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Read Equinox and come back!

On the day Ami turned 16, she didn't request a big party or a car.

"Are you sure?" asked Sakura for what felt like the millionth time. She glanced up at the window. Tobirama sat at the controls, his elbow leaning on the intercom button as he listened in. Ami fiddled with the strap of the electric guitar. It had a shiny seafoam green body. She ran her fingers down the maple fingerboard.

"Yeah! This is what I've always wanted to do," insisted Ami, looking up. Her eyes glittered with excitement.

"I've always wanted to play a song you wrote for me, Mom," Ami added. She gave the strings a strum in an easy G-chord. The callouses on the pads of her fingers had toughened them into the perfect tools for plucking the steel strings. And her fingers were strong from years of practicing on almost any musical instrument she could get her hands on.

"Don't thank me. Daddy wrote the riff for this," Sakura reminded her, sitting down behind the drums. She pulled her headphones up from her neck and set them over her ears.

"Thank you, Daddy. I love you!" Ami chirruped, blowing a kiss toward the window. Tobirama didn't return the gesture, but a smile curled his mouth.

"Happy birthday, Angel," he said in a quiet voice before he pushed play on the backing track.

Everyone in Old Pines knew about the Siren nest right on the border with the forest. It also happened to be the town's second pack of werewolves. Technically. It was only one wolf and a half, but according to Kiba, that was enough to count.

Ami wrinkled her nose whenever Kiba and Mari showed up on the back porch covered in mud and whatever else they had picked up in the forest. Sometimes she clicked her tongue as she wiped the remaining deer blood off Mari's face. At least they had stopped bringing back dead rabbits and raccoons.

"Did you have fun?" she asked.

"Yeah! Pop broke the deer's neck in, like, 5 seconds!" Mari chirruped.

"Well that's cool," answered Ami. A smile crossing her face as her little sister tried to throw her arms around her waist. She held up a finger, reminding Mari of the filth covering her clothes. Mari whined a little but stood still.

"Sorry, Peanut. I know you don't like seeing blood," Kiba apologized as he pulled his shirt over his head. There were a few scrapes on his back, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

"That's alright, Pop. It's more the mud than the blood, honestly," Ami replied. And then she smiled when Kiba mussed her hair.

"Heads up!" Sakura called.

Ami jumped out of the way just as cold water spurted out of the hose. Mari and Kiba yelped in unison. As they squirmed, Tobirama's cool voice warned them:

"If you run from this, you're not walking in that house."

They froze. Turned to stare at each other. And then Kiba's head drooped. They submitted to the torment of the icy water on their hair and bodies. When Itachi approached to shampoo their hair, Kiba's head snapped up. He threw his arms around him, pulling him into the cold water.

"STOP! HELP!" Itachi yelped, sputtering against the water. Mari wrapped her arms around him, too.

"Sakura! Turn off the water!" he pleaded.

Sakura, hand on her hip, aimed the hose to the side for a bit. She considered the three of them. Sopping on the back porch. Itachi's hair falling into his face, making him look like a wet dog. She turned her head to look at Tobirama, who stood by the garden faucet connecting the hose to the house, smirking.

Kakashi appeared in the doorway, a bowl of cereal in one hand. A spoon in the other.

"Kakashi! Make them stop!" Itachi begged.

Kakashi took in the scene, like a good cop was wont to do. And then he took a big bite of cereal. Crunching the pieces loudly between his molars.

"Not my jurisdiction," he decided.

Sakura aimed the hose back at them and listened to all three of them howl.

Itachi had his revenge later when he grabbed Sakura by the waist as they walked into the house. His frozen hands pressing to her stomach and back as she shrieked with laughter.

Dinner, as usual, was crowded and noisy. With so many people laughing and chewing, it was impossible for the house to stay quiet. But as they began to clear the table and throw out the garbage, Ami tugged on the edge of Kiba's shirt. He paused mid-step, hands heavy with plates. Ami stared back at him, her big green eyes blinking slowly at him.

"Babe?" he called over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Ami and I'll do the dishes," Kiba offered. Sakura withdrew her hands from the soapy water. She took Itachi by the elbow and murmured something into his ear. He wiped his hands dry too before he put them on Mari's shoulders.

"Show me that math homework, Mari. Let's get that out of the way," he announced. Groaning, Mari still pulled him up the stairs to where she had dropped her backpack right after school.

Sakura's eyes met Kakashi's.

"Let's go walk the dogs," he suggested.

At those words, the beagle sitting by the front door bolted to his feet. Following him was a brown and white mutt that yapped as it also ran to the door.

