Hey guys. This is a story I came up with at work one day. Has nothing to do with work, I just suddenly thought of it at work. It's a oneshot, so there won't be any more chapters to it, and it's also shorter. I hope it doesn't feel too rushed, but I didn't really plan on making this one too hectic. Hope you still enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea and the characters belong to Kishimoto and Mashima Sensei.

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Shikadai had been on several missions since he became a genin. Not very many outside the village, but plenty of ones in the village. He's babysat, walked dogs, cleaned yards and gardens, helped older women with shopping, but the mission he was on now was the most troublesome one he had ever done. The problem? This mission was one given to him not by the village, but by his own dad.

"Shikamaru, it's been years since we've gone on an actual family vacation. I think the last time we did was when Shikadai was five," Temari complained.

Shikadai sighed as he listened to his mother yell at his father... again. He still didn't know why his father actually married a troublesome woman like his mother, but everytime he asked, his father just said something about being gentle to him or something like that. He still didn't fully understand.

"Temari, you're eight, almost nine, months pregnant. We can't just go on a vacation when you're that far along," Shikamaru countered.

There it was. The reason his father gave him his mission. He had asked Shikadai to stay by his mother's side when he wasn't on missions because his father was worried about his mother. He knew his mother was a great shinobi, and not just because she's put him on his butt on more than one occasion during training. She didn't need a babysitter, and she made that very clear when she wanted to.

Temari put her fists on her hips, her very large stomach protruding very noticeably. "And why not? I'm pregnant, Shikamaru, not injured. Once this baby comes, we won't have time to do anything. Sure we'll have Shikadai to help us this time around, but you're going to be here with Naruto most of the time, and I'll be busy with the baby. Now is probably the only time we could take one."

"Actually, he can have the time off whenever he wants," Naruto said.

Shikadai sighed again. Did they really need to do this in the Hokage's office? He could see the uncomfortable look on Naruto's face as his parents argued.

"Oh really?" Temari questioned, turning her glare on the other blonde in the room.

Naruto flinched and sat back in his chair, which made Shikadai chuckle a bit, but he immediately regretted it as Temari turned her glare on him.

"And that's another thing," Temari said as she turned back to Shikamaru. "Why the heck hasn't Shikadai had any missions the last few days? He's been following me around like a lost puppy."

Shikamaru reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, slightly looking away from his angry wife. "I wanted him to stay with you since you're so close to your due date."

Temari narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her large stomach. "I'm still a week away from that, and besides, this is your child we're talking about. She'll probably be too lazy to be born on her due date just like Shikadai was."

"Temari..." Shikamaru tried, but Temari once again cut him off.

"Don't 'Temari' me. I'm not a child, Shikamaru. I don't need a babysitter."

"Look, Shikamaru, if it makes her happy, just take a few days and go on a small vacation," Naruto said.

Shikadai smiled at Naruto's attempt to calm his mother down.

Temari smiled at Naruto. "Thank you." She turned back to Shikamaru. "Shikadai and I will go home and pack. We'll leave first thing tomorrow."

Shikamaru sighed. "Fine. I'll be home as soon as we're done with this paperwork."

Temari nodded and turned to leave.

Shikadai took one more look at his father and saw how exhausted he looked. "You look like you could use a vacation anyway."

Shikamaru gave him a small smile. "Yeah, but I'd rather it not be when your mother's about to give birth to your sister. Troublesome woman."

"Shikadai!" Temari yelled from outside the office.

Shikadai's eyes went wide and he hurried out of the office, hearing his father chuckle as he did. Once he caught up to his mother, they made their way slowly back to the house. It took a few hours to pack, his mother constantly changing her mind on what she wanted to bring with them. When she was finally satisfied with everything, she went to make dinner, a hum on her lips, and he flopped down on the couch.

"Man, I hate pregnancies. Mom is way too troublesome like this." He stared at the ceiling for a little longer before he finally sat up and reached over to the side table where he left his gamescroll. He knew she wouldn't let him bring it with him, so he wanted to beat the level he was currently on now.

NNNNNNNNNN

Naruto smiled as he stood in front of the three Naras. "Have fun, and be careful out there."

"Of course we will," Temari said too happily.

Shikamaru and Shikadai both let a yawn escape their mouths. It was way too early for their tastes, but you didn't fight with a pregnant Temari if she wanted to go somewhere.

The train whistle sounded, letting everyone know that it was about to leave, and Shikadai picked up his mother's bag, which she made him carry along with his own, and followed his father onto the train.

"I still don't like this, Temari," Sakura said, a concerned look on her face. "I agree with Shikamaru. You shouldn't be going so close to your due date."

"I'm carrying a Nara, Sakura," Temari said as she walked onto the train. She stopped once she got on so she could speak to Sakura directly. "She probably won't even come in a week. You had to induce me with Shikadai, so more than likely you'll have to do the same with her."

"Yeah, but still," Sakura said, still not sounding convinced.

"We'll keep an eye on her," Shikamaru said as he placed his hand on Temari's hip.

Temari rolled her eyes. "I'll take it easy, don't worry."

"Ok," Sakura said, then gave them a smile. "Have fun."

"We will," Temari said, then the doors closed and the three made their way to their seats.

To say the train ride was boring was an understatement. Shikadai really wished his mother would've let him bring his gamescroll, but he was grateful when his father pulled out the traveling shogi board. He played a few rounds with his father and one against his mother, but he lost all rounds, then fell asleep as he saw his father start a game with his mother.

He was shaken awake, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his father looking down at him. "We've arrived," Shikamaru said.

Shikadai yawned, then got up and grabbed his and his mother's bags, and followed his father off the train. His mother had already departed. "Where'd mom go?"

"Said she had to use the bathroom. Apparently your sister was sitting on her bladder or something like that."

"This trip is going to be troublesome, isn't it," Shikadai asked, a bit of an annoyed tone in his voice.

Shikamaru chuckled. "I'm sure it will be fine. Your mom did promise she would take it easy, so we may actually get a relaxing and lazy vacation."

Shikadai gave his dad a look. "Dad, this is mom we're talking about. You know she's not actually going to take it that easy."

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

The two made their way to the bathrooms and waited for Temari to get out, then headed to the hotel they would be staying at. Once they were checked in and got their stuff put away, true to what Shikadai said, Temari dragged them out of the hotel.

The village they had come to was holding some sort of festival, but Shikadai didn't really care what it was for. He did have to admit that he liked seeing his parents actually spend time with each other, and he always loved when they held hands as they walked. He rarely saw his parents do any public displays of affection. Sure they kissed and cuddled at home, but seeing them together out in public was something entirely different.

They played a few games and bought some of the food at the stalls, then found a sit down, outside show. Shikadai wasn't too interested in it and could tell that his father wasn't too wild about it either, but his mother seemed to enjoy it.

The festival went on for a few days, and his mother really did take it easier than he thought she would. He also thought that maybe since the festival was over, she would let them just laze about the hotel room, but he was very wrong.

"You never get any time to train with your son. This is the perfect opportunity. One of the stall owners said there's a nice place in the forest not that far from here that would be perfect for some training," Temari said.

"You're supposed to be taking it easy, Temari," Shikamaru protested.

Temari frowned at him and crossed her arms. "I won't be doing the training. I'll sit and watch you two."

"And direct us on what to do," Shikadai said under his breath. He thought he was quiet enough that his mother wouldn't hear his comment, but the growing bump on his head told him that he was dead wrong.

"Watch it, young man," Temari said after hitting Shikadai on the head.

Shikadai gave his mother a small glare as he rubbed his sore head.

"Besides, the fresh air will be good for us," Temari said.

Shikamaru sighed and turned to Shikadai. "There's no getting out of it. I'm sure she made you pack your gear, right?"

"Yeah," Shikadai said and walked over to his bag. He really hoped she wouldn't make him train while on vacation, but this was his mother, so he should've expected it.

Temari smiled at them, then led the way out of the hotel and towards the spot in the forest.

Shikadai smiled again as his parents walked hand in hand. As troublesome as his mother was, he did like seeing the gentler side of her. He blinked a few times. 'So that's what he meant.' He kind of felt stupid that he hadn't realized it sooner.

The area they came to was a pretty good size, and Shikamaru helped Temari sit down by a tree in the shade before the two male Naras got to work.

