Okay, I've been having a very hard past few months, my brother lost my flashdrive with all of my other story on it and the only other place that I it saved was laptop, which crashed not even three days later. So right now I'm bumbed out about that and I cannot seem to bring myself to rewrite all that I have lost. So, as too try to get back into writing, I decided to write this two-shot. Hope you all like.

D-claimer: I don't own Naruto and never will so there.

To the Snow Dogs

The only clock in the small office chimed three times before falling silent. Not even a second later, onyx eyes looked up from under raven locks to momentarily glare at the offending piece of furniture before going back to the diminishing stacks of paper on the desk. Healthy, yet pale, skin gleamed in the artificial yellow light making the businessman that sat behind the desk look sickly and older than he was. The suit the man wore with his current agitated expression did nothing to help and actually made him look even older in the poorly lit room. Nonetheless, even the illuminating light and his poor choice of clothing could not deterrent the young man's handsome features.

The young businessman was also known as the most eligible bachelor on the market at the moment. Uchiha Sasuke, his name was well known for the fact that he was a survivor of the Uchiha Massacre. The whole family murdered by the psycho Uchiha Madara, making the family name famous in some ways. The Uchiha name was not only famous for that event but in the business world as well. Sasuke had the money and family status that women would die to have in their future husbands. The fact that he owned his own company and had the looks that women would fall over themselves to ogle was another good reason why he was the number one bachelor at the moment as well. Something that caused the Uchiha great loathing was the fact that these women did not see him, but his money and looks. None of them even cared about his personality or who he was as a person in general. They were all too vain.

Suddenly the door to his office was flung open and a cry went out through the room before Sasuke felt something attach to his body. "Daddy!"

Lifting his head and turning his chair towards the attachment on his body, the Uchiha saw a carbon copy of himself, only smaller. Raven colored haired, onyx eyes, and pale skin; the dominate traits in the Uchiha genes. The boy's cheeks were slightly round, not with obesity, but with baby fat, while his eyes were wide with innocence that only a child could hold. Yet they also held little emotions since he seemed to be guarding them away. The child's hair fell into his eyes and was a little long in the backside, having been in need of a trim for a while. He wore a pair of black polished to a shine shoes and, matching in color, slacks that contrasted with a purple overcoat and a white shirt underneath. It was the uniform of Otogakure, one of the most prestigious schools in the nation. The little raven was no doubt an Uchiha, and there was no uncertainty that the like boy was Sasuke's son. They two looked too much alike for them not to be.

"Kyoshi," Sasuke whispered into his son's hair as he hugged his little boy. His son was his world; he was one of the only reasons that the young businessman had to live. Ever since his parents and the rest of his family were murdered when he was seven, Sasuke had become detached and emotionless. He did not care about anything else, not even his own life. Sure, he excelled at school and later, when he graduated college at eighteen, he took the business world by storm. However, at the age of nineteen, Sasuke had a one-night stand with some woman. Nine months later, he got a call from a nurse in the local hospital asking him if he wanted to see his son before he was put up for adoption. Needless to say, the young Uchiha not only went to see the son he never knew he had but also had all legal rights concerning the boy put in his name and his name alone. "How was your day?"

"It was okay," the youngest Uchiha, Kyoshi, stated somewhat unsure of himself. The boy gave his father a small smile, one of his rare smiles that were hardly ever seen. "Nothing really happened."

"Nothing, huh?" Sasuke asked, one of his eyebrows raising in mild curiosity, but no other visible sign of emotion crossed his face. Hearing a slight noise coming from the door, the raven looked up to see Uchiha Itachi, the only other Uchiha that survived Madara's mass slaughter and his older brother. His brother was taller than him by a half of a head, and he had an even paler complexion than Sasuke. Itachi's face was longer and the only flaw on his face was the two long scars that ran from under his eyes to just pass his nose. The older Uchiha's eyes had a slight red tint to them, a byproduct of his eye surgery that he had because of his deteriorating eyesight, and long black hair that was held in a horsetail at the nape of his neck. He too was a businessman, hence the expensive dark gray suit he wore.

"Nope, nothing," Kyoshi answered Sasuke, but his father's eyes were not on him, but his uncle, allowing Sasuke to see Itachi shake his head negatively. Seeing this, the father looked back at his boy and the two continued with their conversation. They talked about how Kyoshi did on his last test and how his new gym teachers, Sakon-sensei and Ukon-sensei, made him feel a little uneasy. Every once in a while, Itachi would speak up and start on a new topic, but mostly he looked over the files on Sasuke's desk. Finally, when the clock chimed four, the three Uchihas made their way to the car waiting for them. Kyoshi running a little ways ahead, giving the two brothers a chance to talk without him hearing.

"So what happened this time?" Sasuke finally asked, watching his son carefully as the boy ran towards the car but stopped just before reaching it. The child then turned around and waited for his guardians to catch up with him, all his childish attitude from before gone. The boy did not like feeling of vulnerability and acting how a child his age should made him feel exactly that, vulnerable. Usually, out in public, Kyoshi acted like an adult and not as a child, something that concerned the older Uchihas.

"His teacher, Kimimaro-san, said that he almost got in another fight with a few of the kids if he hadn't come in just at the time to break it up," the oldest Uchiha stated, putting his hands in his pockets. "The rest of the day Kyoshi was silent and isolated himself during break and lunch. Juugo-san suggested that Kyoshi needs to make a connect -a bond- with someone to keep him from getting into various fights."

"Don't you think I've tried that?" Sasuke asked a little harshly, a glare directed at his brother. Upon realizing whom exactly he was talking to, the raven let out a sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I've done everything to give Kyoshi what he needs, but it just doesn't seem to be enough. I don't know what else to do."

