He knew she should not be there. He knew that Shin'i was no place for an infidel. Yet he did not tell her to leave, because the sight of her pulled on the very seams of his heart. Her face, which usually bore a scowl that seemed to challenge the heavens, was softer now. She seemed a bit too placid, too small against the overwhelming landscape, a thousand-foot drop only four paces or so behind her, that made Shin'i a popular place for pilgrims and tourists. Even her giant fan looked like a cardboard prop. The Council of Hojin had chosen to build Shin'i by an enormous canyon blanketed by poplar trees in order to remind its congregation that they shall always be small and insignificant in comparison to Hojin's magnificence. And it seemed to work even on her.
"Your home is lovely," she finally said.
"Thanks." He continued after a few moments, "I didn't think I'd see you here."
"I didn't think you'd become a priest."
To be fair, neither did he. He had only joined the Order to appease his dying mother and because his country needed him. They needed someone with his brains to make reforms in the Order of Hojin so that people will still believe in the Will of Fire. Even if they no longer had the largest army, at least they still had the Will of Fire. They had offered him a position as a high priest and he grudgingly consented, after constant prodding by certain women (specifically his mother and Ino), but did not tell them that he had only lukewarm faith in Hojin.
"I might not have, you know." He scanned her eyes to see if there was any hint of sorrow. "If you had only asked." He found none.
"And you know what I would do for you, Shikamaru?" She took several steps back. Her heels were at the very edge of the gorge.
"What do you think you're doing?" He took three steps toward her.
"For you," she smiled, "I would defy God."
With that, she let herself fall. In the split-seconds following her descent, perhaps he could have saved her, only to be torn apart from her again. Instead, he chose to fall after her. No Plan B this time. As he plunged into the gorge, he recalled the teachings. They said suicide was one of the greatest crimes a follower of Hojin could commit. Perhaps he was following her to hell. Troublesome woman, he smiled. She will be the death of him after all.
Suddenly he fell into something softer than rocks. A pair of arms.
"Tell me, Shikamaru, is it a sin to fly?" She was holding him and they were flying through the canyons on Hojin on that damned fan.
"Probably," he said as he lowered himself. "Don't do that again," he punched her arm and kissed her. He did not hold her tightly this time, because he knew she would catch him again if he fell.