A Rare Breed
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I really do appreciate all the support that you guys have given this story since its inception. Anyway, this is going to be the final chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Oh and if you are interested, some new stories will be popping up in the very near future.
Chapter Notation: This takes a place a year after the last one.
Chapter 19
"Rajah! Be nice to Amiko!" Gaara calls out to the adorable red furball that was currently trying to pounce on a silver furball.
Amiko was the daughter of Shikamaru and Temari. In both her human and animal forms, she had silver hair and her mother's teal eyes. The red head was fairly certain that Temari's blonde genes had fought against Shikamaru's dark hair ones and silver had been the end result.
Rajah was definitely an Alpha. He was always trying to pounce his cousin. This greatly amused Itachi and worried Gaara. One of these days, someone was going to get hurt.
"Oh he's just playing." Itachi says and Sasuke chuckles.
There was never a dull moment in the Cabin now. There were now five pups in the pack. Rajah and Daisuke were both Alphas to boot. Thankfully, Amiko and Emiko were Betas. Finally, Shisui and Ayame's pup was a very easygoing Omega.
Your status in a pack didn't mean much. There were powerful Omegas and Betas. It was just how someone could tell your natural aggression level. Even the sweetest Omega could become quite vicious under the right circumstances though.
"You're going to turn your father's hair gray at this rate." Shisui observes in amusement as he holds his Mate in his arms and watches Dai play with the other pups.
Dai had a chocolate brown fur coat and onyx eyes, like Shisui's had been before his Sharingan activated. He really was such a cute pup. Soon he would be a big brother though.
"You are such an overachiever." Gaara mutters as he glances at Ayame's pregnant belly.
"Mmm what can I say? I have a very affectionate Mate." The Beta says with a giggle.
Hinata shakes her head in amusement as she walks into the living room with her Mate. Kiba and the bluenette had finally Claimed each other six months ago and bluenette was currently in her wolf form. She was heavily pregnant.
This was a fact that seemed to fascinate the youngest Uchiha pups. In particular, Daisuke couldn't resist bounding over to the she-wolf and pawing at her belly. Sasuke knew what he was doing, he was looking for a kick.
"Sorry about that. He really doesn't know any better. Daisuke!" Sasuke calls.
The black furred pup whines and trots over to his Uchiha father. He didn't understand why he wasn't supposed to do that. Sasuke just shakes his head and starts grooming the pup.
The nice thing about werewolf pups is that they mimicked whatever form their parents were in. Therefore, Daisuke and Emiko were both in their animal forms because Naruto and Sasuke were.
"It's alright. He's only a baby. My bet is that Hinata has a girl. That's probably why he's always trying to rub her belly. He just knows. She'll be the only female pup that isn't related to him by blood or through a Mating." Kiba reasons.
Sasuke just blinks at Kiba. Their pups weren't even old enough to go to school yet. In his mind, it was way too early to start thinking about such things.
"You're insane. They're just pups. At least let them go through puberty, before you try to pair them off like that." Sasuke chuckles.
"I don't know. It's kinda cute. Puppy love!" Naruto says slyly and Sasuke swats his Mate lightly with his paw for that remark.
Gaara shakes his head in amusement. Sometimes he wondered how that Mating worked. Sasuke might be a Beta, but he sure acted like an Alpha when it came to Naruto. Apparently, the blonde didn't mind his Mate swatting him around. Maybe it was some sort of strange version of foreplay, he muses.
"You're weird." Sasuke says simply.
That's when the grandparents came in and they were all carrying a lot of bags. This caused all the parents to raise their eyebrows. God only knows what they had gotten the pups this time.
"We got them lots of chew toys!" Mikoto says proudly as she dumps the bag onto the floor.
Immediately, Emiko darts over and begins rolling around in the massive pile of toys. Her brother and fellow pups didn't take long to join them. The pups were going bonkers over their new toys.
"You're all going to spoil them horribly. You realize that, right?" Shino asks.
"Eh. We're their grandparents. It's our job to spoil them." Minato counters and the other grandparents nod in agreement.