"I know Otouto, I know. For a single working parent, you're doing your best. Unlike other business-parents, you don't neglect or ignore Kyoshi. You make time for him and actually do things together. You put Kyoshi above work, most parents nowadays don't. Sasuke, you're doing your best, there isn't much else you can do," Itachi reassured his younger brother. He saw how good Sasuke was to his son, even though Sasuke did not.

"Yea, it's just my best isn't good enough," the single father said bitterly.

Patting Sasuke on the shoulder, Itachi gave him an encouraging smile. "Don't fret it. Everything will turnout fine in the end."

"I sure hope so," Sasuke whispered as they caught up with Kyoshi. The boy now had a frown on his face, impatient that his father and uncle took so long catching up and he had to wait.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Kyoshi said, try not to whine, yet a part of the grumble came out anyways.

Chuckling slighting, Itachi ruffled his nephew's long locks, noting that they would have to go have them cut sometime soon. "And what would you like to eat?"

A thoughtful expression crossed the child's face, causing his uncle to chuckle. The boy looked so much like his father when he did that. After a few seconds of inner debate with himself, a bright smile finally appeared across Kyoshi's face. "I know, let's go to that American restaurant next Deidara-san's work."

"Okay," Sasuke said, opening the door for his son to get in and make sure he was buckled in.

It was only a few days later, that Sasuke found himself once again sitting at his desk, looking up when his clock chimed three. His son and Itachi should be coming soon, just as they did every day at this time. There was not a day that went by that Itachi did not bring Kyoshi to Chidori, the company Sasuke worked at and owned, to visit his father after school ended. It was a routine that had yet to be broken.

Going back to paper, Sasuke tried to complete the last of his workload before the two arrived. It was Friday and he did not want to come to work tomorrow. Besides, he wanted to do something with Kyoshi this weekend; they had not done family bonding in a while. It would also sort of be a reward for the boy, since he had not been any fights real fights for a time. Hopefully, it would motivate the boy to stop fighting constantly.

The shrill of the phone interrupted Sasuke's thoughts and without thinking about it, he answered while still working on the last of his paperwork. "Yes Karin-san, what is it?" the businessman asked his secretary.

"Uchiha-san, the principal at Otogakure, Orochimaru-san just called, he you need to come and talk to him about Kyoshi-chan's behavior," Karin said on the other end of the phone, causing Sasuke to freeze and slightly swear.

"Alright, tell him that I'll be there in fifteen minutes," the raven replied as he stood up and pulled on the jacket to his dark blue suit on. Hanging up the phone, the Uchiha grabbed his keys and marched out the door. Luckily he had parked closer to the building this morning and did not need to go far to get to his vehicle. Within ten minutes of getting in to his car and pealing out of the parking lot, Sasuke was walking down the clean corridors of Otogakure.

Walking into the office, the principal's assistant, Kabuto if his memory served him correct, pointed him towards the door of the principal's office. However, he could hardly miss it, not with the gold nameplate on the door and all. Once inside, the first person Sasuke saw, was the sickly looking principal with his greasy black hair and eerie yellow eyes boring into him. In one of the chairs in front of the man's desk, Itachi sat looking slightly amused for some odd reason and Kyoshi, in his uniform, sat to the side of the room in a chair meant of an adult. His head was bent causing his bangs to fall in his eyes and his little legs swayed below the chair, not being able to touch the ground.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, so you actually came," Orochimaru greeted, standing up to greet the businessman. However, the man did not notice the slight growl coming form the Uchiha at the suffix added to his name, but Itachi was not one to miss the grow and give one of his own. This man seemed to think that he was on the same level -or even above- them and that was definitely not acceptable. This snaky man had another thing coming.

"Why wouldn't I? This is my son that is concerned," Sasuke snapped, taking a seat as Orochimaru stood there speechless, gabbing a bit from the businessman's remark. He was too use to have the students' parents fall over him and treat him with respect because he ran Otogakure. He was not used to the Uchihas and their attitude, which showed with each visit that they had about Kyoshi.

"Why of course, Uchiha-san, my apologies," Orochimaru stuttered, catching his mistake and trying to cover it up. Quickly regaining his composure, the snaky man sat down in his leather chair and shuffled some papers about. Finally, he found the thick folder labeled Uchiha Kyoshi and flipped it opened. "As you know Uchiha-san, your son has had some… problems in the past. He doesn't socialize with the other students around him, he isolates himself. The only time that he does interact with other students is when he gets into fights. All of which have been overlooked for obvious reasons, but this, this is unacceptable."

To emphasize his anger at the situation, Orochimaru threw down the folder on his desk with a loud thunk and looked up at Sasuke, locking eyes. "Your son has no only broken the rules, but has caused enough chaos in this school in one day to last a year," the principal stated, looking back down at the folder in front of him. The man continued to ramble on, telling in great detail all that Kyoshi had apparently done. Yet not once saying what the boy had actually done to cause such vast problems, a fact that Sasuke was started to get really annoyed with.

Having enough of the snake's slimy voice, Sasuke finally cut him off, harshly. "Exactly, what has Kyoshi done to cause so much problems that you cannot handle?"

Drawing back slightly, Orochimaru yet again had to deal with the raven's short temper concerning his son. Standing up, the principal went to a door in the corner and pulled out something -which Sasuke could not quite make out from where he sat- from inside the closet none too gently.

"Kyoshi brought this thing to school today and thought he could hide it from the faculty of Otogakure," Orochimaru sneered, showing exactly what the little raven had brought to school. The thing caused Sasuke to raise his eyebrow in confusion and surprised that it was what had caused all the problems. "The little devil ran threw the cafeteria during lunch and then processed into the girls' locker-room. It caused damage to the school library and an uproar in the 4-H class."

