kakashi had grown up so much since then, the times when she’d watched over him as he and minato had sparred. he had adored minato and the sadness in him is as evident as it was in her, if only one knew where to look for it.  kushina cooed to naruto, her son; he reminded her so much of his father. mourning had to be quiet, had to be covert; her sadness was too profound and sometimes she found a solitary tear would shed, in spite of how she tried to hold them back.  “  ah,  but you’ve already done so much today.”  she smiled, it was a tired sort of smile. “ but maybe if you hold him for just a moment i can get us all some dinner,  hm ?  how does that sound.”  she lowered naruto tentatively into his awaiting arms, adjusting them so they were cradling her child, kakashi’s brother. “  you have to make sure his head is supported, alright ?  got him ? ”  naruto made a content noise, clenching his tiny fist into kakashi’s shirt.  “  he likes you -  likes you alot.” “  naruto is very lucky to have a big brother like you kakashi. ”  minato would be so proud. she held that bit in silence, close to her chest ;  he was not the only one who was proud of him after all.

“  i can walk on my own ya know.”  she grumbled a little, her protests may befall deaf ears or perhaps it's the way she presses her face into his shoulder, allowing herself to breathe just a little bit easier. “ you don’t need to save me all the time.”  after all, they were nothing more than people, awful people. the sort of people who viewed her as an outsider, whose mouths were full of nothing but vile contempt.  “ i could have taken them - ”  there’s a little pout upon her lips. even though her eyes had widened as she saw him, even as her heart had beat just a tiny bit faster.   “  you don’t have to be my hero all the time.”  maybe one time -  just one time,  she could be his.

how small her world had felt before him. minato was the sun, a light that cast all that was her shadows into a tender warmth. he had told her before he would die for her sake and she had laughed it off, slapping him hard in the middle of his shoulder blades and telling him that would never happen. so why ?  why does the warmth of his blood seep through her fingers ? kushina is holding onto him desperately, in her lap, under the mantle of tree cover; her entire world is splintering at her fingertips. he’s dying -  he’s dying. a trembling hand is flushed to her cheek,  he smiles -  it’s so weak, like the last subtle streams of light before darkness.  “  take care .. of naruto.”  she can feel them, tears streaming down her cheeks. her hand grasps his own, lowering until their foreheads are pressed together “  idiot  -  idiot minato,  i cant do this without you -  i cant.”  but he knows she can,  his faith in her has always been unshakable.  “  you have to stay -  i can’t lose you like this.”   she needed strength , the strength to protect the life the two of them cherished but she cannot leave him like this,  she needs him beside her.   “  please  ,   please minato please..” 

a child should never feel the need to ask that question. kushina remembers the sentiments of the world’s cruelty too well. as a child she had endured so much and that had solidified her resolve. she would not permit another to walk that path alone, as long as she could reach for them -  there would be someone they could rely on; a friend.  kushina rests a hand atop kakashi’s head, it’s gentle, as is her smile.  “  well ,  i’ve come to be quite fond of you, ya know ?”  she had tousled his hair a little before retreating, laughter lingering upon her lips. " and i don't think minato would forgive me if i didn't."

there was not a sliver of amiability within him. If it weren't at the behest of his brother and by association the hokage he would have eagerly forsaken him there to bleed out.  “ if you go moving around you’ll open it -  and i’m not going to dress it a second time.”