It smelled like autumn when they stepped out of the house. Sakura's left hand slipped into Tobirama's as they descended the wooden steps. And then she took Kakashi's with her right.

"What do you think that's about?" Sakura wondered as they headed down the sidewalk. The dogs' panting filled the night air. Sakura could smell the hint of fairy magic as they passed behind the cafe. The lights in the windows were dark. Ino had closed up and gone home for the night by now, of course.

"You think she fought with a friend? The girls usually go to Kiba for things like that," Kakashi suggested. Sakura wrinkled her nose as she considered that.

"Do you think she's in trouble and didn't want us to know?" Tobirama then said.

Sakura snorted at that. "Then why would she go to Kiba? She'd run right to Daddy." She nudged him with her elbow. And Tobirama looked bewildered.

"Me?"

Kakashi leaned forward to level Tobirama with a knowing look. "Softie."

"Like a big teddy bear," snickered Sakura. And when Tobirama's face scrunched into a scowl, she leaned closer with a smile. "I love it," she added.

The answer to their question came later that night. Long after Mari and Ami had gone to bed. And after the dogs had fallen asleep too. Even after Kakashi had come home from his final check around the small town.

Kiba sat at the kitchen table, staring down into his beer. Swirling the amber drink around and around as he seemed to think very carefully about something.

"What's on your mind?" prompted Sakura, settling in the seat beside him, her arms draping across his shoulders. He, of course, wasn't even a little startled. She could never sneak up on him- not with his insane sense of hearing and smell.

"Our big girl's got a lot on her mind, apparently," he sighed.

"School?" guessed Itachi, sitting across from him. Tobirama settled next to Itachi, his arm resting on the back of the chair.

"Murder?" wondered Sakura, thinking back on her experiences as a teenager.

"School, actually. Well, sorta. College," Kiba replied.

"College already?" marveled Itachi. And then he paused to think before he amended, "Actually, no. She's a sophomore already. That makes sense."

"What about college?" Sakura prompted. Because if this was just a talk about the cost of tuition, she knew Kiba wouldn't look so miserable. Between all their salaries (and the royalties she and Tobirama earned from their music), they were more than prepared to send both their daughters to private universities (if that was what they wanted, of course).

"I'm just... well... aw, jeez, Kakashi, maybe you should sit," Kiba fumbled through the words, rubbing the back of his neck.

"...Alright," Kakashi agreed. He glanced around the kitchen, which, someone usually criticized of being too small for their family at least once a week. Sakura got out of her chair to let him sit instead. She settled in his lap, feeling his arms wrap around her waist.

"So what's up, Kiba?" Sakura urged him.

Kiba heaved a sigh that sounded odd coming from him. Because Kiba was all smiles and corny jokes. Even the girls agreed that he was the most fun, even though they tried to pretend that they were too old for the occasional fart joke.

"Well, so... Ami's been looking at schools. And she's been worried about... well... distance."

No one pretended not to have understood.

Sakura felt Kakashi's arms tighten a little. She placed her hand on top of his. Patting softly as she kept her eyes fixed on Kiba. Who looked guilty for having brought it up at all.

"She was saying how she's been thinking of going to school on the west coast. But then she started talking about how not everyone could come visit or see her graduate."

Itachi's forehead wrinkled. "She's thought ahead that much about it? All by herself? Why wouldn't she talk to us about it first?"

"She probably didn't want Kakashi to feel hurt. Or lonely," Tobirama guessed.

"Did I say something to make her worry like that?" wondered Kakashi. Sakura patted his hand again.

"She's a teenager. That's why. You didn't do anything wrong," she assured him.

Over the years, Kakashi had worked hard to extend the reach of his territory. Each new mile he gained was a struggle. It took years and years of effort, pushing and straining against the magical threads that bound him to the cornerstone of the old church wrapped in ivy. He could freely wander the shores of the beach now. And he could venture deeper and deeper into the forest, matching Kiba's strides with ease.

But even that progress could only take him so far.

Sakura patted his hand again. "Hey. Let's make tomorrow family night. We'll have dinner and then talk things out," she suggested.

Kakashi rested his forehead on her back. She felt him nod against her shoulder blade and patted his hand a little harder.

Of course the talk with Ami went well the following day. She was such a sweet girl who had dreaded the thought of making her beloved Papa feel left out.

"But I don't want you to be sad, Papa," she insisted, tears in her eyes as she threw her arms around Kakashi's middle. And he hugged her close, his hand rubbing up and down her back.