The thing was nothing more than a puppy. Sure, it was covered in mud and other grim, but the little puppy looked semi-cute hanging there from the grip Orochimaru had on the scarf of his neck. The pup was even wagging his tail cutely and seemed to have a smile on his face. Hearing a small whimper -that did not come from the dog- Sasuke turned towards the noise and saw his son looking at the puppy with longing, but when he saw his father looking, he bowed his head in shame. Turning back to the principal, the Uchiha was greeted with another folder explaining in great detail all the damage Kyoshi and the puppy caused and the cost of it all.

Close reading over the report, the raven went into business mood. Once he was finally finished reading it, the businessman looked up at Orochimaru before taking a glance at his son and resting his eyes on his older brother. It was decided in his mind right then what he would have to do. Turning back to the Orochimaru, Sasuke grinned a sadistic smirk.

"You're telling me, that this dog here caused all of this damage?" the Uchiha asked emotionlessly, but he did not wait for answer. Instead, he continued onwards. "I think not. It says here in paragraph 3, section 6 -and I quote- 'that the dog was seen exiting the girls' locker-room ten minutes after twelve' and paragraph 4, section 2 it states that the dog 'was ripping up books in the library at twelve fifteen' -end quote. However, that is not possible, for if I remember correctly, this schools library is on the third floor to the west wing while the girls' locker-room in on the first floor in the east wing. Meaning that the little puppy there hand to run up three flights of stairs and cross the whole school in less than five minutes. Tell me how this is possible, when it takes an adult like you to get there in five minutes to do the same thing. Do explain."

Orochimaru was dumbfounded. There was no way to answer that truthfully. So he had exaggerated somewhat on his report -just like all his other reports to parents- but none had called him on it and now that someone had, he did not know what to do. He could not say anything and after a few minutes of silence, he knew he lost. He did not miss the way that Kyoshi stiffed a chuckle or the oldest Uchiha smirk at his discomfort.

"I thought not, so if there are no further problems, we'll take our leave now," Sasuke stated rather harshly, standing up while Itachi followed suit.

Kyoshi, seeing that his father and uncle were heading out towards the door, hoped off the chair and followed behind them. But not before casting one more look at the little puppy he had found by the side of the road that morning. However, when he turned around again, he saw his father had gone back over to his principal, unnoticed to him. Apparently, his father was not done yelling at the slimy snaky serpent -as Kyoshi nicknamed the man in his head- and had more to say that man. But what happened next, the little raven was never expected.

"Oh, and Orochimaru, give my son back his dog."

Exiting Otogakure, the older Uchihas watched as Kyoshi cuddled the grim covered puppy to him, never minding his uniform. The two saw that for the first time in a long time, the little boy was the happiest they had ever seen him. A true smile spread across the little raven's face as the puppy licked his cheek affectionately. A cross between a chuckle and a giggle come out of his mouth.

"Daddy?" Kyoshi finally spoke for the first time after they left the office.

"Hm?" Sasuke answered, still slightly lost in thoughts.

"Do you mean it?" the little boy asked innocently. "Can I really keep the puppy?"

Stopping in mid stride, his father turned to his son and blinked a few times before smiling. "Yea, I meant it, but you have to take care of him and train him. I don't want the little guy messing up the house or being unruly. Got that?"

"Yes Dad, I'll do my best!" the child chirped happily.

And he did. The first thing Kyoshi did when he got home was run to the kitchen to get the puppy something to eat, since he was so tiny. After the dog ate his fill, the little raven showed the dog every room in the house, not caring if the canine could understand what was going on or not. Nonetheless, both of them enjoyed the little tour together and by that time it was dinner, which Kyoshi took the liberty to share his meal with his new pet that was hungry once again. After dinner, Sasuke made his son sit down and do his homework, which never was a problem, and take a bath.

The bath did both the puppy and Kyoshi good, for the boy had been covered in the grim and dirt that transferred from the canine's fur coat to him and the dog no longer looked like a mangle-mutt. Two light brown erected triangle ears perked up at every little noise and beautiful soft coat was seen. The puppy's face was white with light brown fur on the side of his face and the top of his head down his back and the side of his legs. His whole underside was snow white along with his paws and the tip of his tail. A cold black nose and hazel eyes completed the clean doggie look and it was now obvious that the dog was some type of a husky.

"So, have you come up with a name for the little guy?" Itachi asked Kyoshi as the little boy searched for a makeshift bed for his pet. So far the little boy had found an abandon box and had asked Itachi there was any sheets he could use for the bedding itself.

"Yep," the boy answered, grinning.

When the boy did not elaborate, Itachi pushed onward. "And that would be?"

"Eskimo!" Kyoshi exclaimed. The little dog at his feet gave a little bark happily as if he already knew his new name. "Because with the way his fur coat is, it looks like he is bundled up like the Eskimos in the Artic Circle are during the winter."

"Ah, I see," Itachi answered, ruffling his nephew's hair. "Now off with ya, it's your bedtime and we don't need you staying up too late, got that?"

"But what about the sheets for Eskimo?" the little raven tried not to whine. Itachi just chuckled before getting the boy some old sheets and sent him to his father. Itachi watched as the boy scurried about, setting up the little box with sheets at the side of his bed with his father's help. Once that was finished and Eskimo put to bed inside, Kyoshi crawled up into his own bed and Sasuke tucked his son in, kissing him on the head, and bidding him goodnight.

As his little brother flicked off the lights and shut the door, Itachi caught his eye. "You know, for the first time in a long time, Kyoshi is acting as a child his age should?"

Sasuke stayed silent at his brother's remark, knowing fully well that he was right. The two had talked on numerous occasions about how Kyoshi never interacted with other children and acted more like an adult than a person his age should even be allowed to. They both knew that raising Kyoshi would not be easy without a mother figure around the house, but they both knew he needed more than what they could give him. However, Sasuke would not let his son go and did everything in his power to make him happy.

