A Fox and His Shadow

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Shikamaru felt the claws of unease eat at him since the couple nights before, as he looked around again for the upteenth time, watching for something as he sat in his room alone. His eyes wandered down to the parcel that lay in his hands. This one, a black box, decorated in a fine gold trimmed detailed wrapping, sealed by a red thread.

A new gift...

Many things had been perched on his windowsill when he wasn't around or asleep in his bed for the past couple nights now; glittering stones, little trinkets, a small wooden craft deer family made by careful hands it had seemed, rare flowers that never grew in Konoha and even a white rabbit at some point in time- one that hopped onto his chest as he slept soundlessly in his bed, to which of the following he did not let out a startled scream that resulted his parents to barge into his room, with kunai in hands.....

He decided he'd named the rabbit Rini.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm.."

Whomever that was doing this had a strong chakra masking that even he could not sense. What could these all mean exactly?

He gingerly tugged the thread loose and opened the box, he peered inside. There lay a gold amulet with a bright red jewel centered in the middle, with a woven chain and a small, single note:
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*To my dearest shadow,

You and your kind smile caught my eye. You radiate the calmness of the forest, the sharpness of your eyes and how your beautiful hair inked as the shadows.

May these gifts bring you eternal happiness as the days and many moons pass.

As to being curious as to who I am, seek for me at the edge where the field and trees as we meet at midnight~

Signed,
N*

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"What in the-?...."

He reread the page again, sighing through his nose. He had a few hours before this eventual meet-up with his strange 'secret admirer'.

In the midst of conversing with his inner thoughts, as he glanced back and forth at the amulet and the note. He never took notice at two, curious blue-slitted eyes that stared owlishly at him from the corner of his window.

Tails wagging in his silent glee, Naruto grinned as he mentally thanked his father for helping him write that note. His plan was working! If anyone knew how to put thoughts onto paper, it was dad. One who complained about not wanting to write for his son, he done so anyway because if he didn't, Naruto would've shown him hell and even more headaches that the old spirit weren't too fond of.

Score one for Naruto!

Setting his mind to it after nagging with his thoughts, Shikamaru stood up from his bed with the note in hand, as he carefully placed on his sandals, then his Jonin vest, he headed out towards the door.

"Mom, Dad, I'm heading out!"

He had some time to spare before midnight, he might as well kill time with his friends.

The yellow fox-boy was alarmed by the suddenness of his chosen, he scrambled towards the forest depths. Passing his father's shrine, Naruto had to prepare himself. Exciting but terrifying.

He never done this before, his heart was racing as he scampered towards the mouth of the forest edge.

He skidded to a stop once he reached his destination, panting in exhaustion. 'This was worth it, this *is* worth it', he thought.

And so now he waits.

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What a drag....

Shikamaru took out a cigarette and lit it. He stood at the clearing of the field, eyes sharp as a tack, staring at the deep forest.

The sky was beginning to bathe in reds and oranges as the sun slowly started to set, the clouds darkening, parting and some disappearing. The shadows of the trees crawled across the lands. To anyone else, it would be eerie but to Shikamaru, it felt like a welcome.

He was starting to tell himself that this was possibly all just a dumb prank and that someone was just messing with him, that no one was actually meeting up with him.

But that nagging feeling was back, itching at the back of his brain that this wasn't any sort of regular prank. He had told Ino and Choji everything earlier as they saw the gift he had received, the amulet he hastily stuffed into his pocket and along with the note, that he told them he couldn't hang out much today, that he had something he needed to deal with-

.....

*"Oi you need help with some punk harassing ya, Shikamaru?," Ino said, eagerly as she flipped hair. Like who does this person think they are? Nobody messes with her teammates and friends, only she can!

Sitting against a tree, Choji opened a bag of BBQ chips, and handed one to Shikamaru as he took the flaky chips between his fingers, "Naah, it'd be too troublesome if a fight broke out and besides, I'll be fine. I can solve my own problems, Ino."

"Still..."

He knows they're worried and all but he can face whatever is bothering him for now.

"It...." Ino drifted off before grinning, ".....It sorta sounds like someone is sending you love~"

Choking, Choji clapped at his back as Shikamaru turned to Ino. A look of bewilderment etched on his face.

