Constructive Possession

A/N: Reader response to the end of the Kiba/Kabuto arc was touching. Some of you wanted them to end up a couple, some of you didn’t; all of you supported the arc to its end. I found that deeply inspiring and so, instead of cookies, a follow-on fic is officially pending. Personally, I can hardly wait to get started on it. I only hope I can give Kiba + Kabuto in its own fic the justice it deserves.

This chapter heralds the beginning of the dinner party. Consequently, Hiashi, Neji and Shikamaru return. Frankly, I’m as squealy about this as anyone else. This chapter is also very late, and for that I apologize. It certainly wasn’t my intention. I could go into detail about how real life has intruded on my writing schedule, but I’ll spare you the unsolicited rhetoric. It happens, but I will do my best to see that it doesn’t anymore—not with this fic, at least.

And now, without further ado, I humbly present Constructive Possession, chapter 19.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Warning: unbeta’d; language; humor; romance; yaoi

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Place them there, by the window.”

A sleep-deprived Shikamaru looked on lazily, hands in the pockets of his black jersey pants, as Neji directed a member of the cleaning crew to reposition a vase brimming with a bright bouquet of fresh flowers. The seven-person crew had been hard at work for the past two hours, cleaning, polishing and organizing each room of the penthouse under the Hyuuga’s own pinpoint direction. To that end, the windows in every room were open to let in an almost unnatural amount of sunlight and both a steam cleaner and a vacuum cleaner had been going non-stop.

Neji left no detail unattended. Like a man obsessed, he sweat over each one as though his life were dependent upon them. It was a lesson that had been drilled into him during his youth. The elder Hyuugas had always been insistent upon ceremony. Neji still remembered the formal dinners at home with Yukie’s parents that typically required three days of preparation.

“Bring that up on the right a bit, it’s still a little crooked”, Neji directed a man from the crew.

Shikamaru looked around the penthouse and sighed. He’d tried in earnest to tell Neji that all the pomp and grandeur wasn’t necessary for a dinner party with his folks. His plea had fallen on deaf ears. Neji shook his head and blathered something in response about protocol for meeting the parents of one’s intended for the first time.

“And also, you’re more than worth the effort”, he told Shikamaru as he leaned in and kissed him, and then went right back to arranging the dinner.

Shikamaru had bitten back a petulant squawk about having been referred to as Neji’s ‘intended’. It would be a discussion for a later date.

Overall, though, he was secretly delighted that his love was going to so much trouble to impress his parents. No one he dated had ever made such a fuss over him before. The annoying thought that his parents might disapprove of Neji had languished in the back of his mind like the tag sewn into a tee-shirt. Shikamaru didn’t want to contemplate that possibility. Yes, his parents were open-minded intellectuals, but that didn’t mean they weren’t capable of being overprotective. Honestly, Shikamaru didn’t know what to expect. He’d never been in a relationship like this one before.

Shikamaru didn’t want to contemplate his parents’ disapproval because he had already decided what he’d do if they didn’t approve. He was a smart man, smart enough to know that his relationship with Neji was very special and not something that could not be— nor should be—easily discarded. Not only would Neji never allow that to happen, Shikamaru didn’t want it to either. The two men were deeply in love with each other. The Nara decided that, in the end it was his life, and not his parents’. Neji was his life mate, and he intended to remain with him no matter what.

Shikamaru only hoped if it came to that, his parents would understand.

Neji moved through each room like a general during battle, followed closely by the eager resource of cleaning crewpersons who darted hither and yon at his command. So Shikamaru found himself a perch out of harm’s way.

And watched.

At least the lighting fixtures didn’t fall on anyone’s head, he thought to himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was after 11 when Neji finally allowed the cleaning crew to leave. In their wake was a spotless penthouse that sparkled. Both men stood together in the living room, inspecting the results. Neither had ever seen the place so bright and cheerful. Shikamaru decided that Neji must have been the manager of a luxury hotel in a previous life.

Neji checked his watch. “Next stop, the kitchen”, he proclaimed, and began to walk away.

Shikamaru placed a hand on Neji’s arm, stopping his stride. “What for? It’s not even noon”, the Nara asked.

“I have to prep the meat for dinner”, was Neji’s response.

Shikamaru shook his head. “Let your uncle prep the meat. He said he’d be by early to help out, didn’t he?”

“Yes, but I don’t want to leave this to chance. Who knows when he’ll turn up today?”

