.)

Hana opened her mouth to argue but Tsume stopped her, turning her serious gaze to her son. "Kiba. My amazing tracker. My once cutest pup in the world. My firstborn son—"

"Your only son," the tracker in question reminded her with a raised eyebrow.

"You wound me, brother," Aoba quipped easily, grinning at the look that was sent his way.

"—My absolute pain in the neck," Tsume continued regardless, making sure he'd look her in the eyes. "You were headhunted. In person. Specifically. By name. Trust me: you're in a position to make demands," she declared simply.

"In all seriousness, she does have a point," Hana commented proudly. "Use your connections a bit more, Kiba! You're doing Temari a favor, it's only natural she scratches your back in return by giving you time off for this!" she reasoned with a shrug.

Kiba sighed, almost feeling like a headache was coming along. They had a point, he knew that, but he didn't want to be that guy. "I'll talk to her about it—in due time," he quickly added before they could interrupt him. Aoba wordlessly set Kao in his arms and he sighed as he looked down at his niece. At least she wasn't harassing him yet, right?

Ah, family...

And to think they hadn't even gotten to the Nara side yet...

"I'm really not sure it's a good idea for you to tag along," Shikamaru said once more with a sigh as they entered the Nara clan grounds.

Kiba frowned as he kept his arms crossed over his chest. "And I want to be able to defend myself when she'll inevitably blame everything on me!" he insisted with a huff. And he'd even left Akamaru behind for once – at Tsume's, after her loud laughter had subsided and she'd stopped talking about her 'hot-shot brat rising up in the world and going places'. The way he saw it, of course Yoshino would never warm up to him if he was never there and Shikamaru just gave her what she considered to be 'bad news' about them – although in all fairness, how little they saw each other was completely her fault, since she never invited him in the first place.

Shikamaru sighed as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders but didn't insist. He knew that once Kiba made up his mind about something there was no swaying him, after all. So as they reached his childhood home, he opened the door and said a half-hearted greeting.

They found Yoshino in the garden, relaxing under the shade as she read a book – the temperatures were particularly high this year, so much that many had been taken completely by surprise. (Inwardly, Shikamaru dreaded to think about what it implied for Suna, since it was notably warmer there.)

"Where's the mutt?" she asked with a frown as she didn't see Akamaru around – mostly suspicious, but also worried, to her credit.

"We left him at my mother's," Kiba replied easily as he took the lead and sat down not far from her chair. "We have big news for you."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and then narrowed them at him, because with that setup, how was he supposed to stall now? His mother's dubious expression did nothing to help, of course. "We're going to transfer to Suna for a while," he said simply as he also slumped down.

"How long is 'a while'?" Yoshino wondered with a frown as she set her book down and sat up to lean her elbows forward on her thighs.

"At least a year, maybe more – it's not permanent," he replied evenly.

"I got offered the position of Suna's Allied HQ's deputy commander, that's why," Kiba added frankly, unsure whether he was trying to impress her or get the heat off of his lover.

Yoshino blinked in surprise as she reasonably couldn't criticize that kind of reason. "Well done," she praised honestly, almost catching them off-guard. She then frowned as she looked between the two. "And what about you?" she asked her son.

"I'll be working as Gaara's assistant – Temari's old job, really," he replied with a shrug.

Her expression became slightly more contemplative at this, and she sighed. With the way the villages now interacted with each other, it was to be expected, in a sense; but for someone like her who'd grown up in times of tense distrust, it was still quite hard to get used to. "I've always said you would achieve great things – that if you really put your mind to it you could have a go at any position you'd wish!"

"Yeah, I could," Shikamaru agreed with a frown, not seeing where she was taking this.

