They spent their first date in a tiny restaurant with tables out on a plant-filled patio, talking. Shikamaru had never paid so much attention to a conversation in his life. He was realizing that with Harika, he seemed to be having a lot of firsts. Strangely enough, he wasn't worried about messing up or not being good enough, because when he was with her, everything just flowed. He'd never met someone with whom just being was as easy as breathing. Maybe his father, when he wasn't in one of his inquisitive moods.
He found himself talking nonstop, way more than ever before. They talked about their hobbies, their favourite foods, what they liked to listen to when they were happy or sad, the places they had visited for work or pleasure... They even talked about their future goals, which was of particular interest to him, and about the past.
"So, you wanted to be a photographer?"
"Not really. My friend Luna suggested it. It was a year-and-a-half-long tour, so I said yes while I figured out what to do with my life. Photography's a hobby, and they were paying me for it, so it sounded like a great idea."
"And do you know what you want to do now?"
"I know what I don't want to do, which I've realized is just as important," Harika admitted, taking a spoonful of her frozen dessert. "I don't want to keep fighting. I've had enough of war."
"War?"
"Well, it wasn't a war exactly. I don't know what I'd call it, but there were definitely two sides. And a lot of dead people."
"And the leader of the other side… was he the man you killed?" Shikamaru asked, watching her expression, which said it all. Harika nodded silently. "I see."
"Magic is wonderful, but it can also be terrifying. I imagine chakra is similar, so maybe you know what I mean. I've seen people heal from the brink of death… but I've also seen people die and come back as 'zombies', or resurrected as monsters from the bones of the dead. I guess that's why magic scares some people."
Harika stared at the doodles on the tablecloth as if pondering what she'd just said. It was clear that some people close to her hadn't reacted well upon discovering she was a witch, judging by her body language. That made him angry. How dare people judge someone just for their abilities? Some civilians looked at ninjas the same way, it wasn't the first time it happened, but it still irritated him to think people could be so… prejudiced and hypocritical. The last thing he wanted was for Harika to feel like those people had any right to hurt her for something she was born with.
"Any kind of power depends on how you use it. Look at this knife," he said, holding up his dinner knife. "I used it to eat, but I could also kill everyone in this restaurant with it. Does that make the knife 'bad'? No. People are, if they choose to be. The knife is just a tool. Like chakra. Like your magic. You shouldn't feel guilty for having a gift."
"…It's not our abilities that show who we are, but our choices."
"Exactly."
Harika looked out the glass window, eyes distant, thinking about those words. Finally, she turned her gaze back to him, and there was a mixture of restrained anger and sadness in her eyes.
"That's what the headmaster of my school told me years ago. He's dead now. Sometimes I wish I'd killed him myself. And other times… I just wish I understood why he did what he did to me," she said softly, as if speaking about it hurt. He simply reached out and took her hand, squeezing it. "I've never had to tell my story because everyone already knew it. But still, there are things people don't know. Things that happened recently… I want to tell you, if you want to listen."
"Of course, I do. I want to know everything about you."
"Then we'd better find somewhere to stay tonight. It's not going to be short."
Shikamaru paid for their dinner. He knew she had money, but he wanted to pay for their first date himself. If she wanted, she could pay for the next one. Harika let him, standing patiently at his side, and then took his offered hand. They walked hand in hand in search of an inn, which wasn't too hard to find. Luckily, it was low season, so there were several rooms available.
"One room or two?"
"One," Harika answered before he could even open his mouth. She winked at him.
"Are you sure you only want one, miss?" asked the receptionist, an old woman with a bitter-looking face and a hint of disdain in her voice.
Shikamaru felt his blood boil when he saw how the woman looked at Harika, but before he could say something in her defence, or drive a kunai into her throat, Harika spoke.
"Oh. I didn't realize I had to ask permission to share a room with my husband."
The woman's face turned beet red, clearly having not considered they might be married. She looked at their intertwined fingers, and Shikamaru could tell she had assumed the lack of rings meant they weren't. He didn't care what some random civilian, in a village in the middle of nowhere, thought, but hearing Harika put that woman in her place without raising her voice, and calling him "husband" with that possessive tone, drove him crazy.
