Home, a naruto fanfic

Summary: When her village had been destroyed and everything was lost to her, Kushina didn't expect to ever be happy again. Konohagakure could never be her home, of that she was sure. But he changed her beliefs and her heart. MinaKushi.

A/N: Even though I'm not much into Naruto anymore, after a tumblr pal (aka rusa) showed me the MinaKushi chapters and episodes, I couldn't help but fall in love with the pair. I was quite surprised, since there aren't almost any likeable canon pairings, but Kishimoto really outdid himself there. I took some liberties in Kushina's backstory so it won't be exactly the same as the original one. Name order in Japanese is my preferred form.

Disclaimer: I don't own this series in any way. I don't know who is the artist, so if you do know, or is the one, please tell me so that I may rightfully credit you.

HOME

Where thou art, that is home – Emily Dickinson

Uzumaki Kushina was a special girl; she had a special chakra – even to the Uzumaki clan's standards – and uncanny ability should she become a ninja. Uzumaki Kushina had a family, a home and a future. Now she was alone in a foreign village with a monster in her belly.

Everything Kushina had known through her whole life was destroyed in a question of minutes. The young girl, not much older than seven years old at the time, thought she was stuck in a nightmare – after all, how could the powerful and majestic Uzushiogakure ever fall? As if answering her question, a large explosion happened in the distance. She could see the majestic buildings burning brightly from the corner of her eye. Everything seemed to be on fire – she could barely recognize the original light brownish coloration of the building to her right, known as the village's academy.

Shards of glass went flying next to her and some dug into her left arm as she threw herself into the mud. Before, she would've been delighted at the sensation, as she always did whenever she played with the other boys her age. Her mother had lightly scolded her for leaving her clothes completely dirtied and not acting like a lady, but she never cared. The refreshing feeling of dirt against her skin had always been one of her favorite parts during training. Now, however, she only found cold solace as she felt her tears fall from her nose into the dark brownish substance. The ground was dirty, disgusting with all those fresh marks of blood and the smell of flesh burning only made it worse.

Get up, she told herself for the tenth time. Get up and fight, already! That's what she should've done from the beginning. She should've joined her brothers in the upcoming fight – even though she had no idea that it would actually be a war, rather than the customary fights every once in a while – and not being sent away by her parents with three of the house's servants. She should've realized how serious the situation was right from the very beginning instead of only grasping it when the servants died gruesomely by a handful of foreigner ninjas when they approached her. The servants – who had always been more like friends to her since she never acted as snobby as some of the other members of her clan – died protecting her and assuring her a form of escape. Running through the streets she knew like the back of her hand, she quickly lost the ninjas, even with the heavy stream of tears that haven't stopped since then. At least the water wouldn't leave a trail in all this mess.

The screams were becoming more and more distant and the smell of burn was also subsiding. For a second she panicked, wondering if any of her members were on fire, but as she felt the cold mud against her arms and legs, she knew that was not the case. Still, she couldn't bear looking at her self. Aside from a few cuts and burnt cloths, she was safe. How unfair it was that she, a training shinobi, was safe while many civilians died such terrible deaths. Kushina couldn't shake off the image of a mother holding her child with pain in her eyes and another of a dog literally catching fire.

She was safe and she could still fight. She should get up and go back to the Uzumaki manor and fight like a shinobi, dying with her family. But she just couldn't – not because she was a coward, no, Kushina Uzumaki never ran from a fight – but because of her siblings and parents' last words.

"Stay safe, lil' tomboy!"

"Grow up and become a badass pretty young lady, 'kay?"

"Don't go running around searching for death, you're too young for that!"

"Kushina, you know it's not because you're a girl that we don't want you to fight. It's because you're our sister and I'd rather have an army of ninjas chasing me than let a single one ever touch a strand of your hair!"

"It's not the job of a child to protect their parents – it's the other way around. One day you'll understand this."

"Grow up and make us proud."

She couldn't stop her tears or the pain she felt both outside and inside. Instead, she held firmly into her last kunai while biting her own hair in an attempt to make the sobs inaudible to any lurking enemies. She could still see the destroyed village through her misty eyes. The last thing she remembered seeing before entering darkness was the burning central square of the village, where she had so many happy memories. Her home, her village, her life had been destroyed. She thought she would never be happy again.

The first thing she saw after the sheer destruction that would haunt her dreams forever – since during the whole trip she had been in an eternal state of numbness - had been the Hokage Mountain. The mountain stood majestic at the center of the village, covered with tall trees. The sky was cloudless and with the most beautiful shade of blue Kushina had ever seen. The beautiful view, so full of life and majestic, seemed to be mocking her. With a quick glance, she could see that Konohagakure was infinitely bigger than her destroyed home had been.

