Dangerous Kitten

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the grand finale of Dangerous Kitten and for those of you who are interested, please feel free to check out my other stories. Happy reading.

Chapter Notation: This takes place fifty years after the previous chapter.

Chapter 20

Had it really been fifty years since they walked down the aisle together, Suki wonders to herself. Though a quick glance at the calendar confirmed that was indeed the case. If that didn't do it, the fact that their great grandchildren were visiting would have.

"Are you sure you don't mind taking them?" Akeno smiles at her grandmother.

Suki shakes her head and smiles. "Your grandfather and I are old, but we're not that old. It'll be a cold day in hell before we say no to watching them." Their great grandchildren were absolutely adorable.

Of course, Suki had said the same thing about their children. Kenji, Maemi, Shiusi, and Mariko were all exceptional in her mind and so where there eight grandchildren. Though they were all close it was Akeno and her husband they saw the most.

"That's true." She smiles. "I just don't want the two of you to over do it. You're both in your twilight years now, whether you want to admit it or not."

Suki rolls her eyes at that and crosses her arms. "We have this discussion every time you try to drop them off for a diplomatic mission. We'll be fine and if we need help, most of our family lives within shouting distance." After all, her daughter and husband were ambassadors for the Hidden Leaf and most of the Uchiha Clan lived either in the district or nearby.

They had branched out over the years though. There were was at least one branch of the Uchiha family tree in every major section of the village and that hadn't been an accident. In Itachi's mind, exposure to the other people of the Leaf would prevent another massacre from every happening again.

"I guess you're right." She shakes her head and smiles. "They're five and breathe fireballs though."

That was a good point. Those two Kai and Yoko were little prodigies in the making. Frankly, Suki was rather relieved they hadn't gone and started producing Amaterasus yet and she was only half joking.

"I know, but we can manage." She smiles and embraces her granddaughter. "Enjoy your trip and try not to end up Shisui's office."

They're children had all settled into careers of their own. Shisui, their eldest son, had become a medic. Maemi had chosen a different path and become an Academy Instructor. As Mariko, she was having a grand old time heading the Interrogation Unit now. Finally, there was Kenji. He'd taken over the job as head of the Leaf's Force. (Which was now understandably had less Uchihas than non Uchihas, but despite it's checkered history…Suki still felt tremendous pride every time she saw that jacket on him).

"We'll try our best." She winks at her mother. "We can't promise anything though. "Oh and Taka says hello. Good news. I don't think that Suigetsu has ended up destroying any buildings recently and Jugo's bakery is really taking off. Karin seems happy at the hospital."

That was a relief. It wasn't surprising that Karin was a medic, but Jugo's passion for baking had come as a shock to everyone. Still, that man did make excellent muffins. As for Suigetsu, well he made his living teaching people who to swordfight now.

"That's something of miracle." Suki giggles. "Go ahead and get the twins. You and Jiro shouldn't keep the Sand Village waiting."

She knew from personal experience that was a long trek. While the Leaf was fairly mellow about punctuality when it didn't pertain to life or death situations, the Sand wasn't.

Akeno nods and scurries off to get her son and daughter. It wouldn't take her long, Suki muses. She could hear the sound of their laughter as they played with Aoda outside. That snake still loved 'Hatchlings.' More than once, Suki had suggested he should open his own daycare. Sadly, due to the fact he was a giant snake, Aoda didn't think that would be a good idea. Something about not wanting to terrify the parents.

Meanwhile Obito frowns. He couldn't believe this. It looked like Kakashi was going to win again.

"He has to be cheating." Obito groans.

Anko shakes her head as she finishes another dango and plays footsie with him under the table. "You know that Kakashi doesn't cheat at Bingo." Pft. Obito didn't believe that for a minute. The bastard always won. Though it was easy to be distracted by his wife's lovely legs against his own.

Yes. What was the world coming too, he wonders. Many years ago, Obito had almost taken the world and now, he was a happily married man. Whose biggest source of annoyance was Kakashi's dumb luck when it came to games of chance.

"That's not very youthful to accuse him of cheating." Gai shakes his head.

That and Gai's spandex. A man that age should not be wearing spandex. Honestly, what was he thinking? It was bad enough when he was actually young, but now that he was old enough to be someone's great grandfather it was just unseemly to say the least.

Kakashi chuckles as someone calls out another number. "B-I-N-G-O and it's alright, Gai." He smirks. "Obito has just never had much luck at this sort of thing. If I didn't know better, I would accuse him of being Tsunade in disguise."

Obito rolls his eyes at the lame joke. Whatever. Some things would never change. Kakashi would always be Kakashi.

"I gotta say that I'm impressed the village hasn't been burned down yet." Anko giggles clears away her card for Round Two. "With that many Uchihas running around, I would have thought it'd only be a matter of time before someone had a tantrum during their Terrible Twos."

To be honest, Obito had wondered the same thing. "I guess that we got lucky." He shrugs. "Anyway, I'm going to win this time." There was no way he would allow Kakashi to beat him again. As Naruto would say, 'Believe it!'

A short while later, Itachi chuckles as he sees Kai and Yoko in the backyard with Suki. His now graying wife was still a sight to see as she properly demonstrated how to throw a kunai.