He felt a flutter in his chest, a tightening of desire in his gut, and a pulse of arousal below the belt. Another first time, right there. And since he couldn't resist…
"Oh, and before you ask whether we want one bed or two… One bed, please," he added, holding back laughter with a smirk. "We're trying for a baby. Or two. You know?"
Harika laughed out loud, not caring about the woman's now crimson face. Shikamaru pulled her into his arms possessively, and she wrapped herself around his side, resting her cheek on his chest and placing her hand on his stomach in such a suggestive way that it nearly made steam come out of the receptionist's ears. A man emerged quickly from the back room, apparently having heard part of their conversation. He shot a sharp glance at the woman behind the counter and politely took over, charging them and handing over a key without another word.
Shikamaru picked her up bridal-style, laughing, and heard Harika gasp in surprise. He strode upstairs, ignoring the glare on the back of his neck and the whispered reprimand behind them in a male voice.
"Shikamaru!"
"What? Didn't you say you wanted to share a room with your husband?"
Harika blushed, even though they were now alone, and briefly buried her face in his neck. But he knew she wouldn't back down. He saw how she tilted her head just enough to look up at him through long curled lashes. Just one glance into those seductive eyes, and his mouth went dry.
"Well, if we're supposedly trying for a baby… we should share a bed, right?" she whispered, biting her lip.
He shut the door behind them without even setting her down. He would have opened and closed it with his leg if necessary, but there was no way he was putting her down while he didn't have to. Ironically, the room didn't have a traditional bed, just a large futon, folded in the corner. As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Harika seemed to read his mind. She shifted in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist the moment his hand tangled in her hair and his lips crashed onto hers in a deep kiss.
He found the futon by memory, eyes closed, and knelt on it with her in his arms. He had no idea how long they spent kissing, breathless and hungry, their bodies pressed together—her seated on his lap as he knelt on the soft mat. He felt her tug his ponytail loose, her fingers running through his hair. He nibbled her lips, tangled their tongues, kissed her deeply while her feminine moans were swallowed by his mouth.
When he felt a sharp pang of desire and a growing erection, he knew they had to stop. He stroked her back, knowing they weren't ready to take that step—not here, not now, not like this. They hadn't even finished talking. He hadn't even properly asked her to be his girlfriend yet. Still, it was hard to pull away from those lips that drove him wild. He sighed against her mouth, kissing her again and again, his hand cradling her jaw gently.
"We should talk."
"I know," Harika whispered against his lips, forehead to forehead.
"I want to hear everything you had to say. All of it."
They stayed silent for a few minutes, breathing into each other's space, still tightly wrapped in each other's arms. Shikamaru stroked her arm, feeling her do the same. He sat more comfortably on the floor, letting her recline just a little so he could see her better, and listened to everything she had to say.
She told him about her parents' deaths, the abuse she endured in her aunt and uncle's home, what had happened year after year at Hogwarts until she was finally forced to flee and to kill her parents' murderer. She told him about the horcruxes and Dumbledore, about her sudden death and resurrection. And how afterward, she had to fight to recover from everything she'd gone through.
Harika cried while remembering certain moments, but Shikamaru could see that, although painful, it no longer haunted her silently. She could speak about it without faltering in a way he knew well. Harika was healing. He'd seen it in other ninjas after traumatic missions. That was the only reason he wasn't even angrier than he already was. The only thing he could do, since he couldn't fight the past, was hold her and listen. He didn't like it, obviously, but he knew he couldn't fix what had happened to her with a jutsu. He wished it were as simple as stabbing someone.
"I'm really sorry for what you went through. You didn't deserve any of it," he said at last. "If you ever need to talk about it again… I'll listen."
"Talking to you about it helped me, Shikamaru. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Seeing how tired she seemed, he opened the futon and let her lie down in front of him. He removed his weapons and vest, got comfortable, and watched her closely, unable to look away. They talked for a while about lighter topics, leaving the darker ones aside, until Harika had fully regained the light in her eyes and he no longer felt so bad. He was surprised by how deeply her sadness had affected him. It was the first time it had ever happened to him, the first time he had empathized so much with someone. The first time he wished he could carry someone else's pain instead.