After they arrived at the village and the refugees of Uzushiogakure were sent to the hospital, Kushina was struggling in an inner battle with herself. The village was grand and had a feeling of welcoming, something she never expected to see. The people in this village seemed very kind, caring for them, but she couldn't accept those looks of pity. As a refugee, she longed to be accepted by the others in the village while still hating everything about it – Konoha wasn't her home and it would never be.

Kushina had been the one of the first of the refugees to leave the hospital, with only some patches around her fair and surprisingly, scar less skin. Only a few of the other refugees had survived the trip and much less left the hospital. And none of them were ninjas or people she knew too well. She felt trapped in a completely new place with absolutely no one she knew and could count on. For that reason, she tried to avoid getting her leave as much as possible – something she had never done before. The day she finally left the hospital had been an especially beautiful one, with no dark cloud in sight. Throughout her whole trip back to her new home, she felt as if the Hokage Mountain was watching her.

It had been decided she would leave with Mito, the only other member of the Uzumaki clan who was still alive. Kushina had never spoken much to the elderly lady, since she always preferred to play outside and train with her friends, but now she found the situation much too grim for her taste. Mito had once been a kunoichi, like the young girl aspired to be, but now all the older did was spend the day confined in her room.

There seemed to be something too different with Mito, Kushina thought. Even if she had no talent whatsoever in ninjutsu, she thought there was something strange with the older woman's chakra – but then again, who was she to say anything about it? Wasn't the sheer fact that her own chakra seemed to be special that she was allowed into the village?

One particularly boring day, she had been called by one of Mito's servants, saying the lady wished to see her. Before, the young girl would've used another of her creative lies to get out of the boring obligation or just runaway and stay somewhere until the last hours of the day – but before, she had many places to go and now she knew none. The days seemed too long and the weeks, an eternity. With nothing to do, the redhead acquiesced the request.

Mito was lying down, looking very pale. The servants quickly left the room, leaving only the two Uzumaki females. Mito was smiling, as always, but this time it seemed more strained and Kushina could only stand there, feeling anxious and unprepared to whatever would be said. She felt at home – or the most she ever could, at least – when she was with Mito, sharing their stories from back home, commenting on their clan's interesting traits, or simply training. Kushina never understood why she had been taken under Mito's tutelage even as a young child and before hell broke loose. Her only explanation had been her special chakra – a trait she had never been particularly proud of – but she had never questioned the old lady. However, she always wondered why their trainings were always solely focused on fuinjutsu[1]. She discovered all the answers to her questions in that day.

"I understand your doubts, Kushina-chan. It's okay if you need time to think about it." Mito's smile had been especially heartbreaking that day.

There was nothing to think about and Kushina knew it. So this was the reason she was still alive – to become a jinchuriki of a monster, to become a monster herself. Her special chakra was useful for that reason alone. Had her family known this? Probably, considering she always knew from her young age she would eventually be sent to Konoha, just not this soon. She suddenly felt a pang, knowing that everyone who was close to her knew she would become a weapon, a tool. And, as much as she wanted to fall into the ground and start crying and cursing everything, she knew it wouldn't resolve anything. She was going to be a kunoichi, and therefore, logic should always scream louder than anything else. This was her fate and Kushina accepted it as she cleared the last remnants of tears from her round cheeks: she was going to be a kunoichi and a jinchuriki.

"Kushina-chan, please remember this: the only way to tame the Kyuubi and overcome its hate is by love. Love will make you stronger and capable of unimaginable feats." Mito smiled while she passed her wrinkled hand through the younger girl's bright red hair. "I was able to live happily with love. And I believe you will as well."

Unable to rebut the old woman who came to mean a lot to her and would undoubtedly be dead in a few moments, Kushina only nodded. Surely nothing could stop the hate from such a demonic creature, not even love, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

The procedure had been over for more than an hour now, but she still couldn't move or keep her eyes open long enough. She barely registered the moment the servants took Mito's lifeless body away or when the ninjas were once again touching her now marked belly. Breathing seemed like an impossible job now and Kushina wasn't even sure if she still had limbs. It seemed like her whole body was burning in an uncontrollable, feral flame as she kept listening to a demoniac laugh and her own cries of despair.

The Kyuubi's tails were moving wildly as if they were fire itself – and who was she to tell they weren't? – in a maze of bright colors and blinding pain. Kushina had never been one to complain too much about pain and she always took pride in that trait, but now it was like nothing in the world could ever be something beside pain. Before she could panic and possibly damage the seal, one of the doctors made some unknown jutsu and soon enough she reentered the world of darkness.

