Chapter Twelve: Sensei's An Uncle

Temari pushed her bed-addled hair back from her face as she leaned against the kitchen counter, her elbows resting on the cool stone. The telephone in her right hand squawked loudly enough for Shikamaru to hear as he scooped coffee grounds into the filter beside her. Every time his fiancé would open her mouth, the electronic noise on the other end would cut her off before she had time to speak. Finally, she pressed her free palm onto the countertop. "'Ro, 'Ro. Stop. I love you, okay? But you can't keep calling me this early. You're killing me."

Shikamaru made an almost human sound from behind her. He nestled his head into the crook of her neck, wrapping his arms around her torso. This close, he could hear his future brother-in-law complaining on the other end of the line.

"Tema, this is important. This is literally an international affair. You need to help me out, here!"

"Kankuro. It is six in the morning, which means it's five in Suna." Temari sighed. "Now, I'm only going to say this once. I couldn't care less if the flowers have snapdragons or heather. So, please, don't call me until after nine. You have got to let us sleep."

"Okay, but before I let you go, do you think we need to offer a vegetarian option at the-"

"Goodbye, Kankuro."

Temari set the phone back on its stand, ending the call. She groaned and rubbed her face with her hands, trying to push away the fatigue. One thing was certain; they were not morning people. How both her brothers ended up differently was beyond her. The weight on her shoulder increased, and she rolled her eyes at being used as support. When she heard him snore, she realized that he had fallen asleep and wasn't just going deadweight against her. "Shika." She reached up and moved his head from her shoulder, jolting him awake.

"Right," he mumbled, stumbling once as he came back to consciousness. "Coffee." He moved away from her and opened one of the sparse cabinets, withdrawing two ceramic mugs.

"I'm disconnecting our phone," she informed him, glaring at the mount on the wall. "I move to a different nation and they still manage to follow me."

When Shikamaru laughed, it was a hoarse sound. "If Gaara weren't Kazekage, I think they'd've moved, too."

Temari groaned. "Stop it. You're not allowed to be right before the sun comes up."

"Sorry," he smirked, handing her a mug full of brown liquid. He followed along behind her as she walked out to the porch. The morning air was crisp, and she couldn't stop herself from shivering. The temperature changes would take a while to get used to.

"Do you work?" she asked, taking a seat on the wood as she let her calves dangle above the grass.

"Not today. Lady Tsunade is visiting a civilian hospital with Shizune and Sakura; they'll be gone a couple of days. Sakura suggested it to increase relations between the village and local settlements."

"It can't hurt," Temari agreed as she sipped her coffee. "But won't you be needed when she's gone?"

"No. Thankfully, that isn't my job." Shikamaru set his mug down and untied a strap of leather from around his wrist. He held it between his teeth as he gathered his hair between his hands before tying it off. He gave his head a slight shake to make sure his hair was secure.

From inside the house, the telephone rang.

Temari seethed, glaring at the interior of her home. Shikamaru held up a hand before getting to his feet, intending to save the caller from her wrath. "Nara residence," he yawned into the receiver.

"Oh, Shikamaru, you're awake," Sakura's startled voice spoke. "I was going to leave a voicemail."

"Well, I'm up, so might as well tell me."

"Ino's right; you're mean in the morning."

He sighed in exasperation, prompting her to continue.

"Lady Tsunade wants you to send someone from your clan down here. The hospital needs medical supplies, so you just need to worry about the antlers and picking a squad. We're on the boarder of Tea Country, off the Hanguri Gulf. I've arranged for the rest of the supplies to be ready at the hospital this afternoon."

It was way too early for this, but he wasn't going to blame the messenger. "Right. I think Ensui's around somewhere, so I'll send him. I'll probably get Hana Inuzuka, too; that'll make it easier to locate you. And, I don't know, Saisu Kamano. Yeah, that'll work."

"I mean, I don't really have an opinion…"

"Thinking out loud," Shikamaru clarified. "And Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't call here before nine, okay?" He rubbed his eyes by pinching the bridge of his nose. With a short "Hm," he hung up the phone. Dammit, why did everyone think he was a morning person? "Can we get rid of the phone? I hate the damned thing."

"Unfortunately, not," Temari told him as she walked back inside in search of coffee. "Even if we ignore your irrational fear of technology, we need to accept the fact that we are, sadly, very important people."

"That's a shitty answer."

"It's the one you're getting; I'm not building an aviary in our house."

"That's fair." He couldn't keep himself from thinking how much easier it would make things, but he didn't push the subject. It was hyperbolic, anyway. "Tsunade needs medical supplies and wants me to send a squad by this afternoon."

"Easy enough."

"Does Ino still 'have dibs?'"

Temari snorted. "Yeah. She's not letting me out of it. I'm sick of answering wedding questions, already. I can't wait until my citizenship is transferred so I can go on missions."

Shikamaru frowned. "You know you can't-"

"Before the baby comes," she finished for him. "Believe me, I know. He doesn't let me forget it."

"He?"

