Shadows and Fangs

Chapter 24

Today's random musing: I can't believe we're already in July...2016 makes zero sense to me.

They'd talked about it in a joking manner, but Naruto and Hinata's wedding really had the looks of an official peace-gathering event for the Shinobi Alliance, and not only because of the five Kage easily catching up around a glass of good liquor not far from the starters buffet table – although that was surreal in itself already. Their bodyguards were not far at any rate, perhaps not just visibly so, so security wasn't lax.

Normally, when shinobi decided to get married, all they had to do was ask for a certificate from the administration department, fill it in, sign it, and return it to the HR desk. Then once a week – Thursday mornings in Konoha for as far back as anyone could remember, but Tuesdays in Suna, for some unexplained reason – the Hokage would sign a week's worth of requests. His assistant – or someone else in admin, depending on how busy said assistant was – would then affix the village's seal on these papers and return them to the HR department where the union would be duly recorded into the shinobis' files, following which the happy couple would be able to pick the certificate up at the HR desk – usually within a week after it had been signed by the Kage.

The most usual variation was that if one member of the couple would join their spouse's clan, they should also submit a form of approval from the clan head along with their marriage certificate. That way the administrative changes would all get done at once. That part could also be done later though, and wasn't mandatory.

Rumor had it that a full day had been dedicated to this before the Shinobi Alliance left to fight the war's final battle, as a lot of shinobi had decided to get married to ensure their partners would not be left with nothing should anything happen to them.

The celebration that followed, if any, was entirely up to the couple and purely commemorative, as the official parts were already all taken care of. It had been done that way for practical reasons since the founding of the Hidden Villages. Back when shinobi lived as clans, the Head would validate all unions; but as the structure changed, that position was filled by the leader of the Hidden village.

In certain special cases however – say, with the heirs of notable clans or particularly famous shinobi – the celebration and the signing of the certificate were one and the same – and quite the big event. And there was really no doubt that Hinata was from a big clan, that Naruto was a famous shinobi, and that Kakashi would make time to be present at his wedding and sign that certificate.

"This will be in all the villages' history books," Tenten declared decidedly, tone half teasing half solemn as she looked at their friends as they posed for pictures. Hanabi, at her sister's side, held a frame with Neji's picture in it, and it was as touching as it was painful.

Next to the weapons specialist, Kiba wordlessly bumped their shoulders together while Lee reached to squeeze her hand and give her a cheery smile as she turned to him even though his own eyes were also wet. "I think Neji would have enjoyed the ceremony," he said with a thumb held up.

Tenten laughed, reaching to wipe a tear from her eye as she shook her head and grinned widely. "Are you kidding me? He would've hated having so many witnesses see him tear up at his cousin's wedding!" she insisted brightly.

"It's okay – Naruto's crying enough for two," Kiba commented with a warm smile as he leaned into Shikamaru's side.

"He's a fantastic little guy!" Gai declared brightly with his own tear-stained face as he turned in his chair to offer them a true (seated) nice guy pose.

"That he is," Shikamaru agreed easily as their gazes shifted to the blond shinobi.

Silence followed for a moment as they took the atmosphere in before Shino spoke quietly. "Perhaps it would be best for the history books to omit the tears," he opinionated.

They all laughed at this before Tenten turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Well, even if they don't, you're the teacher; you can tell the kids you were there and there were no tears!" she reminded him brightly.

"Perhaps I will," the Aburame replied with what suspiciously looked like the beginning of a smile.

History was a subjective topic after all, wasn't it?

When their turn came for the pictures, it was easy to forget about emotion and give into elation, and since after this all 'formalities' were over, the newlyweds were finally free to mingle with their guests and enjoy their own party for a change. Naruto was still 'bound' by certain obligations to visit the Kage and other higher-ups, but he didn't see it as such and was barely able to remain in any one place for more than a few minutes at a time.

There also seemed to be a perpetual renewal of guests as shinobi who finished their shifts made an appearance, and honestly no one would've been surprised to learn that everyone in the village had been by at some point – at Naruto's insistence. Not that surprising, given that he considered everyone in the village his family.

