Disclaimer: Katie, my dearest and favorite friend, also known as EmpyrealFantasy on here, says I need a disclaimer. So here's one. As much as I'd like to admit that I own Naruto, or at least Shikamaru, I don't. Sorry to disappoint you. If I did, a lot more fan girls would be happy, and we'd see more Shikamaru and more Gaara. FOR GOODNESS' SAKE, KISHI, WHERE IS HE!? (For those of you who read the manga regularly, you know what I'm talking about)

Warnings: Later on there are hints to male/male pairings, but not for awhile yet. There won't be any male/male scenes or anything, if that's a problem for you. I seldom write any sort of love scene anyway. That's about it. Oh. And pairings are a handful to explain, so I won't bother. If you don't like it, that's your problem. This is fan fiction.

Main pairings to look out for? Gaara/Tenten, Shikamaru/Temari and hints of Sasuke/Naruto. Hints. And obvious statements. But no content. Because…well, I don't know why. If I change my mind, I'll warn you, okay?? Thanks guys.

--

This Is My Destiny

Chapter One

Sabaku no Gaara, CEO of Kazekage Industries (and only by inheritance, definitely not by choice), the United States' largest oil drilling company, groaned at his desk for the fifth time that morning. More paperwork. It was endless, really, he thought to himself, glancing at his empty cup of coffee. It was all that it took to keep him awake enough to keep reading this drivel in front of him. His hand ached from writing his signature, and his eyes burned from reading the same things over and over again, despite his use of reading glasses to take the strain away.

He would say he hated his job. No, definitely not. He was well-off, to say the least. No, let's rephrase it: He was filthy stinking rich. But he wasn't happy. Content, yes. He had a nice condo, a car, and was financially stable enough to live well for the next few decades, provided his company didn't get flushed down the toilet.

He knew he had every reason in the world to be happy. He was healthy, he kept in touch with a number of his friends, despite his busy business life, and he had little to no enemies. The red-headed man knew he could count his blessings on more than two hands, but he still felt empty. His well-paying job left much to be desired. He went home to an empty condo at the end of the night, dark and not-lived in. There was no art on the walls, his room, while gorgeous with an amazing view of the city, didn't look used, save for his messy bedspread which he left messed up intentionally, as well as his scarce fridge. His pots and pans were seldom used; there were never leftovers in the plastic Tupperware containers he kept in cupboard below the cutlery. He had place settings for several people, but the most company he'd had in ages was one or two friends over for an evening of movie-watching on his big-screen TV.

Gaara set the pen he was holding down, removed his glasses and put his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes with the balls of his palms. He didn't know he was letting out another loud sigh until his secretary cleared her throat in the doorway.

"Mr. Sabaku…Are you alright?" His secretary was a petite woman in her early thirties, who wore a shy smile and a pencil skirt. He admired her for her work ethic: she did whatever he told her, and then some. She was always on time, if not early, dressed professionally, and overachieved, especially when someone called in sick. Gaara was ashamed that he didn't know more about her.

He tried to conceal his grimace. "I'm fine…I'm just getting a bit stressed out."

"Over paperwork again, Sir?" she asked, stepping into his office with a clipboard held against her chest, a pen cocked in the other hand. She stopped in front of his desk and took his pen away. Setting the clipboard down, she picked up his empty coffee cup. "I'll get you some more…after you take a break."

"What?" he asked. Her eyes sparkled. "You need a break, Sir. Go for a walk around the block. Clear your head or something. Call a friend. Do something else besides this paperwork. You'll be no good to any of us if you go crazy from working too hard."

"Take some of your advice for once, would you?" he asked with a shrug as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "I guess…I could go for a walk."

"Get something to eat, too, while you're out. You're looking a little on the thin side, Sir." She blinked. "That is, if you don't mind my saying so."

He shook his head with a chuckle. "You noticed," he noted with a smirk. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Take messages for your calls, Sir?" she asked. He nodded, waving his hand over his shoulder as he left her standing at his desk.

--

Shikamaru and Tenten glanced at each other before shaking their heads in frustration. This wasn't going well. This was proving to be the most difficult class of students yet. Well, that's what happened when they signed up students their age to learn from them.

It was almost noon, finally. Shikamaru could hardly wait for lunch. He never did anything save for taking a sandwich out to the roof and laying on his back to watch the clouds. He had no idea why he'd allowed Tenten to sign him up for this. Despite the fact that he'd been dancing all his life, he didn't want to become an instructor. Buuuuutt, the girl had insisted, and used puppy eyes in doing so, saying she couldn't teach a class on her own. With a groan of how troublesome it would be, Shikamaru had reluctantly agreed to help her out.

