[Hokage's Office]

Naruto was currently at his desk finishing up on his paperwork when Shikamaru came in. The head of the Nara Clan noticed that the Hokage was looking pretty down. Not really sad but more bothered.

"Something up?" he asked in his usually lazy sounding tone while slipping his hands in his pockets.

Naruto sighed before responding. "It's Karin." he replied. "The pregnancy has been really... rough on her." he told him.

Shikamaru walked in and stood next to the Hokage's desk. "How so?" he asked him.

Naruto turned just a bit in his chair to face him easier. "Well, it started almost a month ago..." he began.

[Hokage Mansion]

Naruto turned over in his sleep and began to wake up. He heard sobbing and looked to see his lovely wife Karin sitting at the side of their bed and she looked sadder then he'd seen her in a very long time. Naruto got up and moved over to sit next to her on the side of the bed.

"Karin?" he asked worried. "Karin what is it, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"(Sniff) Oh Naruto." she sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Karin, are you hurting right now, are you in pain?" he asked her as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

Karin responded by shaking her head. "No Naruto. (Sniff)" she replied.

A horrible thought crossed his mind and he was terrified to ask what was on his mind. "Karin, did something happen to the Baby?" he asked, his heart racing.

"No (Sniff)" she answered with another sob.

Naruto felt some relief but was still very worried for his wife. "Well, then what is it, what's wrong?" he asked her.

Karin finally looked over to him with the most devastated look he'd ever seen. "Naruto... we're out of Rain Forest Mist." she wailed.

Naruto went from extremely worried to completely puzzled. "You're... sad about being out of your favorite body wash?" he asked with one brow raising in disbelief.

"I forgot I was running low before it was too late." she cried, leaning into her husband's chest to weep on his shoulder.

'This, has to be a pregnancy thing.' he thought, gently stroking her back and shoulders and letting her cry.

[Hokage's Office]

Shikamaru just stood and listened on as Naruto went on.

"I know that women can have a hard time through their pregnancy and all, but I never thought that someone could have a whole month of just breaking down and crying over the smallest things." he told his friend and chief adviser. "If we run out of cat food for Mika, (Karin's pet Cat) she begins crying. If she drops a bowl of ice cream, she unleashes a flood of tears." he listed.

Naruto then turned to look Shikamaru dead in the eye. "Did you know she fell apart because a girl on a scary movie we were watching together got blood all over her dress?" he asked him. "When her boyfriend's head was cut clean off in front of her, Karin didn't cry because he died, she cried because his blood got all over the dress she was wearing." he finished.

Even Shikamaru wasn't expecting someone to fall apart over that. "Troublesome." he muttered.

Naruto let out a sigh and sat back in his chair. "I'm hoping this phase will end soon because I can't stand seeing my Wife sad all the time." he stated. "I don't like seeing her sad in general, but over such little things like these?" he asked.

"Just be glad she's not the angry type when she's pregnant." replied Shikamaru. "You wouldn't believe what hell I had to go through when Tayuya was expecting." he told him.

"Oh yeah." Naruto replied, thinking it would be nice to catch up with his buddy. "How are you guys doing anyway?" he asked him.

"Actually Naruto, Tayuya's why I'm here." Shikamaru told him. "I have to apply for additional work hours now because Tayuya told me this morning that she's expecting now." he explained.

Naruto was thrown back by that. "You and Tayuya are gonna have another kid?!" he freaked.

"Yup." replied Shikamaru. "As is having a Wife who nags me none stop and a Daughter who's extremely needy isn't enough, now I have to make prep for another Kid." he told him. "Troublesome."

"So you and Tayuya are gonna give little Shinobu a baby brother or sister huh?" he asked with his foxy grin.

Shikamaru looked a little annoyed by Naruto's expression. "Not that we were planning to but yeah." he replied.

Naruto sat up in his chair. "I take it you guys were planning on only one kid from the start." he said to his friend.

"A two year old can make things troublesome enough for parents." replied Shikamaru. "We were hoping to wait at least another two years before having another kid together." he told him.

"I take it Tayuya's not happy with you at all then?" he asked him.

Shikamaru's eye twitched at the question. "Well, our last conversation before I came by went like..." he began.

[Earlier That Morning, Nara Compound]

"You are an IDIOT!" screamed Tayuya as she threw a glass and broke it. "A complete and total, hair brained, FUCKING IDIOT!" she yelled again.

Shikamaru grabbed himself a glass and poured a drink of orange juice. "You've gotten a whole lot bitchier lately Tayuya." he replied calmly. "Usually I find that very sexy, but this morning, no." he told her.

"You got me pregnant you Dumb Ass!" she shouted at him.

"And for the fifth time already, I'm sorry for not taking the precautions." he said in his defense. "But there's not really anything we can do now, what else do you want from me?" he asked her.

"I'll tell you what you're gonna do Shikamaru Nara!" she yelled again. "You are heading strait down to the Hokage's Office and you're gonna apply for more hours at the Hokage Tower so we can afford this!" she screamed.

Shikamaru was about to respond when both of them heard their daughter crying as she woke up in her crib.

"And now you've just woken the Baby!" she screamed, turning red in the face from rage.

"How did I wake her up?" he asked her. "You're the one who's yelling."

Tayuya was quiet for a moment from his remark. "... You're fucking asshole." she said finally.

"I love you too Tayuya." he replied as he went to go get his daughter from her crib.

[Back With Naruto And Shikamaru]

"And that was how my morning started." he finished.

Naruto was beginning to feel really bad for Shikamaru at this moment. "How do the two of you make it work?" he asked him.

"Actually, she's pretty nice when she's not cussing you out or threatening you." he answered. "You also find her to be pretty likable once you get to know her." he added.

[Hokage Mansion]

Naruto entered his house to see Karin at the fridge in the kitchen.

"I'm home Love." he called out.

Although he didn't mean to, Naruto spooked his wife and she dropped her bowl of ice cream. 'Oh no, here we go again.' he thought.

Naruto saw as tears welled up in her eyes and he quickly ran forward to hold her in his arms as she cried into his shoulder yet again.

"Naruto, that was the last of the French Vanilla Magnifique!" she wailed. "Why?!" she cried.

"I'm really sorry Karin." he said, gently rubbing her back as he hugged her. "That was all my fault, I'll run to the store and grab you a new tub." he offered.

Karin seemed to lighten up from hearing that. "Thank you Naruto." she said with a hopeful smile.

"I'll be right back." he promised and he was out the door.

Karin took a seat on the couch and started sobbing again. "I miss him already." she cried and began sobbing into her hands as she waited for her husband to come home.

Karin would continue to have episodes like this for nearly the rest of the month. Naruto was relieved when it finally came to an end now that she was exiting her first trimester. But now that the second had begun, things were gonna get much harder for Konoha's 7th Hokage.

Next Chapter: Cravings

[Author's Note] As always, let me know what you all think and please leave me either a Review or a PM as I enjoy getting them. This is Dragon1990 wishing you all a very Happy New Year!