Temari wondered, not for the first time, why she had to go through this tedious cycle again.
Her grip on Shikamaru’s clammy hand tightened as she willed herself to push one last time before the uncomfortable feeling in her lower body vanished, followed closely by the wail of a new life.
“It’s a girl!” Sakura’s eyes shone as it met Temari’s exhausted but equally bright eyes.
“A girl,” Temari mused mostly to herself. She squeezed Shikamaru’s hand one more time before letting go to receive the newborn infant wrapped in swaddling clothes.
She gently moved the cloth away to take a better look at her daughter. Right away, she took notice on the redness of her soft cheeks, and the short strands of blonde hair poking out from the top of her head.
Temari’s heart swelled. Her daughter has her hair! All along she had thought her second child would inevitably inherit the Nara’s famous dark hair, just like Shikadai had, but at no more than a few minutes old this tiny girl, who has both Shikamaru’s and her blood running through her veins, was already changing tradition.
Before Temari could open her mouth to express her joy, her daughter’s eyes flitted open, and she came in eye contact with warm and familiar brown eyes. Shikamaru’s eyes.
Without as so much as a warning, her facial muscles stretched into a yawn, before she once again drifted off to sleep. Not even ten minutes old and Temari could already tell their daughter had inherited the Nara’s extremely lax nature. Guess it wasn’t so easy to escape tradition after all.
“Shika,” she spoke in hush whispers, while her eyes studied every inch of her daughter’s face down to her steady breathing. “She has your eyes and my hair.”
Temari felt Shikamaru move closer to her, before he gripped the tips of her fingers and kissed the back of her hand in a gentle flutter.
“She’s beautiful, Tem.”
Temari was not at all surprised to see his eyes water, as he lay a transfixed gaze on the baby in her arms.
“Are you really going to cry every time we have a child?” She couldn’t help but tease. Even though he normally donned a stoic expression, Temari had learned since long ago that deep inside his cold facade was a big-hearted man, sensitive to life’s greatest and most beautiful gifts. She had long since embraced her husband’s crybaby side and eventually accepted it as one of the many things she love most about him.
The door creaked open. Temari looked over Shikamaru’s shoulder to find her firstborn son, Shikadai, shuffle nervously into the room.
“Mom?” His voice came out as a low whisper. He stayed glued in place as his teal eyes roamed nervously around the room until it locked into her own.
“Come here, Shikadai. Come meet your little sister.” Temari gestured for him to come closer, and the nervous look in his eyes was quickly replaced by intense curiosity.
As soon as he was by her bedside, Temari carefully hoisted the sleeping infant into Shikadai’s uncomfortable hold.
“Woah.” His eyes slightly widened at the sudden weight against his chest. “She’s so small.” A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he stared at the small life in his arms.
“You were just as small back then.” Shikamaru felt nostalgia crept in as he reminisced the day Shikadai was born. He was just as overwhelmed as his son at the thought of a new life in his arms.
Shikadai jolted in surprise when he felt Shikamaru’s hand on his shoulder. “Take care of her, big brother.”
At the mention of ‘big brother’, his vision blurred as tears welled up behind his eyes.
Afraid Shikamaru would see his tears fall, Shikadai nodded mutely.
“Hey…sis.” He shakily smiled down at his baby sister, who was still peacefully napping away in her own little world. In a few years, he had no doubt she would be a force to be reckoned with but until then it would be his responsibility to look after her. He took in her creamy white skin, which may one day become scarred and calloused by the harsh reality of shinobi life, and in those few seconds he swore to protect her with everything he had and help her in any way he can.
His grin widened as he watched her shift in her sleep. It would be a huge reponsibility and most likely a drag in the long run, but he was ready to take on his role as her big brother.
“Shikadai.” As if reading his mind, Temari gently lifted his chin to look into his teary yet determined eyes. “You’re going to be great.” The smile she granted him was the reassurance he needed, and he bashfully grunted in reply and wiped his eyes.
Watching her favorite crybabies gaze down at her baby girl with the utmost love and affection, Temari felt it was the right moment to ask, “So, what should we name her.”
With matching masks of exasperation at the sudden daunting question, Shikamaru and Shikadai looked up long enough to exclaim:
“What a drag!”
𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙪𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚 ➪ 𝙞 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 '𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙞 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣'
☟︎︎︎
𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙞𝙙. 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙞 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!