"Naturally, I've always assumed it would be in Konoha…it's still something we're getting used to, my generation – these ties with the other villages," Yoshino admitted with a partly annoyed expression, knowing Konoha wouldn't necessarily be safer, but at least, it was here. She then looked at Kiba for a moment, feeling equally annoyed and satisfied that he held her look. "I'm not saying this is bad, don't get me wrong, it's a tremendous opportunity – for the both of you. It's just…difficult, for me, to completely let go of the past," she admitted honestly.

Kiba grinned but shook his head at this. "I already lived there before for a year, remember? Suna is not a dangerous place for Leaf shinobi, and since the Allied division started up it's bound to have become even better!" he assured her confidently before grinning as he glanced at his lover sideways. "The only thing you really have to worry about is Shikamaru becoming even more overworked!"

"Hey," Shikamaru protested for the principle, frowning at him.

Yoshino snorted at his expression, seeing how that could be a problem. And yet… "I think this is the first time I've actually seen you…what's the word—not annoyed at the prospect of having more responsibilities?" she teased her son easily, smirking at his annoyed 'tch' sound. "You almost look like you want to take on that challenge!"

The shadow-nin huffed slightly as his eyes trailed to Kiba for a moment before setting back on her. "I want to be with Kiba. And this is a professional opportunity I won't let him pass up on," he finally said, noting his fond smile and her pinched one. "Besides, it's not like I'm actually giving up on anything here, either. I'm just a regular captain at this stage, whereas in Suna I'll work directly under the Kazekage. This is neither a retirement nor a demotion, just a transfer – actually a promotion, any way you look at it," he reasoned matter-of-factly.

"Just to another hidden village instead of another department," Yoshino pointed out with an almost-pout before sighing exaggeratingly. "At any rate – when are you leaving?" she asked as she moved to refill her glass and served them as well because she was feeling accommodating.

"We'll be in function by the end of the month."

"That soon?"

"Well it's…sort of an urgent situation," Kiba replied as he absently scratched his cheek, his other hand reaching for Akamaru until he remembered he wasn't with them – upon which he gingerly flexed his fingers.

"But it's a bit unusual, no? That the deputy commander would change so soon?" the other Nara questioned curiously. At Kiba's guarded smile, her expression changed to a sly one. So he wasn't at liberty to discuss, eh? Sounded juicy. "Fine, keep your secrets!" she replied with fake annoyance. "Is it official yet?"

"You mean 'can you add it to the gossip mill yet'?" Shikamaru rephrased with a raised eyebrow, easily catching the book she threw at his face. "Yes, it's official."

Yoshino pressed her lips in a thin line at this to avoid pouting and just fixed him with a glare – he was too much like her, really. And she remembered a similar conversation with her own parents, actually, when she'd decided to retire. Their generation had been born in an age of wars between newly formed villages and incessant battles; shinobi did not retire from active duty if they were still able to fight, children or no. They hadn't taken well to her argument that she was a pretty mediocre kunoichi anyway and that way she'd have more time with her son than they'd had with her – and the voices quickly got very loud on both sides. But…she'd been right.

Just like maybe he'd be right.

"I still don't like it that much," she declared with a sigh. "But it seems your generation's gift is the ability to actually travel around this world, so you should take advantage of it," she finished with a fairly pinched expression. "And that doesn't mean I won't somewhat blame you," she added towards Kiba before he could grin properly.

Shikamaru chuckled as he muttered about her being troublesome under his breath. But still…they could live with that.

And Kiba's happy smile as they walked back to get Akamaru was completely worth it. Wordlessly, he simply gave their joined hands a squeeze. Maybe he'd been right to tag along after all. But he wouldn't tell him so, just to make sure he wouldn't let it go to his head.

Transferring sounded nice and painless in theory, but Shikamaru soon discovered how naïve an impression that had been. It wasn't just the move, or the constant back-and-forth with Suna's shinobi division, or the ever-growing list of things to do.

It was the paperwork.

