Shadows and Fangs
Chapter 20
Longer than usual, but I didn't want to split these scenes up. Again, there will be some OCs, still just because I don't like overusing every and any side-side character mentioned in passing, but they won't be the focus of the story. Hope you'll enjoy it! :)
Having changed units several times during his life, Kiba was used to being 'the new guy', the fresh meat in a new environment – first the academy, then the genin ranks, then chuunin, his unit in the war, his unit in Suna for the exchange program, then tokubetsu jounin, Konoha's Allied division HQ and now, finally, Suna's Allied HQ. He'd never been shy however, and he was used to people dismissing him due to his antics, so being scrutinized was something that had never fazed him – besides, his best friend was Shino Aburame, the man who clearly didn't know how quickly staring at someone crossed over to the creepy territory, so he had that covered.
That was why when Temari introduced him to her division – her minions, Kankuro insisted – he barely felt stressed as he held a hand up and waved. "So. As the commander just said my name is Kiba Inuzuka and this is my nin-dog Akamaru. He'll beg for treats and ear-scratches like any other dog, but he does understand everything we say. I'm a tokubetsu jounin from Konoha specializing in tracking through smell. Some of you may already be familiar with me or my name as the Kazekage's first test subject for the shinobi exchange program here in Suna. More recently, I was based in Konoha's Allied HQ before being transferred here. I look forward to working with you," he introduced himself summarily, grinning slightly as some of the friends he'd made on his first stay in the Sand held their thumbs up at him.
Temari stepped back in front of him as she gestured towards the four shinobi who stood closer. "These are our captains. Mizu Norima of Suna, Yasha Akimichi of Konoha, Sojiro Satoshi of Kiri, and finally Darami Hosuen of Kumo," she introduced one by one.
They nodded and shook hands at this, but Temari didn't give him much more time before dragging him towards his office, which was just opposite hers, with a narrow corridor separating them. "Fair warning: if the door isn't properly closed I can hear everything that goes on in your office," she started slyly. "So don't forget that when you bring Shikamaru in for a quick romp!"
"Temari, you wound my professional pride! I would never!" Kiba replied in mock-shock, scrunching his nose as the room smelled stuffy. "I guess that goes for you too?" he then asked aggravatingly as he moved to open the window.
"I'm your boss," she needlessly reminded him with a raised eyebrow. "I can do whatever I want and you'll pretend you didn't hear a thing."
"Of course, my apologies, Commander," the Konoha shinobi said with a wide grin and a mock-salute as Akamaru snorted next to him.
He didn't even bother avoiding her back-slap.
Shikamaru, over on his side, slowly came to realize one slight – enormous – oversight on his part.
Working closely with Gaara implied working closely with Kankuro.
And they called him a genius…
"You seem to be frowning more than usual," the Kazekage noted. "Is anything the matter?" he asked amicably.
"Ah, no, don't worry," Shikamaru replied as he chuckled tensely, eyes briefly darting to the Sand protector now wrapped around his arm. "This just feels…very new," he admitted evenly – and it wasn't completely untrue.
Gaara nodded at this, turning his gaze back ahead as they walked to his office. "The best way to tackle something new is to jump right into it," he then advised, the corner of his lips pulling up in a small smile.
The way Kankuro chuckled and turned to his brother with a proud grin, the Nara deduced he was the one to have dispensed that particular piece of wisdom to Gaara some time ago – perhaps when he'd been promoted to Kazekage, or even earlier. Shikamaru was (grudgingly) forced to admit it was sound advice. "Let's jump in, then," he replied evenly.
And jump in they did.
Days went by, quickly turning into weeks, leaving both Kiba and Shikamaru wondering where the time went by as the first month rolled by.
At the Kazekage's office, Shikamaru had to get used to the fact that every action anyone did was scrutinized by the Council of Elders, which was much larger and more powerful than it was in Konoha – in all fairness, Suna was a more traditional village in many aspects, even though Gaara and the younger generation were slowly but surely ushering in a new era. But despite their deep-rooted suspiciousness towards shinobi from other villages, Shikamaru's reputation preceded him, and in the end they were all too happy to have 'snatched' him from under the Leaf's nose.