Tenten, however, taught the class with vim and vigor and an intense love of the subject. She'd been born to be a leader, Shikamaru figured, whenever he watched her instruct the class on specifics. He was just there as moral support and as a partner to her, because she very well couldn't teach students how to dance using moves they'd never learned before. Not to mention it made him look good. But what did he care? It was all useless anyway. Three days a week, Shikamaru was a professor at the local university. He had to dress up, look professional. He had to carry a briefcase and wear glasses to see. Teaching dance with Tenten was almost like a day off to him.

"Okay, class. That's it for today, great lesson!" Tenten called, glancing at the clock which proudly read that it was finally, finally noon.

Shikamaru could have groaned for excitement. He was out of that class before the students were.

Tenten locked the room up and left a sign on the door that read "Back in half an hour." Taking her lunch bag with her, she headed down the street towards a bench in the nearby park where she always ate her lunch alone, much to her dismay. She would have preferred to have company, but Shikamaru always insisted that he lay on the roof during lunch.

There was the odd time that her best friend Neji could get away from work, or if he had a day off, they'd meet up and have lunch together, but rare indeed were those times, so Tenten went to her bench alone.

When she approached her bench, she was surprised to see someone sitting on it, when it was usually unoccupied. Coming closer, she recognized who it was and smiled with delight.

"Gaara!" she exclaimed, walking up to the bench and sitting down next to him. He turned to her with surprise in his eyes. "Tenten, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here every day," she replied with a laugh. "So I'll ask you that same question. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

He shrugged, drawing in a deep breath and letting out another sigh. "Yeah…but it was starting to get to me so my secretary kicked me out."

"Well, it's good to see you, you know. You've been ignoring our phone calls for quite some time. Is everything alright??" she asked with genuine sincerity. She offered him a cookie from her lunch and he took it with a tiny smile and a nod of gratitude. He shrugged again.

"Yeah, I'm fine… I talked to Neji a few days ago. He said you're having problems with your landlord."

Tenten's eyes darkened with frustration and she glanced down at her lap. "Yeah…it's a bit of an iffy situation. Neji told me I could come stay with him for awhile, but that would be weird, I think."

"Why?" Gaara asked simply, knowing fully-well why.

"Because. He can get weird around me. You know that," she said, taking a bit of her sandwich.

"Well, my place is open if you need somewhere to stay," Gaara added nonchalantly.

Tenten looked at him with wide eyes. "You live in a huge condo, Gaara, you don't need me there to mess it up!"

"It's so clean it doesn't even look like I live there."

"Well, I could never afford rent if I stayed there, you know."

"Then cover groceries for the both of us and you can stay for free." He wasn't even looking at her as he stated this, but stared instead over the vast expanse of grassy area before them where people walked their dogs and threw Frisbees back and forth to each other. Tenten couldn't see his eyes, so she couldn't tell if he was serious. Here was this serious and important businessman, dressed in a suit and tie, telling her to live in his big and fancy condo?

"You're a man of high placing, Gaara. Surely the media watches you…? It would look bad."

"And I care about the media?" he asked quietly with a hint of amusement in his voice. She knew this to be true. Gaara wasn't one to care about anyone else but himself. She knew he had the capacity to care about others, and ever since Naruto had broken him out of his shell in high school, she knew he'd been warming up slowly to the idea of having other people close to him.

"True," she stated. "I'll…think about it."

"Good," he said. "I don't want to admit to this, but…my place is really empty and quiet at night. I don't like it being so lonely. If you came, you'd have to bring your special touch to it. Make it look lived in or something."

"As in…bake cookies and make food; have leftovers in your fridge for lunches in the morning, and leave the cap off my toothpaste in the bathroom?"

He smiled, one corner of his mouth turning upwards in amusement. "Exactly."

"Too bad I'm not messy, then," she teased. After a moment of thought, she added, "What would Neji say?"

Gaara said nothing of his real thoughts on that matter. "You're a grown woman. You can make your own decisions. Let the jealous moron say what he will."

She sighed. "Yeah…"
"So is it really bad at your place? What's happening?" He turned to her with concern slightly etched in furrowed brows.

"I can't make rent this month," she whispered. "It's my third warning. My landlord says if I can't make it by the end of this week, I'm out." The sorrow in her voice saddened Gaara's heart.

"You like it there, don't you?'

"Well, yeah, but it's no slice of cake, to be sure." She shrugged. "There are beatings outside every few days and all kinds of robberies and cars get stolen, the usual."