He was forced to consciously resist the urge to groan as he took in the seemingly never-ending amount of forms looming ahead. "Temporary address change, temporary authority assignment change, reflected amendment to your contract, confirmation of next of kin, amendments to your health insurance…does this thing even have an end? How did you manage? Twice, even!" he asked Kiba with a frown, finally letting out that sigh. Did people really have to brave this paper storm when they applied for the exchange program or the Allied division? How come so many were still doing it?

"By telling myself it would be worth it," Kiba replied with a shrug as he leaned to have a look over his shoulder, clucking his tongue as he reached to point at something. "Add the 'cacti' plan to your health insurance – you'll want that," he noted seriously.

"Of course – I was just about to do that," Shikamaru drawled sarcastically, finding himself unable not to grin as Kiba rested his chin on his shoulder and pretended to bite him. "I wonder if there's a plan for dog bites…" he mused as he moved to snatch a quick kiss.

"Nope," Kiba replied against his lips. "The closest they've got to wild dogs are fennec foxes, and even the biggest ones aren't bigger than Akamaru when he was a pup! Plus they tend to run away from people, so I think there're probably only a handful of bite cases every year – not enough to set up an insurance plan," he finished cheekily.

"Smartass," Shikamaru muttered with an amused roll of his eyes, ticking the box labeled 'cacti' on his form anyway. Inwardly, he wondered if there was a plan for papercuts or wrist cramps – now that was something to think about! A knock on the door pulled him out of his musings and he was by the door in an instant, all too happy to have a reprieve from his administrative hell.

"You're not leaving Konoha!" Ino said as though she were stating a fact as she let herself in. Behind her, Sai waited for a nod before following in, polite young man that he was.

"Actually, we are," Shikamaru corrected her before raising an eyebrow. "How did you even hear about that?" he then wondered for the principle.

Ino raised an eyebrow back at him and huffed. "Sai, tell him."

The artist immediately complied, counting the names off on his fingers. "Well, there was Gai, who was at the flower shop buying flowers for Neji's grave – but he took brightly colored ones, not the sterile white most people seem to go with for cemeteries. Then Lee joined up just as he was about to leave and told us a second time. Following that, Ino's mother gave us the same account – she'd heard it from your mother, Shikamaru. Coincidentally, we then ran into her as well, so she told us again. And then not to forget the Hokage who mentioned it to me and Naruto during a meeting this morning," he duly reported.

"I stopped listening after the part where Gai bought brightly colored flowers for Neji's grave," Kiba admitted honestly as he held a hand up. And he should really stop by as well before leaving Konoha – aside from Kurenai and Shino (his team), Neji had been the first person to tell him that if he calmed down, he'd make a decent commanding officer, so he should tell him the news, right? (Even if Gai and Lee most likely already did, because honestly to know everything about Konoha's inhabitants, one just had to listen in on their weekly visits to Neji's grave.)

Shikamaru chuckled fondly at his antics and then turned back to Ino. "So by my count you've heard this from five – very varied – sources. What more do you need?"

"When were you planning on telling me and Chouji?" she asked back with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her lack of pout (and violence) convinced him that she was really upset though, so he closed his mouth instead of teasing her again.

"I mean, I told everyone, you must have it wrong, you know? Because, I told them, there's no way Shikamaru wouldn't have told me and Chouji if he were really leaving, right?" she continued, holding his gaze expectantly.

Behind her, Sai discreetly moved until he was further in – outside of the war zone – and accepted Kiba's offer to sit as he pat down the chair next to his.

"In my defense," Shikamaru started as he stepped closer despite the danger. "I'd really planned to tell you two tonight over dinner – I just underestimated the rumor mill and forgot the flower shop's such an integral part of it," he admitted, half annoyed at this oversight.

Ino couldn't keep in a chuckle at this, having to concede the point. Besides, it was true that they were supposed to meet up that evening. "Fine, but it's your treat!" she warned good-naturedly.

"That was always the plan," he assured her easily.

"There's a 'cacti' plan in the health insurance?" Sai wondered out loud as he couldn't help but skim over the papers on the table.

