From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Rules, Interruptions, and Thugs

Shika’s body relaxed visibly. He put his hand on the back of Naruto’s neck as he pressed their foreheads together. He sighed heavily. “Maybe we need a few ground rules.”

“Rules?!” Naruto did not like the sound of that. “What rules?” The wholly suspicious look on his face made Shika laugh. Naruto decided that he liked Shika’s laugh.

“Like, not pushing me so far that I end up cumming in a public place. That sounds like a good place to start.” he said as he gently kissed the tip of Naruto’s nose.

Naruto moved their mouths together and gave Shika an equally tender kiss. He had agreed to nothing, but Shika seemed satisfied, so he’d just leave it that way for now.

Shikamaru may not have been one of those ninja who had experience in sensing other people by chakras; but with the help of the kyuubi, Naruto was. With a heavy sigh, he released Shika’s mouth. “Someone’s coming. I think it’s one of us. Plenty of chakra.”

“You can sense that? How?” Shika was impressed and Naruto was pleased.

He blushed, a little. Before he could answer, Shikamaru continued. “Can you tell who? How far away?” They were tactical questions, almost automatic for him.

“I’m a little raw right now.” He did blush. “The fox’s senses kinda come up, when I’m, well, distracted and stuff.” He almost stammered and cursed himself for it.

“I think it's Shino, but I’m not sure. He’s near the last turn in the trail, just before you can see this spot. Something feels funny.” Naruto didn’t like it, whatever it was.

Shika smiled almost apologetically. “We may want to keep this between us for now.” He watched Naruto closely, “The others might not react well. I don’t want their reaction to mess this up….between us I mean.”

Naruto wanted to ask what ‘this’ was, but knew that there wasn’t time. He nodded in answer. He began straightening his rumpled shirt and hair as best he could. Shika mirrored him. Naruto couldn’t help feeling a little hurt, a little slighted. Just what was it they were doing? What did ‘this’ mean to Shika, or him for that matter?

Naruto sighed heavily. He was looking down at his hands. It made Shikamaru feel sick.

They were casually talking about the festival, when Shino came into earshot. A moment later he could see his two friends. Shikamaru was leaning against the railing facing Naruto who was standing relaxed, in the middle of a pool of light from a small lamp.

It was reassuring to Shino that he had guessed their location correctly, although, he had only expected to find one or the other; not both. It was very good that he had. Good, Shikamaru will have a worthy solution.

Naruto looked up, but not at Shino. He was looking past him. He knows that they’re there! Shino knew that Naruto had only increased in strength, but he hadn’t expected that kind of sensitivity from him. He cataloged that info for later examination.

“We have company.” He and Naruto whispered in unison.

Shikamaru understood the situation, without knowing all the details. They were trapped in a dead end. It was obvious that the other two were nervous about this ‘company’. Naruto’s instincts were a real asset in times like this. Shika had been on enough missions with the other chuunin to know that if Naruto sensed danger, it was there.

Lady Tsunade didn’t want them to draw any undo attention to themselves, which was why Shino had continued down the path towards them, like a normal person would. He couldn’t take on whoever it was and if he’d moved ahead to warn them too quickly, it might have been noticed. “How much time?” he asked Naruto.

“Two,” was all the blond said. Two minutes.

Shikamaru could hear them now. They had been trying to be quiet before, but now they were feeling cocky. Earlier Shika had noticed a side path that led up the steep embankment only approximately six feet from where the light started.

Whoever they were, they knew this place well enough to know of it and now that they were passed it, they felt confident that their quarry was trapped. He removed his jacket to improve his mobility; he shivered a little at the cold evening air. The sun had set while he and Naruto….had been…….

He turned his head to face the path. Shino and Naruto stayed where they were. Shino’s back was still to the path. Shika didn’t like the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach.

“Oh, ho! It’s a three for one special!” A large young man with dirty blond hair laughed as he stepped into the light. His smile was anything, but friendly. Eight other men of varying size stood behind him. It was apparent that they were all teenagers or men who had just passed their teens.

