Hello all Storm here with a new story! Yes I know another new story, but I can't help it when I get a new idea, and I'm really excited for this one, given that it'll be posted with two chapters already completed. So, without further ado.
I own nothing
'I'm starting to understand why Tsunade decided to leave the village.' Thought Kushina Uzumaki as she drank another glass of sake, beginning to feel the effects of all of it despite having a rather strong tolerance to alcohol.
At the moment, the Uzumaki Matriarch was sitting within a bar in Tanzaku Gai, having been able to get some time off her duties as a Jōnin in Konoha. Having wanted to get out of the village for several reasons, the two biggest reasons being Kushina wanted a break from doing missions. As well as wanting some space away from her ex-boyfriend and now Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Looking down sadly at thinking of him, Kushina began thinking back on their relationship to when they were first Genin. How she originally saw him as flaky and girly, along with a bit of a wimp, she honestly never could have imagined ending up with him.
That is until Kumogakure had tried kidnapping her due to her special Chakra that made her the perfect Jinchūriki for the Kyūbi no Yōko, being able to control and restrain the fox. Having been captured and taken to Kumo, though on the way, Kushina had been secretly plucking out strands of her red hair to leave a trail. Something she initially hated due to the attention it got her, being made fun of for it and being called "Tomato", due its bright color and her round face.
Though after a while of no one appearing to rescue her, Kushina began thinking her trail hadn't been found, only to be surprised when Minato arrived and took out the Ninja who captured her. And the fact that he had found her trail and followed it, revealing that he'd always liked her red hair. Completely changing how Kushina viewed him and making her love her red hair, seeing it as the "red thread of fate" that brought them together.
And for several years they were happy together, they fought together in the Third Great Ninja War, both of them gaining renowned fame for their abilities. Minato with his Hiraishin becoming known as the "Yellow Flash" after taking out a thousand Iwa Ninja single-handedly. And Kushina with her unique style of Ninjutsu, her clans Fūinjutsu, Kenjutsu, Adamantine Sealing Chains, and even the Kyūbi's Chakra when she needed it. Giving her another nickname in addition to her childhood one "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero", being known as the "Red Death" when on the battlefield.
While she and Minato had grown closer, getting to know each other better, training together, with Kushina being close to his Genin Team as well. The Uzumaki had believed they'd eventually be able to settle down and have a family together, having always wanted a big family after her clans destruction. A sentiment Minato shared due to his own status as an orphan. Though they wanted to wait until the war had ended, giving them the time to get married and start on a family.
Unfortunately, there was important issue that they never were able to agree on, one which acted as the catalyst for a snowball effect that lead to their relationship ending.
Kushina was a firm believer in that family came before everything else, something the entire Uzumaki Clan believed in. If it came down to it, Kushina would always choose to keep her family safe, that included prioritizing their safety over the safety of Konoha. And she knew Minato felt the same, willing to do anything to keep the people he cares about safe and unharmed. However, Kushina also knew that while it may hurt him, Minato would always put Konoha's safety first, even before that of his family.
That was at least partly the reason that lead to them breaking up, with more issues appearing over time, one of which being their views on peace. With Minato desiring to have peace between all of the Elemental Nations, a belief he inherited from his own teacher, the Toad Sannin, Jiraiya. Something he hoped to achieve, even more so after being inducted as the Yondaime Hokage.
Kushina on the other hand didn't share that optimism or belief that there could be peace between the nations. While it's something she hoped for, not wanting to see another war being fought and children being sent to fight, especially her own children. The Uzumaki woman was also more realistic and knew that true peace was impossible.
Knowing the Hidden Villages would always find something else to fight over, whether it was territory, grudges, power, or fear. The latter being what lead to the Uzumaki Clans destruction at from the combined forces of Kumo, Iwa, Kiri and a few minor nations that allied with them. As while the Uzumaki Clan remained neutral for the most part, only interfering if they were targeted or their allies needed help. They mostly kept to themselves in Uzushiogakure, not wanting to get dragged into any wars or conflicts. However, they'd been known and feared by practically everyone in the Elemental Nations due to their unrivalled skill in Fūinjutsu.
