A/N: Just a fluffy story I found in my google docs. I figured I ought to let it see the light of day. Enjoy!

Fate

Neji Hyuga had a firm belief in fate. It was what dictated that his uncle Hiashi would inherit their family's company as he was the firstborn twin. It was also decided that his weak, younger cousin would also take over after her father instead of someone more qualified, like himself. As he learned throughout the years, life was not fair. Fate only its plans.

…

Fate

Naruto Uzumaki thought fate was the stupidest thing known to man. He thought the idea of someone's life was ruled by some man-made concept was ridiculous. Naruto had always believed that the only thing that ruled a person's life was that person. Given the cards that he was dealt with, Naruto should have failed. But he did not. He overcame the odds and lived life how he wanted.

Neji sighed as he walked down the bustling sidewalk. A grimace marred his features as the stress and mental overstimulation caused an oncoming headache. The family company frequently left him in a mental hurricane. If it would not waste all of his years of hard work, he would drop everything and quit. That sole reason was what forced him to stay.

"Maybe a little relaxation will do me some good." Neji swiftly surveyed the less busy area he had stumbled up. A few blocks down, he spied an oddly inviting cafe. Almost without thinking, he made his way inside the cafe. 'I wonder what fate has in store for me today.'

…..

Naruto hummed gently as he wiped down some tables. The cafe, Hana to Ha, was mostly empty except for the two college-age adults working on opposite sides of the room. As a manager, he had given his co-workers a quick break and stayed by himself. A soft chime caused Naruto to cease humming and look up from a freshly cleaned table. A sharply dressed young businessman was looking around.

'We usually don't get any business types in here.' Naruto cleared his throat, gaining the man's attention. "Hey, welcome to Hana to Ha! How may I help you?"

The lavender eyed man cheeks flushed lightly. "I actually have no idea what you serve here. I merely entered on a whim."

"That's alright. We have an array of coffees, teas, pastries, and sandwiches. All made with fresh ingredients."

"Hmmm, then I will have a black tea and plain muffin."

Naruto walked behind the counter and rang up the businessman's order. "Then that will be five dollars. May I have a name for that?"

"I am the only one in line." The lavender eyed man arched his eyebrow as he handed Naruto the money.

"You never know who might come in soon." Countered Naruto with a teasing smile.

"My name is Neji, Neji Hyuga." Neji offered after a moment's pause.

"And my name's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." As they shook hands, the red strings of fate around their wrists burned and shifted colors. Naruto instantly jerked his hand back to intently look at the now indigo string of fate.

Neji gingerly touched his recently turned orange string of fate. "So this is what Fate had in store for me." He murmured.

Naruto jerked his head up. "You mean you actually believe in fate? Why?"

"Is this not proof enough?"

A light smile appeared on Naruto's face. "I suppose that is true, though I will not let it rule my life."

"How so?"

"How about we talk over what you ordered?" Neji could not help but give a small smile at Naruto's playfulness.

"I would enjoy that."

"Honestly, are you happy?" Naruto questioned as he observed Neji's stress toward the reports for his family's company. The brunette's normally long, smooth locks were frazzled and there were dark circles that lined the underside of his eyes.

"What?"

"Honestly. Are. You. Happy?"

Neji slowly blinked as he tilted his head. "Why do you ask that?"

"Because you look terrible!" The blonde had an incredulous look on his face. " You work your ass off day in and day out, and you barely get anything in return. Your uncle doesn't appreciate your work! You're constantly stressed and it's wearing you down!"

"Naruto," Neji began with a tired sigh. "This is all for my family company. I am only doing what is expected of me."

Naruto's eyes shone with sadness. "Neji, that's not answering my question. You deserve to be happy. This job isn't doing that."

"Like I said previously, my job in my family's company is where I belong. I have worked my whole for it. Not everyone can work some menial job like you and feel satisfied." As soon as the words left his mouth and he saw the look of hurt strike Naruto's face, Neji instantly felt regret for his words. "I….. I… I shouldn't have said that."

"But you did." Naruto snapped, hurt now had bled into anger.

"My apologies, you know I didn't mean it. I know it's no excuse but I have been under a lot of stress from work. Some paperwork was piled up and then forced onto me."

