When the offer to let the newborn Shikamaru Nara stay in her own hospital room while she was going through observations was put on the table, Nagisa immediately said yes.
Maybe it was because of a maternal instinct she didn't know she had or because the body she was in was drawn to the baby, but Nagisa found that Shikamaru was already a weakness for her. The most rational part of her reasoned that her attachment was likely due to the fact that Shikamaru was as helpless as she was. He was new to the world, she was too. The most obvious difference was that he was a baby and she was a grown woman.
She was apparently twenty-one according to that Yamanaka who questioned her earlier. The concept of being a mother at twenty-one had always been weird to her considering she was attending college as a Biology major at that time, but it wasn't like she could do anything about dying and becoming a mother. She could shamelessly admit that she had no qualms about it either, well at least when it came to the becoming a mother part.
"My baby son," Nagisa mumbled, disturbed at how her voice wasn't the raspy quality she was used to anymore. "Shika."
As if he could actually recognize being called, the sleeping baby twitched towards her. Thankfully he didn't wake up as she gently lowered him onto the crib. When he was safely tucked in, Nagisa took the chance to look him over again.
She found it fascinating that Shikamaru had no need for a clamp because of the baby's umbilical cord stump. There actually wasn't even a stump. It was one of the many things Nagisa wanted to ask about, but she refrained from doing so because she didn't have an explanation as to why she'd assume there would be an umbilical cord stump. She silently vowed that she'd delve more into medical ninjutsu and chakra in general when she had the chance. They were just few of the many things she wanted to learn more about.
This new world felt almost like visiting another country, except on a much larger scale and with a totally different set of rules. It hardly mattered to Nagisa's intellectual side because she'd approach it just as she approached most stuff in her life. By relentlessly researching and experimenting to her heart's content.
However, for now she had to focus on researching the most important thing right now: how to be a proper mother and raise a baby. Failure wouldn't result in a failed grade or restrictions but she felt like failing as a mother would hurt more than anything else. So with a determined mindset she fetched the book on parenting she had requested earlier and sat in the chair next to Shikamaru's crib.
The next hour and a half was spent reading about how important it was to build a bond between parent and child as soon as possible and how to go about it. The book wasn't exactly as extensive as guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other medical organizations from her original world, but to the clueless mother it was godsend.
She had just reached the chapter on baby safety when Shikamaru started crying softly. It didn't surprise her much considering she had just read that newborns didn't sleep a lot in one sitting.
"Oh, he's awake?" She heard Nono ask just as she was carefully lifting the baby up to cradle in her arms.
Earlier, right before she was asked whether or not she wanted Shikamaru to stay with her, she had asked if it was possible to appoint Nono as the primary nurse in charge of her and her baby. Apparently the fact that the wife of the Nara Clan Head asking Nono to look after her and the Nara heir was an honor so it was quickly arranged without even waiting for Nono to say yes or no. Thankfully the woman had assured her it was okay and she would have said yes anyway.
It was relieving considering Nono was the only friendly face she had encounter so far. No, Shikamaru didn't count because the baby didn't even know what friendly meant nor was he aware enough to choose to be friendly.
"I forgot to ask," Nono raised her voice a little as Shikamaru's crying grew louder. "Did you want to breastfeed or use formula? Yoshino-san chose the formula option."
For a moment, Nagisa felt indecisive. Breastfeeding? Could she do that?
Did she want to? From a scientific point of view she knew the best option was indeed breastfeeding, but theory was different than practical.
Nono must have read the hesitation on her face, because she gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Given your condition, no one can blame you for being hesitant. You can try breastfeeding when you feel ready."
That was the thing though, Nagisa didn't feel ready. She didn't feel ready to be a mother either but she was sucking it up anyway and being positive about it. She had to do the same for breastfeeding as well or she'd end up putting it off forever just like she did when it came to going on vacation back then.
"I'll do it," she hurriedly said, halting Nono's movements. "I'll breastfeed."
Nono's eyebrows shot up despite the approving and pleased look she had on her face. "Are you sure you want to?"
It didn't have anything to do with wanting, Nagisa wanted to say. Instead she gave a determined nod.