Although, in all honesty, the moment where someone had informed them that he'd actually followed his lover – "The Inuzuka serving as deputy commander at that Allied division headquarters" – had been quite comical to say the least.
Particularly as one of the elders had then pat his shoulder and praised his decision to leave, adding that, "Konoha has always been old-fashioned about the most random things – no one will judge you for your lover's gender in Suna as long as your work is up to par!"
Shikamaru had only replied, "Thank you. I think."
When he'd told him about it later that evening, Kiba had laughed until his sides hurt.
As he served as a sort of mix between assistant and advisor to Gaara – a task that the Kazekage made more interesting and challenging every day – he also worked primarily with Kankuro, who was in charge of his brother's security and also held a seat on the council. Grudgingly, Shikamaru had to concede that Kankuro was deserving of his reputation as one of Suna's best elite shinobi. As far as his work was concerned, every aspect was flawless, and the shadow-nin had a feeling that wasn't only because the puppeteer wanted to help his brother – he was just that good.
Still, every time Temari commented to Kankuro that he should find himself a nice guy – "To remind you what it's actually like to be young and happy before it's too late, little brother!" – Shikamaru mentally cheered for her.
Kiba, on his side, had his hands full helping Temari get the HQ back into shape – she hadn't exaggerated when she told him her previous second-in-command had made a mess of things, from neglecting paperwork to assigning squads and missions all over the place and with no real thought for balance and efficiency. He'd heard quite a few people opinionate that it had been deliberate sabotage, but no one really talked about that, the unspoken rule was simply not to mention her.
As was the case in Konoha (and every other HQ, to his knowledge), the deputy commander was simply referred to as 'commander' for short, and in the end that was the biggest change he had to get used to – getting called that or 'Sir'. Then to his horror – and many people's amusement and surprise – they quickly found out that he was actually good at the administrative side of the job – perhaps because he wanted to be done with it quickly so he went straight to the point every time.
Finally, in addition to daily reports to Temari, he'd also put into place weekly meetings with the four captains to make sure each shinobi was being put to good use while not being overloaded, and all this with the troops' morale not dropping down more than it already was. The HQ had been slowly reaching a point where more requests to transfer away would put it a stone's throw from costing way more than it garnered, and fixing that was quite taxing..
Of the four captains, the one he'd warmed to the fastest was Yasha Akimichi, unsurprisingly. When she wasn't eating, she was laughing – even in battle, reportedly, which motivated her subordinates and scared her opponents. She didn't care much for politics, and had no reservations explaining to everyone who asked that her goal now that they were allies was to spend a few years in each village to learn their specialties so she could "show those narrow-minded idiots back home what they're missing by refusing to step beyond their front door". She often appeared easily distracted, but she respected authority and had no problem earning her troop's respect no matter their village of origin. (Admittedly, the fact that she brought baked goods to the HQ almost daily did help.)
In complete contrast, Darami Hosuen, the medical ninjutsu specialist from Kumo, only had three facial expressions: blank, less blank, and particularly blank – and the same applied to her tone. Many rumors floated about to explain this – from a lost lover to a wound received in the Third Shinobi Wars to a fashion statement – but she obviously never bothered correcting, denying or confirming any of those. Kiba's money – literally, as there was a betting pool – was that she enjoyed making people wonder. Regardless, as expected from shinobi of the Cloud, she was extremely disciplined and resilient, a brilliant medic-nin who remained in complete control no matter the circumstance. (She also appreciated Yasha's version of Suna's typical taro buns, but didn't like it when people commented on that.)
Mizu Norima, the sensor, he already knew from the last time. She used to be with Suna's interrogation division, which naturally also handled torture as necessary, and so she'd always carried with her a smell that made Kiba and Akamaru feel uneasy. Her job had hardened her, but it was obvious she enjoyed sharing her experience with shinobi from other villages, and she was glad for the opportunity to work more as a sensor than an interrogator, at least for some time.
Which left Sojiro Satoshi, the man Shikamaru had told him once represented Kiri in negotiations with Suna – where he'd been equally pitted against Temari. He was one of the Mizukage's most outspoken supporters, eager to prove that Kiri had changed – but always careful with the information he disclosed, as expected from a stealth specialist. His clan's bloodline limit of poison release made him a force to be feared on the battlefield, even though he never really spoke about that, either. Just like he'd never directly replied to those who asked him why he'd chosen to apply in the Sand – amicably so, it was the most popular ice-breaker question among the Allied division, but he just evaded the subject every time it was brought up.