"It's a boy, I know it. He gives me too much grief to be a girl." He chuckled, and she narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Hearing you talk like that. It's weird. I'm not used to it."

"You think I'm bad? You haven't had to talk to Gaara about it yet."

"Uncle Gaara," Shikamaru mused. "Yeah, that's bizarre."

"We need to talk about when we should tell your friends. Everyone I care about knowing already knows."

"Your family, Choji, Ino, my parents. Sakura by default. That's pretty much everyone," he hesitated, his eyebrows raising when he realized he missed someone. "Kurenai. Oh, shit, I haven't told Kurenai. She'll kill me if she finds out from someone else."

"So, beat them to it."

"I will. I'll go over after I send out the squad. I don't want to risk waking Mirai. I don't think she'd ever forgive me." He didn't feel the need to mention that he'd be stopping by Asuma's grave on the way. Although Temari respected his beliefs about death, Suna nin weren't half as sentimental by nature.

"Then we'll let Ino run wild?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Temari walked out of the kitchen and sat down on their brand-new couch, an early wedding gift from a distant cousin. "Wake me up when Ino gets here?"

"She'll let herself in, don't worry. I need to get dressed and tuck some antlers away for Tsunade." He stopped beside her to give her a quick peck.

"Have fun," she joked, knowing that he was dreading work.

"You, too," he countered; she was as reluctant to start her day as he was.

With a flick of his wrist, Shikamaru closed his lighter and stuck it in his pocket. He bent over and placed the lit cigarette on Asuma's headstone. The end of his own glowed as he breathed in, and he exhaled a long cloud of smoke before sitting, cross-legged, on the grass in front of the grave. "Sorry it's been a while," he mused, tilting his head back to look at the sky. He smiled slightly, snorting a quiet laugh through his nose. "It's almost like I'm afraid you're going to come back and kick my ass for this one. But," he flicked the ashes onto the grass, "if you're not haunting me yet, I think I'm in the clear."

"You know Temari. The Suna princess, spiky hair, giant fan? Who am I kidding, of course you do. You're never gonna let me live down that dumb exam." With a shake of his head, he looked down at the headstone in front of him. "My dad told me about his bet with Tsunade. Knowing you, you had money on it, too. Maybe I'll send Kurenai to collect if you won." He took another drag of his cigarette. "You're a lot harder to talk to now than you were, you know that?"

He paused, almost expecting the grave to argue with him. "We're getting married. Me and Temari, I mean. Soon. I, ah…" his voice dropped to a mutter, like a scolded child, "I knocked her up." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. What was it that made Asuma seem so much more intense in death? He'd worry about that another time. Might as well push through.

"She thinks it's a boy. I'd say I'd name him after you, but we have that dumb tradition. Maybe a middle name."

In his mind, a voice that sounded like Asuma's made a quip about him finally getting off his ass just to get the Suna princess pregnant. He laughed to himself. The voice wasn't technically wrong.

"I wish you could see Ino right now. She's in heaven. Between the wedding and the baby, she might end up moving into my house. It's a good thing that she and Temari are friends, now. I'm pretty sure that Temari would have strangled anyone else by now."

"They gang up on me, you know that? I know I did it to myself, but damn. I can't catch a break. Were Kurenai and Anko like that? It's infuriating. They know when I tune them out, too. See, this is why I said I didn't want to get married. It's just a lot of trouble."

Smoke tendrils drifted through the air as he thought. "But," he spoke finally, "I think it'll be worth it." He reached down and brushed the ashes off of the marble, making sure to put out the cigarette butt just to be sure. "Now, I have to go tell Kurenai. Wish me luck, sensei."

It was surprising to see that Kurenai had left her front door open. She usually wasn't that careless, especially with how fast Mirai had become. Now that she was sure on her feet, she couldn't be stopped. Shikamaru used to think it was cute, but now he realized he'd be on the other end of the situation soon enough. Good lord, his child would become a rogue nin as a toddler with how little attention Shikamaru paid to his surroundings most of the time. That was something to work on.

Shikamaru stopped on the front steps and knocked against the open door. "Kurenai?" he called into the house.

"Shika!" a small voice screeched, and unevenly paced footsteps thudded down the hall. Mirai made it into the living room before she tripped over her own feet. She didn't cry. She pushed herself back up and began running again, fearless as she was. Shikamaru picked her up with a grin, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Where's your mom, Mirai?" Shikamaru asked the child. She shook her head and pressed her face into his neck.

Hurried footfalls sounded once again, and Shikamaru turned his attention back to the living room. A harried Hinata stood at the end of the hall, leaning against the wall with her hand over her heart. "Oh, thank goodness," she panted, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "I thought she was with me. She just disappeared!"

"Easy, Hinata," he soothed, walking into the house. "She's fine. Where's Kurenai?"

"She went to the store."

"Any idea when she'll be back? I wanted to talk to her."

"Is it about Temari?" Hinata asked. The surprise on Shikamaru's face hurried her to explain. "I didn't mean to pry. It's just that she's the only new thing I know going on in your life."

