Edit: I've fixed the content in this chapter

And another ...

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone ... except Chiyo!


It had been a little over a week since Ino and Shikamaru had brought home their daughter and both of them were exhausted. Shikamaru was taking it the hardest. He was used to more sleep than this, hell, normal humans were used to more sleep than this. He had been taking soldier pills the past few days just so he wouldn't pass out at work. If being lazy was in his genes, then why wasn't his daughter ever tired? The tiny infant only seemed to be preoccupied with eating and screaming.

"I don't know what we're going to do Shika." Ino groaned as she flopped down onto her side of the mattress. Right now was one of the few moments that Chiyo was actually sleeping and Ino was exhausted.

"We'll make it through somehow."

"My boobs have never hurt so much in my entire life! She's like a little piglet, always hungry. I think I might switch to formula just to save me the pain." Ino sighed as she rolled onto her side to look at the father of her daughter.

"Apparently she has more you in her than either of us expected her too." Shika teased.

"Not funny! She's somehow managed to acquire Chouji's appetite."

"Have you been eating?"

"I've been trying too, but sleep seems so much more important right now." And in truth it did seem more important, she would try to eat here and there between Chiyo's cried but it hadn't been working very well. Just then Chiyo started to cry again.

"No, no, no, not again!" Ino groaned. She felt as if she could cry herself!

"I'll get her." Shikamaru volunteered as she slowly drug himself from the bed and out into the hall. A few minutes later the screams from her newborn stopped. Ino sat up and listened, feeling slightly panicked.

"What did you do?" She called. No answer came. Ino quickly climbed out of bed with a renewed energy and ran to her daughter's bedroom door. Shikamaru sat in the rocking chair with Chiyo placed on his chest rocking slowly and him speaking with her. Ino just looked at him dumbfunded.

"You know little girl, your giving your Kaa-san a really hard time. She needs to sleep too, and if you keep waking up every five minutes she won't be able to. It was really hard for her to have you. It was hard on both of you. So let's try to sleep a little more, eat a little less, and be happy. Can you do that for Tou-San?" He whispered into her downy soft hair. And with that Chiyo's eyes fluttered closed and she started to sleep. Ino watched as Shikamaru sighed in relief.

"You sweet, sweet man." Ino whispered as she crossed the room to him. His head snapped in her direction and a blush crossed his face. He hadn't been aware she had been watching. Ino grabbed his face between her hands and kissed his forehead, then his cheek, and finally his mouth.

"I'm going to sleep of more than a hour and I'm going to love it!" She told him in an excited whisper.

"Don't forget that my mother wants to have us over tonight." He told her softly.

"Well maybe, if you work your baby magic some more I can take a shower! Oh, a shower, wouldn't that be nice." Ino said dreamily. She couldn't remember the last time she had a proper shower. The last one she took Chiyo had started to cry just as she was rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, and she was forced to run to her crying infant, soapy hair and all.

"I don't have baby magic. That's just ridiculous." Shikamaru scoffed at her.

"Well, whatever it is, it works!" Ino told him as she danced out of the room. Shikamaru laughed at her and continued to rock Chiyo. He smiled down at the girl before standing with her in his arms.

"If you keep getting Tou-san kisses like, then he's just going to have to find a special treat for you. You're probably too small for a pony, huh?" Shikamaru told his little girl as he placed her in her crib and went to join Ino for that nap.


"There's my Angel!" Inoichi called as soon as Ino and Shikamaru entered the Nara home that evening.

"You better mean me." Ino teased half seriously.

"Of course Princess." Inoichi told her as he wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. Ino returned the hug gratefully.

"Slept any?" Shikaku asked as he stepped in to hug her as well.

"Not really." Shikamaru replied as he sat down Chiyo's diaper bag. Both of the men's eyes turned to the young Nara and they both started to laugh.

"What are you wearing?" Inoichi asked. Shikamaru had Chiyo strapped to his chest in a type of sling, with Chiyo's small legs dangling from the bottom and her small head was cradled against his chest.

"It's a baby carrier. Makes it easier on all of us." Shikamaru informed him crisply. Inoichi snickered. The boy looked ridiculous.

"My daughter has changed you into a girl." He laughed. Shikamaru glared at him.

"It keeps Chiyo from bouncing around. She doesn't sleep much, and we try to let her when she finally does fall asleep." Ino informed her father scowling slightly.

"You were like that too, very restless for the first few weeks. She'll settle down soon enough." Inoichi said as he gazed fondly at his new granddaughter.

"I hope so." Ino replied wearily. Even with her nap she still felt tired.

"Well come sit down." Yoshino told her. Ino didn't have to be told twice. She curled up in a corner of the couch and placed her head on the arm of it. Shika removed Chiyo from the carrier and passed her off onto Shikaku, who promptly sat down with the tiny infant. He removed the carrier and sat next to Ino with his head resting against the back of the couch.

"She's so docile; I don't understand why you guys can't sleep." Shikaku told them as he gazed down at the baby in his arms.

"Take her for a night then, you'll see." Ino mumbled.

"She has a deviant side." Shikamaru told him sleepily. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Both of them spared a glance at the door.

"That will be Chouza and Chouji."

"They're here?" Ino asked. Just then the door was opened and the two mentioned people were hurried inside. A small gust of cold air following them.

"Why's it so warm Yoshino?" Chouza asked as he removed his coat.

"Trying to keep it warm for the baby." She replied taking it from him.

"I don't mind, I'm freezing." Chouji replied as he went to sit by his teammates.

"What's up?" Shika mumbled.

"Nothing, not sleeping much?" He asked.

"What's sleep?" Ino asked. They earned a laugh from the group and caused Chiyo to wake up with a small cry.

"No, not again." Ino groaned quietly.

"She's fine." Shikaku told them as he moved the baby to rest against his shoulder. Suddenly small popping sounds replaced the crying as Chiyo popped her lips and blew small bubbles. Ino just stared at him blankly.

"You have it too." She told him simply, her eyes wide.

"Have what?" he asked slightly confused. Shikamaru snorted.

"It's not real, Ino." Shika told her.

"Yes it is! And you guys have it! It's the only reason I got both a shower and a nap this afternoon!"

"What are you two going on about?" Chouji asked.

"Shikamaru has baby magic." Ino told him.

"Like the shampoo?" Yoshino asked.

"No, like he holds her and she sleeps, or stops crying, or just whatever!" Ino cried.

"Oh! The baby voodoo!" Yoshino replied. Ino pointed at Yoshino and smiled.

"Yes! See! Your mother believes in it!" Ino told Shikamaru.

"You sound a little crazy right now, Ino. Are you feeling well?" Chouji asked her.

"I haven't slept in a week!" Ino cried hysterically.

"I'm still confused, what is 'baby magic'?" Chouza asked.

"The Nara men are good with babies. They can calm them down and it the weirdest thing. Shikaku used to be the only one who could get Shikamaru to sleep when he was supposed to when he was little." Yoshino replied.

"Could it be because the Nara men raise deer for a living? Doesn't that take some sort of calming nature?" Inoichi asked.

"We don't know! But it works!" Yoshino told him.

"Really?" Chouji asked.

"I got a nap today, I haven't had a nap in forever. I am a very firm believer in the baby magic." Ino replied holding up a hand.

"You're all crazy." Shikamaru told them.

"I may be crazy, but you have a gift! And I'm going to take full advantage of it!" Ino told him. And for some reason, that sounded perfectly reasonable to him.