"It isn't hard at all," Nono reassured her while taking Shikamaru from her to let her adjust herself properly.
While Nagisa wasn't exactly used to letting her breast bare in a public setting, she suckes it up and shrugged off her hospital garb from her left shoulder. She withheld the urge to cover up her left breast from Nono's view by reminding herself that both she and the woman have probably seen a vast amount of the human anatomy already due to their line of works.
So instead Nagisa took Shikamaru back from the medic-nin and allowed the woman to help her adjust her positioning.
A barely audible yelp escaped the scientist-turned-mother when Shikamaru immediately latched on to her nipple and started sucking. She felt a tingling sensation in her breast, absently noting it to be a milk ejection reflex as she stared in awe while Shikamaru's sucking rhythm changed into a slow, almost lazy, pace.
"Babies instinctively know when to feed," she heard the medic-nin gently explain in amusement. "How does it feel?"
"A little discomforting," Nagisa slowly answered, almost forgetting to answer in Japanese as she smiled. "But amazing."
.o0o.o0o.
Kasuga Nara, proud Jōnin of Konoha and cousin of Shikaku Nara was not amused. At all.
"Amnesia," he repeated in a derisive tone.
The medic-nin in front of him, a woman whose most defining feature was the circular glasses she wore that hid her emerald green eyes, gave him a calm look.
"She went almost seven minutes without oxygen, Kasuga-san. Quite frankly, amnesia is the most kindest compared to the other side effects that could have resulted."
Kasuga grimaced at the reprimanding tone the woman used. She didn't get it, he told himself. The medic-nin didn't know how much of a….a bitch Yoshino Watanabe was. How spiteful, self-entittled and vindictive the woman was. Why old man even allowed the civilian to marry Shikaku was a mystery the rest of the clan had yet to solve, him included. Though he always did think the old man was senile.
"Taking into account Yoshino Nara's situation, we're keeping her in for observation until Nara-sama returns from his mission."
Kasuga bit his tongue, resisting the urge to correct the woman. Yoshino was not a Nara. Yoshino would never be a Nara. To outsiders, maybe. But the clan would never consider Yoshino Watanabe as one of them.
"What about Shikamaru? Can I take him to the compound?"
He was sure his sister wouldn't mind looking after the baby at all. In fact, it was highly probable that the whole clan would prefer one of their own looking after the baby until Shikaku returned.
"I'm afraid only the parents can decide that. Since Nara-sama isn't here to make such a decision, it was left up to the mother." The medic-nin then smiled knowingly. "She asked for him to stay."
Kasuga quietly tch-ed, deducing that the medic-nin was fully aware of how he viewed Yoshino and for whatever reason the medic-nin was taking Yoshino's side.
"Take me to him then," he slouched a little, knowing there was no point in arguing with the medic-nin.
She nodded, polite smile still in place as she calmly led him through the halls, up the stairs and towards a room. He stopped in front of the door, admittedly taking by surprise as he stared through the open door. Yes, he was told that Yoshino told the staff to let Shikamaru remain in the hospital as well, but he was under the impression that the woman sent the baby off to the nursery section. Instead, it seemed like Yoshino askes for Shikamaru to stay with her.
Was this a powerplay?
Kasuga's eyes narrowed as Yoshino gently placed her forefinger in little Shikamaru's open hand, half expecting the baby to start crying. Amnesia, his ass. Watanabe clearly had an angle, but what was she playing at? Was she trying to procure more money before finalizing that divorce she had wanted for months already? Was that why she was pretending to be amnesiac?
The Nara wanted to scoff, because while he always had a low opinion on the woman, he had at least expected her to be smart enough to know she couldn't fool a Nara with an amnesiac act.
Watanabe cooing startled Kasuga out of his thoughts. His eyes widened slightly at seeing Watanabe smiling at smile that seemed genuine at little Shikamaru. He had never witnessed such an expression on the woman's face before. Since he had never seen her smile before, he couldn't say for sure if it truly was as genuine as it seemed. It wasn't the cold smile she'd give with a greeting nor the vindictive one she would have whenever she had successfully manage to annoy him.
