Unspoken Rules
Chapter 2
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Konoha Shinobi (Unspoken) Rule #9: Anything and everything is suggestive in the eyes of Shiranui Genma. Beware.
Konoha Shinobi (Unspoken) Rule #9a: There is a theory that once a 'suggestion' is made in Shiranui Genma's head, it will somehow enter yours. This, however, has never been proven.
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One week had passed after Hyuuga Neji completed the eye-opening mission. He never told anyone about how an ANBU had helped him. In fact, he didn't even plan to talk to said ANBU about it if they were to somehow meet on the streets of Konoha.
As it was, while walking with his original teammates and jounin-in-charge in one of their occasional get-togethers, Neji stumbled upon his savior. The slouching boy was walking with a jounin he recognized as the examiner of the Chuunin Exam; a tall, slender man with a senbon wagging between his lips. Neji remembered that figure, the slim figure of the other ANBU operative that had been present on that faithful day that officially never happened. Yet another revelation he was never to tell another soul.
"Oi! Shikamaru!" Lee, ever the boisterous and friendly ninja, shouted a greeting. The recipient of said greeting raised an elegant eyebrow at his arms-waving, teeth-glinting friend.
"Hey," he sleepily (as per usual) replied.
"Shikamaru-kun! Genma-san! What a joyful coincidence that we should meet in this oh-so-lovely day where the sun shines ever-so-brightly in the springtime of-"
Neji let his sensei's insane -- and not to mention loud -- rambling get tuned out by his brain while he locked eyes with Shikamaru. The younger shinobi flicked his eyes on Neji's shoulder with a barely-there questioning look, asking 'how is it?' without having to say anything or letting anyone else notice. The Hyuuga answered 'it's fine, thanks for the help by the way' with a little roll of said shoulder and an equally barely-there thankful smile. Shikamaru nodded, the gesture so small none of the others saw it.
"-so what hails you two, such fine examples of youthful creatures, in this blissfully beautiful day?" Neji let his brain catch the tail end -- and what a long tail it was -- of Gai's greeting.
"Welp, we're back to preparing for Chuunin Exam again, and this time Tsunade gave me a little helper," Genma pat Shikamaru on the back none-too-gently. "We're heading to the examiner team's office."
"Ah, of course! The true test of a shinobi, the trials that will set apart those who are worthy and those who are not, the-"
"It's troublesome," muttered Shikamaru and Ten Ten giggled in response while Gai was still babbling about joyful moments of youth in the heat of battle. The young Nara's overall posture practically screamed 'Fuck this!'
Neji's stoic face gave him a somewhat sympathetic look, as if saying 'It can't be that bad.'
Shikamaru returned it with a sarcastic look of acceptance that said 'You're right. It can only be worse.'
A mocking look countered it, the message 'Yeah. Better you than me.'
The comeback was an eye roll that clearly said 'Screw you, Hyuuga.'
The silent conversation between the two geniuses ended with a quiet snort from the jounin and a yawn from the chuunin. Meanwhile, Gai has ended his poetic rendition of the Chuunin Exam. Lee might have been watching his sensei with bright eyes, "oooh"s and "aaah"s, but Genma merely gave his fellow jounin a look.
"Riiight. Anyway, we have to get going."
"Of course, don't let us keep you in your journey to-"
"See ya, Gai. You too, fellas." And he was off with Shikamaru walking lazily beside him while Gai said his goodbyes loudly along with Lee. Ten Ten just rubbed her eyes, completely embarrassed by the noisy display in the middle of the street.
After walking for a while with comfortable silence, Genma's curiosity finally got the better of him. He looked at Shikamaru intently as he said, "Okay, man. Out with it."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Out with what?"
"You're sleeping with him, aren't you?" asked the older man with a grin that appeared way too happy for Shikamaru's comfort.
"Come again?"
"You're fucking Hyuuga Neji, aren't you?"
"Where the hell did that come from?"
"Oh, come on. You freaking helped the guy while we weren't even supposed to show ourselves, absolutely certain that he won't do anything stupid like writing it in his report or something, not even stopping to tell him not to before going."
"Gen-"
"And don't think I didn't see you toss him your reserve med-pack, which was crazy by the way."
"Genma, you're being trou-"
"And the way that battle went! Geez, it's like you can read each other's mind or something. I know you two never had any mission together, well except that one about two years ago, and I never see you two hang out or anything, which could only mean one thing..." Genma trailed off upon seeing the murderous look on Shikamaru's face.
"It could only mean one thing to perverts like you, but many things to normal people."
"Like?"
"Like what I explained to you after the battle, you dimwit. He has Byakugan, meaning he was already aware of our presence, meaning he'd see my Kagemane, meaning he'd react accordingly." Shikamaru's voice was steadily rising, until he remembered that they were on the street and lowered his voice again. "I know he's a smart guy. He knows better than to say anything about what happened to anybody. Stopping to tell him not to blab would've been unnecessary, seeing as he's not dense like somebody else I know."
"Hey, did you just call me stupid?"
"Yes, and quite surprised that you actually noticed." Genma pouted but Shikamaru was already on fire. "Gah! I can't believe I have to explain that to you allover again."
Ranting done, Shikamaru stopped to see what the other man would say. But instead of saying anything, Genma just looked at him with a grin. A very suspicious, perverse, happy grin, adorned with a senbon pointing upward. Shikamaru was worried.
"What?"
"This is the first time I've seen you all riled up. Ever."
"So?"
"You're fucking Hyuuga Neji."
The young Nara could barely hold the urge to strangle the older man. His already raised hand ended up covering his eyes while he groaned in frustration. At least that way he wouldn't see Genma who was smiling at him with a glee that no thirty-year-old jounin should have.
"No, Genma, I am not fucking Hyuuga Neji," he said with an exasperated sigh. "Where in the name of God did you get that idea, anyway?"
"Well, I wasn't so sure before, but after seeing you two back there I'm positive."
"What are you talking about? We didn't even speak to each other."
Genma scoffed. "You didn't think I missed those 'morning after' looks you two sent each other, did you?"
Suddenly the situation became hilarious for Shikamaru. He should've known. "I can't believe-" The young chuunin had to guffaw first. "'Morning after' looks, right. Is there even such a thing?"
There was a twinkle in Genma's eyes. "It was really sweet, you know."
"Uh huh. Sure," Shikamaru laughed as he started walking again, muttering about 'morning after' looks and Genma being sick in-between chortles. Said sick man just followed with a smile.
However, to the tactical genius' disdain, Genma hadn't drop the subject as he had thought. After walking quietly for a while, the twisted jounin began, "So you're not screwing Hyuuga Neji?"
"No." With his cool back, Shikamaru decided to just answer the man concisely. Any other response would just be too troublesome.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Just because?"
"Yes."
"So... you're not fucking Hyuuga Neji?"
"No." Shikamaru completely missed the glint that was suddenly in Genma's eyes.
"You will be," said the jounin casually.
"Right."
"No, seriously. The chemistry is so there, I thought you already are fucking."
"Genma, you thought Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru had chemistry and fucking."
"That was a joke. This is serious."
"Sure, Genma."
"What, you don't want to fuck him?"
"Do I look like I'm blind?"
Genma snickered. "Yeah, he is hot, isn't he? So you want to?"
"Sure, who doesn't?"
"Well, you will."
"Whatever."
"I'm telling you, the guy's yours already."
"Hn."
"Just wait, you'll see."
"..."
