It was midsummer in Konoha and the temperature had reached oppressive levels. Night especially brought its own particular torture when darkness conspired with the heat to steal every scrap of oxygen from your lungs. They were at Kakashi's house, driven from the near-sauna that was their apartment, and were lying on a futon in main room, the shoji doors wide open to capture even the slightest hint of moving air. Nude under the moon's disinterested eye, they lay as far apart as they could, their entwined fingers the only concession to affection. It was so hot that even Kakashi, with his superb chakra control, was sweating; Iruka could feel it, a steaming dampness that seemed to seep across the space between them. From outside came the familiar drone of the cicadas' love song, their multitudinous monotone a perfect counterpoint to the higher note of the bamboo fan revolving sluggishly on the ceiling above. At some point they would have to go home, since it contained useful things like clothing and food, but in the meantime, this house was better.
Iruka blinked, his thoughts moving with all the alacrity of molasses. "We should just live here," he murmured, the statement slipping from his mouth before his brain could catch it. Kakashi turned to him with an inquisitive hum and Iruka gabbled a quick apology, feeling embarrassment add an extra shade to the flush already colouring his face. "I'm sorry. This is your house, it's not my place to suggest that." He glared up at the ceiling, annoyed at himself for suggesting something so controversial.
Cloth rustled beside him and he chanced a quick glance in Kakashi's direction. He'd rolled over and was propped on his elbow. His expression was hidden by the night, but he didn't seem angry when he said, "You'd like to move in here?" If anything he sounded surprised.
Iruka shrugged, his skin sticking to the sheets. "Sure, why not. It's stupid keeping up payment on two properties and I love the garden. The privy'll have to move though."
"It's cold in the winter."
Fingers tracked cool against his chest making him shudder as his skin broke out in goose bumps. "We can snuggle."
"Get a kotatsu." Was that note of nostalgia Iruka heard?
"It would be nice." Iruka could imagine it; snow falling outside while he and Kakashi spooned together beneath blankets and the warming heat of...
Urgh, no. Even thinking about it was making him too hot. Iruka groaned and spread his arms and legs further, willing the temperature to drop just a little, please, a degree or two was all he was asking. A stream of air playfully stirred the hairs under his arm and he glared at Kakashi, who did an impressive job of looking innocent.
"You should have said something before if you wanted to live here," he said, when Iruka gave up trying to be intimidating as too much effort.
"Like I said, it's not my place, in either sense," Iruka replied, keeping his gaze on the ceiling fan. Kakashi huffed and Iruka heard him collapse onto the pillow. Was that the end of the conversation? Perhaps he should be more explicit about why he didn't think it was his place. "Your dad died here. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to be under the same roof as that."
Silence. In the distance the low growl of thunder promised relief from the heat, though it would be only temporary.
"I should," Kakashi's voice finally came heavy out of the night. "Three generations of Hatake have lived here. It seems wrong not to see it through."
"Three?" Iruka was intrigued. He knew about Sakumo, almost everyone over a certain age did, but beyond that he was entirely ignorant about the Hatake lineage. Konoha's koseki was almost as closely guarded as its kinjutsu, since it wouldn't do for just anyone to be able to map the complex familial relationships within a hidden village.
"Hm," Kakashi hummed an affirmative. "According to my father, the first was from Cloud."
Mission parameters gave them forty-eight hours. Any longer and they risked running into Kumo shinobi and the last thing anyone wanted was another border skirmish. Burumaru, nose to the ground and tail a rigid curving rod up over his back, was hot on the trail. Following close behind and feeling his squad-mates starting to encroach on either side, Inuzuka Houkou gritted his teeth, dug deep, and kicked hard off a branch, bound and determined to stay ahead. He and Buru were the trackers, for fuck's sake, the rest of them should be following and yet there they were, creeping up again.
He shot a glare over his left shoulder where Yuosou Daichi, or Unagi as he was supposed to call the idiot while in this uniform, was about to break formation. He gestured sharply and the kid dropped back into Houkou's blind spot. 'And damn well stay there', Houkou thought with a snarl, 'moron'. The presence on his right came no further forward, simply tucked in tight and clean, precisely where he was supposed to be, as if Houkou could expect anything less of an Hyuuga. Damned white-eyed freak was captain for this mission and Houkou was still having problems being out with anyone except clan, let alone creepy guys like him.
For that matter he still wasn't sure what the fuck the clan heads were doing throwing in with a dump like Konohagakure anyway. The Inuzuka didn't need to settle down; all they needed were open spaces to hunt, prey to chase and a warm dry spot to curl up in at the end of the day. This village business was all right for the likes of the Hyuuga or those stuck-up Uchiha bastards, but not for him. He was half-tempted to throw it all in and leave except... well, except his grandmother would string him up by the balls and sic her bitch on him and Houkou didn't fancy being Shiroko's chew toy, not even for some half-assed dream of freedom that probably wasn't practical anyway. However much Houkou resented it, times were definitely changing and with virtually all shinobi now allied with hidden villages, there was nowhere really left for loners like him and Buru.
As though hearing his name, Houkou's big roan ninken swerved suddenly from his straight path, dropping down out of the trees, then down again along a rock face, to crouch in front a well-hidden cave. Houkou raised his fist to alert the squad, stopping for a second until Buru confirmed the right location, then he signalled, 'Here.' This is was it, the place where the person they were meeting was holed up. Whoever they were. A retrieval mission, according to the new Hokage. Apprehend alive at all costs.
