Title: "Siúil a Rúin"
Author/Artist: Yukari Rin
Pairing: Yondaime Hokage (Namikaze Minato) x Uchiha Shisui
Fandom: Naruto
Theme No.: #24, good night
Rating: K
Word Count: 1,000
Notes: Title taken from a traditional Irish song, translates from Gaelic to "Go My Love". It's a song I associate very much with this pairing (particularly the version performed in The Lord of the Dance. Spoilers for Naruto chapter 367.
Disclaimer: Naruto and related properties belong to Masashi Kishimoto and related parties.

Shisui sat atop the carved head of the Sandaime Hokage as she watched the stream of refugees entering the village. The war had been over for a little over a day, but those that had been traveling had come at last to their goal and were hesitant to turn back and return to where they had come from. Konoha, they said, was the safest place for them. They had the Golden Flash! They had escaped with the least damage to their forces, as well. Yes, Konoha would be their new home.

Shisui rolled the cup between her hands as she watched. Some were civilians whose towns or homes had been destroyed by ninja, others were civilians who had been saved by ninja. The ninja who came to make Konoha their home had fought beside Konoha's shinobi and forged a bond deeper than thought possible. There was talk of the two villages joining together - the lesser force merging into Konoha's.

Shisui was tired of war.

She looked down into the clear liquid of her cup and into her reflection. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately, and with the death count still rising she wasn't sure when the next time she'd get a moment like this to herself would be. She wondered why she was sitting here in the deepening night instead of sleeping, but knew it was because she couldn't return to the Uchiha District. Not tonight. Obito's father had fallen in the final battle. She didn't want to risk bumping into her cousin, heavy with her second child that would not know its father or older brother.

She raised the cup to the village below. "To you." Then she threw her head back and gulped down the last bit of warm sake. (It was not a time for tea.) Her hand faltered as she set the cup down beside her. The ringing of laughter startled her.

She'd recognize his voice anywhere. She closed her eyes and smiled faintly. He was laughing now because he had already shed his tears in private. When another voice joined his in amusement she opened her eyes and saw who he was walking with. The kunoichi with red hair. Shisui shook her head at the little prick she felt on her heart. 'No good,' she thought. 'It's no good feeling this way, Shisui.'

She forced herself to look away, using more willpower than she would have liked. The laughter and the pair's voices died away a few minutes later, and she glanced down to where she had last heard them. He was there, watching her intently. Shisui tilted her head back, signaling for him to join her.

He was beside her instantly thanks to the kunai he had given her that she kept attached to her thigh. "I'd toast the man of the hour, but I've finished my sake."

He raised a brow at her and picked up the cup, sniffing it. "It's rare of you drink sake, Shisui. What's wrong?" His voice was so damned soft and kind. Where was the man of the battlefield?

"Nothing has to be wrong for Tsunade-sama to drink," she offered.

"You're not Tsunade," he returned quickly.

"Are the rumors true?" she bit her lip as soon as the question left her mouth. She'd remember not to drink sake for a long time.

He shifted (uncomfortably?) and continued holding the cup. "If you mean the consolidation of Konoha's ninja with those of the former Spiral country, then yes. They're quite true. They're small in number, but are a welcome addition to our troops. Many see the collapse of their nation and village as a reason to fight for ou-"

"I meant the rumors about you and Uzumaki."

A moment of silence passed between the blond man and the ebony woman. In all their years together few awkward moments such as this one passed between them.

"I-"

"Because if they are, it's a smart move," she interrupted him. "It makes the merge even stronger. They've a reason to stay and fight with us if their strongest kunoichi marries the next in line for the Hokage title." She turned to face him, a small attempt at a teasing grin on her lips. "Your kids'll be monsters with all they'll inherit from you."

He watched her, expression serious. "You're serious? You're not..." he tried to search for the right word. Shisui was so very unlike all the other women he knew, finding words to describe her was always difficult, and had been ever since they were small. "You're okay with it, if it is true?"

Shisui shook her head in the gentle breeze. "We went into this... agreement... knowing that nothing lasting would become of it. I've no reason to have a claim on you. And now that times have changed, that the village and our lives have changed, it seems like the best thing to do is give a clear ending to what had a hazy beginning."

He shook his head and pulled in his legs to look at her full-on. "It may have started as something light, but you know just as well as I do that it became something serious, worth fight-"

He was silenced as her mouth met his for a searing kiss. Her hands were on his face, in his hair; her mouth open to his, letting him take his fill as she took hers. The ceramic cup spilled from his hands, falling down along the carved surface. He thought he heard a crack as it slammed against the rock, but he wasn't certain.

She slowly drew away from him, her hands lingering on his person just as his stayed around her waist. She met his eyes, black to blue, and he wondered if he was seeing things, or if those really were tears welling. He opened his mouth to speak, but she pressed a finger to his lips (still warm from the kiss).

"Good night, Minato." And then she was gone.

He knew she meant good-bye."