"Mom…"
Mikoto had no idea what time it was, but it was far too early for kids right now. Instead, she snuggled further into her pillow, blowing a tuff of Kushina's hair out of her mouth as she did. She was aware of several things, she had a hand on Kushina's hip, Kushina snoring meant that she was still asleep, and it was Itachi that was demanding her attention.
Itachi was independent. Whatever was happening he could take care of it. She had such a good reliable son, even if he was only five years old. Hopefully, he didn't grow up too fast. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with her son, or even help him. It was just that her body simply needed rest.
"Mom…"
That was twice now, and Mikoto decided to give her son the benefit of opening her eye. Her room was rather dark, with limited natural light coming into the room through the narrow windows, it lacked the twilight of dusk, which meant it must be dawn and a cold one at that.
"Mom…"
Mikoto twisted the bed, tangled in Kushina's ridiculously long hair - pretty though it was - and saw her son for the first time. He looked to have aged forty years with large black sleepless bags under his eyes highlighted by his deep cheeks. A happy Sasuke blew a raspberry berry at her from his brother's arms. Evidence of puke and baby powder was scattered about Itachi's shirt.
That explained a lot actually. Mother mode finally kicking in Mikoto sat up and forced a smile on her face. She still wanted to sleep and cry some more. "What's wrong honey?"
"I'm tired." Itachi sat Sasuke down on the bed right in front of her. Her youngest looked sad for a moment before he recognized Kushina's hair and began to grab at it even sticking a bit of it in his mouth. "Your turn."
With deliberate movement, Itachi walked around the bed, looked at Kushina for a moment before he crawled in beside her under the covers. Kushina, who was like a fly trap of limbs closed in around her son pulling him in tight. In no time Mikoto could hear her son drifting off to sleep pressed against Kushina's bandaged chest.
Mikoto smacked her lips and straight against the growing light of day. Did Itachi really pull an all-nighter watching Sasuke and Naruto? And what about Izumi? "I guess I should try to be a mom for a little huh?"
With Sasuke in her arms, Mikoto set about trying to act like everything was normal. An easy task, all that she was missing was her husband sipping tea at the table while he read some report, she's offer to make him breakfast, and he would say that he was too busy and needed to go soon, then one of their clan members would arrive knocking on the door asking for him and he'd be gone for a while.
"If only you never became the clan head Fugaku," Mikoto mumbled to herself as rummaged through the pantry, hunger was driving her, skipping dinner last night was not wise no doubt Kushina would awaken to the smell of breakfast and demand to be fed. She envied her friends ability to eat everything in sight and not gain a pound.
Stupid Uzumaki genetics.
Pancake batter. The second she saw the rolled bag held shut by a floured rubber band Mikoto felt her stomach gurgle and her mouth salivate. The kids would probably like it. And Kushina would probably demand seconds before she finished the first batch. "What do you think Sasuke? Pancakes? Do you want to try Pancakes?"
He gurgled gripping the cloth of her shirt tightly entirely focused on her face.
Pancakes proved to be easy to cook even when wielding a baby in her arm, in no time at all she had the pan ready and the batter two stirs away from being perfectly mixed. With a smile, she took a bit of the batter and placed it on Sasuke's nose the cold wet sensation shocking him as he stared at her finger.
"Not quite sure what to think of that are you?" Mikoto let out a small laugh.
A knock on the door interrupted her peaceful morning, It was loud, furious and even. She recognized the knock from that of her clan members. Somehow they had all developed an unusual way of knocking that was a one three two combo that followed a simple rhythm.
Did they not know Fugaku was dead? Did she really have to repeat that again? It still hurt. It probably wouldn't ever stop hurting, like a weeping wound that she could pretend wasn't as bad as it was. But it was still an act.
Passing through the living room Mikoto found Izumi sleeping face down on the couch, a blanket partially covering her with a happy and very much awake Naruto. If Naruto was anything but an Uzumaki she might worry about how he never seemed to be asleep. But he was ultimately Kushina's son, that meant endless energy until he crashed hard.
She waved at him and he smiled before he resumed touching Izumi's hair. Mikoto sighed as she looked at Izumi, the girl had lost everything but her life, all she could do for her was offer her a warm bed and food.
Opening the door she was met with the Uchiha clan. The entire clan, all twenty surviving members (Not counting herself and those that were within her home). Most of them were ancient fossils or civilian - both rarities in the Uchiha clan - then there was Shisui Uchiha and Naori Uchiha, and a few less talented Uchiha Police members. To think two days ago the clan was thriving, with more members than she cared to count.
"Yes?" Mikoto shifted Sasuke's weight so she could stand for the no doubt lengthy conversation they were bound to have. There was no point in acting like the silent wife of the stoic clan head anymore.