Before, whenever she woke up from a nightmare, she was glad – but lonely – to find herself in the safety of her new room. Now, however, she was always in that nightmare, with the Kyuubi's voice repeating over and over again inside her mind.

As the Kyuubi's jinchuriki, she was someone – or rather, something – that was of the utmost importance to the village. Therefore, she would never be able to leave it definitely and much less live like a normal person. Thankfully, she had never been much too normal to start with, so it didn't bother her too much. Kushina was now a part of the village and would have to see Konohagakure as her own home, or at least, bear with it. Perhaps it was the emotional numbness she felt after the loss of her family and the acquirement of the Kyuubi, perhaps it was the lonely fact she had no one else - but Kushina didn't care anymore.

"Ugh, t's a disgrace to be inside stuck in a little girl's body… but it won't be like that forever. Come on brat, I know you're tired. Just let go of these chains and you'll be free… I'll be free."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up… SHUT UP!"

In the darkness of her room in the middle violent storm, no one would hear the girl's anguish shouts as loud thunders struck the house's foundations.

Lying down and panting heavily from pain, Kushina wondered how Mito ever managed to endure this living hell. This pain was nothing like what she earned from a particularly hard training session with her brothers – no, this was like she was burning alive, being consumed by an otherworldly flame. Closing her eyes firmly, she breathed in and out before easing herself up and continuing her training. After all, she couldn't enter the academy being weaker than the other children.

Konohagakure was her definite home from now on. That wasn't so much as an emotional statement as it was a fact. From then on, Kushina would wake up in the same village and walk in the same streets, all the while being surrounded by the trees and the Hokage Mountain. The feeling of being followed wasn't present anymore, but it was probably because of the immense weight the Kyuubi had on her life. Every time she laughed, frowned and cried the Kyuubi was there – and it will always be there. With a broken smile, Kushina realized the closest thing to a home for her would always be the Kyuubi.

Kushina had never cared much about her hair. Sure, it was bright red but that had been a common trait in Uzushiogakure, especially in the Uzumaki clan. Aside from the fact it was rather long – it didn't bother her too much and she always forgot to cut it, for her mother's delight – there was really nothing special about her hair. In fact, after the first time she saw other hair colors, such as black and much later blonde, she couldn't help but feel slight envy of those infinitely prettier colors. But it wasn't until she arrived at the academy that she realized how terribly different she really was.

"I'm going to be this village's first female Hokage, datteba-ne!"

That phrase followed her throughout her whole life and while she dreaded it, she also took pride in it. She sure showed those brats some attitude and that had really been all there was to it. Honestly, she never had the ambition to become Hokage of a place she barely considered a home – it was just a way she found to be recognized, even though it backfired horribly. But she did have a nice memory from that time, ever since another child answered with the same dream. At the time, she didn't think much about the girly and flaky boy, Namikaze Minato.

Her red hair quickly turned into her most hated feature about herself – the Kyuubi following closely behind, even though the demon wasn't exactly a part of her – as she endured, day by day, the horrible verbal and sometimes even physical assaults from others. But Kushina wasn't a weak girl. When young, she never once turned to her brothers asking for their help in beating someone up or scaring them – she did it all by herself. And things wouldn't be different now.

She took every word, every kick and every damned smirk with punches and excellent taijutsu techniques – after all, those brats did serve to some purpose, if not for practice. And even though every gesture had been a stab into her heart, she took it all without crying. Those brats didn't deserve to see a single tear from her. Nor did any enemy. From those days forward, she would only cry when alone – or in the constant presence of the Kyuubi.

It was no question that Uzumaki Kushina managed to make an impression in everyone she knew. Originally known as simply tomato, the young redhead quickly acquired the fearsome name of The Red Hot Habanero of Konoha, a name that made her enemies flinch till this day, to her great delight.

Uchiha Mikoto had been her first friend and eventually, first best friend as well. While initially rivals, they eventually found a way to help the other whenever one was in deadly danger – or just nearly being scolded by the teacher, in Mikoto's case. As they grew up, both ladies became great allies in high-ranked ninja missions and much later, wives of powerful little ninjas. The only bad part was that she had to put up with that Uchiha Stick-Way-Up-His-Ass Fugaku and his not-so-much-better clan.

While others glared and considered her a freak because of her hair, Minato had always smiled to her. He actually seemed to like her hair, even. But that was just impossible. Kushina only frowned and tried to act the tiniest bit more politely with the boy – all the while confirming her theory of how annoyingly girly the young genius was. Their trainings never lasted long since she quickly got tired of not ever managing to attack him and of his demeanor. He knew of how she was tirelessly teased by others and even so, the blond never did anything to help her at all. Every time she remembered that, his kindness suddenly seemed false and she rudely left him in the middle of an attempt of a conversation.