"In the end, maybe smaller celebrations wouldn't be such a bad idea," Ino was forced to admit late into the evening as she sat in Sai's lap, completely exhausted.

The artist merely nodded once, having learned long ago not to look smug when she agreed with him. "It's lively like him, though," he said softly, trying to find his teammate in the crowd but failing.

"And warm like her," Kiba added as he gave Akamaru a few more bites to eat – he was full himself, unfortunately.

"But exhausting like him!" Ino added with a chuckle, looking in a direction they knew was the right one since she could probably sense their friends.

Shikamaru smirked at her sorry state, and shared a quick look with Kiba as he reached to stroke Akamaru's head. He loved Suna, he knew they both did, but days like this made him miss Konoha, and he knew Kiba felt the same. Not that they were in a hurry to be back, but in a sense it felt obvious that in the end, they would return. Some day. In the distant future.

Plenty more time to drive the Sand Siblings crazy until then – although that was definitely a mutual endeavor, really.

Their lazy days in the Leaf came to an end all too soon after that, and as planned they traveled back to the Sand with the Kazekage and his detail. Once back, many shinobi curiously asked about the celebration, somehow having already heard all sorts of crazy rumors that really needed correcting – and some that did not, because how awesome was it that people honestly believed that there were giant frogs everywhere or painted decorations on the Hokages' Monument? How had Naruto not thought about that one?

No, seriously—how?

At any rate, Kankuro's bold assertion had proven true: the village of the Hidden Sand had survived just fine without them. (Reassuringly so, in Shikamaru's opinion.)

And Kiba's enthusiasm was largely rewarded as Mizu and Darami, both unharmed, welcomed him and Temari back into the same old not-crumbled-down building. Briefly he thought he saw the Kumo kunoichi sigh in relief but dismissed it as a trick of the light before he was accosted by no less than six shinobi and three kunoichi who told him they'd missed him – four had even touched him to confirm he was real. He consequently almost found himself regretting his open-door policy when he barely had time to grab something to eat the first couple of days, but he'd be lying if he pretended he wasn't positively elated to be appreciated, so he didn't complain more than usual.

Over at the Hokage's tower, Gaara was in a spectacular mood, something the Council of Elders immediately picked up on and immediately elected to take advantage of by scheduling quite a few meetings, stretching Kankuro and Shikamaru quite thin in the process.

Business as usual.

…Maybe slightly more than usual.

They enjoyed every moment of it anyway.

A few weeks after their return from Konoha, on a Tuesday morning unremarkable in every aspect, Kiba looked up from the team roster absently as Temari walked into his office, and offered her a toothy grin. "Not to brag but you missed a nice occasion to mortify Kankuro last night. Has he mentioned anything this morning?" he asked before frowning as he watched her wordlessly close the door and step towards him. "Am I in trouble?" he wondered with a frown, trying to rack his brain for anything he might've done wrong – and finding nothing, to both his relief and confusion.

"Of course not, don't be so dramatic!" Temari snapped back before letting out a deep sigh and crossing her arms over her chest. "Smell me."

To say that he was surprised at the sudden request would be an understatement, but as she sighed once more and pointedly looked to the side, he complied. "You smell like Sojiro," he informed her, waiting for either a denial or an explanation.

"And after I used all that soap…! I hate your nose!" she muttered before sitting on his desk. "I suppose you can guess why."

"Oh, that much is pretty clear," he noted slyly with no thoughts for his safety. All that shogi had to lead somewhere, didn't it? "What I'm really curious about is why you're telling me this when you don't look so thrilled about it," he then added more seriously.

Temari tilted her head sideways as she turned to him. "Because you'd have smelled it anyway – if not on me, then on him. And I don't regret anything I just…it's…complicated."

"Because…?" he prompted as he rested his cheek on his palm.

"Because I'm the commander and he's one of my captains," she clarified with a frown.

"So? You weren't sleeping with him when you appointed him, were you?" Kiba asked her with a shrug although they both knew the answer.

"People will still talk," Temari muttered, absently reaching to smooth her shirt. "And talks on me reflect on Gaara," she then added with yet another sigh.