"What a drag. I can only imagine what they are going to be like, in a few years." Shikamaru says with a yawn.
At the moment, everyone was in their animal forms. Well other than the grandparents. They had just come back from the store, after all. So that meant all the pups were playing around in their animal forms.
"They've grown so much. I can't believe they're only a year old." Sasuke whispers to Naruto.
Naruto smiles and wraps his arms around his Mate's waist. He couldn't believe it either. While humans took a long time to reach maturity, wolves grew fast. They were no longer tiny furballs, that they could carry in their mouths with ease. That was for damn sure.
"Yeah. Me neither. We should probably get going. Don't want to be late for class." Naruto whispers to his Mate.
"Yeah. Mother, father, are you good with watching them?" Sasuke asks.
"Of course, baby. Don't worry about a thing." Mikoto assures him and the Mates nod as they head off.
It had taken awhile, but Sasuke had finally mostly mastered the art of being a Blender Wolf. He was now able to blend in amongst humans almost seamlessly. He had finished "high school" on line in record time and now attended college with Naruto.
"I still can't believe how fast you got done with high school. I'm so jealous. You're such a lucky bastard." Naruto says with a grin.
"It wasn't luck. I just actually focused on the coursework. You preferred to goof around and they didn't let you skip the stuff that you already know. I could go at my own pace. My pace just happened to be fast. I wanted to go to college with you. I'm still not sure why we are going though." Sasuke mutters.
He didn't really need to go to college. If Sasuke wanted, he could just be a Den Mother. (Well a Den Father, but he digressed.) Itachi and Shisui had promised him a position at their store. It wasn't like he needed to go to get a good job either. Naruto insisted that he was going though. That meant Sasuke was going as well.
"It's still amazing though. Oh and I'm really glad that you managed to make it to my graduation." Naruto says brightly.
"Mmm me too." Sasuke says as he smiles at the memory.
He didn't really understand what a graduation was. Sasuke just knew that it was important to his Mate. That meant that it was important to him too!
Everyone, even the pups were at the ceremony. They were all sitting in the audience and waiting for Naruto to walk across that stage. Apparently, Naruto had spent thirteen years trying to earn a fucking piece of paper!
It didn't make any sense to Sasuke. He really didn't get the point of K-12. He had been able to graduate in almost no time at all, once he learned more about human society. Humans were just slow learners, he guessed.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" Someone called out and Sasuke smiled as he saw his lover race across the stage, flashing a "Victory Sign."
The human that gave him his diploma didn't look particularly pleased at his Mate's antics. Sasuke doubted that Naruto cared though. He beams and races over to his pack, with his diploma in his hand.
"I still don't get what's so important about that paper, but I'm proud of you." Sasuke told him as he kissed his Mate.
"It's a long story, but yeah! I'm proud of me too! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed after returning the kiss.
Sasuke laughed and later that evening, Naruto took him to a nightclub. It was a strange place. Everything was so loud and colorful lights were flashing everywhere. The scent of sweat, alcohol, and desire hung heavily in the air.
Naruto seemed to really like it though. He particularly liked "dancing" with Sasuke. Sasuke didn't mind this activity. He had seen enough of it on "tv" to realize what he was supposed to do and his blonde seemed to appreciate his dancing attempts.
"Mine." He growled as he danced against Sasuke and kissed his Mating Mark.
"Always." Sasuke agreed as he pants slightly at the affectionate gesture.
There was just something that felt so incredibly good about his Alpha touching the Mating Mark. It always sent a jot of white hot lust through his veins. Sasuke was pretty sure that was why Naruto did it.
"Why are they staring at us so much though? I though that humans were getting used to seeing two men together." Sasuke asked in confusion.
"Oh that's not why they are staring." Naruto said as he continued dancing with his Mate.
Sasuke allowed himself to get lost for a moment or two. The feeling of his Mate behind him and sounds of the music playing was a hypnotic combination. When he felt more eyes on them, he snapped out of it though.
"Why are they staring?" He asked.
"Because you're beautiful and they wish that they could be me." Naruto told him as he slowly slid his hands against Sasuke's inner thighs suggestively.