Houkou stood back, Buru at his heels as the Hyuuga pushed his mask aside, activated his byakugan for a second, then gestured, 'False trail. Quarry, three hundred yards, north north east.' A moment later he called out, "Hear this," in a voice loud enough to carry no further than it needed. "The storm still rages in the mountains but for those who wish it, there is shelter in the forest." With that, he returned to the trees, gesturing the others to do likewise. All four of them hunkered down, adopting positions designed to monitor not intimidate. Their quarry was skittish apparently.
For the longest time nothing happened. Natural sounds, silenced by the Hyuuga's voice, returned to their little slice of the world. Birds began to sing, small mammals scurried about absorbed by their constant hunt for food, insects crawled along leaves and skin alike. Houkou schooled himself to stillness, using an old mantra his sensei had taught him. It wasn't his preferred state, though as a shinobi he'd finally learnt to control his constant need for action. When he was tiny, his mother had tied him to a pole in an attempt to quell it. Once he'd finally chewed himself free, he'd run wild for nearly a month before returning to the clan. Needless to say she hadn't bothered again. 'Age'll knock it out of you,' she'd said. 'That or death. Ain't no moving once you're dead, boy.' She was right. She didn't move any more.
He was halfway through his second set of mental exercises when he sensed someone behind him. He breathed; in – out, perfectly centred, perfectly calm; and then he moved – kawarimi no jutsu, one hand gripped around the wrist of his attacker dragging them with him. A moment of disorientation and then air streaming past them as they fell, kunai ringing sharp and bright as they struck and struck again. Buru howled and Houkou felt his heart rise with excitement. Yes! This was what he lived for. Fuck sitting and watching! This! This rush of adrenaline, this lift of mind and body, this clang and crunch, this tang of blood and sweat. This was what it meant to be Inuzuka.
A fist caught him a ringing blow to the temple, smashing his mask back into his face. His head whipped round, eyes trying to roll, ears half-deaf from the impact. He cursed and spat blood, rebounded off a branch and went in for the kill. His attacker – tall, fast, white hair – bounced around ahead of him like freaking tree frog. Even Buru couldn't catch them. "Gatsuga!" Houkou roared and dove into the jutsu. The world vanished, replaced by an echo of existence parsed through scent and sound and that extra whatever that told him exactly where his ninken was.
They hit, bang on. Had the guy dead to rights. Houkou felt that first contact with flesh, waited for the bruise and bleed, and then nothing, as it vanished into chakra smoke leaving him and Buru choking on their mutual rage. "Kage bunshin!" he bellowed and heard an answering cry from further away. Crap it all, this was supposed to be a simple mission and okay, so this new 'ANBU' was all about the really hard stuff, but still, this was fucking ridiculous. Was it their pick-up attacking them? Or was someone else bulling in on the kill? Those assholes from Yugakure, maybe? What kind of stupid-ass name was that anyway; sounded more like an onsen than a hidden village.
Branches cracked nearby and another voice rang out, demanding in a loud, rich contralto, "Stand down, Konoha. Stand down or fail in your mission."
Houkou bounded towards the speaker intent on mayhem and revenge for his bleeding nose, only to skid to halt when she came into view. Atop the promontory that housed the little cave, she stood tall and proud and beautiful. Her skin glowed the colour of heartnuts, her hair pure midwinter streaming out like a pennant in the wind. In one hand, she held the sagging Unagi, in the other a short blade that spat and sputtered and glowed lightning. But none of that mattered. What really drew Houkou's attention was her belly. Distended and showing beneath her flak jacket, it protruded in such a way that there could be absolutely no doubt for a boy from a clan like his.
"You're pregnant," he blurted.
The look she turned on him could have curdled milk. "Well, look what the dog dragged in," she said. "Did your mama leave you with the puppies too long when you were a baby?"
And okay it was completely obvious she was pregnant and so he didn't really have to say it, but what else was he supposed to do. She'd taken out one of their number and all of the rest of them looked bruised and bloody. And she was damn well pregnant! More than eight months if Houkou was any judge. Thus it bore saying, numerous times if necessary.
"Samuke Rinkai?" Hyuuga-taicho said, his hands lifting placatingly. "I apologise for the confusion. It was not our intent to startle you."
"You didn't startle me, kid, I just wanted to check you weren't hunters pretending to be Konoha. A henge might not fool you with your clever eyes but it's not so easy for the rest of us mortals."
The encounter suddenly snapped into focus for Houkou. The fist to the side of his head. If she'd been able to land that, she could have easily used a kunai and killed him. She hadn't, but the blow would have been enough to dispel a clone or break a henge. If she'd done the same to the others then what Houkou had construed as an attack was simply someone making sure they weren't about to get conned. An effective strategy, if a bit painful for her victims.
"I'd offer my apologies if I thought it'd help," she added, giving them all the once over. She sighed and joggled Unagi. "I think he's okay. He tripped over his own feet and fell out of the tree. Cracked his head on a branch on the way down. Any of you got any medical training?"
They glanced at each other. None of them were medics. Finally Houkou shrugged. "My sister's a vet," he said. "I can tell if he's got a concussion."
