Warning(s): Crude language, adult themes, implied incest that isn't even incest because Tobirama does not like his brother that much, forget what others think, conflicting ideas of dysfunctional and functional families... The norm.

Kiba's winter break was spent normally for Tobirama. The man continued to work as was required of him. And even though he would sometimes hear about a family get together, he'd usually have to skip out to be able to finish up his work hours.

Hashirama had quite the large surprise lined up for Kiba now that he'd managed to raise his grades so spectacularly. Although, from the way that it was so perfectly planned, Tobirama knew that he had begun to prepare for it before he'd found out about the kid's grades.

At one point, he was asked to accompany Hashirama, Tsunade, and Kiba to the zoo. He'd wanted to say no so he could finally wrap up his case, but Tsunade had begged. So the man had decided to allow himself to be dragged to the zoo. And as Kiba and Tsunade had run off to look at all the different animals, Hashirama and he walked at a much more sedate pace.

"I'm going to have a talk with his family. I need their permission to take him out of town."

Tobirama, quite frankly, believed that Kiba's family didn't care if Kiba left and never came back. But he wasn't about to tell that to his brother and possibly ruin a very good day. So instead he just grunted in a noncommittal reply.

"I'm not sure how they'll react. Hana doesn't seem like the nicest of people. And if she's anything like their mother, then I highly doubt they'll allow him to go out of town with two strangers they've never met before."

Far off in the distance, Tobirama could see how Kiba lifted Tsunade up onto his shoulders so she could get a better look at the lion habitat. She was smiling. As was he. It was a rather adorable scene. He still could not believe that Kiba had somehow managed to find a way into their tiny family unit.

"I don't know. With both of our credentials, I think they shouldn't find it too hard to allow him to leave." Tobirama murmured as his red eyes ran over the people that were in the zoo as well.

From the corner of his eye, he could see two women quietly murmuring to each other. Their eyes were going from Kiba and Tsunade over to him and his brother and he immediately knew that no good would come out of their clucking. Although, if they chose to keep to themselves, then there was no reason for him to think ill of them.

"If anything, I would be terrified!" His brother gasped out dramatically, making Tobirama have to work to suppress an eye roll. "Two grown men suddenly decide to take my youngest child out of the town on some vacation I've never heard about? Tobirama, pedophiles exist!"

"I have not forgotten about that, brother." He shook his head softly as he crossed his arms over his chest, giving his brother an unimpressed look. "If they did not want Kiba running around with people they did not know then maybe they should have come to meet us at some point."

It was not as if they had tried to hide their intentions or keep Kiba from going home. The teenager just barely ever wanted to return to his family. And, with a family like the one he had, Tobirama could not blame him. If his own family had been as insane as Kiba's, he would have done his best to stay away from them for as much as possible as he grew up.

And he'd thought Butsuma had been harsh growing up...

Hashirama's frown became pensive after Tobirama said this. But he wasn't able to voice his worries before one of the women that had been whispering walked up to them with a small smile.

"Excuse me? Is that your child?" She asked as she pointed towards Tsunade, immediately getting a nod from Hashirama. "And the boy with her, he looks like a manny? Am I correct?"

"Man... Ny?" Hashirama asked dumbly.

His brother had always been rather dull.

"Yes, one could say that." He answered with disinterest. "What do you want?"

The auburn haired woman seemed taken aback by his rudeness, but Tobirama did not really care. There was going to be something off with whatever this woman said. He was sure of it.

"Well, my partner and I have been looking for someone to be able to take care of our daughter for a while now. And it seems that you two have been able to find someone in this town that doesn't have any trouble with your orientation..."

Tobirama stopped listening at this point.

It was not the first time someone thought that he and Hashirama were an item. Even though they were brothers, people had sometimes confused Hashirama's upbeat and overly touchy way of showing love as more than just platonic. And because they looked so different, he really couldn't blame them. Even though he hated it, he could understand where the mix-up might arise.

But, even if he understood, that did not meant he wanted to listen to any of this.

"Goodbye."