"I think that this family is in for some big changes and that puppy is only the beginning of it," Itachi stated.

The next day, the father and son duo could be found walking down the slightly busy streets. Both were wearing casual clothing, nothing fancy, just regular cloths. Sasuke wore some black slacks and an olive green button down shirt while Kyoshi wore white knee high shorts and a dark blue shirt with a white and red uchiwa fan on the back. Little Eskimo was tucked tightly in the little raven's arms watching everything around him with curiosity.

Just as he had planned, Sasuke and his son would be spending some quality time together. Nonetheless, it was not exactly the way he had envisioned their day to be. Instead of going to some theme park or something along those lines, the two of them were going out to buy everything they needed to take care of Eskimo. Sasuke did not mind though. He enjoyed listening to Kyoshi as the boy talked.

"Dad, thank you," Kyoshi suddenly stated, startling his father slightly at the abrupt change of subject.

"For what?" Sasuke asked confusedly, watching his son look down at the little canine.

"For letting me keep Eskimo, you- I just really want to thank you," the boy stated rather shyly. Something that was strange, for Kyoshi was anything but shy. He stood up for what he believed in and would not change it for anybody in the world.

The older Uchiha did not know how to respond to his child exactly, yet that was part of being a parent. Going with the flow of life and learning along the way. "You're welcome, little one." 'I'm just glade you're happy,' his mind continued for him.

Suddenly, a low growl came from Kyoshi's arms. Eskimo -unknown to the two Uchihas- had spotted a canine's worse enemy. A sassy tabby cat. Instinct had taken over and the little puppy started to bark at the alley cat hidden in the shadows. His little owner tried to shush him, but Eskimo was too focused on the feline to pay attention. He even started to squirm within the boy's grasp, trying to get free. When he heard the cat hiss at him, the white and brown dog could not take it anymore and -after freeing himself- chased the tabby.

Seeing that the canine was coming towards him, the feline bolted from its alleyway and through the feet of the crowd, the puppy still in pursuit. Neither did Eskimo pay any heed to the faint frantic call of his name nor the fact that he had even left his owner behind. The two animals continued weaved their way passed the busy streets and dashed around corners, unknowingly losing Kyoshi and Sasuke in the mess of people.

"Eskimo! Eskimo!" Kyoshi screamed above the noise, his voice becoming desperate when he could not locate his pet. Looking back and forth, the little raven was not even able to distinguish the way he had run. Everything was so much bigger than he was and Eskimo was even smaller, they were both lost. He had tried following after his puppy when he first ran away, leaving his father behind and ignoring the shout telling him to stop in hopes of getting a hold of his puppy once more. Sadly, he had done just as Eskimo had and gotten himself lost.

Tears started forming in the corner of his eyes as he realized that he too was lost. Turning about the streets, he tried to find his father, but to no avail. Fear started to take over and the tears at the corner of his eyes began to grow bigger and bigger until they finally fell. Kyoshi could not help himself. He started to cry. Not only had he lost his new puppy, but also he had gotten himself lost. His father would never trust him again after this and that thought sent a sharp pang through his being. He could not deal with losing his father's trust.

Sob after sob came from the little raven standing in the middle of the streets. His eyes closed as the tears rolled down his face and little hiccup like gasp came every time he tried to breathe. It was not until a few moments later that Kyoshi realized that someone was holding him tightly in their arms as the person reassured him that everything would be all right. The child's first instinct was to push this person away, but when he caught the scent of coffee, the little raven embraced the person right back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the boy sobbed, hugging the adult tighter as the tears keep flowing. "I didn't mean to run away. I just wanted to catch Eskimo. Please don't be angry, please."

"Shhh, it's okay, everything's going to be alright. I'm not mad, ," Sasuke cooed softly, rubbing small circles on his son's back just as his mother had done for him when he was a child. He did not get why his child thought he would be angry with him. Sure, his heart had almost stopped beating when he lost sight of his son in the crowd and he was scared to death something might happen to the boy, but he was not mad. After all, Sasuke had found Kyoshi unharmed. That was all he could wish for. "We'll find Eskimo, I promise."

"Really?" Kyoshi hiccupped; pulling away from his father to look in his eyes with his tear filled ones. What he saw, was that the man was being sincere about his words and was not angry with him. "Thank you Daddy," the boy whispered, whipping the tears away from his eyes.

Together, the two Uchihas wondered the busy streets, calling out for the lost dog and asking people if they had seen the puppy. All their searching turned up negative. None of the people that answered them -for there were a few stuck up men and women that completely ignored Kyoshi- had seen Eskimo. There was no sign of him whatsoever and after two hours of searching, the little Uchiha was giving up hope that he would ever find his pet and Sasuke noticed as depression took over him. It just strengthened his resolve to find the canine, since his son had already become so attached to him.

It would have been easier for Sasuke to just get another dog, instead of searching for a mutt Kyoshi had picked off the streets. He could even get him a dog of the finest breed and lineage; nevertheless, the businessman knew what it was like. He remember when he was a kid and lost one of his favor toys -a hand craved red painted firetruck- that his father just replaced with a high quality electronic firetruck. Sure, the little truck could make sounds and mimic a real firetruck, but it was nothing like his toy. It did not hold the same sentimental values as his truck had and Sasuke felt like his father was buying him off. That was way he vowed never to be like his father and why he was looking for the canine.

During the time that Sasuke was lost in thought, he and Kyoshi entered a small urban park that had more of a rural feel to the area. Kyoshi running a little ways ahead of his father to see if he could find Eskimo, but still staying close enough to not leave the older Uchiha's sight. The park was fairly large with many different pathways for joggers and people taking a stroll could walk on that diverged and lead to separate areas. Trees were everywhere and a person could get easily lost if one were not to pay attention to the path taken. However, it was not big enough for a person to be lost for days on end without being able to find a way out. There were benches spread periodically throughout to let people rest upon or simply to enjoy the flowers and grassy plans surrounding them. A small pond for the ducks was even placed within the park's boundaries.

