Dear Diary,

It was my birthday today. For obvious reasons, I didn't celebrate it.

Izura-chan got me a bouquet of forget-me-nots, because apparently they bring out my 'pretty blue' eyes (which is exactly what every little boy with recurring gender confusion issues wants to hear), Shimu-kun got me a set of three-pronged kunai (I have no idea where he got them, but I think he made them himself – which is both heart-warming and confusing) and Jiraiya-sensei gave me a bottle of cream labelled 'LUBE'.

I don't understand what it is, but I think it's a face cream. Izura-chan was really angry with Jiraiya-sensei for giving it to me though. I think I won't use it, just to be on the safe side.

I told them not to get me anything, but they obviously didn't listen to me.

I'm not too surprised. Mommy used to tell daddy not to buy her anything expensive on her birthday, and the one time he bought her a cheap gift, she screamed and yelled at him for hours and ignored him for the rest of the week.

Also, not listening is definitely a ninja thing.

You're probably wondering why I'm writing about my parents so soon after the Fire Incident, huh?

Well, it's partly to do with the punch Inoichi thrust in my tummy when I started crying in front of him, partly because Shikaku and Chouza and Mikoto-chan looked at me with pity, but mostly due to what happened six days ago.

Uzumaki-san was loitering outside my new apartment complex (new for obvious reasons) on a really cold winter Sunday. She was wearing a bright orange sweater and a red scarf, which is why I saw her in the first place.

She saw me and turned a bright purple colour and then started yelling at me for being a womanizer. It took me twelve minutes to figure out that she was talking about Izura-chan hugging me when we were coming through the gates, which is pretty quick considering she spent a good chunk of that time complaining about ferrets (no, no I don't know, and I get the feeling I never will).

I got angry at her.

For the first time in my life, I got angry at someone. I'm not proud of it. In fact, I'm even more scared of myself now.

I snapped at her and told her to shut up and mind her own business because it wasn't her problem and that she should just leave me alone! She stared at me with wide dark-blue eyes. I never noticed the colour before.

It's pretty.

Then she looked at me with an unfathomable look and told me this. I learnt it word for word and it will always be in my heart.

'It'll get better, because it can't get any worse. And we're only kicked as much as we can handle. Karma's a bitch, but it's not a bastard.'

Which, in Uzumaki-san terms, means that it'll get better, and I'll look back on all the good times and that's what really counts.

I figured I'd start practicing now. Bit by bit, I'll think of all the good times, and I'll cherish each moment I live now.

Also, Diary, I think I'm in love. With Uzumaki-san. The red hot-headed Habanero. The girl with the beautiful red hair. And rich dark blue eyes. And a crazy obsession with Ramen.

But it's not a crazy sort of need. It's just that, if I can see her every once in a while and know that she's alright, then I'm satisfied. Love is weird. But it works.

Now tomorrow, it's Inoichi's little sister's birthday party and Izura-chan's parents' anniversary. At the exact same time. I wonder if there's a jutsu that can let you be in two places at once…

Good day Diary.

Namikaze Minato

P.S. I still don't know how Uzumaki-san knew my parents were dead…


Kushina swears because she's Kushina. Yes, that's a genuine reason. Still editing through the night. Yay. (11.09.2017)