Kushina and Minato – A Love Story

Chapter 1

Getting to Know You

... ... ... Welcome to my new readers as well as everyone who has previously read Kushina's Diary. This story is a sequel to Diary and may make references to occurrences in the prior story, but I will always try to make sure the OCs properly reintroduce themselves. This is a happy moment in Kushina's life, but in a ninja world tragedy is always waiting nearby. Please read, enjoy, and review... ... ...

July 10 – Dear brother, in the four years since our village was destroyed, I have fought to become a credit to our family. I have developed numerous strong friendships with the young people of the Leaf, but I never knew that I could love again. This boy, no... man, he reaches a place inside me I thought had been broken and scarred by too much violence and death. Am I being selfish to desire happiness when so many of our scattered people wait for me to lead them back home? Help me Nii-chan.

The glint of the sun filtering down through the treetops woke Kushina. She screwed her eyes tightly closed trying desperately to commit every moment of her vibrant dream to memory. It made her happy and sad and happy again. It had been so vivid, but now it was slowly fading away in the chilly mist.

She warily cracked an eyelid against the glare and it immediately became apparent why she was shivering. She was laying naked on the ground and her covers had slipped down around her waist. The only thing protecting her torso from the morning dew was an arm laying across her chest and a large hand which cupped her left breast. Before even attempting to make sense of her situation she stripped all the moisture from their bodies and blankets and sent it sailing back into the river. Freed from the chilly condensation, the morning air felt warm on her skin.

Images of the previous night came flooding back to her, the love poems, the singing, the dancing, then ecstasy like she had never before experienced. Could that have really been her cavorting naked beneath the waterfall, offering not only her body but her entire spirit to this beautiful man reclining beside her. This was so unlike her. Rather than the abandon that characterized her actions in battle, she was normally cautious when it came to things of the heart.

That's what made this first time waking up together so awkward. She looked away. Never before had she awoken next to a naked man. Her only previous love affair had been completely different, the dead of winter huddled together for warmth. Falling asleep while nude would have been an invitation to having your frozen extremities amputated. Rather the question was always what was the minimum amount of clothing possible to remove and still do the deed. The next morning you held your breath, jammed on your overshoes, tightened your winter cape around you and rushed through the icy blast to the privy to relieve your bladder. It was the complete opposite of romantic and also very stinky.

Carefully she removed his hand from her bosom and sat up. Sneaking away with ninja stealth would save so much embarrassment for everyone. As she squatted over the slit trench behind a bush she shook her head. This was all foolishness. What could he see in her? He had his pick of much prettier, much more well endowed girls and had made love to most of them in the Leaf Village. Would he just laugh at her clumsy amateurish efforts to please him? Silently she gathered the clothing scattered haphazardly around the camp, except for her underpants which were folded neatly on top of his uniform. The thought of him handling her panties made her blush as she swaggered towards the river. Determining why she was walking bowlegged this morning and the display of her chest wrap fluttering from a sapling along the path turned her face even redder.

She relaxed as soon as she stepped into the river. As usual water calmed her and she allowed the current to wash her cares away. She swam upstream for exercise and settled on the river bottom beneath the falls to meditate. It was only ten or fifteen minutes before she came to a decision. She would let him go. It would be useless to hold him to a promise that he would only go out with her. As the sole heir to the Namikaze Clan he was as close to royalty as anyone in Konoha besides the families of the Hokages, while she was a homeless orphan subsisting on the kindness of strangers.

No, it was better to break it off now before they became too attached. She would still stay by his side until he became Hokage, but she couldn't pretend to love him in order to trick him into freeing her homeland by committing the Leaf to a war against the Cloud. At least she was done with hiding. Lord Hanzou might consider it beneath his dignity to report that a member of the Uzumaki Clan had survived the massacre four years before, but plenty of Rain ninja had seen one of the Whirlpool Great Bears in battle and by now rumors had probably spread halfway across the continent.

Her decisions completed, she relaxed and took a deep breath. Unfortunately she was still beneath the water. Cursing herself for a genin mistake with the names of every bottom-feeding fish she could think of, she allowed the force of the falls to propel her back to the surface. She stood, coughing up liquid and trotted back to the riverbank to retrieve her soap.

She had just finished bathing when she sensed a familiar chakra rushing toward her. Shyly, she automatically crossed her arms, so she was unprepared for a scream and a hurtling body smashing down with a monumental splash. "Banzai!" Minato resurfaced laughing until he saw the ten meter tall tsunami crashing down on him. He slowly bobbed back to the top laying face up. "Note to self – Never start a splash fight with a water jutsu master. Hey Red, you're red. I mean your hair isn't brown anymore. That color suits you. Mind if I borrow your soap?" He grabbed the bar off of a bubble which remained anchored against to swift flow of the river.

