Chapter Text
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Shikamaru stirred up at the sound of the clock striking twelve. Midnight. Not noon as he would have liked it to be. Although it was now a daily occurrence, he would still say it was something of a drag. As he twisted in bedsheets under the covers and sighed, his eyes fell on a peculiar view. One that he would have never expected to see in his lifetime. Or maybe, something he expected to see only once in his lifetime. His own body lying on the bed beside him, looking tactfully out for the night.
The boy genius warmed looking at that. As another sigh escaped his lips, they curved upward at the view. A sight that might have sent some men shivering, some alarmed, or even scared, did not unnerve him one bit. Although one could easily mistake it to be vanity, looking at one's own face and smiling, it was in reality a relief. Because for Shikamaru, it only reinforced what he already knew. This was something that would only be possible on a certain New Years Day. And this was here to prove to him that some things transcended space and time. Because he knew he was possessing the exact body he needed to be.
A moment passed as he wondered what to do next. He was not the kind of person who left notes or addresses behind, not that it was required between them anyway. But a wave of gratitude washed over him towards the universe, and towards the person who's body he possessed. So he would leave something behind. If he was left with an imprint, so should she.
He pulled open the bedside drawer to successfully find a notepad and a pen to scribble on. He knew what he wanted to write, there was no doubt about it now. As soon as he finished, he tore away at the page with the message and folded the paper, keeping it underneath the phone on the table.
With that, he settled under the covers once again, this time with a smile. Admiring the same ceiling he had been seeing for the past year, only now from a different perspective, Shikamaru hoped to drift off to sleep once again.
In hindsight, he should have known a lot sooner. The opportunity had presented itself to him many times. The coincidences should have been apparent to his logic. But somehow, he was just too foolish to see it. And now, he found himself thinking back to those days.
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18th December, 25 months ago. That was when he should have known, ideally speaking. It was the first time after all. A crash. How cliche.
The door to his cabin was flung open too unceremoniously for him to sleep through it all. But sleeping at work was frowned upon, it seemed, everywhere. What a drag.
"You cannot sleep at work, Nara," Itachi Uchiha explained impatiently. "However much of a genius you are."
"Does it look like I was sleeping, Itachi?", he groaned as he rubbed his eyes and pushed his body off the upholstered sofa.
"Yes," came a cool reply, only for Shikamaru to swing his head back and scoff.
The Nara swore internally that if he did not respect the man standing in front of him as much as he did, he would simply go be a barista somewhere. That, and because Asuma wanted him to work here.
"Well, then you would be wrong," he countered anyway. "No one has ever let me sleep at work."
Itachi leaned beside the door he just closed and eyed the porcupine headed boy for a second, calculating if it was worth schooling him about this. In the end, he simply sighed.
"Well, when you pull the blinds down then we can see what you are trying to do," he said, shaking his head as she walked up to Shikamaru with a file.
"More work?" came a retort, as he took the file from Itachi's hand, but did not bother opening it.
Itachi simply smirked. "Well, they say if you are good at something don't do it for free, but we pay you, so.." he shrugged.
"Remind me to remind Asuma what a drag all of this is," the porcupine haired boy sighed. "Where are they?" he asked the obvious question.
Itachi chucked at the allusion. You would have been right on point, young man, if only I did not give you the shock of your life right now.
"There are no clients waiting. I am actually here to tell you that you won't have to do patents anymore."
Huh, Shikamaru thought, immediately falling into the deep end of his brain. Patent laws were his speciality. And something he chose, giving it a modicum of practical thought. Given that they brought firms a lot of money and claimed little of his time in return, he became an expert in them. And because he had gotten the logic and loopholes part covered already.
"It's Soulmate contracts division. It's yours throughout the next quarter," Itachi pointed at the file.
"Oh come on!" Shikamaru complained. "I was perfectly fine with Patents. And I'm bothering nobody here," he gestured around.
"It is not about you, Shika," came a loud voice from behind Itachi. Asuma. "I need someone trustworthy on this for a while as I go deal with other things. Do it," the Sarutobi said.