"Kiba insists it's a necessity," Shikamaru drawled.

"It is," Kiba huffed knowingly.

"The other nations seem so fascinating at times," Sai noted contemplatively.

Ino raised an eyebrow at this. "We're not leaving Konoha," she reminded him simply before turning to Kiba. "Well, in all that, congratulations are definitely in order. Knock'em dead, will you?" she said with a wink.

Kiba laughed at her encouragement and nodded back, giving a small salute. "I plan to, M'am!"

"And you," she continued as she turned back to Shikamaru. "Bring your savings tonight," she said with a sweet predatory grin.

"Was planning to…" he admitted with a resigned sigh.

Chouji was more understanding, as he'd expected. But then again, he was definitely the one with the biggest appetite. "Do you guys remember the first time we watched Gaara fight?" he wondered at one point, shuddering at the memory.

"Heck yeah, I thought he was going to kill Lee!" Ino noted with a frown.

Chouji nodded, glad they saw his point. "Could you have imagined being his assistant, back then?" he asked his friend.

Ino made a face and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. But he's nothing like he was back then!"

"I know," the Akimichi noted, grabbing another piece of meat and holding out a hand to order another platter. "That's my point: isn't it crazy? How much things can change," he reasoned. "What's in a few years, huh? You're dating Kiba, you're dating Sai, I'm dating a kunoichi from the Cloud – could you have imagined that a few years back?" he wondered as he looked between them excitedly.

"Isn't that what life is all about? Changes? Evolution? Surprises?" Ino wondered with an amused smile as she tilted her head to the side. "What are you getting at?"

"I can't wait to see what we'll be up to in a few years!" Chouji replied simply with a wide smile.

"Probably offsprings, on your part," Shikamaru replied matter-of-factly, unable to resist the urge.

Chouji chuckled sheepishly and Ino grinned happily. "Well, I'm satisfied with just the practicing part, right now!" she informed them with a self-satisfied look.

"Can't reasonably argue against that point…" Shikamaru had to agree.

"But that's what I'm saying, you know?" Chouji noted excitedly. "Right now, I couldn't possibly imagine having kids! But in a few years that could change, and then – wham, just like that – we'll turn into our parents!"

Ino and Shikamaru exchanged half-horrified glances at this before turning back to him shaking with laughter. "Okay, how did you leave the realm of 'happy philosophical musings about life' to cross into 'the stuff of nightmares'?" she asked him teasingly.

"It's not that bad! I'll be pretty happy if I turn out as good a father as mine is!" Chouji reasoned simply as he stole their meat in discreet retaliation – which they obviously noticed, but let slide.

"When you put it like that, of course it's not bad," Ino admitted with a fond roll of her eyes. She still wasn't planning on having kids, but she was sure if she did, she'd be as clingy as her father used to be – and strangely, the thought made her smile.

"Okay, so let's reconvene in a few years and see where we stand!" Shikamaru offered as he managed to grab a piece of meat for himself – and even one for Ino, amazing friend that he was.

Chouji raised an eyebrow and pointed his chopsticks at him. "Hey, you better visit before 'a few years' pass!" he threatened good-naturedly.

"What he said," Ino added around a mouthful.

Shikamaru chuckled as he held his hands up in surrender to pacify them. "Kao turns three in June – she'll get her markings, we can't miss that. So we'll be there then – realistically, I don't think we'll visit before, given the distance, unless we're on assignment," he reasoned.

"Kids grow up too fast," Ino muttered, ignoring Chouji's knowing look as words like that really made her sound like a parent. "That's if the cacti haven't killed you by then," she then added off-handedly.

"Wow, I sense a story there!" Chouji noted as he took in Shikamaru's raised eyebrow.

"Not one worth telling," the Nara assured his best friend easily.

He honestly believed that was someone's idea of a practical joke.

