Kindred

A/N: I have fanart!!!!! Shinidanie made this: http://community.livejournal.com/shikanejishika/45962.html

Many thanks to those who reviewed, but especially to Tyra, who has supported this fic from the first chapter. Thank you!!!!

Something went wonky with my keyboard, and now I can not key in HTML. That means the bold and italics in this chapter do not appear as such. I apologize for that; I´ll fix it as soon as I can.

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By the end of the work day, Shikamaru and Neji had handled the arrest of four individuals and gotten a break in the case on the whereabouts of the main perpetrator. A dark haired, dark-eyed man by the name of Shannon with a slight build had managed to convince four different women who fit the same description to pose as the same woman named Shannon in order for him to be able to move around undetected by the police, thus perpetuating his fraud. One of the women who had been arrested was the sole caretaker for her elderly mother and provided key information on the whereabouts of the man in exchange for leniency.

The case, which hadn’t been assigned to the team for more than 36 hours, was nearly closed.

Anyone who had seen the duo in action would marvel at their technique. Shikamaru and Neji moved efficiently, and communicated their very own language to each other. They were similar personalities, and could anticipate each other’s thoughts and actions. It was as if they were both equal parts of one very powerful being.

Kabuto had been right about one thing: each of them had carefully established roles within their partnership. It was always the celebrity-like Neji, hypnotic eyes initially hidden by dark sunglasses, who approached anyone who needed to be questioned. A seemingly unwitting Shikamaru would silently stand by until it became necessary to intervene. When things became potentially violent, as they were apt to when Shikamaru had his game face on, the disarmingly beautiful but steely-eyed Neji would step forward once more. The pair were a couple of wildcards. No one was ever prepared for them.

Shikamaru and Neji packed their things away while reviewing the details of the day in silence. It had been a long but productive work day, and it was time to leave. Neji was excited about the day’s events and not ready to go home to an empty apartment. Frankly, he didn’t want to leave the Nara. What was that about? Neji knew. They’d worked so well together, anticipating each other’s every strategy. It was like…great sex. Now Neji wanted to do what would be the equivalent of ‘cuddling’. As the duo entered the elevator together, Neji wondered to himself about his options. For him this was unfamiliar territory.

Neji was never the pursuer. Being a member of the Hyuuga family meant that people came to him, not the other way around. If he ever wanted something from someone, they were already offering it to him. He only had to say yes.

Shikamaru and Neji stepped out of the elevator and walked side-by-side in comfortable silence through the parking garage.

“So…”, Neji began, breaking the silence, “plans tonight? Something that doesn’t involve work?” Shikamaru looked over at Neji, who raised a brow. “What are plans?” Shikamaru asked.

“Very funny, Nara.”

“Come on, Neji. You’ve worked with me for two years. Work is all I know how to do.” Shikamaru looked away then. Being close to you is what I want to do.

Neji pondered the statement for a few moments. “It shouldn’t define you”, he finally told the Nara.

Shikamaru looked up at Neji, who wore an expression akin to concern on his face. “It doesn’t,” he told him. But I get to be with you.

“Prove it.” Shikamaru’s heart sped up a little in response to Neji’s command, and he could swear that Neji’s pace had picked up, ever so slightly, as well. What was he getting at?

“How do you propose I do that?” Neji had to stop himself from biting his lip. In the most commanding voice he could muster he said, “come out with me tonight.”

He did it. He asked Shikamaru to socialize with him! And he wasn’t even feeling pain. Now all that was left was for Shikamaru to say yes. The Nara had never refused him anything.

Shikamaru stopped in his tracks. Out? With Neji? Like on a date? Of course not. Neji wouldn’t be proposing that, would he? He turned to Neji, who stood still beside him wearing his typical non-expression. It was nearly impossible to read the guy, even after all this time.

“Out?” Shikamaru repeated.

“Yes. Out.” Neji replied.

Shikamaru cleared his voice in spite of himself. If they were out together, then neither of them would be doing any work. Shikamaru might not even get his nightly phone call! But he would be with Neji. They wouldn’t be working. Shikamaru would have Neji’s time and attention tonight rather than having to settle for his phone call. Neji’s phone call and work, or the real thing? There really was no contest.

So why on earth was Shikamaru hesitating?

“Where, uh…where did you have in mind?” Shikamaru wished he sounded less affected. Neji picked up the anxiety in the Nara’s voice, but hadn’t decided yet if it was a bad thing or not.

