The Weasel and the Deer

15. Door

Shiho brushed her hair away from her face and adjusted her glasses. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Here she was standing outside Shikamaru's office door, holding the envelope of the decoded message of one of the shinobi they had sent out on an S-rank mission. She had never been inside his office before and just the thought of them being alone in there makes her all flustered.

It's been a year now since this little crush she had on Konoha's genius started and today, she's really hoping she can finally muster the courage to ask him out for lunch. So with a deep shaky breath, she finally raised her hand to knock, but her hand stopped in midair when she heard voices inside.

"So, how's Suna?" she heard Shikamaru ask.

"The usual. Gaara's very busy being the Kazakage and Kankuro's working on several new puppets and teaching his students."

Shiho's eyes went wide like saucers at the voice. She recognized that voice. It belonged to the very intimidating but also very beutiful Suna Ambassadress, Temari.

"Are they..?"

Temari chuckled. "Are you still scared of my brothers, crybaby?"

"I can't help it. What about you? What have you been up to?"

"Other than training with my students, I like spending time in the greenhouse. Gaara's teaching me about cultivating cacti and Kankuro's teaching me about poisons and how to make antidotes."

"You seem pretty busy lately."

"So do you. This is a lot of documents, Shikamaru. Need help?"

"I'm done with those documents, Tem. And they're not yet due till next week."

"Wow, guess you aren't a lazyass after all. Then why'd you bring me here?"

Shiho heard him chuckle and it was followed by some shuffling. "Just wanted to spend some time with you."

"What?"

"What do you mean what, woman? I missed you. Am I not allowed to miss my girlfriend?"

"Shut up."

"You're cute, Tem."

Shiho heard a smack followed by some laughter.
"Oh, can we have dinner with your mom tonight?"

"Sure. She actually wanted to invite you tonight."

"I missed her cooking. And I got her this beautiful Suna dress that I knew would fit her so well."

"Isn't it a bit humid here for her to wear a dress like that?"

"Baka! It's like a summer dress that women wear in Suna. And I got Kurenai one as well. And I got Mirai this pretty little wooden fan with flowers on it."

"They would love that, Tem. Thank you. What about me?"

"What about you?"

"What did you get me?"

"Didn't think I had to get you something."

He grumbled, making her laugh. "I thought me being here was enough. But don't start crying now, Shika, I did get you something and it's a surprise."

"Oh really? What would that be?"

"Stop!"

"Ow! Troublesome woman."

"Pervert lazyass."

Shigo stood on the other side of the door, blushing because of their conversation. They were dating? She didn't know they were together. Sure, she's seen them together a lot before but she thought that was just for work. Come to think of it, she did hear some rumors about the two of them in Naruto and Hinata's wedding, a few months ago. She tried not to think about it too much but..

Could it be?

"I missed you, Tem."

"I missed you too, Shika."

Everything was silent after that. Now, Shiho was a sweet and smart girl. She knew she should leave and just come back later that day to drop the document, but something in her just wanted to stick around for a bit and decided to see for herself what was really going on between Temari and Shikamaru.

They were both great shinobi and with them not really sensing Shiho's chakra behind the door meant they were far too occupied with each other to even bother noticing other things around them. Come to think of it, Shiho had noticed something different in Shikamaru every time the Suna kunoichi was in Konoha. He would smile more and he would be less laidback at work. He had always been a very private person so each time Shiho tried to ask him about his love life, she wouldn't really get anything out of him.

She suddenly felt sad, not heartbroken like she thought she would be. Just sad, but at the same time, she was happy for him. For them.

From her perspective, it works. Temari and Shikamaru together fits. They share the same principles in life and although they do banter alot, they bring out the best in each other.

With the last bit of her courage, Shiho slowly opened the door just a little bit and peered inside. Her smile was bittersweet as she watched Shikamaru wrap his strong arms around Temari's waist. Temari's arms were wrapped around his neck and she was standing on her toes as he pulled her closer to him, kissing her deeply.

When they pulled away, Temari whispered.
"I love you."

Shikamaru smiled and leaned it to kiss her again.
"I love you too."

It was so quiet, Shiho almost didn't hear it. But it was enough to make her smile widen. She quietly closed the door and turned her back on it.

It was hard, but she knew then and there that it just wasn't meant to be. She sighed and walked away, back to her own office. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. If anything, the love she witnessed between Shikamaru and Temari only made her look forward to finding it for herself in the future.

He may not be the guy for her, but because of him, Shiho realized that there are guys like him out there, guys that would be smart and hard working, and someone who would respect women and the others. And she was looking forward to meeting the guy for her someday.

...
AN: I refuse to make Shiho a villain in this story. I honestly think she's a sweet girl who just admires Shikamaru and I think she would be just as supportive of his relationship with Temari. Anyway, thanks for reading! Have a nice day!
PS: Fanart not mine hehe credits to the owner.🤗