Sakumo gathered his tools with a light heart. Tadao and Mitsuko watched him with perk ears and wagging tails.
"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time," Tadao said.
"It's just good to be needed. Those old women really have a lot wrong with their house. I always liked puttering around the house when I was here. I had hoped to teach Kakashi some things about construction, but I guess that's not going to happen."
He saw Tadao's ears droop a bit. "It's ok," Sakumo said. "I don't think he would have enjoyed the work anyway."
"Do you want to come?" he asked Tadao. "You want to go for a walk?"
Tadao barked and jumped up. "I haven't been out in ages!" he said. Sakumo smiled at the dog's understanding of time. Nin-dogs were still dogs at heart.
"What about you?" he asked Mitsuko. "I'm sure the sisters would like you."
"I don't go out," she said quietly. "I had a seizure in the park once. It was awful."
"Do you need me to stay with you?" Tadao asked. "I can go out another time."
Always thinking of others first, Sakumo thought. What a good dog.
"You two have fun," Mitsuko said. "Go have some guy time. I'll be ok here."
"What about the puppies?" Tadao asked.
"We don't even know if I'm pregnant yet," Mitsuko said. "I'll be fine."
"I have to go by the hardware store," Sakumo said. "I need to get some things so I can work on their roof. It's going to take a while, but I think I can fix it myself, or at least with a few clones."
As they walked toward the old women's house Tadao ran circles around Sakumo, barking and jumping.
"You have a lot of energy," Sakumo said.
"We're out again together, just like before," Tadao said, "and I'm going to be a dad soon. I just know it. I never thought I'd actually have puppies."
He grabbed a stick from under a large, spreading oak and brought it to Sakumo.
"Not now," Sakumo whispered. "We've been watched since we left the house. I don't think it would help things for the villagers to see me feeling happy and playing with a dog. They need to think I'm feeling my punishment."
"Jerks," Tadao mumbled around the branch.
"Not really," Sakumo said. "Just hurt people needing an outlet for their grief. It will change in time."
"Let's hope so," Tadao said. "I'd hate to have to bite someone."
"If you share my fate you'll have to share my humility," Sakumo said.
"I don't remember you ever being humble before," Tadao said.
"It's good to learn," Sakumo said. "Perhaps if I'd learned when I was younger I wouldn't have been so arrogant as to fail a mission for my own reasons."
"You don't really mean that, do you?" Tadao asked. "Tsume would be dead. Isn't she one of your bitches?"
"Not at all," Sakumo said. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Humans breed weird," Tadao said. "She seems to like you enough to be your mate, and I know you two bred in the past."
"You haven't been on the mortal plane much except for on missions, have you?" Sakumo asked.
"No," Tadao said. "I've never been that interested before. It didn't seem very important."
"Humans don't breed like dogs," Sakumo said. "It doesn't mean the same thing to us. Mortal dogs don't breed like ninja dogs either. They're not monogamous like you or the mortal ninja dogs."
"Then why did you and Tsume breed?"
"It was…just for fun," Sakumo said. "We only did it a couple times. I don't like women who are dominant. We both decided it was better to be comrades."
"I don't either," Tadao said. "Bitches should be betas, and Tsume is definitely your Alpha."
"Well I wouldn't have put it like that," Sakumo said. "How did you know about Tsume anyway?"
"You forgot I was there, I guess. I was trying to get some rest after that mission in the Rain country when I hurt my leg. She was loud; she kept me awake."
Sakumo chuckled. "You know – I'd forgotten about that. She's a wild-cat."
"What does that mean?" Tadao asked.
"She was enjoyable to mate with," Sakumo said. He noticed that they were approaching a larger street, and there were people going about their business.
"Why don't you ever talk about what happened?" Tadao asked. "I just assumed she was your bitch."
"It's crude to talk about the people you have sex with," Sakumo said. "It's a private thing with humans.
"Jiraiya talks about sex all the time," Tadao said. "Every time I'm around him he's on about some new bitch or Tsunade-hime."
"He and I have different views on women."
They were getting within hearing range of a group of people. "We should change the subject," he said. "Humans aren't comfortable talking about sex."
"That's all Jiraiya-sama talks about. If he breeds so much why hasn't he had a litter yet?" Tadao asked.
"That's complicated," Sakumo said as they approached the busy street. "Let's talk about something else."