Kiba for his part only wondered whether they'd ever know the reason why he was nearly always late to their meetings. (He really hoped it was something more exciting than simply sleeping in.)
"Sorry I'm late!" Sojiro always said as he rushed in a good ten minutes after they'd begun. At least, he never bothered making far-fetched excuses. Small blessings. "It won't happen again."
"Sojiro, I already didn't believe you the first four times you said that," Kiba deadpanned as he raised an eyebrow at him. "At least come in quietly. The next time you interrupt a meeting with your lateness, I will bite you," he warned him simply.
Yasha and Mizu openly snorted at this and Sojiro frowned. "That might not be such a good idea – poisoned blood and all," he reminded him.
That didn't deter the Inuzuka. "Well I'm willing to take one for the team if that'll teach you a lesson. Besides, I'm sure that Darami will be up to the challenge of figuring out a counter-toxin before I die of the worst case of food poisoning in recent recorded history."
"Indeed, I look forward to the opportunity of thoroughly investigating a Satoshi clan bloodline poisoning, Sir," the Kumo kunoichi replied with her 'less blank' tone.
"See? She's looking forward to it!" Kiba noted cheerfully before frowning at the Kiri shinobi. "Don't tempt us," he reiterated simply.
"I'll make an effort," Sojiro promised contritely, politely shaking his head as Yasha offered him some food.
"Excellent!" the Inuzuka said as he turned back to his notes. "Now, where were we?"
"The recent reports of Allied division units comprising Kumo shinobi being denied from crossing into the Land of Waves without acquitting an exorbitant toll," Darami promptly reminded him, this time in the 'particularly blank' tone.
"Right…" He had to admit he shared her mindset on that one…
Despite what a lot of people believed, being in command didn't necessarily mean you only handled what you wanted. He wished someone had really stressed that to him beforehand so he'd have really psychologically prepared himself for it.
"You know, while on the principle it's hilarious and I often feel like resorting to violence myself, you can't really go around threatening to bite people!" Temari informed him with a wide grin over dinner that evening.
"You threatened to bite someone?" Shikamaru repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Should you be okay with that?" Kankuro pondered absently, not really surprised in itself.
"I'm not sure," Shikamaru admitted. "Who was it?" he then wondered as he turned back to his lover.
"Sojiro," Kiba replied as he closed his eyes and poked the menu to make his choice, grimacing as he didn't like this time's random selection. "He's always late to the captain meetings and it completely breaks my rhythm," he explained as he gave his method another try, more satisfied with this outcome. "You don't mind if I eat garlic, right Shikamaru?"
The siblings snorted and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Do what you want – apparently I have no control over what goes in your mouth," he replied absently before freezing as he realized how his words could be interpreted. "Not one word," he told all three very seriously.
Temari didn't hesitate to laugh at him openly, because she was fearless, but Kankuro knew that the Nara wouldn't need many more reasons to kill him and get rid of his body somewhere far far away where no one would ever find it, so he simply coughed and brought his drink to his mouth to keep himself busy.
Shikamaru just gave them a dirty look and tried to remain impassive as Kiba nuzzled his cheek fondly. "So. Back on track – you shouldn't bite him, he's literally poisonous," he said after clearing his throat.
"No he's not," Temari cut in with a frown. "Otherwise how would his clan have endured?" she asked practically.
"Well, I do have a theory, but I feel really uncomfortable voicing it when you're sitting next to me, big sister," Kankuro said matter-of-factly, grinning as she elbowed his arm with a disgusted snort.
"I doubt that's how it is," Kiba dismissed with a shrug. "So I guess you're right, Temari…"
She raised an eyebrow at this, as though to say 'of course I'm right'. "You'll know immediately anyway: his eyes will turn yellow if he activates the bloodline," she reminded him.
"Or you could simply not bite other men," Shikamaru deadpanned with a shrug.
"Other men?" Kankuro repeated with a shit-faced grin – this was so worth getting buried in the desert over.
Shikamaru groaned at this as he slapped a palm over his eyes. This was visibly not his day…
He blamed the locals. (They had to get away from them before the contagion spread.)
