Chapter 29: No time like the present

The weeks went by relatively quietly and although Temari tried her best to deny this fact again, a routine had developed further between herself and Shikamaru. Everyday at 6am the alarm clock would shout beside her only to be slapped twice on its snooze button. She would feel his side of the bed slowly wave as he got up for work at she floated in and out of consciousness. Upon waking up, he would be gone and the occasional lunch she made him the night before would no longer be there. She would spend the day reading the updated bingo book, writing to her brothers and occasionally flipping through the baby "manual" his mother was constantly sending him. It wasn't all that bad and she ended up picking up quite a few tips. She wouldn't do many home exercises considering that she was a week away from her due date and frankly sometimes she was just too tired. That didn't stop her from wanting to go out though and just two weeks before, flyers for Konoha's dedication festival were passed around like candy. Shikamaru caught her casually glancing at it one day and added his two cents.

"It gets so crowded...trying to do anything in that mess is such a drag..."

"It actually looks fun."

"It can be I guess...my clan opens up a section of the forest for people and my mom always made me string up the lanterns and decorations and shit..." She thought she saw him smile nostalgically. "People go there to eat and taste or clan's famous vegetable soup. The deer come out sometimes too. The kids like it."

"Sounds exciting. So what are you going to be doing this year on lantern slave boy?"

"Shut up. Nothing. I'm excused from duties because you could go into labor." He shrugged and popped his gum.

Labor…don't remind me…

Temari had spent the last few weeks trying to avoid that subject and all the horrendous mental pictures it brought about. The crippling pain, the blood and possible surgery all caused her to lay awake at nights wincing at feelings her mind conjured up in her abdomen. Getting stabbed was one thing because it was just over and done with and once you ripped the knife out and got stitched up, it wasn't so bad. The ache of giving birth though, could last for days according to those awful baby books. She didn't realize her face was twisted in thought until shikamaru was stooped down eye to eye with her.

"Are you going soft on me?"

"No." Crossing her arms, she frowned and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"It's too late to wimp out anyway." That forever teasing half smile was the last thing she saw as he stood up and went into the kitchen. Being cooped up in the house was the main thing giving her all this time to think of the unthinkable and maybe venturing out would do her some good. She knew though, that she wouldn't be going anywhere without that shadow of a man who seemed to figure out everything she was up to. As much as it would scare other women to know a man was always mysteriously aware of her, Temari didn't mind so much. It was nice to know someone was there and it provided a quiet since of security she had eased into. At least he wasn't a creep about it all and kept everything as normal as possible; making her breakfast on his days off, cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping. It was rather amusing to see him in an apron his mother sent over with the phrase "Bringing home the bacon…and cooking it too.". Upon her forceful request, he wore it whenever he was cooking with a scowl on his face as he mumbled swear words in a mixture of English and Japanese. She would curse right back at him for fun until he would start with his view on why women shouldn't have such foul mouths. There were times they were as catty as their old selves were but there were a few times that Shikamaru would actually pass as charming. Sometimes he would rub her feet or join along in her paternity yoga for silent support (even though he looked more awkward that she did in some of the poses). One time he actually went out to buy her more maternity clothes. She started to see another side of him that she didn't expect and there was no denying that she rather enjoyed it. This was her daily activities and her new domestic life but she still never gave up her dream of getting back out into the world.

...

The morning to the festival, she woke to find the curtains wide open over her bed and the bright sun winked a cheerful goodmorning. Surprisingly she wasn't as sore as she usually was considering the fact that she had now gained almost 45 pounds from the start of her pregnancy that weighted on her bones. As she lay there in this stillness, tilting her head backwards to see the blue skies, she heard an unfamiliar sound coming from the bathroom. Looking towards the clock, she saw that it was 9:00 and what she heard was the water running.

He's home?

Emerging from the steamy bathroom in a towel wrapped around his waist and one over his shoulders, he came over to her side of the bed quietly with the book in his hand. Sitting down on the edge she made for him, she rolled over onto her side and watched him silently until he closed the book and set it on the table.

"Get dressed."

"Huh?"

"Put this on."

"Why? Where are we going?" He didn't replied but got up and went over to the closet and reached in the back. Resting it on the bed, he pulled out a bright red kimono with bright purple vines snaking up the sides and onto the long sleeves. Temari sat up astonished as to why she didn't see that in the closet when she was cleaning the other day.