The Nara's brow remained furrowed, and Itachi took the liberty of speaking freely. "Maybe you can take the weekends off," he mocked playfully.
"Great. Like I wasn't gonna," he scowled, before falling into thought. "Fight… or Flight?" the boy asked the older gentleman finally.
Asuma raised an eyebrow. Not because he did not understand the question, he probably was one of the only few in this firm who would, but why did Shikamaru think of it as 'fight'?
Shikamaru understood the insinuation of Asuma's unspoken question that was hidden in the carefree gesture. Given the hot waters everyone could feel rising between Danzo Shimura who was the previous head of soulmate contracts division, and the firm Uchiha Sarutobi, it had become increasingly clear that there would be a replacement soon. But him of all being given- no, trusted with Soulmate Contracts division for three months meant something huge was underway. Something that would implicate people higher up, or atleast keep them occupied for the time being, which seemed to be a little more than 3 months. And in Shikamaru's books, that could only mean either one of two things. That Shimura gave in his resignation and took-slash-would be planning on taking away the clients be brought - i.e. the firm has to go to court to prevent that loss, or he has actually done more than standing in hot water - most likely event being an embezzlement - i.e. the firm has to go to court to prevent that loss. Either way, he was stuck here as of now.
"If all the funds are safe," Shikamaru finally said out loud, "whoop his ass," he smirked. That should tell Asuma what's on my mind.
Asuma let out an understanding chuckle and Itachi raised a brow intrigued. "I'll see. Three months, Shikamaru," the former said, turning around and finding his way out the cabin, as the latter followed at the heel.
Shikamaru reached and sat back in his chair thinking. Could he outsource this work? Perhaps. Mostly consisting of drafting various legal documents as they are approached by clients, Soulmate department was straightforward at the very least. But it was certainly not why he graduated early and worked internships throughout Law School.
Maybe Lee could do most of this. And Shikamaru could just sign off on papers always, right? Besides, ever since 'bushy brows' had convinced his father to let him join the firm, he always seemed enthusiastic about only one thing. Finding a soulmate. So he would never decline such an opportunity to deeply analyze the mystical ways of the universe alongside the couples who definitely don't trust each other. And hence, Shikamaru left his cabin before lunch.
But hunched over a file and lost in the nitty gritty details of the offer letter to manage an entirely different division was not how Shikamaru expected to bump into danger. Especially not when the danger was a beautiful woman who looked like she wanted to kill him for it.
"Watch where you're going," the blonde screeched as she walked out of the elevator.
"Hey! Sorry," he took a step back.
"God! Asuma and his assassins creed," she mumbled under her breath. "The only thing they are assassinating is my time."
Shikamaru was taken aback. Such blatant disrespect of his mentor triggered something primal within him.
"Miss. Say whatever you want to about me, but don't you dare say anything about him," he spoke instinctively. "You are standing in his firm," he told strictly. It was a rare occurrence that the black haired boy came to anyone's defense or showed any emotions unless it wasn't absolutely required, but he ventured this would be one of those times. "And again. Sorry for bumping into you," he said, and walked past her.
If she was stunned at his reaction, she ought to be. Because he intended for that to happen, he thought, as the elevator doors closed on her surprised face.
Talk about bumping into someone just after taking that troublesome job. If only he had looked at her more carefully to connect the dots, he would have known before it all even began.
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If not then, maybe the second time. Christmas eve, 24th December, 24 months ago. After all, coincidences are the universe's way of telling you that there are inner workings.
"Hey, here are the documents, ready," squeaked Lee Maito.
Shikamaru took a deep breath and pulled his head out of his own paperwork. If he knew how much proofreading these contracts and their clauses took, he would have outsourced that too. Maybe he did not want this promotion.
"Where is Asuma," he questioned, as he collected more paperwork off Lee's hands.
"He is at the Christmas party actually."
Dammit. Burying Shikamaru under this pile of rubble while he was out there mingling. But these papers needed his signatures today if he wanted to put them out into order. Otherwise with the upcoming weekend, nevermind, that would be a drag.
The Nara dragged his feet from his cabin and headed out with the file.