As the commander of Suna's Allied division HQ, Temari no longer participated in missions – or only extremely rarely, when the request explicitly came from the Kazekage. Kiba, as deputy commander, wasn't deployed as often as before either, but still regularly, as a tracker of his caliber who was additionally familiar with the area was sometimes too good a combination to pass up on. (Shikamaru, for his part, only left the village when accompanying Gaara, a rare few times with Kankuro.)
With their combined efforts, Temari and Kiba managed to rebuild Suna's Allied HQ's reputation as a viable entity within barely a couple of months. Granted, they might have not gotten sufficient sleep during that time, and neither could it be said that they'd been diligent in eating all their meals (nor that they'd been particularly health-conscious), but at least the hard part was behind them. Following this, more requests for transfers came from the other branches, and there nearly weren't any requests to transfer away anymore. Consequently, as sorting them for the commander was the deputy's job, Kiba spent even less time on deployment.
It therefore limited his patience to entirely new…limits.
"Sorry I'm late!" Sojiro said as he rushed into the meeting room and made for his chair.
"Don't sweat it," Kiba replied nicely with a grin. "How's your arm holding up?" he then asked with a frown, as he'd gotten wounded on his last mission.
The Kiri shinobi blinked as he held it up to show the bandages had been removed. "It's good, thanks for a—argh! You bit me!" he remarked incredulously with round eyes.
At the table, Mizu grudgingly handed a folded note to Yasha.
"Never underestimate an Inuzuka," the Akimichi whispered to her colleague as she accepted the money happily.
Kiba clearly wasn't remorseful as he wiped some blood from his chin, completely unfazed. So he'd let the last late arrivals go unpunished; he'd been in a good mood that day. As previously stated, his patience had reached its limits. "Yeah, I really wonder what part of 'the next time you interrupt a meeting with your lateness I will bite you' was unclear." Darami moved from her seat to come towards him and he shook his head at her. "Don't worry, he didn't poison me – his eyes didn't turn yellow."
"Good," Darami replied as she sat back down with an expression of almost disappointment.
"You bit me," Sojiro repeated as he dabbed at the teeth marks with his other sleeve.
"Yes, I bit you—and so help me you have my word in front of three witnesses that I will bite you every single time you're late without a good reason from now on," the Inuzuka promised him with a huff.
"I could always poison you," the Mist shinobi reminded him for the principle.
"Then Darami will be happy!" Kiba deadpanned – to which the medic-nin nodded curtly once. "Please heal him so we can get back to work," he then asked her before returning to his own chair.
The rest of the meeting continued as though nothing had happened – although the barely contained chuckles and grins were a poor excuse for shinobi stoicism – and honestly, Kiba wasn't at all surprised to hear Temari call his name when he returned to his office. Letting out a deep sigh for the principle and sharing a look with Akamaru, he turned on his heels and took the four steps (give or take) that separated their doors. "Yes, Commander?" he asked sweetly with the brightest grin he could muster.
"You actually did it – you bit him!" Temari noted with a satisfied smirk, looking up from a number of files scattered all over her desk to stare at him with something dreadfully akin to motherly pride. (Kiba would forever deny the shivers he felt running down his spine at this.)
"Yup. I'm having one of those days, you know?" he replied rhetorically as he shrugged and stifled down the urge to balance himself on his heels like a five year old.
"That time of the month, huh?" his poor excuse for a boss drawled back, throwing her head back and laughing hard at the look he sent her – and missing his muttered 'sure, you'd know'.
"Am I in trouble, Commander?" Kiba asked instead, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning slightly back against Akamaru.
Temari absently wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and shrugged. "Nobody filed a complaint – so I'm good!" she noted with a shrug before breaking off laughing again. "Man, I really wish I could've seen it though! The look on his face must've been priceless!" she wheezed out between two bouts.
"Well, he didn't see it coming, that's for sure," the Inuzuka noted modestly, looking visibly proud of himself. On the inside, he noted that it was nice to see Temari laughing like this – he couldn't be 100% sure, but he was quite certain it was the first time since he'd come back to Suna. If a bite here and there was all it took to brighten her day, then he was definitely the right man for the job!