"You've been cooped up for the past few weeks. I figure it's better to let you out before you rip me apart….but I'm going with you…it might be fun….maybe."

Temari raised her eyebrows.

Is he subliminally asking me out on a date?

The door closed and she rolled her eyes that fell on the leaflet sticking out of his book. After looking closer, she spotted that it was the flyer for the festival that was happening downtown and it hit her as to why he was home today. Giving a victories grin to the paper as she pulled it out, she was happy to know that he was finally letting her loose-baby and all. Everything felt right today but for some reason there was something off. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

…..

The streets were packed to say the least and was still a cold day considering that it was still the ending of winter on that march day. People didn't let the weather ruin their festivities because everyone was still dressed in their best Kimono's and Haori's. Shikamaru's green one must have been a clan color because she noticed that the rest of the clansmen littered about were also wearing a green one with the clan symbol stitched in the back like his. As they moved through the streets decorated with streamers, banners, advirtsements and scented with fresh food, it felt like she was in the middle of a giant party. There were booths set up on the sides selling dedication souvenirs, games for the kids and young at heart and even dance floors randomly dispersed by speakers that joined together to play music. Being out and about really did lift her up and as she passed people gave their congratulations, asking her when she was due and more comments about this glow she thought she lost when she realized how fat she was. They were all very kind and she even managed to snag a few free gifts for the baby on behalf of certain families who wished the young Nara and Temari their best.

"I wouldn't get shit if you weren't here. They'd have me working like a delivery boy and a slave."

She slapped him in the stomach with her fan, the one he gave her as a gift last year. "Oh quit whining and enjoy this. It's pretty cool."

"Yea….I guess."

A familiar face was by one of the booths giving away small goldfish as prizes to people who could toss the ball in an empty tank. The game was rigged, she knew but for some reason, the dark haired woman appeared to be getting all the balls in, racking up three fish. It was when she looked deeper that she noticed the man working the counter was just standing there with a blank expression and Temari couldn't help but laugh. "Is it really fair for Kurenai-san to be using her genjutus to win fish?" Holding onto Shikamaru's sensei tightly was a little girl about a year and a half old in a bright yellow kimono. Those red eyes like her mother's was sparkling under a crown of black hair.

"I'm sure she knows what she's doing." He chuckled as they made their way over to the woman. "Kurenai sensei…"

"Oh!" It was then she lost concentration and the man snapped back.

"Ah well, I guess you got me. I need to train more against genjutsu before I place a bet with you." The elderly man laughed awkwardly and handed her a bag with 4 fish.

"Arigatou Sukashi-san. Why Hello there Shikamaru. It seems like you caught me off guard." Shikamaru reached over and plucked Sumirae from her mother's arms who was clutching a stuffed animal in her free hand.

"Seems like you guys are having fun."

"She'll have more fun once she grows more aware of things but for now, she just likes collecting prizes that her mother win's. Apparently she has a thing for goldfish." They both smile at each other before she address Temari.

"Looks like someone is ready to pop."

"Uh…yea. Any day now but I'm hopping not today." She was serious.

"Sumirae was early so I was surprised as well. Just always be ready. Miss seeing your feet yet?" Kurenai laughed in a way that Temari couldn't help but join is.

"Since I was 6 months. The only way I know they are still there is that I'm walking."

"Good indicator." Shikamaru had wandered off to the cotton candy booth him he had the little girl standing up on the counter while he held her arms above her head to keep her from falling. He seemed to be whispering to her about the machine that was swirling around little white tuffs of blue and pink. Her eyes lit up with the woman handed her the food on a white stick and she stuffed her face in it which made him laugh. "How is he doing?"

"He's…great….actually." It was the first time she had said that out loud.

"Of coarse. Shikamaru is a ninja of many layers and it could take years to uncover what he hids behind that indifferent expression of his. Asuma would always tell me that he saw himself in shikamaru the most which was why he began to see him as a younger brother after his training days were over…"

"You're right…he can be surprising."

"Don't worry so much Temari." A hand was placed on Temari shoulder, startling her a little. The woman had vision far behind what Temari had though. "I don't think he's worried at all." Kurenai walked towards Shikamaru and Sumirae who were still face deep in sharing the cotton candy before he handed her over to her mother. He came walking back over with a piece of fluffy stuck to his face.