“Then let me prep the meat.” Shikamaru took Neji’s hands in his own, rubbing the tops of them lightly with his thumbs. “Neji, you’re exhausted. You’ve been up since dawn on four hours of sleep. You need to rest now.”

“You’re running on the same amount of sleep and you’ve been up just as long.”

“Okay, then let’s both go back to bed for a couple of hours.”

“Shikamaru, I can’t. This is too im—“

Shikamaru stopped Neji’s words with a quick kiss to his lips. “I want you to know how much I love you for your anxiety”, the Nara announced. “We’re in this together, remember? I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine. Besides, you don’t want my parents to come here and see us both looking like we’ve just come off a 48-hour rotation, do you?”

Neji smiled. Shikamaru was right, of course. It was still early, and he most certainly did not want the Naras to see him with bloodshot eyes with black circles beneath them. An hour or two of rest wouldn’t hurt. If his uncle came in while they were resting, Neji knew the elder Hyuuga would take up the mantle in the kitchen.

“Okay, but we rest. No funny business.” Neji headed down the hallway toward the bedroom.

“Are you talking to me or to yourself, mister 'play-in-my-ass-with-a-horse-dildo-until-I’m-screaming-out-my-orgasm-at-3AM'?” Shikamaru asked with a smirk, following his lover down the hallway.

Neji maintained his stride and fought down the blush that threatened. “You’re the one who brought that thing in here.” And for the record, you scream even louder when you’re getting it from me.

“Well if I had known it was going to turn us both into sex-addicted insomniacs I would have left it in the store. Did I tell you the lady who sold it to me had red eyes? Not bloodshot eyes—I mean her irises were the color of blood.”

“Mmm. She must have one hell of a collection of dildos at her place.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hiashi keyed in the numeric code that silenced the alarm after letting himself into Neji’s penthouse. He removed his shoes and socks at the door and slid his feet into a pair of clean, comfortable slippers. His mind absently registered the scent of fresh flowers as he stood up and made his way into the living room.

Hiashi stopped and looked around, whistling. The place was in pristine condition, just as Hiashi expected. There was no one around. Where were his nephew and his partner? He checked his watch. It was after 1PM.

Hiashi poked his head into the kitchen. It gleamed, but there was no one inside.

He checked the dining room. It was immaculate, but empty.

He checked the library. It was polished to perfection, but empty.

The bathroom door was wide open, as was the door to the other bedroom, and both rooms were empty.

Hiashi sighed. There was one more room to check. He tried to convince himself he was going to open the door out of concern for the two men the second before he placed his hand on the knob and turned.

Hiashi pushed the door open slowly and tiptoed in, shutting the door and closing out the light from the hallway. It was dark and nearly impossible to see in the room. Hiashi surmised that Neji had drawn the room-darkening shades, something he only ever did when he was having trouble sleeping. He gave his eyes a few moments to adjust before making his way around the corner to face the bed. He stood still and listened to the faint sound of even breathing as the image in front of him became clearer. Then someone’s breath caught, and the sound of rustling could be heard. The breathing evened out again.

Hiashi watched the two handsome men asleep together under the covers in the large bed and smiled. They looked…so serene. So at peace.

And very sexy.

Both men were shirtless, with their hair unbound. Shikamaru slept with his back to Neji, who slept with his forehead resting between Shikamaru’s shoulder blades and his hand resting possessively on the Nara’s hip. The lower halves of their bodies were silhouetted beneath the covers. Hiashi could only guess what they were wearing under there, if they were wearing anything at all. He quirked a brow. Would they be naked under there? The elder Hyuuga smiled at the possibility of Shikamaru’s total frontal nudity merely feet away from where he stood.

Twelve inches, he thought to himself. Gods.

Realizing where his thoughts were going, Hiashi reluctantly turned to leave the room, silently praising his nephew for bagging a Nara.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hiashi walked into the gleaming kitchen. He grabbed a cup from one of the cabinets and a bottle of sake from another and poured himself a drink. He downed the sake all at once, enjoying the way the warm, smooth liquid felt going down. He set the cup down on the counter and looked into the refrigerator. The meat for the dinner was there. He stepped over to the cooler and raised the lid. The fish was inside on ice. The vegetables were inside a plastic bag on the counter next to the cooler. He checked the tall cabinet. There were several bottles of unopened sake inside. Hiashi smiled and closed the cabinet door. He then reached inside another cabinet for an apron to put on. The meat still needed to be prepped.

