a/n Hello dears! I can't thank everyone enough for your kind encouragement, reviews, etc- thanks! As always, feel free to poke me with questions, concerns, or comments; and if you see any errors, I will fix them! Lord knows, I read over each chapter about 3 times before I publish, and I even read it out loud once more for good measure, but I am human and therefore I err. It's readers like YOU that can make me a better writer with your comments:)

Anyway, sorry for the wait, I meant to publish last weekend, but I didn't manage to get the rough draft to my beta on time! Eeep, I think I was having too much fun with life...and starting a new Yoga class (yippee!). Speaking of beta's, thanks very much to my pal dazynl8 for reading this chapter over, even when she had a manga obsession to feed:) Much love!

I hope you enjoy:)

Chapter 6

Cats and Dogs

Said I, "Though the sun's movements do often repeat

And the stars rise, whirl, move apart and meet

Though my dreams are dark and full of fear

And my feet drag heavily as we finish each year..."

The Second Book of Akash, verse VI

"Yo, Hinata-chan, your house stinks!"

Hinata rolled her eyes. "Why thank you Kiba-kun." Despite her jovial tone, she was blushing profusely; it seemed that her old habits died hard.

"It's kimchi making day," Sasuke stated bluntly with a sigh. It seemed he always wound up at Hinata's house on kimchi day, much to his displeasure. Such were the dangers of having friends who liked to conscript your children to ferment vegetables. Sasuke shook his head and continued, "Kiba, what's with the tribe of mutts?"

Now it was Kiba's turn to roll his eyes. "Akamaru's bitch just had her second litter—"
"Kiba! Language!" Hinata admonished, her blush reaching new heights of red. "The children are in the house!"

"No, nonono, that's just what females are called—"

"KIBA! SHAME!" Hinata cried, utterly appalled.

Sasuke, at this point, was laughing quietly, which for him, was the equivalent of a normal person 'busting a gut.'

Kiba stuttered, "No! I-I just b-brought over Akamaru's puppies! For Sora to see! 'Cause I promised her! Oh-oh Kami!"

Hinata chortled, finally piecing together what Kiba was trying to communicate. "Oh, oh, I see! Sorry Kiba-kun!" She laughed at that and slapped her forehead. Finally, after much hysterical laughing, she regained control of herself and ventured, "Well...we better bring the pups into the yard. I don't want them peeing all over my house after all."

Kiba loudly replied, "Nani? These are nin dogs. They won't pee on the rugs! I promise!"

"Um...but just to be sure? Ok, Kiba-kun?" She smiled sweetly. Kiba nodded sheepishly and, with Akamaru's help, herded the adorable pups into the yard.

"Sora-chan! Takeo-chan! The puppies are here!" Hinata called.

"PUPPIES! Yay!"

"Puppwees! Yay!"

A few moments later, Takeo and Sora were lost in a pile of adorable, furry, yelping creatures. "Eeee! It's licking me mommy!"

"I wish I could see this. It's probably the most adorable thing in the world," Sasuke ruefully mused.

"Well, I'll take a picture for Sakura-chan at the very least," Hinata replied apologetically as she snapped a photo.

"Mommy, can I have a puppy? They're so wittle and cute!" Sora called.

Hinata smiled. "No honey, those are special puppies. They're only for the Inuzuka family."

Sora pouted and thought for a moment before countering, "Mommy, can I be an Inuzuka?"

Kiba laughed heartily at that. "See Hinata-chan, you should have married me instead of old blondey boy!"

Hinata blushed at that but managed to get out, "Um...K-Kiba-kun? That wouldn't have worked out...um..."

Sasuke snorted and finished her sentence, "'Cause you're kind of gay." Hinata grinned at the Uchiha's habit of completing her thoughts when she herself was too flustered. Sasuke certainly didn't mince words; she had always admired him for his direct, efficient, and forceful approach, an affect which she tried to emulate.

"Hey, I could be straight for Hinata-chan!"