She snorted. "I could tell that. Eh, have him anyway, I'm getting bored holding him." She tossed him in Houkou's direction. He shunshin'd and managed to catch the kid before he hit the ground. The way he turned green and retched, Houkou reckoned the concussion was a sure thing. Thankfully he managed to get clear before the vomiting started.
Having wrestled Unagi into the recovery position, Houkou returned his attention to the woman, Rinkai. She was talking quietly with the Hyuuga, her face intense as they negotiated about who the hell knew what. It was way above Houkou's need to know level, and that was how he preferred it. In his experience, the more you knew, the more likely someone would try and disembowel you for information.
And thinking about friendly encounters... Houkou sniffed the air, filtering out his team and the newcomer, searching for anything else out of place, and found it. Miles away as yet and only there in echoes, a subtle boiling of energy and motion. It could be nothing. Then again, their little skirmish had made enough noise that anyone within a ten mile radius would have heard and they were far too close to Cloud's border to be taking any risks.
"Hibari," he called out, and smirked behind his mask when the Hyuuga totally failed to answer to his codename. Gotcha, not even the ancient and honourable Hyuuga were that damned perfect. Giving Unagi a quick pat on the shoulder – he'd be fine once he was through puking his guts up - Houkou shunshin'd over to the couple and tried again. "Hibari." This time the freak responded, though Houkou was damned if he didn't see a flush of embarrassment on those pale ears.
"Is there a problem, Kuma?"
"Might be. We should be moving out."
"Agreed." The Hyuuga tipped his head at his companion. "We can continue this discussion elsewhere. Whether you decide to come with us or not, you'll certainly not be able to remain here."
"Point," the woman said. "Okay, let me grab a couple of things and we'll go." She turned to Houkou. "Feel like playing pack mule?"
If his choice was between Rinkai's belongings and Unagi who might vomit down his neck, Houkou knew which he was choosing. "Sure," he said after getting the nod from his captain. He followed her into the little cave and nearly turned straight round and left again. There was furniture. No way was he carrying furniture. "You some kind of pack rat?" he asked as she squatted down next to a pile of scrolls.
She glanced up at him and then around at the contents of the cave and huffed a laugh. "I'll seal a couple of items but most of this can stay. It'll make 'em think I'm coming back." With a quiet grunt she heaved back to her feet and held out a sack stuffed to rustling with scrolls. "Hold this." She had a single one in her hand and unrolled it as she strode across the cavern. For a damp dark hole in the ground, the place was pretty okay, Houkou decided, following along. She'd obviously tried to make it homey. Knowing how women nested when they were due, he guessed she'd been trying to make it nice for the baby. Pretty tough though, having a kid out here all on her own. Then again, the lady looked like she could handle it.
The futon, three chests and a pretty ceramic tea service vanished into the scroll, which got added to the bag and that, apparently, was that. Rinkai picked up another pack, slung it over her shoulder and gave the cave a last considered look over. Then she huffed, turned on her heel and left. Houkou trailed after her.
It was a position he'd get used to. For some reason best known to himself, Hyuuga-taicho decided Houkou was the only member of the squad who could act as close bodyguard for their 'guest', so he was stuck shadowing her as they hurried back to the relative safety of Fire Country. He was the one who stayed in camp with her, he was the one who made sure she was fed and watered, and he was the one who went and whistled a happy tune while she pee'd behind the bushes several times a day. And damn it all, would it have killed the fucking Hokage to stick a kunoichi on the squad. He had to have known it was a woman they were meeting.
Anyhow, as a consequence of all this, Houkou was also the one in the best position to notice when Rinkai started slowing down. They were about a day out from the rendezvous point and at first Houkou put it down to inexperience travelling through trees and simply kept a closer eye on her. But when she stumbled to a panting halt against the trunk, put a hand against her belly and grimaced, Houkou had to acknowledge they were in trouble. He shunshin'd to the end of an adjacent branch and hunkered down, watching her as she fought for control.
"What's the hold up," Unagi asked morosely, stopping beside him a moment later. His concussion had passed after the first night though he was still nursing a bit of a grudge against the woman who'd caused it.
Houkou gave him a filthy look, completely pointless thanks to the damned mask. "At a guess I'd say she was going into labour."
Unagi's mask did nothing to conceal his sudden shocked head movement. "You're kidding."
"Wish I was." Rinkai had straightened up, her face pale but expression determined. Houkou hopped over to her. "You gonna make it?" He knew better than to ask stupid questions like, 'Are you okay?' or 'Does it hurt?' He had sisters, they had kids, he prided himself in not making mistakes more than once.
She glanced at him, mouth tight. "Have to." Another shudder rippled through her. She clenched her jaw and added, "I know a few tricks. It's not gonna drop out halfway home if that's what you're worried about."
"Not in the slightest," Houkou said with a grin. "My ma headed up the clan on the front lines till she got her first pains with me. Took them two days to get back to the main camp and she didn't so much as break a sweat. Least that's the way she told it."
Rinkai snorted in amusement. "Too many tall tales'll rot your brains." She picked up her pack from where it had fallen and went to sling it back over her shoulder.
Houkou held out his hand. "Carrying you'd only make it hurt worse. Let me take the bag."