"You're such a mess." Temari plucked it from beside his mouth and let it float into the trashcan.

"Yea, yea. She's smart." Shikamaru looked back as the two got farther and farther away. Sumirae saw him through the clouds and gave a shaking wave with her palms outstretched. He gave her a small smile and waved right back to her before they were completely gone. "Teaching her is gonna be a handful."

"Oh yea…you'll be her sensei. Are you ready old man?" She hip bumped him and he swayed against the force.

"Eh, as ready as I'm gonna be."

They walked further into the tangle of people and saw some familiar faces. Ino was set up by a booth were Sai was painting caricatures of paying customers while she was selling flowers. It was a pretty good set up because they people usually bought some after their cartoon. Hinata and Naurto looked like they were on a date with the watchful eye of Hinata's father not too far behind. He may have been the Hokage but he was still a hormone driven teenager who Hinata's father saw as a threat. They stopped at a booth where an eating contest was held with Choji face down in a bowl of pumpkin pie. He barely even noticed them walk by and said his hello inbetween licking off whip cream from his face. Out to the side she heard two familiar voices by another game booth where the point was to throw darts to pop balloons placed against the wall.

"This game is rigged!" Tenten was shaking her fist at a grey bearded man who stood eye-to-eye fighting back.

"It's perfectly fair! Plenty of people have won!"

"Liar! I'm the best sharp shooter there is and not one of these balloons have popped!"

"Then maybe you're not as good as you thought!"

"Why you old bag of sh-"

"Tenten!" Neji stood with eyes narrowed beside her with a quiet compusre, he stepped up to the plate. "Let me try."

"Sure kid."

Neji slapped the money down on the table and picked up a dart. His piercing white eyes focused on a single pink balloon dangling against the wall. Temari could only blink once before the balloon burst into confetti and the dart was pinned against the deflated remains.

Wow….

The owner stood gaping. "I was promised these balloons were fortified with animal skin so they wouldn't pop!"

"See Neji! He is cheating!" What the untrained eye didn't see was that Neji had done some cheating of his own. Sending out a thin, almost invisible, stream of chakra from his finger, he had it run along side the dart. He times it so the dart and chakra hit the balloon at the same time.

Neji did nothing put sigh and place his hands into the sleeves of the other. "Get your prize so we can keep moving."

"Right! Um….let me get that stuffed bani." Tenten pointed to an odd looking ninja rabbit who had a shuriken inbetween it's paw. It wasn't a usual stuffed animal one would see at a carnival but it just screamed Tenten. She quickly grabbed it from the man and started walking contently. "Come on Neji! Lee is expecting us at the dunk tank. What kind of doofus volunteers for a dunk tank in the middle of this cold?" Lifting up her grey and white Kimono, she picked up the pace with Neji looking rather irritated behind her. When she got further enough away, Temari noticed a pleasant smile across his face and she couldn't help but smirk. That was when Shikamaru alerted her to his presence behind her.

"Neji thinks he's so tough all the time." Shikamaru snorted. "Every man has a weakness…"

"Oh? And what's yours? Please tell me so I can use it as leverage…"

"Wouldn't you like to know…" He chuckled as he turned away. She followed him closely down the street. "Oh um….." Reaching into his Haori, he stopped in the middle of the street and pulled out a single lilly. Looking embarrassed and blushing slightly in his cheeks, he looked away as she gazed upon this single flower astonishingly.

"Shikamaru…"

"My family has a greenhouse for during the winter…I got it for free."

"Um…."

"Just take it." Gripping it gently between her fingers, she saw the perfectly formed pink petals hang classically from the stem and when a small breeze blew, the scent of a fresh garden wafted passed her nose. It was a small gesture but it seemed to speak wonders that Temari thought she was looking too much into.

"Thank you….it's beautiful. Who would have thought that a guy like you could be romantic." She could feel this being uncomfortable for him so she smiled and after a minute, he gave her a small one back.

"Shut up." He opened his mouth about to say something again when a certain old coot got their attention from across the street.

"Well if it isn't the young stag of the Nara clan! And he brought his doe in public! Get it? The Nara clan, deer?! I need my own show!" Master Tensen was wheezing out of laughter and also missing a few of his teeth. They both walked over hesitantly to a crowded booth littered with wealthy patrons who were admiring and purchasing the many works of this senile yet talented old man.

