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I had thought we'd been in the middle of a war, but maybe that was just a dream. When I woke up I was in my own bed, in my own house, but there was someone beside me that I didn't expect to be there, or maybe I did expect her. She seemed like she was supposed to be there, like this is her home too, not just mine, but I hadn't thought I'd had a housemate. When I sat up she stirred a bit, rolling over to face me as I stared down at her. I'd always had a fondness for Temari that I couldn't quite explain, but seeing her there, in my bed, made me so happy that I couldn't hold back the smile that spread slowly across my face. Somehow I felt like this was where I was supposed to be. All of the distant memories of war and unrest slowly faded from my mind as I watched the blond haired angel sleeping next to me, breathing lightly. I wondered what she was dreaming as I watched her. Was she dreaming of me? It seemed like we might be living together, although I don't remember how that happened. Her eyes started to slowly flutter open, and she smiled at me once she became conscious.
“Shikamaru, what are you doing?” She asked with a little giggle as she reached out to take my hand.
“Just watching you.” I said, not really sure how else to respond.
“Well stop, it's creepy.” She said with a flirtatious smile before she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. How had this happened? How did I get so lucky? This had to be a dream, didn't it? There's no way I could have ended up with Temari, I mean, she pretty much hated me back when we had to organize the Chunin exams. When had we fallen in love?
“Sorry,” I said, before I really even realized what I was saying. “I can't really help myself. I've got the most beautiful wife in the whole Leaf Village.”
“I'm not even from the Leaf, Shikamaru.”
“And you're still the most beautiful woman here.”
“You're just trying to flatter me now.”
Temari really is beautiful, though. I remember thinking it the first time I saw her. None of the girls I knew from home could compare to her, and her attitude toward the world didn't hurt at all, either. She just seemed so down to earth, so mellow and...real, like none of the other girls I knew. She was sarcastic and blunt and...everything I really wanted. I tried so hard to convince myself that I wasn't falling in love with her, but I had, and hard.
All these memories seemed so real, but were they? I could swear that I'd been doing something else...something really important, just a few minutes ago. The current reality was a good one, though. Temari was sitting beside me, smiling up at me as I stroked her hair. The sun was shining in the window and causing her skin to glow, her eyes to sparkle, and me to fall even more deeply in love with her, if that was at all possible. This had to be real, there's no way a dream could be this vivid, this perfect.
“Are you okay?” Temari asked after I didn't say anything for a while. She looked concerned, but also mildly amused. I do space out a lot, so she probably just assumed I was day dreaming.
“Never better. Breakfast?” I asked as I got out of bed and stretched my arms over my head. I put on a pair of loose fitting pants, but remained shirtless before I opened our bedroom door. When I walked out of the room, though, I wasn't prepared for what I saw.
“Daddy!” A small, excited voice called from in front of me before I felt a little body clinging to my legs. I immediately looked down to see my spitting image smiling up at me. Temari was quickly at my side, wearing the short, yellow kimono I'd gotten her for our anniversary a couple years ago. Wait, what? How long had we been together again? Why can't I remember anything?
“Shikadai, you're up early.” Temari said before the little boy released my legs and went over to his mother. I have a son. Holy shit.
“I wanted to play with Daddy before he goes to work.” Shikadai said as he looked back to me with that same bright smile displayed on his face, and it was contagious.
“I guess I've got a few minutes to play with you.” I said with a smile. “What do you want to play?”
“Daddy, you know what game we always play together before you go to work. I'm gonna beat you this time, I know it! I'm gonna be the best shogi player ever!” He squealed and ran around in a little circle. For a moment, I felt incredibly proud. I have a son, and he's smart, just like me. And I have a wife, and she's beautiful beyond measure, and I'm the happiest man in the world.
If I could just remember that important thing that kept nagging at me. It was always there, in the back of my mind, no matter how happy I was or how incredibly lucky I felt. Something is wrong. Very, very wrong. As wonderful as this is, and as happy as I seem to be, I can't help but shake this feeling that I'm forgetting something important. However, those thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind again when I felt a small hand grab mine and start to pull in the direction of the room where the shogi board was. It was only then that I realized that I was living in the same house I'd grown up in. That's right, Dad is gone. Mom is gone. They must have left me with this house to raise my family, but when had that happened? What happened to them? There was a vague memory of them passing of old age, but that didn't seem right somehow.
“Daddy, come on! If we don't hurry we're not gonna have time to play before you have to leave!” Shikadai urged as I gave in to his tugs and started walking toward the room. I remembered playing shogi with my own Father here. We played almost every day, just to pass the time or to get my mind off of something unsettling, like when Asuma-Sensei died. Asuma's death had really taken a toll on me, and Dad knew that, and he knew exactly how to help me. I remembered his exact words, even to this day: Let it out. Let out all the sadness, fear, and anger that's building up inside of you. That's the first step, and I'll be there to pick up the pieces.
I'd forgotten about that until just now, when my own son wanted me to play shogi with him. How had I forgotten that? My Father is dead now, and I'd forgotten one of the most important things he'd ever taught me, acceptance. As I walked toward the room being pulled by the little boy that had become the ghost of my younger self, I remembered everything.
My Father had died in the war. The war that was still happening. Then why was I here when I should be fighting? What about Naruto and Sakura and all of my other comrades from the Leaf? Even Sasuke was there, so the war was something that couldn't be taken lightly. For the life of me, though, I could not figure out why I was here, with Temari and our son living happy, normal lives. What exactly had happened?
And just when I thought I was figuring it all out we arrived at the room that held the shogi board and every thought I'd been having disappeared from my mind. I couldn't even remember what I'd been thinking about a moment ago, because I was too preoccupied watching Shikadai run over to the shogi board and plant himself on one side, eagerly waiting for me to join him.
“Come on Dad, you make the first move!” He said as I walked over and sat down opposite him. I saw Temari leaning against the doorway out of the corner of my eye and smiled at the thought of this wonderful life being mine. Yes, this is definitely where I'm supposed to be. How could I have thought for even a second that anything but this was real? I made the first move and Shikadai followed eagerly as all thoughts vanished from my mind except the ones about my family and my happy life.