As they moved through the streets he heard people mutter around him. He picked out the occasional harsh word, but no one said anything to him directly.
It's probably because of Tadao, Sakumo thought. The dog was intimidating.
"Trash," he heard near him, just loud enough for him to hear.
Tadao growled.
"No," Sakumo said. His voice still carried enough authority that Tadao stopped, but Sakumo was attuned enough to his former summon's mood that he knew he was angry. His hackles weren't up yet, but his movements betrayed his irritation.
"Down," Sakumo said. "Calm yourself." It was a mistake to bring him out. I didn't think about how their feelings might affect him.
He didn't relax until the old women met him at the door.
"He doesn't bite, does he?" Ume asked.
"Not unless I tell him to," Sakumo said. "He's usually very polite. Say hello, Tadao."
Tadao bowed his head slightly. "Good morning," he said.
"He talks!" Rie said.
"He's the only ninja dog that stayed with me," Sakumo said.
Rie patted him on the head. "What a nice dog. Would you like a cookie?"
"Um…I've never had one," Tadao said.
Rie fetched an old tin with faded hibiscus flowers painted on it. Her shaking hand pulled out a large cookie. It wasn't quite burnt, but it was definitely darker than it should have been.
Tadao took the cookie from the old woman carefully, slowly using teeth that had torn enemies' arms off at times. He bit into the cookie and stopped, looking at Sakumo with surprise.
"Is this how they're supposed to taste?" he asked.
"They're good, aren't they?" Sakumo said. The old women were focused on Tadao. "Eat it," he mouthed at the dog silently.
Tadao ate slowly. "Thank you," he said. "Could I have some water? My mouth is dry."
"Of course," Ume said. She fussed over Tadao, and Sakumo enjoyed watching his friend being loved by humans, as was a dog's right.
"I'm going to work on the roof," Sakumo said. "Tadao, why don't you stay and entertain the ladies? I'm sure they'd love a few stories about your life. Nothing too graphic though." He didn't have to tell Tadao to avoid anything classified. The dog knew his duties better than that.
"We don't have a ladder," Ume said.
Sakumo laughed. "I hope I haven't forgotten my skills enough to have trouble getting on a roof." He leapt up easily and formed a couple clones to help him.
As he worked the wind began to pick up and clouds rolled in. He enjoyed being out in the elements. When lightening began in the east he didn't want to leave. He felt at peace there, on the old womens' roof. The neighborhood seemed to be watching him as he worked, but he didn't see much of the anger he'd seen earlier – more curiosity than anything.
Lightening struck only a few miles away. I should go in, he thought, but he stayed on the roof. He'd promised Kakashi he wouldn't kill himself. He never said he wouldn't give nature the chance to do it for him. Just because he was happy now didn't mean he wouldn't still have to face a lifetime of shame and guilt.
"You need to come down," he heard Tadao call up from the ground.
"I'm fine," Sakumo said. "I still have work to do, and it has to be leaking in there."
"I can't come up there because of my old leg wound, but you really do need to come down," Tadao said. A bolt of lightning struck nearby, and Sakumo had to use chakra to hold onto the roof as a strong gust of wind hit him.
"Go inside," he said.
"But…"
"I'm still your master," Sakumo said. "Obey me."
The dog left, and Sakumo returned to his work. He patched as many holes as he could, and when the storm passed he reluctantly went inside. Even Kakashi couldn't have doubted the randomness of a lightning strike.
Tadao growled at him softly. "That wasn't smart," he said.
"No," Ume said. "We were worried about you. Tadao wouldn't let us go out."
"I didn't mean to worry you," Sakumo said. "I wanted to fix the holes before they started leaking too badly."
He knew from Tadao's look that he didn't believe him.
"There was probably more storm damage around the neighborhood," Sakumo said. "I'll see what I can do to help."
"I'm coming too," Tadao said.
Sakumo decided to let Tadao come. He really hadn't meant to cause his friend so much distress.
Ume handed him the tin. "Take some cookies with you," she said.
"Thank you, Grandmother," Sakumo said. I suppose I could use them as building material, he thought wryly.
He could see massive damage from the storm. "It was stronger than I thought," he lied.
Tadao growled lightly.
"Sakumo-kun, there are a lot of things to live for. Don't forget that," Ume said.
He looked into her eyes, so obviously unfooled by his simple ruse. Intelligent women always catch me at lies, he thought.
