Shikamaru and Ren are on their way home when they run into Kurenai-sensei. She has a bag of groceries slung over her shoulder and grins at them, giving them a fond look. Shikamaru has grown accustomed to that look – Kurenai-sensei reserves it for when she catches him with Ren, and then likes to remark on how it reminds her of her early days with Asuma.
Kurenai-sensei says, "Just finished up a date?"
Ren laughs, and Shikamaru scowls, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's been a while, Kurenai-sensei," Ren says. Her eyes glance over Kurenai-sensei's shoulder. "Are you alone today?"
"Oh, Mirai-chan is right behind me," she says, propping a hand on their hip. "She likes hiding and tracking me. It's a game that she plays when we run errands."
"You haven't met Mirai-chan, have you, Ren?" Shikamaru asks. "She was only a baby when you left."
Kurenai-sensei and Rei exchange a look that makes Shikamaru suspicious. "What?" he says.
"Actually," Ren says, but before she can say anymore, someone shouts, "GOTCHA!"
A small body latches onto Kurenai-sensei's legs, making her knees buckle. Kurenai-sensei laughs, placing her hand on a head of curly black hair that matches her own. "Very sneaky, Mirai-chan! You captured me."
The little girl giggles, clinging tightly to her mother's legs. "Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!" she repeats and then spins around her mother before she notices the pair in front of her. She stops in her tracks, her eyes going wide as she looks between the Ren and Shikamaru. She throws her arms open and, Shikamaru, expecting her to launch herself at him, prepares to receive her.
Instead, Mirai-chan jumps into Ren's arms, shouting, "Ren-sensei, Ren-sensei, Ren-sensei!"
"Hello, Mirai-chan," Ren sings. She holds Mirai-chan on her hip and presses their foreheads together. "It's good to see you again. How have you been? Healthy?"
"Yes!" she cheers and puffs out her cheeks. "I've been training with Shika-niichan every week! He lets me beat him up."
"Lets you?" Ren repeats, poking Mirai-chan's cheeks until they deflate. "I don't think Shika lets you win, Mirai-chan, I think you beat Shika up every time!"
"What's happening here," Shikamaru says, watching the girls interact. Mirai-chan was only a baby when Ren left to do her research. But, somehow, as a full-grown toddler, Mirai-chan is talking to Ren as though they've been friends for her whole, short life?
Ren gives a nervous laugh. She says, "Erm, it's a little awkward to explain now, isn't it, Kurenai-sensei?"
"Sorry we didn't tell you sooner, Shikamaru-kun," Kurenai-sensei says. "When Mirai-chan was getting her first checkups, I ran into Ren in the hospital and she offered to do them for me. She was doing me a favor – there was a long wait that day, and I was expected somewhere else later."
"It was only supposed to be for one checkup," Ren says, "but then my trips back to the village lined up with Mirai-chan's checkups, so I did most of them for the first two or three – or four years."
"Ren-sensei is my doctor," Mirai-chan says as though it needs clarifying. "She's a great medical kunoichi."
Shikamaru looks between the three of them, the way Mirai-chan has her fist around Ren's shirt, the way Ren leans her head affectionately against Mirai-chan's, how Kurenai-sensei sweeps her daughter's hair behind her ear. In a way, this is always how he imagined it, all the women in his life together and getting along. That it happened somewhere along the way without his knowledge makes him feel left out, though.
And in a totally different and related way, it makes him very, very uncomfortable, like something was plotted behind his back and he's only realizing it now when it's too late.
It clicks, suddenly, and Shikamaru says, "Is that why Mirai-chan started calling me Shika-niichan?"
"No," Ren says with a roll of her eyes. "I mean, I did mention you by Shika every once in a while, but obviously Mirai-chan is way more creative than most kids. She came up with it all on her own."
Ren squeezes Mirai-chan, who giggles and wraps her arms around Ren's head in return. Shikamaru's frown deepens at the mutual affection between the two, created in some time and place he wasn't aware of.
Noticing his expression, Ren smiles. "I think Shika-niichan is jealous, Mirai-chan," Ren says conspiratorially. "He wants you all for himself!"
Eyes wide with concern, Mirai-chan scrambles out of Ren's arms and grabs Shikamaru's hand. "No! Mirai-chan can be friends with Ren-sensei and Shika-niichan," she says with a huff. "Shika-niichan is still the best! We're getting married!"
Shikamaru blushes, massaging his forehead. Ren raises her eyebrows in amusement, doing her best to suppress a grin that's fighting its way on her face. "Is that so?"
"That's what Momma said people do when they love each other," Mirai-chan says, and Kurenai-sensei hides her smile behind her hand. "And I love Shika-niichan!"
"Shikamaru," Ren says gravely, "you know you could go to jail for this."
"It's not like that," Shikamaru groans. Mirai-chan stands adamantly at his side, gripping his free hand.
"It's a little different with Shikamaru-kun, Mirai-chan," Kurenai-sensei says, stepping in at last to redirect the conversation. She takes Mirai-chan and steers her back to her side. "He can't marry you—"
"Why?" Mirai-chan demands, pouting. She glances up at Ren and Shikamaru from her mother's skirts. "Is it because Ren-sensei and Shika-niichan are getting married?"
Shikamaru chokes, and Ren throws her head back and laughs. "Kurenai-sensei, we're going to leave this to you," Ren says, hooking her arm through Shikamaru's and guiding him down the street. "It was good to see you both! Let's catch up again sometime!"
"So you're telling me," Shikamaru says as they walk home, "you've seen Mirai-chan more than you've seen me since you left?"
Rei winces, bumping her shoulder with his. "Are you mad about it?"
Maybe, if he had known back then, he would have been mad about it. But Shikamaru has never been one to hold onto a grudge for long – for one, they were too much work, and he already had other more troublesome matters in his life to deal with. It was better to let bygones be bygones.
Besides, Ren is here now, for good. There's no point in being mad about it.
"No," he answers. "I'm just glad that you and Mirai-chan get along."
"Imagine if you had to choose between us," Ren says, gripping his forearm. "Oh, that would make an excellent storyline for TV! I'm pitching this to the village network – a shinobi drama where a man has to choose between his duty to his dead sensei and his duty to his heart."
"Those two are the same thing," Shikamaru says.
"That's very noble of you, Shika, but in the drama the shinobi would have to choose," Ren says. "You don't watch enough TV to know this, and I forgive you. Anyway, I know how important Mirai-chan is to you. I wasn't going to mess that up."
"I didn't think you would," Shikamaru says. "Mirai-chan seems to like you a lot."
"I mean, who could resist Kagiru Ren? Even you gave in eventually, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru laughs and offers to bring Ren with him next time he goes to babysit Mirai-chan – "Wait, you babysit her?" Ren asks, mouth agape. "Shikamaru – obviously I need to see this." Ren talks about the snacks she'll bring with her to turn Mirai-chan against him and says that he can't wait to see what Shikamaru is like with a toddler, how he's always been an old man but this had to be good. She holds onto his arm the whole time she talks.
Shikamaru takes Ren home.