After a few hours of training, they pulled the food out they brought with them to eat, and then they just laid or sat there talking and relaxing. Shikamaru had eventually laid down on Temari's leg, and Shikadai could see that he was talking to the baby in his mother's stomach every once in a while. He chuckled as he saw his mother smack his dad's head more than once, but the smile on her face made him happy.

Shikadai laid back on the grass and closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. This vacation wasn't that bad. He had to admit that he really missed when they did things like this. His dad really was way too busy at the Hokage's office and wished that he didn't have to work so much. 'Hopefully after Kairi is born, he'll take more time off.'

He listened to the wind blow through the trees, the birds twittering in the distance, and his parents soft voices, all of it slowly lulling him to sleep, but right before he fully fell asleep, he heard his father shout his name and a loud clanging sound.

Shikadai opened his eyes and saw his father standing over him, a glare on his face and kunai in his hand. "Dad? What's going on?" he asked as he sat up and looked in the direction his father was looking.

"Get over to your mother and help her back to the village," Shikamaru said.

Shikadai looked over at his mother, who was struggling to get to her feet, and quickly made his way over to her. He helped pull her up and they made their way as quickly as Temari could go through the forest. They were both in a panic, and Shikadai looked back when he heard fighting in the direction they just came from. "Who's attacking us?"

"I don't know," Temari said.

Shikadai looked back at her and saw her holding her stomach as they ran. "Mom, maybe you shouldn't be running?"

Temari looked down at him, an angry look on her face. "We need to get away, Shikadai. I can't..." She suddenly gasped, eyes going wide, and stopped, making Shikadai stop too.

"What? What's wrong?" Shikadai asked in a bit of a panic.

Temari stood there breathing slowly as she rubbed her stomach. "Nothing. I'm fine. Let's keep going," she said as she started running again.

Shikadai quickly followed her, but kept a close eye on her. He knew something was wrong, and that was only verified when he saw his mother's face twist in pain and her slight gasps. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Temari stopped again, grabbing Shikadai's arm and squeezing it tightly as she bent over and hissed out. "Dang it."

"What?" Shikadai asked, then looked down at his mother's stomach. "Is it the baby?"

Temari ignored him and looked around. "There," she said and pointed to their left.

Shikadai looked over in the direction his mother pointed and saw what looked to be a cave entrance. "But we're supposed to be going back to the village."

"Yeah, well, change of plans," she replied and moved toward the cave.

Shikadai dutifully helped his mother, cringing every time she hissed and bent over like she was about to fall. Thankfully they didn't have to stop again until they made it into the cave, and Shikadai helped his mother sit down on the opposite side of the small cave, then pulled a few glow sticks out of his weapon's pouch, cracked them, and threw them around her.

"Glad there was nothing living in here," Shikadai said as he surveyed their surroundings.

"Yeah," Temari replied, then hissed again. "Go find your father."

"What? I'm not leaving you like this."

"It's probably false labor. It happened with you when I was close to your due date," Temari said as she rubbed her stomach, but a worried look crossed her face after she hissed in pain again.

"Yeah, like I believe that," Shikadai said as he once again looked around, wondering if there was anything in here they could use.

"You need to make sure your father knows where we are."

Shikadai furrowed his brow. He knew she was right, but he also knew he couldn't just leave her alone. "I'll go stand at the entrance. He should see me if he passes by here."

"Yeah, and so could the enemy," Temari said. She let out a grunt this time.

Shikadai looked down in concern. "That doesn't sound like false labor."

Temari breathed out slowly. "Yeah. The contractions are coming a lot quicker than I expected."

Shikadai squatted down next to her. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Temari grabbed his arm and squeezed it as another wave of pain went through her, then she looked up into her son's face. "Go find your father. Your sister is coming."

Panic swept over him. "But I thought labor took hours?"

Temari chuckled. "Yeah, it can, but..." She hissed again. "Sometimes it doesn't. You took forever to come out, four hours to be exact, but she's..." Another hiss. "She's not waiting."

Shikadai looked over at the entrance and bit his lip. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't help his mother if he left, but he wasn't so sure he could do much for her here.

"Shikadai, go!" Temari said loudly.

Shikadai looked at his mother as he stood up, looked over at the entrance, then back down at his mother. She was in pain, he could tell, and from the way her face was twisting, the pain was getting worse. "I'll be back as quickly as I can."

Temari blew out a hard breath and nodded.

Shikadai still hesitated, but turned and ran out of the cave and back the way they had come. He had to find his father quickly. He jumped up into the trees to move a little faster, then froze on one of the branches with his eyes wide when he heard a loud explosion. "Dad," he said quietly in fear, then bolted forward once more.

He got back to the clearing they were at and saw a crater where he assumed the explosion came from and looked around in a panic. He jumped when he felt something on his shoulder.

"Shikadai, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be helping your mother get back to the village," Shikamaru said.

Shikadai let out a relieved breath, but then saw his father grab his arm, which was bloody. "Are you ok?"

"I'll live. Where's your mother?" Shikamaru said, a bit aggravated.

Shikadai looked back up at his father's face. "She's in a small cave a little ways from here. She said Kairi's coming."

Shikamaru's eyes went wide, then looked over to his right. "Get back to her now. I'll keep them from finding you two," he said as he pulled another kunai from his hidden weapon's pouch.

"But, dad, I can't..."

"Go, Shikadai. You have to help your mother deliver your sister, then get them both back to the village," Shikamaru said, then jumped off before Shikadai could argue.

Shikadai furrowed his brow and watched his father disappear, then ran back to the cave. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now.

When he got back to the cave, he heard his mom scream and ran in to find her with her legs up and what looked like her underwear sitting next to her. He blushed and was about to walk back out.

"Shikadai!"

He turned back around and tried his hardest not to focus on his mom's very visible vagina. "Dad said he was going to hold off the enemy."

Temari let out another cry, but he couldn't tell if that was one from pain or frustration. "Then you get over here and catch your sister. She's coming. Now!"

Shikadai once again hesitated, but when his mother let out another cry of pain, he hurried over to her. "W-what do I do?"

"Kneel down in front of me and carefully pull your sister out as I push," Temari said as she opened her legs a little more.

Shikadai gulped. "B-but that's..."

"Look, I know it's embarrassing, but... Agh! If you don't, then there will be problems. Please," she begged, giving him a pleading face that he's never seen before.

Shikadai took a deep breath then nodded and knelt down. His face burned as he stared at his mother's vagina, then noticed the patch of hair. "I-is that her?"

"Yes. I'm going to push on the next contraction. You need to try and carefully pull her out."

Shikadai nodded again, but then realized she couldn't see him that well. "Ok. I'll try."

Temari let out another cry and Shikadai could see the head emerge just a bit more. He tentatively reached out and opened and closed his hands for a second before placing them on the small head. He cringed a bit at the feeling, but when his mom cried out again, he pushed all that away.

"I-I can't get her."

Temari breathed hard then pushed again, letting out another loud cry.

He could see the head slip out a bit more and finally was able to grab the head a bit. He knew he couldn't grip the head too hard or else he'd hurt her, but when his mother cried out and pushed again, he tried to pull on the baby's head the best he could.

It took a few more times, but then he finally pulled the head out. "I got her head!"

"Good," Temari said, exhaustion in her voice. "I-I'll push again and you pull her the rest of the way out."

Shikadai nodded and when his mother pushed again, he carefully grabbed the baby by the head and pulled. Surprisingly, the baby came out a lot easier this time and he fell back on his butt, the girl screaming. He got a better grip on his sister, then pulled her the rest of the way in his arms, cringing a bit at all the blood and something he didn't recognize. "Why's she covered in blood? Did I do something wrong?" he asked in a panic.

"No," his mother said as she struggled to sit up. She held out her hand and Shikadai grabbed it to help her sit up, but he saw her still cringe. "That's the fluid she was in, and the blood is from the birth. Take off your jacket and try to clean her off with it."

"My jacket?"

"I'll buy you a new one," Temari said, a bit aggravated.

Shikadai handed over the baby to his mother and took off his jacket, handing it to her. He watched her wipe the baby. "Is she ok?"