He stroked her hair slowly, kissing her forehead while she spoke softly against his chest, eyes closed, about what she had seen on her photography trip. Shikamaru listened attentively, but he also thought about what he was experiencing in that very moment. He thought about how incredible it was to be with her like this: talking, kissing, in silence… He wasn't even disappointed that they hadn't had sex, because although he would've loved to, just talking to her was deeply satisfying. It was… strange and surprising.
He realized at that exact moment that breaking up with Temari had been the right decision. In fact, his real mistake had been not rejecting her from the start. Every time he went out with Temari, he felt exhausted and uncomfortable, even before meeting up, and when he was with her it wasn't long before he was itching to go home. On their last date, the third and final one before they broke up, Shikamaru had silently prayed that a genin would show up and tell him he had a mission.
And yet, here he was with Harika. They were together and he was already looking forward to being with her again. He didn't quite understand why he felt this way or what it meant. It was irrational, but the most intense thing he'd ever felt.
"Harika," he whispered when he saw her enjoying the moment with her eyes closed, saying nothing more. "I need to ask you something before you fall asleep."
"Mhmm…"
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Shikamaru watched as she opened her eyes, as if she needed to look him in the eye instead of whispering yes against his chest. Harika raised a hand, placing it on his face, and stroked his lips.
"I do."
He smiled without being able to help it, leaning in to kiss her.
…
"And how does this work?" he asked, flipping the gold coin. Real gold. He knew she had money, but this… It was clear her fortune far exceeded that of his clan.
"I basically connected these two coins so we can communicate. I want to see if you can use your chakra to interact with the magic in this coin so you can use it. If it doesn't work, I'll try something else. I've got a few ideas."
Shikamaru inspected the magic coin, full of enchantments, that Harika had given him. It had a dragon design on one side and the face of a wizard with a hat on the other. The engraved letters read "Gringotts Bank" on one side and "Unum Galleon" on the other. If he concentrated hard enough, he could feel a sort of tingling, but it was so faint that if he hadn't known the coin was enchanted, he wouldn't have noticed.
He watched as Harika picked up her coin and used her powers in front of him. Again, he felt that tingling sensation he was starting to associate with her magic. It was like feeling a feather brushing against his bare skin. He watched as the letters on her coin changed, forming new words.
"I got it," he said, reading the question on the coin. "I'll try sending something back."
He was curious to know if he could interact with Harika's magic using his chakra. In fact, he was eager to try because if it worked, that meant Harika could also use chakra, however rudimentary. When it came to chakra, Harika's reserves were only slightly above an average civilian's. That didn't surprise him since she never used chakra for anything, preferring to use her other energy. Still, if she could at least use chakra to enhance her physical abilities, he knew that would be a great advantage for her. Shikamaru would be satisfied if she could just run away, rather than engage in hand-to-hand combat.
It took him a few minutes to figure out how to connect his chakra to the magic, but he realized the magic felt very similar to shizen energy—or, as some knew it, sen chakra. He wasn't used to working with that energy, but he could perceive it, and after a few attempts he was able to link up with the magic. He felt a sort of click, as if the two energies had merged. He wasn't using a jutsu per se, but it seemed like the magic somehow understood his intentions, allowing itself to be transformed by his chakra and altering the words on the coin.
He was amazed to discover that, in one way or another, he was doing magic. He wasn't using his chakra in a methodical way like he did with jutsu. Magic was almost instinctive, as if it had a mind of its own. Was this how Harika felt when she used her power? Like she had a true force of nature beneath her skin, ready to be unleashed with a snap of the fingers and a thought? Honestly, he wasn't surprised she didn't bother with chakra when she had power like this inside her. Shikamaru had only used the magic she had embedded in the coin, but just being able to manipulate that little bit with his chakra and mind… it was euphoric not having to use jutsus, but imagination.
"I want to teach you to use your chakra," he said suddenly. Harika raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain. "That man who captured you… Maybe if you'd known how to use chakra to improve your physical condition, he wouldn't have kidnapped you."
"You mean enhancing my speed, endurance, strength, and all that?"
"Exactly. You can even temporarily heighten your senses: hearing, sight, taste…"
"…And touch?" she asked with a mischievous smile, making him swallow hard as he realized what she was implying.
He felt his pulse shake and his stomach flip. "…That too."
"Then I want to learn."