"So…crime central."

"Basically," she said. Gaara reached and took another cookie from Tenten's lunch bag.

"Fine. Tell your landlord you're moving out. All I have to do is register your name with my landlord. As long as rent's paid at the end of the month, he really doesn't care what happens."

"You're lucky," Tenten said softly. He nudged her shoulder. "Hey, none of that. You'll come, then?"

"You're not leaving me much of a choice, are you?" she asked with a smile. He returned her smile. "Friends help each other out, don't they?" he asked.

"How do I help you?'

"Make me food? My secretary says I'm looking thin," he said with a chuckle. Tenten reached over and poked his stomach.

"Well, you are. You're wasting away from stress and lack of food. I'll come cook for you. We'll fatten you up in no time."

"Oh, great," he said with mock-sarcasm. They laughed together and stood. "I'll walk you back to your studio," he said, heading with her in the direction of her dance studio.

"Um…" she started timidly and Gaara stopped and faced her. "What?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Neji about this until I'm all…moved in and stuff. He'll get mad."

"He shouldn't," Gaara said. "There's nothing to be mad about. Besides, who made him captain of your life?"

"He did, I guess," she said. "He's just protective of me."

"Too much so," Gaara replied. "On a lighter note…have you heard from Lee?"

"Yeah, they're having a baby!" Tenten exclaimed with a smile. Sakura and Lee had gotten married in the last two years after dating in the last years of high school and marrying soon after. The newlyweds had soon moved to another part of the States to pursue Lee's career in martial arts. Sakura was training to be a dental hygienist.

"They wasted no time," Gaara said.

Tenten nodded in agreement. "Well, we don't know the whole story. It might not have been planned; at least they're married, right?"

Gaara had to agree. It could have been worse. They could have started right after high school and had an entire troupe of Lee-children running around. And everyone knew that would be a bad thing.

Stopping at the door to the dance studio, Gaara offered a small smile. "So…"

"I'll call you later this week for details," she said. He nodded. "Good."

"Thanks again…so much." Tenten's eyes swam with emotion. Her gratitude knew no bounds. She leaned forward and put her arms around her friend in a sweet, thankful embrace. "You have no idea how much this is going to help me. I'll make sure it's worth your while, too, just so it's fair, you know?"

He stiffened momentarily, not used to the contact, but returned her hug before she let go. Shikamaru appeared in the doorway and nodded at Gaara in greeting. "Hey, what's up?"

"Good to see you," Gaara replied.

"Ten, you're late. I've had to sign kids in by myself here. It's getting pretty troublesome."

"Shikamaru, if you'd learn how to actually enjoy this class, you might find it not so troublesome," Tenten teased him, earning an eye roll from the brunet.

Gaara smirked. "I'll see you later, Ten," he said softly, turning as she waved with a smile.

"What was that all about?" Shikamaru asked once the door had closed behind them.

"What?" Tenten asked, her brown eyes shining with innocence.

"The hug. The wave, the special smiles, the 'I'll see you later'. And since when does he call you Ten?"

Tenten shrugged. "Nothing, we just ran into each other in the park. It was good to see him."

Shikamaru let out a loud scoffing noise and opened the door to their dance class for her. "Whatever you say, princess. I see right through you."

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Tenten greeted as she entered the room and returned her lunch bag to the cubbyhole in the corner where the rest of her things were. "Start warming up with stretches, and we'll start in just a few minutes."

Shikamaru cornered her and frowned. "Talk to me."

Tenten knew she couldn't escape this conversation, least of all Shikamaru. Neji she could dodge for a week until he found out, but Shikamaru was too quick. Especially when he had his 'Professor Glare' going.

"Gaara asked me to move in with him," she said softly, even though she was out of earshot of her students.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"What for?'

"He needs a roommate-"
"He does not. You know as well as I do that he could own two houses and still have enough money for years to come."

"And I need a place to stay," Tenten finished, ignoring her partner's statement. "Drop it, would you?" she added. "We have to work out details, but he made me a good offer."

"Ten…are you sure about this? Neji's going to flip."

"Neji's not my boyfriend, Shikamaru."

The students were beginning to look at them.

"No, maybe not. But he certainly guards you like he is."

"He needs to get a reality check. Besides, I'm going to live there with Gaara, not sleep with him. There's a difference between being roommates and something else."

"Let me know when it happens," Shikamaru muttered. "Because you know it will."

"You're not suggesting…"

"That he invited you for the sole purpose of getting into your pants?"

"Is that what you think?"

"Maybe not intentionally, but the thought has probably crossed his mind."

