Minato stood watching his beautiful wife holding their first born son and their adopted daughter for a picture with his old college professor. Something about this moment was wonderful and scary. He was a father of a two year old and a four month old. Naruto giggled and pulled at locks of his mother's vivid fiery hair. Kushina chuckled nuzzling her nose against his and looked over to Minato where he stood by the window.

"Honey, can you take Kai?" she asked cradling and rocking their daughter. They'd found Kai through mission work they'd done in a small Cantonese village off shore. Her parents had been killed by a horrible war lord and she'd been left to some soldiers awaiting reinforcements. Kushina had heard Kai crying in a barracks tent and gone to check it out and to Minato's bewilderment come back with a baby. Kai had stayed with them in their hut and they'd had to call a lawyer to arrange legally to take her from the country but money always helped that process. Minato was a very successful lawyer with many offshore accounts to keep his family safe.

"She needs to go to bed Kushina. It's very late." He held the tiny little baby girl close to his chest as she wriggled in her snuggled blanket.

"I know." Kushina pecked his cheek. "Will you put the kids to bed and I'll get everyone out of here?" she asked gently eyeing their party guests. It was Naruto's second birthday and they had a full suite of guests to rush out at ten o'clock at night. She watched her bright eyed husband take a bouncing Naruto by the hand down the hallway and cradled Kai to his chest. She had really hit the jackpot in college meeting such a wonderful man and father. She could never have asked for anything more.

Kushina worked hard making the rounds and taking wine glasses out of her guests hands as she ushered them out. There was many kissing of the cheeks and many hugs given out at the front door as she watched them get on the elevator to leave. She waved and smiled and sighed in relief when the last person walked out the apartment door. She nearly slid down the frame when she shut it finally.

"Everyone gone?" Minato asked chuckling. She smiled at him nodding.

"Did they go to bed for you alright dear?" he laughed.

"When do they ever sleep without a goodnight from their mother?" she should have known better. Kushina took her husband's hand and walked into the children's bedroom together. They owned enough square footage and bedrooms to provide the children with their own separate rooms but on their return with Kai, Naruto had become infatuated. Their pint sized bottle of endless energy had fallen in love with the little baby. He'd slept beside on the floor by her crib refusing to stay in his own room until finally Minato had reluctantly put the toddlers bed into the same room.

"Momma!" Naruto cried sitting up immediately in bed reaching his tiny little hands up for her. She walked over hearing Kai making cherub noises form the crib and knelt over Naruto picking him up.

"It's bedtime my lovely baby." She kissed his forehead and smiled turning to find Minato cradling Kai facing her.

"I love you." He whispered kissing her lightly.

"I love you too."

"NARUTO SHUT UP!" Kai shouted over the loud banging music shredding from the living room. She groaned lowering her head onto the kitchen table where she sat holding her ears. The asshole had been having band practice with his friends from college for about an hour now and Kai had three midterms to study for. She sighed hitting her forehead off the marble counter and rubbed her temples. This had to stop. She had to do it. She hated doing it…hated playing the bad guy…but Naruto needed this. Plus, she knew he had work at seven in the morning.

"OUT!" she snapped yelling over the music. She flickered the lights on and off a bunch of times cutting their power cords on and off. Their music got screwed and she made a point to thrust her finger at the door to the back porch.

"Aw come one!" Naruto whined like a kid.

"EVERYONE O.U.T!" she yelled pointing again exaggerating the stance. She put on hand on her hip and leveled her glare at the four boys. Shino, Choji, Sasuke, and Neji smirked looking at Naruto and then to her. Neji nodded to her setting his bass in the corner.

"Good evening Mom." He laughed and the boys all headed out the door shoving each other and punching each other's arms. Naruto sat at his drum set moping and glanced up at her.

"Don't start. You have homework to do too. You have work in the morning and I have midterms."

"You're not mom." He said getting up a little bit more angry than normal.

"Someone has to be an adult BIG brother." She snapped rolling her eyes crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm going out." He snatched his keys from the wall hook and made a face at her.

"Whatever, fine, go get drunk and roll in at four. At least it will be quiet for me to study." she made a face back at him.

It wasn't until Naruto had left squealing his Mustang's tires that Kai literally slumped down into the arm chair by the door. It had been like this since their parents had died. Naruto had been eight and Kai had been six when their uncle Jiraya had told them that their parents had been murdered by an opposing client in a large case their father had been working on. They'd been kept under lock and key for fear that the hired gunmen would come after them. Jiraya had been a good parent until Naruto was starting high school. The old bastard had drank profusely one night and gotten in a car to drive and see some woman upstate and wrecked. He'd died before he'd hit the ER. Kai had seen Naruto spiral. He'd started drinking, tried drugs, and just stopped doing anything. Important. Kai had ended up recruiting Sasuke's older brother Itachi to knock the shit into Naruto. It hadn't worked completely but he'd gotten a lot better. As far as Kai knew the drugs had stopped and the drinking was to a minimum. She kept a tight ship on him and usually called his phone a thousand times until he got tired of the number going up in the red bubble on his screen; he'd either answer it or come home which were both fine. She just wanted to know that he was alive. There was a ringing from the kitchen and she sighed pushing herself up so that she could go answer her cell.

"Hello?" she said hitting the screen agitated and tired.

"I heard the car burn out. You alright?" Itachi asked yawning on the other end.

"It woke you up?" she asked sitting back at the kitchen table.

"Yeah sort of. Hard to sleep when daredevil goes playing street racer." She chuckled a little.

"Do you guys care if I swing by? I hate it when he comes home blitzed…plus I have four midterms in the morning." Sasuke yelled from the background.

"WHY DO YOU STILL ASK?" Itachi made a grunting noise that sounded like it was accompanied by a thud. Sasuke groaned in the background cussing.

"Did you hit him?" she asked grinning but was already scooping up her books.

"He's rude." She rolled her eyes.

"Just unlock your door idiots."