Dearest Readers,

Another time lapse…fun stuff.

Read on, Cherubs.

Over and out.

Dawn of a New Life

They were depressed…flat-out. They were forced to come back to the village 3 weeks ago after failing to find Shikamaru. What was even more depressing was that they were so close to him at one point, but they didn't know he was near them until it was too late.

"We were so close to him…." Ino said miserably, even Sasuke feeling a bit upset that they didn't find Shikamaru. But the fact that Shikamaru was able to use his voice in such a way bugged him.

"Whoever he's with…must be someone who has a large amount of knowledge in terms of jutsu." Sasuke said slowly, drawing their attention.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, putting aside his rivalry with the Uchiha just for once.

"How was someone like him able to learn how to use his voice as a weapon? I've never heard of someone being able to do that."

"Same, I don't understand how he would be able to fuse chakra with his voice. But at the same time, how is he able to make his voice have physical affects on his opponents? It doesn't make any sense."

"However he learned to do it…that technique is dangerous. For all we know, each kind of song can have different affects on his opponents. He could've been going easy on us when he chose that particular song. Maybe some songs have less of a negative affect…but maybe some have a much more negative affect."

They thought about what Sasuke just said…thinking that maybe he was right…Shikamaru might've been going easy on them and that his voice is capable of more damage than what he let on back in the woods.

But one thing was for certain: whatever has happened in the past 2 years, it's changed Shikamaru…he's become stronger…but they weren't so sure if that was a good thing now that he wasn't a part of their village.

ItachiXShikamaru

Itachi sighed deeply as he heard Shikamaru vomit from the bathroom for the second time that morning. It's not even 7:00 yet. He was getting worried…very worried. Shikamaru's been getting up in the early hours of the morning everyday to vomit and he usually got sick a couple of times every morning. How long has this been going on? About 3 weeks maybe? At first he thought that Shikamaru had caught a stomach virus, but even after two weeks he wasn't better. So it must be something more than a stomach virus…but what? He didn't know a lot about medicine, but he knew that Shikamaru needed to see a doctor…but he knew that Shikamaru hated going to the doctor.

He heard the toilet flush and Shikamaru brush his teeth again. Normally, Itachi would be with him, but Shikamaru told him to not bother anymore since it was happening so frequently. Shikamaru turned off the light and walked back to bed, slipping under the covers and into Itachi's arms again. He's running a fever.

"You need to go to a doctor, Love." He said quietly, stroking his brown hair.

"It'll pass."

"That's what you said 3 weeks ago." Shikamaru hesitated…he had a point…and he felt like crap.

"Let's give it another week." Shikamaru mumbled, feeling himself go back to sleep quickly.

"No, Love, this needs to be taken care of quickly. It's lasted 3 weeks so it could be something very serious…please go." Shikamaru heard the deep worry in Itachi's voice and he sighed quietly…he hated going to the doctor.

"Fine…I'll go. I'll make an appointment with someone in the small village today." Itachi laid a kiss on top of his head.

"Thank you."

ItachiXShikamaru

Shikamaru sat in an armchair near the fireplace, wrapped in one of Itachi's sweaters. He somehow made it to the village and made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow morning…and he somehow made it back, vomited, and is now stuffing his face again.

"What are you eating?" Deidara asked, sitting near him. He's not looking to good. Shikamaru yawned and used one hand to wrap the sweater tighter around him.

"Rice, peanut butter, and mustard." He said simply, taking a bite. Deidara felt sick to his stomach at the disgusting combination of food. How the hell can he eat that? That's disgusting!

"Oh…that's…interesting." He said standing and walking quickly to the nearest bathroom in case he got sick. He passed Itachi in the hallway and stopped him.

"Munchkin has a gross taste in foods."

"Why do you say that?"

"Rice, peanut butter, and mustard…don't know about you, but I find that really disgusting." Itachi raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"He's actually eating that?"

"He's eating a whole bowl of it. Excuse me, I think I'm going to be sick." He watched Deidara disappear down the hallway and went to find Shikamaru, confused about his sense of taste.

"Did you make an appointment with the doctor?" He asked sitting in the seat that Deidara occupied minutes earlier. Shikamaru nodded, taking another bite of his disgusting food combination.

"That's an…interesting combination you have there." He observed, causing Shikamaru to look up at him and shrug.