"No way Ino-"

"Come on Shika! I mean look at that gift you got and the note- the NOTE. It tells me everything~"

She rambled on and on about love.

He knew he shouldn't have told Ino, maybe just Choji but too late for that.
"You better keep this to yourself, not beyond the three of us, I'll kill you-"

Ino giggled, "Nuh uh, you wouldn't Shika, you care for us too much~"

Dammit she's right. All he wanted to do was cloudwatch and converse with his friends and now he's being bullied by one of them. How troublesome....

"Maybe this person thinks you're cute."

He was really hoping to find a way to reverse everything now as his two friends laughed. Shikamaru rolled his eyes with a small smile that graced his lips.

Laugh it up-

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Night had now fallen, a gentle breeze started settling in and the night came to life with the nocturnal animals and insects.

Shikamaru involuntarily shivered where he stood. Maybe this was a bad idea to be out here..

He suddenly spots two glowing that peered out from behind the close, thick tree. Shikamaru blanched, someone was watching him and he didn't even feel any chakra signatures. What the hell is this?

He reached into his pack for a kunai while standing in a fighting position, when a voice called out to him, "Wait wait! I mean you no harm!"

Huh-

"Who are you!"

A head popped out from around the tree in surrender, spikey blond hair with two medium sized ears that resemble a fox, skin tanned with three whiskers marks on both cheeks. Slitted, blue as the ocean, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Uh hi-," the other boy had squeaked out, waving his clawed hand at Shikamaru.

With his full body now in view, nine blond tails fanned and sway behind him. The other ...boy fidgetted with his hands, tapping his claws together and then repeating the action once more.

"My name is Naruto!" He nervously stated, his hand now on his chest, "I believe you read the note. Well....I mean I can see that you did cuz you're here, ya know...ehe."

So this was the person who sent him those things?

Shikamaru squinted, "What do you want from me, Naruto? What are you?"

He could swear that Naruto had stars in his eyes, with a wide smile full of sharp fangs, bouncing up and down in his spot.

"I'm the son of Kurama!! I'm a fox spirit!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened, the most fearsome fox spirit of legend had a son and he was standing right in front of him.

"Oh a shit maybe I shouldn't have blurted that out- I'm sorry man, I'm so new to this!! Please don't hate me!," whined the fox boy, he fell to his knees and bowed to the shadow user.

"Whoa whoa, calm down, calm down," Shikamaru tried to reason with the crying fox. "Look I'm not gonna tell anyone, 'kay? I'm just freaked out on what this whole thing is about."

Grabbing Shikamaru's hands within his own with care, he didn't want to register the flinch the other had made, "Okay I'll tell!". Naruto shifted to be closer, "the truth is I chose you"

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow,
"Chose me? For what?"

With the tension being high, Shikamaru felt blood rush to his ears as Naruto's face came closer. He was kinda cute but-

"To be my mate!"

Everything went black as he heard Naruto's shriek, but the last thing he felt were two arms wrapping around his waist before he hit the ground.

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With a gasp, Shikamaru awoke. The smells of a flowery incense began to flood his nose, the room full of candleight. This .... wasn't his room. Definitely not his room. Red swirls painted on the walls as a frog charm hung from the wall.

He sat himself up on the soft bed with his back leaned up against the wall behind him, the orange blanket fell off his chest. Shikamaru quickly noticed his weapons sat in the corner of the room along with his vest.

Where was he, he hadn't a clue.

"Ah I see you're awake! That's....that's great!"

Naruto came from the shadows of the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck.

It was strange, he usually felt the shadows tell him of such things but this place didn't feel real. "Where am I?"

"In the Kyuubi Shrine. You fainted all of sudden and I didn't know what to do! I guess my presence alone was too much for you, I'm sorry!!"

Shikamaru sighed.

This was crazy! First the many things being sent to him, a silly fox-boy being a child of legend claiming him as his mate and now, he's in a room that was not his own.

This was such a drag.

"I'm sure you have many questions," Naruto said as he sat on the edge of the mattress, far from the other just in case, "That's cool though, I can answer."

"Why me?"

Naruto tilted his head, "I noticed how you were with the deer the other day and I couldn't help myself. You were so pretty, I've never had this feeling before now. Your calming scent and voiced soothed me from the morning. "

Shikamaru couldn't help the blush that traveled his face. This was too much. Ino and Choji were right after all.