She considered him for a moment, as if wondering at his motives, then, apparently liking what she saw, nodded and handed it over. It was surprisingly heavy and clanked quietly when he hefted it. He raised his eyebrows in query. The only reply he got was a shrug as Rinkai turned away and leapt to the next branch. They were back on the road.
When the rendezvous was two hours away at top speed, Unagi was sent on ahead to find a medic or a midwife or someone who could help. Despite Rinkai's promise not to drop the kid on the way, it had soon become obvious to Houkou that the baby's arrival was imminent, so when a small contingent of Leaf shinobi appeared, led by an elderly woman in a pale green kimono who proceeded to take over, he could be nothing but grateful.
Leaving them to it, he draped an arm over Burumaru's back and tried not to listen as the two women discussed things that no man in his right mind wanted to overhear. Buru seemed to sense he needed distracting, snuffling at his face and whining deep in the back of his throat. Unlike his grandmother, Houkou couldn't really understand what Buru was saying but he took comfort in his ninken's presence all the same, digging his fingers deep into his thick ruff and scratching firmly.
After a few minutes Rinkai let out a short laugh, accepted a vial of medicine from the woman and swigged it back with a grimace. Then they were back on the road, not as fast as before but making steady progress.
The sun was starting to set by the time they arrived. Two more ANBU met them at the gate, taking the front and rear positions and guiding them directly to the largest house in the settlement, though that wasn't saying much. Inside they were greeted by the other half of the squad who stepped up to give Rinkai a quick but thorough pat down. Finally they were passed through into the interior room to where Senju Tobirama, Nidaime Hokage, was seated at an oddly out of place desk, his bodyguards ranged behind him.
Houkou, along with the rest of his squad-mates, found space just inside the door and dropped to one knee to await orders. Rinkai stood on no such ceremony. She strode forward, her only concession to circumstance being the way she held her hands far enough apart that it would be difficult for her to form seals quickly. The bodyguards tensed anyway and Houkou tensed with them until the Nidaime lifted a single finger in reassurance. The two gazed at each other across the wide desk, which Houkou realised was the one from the Hokage's office. Broad and solid, rumour had it that the Shodai had made it with his mokuton. Houkou wasn't sure about that. It seemed a bit far fetched to him. Why would such a powerful guy make furniture?
They were still staring, expressions assessing rather than critical. Rinkai was tall, towering over the seated Hokage who, even so, managed to look self-assured and not at all uncomfortable. The moment stretched, neither flickering so much as an eyelash, until finally Rinkai nodded and, with a jerk of her chin, said, "All right. What's this gonna cost me?"
"We have a growing number of shinobi with lightning affinity," the Nidaime began and would probably have said more if Rinkai had not cried out, her knees buckling. She slammed a hand down atop the desk, her other flying to her belly as the ripples of a contraction moved across it. The Hokage was on his feet before anyone else in the room could move, a steadying palm reaching for the woman's shoulder. She shrugged him off, an expression of self-disgust on her face and Houkou suddenly got an inkling of what she must have been through, to bring her here, alone and vulnerable, into the camp of her enemies. He swallowed, averting his eyes, feeling like an intruder on a very private and personal pain.
"Hokage-san," he heard her grind out, and he had to look back towards her. Rinkai had both hands on the desk now, her body bent into something between a bow and a squat. She looked to be in agony. "Give me somewhere safe to drop this freakin' kid and I'll give you all the lightning jutsu you want."
So this was where they were housing this new fangled shinobi academy. Houkou pushed open the door of the ugly ass building and limped inside, peering from right to left at the unfamiliar layout. Rooms with tiered seating lined a single corridor which ended in a slightly smaller room that was currently bustling with activity.
"Inuzuka-san," a brightly cheerful voice greeted him as he went in. It was Sarutobi Mahiko, wife of one of the strongest ninja in the village and leader of this débâcle.
"Just Houkou is fine," he shot back. It was bad enough even being there, let alone hearing his clan name day-in and day-out. It wasn't like he was a real Inuzuka without Burumaru beside him. Grief echoed through his mind, the mournful howl of a soul abandoned, and he curled his lip, forcibly dragging his thoughts away from the ambush that had left him half-crippled and had killed his ninken. So what if his sister had offered him another pup. It wasn't Buru, and never would be.
"Then you must call me Mahiko," Sarutobi was saying. She held out her hand in welcome. "Come on in. Introduce yourself to the others and then we can get down to work."
Houkou did as he was told, dutifully nodding and exchanging formalities with the ten or so shinobi gathered in the room. Like him, most of them showed evidence of incapacitating injury, and those who didn't were women who probably had small kids at home. The halt, the lame and unskilled mothers, Houkou thought viciously. What better pool of candidates for children's teachers?
"We're just waiting for one-" Sarutobi began just as a familiar scent filled Houkou's nose and a rich low voice rolled into the room, "Damn it, late again! Sorry guys, just one of those days, you know." Houkou swung round, ready to greet his old charge, and stopped cold. She might sounded like Rinkai, she might smell like Rinkai, but that was far as the resemblance went. The woman in the doorway was tall, true, but slender and dark haired with skin the colour of milk. And not a trace of that powerful white chakra flowed from her body. As she walked in, her gaze passed over Houkou with no hint of recognition.
"Ah, Hatake-san, so nice of you to join us," Sarutobi said, her expression of distaste making her opinion of the newcomer quite clear. "Did you perhaps remember your materials today?"