“I’m not sure. Where do men of our mettle go after the workday ends?” Shikamaru’s eyebrows moved into his hairline.

“You’re asking me? I spend all my time in two places—at my desk at work and at my desk at home. You know that.”

“Yes, but you know people. You’re friends with Detective Akimichi, and the one blond detective, what is his name?”

“Uzumaki”, Shikamaru supplied. “Akimichi’s married to an unrepentant drama queen and has no life, and Uzumaki is just LOUD. I don’t want to be where that guy is after a stressful day of what we do. I am licensed to carry a firearm, after all.”

Neji could see his plan beginning to dissolve like paper to ashes. He needed to regroup. Unable to resist the urge any longer, he bit his lip. The gesture was not lost on the Nara, whose own expression changed in response.

Shikamaru didn’t want to contemplate the number of plausible ways this evening could go wrong, but he couldn’t stop himself. Neji was a tall, excessively attractive man, one whom the Nara was hopelessly secretly attracted to, and they would be out together in public in a non-professional capacity. Frankly, it was an explosion waiting to go off. He got it in his head to put the kibosh on the whole idea but the words died in his throat at the sight of Neji biting his lip. Oh, Gods, Shikamaru thought. I can’t tell him no.

“Listen,” Shikamaru said, the words sort of finding their way out of his mouth without any legitimate direction from Shikamaru’s brain, “there’s this restaurant I’ve been meaning to try. I visited there once during an investigation. It seemed pretty nice. It’s the kind of place that requires a reservation, though I don’t think that will be an issue for us. How does that sound?”

How does that sound? That sounds great! Neji was pillow-humping happy¹ at hearing this. It was all he could do not to grab the Nara and hug him tightly. The duo would be out on the town, after hours, together and not working. His plan was turning out the way he’d wanted.

“An early dinner out sounds like a fine idea. We should celebrate our efforts today. You might even manage to get a decent night’s sleep afterward.” Neji’s voice gave away nothing.

“Yeah, well, don’t hold your breath on that one”, Shikamaru responded, and pushed the button on his key fob to unlock the doors on his Lexus LS Hybrid as the pair approached.

“We can take my car”, Shikamaru suggested, and Neji nodded once in agreement. He got into the car and buckled his seat belt. As Shikamaru started the car and maneuvered it out of the parking space, Neji contemplated it quietly. Shikamaru’s car seemed so out of character for Shikamaru, who lived and breathed simplicity. Why would a man who hardly spoke or slept drive a car that cost more than $100,000? That question brought Neji’s uncle to mind. Hiashi Hyuuga was a very successful lawyer, one of the top in his specialization. He hardly slept either, and his car was easily three times as expensive as Shikamaru’s. Not to mention the fact that both men were highly intelligent and exceptionally strategic—not unlike Neji himself. So really, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Shikamaru drove a fancy car. Perhaps Shikamaru practiced simplicity in other areas of his life to compensate for wanting to experience this level of luxury whenever he drove his car. It was feasible, at least.

“Are you thinking about the arrests we made today?” Shikamaru asked, interrupting Neji’s thoughts. Neji looked over at Shikamaru, whose eyes were obscured by his Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses. He liked the way the Nara’s shades drew the eyes to the angles of his cheek and jaw. Shikamaru really was a handsome man.

“No”, Neji answered honestly, “I was actually thinking about your car. It’s…nice. I would have figured you for the more spartan type of vehicle, like a jeep or something.” Shikamaru chuckled at that comment.

“I happen to own an old Rubicon. This car is just a lease.”

“Why do you lease a car valued at more than $100,000 to drive for work when you own a Rubicon?”

“Because people would expect me to drive something like the Rubicon, not something like this Lexus. Call this—“ the Nara gestured his hand to indicate the vehicle they were riding in—“an element of surprise. Also, it’s one of the nicest hybrid vehicles on the market, and I can write off the expenses on my taxes.” Neji could appreciate the logic.

“Besides, would you let yourself fall asleep while you were driving this?”

Neji looked out of the windshield of the smoothly moving vehicle. Touché, he thought to himself.

The restaurant parking lot was jammed with cars as expensive as Shikamaru’s or more. The Nara parked along the outermost edge, making certain there were two spaces between his Lexus and the car parked on either side of it, and he backed it into the space. The Hyuuga marveled at the Nara’s skill at backing into the space—he’d parked the car dead center of the space the first time, with hardly a look backward. Neji imagined Shikamaru could probably drive a car backward with precision for a far distance if a situation required it.

