November twenty-ninth. The sky was gray and still, the snow falling cold and silent over the fields and rooftops. The air was cold and forbidding for those out on missions, but the ones nestled up inside were enjoying the romantic winter day. Smoke rose high into the air from the chimneys, giving the air a crisp, woody smell.

It was the perfect time to come to Konoha. One young man stood a mile from the village, smiling as he took in the scents of snow and woodsmoke. He had almost forgotten how good this village was. He adjusted his backpack, a layer of snow dropping from his hair and clothes. He set off with quick steps, his goal now very close. He was nearly home.

"Ahhh... I loooove this ramen!"

"Yeah, I'd say you do, Sango!" said Tatsumi. "This is your fourth bowl!"

"Shut up!" said Sango. "I'm eating for two, remember?"

"It's kinda obvious now, so yeah." Sango slurped down her ramen happily. "How's the morning sickness going?"

"Not bad, at least not today. It was horrible yesterday." Tatsumi gave her a sympathetic look. "I can't believe all this though. I'm having kids, Lee turned twenty-two two days ago, my birthday's in two months..."

"Seems too fast, huh?" said Tatsumi. "I've been twenty-two since September, so..." She paused, standing slowly.

"Where're you going?" said Sango.

"Ah, I don't know. I just wanna walk around the village for a while. I haven't had any missions for a week. I'm going stir-crazy!"

"'kay. See you in a little while."

"And Sango..."

"Hmm?"

"Try not to eat the whole restaurant." She screamed and ran, laughing as she dodged the snowball Sango threw at her head. She kept up running full speed, just enjoying burning off energy. But as she turned a corner by Amaguriama, she crashed head-on into someone.

"Oww..." groaned the young man sprawled out next to her. "My aching -" He froze. "Tatsumi?!" She looked up at the sound of his familiar voice.

"Ruku?!" she screeched. "When did you get back?!"

"Just now." He stood and brushed himself off. "Where are the others?"

"Disura's on a mission, Jakku's doing a surgery, and Sango's over at Ichiraku."

"Good! I'll go see her!"

"Wait! Before you see her, I need to tell -"

"That can wait!" he said, dashing away. As he neared Ichiraku, he glimpsed Sango's green clothes and long back hair. "Sango!" he yelled. She turned her head, then jumped up and ran to hug him.

"Hi, Ruku!" she called. He looked between her open arms and gasped, seeming to choke on air.

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" he screamed. "Sango, what the - what are - how did -"

"Huh?" Sango said as she stopped. "What do you mean? Oh, yeah. Heh heh. I'm pregnant."

"You don't say!" yelled Ruku.

"I told you I hjad something to -" said Tatsumi.

"Shut... up..." said Ruku, trying to get a grip on himself. "How... did this happen?"

"Well, when a -" Sango began.

"Not that part!" Sango smiled at him.

"Come on," she said, going back toward Ichiraku. "Let's catch up."

"Ahhhh..." Sango sighed as she slid into the hot tub in her room. She was covered up to her chin in warm, lotus-scented bubbles, and she sighed again in pure ecstasy. "This feels so good... But I already can't see my feet..." She sighed sadly. "I'm so damn faaaat!" she whined. The phone started to ring by the tub.

"Moshi moshi," said Sango, answering it.

"Sangooooo!" cried a shrill voice. "Sango Sango Sango Sango Sangooo!"

"Hi, Yumi," said Sango. "Man, you're loud!"

"Hiiii! How's your baby?"

"Good, I guess... I haven't really asked it."

"Well, why don't you?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Anyway, guess what, Sango!"

"What?"

"I think I got some kind of supernatural message in my breakfast this morning."

"Okay... what?"

"Yeah. I looked in my bowl and it said 'oooooo.'"

"Uh-huh. Did you happen to be eating Cheerios?"

"Yeah! Creepy, huh?"

"Uh, sure... Yumi, I -"

"Yumi!" shouted a voice in the background. "Get off the phone and quit bothering Sango!"

"Awww! You're no fun, Shika!" Yumi sighed. "Sango, I gotta go. Shika's a meanie!"

"Okay, b -" Click. "-ye." Sango hung up the phone, sinking back into a relaxed silence.

She didn't know how long she had been daydreaming - hours, minutes, seconds - when she was sharply awoken from her thoughts by a loud crack. With a start, she came to and looked for the source of the sound. It happened a second time, then a third. The window! Someone was throwing stones against it, softly but sharply.

"What in the seven hells?" Sango whispered, now a bit angry. She quickly grabbed her green towel and wrapped it around herself, stepping quietly to the window. She froze on the spot, suddenly feeling vulnerable. There, paler than a ghost and a hundred times more frightening, stood Sasuke.