Chapter I

"I hate this so much," the young woman complained, frowning at the ceiling she had been starring at. "And they say this is a woman's most precious stage in life. Liars," she scoffed, unable to find a more comfortable position in her bed due to her parasitic oppression.

"Hey, you're almost done with it, anyway." The young man sitting beside her assured her, though his tone was lacking in sympathy. "And when it's all over, troublesome though it may be, I'll be able to help out a little."

"For some reason, I highly doubt that, Nara Shikamaru." She smirked, closing her eyes and allowing her overflowing thoughts to be processed.

"Heh," Shikamaru replied, rubbing the back of his neck with a bashful grin on his face. "You need anything?"

"I'm fine," she told him, wishing she could turn on her side. "You don't have to stay in here. I wouldn't want to bother you, you know."

Shikamaru smirked, nodding at his wife. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, though it was more touching to her than it may have seemed. "I'm gonna go pay Chouji a visit then. I'll be back before sundown." He told her, waving goodbye as he slipped through the doorway and headed outside. He ran a shaky hand through his dark hair, upset for his miserable wife. He had no idea how troublesome women could be, and with children, they're even worse! He hoped, and hoped, and hoped that his child would not be some troublesome girl. Please, anything but that.

He stepped out into the streets of Konoha, nearly getting plowed over by a horse-drawn merchant's cart. The merchant looked behind himself and yelled, "Sorry, sir!"

Shikamaru shook his head, his signature scowl plastered to his face as he began walking again. The Akimichi house was only two buildings down from his own home, so he arrived rather quickly. He walked up the four stone steps and knocked lazily on the door, surprised to hear a scream, several footsteps, and a chorus of girlish giggles from inside. The door was thrust open towards the inside, and a worn-out Chouji was standing in the doorway. The sight of his best friend brightened things up a bit, and he forced a smile and invited him in.

"What brings you here?" Chouji asked Shikamaru as the two sat down on a couch in the living room. "You look a little upset. Is it Temari?"

"Yeah, it's about time for the baby to come, and she's getting pretty fed up with waiting. Not that I blame her." Shikamaru sighed, lowering his head a little as he waited for Chouji to speak.

"Really? I don't really know how you feel, since Ino handled pregnancy without a single drop of sweat; it was amazing! I just wish we had more kids." He laughed, using sarcasm in his last statement. "But I think you'll enjoy being a father, Shikamaru. Especially if you have girls. They're the cute ones, you know. Besides, girls tend to cling to their mothers."

"Yeah, how fortunate." Came Ino's voice from the kitchen, trying to get her children to leave her alone. "Go bother daddy, sweeties." After she had said that, three little girls ran into the living room and piled on top of their much larger father.

"I don't think I could handle triplets," Shikamaru said truthfully.

"You could if they all resembled your wife I bet, just like my little girls." Chouji smiled, lifting one of them up in the air and tossing her.

"Three little Ino clones? Are you serious? Sounds like a nightmare, and if I had three little Temaris, I shudder to think of how my life would be." Shikamaru told his friend while shaking a little as he thought about dealing with such a situation.

Clouds filled the skies over Sunagakure, growing darker with each passing hour. Small roars of thunder could be heard from above, but the lightning had not yet revealed itself. As the clouds held their fluids in, three ANBU sprinted through the darkening streets, making their way towards the Kazekage's mansion. They leaped and were lost from eyesight momentarily, due to their excellent speed, and appeared within the Kazekage's chamber.

"Kazekage-sama," one of them spoke, a scroll held firmly in his left hand. "We've just come from Kirigakure, and we bring urgent news regarding the--" Before the Black Op could finish his sentence, the Kazekage snatched the scroll from him, using sand manipulated into the form of a hand to do so. The Kazekage took the scroll from his sand and slid it open, his pale eyes roving over the writing swiftly. His eyes suddenly narrowed, and he angrily through the scroll to the floor, where it rolled across the large room until it lightly tapped a wall at the other side.

"So, the Mizukage wants a war, does he?" He asked rhetorically, his voice deep and hateful. "So be it. Inform my brother at once; make sure he delivers the message to my people."

"Hai," replied all three ANBU at once, and they left immediately, leaving the Kazekage to himself. The ANBU moved swiftly towards a building not far from the mansion, which was located in the center of the village, and entered through an open window. They spotted the black-suited Jounin at a desk, and were sure that he had been aware of their presence.

