Hot oil spattered onto the stovetop. Tsume's nostrils flared, taking in the scent of the crackling skin of the mackerel and waiting for the precise moment the muddy, fishy scent of its raw inner meat metamorphosed into tender, savory perfection.
Kuromaru quietly salivated at her side, enduring the hot oil snapping onto his fur.
She sliced the fish out of the pan and flung it into a bowl of rice with a snap of the wrist. In the doorway behind her, Kiba froze in the middle of rubbing his eye. He backed out of the room slowly.
"What do you think you're doing sleeping in so late?" she barked. "If you want breakfast you two need to get up like normal people!"
Akamaru whimpered at his side.
"Aww Ma," Kiba groaned. "Kurenai-sensei trained us late though. And she wants us to do it again tonight."
"Hn," she glared over her shoulder at her son, softening a bit at the dark circles under his eyes. Then with a frown she turned away. "When you're on a mission you might miss days of sleep. If you're not conditioned to keep going then you'll hold everyone back."
Kiba and Akamaru both groaned and slunk out of the kitchen. No doubt they'd try to sneak back in for snacks later. Tsume eyed the cupboards. She'd have to set some traps if they were going to learn their lesson.
Mari slipped in through the door wearing the plain yukata she'd left in. Tsume wrinkled her nose. She reeked of him. "Mari-chan, what happened?"
"I-I," she paused. "I followed him. He apologized."
The girl still hesitated often when she spoke, but Tsume had learned it had more to do with her incomplete grasp of the language than any shyness on her part. Though the way her cheeks began to redden just then was reminiscent of Kiba's Hyuuga teammate.
Tsume took a step closer, inhaling sharply. Kakashi's scent was everywhere. On her hair? Oh, her face too.
How interesting.
One of her fangs bared with a sly grin. "As long as he didn't do anything to bother you," she said. "Because if he ever does, just let me know and it'll be taken care of."
Mari's blush deepened and she looked at the floor. "Yes, okaa-san."
Tsume didn't miss her faint smile.
So that's why he was so worked up. Perhaps she could forgive him for acting like such an ass.
Someday.
As long as he didn't do anything to hold Mari back.
She grabbed the bowl of fish and rice, and thrust it into the girl's hands. "Eat. You're going to learn to set traps today."
Her eyes widened with surprise. "Thank you! You make the best fish! Don't worry about the dishes, I'll take care of them when you're done."
Tsume watched with satisfaction as her newest family member wandered out of the room to eat, then turned to attend to the rest of her cooking.
When Hana and Kiba's father left, she never imagined her family would expand again. And if you'd asked her, that was the way she wanted it. She had Kuromaru, her children both hairy and human, and that was all that mattered.
Then Mari came along.
At first the foreigner had seemed so vulnerable and fragile. A civilian, only able to communicate through her dogs relaying messages to them.
Yet she had a quiet diligence in the way she worked to learn their language. In the way she immediately began helping with needs she perceived without being asked or told. The way she cherished Boone and Sholpan, and their obvious devotion back. The way she befriended Pakkun, then her children.
And herself.
It wasn't until Boone died that she realized how important those three had become to her family. How much she wanted to protect them.
A frission of irritation went through her again at the copy ninja.
How dare he doubt Mari. How dare he doubt the Inuzuka.
Mari was going to become the best damn kunoichi.
Or else.
Sholpan lay flat on her back with all four feet in the air. I ran a comb through the fur on her distended belly and carefully trimmed it away from her teats so the puppies would be able to nurse. They weren't due for another week, but it was better to be prepared ahead of time.
I yawned, then shook myself. It felt like I was on the verge of physically collapsing at any given point, which had given me a fresh appreciation for Kiba's wariness around his, our mom.
She was a slave driver.
In spite of that, I had every reason not to disappoint her. Unlike the woman who birthed me into my old world, who I shall refer to as Birthertron 5000, Tsume actually wanted me. So if that meant working until the point of collapse on a daily basis, then I'd do it.