Temari smiled and looked up at him, her eyes half closed. "She's doing great thanks to you." She wrapped the baby halfway in the jacket and held her out to him. "Take her for a minute. I'll give you my shirt so you have something clean to wrap her in."

Shikadai nodded, took his sister, then took the shirt after Temari handed it to him. He laid it on the ground and laid his sister on it, pulling the jacket away, and wrapped her in the somewhat clean shirt. He looked up when he heard his mother grunt again, then paled a bit when he saw something fleshy laying in front of her. "W-what's that?"

Temari leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, breathing heavily. "The afterbirth. Don't worry, that was supposed to come out."

"Are you ok?"

Temari cracked her eyes and smiled at him. "I just pushed your sister out of me. How do you think I'm doing?"

Shikadai gave her a small smile in return. "Sorry."

Temari shook her head, which was still resting on the cave wall, then held out her arms.

Shikadai knew exactly what she wanted and stood up, picked up Kairi, and handed her to his mother. He then went over and sat next to her, staring at his sister who was wide eyed and still fussing. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's hungry. Babies need to eat after they're born." She moved the bindings that were holding her breast and moved Kairi's head to the nipple.

Shikadai blushed again at seeing his mother's breast and averted his eyes to look at the entrance. A frown crossed his face. "Do you think dad's ok? It looked like one of his arms was hurt when I saw him earlier," he asked, then looked over at her.

Temari frowned as she looked at the entrance. "I'm sure he's fine. He's a strong shinobi and smart. I'm sure he's outwitted them and is on his way here now."

Shikadai nodded as he looked back at the entrance, then laid his head back against the wall.

"We'll wait here a little longer, then we'll head back to the village."

"Are you ok to?"

"I'll be fine. We need to get to a hospital, or some kind of medical shinobi to get checked out."

It was about ten minutes later before they were heading out of the cave. Temari had Kairi in her arms and Shikadai was helping her walk. Shikadai frowned as he felt his mother shake, and tried to make sure he supported her the best he could. Just as they were about to reach the entrance, they sensed someone outside. Shikadai reached back and grabbed a kunai out of his weapon's pouch and held it out, while Temari moved back behind Shikadai a bit. She couldn't move too far since she couldn't stand very well without help.

"It's just me," Shikamaru's voice rang out before he stepped through the entrance.

Both Shikadai and Temari let out a breath of relief and Shikadai put his kunai away.

"Dad," Shikadai said with a smile.

"Are you ok?" Temari asked, a frown on her face as she stared at Shikamaru's bloodied arm at his side.

"I'll be fine. Are you ok?" Shikamaru asked as he shrugged off his jacket, walked up to her, wrapped the jacket around her shoulders, then wrapped his good arm around her waist to help keep her up.

Shikadai felt that his father had a good grip on his mother, so he took a step back, watching as a smile crossed his father's face as he stared down at Kairi.

Shikamaru looked up at his son. "Good job, Son."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Are they gone?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No. I managed to lead them in a direction away from here and the village, but I'm sure they'll catch on quickly. Shikadai, can you carry Kairi and I'll help your mother?"

Shikadai nodded and reached up to take his sister from his mother. He carefully positioned her in his arms with his mother's help, then they headed out. Since Shikamaru was hurt, and Temari was still in pain from the birth, they moved slowly, but they were all on guard. They still had a good ten or so minutes before they would reach the village.

For a while, nothing happened, but about halfway through their trek, a kunai whizzed past Temari's face. "Shikadai, run!" she yelled.

Shikadai looked at his parents for a second before dashing off. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Temari cringing in pain as they too ran.

"Shikadai, don't worry about us. You get your sister back to the village. We'll catch up," Shikamaru said.

Shikadai furrowed his brow in worry, but then nodded and moved a little faster. He could sense the shinobi all around them and knew they weren't going to let him get away that easily, and he was proven right when a kunai landed in front of him. His eyes went wide. "Paper bomb!" he cried out and turned and ran as fast as he could.

The tag went off, the blast causing him to stumble and fall to the ground, but he was careful to not fall on his sister. When he pushed himself up and was about to run again, his eyes once again went wide as he saw a massive amount of chakra coming towards him.

"No!" Temari screamed, and she was suddenly in front of him.

"Temari!" Shikamaru cried out as he ran up to push her out of the way.

Shikadai's eyes went even wider as the chakra hit both of his parents. "Mom! Dad!"

Shikamaru and Temari cried out.

Shikadai stared in horror as his parents disintegrated into nothing in front of him. He stood there in shock as Kairi cried loudly. He couldn't think. Couldn't move. What just happened couldn't have happened, right? Tears fell down his face as he just continued to stare at the empty space in front of him.

"Well, that was easy. Threaten the kids and the parents become easy targets," a man said as he landed in front of Shikadai.

Shikadai held his sister closer, the little girl still crying loudly. "W-what did you do to them?"

The man smiled evilly. "I killed them. What else?"

"No," Shikadai said as he stepped back, tears still falling down his face. "No. You're lying."

"Am I?" the man asked, a chuckle following. "They're gone. They disintegrated. There's nothing left of them. Pretty sure that's the definition of dead."

Shikadai was having a hard time breathing, his vision blurring because of the tears. The man just stood there, smiling smugly at him.

"I got my target, boy. I'll give you five minutes to get away. If you can successfully get away, I'll let you and that little brat go," the man said.

It took a second for Shikadai to process what the guy just said, then turned and ran as fast as he could. The tears still fell as he ran, and it was making it hard for him to see, but he did his best. He couldn't let his parents' sacrifice be in vain. He had to protect his sister at all costs.

Thankfully, he got back to the village and he ran until he found himself in an ally. He leaned up against the building and slid down it, his head resting on the brick wall behind him. Kairi was still crying like mad and he held her a little closer. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He closed his eyes and just let the tears fall.

"Hey. Are you ok?"

Shikadai jumped at the voice and looked up to see an older woman staring at him concerned. Kairi had calmed down a little, but was still crying too. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" the woman asked again, leaning down to examine him.

Shikadai finally wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "No. My p-parents were just killed. I... I couldn't... They died because of me."

The woman looked down at him sadly, then reached down and pulled him up. "Come on. Let's get you two to the village leader."

Shikadai let the lady pull him down the street. The tears had slowed, but hadn't stopped, and by the time they got to the house she was leading him to, he was exhausted and ready to pass out. He looked down and was thankful that Kairi was now quiet, but he could see that she was still distressed and wide awake.

The woman knocked on the door and an older gentleman answered. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Sorry to bother you, but this boy says his parents were killed," the woman said.

The man's eyes went wide. "Wait, aren't you the Nara boy?"

Shikadai nodded, not really surprised that he knew that. His father was pretty well known even this far out, and they had seen them during the festival.

The man gestured them inside and the woman helped Shikadai in. He wasn't sure why she was still helping him, but he had to admit that he was grateful for it. She got him to the couch and tried to take Kairi away from him, but he just held her tighter and gave her a half hearted glare.

"No, Welma. After what happened, he shouldn't be parted with her," the leader said.

"But look at him. He looks like he's about to pass out. I just wanted to take her so that he wouldn't accidentally drop her," Welma said.

"You're not taking her from me," Shikadai said and stood up, stepping back away from the two adults.

"Calm down, Son. No one's going to take her from you. Is there someone we could call for you?"

Shikadai didn't sit back down, but he did stop. The woman wasn't wrong. He did feel like he was about to pass out, but there was no way he was going to let someone he didn't know take his sister from him. "The Hokage in the Hidden Leaf Village."

The leader nodded and went off to, Shikadai assumed, where the phone was.

"Please. At least sit back down," the woman said. "I promise I won't try and take her from you again."

Shikadai hesitated then nodded and sat down. He sat back and laid his head on the back of the couch. He looked over when the woman sat down next to him.

"She'll be a lot more comfortable if she lays across your chest. May I help you at least get her like that?"

Shikadai thought about it for a second, then nodded. He watched the woman carefully as she reached over and helped him raise Kairi up and placed her across his chest so her head was on his shoulder. After that, the woman sat back and Shikadai placed his arms around Kairi. He closed his eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Shikadai, and her name is Kairi."

"Those are nice names."

Shikadai nodded and he felt more tears trying to escape. "Mom said she always wanted a daughter named Kairi."

"How old is she?"