"Let's see how long it takes for Shikamaru to hear about this! And then let's wait and see how he reacts, knowing that his 'special privilege' got used by someone else!" Temari added deviously, having way too much fun at their expense – as usual.
Kiba huffed at this. Whether she was feeling down or high, Temari always found it in her to have a laugh off of other people's backs – honestly, he still wasn't sure if it was a strength or a flaw. (For sure, it was scary.)
Of course as his luck would have it – and because news traveled fast – everyone at the Kazekage's tower had heard about that incident by the time evening came, and between Gaara commending him on his disciplinarian methods and adjustment to his position, and Kankuro snapping his teeth at him whenever he was nearby, he really didn't know how to take Shikamaru's resigned sigh and shake of the head.
All he could do was insist the Kiri shinobi tasted bad.
(It didn't help. Much.)
But after that day, Sojiro tried to test Kiba's warning only once, barely a week later.
Kiba bit him for the second time. And then Darami refused to heal him right away, just because she could.
He was never late again.
It didn't hurt that following this, Kiba's reputation as a man of his word became universally known and established. It was even funnier that people started fearing he'd bite them anytime something wasn't to his liking – with his naturally pointy fangs and tendency to growl when he wasn't satisfied helping the myth grow before eventually settling into that territory between legend and reality.
No one – and certainly not Kiba himself – ever bothered correcting people's misconceptions on the matter.
Some even eventually looked at Shikamaru with something akin to pity or respect at times, somehow convinced that surely, as his lover, he had to face the Inuzuka's fangs on a more than regular basis. That particular line of rumors only really started bothering the Nara when Gaara started looking at him like he believed it. At first, he chose to ignore it, firmly believing it to be the only way to make it go away. But after the twelfth time he got the distinct impression that Gaara was feeling sorry for him, he knew he had to clear the air.
"Gaara, a word, if I may? Not work-related," he asked as soon as the Kazekage's office was empty – well, not entirely empty, Kankuro was still there, but he'd long ago learned the brothers were sort of a group deal. "You don't need to worry about me because of those stupid rumors – I'm not being savagely attacked at home," he informed him as plainly as he could.
Kankuro only tried to stifle his chuckles behind his hand for all of a second and a half before he switched to the 'camouflage with coughing' tactic. (It wasn't an improvement in any way or shape.)
Gaara for his part studied him intently and tilted his head to the side in a microscopic way. "So Kiba does not bite you," he stated instead of asking – but it sounded an awful lot like a question anyway.
"Huh…" This, Shikamaru was not sure how to reply to. "Well…you see…sometimes he does but…how do I say this? It's not bad?" And wow, did that sound clear and confident. He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Enough to consider requesting a transfer on his way home, even.
Kankuro, of course, gave up all pretense of keeping up appearances and laughed out loud – in a widely exaggerated fashion, if you asked the Nara.
Gaara merely spared his brother a glance (he was used to his antics after all) as he pressed forward with the discussion, determined to make light of this situation that clearly affected his trusted aide's wellbeing. "Do you like being bitten, then?" he asked with the mother of all straight faces.
"No!" Shikamaru momentarily wondered why these sorts of things happened to him and what he'd done to deserve them, shooting the wheezing puppeteer a nasty look before turning back to the Kazekage. "It's more like…when I say 'bite', I don't mean it in a 'wild animal charging at you and biting' way." Judging from the way Gaara's face relaxed (to the trained eye, and he was getting there), it was painfully obvious that was exactly how he'd first assumed the word's meaning.
Kankuro straightened up slightly at this and sat on a corner of his brother's desk. "He means that in the heat of passion, some people will sometimes bite down," he explained with a shake of his head, before adding, completely off-handedly: "Kiba's like that; hence the biting that's not really biting."
Gaara nodded in understanding but Shikamaru fixed the puppeteer with his absolute best cold glare.
Kankuro completely understood the threat in that look, but it wasn't in his nature to back down. Heck no, it was in his nature to press forward and be annoying just because it was fun! "Trust me, Gaara: you don't need to worry about Shikamaru – he's in good hands!" he assured his brother as he slung an arm around the Nara's neck, all with a bright smile.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed even more but he put up a good front as he teasingly and gently elbowed his ribs. "I will kill you with your own shadow," he threatened in a low voice.
