Love and the Time Travel Paradox

07:09PM

She was about to follow the diplomat outside the office, but the voice of her shishou stopped her in her tracks.

With a blank expression, her master revealed to the doctor that she'd assigned her ex-husband to arrest the diplomat.

But, as it turned out, he had refused because he would not break his motto to protect his comrades and loved ones over following the rules. So his punishment... was an earth-shattering punch to his torso. And he endured it for her.

And then the medic realized in that moment that despite everything that had happened between them, he still believed in her.

That aloof, yet protective man.

He didn't even tell her what had happened when she treated him.

She was unable to keep herself from sniffling, but she remained strong and refused to break down crying.

07:10PM

As she turned and walked away, her shishou spoke one last time.

It was advice to keep her head on straight and to make rational decisions.

07:16PM

When she left the building at last, he was waiting for her.

The boy whose life she'd unknowingly touched. The man who entered her life just when it was coming to a close.

Once she was close enough to him, he spoke to her.

"I... am being deported to Suna, regardless of what happens."

"Ah..."

"It can't be helped, because of many reasons. I will have to leave by midnight, or else I'll be forcibly removed from the village."

"So, I guess this means I won't be able to see you for a while, huh?"

She laughed as lightly as she could, but the recent revelations about the redhead and her ex-husband had shaken her. She was in turmoil once again.

But then he reached out and grabbed her hand and said,

"This morning, I came to your apartment. This time, I want to invite you to mine."

Oh, how she wanted to do just that.

But-

Keep your head on straight.

"Oh, but I need to get back to my apartment. I have a patient to look after."

"Right. Forgive me. It had slipped my mind."

He did not release her hand, however.

07:25PM

"Please come with me to Suna."

"Huh?"

His request had been so sudden, she didn't know how to react.

His jade eyes were pleading with her.

"You're... more or less all packed and ready to leave, right? All of your paperwork is done?"

"Yes, that's true."

His grip on her hand tightened slightly.

"Then won't you come with me?"

Jade met emerald.

A soft smile touched her lips.

Without a doubt, she would never get tired of looking at his eyes. And she would never stop loving the way he was so sweet to her.

Standing before her now was the way to happiness.

It was so close...

He'd given her this chance to start forging a path outside Konoha. A new life.

She would be cherished.

Her eyes were becoming misty with fresh tears.

07:27PM

"...I can't. I can't go with you to Suna. And, I can't accept your offer to become a couple."

"Why? I thought- I thought that we would be doing this together. A new beginning, for the both of us. The first day of the rest of our lives!"

Her free hand slowly rose and covered his much bigger one, which still gripped hers.

"I still have a lot of things I need to take care of here in Konoha. And you can't afford any distractions when you're in Suna."

His eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Are you forcing yourself to do this because of the gossiping citizens? You're really going to reject me because of what they say?"

"No, that's not it at all. I'm rejecting you because the both of us can't afford to focus on dating right now."

"I don't... I don't understand."

"Because I've been shunned by my own fellow villagers, I had unconsciously begun to believe that those who were better off than me should suffer. I foolishly began to contemplate my own death. I just kept making excuses and avoiding my problems. You, too. You told me this morning that you didn't care for your village, but you still consider that place your home, right? Hokage-sama also expressed that your sister was worried about you, and wanted to see you."

"Ludicrous."

"Who knows, right? Not only that, you've been accused of the murder of five civilians. Maybe they didn't find conclusive proof, but nevertheless you need to show up at your own hearing in Suna at least."

She stepped closer and freed her hands from his grasp so she could wrap her arms around him.

"Please."

He sighed.

"Why do you insist on protecting things that could crumble away so easily? I told you, I have no family. I denounced those two as my siblings long ago. Attempting to become close to them now is pointless."

"The things worth protecting are always the most difficult to keep. They are your only siblings in the whole world. Suna is the only one of its kind in the Land of Wind. Just... just give them a chance, please."

07:30PM

"If I am to speak to my siblings, then I need you by my side."

She shook her head.

"I told you, both of us still have a lot of things to take care of on our own. I feel like I was always crawling along the ground. We're both really on edge, and we can't go on living like this. We need to look, really look, at our priorities."

He closed his eyes.

She gently cupped his face with her hands.

"Go back home and get yourself together. I'll stay here to get my own life in order, too."

The diplomat took a deep, shuddering breath. She could feel that his resolve was wavering.

"...I don't want to be apart from you again. It hurts too much."

The words were spoken in such a hollow voice that the medic couldn't stop a single tear from escaping.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. I'm sorry that your life will continue to be one of hardship. But you'll be fine. Even without me, I know you'll be fine... so work hard, okay?"

She suddenly remembered that she had her wallet with her. She'd stuffed it in her pocket after the surgery on her ex-husband's ribs. She pulled it out and propped it open. Inside was the scrap of paper where she'd written down those strange words he'd said to her, many days ago...

07:33PM

"'If it rained, until the end of the world, would you stay?'"

Jade eyes blinked down at her in recognition.

She smiled up at him triumphantly.

"That's what you told me that first day we met at the abandoned playground, right? I knew I recognized this line from somewhere. It's from Mysteries of the Universe, right? The poem that is printed on the introductory page to the topic of water cycles. You see, I only have up to volume six but luckily it was there. The next line in the poem is, 'heedless of the weather, I will stay with you'."

Her smile became tender.

"...So, once you and I have taken care of all our problems... and you still want me... let's meet again. And when that day comes, heedless of the weather, I will stay with you."

.

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Love and the Time Travel Paradox

The End

Chapter guide coming up next...