Just a series of short stories (is that what I should call them?) centered around Tobirama and Mariko (my OC).

These might be weird...I kind of just rattle them off the top of my head, and then review them a little. (Please do tell if I have any major mistakes!)

Maybe it's because I'm tired, but wow, did I start rambling here. What's going on. What happened to the writing style that I rather liked in Banana Bread & Cranberries ?!

Disclaimer: Senju Tobirama belongs to Kishimoto, because if I owned him, he and Hashi would've appeared much, much more, and Obito would be dancing the tango with Rin through the battlefield. Oh yes. And Kakashi, he would be so, so confused.

Chapter 1: Icicles

It was an unusually chilly winter in Konoha, and a light snowfall had graced the village with a white weekend. In a cheery, pleasant corner of Konoha, in a corner of the now-white Senju neighborhood, curled up in her bed, was Mariko, comfortably enjoying her sleep-in Saturday. It would've been enjoyable for all, had she not wrapped herself so intricately in the covers that Tobirama was now shivering at the other end, lacking a blanket.

The white-haired Senju glanced at his fiancée, this petite woman whom he was now glaring at with unpleasant, cold-and-snow-induced malice, and decided to ruin her sleep-in Saturday. Sure, he could've reached over and wrapped his arms around her for a snuggle—if Mito had seen his expression, she definitely would've told him that a snuggle was needed—but Tobirama was a strange one, and decided not to. Instead, he slipped his fingers under the edges of the sheets and pulled hard, so that Mariko was unwrapped with a roll and a bounce.

And a very amusing squeal, Tobirama might add. She tumbled to the far edge of the bed, nearly rolling off the end, but caught herself and turned to glare at her partner.

"What was that for?!" she exclaimed, taking a pillow and throwing it angrily at his face. Tobirama hastily ducked, allowing the cushion to flop past him and onto the ground.

"You stole the blankets," he answered simply. (You know, Tobirama, you could've solved this with a little snuggling, but no, you just had to roll her out…)

"Then take them back!"

"They were stuck under you."

"So?"

"You're heavy."

At this, Mariko's cheeks flushed—as they did quite often—and she shoved another pillow into his face, this time holding it in place and waiting for a muffled apology. She knew for a fact, with her small frame and slim figure, that she was not at all heavy, and if Tobirama felt like it, he could easily hoist her up with one arm.

At this point, Tobirama's hand had shot out and grabbed an unsuspecting Mariko's ankle, and dragged her across the bed. He was getting a little annoyed by the pillow whacking him multiple times, but the expression on her face was too funny to pass up—cheeks puffed and lips pursed—so he just took it with a cynical arch of his eyebrows and a mocking smile.

"You're going to destroy the pillows," Tobirama said when the cotton pillowcase wasn't smacking him across the mouth.

"So?" Mariko answered again. She was just like a sassy teenager, seriously. Tobirama rolled his eyes and dodged the next pillow-thwacking, his shinobi skills kicking in so that he reflexively grasped her wrists, pressing them down beside her head as she lay on her back.

"Mito will have your head…for the pillows," he told her.

"That was the worst comeback I've ever heard."

"So?" Tobirama smirked. She tried kneeing him in the stomach, but she was effectively pinned down and couldn't move much.

"What time is it, anyway?" she demanded.

Tobirama glanced at the clock. "Seven. I think."

"That's way too early!" Mariko struggled in vain again. Tobirama wasn't even holding her down anymore; his sheer weight and size kept her stuck in one spot just fine.

It was then that they heard a strange clinking outside. The silhouette of a person passed alongside the window, and then disappeared as abruptly as it had come.

"With this snow, can you use your Ice Release to take out people?" Tobirama asked, though he seemed pretty distracted with her blue hair now, twirling it in his fingers.

"Well, I guess, but you know I'm not good with the Ice Release, right? As in, I can make…an ice popsicle, and that's it."

"Popsicle no jutsu? Amusing…is it flavored?" Tobirama's face was right next to hers now, and she flushed. Mariko tried to knee him again, but he just shifted his weight and forced her down.

"How about I make an icicle and throw it at you?" she threatened jokingly. He glanced at her and rolled his eyes.

"How about you make that icicle," he suggested, "and throw it at whoever's out there?"

It was way too early to do anything, according to Mariko-reasoning, but she got up anyway and snuck to the door with Tobirama. As soon as they came to the door, footsteps padded right outside and stopped in front of them. The two glanced at each other and opened the door a crack. (The worst it could be was an incredibly stupid Kiri nin or Saru trying to play a joke on them again).

"God rest ye merry gentleman," sang Izuna. He obviously had been pushed into place, seeing as the entire top of his head was wrapped and he was blind.

"Izuna. What are you doing?" asked Tobirama. There was a sinister cackling, and then the form of Madara could be seen with a small evergreen tree in his arms, dashing towards Hashirama's place.

"I don't really know," the Uchiha answered, shrugging. He gestured broadly over his shoulders in the direction Madara had gone. "Nii-san pushed me here, and since I don't know your place well, I'm sort of stuck."

"Your brother might die," Mariko told the black-haired man. Izuna nodded knowingly. Whatever Madara had planned, it was definitely not something Mito was going to be happy with, and then it would be off with his head!... or something disastrous like that. "Mito will have his head."

"He also cut down one of Hashi's trees." Izuna pointed this out very nonchalantly, but both Tobirama and Mariko blanched.

"Still got those icicles?" asked Tobirama, glancing down at Mariko.

"Right here." Mariko jogged outside further, and broke off the longest icicle she could reach.

Besides the seals and traps that the Senju would later set out to prevent crazy, trespassing Uchihas from entering—and mind you, Mito went all out on those seals, that even Kurama rolled his eyes from within her—wintertime was especially dangerous because there were deadly icicles courtesy of Mariko hanging from every building…

I'd run, Madara. And leave the tree.

I like how I went from rambling (by rambling, I mean sections that I don't know how to phrase, so I just go on and on and...) to writing about how Izuna suddenly showed up. Oh Izuna, you must've inspired me!

Yeahhh. Cavallo-Alato here really should be doing her European History homework, but does she ever feel like it? Noooo... =3=

Konoha history...would be fun. /shot