"I sure did," the woman said, slamming a large canvas sack down on the closest table. "Let's see, diaper, diaper, teething gel, wipes, diaper. They're in here somewhere, promise... Ah!" A thick bundle of documents with what looked like bit of banana skin stuck to the outside appeared from the depths of her bag. "Okay, I did enough copies for everyone so-" Somehow the pile twisted in her hands and the next second all of them flew high into the air. "Shit!" Rinkai cursed roundly and began grabbing for the errant papers. As she slid past Houkou, she elbowed him hard in the ribs, and hissed, "Out of the way, ya great bear. If you can't help, just stand there and don't say anything."
Using his old ANBU codename wasn't subtle, but it got the message across. So this was Samuke Rinkai, she just wasn't called Rinkai any longer and presumably none of their fellow teachers knew her by that name. Despite what half his family thought, Houkou hadn't left his brain behind with Buru. Ducking past Rinkai, he snatched up one or two pages and handed them back silently. Her pale eyes – they were same colour as before, he was sure of it – narrowed but neither of them said a thing. In fact, beyond the odd formality, they exchanged not a word for the entire day.
Not until they were packing up to leave did Rinkai - or Hatake Sanki as he guessed he should start thinking of her now - sidle up next to him and hiss, "You fancy a drink?"
Houkou gave her a sideways look, no longer startled by her changed appearance. She still had a good couple of inches on him, though she wasn't half as beautiful without that stunning hair and skin. "Is that a good idea?" he asked. In other words, was he supposed to know about her new identity?
"If it isn't, someone'll pipe up," she replied and though she shrugged carelessly as she said it, Houkou didn't miss the way her gaze slid away from his.
Remembering the woman who'd unflinchingly faced down the Hokage when she was about to give birth, Houkou felt a pang of sympathy. She was probably as lonely as hell stuck in Konoha with a fake history and no friends or family. "Yeah, okay," he said. "You got somewhere in mind?"
Another shrug. "My place? I've got a kid to pick up from the sitter remember." The baby, of course. Despite all the stuff in her bag, he'd kind of forgotten the kid must be around somewhere. She was looking at him a bit anxiously. "Is that gonna be a problem?"
"Problem?" Houkou felt as confused by her question as he probably looked.
"The kid," Rinkai explained. "Some folks around here aren't fond of the lack of husband."
Oh, that old saw. "Screw them," Houkou said as he held the door open for her to go through first. "Kids are kids. The more the better." The Inuzuka had always taken a flexible attitude towards marriage and breeding. That was one of the reasons why clan lineage was traced through the female line, the philosophy being that even if the father was some stray, you could be pretty sure who the mother was.
Rinkai grinned back at him, her eyes dancing. "I knew there was a reason I liked you," she said, and there was the uncompromising woman Houkou remembered. He felt his cheeks warm as her gaze became bolder and wandered south. "One reason among many," she added.
Oddly their destination turned out to be just on the outskirts of the Inuzuka compound. Houkou shifted the canvas bag he was carrying onto the other shoulder and did a three-sixty turn to get his bearings properly. He hadn't even known this place was here, let alone that anyone lived in it. The house was small compared to one he shared with the rest of his family, not much more than a wooden box with shutters on the front, and with the sheer number of trees crowded around it, you needed to know of its existence before you'd even bother to look for it.
"How come you're living here?" he asked, following Rinkai up the muddy overgrown footpath. "Seems a bit out of the way when you're on your own."
"Hm?" she said, glancing back over her shoulder then up at the trees and the house. Minori, the baby, blew bubbles at him as she drooled on her mamma's uniform. She was teething, and was apparently determined to share the experience with the rest of the world if the soggy fists she shoved at him were anything to go by. She also had her mama's real colouring, which must raise a few eyebrows around the place. "Oh, yeah, I suppose it is," Rinkai was saying, "I like it though. Less folks around to get all nosey, you know."
Houkou was getting the impression that life in Konoha wasn't the idyll Rinkai had been hoping for, though what else she'd been expecting he didn't know. No ninja was going to trust a traitor, whatever their reason for changing allegiance. She was lucky the Nidaime hadn't just had her killed. Well, lucky and useful, Houkou guessed. She'd certainly contributed some to the work on the curriculum that day. This new academy was going to be really something once it was up and running. Thinking back on his own education, crammed in between battle contracts and territorial skirmishes, Houkou almost felt jealous of the kids who were going to have the chance to attend. Maybe that was why Rinkai had been prepared to take the shit she was getting in the village, to give Minori a chance of this kind of life. She sure as hell wouldn't have had one if they'd stayed in that cave.
"It's not much," Rinkai said as she dragged open the door and kicked off her sandals. After she'd entered, Houkou peered in through the doorway. She wasn't kidding about it not being much. A genkan with a packed earth floor that, going by the open stove and the cooking pots stacked in the corner, doubled as a basic kitchen. "I keep meaning to tart things up some but then other stuff crops up and well, it's not so bad when you get used to it."
As she spoke, Rinkai stepped up the wooden steps to the higher level and pushed aside a fusama to reveal a single room. Houkou followed her. This was more like he was used to, but again much smaller. The communal spaces in his own home were huge when opened up. They had to be, for Inuzuka clan meetings.