Perhaps he'd have to retrace his earlier thoughts. The amnesia act would be very convincing if he didn't know the woman personally. He wouldn't pretend to go along with it, but he'd keep a sharp eye on the woman. The moment she slips up, he'd be there.
"Yoshino, you have a visitor."
Kasuga rolled his eyes. He was here to visit the little one, not the fake amnesiac. He still noted how Watanabe was giving him a curious look, no recognition in her eyes. Damn Watanabe was a better actor than he gave her credit for, but he wasn't falling for it at all.
"I'm here to see Shikamaru, not you."
He felt a little satisfaction at the wince Watanabe experienced due to his words. Good. He made it obvious he was not going to play along with the amnesiac act.
"Who are you?" Watanabe asked as he stepped into the room.
He ignored her and swept an eye around the room. Bed, crib, chair and was that really a book on parenting? Ha, Watanabe was really determined to the role she was playing it seemed.
"Kasuga Nara," the medic-nin answered.
Kasuga ignored the warning tone as he once again set his eyes upon Watanabe and little Shikamaru who was innocently squeezing Watanabe's finger.
"Oh. Are you maybe Shika-chan's uncle?"
Kasuga snorted, both at the nickname Watanabe had bestowed upon Shikamaru and because of the ridiculous guess at his relation to little Shikamaru.
"Shikaku doesn't have any siblings, but you already knew that," he applauded himself for keeping the anger out of his bored drawl.
Watanabe smiled at him. It wasn't genuine, but it wasn't vindictive nor cold. It was the type of politely strained smile one would give someone at a party or meeting. Professional smile, one could say.
"Thank you for informing me."
The medic-nin was now openly giving him a chiding look. "Kasuga-san, I will not tolerate your disrespect towards my patient if you continue. My patient has amnesia and you can take it up with Hanako Yamanaka when Nara-sama returns if you want."
Kasuga held the woman's gaze for a minute, not willing to bow down. He could almost hear Shikaku calling him troublesomely stubborn as the man always did.
A sheepish laugh broke the silent battle, effectively gaining his attention. Watanabe was holding out little Shikamaru towards him.
"Would you like to hold him?"
Without a word, Kasuga took the baby in his arms. Watanabe hovered for a moment, but once the fake amnesiac noticed he knew what he was doing, she stepped back.
Little Shikamaru was peering up at him with a bored, lazy look. The baby seemed completely disiniterested in him and even let out a yawn.
Kasuga huffed out a small laugh. "Just like your father, brat."
From the corner of his eye, he saw Watanabe smiling softly at the baby. It reminded him of the smile his sister used to wear whenever he or Shikaku would hold little Ensui.
He almost sighed in relief when Watanabe walked away towards the medic-nin. She was faking her amnesia, he reminded himself. It didn't matter if the soft smile was genuine or not, because Watanabe was always going to be Watanabe.
"Nono-san, I finished that book."
"Already? Well, I'm afraid there isn't really any other books or scrolls concerning parenting in this hospital. We only have reading material concerning medicine and such."
"Would it be possible for me to lend them?"
"I suppose it can be arranged….."
Kasuga watched quietly as little Shikamaru fell asleep, lulled by the conversation the women were having.
The way Watanabe held herself was different, he noted. It was strange seeing the usually guarded and cold woman being open and friendly. What Kasuga wondered was why the woman was pretending to be like this now instead of from the very beginning when it would have been easier for her to attempt to fool them.
.o0o.o0o.
"What can't chakra do?" Nagisa breathed out, awed at everything she had just learned about chakra from Nono.
Sure, she had seen how many things chakra accomplished when she watched the anime in her old world, but seeing it on a screen and seeing it in real life were two completely things. Briefly, she scratched out her theory on her current situation being a figment of her own imagination. She wasn't nearly creative enough to come up this. Besides, it was now her third day in this strange new world and she had already decided during her earlier shower that this really was her new reality.
She'd live it to the fullest, just like she already decided. Thankfully, Nono didn't ask her why she looked like she had obviously been crying after her shower.
Nono chuckled at her. "That is a question I'm afraid I don't have an answer for."