Shikadai finally opened his eyes and looked at the woman, the tears falling down his face. "Not even an hour."

The woman's eyes went wide and she gasped. "Your mother just gave birth to her and she was killed."

Shikadai had to hold in the sob that wanted to escape him and he turned his head and closed his eyes again.

"I'm sorry. I know this is hard."

"The Hokage said that he and his wife were on their way along with a medical shinobi," the leader said. "You two are welcome to stay here until they arrive. I told them how to get here."

Shikadai didn't even open his eyes as he nodded. "He'll be able to find me even if you don't. He has sage mode that lets him sense chakra."

"That's very useful," the woman said.

Shikadai just nodded again and tightened his arms a little more around his sister. He soon felt himself drifting off to sleep.

NNNNNNNNNN

"Shikadai. Shikadai."

Shikadai struggled to open his eyes. He vaguely registered a woman looking at him. He went to tighten his arms around Kairi, but then became fully awake as he sat up. "Kairi?" he cried out.

"Hey, take it easy."

Shikadai looked over and saw Hinata sitting next to him. "Aunt Hinata?"

Hinata gave him a small smile and nodded. "Sakura has your sister. She's looking her over to make sure she's ok."

Shikadai looked over to where Hinata had gestured towards and saw Sakura examining Kairi with that green glow around her hand. He got up and went over to them, Hinata following.

"She's ok," Sakura said with a smile as Shikadai sat down next to them. "How are you doing?" She moved her glowing hand over to Shikadai to examine him.

"Please tell me I just had a nightmare. Tell me mom and dad aren't..." He couldn't finish the sentence as tears once again welled up in his eyes.

Hinata pulled him to her and he buried his face in her shirt. "Naruto's out checking the area. He'll figure out what happened."

"What did happen?" Sakura asked.

Shikadai sniffed and sat up again, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "W-we went out to train in a clearing not far from here, and after that we just relaxed there. Next thing I know, we were attacked and dad was telling me to help mom get back to this village. We were running, and mom stopped. She looked like she was in pain and then said we needed to get to a cave that we were near because she wouldn't be able to make it back to the village. After that she said Kairi was coming. I went to get dad, but he told me to get back to her and he'd hold off the enemy. I helped mom deliver Kairi, and we waited for dad for a little bit while Kairi ate and mom rested."

"Did he show back up?" Sakura asked.

Shikadai nodded. "As we were leaving the cave, he did. He told me to carry Kairi and he would help mom, but I could tell his arm was hurt, 'cause he wasn't using it. We got attacked on the way back. They told me to run again and they would catch up, but the enemy threw a paper bomb at me. I got hit by the blast, but not enough to put us in danger. As I was getting up, a massive amount of chakra was coming toward us and..."

Hinata put her hand on Shikadai's back and ran it up and down. "What happened?"

"M-mom... She stood in front of us, and then dad tried to get her out of the way, but... They..." Shikadai took a shaky breath in. "They were hit. Th-they... disintegrated."

Sakura and Hinata's eyes went wide. "Disintegrated?" Sakura asked.

Shikadai nodded. "Th-they just disappeared. It... I'll never be able to get that out of my head."

Hinata pulled Shikadai into her again and the two women looked at each other sadly. "Ino will be able to show us what happened exactly, and then maybe we can figure out..."

"He said he killed them. He said that they were dead," Shikadai sobbed out, cutting Sakura off.

"Shhhh," Hinata tried to comfort him as she ran her hand up and down Shikadai's arm and rocked him back and forth. "He could've been lying."

"He said they were dead. I watched them die. They died because they were protecting me. I killed them," Shikadai said and buried his face in Hinata's shirt again, this time not even holding back his sobs.

"You didn't kill them, Shikadai," Hinata said sternly, but softly. "It is every parent's wish to die protecting their children."

"I couldn't get away in time. I killed them," Shikadai said, his voice muffled.

Kairi fussed, and he heard Sakura move to pick her up. She was taken care of now. He didn't need to worry about her now.

They all sat there, Hinata and Sakura comforting the children, until Naruto walked in.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked.

Shikadai stayed laying on Hinata's chest, but looked up at Naruto hopefully.

Naruto frowned and shook his head sadly. "I couldn't find any trace of them. There was nothing, not even a chakra signature. I'm sorry."

Shikadai looked down, not even bothering to hold back the tears that wanted to fall. "So... They're gone."

Naruto's face twisted even more into sadness and he knelt down in front of him. "I'm sorry, Shikadai. I know what this is like," he said as he placed his hand on Shikadai's shoulder.

Shikadai's face twisted in anger and he batted Naruto's hand away. "How could you ever know what this feels like!"

"Shikadai," Hinata said sternly. "Naruto lost both of his parents just like you did."

Shikadai relaxed and looked up at Hinata then back at Naruto. "Y-you did?"

Naruto didn't look angry, but looked even more sad. "Yeah. My mom gave birth to me, and not long after, both of my parents were killed."

Shikadai's eyes went wide. "That's... That's just like what happened to Kairi." He looked over to his sister, who was sleeping in Sakura's arms. "Mom had Kairi, then on the way back to the village..."

"You are actually more like Sasuke, than me, but I definitely know what Kairi will be going through, but she still has you. She won't grow up alone like I did," Naruto said, and Shikadai looked back at him. "You have to be there for her. You're her only family now... Well, you also have Yoshino, but you know what I mean."

"Grandma hasn't been doing too well lately. Dad was worried that she..." Tears once again welled up in his eyes. He didn't want to think about losing his grandma too.

"Hey," Naruto said and placed his hand on Shikadai's shoulder. "You won't be alone, Shikadai. You have your whole clan for one, and you will always have us. Me, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Choji, everyone will be there for you and Kairi. We may not be blood related, but we will always be your family. You will never be alone."

Shikadai nodded, but then turned back to Kairi. He reached out and Sakura handed Kairi to him, and he held her close, placing her head on his shoulder and his lips right next to her ear. "I promise. I will never leave you. I will take care of you for mom and dad." He then buried his face in the side of his sister's head.

NNNNNNNNNN

3 Years Later

Shikadai walked down the street, a yawn escaping his mouth. He was exhausted. He had just gotten back from a three day mission, and he knew he had a clan meeting as soon as he got back. He sighed as he walked in his house. "I'm home."

"Bubby!"

Shikadai smiled as he saw his 3 year old sister running up to him and squatted down so she didn't barrel into him and knock him over. She looked so much like their mother, but the girl liked to put her hair up in a single ponytail like he did. He did get her to wear her hair in two or four ponytails every once in a while, but she still preferred the single one like her brother. "Hey, Kairi," he said as he wrapped his arms around the girl and stood back up.

Kairi kissed Shikadai's cheek and laid her head on his shoulder. "No leave 'gain."

Shikadai looked at her sadly. "You know I can't promise that."

"Hey, Bambi. How'd the mission go?"

Shikadai looked up at his godsister, Mirai. He was really grateful for Mirai the last three years. When his grandmother found out that his dad was gone, her health declined even more. He really hoped she would improve a bit once she realized that they needed her, but about a week after they told her, he found her lying in her bed, not breathing and cold. He and his sister were now truly without family, and Mirai had stepped up big time. "Good. It was long, but we managed."

"Good. Sorry I can't stick around longer, but I have a mission in a few hours."

"It's fine. Thanks for your help."

Mirai placed her hand on Shikadai's shoulder and gave him a smile. "Anytime, Bambi."

Shikadai rolled his eyes. "I wish you would stop calling me that," he said as he walked toward the living room.

Mirai laughed. "Sorry. Not gonna happen."

Shikadai shook his head as he put Kairi on the ground and watched her run over to, he assumed, the toy she was playing with before he got there. He heard the door open and close and knew Mirai had left, and walked over to sit down on the couch. He put his hands over his face as he let out a loud groan and leaned back against the couch.

"Bubby?"

Shikadai looked down and saw Kairi looking up at him, a worried look on her face. He gave her a small smile and sat up more. "I'm fine. I'm just tired."

Kairi tried to crawl up in his lap, so Shikadai helped her up, and the girl laid her head on his chest, curling herself up in his lap.

Shikakai wrapped his arms around the girl and sat back again, closing his eyes and resting before he had to go to the clan meeting. He sat there in the silence, just listening to his sister's breathing, and almost fell asleep, but a knock on the door made his eyes open wide.