“Look, it’s the pretty one from earlier.” A tall, lanky boy of about sixteen pointed at Shikamaru. “I like his hair.”

The tone of the situation had just changed rapidly. Shika began to re-evaluate everything.

“I want to see what this one’s hiding behind those glasses. I want to see the look in his eyes…….” Naruto wasn’t sure which one in the group had said that.

“Didn’t your momma ever tell you not to pick on guys with glasses?” Another boy called out.

“Yep, but what does that bitch know. I promise; he’ll like it before I’m done.” The chuckle and ensuing laughter from the individual and then the group made Naruto feel cold all over. He was looking at Shino, trying to gauge how he was taking this.

Shika hadn’t moved. He was still leaning casually against the railing. Naruto tried to mimic his nonchalance. He didn’t think he was doing it well. Shino just stood there impassive; his back still turned toward their would-be assailants.

One of the older boys leaned towards the man who’d spoken first, “Which one do you want first?” he asked the obvious leader of this rabble.

“I like the blond one. I like the way he moves. Yeah, I liked watching him earlier. Thought we’d missed our chance at him, he was movin’ pretty quick.”

“But, I can watch him move, later. He doesn’t look that hard to break.” He disregarded Naruto and started evaluating Shino and Shikamaru more carefully. Trying to determine who would be the greater challenge.

If you touch him, either of them, I will kill you. The thought was spoken in three separate minds, not worded exactly the same, but the sentiment was definitely there.

Shika moved now. He cocked his head to the side and regarded the group with amusement. “Huh, what do we have here? A handful of would be rapists….” He showered every word with arrogance and derision.

When Shikamaru began to speak, Naruto felt a hand on his back. He didn’t turn. The hand tugged once on his shirt and retreated. The group turned their full attention to Shika; they weren’t trained fighters after all and were easily distracted. Naruto took a few steps backward, into the shadows at the edge of the lamplight.

“Kiba,” Neji breathed at his back and was gone. Naruto tried to focus on the different chakra’s around him to locate Neji, but was unable to. Neji could mask his chakra better than most Jounin. While looking for Neji, Naruto sensed another person with a large amount of chakra. That person was coming down the path towards them. That’s what Neji meant. Kiba’s coming and Neji’s here too, but where? Naruto hoped that Neji had a plan. He couldn’t see that Shikamaru had one yet.

“Wadda’ ya’ mean ‘would be’?” The leader/alpha male asked, leering. Shikamaru was starting to regard them as a large pack, with pack mentality. Show weakness and you get taken down even faster. If an outsider challenges the leader too much/too quickly, they could all attack. Gotta’ do this just right.

Shikamaru stood up with exaggerated nonchalance. He stretched lazily. His toned torso peeked out from under the hem of his shirt, the muscles in his arms more defined by the movement. Shika looked for all the world like a large cat who’d been woken from a nap by a herd of mice.

The look in his eyes when he turned back toward the hooligans said that he felt as much. He jerked his head, indicating that Naruto should come to him. He stepped in front of Shino, even as Naruto came within arms length.

Shika held his arm up indicating with his eyes that Naruto was to step under the arm. Naruto obeyed, but regarded him warily, not understanding what purpose this served. Shika draped his arm across Naruto’s shoulders in a declaration of ownership and smirked at the other men. Naruto couldn’t help it; a deep blush stained his cheeks.

“Shino,” Shika said the name as if it were a command. He started to lift his left arm. Shino only hesitated a second. He didn’t understand the plan, but could see that Shikamaru was up to something with this. He turned and stepped under the proffered arm. Shika leaned forward and leered at his challenger, Alpha Male to Alpha Male.

He saw the shift. He saw the moment when this group began to see them as something other than prey, something more like themselves. Wariness replaced eagerness. They were all still game, but would move more slowly and carefully.