Theme 1 : Birth

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"Stillborn." Sukka-san grunted, nudging the still body of a pup off to the side. Tousan looked as if he were about to disagree, to try and fix the pup somehow but the bitch huffed a "Here comes the next one." and the man was distracted.

Kakashi though, had already finished his job of carrying the latest puppy to the little nest that Sukka-san would move to after the birthing was finished- leaving the wriggling fur-worms under Kuro-chan's care, so he picked up the discarded pup. It was damp but odd sac-thing it had been in was mostly gone (he pulled away bits clinging to the rear legs) and the cord-thing had already been bit then tied off so he started rubbing it like he'd seen Tousan do.

"Kaka-" He blinked, looking up at his father even as he kept rubbing the pup (it was so still) and saw his father staring at him with an odd expression. It was kind of like the look Tousan got when he asked about Okaasan before he'd stopped, not liking how quiet and still (why isn't it moving yet?) his father got after. The jōnin swallowed and looked away (why? what's wrong Tousan? do you know why the puppy hasn't moved?) towards Kuro-chan's twin, "Shiro-kun, take this one to the others."

Kakashi glanced around, head tilting (hands rubbing and rubbing and rubbing- why don't you move?) at how the adult ninken all had expressions mirroring Tousan's. "...what?"

"Nothing, Kashi-chan." Kuro-chan answered but she sound both tired and sad, like Tousan did when he asked (stop asking questions, you only make Tousan sad.) about the Second War.

Shiro-kun sat, watching him (as his hands rubbed and rubbed and rubbed) with old, old (which was weird because Shiro-kun was only five) eyes. "Don't you want to watch the other pups, Kashi-kun?"

"Not yet," he told the white-furred wolfhound (rubbing, rubbing, rubbing). "I want this one to wake up first." He stalled (before his hands rubbed, rubbed, rubbed) when his father let out a smothered, choked kind of noise. "...Touchan?" He didn't say it that often anymore, not since he'd met Jiraiya and the man started teasing his father about it, but sometimes it slipped out before he could change it to the more appropriate (why is it, though? why make fun of Tousan?) version.

Tousan let out another noise and said in a tired, tired (this is why- not supposed to say it) voice. "It's nothing, Kakashi."

He (was bad bad bad- can't do anything right) blinked (hands rubbing, rubbing, rubbing and rubbing) and said. "Okay."

Ya know, I saw this theme and I was so excited- was going to write something fluffy about Pakkun being born and then this came out. (I now feel sad.)