"I know, sweetheart. But you have to do what's right for you. Not me," he told her.

"I love you so much, Papa," Ami mumbled in response.

Despite the tears, the night ended on a positive note. Ami was in a good enough mood that she graced everyone with a kiss on the cheek before she went to bed.

Sakura took a deep breath as she leaned on the arm of the sofa. She watched her oldest daughter disappear up the stairs.

"She's such a good girl. I wonder who she takes after. Definitely not me," Sakura remarked.

"True," muttered Kiba. Snickering, he caught her foot when she aimed a kick at his stomach. And through their laughter, they exchanged a look. Because even as he sat there smiling, Kakashi looked sad. He might have fooled someone else- but definitely not his family.

"You alright, Kakashi?" Itachi asked.

Kakashi nodded a little too slowly. "Of course," he replied.

He definitely wasn't.

A few nights later, something half-woke Sakura. The crickets trilled outside in a delicate chorus. As the sunrise drew closer, the blackness of the horizon began to glow. Softly at first, and then brighter. And that light diffused in through the window.

It was the swish of the comforter that pulled Sakura from her dreams.

"Wha?" she croaked, head rising from the indent in her pillow.

"It's alright. I just heard a noise," Kakashi whispered, rising on his elbow. He turned his head one way, then the other. Throwing his legs off the side of the bed, he sniffed at the air.

Sakura began to sit up too. Tobirama's arm slipped off of her, catching in the crook of her elbow. He didn't stir.

"Don't go alone. Maybe Kiba should go with you," she suggested. But she stopped when Kakashi turned back to her, his eyes gleaming a little too brightly in the almost-morning.

"I'll be careful," Kakashi assured her. And when she continued to stare at him, he added, "And I'll pick up coffee on the way back."

Only when she nodded did Kakashi lean in to kiss her forehead. And then her pout before he slipped out of bed. Running a hand through his rumpled hair, Kakashi crept through the silent house. As he descended the stairs, he spotted Kiba and Mari both in their wolf forms, sprawled out on the back porch. Mari's hind legs twitched a little as she dreamt.

And then there was the noise again.

Kakashi seamlessly transitioned into other form as he left the house. Black wisps of smoke flickering from the end of his tail as he descended the wooden steps. Barely displacing the gravel path with his paws. And once he hit the street, he broke into a run. Pulled by a faint voice that was almost familiar.

He followed the sounds down the streets, turning corners on a path that he knew by heart. And in the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in front of the old, white church. The tower glowing softly in the light of the rising sun.

"Papa."

Kakashi turned. A little golden-brown dog sat in the grass. Tail wagging. A bright red kerchief was tied around its neck.

"Biscuit?"

"Papa," the dog said again. His mouth moving perfectly with the sounds.

Biscuit had lived a long, healthy life. And while the dogs that Kakashi adopted tended to live longer than normal, old age eventually caught up with each of them. Biscuit had fallen asleep one night and hadn't woken up again. And like all of the other dogs Kakashi had taken in over the years, he was laid to rest in the graveyard of the church.

So it was strange that Biscuit stood in front of Kakashi now. Tail swishing back and forth, head cocking to one side.

"You made it, Papa," Biscuit said.

"Uh... I guess I did," Kakashi replied, fazing back into his human form. Tail wagging harder now, Biscuit trotted up to him. He nuzzled against Kakashi's palm. And Kakashi responded by patting his neck, hand ruffling through the thick golden fur.

"Oh, wow. I... I really missed you, bud," Kakashi then said.

"I know," Biscuit answered. And if a dog could smile, that was what Biscuit was doing.

After a while of petting Biscuit, Kakashi spoke again.

"So... this just a nice visit... or...?" Kakashi trailed off. Unsure of what was even going on. Biscuit tilted his head to the other side.

"You've been feeling sad, Papa. So we decided to help." As Biscuit spoke, ethereal threads of silver rose from the soil. They wove together into the shapes of more paws and wagging tails. They came in all shapes and sizes. Short and squat. Tall and skinny. And slowly, those silver threads condensed, turning black and gold and white. Turning into patches of white and dun on glossy fur.

Bull snuffled at him. Pakkun shook himself before he peered up with big eyes. Shiba was there, too. And all of the other dogs he had taken in over the years. Stretching back and back all the way until the very beginning. To the first stray mutt he had taken in off the street.

"I don't understand," Kakashi whispered. He turned his head back toward Biscuit when he felt a lick on his hand.