Kiba's eyes narrowed as he leaned sideways to catch her gaze. "Temari, is there anything you wouldn't do for your brothers?" he asked her seriously.

"Of course not," she replied instantaneously with a frown, wondering where that came from.

"That's how they feel about you," Kiba stated plainly. "Gaara won't care for a second what people say – he's got tough skin after all!" he added with a wink, grinning at her chuckle. "Kankuro's in the throes of romance himself, so I doubt he'll have much to complain about. And if being with Sojiro is what you want, then it's all that matters, don't you think?"

"You're not going to tell me he's old or something?" Temari wondered with a raised eyebrow.

The Inuzuka shrugged at this. "He's thirty, not sixty—"

"Thirty-five," the kunoichi informed him.

"So he's thirty-five, it's still not sixty," Kiba corrected unfazed. "And even if, so what? My sister married a guy who's twelve years older, and they're quite happy!" he said easily. "Besides, you'll already have two protective brothers sizing him down; you don't need me to be antagonistic!"

Temari groaned at this, looking up with a shrug. "I suppose it's payback," she commented meditatively. "At any rate, starting today I want you to be the only authority when it comes to his deployments," she added more seriously.

Kiba simply nodded back as he understood her reasoning – if she wasn't involved at all in his assignments, no one could claim favoritism was in play.

In the end, when she told her brothers, as per his own words, Kankuro had a field day teasing her but did so more moderately than usual, since she could – and did – turn the tables on him all too easily. Gaara was naturally more composed, but no less worried for his sister's happiness. Rumor has it that from that day on, it wasn't unusual to spot a round eye made of sand following Sojiro around.

Most people just pretended not to notice – the Kiri shinobi included.

August rolled by quickly as usual, bringing with it the annual Kage meeting, this time to be held in Iwa. It would serve a double-purpose, because Oonoki had announced – shocking quite a few people – that he would be stepping down as Tsuchikage, and that his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, would succeed him. As a lot of shinobi couldn't recall a time when he hadn't been the Tsuchikage, so even the idea itself took some time getting used to.

Shikamaru had to admit that of all the Kage meetings that had been held since the war, this one seemed like a prime choice to attend, and so he was glad to accompany Gaara and Kankuro.

Temari also joined them, because it had been proposed that the commanders of each Allied division headquarters should also use this opportunity to meet in person to discuss their evolution, which left Kiba as the one in charge of Suna's HQ – "The only one not invited to the party," as he'd complained with fake annoyance and a long-suffering sigh. As she wouldn't be gone for long, Temari had judged it wasn't necessary for Mizu to replace her as she had when they'd both been gone.

The trip itself was long and tiring, but uneventful, and for most, it was their first time setting foot in the village of the Hidden Stone.

"This place looks as old as its leader," Kankuro whispered to the Nara as they walked past the guards.

Shikamaru smirked lazily but didn't say anything, and they both looked away innocently as Temari turned to look at them pointedly.

"Gaara! Shikamaru!"

Both men paused and turned to the loud voice who'd just shouted across the street to find Naruto waving at them.

"You cut your hair again!" the Uzumaki remarked to the Nara as soon as he reached them. "It's always so weird to see you like that!" he added with a laugh.

"Yeah, well, try to handle summer in Suna with an extra mop of hair on your head! It's torture," Shikamaru remarked with a shrug before deciding to tease him. "And why are you leaving your wife so soon anyway?"

"Don't say it like that…!" the blond shinobi insisted with an annoyed pout before turning to Gaara with a grin – knowing he wouldn't tease him. "Hey!"

"Hello, Naruto," Gaara replied amiably as they shook hands.

"Have you been here for long?" Kankuro wondered, looking around for the Hokage.

Naruto sighed and hung his head at that. "We got here two days ago. Sakura insisted so Kakashi and I had no choice but to speed up! She's probably with that creepy Anko now, they were talking about amazing mud or something," he added with an amused roll of his eyes.