Shikadai groaned, knowing it was the clan elders. "Troublesome old men. Why can't they just give me a break," he said as he stood up, keeping his sister in his arms, but shifting her so she was sitting on his hip, and walked back to the door to open it.

"Ah, Shikadai. Good, you're back. We're waiting for you," the older Nara said with a smile.

"I know. I just had to stop and get Kairi. Mirai had a mission, so Kairi has to come with me."

"Of course. The young lady is most welcome at the meeting," the elder said, then turned and walked off.

Shikadai sighed as he turned around and got his sandals back on and helped Kairi put hers on, then took her hand and walked to the meeting hall owned by the Nara clan. Halfway there, he mentally kicked himself for not remembering to bring some toys for Kairi to play with, and hoped that one of the mothers that would be there would hopefully have something she could do during the meeting.

"Bubby?"

"Hmm?" Shikadai hummed as he walked, not bothering to look down.

"Go see mommy and daddy?"

Shikadai frowned and looked down at his sister sadly. "Sure. We can go see them after the meeting." He hated that Kairi had never really got to meet their parents, and what made going to see their graves even worse was that they weren't actually buried. They had nothing to bury, so they put two empty coffins in the ground. He was glad they put the gravestones next to his grandparents, though, because it made it easier to go see everyone. "We'll say hi to grandma and grandpa too."

Kairi smiled and nodded.

They made it to the meeting hall and Shikadai let Kairi play with a few of the other Nara kids that were there, then made his way over to his seat as head of the clan. He hated these meetings, and hated that he had to become the head of the clan when he was only 13, but since his dad was gone, he didn't have a choice.

The meeting dragged on forever, and Shikadai nearly fell asleep a few times, but finally it was over and he and Kairi made their way to the village graveyard. They found the four gravestones and Shikadai took a seat in front of his parents grave, Kairi sitting in his lap. "Hey mom, dad. Sorry it's been a while. I've been really busy with missions and the clan elders have been having way too many meetings lately. It's way too troublesome." He looked over at his dad's name, and felt a few tears well up in his eyes. "I wish you were still here, dad. I could really use your advice."

After he said his piece, Kairi started up her conversation with their parents' gravestones. He smiled as he listened to her ramble on and on, then looked up when he heard someone coming towards him. His eyes went wide. "Lord Seventh?" Shikadai quickly got up, holding Kairi in his arms.

Naruto smiled. "You didn't have to get up. I shouldn't have interrupted."

Shikadai shook his head. "You didn't. Kairi was just telling mom and dad about something she did a few days ago."

"That's precious information, though," Naruto countered.

Shikadai smiled. "Yeah. I guess. What are you doing here?"

"I just came to talk to your father," Naruto said sadly. "It hasn't been the same at the office without him."

Shikadai nodded. He had noticed things had changed a bit in the village since his dad had passed. He couldn't step up to take his dad's place as the Hokage's advisor when he was younger, but he had been talking with Naruto about starting his training soon. He didn't really want to become an advisor, but he wanted to do the same job his dad and grandpa had done. It just felt right to do so. "We can leave, if you want."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "No way! I could never ask you to do that. You have way more rights to be here than I do." Naruto relaxed and the two sat down in front of the graves, Kairi taking her seat once more in Shikadai's lap. Naruto stared at Shikamaru's stone. "You're really missed, Shika. I feel so lost at the office without you. Sure, Konohomaru has done a good job, but he's not you."

Naruto went on to talk about his current problem and complained about some things that Shikadai assumed his dad would've known about, but he had no idea about, and after about twenty minutes, they both got up, said their goodbyes, and headed to their respective homes. Shikadai made a simple dinner for them and then they sat in the living room for a while playing before Kairi fell asleep in Shikadai's lap.

He held her on the couch, just letting her sleep on him, and looked over at the picture of his parents that Naruto had made for them after that day. It was a large portrait of his parents, and he hung it up over the mantle that held all the other important family photos. Shikadai wouldn't call himself an emotional guy, but every time he looked up at that photo, tears would well up in his eyes. He hadn't really cried over their deaths since that day in the village leader's house with Hinata, but every now and then he would shed some tears. He still blamed himself for their deaths, and no matter how many people told him it wasn't his fault, he just couldn't see it that way.

After shedding a few tears, mentally apologizing to them again, he took Kairi up to her room to lay her down, then headed to bed himself. He had a rare day off the next day, and he intended to spend it with Kairi.

NNNNNNNNNN

A few days later, Shikadai found himself sitting in the Hokage Tower's private library, searching through some scrolls Naruto had asked him to find. He had started his advisor training the day before, and he was already regretting his decision. He sat back in his chair and frowned at the few open scrolls in front of him. "Man, this is such a drag. Why did dad and grandpa do this?" He looked over and saw a scroll he hadn't looked at yet and sighed as he picked it up and opened it.

As he scanned the scroll's content, his eyes went wider and wider, until he stood up suddenly. There, on the scroll, was something he never expected to find. He closed the scroll, ran out of the library as fast as he could, and burst into Naruto's office, not even caring if the Hokage was with someone or not.

He felt a little bad when he saw Naruto jump and a pile of paperwork fall to the ground. "Sorry," he said as he walked over and helped the man pick up the papers.

"It's fine," Naruto replied. "But what has you bursting into my office so suddenly? Did you find the information I asked you to find?"

Shikadai shook his head as they gathered the last of the papers and stood up, placing the stacks on the desk. "No. I haven't found that yet, but I did find this," he said and held out the scroll.

Naruto frowned and took the scroll, opening it to read its contents. "What is it?"

"Look here," Shikadai said as he stepped over and pointed at the lines of text.

Naruto's eyes went wide as he read over the words Shikadai pointed out, then looked up at the boy. "That's..."

"Exactly how I described mom and dad's disappearance," Shikadai finished. "But that's not what I wanted you to see."

Naruto looked down to continue reading.

"They may be alive," Shikadai said, not waiting for the Hokage to read it himself.

"Shikamaru and Temari may be alive? But how? I've never heard of a jutsu that could disintegrate someone and them still be alive."

"I don't completely understand it myself," Shikadai replied as he finally stepped back, "but according to that, there may be a chance they just got transported somewhere."

"But where?" Naruto asked as he looked up from the scroll. "If your parents really were alive, they would've come back long before now."

Shikadai frowned and raised his hand to his chin and looked down in thought. "It's possible that this jutsu sends them somewhere that they can't get back to us."

"Where? I know Shikamaru and Temari, and nothing in the world would keep them from you and your sister."

Shikadai looked up. "What if they weren't in our world?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, a genuine look of confusion crossing his face.

"Think about it. If they are alive, like you said, nothing would keep them away, but if they were transported to another world, then it would make it harder for them to get back."

"Another world?" Naruto said, now deep in thought himself, then his eyes went wide. "Or another dimension?" He turned and shuffled through the papers on his desk, then grabbed a pen when he found a blank piece.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to get Sasuke back here. He can use his rinnegan to search the different dimensions for your parents' chakra."

Shikadai's heart raced at the idea of seeing his parents again, but his mind was telling him not to get his hopes up. Yeah, there may be a chance they're still alive, but they could also still be dead. His head swam at the conflicting thoughts and he backed up until he hit the window behind Naruto's desk.

Naruto finished writing his letter and turned to go deliver it via hawk, but stopped when he saw Shikadai and walked up to him and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Hey. It's going to work. We'll get your parents back."

"But what if they aren't there? What if they really died like that guy said?" Shikadai asked, his face scrunched up in fear and worry.

"Let's not think about that right now. We have proof that they might still be alive, and we need to do everything we can to see if it's true," Naruto said with a small smile.

Shikadai took a deep breath and nodded, then the two headed up to the room where they kept the birds for communicating. There weren't as many birds now-a-days as there were in the past since the phones were made, but Shikadai had to admit he was grateful that they still had this type of communication. Naruto had told him multiple times that Sasuke was normally in a place where he either couldn't receive a signal on his cell phone, or he didn't have a place to charge it, but Shikadai questioned that last one since Sasuke could use lightning style.

"Ok," Naruto said as they watched the hawk fly off. "Now we just have to wait. Sasuke should get the message and hopefully show up within the next day or so."