"Lee-san would kill you if he could hear you talking like that." Sasuke snorted, amused.

Hinata rolled her eyes and blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Kiba-k-kun, quit f-flirting. I'm a-a m-married l-lady!"

"Sorry Hinata!" Kiba smirked, then barked with laughter.

Sasuke grinned at their habitual banter. "Kiba-san, what time is it?"

"Hm, nearly three."

The Uchiha sighed. "Hinata-chan? Could I trouble you to watch after my brat for a few more hours? I've got a date to train Yuki. I swear, I'll make it up to you, I can take both of the kids tomorrow—"

Hinata waved her hand, "No need Sasuke-kun. It's always a pleasure to have you and/or Takeo over. You can pay me back by telling Yuki the you-know-what."

Kiba raised an eyebrow but refrained from asking what the 'you-know-what' was. Sasuke inwardly groaned. The truth, eh? I don't know if the truth is an Uchiha forte... Instead of muttering his sardonic thoughts, he replied, "Certainly, Hinata-chan. Thank you. Um...Kiba-san, do you reckon you could spare a clone to walk me to the academy?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "This again?" he muttered to Hinata. Hinata merely shrugged her shoulders in response. Kiba sighed; while he wouldn't consider himself one of Sasuke's close friends, he often spent time with the man simply by virtue of Sasuke's proximity to Hinata. And of course, Kiba and Hinata were as close as ex-teammates could be. 'Uncle Kiba' often stopped by the Uzumaki household to spoil his nieces and nephews, while concurrently, the Uzumaki household was like a second home to Sasuke and his wayward children.

It seemed to Kiba that as the number of Sasuke's children increased, so did the Uchiha's visits to Hinata. Kiba couldn't blame the poor fellow; the former rogue ninja was now forced to raise a veritable gaggle of children while his wife worked 70-90 hours a week. Add in the Uchiha's innumerable childhood traumas to the mix, and it was clear that Sasuke definitely didn't have it easy. In contrast to Hinata, to whom motherhood came as naturally as breathing, next to her, Sasuke looked more like a fish trying to breath out of water. Kiba had watched as soft-spoken, tender-hearted Hinata had taken Sasuke under her wing and showed him the basics of parenthood.

When Sasuke had first returned to the village, Kiba didn't trust the Uchiha at all. The Inuzuka were fiercely loyal, and instinctively hated those who turned their backs on their own kind. But Kiba's hostile attitude eventually cracked as he watched Sasuke transform from a maladroit human being into a decent parent:

"Oi, Hinata-chan! I'm here to pay my respects to my new nephew!" Kiba barked, knocking on the front door with excitement. The March winds whipped at his jacket, and Kiba had to repress a shiver as he waited on the Uzumaki's doorstep.

A moment later Sasuke answered the door, a squalling, month old infant held maladaptively in his arms. "Hn."

Kiba eyed the Uchiha askance. "What are you doing here?"

"Kiba-kun, Uchiha-san is my honored guest. He's helping me today," Hinata replied reproachfully as she came up behind Sasuke. In her arms a tiny, wrinkled newborn mewed quietly as Hinata led her guests to the living room.

Kiba quickly forgot his ire at seeing the Uchiha traitor in Hinata's home upon viewing Ryuu-kun. "Oh Hinata, he's just...so...little!" Kiba cooed, holding out his pinky-finger to the baby, who grabbed it and squeezed his tiny fingers around the offered appendage. "May I hold him, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata beamed. "Of course. Take him gently now...there you go, support the head, just like that. Oh look how happy he is!"

As Kiba gingerly held the newborn babe, completely entranced by its cuteness, Hinata glided over to Sasuke who continued to have a hard time with his one-month-old child: the Uchiha's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he was gnashing his teeth as Yuki continued to make pathetic squealing noises, like a pig whose tail had just been caught on a wire fence. Hinata winced.