The older Uchiha was finally pulled out of his memories when a shout penetrated through his head. "Watch Out!"

Turning, Sasuke only had enough time to realize a red flying disk was about to hit him. Before he could even think about moving, a black and white blur crossed his vision almost instantaneously before bounding away. In that instant, the raven could see that the blur was actual a dog before disappearing. The red Frisbee about to hit him vanished with the canine.

The shock of the whole situation did not last long, since the sound of small feet hitting the ground and the cry of a child's voice distracted him. Yet, hidden under the cry, another person's running could be heard.

"Daddy!" Kyoshi cried, running up to his father and making sure that he was not hurt.

The voice that had called out the warning filled the air once more. "I'm sosorry. I didn't mean to hit anyone, the wind caught the Frisbee at the last second and it just happened." The person, a man judging by the voice, continued rambling on apologizing for hitting him, even though the disk never actually touched him, before Sasuke finally stopped the man.

"It's alright, the thing never even hit me anyways," the businessman said carelessly, turning towards the other man while his son hid behind his leg. What he saw, the Uchiha was definitely not expecting and had to blink a few times to make sure he was not seeing things.

The man before him looked to be around the age of a freshman at college at the most -more so a boy than a man- but he looked even younger than that. That was because of his height, sure, the young man was only a head shorter than him, but that was the average height for girls and he probably got a lot of grief for that fact. He was quite slender with obvious, but not bulky, muscles on his biceps and legs. Tan skin contrasted with bright sky blue eyes and sun-kissed blond hair in a messy disarray, making the three scars like whiskers on either side of his willowy face stand out. Nonetheless, what got Sasuke the most was that the man was wearing a bright neon orange shirt with loosely fitted blue shorts and old rundown tennis.

Sitting obediently to the blond's left was the canine that saved the Uchiha from being pegged in the face by the red disk, which was currently still in the dog's mouth. Now that he could get a better look at the dog, he could see that the dog was not just black and white, but had gray in its coat as well. Actually, there was very little white, mostly around the canine's face and the thick coarse fur on its belly and chest; yet, other than that, the dog was grey and black with most startling yellow eyes. It stood a good three feet tall while sitting, wearing an orange collar and silver dog tags around its neck. The dog's erected ears were turned slightly towards the blond while the mainly black and white tail -which was well furred- wagged slowly on the ground. In spite of the cuteness, the scary thing was the wolf like features of the canine.

"I'm still truly sorry for almost hitting you and apologies deeply for it," the blond honestly stated. "Thankfully Ace here caught the Frisbee in time, which she is a very good girl for doing so," the dog owner continued on, patting the dog on the end. Yet the last part was more directed to the dog than Sasuke, which she seemed to know, since she let the red disk fall to the ground and gave a small bark while leaning into the petting. It was a strange sight to watch, the canine and owner before them just radiated energy and seemed so happy. Something that Kyoshi and Sasuke both noticed.

Though, Kyoshi seemed more interested in the dog than anything else as he peered around his father's leg. The act not going unnoticed by the blond.

"You know, you can pet Ace if it's okay with your guardian here. She's a really friendly girl and won't bite," the man stated, smiling brightly at the unusually shy boy. Kyoshi looked up at his dad and seeing the man give the okay, he little by little walked up to the dog that was almost as big as him. Ever so slowly, he reached out his hand and reached out to the dog, which sniffed his hand before giving it a nudge encouraging the boy to pet her, which worked. While Kyoshi stroke Ace's fur coat, the blond turned his attention back to the older raven. "Again, I'm really sorry for almost hitting you."

"As I said before, it's alright, you really don't need to continuously apologize," Sasuke told the man. It was a tiny bit weird to have someone apologizing to him, working in the business world where everyone had a façade with alternative motive. All the vultures were just waiting for him to have a weak moment so they can swoop down and pillage his success. But to have this blond in front of him so freely apologize, not once but three times, was a different -good-change of pace.

Rubbing the back of his head, the blond smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's a bad habit. I'm Namikaze Naruto by the way," the man, Naruto, introduced himself, stretching out his hand.

"Uchiha Sasuke," The raven replied automatically, taking the other's hand and shaking it in the normal American fashion to greet others. "And this is my son, Uchiha Kyoshi."

"It's really nice to meet you Uchiha-san," the blond politely replied letting go of the raven's hand. "And it was nice to meet you as well, Kyoshi-san," Naruto said, crouching down to the little boy's level, who was still petting Ace.

Upon having the attention on him again, Kyoshi retreated back to his father's side, a little uncomfortable around the blond. It was not the kind of uncomfortable he got when he was around his principal, that guy gave him the creeps, but it was different. It was the kind of uncomfortable that he got when he did not know what to do and had to make a choice right then and there. The blond had this feeling about him, almost like innocence. A feeling that he just wanted to embrace himself in and never let go of. And the man's smile was uplifting, making him feel safe without saying any words at all. The man even paid attention to him without having to and called him -san, not -chan or the occasional -kun he got from the adults around him that had to pay some attention to him, but -san. It made him feel special in a way.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Namikaze-san," the child greeted back like he would for when he meet his father and uncle's business associates.

Grinning with his head tilted to the side and eyes closed, Naruto could not help but chuckle. "What a polity person you are, Kyoshi-san. You don't have to call me Namikaze-san; it makes me feel older than I am and let me tell you, twenty-two is not old," as he continued to talk to the little raven -pouting slightly- the blond missed the way that Sasuke chocked on nothing when he stated how old he really was. "So just call me Naruto, alright?"