"Nah, you'd miss me – sooner or later you'll have to come to terms with the fact that I'm growing on you!" Kankuro replied cheekily.
"Over my dead body."
"It's good that you're getting along so well," Gaara commented with finality in his tone. "It makes working together so much more agreeable," he finished as he looked at them in turn before focusing his attention back to his work.
"He's on to us, isn't he?" Shikamaru whispered to his colleague.
"Just smile," Kankuro instructed before chuckling. "You said us! I knew you'd slip up!"
Shikamaru just sighed while he groaned internally. He figured that just proved there was some truth to what people said: there was no perfect job.
It wasn't exactly a secret, but sometimes Kiba forgot that information gathering was one of Suna's main trades. Personally, he wished people would owe up to it and call it for what it was—a love of gossip – but 'information' sounded so much better on paper. If he were ten years old, he'd say it sounded more 'grown-up'. (Okay, so he said that anyway, but still. Gossip.)
So, really, it didn't come as a surprise when Mizu regularly informed them of the recent news in Suna during their captain meetings. The most popular and recurring subject was pressure from the council for Temari and/or Gaara to produce heirs – they seemed to have given up on Kankuro for good, to his satisfaction.
"And then it turned out that provincial lord had actually paid the girl to pretend to be his daughter so he'd get more influence if Gaara chose her – he doesn't actually have any children!" Mizu finished, clicking her tongue disapprovingly. "How stupid can you get? Of course the truth would come out sooner or later – this practically counts as treason!"
Sojiro shook his head at this, visibly agreeing with her. "Unfortunately, this can be observed in the other countries as well! But as you rightly mentioned, the truth always comes out in the end!"
"It's like people don't think beyond one stupid decision – no back-up plan at all!" Yasha added around a warm cup of tea – Suna held quite the extremes, and could get quite cold in the winter, surprisingly.
"When you open the floodgates, you must be wary of the houses down the valley," Sojiro agreed with a sigh, pausing at his fellow shinobis' confused looks. "What, you don't have that saying where you're from?" he wondered with a frown.
Kiba cocked his head to the side at this. "'You reap what you sow', I guess – if I understand you correctly," he offered, sharing a look with the Akimichi who nodded her agreement with a shrug.
"We say, 'as you make your bed, so you must lie in it'," Darami supplied monotonously. "But the finality is not the same, I would say."
"I like ours better," the Kiri nin muttered.
"Yours assumes people visualize what happens to a valley when floodgates are opened – I've never even seen floodgates," Mizu noted with a roll of her eyes. "It's highly nationalist!"
"Are we really arguing about sayings though?" Yasha asked with a sigh, making the competitiveness drop down immediately (as usual).
"Right," Kiba agreed as he shot her a grateful look. "So the Kazekage and our Commander are still unattached. Which, I sometimes think, is a direct result of the council trying to get them attached so much in the first place," he mused.
"A classic example of cause and effect," Darami agreed with a nod. "Being anonymous is better than many realize."
"I like the middle-ground," Sojiro noted although he concurred, in effect.
A few seconds of silence followed as they all wordlessly agreed, and Kiba then cleared his throat. "Well, I won't keep you any longer – we've covered everything I had to tell you. As usual, don't forget to turn in your rosters for next week by Thursday evening."
"Yes, Commander."
"Yasha, please say that again without it sounding like 'yes, Mother'," Kiba complained as he looked at her with a frown.
"Yes, Sir!" she said back with a salute – and a shit-faced grin.
"You'll be the death of me…"
"I should remind you that's what parents typically say, but I'm feeling nice today, so I won't," Sojiro noted with a self-satisfied smirk.
"Yes, how nice of you," Kiba drawled sarcastically, clicking his teeth together and enjoying the way the other shinobi imperceptibly tensed and moved his arm away.
Over at the Kazekage's tower, a similar topic was being discussed following a short meeting with the council of elders.
"On the bright side, with the Mizukage being so touchy about marriage, at least the council will back off during her visit," Kankuro noted with a grin.
"Oh, so should I log in a formal request for her to visit as often as she can?" Shikamaru offered with a smirk, toning it down as Gaara shot them both a look – oddly, the kind usually assimilated to parents scolding their children.