Given that Fūinjutsu wasn't a well-known art, with their only being a handful of masters of it, what was known about it was that Fūinjutsu is what help creates Jinchūriki and control the Bijū. Not to mention the Hiraishin, a teleportation jutsu that was created by the Nidaime Hokage and was later refined by Minato, was only possible thanks to Fūinjutsu. It made people wonder what else Fūinjutsu was capable of, what a Seal Master could do with just some ink and scrolls. And that soon lead to fear of what the Uzumaki Clan, all of whom were masters in the art, could do if they decided to attack.
Leading to Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri working together to wipeout the Uzumaki Clan. With them succeeding as only a few were able to escape as they were scattered across the Elemental Nations, possibly even farther away.
That's the main reason for Kushina's belief that true peace was impossible, along with a grudge against those village for destroying her clan. Though she doesn't consider herself a violent person, Kushina would admit she's imagined laying waste to Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, as well as the minor nations that aided them. Giving them a reason to really fear the Uzumaki Clan.
This isn't counting the fact that while the Hidden Villages were independent for the most part, they were still under the control of the Daimyōs. If it wasn't the Hidden Villages waging war against each other, then it was the Daimyōs squabbling with each other over basically anything. And whenever the Daimyō squabble with each other, they send Ninja to sort things out, which usually lead to more conflicts.
But possibly the worst part is that the Daimyō are the ones who have the final say on a Kage for their respective Hidden Villages and can just as easily replace them if they wanted to. Making it so if a Kage wanted to remain in power, they had to do everything their Daimyō ordered them to do. So even if by some miracle peace was created between all of the nations, all it'd take is a single word from a Daimyō to bring it all crashing down.
All of this eventually lead to her and Minato ending their relationship, seeing that while they may care about each other, they also weren't good together. Thankfully, they agreed to still be friends, but that didn't stop the awkwardness and tension between them whenever they saw each other. Which became even more common after Minato became the Hokage.
Which also lead to Kushina requesting some time off from her Kunoichi duties and missions, wanting some time away from the village to clear her head. Along with a more personal reason, when she learned her friend Mikoto Uchiha was pregnant with her second child. And her other friend Hitomi Hyūga had revealed hers and her husband's plans to try for a child soon.
With Kushina being happy for her friends, but at the same time feeling sad and even a little bitter that it was unlikely she'd have her own children. Given that any guy who would be interested in her would only be interested because of her body, her status, and/or bragging rights at having sex with the "Red Death". Or they were intimidated by her reputation and didn't want to risk being on the receiving end of her temper.
The redhead also wasn't interested in simply having a one-night stand to get pregnant, as despite how she may act, Kushina did have a romantic side. Having hoped to find the one she'd spend her life with, originally believing that would be Minato. Now though, she didn't have much hope at finding someone or having a family.
'Great, now I'm even more depressed than before.' Kushina thought, feeling like beating her head against a wall until she forgot everything, before downing another sake glass.
"Maybe I should just go back and see what missions are available. Hopefully ones, where I can kill something." Said Kushina, contemplating on going back to Konoha and take some missions to distract herself with.
Plus, with how much she's been drinking, Kushina knew it'd be best for her to stop before she really got drunk. Still remembering the times she, Mikoto, and Hitomi had gone out to celebrate being promoted to Jōnin, along with the nights they went out before the latter two's respective weddings. The redhead had no idea what happened, only after each time she woke up tied up with her Chakra suppressed. Along with a bunch of people being taken to the hospital afterwards.
'Still don't understand why Mikoto and Hitomi also kept looking at me strangely afterwards, either.' Kushina thought, remembering how her friends looked at her after those times, before shaking her head and drinking one last glass.
But before she could get up and leave, Kushina tensed when she suddenly sensed a person enter the bar, something that wouldn't normally get her attention. What did get her attention was the fact that person had some strange energy inside them, one they seemed to be suppressing. And whatever it was, they were incredibly powerful.
Slowly looking to see who it was and if they were an enemy, the Uzumaki woman's eyes widened while her mouth fell open when she saw who walked in.