Slowly, she managed to obtain some sort of control over the Kyuubi as the beast's words relating to her family and real home never had the desired reaction. Perhaps Mito was right, but not completely. After all, the love for her lost home could only do so much to stop the Kyuubi's presence in her life.

The incident of Kumogakure hadn't been the first where a group of people tried to get hold of her chakra, and consequently, Kyuubi. But it had certainly been the first where another village had been directly involved. With no choice than follow them while she was under a heavy genjutsu and in pain, Kushina did the only plan that crossed her mind. She left strands of hair during the whole way, in hopes someone would see it and rescue her.

A voice in her head laughed at how impossible that was, and for the first time, Kushina found herself agreeing with the Kyuubi.

"I noticed your beautiful hair right away." Those words surprised her and, for the first time, Kushina didn't know what to say to rebut the blond. Had she heard it right, did the genius little blond who never helped her even once think her hair was beautiful?

"Why didn't you help me, then? Why did you always ignore me?" She found solace in those words, still unable to process the comment on her hair, of all things.

"Because you are strong in both mind and body, and able to fight your battles by yourself." He said as if that explained everything up until now. She couldn't help feeling flatterer, though. This was the first time someone in Konoha – besides the weird Hokage – acknowledged her. The fact it was Minato, of all people, didn't help much.

Noticing her frown, he continued. "But this is a conflict between villages, it's different."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to lose you."

Those words marked her forever.

Ever since Minato, the now not so flaky nor girly boy, had saved her in that incident a few months ago – even though she could've totally walked out of there by herself, thank you very much – Kushina found out the Kyuubi's influence had lessened considerably in her life. She rarely heard the hateful words now and never once did she even remember her condition of a jinchuriki when Minato was close.

Initially, she just ignored the idea. She was, in no way, like the other girls and therefore would definitely not sigh every few seconds or think about a boy the whole day. Not even one with bright blue eyes and blond, shiny hair. Minato was kind, humble and a great shinobi in her eyes – and apparently, the majority of the girls thought so as well. Deciding she would not be the same as them, Kushina stood her ground and very seldom talked with the boy outside the Academy. But that didn't mean she couldn't be friendlier with him – the poor boy had suffered enough verbal abuse from her to last a lifetime, after all – and try to thank him in many unconventional ways.

She would only find out a few years later – when Minato was much more comfortable talking with her without the fear of being beaten to death – that giving him her spoils of war in the form of bloody kunais she had taken from her enemies was very much not okay. Though, for some strange reason, giving him strands of her hair was.

Whenever the Kyuubi started saying its hateful words, Kushina tried to ignore it. And whenever she thought of two breathtakingly beautiful cerulean eyes and a hair as bright as the sun itself, the task became much easier than before.

He was looking at her again. Whenever those cyan orbs would focus on her – and only her, she sometimes fooled herself into thinking – there was never enough air for Uzumaki Kushina. It felt so different from everything else. She could always notice whenever people would look at her, even if they were hidden, both because of her growing ninja abilities and because of Kyuubi's unconscious self-defense but it was never like this. For the ones who knew what she was there was either fear or interest – she hated both – and for those who didn't, there was only incomprehension.

It hurt deeply whenever people would look at her like that. It was the first time she ever felt so threatened, in all her life there were only slightly put-off looks whenever she did something wrong or a bit crazy – now, they were all judgmental and hurtful. Her only way of coping was to be even crazier, as the painted walls could be any example. She didn't care if it was childish; it was her only way of coping with her situation. At least for a second she could forget she was a jinchuukiri and only focus on herself, the kunoichi who only wanted to be accepted.

But Minato's eyes were never like that; they weren't filled with incomprehension at all – in fact, she felt like he was the only one who actually understood her actions and didn't blame her for them. But what could he understand, really? To him, she was only a scared girl living in a place she didn't want to be in and trying her best to rebel against it. And in a way, she really was that.

Admittedly, Kushina wasn't exactly a 'people's person'. She was awkward, surprisingly shy and very violent if the right buttons were pushed – and it didn't even require much force. As much as she tried to be respectful to her elders and teachers, sometimes even them annoyed her with all their frickin' rules and whatnots. The children of her age weren't much better either, with all their constant whining… Didn't they realize how lucky they were for just having a place to call home? And the younger children were even worse. She couldn't look at a single happy face without being reminded of Uzushiogakure, where she came from. It felt like happiness was just something too far from her.