Kiba watched warily as Hinata placed a soothing hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "May I, Uchiha-san?" Hinata summarily took the baby, and in a matter of seconds, the infant had quieted. She handed Yuki back to Sasuke with a smile.

"Hinata-sama...how did you...do that?" Sasuke asked, amazed, as if Hinata possessed some type of sorcery that had power over crying babies.

Hinata rubbed his shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry, Uchiha-san. It just takes practice. I was surrounded by babies growing up, and I sought out opportunities to play with infants when I should have been practicing my jutsu!" Hinata laughed warmly at this before resuming, "If you continue to help me with Ryuu-kun, I have no doubt that you'll develop your own magic touch with Yuki-chan. You're doing great already! You just need more practice." Kiba lifted an eyebrow; it appeared that in reality, Hinata was helping Sasuke, and not the other way around...

Sasuke sighed, and it seemed to Kiba that the Uchiha's almost tangible depression lifted a bit. Sasuke stroked the side of his daughter's face as she cooed and grabbed one of his fingers. Hinata continued, her voice soft, "I can already tell that she loves you very much."

The Uchiha chuckled as Yuki took Sasuke's finger and put it in her mouth. "Thanks, Hinata-sama. I needed that."

Kiba looked up from the adorable infant in his own arms and gazed at Sasuke, as if for the first time; Kiba didn't see a murderer, a traitor, or an enemy. He just saw a lonely, reserved, and desperate man trying to learn how to be a nurturer when all he had ever known was violence and vengeance. Maybe, just maybe, the Uchiha wasn't a lost cause. Kiba looked between Hinata and Sasuke, the latter gently smiling at his infant daughter, and Kiba could feel himself softening towards the Uchiha.

And after all, Kiba was Hinata's loyal friend; if Sasuke happened to be her friend as well, as was obvious from the interaction he was witnessing, then maybe Kiba should give him a chance. "Oi, Uchiha-san, you make a good mother!" Kiba called out jokingly.

Hinata laughed heartily at that; Sasuke's mouth seemed to be at war with itself, unsure of whether it wanted to frown or smile, but in the end, the sides of his mouth twitched up in a grin. "Um...thanks... I guess. Dog breath."

"Oi!"

Hinata actually chortled, and even Kiba grinned, despite himself.

Kiba shook his head at the old memory. Well, Kiba's instincts had been right, Sasuke had turned out to be an ok guy. Sure, he was somewhat depressing, socially retarded, and a little bit of a killjoy. But what really inspired Kiba's trust was the fact that for Sasuke, his children were the most important thing in the world. In fact, Kiba had even gone so far as to argue with Sasuke to absolve himself of his house arrest, reasoning that ultimately, it would be better for the Uchiha children. Unfortunately, Sasuke had yet to agree with him.

The Inuzuka sighed; he knew better than to rag Sasuke about his self-imposed sentence, so instead he formed a simple clone as the Uchiha had requested. As Sasuke snuck out stealthily so that Takeo was oblivious to his disappearance, he was closely followed by Kiba's double. The real Kiba whispered to his old teammate with no small amount of mirth, "That Uchiha sure is a weird one."

Hinata grinned. "Yeah. But he has cute puppies, doesn't he?" She gestured over at Takeo, whose face was currently being licked by two young dogs. He was laughing hysterically. Kiba guffawed at that.

"Hinata-chan, what a surprise!" Naruto chimed as he stood and gathered up Hinata's hands and kissed them. "Yum, you smell great!"

Hinata blushed, but before she could respond, Kiba shoved his way into the Hokage's office, a tribe of puppies and two young children in tow. "What! Naruto, she smells like kimchi!" Kiba wrinkled his nose at that, while Hinata's blush deepened to a brilliant crimson.

"K-K-Kiba-k-k-kun!"

"Oi, Kiba, I like kimchi. And I loooooove Hinata-chan!" He grinned and kissed her on the cheek; the loud, wet smacking sound made Hinata's blush turn a 'I can't believe you did that in front of Kiba I am soooo embarrassed, ack!' hue.