"We…" Naori began, her once long purple now a pixie cut, her left eye was covered in bandages and gauze from where she was burned, her left arm in a sling and more bandages could be seen from underneath the loose robe she wore. The girl had once been a flower, now scared by horrendous burn marks.
"We want to know what will become of the Uchiha Clan." An elder asked, a civilian, Teyaki perhaps? He was a large man, both tall and fat with large arms from heavy labor. "There's so few of us left now."
"Why are you asking me?" Mikoto asked she knew why of course. They were lost, just as lost as she was. But they were hoping that she had the answers. Fugaku would have had the answers.
"You are Fugaku's wife," Shisui spoke up taking step up onto the wooden floor so that he could lean against his leg. Shisui was young, too young to be a ninja she felt, which was likely why he was alive, many of the children were safe. "He was the clan head, and now that duty falls to you."
"I…" Mikoto felt ready to burst. She had children to take care of, she had her own shattered life to pick up a task she wasn't sure she could do. "The Uchiha clan is no more."
The words surprised her as much as it surprised them. But she felt the honesty behind them. "We're too few now, the sooner we accept it the easier it will be for us in the long run."
"So are you saying to just give up? That we all should have died last night?" an Uchiha officer asked.
"I don't know okay," She was probably crying now, Sasuke certainly was. "I'm not the clan head, I never will be, I am not my husband as much as you wish that I was. But if you want to know what I think, remember the Uchiha name and keep our traditions alive, but don't… I don't know what I'm trying to say, just focus on helping Konoha now, we're too small on our own, but Konoha can become a better place for us."
The Uchiha looked at each other, many of the civilians were angry and stormed off in anger, the police force sighed accepting their fate, or perhaps merely disappointed, Naori frowned. But Shisui, Shisui smiled at her.
"I will try to help them see what you are saying." The boy stood and then vanished in a blur taking Naori along with him.
"If only he'd help me first."
XXXX
Pancakes. Sweety floury and buttery pancakes with a hint of vanilla. Wait. what was that sweet smell slightly bitter smell, no it couldn't be. Were there Chocolate chips in those pancakes? Well, that was a good reason to get out of bed.
Minato was such a good….
"Oh," Kushina opened her eyes and stared at the blank wall of Mikoto's house. She was in the large bed that Mikoto had once shared with her husband Fugaku, it was nothing like the slightly too small for two people bed her and Minato shared -mostly her idea because it meant lots of cuddling… and (according to Minato) kept her from sleeping in super weird positions.
Her every muscle ached, and the wound on her side screamed made her hiss in pain. Damn thing must have been worse than she thought. Still, Naruto's fathead was worse. Much worse. Like a thousand, wait for no a billion times worse than that time she got a paper cut on the tip of her nose.
But that paled compared to the pain in her heart. "Blah, when did I become one of those lovey-dovey types where I swoon whenever Minato passed gas, though he did have a nice butt."
"I'm trying to sleep," Mumbled a very tired mini Fugaku. Poor Itachi was cuddled facing her, his face mere inches away from the best boobs in Konoha - they were Hokage approved after all - and he wasn't even old enough to appreciate them.
"I think your mom's making pancakes want to get up for those?"
Itachi's response was to open a single. "Are they chocolate chip?"
The kid had good taste. "I think so, can't you smell them? Here I'll carry you there, you'll sleep better with a stomach full of pancakes."
"M'kay." First a shirt, then adorable sleepy Uchiha. It was easy to spot Mikoto's wardrobe, it was the same dresser that she had when they were younger and Kushina stayed the night mostly to terrorize Mikoto's parents. A simple shirt would do.
With Itachi trying desperately to stay awake in her arms Kushina followed her nose to the kitchen. Izumi sat in a chair carving into a pancake roughly the size of her head, her son was passed out in a baby bed thing, and Mikoto was expertly flipping pancakes while holding onto Sasuke.
Mikoto had all the skills of a mom and a ninja, she was a momja!
"Table for two?" Her smile was heavy, like bags of sand were pulling on her mouth and heart.
"About time you woke up." Mikoto turned spatula in her hand ready to be used as a deadly weapon of cooking with +1 fire damage. The fake smile on Mikoto's smile turned into a motherly scowl, her eyes locked on Itachi. "Kushina! You should have let him sleep, he stayed up all night taking care of Sasuke and Naruto!"
"He's fine," She waved Mikoto off placing Itachi down in a chair next to Izumi. "Besides, he'll sleep much better with a stomach full of pancakes. Right Itachi?"
"'M want pancakes." Itachi mumbled from where his head rested on the table. Okay, so maybe he was a bit too tired to be eating pancakes. But they were pancakes teeming with chocolate chip goodness. Itachi would thank her for allowing him to stay awake for them.