Kushina stared in spite of herself. She had been about four the last time she bathed with her brother. Of course the public saunas in the Whirlpool had been co-ed, but it was considered bad manners for anyone older than eight not to keep their towel properly wrapped in place. She stuttered and turned away, "Uh, oh, well, my hair. I just figure that now I'm a jonin and after that battle we just had with the Rain that my alias of Otemba will be going into all the bingo books anyhow, so let them speculate on my true identity. Right now I figure any rumors will encourage my friends more than they will help my enemies."

"Good, I'm sure the Third will understand even if the Councilors raise a stink." He put his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck, "Mmmm, your hair smells nice." She squirmed, but the slippery feel of his hard muscles caused her to gasp as her feelings from the night before reemerged. He stepped back, "Uh-oh, I got your back all sudsy. Here, I'll help." He splashed her with a heavy spray.

"You idiot! I'm trying to be serious here." She sent a waterball at his head, but he was gone. Explosions, barricades and projectiles tracked him across the river, but he was too fast for her to catch.

Each time he zipped past he continued the conversation, "It's hard... to be... serious... when yer... completely... naked." He grabbed her waist and they went skimming across the surface, ending in a feverish clench beneath the waterfalls. It was a long time before she was able to gather enough willpower to break off the kiss and push him away. A bubble formed around them.

"Flash, please, I need to say this while I have the courage."

He reclined against the side of the sphere smiling. "OK, but here I thought she kind of enjoyed what we did last night."

She stammered, "We... What... I..." Softly, "I'll always treasure the memory of this valley, but my happiness isn't what is important. The Uzumaki Clan has always known the importance of alliances. If my father and brother had not died I would have become the consort of some powerful leader for the sake of my people. But now I have no dowry to offer you. The Third is getting old and in this age of war the Leaf Village will soon need a younger, stronger Hokage. For the good of the whole world that Kage must be you. Tightening bonds through marriage with another powerful clan or allied nation will further all our goals."

She turned away again, having vented all the passion which she had bottled up while meditating. "Besides, there are lots of more beautiful women out there. They say you like voluptuous girls."

He replied in mock seriousness. "That is true. I am a big fan of boobies. I'm attracted to 'em all from teacup size to melons. But most of all I love perfectly conical perky ones like yours. But when the day comes and we're old and wrinkly and they dangle down around your waist, I'll still love them. Do you know why?" Fiercely he turned her around and placed a hand on her breastbone. "They are so huge they can cover the most gigantic heart I have ever known. It contains the strongest most loving spirit in all the world and is controlled by a mind so sharp that just being near it can slice you to ribbons. How a brain which can instantly analyze the strengths and weaknesses of any opponent can so misjudge how others see her is a mystery."

"Uzumaki Kushina, let me put it this way. At this moment there is probably a dark cloud gathering outside this vale that is caused by the anger of all the men in the Land of Fire envious that I am the fortunate shinobi making love to their Otemba-chan." He grabbed her forcefully and kissed her so savagely that she lost all control. The waterfall flushed them out, sending them tumbling through the spray locked in an embrace. Much later, after their passion was spent and they became conscious of anything other than the touch of each other's bodies, they discovered that they had been washed many kilometers downriver.

… … …

Sakura closed the diary with a contented sigh which was echoed by all the other girls in the reading group. It appeared that no matter how fierce they were in battle that kunoichi were just older versions of little girls yearning for a handsome prince to bring them romance. Ino looked around at the guys and from the drooling wolfish look on their faces determined that it was not romance they were thinking about. She began pounding on heads at random, "You lechers, don't ruin a beautiful story. Sai, you can walk me home." For once his smile did not seem insincere.

Naruto stood quietly at the foot of his bed with an arm around Hinata's shoulders. Even he recognized that it was a little strange for a normal boy to be thinking about his parents having sex without encountering a large "Ick" factor. But then he was hardly typical. He had never known his mother as someone to take him in her arms and comfort him. He only knew her from her writing as a kunoichi his own age struggling with loss and death while trying to make her way in a dangerous world. Now she was more than a missing pair of soft hands, a blank face that he had cried himself to sleep over in his crib. She had become, if not a mother, then a great friend with whom he had bonds which would last forever. He looked at the frame which held the closest thing he had to a baby picture. Next to the Fourth Hokage stood a very beautiful, very pregnant redhead.

