Haven't written a Naruto story in a while. It feels good! This is my very first shikatema fanfiction and I am damn well proud of it. They're one of my top 5 favorite Naruto couples and I ship them so hard that my ship sinks! Enjoy!

Temari hated being pregnant.

Most women did. But she really hated it. She went from a strong Sand kunoichi, second in command with her brother, the Kazekage of her home, to a woman stuck inside this stupid small house with a stomach bigger than Chouji.

Shikamaru had practically banned her from going outside and did nearly everything for her. She couldn't even boil water for her tea without him practically shoving her out of the kitchen, complaining that betting burned wouldn't be good for the baby. How that would be a problem was beyond her.

When she first got married, she did things like garden and spend endless hours in her greenhouse that Shikamaru built for her in their backyard. She'd cook throughout the day so her husband could come home to a hot meal. She wasn't the best cook, but she had her favorite recipes she enjoyed to make. Now she can't eat half the stuff she loved the most. And not because it wasn't healthy for the baby. Because Shikamaru would freak out and practically shove an apple down her throat.

With another sigh, Temari tried to sit up but didn't succeed much. She could only sit in a tilted position. Her back was killing her carrying how much more weight... She couldn't move as nimbly as she could just eight months ago. She had a little over three more weeks to go before her precious baby was to arrive. But Temari was just about sick of carrying her little cargo.

Since she was six months along, Temari has been stuck in this house in the middle of the Nara forest of deer. She loved it here. It was nice and shady and she had a special garden patch just for the deer to munch on throughout the year and she could even hand-feed them now!

However...

Temari was a prisoner in her own home. Shikamaru forbid her from leaving just in case the baby comes. What was she, a freaking princess?! At first it wasn't so bad because Temari had a lot to do. Gather all the plants outside so their child wouldn't consume them, place all the baby materials in the proper locations, and most importantly, build the nursery. Temari thought the term "nesting" when it came to pregnant women was just a stupid reference to wild animals preparing their den for their young. But now that she was actually pregnant, she was more than surprised to realize that it was the truth.

Temari can't count the number of times she rearranged furniture in the nursery. Well... had Shikamaru do it, but that's the besides the point. Then she got into the stage of rearranging the drapes in the living room and even putting the baby bottles from largest to smallest on the counter. It was frightening how obsessive she became! But now that she couldn't really move, she didn't care if the baby's clothing was color coded. All she wanted was to be able to walk again!

Temari huffed and relaxed against the cushion that was pressing on her back. If she could take a needle and pop herself she most certainly would. She wanted this baby out. Now. Besides, she couldn't wait to be a mom. To cradle her baby, feed it, dress it, and bond with it. Shikamaru was syked to be a father as well. His whole family was proud of him and couldn't wait to see if they had a son or daughter.

But not everyone was as eager as everyone else...

Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino Nara, was very... distant to Temari in a way that made Temari feel like a stranger. She knew that most mother-in-laws were pretty picky when it came to new relatives, but Yoshino hardly said a word to her when they came into contact with one another. It made her feel... awful to say the least. She wasn't expecting her to welcome her with open arms right away, or even be willing to allow Shikamaru to marry her, but her grandchild was just a few weeks away and Temari didn't want that tension between each other. She wished Yoshino was just a little more affectionate towards her. After all, Temari had gone without a mother for a large majority of her life. She had became the mother of her broken family and took on more roles than that.

Now Temari was going to be an actual mother, and she didn't want her child to go without a grandmother. On a more positive note, Kurenai had practically become Temari's mentor and, in a way, a mother to her. She had given her tips on how to do most things as a new mom from breast feeding, to telling what a baby wants by listening to his cry. It was very helpful, especially since Kurenai was a new mother herself and was excited to see her late husband's student's new family.

There was a slight kick in Temari's belly and she squinted slightly before smiling and rubbing her stomach. "I know, I know." she whispered. "You're probably cramped in there and sick of it. Well, guess what? I'm sick of you inside of me, too. I want you to come out so I can hold you." she giggled a bit. For quite some time Temari had been feeling the baby kicking at her like an angry horse. She knew for a fact that he or she inherited that trait from her. And she was proud of it.

Currently, Shikamaru was out on a mission, so Temari was home alone. She wasn't afraid, normally, but when nighttime falls, she becomes a little more defensive in her surroundings. Shikamaru wasn't supposed to come back until tonight, so she was impatiently waiting for him to return. It was barely past noon now. How could she wait possibly eight more hours for him to return?