Hiashi hummed while he peeled the pears that would become part of the marinade when he heard the kitchen door open. He looked up to see Shikamaru stroll into the kitchen wearing his heather gray ‘special investigator’ tee-shirt, his black jersey pants and slippers. His hair was bound in its usual style and he wore his kanji necklace, which seemed to stand out more than it normally did.

Hm, no limp today. “Good afternoon”, Hiashi greeted.

Shikamaru watched his lover’s uncle with a non-expression. The handsome man seemed very comfortable in the kitchen wearing an apron, very relaxed. “Good afternoon, Mr. Hyuuga”, Shikamaru replied, placing his hands in his pockets.

Hiashi smirked. “Nara, in four hours my nephew is going to meet your parents. I myself have already seen you half-naked and covered in love bites. I think the two of us can safely move to first names from now on, don’t you?”

“If you’d like”, was Shikamaru’s stoic response.

“I would, Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru pondered the sound of his name coming from Hiashi’s mouth while the elder Hyuuga cut the peeled pears into sections and dropped them into a blender.

Hiashi put the lid on and hit the puree button. The blender whirred to life, turning the fruit into a mushy substance before Hiashi turned it off.

Shikamaru wordlessly took a seat on a stool placed at the island to get a better look.

Hiashi poured the pear puree into a bowl containing tomato paste, sliced mushrooms, chopped onions, crushed garlic and soy sauce. He set the blender down and then grabbed a spoon to mix it all together, humming all the while.

“You’ve done this a few times, haven’t you?” Shikamaru asked.

“A few”, Hiashi responded, glancing at the young man. It had been a few moments since Shikamaru came into the kitchen. Hiashi had been expecting his nephew to be close behind.

“Is my nephew all right? I’m not used to seeing you two apart for this long.”

“He’s fine. He’s resting.” Shikamaru reached for the sake bottle, spinning it around to where the label was visible.

“Would you like a cup, Shikamaru? Or I could put on some water for tea.”

“Grab me a cup, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Hiashi grabbed a towel to wipe his hands and then walked over to the high cabinet to retrieve two sake cups. He brought them over and slid one across the island to where Shikamaru sat. He set the other cup on the island for Neji.

“I’ll pour”, Shikamaru announced, and Hiashi grabbed his sake cup as the Nara grabbed the bottle.

He poured a drink for Hiashi and one for himself, and then set the bottle back on the counter. He and Hiashi raised their cups.

“Kanpai”, they spoke in unison, and then drank.

“So”, Hiashi began, setting his cup down, “Neji tells me you two have been partners for two years. Did you know each other before then?”

Shikamaru set his cup down as well. “I knew him by reputation, but no, we were not personally acquainted until we were assigned to each other as partners.”

“Neji seems to think you’re even sharper than he is”, Hiashi told the younger man. He turned to retrieve the meat from the refrigerator.

“Neji is very generous with his praise.”

“Not as generous as you are.” Hiashi took chicken from a plastic container and set it on a cutting board. He grabbed a large knife and began slicing the chicken. “A man would have to be a very quick wit to be able to decipher the security setup on my yacht as fast as you did. It couldn’t have taken you more than two-and-a-half minutes to disable the whole thing.”

“Two minutes and forty-one seconds. Not my personal best, actually,” the Nara responded, and then finished his sake. “Detectives in Konoha are thoroughly trained in security. If I had to guess, I’d say the person who set up the security on your yacht may have even been a contractor for the police department at some point.”

Hiashi digested that bit of information. If what Shikamaru said was true, then it was a sure bet that Neji would have figured it out if the Nara hadn’t figured it out first. It all came down to the simple matter of which of the two men had been given the opportunity sooner.

“Hiashi”, Shikamaru spoke in a voice that demanded the older man’s attention. Hiashi decided that his name had a compelling sound coming from the younger man’s mouth.

He looked up only to be met with hard, dark eyes. “You’d have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool me or my partner. But the two of us together? Spare yourself. You could stay up all night, and it still wouldn’t be enough¹.”

Hiashi smirked. That sounded a hell of a lot like a challenge. “Oh really?” the older man responded. “Don’t be so quick to write me off, Shikamaru. I may come off as a flaky hedonist but trust me when I tell you I’m paying attention. I’ll admit you got the jump on me with that security thing—hell, I would have offered you a job with my law firm for that kind of expertise. But I am nothing if not profoundly resourceful. I am a lawyer, you know.”

“A lawyer who specializes in business law, not criminal law.”

“That’s coming from a detective who specializes in fraud cases. Aren’t most of your perpetrators businessmen?”