"Moegi, tell Konohamaru and Udon that I can't train with you tomorrow. Hinata and I have a very important date." She giggled.

Neji interrupted, "Hanabi-chan will walk home with Hinata-sama this evening and TenTen and I will meet you outside the compound gates at noon."

"Uh Neji, I kinda thought Hinata and me'd just be by ourselves tomorrow. It's our one month anniversary we been going together and all."

Neji fumed, "It is about time that you learned that your actions have consequences. Unfortunately as usual I am the one who has to bear the brunt of those consequences. What did you think would happen when you allowed Hiashi-sama to catch you making out? Of course he has been aware from the beginning of her infatuation with you, but out of love for the princess he pretended to ignore the evidence as long as you remained discreet about it. However, finding you kissing in the middle of the street outside the gate is a scandal he cannot ignore. As a result whenever you two are alone, either Hanabi-sama, Ko Hyuuga, or myself will chaperon. Should I fail in this mission, I may as well have my brain explode."

Tears brimmed in Hinata's white eyes, "Naruto-kun, I'm sorry. I was afraid to tell you what father said."

"Don't cry Hinata-chan. Double-dating will be fun. Anyway, you know I can't make any plans until after I hunt down the Akatsuki to make them pay for what they did to Pervy Sage and Asuma-sensei and bring Sasuke back, but in a month you will turn sixteen and your dad won't be able to tell us what to do anymore."

Neji nearly exploded, "How naïve can you still be after reading about Kushina? When she comes of age the pressure from the elders will only become greater for Uncle to decide whether she is competent to become his successor and choose which daughter to place the curse mark on!"

July 15 – Our holiday is over and with it the magical time alone together. Tomorrow we will be back in Konoha to face the death and sadness which comes from being a shinobi living in a time of war, Nii-chan. Is this still all right, brother, to write these diaries for you or could it be that it is time for us both to move on? I've been worrying all week about what the dream that first night with Minato meant? Have I really found the person to fill the empty spot in my heart? Is this diary now for him or should it be written for the child we might some day have?

She was five years old and playing with her big brother in the Christmas snow outside the gates of the Whirlpool Village as it had looked before it was destroyed. Normally he never had time to play with her anymore since becoming a genin. He was always out on silly missions or training, but today he had stayed in the castle with her. His jutsu gathered snow together on the bridge and formed it into a tiny statue. Water from the river flowed up and gave the figurine a glittering coating which immediately froze in the blustery wind.

She stared at the tiny snow bear wearing a long samurai robe and two swords and jumped up and down clapping her hands, "It's Bushi. You made me Kumabushi. I'll love him forever, Shiguma-nii-chan."

He knelt down beside her placing a hand on her shoulder, "Shina-chan, you are old enough to understand he is made of ice and snow and tomorrow a warm wind will blow in off the ocean and melt him away. Unfortunately it is like that with people too and sometimes they have to go far away."

She sniffed, "Like Mama?"

He lifted her chin and nodded, "Yes, I have to go be with Mama now. Remember that I love you and there are many other people who love you still. Happy seventeenth birthday Shina. It has been a joy to watch you grow into a fine woman, but from now on I won't worry because you have someone new to love and take care of you." He kissed her on the cheek and stepped off the bridge, strolling away on the haze. With each stride he grew until he became as she had last talked to him, the finest ninja in the Village going off alone to face Hanzou of the Rain. As he faded away she frantically tried to memorize the sound of his voice and the touch of his hand. A teardrop leaked from under her long eyelashes running down into her ear.

She stood shivering in the frigid gale until she heard someone approaching on the bridge. It was a man with spiky golden hair and a smile which could melt a mountain of snow. He swept her up in his arms and they kissed passionately, warming her heart. As he carried her off she looked back and saw a small boy toddling after them with his arms outstretched. He was a handsome child with hair just like Flash's, but strange whisker marks on his face.

… … …

"Red, are you crying? Is everything OK?"

She wiped her eyes. "Fine. I was writing in my diary and fumes from the campfire blew into my face."

He nodded solemnly as he watched the smoke spiral straight upwards in the calm night air. "Sorry. Hey, am I in the diary? Let me read what you say about me."

She snatched the book back and yelled, "Listen Buster, you only have two choices: Either be the star in this diary or read it and drown in the nearest mud puddle." He held his arms in the air submissively, but couldn't manage to keep the grin off his lips. She was smiling again. He would gladly face death to keep that smile next to him.

Next: Chapter 2

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