None of that had changed, either. She still resented the people of Konohagakure for no reason at all and she still felt as lost as ever, but now she had friends at least. She had true companions who cared about her and only wished the best for her. But that brought a whole new problem to her: she liked them back and, day-by-day, she became even more attached to Konoha as well. And that wasn't good. How was she supposed to keep the memories of her village, her home alive if she was forgetting about them? It was just wrong; it was a betrayal to her people. She had to grow up and more away quickly, start searching for other survivors and, in the slightest possible chance, try to rebuild what seemed to be permanently lost.

Konohagakure could not be her home. Her home had been destroyed and now she had nowhere to go; by no means should she settle, she knew that. But a soft voice in her head that grew louder everyday – and that wasn't from Kyuubi at all, since she had managed to shut the beast up for quite a while now – started to ask stupid, innocent questions that wouldn't leave her mind.

Why not? Why can't this be your home?

And before she could answer it, someone or something would always come up and Kushina would forget about such thoughts for the time being. After all, even if it was only for now, she had to help Mitoko, annoy Fugaku and spend time with a very special boy… at least, only for now.

Her previous worries seemed like nothing now: adapting to a new village, meeting new people, her terrible skills at ninjutsu and even the damn Kyuubi seemed like a piece of cake comparing to her current situation. Even the uncontrollable beast-that was becoming a bit more docile as she furthered her ninjutsu training, she gladly observed- wasn't the seven-headed monster she once thought it was. Mito had been right, love made life as a jinchuriki bearable. The problem was that one-sided love didn't make everything better either.

It had all been so quick and without a single warning… How the hell was she going to adjust so easily to all this? Damn, she sounded like a sissy princess. It wasn't her fault she felt for a girly boy, she reminded herself. It wasn't her fault that he came sweeping her of her feet after years of ignoring her. It wasn't her fault at all that she had fallen-after all, hadn't almost every single girl in the village done the same?

And that's where the problem started.

Namikaze Minato, being the little genius he was, had already graduated from the Academy a year ago and was currently training with the Sennin Jiraiya. As terrible as it sounded, Kushina admitted she was a bit jealous of her best friend. He was experiencing ninja action on first hand and with one of the best at that, while she was stuck in the Academy because of her terrible grades. She didn't even know if she would graduate with her classmates and that was- had been her greatest fear till now.

Because of their-mostly his-busy schedules they could no longer meet and there were long periods of time when she wouldn't see him at all for weeks. The first opportunity presented itself with Valentine's Days, a day she really couldn't care less about. During the years she hadn't baked a single chocolate for anyone – only Mikoto had been lucky to taste her still-improving culinary skills and the feedback had been quite positive. Before the little group of ninjas would shrug the day like a usual boring date, like going to the dentist. But now Mikoto was a couple with Fugaku in all but name and Kushina felt lonely-mostly because Minato wasn't around a lot either.

Baking him a chocolate and being extra nice proved to be the best solution. It had all been neatly prepared-she tested it thrice, fearing food poisoning but it had been delicious, dare she say so- and, after hearing when the famous Namikaze would be training with his Sensei for the day, she promptly left with the package in hand. The first sight that greeted her had been quite the view. After being so long without seeing the blond ninja, Kushina couldn't help the slight blush that graced her cheeks as she saw her best friend train-without a shirt; the training was certainly taking effect, she thought idly. However, the second sight had the same effect as a bucket of cold water. There was literally a crowd of girls-and eager boys as wells-watching the ninja; all of them had gifts with them. Some, she could see even from the distance, were chocolate of excellent quality-and she was suddenly ashamed of even trying to bring her simple chocolate.

And that was when Kushina did something she rarely ever did; she ran away. Her gift fell from her hands in her mad dash, but she didn't turn around to take it; she could barely see with all the tears that were flowing from her eyes, anyway.

There didn't seem to be much hope left. It was even funny, Kushina thought grimly, that the last time she felt so hopeless had been with the destruction of her home. How could she even compare the loss of an entire village and her family and home with just a single boy? She shouldn't be feeling this bad about this, it was only a little crush.

Except it wasn't.

Amidst her burning tears and Kyuubi's murmurs-this always happened whenever she was emotionally unstable and Kushina hated that- she had finally realized what she felt for Minato actually equaled to the love she felt for her village, for her home. Whenever Minato, sweet, flaky and sometimes hilariously girly Minato would laugh with her, care for her and give her that beautiful smile of his nothing else seemed to matter. She even forgotten about her own pains and scars when she was with him. This was wrong; it had to be wrong. No love should be this big, otherwise how would she be able to live with the burden of it? This couldn't go on.

