Memory Lane

As a ninja, Shino was more than used to his fair share of adventure. He had his past missions of course, and even learning to become part of Konoha's force. He even held a war under his belt. I stepped into a room primarily used for storage, having just come home through a storm. Wringing my hair out, I cast my gaze over the room, pinpointing my husband's location at once. He was looking through boxes that held things I hadn't seen since our daughters were especially little. A handmade mobile to hang over one's bed, the small blankets and baby clothes, a butterfly-shaped dummy, all scattered at his feet. I made my way over beside him and cuddled up to him.
"Tough day?"
"Not the worst."
"The kids cause any trouble?" She could have been referring to their own children or the children in the class he taught.
"Kakamu started a fight with Shikamaru's boy again." He answered tiredly. "Mimi's class is...asking a lot of questions. She's now started asking when she'll stop being the youngest."
I laughed a little, winding my way under his arm. "Taking a trip down memory lane?"
He glanced at me with a wistful smile. "Mimi found a picture of her sisters when they were younger. Kakamu got really embarrassed by it. I decided to dig out a few things. They were wonderful when they were little. Remember this dress?" He held up a red dress with a netted skirt, black spots on the top part.
"Kuroinu's Halloween dress?" I guessed with a smirk. "I made it myself, didn't I?"
"That explains the loose stitching."
I gave a playful hit and went to dig in for the next item. I drew out a pink cuddly lamb. "This was Kuroinu's, wasn't it?"
"She tore its head off once and wouldn't stop crying until you agreed to fix it."
"Oh, these shoes, Shino! Remember when Ka took her first steps?"
"She wandered out of her pushchair at the zoo and we didn't even know she could." He reminisced, nodding slightly. "I remember that panic well. It was bad enough she was our first. She had to go missing just like that." A quick click of the fingers and a little more laughter shared between them.
"We found her in the reptile house in the end." I remembered with a smirk. "She certainly wandered far, and even then managed to toddle back to us before deciding it was time to sleep."
"There's a pushalong riding horse in the corner." He pointed out, gesturing to it. "Our eldest two used to argue over it all the time."
"Now it's boys." I let out a little sigh, pulling out a dusty old book. It was a baby book with a few precious memories inside. The first load of pages recorded every milestone in pregnancy, followed by Kakamu's early years. There was a little less for Kuroinu, and again less for Mimi, but we blamed that on the fact we were rushed off our feet with multiple kids at that point.
He straightened up as he flicked through the baby book, a blissful smile on his face as he remembered our precious daughters. I leant in to plant a quick kiss on his cheek and straightened my hair, today allowed to hang down my back with no ties. There were shouts from downstairs, so I knew I couldn't stay long. "I'd better go before the girls tear each other to shreds. It's your turn to cook tonight...and if you really miss the little kids, we can always have some more." I shot a wink and walked off as his face reddened, ready to break up whatever fight had gotten started downstairs.

Adventure. We'd had our fair share, but none ever as wonderful as the adventure of our family.