The echo of christmas songs overlaying a disco beat was something unexpected to Shikamaru. But who was he to question the methods of the firm when people seemed to be dancing away. His mentor was not hard to find amidst the crowd, if it could even be called that. At least half the people left for home, a quarter were on the dance floor, and the remaining occupied the bar, chattering among themselves, or laughing.
"Shikamaru! Glad you could join us," called Asuma, taking a note of him lurking around his 'gang'. A gang that included Kakashi Hatake and Gai Maito, and of course Itachi Uchiha, his trusted prodigy. The youngest one was still Shikamaru. There were a few others he didn't know, but he had other matters at hand right now than asking him to broker introductions.
"Yes boss," the boy acknowledged, as he gave a curt nod to the gang of geniuses behind the Sarutobi, ones who continued with their drinking. "Although, I'm only here on business, I just need your signatur-" he stopped short, coming face to face with the woman who he bumped into by the elevator. "-You!" he accused instead.
"This is Temari Rasa, Shikamaru," Asuma introduced as he grabbed the file.
"And Temari," Itachi grinned, "This is Shikamaru Nara. Your idiot, I'm assuming by his reaction."
The black haired boy's eye twitched at the words that were just spoken. "You know her?" he asked, alarmed.
"He is my dad's friend," she began, pointing at Asuma, then moved to point to Itachi, "and he worked with my dad for a few years. Of course they know me," she sniggered.
Asuma gave him a gentle pat on the back, and let out a chuckle. "Thank you for defending me though," he smirked. "Although there was no need for that. But I will sign this now as your reward, before I leave."
"I almost cried hearing that honorable defense", murmured Kakashi from behind.
However, Shikamaru still eyed the blonde woman with a level of intrigue. "Nice meeting you, Miss Rasa. To what do we owe this pleasure, and your long stay?" he teased.
She raised an eyebrow at him, perhaps in surprise. However, It was Itachi who seeked permission from Asuma and spoke instead.
"That has to do with you actually," he said with a certain unreadable glee to his face. "Temari. Shikamaru is the current head of Soulmate contracts division."
Shikmaru's brow furrowed in question, but resolved as instantly as it came on. This could only mean one thing.
"Is that so?" she chirped too melodiously for it to go with the dangerous expression plastered on her face.
"Yes. You two will be working closely to draw up your brother's soulmate contracts," Itachi replied, glancing over at the pages that Asuma was signing. "Amongst other things."
Shikamaru sighed. "Of course," he accepted the command with a single nod as he waited by Asuma's side.
"Sometimes I wonder how long will this charade continue in our world, you know," Gai Maito spoke uncharacteristically dreamily. The first sign of him being drunk, thought Shikamaru. "People should trust each other, especially when they are soulmates," Gai continued glumly. Shikamaru let out a chuckle.
"Now now," interrupted Kakashi, as he threw one of Gai's hands over his shoulder. "When you spew wisdom, we know you are done for the day," he said, carrying him towards the door.
"Only smart minds can agree with me on this," Gai slurred. "That's your cue, Shikamaru" he whispered loudly.
"Sorry to say but, this mind actually happens to think differently than you, Mr. Gai", Shikamaru confessed, stifling a laugh.
"Uh Oh," went Kakashi, and everyone eyed him with interest.
"Let's hear it then," even Asuma joined as he offered him the signed documents. "Shikamaru's personal opinions about the secrets of the universe," he teased.
"Hey. Don't gang up on me," he said pushing the file under his armpit and his hands down his pockets. "None of you has to agree with me."
"Well, go on then. My brother is on his way for christmas and I have be home before dinner. I wanna hear this" Itachi smirked, crossing his arms.
"I don't believe in soulmates," he dropped the truth bomb and silence fell around every single one of them quickly. "I think it's just a biochemical reaction", he continued, "generated towards someone whose memories you have seen. People without soulmates find partners too, and they are happy as well."
However, the reaction came from somewhere he did not expect. Temari scoffed. "All of us out here are fools then, Mr. Nara?" she questioned, with a slight grin.