Kiba merely rolled his eyes; one would think that, after ten years of marriage, Hinata and Naruto would stop being so...cutesy. It was just nauseating in Kiba's opinion, those two acted like they were still dating the way they doted on each other. Of course, inwardly, Kiba approved of their relationship, and he knew the effusive displays of affection were just what these two needed; after all, both had been somewhat starved for attention growing up. But seriously, could they just get a room for once, instead of having at least a million public displays of affection a day?

Kiba smiled at his thoughts and shook his head, while Sora ran up to her dad and hugged his leg. "Hi otousan!"

"Hey muffin! Looks like you brought all your friends!"

"Uh-huh! Takeo is here too!" At this, Takeo waved cherubically at the grown-ups from the center of a pile of pups.

Naruto scooped Sora up and perched her on his shoulders as he turned to face Hinata again. "So, what brings me the pleasure of such a nice visit?"

"Um...Naruto-kun...um...well..." Hinata tapped her index fingers together anxiously.

Kiba sighed, exasperated. "She told Sasuke to tell the truth to Yuki. All of it."

Naruto blanched. "You mean...the truth? About the Teme?"

Hinata nodded. "Yeah...the complete truth about Sasuke-san... We all knew he had to tell her eventually...but..."

"Wait! What? The truth! You mean, like, all-all-ALL of it?"

Hinata nodded.

One of the puppies began peeing on the rug.

Sora squealed in delight at this and began giggling from her high perch atop her father's shoulders.

"Hey! Bad dog! Bad, bad dog!" Kiba roared, which the puppy promptly ignored as he continued to urinate.

Hinata sighed and keep her attention on the task at hand. "Well, see, Yuki is getting old enough where we can't keep things from her anymore...she's starting to catch on...so I told Sasuke-san to tell her everything. But then...I started thinking...and I talked to Kiba-kun and...well...Sasuke-san has done some pretty terrible things...so maybe...everything...?"

"I see..." Naruto stroked his non-existent beard in thought, and it was then that he noticed the commotion in the corner of his office. "Yo! Kiba! One of your dogs just peed on my favorite throw rug!"

Hinata smacked her forehead. He just noticed now?

Naruto grimaced and deposited a now hysterically laughing Sora on the floor.

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Dude... you have a favorite throw rug?"

"KIBA! My rug has just been SOILED!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Come on, Akamaru, help me herd everyone out of here!"

Akamaru yelped in the affirmative, and soon Akamaru, the puppies, the children, and Kiba exited the Hokage's office, in that order. Hinata sighed softly as the door closed behind them.

Naruto shook his head and began, "So...what were we just talking about?"

Hinata resisted the urge to smack herself again. "Sasuke. Yuki. The truth?"

"Ah yes...the truth. Maybe...maybe we should be there for when he explains everything to Yuki-chan...you know, because EVERYTHING, well, that's a lot. Of things. Hum." Naruto's brow was furrowed in thought, and Hinata giggled despite herself.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Naruto and Hinata both chimed in stereo.

"Yuki-san, how was your day of training?" Sasuke asked politely.

Yuki practically growled in response.

"I'm glad you had a nice time," Sasuke deadpanned. "Are you ready to get your own summons?"

The petulant preteen brightened at that. "Yes please, otousan!"

Sasuke nodded. "Good." He began walking and Yuki trailed behind him.

"Where are we going, otousan?"

"To the Hokage tower. I need to ask permission to take you out of the village."

Yuki raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Where are we going?"

Sasuke grinned. "Well if I told you now, where would be the fun in that?" Yuki groaned, but Sasuke cheerfully continued, "Now Yuki, having a summons is a huge responsibility. Your summons are like your comrades— they guard your back just as much as you guard theirs. Understand?"

Yuki sighed. "As long as their IQ exceeds that of Uzumaki, 'I have the intelligence of a banana slug' Ryuu, then I don't foresee it being a problem."