"What is it?" He asked as he concentrated on the letter he was writing.

"Your brother wishes us to inform you that this village is henceforth at war with Kirigakure, Kankuro-san." One of the ANBU said, foreseeing the action Kankuro took as he stood up quickly, pushing the chair back several feet and turned to look at them.

"What? War! Damn it," Kankuro cursed, slamming his fist onto his desk, knocking over the ink which began to bleed over his nearly completed letter. He would have to tell his fellow villagers the news, but there was someone else he needed to inform as well. "Alright, I need you to find Baki-sensei. Have him deliver the news to the people; he's the better spokesman. As for myself, I need to travel to Konoha."

Ino stepped out of the kitchen, sighing as she came up behind the men on the couch, and called her daughters to put them to bed. Chouji and Shikamaru had still been talking on the couch, discussing fatherhood and other such things.

"Just don't keep your expectations too high, and everything will be fine. Well, Ino's expectations are always high, but I always seem to squeeze by." He laughed, though his warm smile faded when he noticed his friend still looked down. "Listen, I was a little bummed when Ino gave birth, but I'm telling you, you're going to love being a dad."

"I'm not so sure," Shikamaru sighed. "I know I'm a Jounin now, and I have teams to organize, but I've never had to keep something organized, is the problem. With a team, you go on a mission, work through the problems, return home, and you're through. However, when it comes to raising a family, there's commitment involved. I know I swore to stay with Temari through good and bad, but I'm starting to have some severe doubts here."

Chouji frowned and starred down at his shirt. "You may be lazy, Shikamaru, but you're smart, and you're tough. You'll get through this, no matter what obstacles are thrown in your way."

"What if the kid doesn't like me?" Shikamaru added, a silly frown on his lips.

"I wouldn't blame it," Chouji snickered, then stood up and headed into the kitchen. "Well, Ino's putting the girls to sleep. Do you want anything? Tea, ramen, anything, you name it."

"Thanks Chouji," Shikamaru smirked as he stood up. "I guess I could stay for tea." Shikamaru followed his friend into the kitchen, watching him pour a small cup of green tea, then placed it down on the table, which Shikamaru had already sat himself at. "So, are you guys planning on having any more kids?"

"Nah, Ino's got enough work as it is. I don't want to add to that burden for selfish reasons like passing on my name. I honestly don't care enough about it, you know." Chouji replied, a happy grin on his face as he watched Shikamaru sip at the scalding hot tea.

"Geez," Shikamaru blurted, running up to the sink and releasing the hot liquid from his mouth. "Man, I'm really not thinking, huh?"

"You know," Chouji said, trying not to laugh. "You really need to loosen up. Maybe you need a mission, or something exciting to come up to take your mind off the whole thing."

"Nah, I couldn't go on a mission with Temari about to have this kid, it just wouldn't be right. She needs me now more than ever. It's such a drag, but whatever."

"Really? Because Ino wanted me out when she was pregnant. Hmm, women." Chouji shrugged.

"Here, here,"

Kankuro, unable to continue running, slowed his pace down to a jog as he continued on his way to the Leaf. His feet were sinking in the sand, causing him more trouble than he needed. The massive desert had always given travelers a difficult time when crossing it, and now with the brutal sun finally setting, the freezing night was almost upon him.

The sand began to grow dark, its golden brown color slowing becoming a pastel sea of blue and green. However, Kankuro trudged onwards, hoping to reach his sister before Konoha fell under attack, itself. He had no time to set up camp, he simply had to reach his destination. The cold desert winds began to stir, buffeting him as he walked. It was a minor inconvenience, but his determination overrode all irritability.

He remember crossing this very section of the sandy sea before, but he had done so with his siblings. Now, his family was all but happily together. His brother, Gaara, had worked for and achieved the title of Kazekage. His sister, Temari, had left Sunagakure for Konoha, where she wed and settled down with Shikamaru. Kankuro had never seen eye-to-eye with his sister's husband, but he was happy for her nonetheless. He was unable to attend the wedding, but even Gaara made time. He felt guilty for not spending time with his sister, and not visiting her since she left the Sand Village. His trip to Konoha would probably be unpleasant; Temari was as unforgiving as the desert nights.