Shikamaru shrugged casually. "I'm just saying it's not what drives me and my life. I don't trust because of it, and I would trust in spite of. I don't believe in it being the final essence of life or something," he finished as silence lingered on for a moment.
Temari mused after a thoughtful silence. Crossing her arms and letting out a sly smile, she began rubbing salt in the wound. "You were right, Itachi. He has growing up to do."
And everyone around him either sighed or fell into a cackle. Troublesome, Shikamaru thought to himself. So before their curses hit and bad luck shines on him, he decided he was going to make his escape.
Tch. He could have come out as a genius if he had realized it back then. Because it would have been better than the universe telling her first.
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They did say that the third time's a charm. He should have definitely known on 1st January, 24 months ago. She was being very uncharacteristically calm that day.
But of course. Who has ever been able to escape the clutches of fate. He soon found out that Itachi was not kidding when he said he would have to work alongside Temari. Because for one, he was having to work instead of leaving it to Lee. But also because of how this woman did not leave him any chance to slack off. She made him do all the work for god's sake. From drafting the contracts to cross verifying them, everything to the extremes. And because he was definitely not getting enough sleep with all her edits and antics. It was almost not worth working here anymore.
Come new year, it seemed as if his luck had completely run out. Because the worst of all had happened. His most prized collectible, a first edition of The Hobbit was drenched in Coffee. Well, more like the spine and cover, but it was a collectible, and nothing he could do was able to fix it. His only hope was Itachi, who knew almost everything under the Sun, or knew how to find it. But he did not know anyone that could fix it for him. And while the Uchiha did say he would tell him if he found anyone, Shikamaru hung his head low, mourning his precious book. The worst new year ever, he thought as he made his way to Temari to begin his hard labor for the day.
Only for some intern to spill a strawberry milkshake on him on the way. At that point, he just gave up. Everyone be damned.
Her eyes went comically wide as soon as he pushed open the door to the meeting room. "What the-"
"-don't even start, woman," he interrupted as he sat down, shrugging off his coat, and pulling away his tie. It was only 11 am, and he was done for the day.
"Jeez. What has turned you into a cry baby?" she asked, and Shikamaru glared in response.
"Yeah, now wouldn't you like to fix it," he sneered and found himself on the receiving end of a sharp look. "Never mind," he sighed . "Let's just get on with this," he pointed at the screen, collecting himself.
Temari however remained uncharacteristically silent as she glared daggers at him. Then she rose up from her chair and picked up her belongings. "Take some time off, go shower, fix your mood. Tell me when you are ready to work," she said, and boy did she stress the last word a little too hard. "I'll be with Itachi."
Shikamaru sighed as he sunk into the chair for a little longer. His bad mood had begun to rub off on others around him now. Maybe Temari was right. He needed to take the day off. Maybe sleep until midnight starting from noon.
Thankfully, Shikamaru did not have to worry about that for longer. Because it seemed Itachi had found someone to replace the spine of the ruined book by evening, and Shikamaru was too happy to have it fixed. It was Mirai's favorite book, after all.
But the rest of his luck remained the same. Especially now since he had pissed Temari off.
Oh, how he now knew it was anything but that. The clues were right there, alongside the coincidences, and he was too foolish to see them.
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At this point, he really had no excuse. He definitely-should have-must have known with utmost certainty as an ode to what came after. The bickering. Ooh the bickering.
The upcoming days and weeks were not exactly fun for him. Shikamaru was put in charge of handling all documentation for Temari, and a few other clients. He needed to use more of his brain to get out of those tricky situations like that one day.
"You can't convince a client to go public with his designs, Shikamaru!"
"Come on, Itachi! The competitors were the ones who stole it, you and I both know that. They just needed a scare."
"You can't guarantee that they would have increased their offer price because of that."
"I guess we'll never know."
"Remind me why you gave Nara to me, Itachi?"
"I am sorry, Temari."
"Hey!"
And boy did she unleash her quips on him since then. If he had his ways to slack off in secret before that, her sharp tongue ensured that he would remain on track since then. And he did not like that one bit.