Shikadai just nodded, staring at the slowly disappearing bird until he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Naruto.

"Come on. Let's get back to work."

Shikadai nodded again, taking one last glance at the disappearing bird, then followed the Hokage out. He went back to the library to try and find the information he was tasked to find, but his mind couldn't stay focused enough, so it took him a lot longer to find than it should have.

A few days passed and Shikadai was anxiously pacing in his living room. He hadn't heard if Sasuke got their message yet, or if the man returned to the village, and this waiting was driving him crazy.

"Bubby?"

Shikadai stopped and looked over at his sister, who was looking at him worried. He took a deep breath and went over to sit next to her. "Sorry, Kairi. I'm just anxious about something."

"Ankshush?" Kairi asked, cocking her head to the side.

Shikadai chuckled. "Anxious. It means I've got something on my mind that's bothering me."

"What bother you?"

Shikadai pulled Kairi into his arms and the little girl just looked up at him. He hadn't told Kairi that there was a possibility that their parents were alive yet. He didn't want to get her hopes up. "Well, I'm waiting to hear back from someone, but I haven't yet. It's really important information, so I'm having a hard time waiting."

"Oh," Kairi said, then leaned forward to place her forehead on his chest and wrap her arms around him the best she could. "No worry. It be ok."

Shikadai smiled as he wrapped his arms around his sister. He was really proud of how far her development had gone. He didn't even mention being worried, and yet, she assessed the situation and figured out he was worried. "Thanks."

Kairi sat back up and smiled. "You play?"

"Sure. Let's play."

Kairi got up and grabbed one of her stuffed animals and handed it to him. They sat there and played for a while before Shikadai decided he should make some food.

Halfway through making some sandwiches, he heard a knock on the door and quick footsteps running down the hall. "Kairi, don't run, and don't go to the door," he said as he walked out of the kitchen.

"But someone here," Kairi said as she pointed at the door.

"I know, but what have I said about just opening the door?"

Kairi looked down. "Not to. May be bad person."

"Yeah, and I don't want a bad person to take you away," Shikadai said as he walked past her and opened the door. "Konohamaru?"

Konohamaru smiled. "Sasuke's at Naruto's office."

Shikadai's eyes went wide and he quickly turned to put his sandals on.

"Bubby?" Kairi asked as she ran up to him, worried.

"Come on. We got to go see someone," he said as he reached over and grabbed Kairi's shoes. After he got them on, he picked up his sister and followed Konohamaru back to the office. Because he was eager to find out what Sasuke had to say, he jumped up and they ran over the rooftops.

Shikadai walked into Naruto's office and placed Kairi on the ground when he saw Sasuke standing there talking to Naruto. "Did you find them?"

Sasuke turned to look at him. "I found their chakra, but not them, so I know which dimension they're in."

Shikadai couldn't keep the smile off his face. "So, they are alive?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. They're alive."

"Sasuke was just about to go there and try and find them," Naruto said as he walked around his desk to stand next to the Uchiha.

"I want to go with you," Shikadai said, taking a step forward.

Sasuke frowned, then looked down at Kairi. "What about your sister?"

Shikadai lost his smile as he looked down at his sister, who was clinging to his leg and looking up at him. He knelt down so he could look her directly in the eyes. "Kairi, I didn't want to tell you this before because I didn't want you to get your hopes up, but mom and dad may be alive."

Kairi cocked her head. "Mommy and daddy alive?"

"Yeah, but they are someplace very far away. I want to go look for them and bring them back."

Kairi's lip quivered and tears filled her eyes. "No. No go," she said and buried her face in his chest.

Shikadai was torn. He really wanted to go look for his parents, but he didn't want to leave Kairi like this, and it was way too dangerous to take her with him. He looked up at Naruto, begging with his eyes.

Naruto stepped forward and squatted down. "Hey, what if you stayed with me and Hinata while he's gone. You can hang out with Himawari. You like spending time with her, don't you?"

Kairi sniffed, looked at the blonde man, and nodded.

Naruto smiled. "Great. I'll take you to Himawari and Hinata, and your brother will go and find your parents, and you can finally see them. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Kairi turned in Shikadai's arms and leaned back against his chest and nodded again. "Want to see mommy and daddy."

"Good. Then you come with me and your brother can get going," Naruto said.

Kairi turned back around and wrapped her arms around Shikadai's neck.

Shikadai stood up and gave his sister a big hug. "I promise, I'll bring them back," he said, then kissed the side of her head.

Kairi nodded, then turned and held out her arms to Naruto, who had also stood back up.

"Just be careful. You don't know what you'll encounter there," Naruto said as he took the girl.

"We will," Sasuke said as he stepped forward, then looked at Shikadai. "You ready?"

Shikadai nodded, a determined look on his face. "Yeah."

Sasuke turned and a black portal suddenly appeared. "Let's go then," he said and stepped through the portal.

Shikadai took a deep breath, looked back at Kairi one last time, then stepped through. As soon as he got to the other side, he swayed a bit. He felt weird.

"You ok?" Sasuke asked as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah," Shikadai said as he steadied himself. "Why do I feel so weird?"

"Not sure. I feel that way too. I can still use my chakra, but it feels a bit off."

Shikadai looked down at his hand. "Yeah. It does."

"Come on. Let's find Shikamaru and Temari and get back," Sasuke said as he walked off.

Shikadai jogged to catch up and fell into step beside Sasuke. "Boruto will be mad that I'm going on a mission with you and not him," Shikadai finally said with a smile.

Sasuke let a smile smile cross his face. "Yeah, he probably will be, but he'll get over it."

"Do you know where they are?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not Naruto. I can't pinpoint chakra like he can. All I can tell is that their chakra are in this dimension."

Shikadai sighed. "It's going to take forever to search this place."

"I don't think so. While I can only tell what dimension the chakra is in, it normally makes a portal somewhere near that chakra."

"So they should be somewhere near then?" Shikadai asked as he looked around.

"Yeah."

They walked for a while until they came to a small village. Shikadai had never seen buildings like these before, but he had to remind himself that he was in another dimension, so things would look different than he was used to.

"I'm telling you, Happy. I smell them."

"But they left with Erza a few hours ago."

Shikadai looked around and saw a boy around his age with pink hair and wearing a weird outfit walking toward them, but it was the blue cat with wings that had his eyes go wide. Sure, he's seen talking cats before, but never flying cats.

The boy with pink hair stopped and stared at him for a second, then raised his hand to point at him. "There! That's where the scent's coming from!"

"Natsu, what are you doing? We need to get back to the guild," a girl with blonde hair yelled as she walked up to them.

"But, Luce, he's the one I was smellin'," the boy said as he pouted at the girl.

The girl looked over at them and her eyes went wide. "Wait, you look like Shikamaru."

Shikadai's heart sped up. "You know my dad?" he asked as he closed the distance between them, feeling Sasuke follow him.

"You're Shikamaru and Temari's son?" Luce asked. "But I thought you were in a completely different dimension. How'd you get here?"

"Wait. You guys are ninja too?" Natsu asked, a wide smile on his face.

"Natsu, stay focused," Luce berated, then looked back at them. "Sorry. For some reason he's obsessed with ninja. You should have seen him when he found out your parents were ninja."

"Where are Shikamaru and Temari?" Sasuke asked.

Luce looked over at Sasuke. "They went back to the guild with our other teammates. Natsu and Happy here were stuffing their faces, and I volunteered to stay with them while Erza, Gray, Shikamaru, and Temari headed back."

"Can you take us to them?" Shikadai asked.

"Of course," Luce said with a smile. "My name's Lucy, by the way, and this is Natsu. The flying cat there is Happy. I'll go find a magic mobile to take us back."

"Aww, Luce, can't we just walk," Natsu whined.

Lucy glared at him. "It's way too far to walk back, and we shouldn't let our guests travel that far on foot."

"We don't mind walking," Sasuke said.

Natsu turned a wide grin on the guy before looking back at Lucy. "See, they're ok with it."

Lucy sighed. "It'll be quicker if we drive."

"Why doesn't he want to take this magic mobile thing?" Shikadai asked.

Lucy looked at the boy. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you guys don't have magic mobiles in your dimension. Well, they're like carriages with motors, so they move without an animal pulling them, and they go a lot faster too."

