Dawned
Without Fear
Summary: What divine power convinced Kushina, a veritable tomboy, to keep her hair unusually long?
NOTES: Meant to be a short fluffy story. Just for fun! Kind of late though. Meant to put this out for the New Years, but it didn't happen.
Chapter 1: Minato Gets excited by New Years
The condominium was a cute little thing, located in a very desirous part of town. It was on the third—and highest—level of curious triangular wood and beige building. When Minato and his mother went home-shopping, they instantly fell in love with the way the vertex of the triangle formed a nice little balcony that jutted out towards the central park of Konoha. The street below was clean and occupied with little boutiques and food stands, and was usually busy around the holidays. The best thing about the condo was, in Minato's opinion, was the spectacular view of the fireworks on New Year's Eve.
That is, when he was home to see it. Ever since he had been made a jounin when he was twelve years old, Minato had missed every New Year's Eve, and usually spent it sleeping in a forest, sharing his bed with worms and insects. However, he knew for sure this New Year's Eve he was going to be able to celebrate it with his mother, and the thought of sitting on the triangular balcony dressed in a yukata, while eating his mother's delicious osechi made him especially excited. Oh, and the fireworks. If he died before he could see them on the balcony, his spirit would probably never rest.
"So in exchange for letting me help her cook and eat all I want, I have to get all dressed up." This was Kushina, explaining to their friends why she was willing, gods forbid, to get all prettied up this New Years. Minato's mom seemed adamant in having her look like girl this weekend, and had brought out her old yukatas to give to Kushina.
"Oh, I get to see my Shina-kun all pretty and smooth," exclaimed the brunette Junko who Minato swore was bisexual because she seemed to be romantically interested in Kushina (Junko has a boyfriend, or had, he can't keep track of these things). But then again, Kushina was so much of tomboy it was hard not to think of her as a guy (hence the affectionate Shina-kun). But then again, it was Junko, who liked to do anything for shock value.
Junko had a tight hold of Kushina's hand. Minato wondered if Junko's boyfriend ever got jealous of Kushina as he swore Junko was more clingy and touchy with Kushina than she was with her boyfriends.
For the past six years Kushina and Minato lived with each other, he had never seen her as a normal girl. She wasn't—it was like she got an extra dose of testosterone at birth that affected her personality (physically she was quite slight). Minato could never truly see her as a girl, and the thought of her being "all prettied up" gave him the impression of Kushina in drag. Normally, she dressed in tight blue shorts, with layers of different hues of red and orange on top and black shinobi-sandals. She always had her hair, which he thought was strangely too long for a tomboy, in a tight, conservative ponytail.
"It's so cool that we all get to hang out this year for New Years," Junko was twittering away again, "The only person missing is Izanami-kun, but he's probably going to see the New Years Sand village style." Junko outdid Kushina in talking, which is a feat in itself.
In their normal "hang-out" group/friend/network, there were a total of 12 of them that graduated around the same time and fought together---and each other. Kushina liked to get into fights with boys, and girls loved her, especially Junko who had the particular habit of kissing her precious Shina-kun on the cheeks or pecking her lips in moments of passion and excitement. Kushina didn't seem to mind---maybe she was lesbian. Strangely, Minato did not like that thought, not that lesbianism bothered him, but Kushina being lesbian bothered him…even though he could never see her as a female with an interest in males. He was very much flustered by her sexuality and could not understand why he had a deep dislike of seeing her with either sex.
"I can't wait to eat your mom's food," they were all saying. Minato couldn't either, but Kushina was helping to cook this year, so it might not be at 100%. At this, he looked at the red head with a secret dislike. Hopefully, she won't ruin the food.
"She won't ruin the food," his mother told him later that day while Kushina was getting dressed to cook, "You're so awful to Kushina."
"I'm expressing a pressing concern," he told his mother seriously.
"Screw your pressing concern!" Kushina barked from behind him, "My food will be so good it'll make you beg for more."
"I'll be begging to be rid of it," Minato retorted with a smile.
"Not witty at all," she murmured, rushing past him into the kitchen. She had on a peach apron with ruffled shoulders which didn't suit her at all. Minato had to laugh.
She threw him a dirty glance, pursed her lips and proceeded to grab a carrot and knife and attempted to skin it. However, her years of training in the shinobi art of the kunai were no help at all in skinning the stubborn carrot. The slid the knife horizontally, taking off a sliver of the skin before the knife slid forward off the carrot. She attempted again only to fail again, and, again and again, truly showing her famous tenacity. She was breaking out into a cold sweat, and regarded the carrot with an impatient murderous glare. Minato could hardly stifle his laughter.
The evening ended with Kushina throwing a kitchen knife at Minato. Thank heavens he was a ninja…and his mother had been in the bathroom. Six years passed since they began to live together and there was barely a day they didn't have some sort of disagreement. They rarely saw each other too because of their missions. When one came home, the other had just left on a mission, and the overlap of the rest time was very little—but even in these little rest time they managed to get into fights. Not that it surprised most people around them for Kushina was so volatile she can get into fights with the tangles in her hair—it's a quite a feat which Minato have had the luck of seeing and using against her. He could not think of why she would keep her hair long when she hated it so much.
The reason Kushina (and her older brother) lived with the Namikaze was his mother, who fell in love with the two Whirlpool orphans and adopted them (although she and Minato didn't have much extra to give). Fortunately, both orphans were reliable and working ninjas and helped with the household payments and activities. Her brother more so than Kushina, who was wilder and more intense than the color of her hair, something that his mother strangely adored. Minato had to admit Kushina did have a peculiar charm to her that drew people to her bouncy personality.
Later that night, when the food was cooked, warmed and ready for the New Year's tomorrow, his mother gave them a task—"An important mission," she said gravely, "For you and Kushina to do together."
Kushina and Minato exchanged bitter looks. The sentiments that caused the knife-throwing debacle had yet to disappear.
"You must go out to all these people on the list and invite them over for New Year's Eve." She handed them a folded list of guests.
Minato opened it up, and with Kushina hovering over him, read the first name on the list---Hatake Family. He then scanned the rest of the rather lengthy list of guests to invite and looked up at his mother with questioning eyes.
"Mom, I doubt the entire Uchiha clan will fit in this condo," he said seriously, "Especially with the addition of the Hatakes, Sarutobis, Naras, Hyuugas, Morinos, and—what? The Hakuma Orphanage?"
"Oh, they don't have to come," his mother explained with a kind smile, "I just want them to know that they have a place to come to on the New Years if they have no other place to go."
Minato's heart swelled at the thought of his mother's unwavering and peerless kindness. He knew no one in the world whose heart was as big and as kind as hers. It was no wonder she made a terrible shinobi and had to quit at a young age. He knew she would invite all of Konoha's lonely and hungry if she had thought of it that far, and as much as her kindness made him proud, he decided it was a good idea to not to pop the idea to her.
"But," Kushina began with a concerned frown, "Will we have enough food?"
:3 Hope you are interested. 3 THANKS~~~