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"Are you seriously sleeping in your office?"
"You are not supposed to be here for another hour."
"Looks like someone fell asleep because their brain is not sharp enough today."
"What?! You take that back."
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"Now do you agree that I have all bases covered?"
"Doesn't signify anything."
"Accept it, I am a genius."
"I would believe you if you were not still working here."
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"Brain of a genius, will of a sloth", Itachi said once.
"See? You gotta agree now."
"Yeah, Itachi. Just like a teenager," she remarked.
"Hey! I'm twenty-three."
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"Do you have to have Sushi here? The smell of raw fish is killing me."
"Maybe that's my goal."
"You want me to die?"
"No, I just want someone who actually knows this stuff."
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"It is too hot in here today. I'm sweating like a pig."
"You also smell like a pig."
"You're just mean!"
She just laughed.
Maybe he did not hate the quips after all. But he was an idiot to not have figured it out by then.
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And that last time, one fine morning in March, 21 months ago, when it seemed like she hated him. And when that woman was acting irrational over nothing, he definitely should have known.
Shikamaru entered the conference room setup for the two of them, again. But before he could whine about how many projects he needed to take on before March ends, he was met with the sight of a worried Temari hushing and whispering over the phone.
"Hey, she will be fine, Kankuro," -her brother- "have faith." What the hell had happened, Shikamaru inched closer.
Then she said, "I know, I know. I love her too, she is like a sister to me."
"Okay. Now I need you to listen to m- Alright. I'm coming over. Tell Gaara to pick me up at 8. Okay. Don't worry. She will pull through."
With that, she disconnected the call and heaved a labored sigh. Seeing her like this, it was unnerving to say the least. That was not something he ever thought would happen, and for some reason, it worried him.
"All good?" Shikamaru interrupted, and Temari spun around to find the source of that voice. "Temari?"
"-Shikamaru?" she said, as her eyes moistened suddenly, and he wondered why. "Hey. What's wrong," he asked, approaching the table.
Temari swallowed. "Uhh- nothing. A family emergency. Um… so-" she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I- I need to reschedule. My brother's soulmate got into a car accident. I- I need to be there for him. Excuse me."
"Oh, alright," he acknowledged, trying not to be bothered at all by the fact that she was upset. That was pretty stupid of him, he even knew that back then. "Well, it'll be fine," he said, waving his hand off casually.
"What?"
"It'll… be… alright? Seriously, you're overthinking this," he tried calming her down. If only they were not the exact wrong words to say at that time.
"Seriously Shikamaru?" she screamed. "You are unbelievable! I know you don't care about soulmates and anything, but this is.. this is my brother. His soulmate. She is dying. And you are being this insensitive?!"
"Temari. What are you-" he tried to interrupt, but spectacularly failed.
"Actually you know what! I am the dumb person. I- I don't know why I ever expected you to understand. If all you can ever offer is this meager amount of happiness, then I don't think-" she said as she choked, "I don't know who I pity more," she trailed away into a whisper as silent tears slipped from her eyes. With that, she yanked her bag and left the room.
"Temari, wait-" Shikamaru turned to follow her. But she was long gone, leaving behind a wake of spluttering Shizune trying to salvage her coffee sodden papers, and an utterly confused Shikamaru.
What the hell was that!?
But with hours and days going by, even without a single sight of her, Shikamaru could not get that image off his mind. There was something about this specific incident that he was finding hard to comprehend. Why was she so… he didn't even have the right words to describe it. Upset? Disappointed? … Hurt?. These verbs were not doing him any good. And then there was the Coffee incident that lingered in the back of his mind as if it was screaming the answer at him. There was too much going on with the universe.
And that should have been a dead give away. Awful, that he was too dumb and lost to realize what was right in front of him. Should he be thankful that he finally connected the dots at the end of the last fiscal quarter?
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But after all, he did say that all of this was a chemical reaction. Maybe that was what was missing. Maybe all those pesky chemicals in his brain showed him lined up all the coincidences for him to figure it out.
"Hey. Ready to sign off?" Itachi asked him the last morning of March.