"Natsu gets motion sickness really badly on any kind of transportation," Happy supplied.

"He could ride a carriage driven by a snail and he'll still get sick," Lucy said with an air of annoyance.

"I can't help it," Natsu said sadly.

"We know, buddy," Happy said as he landed on Natsu's head and his wings disappeared.

Shikadai blinked. "How did you do that?"

"Huh?" Lucy asked as she looked from Shikadai to Happy, then back. "Oh, Happy's wings? Yeah, your parents were surprised by that too. It's his magic, which is kind of like your chakra, but slightly different. Your dad said his shadows work a lot differently in our dimension than in yours."

"How long have they been with you guys?" Sasuke asked.

"About two and a half years. We found them while on a mission one day, and they looked rough," Lucy explained. "They said they were trying to find a way back to their dimension. They had spent half a year just trying to get a handle on how our world worked compared to yours."

"It helped them to join Fairy Tail," Natsu said, back to his normal self since they weren't talking about traveling by vehicle.

"Have they made any progress?" Sasuke asked.

Lucy shook her head sadly. "No. We all tried to help them find a way back, but not even Levy or Freed could find anything."

"How'd you get here?" Happy asked.

"Hey, that's right!" Natsu yelled. "How the heck are you guys here?"

Lucy's eyes went wide. "Did you guys get hit by the same jutsu as Shikamaru and Temari?"

Shikadai shook his head. "No. Sasuke has a jutsu that lets him travel through different dimensions. He found mom and dad's chakra signatures and we followed it here."

"I think I remember Shikamaru mentioning something about his friend having the ability to do that, but since it had been so long, he figured you guys thought they were dead and hadn't tried."

"Yeah," Shikadai said sadly. "The guy that did this to them said they were dead. At the time, I had no reason to believe he was lying. I watched my parents disintegrate in front of me."

Lucy looked at him sadly. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. According to your parents, it didn't feel too good either."

Natsu stopped and his face went pale. "Wait, I thought we were walking?"

"Natsu, I told you. It's way too far to walk. It's either this or the train in the next town over," Lucy said.

Natsu looked like he was thinking about his options, then looked down defeated. "Neither one sounds good."

"Exactly, so let's just take this magic mobile and get it over with," Lucy said. "I'll drive since I'm the only one here that knows how."

"Oh boy. Natsu, just try not to get sick on our feet," Happy said as his wings appeared and he flew ahead.

"What's that supposed to mean, you stupid cat?" Lucy yelled angrily.

"You don't really drive the best," Happy said.

"Why you..." Lucy yelled then tried to grab the cat out of the air, but Happy just flew higher. "How about you just fly all the way home then?"

"Hey, that would work," Natsu said, excitement in his voice. "Happy and I can fly back and you can take these two back with the magic mobile."

"Sorry, Natsu, but I'd run out of magic before we got back," Happy said sadly.

"We can stop whenever you need to. You know I don't mind that," Natsu said, a desperation in his voice.

"Ugh, get over it, Natsu," Lucy said as she walked over and grabbed the pinkette's arm and dragged him down the street.

"But Luce..." Natsu whined.

"No buts, Natsu. You're getting in that magic mobile and you're going to deal with it. Stick your head out the window if you have to," Lucy said.

Shikadai looked over at Sasuke, who had his eyes closed and was shaking his head. "What?"

"He sounds just like Naruto," Sasuke said and followed them.

"Lord Seventh doesn't whine like that, does he?" Shikadai asked, falling into step beside the man.

"He used to all the time. He doesn't do it as much now-a-days, but I'm sure you could ask your father. I'm sure he's had to deal with Naruto's tantrums many times."

The two caught up to Natsu, who had his arms crossed and a pout on his face, and Happy, and they saw Lucy talking to a guy at a stall. "Shikamaru said the same thing," Natsu said grumpily.

"Huh?" Shikadai asked. "Wait, you heard us? But you were a lot farther ahead than us."

"Natsu has really good hearing," Happy explained, he was once again laying on Natsu's head. "All of his senses are enhanced thanks to his dragon slaying abilities."

"Dragon slaying?" Shikadai asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of hard to explain, but Natsu was raised by a dragon, and that dragon taught Natsu magic, which is used to kill dragons," Happy said.

"A dragon taught Natsu how to kill it?" Shikadai asked, then shook his head. "This dimension is really weird."

"Wow, you and your dad are really alike," Happy said. "He said the same thing."

Shikadai smiled. "Yeah. Mom said I was too much like my father, but dad also said I've got traits of my mother too."

"Can you use wind magic too?" Natsu asked.

"Uh, yes?" Shikadai said. "I can use wind jutsu, so if that's the same as magic, then I can."

"That's so cool," Natsu said, dropping his arms and a grin back on his face. "Can you combine your magics to make a really awesome shadow-wind attack?"

"Uhh, I've never really tried," Shikadai replied. He was definitely getting a hint of Boruto from this guy.

"You should definitely try to. It would be so cool," Natsu said, practically bouncing on his feet. "Then I want to fight you."

Shikadai took a step back and held up his hands. "I don't want to fight anyone."

"Aw, come on. A friendly spar won't hurt anyone," Naruto whined.

"We'll probably be heading back to our dimension once we meet up with Shikamaru and Temari," Sasuke interjected.

Natsu once again pouted and crossed his arms. "You guys are no fun. Shikamaru wouldn't spar with me either."

"That's because he's not stupid," Lucy said as she came back. "He saw how strong you were and knew that fighting against you was a bad idea. You don't exactly hold back."

"Come on, Luce. I'm not that bad," Natsu whined as he lowered his arms.

"Yes, you are. Now come on. I got the vehicle lined up for us. It's over here," she replied and headed in the direction of the vehicle.

Natsu paled again, but then put his head down and followed.

Shikadai chuckled at their new friend's displeasure.

"Definitely like Naruto," Sasuke said as he followed.

Sasuke and Shikadai were surprised at how the vehicle worked, and Natsu really did hang out of the window pretty much the entire way. He had to admit that his stomach felt a little queasy too, but not as bad as Natsu's. He was just glad to be out of the weird contraption.

Natsu was still trying to recover from the hours-long drive, and Shikadai just stared at the large building in front of him. It kind of looked like one of those castles he saw in Kairi's books, except for the large sign that read "Fairy Tail" on the front.

"Come on. Shikamaru and Temari should be waiting for us inside," Lucy said as she walked past them.

Shikadai took one last look back at Natsu, who was slowly walking toward them with his face still slightly green, then followed Lucy inside. He glanced around the large room, which had tables and chairs set up everywhere and a large bar toward the back, but then what sounded like glass shattering caught his attention. He looked over and saw his parents staring at him wide eyed, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Shikadai?" his father asked, still just staring at him.

"Mom. Dad," Shikadai replied and ran up to them.

Shikamaru and Temari stood up and immediately wrapped their arms around their son and placed their foreheads on Shikadai's head, and Shikadai just pulled them as close as he could to him.

"You guys finally figured it out," Shikamaru said.

Shikadai took a step back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and nodded. "I was looking for some information for Lord Seventh when I came across a scroll with information that sounded exactly like what happened to you guys."

Temari reached up and cupped his face, smiling with tears in her own eyes. "Are you alright? How's your sister?"

Shikadai smiled. "She's great. Annoying at times, but according to Boruto, that just comes with the territory."

Shikamaru and Temari laughed, then Temari pulled Shikadai in for another hug.

Tears fell from Shikadai's eyes again and he held his mother tightly. "I thought you guys were dead. That guy said you were, and Naruto couldn't find any trace of you guys."

"Trust me. I thought we were dead too. I was really surprised when we found ourselves here," Shikamaru said, and Shikadai looked back at him, keeping one arm around his mother's waist.

"Oh my. He really does look like a mini Shikamaru."

Shikadai turned and saw a woman with long silver hair standing behind the bar.

"Mira, this is Shikadai," Temari introduced.

"I figured," Mira said with a smile. "You look just like your father."

Shikadai smiled. "I've been told that a lot."

"So, the son finally found his parents."

Shikadai looked over and saw a short, old man sitting on the counter.

"Master, this is our son, Shikadai," Shikamaru said. "This is the master of this guild, Makarov."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, boy. Are you as talented as your parents," Makarov asked with a smile.