"I think it is too, but it's actually pretty good."

"What made you decide to put those things together?"

"I don't know. I just wanted it."

ItachiXShikamaru

He sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office, feeling like he was going to keel over at any given moment. He felt like crap and he wanted to know why.

"Shikamaru Nara?" A kind voice above him said, making him look up and smile gently as he stood. "Come on back." The doctor closed the door behind him as Shikamaru sat shakily in the nearest seat.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked, sitting on his stood and facing him.

"I've been vomiting a couple times everyday, but only in the mornings and I've kind of been feeling…'blah'…know what I mean?" The doctor nodded thoughtfully, having an idea of what was wrong. He stood and opened the door.

"Come with me, I'm going to run a quick test and see if that'll tell us what's going on." Shakily, Shikamaru stood and followed the doctor to another room with a large machine in it.

"Alright, just hop up there, lie down, and lift your shirt about one foot." He said, turning the machine on and Shikamaru did as he was told. The doctor pulled out a small bottle a squirted some of its contents onto his gloved hand.

"This is going to be cold, but it helps the machine get a better look inside." Shikamaru jumped slightly at the coldness. Why does it have to be so cold?

The doctor then pulled out a device that was attached to the machine and placed it on Shikamaru's stomach, moving it around. His eyes scanned the screen carefully, looking for a particular shape. A small smile graced his lips when he found the shape he was looking for. He turned the screen so that Shikamaru could see and pointed to a black dot.

"See that right there?" He asked and Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"It's an embryo." The word floated into his mind, not really comprehending it at first…and then it clicked. Embryo? As in…baby?

"A what?" He asked stupidly, making the doctor chuckle lightly.

"An embryo…that's the medical term for a baby that hasn't reached the 8 week mark yet. So in other words: you're pregnant."

"But…but, last time I checked…I'm a guy and guys can't get pregnant."

"The majority of the male species can't, but there have been a few reported cases of male pregnancies." Shikamaru didn't know what to think. A baby? How's Itachi going to take this?

"I know it's a shock, but it'll wear off eventually. I would like to see you again in a few weeks just for a check-up to make sure everything is going smoothly, okay?" The doctor said as he wiped the jell off and Shikamaru pulled down his shirt and sat up, placing a hand on his stomach.

This…changes a lot of things. He not only had to consider Itachi's reaction…but the other Akatsuki members as well. He didn't know what to do and the scariest part of this situation was how Itachi was going to react to the news of becoming a father.

ItachiXShikamaru

He crawled into bed as soon as he got back to the base. He wrapped the covers tightly around him, placing a hand over his stomach again. There's a baby growing inside of him…right now. He heard the door open and close quietly and felt Itachi sit next to him, laying a hand on his hip.

"How did it go?" He asked quietly and Shikamaru slowly rolled over, untangled himself from the covers and crawled onto Itachi's lap. He looked up at his dark eyes, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest.

"It…it was…." He couldn't find the words and Itachi's worry heightened. He brushed his fingertips against the side of Shikamaru's face, worry etched in his features.

"What did he say, Love?" Shikamaru gently bit his lower lip, scared to death that Itachi would get angry and make him leave. His eyes grew wet at this thought and he looked away as a small sob escaped his lips. Itachi was on the verge of panicking. What's going on? It must be more serious than I thought if he's having such a hard time telling me about it. Shikamaru looked back up at him after wiping his eyes.

"P-please don't leave me." He said quietly, tears running down his face. Leave? What the hell is he talking about? Itachi held Shikamaru's face in his hands, using his thumbs to brush away his tears.

"Love, whatever it is, it's not going to change how I feel about you and it won't make me leave you. I'd rather die than leave you." Shikamaru looked deep into the Uchiha's eyes, seeing that he was being completely honest. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I…I-I'm pregnant." Itachi's eyes widened slightly at this. Pregnant? But how could he be? It does explain why he's been getting sick every morning and why he's always tired and his gross cravings…but how? He was shocked to say the least: Shikamaru was pregnant…and he was going to be a father. He actually found that he kind of liked the sound of that…being a father. He stroked Shikamaru's face, a small smile on his face.

"Love, while I am very surprised, I have no intentions of leaving you." Shikamaru was flooded with relief; he didn't seem upset.

"Y-you're not angry?"

