Chapter 3: Bad energies

Shikamaru exhaled in relief.

"Done." He had finally finished assembling the cradle of his unborn child. "That's perfect. Not even her can complain now."

"Who can't complain?" Asked Temari, suddenly getting inside the room, holding a big glass of water, which she reached out to him.

Shikamaru grabbed the glass an took a good sip, avoiding the question. Even if now, with the 32 weeks pregnancy, Temari's mood swings had cooled down, she still was getting really emotional sometimes for no reason. If he told her he was talking about her... His kid would born fatherless.

Lucky for him, Temari was been incredibly distracted. Her attention was already on the cradle.

"So cute. It's perfect, babe." She said with a smile.

"You think?"

"Yeah, the baby will love it. I can feel." Temari placed her hand over the swollen belly.

Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino, walked in.

"Oh, look, the cradle! You asse.. You need to change it right away." She said.

"What? Why?!" Shikamaru exclamed.

"The feng shui is all wrong! Your kid is gonna grow up stressed." Yoshino explained.

Shikamaru chuckled and turned to exchange a conspiratorial look with Temari, but his wife was looking at his mother... Seeming very concerned about feng shui.

"Oh, no, no, no! Temari, don't listen to her."

"Shikamaru, oka-san knows more about raising a child than we do. We have to listen." Said Temari, walking in her ducklike way to Yoshino.

"Thank you, dear. So, as I was saying, we can't let the cradle right under the shelf... The baby will feel suffocated. And it's good to put a picture of you two over the cradle, so the kid can associate your image with comfort." Spoke his mom, nonstop.

"Right. I knew something was missing on the wall." Temari agreed, putting a hand on her face and frowning.

Shikamaru stared to the two women he loved, reactionless.

"And the door! The cradle can't stay turned back to it, because everyone will give the baby a fright when walk in... But it also can't be facing it directly, so the bad energies can reach it."

"So, basically, you're saying we should put it on the ceiling, right?" Shikamaru asked sarcastically.

"And you shouldn't be act all sarcastic in your kid'a bedroom, Shikamaru, do you want to bring bad energies here?" Yoshino scolded.

Temari stared at him with accusation in her eyes.

"And the colors... You shouldn't paint it all with just won't color. Green is a good color, but it would be better if we added some lilac on the details." Yoshino kept going. Temari kept nodding.

"Oh, my, oka-san. I'm so happy for you being here. Now that you pointed it all... I feel such a bad energy here. It's oppressive!" Temari said, breathless.

"I know, right? Sit down, honey, I will get you a fan and water." Yoshino went out to the room.

"I'm so thankful for your mother." Temari said again, as she sat down on a armchair aimed towards the cradle.

Shikamaru eyed her. "You can't be serious."

"Why? Can't you feel how heavy this bedroom is?!"

"You said it was perfect a minute ago!"

"Well, that was before. Now even the baby is telling me that the room is all wrong."

"That's nonsense! What different does it make if the cradle is under the shelf or whatever?!" He almost screamed.

"Keep your voice down! Don't bring bad..."

"Temari, if you say 'energy' one more time..."

Temari teared up. That immediately calmed him down. Shikamaru took a deep breath.

"Sorry." He whispered, opening his arms. She nearly ran - or waddled faster - to him.

"You know... Just because I'm trying to be a good mom..." Temari whined on his chest.

"It's okay, it's okay. I know. I know." Shikamaru comforted her, petting her hair.

"Shikamaru... The cradle..." She said.

He sighed. "Yeah, I get it already. I'm moving it." He let go of her and grabbed the cradle.

"Oh, honey..."

"What?"

"I would appreciate if you do not drag it. Can you... Use your shadows?"

Shikamaru sighed again. "Hai, hai."

"Just 'hai' it's good enough. Let's not teach the baby bad habits."

The man though about arguing that the baby probably wasn't listening but decided it was useless.

"Hai." He said, creating a few shadow hands that lifted the cradle up. "So where should I put it?"

Temari thought for a moment. "Over there, near the window."

"Okay."

"Oh, honey..."

He squinted his eyes. "What?"

"Please put the head of the crib against the wall, rather than lengthwise."

"Whatever you want."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No."

"So are you unhappy?"

"Of course not." He placed the cradle where she had told him to.

"Oh, see?! That's way better! I can feel a lot of good energy in this bedroom!" Said Shikamaru's mom, coming back to the room holding out a glass of water and a fan for Temari.

Her daughter-in-law took them and nodded.

"I think we need just a bit more of balance, now. If we paint the footer and the furniture..."

Shikamaru stared at them again, without saying anything. He remembered the time he asked his after why in the world he had chosen someone as troublesome as Yoshino to be his wife. Shikaku had answered something about Yoshino being able to smile gently even if she was so strict.

At that time, he didn't get it at all. But now, seeing Temari's face light up as she and his mother discussed about "stealing energy" and "balance"... Nope, he still thought his dad was nuts.

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"Shikamaru, I'm sorry I made you change the whole bedroom." Temari said later that night.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's okay. That feng shui thing is important to you, right?"

"Yeah... I get really worried when it's about choosing what's better for my baby."

Shikamaru eyed her. "Your baby?"

"Okay, okay, our baby."

Shikamaru yawned. It was close to midnight and that woman wasn't even sleepy. Pregnant women weren't supposed to fall sleep all the time?

"And I was thinking..."

"That's great, but can we hold this conversation until tomorrow morning? Unlike you, I've spent the whole day dragging a cradle around."

Even in the dark, he saw her eyes get wider.

"You DRAGGED it?! Shikamaru, that is so not shui! The bad energies..."

Shikamaru wrapped the pillow around his ears.

"Please, Temari, tomorrow we can get a priest to exorcise the bedroom, an obedientiary... We can get even that Jashinist dude if you want... But, please, let's just go to sleep now."

"Okay. Sorry." She agreed.

"Thank you."

After a moment: "Oh, honey..."

"Yes, Temari?"

"What is a Jashinist?"

"Temari..."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Go to sleep."

Another moment later: "Oh, honey..."

"Yes?" He sighed.

"... Nothing. Go to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay..."

"It's just... No, forget it."

"Geez, Temari! Just say it already."

"Well... I'm starving and I think the baby is hungry too. Could you...?"

Shikamaru was already out off bed. "Understood. A sandwich is fine?"

"Yes, it's perfect. Thank you, babe."

Shikamaru waved before leaving the bedroom.

"So the baby can't learn 'bad habits' like sarcasm but midnight snacks are okay?" He wondered to himself while prepared the sandwich.

He was so sleepy that almost chopped his finger off while sliced the bread, but managed somehow to prepare a decent snack. Shikamaru put on a plate then went back to the bedroom.

"Hey, Temari, we're out cheese so I..." He stopped talking when saw that his wife was completely asleep.

The shinobi sighed heavily and placed the plate at the bed table before lying down beside her.

For a second, he thought about waking Temari up, but her sleeping face was so lovely and calm that he just couldn't.

"You know," he thought to himself "I think oldman's insanity was hereditary."

Still completely asleep, Temari grabbed his hand and nuzzled on it.

"Shikamaru, I love you." She breathed in her sleep.

Shikamaru was forced to smile. He pulled her closer and closed his eyes, ready to - finally - sleep.

"Troublesome woman."