"It's okay, Papa," Biscuit told him. "Since you took care of us, we'll take care of the town from now on. You can go." Behind him, Bull gave a sage nod of his wrinkly head.

"Go where?"

"Anywhere," Biscuit replied. And then he disappeared into silver threads that dissolved into the air. The rest of the dogs followed one by one. Unraveling and twisting into nothingness. Pakkun was the last to go. The pug stared up at him with big, wet eyes.

"Take good care of Mama," Pakkun requested. And before Kakashi could promise him that he would, the dog was gone.

Sakura woke for a second time a little while later when she felt Kakashi's hand on her shoulder. Her eyes opened right away.

"Is everything alright?" she demanded.

And this time, Tobirama woke up too. Squinting angrily at the morning light like he always did.

"I need to show you something," Kakashi blurted out. And the excitement in his face was impossible to argue with. Sakura looked over her shoulder at Tobirama. He glared back at her. The anger faded when she bent over and planted a kiss on his lips. He let out a sigh before he sat up, running a hand through his tangled hair.

"I'm not driving," he grumbled as he got out of bed.

It took a few minutes to wake everyone and load them into the minivan.

"Where are we going?" Itachi asked as he gripped the steering wheel. He wore his sunglasses, scowling against the morning sunlight. Kakashi stood next to the window, his hand resting on top of the car.

"Toward the highway," Kakashi instructed. And then he slipped into the shape of a smoky black dog and took off down the street.

The minivan crackled down the asphalt, chasing after the dark shape that cut across town. When they reached the town's limits, Itachi slowed the car. He could see the black dog sitting beside the wooden sign that read 'Old Pines' in dark green letters. Sakura rolled the window down and stuck her head out of the car.

"What're we doing out here?" Ami wondered, craning her head to peer out the window. Mari leaned against her shoulder, not quite asleep but not quite awake either.

As the car rolled to a stop next to the sign, Kakashi got to his feet. He gave a pointed look toward the car before he slowly began taking steps past the sign. He crossed over the border of the town. Then took another step. Then another.

"Kakashi, what are-" Sakura interrupted herself with a gasp. Her hands flying to her mouth.

"No way," Kiba breathed.

One by one, the members of their family piled out of the car. Sakura leaned against Kiba's side as she watched Kakashi take off in a run down the empty road. Until he was just a black blob against the asphalt. Itachi leaned his elbow on Sakura's other shoulder. After a minute, Kakashi began running back toward them.

"Papa! It's a miracle!" Mari exclaimed as she ran to greet him. She threw her arms around his neck. And, laughing, Ami threw her arms around him too. Kakashi shifted back into his human form, an arm around each of his daughters as he squeezed them tight.

"I'm so happy for you, Papa," Ami said.

"Thank you," he said. And it sounded like he was choking back tears.

"SHERIFF!" Kiba bellowed. Their eyes popped open as he grabbed them and lifted all three of them off the ground. Sakura wormed her way inside the cluster. The girls giggled as her hair tickled their noses.

"Where should we go?" Kiba wondered. Because there had been so many times when they had seen or done things and wished that Kakashi could see them too.

"Anywhere," laughed Sakura in response.

"I suggest somewhere tropical because you seriously need a tan, Kakashi," remarked Itachi, leaning on the hood of the minivan.

"Hidan's shooting a music video in Aruba. We could crash it," suggested Tobirama, looking over an email on his phone.

Ami's head popped up from somewhere under Kiba's arm. "Really? Can we do that, Daddy?" she inquired, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Of course. I'm the boss," Tobirama scoffed. He turned away to make a phone call. Holding it away from his ear in anticipation of Hidan's adamant protest.

As the years passed, the town of Old Pines changed very little. Sometimes people thought they heard dogs barking in the distance more often than they used to. But the smell of fairy magic, sweet and warm, still hung in the air near the little cafe on the corner. And when summer retreated, the leaves on the trees began to turn orange and gold, lighting up the town in bright shades.

The once small cabin on the edge of town had grown into something that now fit such a large family. Little crystals of peridot hung from the curtain rods, tinkling against each other whenever someone walked past. The mantelpiece above the fireplace was always crowded with picture frames of various shapes and sizes- all the members of their big family squeezed together to fit into each shot.

What had changed were the souvenirs that had begun to overtake the house. Gaudy magnets appeared on the fridge. Mysterious wood carvings sat on the bookshelves. Useless and shiny bits that scattered the house to remind its occupants of distant lands.

"Don't forget flip-flops. Hotel floors are not to be trusted."

"Is anyone gonna check a bag? I need to take my hairspray."