"Stick the bag down over there will you?" She gestured to an open stair, not much more than a ladder, that climbed to the second floor up the far right hand wall.
Well-trained, he did as he was told and then stood there, feeling like a spare prick at a wedding as she futzed around with the baby. The room was sparsely but attractively furnished. He recognised a couple of the chests from the stuff she'd chosen to bring with her, but the ornate butsudan that now stood against the far wall had been left back at the cave. Someone must have picked up the rest of her stuff for her, or else it was a replica.
It was then he realised that there was no matting on the floor. As an Inuzuka, he was used to the lack; even the best quality tatami didn't last long with ninken around so only their bedrooms tended to have them. The rest of the clan buildings were like this one, floored with uncovered boards. Come winter it was going to be freezing in this place, even with the kotatsu that stood against one wall. He said as much, not expecting a reply. What he got was a bark of laughter and a, "Hell, yeah. I swear I damn near ended up with frostbite last year."
"You've been here since she was born?" For some reason that came as a surprise. Maybe because she'd been so close and he hadn't realised. Shit, if he strained his eyes, he could probably see this place from his bedroom window.
"Sure," Rinkai shrugged and released Minori, who promptly shot off across the room and out of the doors on the far side into the garden. Her mother watched her with an indulgent expression and, hunkered down like that, with her arms resting on her legs and her hands dangling, she looked just like an Inuzuka. It was her body language. So many of the women in Konoha were all posture and pretence, but not her. Despite the henge, it was easy to see that she really lived in her body. She was at ease with it, like the women of his own clan.
Was that why he'd followed her here this evening? He didn't even know any more. Initially it had been simply to humour her but as they'd walked through the village and Houkou had seen the odd looks thrown their way, that had changed to sympathy. What was her life like, stuck out here with just her kid for company? Lonely, Houkou imagined.
"I was sorry to hear about Buru," she said, standing up and turning towards him, her face sympathetic.
Houkou averted his eyes. This wasn't a subject he could speak about. Not now, possibly not ever. And anyway she wouldn't get it. Everyone in Konoha, excepting the Inuzuka, seemed to think he'd just lost his pet dog. They couldn't understand. Even those with summoning contracts wouldn't understand. Buru had been with him since his chakra system was mature enough to take the binding. They'd been a part of each other.
"I should go," he said as the silence between them took on a life of its own.
She huffed and glared at the floor. "Damn, way to open your big mouth, Rin," she muttered, and then raised her head. "Look I didn't mean… I… Crap, I'm so bad at this. He just seemed like a nice sort, you know, and it must've hit you real hard, and I just-"
Outside, Minori began wailing at the top of her voice. She didn't sound hurt, just mad at something, the way small children got. Rinkai startled at the cry and then stared towards the door like she didn't know what to do. She looked tired, Houkou realised. No, more than that; with her defences all down like this, she looked like a woman working on her last nerve. He'd seen it before, and he knew the cure.
Shoving aside his own worries, he said, "Make us that drink, huh? I'll go sort her out." Not waiting for an answer, he headed for the garden, following the sound of the temper tantrum. The kid wasn't hard to find. She'd got her nappy caught on a stick and was kind of stuck half upside down with her ass in the air, and she was less than happy about it. Her little face was beet red, she was drooling everywhere and bellowing loud enough to wake the dead. But more interesting than any of that were the sparks shooting out from her tiny fists where she was banging them against the ground. Looked like she hadn't just inherited her mama's colouring.
Houkou swooped in and snatched her up in his arms. She flailed at him for a second until he swung her up over his head a couple of times and blew a raspberry on her belly. Wails then became shrieks of delight and by the time they went back inside, he had muddy hand-prints all over his face and Minori was riding on his shoulders, hanging on to his ears and drooling in his hair. He didn't mind. It wasn't like he was new to the whole kid thing.
He found Rinkai in the genkan, squatting beside the stove, slowly feeding sticks into the small fire. Set out beside her was the tea set he remembered her sealing away into a scroll back in the cave.
As they entered, she glanced up, took one look at them both and burst out laughing. It was loud and unrestrained, just how it should have been, and full of joy. She might be tired, and she might need a break, but as far as Houkou could tell, she needed to laugh more than anything.
"Sorry," she managed after a moment, not looking it in the least bit. "There's towels round here somewhere. Hot water after the tea's made and-"
"Doesn't matter," Houkou interrupted, swinging Minori down off his shoulders. "Cold'll do. With my clan, you learn to love mud and drool or you leave home."
He dangled Minori just high enough so her feet could push off the floor. The kid gurgled and bounced, grinning stupidly at her mama, who'd got the fire going and was filling the kettle from a water bucket. Once it was on to boil, he bounced her over so she could throw herself at her mama's legs. Rinkai caught her and let her swarm up into her arms, expertly sliding her round onto her hip.
"So," he continued, slouching against the door-post as Rinkai produced a cloth from the pocket of her flak jacket and swiped it across a drool-soaked chin, "I'm thinking you might have to rename her Sparky."
Rinkai paused, cloth in hand and shot him look that Houkou wasn't sure how to interpret. When he inhaled, there was a rank edge of fear in the air. "Why?" she asked.
"Because she was channelling chakra like a genin and shooting lightning into the ground."
"Ma ma!" Minori chortled and thumped her fists against Rinkai's chest.