Part of me also wanted to prove Kakashi wrong. That I didn't suck as bad as he thought. His words had obviously stung Tsume's pride too, and she didn't want him to be right either.
Kiba and Akamaru came around the corner. "Oh! Sholpan is getting pretty close!" he said, leaning over her. "I bet they're all yours, Akamaru." The white dog barked and wagged his tail. Which made Sholpan wag her tail. Which made it really hard for me to keep trimming her stomach.
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Is Ma gone?"
I nodded imperceptibly. He sighed with relief, then started walking toward the kitchen.
"Wait," I hissed. He froze mid step. "The whole room is trapped."
His shoulders slumped and he turned to walk back toward Sholpan and me. Poor kid.
"It figures she'd do something crazy like that," he grumbled.
I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, actually she had me do it. She said she wanted me to learn to set them."
"You?" His eyes got wide. "That means you can help me disarm them!"
"She didn't show me how to do that part. I'll probably blow up the kitchen."
Kiba rolled his eyes. "Come on. We'll figure it out."
I pushed myself off the floor and reluctantly followed him. "There are paper bombs in each cupboard, and each one is set to go off if the cupboard door is opened."
He went to take a step through the door, but I grabbed his shoulder. "There are also three tripwires in here."
Akamaru made a frustrated sound. Kiba crouched and squinted at the wire he'd nearly stepped on. "Is the explosive on the right or left side?"
"Left."
Kiba carefully moved to the far right and pinched the wire between his fingers. I flinched when he used his kunai to delicately severe the wire. After the far end was free, he nudged it toward the explosive.
"You just have to cut the wire without pulling is all," he explained. "We learned this when we were 6 or 7, at school."
The fuck kind of education was that for children?
Oblivious to my consternation, he continued. "Usually I can smell which end of the wire the tag is on, but there's a lot of them in here. Which side is the next on?"
"Left again."
He disarmed it more quickly than the first, then took care of the third.
"Okay! Now for the cupboard!" He immediately went for the one with Akamaru's favorite snacks.
"So, how do you disable these? The wire is inside."
He grinned. "I know. This isn't the first time Ma has set these up. Did she have you stick the tag on the back side of the door?"
I nodded warily.
"That's easy then. We just need to peel the tag off without pulling the wire." He pulled a large flat blade out of the knife block. I took a step back.
"Are you sure? I could just take you out for barbecue or something."
"It'll be fine." He leaned forward, wiggling the tip of the blade underneath the worn white cupboard door, then pushing his weight on the door to keep from accidentally bumping it open too far with the blade.
Akamaru and I didn't breathe. Kiba slid the knife in further, then started to make a sweep across the backside of the door with it.
A tremendous crash split the air, throwing Kiba into the counter like a rag doll. Somehow I landed on Akamaru's pillowy fur. He licked my face. I called Kiba's name, unable to hear my own voice above the ringing in my ears. Staggering to my feet, I waved the smoke out of my eyes and grabbed Kiba's arm.
"Are you okay?" I felt like I was mouthing the words. He nodded, and dragged himself out of the kitchen.
It took several minutes for my hearing to come back. Kiba and I sat in what was probably silence during that time.
"The snacks got destroyed," he finally said, dejectly putting his face in his hands. "Sorry Akamaru. Plus she's gonna kill me."
The cupboard door was completely blown off, with a huge knife stuck into the opposite wall. At least that hadn't impaled anyone.
"It's not so bad. I'll help you fix it."
He flopped backward onto Akamaru. "Thanks. Your hearing is back then?"
"Yeah."
"We really need to work on your defensive chakra flow before you go deaf."
I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded like a good idea.
"Do I still have eyebrows?" I asked. To my great relief, Kiba nodded. "Good. She's not supposed to get home for a few hours. Why don't we get something to eat in the village? I'll pay."
He shot upright, teeth bared in a slightly deranged grin. "Really? Thank you!"