Shikamaru let out a small laugh but couldn't deny that he was curious too. He had never used his abilities in bed. He had never been interested in sleeping with anyone. Maybe because he had never been in love, or because no one had physically excited him. People had advised him to lose his virginity with someone he trusted, or with a village civilian, but he had ignored it out of laziness.
When he started dating Temari, he knew that if he went through with it, he would eventually lose his virginity to her. It wasn't something that excited or disgusted him, it was just… going to be another item crossed off a list. Goodbye to his first tooth, goodbye to his first kill, goodbye to his virginity. One day he'd be a virgin, and the next he wouldn't. Simple as that. Even the times he had masturbated, thinking about fantasies instead of real people, were fairly… boring. He'd gotten physical relief, but nothing else.
Now things had changed by 1800 degrees. For one, he was falling in love, and Harika set his blood on fire like no one ever had. It was ironic to think that less than a month ago he thought of his virginity as something ordinary and even dull, and now he wasn't thinking about losing his virginity, but about making love to the woman he'd fallen for. It was also ironic that he, who almost never had spontaneous erections because everything felt troublesome, was now constantly having to control himself because it seemed like his dick had developed a mind of its own overnight. The funniest part was that his romantic feelings seemed to be directly wired to it, which amused and surprised him in equal measure, and occasionally, it was poorly timed.
He imagined using his chakra to make love to Harika. Oh, the things he wanted to try. How he wanted to make her scream, beg, say his name, crave him… He had to hold himself back, feeling once again that inconvenient erection, breathing deeply to regain control. Harika must have noticed, because she winked at him, her red lips stretching into a wicked smile like a villainess. He didn't know why, but he couldn't resist answering her teasing. If Harika wanted to play, he'd play with her…
He caught her by surprise, using his ninja speed to have her in his arms in an instant, her back pressed against his chest covered by his dark navy high-neck sweater and their hips pressed together. He placed a hand on her stomach and his lips on her neck, watching her goosebumps rise at the feel of his mouth. He licked slowly along her skin up to her ear, using his free hand to gently grab her hair and tilt her head back. He heard the gasp of surprise and desire escape her lips, feeling her tremble in his arms. As soon as his mouth was by her ear, he whispered far less than what he truly wanted to say.
"If you keep teasing me like this… I might not be able to hold back."
"Maybe I don't want you to," she confessed softly, resting her head on his shoulder blade, leaving her neck exposed.
Upon hearing how much she desired him, he couldn't stop the erection he had been fighting from returning. He knew she must have noticed it, since his pelvis was pressed tightly against her hips, supporting her weight. He swallowed hard, torn between following logic or giving in to instinct, but as soon as Harika placed her hand on his hip, pulling him even closer, and tilted her head to seek out his lips… every thought vanished.
Their lips met like magnets in a deep, anything-but-innocent kiss. A wave of euphoria struck him as her hips rubbed against his erection, grinding slowly while he devoured her with his lips, their tongues tangling again and again. Almost without realizing it, his hand moved up her body, caressing her torso until he noticed he had her right breast in his palm. Harika arched into him with a moan, and Shikamaru couldn't stop himself from responding.
It was too much after so little. She was there, in his arms, giving and seeking pleasure in such a way that Shikamaru's mind went blank. All he could do was devour her and accept her surrender. He pulled her close again, flipping her over after only a split second of separating their lips—though that second felt like an eternity. Harika seemed to be waiting for him, placing her legs around his hips and pressing her hot centre against his erection just as their mouths reconnected in a wild, frenzied kiss.
She grabbed his hair, burying her hand in the dark strands without resistance, as if he had any desire to pull away. They rocked together, seeking climax, for minutes that felt far too short. He kissed her lips, her face, her neck…
He searched for her green eyes, half-lidded with pleasure as she moved her hips against his cock, and silently asked a question as he kissed her chest. He saw her nod, pushing her chest toward his mouth. Shikamaru violently tore open the buttons of her shirt, sending them flying in all directions. For a second, he admired her breasts wrapped in delicate lace that probably cost a fortune, and then he unclasped the bra with one hand while the other squeezed one of her cheeks. When he saw her delicate, pink nipples surrounded by flawless pale skin, his mouth watered.
He kissed, licked, and sucked them like a man possessed, barely hearing Harika's moans inches from his ears as he lightly bit down on one nipple. Suddenly, he felt cool air on his bare skin and her hands scratching down his back, then his arms, then his head.