Hashirama would scold him on being rude later on. But he was a forty six year old man. He didn't have to stand around and listen to anyone he didn't want to listen to.

~/~

The woman's name was Tsume. Tsume Inuzuka.

Even though it wasn't common, her husband had taken her last name instead of the other way around. Just like their kids. Which meant that, without a doubt, Kiba lived in a matriarch run family. Which may just explain why he respected all women, no matter the age, without any kind of hesitation, even though he picked fights with a lot of males.

If Tobirama had thought she was not right from her display months ago in front of her home, he thought she was outright delusional after they'd finished up asking for permission to take her son out on a vacation.

"The brat actually managed to get worthwhile grades? Well I'll be damned! And you're sure you want to take him out? He hasn't been harassing you, has he? Hana told me about how he's been over at a neighbor's house, pissin' 'em off."

As the woman had said this, she'd drank a bottle of beer. One that certainly looked nothing like the cheap kind Tobirama was used to seeing being drunk by some of his plaintiffs in recordings that proved their own guilt.

"He's no trouble. Really. Kiba's actually a great help to me. He takes care of my granddaughter, Tsunade, whenever I'm busy." Hashirama kept a steady smile on his face as he spoke to the woman, ever energetic and upbeat.

But Tobirama knew that the man wasn't as happy as he could have been. And, in reality, he wasn't surprised. This woman was crass, rude, bluntly honest, and somewhat scary. She looked as if she could knock out men twice her size. And considering the job she worked in, she most probably had at some point or another.

"Brat's always been good with kids." The woman shrugged softly, then looked both men over once more before she sat up, back straightening. "Listen here, fellas, you do understand how weird this looks, right? Two grown men suddenly approach me about takin' my youngest child out o' town. Two men I've only seen a few times in my life when they're leavin' for wherever they leave in the mornings."

Suddenly her eyes took on a dangerous shine and Tobirama swore she began to smirk like a wolf. "You have a minute to explain to me just who the hell you are and why the fuck I shouldn't call the cops on your ass."

Hashirama proceeded to spew out a thousand different explanations in a speed only he could build up. And after having to show the woman their individual licenses and explain where they worked and how they knew Kiba, Tsume eventually decided to allow Kiba to go along with them on their small vacation.

"If," She'd raised her hand in a silent motion to stop Hashirama from cheering too quickly, "Hana goes along with you. I'm not stupid, boys. And that's my only boy. Either she goes along or he doesn't go at all."

Hashirama agreed quickly enough. Even though Tobirama wasn't all that pleased with taking the older sister along with them.

The sudden alertness in the woman's eyes made no sense to him. How could someone treat someone they loved so odiously? How could a mother possibly distrust so much of one child, yet hold another in the highest of pedestals?

His own upbringing had not been easy. His father had been a military man that had just about crushed all wishes to be different within all of his sons. But, even with his difficulty to show love, he'd managed to do so. He'd never laid a hand on them except to help them. And never out of anger, but out of a wish to discipline. The one to receive the most hits had been Hashirama, and, even then, they had only been very few. No more than ten in his whole, rebellious life.

Tobirama had only been hit once by his father. And that had been when he'd spoken up on Hashirama's behalf after

~/~

When Tobirama had an actual conversation with Hana and her girlfriend, Mei, he decided that this family was too odd to believe.

"No, but seriously, I love the little idiot. Why do you think I agreed to come along?" Hana smiled softly as she craned her neck to watch Kiba carrying Tsunade on his shoulders.

Even though Tobirama had told them that the young girl should not be playing violent video games, Hashirama had allowed Kiba and her to play the arcade game, Break in Time. It was a simple shooter game with barely any bloody graphics, but Tobirama was still opposed to allowing his grandniece to play the game. Hashirama, though, had found no harm in allowing the child to play.

The blonde had the blue gun in her hands, happily shooting at both screens without a single thought as to how the game was supposed to be played. And Kiba was pulling a double duty on the pedals for the reloading of the guns, not at all bothered with having to use the pink gun or basically playing by himself. To be the only one playing correctly, though, he was doing pretty well.