"Master Tensen….as insain as the day I first met you." Temari crossed her arms on top of her belly.

"And getting crazier! Boy you sure look large and in charge Temari!" He leaned into her from across his work bench. "Maybe you should lay off the cake and ice cream." She wanted to slap him in the face with her fan but in public that would be frowned upon so she settled for a death glare that made him glup.

"How are you master Tensen?" Shikamaru sounded like he was holding back laughter.

"I'm alive and kicking! How are you holding up Shikamaru? Word is the baby is coming soon!"

"Any day now…"

"You nervous? I heard there's a lot of screaming and blood."

"Um.."

"Wait, you heard? I thought you had kids old man?" Temari had a feeling she was being led into another bad joke.

"I do! And my wife gave birth to all of them right on this work bench!"

"Oh my- That's gross!" Temari lept back.

"Shit you could have warned us!" Shikamaru was furiously rubbing his hands on his clothes to get the imaginary bodily fluids off.

"Ha! Then I wouldn't be able to see your faces! Well anyway, I'm sure you'll both be fine and here! I made something for the little guy." He reached under the table and pulled out a velvet box like you would use to place preciously jewelry in. It was rather small, narrowing the guesses that Temari had as to what was inside. "Well don't just stare at it! Open it!" Pushing it, with wrinkled and shaky hands, Master Tensen had a very excited smile on his face. Shikamaru did the honors of flipping the black lid open and sparkling back at them in the winter sunlight was a pair of handcrafted silver studs. Etched in the center was the clan symbol that looked so detailed that it must have taken him a while to carve since all of his work was hand-made. That's what made them so expensive.

"Wow…thank you Master Tensen." Those earrings served more as a reminder as to the duty her son would have to the clan and more specifically the bond between Ino-Shika-Cho members. She began to wonder what her son would look like as he wore these earrings on his first mission with his teammates who weren't born yet. Temari was guessing that they weren't that far behind with the way things were moving so fast for everyone else.

"Thank you. Our families usually make them but-"

"I've already done the necessary bribing and politicing to make these. I have the ones for his teammates made. Just waiting for those suckers to pop out which I'm sure won't be too long.." He had a mischevious twinkle in his eye as if this was all some sort of plot. After the war, Konoha and the other villages had experienced a surge if births and marriages which dawned their version of the "Baby Boom" period. "Congratulations to the both of you. I know you'll make great parents along with being great Shinobi but a word of advice….do not lose sight of each other because it all began with the two of you. You will each have your own responsibilities but you must never forget your family and that is where all great shinobi get their first lessons on life." Temari and Shikamaru nodded before the box was placed inside of Shiakamaru's Haori. "Now run along brats! I have to suck up to my high paying customers! Nothing like a little brown nosing the keep up business! Ah yes! Sir that is my most prized work and I will never make another one of those again but for you…" The old coot quickly waddled over on his cane to a couple standing by his glass figurines. When Temari and Shikamaru went back onto the street there was a silence between them for a few paces.

"They grow up so fast…and he hasn't even been born yet. He got his first pair of earrings already…" He was probably remembering his first pair.

"Yea….when did you get yours?"

"I got my ears pierced at a year old. All Nara's do. It's this big ceremony that commemorates the kid living through his first year of life. It's the same for Ino and Chogi's clan too. We all start off wearing different earrings. Mine were hoops that my dad gave me. I'll give those to Shikachi on his first birthday and then once he becomes a chunin then he'll get these that match with his team members."

Temari touched her own ears. "I don't have to get mine pierced do I?"

He laughed at her innocence on the matter. "No, not unless you want to. My mom didn't. Those who married or….associate with the clan don't have to. It's only if you're born into it."

"Oh ok. I hope he doesn't have your big ears then."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" He stopped and looked at her, clearly offended and she couldn't help but giggle.

There I go with this giggling crap again….

"That you have big ears you cry baby!" He actually didn't but just for her own amusement, she liked to tease him.

"Whatever….do you wanna take a break or something? We can sit down."

"No. Let's go do something….there's a game booth over there." Pointing to another booth the looked like all the others, it was adervitising a game where you had to wack little demon spirits that popped out of holes with a giant hammer.