"Sh-Shikamaru!" she cried, on the edge. "More, please!"
He gave her exactly what she wanted. He laid her down on the tatami, still covered by the double futon, and ground his hips into hers with force, drawing more moans until she finally screamed his name. Shikamaru watched her, holding onto the pleasure until he couldn't anymore and bit down on her neck, groaning, coming in his underwear. He panted for a few seconds, recovering from the most intense orgasm of his fucking life. He sought out her open, gasping mouth, her eyes clouded. He felt her fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him back down. They kissed for a long time, gently, tenderly, like they couldn't help but get lost in each other all over again.
Until he started feeling the uncomfortable wetness in his pants. He sat up, looking at her bare torso, her hair completely dishevelled, the mark of his lips on her chest, the bruise forming on her neck, and her swollen lips. He felt another jolt in his groin and knew he had to get up once and for all, or he never would. Harika looked at him too, lying on the floor with her breasts exposed, like she wanted to burn his image into her memory. The feeling of knowing she wanted him just as much as he wanted her was priceless.
"Shit, I tore your shirt," he said as he tried to button it back up after closing her bra.
"It's fine."
He raised an eyebrow when the buttons flew back from all directions and stitched themselves in place. Harika buttoned up the shirt herself under his watchful gaze. Then she raised a hand toward him and, suddenly, he was completely clean. He lifted his other eyebrow, impressed.
"Very useful."
"If you think that's useful..." she chuckled, eyes teasing.
"If we keep this up, we're never leaving this room."
"Sounds good to me."
"Harika..." he sighed, smiling a smile that fooled no one. "I'm this close to throwing you over my shoulder and taking you home with me, so unless you want me to do that, we'd better get out of here."
Harika laughed, getting up and complying. He pulled his sweater back on, leaving the ninja vest aside to avoid drawing attention, and they stepped out for a walk through the tiny village.
"Now that we have a way to communicate and know what we each need to do, we should use the time we have left to get you started with chakra training. I'll try to request another solo mission so I can come back, but I don't know when I'll be able to sneak away again."
She nodded. He didn't want to talk about their goodbye, but they had only a day and a half left, and there were things that needed to be said. The coin would let them write to each other, but not speak. From what he'd seen, Harika was trying to enchant a pair of mirrors, so far without much success, to make communication easier, but who knew when she'd have that ready. He had no idea what those symbols and formulas meant, but it clearly wasn't simple.
"What's the first step in chakra training?"
"Well, I should explain the theory a bit more first, so you know what we're working with."
Shikamaru and Harika sat on some logs outside the village where no one would bother them, and there he began explaining everything he knew about chakra, just as he had learned it at the academy. Harika took notes in a black leather journal with a clearly enchanted crystal pen as it didn't need to be dipped in ink even once. After a while, once he'd explained all the essentials and she had asked every question she could think of, they stood up to start practicing.
"Why don't you try sensing your chakra? I think it'll come easily to you since you already use energy every day."
"Could you try touching me with your chakra?"
"Sure."
Shikamaru took her hand, happy for any excuse to touch her, and pushed a bit of his chakra toward her. Harika noticed immediately, gasping in surprise. He watched silently as she closed her eyes and focused, trying to sense her own chakra, awakened by their connection. Shikamaru felt a couple of tugs coming from her, realizing with joy that she was succeeding. He didn't want to say anything and distract her, but he couldn't help squeezing her hand.
"I think I've got it," Harika murmured. "It's strange, but now that I know it's there, it's like it's impossible not to feel it. Does that make sense?"
"More or less. Why don't you try sending it to your ears?"
Harika spent hours practicing. Shikamaru watched closely, letting her explore on her own while he occasionally gazed at the clouds, leaning against a log. Unlike before, they didn't speak, but interestingly, they didn't need to. Just feeling her chakra, her presence, was as comforting as a hug. He almost wanted to close his eyes and nap, but he knew their time together was limited and he could always sleep on the way back to the village.
Still, he couldn't stop his eyes from drooping slightly with comfort as he watched his girlfriend play with her chakra for the first time, laughing like a little girl on Christmas morning. Shikamaru couldn't help but smile at the thought.
His girlfriend.