"Okay, Na-ruto-san," Kyoshi stumbled over his name, not used to being told to call an adult by their first name, but the way the blond's face lit up even more made him feel really happy. However, his newfound happiness seemed to vanish when he remember that his puppy was still lost. Tugging on his father's pant leg, the boy looked up in the older raven's face and reminded him what they were doing at the park to begin with. "Daddy, we still need to find Eskimo."

"Eskimo?" Naruto asked curiously, standing up while grabbing the red disk and brushing some of the dirt and dog hair off his shorts.

"My son's puppy," Sasuke explained quickly to the blond, before patting the boy on his head. "We're still going to look for him, don't worry. I haven't forgotten my promise."

"Would this puppy happen to be light brown and white with hazel eyes? Has no collar on and his yeah big?" Naruto interjected, holding his hand together about the right size as little Eskimo was.

"That's Eskimo!" Kyoshi cheered, staring straight into sky blue eyes with hope. "He jumped out of my hands before he disappeared in the crowd."

"Really now? 'Cause you're in luck I found a husky just a little while ago barking up a tree he had cornered some cat in. I was thinking of keeping the cute little fella, but if he is your Eskimo, I'll give him back. On one condition though," the blond said friendly enough, but the last part he stated in all serious tone. It showed that he was not joking around and causing all the hope that have build up in Kyoshi to crumble back down. Sasuke, was about to yell at that man for trying to take away his son's only happiness, but he was not given the chance. "You have to get your Eskimo a collar and some ID tags so if you ever lose him again, you'll be able to find him too. Next time he gets away, someone might not find him and he'll end up in the pound, which we both don't want to happen. Okay?"

"Okay," the little raven answered, his hope once again returning, nodding his head in agreement. The older Uchiha on the other hand was a little taken back yet again, his anger deflating. The blond never was going to keep the puppy, he just wanted to make sure that Kyoshi never had a heartbreak over losing the dog again or have Eskimo end up in a pound. He was looking out for both of them.

"Good," Naruto said, smiling brightly down at the boy. "Now let's go get you your Eskimo."

Naruto ended up not only giving Eskimo back to Kyoshi, but also took them to a local pet store -apparently one he worked part-time at and even gave his employee discount to Sasuke, which he really did not needed but Naruto insisted- to help them pick out supplies for the puppy when he found out that they had just gotten the dog the day before. His help was undeniable needed. The blond knew exactly what the would be needing and what puppy chow was best for Eskimo's breed, which happened to be a Siberian Husky. Now, Sasuke knew about dogs somewhat, but Naruto knew much more than he could possible ever imagine. The cheerful man pointed out to both Kyoshi and him how when Eskimo's tail was brush like, just like a fox's tail, curved like a sickle and trails behind him when in motion. All features of a Siberian Husky.

When Kyoshi asked him what kind of dog Ace was, Naruto answered him and pointed out the different physical feature between a Husky Malamute and a Siberian Husky. How Ace had more of a plume tail, which hangs over the back as if there were a plume resided on the end, and it was not fox like, but still well furred and generally longer in length. Ace was also a supposedly bigger breed of dog than Eskimo, but they would be about the same size since females were notable smaller than the male of their breed. Yet their breeds did have their similarities. Both breeds were energetic, hyperactive, and would be gentle and devoted; though Ace's breed was more territorial by nature being closer related to wolves than Eskimo.

What Sasuke dreaded hearing the most was that Eskimo would needed daily exercise and frequent training with a person that was use to training these dogs, especially huskies. Kyoshi could learn how to train Eskimo properly, but he would need someone to teach him how. In other words, a trainer was needed and the older Uchiha did not like the fact of having to deal with another stuck-up person around him. Yet somehow, that problem was worked out as well. Naruto had offered himself up to teach Kyoshi how to train Eskimo properly, if Sasuke did not mind and they could all agree on a time that suited all of them.

So two hours later, the little group was walking down the street, Eskimo walking on a new black leather leash attached to a matching collar with gold tags. Ace walked right beside him on her own orange leash held by her owner. The two adults discussing the best time for blond to come over to help with Kyoshi's -and Eskimo's- training. Finally, the two of them decided that before Kyoshi would go to school, Naruto would come by and they would come to the Uchiha household so they could go on a morning jog. Something the blond was persistent about and once he explained that if the puppy were not to get exercise in the morning than the raven better be prepared to come home a destroyed house, Sasuke readily agreed. Naruto would also come by Tuesdays, Fridays, and every other Sundays for obedience training.

'Itachi was right,' Sasuke thought to himself as he continued to listen to his son and the blond talk with each other, 'our family is going through a lot of changes and it's all because of the puppy.'

The next few months seemed to fly by for the Uchihas and they fell into a new routine. Sasuke would wake up at five-thirty, dressed in old black pair of sweats and make some hot tea to wake him up before waking Kyoshi and Eskimo. Kyoshi would get dressed into a similar pair of sweats like those that his father wore, only his were dark blue, and Eskimo would go outside to do his morning duty. The trio would then wait outside, but never for more than five minutes, for Naruto to come jogging up wearing faded red and white sweats. At his side, on her orange leash, Ace would be trotting happily with her tongue hanging out and tail held high.

After a thirty-minute jog -which Sasuke had to admit was a killer on his and Kyoshi's bodies for the first few weeks since they were not used to running daily and neither were their muscles. Thankfully, the two soon grew use to it- the four would return to the Uchiha house where Sasuke and Kyoshi would proceed to take their own showers and change into their clothing for the day. While Naruto would make breakfast for them, seeing as the rest of the Uchiha family was not much for cooking. Itachi would then come down and have breakfast with them, even though the oldest Uchiha was not much of a morning person. The Namikaze and his canine would take their leave and the Uchihas would go to work once they dropped Kyoshi off at school.

