Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters. This is a contest entry for RamaChan on DeviantArt. The story line of Shika and Tema's second child is the creation of RamaChan.
First Storm of Spring.
"The days will get longer now." Gaara said passively. Shikaku and Kankuro both grunted as they paced back and forth around the waiting room. Gaara turned his attention to his "mother-in-law" and niece. Both were occupied by a revolving puzzle, the latter trying to explain it to her grandmother. The Kazekage looked out the window over the Village Hidden in the Sand. It was the beginning of spring and there was an electric charge to the air.
Down the hall a scream broke the silence that had gathered in the small hospital wing. Shikaku and Kankuro walked into each other and even Gaara turned wided eye at the sound. Yoshina gave her granddaughter a comforting smile and told her that mommy was alright.
"It's not mommy I'm worried about." the little Nara girl said. Shikaku, Kankuro and Gaara gave each other a knowing glance. They were all silently thankful they were NOT Shikamaru at this moment.
Shikamaru wished he was not Shikamaru at this moment either. His hand was turning purple from lack of blood supply from Temari's grasp. He hadn't felt it in about twenty minutes.
"Come on, woman! I can't be that--"
"SHIKAMARU!!" Temari bellowed. The Leaf Village genius went pale instantly. He sighed very quietly, more to make himself start breathing again, and knelt down next to his panting wife.
"It'll be alright, hon--"
"SHUT……UP….." Temari growled. Even Sakura gave him a dark look, before turning a gentle and calming gaze back to her patient.
"Okay, Temari, it's time, starting pushing." the pink-haired medic said.
A flash of lightning lit up the sky that had grown quite dark in the last half hour. A couple minutes later, it was followed by a rumbling thunder. The two worrisome men still paced the small room, while Yoshina watched them irritated. "Can't you just sit down!! It's not YOUR wife having the baby!" She told them. Both men grunted but did not stop. Gaara sat in a puffy chair and watched as the rain started to hit the window in rhythm to his niece's heartbeat. He had finally grown accustomed to her attachment to him, and it didn't feel so odd to have her sleeping on his lap for once.
Another flash of lightning, and eventually another clap of thunder. Then, a different sound added to the cacophony. Crying. All those in the waiting room froze, wondering if they were just imagining it. They waited and were rewarded with another cry. Yoshino smiled and Shikaku let out a huge sigh as he slid down onto the couch next to his wife. Sakura opened the waiting room door and was nearly pounced on by Kankuro who assaulted her with questions.
"Is she alright, how is she, is the baby okay, what's going on??"
"Calm down Kankuro, everything is alright. Temari is doing fine, the baby is fine and even Shikamaru didn't faint this time." Sakura chuckled. Kankuro clapped his hands. His sister was fine, his … wait, what is the baby?
"Sakura-chan?" Kankuro said. "What is the baby? I mean what…"
"You have a nephew Kankuro." The medic said.
"A grandson?? I have a grandson!!" Shikaku jumped up yelling, while his wife tried in vain to calm him down. The little Nara girl woke up rubbing her eyes.
"What's going on?" she asked still sleepy.
"You have a baby brother." Gaara told her.
"YAY! Baby brother!" she yelled. She grabbed Gaara's face and gave him a big kiss on his cheek before jumping down and running to Shikaku. "Ganpa Ganpa, I have a baby brother!!"
"I know!" Shikaku said scooping her up and swinging her through the air.
It was another half hour that the grandparents and nervous uncles had to pass before they got to see the new Nara bundle of joy. Kankuro and Shikaku nearly fell over each other trying to get into the hospital room. Shikamaru knelt down and his daughter ran to him. Picking her up he showed her her little brother.
"He's tiny." She said wrinkling her nose. "How can I play with him!" she added pointing.
"You won't be able to for a while, hon." Temari said. Her daughter took this in for a moment, then shrugged.
"How troublesome…" she said then struggled until her dad let her down. Temari glared at her husband. Shikamaru put a hand at the back of his head and eyebrows furrowed, innocently said, "What??"
After the cooing and ooh and ahhing, Yoshina finally asked the question everyone had been waiting to hear. "What's his name?"
Embarrased, Temari and Shikamaru stalled. They hadn't honestly been able to come up with one they both liked.
"Well," Shikamaru started.
"We had thought about," Temari chimed in.
"Haru." Gaara said quietly from the corner of the room. All turned to him while he stared out into the stormy night.
"What?" Kankuro asked.
"Haru." Gaara said turning to them. "Haruichiban."
"Haru…."Temari turned the name over in her mind. "Spring….I like that." She looked up at Shikamaru.
He put his hand down close to his new son and the baby latched onto his finger as the room tremored slightly from the storm outside. "Haruichiban Nara, welcome to the world."