Hiashi was right. “Most of them, yes”, the Nara responded. It stunned him that Hiashi had drawn the parallel between what he and Neji did for a living and what Hiashi did for a living faster than Shikamaru had.

Shikamaru didn’t have good experiences with lawyers. He found the lot of them to be flamboyant assholes suffering from delusions of grandeur. Sometimes, they were even found to be financially vested in the criminal activity of the individuals they were defending in court. Shikamaru was suddenly very glad neither he nor Neji had ever come across Hiashi’s name while investigating any of their cases.

As if reading the Nara’s mind, Hiashi supplied, “you won’t ever find my name associated any of your cases, Shikamaru. In fact,” he stated, tossing the sliced chicken back into the container and then pulling out a large portion of steak, “the only way the Hyuuga name will ever be associated with fraud is if Neji were investigating a case.”

“How can you be so sure?” Shikamaru asked.

“Because a Hyuuga’s livelihood is dependent upon keeping his nose clean, that’s how.” Hiashi made precision cuts into the steak, slicing it thinly and then tossing the slices into the container with the chicken. “If Neji or I do anything to shame the Hyuuga name it would be most unfortunate for us. It’s the rub of being a Hyuuga—one false move, and you’re history. Most of us become adults so afraid of doing the wrong thing that we end up doing nothing, just frittering away our lives in a Hyuuga property and living off a Hyuuga stipend. Being a lazy, good-for-nothing Hyuuga is a far more palatable fate than being a criminal Hyuuga, at least in the eyes of our elders.”

Shikamaru’s face was like stone. “This being born a Hyuuga business sounds very much like a curse.”

“It can be, if you’re not resourceful, like Neji and me.” Hiashi dumped more sliced steak into the container. “Of course, being resourceful can also be a curse. It was in Neji’s case.”

“What do you mean?”

“You mean Neji hasn’t told you how he was cut off from the Hyuuga trust? Our elders basically disowned him after he fought against them in court and won. I’m not even allowed to speak his name—or my brother’s--to them anymore.”

Shikamaru quirked a brow. He hadn’t heard this story. He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like hearing it, but he wanted to know.

“Neji was always trying to disobey them as a young man. It made his life even more difficult than it was already. When he turned eighteen he was due to inherit his father’s portion of what his father and I had inherited from our father. For his disobedience, our elders tried to block his inheritance. They warned him if he didn’t wise up he would end up destitute.”

Hiashi stopped what he was doing and looked at Shikamaru then. “Neji never cared about being a Hyuuga, but he cared about his father, and our elders knew it. But they didn’t expect him to take them to court. They were confident there would be no real contest but Neji was determined. I wasn’t permitted to defend Neji but I did what I could for him. In the end, the judge in the case ordered the Hyuuga family to allow Neji his rightful inheritance.”

“Neji went his way after that. The elders decided he could try to live his life not being a member of our family, but how difficult would that be after inheriting so much? Besides, Neji had a plan all along that he never strayed from. It seems to have worked out perfectly for him.”

Shikamaru scowled. “Perfectly? Neji was alone all that time and you consider that perfection?”

“I do compared to his alternatives. I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you by now what kind of a childhood Neji had.”

“You mean what kind of a childhood he didn’t have, and no, you don’t need to explain it to me.”

Hiashi studied the man in front of him. He was genuinely upset.

“You really care for him, don’t you?” Hiashi asked.

“Yes, I do, Hiashi, but it’s not even about that. Neji stood his ground—why didn’t you? You were all that was left of his father. Why haven’t you done something—anything—to put a stop to the madness being churned out by the Hyuuga elders?”

Hiashi put his hand up. “Whoa, whoa,” he responded in a clipped tone, “you’re getting ahead of yourself, Shikamaru. That’s the second time today you’ve pegged me wrong. Let me educate you on a few things.”

Hiashi took a seat on one of the stools, chuckling and shaking his head. “You really don’t think much of me at all, do you?”

Shikamaru didn’t respond. He actually felt a little ashamed of himself.

“That’s okay,” Hiashi announced, “it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Hiashi met Shikamaru’s eyes then. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that yes, changes are required. I happen to believe in my heart that Neji and I are the key to those changes. Now, if I had rebelled the way Neji did, then there wouldn’t be anyone on the inside to bring Neji back in when the time comes. It’s in the best interest of the Hyuuga name that I bide my time. Neji’s young. With any luck, he’s going to outlive the worst of the Hyuugas. When they’re all gone, the remaining family members are going to need leadership. Neji will be that leadership.”