Despite how upset he was, Naruto's eyes softened with sympathy. "Then why do you allow yourself to go through all of this? This is going to end up fucking up your health."

"No it-"

"Ye sit is! Stress causes a lot of both physical and mental health problems. And for what? You know your cousin is going to inherit everything in a few years, no matter how underqualified she is compared to you. Your uncle is never going to acknowledge all your hard work." Naruto looked away with overwhelming guilt at Neji's wounded expression.

"Do you believe that, honestly?" The lavender eyed man asked after a few moments.

"Yeah," The blonde muttered guiltily. " I've met the guy, remember? He barely tolerates Hinata, let alone you."

Neji's shoulders sagged. "So what do you think I should do then?"

"That's not really for me to decide. But I think you need to take a break and sort yourself out. You need some rest before you make yourself sick or something."

Neji gave a tired smile. "Alright, alright."

Naruto anxiously watched Neji blitz through his manuscript. He had spent the day devouring it and jotting away little citations here and there. 'I really hope he likes it. I spent years developing this one.' Not only was Naruto a manager at Hana to Ha, but he was also a budding novelist. He currently had two titles to his name whilst his manuscript would be the finale to wrap up his trilogy. Much to Naruto's surprise, Neji was a rabid fan of his work.

"It's very different from the other two," Neji commented, carefully placing the unfinished book on their coffee table. "It seems…. more personal."

Naruto softly smiled. "Well, that's because it is. I felt a bit more comfortable adding a bit more of myself to this one than the others. It's honestly why it took longer to write out."

"I can see why it's very well written. Everything flows so well. Your fan will be very pleased with this one."

Blue eyes sparkled happily. "You think so?"

Neji gave a reassuring smile. "Of course. All of your stories are well written, and this one is the best yet." NAruto's face flushed red with a vivid blush. Neji's moved from his chair to next to Naruto on the couch. Naruto leaned his head against Neji's shoulder, his hand reached toward Neji's and interlocked their fingers. The couple stayed like this for a few moments before the Hyuga broke the silence with, "I resigned from my position at Hyuga Corp."

Naruto moved to stare at his lover in shock. He honestly didn't think Neji was all that willing to leave with how strong his sense of family duty was. "Are you sure that was the best move to make? I know we talked about and I thought you decided you just needed a break."

Neji lightly smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. I felt like I needed more than just a break."

A slight frown formed on Naruto's face. "What about work? You hate not being productive."

"I do not!"

"When you took those three weeks off a couple of months ago, you literally relaxed for four days. You spent most of your vacation helping Tsunade-baachan fix the shop's finances and whatnot."

Neji arched his eyebrow. "And do you not enjoy the increased pay you have now because of that?" Naruto simply puffed out his cheeks and looked away. "Anyway, what you said is somewhat true." He ignored the pointed look from Naruto. "After giving something you said some thought, I decided to buy the publishing company you're signed to."

"What?"

"Well, you said it's been having financial trouble since the previous owner and CEO passed away. So I asked my father for a loan and bought Konoha Publishing House." Neji was surprised when Naruto tackled him into the couch. He rubbed Naruto's back as he cried 'Thank you' many times into his chest.

After a while, Naruto propped himself up from atop of Neji after a few minutes. Sapphire eyes were shining with happiness and unshed tears. "You have no idea how much this means to me. I'm so glad you saved jiji's company!"

"Which is part of the reason I bought it."

"Part of the reason? What was the rest of the reason?"

"Well," A fond smile spread across Neji's face. "Without the Konoha Publishing House, I never would have met you. After all, you moved to the city after you signed for them. I owe them that. I'm so glad I got to meet you. I love you."

Naruto's face blossomed red as a blush overtook his face. "I love you too Neji. I'm so glad we had that 'fated' meeting." Neji couldn't help but snort at Naruto's choice of words.

Fate

Neji Hyuga had a firm belief in fate. Despite all the rockiness in his life, he knew it happened for a reason. The experiences in his life brought him to a happier life with his soulmate, and he couldn't be more content with his life.

...

Fate

Naruto Uzumaki still hated the concept of fate though now he's accepted that it does exist. Afterall it did allow him to find his soulmate. Although he wasn't just going to forfeit control over his life to it either. All the things he got from his life were the fruits of his labor. Though he was thankful he got the life he had and wouldn't have it any other way.