"He's a good uncle. Sometimes I think that our genes were mixed up and he got all the mothering ones." The young woman's words were spoken lightly, although Tobirama could see that they weighed heavily on her. "I'm not good for the whole mothering thing. I tried once. But Kiba did a better job at it than me."

"Right..." Hashirama murmured quietly, eyes soft and sympathetic. "Kiba told me of his niece... Her father is the one that takes care of her now, right?"

The young woman swallowed in an almost strained manner. And her girlfriend wrapped her left arm around her shoulders, as if trying to offer some kind of physical comfort.

"That Genma bastard..." The auburn haired woman growled, only for Hana to shake her head.

"He was right to take Tenbin away. My little star would not have been able to shine brightly if she was left with me and my family to raise. You're aware of that, Mei." Hana looked at her girlfriend with a sad glint in her eyes and an almost rueful smile on her lips. "We Inuzuka are insane. It's good for her to be raised as a Shiranui."

Mei's only visible green eye narrowed in unrestricted anger. "Your family is fine, Hana. You don't have a father that tried to rape you or an addict of a mother that sold everything of value in your house to pay for her drugs."

The whisper was harsh and not meant for either Hashirama or Tobirama to hear. But the white haired had heard it. And he began to worry about the kind of background Mei Terumī came from.

"Mei..." Hana's face softened considerably, only for Mei's to harshen.

It was at this point that Tobirama knew that, no matter how harsh Kiba's family might be, there were even worse families out there. And that was a fact that almost shattered his heart.

"I'm going to go ask Tsunade what she wishes to do today." He pushed his the comfortable chair he had been seated on back all the while he made sure to avoid eye contact with either woman.

Hashirama looked up at him in confusion, but didn't question his brother's sudden movements. Instead he nodded stiffly and got up as well, then offered a small smile to the women.

"If you wish, you could have a day to yourselves. We'll take care of Tsunade and Kiba."

Tobirama walked off before he heard either of the women answer. And he walked up to the youngest of the group right when Tsunade lost her last life, which had been one that Kiba and her had desperately tried to keep.

When Kiba turned to look at him, he smiled. But then his eyes drifted over to his sister and girlfriend, seemed to analyze the situation, and the teenager began to frown.

"You guys talked to her 'bout her kid, didn't you?" He asked, a bite Tobirama wasn't expecting to be in his voice catching the man off guard. "They always get depressed when they talk 'bout that."

Tsunade, who was still perched on the teenager's shoulders, craned her neck to look into his eyes curiously. It wasn't safe for her to be leaning forward so haphazardly, but Kiba's hands were holding onto her legs rather securely. And Tobirama moved so he could stand directly in front of both of them, just in case the worst happened.

"What's wrong with her kid? Did Hana have a baby? Why haven't I met her yet?"

"Tsunade." Tobirama cleared his throat, grabbing the child's attention. "This is a matter for the adults."

"But Kiba's not an adult!" The blonde huffed, sitting back down in a position that made the man worry less about her stability. "He's a kid like me."

"Not in this case, kiddo." Hashirama spoke up as he appeared behind his brother, clapping a large hand over his shoulder. "We'll talk about this when you're older. But for now, you're going to stay an innocent, wonderful, little child." With these words, the long haired male ruffled Tsunade's hair, which in turn made her shake her head and stick her tongue out at her grandfather. "Hana and Mei have opted for staying in the hotel for the day. We can do whatever we wish to today."

Tobirama knew he should have felt somewhat bad for feeling relieved to not have to spend a day with the women. But he wasn't about to lie to himself. Just because someone had lived a hard life, they didn't have a right to make someone else's life a living hell.

Mei and Hana undoubtedly had a difficult time growing up. But they had no right to continue making Kiba's own life terrible.

"How about we go to that museum we passed by on the way here? The one with the art and history stuff?" Tsunade questioned, grabbing Kiba's head to force him to look her in the eyes once more. "We can go and see some of the historical stuff and make fun of old people."