At three-thirty, instead of three like it use to be, Itachi and Kyoshi would burst into Sasuke's office along with Eskimo. The family would then head on home where they would spend some quality time together after homework and other choirs were done or Naruto and Ace would come by again for obedience training. They two would stay an hour, before leaving once again. Sometimes he would stay for dinner, but most of the time he would go home himself. By the time Kyoshi finished taking another shower and brushing his teeth, it was night and time for bed for the little ones while Sasuke and Itachi would stay up and have time for them to relax.

Weekends, that were usually spent inside, were now spend outdoor playing around. The Sundays that were spent with the blond were usually spent teaching Kyoshi and Eskimo obedient lessons in the morning and fun games in the afternoon. However, what the boy did not know that Sasuke did, was that the games were other types of lessons that were meant to be fun. Naruto had once even taken the whole family, Itachi included since he seemed to get along pretty well with the Namikaze as well, on a hiking trip in the nearby mountains.

Today was no exception. Sasuke had woke up to the constant beeping of his alarm clock and groggily got up. He did not even need to think about pulling on the black sweat pants or shirt and by the time he got to the kitchen, he was a little more awake. The raven then put on a kettle to boil some water for green tea; Naruto had gotten him out of the habit of drinking coffee and substituted with tea since it was healthier. When he was finished with his tea, the Uchiha was awake enough to wake his son and put the puppy outside, yet Eskimo was not much of a puppy anymore.

No longer did Eskimo have his soft and fluffy light brown puppy fur, but a rough thicker dark brown coat that was a pain in the neck when it came time to clean the house. His fur was everywhere. The canine had even grown some, though he only came up to Kyoshi's waist and had a long ways to go still; the pup could no longer be considered a puppy.

They waited for five minutes before Naruto came running up with his dog on his left side. However, there was something different today. Something was off.

"Good morning Sasuke. Good morning Kyoshi, Eskimo," the blond said in hearing once he was in hearing distance without having to shout. Sasuke and Naruto had decided long ago to call each other by their first names with nothing add, and not to be left out, Kyoshi insisted the blond do the same for him.

"Good morning Naruto-sensei," the little raven replied. His own greeting muffling his father's.

"Sorry I'm late," the man apologized for being late, when he technically was not. "Ace went to the vet yesterday and I decided to give her the morning off, so K9 and me had to check on her quickly before we left."

"K9?" Kyoshi asked a little confused looking at the dog by Naruto's side. The canine looked just like Ace at first glance, but when looking harder, one would notice that this dog was bigger and had amber eyes, not yellow. Other than that, everything else was the same, down to the orange collar and the silver style tags. However, an orange vest like saddlebag resided on the dog's back.

The Namikaze blinked a few times at hearing the boy's question before a light bulb seemed to go off in his head. "Oh, that's right, I never introduced you to K9, I've always brought Ace with me. Sorry," the blond said, a little embarrassed, which he rubbed the back of his head with the hand not holding K9's leash. "Well, I would like you to meet K9, he's from the same litter as Ace, and is almost identical to her in everyway. K9 meet Sasuke, Kyoshi, and Eskimo."

K9, upon hearing his owners command, put one of his front paws before him and the other held to his body as he lowered the front of his body down to the ground in a bow. Sasuke was thoroughly impressed with the trick, even if he did not show it, and Kyoshi began asking Naruto if he could teach Eskimo to do that as well. The light chuckle pulled from the blond made the businessman's heart skip a beat, but that was ignored in favor of the small group to begin their early morning jog.

They continued with their routine the same as every day, but again it was thrown off. This time when Sasuke can into the kitchen after his shower, and saw Naruto standing over the stove with a glazed, tired, look in his eyes. The blond almost looked like he was defeated in someway, but the raven could not figure out the reason for it. He did say Ace had to go to the vet the other day and he had given her the day off, but he seemed so cheerful about it. There could not be anything wrong with the female canine, could there?

"Naruto, are you okay?" the Uchiha asked, snapping the blond out of his thoughts and back to cooking breakfast.

Hurriedly, the Namikaze pulled the eggs off the pan before they could burn and divided them up between the four plates, ignoring the longing looks form the two canines that had already been feed. "I'm fine, just a little tired, that's all. Nothing to worry about, really," he reassured the other with a smile. Sasuke could always read the man so well by looking into his eyes, but today, the other's eyes were closed and it was impossible to tell if he was lying or not.

"If you're sure," the raven said doubtfully, helping set the food on the table.

As if placing food on the table beckoned him, Itachi arrived in the kitchen. His hair flying in every direction and a zombie look on his face. The only difference between a zombie and Itachi in the morning was he ate food and not people. Yet, today seemed like a day full of inconsistencies in their usually routine, for the oldest Uchiha actually talked without grunts and moans.

"What's with the new dog, Naruto?" the weasel asked, shocking Sasuke that he could tell it was not Ace with only a half of a glance when he could not.

Laughing at him, blond could not believe that was the first words out of Itachi's mouth this morning. "K9 isn't new, he's Ace's brother. I just haven't brought him around before, until now that is."

"Ah," the weasel grunted in understanding before digging into his food, as soon as Kyoshi sat himself at the table.

Breakfast moved on like it more would, yet, Sasuke keep a closer eye on the blond sitting across from him. He seemed distracted still, even when talking to Kyoshi or himself, almost like he was not completely there at the moment. The raven even caught sight of the little bags under the Namikaze's eyes that were not noticed before.

Breakfast was finished too quickly for Sasuke's tastes, since he still had yet to figure out what was wrong with the blond before he left with K9. Nevertheless, he did not have the time to contemplate the fact, seeing as Kyoshi still needed to school and he had to go to work. The next time he managed to think about the blond's strange behavior was on his lunch break. It was actually during this time that he ever got time to himself to think. It was his time of silence. It was his time to relax and not worry about a single thing. It was not working today.