"Don't worry, Gaara – Temari will eventually get around to saving our vital bloodline or whatever," the puppeteer reassured his brother.
"You sound certain," Gaara noted, almost amused.
"Like our sister could pass up on the opportunity of having more people she can be the boss of for their entire lives!" Kankuro huffed confidently. "We'll be uncles, just you wait."
Shikamaru resisted the urge to snort at this – at least, Kankuro had the decency to admit he already was someone she completely bossed around, and always would. "Well, that aside, we are ready for the Mizukage's visit, so I'd say we're good for now," he noted casually as he looked through his ledger.
"Excellent," Gaara replied, succinctly but satisfied. "Oh, and Shikamaru?"
"Yes?"
"As always, thank you for accidentally misplacing that list of prospective matches from the council," the Kazekage said earnestly with as usual a perfectly straight face.
Kankuro laughed and Shikamaru did his best not to smirk too widely as he looked down at the folder in question in his hands and wondered what to do with it this time. "You're very welcome, Lord Kazekage."
The things one had to do to have a more contented superior…
"Kankuro, didn't I hear you mention a new incendiary device for your puppets?" the Nara wondered out loud as he turned to the puppeteer.
"It's a work in progress – there're still some issues with collateral damage, you see," Kankuro replied with a sigh, playing along.
"You don't say."
"I do say! Want a demonstration?"
"Since you insist."
Gaara left them at this point – he was willing to order the documents destroyed, not to witness it: he had to maintain some distance and plausible deniability, after all.
Shikamaru whistled slightly as he watched the flames vanish along with the remains of their paper victims. "You know, if you really didn't have control with that thing I'd actually be worried," he admitted easily.
"I know, sometimes I scare myself," the other man replied modestly before nodding at him. "Well, I'm off! See you tomorrow," he added as he turned towards the exit, going in the opposite direction Gaara had.
Shikamaru waved at him and then made his own way home, smiling slightly when he noticed Kiba and Akamaru were already there. He found him checking their mail, which was something he'd actually planned on doing himself since they received a special notice at the Kazekage's office that morning. "Anything interesting?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around his neck and leaned to have a look over his shoulder.
Kiba grinned as he reached for one particular card. "You bet – Naruto and Hinata are getting married!"
"Yeah, Gaara received one as well," the Nara replied easily as he noticed a note penned in with Hinata's handwriting – Gaara's had a scribble from Naruto. "Did you see the date? I wouldn't be surprised if it was Hinata's idea," he noted.
"It is – she said so here," the tracker said happily as he held it up for him to read. "She can't get married without Shino, Akamaru and me around! And since we'll be back in June for Kao's birthday, they settled on the week after – which apparently was the timing they'd been aiming for anyway," he explained, grin widening as he thought about his teammate. "I'd have been really sad to miss that…"
As his mother and sister had recommended when he'd first told them about the job and their consequent move, as soon as he'd gotten Temari in a good mood (read: as soon as he felt he'd buttered her up enough) he asked her about taking time off for Kao's ceremony. She'd grudgingly agreed, but it was obvious she was doing it for show – he had done her a huge favor, so she couldn't exactly deny him time off for his niece.
When Shikamaru had asked Gaara following that, the Kazekage had only blinked at him as Kankuro wondered why he hadn't 'asked the heck earlier' with a confused frown. A shrug, a signature, and case closed.
The Nara chuckled at the memory, having to admit it was really good news they'd end up being able to attend both events, even if it felt strange in a sense to imagine Naruto's wedding. "Guess we won't miss any of the action, so that's good. Somehow though I get the feeling the guest list won't be limited to close friends and family for that wedding," he commented as he moved to sit down next to him.
"And even if – Naruto's so quick to make friends it would already make quite the crowd!" Kiba added with a chuckle. "Three months left!"
"Hard to believe we've already been here for almost six months, huh?" the shadow-nin wondered rhetorically.
"Time flies when you're having fun!" Kiba replied easily before huffing as he had to admit something else. "And when you're overworked."
Shikamaru could only nod his agreement. Fun. And a never ending workload. But fun.
He'd always known it would be fun, too.
TBC
I really, really wanted Shikamaru and Kankuro to end up having to work together with Shikamaru being annoyed and Kankuro being annoying on purpose.