Forbidden Jutsu of Love

They did not return to the main bedroom that night, opting instead to stay in the living room, with Hinata having already retreated to the kitchen. Even in the relative “safety” of the living room, Shikamaru and Neji both knew that sleep would not come easily. The sat side by side on the couch, careful not to touch.

“Is it possible that this really is a temporary side effect?”

Shikamaru shrugged. “Possible. Maybe not plausible.” He felt Neji tense beside him. “I think at this point the most important thing is breaking the hold they have on us. Then we can worry about us. I’m thinking we need to get our hands on that forbidden jutsu scroll – and all the others gathered there too, in case there was a second one with extra instructions or something.”

“And if we cannot break their hold on us? Or the one between us?” It was almost a whisper.

“Then we learn to live with it and make it work. But our best shot is that, according to Sakura, the jutsu requires absolute trust, oneness, and common goals. We have the trust part, I think, but the rest…” Shikamaru shrugged. “Our best bet is to read it word for word and see if there is a hint at breaking this. To get in though, we need Naruto to walk us into the vaults – otherwise, this has to become an official ANBU mission, and we so don’t need that trouble right now.”

The silence fell thick between them. Shikamaru’s internal clock told him that no more than 15 minutes had passed, but it felt like hours in the heavy, dead air.

“I saw their chakra. I mean, I saw flashes of it before, but then afterwards – if I concentrated on it, I could see it clearly.”

“You accessed my byakugan?” Neji looked calm, but the link between them told Shikamaru quite clearly that the Hyuuga prodigy was shaken.

“I think, because you were using it, I could sort of see it through your eyes. But then when we came running out of the room… I need to ask Hinata what she saw, but I’m not sure I can face her right now…” Shikamaru’s eyes widened suddenly. “We didn’t put up a barrier, did we?”

Neji’s face managed to grow a shade paler.

“No wonder she is hiding in the kitchen. I would be too.” Shikamaru rubbed his temples, trying not to think about what she would have seen or heard.

“We will have to address the villagers tomorrow. Anyone in the village with any chakra will know that there was a major surge, and at least the trained shinobi will know it was the kyuubi. There will be questions.” Glad to think about something else, anything else, Shikamaru followed Neji’s train of thought.

Closing his eyes, he played out all of the imaginable scenarios. Telling everyone the truth was out, never mind the personal embarrassment, it could make it back to enemies and make Konoha a target. And people were going to recognize that there was a difference in Naruto’s chakra, even the shinobi without byakugan would be able to feel it, and people might feel it in Sakura and Sasuke too. The Nara genius sighed.

“We can tell everyone that Naruto is training to control the kyuubi, and yesterday was an experiment at unleashing some of the tails. We can admit that it progressed more quickly than we anticipated, but that the situation was quickly taken under control. All three of them need to be visible during the main announcement, to reassure everyone that no one was injured. We also might want to consider putting some sort of seal on Sakura and Sasuke too though, just in case. If the kyuubi can filter down their paths, then it could escape through one of them too.”

“Can we risk upsetting the Nine Tailed Fox demon by adding those seals? So far it seems content with its new space, and they did manage to control it earlier.”

“Managed to control it? You mean when it reached out and grabbed us? When we each sprouted tails? Or when we were so lost that you almost crawled over to join them? Or how about when that red chakra was snaked through your body and you fucked me into the floor? Which part of that was managing to control it?” Both men shivered when the images of their loss of self-restraint hit them. Fists clenched, eyes shut, they both struggled to suppress the mirage that, though they would never have admitted it, they both swore they could even taste.

Again, they felt a wall of willpower manifesting between them.

“In the end, they broke the red chakra’s control over themselves, and the fox retreated. But you are correct. Control was a bad choice of wording. Perhaps I should have said they managed to contain the kyuubi’s power. I was merely suggesting that it might be inadvisable to anger it when we know it can take full form in three very powerful shinobi.”

“I need to record all of this… but I can’t risk Hinata seeing the jutsu, could you…” Shikamaru hadn’t even finished his thought when he felt the barrier flash around them. They sat in silence for the next hour while the evening’s events were scrawled onto the scroll. A second scroll was called forth to record a to-do list of sorts, which included getting his hands on the original scrolls, as well as getting Naruto to talk to the kyuubi and see if it would allow a seal which would prevent it from breaking completely free, but would allow it to filter to Sakura and Sasuke at will – if one existed. Once the scrolls had been deposited back into the shadow pool, Neji dropped the barrier.

Shikamaru had just dropped his head back onto the couch and was wishing there were clouds indoors so he might have a chance at some sleep when he felt eyes watching him – no – not watching him – studying him. Neji hadn’t moved, so it had to be Hinata. He twisted his body so that he could see her out of the corner of his eye.

“I… ahh… I, ummm….I felt the barrier… so I, ahhh… thought that maybe… maybe you know… maybe needed healing… again…”

Both ninja were off the couch in a moment, faces fantastically flushed, as they realized what she thought. Then Neji lost it and started laughing; the laugh was deep, but had edges that reeked of hysteria. He knew perfectly well that the Nara could not tell Hinata what he was really doing, and somehow that just summed up how ludicrous the whole situation was turning out to be. A pillow off the couch slammed into his shoulder, but he laughed even as he stumbled back into the wall, gasping for breath between bouts of uncontrolled laughter.

“I’m fine.” Shikamaru huffed. “That wasn’t even why we raised the barrier. But if that ever does happen again…” He glared at the pale-eyed shinobi still struggling to breathe against the wall.  “If it happens again, I won’t be the one who needs the healing.”

That statement stopped the laughter.

“Is that what you think? You forget. I am a Hyuuga, and Hyuuga’s do not lose, and they do not submit – to anyone.”

“Ohh, that’s right, the infamous Hyuuga prodigy, 'last year's number one rookie' who had to wait an extra year before getting to take the chuunin exams… maybe I should be asking for your autograph again? What do you say?”

“You do not know when to shut your mouth, Nara.”

“Fuck you, Hyuuga.”

“No. Fuck you. If you recall, that is how we settled it last time.”

“Umm… Neji-sama… Shikamaru-kun…” Hinata managed to half yell, half stammer.

“What?!?” Both sets of eyes turned to glare at the intrusion.

“You either need to calm down… or put the barrier back up…”

They had unconsciously crossed the room again, and were standing nearly chest to chest, each with their hands fisted in the other’s robes – their lips scant millimeters apart.

The instinctual movements towards each other dawned on them, but neither moved to step back. Breath caught in their throats, they stood unable to move away.

“Your chakra… it is… tangled…”

“Fuck.” Shikamaru finally sighed, and slumped forward, trying to ignore the scent of lavender and mint that filled his senses again.

A barrier surrounded them as they both forfeited the fight, succumbing to the jutsu, for the first time without the red chakra.