Just because their departure to Suna was growing closer and closer didn't mean they were off the hook in Konoha, professionally speaking. Both were still on active duty and rotated between the assignments as usual. One such evening, as he was leaving for work, Shikamaru blinked as he watched Kiba and Akamaru loudly stumble through the open door. Unsurprisingly, they merged into a wrestling heap of wet limbs on the ground, while Hinata stood over them with a bright grin. Behind her, Shino walked in infinitely more calmly and closed the door. Normal Team 8 behavior.

"Hello, Shikamaru," the Aburame greeted simply. "It's raining," he then added as though feeling the need to clarify the chaotic situation for him.

"I noticed, thanks," Shikamaru muttered back with a raised eyebrow, resisting the urge to huff as the other man shrugged the slightest bit as though to say 'if you say so'. He smiled at Hinata and then grinned as his gaze trailed to Kiba as he energetically rubbed Akamaru with a towel, soon giving up that fight as usual. "Having fun?" he couldn't help but ask as he stopped in front of them.

Kiba looked up with a grin and then growled as Akamaru got out of his clutches and ran to his basket, happily making a nest with the half-damp towel and burrowing in it. Sighing, the Inuzuka simply got up and stepped towards his lover, reaching to press a kiss to his lips in greeting.

Shino walked by them, unfazed, a towel draped around his head as he made his way to the kitchen, Hinata close by as she pat her own hair dry.

"Ready for work?" Kiba asked Shikamaru as he pulled back, noticing he already had his vest and equipment on. Just because they were in their last week in Konoha didn't mean that their assignments had let up after all.

"Yeah – but nightshifts sure are troublesome," the Nara replied for the principle as just thinking about it made him yawn, before he burrowed his nose in Kiba's neck, despite his clothes being slightly damp – he'd soon be caught in the rain too anyway. "You try not to do anything too crazy, okay? Keep Shino in line!" he teased easily, smirking as he could feel the Aburame glaring at the back of his head at the implications.

"Will do!" Kiba replied brightly as he laughed at the thought of Shino doing something crazy – that'd be the day, right? "Who're you working with already?" he wondered curiously.

"Raido's the captain, beyond that I'm not sure," Shikamaru replied lazily. "And it's raining, huh?" he asked although he could tell from the state the trio was in that it was only a drizzle, they weren't soaked so it wouldn't be that bad. "Well, gotta get going anyway," he concluded as he leaned in for a last kiss, calling a goodbye to Akamaru and Hinata over his shoulder before adding Shino's name as well as an afterthought.

"Do you want a dry shirt?" Kiba asked his friends absently as he walked towards the bedroom to change his clothes.

"No thank you, I just need to let the jacket dry up!" Hinata replied as she hung it on the back of a chair in the living room.

Shino looked down at himself to get a better sense of the state his attire was in. Satisfied that his shirt was dry, he simply removed his jacket. "No need for myself either," he called back, wrinkling his nose as the smell of wet dog drifted his way. However Akamaru looked so content as he was that he didn't have the heart to go and give him another rubdown – a task that had been much less daunting back when he was still puppy-sized!

Hinata however didn't feel such hold-ups and called Akamaru's name in a sweet voice as usual to appease him before grabbing the towel and managing to be somehow gentle as she energetically rubbed him drier.

Shino then looked up towards Kiba as he shuffled back their way, imperceptibly huffing in amusement as he watched him bury his nose into his shirt's collar – he didn't need to ask why, the Nara clan symbol on it told him all he needed to know.

"What's on your mind?" Kiba asked him easily as he reached around him for a cutting board and a (clean) knife to get started on the vegetables.

"To my absolute horror, I'm thinking that I might miss you," Shino replied quite seriously, resisting the urge to sigh. Hinata didn't barge into his life quite as often as Kiba was prone to after all; she, unlike someone who shan't be named, actually called before, and worried about intruding. He appreciated it, but truth be told they balanced each other out, so he really was worried about the change to come, to a certain extent.