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad."

"Oh, good," she sighed in relief. "I really like her, you know. Well, you might not… I'm not good with people. Maybe I'm wrong, but I like to think we're friends."

"She's not good with people, either," Shikamaru laughed. "But don't let her scare you. She barks a lot more than she bites. As far as I know, she likes you, too. She just doesn't really talk about things like that." Mirai struggled in his arms, and he set her down. "Ino's been driving her crazy with the wedding. You could spend some time with them doing whatever Ino's cooked up. You might just keep Temari from losing her mind."

"I'd really like that."

"Ino came and got her at about eleven to go dress shopping. It's what, two? Knowing Ino, they're probably still there. If you want, I can stay here with Mirai until Kurenai gets back."

Hinata's eyes shone. "Really? Wow, thanks, Shikamaru!"

"Don't mention it."

Hinata gave Mirai a kiss on the top of her head and grabbed her jacket, tugging it on as she walked out the door. "See you later!"

Shikamaru sat down on the floor, across from Mirai. "You're one loved kid, you know that?" he grinned, ruffling her hair with his hand. "Can you keep a secret?" The toddler looked up at him with wide, red eyes and nodded. Shikamaru leaned in conspiratorially. "You're going to have a cousin."

"Cousin?" Mirai squinted, trying to understand the word. She brightened. "Kono!"

"Yeah, like Konohamaru. But you're going to have another one. Your Uncle Shikamaru is getting married, and then you'll have Auntie Temari, and she's going to have a baby."

Mirai jutted out her lower lip, crying indignantly, "No! I'm the baby!"

"You're right, kid," Shikamaru laughed. "But there can be more than one at a time."

"No!" Her small body couldn't handle her annoyance, and she balled her little hands into fists. "Go away!" She swung her left arm dramatically in the direction of the front door.

"Mirai, that isn't very nice," Kurenai scolded her daughter as she walked inside, a paper bag in each arm. Shikamaru got to his feet and took one of the bags from her, bringing it into the kitchen. "Where's Hinata?"

"She went to join Ino and Temari; they're dress shopping. She's too shy to ask to go, and Temari wouldn't think she wanted to go with them if she didn't ask." Shikamaru shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "We talked about it for a minute, and I told her I'd watch Mirai for her."

"That's sweet of you, Shikamaru," Kurenai smiled as she began to unload her groceries, her daughter clinging to the hem of her dress. "That'll mean a lot to Hinata. She wants to be friends with everyone, but she has a hard time with dominant personalities."

"I've noticed." He couldn't keep himself from thinking of Naruto. Poor Hinata had only just gotten over the habit of fainting when he startled her.

"So, what brings you to our side of the village?"

Oh, yeah. He was here for a reason. "I have something to tell you, and I didn't want you to hear it from anyone else."

"Temari's pregnant?" Kurenai giggled at the shocked expression on his face. "The door was open; the entire street could hear Mirai. Although, I'm a little offended that you told her before you told me."

Shikamaru chuckled awkwardly, searching for something to do with his hands. "Yeah. Sorry about that. She didn't take it as well as I thought she would."

"Have you told Asuma?" The way she said it, as though it was a natural thing to do, was touching. Maybe it was because the previous generation had lost so much more than his had, but they were more receptive to the idea of an afterlife. So many had died so young that anything else would be a cruelty.

"I went by on my way here," he assured her. "If he hasn't kicked my ass yet, I don't think he will."

"Of course not. He's happy for you." Kurenai turned away from the open cabinet, pausing in her unpacking. "When you were working on the chunin exams, he'd say," she put on her best impression of Asuma, which was terrifyingly accurate, "'Shikamaru needs to get his head out of his ass and make a move, already. It's only a matter of time before Suna tries to marry her off.'"

Shikamaru blanched. "That was way too good."

Kurenai laughed. "We were teammates; I'm sure you could do a pretty good Choji or Ino by now."

"Fair point."

"Although," her voice became stern, "if I catch you smoking around Temari or the baby, I'll be a thousand times worse on you than I was on Asuma. You know better."

"If she doesn't get to me first." If only he was joking.

"Mirai's outgrown most of her baby things. You're welcome to them."

"Thanks, but Temari's convinced it's a boy. She says he gives her too much grief to be a girl."

Kurenai laughed out loud, earning a curious look from the toddler at her feet. "Well, they'll be able to tell her soon enough. Just let me know."

"I will."

Shikamaru was caught off guard when Kurenai hugged him. He'd outgrown her by quite a margin, and it was strange, but he didn't mind. He hugged her back. She pulled away and placed her hands on his cheeks, her red eyes full of fondness. "I'm proud of you, Shikamaru. So is Asuma. You've grown up to be a good man." She hugged him once more for emphasis. When she released him, she patted his arm. "Now, go find those three before Ino convinces them to spend Suna's entire budget."

"What a drag," he complained.

"Don't say that about your own wedding."

"Yeah, yeah." He gave a wave over his shoulder as he slumped out of the house in search of his fiancée.