"Thank you Grandmother," he said. "I'll remember your kind words."
He went next door. A tree branch had punched a hole in the roof, and two adults were standing below, pointing and arguing about how they should fix it. A woman balanced a baby on her hip.
"Can I help you with that?" Sakumo asked.
The woman scowled at him. "We can't afford a ninja," her man said. "We'll figure it out. We always do somehow."
"It's free," Sakumo said.
They looked at him suspiciously. "It's part of my community service," he lied.
"We're building an add-on in the back," the woman said. "There's wood there, and we have some tools."
They had a ladder, and Sakumo used it as if he couldn't simply hop onto the roof. He was beginning to learn that people responded better to him if he didn't appear to be powerful. It was the exact opposite of his former life. The old women wouldn't have cared, but he didn't know these people.
The man climbed up after him. "I'm Haru. I was going to get up here and fix this by myself once I got her to quit arguing. You know how women are."
"I'm glad to help," Sakumo said.
"She was worried about it being too slippery. I've been up here before."
They fixed the hole, but he noticed other places that shingles had blown off in this storm or previous ones, so he just kept working. Eventually Haru's woman came up with some water. "Do you want to come down for food?" she asked. "You're welcome too, Sakumo-san," she said.
He hadn't told either of them her name. I'm probably the gossip of the neighborhood. She was friendlier now, probably because they'd really needed the help. She went inside again.
"I can do more tomorrow," Sakumo said. "The sun is setting, and it will be easier with more light."
As Haru was moving down the roof toward the ladder he slipped and began to slide down the roof, grabbing desperately at any handhold.
Sakumo moved quickly and caught him just as he went over the roof. He pulled Haru back onto the roof. Haru panted with fear. When he could talk again he said, "thanks. Don't tell her. She'll never let me live it down."
Sakumo chuckled. "We'll keep it between us."
Tadao had waited patiently on the ground. Haru invited him in, and his three children fussed over the dog. Sakumo watched Haru letting the littlest one ride him like a horse.
As they walked home, Tadao asked Sakumo, "what happened on the old womens' roof? You know better than that."
"I guess I can't lie to you, can I?" Sakumo asked.
"You've never lied to me before," Tadao said. "I'd have known."
"We all have our own paths to take," Sakumo said. "If anything happens to me I know Jiraiya or Kakashi will make sure you and your family are taken care of."
"That's not what I'm worried about," Tadao said. "Did you want to die up there?"
"It would be better for Kakashi and Jiraiya," Sakumo said. "You can't deny that."
"But you promised Kakashi!" Tadao said.
"And I'll keep that promise. If there were an accident he couldn't blame me. Let me choose how to live and die, Tadao."
"Yes Master," Tadao said. His tail was tucked and his ears against his head.
"I'm sorry," Sakumo said. "I hurt everyone I love, including you."
"It's ok," Tadao said. "Just don't do it again."
Mitsuko was sleeping peacefully when they returned. I should have thought of them earlier, Sakumo thought. They really do need me. Is there anything I don't fuck up anymore?
But he remembered the old women. They needed him too. I'm so selfish, he thought. He thought best in the shower, so he took a long time getting the grime of the day off himself, pondering his own future. There was hope in it if he thought about his new connections in the poor neighborhood. He couldn't help but wonder how it would be to always be hated by most of the village, but he would have to find a way to live with it.
Still, he wondered if the next time there was a storm he might find himself on another roof hoping for an accident.
"You look sad," Mitsuko said later.
"I am," Sakumo said. "I found some people that accept me, but I can't help but remember how many lives I've ruined. I feel like I'm still ruining Kakashi's life."
"Sakumo, let's talk alone," Tadao said, "man to man."
"Ok," Sakumo said. He was intrigued. Tadao had never spoken to him like this.
They went to the backyard and sat on the porch. The smell of wet after-rain dirt met them.
"Mitsuko saved me," Tadao said. "I was so sad without my pack, but she filled some of the hole she left."
"I'm glad she did," Sakumo said. "You two deserve each other."
"You need someone like her," Tadao said. "I don't understand how humans breed, but I know that if you could find someone like Mitsuko said maybe you could be happy again."
"Maybe," Sakumo said. "It's not that easy for humans though. There are a lot more things to think about."
"Humans are too complicated," Tadao said.
"You might be right," Sakumo said.