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The last of their guests had left and only Yukiko’s parents remained. Yukiko cleaned the messy kitchen after the small lunch party she organized to celebrate Atsuo’s birthday while Atsuo talked to her parents in the living room. The kids, and their cat Cher, ran around creating a bigger mess. But the kids would be leaving soon to stay overnight at her parents’ house so they could clean up in peace after they left. Yukiko heard Atsuo ask the kids to bring their bags when it was time for them to leave. Yukiko was done with cleaning the kitchen and walked to the living room. Atsuo was telling her parents about the exclusive and luxe restaurant they miraculously got a reservation for later that night. “Mommy, Coda doesn’t want to gooooo,” Akari sang as she skipped in the living room with her bag. Coda followed her with a frown on his face. “Why don’t you want to go?” Atsuo asked. “I want to be here,” Coda replied. “I’m playing.” “You can continue playing at my house,” Yukiko’s mother

Yukiko was worried sick in the hospital waiting room. She paced back and forth but nothing was helping her ease the anxiety. It had been a while since she sat outside a hospital room, awaiting news, not knowing if it would be good or bad. In recent years no one she loved had been injured badly. It was like Yukiko forgot their true line of work and how dangerous it got. Yukiko checked the time, it was late afternoon. She would have to pick up the kids from her parent's house. But she wouldn’t be able to make it. She texted her father letting him know she would be late, or perhaps not arrive at all and Atsuo would have to pick them up later. She didn’t know if Atsuo received her text either. But she could not leave Ubume alone there. Even though she wasn’t allowed her to see Ubume yet. Not like it mattered, her friend was unconscious anyway. ‘Is everything alright?’ Atsuo texted back. ‘I don’t know, they haven’t told me anything yet’ Yukiko replied. ‘I know you’re worried, so I’ll handle

“Mommy, you look really pretty,” Akari said as she stood on her toes, holding onto the vanity for support and looked at Yukiko’s reflection in the mirror. “Thank you, baby,” Yukiko said. She put on a fresh coat of lipstick and kissed Akari’s cheek which left an impression. Akari giggled, looked at herself in the mirror, then giggled more. “Where are you going?” Coda asked as he approached the vanity and stood next to Akari. “I’m going out with some friends, honey,” Yukiko said, and kissed Coda’s cheek as well, leaving another imprint with her lipstick. “Are we going to grandma and grandpa?” Coda asked. “Or Uncle Narashi?” Akari added. “No,” Atsuo said as he leaned against the doorframe. “I will be home with you guys while Mommy goes to hang out with her friends.” “Hey, I offered to ask if I can bring you along,” Yukiko said. “That would be rude,” Atsuo said as he walked towards the vanity and the bent down to the kids level. “And I’d rather hang out with my babies anyway.” He messed up

(Flashback) Akane Fujihara walked out of the shower, cleaned and refreshed after a tough day at work. She dressed before immediately lighting some candles and incense sticks. She placed them in front of the altar of the Badger god and sat to pray in meditation. Breathing the air mixed with fragrant of various flowers helped calm her anxieties. Dinner was ready just as Akane finished saying her prayers. She bowed to the gods one last time before joining her husband for the meal. They talked about their day, which was not out of the ordinary. Shunsui was settled with being an academy instructor after retiring from ANBU. Akane felt bad that he did not return to active duty but a part of her was thankful. He finally put her needs above his wants and decided to say. Especially after they lost Yukiko; they needed each other for support. Although Shunsui considered taking in a genin team but made no decision yet. Akane herself had not been an active ninja for decades. She dedicated her entire

(Flashback) Yukiko looked at the monitor with a smile on her face. Her head was at a weird angle and her neck was starting to hurt but she did not mind. She did not want to look away and wanted to see every movement her baby made. Atsuo was as fascinated as she was, occasionally glancing at her to see her reaction before turning to look back at the screen. The technician explained what was going on with the baby, mentioned their size, growth rate, movement, and Yukiko was paying close attention and keeping a mental note of everything. “You’re at 19 weeks right now so I can tell your baby’s gender. Although most parents want to keep it a secret, either for a surprise at birth or for a gender reveal party. We can give you a sealed envelope with the gender if requested. So whatever you want is fine.” “Hmm,” Yukiko said as she looked at Atsuo. “I don’t care to be surprised at birth. And we aren’t having a gender reveal party or anything, so what do you say to us finding out here?” “I’m

Miles and miles away from home, 25-year old Yukiko sat comfortably on the bed in her new apartment. This would be her home for a while, perhaps for a few years till her son was old enough where he would need a room of his own. They would be able to afford an upgrade by then, Yukiko hoped. She had her book in hand and held it close to her face. It was a book about art restoration. She completed her art maintenance course recently-while eight months pregnant-but she knew she had a lot more to learn. She ran her fingers through Atsuo’s hair as he laid beside her, his head on her protruding-large belly, probably listening to their son moving around. In a few weeks, they would get to meet their son, and Yukiko could not wait. Yukiko wasn’t paying attention to Atsuo till she noticed his fingers tracing the movement of the baby over her stomach. She peeked under her book and noticed him giggling to himself as he followed the movement. Yukiko smiled to herself and continued to watch him for a

Yukiko sat at the dining table, case-files spread in front of her as she worked on her assignment. In her peripheral, she was watching the kids eat dessert after their lunch and they were well behaved. Normally she would eat with them but she had a late breakfast and she wasn’t hungry yet. She’d probably grab something light to eat later so she wouldn’t ruin her appetite for dinner. Their cat named Cher-or Chair to the kids-finished her food and leapt on Yukiko’s lap to receive pets from Yukiko. Cher was a smart kitty and she learned she would receive absentminded pets from Yukiko when she was busy working. Especially when the kids could not give her attention, like when they were eating or bathing or sleeping. The kids were giggling and whispering to each other when all of a sudden Yukiko heard Coda whimper. She looked up in time to watch him start crying. “What’s wrong, sweety?” Yukiko asked, growing concerned. There was no blood on either of them so Yukiko ruled out accidental-or

Yukiko sang her heart out as she danced to the rhythm of the music. Okay maybe not to the rhythm, she was too drunk for that. But she swayed along and focused on the lyrics. As the song came to an end, she wondered if she ever felt this free. Probably being in hiding for over a year made this carefree moment feel exceptional. But even at the village, she was never this free while drunk. Perhaps because she was worried about her reputation a little too much. She glanced at Atsuo in the crowd again and grinned at him. Oh yeah, it had to be Atsuo. He wasn’t much of a drinker back at the village. And when he finally let people influence him, they never got a night out together before they had to leave. This was the second time they’ve been out drinking together. The first time was Atsuo’s birthday a couple months ago and even though that night was pretty wild, she felt safe around Atsuo. She knew he had her back. When the song was done, she blew a kiss at Atsuo, who pretended to catch it.