"You can't see it Yuki, but I'm rolling my eyes at you."

"Tch."

Sasuke cleared his throat and continued, "Seriously, care for your summons like you would care for your dearest friend. I also wanted to tell you that the feline Uchiha summons are some of the most powerful and intelligent summon animals there are. It is a huge honor and responsibility to sign a contract with them."

Yuki nodded thoughtfully as they climbed the stairs to the Hokage tower. "I see..."

They were silent the rest of the way to Naruto's office. Sasuke could tell that Yuki was pleased, though he knew this fact more by his fatherly intuition than by his sensory skills. Sasuke rapt loudly on the large wooden doors.

"Come in!" a pair of voices called.

Sasuke slowly opened the door and entered, Yuki following close behind. Sasuke then proceeded to wrinkle his nose. "Something smells...interesting in here..." he began. What's with the Uzumaki family smelling like funk?

Naruto made a face. "One of Kiba's darn pups thought my carpet needed watering."

"Ah." The Uchiha nodded as he made his way into the office. "That would explain the...er...aroma..."

Naruto looked over at Hinata and began, hurriedly, "Now just listen Sasuke, as your Hokage I've decided that...how to put this delicately...well, everything is quite a lot of things you see...so Hinata and I were discussing that probably you could pick one or two or even three things, and that would be plenty of things! No need to say everything, after all, there are so many things, and no one needs to hear all those things, right Hinata-chan?"

Hinata smiled nervously.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, very confused.

Yuki, who hitherto had been silently standing next to her father, murmured in a composed fashion, "Hokage-sama, are talking about informing me on sexual education? I assure you, I received ample information during my 'Family Life Education' classes at the academy."

The other three adults in the room blanched.

"Um...Yuki-san...um..." Hinata mumbled.

"Wha...what?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Naruto, what in the world are you trying to say?" Sasuke demanded, throughly confused.

"Well Hinata told me you were going to tell Yuki everything—" Naruto began, about to further complicate things, but Hinata stalled him with a raised finger.

She cleared her throat and began, "As per our discussion previously Sasuke-san, we hope that you will exercise discretion and sensitivity as to how you will inform your daughter on the history of the...village, for the benefit of all parties involved." And by village, she meant the Uchiha, knowing that Sasuke would catch her drift.

Naruto scratched his head, obviously not comprehending exactly what Hinata had just said.

Yuki nodded, finally understanding the subject of the discussion, and replied, "Although I am expecting a detailed explanation. I've looked up my family history quite extensively, but was unable to proceed with my research; many of the volumes I requested at the library are unfortunately on the restricted list." During the last part of her speech, she eyed Sasuke suspiciously.

Sasuke sighed. "Which is why I've agreed to tell you everything anyway. Since I know the only thing that is stopping you from breaking into the library is respect for your elders." It was a dry joke that only Yuki fully understood, her pained smile clearly displayed on her face. The troll probably tried to break into the library already, knowing Yuki. Unfortunately for her, I used a sealing technique over the documents pertaining to the Uchiha; she would need another five years of training or a highly developed sharingan to crack that barrier. Ha.

Naruto shook his head and continued, "I wanted to ask you Sasuke-kun, do you want Hinata and me to be there when you...you know...let the cat out of the bag?"

Sasuke shook his head no. "Thanks but no thanks." Sasuke mentally congratulated Naruto for making the situation far more awkward than it already was. He cleared his throat and continued, "Actually, speaking of cats, I honestly came here to ask your permission to leave the village. We need to see Nekobaa."

a/n Who is Nekobaa? Will Sasuke really tell Yuki everything? Lol, tune in next time for the answers to this and more! *wink* I do have the next chapter with the beta notes, it's just a matter of making the final draft; I'm hoping I can publish again by the weekend...I'll really, really try! Especially because everyone has been so encouraging!

Your comments help me to become a better writer- a cyber penny for your review:) Thanks so much!