Chapter 3

Breathing in the chilly autumn air, Kushina briefly wondered why she had worn her ninja gear for this meeting. It wasn't like she was looking for a fight, and yet...

What was she protecting herself from?

"You always did know how to pick the spots." A deep, male voice spoke from behind her, breaking her away from her thoughts.

Turning her head around, Kushina stood up from the bench she was sitting on, "I didn't think you would come." She said, smiling softly.

The man chuckled good-naturedly. "I did, for a moment, consider not coming." He admitted. "But, you're not really one to ask others for favors. Well, this old man was curious, I suppose; what could possibly stump the great Red Habanero?" His smile, turning slightly vicious at the end.

Any other time, Kushina would have rolled her eyes at such a response. But after what had happened a few hours prior, she found it difficult to even go through with the act. The smile on her face weakened as she sat back down on the bench.

The man awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Kushina," He said with an apologetic look on his face, taking a seat beside her. "I didn't realize that the problem you were facing was so serious."

"It's okay." She said, shaking her head, falling into silence. The man said nothing further, resting his back against the bench, waiting for her to continue.

After a few minutes had passed, she opened her mouth to speak. "Did you know that Minato first proposed to me here, right on this bench? It was a day, just like this; cold, but not unpleasantly so." Kushina explained, looking up at him. "He was so nervous!" She giggled. "He kept fumbling up his words, but eventually he got it right, that big oaf." Kushina bit her rosy pink lower lip, her eyes beginning to mist over. "I miss him, Hiruzen! I don't know what I'm doing." Her voice choked, raw with emotion. Kushina leaned her head against his shoulder, the man who she saw as her father, crying her heart out.

It was so stupid. Like the ninja gear could protect her from sadness.

xxx

If there was one person in this world who could understand her grief, it was Hiruzen. He could still remember the night he lost his soulmate. The rapidly fading warmth of her body as he held her in his arms. He understood it more than anyone, what it felt like to have your whole world taken from you — to feel weak and helpless. For all his knowledge and strength, he couldn't save the one person who mattered to him most. No doubt that was what Kushina was feeling right now; he was sure of it.

That day should've been Kushina and Minato's happiest day.

"Kushina." He gently called out to her. These weren't pleasant memories to dwell on, but they were a part of their story, their saga. Like it or not that, day, the day the Kyuubi attacked, would forever be enshrined as a part of Konoha's history; not only as an event that brought about great suffering but also new beginnings; after all: it was the day Naruto and Naruko were born. And he had to remind Kushina of that. "I won't say that you should move on because then I would be a hypocrite." Although she had yet to look up at him, she wasn't crying so hard now, which meant at, the very least she was paying attention to what he was saying. "The first few months after I lost Biwako, I buried myself in as much work as possible." He separated himself from Kushina and said exaggeratedly, "Can you imagine? Me of all people, voluntarily choose to do some paperwork like a real bureaucrat!"

When that failed to get any response out of Kushina, other than judgmental silence, he nervously coughed and continued. "The point is it wasn't healthy; all I did was work, mope, and sulk around. If Asuma hadn't beaten some sense into me — screaming at the top of his lungs, You stupid old man, get your ass out of your head! You're the Hokage, for Kami's sake! — I'd probably continue to do nothing but work, mope and sulk around for all eternity." Hiruzen gazed at the great, big tree that stood in the center of the park — not far from where they were sitting — watching its leaves of various shades of colors slowly drift to the ground. "He told me, Like the seasons, people come and go: that's just life. You can choose to lament their absence or to treasure the time they spent with you. It's entirely up to you."

Kushina's shoulders began to tremble.

Thinking that was she about to go through another bout of crying, Hiruzen reached out to comfort her, only for her to burst out laughing. It would've been an enchanting sight if not for the snot and tears on her face. "Where the hell did he get that from, dattebane? A fortune cookie? Ah, my stomach — it's killing me!" She smacked Hiruzen across the back a couple of times, the third smack sending him tumbling off the bench.

Climbing back to his feet, he dusted himself off, his cheeks turning slightly red from embarrassment. "Geez," he muttered. "I try to cheer someone up, and this is the thanks I get."

"Sorry, I'm sorry. But you gotta admit it's pretty funny, you old geezer!" She said grinning

"Well, I suppose," Hiruzen said, a smile on his lips. It had been a long time since he had last seen Kushina laugh like this with no pretense. Piece by piece, the old Kushina was returning, and he'd wait as long as it took. "There was this one time I got home from work late and said, I'm back, to Shiori by accident, thinking that she was my wife."

"You didn't!"

"I did, and that's not the end of that story…"


Author's note:

A slightly shorter, but hopefully sweeter chapter. The more serious stuff will take place in the next chapter.

word count: 1002