She cleaned her last tears with her sleeve and took a deep breath before she stood up. Maybe the exaggerated amount of tears had been good- Kushina never felt so light before. It was time. This horrible feeling, this fear she felt couldn't go on. She would never be freed from Kyuubi, she had already accepted that fact, but she could at least be freed from Minato and the other ninjas. After all, she would only cause them pain in the future. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Yes, this was the right thing to do. She would leave Konohagakure and search for survivors of Uzushiogakure. Inwardly, she knew her chances were below zero, but there had to be something she could do. She hated this feeling of being weak, worthless. It was time to leave. This village could never become her home-she knew that. At least, that was the mantra she repeated to herself ever since she arrived. In the end, she was just afraid. Afraid of being unwanted, but she couldn't-shouldn't blame anyone for this. No one but herself-

"Kushina!"

That voice… That one voice that could make her stop right in her tracks and even forget about air itself called her name. But it couldn't be-

"M-Minato?" She whispered the name like it was a prayer -She hated how pathetic her voice sounded. She turned around, no longer caring how horrible she must be looking from all the tears, and faced him. He didn't seem too fazed about her undoubtedly disgusting face, but that was Minato for you; always sweet and understanding.

"Thank God I've found you! I thought I've seen your hair when I was training but when I turned around to greet you, you were gone. My only clue was-" He retrieved something that looked suspiciously "-this." Like her wrapped gift.

All air left her lungs as she started to mentally berate herself-violently. "How in the hell could you have forgotten such a thing? I never thought he would notice it or much less pick it up, but still-"

"Kushina?" His voice brought her back from her thoughts. "Why did you leave this on the grass? It's yours, isn't it? I didn't know you made chocolates at this time of the year… Why-"

"I don't know!" Her voice boomed through the empty field. Thank God no one was around –not even Jiraiya, who had a tendency to peek, the pervert- though she wouldn't bee too embarrassed in her current state. "I don't know, I don't know, okay? Sometimes, okay, most of the time I don't think things through… but it rarely messes things up, because you're always around to keep me in check, but now you're barely in the village, let alone the training area! I- I just wanted to make you a surprise, okay?" Oh God, she was rambling now. Whenever her mouth went out of control everything became worse.

"You… You made this for me?" His voice was barely above a whisper, but fortunately-or not, for the current Kushina's state- she heard it.

"I-" And now Uzumaki Kushina, local motor mouth, was without words. Not even Kyubi was saying something now. Dammit.

"I never thought… You had always been so… Not showing interest in anyone… So I just presumed…" And now Namikaze Minato was in his own unique blabbering mode, which was mostly a junction of random words put together in his speech. If she were lucky, he would stay focused in his thoughts, giving her the excellent chance to leave. But, as always was with Kushina, there wasn't such luck. "Kushina… do you like me?"

"WHAT?" She couldn't care less if she shouted the word. In any other day, Kushina would've denied it with a laugh and a subsequent tomboyish action. But today was not that day. She was feeling lonely, left by others and had even considered leaving the village because of a stupid crush! This was not the day to take decisions, she was sure of it. She wanted to tell him about her feelings, she really did. But she never thought it would be this early-or ever- just being okay with being alongside him. It was only the threat of other girls that urged her to do something about it. She sighed to herself; she was still so immature. In the end, when it came down to it, she just couldn't do things like this. Sure, she would be the first to enter a fight or protect her teammates and friends, but in situations like this she was just a hopeless blabbermouth. There was nothing Minato could possibly see in her, the tomboy, violent redhead –who was also the jinchuriki, she added mentally- in a million years.

She still didn't dare to look at him. She didn't have the spirit to look at his disgusted face.

"Look, I-" Her false declaration was abruptly stopped by the blond ninja.

"Because I do. Like you, I mean."

If that didn't make her look up, nothing would. The sight before her was, by far, the most amazing one she had ever seen. Namikaze Minato, fellow ninja and her best friend, was sporting the biggest blush she had ever seen on his face –a small part of her also smirked, she wasn't the only one who blushed profusely anymore- and had the cutest expression as well. Even if she tried, Kushina wouldn't be able to stop looking at her crush-no, her love, really- who was currently showing the most vulnerable side of him, only to her.

Only to her, she thought. How simple it had been all along. Move out of the village and search for survivors had been her childhood plan, when she haven't had a single friend and no one she knew in Konohagakure aside from kind Mito. But now things had changed. She had grown and matured a bit, made friends and fell in love. How could she have even considered to leave this village was beyond her. Because, like it or not, every single person here had already made its way towards her heart –and Minato was the very first one at that.

Unwillingly, Konohagakure had become her new home.