With a sigh, Temari closed her eyes and tried to relax. She hasn't gotten any decent sleep in the past few weeks and she was on the verge of snapping someone's neck. However, when she heard the doorknob jiggle violently, her heart jerked. Her gaze whipped to the front door in the kitchen and she saw an unfamiliar shadow lurking in front of the door. It wasn't Shikamaru's pineapple-shaped head and she nearly panicked. Because she was so big she couldn't move fast enough to grab her fan underneath the couch. The door opened and she gasped. Someone broke into the house! She was here alone, pregnant, and defenseless! How was she supposed to fight back?

"Hello?" a familiar voice chimed. "Anyone home?" Temari knew that voice... was that?

"Y-Yoshino?" Temari tentatively spoke. When the brown-haired woman poked her head in and smiled, Temari relaxed a little, but was still unnerved by her presence.

"Hello, sweetie." Yoshino greeted softly, a warm smile on her face as she closed the door. Temari almost gawked at the woman. She's never stopped by the visit her out of the blue like this before. Last time she saw her was at her baby shower when she was five months pregnant. And even then she wasn't all too keen to see her. "Sorry I didn't call. I wanted to surprise you." she held up a large brown paper bag. Temari's eyebrows perked up. She brought her a gift? "Mind if I sit next to you?" she asked, stopping a few feet in front of her.

"U-uh, sure." Temari stiffened. She wasn't used to this tone with... well, anybody. Especially her mother-in-law.

"Thank-you." Yoshino took a seat next to her and pushed the bag towards her. "I stopped by the market before I came and thought you like something to eat until Shikamaru returns." Yoshino said. Hesitantly, Temari looked through the bag and nearly gasped.

"Thank-you." Temari smiled, pulling out a large red apple. She loved apples. She could eat them all day. Yoshino had brought her a variety of fruits. Apples, bananas, oranges, a pineapple, and even a yubari.

"I heard Shikamaru was out on a mission for the week and just wanted to make sure you were okay." Yoshino said. Temari appreciated her concern, but she still felt a little odd about it.

"That's really nice of you, Yoshino-sama." Temari said as she placed the apple back in the bag. She felt too uncomfortable to eat in front of Yoshino. "But you didn't have to do this." Temari said.

"But I had to." Yoshino answered, her eyes slightly sad. Temari gave her a perplexed look.

"Had to?" Temari repeated. Yoshino nodded.

"Yes. Temari, I realized that I haven't really been treating you right." Yoshino had a guilty gaze in her eyes. Like what she had done was possibly the worst thing she's ever done. "It wasn't fair, the way I treated you. I've treated you like an enemy like... like our villages used to be." she said. Temari's heart almost shattered. She was hoping to forget the days of the feuding between the Sand and the Leaf. Her mission to kill the Hokage. It took years to gain the trust with each other. Before long, they were battling side by side during the Great Ninja War. But that didn't mean the villagers of both nations still disliked one another for what they've done. Especially the Leaf.

Temari looked away. She hoped her child would never find that out. "Listen, what happened... it's understandable that you'd feel that way. And I don't blame you for not being able to let that go. What I've done..." Temari closed her eyes in shame. To think she was going to become a mother?

"No, Temari." Yoshino's voice was harsh and snapped Temari out of her ashamed stupor. She looked at the older woman and was taken aback by her aggressive stare. "I've finally realized it wasn't your fault. I know your life was hard and I should've understood that right from the start. That mission... was your duty. At your age you were just trying to do what you thought was best for your village. I know you were manipulated by Orochimaru, like many of us in this world." her voice filled with spite at the mention of the man's name. She then shook her head. "And I blamed his anger towards our Hokage on you. And I shouldn't have." she looked into Temari's eyes. "You're a wonderful person, Temari-san. I wish I could've seen that earlier. That you are practically perfect for my son." she smiled. Temari flushed a little. She hasn't heard Yoshino compliment her before. Well, she did say she was stunning at her wedding. But that was a couple of years ago.

"Y-Yoshino... I really don't know what to say..." Temari never cried, but she felt like it. Stupid hormones! Yoshino smiled and kissed her cheek, making Temari gasp. What did she just...? When Temari looked back at Yoshino, she was smiling lovingly at her. She hasn't seen a smile like that since her mother died...

"Temari, I've always wanted a daughter." Yoshino began. "When Shikamaru was born, I fell in love with him. But I'm going to tell you a secret." she whispered. "I secretly was a little disappointed that he was a boy." she said. That made Temari's eyebrows rise curiously.

