"Geez, Kushina, did you have to hit me so hard?" whined Minato with a pout on his lips. He was sitting at his kitchen table, having just gotten back from Ichiraku Ramen. Kushina glared at him, "I wouldn't have had to hit you if you weren't acting so stupid, Minato." She narrowed her eyes at him as she stood next to him, not giving in to his pout. She huffed and began to walk away, when she heard Minato's chair scraping against the floor. Kushina let out a little squeak of surprise as Minato gave her a bear hug. "I'm sorry, Kushina. Next time we go to eat ramen I'll remember that you don't like to travel using Hiraishin." Kushina's cheeks grew hot as he began to kiss her neck, "You better," she muttered.
-- -- -- --
Kushina bolted up in bed upon hearing the plaintive cry of a small baby. Getting out of bed quickly (which was quite a feat considering how tangled she had become in her sheets) she rushed over to a small crib in the same room where she slept. Gently reaching out and scooping out the small person who lay there, her motherly instincts began to kick into overdrive.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" she inquired softly of the tiny blond infant in her arms. The small baby's sobs began to quiet almost immediately after she had spoken. Kushina smiled, "Aww, did you miss your mommy, Naruto?" She kissed his tear stained little face and sat down on her bed.
Kushina sat there for several minutes, talking to her son about everything and nothing. She knew that sometimes all Naruto needed was just her presence and her voice in order for him to calm down and go to sleep.
"You miss your Daddy, don't you Naruto?" she said softly. She brought him closer to her bosom. She smiled a sad kind of smile as she continued, "I miss him too, sweetie. I miss him so much. I really don't think I'll ever get over his death, so I'll settle for having my heart hurt a little bit less each day. That, and having such a sweet little man like you to take care of."
After a couple of more minutes, little Naruto fell back asleep. Kushina smiled softly at the way his face relaxed in his sleep. She moved his crib right next to her bed, before putting her baby back down. She then lay down in her bed, staring at her baby boy as she tried to fall asleep once again. She gently reached out and stroked his cheek, which was smooth despite the three marks upon either side.
Right before she fell asleep, she thought of something that made her chuckle softly. "I'm going to have to beat girls off of you with a stick when you're older, you know?"