Shikamaru looked up from his paperwork and sighed. "Do you really want me to hand over the division?" he questioned. "How troublesome."
"Well, if you keep calling it that, I might think you actually like it." Shikamaru let out a weak chuckle in response to that. The Uchiha continued, "So you're staying then?"
"Hm. I am. You guys can take your time with Danzo," he assured. But just as Itachi was about to say something, a question slipped Shikamaru's lips. "Hey, um- Temari, when is she coming back? I mean… the work is piling up for me here." Why was he even defending himself?
Itachi's brow furrowed in question. "What do you mean? She has been back for a week now."
"Oh," Shikamaru fell flat. "I didn't see her around. Thanks," he added, putting a top to any further questions Itachi might ask him.
"Hm. Anyway. I found someone who repairs spines of Vintage books," Itachi recalled. "I can call him in tod-"
"-I kno-" both of them stopped mid sentence. For Itachi, it was surprise that stopped him. For Shikamaru, it was shock.
"How do you know?" Itachi tried to broker.
"That means you were not the one who got my book fixed", Shikamaru stated through a furrowed brow.
Itachi only shook his head. "That also means you don't need my help," he said walking out.
"Thank you, Itachi," he whispered, as he fell into a thought. One that seemed to have lasted ages. Only, it was mere seconds within which he connected everything that occurred in the past few months and mapped the truth out.
Itachi did not fix my book. But then who did?Why would anyone else have any incentive to do that? No one would replace it and keep it a secret. Unless they damaged it to begin with. But he was the one who damamged it. Or did he? He woke up on New Years day and saw the only disturbance in his room was that spilled coffee. He did jump to the most logical conclusion after all, that he spilled it. Could it be? What if it wasn't him, but someone else possessing him. Then why wouldn't they leave a note? That was the natural occurance he would have had to deal with. Unless they knew I didn't care to deal with it. Which means they knew I don't believe in-
Temari, he whispered, as he stared into the distance. That was the link tying it all together. There can be no other answer. That was why Kankuro's news made her angry at him, not anyone else. That was why the image coffee sodden papers was burned in the back of his mind. She had spilled coffee over his book new years night. She was his soulmate. And he was too stupid to see it all.
Now, if only he was brave enough to speak up the first time. That would have been marvelous wouldn't it.
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But no, he was a wuss the first time.
He was the reason behind every single thing that she did and he was too foolish to notice it. If he had lingered even a second more on the way her teal eyes became even more vibrant in front of that elevator, he would have known what was about to come. If he had focused on the hitch in her breath that new year's day, he would have figured it out. If he would have cared enough to notice that her voice quivered when she heard his own trying to comfort her that March, he would have known. Alas. He was too foolish. And he was too late.
He came face to face with her at noon, in front of the conference room. And as much as he wanted to think about the bad timing of it all, he could not. At least not until she pointed it to him.
"Hey, Temari," he asked, stoic faced, yet hating himself for it. "Is your brother alright?"
"Shika- Hi. Yes. He is. She- His soulmate is too," she answered with a guilty undertone. "I'm sorry for yelling at you that day," she followed her own words.
But this time, Shikamaru found himself reading all the things he missed before. The way her eyebrows shot up so very little, barely by a millimeter, whenever she saw him. The way her hand reflexively went to her other wrist when she stood in front of him. The way her pupils dilated as her eyes fell on him. Those teal eyes that graced every thought he had ever since she spilled that damn coffee all over the floor.
"Good to hear," he found himself saying as he cleared his throat. Maybe it was not the time to behave nonchalantly, he told himself afterward. Because she simply nodded and almost walked away.
"What was your first impression of me, Temari?" he asked, stopping her in her tracks.
"Huh?" she asked, almost confirming if he actually asked her that. And for a moment, her expressions were frozen on her face, like she had been caught off-guard. But she recovered quickly. She always recovered too quickly and he was too slow to catch it before. But now that he knew what he knew, it was crystal clear. "Fine, I guess," she replied cohesively.
"Then why are you always arguing with me?" he dragged.