"I hope you loved those gifts!! I'm sorry about the rabbit though, I didn't mean for her to scare you like that but I felt she'd be safer with you cuz of her fur color," the fox-boy happily said, a blush of his own adorned on his face.

"Yeah I did....thank you."

A wide, proud smile full of fangs as Naruto's ears perked up and swiveled. "My dad is calling for us! Come with me!"

Naruto reached out and grabbed ahold of Shikamaru's hand, pulling the shadow user out from the blankets and behind him as they walked...well sped walked towards a huge red door.

The blond knocked three times on the wooden doors as they opened upon the third knock. A giant fox being sat at the end of the room, eyeing the boys as they walked inside.

The red eyes flicked to study Shikamaru, "Ahh the Nara has finally came. Welcome to the Shrine of The Kyuubi, you may call me Kurama."

For the first time, his mind was blank. The feared fox was....being nice?

"What you have heard from the old tales of me being the most fearsome fox spirit beast is all true but do not fear me, young Nara. You are most welcomed here, for my son has chosen you."

That certainly calmed him down, at least just a tad. Not all of his worries vanished, this was the nine tailed fox spirit he heard of, one who almost destroyed the entirity of the leaf village long ago, way before he was born.

"I told that boy the earthy scent was going to be too much for you and what does he do, sprays a thick layer on himself!," growled out the Kyuubi, his sights going to Naruto as his son nervously chuckled to himself with an 'oops'.

Shikamaru drifted his gaze to the large tapestries, the fox's tales sewn into the seams. How very interesting. The old being chuckled, moving his many tails out of the way so the pontytailed boy study them all, walking closer with confidence.

"Who is this?"

The shadow user gently touched the cloth, his hand guided to the red haired woman centered in the chest of the Kyuubi and a blond man merging with the red being himself.

"My.... wife. Naruto's mother."

Ah

Not wanting to be overbearing on the old beast, he backed off before standing back shoulder to shoulder with Naruto. Kurama curtly nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"You may take your leave."

A blinding light overcame them and then he was standing out of the shrine along with Naruto by his side. When did they leave? Was it when Kurama gave them his permission to leave? His weapons and vest back on him.

This night was truly something.

Looking over at the fox-boy, who was practically gleaming with joy, latched himself to Shikamaru, arms tightly snug around his waist.

"HE LIKES YOU!!"

Naruto looked up to stare at Shikamaru's face, the blush coming back with a vengeance. The fox-boy began rubbing his cheek to Shikamaru, spreading his scent on him to ward off anyone who decided to try to take what was his. His teeth aching to just.... bite-

"Yo quit that, man!"

A hand gently pushed his face away from the Nara's neck, as he whined at the sudden loss of contact.

"Look I'll.... I'll see you tomorrow okay? I gotta get home before I die-"

"YOU'RE GONNA DIE??," the fox shrieked, his arms waving hysterically. Two hands landed on his shoulders, to reel him back, the weight calming him down as he smelled concern on his not-yet-mate.

"No, not actually! Dude, my parents are expecting me to be home a while ago, and I've been out for, like, ever now," reasoned Shikamaru. This guy for real-

"Oh....okay Shi-Shi!"

Shikamaru groaned as he leg Naruto's shoulders go, as he walked out of the forest. He was met with the view of his home, he looked over his shoulder and saw Naruto waving back at him before the fox-boy disappeared into the fog of the night.

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"Where the hell where you?! Do you know what time it is?!," yelled his mother, Yoshino, who wielded a wooden spoon. Shikamaru flinched as his eardrums were assaulted, toeing off his sandals and hanging up his Jonin vest.

"I know mom. I kinda got caught up with someone, a friend"

Yoshino raised an eyebrow as she eyed her son from across his room, "who?"

Shikamaru shook his head. Ugh moms being persistent, couldn't she just trust him. He was practically an adult now, freshly turned Jonin, he didn't even need a bedtime. He could live by himself but got too caught up with other means, there were barely any affordable, decent lookingrentals in this damn village right now.

"Some guy I ran into and just got sidetracked."

He smiled, secretly fishing out the amulet. Yoshino humphed as she took that excuse well enough, she closed his door.

"Naruto ....what a strange guy you are."

He was totally not excited to see him again.

Maybe

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