Kiba laughed brightly at this and shrugged helplessly. "Wow, I bet that sucks, huh?"

"Indeed. Although in all fairness, it's Akamaru I might miss the most," the Aburame added as he set the rice-cooker's timer, smiling the slightest bit as the nin-dog barked a response.

"Akamaru's gonna miss you too, Shino," Kiba assured him lightly, grinning up at him. "But we're both counting on Hinata to make sure you get out of your apartment once in a while!" he added with a wink at their teammate.

"I go out to go to work every day," the teacher reminded him blankly, frowning as he wondered how he could have forgotten that.

"He meansleaving to meet people – outside of work," Hinata corrected gently, grinning as Akamaru licked her cheek. "Count on me, Kiba, Akamaru!"

"Feel the love, Shino!" Kiba added teasingly as he gently punched his shoulder.

Shino (dubiously, and for the principle) nodded back and walked to sit at the table, grabbing the meat to start the marinade. "I'm sure we can trust you to take good care of each other," he said truthfully, not doubting that part in the slightest.

"Hey, what kind of Inuzuka would I be if I didn't?" Kiba wondered rhetorically, smirking as he absently wiped his hands on a towel and moved to grab a pan.

"Hmm. Indeed. At any rate, I have this impression you might return a changed person," Shino continued matter-of-factly, internally satisfied when his friend paused and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're being extra-weird tonight…" the Inuzuka muttered with a confused frown, sharing a look with Hinata in hopes she'd know more. "It's not like I'm gonna be gone for a decade!"

"We'll see," Shino concluded with a small shrug as his eyes once more rested on the Nara clan symbol on his shirt. Reaching to push his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose, he returned to his task.

"It might feel like you'll be gone a long time, but I'm sure it'll fly by faster than we know it!" Hinata reasoned as she joined them, not needing to ask them to know where her help was needed. "There's no way you'll miss Kao's birthday, especially this year, right?" she asked needlessly.

The Inuzuka nodded energetically at this. "Just imagining those chubby cheeks with red triangles turns me to mush on the inside!"

"Imagine when she'll get her nin-dog!" Hinata added brightly, having to admit that thought was pretty cute.

"Cuteness overload," Kiba declared with a straight face, shaking his head to dissipate the image.

"I wonder what it is with babies and puppies that drives people so crazy," Shino thought out loud. "Why isn't there the same level of interest towards a young Aburame receiving his or her first insects?"

He sounded so earnest about this that neither of his friends could find it in them to shoot him down.

"I suppose people just aren't used to the Aburame like we are…" Hinata ventured diplomatically.

"Yes, that does seem likely," Shino agreed simply.

"Man, I'm gonna miss you guys something crazy!" Kiba noted instead with a shake of his head.

Hinata smiled back brightly and Shino opened his mouth before closing it, visibly unsure what to say – likely sure he'd regret it later if he became too sentimental about this.

Akamaru just barked happily as he looked at them.

"He'll miss you too," Kiba needlessly relayed.

Apparently Akamaru deserved a hug (from Hinata) and a pat on the head (from Shino).

"You've always loved him more than me…" Kiba muttered good-naturedly.

In the end, it was almost like every day was used to say goodbye to a different person, which didn't feel ominous at all. And then of course there was that farewell drink, although in all honestly no one had a clear recollection of it, because there was too much happening at once at any given moment, plus alcohol, and consequently and inevitably, tears.

(Mostly, it was the alcohol's fault. The tears were just a regrettable side-effect.)

(Really.)

But by mid-September, not even a full month after Gaara's initial offer, everything was finalized for good, and they set off from Konoha's south gate with the promise to visit in June as planned. Somehow, it didn't feel scary at all when it came down to it.

The end of something was always the beginning of something else, after all.

TBC

Has this been my goal from the beginning? Nooooooooo... :)