"Still haven't figured it out, have you little brother?" Itachi asked, walking into his office without knocking, not that he did anyways.

"Figured what out?" Sasuke growled out, glaring up at his older brother. Somehow, the man always seemed to know the right time to show up when he could not figure something. That or the weasel would show up when he would be able to annoy his younger brother the most.

Raising an eyebrow, the older Uchiha sat down in the chair on the other side of Sasuke's desk, a smirk on his face. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the tiny subject we have been talking about for the last two weeks. The one that has bright blond hair and ocean blue eyes, you know, that subject."

He knew what his brother was going on about, oh did Sasuke know. It was him that made the mistake of bringing up a certain Namikaze to the other businessman at lunch two weeks ago and he was still regretting it. The conversation had gone well enough, they both talked about how the blond seemed to bring life into the house and with him around, Kyoshi was acting more and more like a child should. Then the chat changed a little bit. Somehow, that turn caused a whole new branch to grow; the Uchiha still could not quite recall all of the conversation, just that they shared how they both thought of Naruto.

Not that it was bad or anything, but somewhere while he was talking, Itachi picked up something within his words and found something. Something that his brother would not tell him, saying he needed to figure out it for himself, and everyday afterwards, the older Uchiha would ask if he figured it out yet or not. Safely to say, he had not, and it was starting to drive him mad. How could Itachi know something about himself that even he did not know?

Sighing, Sasuke leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose in hopes of releasing some of his pent up stress. Mainly, wishing that Itachi would disappear for a while. It did not happen though. "Yes, I know that subject, and no, I haven't figured it out. Don't you have some other employee of yours to annoy? You are the almighty Uchiha-sama after all."

"And leave you to fend for yourself?" Itachi feign appalled dramatically. He put his hand over his heart like he had just been stabbed and everything. "Never!"

"Why me?" the young bachelor asked himself rhetorically, but his brother decided to answer him anyways.

"Because I'm your Aniki and I know best."

"I hate you, Aniki."

"Lover you too, Otouto." Itachi's only answer was a groan.

The rest of the day passed by like normal would, Sasuke finished his work right as the doors opened at three-thirty as his family entered the office. They headed home and had a nice quiet evening, since it was not a scheduled day for Naruto to come by, and Chinese takeout for dinner. Kyoshi finished all his homework like he should and then he and Eskimo worked together on his obedience lessons alone. The canine had already learned how to sit, stay, and walk on a leash properly, but the little raven was having a hard time getting Eskimo to lay down on command. The two had to practice inside though, since it started pouring, but they did not mind, it gave them the chance to show Itachi what Eskimo could do. However, one last inconsistency just had to occur. It was after Sasuke had had put Kyoshi and Eskimo to bed and was walking back into the living room when there was a gentle knock on the door.

Wondering who could be coming by so late, the Uchiha opened the door and was slightly dumbfounding to see Naruto standing there looking like a total mess. He was soaking wet, his clothing plastered to his body and his untamable hair obeying the laws of gravity for once. His old white tennis seemed to be drowning his feet and the normal bright blue eyes were cloudy and dejected.

"Naru-" Sasuke started but was cut off by a soft, much quieter, voice that could barely be heard above the winds outside.

"Sorry, for coming by so late," the blond stated, almost unsure of himself, looking down at the ground and never making eye contacted. "I just… I wanted… I needed…"

Sasuke could tell by the way that the other man was speaking that his mind was in a total disarray and by the looks of things; he did not know exactly what was going on around him. It was almost as if the man was in a state of shock, but that could not be it. Not all of it. And what had caused the blond to become this way in the first place? Had something happened to Ace that made him this way?

"-to see a familiar face before I left," the words came tumbling out of Naruto's mouth, the raven not catching the first half since he was deep in thought. Nevertheless, the last half he definitely did catch and he was more than confused himself. He was going to ask the blond what the hell he meant, but the blond continued. "An old teacher and dear friend of mine has been having some troubles lately, back in the town where I grew up. He assured me that it wasn't anything too bad, but I couldn't help but worry because of it," Naruto said rubbing the back of his head as he gave a little laugh. One that was forced.

"But last night I…I don't really know what, but something just kept on nagging me. I-I couldn't sleep and when I got back from our morning jog, I got a call," the blond startles some when a crash of thunder echoes around them and Sasuke realizes that they are still standing in the doorway to his home, but he cannot bring himself to move the Namikaze inside. At the moment, all the Uchiha wanted to do was calm the other man down and figure out what was the matter so that he could help him. Protect him even.

Realizing that Naruto was speaking once more, the raven listened to the blond. "I'm leaving tonight, he -my friend- needs my help," the Namikaze whispered out. His voice cracking, but he tried his best to be strong. The sudden beeping of his watch made the blond look down, even though he could not see the displayed time to begin with. A worried look passed over his face and his voice even out his voice so he was talking normally when he next spoke. "I just wanted to let you know, so you don't wait up for me tomorrow. I also felt the need to say goodbye. I'm sorry, I've got to go or I'll miss the flight. Tell Kyoshi that I'm sorry and I'll visit him as soon as I get back. I promise. Bye."

With that the blond rain back out into the rain and Sasuke was left there watching his retreating back. Something inside of him leaving him with the blond as well and it was at the moment that the Uchiha realized he had not said a full word to the Namikaze, but he had run off so fast, that the raven was not given the chance.

"Bye," Sasuke finally said just as Naruto disappeared from sight. Knowing that he could not hear him, but hoping his message was still received by the blond.

Tell me what you think and I'm sorry to all those who are waiting for the next chapter of Spring Time in the Foxes Den. I don't think it will be coming anytime soon, I'm really sorry.

Shi no Tenshi 902