Not many things scared Kushina Uzumaki. She had seen war, had fought in battles, and had even seen entire villages destroyed before her eyes, but...

The look in Minato's eyes as he spun with his kunai in hand sent a tremor of fear through her.

When he noticed it was her, she saw the tension leave him visibly, and the kunai dropped from his hand. He looked around suddenly, as if seeing all the men he killed around him for the first time. She looked for the word to describe his expression…and settled on grim. He looked at her again, but the icy look in his eyes had left.

"You came back….even when I told you to go back to the village." He said, somehow sounding angry and surprised at the same time.

Kushina had been speechless very few times in her life…and this was one of them. She just looked at Minato…and the bodies around him, and tried to get her brain working again. Half of her brain was thinking up a sarcastic, witty response to what he just said, and the other half was wondering how what he just did was even possible. He killed them….in SECONDS.

"I…you...HOW?" Was all she managed to get out.

"I'll explain later. How are you feeling? Did you take care of the cut?"

Thoughts of her wound immediately brought her back to reality, clearing her mind of all the questions she had about what had just happened. She started to realize that she really did feel like shit. She had lost a good amount of blood, and had so much adrenaline jogging back here that she didn't even realize it.

"I can still fight."

"No…you can't. You've lost too much blood. Your skin is…"

"So you're a fucking doctor now? I say we go on to the village see if they left anyone alive. That's our number one priority!"

Just as the words left her mouth, her head started swimming again and the wound in her side flared up with pain. She tried to fight it, but the harder she fought the dizzier she became. Before she knew it, she felt the ground rush up to meet her. Her vision got hazy but she realized she was lying on her back, and she saw Minato's face swimming over her.

"Shit! Hang in there, Kushina! I'm gonna get you out of here."

"The mission…the village…" Her side was on fire, and talking only made the agony worse. Her head started pounding so hard she felt like it would burst out of her skull at any second.

"Some kind of…..poison?" She heard Minato say faintly.

She held onto her consciousness, did all she could not to slip into the void that called to her. She thought about how weak she must look. She felt herself being lifted, now only half conscious. The darkness enveloped her.

She floated….with no concept of time or space. Then…she started to remember.

Faces came flooding back to her. Old friends. Past enemies she had fought and killed.

The family she had lost. No….that hurt is still too fresh. And it always would be.

Her eyes opened, her senses returned to her, and the faces of those from her past were flung away as her mind became aware of her surroundings. She was standing, although it took her awhile to realize it. Candles burned all around her, and gave the room a strong, flavorful odor. The lights were dim to the point that it took her a moment to realize where she was. This is…the fire temple in Konoha.

This was where she had found out she could never return to her village, that it had been wiped out and her entire family had been killed in the process. She had been so young then…

Movement attracted her eye. A figure, hooded and cloaked, walked among the rows of candles, burning silently on the wooden tables.

"Who goes there? Minato?" Her voice echoed throughout the large prayer room.

"I am not the Yellow Flash, Kushina." A hand, pale and slim, reached up and pulled back the hood. "Have you forgotten me?"

Kushina's breath caught in her throat. How can I forget someone I never knew? Butthe words would not come to her lips no matter how hard she tried to form them. She did know her….but it had been so long…

"Have you forgotten your father too? And your brother?"

Her eyes were violet, and her red hair fell to her shoulders. Kushina could not tell how old she was, with the lighting in the room being so poor.

"Who are you?" Kushina asked, although she already knew the answer.

"The real question is….who are you?"

"This is a dream."

"You still haven't answered my question, Kushina."

"I don't need to because you're not real."

The woman smiled sadly. "Look at your left side, child."

Kushina looked down and saw that her vest on the left side was soaked through with blood. How….?

She looked back up to the woman, who had moved closer. The light from the candles illuminated her face…and Kushina felt like she was looking into a mirror, although the other woman was older. I was right…it's….

"Mother?" She breathed, her heart clenching.

The other woman smiled and pulled her in gently for a hug.

"I've missed you child. You've become so beautiful. You have your father's eyes."

"Is this real?" Kushina asked. Oh…how she wished it was. She wished she could stay like this forever, in her mother's arms. "I see your face every night in my dreams. You and father…and brother too. But when I wake up, they are lost to me."

"We all dream of things we cannot have. Your father dreamt of you and your brother growing up and becoming brave and powerful shinobi, who brought honor to the village. It looks like one of his dreams came true."

Kushina ignored the wet, hot tears that were rolling down her cheeks, but stepped back from her mother's arms and shook her head.

"I am not strong, mother. I'll never become Hokage….I'll never fulfill my dream. I'll never…."

"Be the Yellow Flash?" Her mother finished for her.

Kushina was silent for a few moments, her mind conflicting with itself. This is my mother…I can tell her anything.

"Yes." She said quietly.

"No…you will not. But…you are Kushina. I have watched you grow to become the woman you are. You are so full of anger over what you cannot change. You live in the shadow of this man, let the mere thought of him confuse and hurt you. You curse, and scowl, and drive other's away because you are afraid to let anyone close to you." Her mother's hand reached up to stroke her cheek lovingly. "But you are my child, and I know your heart better than anyone. Let your heart speak to you, and follow its wishes whenever possible."

"I am a shinobi." Kushina told her. "Mother...I cannot love. Fighting is what I am made for."

A single tear fell down her mother's cheek. She pulled up her hood and began to walk away. Every fiber of Kushina's being wanted to cry out don't leave me, but she already knew...

She had been left long ago.


Hey everyone, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I just really wanted to write a scene with Kushina and her mother, and make it turn out bittersweet. Hopefully it ended up well...although I'll let you guys judge.

Much love to everyone who's reviewed so far and I encourage anyone who has questions to just PM me or ask them in the review. Please keep reviewing and THANK YOU for taking the time to appreciate my work.

Love you guys.