Nagisa smiled at the woman. "Thank you." She shook her head and stopped walking as Nono opened her mouth, needing to finish what she wanted to say. "You helped me a lot and you really didn't have any reason to be as kind to me as you've been. I would be totally lost without you, don't even try to deny it. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, for every question you patiently answered and for how you continue to look after me."
She gave a bow, deep enough to convey her gratitude and ignored the surprised gasps around them. It didn't matter if others saw it was improper for the wife of a clan head to bow to a medic-nin.
After a moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder accompanied by a resigned sigh.
"You didn't have to bow Yoshino."
Nagisa almost thought she imagined that quiet voice. However the fact that the medic-nin had finally addressed her without any honorifics made her smile widely as she straightened up.
"So about that book on anatomy?"
Nono smiled. "After you finish feeding Shikamaru-kun."
"Let's go then," Nagisa urged leading the way to her room. She saw Nono shoot their still staring audience a look before the medic-nin caught up with her.
Side by side, they walked towards the room while discussing how chakra affects a newborn baby.
.o0o.o0o.
Shikaku resisted the urge to yawn as he stood at attention along with his teammates. He had gotten back just a bit before dawn after a two-week long assignment that felt like a whole month. Though he had wanted the mission to end as quickly as possible while he was out on the field, he didn't look forward to heading home to be greeted by a glaring and pregnant wife.
If it wasn't so early, he'd ask Inoichi and Choza to go drinking with him. Though considering Inoichi also had a pregnant wife to go back home to and Choza had to go home to his own wife and son, the Nara Clan head was probably stuck going drinking alone.
All to avoid the headache Yoshino was bound to give him as long as he could. Fuck, he could already hear her insultingly calling him a pathetic drunkard when returned home. Though even if he did go home straight away, she'd probably greet him with the oh, you're back murderer that she tended to say to him whenever he returned from a mission. Or she might even mockingly ask him if he had fun chasing the bone whatever client threw at him.
Either way, it was going to be troublesome.
"Well, it's to be expected that things won't be fixed so quickly. It hasn't been long since the war ended, after all," Minato sighed before giving them a half-hearted smile. "We'll have to wait before the peace treaty for Iwa then."
Shikaku just hoped that when the time came the old Kage would accept the treaty and not act like the troublesome person he was by declaring war against Konoha. Undoubtedly, Konoha would win, but the losses would be noteworthy and would leave them vulnerable to a betrayal from their new ally, Sunagakure, or even for an attack by Kumogakure.
"Good work guys," Minato smiled again.
This time it was genuine enough to make Shikaku's lips twitch up into a lazy sort of smile.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," the Nara said in a teasing tone.
It was always amusing to see Minato's face redden in embarrassment at the tittle. At least Minato stopped insisting they call him by his first name after Inoichi pointed out how disrespectful it would seem to do so.
"Totally not going to get used to it," he heard Minato mutter as they started exiting the office.
Shikaku wouldn't mind at all if the man never got used to it.
"Oh wait, Shikaku," Minato called out just as the Nara reached the door.
Shikaku turned, curiously eyeing the smile Minato was giving him. It was a smile he hadn't reslly seen on the blond before. A combination of joyous, apologetic and worry.
.o0o.o0o.
Chapter end
.o0o.o0o.
3,346 word(s)
Author's note: haha, I finally updated~ so HAPPY NEW YEARS everyone. I wasn't planning to introduce Shikaku on this chapter, but hey it happened anyway.
Oh also quick explanation: Shikamaru's canon birthdate is 22th September, but for some reason I thought he was born earlier and had originally planned my story based on that. So when I wrote the first chapter I had to adjust it and scratch a few ideas out in order for it to fit. Even then though I needed more time in the fic, hence Shikamaru being born 10 days earlier, 12th September.
Fun fact: Kasuga Nara is actually a canon character, but I gave him an age lift to suit this story better. Since it's a fic featuring the Nara clan, I can't exactly not mention other Nara folks. If needed, I'll create a character sheet later.
Other fun fact: This chapter spanned through 13th-16th September in fic universe
Last fun fact: did you guys know Ino was born literally a day after canon Shikamaru? (23rd September)
Questions~!
1. How do you think Shikaku will react to the news?
2. How do you think Nagisa will react to Shikaku?