"I don't know about that," Shikadai said.

Temari slapped Shikadai's chest gently. "You had better have kept up with your training, young man."

"I have, mom," Shikadai said with an eye roll, but he couldn't be too annoyed at her. He actually missed his mom's nagging.

Sasuke finally walked up to them and they all looked at him.

"Sasuke, thanks for finding us," Shikamaru said.

Sasuke just nodded. "We should get going. Everyone is waiting for you guys to get back."

"How destroyed is the village?" Shikamaru asked, a bit of worry on his face.

Sasuke smiled. "It's not. Somehow that dobe managed to keep things going without you."

"It was probably because Konohamaru took over for you," Shikadai said. "But things have really changed. It's not as organized anymore."

"See, I told you," Temari said as she slapped her husband's arm. "You really are the one holding the village together."

Shikamaru glared at his wife as he rubbed his arm. "Naruto holds the village together, I just help."

"You apparently did more than that if things have changed since you've been gone," Temari said.

"It didn't help that Naruto was as broken up about your death as the kids were," Sasuke said.

Shikamaru gave the man a sad smile. "That guy always did hold his friends close."

"Well, what are we waiting for," Temari said as she pushed past Shikadai. "Let's get home."

Shikadai knew his mother really wanted to get home so she could see Kairi. He couldn't blame her since she was ripped away from the girl not long after being born.

Shikamaru turned back to Makarov. "Thank you for everything. Your guild helped us so much."

Makarov waved his hand over his face. "Don't mention it. You are family now, my children, and you two will always be welcome here."

"We need to give them their send off!" Natsu yelled as he ran up to them.

"Yes, he's right, Master," Mira said, a wide smile on her face.

Makarov nodded and jumped off the counter. "Listen up, brats! Shikamaru and Temari are leaving us, so let's give them our Fairy Tail farewell."

"Aye!" everyone yelled and they all filed out of the guild.

Erza transformed into a new set of armor that made her look like a warrior angel and had a large staff in her hand. She smashed it onto the ground and Shikadai jumped when a large explosion sounded and colored lights appeared in the sky.

"Whenever a Mage wishes to leave Fairy Tail," Makarov said, "they are free to do so, however, they are expected to follow three rules: One: You must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live."

Another explosion went off and Shikadai saw Natsu shooting fireballs out of his mouth.

"Two: You must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain," Makarov continued.

Again, an explosion went off and he saw a black haired man with no shirt on and a large ice bow pointing at the sky.

"Three: Though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might. You must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live," Makarov finished off.

Temari and Shikamaru smiled at them. "We could never forget any of you," Temari said.

Everyone around them raised their right hand and pointed at the sky with one finger while their thumbs stuck out. Shikadai was confused, but he saw his parents return the hand sign.

"Goodbye, my children, and may you live a happy life," Makarov said.

"Be sure to visit from time to time," Mira said.

"Yeah. You still owe me a fight, Shikamaru," Natsu said, one hand punching his other as fire flared out from it.

"Yeah, I told you that's not going to happen, Natsu," Shikamaru said, but then held out his fist.

Natsu smiled and returned the fistbump.

Lucy walked up and gave Temari a hug, and Shikadai was a little surprised to see his mother return the hug without cringing. "We're going to miss you guys so much."

"We'll miss Shikamaru's big brain the most," the shirtless guy said.

"Gray, clothes," Temari said.

Gray looked down and saw that he was only in his boxers. "Crap," he said before he wandered off to go find said clothing.

Shikadai sweatdropped, completely confused about that.

"Wendy's going to be crushed she couldn't say goodbye," Lucy said. "You and her really got close."

"Yeah," Temari said, a sad look on her face. "Tell her I'm sorry."

Lucy nodded and stepped back.

"Alright, Sasuke. We're ready," Shikamaru said as he placed his arm around his wife.

Shikadai felt his mother wrap her arm around his waist and he shifted so he was closer to her. They watched a black portal form and heard several gasps before Sasuke walked through.

Shikadai looked over at his dad, who just nodded, and he went on through.

"You're back."

Shikadai looked over and saw Naruto looking at him. "Yeah."

"Where are Shikamaru and Temari?" Naruto asked, a bit worried.

Before he could reply, Shikamaru and Temari walked through the portal, and the portal closed behind them. They both took a deep breath. "It feels weird to be back," Temari said.

"Yeah. We'll have to get used to it again," Shikamaru said as he looked down at his hand. "I wonder if I can still do what I did back there with my sha..."

Naruto interrupted him by barreling into him and wrapping his arms around both of them. "I'm so glad you guys are alive."

Temari looked a bit uncomfortable, but Shikamaru just smiled and placed his hand on the blonde's back. "We are too."

Naruto stepped back and had a wide grin on his face. "Everyone's going to be so happy to see you guys."

"Where's Kairi?" Temari asked as she looked around.

"With Hinata and Himawari," Naruto replied. "They're at the house."

"Thanks for looking out for them," Shikamaru said, "but I'm sure mom helped a lot too."

Naruto and Shikadai frowned. "Dad. Grandma passed not long after you guys disappeared."

Shikamaru frowned and Temari put her arms around him.

"I found her in bed when I went over to talk to her about something. She was already cold," Shikadai said sadly.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and held Temari a little tighter.

"We knew this was going to happen," Temari said.

"I know, but I never... At least she's with dad again," Shikamaru said.

"She did get to meet Kairi and spend some time with her though," Shikadai said. "She really loved her."

Shikamaru gave his son a sad smile and nodded. "Let's go get your sister and go home."

"You can take a few days to get back into the swing of things," Naruto said. "Konohamaru has been doing your job for the past three years, so you're not immediately needed."

"Thanks," Shikamaru said and the three Naras left the office, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone.

Temari once again pulled Shikadai to her as they walked and wrapped her arm around the boy's waist. Shikadai was a bit weirded out by her actions, but just chalked it up to being away from him for three years. They made it to the Uzumaki household and Shikadai just walked in. "Kairi, I'm back."

"Bubby!" she cried out.

Shikadai smiled as he heard her running and when she got to him, he squatted down and wrapped his arms around her.

"I miss you," Kairi said as Shikadai stood up.

"Missed," Shikadai corrected. "And I missed you too."

"No go again," Kairi said as she buried her face in Shikadai's neck.

"I told you, I can't promise you that. You know I have missions," Shikadai said as he rubbed his sister's back.

Hinata came around the corner and put her hand over her mouth as she gasped and tears welled up in her eyes. "Shikamaru, Temari, you're alive."

"Yeah, we are," Shikamaru said, then he and Temari walked up to their children.

Kairi was staring at them, a bit of confusion on her face, but then cocked her head. "Mommy?"

Temari burst into tears and reached out for the girl, who immediately jumped towards her mother, tears pouring down her face too.

"Mommy, mommy," Kairi cried out.

Temari held Kairi tightly as she tried to bury her face in her daughter's hair, and Shikamaru placed his hand on Kairi's back.

Kairi looked up at him. "Daddy?"

Shikamaru nodded and the girl practically jumped out of Temari's arms, tears still streaming down the girl's face. Shikamaru did the same thing Temari did.

"Thanks for watching her," Shikadai said to Hinata, but never looked away from his parents.

"Not a problem. You know we love to watch her," Hinata said. "I'm just so glad she can finally meet them."

"I'm glad she recognized them," Shikadai said.

"Well, you do have a lot of pictures of them around your house, and you tell her who they are all the time," Himawari said as she walked up, tears in her eyes too.

"Yeah," Shikadai replied.

It was another few minutes before the Naras decided to leave and head home, Temari not letting go of Kairi for anything.

"You did well taking care of your sister," Shikamaru said as he wrapped his arm around Shikadai's shoulder.

"Thanks. It was hard without you, mom, and grandma, but Naruto and Hinata came over a lot, as well as Ino, Choji, Sakura, and Mirai. Inojin and Chocho helped too, but not as much."

Shikamaru just nodded as he watched his wife and daughter. "We missed a lot while we were away."

"I'll tell you all about it over a game of shogi," Shikadai said with a smile.

"You're on," Shikamaru said, matching his smile.

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There you are. How'd you like it? How'd you like my little surprise? Let me know in a comment and I'll see you guys in the next story