Temari becomes a little unnerved at that. And he tells himself again, if he didn't know what he knows, he wouldn't have noticed any of that.
She begins apprehensively this time. "I… I don't have time for this right now, I have a meeting," she looked away and walked towards her destination. But something seemed to have crossed her mind too, because she turned. "I will talk to you later about this," she assured.
Shikamaru replied with a curt nod. "You know where to find me," he said walking back to his cabin. That would be a long wait. But knowing her, she will always be right on time.
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And he barely managed the second.
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Evening came by, and it seemed his wait was finally over when there was a slight knock on his door.
"Hey, this a good time?" she asked softly. This was a new side of her that he was seeing, wasn't it? Or was it there all along and he just didn't see?
"Hey. Come on in," he stood up, inviting her in. She, however, seemed to have come with a plan.
"Look, I don't wanna argue with you," she began. "I'm sorry for blowing up on you that day. I know you don't like wasting your energy. Or time- Whatever- That's fine. I don't wanna bother you."
"I actually enjoy it," he confessed. Perhaps it was better this way, with the truths coming out all by themselves. "It's playful banter. And until you become violent, it's fun," he added teasing.
Temari scoffed in response. Although she was not teasing, only pretending. He could see everything so clearly now. Every unreadable expression. The undertone behind every scoff and shrug. And he couldn't even pinpoint when this began.
"Ofcourse, I don't expect any other kind of response from you," she laughed carelessly. But she cared. He knew that.
"I'm sorry too… For that day," he raised. "I was just trying to offer reassurance when I overheard about your brother. I clearly did not choose my words carefully."
"You know, for someone who works in patents, that's terrible," she teased truthfully this time. Shikamaru's heart almost settled down comfortably. His smile reached his eyes after a long time, he felt, his only response.
"But… Thankyou," she relaxed, only to stiffen up again,"It means a lot. I know you don't believe in soulmates but-" she paused. "It means a lot. Anyway- see you roun-"
"I never said I didn't believe in love, Temari," his words left his mouth even before he knew what he was going to say.
"What?" she stopped short.
Shikamaru breathed as he tried to process them for the first time himself. "Last christmas. I only said that I didn't believe in soulmates. I never said I didn't believe in love."
Her eyes flashed with a hint of something he now recognized as hope. Oh how foolish, utterly foolish he was. He shook his head as he left the periphery of his table and approached her standing on the other side of it.
"So?" she asked, maintaining her facade. He did not like that one bit. She did not deserve this one bit. He would not let her hide it one bit, because he had been too foolish to see the signs in front of him. "What does that have to do with-"
Only, she was interrupted by Shikamaru, interlacing his fingers with hers, and her eyes went wide in surprise.
"I know, Temari. I know," he whispered, tugging her slightly closer.
Her eyes glimmered the way they only do with moisture. But again, you had to know what you were looking for. Only he knew now. And he was sure he would know until the end of time.
But she remained silent, perhaps because of the thousands of questions going on in her mind. The why's and the how's. He can read her clearly. And he will answer them.
"I figured it out this morning," he answered. Her eyes widened the slightest as her jaw fell open. "You were the one who spilled coffee over my book, weren't you? And then you found out from Itachi about why I was so bothered and pissy the next morning so you got my book fixed silently."
Her mouth that had fallen open shut immediately.
"This of all things is what shuts your mouth? Me figuring out that you woke up in my body?" he laughed before continuing. "Why did you not tell me?" he asked all seriously.
"You don't believe in soulmates," she stated.
"But I believe in love, Temari," he said. Honest to his core. Right on time. Exactly where he needed to be. "I believe in love," he repeated, ensuring that the words carved themselves into her brain as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Is that enough?" he asked politely.
But it was not just her teal eyes that met his black ones with dedication and acceptance. It was also her lush rosy lips that made their way to his own in happiness, as she murmured a Yes against them. So he couldn't care less about all of this happening right in the middle of his damn office. You would not find him resisting. In fact, that thought would never cross his mind for a long long time.
That was how things fell into place. Finally. And now that he woke up in her body two years later, he would believe it himself.
.
.
.
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