"I see Akeno and Jiro dropped them off again." He smiles at them. "I suppose it's good for their kunai practice. Where did they go this time?"

Suki glances at him as Kai throws his kunai. "To the Sand Village. How was the Academy?" She smiles as she saunters towards him. "You're later than usual. I think Kakashi's awful habits are rubbing off on you."

Had their great grandchildren not been there, Itachi would have informed his wife that he would have much rather she rubbed off on him than Kakashi. Still, it was amazing how long lived most of their friends had been. Everyone was either in flirting with their seventies, eighties, or even into their nineties who had come from his generation or before and lived to tell the tale.

"I was just looking over some of Minato's suggestions for the new graduation exam." He kisses Suki's cheek. "Kushina was there and she can be quite chatty at the best of times and Naruto was going on about the old days. Then there was Sai who made things really interesting with his unique observations about male anatomy."

She snorts at that. His wife had never been particularly fond of her 'replacement,' but the formerly raven haired woman had gotten much better at tolerating his presence.

"You'd think that he would have outgrown kunai jokes by now." Suki sighs.

Indeed. Though it was a little late to worry about that, especially when Itacih was now under siege by his great grandchildren. Whose mission in life seemed to be to tackle him.

"Hi, Gampy!" Kai beams at him. "We've been practicing with Gamma for awhile. Did you bring us any sweets?"

It was strange. Neither he, nor Suki had sweet tooths, but at least two of their great grandchildren did.

"Of course, I did." He smiles. "The cookies are in my kunai pouch, but you'll have to make sure to burn them off while training."

Suki shakes her head and crosses her arms. Oh boy. He knew what that meant. He was already on thin ice. Suki liked to pretend to be the responsible adult. It was adorable.

"You know Jiro and Akeno are going to kill us, if they find out that you've been sneaking sweets to them again." She raises an eyebrow at him as if Itachi had taken complete leave of his senses. "Right?"

Itachi shrugs as he gestures at himself. "They're all bark and no bite." He pulls her into his arms. "Besides, if you don't tattle, I'll be VERY sweet to you later tonight."

The comment elicits exactly the reaction had he hoped for. His wife's blush was a thing of beauty, even after all these years it never ceased to amaze him just how red her ivory white skin could turn when given the proper motivation. Hmm. Well perhaps, he should say improper motivation.

"You've definitely been spending too much time with Kakashi." She blushes.

Itachi shrugs and kisses her forehead. "You don't seem to mind page 336 all that much." That one was definitely a favorite of both of theirs.

The children look at them with confusion, but that was probably for the best. They were far too young to read or even discuss such literature.

"Well, no." She shakes her head.

Which could mean only one thing. Suki had conceded defeat. Itachi had emerged victorious in this play fight.

Yoko giggles at them. "How did Gamma and Gampy get together?" It was endearing how they still used those terms to refer to them. Itachi was quite certain they could have both pronounced grandmother and grandfather by now, but no one bothered to correct them. In his opinion, it was best to let children be children.

Suki rubs the back of her neck sheepishly at that question. Not that Itachi could blame her. It wasn't really a tale that was fit for the ears of five year olds. Still, he didn't mind answering.

"When I was younger, I did some bad things for good reasons." He glances at Suki. "Your Gamma was very angry with me for a long time because I didn't tell her the real reason why I did such things. Like any kitten, she does have claws and she tried to scratch me great deal."

Their eyes go wide upon hearing that. To them, Itachi knew that it must have been unthinkable that their beloved great grandparents would have ever been at odds. Which was just as well really. The horrors of the past didn't need to interfere with the splendor of the present in his mind.

Of course, he'd never lie to them. It was just that he'd omit the finer details of the story. There was no need to go over the more unpleasant or sensual parts of the tale. Not at present at least.

"I held a kunai to his throat and after that, I got more compliance." Suki smirks. "Eventually."

Apparently, his wife was less tactful. "It's a long story, but eventually I told her the truth and of course, I had to make certain that the adorable kitten with the ruby red eyes didn't get herself killed during a temper tantrum." Now it was his turn to smirk. "Somehow along the way, we ended up falling in love and reviving our Clan."

Speaking of temper tantrums though, Suki was seething for the kitten comment. Oh well. It was still as accurate today as it was when they were young and she knew it. No matter how much she might pretend otherwise.

"Oh." Yoko blinks. "That's not very much like the princess stories."

Her brother, Kai, nods in agreement. "Yeah." True enough, but Itachi liked their version better.

"Perhaps not, but I'd take a dangerous kitten over a princess any day." Itachi smiles at them.

It was true. He wouldn't trade Suki or their family for the world. For years, he had lived with the guilt of what happened on that fateful day and he still did. Though now things were different. He had found love and it didn't hurt that he had a beautiful kitten to cuddle up to at night after a long day of running the Academy and chasing their progeny around.

Suki smirks at that and kisses Itachi's cheek. "I suppose I've always preferred the dragon to the actual prince." Well, that was unexpected, but Itachi supposes there were worse mythological creatures to be compared to.

"I suppose I walked into that one being an Uchiha and all." He chuckles.

Suki and the twins laugh at that and nod. Well, there was no getting around the fact their Clan did share many similarities to those regal beasts. Though to Itachi, Suki would always be his kitten. Whether she agreed with the term of endearment or not.