"Tsunade!" Tobirama huffed in a soft scold, only to roll his eyes at the hearty laugh that erupted from Hashirama.

Disciplining this child was near impossible with the likes of Kiba and Hashirama around.

"That sounds like a plan, Tsunade."

~/~

To Tobirama it seemed as if Kiba enjoyed spending time with the man's family much more than with his own. And with the way Hana treated him, the man could not fault the teen. Even though Hana was a thousand times more polite than either her mother or brother, she was still rather crude. And extremely honest, although he now chalked that up to just being an Inuzuka trait.

That wasn't the problem, though. It was her lack of filter that trouble the Senju.

"Sis, please."

"Oh, hush up, little brother. Tsunade wants to hear all about your days of dressing up as a girl and putting on mom's lipstick!"

"I do!"

If not for the fact that Tsunade didn't understand why this was embarrassing for the teenager, Tobirama would have silenced Hana in the harshest, most legal way he could think of. He had remained silent, though, in hopes that the young woman would be able to stop on her own.

Hashirama and Mei were both out picking up the pizza they had decided to order on their day at the little theme park Tsunade had wished to visit. So Hashirama wasn't around to be able to play peacekeeper like he had been doing for the past two days. Which left Tobirama in a very precarious spot because he knew better than to insult the young woman but still wanted her to stop bothering the teen.

The conversation had begun to sour when Hana had made an offhanded comment about Kiba being the girliest male she knew. And it devolved further when Tsunade had, innocently, asked why the woman thought this.

Now Kiba had unshed tears in his eyes as he begged his sister to just stop.

He could not stand for this. He could not allow a woman of twenty four years of age to belittle a sixteen year old teenager for things he had done as a child. It was not right and spoke of a level immaturity that truly boggled him.

"Hana-"

He was going to interrupt the young woman and stop her from retelling her story. But before he could even make out a word that wasn't her name, Kiba was pushing off from the table and running away from their table.

He rushed past a stunned Hashirama, even though Mei didn't seem too surprised with seeing the teen running off. And she continued walking up to the table with a disinterested look on her face.

"He really needs to learn how to deal with people talking shit about him." The green eyed woman rolled her eyes as she placed a tray of drinks down on the table, "Got your lemonade, babe."

Tobirama could not believe the level of apathy this woman had for the teenager. And he wasn't going to stand for it.

"There is a child here." He hissed, catching both of the women's attention. "You will not swear in front of her." With this unspoken threat, he stood up and began to walk off. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure your little brother is alright."

As he walked off, he saw Hashirama nodding softly at him with a concerned frown on his face. And Tobirama could not blame him for worrying. Kiba had never seemed like the kind to be easily affected. He took a lot of things easily and barely tried to argue. He didn't deserve all of the shit he'd been handed over his life.

Finding the teen wasn't too difficult. Even though there were dozens of different places to hide in, the teenager hadn't strayed too far from the small eatery they had chosen to dine in.

Tobirama guessed that this was because he didn't want to make either of the Senju brothers annoyed. And this bothered the man.

Tsunade had wanted to go to the child section of the park and they had indulged her without too much hesitation. Which was the reason why Kiba was currently seated on a stupidly pink bench as he tried to keep himself from crying out loud.

He didn't say anything as he walked up to the teenager. He didn't have anything he could say that would sound genuine. He wasn't good at giving verbal comfort. That was Hashirama's gift. So all he did was sit down beside the teen and allowed him to just cry.

After a few minutes of silence that was only broken by the soft screams of a far area from the park and Kiba's sniffled sobs, Tobirama felt the teen's arms wrapping around his waist. And even though he wasn't the best at being kind, the man allowed the teen to hug him. And he wrapped an arm around the kid's shoulders to try and make him know that he was there for him.

"She just doesn't get it..." The teen sniffled softly, burying his face into Tobirama's side.

The man didn't say anything. He just rubbed at the teen's arm and allowed him to cry.

Maybe, in their own delusional ways, Hana and Tsume cared about Kiba. But they sure as hell had no idea how to show that care.

..~..~..

And here is the new chapter! Please don't forget to review!