"That's so juvenile."

"We're going." Grabbing his arm, she hauled him over to where three kids had their backs turned to them inside of the booth. "We want a game."

"Oh! Oh Lady Temari and Shikamaru-san!" Udon sniffled and wipped his nose of the sleeve of his clothing.

Oh great….the brats…

"Alright! Thanks for always supporting us Lady Temari!" Moegi was actually looking adorable in her Kimono.

"What is the fundraiser for this time?" Shikamaru must have also been ropped into these things a few times.

"The Leaf restortation! Half of the proceeds go to that and the other half to the Academy savings account." Now, the Academy gets all the funding it needs from the village but for other side projects, carnivals, etc, they would raise money themselves as a way to promote teamwork and unity.

"Now cough up some dough and lets start this thing." Konohamaru slammed his hands down on the table as Shikamaru placed some cash on the bench. "Do I need to explain the game?"

"No, we get it. Use the hammer to wack the spirits." Temari was ready with her hammer and Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he reached for his.

"First person to 10 wins!" Moegi went in the back where a large lever was that activated the game. 'Ready….set…"

"Go!" Udon shouted and suddenly a little red skinned, black eyed creature stuck it's head out from one of the holes. Temari promply smacked it and watched a number flash from the score board.

"Ha!" As she was gloating, she missed one that Shikamaru got and with a triumphant smile he started to gloat.

"Rejoicing so soon?" The banter went back and forth until they were both at 9, whoever made the next one would be victor. Temari's eyes were more focused than ever and soon she saw a small head appear. With only a moment to spare, she made her move but was too late. Shikamaru smacked it firecly but the little creature had a surprise for him. Bursting from the top of it's head was a spray of whipped cream that plastered his face. As he stood there in utter shock and embarrassment, Temari really tried to hold in her laughter but the tears were almost forming in her eyes and soon she couldn't stifle the rumble in her chest anymore. Seeing him there with a face full of white fluff that could either be made into a suggestive joke or one about a man with a bad shaving cream can, she let the laughter out. She was too caught up in her own enjoyment to notice a flash coming from infront of them. Moegi held a Polaroid infront of her and snapped a picture at the shenanigan. Shikamaru took one hand and whipped the stuff from his face.

"So you think this is funny?"

"It's hilarious!" That's when she felt a grip on her upper arm and a palm full of whipped cream cloud her vision. "What the hell!" The tables had turned and soon he and everyone else was rolling in their own enjoyment as she stood there baffled.

"You guys are so cute! Say cheese!" For a moment she forgot her bewilderment and the plot she had to get him back before bed when they both turned around and gave a full smile to the camera. Udon gave them both tissue and they began to clean their faces.

"You missed a spot." Taking his finger, Shikamaru brushed it across her lip to take off the last of the fluff which left her mouth tingling.

"Um….thanks…"

"Ugh you guys are gross. Here are your pictures." Konohamaru handed them the two Polaroid pictures and a cliche stuffed deer before they parted ways back into the street.

"Sleep with one eye open Nara." Temari's threat was real.

"It wouldn't be relaxing if I did. A real man doesn't worry about an attack from a woman."

"You have no idea what kind of powers I have….sound familiar?" Temari looked at him with pride as his eyes widened in realization of the last time she said that. She saved his ass from Tayuya with with no real work done on her part at all.

"Hm….I guess I better start planning then.

"You can try…but I'm just as devious as you are Nara." With a sly wink, she made her point because he turned his face away as he rolled his eyes.

"Why do I surround myself with such scary women…You sure you don't wanna sit down?"

"I'm fine. I'll tell you when I'm ready to sit. I'm not an invalid you know." The fresh air was making her feisty. To be honest, Temari was afraid of sitting because she had been feeling funny since they left the house. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but she had been trying to detour her mind to the revelries of the festival. Fearing that if she sat down, whatever it was could creep up on her but the more she tried to shake the feeling that something was off, the more she couldn't. Shikamaru must have noticed something because he stopped and looked at her seriously in the eyes.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yea, yea…don't get your panties in a bunch." Another wave crossed her belly which meant her son was probably doing backflips on her bladder. He had been unusually active for the past few days and kept her up at nights as he squirmed about, making his presence known.

What is giving him all this energy all of a sudden?