"Why would I be angry, Love? I kind of like sound of being a father." A wide smile broke across Shikamaru's face, his eyes sparkling brightly. He likes the sound of being a father…he's not angry.

Two questions remain: how would the other members react and were they ready to become parents?

ItachiXShikamaru

They decided to hold off on telling the others about the pregnancy until it was necessary to do so. But it was getting difficult because Shikamaru's figure was starting to change…and he was pissed about that.

"Munchkin, have you had any bizarre food combinations today?" Deidara asked, flopping down in a seat in front of him; Kisame, Zetsu, and Itachi were sitting across the room.

"Let's see: I had some tea with some hot sauce and pepper in it, that's really good."

"I'll pass thanks."

"Then I had ramen mixed with vinegar, lime juice, and apple sauce."

"You sick child." Kisame said from across the room as Deidara began to feel nausea.

"You're putting on weight, Kid." Zetsu observed, noticing that Shikamaru's hips have gotten wider and he's gotten rounder around the middle. Shikamaru locked eyes with Itachi, silently asking if they should tell them about the pregnancy. The Uchiha nodded slightly and Shikamaru turned his attention back to Zetsu.

"In my defense: it's not my fault that I'm putting on weight around the hips."

"You're putting weight on around the middle too." Deidara added.

"That's different."

"How so?"

"Well, it's all Itachi's fault that I'm getting big."

"Don't blame this on me." Itachi said, joining the conversation.

"Well 'technically' it is your fault." Shikamaru retorted, smiling at him.

"How is it Itachi's fault that you're putting on weight?" Kisame asked, gaining Shikamaru's attention.

"I gave him cravings." Itachi said, pretending to be miserable.

"How do you…." Zetsu started, but then stopped; the only thing that would make sense right now…Shikamaru getting bigger…Itachi 'giving' him cravings…Itachi being at 'fault'. A shock expression appeared on his face as he looked at Shikamaru.

"What's up, Zetsu?" Kisame asked, noticing his change in expression. Zetsu felt his lips curl into a smile.

"Congrats." He said, leaning back in his seat.

"You're not angry?"

"Why would I be, Child?"

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Deidara butted in, looking between them.

"They won't be angry either, Child." Zetsu said and Shikamaru turned to Deidara, smiling lightly.

"I am with child." It took a moment for Deidara to understand what he meant before his face lit up and whirled his head towards Itachi.

"You're going to be a Papa." He said, smiling widely. Kisame was surprised by this, but was glad that Itachi was going to stay with Shikamaru to raise the child. Itachi becoming a father…who would've thought that would happen?

"Don't call me 'Papa'." Itachi said flatly, but a playful look gleamed in his eyes.

"How about 'Daddy'?"

"No."

"Father?"

"No."

"Master?"

"Hell no."

"Captain?"

"No, Deidara."

"You ruled out all of the cool names a kid can call their father!" Deidara said exasperatedly, making them all laugh lightly.

"How far are you along?" Kisame asked.

"About a month now."

"So that's why you were feeling crappy." Deidara realized, making Shikamaru laugh again.

"Yeah, thank God most of that's over with."

"What do you want it to be?" Shikamaru shrugged and looked over at Itachi.

"We're not picky. Doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl, we'll love them just the same."

Deidara, Kisame, and Zetsu absorbed this information slowly. Ever since Shikamaru came to Akatsuki, Itachi's changed…in a good way. He was no longer cold and emotionless, but instead showed emotions that they didn't know he had, even though he was still quiet and calm. As the thought of having a baby around starting to sink in, they found that they liked the idea. They were murderers, traitors, and everything along those lines, but that doesn't mean they can't have feelings. They noticed that not only having Shikamaru around change Itachi…he's changed them as well. They still pick on each other, but they were nicer to each other now…which was weird for them.

They also knew what things would change once the baby was born: Shikamaru and Itachi wouldn't go on missions as often as they do and they'll most likely end up leaving the base eventually…maybe. It was too far away to tell.

But no matter what happened from here on out, they supported Itachi and Shikamaru. If Itachi was as protective of Shikamaru as he is now, he's going to get even more protective through the course of the pregnancy and once the baby's born…he'll be the most protective person on the face of the earth.

But they felt that Itachi's protectiveness would be one of the many qualities that he'll have to make him a good father.

ItachiXShikamaru

^_^ I happy.

Reviews please!

When-Rabbit-Howls