"K-Kushina?" Minato was visibly trembling and fiddling with his clothes, just like a child would do in front of a stern teacher. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight; it was so out of character! Encouraged by her laugh, the blue-eyed blond smiled shyly. As a response, she grinned widely before throwing herself in a very energetic hug. The poor boy, not prepared at all for what was to come, just shrieked as they fell down on the soft grass.

She had read once in one of the ero sennin's books about scenes like this, disgusting scenes like this, but this was different- much more innocent at that. Resting by his side –the blond was still catatonic- the redhead threw away her former resolves. He told her he liked her, her of all people! The least she could do was answer him. Slowly, very slowly as her cheeks burned brighter than ever, she pecked him once on his cheek, then the other and by the end, gave him a slight peck on the lips. Her first kiss.

"Weren't you supposed to be a genius, Minato?" She laughed at the wide-eyed boy. "Because you should know the answer by now."

Making a quick recovery, he looked at her with a smile that almost resembled a smirk. "I believe I didn't take that class. Would you be so kind to elaborate?"

She smiled brightly at him. Was it possible to feel this happy after being just moments ago angry and depressed? Apparently Minato had that effect on her. Their relationship wouldn't be ruined, she breathed happily, they could still keep that beautiful bond they had and become so much more.

With a wink, she got up. "Then you'll have to catch me, Yellow Flash of Konoha!"

His smile could easily compete with the sun, she noted of the umpteenth time. He also got up and went to catch her. This was just like usual training, he would try to catch her, leave a few minutes space for her to hide, but in the end he would always find her. That's another trait the loved about him.

At the end of the afternoon, the forgotten gift was retrieved as a very red Kushina gave an equally red Minato the destroyed chocolate gift in front of a widely smiling Jiraiya.

The young graduate, the teen genius, the student of one of the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, the Yellow Flash of Konoha – Minato was many, many things. But to her, he would always be Namikaze Minato, the girly-like boy who had not only stolen her heart, but also given her a purpose and a home.

Together, they were unbeatable. The Yellow Flash of Konoha and the Red Hot Habanero were possibly the strongest duo of ninjas of their generation, with Mitoko and Fugaku not far behind. Apparently, both duos had some sort of an unspoken competition to decide which was best. While Kushina and Mitoko's rivalry was very friendly, Minato and Fugaku's were full of bickering – mostly from the young Uchiha. The redhead kunoichi was surprised to see the usually soft-spoken Minato frowning and being quite off character. And for that reason only, she intensified the duo's rivalry at every chance, just to see the Yellow Flash of Konoha uncomfortable for once.

Many things have changed as spring visited Konohagakure for the fifth time ever since her arrival at the village. Kushina had grown into a beautiful young woman and her famous red hair was longer than ever. In some mysterious way, it never bothered her during a fight, and her nickname was as alive as ever. She wasn't the short, violent round-faced girl she had once been. Minato's influence had been great on her; now she was much calmer and inclined to look for solutions that did not involve violence. That, along with her mastery of ninjutsu, of all arts, made her a very respectable ninja in Konohagakure. She was just as loved by others as any other person born in the village. Day by day, Konoha was really becoming her home.

Minato had also changed, albeit less. He was still as calm and composed as ever, but he was also more serious. The quick promotions and increase of responsibility made him a respectable and admired leader and a feared ninja. He was the pride of the village and a candidate for Hokage. His dream was close not only to him, but to her as well. Honestly, Kushina never desired to be Hokage; it was just a way of trying to make herself different in her first day of school. But Minato had always wished to become one with his very soul and it made her glad to see his efforts were turning into something, even if these things took time.

As a couple, they were unbeatable. They were skilled fighters and their synchronization was like no other. Secretly, they had little duels with Mikoto and Fugaku to see who was the best couple (and, one day he hoped, who had the cutest children as well). Along the ride, Kushina and the Hokage told him of her condition as jinchuriki and he behaved as every bit the respectable man he was. "That didn't make her any less her", he said with his trademark brilliant grins.

It was astonishing how much they've had achieved in such short time, but then again, they were the Yellow Flash and the Red Habanero of Konoha. Anything was possible to them, both believed. Kushina had never been happier in her life.

"How come you like my hair so much?" She asked when they were both sitting, exhausted after a session of training. She was much more tired and out of the breath than the bastard was – in two hours she wasn't able to touch him even once. Annoyed and sweaty, Kushina started playing with her hair and noticed once more how Minato became concentrated over such a trivial action.

As if caught in the scene of crime, he gulped and his eyes became the size of dinner plates. Not telling the truth ever passed through his mind – especially not with her.

"There's something about it. The color," At that she flinched. "The flow it has whenever you're moving, the glow… it's like something I've never seen before." For a moment he became particularly pensive when he added "But if it were anyone else's I would only consider it intriguing. But yours,"

Cerulean eyes met violet ones. A smile.

