#shikaneji asks

Hiya Anon! 💜

Thanks so much for dropping by to leave me this message/ASK.  A joy to hear from you!  🥰 Super chuffed that you have enjoyed the BtB series so far and I really appreciate your kind words regarding the ShikaNeji dynamic.

[…] in the btb world were they in as much of a relationship as they could’ve been (in a ninja world) when Neji died?

Not too much of a spoiler so no worries!  They were in a clandestine relationship, which, while challenging at times, wasn’t too difficult to achieve or maintain given ninja life.

Being stealthy and sneaky proved to be pretty handy transferable skills – which they both used to preserve their relationship.  With Neji’s Jōnin status and Shikamaru’s ‘unofficial Jōnin rank’ (given his intellectual prowess as military strategist etc.) they could spend a lot of time sequestered away together under the pretext of ‘work’, which allowed for a lot of their stolen moments.  

Between their duties and separate lives there was the ‘stolen moments’ middle ground in which they preserved their private relationship, both being extremely protective of it. What this extremely private approach might’ve meant for their relationship further down the line?

Ah, well…that’s a whole different story and potentially a problematic issue neither one of them ever really talked about or wanted to explore. There were more pressing things happening around them and Shikamaru hated future-tripping or overthinking things with Neji, hence his whole ‘this isn’t a thinking thing’ and Neji being the one thing he didn’t ‘have to figure out’. They lived moment-to-moment with each other, as they never knew when the next time would be given missions etc.

I was also wondering what drew you to ShikaNeji - are they/were they your favourite Naruto ship or did you become intrigued by the idea of them and then start to write? What is it that drew you to them?

Oooh, where to start? I had always loved Shikamaru’s character – and was always fond of Neji. I found his tragic background fascinating. That said, he was probably fourth in line. At the start the characters I was most engaged with were Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Itachi. 

Regarding ShikaNeji: funnily enough, it all started with a dream I had of Shikamaru running through the forest chasing someone (hence the start of BtB). I had no idea who he was chasing. But the more I reflected on the dream and considered pairing options, Neji immediately sprang to the forefront and it all just began to snowball from there. I started what I thought would be a one-shot, literally just to play around with the dream…and that turned into the first instalment…which then seemed to take on a life of its own and grew into the monster that was the BtB series. I never thought that’s the way it would go when I started writing…but I’m so grateful it did, and I’m so SO thankful to the reviewers and readers who engaged with it, as they gave me the steam to keep up with the bloody runaway train the story became.

The chemistry you build between them is so unbelievably intense that I now can’t picture either of them with anyone else in the series even with canon shikatema 😂 thank you thank you for writing this - from a forever loyal reader!

Hey there @idreamofflight 😊 Thanks for dropping in with your ASK, luv! It is not a dumb question at all!

[…] in the BtB universe do most of the characters know/suspect the relationship between ShikaNeji, or have they been really successful in concealing it?

I can confirm that they had been very successful at concealing it, although by the time Heaven Hold Us starts (post War), these surviving characters know for certain:

Plus my ANBU OC, Tsuno

Are there any characters that have their suspicions other than the characters said to have known (Hiashi/Shikaku?)

These characters had/have their suspicions:

Ino & Chōji for sure, though they never pushed Shikamaru on this (well…maybe Ino…just a little bit 🤏 )

Kiba suspected/suspects on a deeply subconscious level — an animal instinct feeling but he never let(s) that instinct bubble up consciously, namely because he and Neji clash so much and it’s not something he would’ve been able to logically square in his head. He was/is still hung up on Shikamaru’s adventures in Suna with those lady twins 😉

😅 Now, all that said, bear in mind I am sometimes surprised by a certain revelation a character can come up with whilst writing. So there may be one or two more with lurking suspicions that haven’t come to mind just yet.

Sasuke, for example, could presently rate in both the knows about Shikamaru and Neji and/or the suspects category at this point. I’ll know for certain when writing his interaction with Shikamaru. 👍🏼