"Ah, yes, Anko Mitarashi – my Konoha counterpart," Temari hummed at the familiar name. And incidentally, the 'amazing mud' he talked about was probably that clay treatment that apparently did wonders for dry skin that she kept hearing about – if she was lucky, she hoped she'd have time to indulge as well, although she doubted it. She tsk'ed at this; she should've pushed her brothers to get there earlier as well.

"If you'll follow me," their guide excused herself by clearing her throat. "I'll show you to your quarters, and then you'll be able to meet with the other delegations at your leisure."

"Of course," Gaara agreed as they moved to follow her once more, not before Naruto wormed a promise to have dinner or lunch out of him.

The next day, the ceremony itself was without pomp and fuss, and so after Oonoki had repeatedly insisted that he wasn't stepping down because of his old age or 'pressure from the youngsters' but only due to the will to 'relax for a change', Kurotsuchi had taken his hat and then position at the council of the Kages.

No one was sure what to make of her yet, so the beginnings were a bit tense, with Shikamaru often remarking to himself that she seemed to be testing people's limits on purpose at times, to get a sense of their ticks and reactions. A smile on her face but a kunai held behind her back, ready to strike at the first sign of weakness – she made him want to be on guard at all times, and as he noticed Kankuro stood the slightest bit closer to Gaara than usual, visibly he wasn't the only one to feel that way.

When she joined up with him and Kankuro in the evening (just them, since Naruto had dragged Gaara away once more as forewarned), Temari proved her own meetings hadn't been any less draining. "The HQ's commander here suggested that to keep a good balance I should once more promote a shinobi from Iwa to the post of deputy, instead of my replacement from the Leaf, since we also have a captain from Konoha," she relayed with a roll of her eyes.

"So what did you tell her?" Kankuro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That Iwa is welcome to send applications, if and when a position opens up, and that my replacement from the Leaf is capable of running the HQ in my absence, which obviously isn't the case here as her deputy had to interrupt our meeting," she told him bluntly. "She didn't like my pointing that out," she then added innocently.

"I wonder why…" Shikamaru drawled, pleased that Kiba was obviously a model of success for the Allied division.

Temari shrugged at him, not adding anything more on the subject. Besides, Iwa had other problems than proper representation in other lands; of all the villages they were the ones with the fewest application requests – many were still quite wary of the Hidden Stone, and few were willing to go beyond their prejudice to apply. In all honesty, if it weren't for Tenten, Temari would have firmly believed that the few who did were treated as tolerated guests rather than allies who were privy to information.

And speak of the devil…

"In all fairness, it's not entirely the commander's fault – our deputy doesn't have the most effective attention span at times," Tenten informed them as she leaned her cheek in her hand, absently reaching over to steal something from Shikamaru's plate.

"Sure, help yourself," the Nara chuckled as he didn't really mind. Kankuro seemed to take that as an open invitation because he reached over too only to have his hand slapped away. "Not you!" he said with a frown.

The puppeteer only grinned insufferably at his rebuttal – he was always restless when Gaara was out of his sight, something that would probably never change. "Come on, Shikamaru! I'm emotionally fragile right now, you know that!" he tried while batting his eyelashes.

It didn't really get him on Shikamaru's good side. "You know, you can't keep on using the break-up card forever," he told him without real animosity.

Kankuro huffed and shrugged as he reached for his drink. "'S always worth a try, though!"

Shikamaru shook his head slightly at this. He didn't really know all the details, because he hadn't felt he was in a position to pry, but only a week before, Kankuro had abruptly broken up with Tsuneo – which had really come as a surprise to them all, because it seemed to be going really well. The puppeteer hadn't really talked about it either, and he only acted heartbroken when it served his interests – although Shikamaru really suspected that sometimes, the act wasn't one at all.

"Okay, you can have one," he finally muttered, cursing his soft side and smirking despite himself at the other man's surprised grin.

Tenten chuckled at their antics and then whined as Temari reached to pull on her braid. "Hey, hey, hey! What gives?"

"You left me alone in that HQ all day! Were you having a romp in the closet with your latest victim or what?" the Sand kunoichi teased her friend easily, knowing she wouldn't take offense at her words.