They walked side-by-side in amicable silence, both wearing sunglasses so no one could see their eyes. They reached the door of the restaurant at the same time; Neji opened the door to allow Shikamaru inside, and then followed closely on his heel. Neji always ‘covered’ Shikamaru—he was always at his back when they were working; it had become instinct to protect the shorter man in that fashion.

A young man nearly equal to Neji in height with a conservative haircut watched the pair with wide eyes as they approached the podium. Shikamaru reached into his back pocket and pulled out his leather badge holder.

“Good evening”, Shikamaru began, his badge on display for the young man’s eyes, “We’re looking for Fredrick.”

“Yes sir. Just a moment.” The young man took one more look at the pair before picking up the phone on the podium. “There are two cops here looking for Fredrick”, he spoke into the phone. An anxious voice could be heard on the other end of the line. The duo said nothing. Shikamaru replaced his badge holder. The Hyuuga hadn’t moved. The young man hung up the phone and cleared his throat.

“Fredrick will be right out.” The young man searched the faces of the two policemen again. They were really good-looking, but not what he expected. The shorter policeman wore a small hoop earring in each ear and had his black hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail at the top of his head. The taller policeman had smooth, dark, shiny hair that went well past his shoulders. The young man found himself wishing they would remove their sunglasses so that he could see their eyes, and then wondered how he’d react to what he saw if they did.

The duo had not gone unnoticed. People slowed their stroll both going out of and coming into the restaurant to get a better look at the two men. The level of murmuring was increasing in the room.

Shikamaru could feel Neji’s presence at his back. It wasn’t anything new, but that didn’t mitigate the Nara’s anxiety. They were out at a restaurant together about to enjoy a meal and not talk about work. What else would they talk about? The two of them had their work, and little else. This wasn’t like the old days when he dated the girls. Shikamaru had a life back then. They all had classes and other interests; night lives even. And they had sex. It was what they thought about, dreamt about, and did. Very often, in fact.

Now all that had fallen away. Shikamaru had discovered what he was best at. He could crack nearly any code, solve nearly any puzzle. He could anticipate human behavior before a human was even aware it was an option. In truth, the Nara supposed he had the girls to thank for that—in part, at least. Together they taught him more about human behavior than he’d learned from anyone who’d ever crossed his path.

Shikamaru’s memories of their time together were always bittersweet.

The Nara didn’t want his partnership with Neji to go the way his relationship had. He wanted the Hyuuga, and he needed Hyuuga. Shikamaru needed some aspect of what they had to thrive, to appease his own wounded pride if nothing else.

“Gentlemen”, an eager voice proclaimed, shaking Shikamaru from his thoughts, “welcome.” A short balding man with a mustache and wearing a suit extended his hand to the Nara, who took it firmly shook it vigorously. Shikamaru hadn’t even noticed the man approaching.

“Fredrick, good evening. I’m Shikamaru Nara, and this is my partner, Neji Hyuuga.” At this point, both gentlemen, as if on cue, reached for their sunglasses to remove them.

It was as if time were standing still. People stopped what they were doing to watch. The young host stood silently, mesmerized by the sight. Even Fredrick was momentarily struck by what was revealed. Hard, dark eyes peered from a handsome tanned face while eyes like lavender cotton were revealed on a flawless pale face of delicate features. It was a stunning vision.

Fredrick gulped. “Will you be dining in this evening, gentlemen?” Please say yes, he thought to himself. Policemen were always welcome at the restaurant and besides, these men gave the place one heck of a face-lift.

“Yes”, was Shikamaru’s response.

“Then please, step this way.” Fredrick made his way to a table especially designated for his drop-in guests, the two men following. He had chosen one positioned to provide other diners with a clear view of the officers. Fredrick wanted people to remember that they saw them at this restaurant.

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A/N: (1) That was my reverent nod to fellow ShikaNejiShika fanfic writers Prpl Grl and sonotgoingthere, who put Neji humping a pillow on the map. Check it out for yourself:

Out in the Cold: http://naruto.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600095613&chapter=1

Obsessions: http://naruto.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600096626

So…the boys have moved up to dating, as it were. Want to know how it all turns out? Stay tuned!