NOBILITY | 𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒! 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐎

SHIKAMARU's ENDING

literallt as im editing this, its just now hitting me that nobility is genuinely done??? am I about to cry about a BOOK. MY OWN BOOK. my own angst scenes never even brought me to tears but I think I'm about to cry omg???

━━━━━━━ ⟡ ━━━━━━━
THREE YEARS AFTER THE WAR...
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[Name]'s PERSPECTIVE
Nara Residence

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The decision to not continue a future with Sasuke was never an easy one for [Name]. There had been so much love, so much connection, and, at one point, so much hope for the two of them. But over time, things had shifted in ways neither of them had expected. Looking back, it wasn't one single moment but a series of small, significant ones that made [Name] realize that the life she envisioned with Sasuke wasn't the one she needed.

After the war, Sasuke's inner turmoil hadn't miraculously disappeared. While the world was healing, Sasuke was still haunted by his past—his mistakes, just as [Name] was, but his journey for redemption and the unrelenting need to atone for the things he had done was a different path [Name] had imagined for herself. There was no denying his love for [Name], but the weight of the guilt he carried and the distance it put between them had grown more pronounced over time. 

He was so wrapped up in his own darkness, in his desire to rebuild the world the way he thought it should be, that he couldn't always be the partner she needed. It wasn't intentional, but his actions—his need to push forward with his mission, to focus on his own vision of a peaceful world—left little room for the warmth of their relationship to thrive. 

[Sasuke's] absence was another part of it. After everything.., Sasuke was often away, still seeking the answers he felt he needed for himself. [Name] understood it—she had always known that Sasuke had his demons and had his way of dealing with them—but after a while, the loneliness became too much. She needed someone who was there in the quiet moments, who could be present when life got hard, who could share in both the joy and the sorrow of what they had gone through.

And then there was the matter of her own healing. [Name] had fought alongside Sasuke, had experienced the horrors of war, but she also had her own personal growth to attend to. The connection with Sasuke was strong, but she realized that to truly move forward, she needed to step out of his shadow. She needed to find her own path—one that wasn't constantly defined by the pain of the past or the uncertainty of their future together. She realized that she wanted to build a family, create a home, a life rooted in love and stability, and that meant making difficult decisions for her happiness, even if it meant letting go of something she had longed for.

The quiet, steady presence of Shikamaru in her life had been a turning point. After Sasuke distanced himself more and more, Shikamaru had stepped in, offering his friendship, his calmness, his unwavering reliability. It was something she had remembered even before all that happened. He.. was always there; even when she didn't ask, he was just there.

 He didn't carry a darkness, there was always a light within him. His presence was patient and kind, and over time, [Name] found herself drawn to his simplicity and the sense of peace he brought to her life. 

...

Shikamaru stood there, his hands resting lightly on his hips as he looked down at [Name], his eyes soft with a kind of quiet affection. The evening air was cool, but the warmth from their shared moments together filled the space between them, wrapping around them like a blanket. His thoughts about a simple life, a life where he could retire, play shōgi, and raise a family, seemed so far from reality at times. But then, he would look at [Name] and feel a quiet peace settle in his chest.