Prompt: Denial

Sometimes it was physically painful to deny her presence. After she was attacked because he was with her he had begun to avoid her so that she wouldn't be a target. She was enough of one already, with her red hair and loud attitude, she didn't need him to attract attention too. It had been almost too much for him to see her lying in that hospital bed, still and silent as she never was, and he had vowed never to cause her harm again. He couldn't take it if that happened.

Now when he saw her, months after he had started avoiding her, it took all of his self-control to restrain himself. He restrained himself from going to her and holding her in his arms, kissing her, and then killing the boy she was holding hands with and who was flirting with her. Her eyes met his and he could see that although she appeared happy she was not, her eyes betrayed her to him. They held only the light of confusion, despair, longing, and love. He felt ashamed but kept his eyes from showing his jealousy, his sorrow, his longing, and his love. The despair in her eyes deepened as she looked away.

A week later she burst into his apartment, starting him so much that he dropped the pot he had been cleaning. "I can't take it anymore! What the hell is going on with you, why won't you look at me Minato?" Her voice held no anger, only sorrow and longing. There were tears in her eyes and he could stand the separation no longer.

She cried into his chest as he suddenly embraced her and rested his face in her fragrant hair. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand to see you hurt because of me. You mean to much to me Kushina."

"You idiot! I'm a ninja, I'm going to get hurt! But if you ever do something like this again I'll never forgive you!" He laughed and whispered "never, never, never" into her hair as she laughed and cried at the same time.


A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't been updating so frequently but I've become so busy that I haven't been able to. I'll probably be able to update every other day for the next couple of weeks, but no promises. Once again I'm sorry for the delay. Hope you loved it!