Her mother grabbed both her hands but not before Houkou saw the sparks again. "You knew?" he said, pushing off the post.
For a moment he thought she was going to deny it, then her face twisted, lip curling up into a snarl. "You gonna tell 'em?" she demanded, stalking towards him, nostrils flaring. In her arms Minori had gone silent, staring at him with huge pale eyes, just like her mama's.
Houkou took a step back, holding up a defensive hand. Facing down a crazy who reckoned her kid was in danger was not gonna happen. "Hey, I'm no snitch! And anyhow, who the hell am I gonna tell, huh?" Rinkai's gaze shot to the door. Her guards, right. "Okay, them, but I'm not going to, I promise. " Denial didn't seem to be working. She was still coming. He pressed himself back against the wall. "And erm… I don't think anyone saw? At least I didn't see anyone." Not that that counted, if they didn't want to be seen. "The sparks were small? Hardly there at all, really."
Something he said must have got through. She pushed past him with only a disgusted snort and trod purposefully up the steps. A moment later, he heard the other stairs creak and realised she gone up to the next floor.
Houkou sagged against the doorjamb and willed his heart to stop trying to beat its way out of his chest. He was ex-ANBU for fuck's sake, and he was letting a woman with a kid in her arms scare him?
Well, yeah. A woman who had a good couple of inches on him and the ability to call down lightning bolts on his head. Kid or no, that was a damned good reason to be terrified.
Over on the stove, the kettle began to whistle.
By the time Rinkai emerged from upstairs, Houkou had everything set up in the main room. Cushions placed each side of the kotatsu, tea tray laid with pot and cups. He'd even found a pack of monaka cookies in the food chest. They felt a bit soft but they were probably still edible.
Head down and silent, Rinkai took the seat opposite him and leaned heavily on the table-top, rubbing her face with both hands. Then, as he watched, she let the henge drop. Black hair bled away to pure white, pale skin darkened to that same rich hue he remembered from before, features realigned, and suddenly there she was, the woman he remembered from the forest up near Yugakure. Though more fragile than he remembered.
"She sleeping?" he asked after a silent moment or two.
"Yeah. Out like a light." She looked up at him, hands still pressed to her cheeks. "Sorry, didn't mean to flip out on ya."
"S'ok," he said picking up the pot. She was obviously upset about something, but it wasn't his place to ask.
"They're gonna send her away, once she's old enough to start chakra training."
Houkou froze, teapot poised over the cup, and stared at her. "Away?"
"To Whirlpool." Rinkai placed her hands palm down on the table. "It was part of the deal. Her father…" She shook her head, gaze fixed on her hands. "It's… complicated."
And none of his business. Still it explained why she'd reacted so badly to him seeing the lightning. Minori was far too young to leave her mother yet but there'd be those who'd push for her to start training if they knew she could already channel chakra.
Silently he poured tea for them both, and then slid a cup over to her. "I won't say anything. Promise."
Rather than acknowledge him, she took the drink, cupping it between her hands for long moment before blowing the steam away and taking a small sip. Her eyebrows rose in pleased surprise. "Hey, this is pretty good."
"No need to sound shocked," Houkou replied grumpily. "You don't make it to nine around my house without learning how to make tea, let alone nineteen."
"Nineteen?" she said, sounding surprised. She lowered the cup back to the table and closed her eyes with a groan. "Damn, now I feel old."
She didn't look it. She was beautiful, like a storm over the mountains, just as she'd been that first time he saw her, surrounded by lightning in the forest night. She made him want to lie back and… A blush crept up his cheeks. "You're not old," he mumbled, slurping his own tea to hide his embarrassment.
"I'm turning thirty next month. For a shinobi, that's old." She grinned suddenly, a flash of white teeth, and reached out, poking him on the nose. "Look at you, going all red and adorable. Keep that up and you're gonna match those tats on ya cheeks."
"I'm not a kid," he growled, snatching at her retreating hand. He caught it, felt it warm and strong in his own and turned his face to bring it close to his mouth. She smelt of tea and small children and power as he pressed a kiss into the calloused skin on her palm, and he felt his heart leap at the possibility of her.
Making no attempt to get her hand back, she stared at him from the other side of the table. "No," she said seriously after a moment or two, "No, you're really not."
Much later, curled around Rinkai with his face buried in her hair and listening to the silence of the night outside, Houkou found his thoughts consumed with something other than Buru's death. Who was Minori's father and what had happen in Cloud to make Rinkai run? He'd probably never know unless she chose to tell him. And if he was being honest, it didn't matter. That was all in the past. She was Konoha's now, reinvented and renamed. Which reminded him, there was something he wanted to know.
Propping himself on one elbow, he smoothed hair from Rinkai's face and asked, "Why Hatake?
Rinkai turned in his arms, arching into a lazy stretch that shoved the covers down to her waist. "Hm?" she murmured sleepily, blinking up at him.
He didn't even try to resist her charms. Beneath his roving hand, her belly was all soft skin over firm muscle, and she pushed up into the caress as he leaned down to kiss her. "Hatake," he repeated, determined to get an answer before they got onto round two. Even so, his hand slid up her ribs to cup her breast, his thumb rubbing across a nipple that grew hard under his touch. "I get that it's a common-ish name, but why call yourself 'field' when you're not a farmer?"