“What makes you think that’s what Neji wants?” Shikamaru asked.

“It’s not about what Neji wants. It’s about who Neji is. He is a Hyuuga, and one who does our name proud. He is a warrior. He is the future of our family, always has been if you ask me. What’s going to happen is inevitable.”

Hiashi resumed his cutting, having calmed himself enough to continue the task. Shikamaru was still scowling, but Hiashi didn’t notice. “Now…I’m a 49-year-old lawyer with no wife and no children. Neji’s a 27-year-old cop in what appears to be a long-term union with another man that, unless you know something I don’t, won’t produce any heirs. So there is a good chance the Hyuuga name will end with us. It’s sad, but the alternative is much, much sadder.”

Shikamaru couldn’t argue with that. There seemed to be nothing but tragedy and loss associated with the Hyuuga name. There was precocious irony in the fact that so many people wanted a piece of what they perceived to be the Hyuuga legacy: those people probably already had it, and didn’t even know it.

Shikamaru could never hate the Hyuuga family, though. Without it there would be no Neji Hyuuga.

“Shikamaru”, Hiashi spoke in a voice like the one the Nara had used on him earlier. Shikamaru met the man’s eyes with his own before Hiashi spoke again. “My nephew loves you. You’ve shown him what it means to be happy. So in a very real way, you have become as important to the Hyuuga family as I already know you are to the Nara family. That’s a heavy burden to bear, but I know if anyone can bear their burdens with majesty, it’s you and Neji.”

Hiashi smirked. “I believe it was fate that brought the two of you together. A profound destiny exists between our two families.”

Shikamaru didn’t have a response for that. He didn’t know anything about destiny. To him it seemed like the minefield they routinely navigated in the name of their relationship had just become substantially larger, not that it mattered much. Hiashi was right. If anyone were capable of bringing order to the chaos, it was Shikamaru and the man he loved. Whatever Neji decided to do in his future, the Nara would be right beside him.

Hiashi tossed the last of the sliced steak into the container. It was now brimming with raw sliced chicken and beef. He grabbed the spoon that rested in the bowl with the marinade and mixed it some more. He lifted the spoon from the bowl and extended it across the island.

“Taste this,” Hiashi directed.

Shikamaru leaned forward without question, taking the spoon into his mouth. The marinade tasted as good as it smelled.

Hiashi eyed him intently. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re a very talented cook.”

Satisfied with Shikamaru’s response, Hiashi pulled back the spoon to taste the marinade himself, dipping his tongue into the bowl of the spoon.

“And I think you’re a good person, even if you are prone to bouts of flaky hedonism.”

Hiashi quirked a brow, and Shikamaru continued. “I’ve misjudged you. I’m sorry.”

Hiashi smiled a smile that would have totally disarmed anyone who wasn’t already madly in love with the elder Hyuuga’s nephew.

“Don’t give it another thought. Just continue taking excellent care of my nephew.”

“I will, you have my word on that.” Shikamaru smiled.

Hiashi made to replace the spoon in the bowl of marinade when Shikamaru spoke.

“Don’t put that back in there; you just had your tongue in it!”

Hiashi blanched. “So what? It was in your mouth before I put my tongue in it.” Could that be considered an indirect kiss?

“All the more reason to wash that spoon before it goes back into that bowl, Hiashi”, Shikamaru warned.

Hiashi smirked. “What are you trying to say, Shikamaru? What exactly have you been doing with that mouth of yours? Does it have anything to do with the fact that my nephew still hasn’t made an appearance?” Hiashi wiggled his eyebrows.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed. The flaky hedonist was back, but that was nothing new.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: (1) that was just for you, sonotgoingthere! Congratulations on your recent news!

All right! Chapter 19 is complete; I hope you enjoyed Hiashi’s ‘talk’ with Shikamaru. It was certainly due. What did you think of that marinade recipe? It’s not mine; it’s a subset of the ingredient list for a Korean marinade that I use regularly. Great stuff!

That Hiashi is some piece of work, isn’t he? But it’s obvious that he loves his nephew. Oh, how I enjoy writing their relationship!

I’ll try to get the next chapter to you as soon as possible, but I can’t make any guarantees. I know it’s cliché to play the real life card, but in this case I have to do what I have to do. The next chapter is a wildcard, meaning there is a possibility that anyone and everyone could make an appearance. Who will it be? Stay tuned and please leave a review!