Title: Minato's Confession
Rating: PG
Author: ofphenwa
Summary: The confession Minato never made to Naruto.
A/N: This is the first time in a while I've written in a first-person perspective. Family!Minato and Naruto
Minato's Confession
When I met your mother Uzumaki Kushina, I believed that I would love no one else more than her. She was so beautiful, her long hair shining like fire and her eyes the colour of the leaves of Konoha. She was unlike any other girl or person I'd met with her fiery determination and individuality. I was so happy the day we finally became husband and wife. Only my ascension to Hokage would make me that happy. But I was so easily proven wrong. The moment your mother brought my hand to her belly where you lay within and whispered in my ear that I was going to be your father, I fell in love. I loved you from that moment onwards. My child. My precious child, oh how I wanted to meet you, to teach you everything I knew, to show you the world. I wanted to hold you in my arms but I had to settle for touching you through your mother's belly.
Though only medic-nins were supposed to touch you with their chakra for diagnostic purposes, I repeatedly broke the rules to caress you with my chakra with Kushina's amused tolerance. I was addicted, you see, the first moment she brought my hand to her belly. I had felt your presence then; it was so small and yet so lively. You curled around my chakra probe so trustingly and happily that I could not help but want to feel more. We clicked together.
You loved my touches; you would light up like a brilliant flame whenever I caressed your presence. My lovely child, you had me under your spell and I never wanted to break free of it. Of course, your mother would tease me for being so obsessed with you; jokingly saying that I should have been pregnant with you and go through the ills she was experiencing. I said yes without hesitation. Kushina laughed, thinking that I was joking with her, for what sane man would want to go through a pregnancy? She thought I was being sweet to her, my wife.
But actually, I wasn't joking at all. I would happily take her place to hold you within my body as you grew into existence. I would gladly take the morning illness, cramps, mood-swings and all for the chance to protect you with my own body. I was also a bit jealous of her for she was able to feel you every second of your growth while I could only feel you whenever she allowed me (yes, she got quite fed up with me when I kept touching her belly all the time; feeling you).
I could barely wait for you to be born. I wanted to see your face. I wanted to feel you with my own hands instead of my chakra. I wanted to see your eyes open for the first time to the world. I wanted you to call my name, to call me father. It was not an easy birth for both you and Kushina; your mother was the container of Kyuubi and it wanted to escape its confines. As I struggled to keep Kyuubi constrained and she fought to bring you into the world, I was so frightened that you would die from Kyuubi's cruel wrath, or even worse, be irreparably damaged. If that ever happened, I would have gone mad. I would kill Kyuubi, even if it was impossible – I would definitely find a way.
To my eternal relief and gratitude, you were finally born safe and whole. You were more wonderful than I could have imagined. You were utterly perfect, even with your whisker-like scars on your cheeks. I finally held you in my arms after Kushina held you and your tiny hand curled around my finger much like your presence curling into my chakra many times before. It was so wonderful, the perfect gift any one could have given me. I gave you your name with breathless joy, "Naruto."
But oh Naruto, my dreams for our future were not to be. How I bitterly wept inside as I faced Kyuubi with Kushina at my side! I was so angry and sad that I would never be able to see you grow up to be a wonderful boy and man. I was so very tempted to let my wife sacrifice herself but I loved her too much to let her go and logic also warned that her sacrifice would be in vain. As a father, husband and Hokage, the only thing I could do to protect you, my wife and the village, was to sacrifice my soul to seal Kyuubi away. To my bitter regret, I had to use you as a vessel, ironically cursing you in order to save you. How I cursed myself so!
As I die, my vision fading, I smile and cry; I am glad to have finally met you, my child and I wish that I had more time with you, years instead of mere hours. I hope that you'll forgive me. Perhaps, God willing, one day, I will see you again…
I love you, Naruto. More than you'll ever know.
Fin.