Her fingers wound into his hair, tugging gently. "S'not the only meaning," she said, her voice a little breathless as she pulled him back down. "Back in Cloud, it meant other things, like womb or birthplace."
"For a child and for a new identity," Iruka said as Kakashi reached the end of his tale. They lay twined together, the storm having lowered the temperature enough to make cuddling an option for a short while. Lightning flashed across the sky and Iruka tried to imagine what it must have been like for them all those years ago. Rinkai especially. "She sounds like an incredible woman."
"She does." Kakashi shrugged, his shoulder shifting under Iruka's head. "I don't how much of the story's true, but the records show Hatake Sanki was the first and my dad said she was known as Rinkai in the family, so maybe some of it's accurate."
"I don't care if it's true or not," Iruka replied, flopping onto his back. The temperature was rising again. "I like it. What about Minori? Did she go to Whirlpool eventually?"
Another shrug. "No idea. There's no record of her in Konoha after she turned five though."
"Five. That's young to be sent away from home," Iruka said and then frowned up at the slowly revolving fan. "Hang on. Village records from back then are sealed. How did you-?" he stopped. This was Kakashi. Of course he'd found a way. If nothing else he'd been in ANBU for the best part of ten years, and that came with really high level clearance. "Never mind."
"Actually Minato-sensei helped me look," Kakashi said quietly. "After dad there was a lot of talk and I think he thought it might help."
Iruka rolled onto his side so he could see Kakashi's face. Even in the darkness he looked sad. "Did it?"
"Some. It made me take a longer view. Made me see there was more to the name than just dad."
"And you," Iruka added, determined not to let Kakashi write himself out of the picture.
Kakashi inclined his head, though his eyes remained fixed on the ceiling. "And me. The last Hatake."
Iruka let that go. He didn't want to argue about it tonight. Instead, having been given this little glimpse into Kakashi's family, he dug deeper. Who knew when Kakashi might feel like opening up like this again. "So what about the others? I mean, if Minori left Konoha when she was five, she couldn't have been your grandmother. So did Rinkai and Houkou stay together? Did they have kids?" He poked Kakashi in the ribs. "Does that mean you're related to the Inuzuka? Is Tsume-san your auntie?"
Kakashi's arm twitched down at the jab. "Okay, enough questions. You're not Ibiki. Erm… I think they were together for about twenty years. Hatake Jirou was born three years after Sanki first appeared on the records. His father was noted as Inuzuka Houkou." His lips curled into a slight smile. "And no, the Inuzuka are strictly matrilineal, they only count kids born to their women as full clan."
"I knew that," Iruka replied, having completely forgotten. He tucked an arm under his head and settled down again. They'd have to move soon. It was getting late and there was nothing here for dinner. But it was comfortable, and the apartment was so hot. At least here there was a breeze.
A couple of minutes later, when he still hadn't mustered up the energy to move, he pondered aloud, "I wonder if the matrilineal thing's why Jirou didn't take his dad's name?"
"I think it's more likely that Rinkai wanted the name she chose to last more than one generation," Kakashi shot back, a frown audible in his voice. "You need food. You're getting stupid."
"Hmm," Iruka hummed, eyes firmly closed in a determined attempt to stay put. The last thing he wanted to do was cook. It was far too hot! "We could eat at Ichiraku-"
"Not tonight. I'm not spending a whole meal fending off your students." Iruka heard him move. A moment later clothes dropped on his face and Kakashi said, "Come on. If we go now, we can grab take-out on the way home."
That'd do. Iruka dragged the clothes off his head and grinned up at Kakashi, who was standing over him still half-naked. "I love you."
"It's only cupboard love, now get a move on."
Iruka held out his hand. Kakashi grabbed it and, when he hauled, Iruka pushed. The resulting sprawling heap was very satisfying. Iruka smirked down at his lover and, buoyed up by that strange bravado that often accompanied low blood sugar, said, "Think we can beat it?"
"Beat what?" Kakashi replied, grabbing Iruka's hand and linking their fingers together.
"Their record. Rinkai and Houkou. Twenty years."
Kakashi's expression tensed, lips thinning into an almost invisible line.
"I know, I know," Iruka said quickly to stave off the argument. "No promises, no guarantees. I get that, I do, but still…" He paused. "It'd be nice to have something to aim for, you know. And if we're going to move in here, it just… "
He placed the hand that hadn't been kidnapped flat on Kakashi's chest. In this light his tanned skin looked so dark against the milk-paleness of Kakashi's that it made him think of Rinkai and Houkou all over again. "They found love against the odds. And made a home." Brought up a family, he thought, though he wasn't going to say it. "They proved it was possible, so maybe we should use them as an example and try too."
As he finished speaking, Iruka lifted his head, expecting to find Kakashi glaring at him. He wasn't. Instead there was a softness to his normally stormy grey eye and a lopsided smile on his lips. "Umino Iruka, you are an incorrigible romantic," he said.
Feeling the blush crawl up his cheeks, Iruka went to get up, only to yelp as Kakashi yanked him back down again, and proceeded to kiss him in a quite satisfactorily thorough way.
Home soon, he thought as his toes began to curl and the heat rose again, amongst other things. Home, and food, and then they could start to plan the move from apartment to house. But first…
First, he had something more important to attend to.