Mikoto sighed, "Fine, but as soon as you're done Kushina will take you straight to bed, you got that Itachi? Kushina?"
In no time at all Itachi was fed and recovering from his food coma, Naruto and Sasuke were finally asleep, sharing a blanket in Sasuke's crib, leaving Mikoto, Izumi and herself in the kitchen faced with the wreckage of some of the best damn pancakes Kushina had ever tasted.
"So what's the plan today," Mikoto asked, sleeves already rolled up to do the syrup covered dishes. That was a mission Kushina would never take on. Syrup was great on food but the second it got cold and stuck to a plate it was the most revolting thing ever, like that time Orochimaru had offered to 'inspect her'.
"Well," She was rested, and fed, and probably sane - though that one had long been debatable. Which meant it was time to do things she didn't want to do. "I should probably go to my home and see what's left of it."
"Kushina," Mikoto winced, "I've gone by there, it's not pretty."
"I know," She had a feeling that there was nothing left of her old life, once again she had lost everything. This time there was no Minato to save her from despair, only her infant son who she had to remain strong for. She just had to. Minato didn't marry a weak woman and Naruto wasn't going to have a weak mother! "But, I need to see it for myself."
"Can I come?" Izumi mumbled, she shrunk down as Kushina looked at her. "It's just that I haven't gone outside since you saved me."
"I'd be okay with that, will you be okay with the boys by yourself Mikoto?" that word felt so wrong to say. Like she should be apologizing over and over for reminding Mikoto that she was alone now, alone to raise a family, just like she was.
"As long as they stay asleep I'm sure I'll manage."
XXXX
Rubble, that was what their home, the future that she and Minato had worked so hard to build, was now. Bits of her shattered life remained, what wasn't burned or missing was damaged beyond repair. Only a few items could even be considered salvageable.
One of Minato's spare 'look at me I'm soooo cool I have flames on my Hokage robe' jacket things, a fluffy pink slipper, some of Minato's kunai, a bunch pots and pans, a bed spring, a partially melted candle Minato had gotten her because he was an awkward idiot and thought that she liked girly candle smelled like ass. She was going to burn it all night as soon as she could find a tub of ice cream and a bunch of super bad romance movies and had enough time to be an emotional wreck for at least a day.
Probably when Naruto was a ninja. That was like… what thirteen years? Wait no Naruto was Minato's child, he'll probably be one of those super smart and hard-working kids like Kakashi that graduates stupid early. Oh god her baby was going to be a ninja!
"What are we looking for exactly?" Izumi, who up until this point had been a diligent worker, sorting through rubble and trying to keep ?Kushina growing stack of salvage kind of together.
Her old life, whatever she could salvage from it. Things like Minato's notes or her own would be amazing. Oh, things like their wedding certificate would probably be important too. Maybe even some bonds or something, Minato was probably smart enough to hide money from her - not that she could blame him, she was shit with money - that would help a lot right now. "I don't know, books and scrolls. Anything that looks important?"
"Is a safe important?"
A safe? They had a safe? "A safe?"
Stumbling over what was once her kitchen Kushina arrived at was Minato's office. And behold under the rubble was a mostly intact safe. Maybe that was where Minato hid all the money he was hiding from her! That or in a bank account. "Huh, we had a safe."
"What's inside of it?" Izumi asked, sounding as excited as Kushina was.
"I have no idea!" Kushina smiled and began to fiddle with the nob, everything was more or less intact, let's see here if it was a safe in Minato's office that she didn't know about that meant that it was coded with something that was easy for him to remember. Which meant could be anything. dammit, why'd she have to marry an egg-head? Oh well, Uzumaki luck time!
"Let's see? My birthday? No too obvious, hmm, our anniversary?" It seemed like something a regular less brainy guy would do to remember the date, but Minato had to remind her about it. Twisting the knobby bit Kushina was rewarded with, nothing. That was it then. Minato was the master of cheese it had to be something that would make her punch him in the arm.
After three more cheese dates the safe finally clicked opened, it was the date she first attended the academy, or as Minato would likely think of it. The day she entered his life. If it was anybody else she would gag.
The inside of the safe was scared, but well protected. It was several pictures of them that she had told him to throw out, a copy of the Gutsy Ninja by Jiraiya, a few photos of Team seven, and several small scrolls. And finally, a few small bonds.
It wasn't much, but it was enough.
"Miss Kushina? Did you find anything?"
"Yea, I did, let's go see if Mikoto will feed us dinner, alright?"
AN: Follow me on Tumblr!, there's a link to my there! Anyways! More depressed lesbian ninja moms! I'm probably going to start the next chapter of Flower Shop Romance tonight, but I have an idea for a genderbent Narusaku I've been toying with. Anyways, probably a small time skip next chapter.