"Ohhh. That or they wish that they could be me." Sasuke agreed with a smirk, liking the way that his Mate wasn't afraid to be affectionate in public with him.
Naruto growled approvingly at Sasuke's answer as he twirled his Mate around until they kissed. The blonde kissed him hungrily. It was almost as if he was trying to consume him.
Sasuke happily kissed back. He was fortunate to have such an ATTENTIVE Mate. Even after they had pups, Naruto couldn't keep his hands off of him and that was the way that Sasuke liked it.
"Come on. I booked us a VIP Room." Naruto said with a grin as he led Sasuke into the back of the club.
They spent the rest of the night in the VIP Room. Neither of them got much sleep. Naruto's Inner Wolf was apparently in control that night.
Sasuke had never seen him that…assertive before. He didn't mind though. His Inner Wolf was actually quite pleased by it. That had been a really fun night.
"So have you heard from Taka recently?" Naruto asks as they walk towards their class.
"A little. Mostly they keep to themselves. I think that they are happy with their new territory though. If they weren't, Suigetsu wouldn't shut up about it. That's one loud wolf." Sasuke observes with a smirk and Naruto nods in agreement.
Meanwhile the Taka Wolves were currently going bonkers. The Konoha Pack wasn't the only pack with pups now. Karin had just given birth to her first litter.
"Three pups is a good size for a first litter." Zabuza observes as he congratulates Suigetsu.
"Yeah. Two girls and one boy. Suppose that's a good thing. Karin was the only girl in our Pack." The white haired werewolf observes as he trots over to his Mate and children proudly.
The first girl was a pure white pup with violet eyes. Her sister had a red fur coat like her mother and violet eyes like her sister. Finally, there was a white furred male pup with Karin's eyes.
"They're beautiful." He praises her as he licks her cheeks.
"They had better be beautiful, after what I went through to have them! Oh and you had better wait on me hand and paw for awhile." She informs him.
Suigetsu just rolls his eyes good-naturedly. That was his Mate. She was always so sassy.
Haku chuckles as he kisses Zabuza's cheek. He was glad that their pack was thriving and even growing. It was also nice to know that his Mate felt the same way. He just didn't articulate that as much.
"They're fine pups." Kimimaro says and the new parents nod proudly.
"And so fluffy." Jugo adds with a smile, earning an annoyed growl from Suigetsu.
"What'd you just call my pups?!" The violet eyed werewolf demands.
Jugo blinks. He didn't see anything wrong with calling them fluffy. They were fluffy. What was wrong with being fluffy?
"I called them fluffy because they are?" He asks cautiously.
"Take that back!" He says as he charges at the other wolf and Jugo dodges.
"Oh boy." Karin mutters in annoyance at her Mate's antics.
Kimimaro whacks Suigetsu for charging at his Mate. He knew that the other wolf was just being proud and protective of his pups. That was only natural. That didn't meant that he was going to allow him to attack Jugo.
"Calm yourself. Jugo meant it as a compliment." He says simply.
"Fine. Whatever. Well at least they are all settling in nicely." He says as he walks over to his Mate and lays back down next to Karin protectively.
Haku shakes his head in amusement and guides the other Taka Wolves away from the new parents. This was a private moment. Suigetsu would calm down eventually. It was only natural that he was feeling protective.
"It's a good thing that the Konoha Wolves found us such a large territory, with water, and good hunting. We are going to need it to take care of the pups." Zabuza reasons and Haku nods in agreement.
"We have much to be grateful for. Orochimaru is dead, we have a new home, and even some pups." Jugo says.
"That's true, my love. The future certainly looks bright." Kimimaro says as he licks his Mate's cheek affectionately.
Back at the Konoha Cabin, Itachi smiles as he heads off with Gaara towards work. Gaara wanted to introduce him to his boss. The Alpha felt rather pleased about this. His Mate was proud enough of him that he didn't mind his boss meeting him.
"Are you sure that he won't have an issue with you having a "boyfriend?" I know that there are still some people who have issues with relationships like ours." Itachi inquires.