Does Shikamaru enable this behaviour? I mean, it's not like they were promised to each other, they weren't even dating! The flirting and testing is fine usually but S&N are exclusive at this point, have grown into a sustainable bond and are in it for the long haul even if their circumstances make planning for the future difficult (which I think is just patriarchy at play, how come straight couples manage it regardless of war/profession). Is there some growing that all three of them have to do? But that would be so so delicious. I mean, if you're enabling this type of stuff you are emotionally betraying your partner in small ways that seem negligible on their own but they compound. And this isn't an ego thing (also not goodish), this is a woman with whom S has a genuine bond and they are still mutually attracted to each other. Is he allowing this so she can give him social cover? Does he realize he is harming their bond/friendship by using her as a beard? And she feels emotionally betrayed because S never communicated properly, it was all fun and games until life got in the way and made choices for him. And now she is emotionally betraying herself by not letting go of something that actually never was. Oh it's a loopy loop of you-lot-need-to-figure-your-shit-out. Does the attraction eventually die and this messy state T&S are in grows into something healthier? And I can't imagine N's pride and sense of dignity would allow this. Well, actually not even that, it's self-respect. Why would anyone tolerate their partner keeping someone else warm on the bench, I'd wonder why would they have the need for that? Some subconscious pressure of just in case it all falls apart and S still has a chance of living out his cis-het design of marriage and children? His parents would certainly be relieved as I imagine they would be sad about him missing that part of adulthood (very harmful, you're not living a half-life if you have no children). It would be totally different if it were a joke, but S is still attracted to her so no, not a jokey joke. We all know that sadly, love is not enough for relationships to work out or for a life to work out. And certainly not the kind of love/life you cannot be secure in. They've got a lot to learn about non-toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia. Especially S. Ohohoho he needs to go through the wringer. But all of this would be so heart wrenching and delicious. Anyway, I don't mean to tax you like this, I'm sure you've got more important things in life to deal with and more worries and troubles than you're due. I'm just messing about, decompressing from the horrors of reality and all that. Your writing brings genuine joy and I really appreciate you sharing what you did thus far. I would love to read your original works and I hope I'll have the chance to someday! Best wishes!!

Hey there, Anon!

Hope this response finds you well, my dear!  Thanks for your patience as I get round to responding to questions.🙏  I gave your ASK(s) another read-through to see if my initial thoughts had changed and unfortunately my answer is going to be waaay less juicy than the questions you posed. Apologises in advance!

A lot of your questions are tough to answer because I would only really know when writing the actual scenes OR by skipping much further long the BtB-timeline. Which I can't presently do. That said, I’ll endeavour to give some kind of answer, given my BtB-verse. Sorry it’s not going to be particularly satisfying!

To begin, there are several factors at play...

...including, age (easy to forget how young these characters are given how fast they’ve had to mature), era, social/cultural norms, customs, personalities at play etc. but also a world that operates on an entirely different playing field than ours. A kunoichi is just as subject to a disruptive personal life as a male shinobi, so it’s less about patriarchy and more about the personal circumstances and values/desires/wants/needs of the characters in question, alongside their particular roles and/or duties within the village. There are lots of moving parts. Parts that are rarely stationary as events snowball towards the War. The stress keeps building.

Your question also relates to the trust between Shikamaru and Neji, which is presently solid. It’s important to note that they aren’t super future-oriented at the time at which their relationship is playing out. They continue to experience their connection very much in the moment given that the BtB timeline takes place during the escalating Akatsuki threat, leading up to the Fourth War, and the biggest of shitshows. Survival is their priority, and their time is borrowed or stolen a lot of the time — which is why “every time” is such an important and loaded statement between them.

From where they sit presently before the War, Neji wouldn’t feel threatened by Temari. He has no reason to be. Now, later down the line? Perhaps he might feel that way if Shikamaru wanted something he couldn’t give e.g. biological children, a particular model etc. but that future and those questions orbit a post-Akatsuki/Madara world. It isn’t something they’ve discussed or even thought about in the lead up to the War. It’s not a priority for them. That’s a later-down-the-line conversation they haven’t had the desire or the need to have because 1) their focus is on survival and the present threat 2) lack of interest or concern as they are both still young and focused on other things 3) capacity (which kind of ties into the first two).

The last thing Shikamaru wants to think about is those troublesome future-tripping scenarios when his brain is constantly forced into risk-assessment for the future of his entire village and those bequeathed to him by Asuma. Even thinking about 'settling down' scenarios is a hard pass for him at this point.

As for Neji, he wouldn’t have even drifted into that airspace, what with his own ambitions and desires and clan issues.

So, the potential triangle there with Temari isn’t even a serious geometric shape in their world at this point. And whether it would become one in the future rests on a conversation and concern that Shikamaru hasn’t even considered, let alone addressed with Neji. That’s why it’s a little tricky to answer these questions as I would need to be in older!BtB Shikamaru and Neji’s headspace and bodies, which can only be constructed from the bricks of their present situation/story—which hasn’t unfolded yet, what with Neji being uh…well, a little bit dead.

So those are waves of quantum-questions that have yet to collapse into the realm of possibility, my dear!