The Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto.
Ogawa Lutra, Genshu Takahiro and the random Inuzuka (like Ami) and their dogs (like Byakuko) (c) me, Lutra-Gem
If that night was anything to go by, they would not.
Lutra was woken, about ten o'clock, by barking and whining, and voices from the dogs' room; more precisely, the whelping room. Wondering what was wrong, Lutra slipped out of bed, noting that Hana was not in hers as she did so, and padded down the hallway. She walked straight into the room, pressing herself against the wall so she wasn't in the way, and silently watched.
The dog was having her puppies, and the family had come to watch.
Hana was kneeling by the labouring dog, doing things Lutra didn't know about but made sense to help the birth. Tsume and Hiraku stood over her, occasionally whispering advice to their daughter, which she accepted readily. Kiba was fidgeting in the background, kept from interfering with the birth by Tsume's massive dog, Kuromaru. The bitch's owner also hovered in the background, concerned for her companion.
As each puppy was born, Hana helped the dog to bite through the umbilical cord, and murmured the gender before passing the pup to her mother to be checked over and weighed. Hiraku made a note of all the details as his wife and daughter whispered them to him, a calculating look in his eye. Tsume would then gently lay the newborn back down with its mother, where it squirmed into her warmth blindly. The process would then start again as the contractions began for the next puppy.
"Bitch."
"Dog."
"Dog.
"Dog, but looks like it's got a bad paw."
"Bitch, looks like a runt."
And then it was over. The mother tiredly licked her puppies clean, and guided each one over to her teats so it could feed. Hana helped to clean the mess up, and the dogs in the room barked happily. Kiba started pestering his parents in the hope of being able to have one, which they refused, much to his annoyance. Leaving the happy owner with her dog and litter, Tsume, Hiraku, Hana and Kiba all left, going to the kitchen, with Lutra trotting silently behind. Tsume and Hiraku were arguing in angry whispers, and they stepped out into the back garden as soon as Hana and Kiba had sat down, shutting the door behind them. Raised voices immediately drifted through the wood, and although the children couldn't see their parents, it was easy to imagine their faces.
Lutra started to make hot chocolate for the three of them.
"The runt and the lame should be put down – they'll be no use for working or breeding!" This was Hiraki.
"No! Just because she's the runt of the litter doesn't mean she can't work, or breed, or be a companion! And the dog could be a companion too," Tsume responded.
"It's not worth the resources to rear them!"
"It's always worth it!"
"It's uneconomical!"
"It's ethical and moral!"
"Leaving them to grow and be useless is immoral!"
Hana had long brought Kiba into her arms and covered his ears, trying to muffle the row. Kiba was snivelling into her nightgown and clung tightly to her.
Lutra quietly put two mugs of hot chocolate in front of the pair and tapped Hana's wrist to let her know. The pre-teen, used to Lutra appearing randomly and only communicating with feelings, nodded gratefully in Lutra's general direction before taking Kiba's arms from around her waist, pressing a mug into his hands and gently leading him up to his bedroom for the night. Lutra waited patiently in the kitchen for Hana to return for her own drink. When the girl returned, looking distinctly upset now and glancing nervously at the back door, she slid onto a chair and sipped the warm drink. She started slightly as Lutra touched her arm, sending a questioning thought to her cousin. Hana slumped on the tabled and cradled her mug in her hands before speaking quietly.
"Mum… Dad… They always argue after a litter's been born. Dad's an outsider, not from the village; he was a prominent dog breeder from the Tea Country, and Grandpa thought it would be a good idea to have him marry Mum, so they could share talents and experiences and improve the Inuzuka pack. But as a civilian, he specialises in domestic and traditional working animals. While he cares for the dogs, he's more interested in breeding specialised ones and selling on the stock. A runt or a lame is a poor investment." Hana paused for a moment, and sighed as she eyed the door again. "On the other hand, Mum specialises in nin-dog and is much more concerned about the dogs than the profit. Dad just… doesn't get it." She sipped her drink. "He doesn't get it at all, so Mum's always fighting with him. She normally wins, but…" Trailing off, Hana stared into the frothy brown mixture. Then, almost inaudibly, she said, "One of my triplets is the father. His first."
Lutra's heart went out to her cousin, and the girl smiled a little as she felt it through the temporary bond. Then she picked up her mug, downed the drink and stood up. "Anyway, if he puts any of them down, it won't just be Mum he's answering to; I'll put him down myself," she joked awkwardly. Patting Lutra's head she said, "Come on; bed for us. They… They'll stop arguing in their own time." She glanced again at the door, where voices could still be heard, although they were quieter and more intense, so only the occasionally "Bastard," and "Stupid woman," came through. Hana then steered her cousin into bed before going to bed herself. Before long her breathing had evened out in the depths of sleep, and eventually lulled Lutra's fretting mind to sleep.
Late the same night, Sasuke was padding quietly though the dark corridors of his house, coming back from a visit to the bathroom, when he heard voices coming from the meeting room, and a beam of light spilled from a crack in the sliding doors. As he recognised his father's low chuckle he stopped to listen to the conversation.
"You are my son, indeed. I knew I could trust you to enter ANBU."
Sasuke regarded the statement for a moment, before realising that Itachi had succeeded in his mission.
It was probably unfair of him to be upset that his brother had gotten into ANBU.
It just meant that there was even more for Sasuke to work up to.
Hinata lay awake that night in her stark, cold room, thoughts of the day passing incessantly through her mind: her father's angry words at an innocent girl not born in the village; the rudeness of everyone towards Naruto; the surprise friendship and acceptance of an 'enemy' and a rival clan's heir; the blond's smile as he lapped up the class's attention; her father and her cousin's disapproval of her friends, and the harsh training session, which had left her with several bruises from Jyuuken strikes, even if they were free of chakra to 'protect' her; the look of disappointment when Hinata failed to land a strike on even Neji, who was a Branch House member and supposedly below her; and Neji's smug air when Hiashi nodded in silent approval of his skill.
Hinata wished so badly that he would give her even that simple nod to show pleasure in her.
She sighed and rolled over on the bed, trying to ease the pressure on a bruise on her ribs, and stifled a sob, making efforts to reassure herself that she was just a slow learner and that she would one day meet her father's expectations. It was of small comfort. Then she remembered the blond boy's sunny smile, even after he had tripped and embarrassed himself. Smiling weakly, Hinata took a little courage from the memory, and eventually drifted off to sleep.
Good grief I haven't updated in ages. I just got inspired while I was away to get on with it. Maybe it's because I've been deprived of Naruto creativeness while my friend can't RP at the moment since we both have school commitments and we're at different schools and she's got a bf and... yeah. I've planned SO much to happen in the RP. Seriously. Promotions, arguments, exams, engagements...
Yup. Lots of expansion on the Inuzuka family. I imagine that Tsume is the matriarch of the family, and that the others come to her for help. I think that you can see where I'm going in terms of the father leaving, although it won't be for a few years yet.
