Momochi Zabuza had seen some pretty horrifying things in his life, but none had matched watching his wife give birth for the first time. He bravely stood by her though, knowing that if he didn't, there would be hell to pay.

When had he allowed someone to take such firm control of his life?

Eventually, after several hours of labor, during which his hand was nearly crushed, and he could swear that one of his fingers was actually broken, his firstborn son came into the world squalling extremely loudly.

The attending medic passed the infant off to her assistant who cleaned him up, weighed him, measured him, put a diaper on him, and wrapped him in a blanket before handing him over.

The child was red, wrinkled, making an incredible amount of noise, and...and...the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Congratulations Zabuza-sama!" Haku said as he too stared at the baby that was cradled in Mei's arms in awe.