According to her last visit, he was a healthy and growing baby which Sakura saw as not having any abnormalities. Besides his change in behavior, it was good news for her that he was alright and that her stringent care for her body has been fruitful. Seeing as how her feet were starting to ache, she gave in to the advice that maybe she should sit down. Shikamaru guided her to a bench where he eased her down upon.

"Are you hungry or something? I can get some water and sushi."

"That actually doesn't sound half bad. I'll take salmon."

"Ok. Don't move." Temari tapped her belly abviously. "Right." With that he left her sitting by herself with her hands in her lap. She watched the people that passed her by, some greeting her as they strolled with their families down the busy street. It was peaceful looking at the world from this angle on a bench. She was fine for a while until that odd feeling came back and she began to get a little nervous.

"Maybe I should go find sh-" Her sentence was cut off by a sharp pain that felt like a knife cutting at her cervix. She had forgotten to breath after she sucked in some air to wait out the pain. It was about 10 seconds of pressure until her body finally let up and left her gasping for breath. "Something is wrong…." Waiting patiently before causing a commotion, the pain never returned and she figured that it was best not to alert Shikamaru until she felt it again. It could just be a random occurance. When he came back with food, she masked her tense face as they ate and then continued on their journey through the festival.

It was nothing I guess...

...

"We're going to the compound?" They had been out all day and the sun was giving it's last performance in the distance as they headed for the Nara residence. They weren't alone but walking with hundreds of people heading in the same direction.

"Yea….remember what I said my family does as part of the festival?"

"Oh yea…opening the forest."

"Yea. I thought…it would be nice to take you." They walked towards the compound where it was decorated in bright lanterns and streamers. It looked like they were preparing for a party but the people never went inside. The mass was walking around to where the forest was. Spread across the lawn where hundreds of people preparing to send off balloon lanterns that would float in the nightsky as a symbol of good wishes. Temari was in aw at how the grassy area looked like it was lit up by large fireflies.

"I'd like to do that…"

"I thought you would." He ushered her over to where one his cousins were handing them out to the passerbyers and Shikamaru eased his way around the table to grab one. When he came around, they found a spot in the center of the people.

"Only one?"

"It's um…one per family…."

"Oh. So we're a family?"

"Are we?..."

"I suppose we are…" They both looked into the center as he lit the small candle. "People usually make a wish before letting them go. The trick is, your suppose to wish for something for someone else."

"Oh ok…Do I have to say it?"

"Nah." He tapped his fingers to his temple and she got the message. "When you're ready, tell me. They let go a bunch once and hour and we got here just in time." Temari gave a firm nod before closing her eyes and holding onto the latern from her side.

A wish huh?...sounds cheese but I'll try it…..hmmm

She deliberated all the possibilities, wishing Gaara success as Hokage, Kankuro to come home after every mission, but nothing seemed right. They all were to specific and so she struggled to find a way to encompass all of those into one and she finally got it.

I wish for better days…

It seemed fitting coming from all that she had gone through and the uncertain future. Her only hope was that things continued to get better even if it took a while. When it was set, she opened her eyes to find him staring at her from the other side. His dark eyes were glowing under the reflection of the fire, giving him a magical aura. For once he didn't look like that pathetic crybaby she had known, or that indifferent asshole she had come to accept. His eyes were full of energy like it was sucking it from the air around him and it left her starstruck.

"Ready?"

"Yea…" The crowd began to count down. "3…2…1!" And suddenly the air was filled it floating lanterns like earthly stars that had been let go into the heavens. As she looked up, she couldn't help but smile in wonder at the beautiful simplicity. It was the closest thing to sending a message to heaven and for a moment and she imagined her mother catching her lantern and listening to the message it contained. She probably would have liked something like this. When she met Shikamaru's eyes again, he opened his mouth about to say something when she was hit by another blinding pain in her abdomen. Something was wrong. Falling to her knees, she was caught by Shikamaru who looked at her like she was dying but it hit her that this was no time to be struck with fear. There was another constriction followed by the sensation of peeing on herself and the contents were running down her legs. Gripping his hand tightly as she clenched her teeth there was only one thing to declare. This was exactly what she was reading about days before. Her water just broke and in front of a large crowd of people who were now captivated by her difficulties. There really was no turning back now.

"Shik-shikamaru…the baby….the baby is coming."