"Shikamaru, you're starting to sound less like yourself and more like Neji."

"Well, I'm also trying to look out for you. If you're okay with the probability that you two will end up together, be it in relationship or just bed-buddies, then whatever. Fine by me. But if you're not…back out now while you can. And tell Neji. Because I don't want to be around him when he finds out."

Tenten's eyes were distant. Gaara wasn't like that…was he? She set her expression and forced a smile. She'd just have to find out.

"What if he's gay and just wants company?" she asked. Shikamaru snorted despite himself. "Now there's a rumor I don't want started…"

"What?"

"If he was, he would have asked me or Neji instead of you, despite the fact that I'm dating his sister."

"Not necessarily."

"Yes, necessarily. Now let's go and teach those students. They're paying us to learn this crap."

"This crap has been part of your life for years."

"Shut up," he teased. Turning to the students, Shikamaru offered a slight grin. "Sorry guys. Teacher's quarrel."

"We'll continue this later," he said under his breath as Tenten walked past him to the front of the room to begin the lesson.

--

"You're not seriously sitting there watching TV in your work clothes, are you?" Tenten asked from the doorway, her hands on her hips as she observed Gaara staring blankly at the television screen in his shirt, pants and loosened tie.

It had been days since she'd moved into Gaara's place and was just starting to get comfortable with the idea of living in such a large place. The condo was simple, furnished sparingly, with stairs that led upstairs to the master bedroom and bathroom, which technically weren't rooms at all. The upstairs hung over the downstairs, but there weren't really any walls to separate the two, just a half-wall for safety. From downstairs, Tenten could see Gaara's bed and the door to the bathroom and closet. Most of the natural light in the house that shone throughout the place came from the wall of windows beside his bed.

He frowned at her and paused before answering. "…And?"

"No wonder you're so stressed out!" she cried. She entered the room and stood in front of the TV, blocking what she was sure was a show he wasn't even watching. "Let me guess. You just wear your work clothes all day then strip down and go to bed?"

"So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm a bachelor, shouldn't I?"

"No, a bachelor walks around in his boxer shorts."
"Not when there is a lady in the house," Gaara replied pointedly. Tenten grinned and shook her head, her braids swinging behind her.

"Go put on some sweatpants or something." She hesitated. "You…do have sweatpants, don't you?"

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Yes, I have sweatpants. What are you planning, Tenten?"

"Just do it! I'm going to make you something."

"What?" he asked, taking her outstretched hand to help him stand up.

She grinned. "You've been on your own so long, it's probably been ages since you've cooked a decent meal for yourself, right?"

He shrugged despite himself, knowing she was right. She nodded. "So go get comfy and stay out of the kitchen."

"I don't have a say in this?" he asked.

"No. Get upstairs, and do it now."

Minutes later, Gaara came down the stairs in a plain white t-shirt and gray sweatpants. "Better?" he called. Tenten poked her head out of the entrance to the kitchen, making sure he wasn't trying to peek and nodded. "Great. Now…you're not allergic to anything, are you?"

He thought it funny that she asked him this after she'd started making whatever was starting to smell good in his kitchen.

"Zucchini," he replied. She chuckled. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Just zucchini?" He nodded and she smiled, "Go pick out a movie or something. We'll watch a movie and eat comfort food."

"Why do we need comfort food?"

"After a long hard day, anyone needs comfort food."

"I settle for ice cream, usually…" Gaara said, turning towards the TV room.

Tenten laughed. "Yeah, but that's you. You'll never go back once you've had what I'm making. Trust me!"

"How'd you get so good at cooking?" he called from where he stood in front of the movie shelf, perusing with one hand on his hip. She hesitated before replying and he sensed she was debating even telling him at all.

"Neji taught me," she said. Gaara nodded to himself. "I see," he said softly.

She reentered the room with oven mitts on that he didn't even know he had, and a steaming plate of nachos. Covered in cheese and tomatoes and peppers, they almost looked like something from a restaurant.

"Fancy," he said as she put them down on the table in front of the couch.

"Yeah," she said, putting the oven mitts under the plate. "Neji taught me…quite a bit about cooking and then I guess the rest I just picked up. He's a good teacher."

Gaara nodded, a nacho in his mouth. "Mmhmm," he managed to murmur through the cheesy chips in his mouth.

"Now, don't expect food to be ready for you every night; I refuse to be your slave!" she joked. Gaara took the remote from the arm of the couch beside him and started the movie he'd chosen.

"I thought we talked about that," he said with a grin.

Tenten just rolled her eyes and curled her legs under her and settled in to watch the movie.

--