"Really?" she tilted her head.

Yoshino nodded. "When he said he was marrying you, it didn't click in my head that I had finally got a daughter. I judged you too quickly, Temari-san. But now that I've opened my eyes I've finally realized you're a great person and a wonderful daughter." she finished. At that point, Temari's eyes had glazed over and she blinked her tears away and shook her head. She smiled and chuckled a bit. She hasn't cried in years. She had no time for tears. There were too many important things she had to do and that left no time for emotions to get in the way. But right now, it felt pretty damn good.

"I never got to have a relationship with my mother." Temari said in a cracked voice. "She died not long after I turned three. After that, I sorta became the motherly figure for my two younger brothers. Then when my father died, I really had a lot on my hands." Temari said. She looked to Yoshino and smiled. "But I guess I have a second chance at having a mother, don't I, okaasan?" Temari said. Yoshino grinned widely and kissed Temari's cheek again.

"I'm so sorry, Temari. Can we start over?" Yoshino asked. "I would love to have the same relationship I have with my son with you. And my grandchild." she said. Temari chuckled.

"Of course. My baby will need someone spoil him." Temari said. The women chucked before Temari suddenly lurched forward with a gasp of pain and held her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Yoshino panicked. "Did your water break?!" she almost screamed.

"No, no!" Temari sat back and relaxed again with a big sigh. "The baby likes to kick my ribs a lot." she gave a tired smile to Yoshino. "He gets that from me..." she giggled.

"He?" Yoshino looked at her with a smirk. "You think it's a boy?" she asked. Shikamaru had told her that they wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise, so hearing her say "he" made her wonder.

"Oh, I know it's a boy." Temari said. "I heard once that boys are more eager to leave the womb, so they kick more often as a way of trying to break out. Girls on the other hand take their sweet time. Hence why we always say we're "fashionably late" for dates." Temari giggled again along with Yoshino.

Their laughter was halted when the front door opened again and closed a second later.

"Temari, I'm home." came the voice of Shikamaru, and Temari couldn't have felt happier. Her husband was home. And early to boot! When Shikamaru walked in, he was utterly stumped. His wife had tears in her eyes, smiling at him like she hadn't seen him in a century, and his mother, whom was sitting next to her, was glaring at him immensely.

"M-Mom?" Shikamaru tilted his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Shikamaru!" Yoshino yelled, making him stumble backwards. She rose to her feet and stomped towards him. "How could you leave your pregnant wife home alone for a week without anybody to watch over her?" Yoshino yelled. Temari giggled a bit. She was perfectly capable of handling her own, even if she was almost nine months pregnant.

"Wait, what?!" Shikamaru was utterly confused. "Where did this even come from? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the well being of my unborn grandchild, Shikamaru Nara!" Yoshino pointed to Temari sitting on the floor. "How could you leave her unprotected in the middle of this forest alone!" Yoshino's voice had barely lowered an ounce.

"Mom, I don't understand why you're yelling at me like this. Or why you're even here to begin with." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and that's when Temari decided her poor husband had been yelled at enough.

"It's all right, okkasan." Temari said, which snapped Yoshino's attention to her. "I appreciate you coming by to check up on me, but please, allow me to yell at my husband. I do it often." she smirked at him and Shikamaru blinked at her.

"Okkasan?" Shikamaru was stumped.

"Yes." Yoshino smiled at Shikamaru, her tone a lot less angry. "Temari and I had a talk. I apologized for acting so bitter towards her and that I was excited to finally have a daughter to relate to. After all, I'll have a new title as grandmother in a few weeks, won't I?" she said. Shikamaru smiled and chuckled to himself.

"Well it's about time. I thought you'd never warm up to her." Shikamaru crouched down next to Temai and kissed her cheek. "Temari's always wanted a mother. Now she's going to become one herself. I think she'll need some tips from the finest master I know." he glanced up at Yoshino.

"I'm flattered, Shikamaru. And I'd love to."

I don't know how else to end the story XD Sorry about that! I always pictured Yoshino beign a little hesitant to accept Temari into the family and she eventually does when she realizes she's going to become a grandmother! This goes out to everyone who has in-law problems and I hope for the best for you guys.

"Okkasan" means "mother" in Japanese. Just in case anyone is confused :)

Congratulations to Shikamaru and Temari on their baby, Shikadai!