"I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." A roll of eyes and a laugh. "No, forget what I said. It's only the second most." He got his response in the form of a blush and a very eager kiss.

A strong breeze flowed through her long, red hair as she smiled pleasantly down to her long time lover. They were having a picnic, the first time they managed to meet after months of missions, and she had planned everything out. Her cooking skills were now up to the test and her smile grew even wider when Minato complimented her. She wanted to do something for him after she found out what his team had gone through and this had been her weak attempt. But Minato seemed happier – he was finally smiling after weeks! – so she settled for that.

The Hokage Mountain was in front of them, as majestic as ever under the bright blue sky. It was like bad days and stormy clouds didn't exist in Konohagakure. Day by day the village was becoming more and more beautiful to Kushina. The faces in the mountain were no longer scary; instead they held a great deal of respect. But somehow, it always seemed too empty to her and she couldn't help wondering if the next face there would be of a man with spiky blond hair. When she asked Minato, all the while searching for clues in his face, she was taken back when he laughed loudly. With a smile as bright as the sun, he didn't make any promises, but he clearly stated his dreams.

Kushina frowned.

"Why try so hard for something that may be just a political decision? You don't seem to be Hokage-sama's first option."

"Because this is my home, Kushina, and I want to protect it." He said, being calm and composed as usual, while taking a bite of a fresh onigiri[2]. "This is very good, Kushina! I'm sure you'll turn into an excellent chef in no time!" He smiled brightly, trying to change the subject.

Kushina smiled a bit as she watched the blond eat her food so eagerly. The mood wasn't as happy as she originally intended, but it was Minato's fault anyway – he was the one who brought up the Hokage subject. The redhead frowned, lost in her thoughts. She just couldn't understand; the place was clearly going to either Orochimaru – if the snake man could stay in the good side – or Jiraiya, a better choice. True, Minato's old teacher didn't seem so thrilled at the idea, but no one could refuse to be Hokage after all.

If Minato did indeed manage to become Hokage and fulfill his lifelong dream, it would only happen later on. A part of her guiltily took pleasure upon the fact; it's not like she didn't want her long time boyfriend to fail in his career pursuits - she was just worried. The Yellow Flash of Konoha was barely home anymore and taking a position of high power could only mean trouble to them. She just wanted him safe and sound in their home.

Their home, she thought the words with a smile.

She couldn't care less if the beautiful golden ring in her hand gave her some difficulties when wielding a kunai. It reminded her of her special someone and what she wanted to come back to.

At eleven she was brought into a foreign village to become the vessel of a monster. At twelve she immediately disliked the Academy, village and its nasty children. At fourteen she was saved by a kind – and slightly girly - boy. At fifteen she spent a whole year trying to deal with her conflicted emotions about the boy and the beast inside of her. At sixteen she was promoted and could never find a certain pair of blue eyes in the village since they were both always in missions. At seventeen she already took complete control over the Kyuubi. At eighteen and nineteen she fell into a routine, which involved missions, ramen, missions and love. At twenty they started living together. At twenty-two, she discovered she was pregnant.

That had been one of the happiest days in their little house above the Hokage parlor. Kushina could still remember Minato's face and her own bubbling warm feelings as they hugged in eternal bliss. The long months of pregnancy weren't as awkward or difficult as she'd expected, aside from the jinchuriki part, and she couldn't wait to see the little guy that would come along-a boy, she was sure. A boy that would be named Naruto, in the way of a true ninja.

"Naruto…"

Thank you for being born. Thank you for letting Minato become your father and letting me be your mother.

After all of these years of loyalty to the village she learned to love, Kushina thought she had finally found her home. When she moved in with Minato, however, she proved herself wrong at the feeling of having someone home, waiting for her. But it was only when she heard the loud, high and simply beautiful sound of a crying baby and saw tearful cerulean eyes was when she knew she was finally home.

"Minato, Naruto…"

Thank you for being my home.

Home is where the heart is - Pliny The Elder

[1] Fuinjutsu, according to Naruto wiki, is a type of jutsu that seals a variety of things within another object or living being. The shinobi from Uzushiogakure were specialists in this art. It's also mentioned that Kushina herself excelled at it and she taught Minato some of its proprieties.

[2] Onigiri, or Omusubi, is a popular snack for Japanese people; simply put, it's a flavored rice ball. Though, be careful, it isn't a form of sushi at all – there's no fish in it. I've had the pleasure of eating it and I loved it.

My MinaKushi drabbles ficlets is out! Search for 'Of Used Kunais and Empty Ramen Bowls".

Reviews are always a joy,

Fieldings