"He won't have an issue with it. He has a gay nephew or something. He's used to it." The red head answers him as they drive off.
Itachi nods in relief. Well that was good. The last thing that he wanted was to make things uncomfortable for his Mate at work.
"We really are lucky to have such a large pack and not to have to worry about food and things like that. I feel sorry for the Taka Pack really." He muses.
"I don't feel sorry for them. They chose that life. There something to be said for being an Ancestral Wolf. I'm not going to lie though. I certainly do enjoy being a Blender Wolf, particularly hot showers and cooked food." Gaara notes with a smirk.
"Oh yes. I find myself rather fond of cooked food and hot showers as well. This is especially so when I have a sexy red head join me in said shower." Itachi informs him with a wink.
Gaara smiles and soon enough they arrive at his workplace. He leads Itachi inside and finds his boss. The man's name was Hiruzen Sarutobi and in Gaara's mind, he was a good human.
"Hiruzen, this is Itachi Uchiha. He's my boyfriend. Itachi, this is Hiruzen Sarutobi. He's my boss and the Mayor." Gaara introduces them.
He hated that he had to use the term boyfriend. Itachi was his Mate, but he couldn't say that. Hiruzen was human. He'd never understand. He couldn't even say husband because his boss would think that he was nuts for being married at 18.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Gaara speaks most fondly of you." Itachi says with a smile as he extends his hand.
"Likewise. Well Gaara, I see that you went and landed yourself a real looker. I'm straight as an arrow, but this one could pass for a model." He chuckles.
"Oh believe me, I'm well aware." The Nurturer says proudly as he kisses his Mate's cheek.
Hiruzen nods in agreement and smiles. Well he was glad that Gaara had someone. He wasn't foolish. He knew that he wouldn't be around forever and it was nice to see that the town would likely be in good hands when he did pass on. (He couldn't imagine that Gaara would lose his race for Mayor, when he finally did run.)
"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" He inquires.
"Some coffee would be nice. Extra sugar and cream." Itachi replies with a smile of his own.
"Ah a man after my own heart. You know, I think Gaara is crazy. He likes his straight black. I don't know how he can drink it like that." The Mayor says as he gets them some coffee.
A few hours later, all of the Konoha Pack was back at the Cabin. To this day, Sasuke was still impressed by the sheer size of it. There were two dozen bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens, a library, attic, basement, living room, storage room, and laundry room.
Sasuke smiles as he heads into the living room with Naruto and sees their pups in the play pen. They were in their animal forms, but that changed when they saw their parents walk in. Instantly, they both shifted.
"Such a good girl and such a good boy." Sasuke praises them as he scoops up his daughter and Naruto scoops up their son.
"Yes, they are. Oh we got so many adorable baby pictures while you were out!" Mikoto and Kushina say happily.
Fugaku and Minato shake their heads at their Mate's antics. Some things would never change. Women always wanted their baby pictures.
"Believe me, they took an entire scrapbook's worth." Fugaku warns his sons and they just laugh.
"Food's done." Choji says as he peeks into the living room from one of the kitchens.
"And it smells wonderful." Hinata shouts from the kitchen as she leans into Kiba, who was helping her set the tables.
Well they had certainly said the magic words. There was a reason why the phrase, wolfing down your food, had come about. Wolves could eat a lot and so could werewolves.
Those simple words were all it took for a stampede of werewolves to head towards the kitchen. Well after everyone had picked up their pups of course. No one wanted their pups to get squished!
"Oh that does smell good!" Mikoto comments cheerfully.
"Yes! It should be a most youthful meal! We've been working on it all day!" Lee says brightly.
Sasuke still didn't get Lee's obsession with youth and apparently neither did Tenten or Neji. Both wolves were shaking their heads good-naturedly at his antics. Oh well. There had to be at least one eccentric wolf in every pack. Just by the laws of probability, if nothing else.
"Thanks, Lee. It really does look great." Sasuke says as he sits next to Naruto and helps their pups into their highchairs.