"I was working, Commander!" the weapons specialist insisted innocently, sticking her tongue out at her as she pulled her hair free. "And to answer your barb, no, there is no victim at this time – not the fun kind, at least," she lamented with a huff and a pout.

"I'm almost disappointed," Temari said in mock-regret.

"You've got to stop living through others, Temari," Tenten cooed teasingly, visibly not fearing for her life.

Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle at that one – Temari did have an unhealthy amount of interest in her friends' love lives and a tendency to get overly involved, that much couldn't be denied. As both women turned their gazes to him however, he cleared his throat and busied himself with his food. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kankuro raise an eyebrow at him and understood his message – look down, shut up, or you'll regret it.

"So, what were you saying about the deputy?" Temari asked the other kunoichi as she turned to her, noting she'd managed to grab a waitress' attention to ask for a drink.

Tenten looked back at her with a blink and then and huffed. "Oh, once he gets focused on something, he's scarily good, but sometimes it's like he's got issues with his attention span – like a bird flying by or and insect landing close are enough to make him go into his little world," she explained with a shrug. "I heard he interrupted your meeting, but honestly, I'm certain the commander had already given him the information he asked for, his head just wasn't in it when she did!"

Temari, as a rule, did not allow herself to feel sorry for her words or actions, but she didn't like to be out of line – and visibly, she'd made incorrect assumptions. "Hmm."

"Hmm what?" Tenten wondered with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm she wrongly antagonized your commander," Shikamaru helpfully supplied. Kankuro shook his head at him and didn't sympathize when his sister kicked the Nara's shin hard under the table.

"I'm reassured though – I was afraid you were in a sort of hell-hole!" Temari told her friend brightly as she ignored the shadow-nin's pained moan. (Besides, as far as she felt concerned, Iwa's commander had started it, what with telling her what to do in her own HQ!)

Tenten chuckled, shaking her head, thanking a waiter as he brought her that drink. "Oh no – I mean, it takes some getting used to, like any new place, but I really like it here!" she assured them. "Hard work and outside-of-the-box thinking are rewarded, and there's no bias against women – don't get me wrong, Kumo was great, but the older men with their ancient mindset were a real bummer!" she added with a frown.

Temari nodded her approval, hitting their glasses together. Shikamaru smiled slightly as he watched them and found himself thinking back on a conversation with Omoi, years back, when he'd explained to him how kunoichi hadn't really been respected until just a generation ago in the Cloud. It was interesting to hear Tenten echo it, because from what he'd always understood, her fighting style linked to weapons had been greatly appreciated there – but still, he hadn't known that some had remained stuck on her gender. Fleetingly, he wondered if that was why she'd applied to another village's HQ – something that had surprised them all back then, as they'd figured she'd go back to Kumo.

"How about you, Commander? How's your HQ doing?" the weapons specialist asked with a grin.

Temari chuckled and then shrugged helplessly, shooting a quick look towards Shikamaru. "Hopefully, Kiba won't have brought the building down by the time we're back – or gotten them to mutiny against me!" she said jokingly before turning more serious. "I honestly can't complain. I probably shouldn't say this out loud here, but after my first deputy I was close to quitting myself – things are exponentially better now!"

"Yeah…" Tenten huffed as she leaned closer to whisper. "Between you and me, when she returned here she was encouraged to retire from active duty altogether."

Temari opened round eyes and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this, exchanging a look with Kankuro. Okay, so clearly something had snapped. "I won't say I'm surprised," she noted neutrally.

"Iwa's eager to wipe the slate clean – that's why they'd really like better representation in Suna," Tenten continued as she sipped her drink.

"Well…I'll admit it seems I had the wrong idea about them, so from now on maybe I'll stop turning my nose up when Kiba hands me files from Iwa," the commander acknowledged, not liking to admit to it but not stubborn to the point of ignoring the facts.

Shikamaru grinned lazily so she kicked his shin again for the principle – the same leg, on the very same spot, sadistically. Kankuro just shook his head and pat his shoulder.