"Yeah, squeeze it in mine. Can I put my sneakers in yours then?"

"Has anyone seen my sweater? The blue one with stripes. I can't find it anywhe- Nevermind. Thank you, Baba!"

The entire house overflowed with the sounds of zippers and people running back and forth between rooms. Tobirama was the only one who sat still. He had finished packing his suitcase two days ago. It sat in the corner of his room with his passport resting on top.

"Are you sure you're alright to travel?" he queried for the millionth time. He watched Sakura sitting on the edge of the bed. She sat wrestling with a t-shirt, trying to fold it in the neat, trendy way that was all over the internet nowadays. Tobirama huffed. He got to his feet.

"Give me that," he grumbled. Grabbing it out of her hands, he folded it into a perfect square. And then he went on to fold the rest of the shirts sitting on the bed.

"The doctor says I'm fine. Besides. We've been planning this trip since last year," Sakura replied as she watched him.

"I moved stuff around on the itinerary so we won't be walking around as much."

They both started. When they looked up, they found Itachi in the doorway, his back against the doorjamb. He scrolled through his document on his tablet, which he had probably checked about a thousand times by now.

"Maybe we should rent a car," Itachi then worried as he eyed Sakura.

"Absolutely not. Parking in Rome is a nightmare," Sakura protested.

"Can't drive in Europe. Don't they all drive on the left?" Kiba piped up, his head appearing over Itachi's shoulder. He squinted down at the tablet too.

"That's just England," replied Itachi. When Itachi snickered at him, Kiba knocked into the back of Itachi's knee, making his leg buckle. Sakura stifled a snort into her fist.

"Pop?" a voice came from down the hall. Kiba twisted his head to yell back, "Yeah?"

"Is there room in your bag for my umbrella?"

"Think so. Go for it."

"Kay. Thanks!"

Kiba then ducked under Itachi's tablet to enter the room. Hands in the back pockets of his jeans, he plopped down on the bed beside Sakura. She had given up on packing as Tobirama seized the rest of her clothes and began placing them in her empty suitcase for her.

"Kiba, we need to have a serious talk," Kakashi announced as he appeared in the doorway, Ami tucked under his arm. Itachi moved to the side so she could roll Kiba's suitcase into the room.

Kiba arched an eyebrow. "About?"

"This," Ami said before she opened his suitcase to reveal the contents within.

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger. Tobirama let out a noise of exasperation.

"...You can't be serious, Kiba," Tobirama whispered. He sounded defeated.

"What?"

"I refuse to be seen with you if all you're packing is flannel," Itachi declared.

"That's, like, all I own," Kiba insisted.

"No, it's not. You have plenty of nice shirts. I know. Because we buy them for you every year, Pop," Mari piped up as she appeared in the doorway. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at his fashion choices.

"It's my aesthetic!"

When everyone continued to glare, Kiba threw his hands up in the air. "Babe. Come on."

Everyone's stare turned to Sakura. She considered this as she rubbed her hand over the bump under her sweatshirt.

"Stop bullying him. He can wear what he wants," Sakura decided.

Kiba's face turned smug. "Thank you."

"We can always photoshop him out of all our pictures later," Sakura then added.

"Babe!"

"Aw, Mom. You're such a savage," Mari cackled. She crossed the room to slap Sakura a high five.

In the midst of all this chatter and laughter, the doorbell rang. Mari and Ami swiveled their heads to stare at each other.

"You get it."

"No, you get it."

"Can someone get the door, please!" Kakashi interrupted the squabbling. The girls exchanged one last look before they both hurried out of the room. Their footsteps stumbled down the stairs together, just slightly out of sync with each other. They giggled, probably as one elbowed the other. Everyone upstairs stayed quiet as they listened to the door open.

"Heya, pups! Excited for your trip?" Hana's voice drifted upstairs.

As Itachi crouched to help Tobirama continue packing, Sakura closed her eyes.

She could remember what this house had felt like all those years ago. When she had first driven into this tiny town in the middle of the night. Her sedan crammed with her possessions. The inside of her head even more cluttered than her car. Back then, this house had just been another place to run away to. Quiet. Far from prying eyes.

She had never imagined living somewhere so noisy.

"Sakura?"

Her eyes opened. Kakashi was kneeling in front of her. A faint smile on his lips.

"Are you feeling okay?" His hand brushed against her cheek.

She had also never imagined living somewhere that felt so warm.

"Yeah. Everything's alright," she assured him. Even without trying, she found herself returning his smile.