Naruto smiles and caresses his Beta's cheek. He still couldn't believe that the Uchiha was actually his Mate and that they had two pups together. Some days it really did feel like it was all a wonderful dream. He half expected that he'd wake up one day and be heartbroken about doing so.
"What are you giving me those big blue eyes for?" Sasuke asks curiously.
"Oh nothing. It's nothing." Naruto says quickly.
Gaara smiles as he hands Itachi the salt. He knew that his Mate liked extra salt. It probably wasn't healthy, but as far as he could tell his Mate was in exceptional health. So he humored him.
"Thanks." Itachi says with a smile.
He knew that he was lucky. How often did one find an Alpha Nurturer? Gaara was the perfect combination of strength and caring in his mind. It also didn't hurt that red was Itachi's favorite color, he muses.
"Do you need anything, my love?" Shisui asks his pregnant Mate.
"Mmm. No. I'm fine. Remember, I have been through this before." She says and their son coos in response.
"I know. I know. It's my job to love and protect you though. That's why I'm a Protector." He reasons and Ayame just nods in agreement as she kisses his cheek affectionately.
Fugaku chuckles. He couldn't help but remember when he and Mikoto were that young. He was certain that his Mate had been tempted to strangle him more than a few times during her pregnancies, but he couldn't help it. As Shisui said, it was just what Protectors did.
"What are you laughing at?" Mikoto inquires curiously.
"Oh I was just remembering when you were pregnant with Sasuke and Itachi." He admits.
"Ah. Yes, I remember that quite well. You had to be the most overprotective Protector that I had ever met. You're lucky that I didn't kill you." She muses as they both laugh at the memory.
"What a drag. We're out of gravy." Shikamaru observes.
"Oh you are so lazy. There's a can of gravy right there. We can just heat it up." Temari says.
"Ah right. Thanks for warming it up for me." He says smugly as Temari just rolls her eyes at her lovable, lazy Mate.
"You are so lucky that I love you." She mutters as she proceeds get him his gravy.
Shikamaru smiles. He knew that he was a very lucky wolf. To him, there was no she-wolf who was more beautiful.
"Believe me. I know and you know that I love you, even if you are a crazy woman." He says happily.
"I still can't believe that Emiko is blonde." Sasuke muses.
"Why not? I'm blonde and so is my dad." Naruto protests.
Sasuke smirks and proceeds to explain to his lover about dominant and recessive genes. He also informed Naruto that he had never heard of a blonde Uchiha before. That had to be a first.
"Well you can't believe she's blonde and I can't believe that you're my Mate. So that makes us even. We're both really lucky." The Alpha replies.
"Yes, I'm lucky to have such a handsome Alpha Protector as my Mate and you're lucky to have landed an Uchiha." He says smugly.
Naruto shakes his head. It wasn't just that. It was more than just Sasuke's breed, though that was a nice bonus.
"That's true, but that's not the only reason. Yeah, you're a rare breed of wolf, but you're an even rarer breed of Mate. I mean how many werewolves find such a sexy, sassy Beta who has a fondness for handcuffs?" Naruto asks cheerfully.
"NARTUO!" Sasuke yells at him.
He couldn't believe that his Mate had said that. Sasuke was sure that his entire face was burning bright red. Honestly, the idiot was lucky that he loved him. Otherwise, he would have killed him.
"What I'm trying to say, is that I love you and I'm really glad that I found you." Naruto says as he kisses Sasuke.
"I love you too, but you can be such an idiot sometimes. What's next are you going to tell them about the sexy showers?" Sasuke demands after he returns the kiss.
"Sounds like my foolish little brother is trying for a second litter. What with the handcuffs and sexy showers." Itachi muses.
"YOU'RE SO DEAD!" Sasuke growls at his brother as he shifts and the two brothers proceed to wrestle with each other.
Mikoto shakes her head in amusement. She glances at her husband for his reaction. Maybe they should step in.
"Should we stop them?" She whispers.
"No. Boys will be boys. It doesn't matter what age they are." Fugaku observes with a chuckle and he watches in amusement as eventually all of the Konoha Pack joins in.
Well one thing was for damn sure, he thinks to himself. They were never going to be bored with this Pack.