Tenten grinned at their antics, pulling the slice of orange attached to her glass off and eating it. "Hey, I was on deployment not too long ago and I ran into one of your teams – captained by the guy from Kiri, Sojiro?" she started brightly.

Temari cocked her head to the side, remembering that indeed his team did cover quite the distance on a recent assignment. "Trouble?" she asked for the principle.

"Only the beating of my heart! I definitely wouldn't mind making him my victim!" Tenten declared smugly, wiggling her eyebrows.

Temari frowned at this. "You would mind: he's poisonous – literally," she deadpanned, very expertly keeping her defensiveness unnoticeable.

"No he's not," Kankuro huffed – only, years of experience had taught him to keep his shins from harm's way.

"Kiba bit him once – twice, actually," Shikamaru added with a fond grin.

"Oh, this I have to hear!"

Shikamaru obliged, and they all shared a laugh at this. "The short version is that he was always late to the captains' meetings, and so Kiba told him he'd bite him the next time it happened. He made good on his threat."

"And the second time?" Tenten wondered around a full-bellied laugh.

"Sojiro tested him again, so Kiba asserted his authority," the Nara replied, shaking his head fondly.

"It's become some sort of urban legend now, you know!" Kankuro added with a chuckle. "Don't piss off Kiba Inuzuka or he'll bite you."

"Oh, he must be loving it!"

"That he is…"

"I have to admit I'm really sorry I wasn't there to witness it," Temari confessed with a smirk.

"Tell me about it! But seriously though Temari – Sojiro. He's got a few years on us, maybe even a decade, but he's cute," Tenten insisted, puzzled at her friend's nonchalant shrug. "Come on guys, back me up here!" she told the other two.

"He's not my type," Kankuro dismissed with a wave of the hand, not mentioning whose type he was. "But yeah, hypothetically speaking, he's attractive – nice face."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him, and then tried to ignore the question until Tenten slung an arm over his shoulder and insisted. "He's definitely not bad-looking…great figure for someone who eats poison," he mumbled, having to admit this much despite himself and hoping this didn't mean Temari would want him dead. The siblings raised an eyebrow at him and he scowled back at them. "What? I'm taken, not blind!" he defended himself.

He couldn't take revenge on Temari, but Kankuro would pay – oh, yes…one way or another, he'd pay. On second thought though…yes, he could punish Temari! "According to Kiba though he's definitely only got eyes for the commander," he drawled lazily – after he'd pulled his shins out of the way, quick learner that he was.

"Ooh, is that so?" Tenten asked infuriatingly as she grinned smugly at her friend.

Temari frowned at them and crossed her arms over her chest. "With friends like you, who needs enemies?" she wondered instead, unable to remain serious too long despite herself. This was the best part of traveling, in her opinion – meeting up with people you hadn't seen in a long time: you could tell them yesterday's news, and it was still novelty to them. "But if you must know…" And then she leaned closer to whisper something in her ear, cupping her hands around her mouth for effect.

"No way!" Tenten exclaimed with glee as she teasingly slapped her shoulder repeatedly. "Next time I'm mouthing off about your man, just cut me off sooner, would you?" she chided her in a mock-chastising tone, wagging finger and all.

"I'll keep that in mind," Temari promised easily.

"And you two! Playing along! Not cool, guys!" Tenten pouted as she turned to Kankuro and Shikamaru and held her thumb down.

"Hey, let's face it: she's scarier than you, so of course we'd go along with her!" Kankuro replied matter-of-factly.

Shikamaru was briefly worried for their shins, but his sister actually looked happy at the comment. Go figure.

And if once back home Temari paid more attention to Sojiro – or more accurately, to how other women looked at him – she completely and unrepentantly blamed Tenten. That was what friends were for, right?

For their part, Kankuro, Shikamaru and Kiba just found it hilarious.

(Discreetly so, of course. They valued their shins.)

TBC

I so love the idea of Tenten and Temari striking this frendship and bringing up girly talk in front of other people on purpose...
On another note, I went my own route with how I imagine marriages are conducted...I really have this impression that shinobi would treat it as an inheritance contract - really cheerful of me, I know! :)