It was a woman, who…Kushina honestly wasn't sure there was a word to describe how stunning and beautiful she was. Having long, spiky bright blonde hair that fell down to her waist, fair, pale skin without a single imperfection, and onyx black eyes that shined with playfulness. While having an amazing and perfectly proportioned figure with long, toned legs, wide hips, a heart-shaped ass, a narrow waist, a flat stomach with hints of defined muscle, and large E-cup breasts. With her wearing knee-high black leather heeled boots, navy blue shorts that stopped halfway down her thighs and looked to be painted on with how tight they were, a white v-neck that showed a small hint of her cleavage and left her midriff exposed, and a pink jacket that stopped just above her ribs.
Looking at her, Kushina couldn't help but see a perfect mix of Minato's, Mikoto's, and Hitomi's features, with her hair being the same color and style as Minato's, her face and eyes looked identical to Mikoto's along with her skin tone. And her body, while being similar to Hitomi's, seemed to still make the Hyūga Matriarch completely inferior in comparison.
The woman also wasn't wearing any makeup, which Kushina felt would only ruin her seemingly perfect and natural looks. While her eyes moved around the bar, the Uzumaki woman managing to look away from her and glance around, seeing everyone else was also dumbstruck by the woman's appearance. And she seemed to know exactly the affect she was having on everyone as well, if her small smirk was anything to go by.
'…She's not human.' Kushina thought, doubting any human woman could look like this.
Even Tsunade, who was widely regarded as the most beautiful Kunoichi in the world, looked like Orochimaru next to this woman.
Kushina watched as the woman looked around the bar, like she was searching for something or someone, until her eyes fell on her. The redhead unable to stop herself from blushing when the woman gave her a beautiful smile and began walking over to her.
'What do I do?!' Kushina mentally screamed, panicking at the woman coming over to her, not sure what she was supposed to say or do anything.
"A pretty woman like you, sitting in a place like this alone? I may not be familiar with the laws here, but that certainly seems like a terrible crime." Said the woman as she sat down next to Kushina, who continued looking at her with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open, which only seemed to amuse the woman.
"If you keep your mouth open like that, I may take it as an invitation to put something in it." The woman stated before dragging a finger down Kushina's cheek and to her chin, pushing her mouth close, snapping the redhead out of her shock.
"S-so-so-so-sor-s-s-so-sor-sorry! I-I-I-I-I-I di-di-di-di-di-didn't me-me-me-mea-mean t-to-to-t-to-to s-st-st-st-star-stare!" Kushina stuttered while quickly looking away in embarrassment, along with mentally cursing herself for stuttering like a schoolgirl.
Having faced down dozens of enemy Ninja, encountered other Kage, and even faced off against other Jinchūriki. Yet she's reduced to a stuttering mess just from seeing an impossibly beautiful woman?!
"Yes. It's equal parts pathetic and hilarious, so please continue making a fool of yourself." Said the familiar voice of the Kyūbi, making Kushina scowl.
'Fuck off you talking carpet!' Retorted Kushina mentally, only to hear the woman giggle.
"No need to be sorry, I find it flattering to have such an effect on such a beautiful gem." Replied the woman with a wink, getting another blush from Kushina.
"Wh-wha-what?" Said Kushina, wondering what she meant by gem.
"Well how could I not see a gem, when looking at you? With such pretty purple eyes that I'm sure would be brighter than any amethyst. Your lovely and pale face, round and smooth like a perfect little pearl. And of course this lovely hair you have, red like the most beautiful rubies that's begging to be touched and treasured." The woman said with a bright smile, while Kushina felt her entire face heating up.
The redhead having never been complimented like that before, let alone so passionately by someone.
"I-uh…that's…I don't…you-um…really…th-tha-than…" Kushina said, unable to think of anything to say in response to that, making the woman giggle again.
"You really are just too cute, you know that. Wherever your husband is, he better have a very good reason for leaving you all alone." Said the woman, only to frown when Kushina looked down, sadly.
"I…I um…I'm not actually married. I had a boyfriend, one I hoped to marry one day, but it ended a while ago." Said Kushina, much to the woman's disbelief.
"You had a boyfriend? And he broke up with you? Please tell me who he is, because if he was willing to leave you, then clearly he doesn't need his eyes anymore." The woman said, surprising Kushina, even more so at how serious she looked.
"What? No, no, no he didn't break up with me or anything like that. It was completely mutual, we just…saw it wouldn't have worked out in the end." Kushina said, with the woman frowning at this.
"Well, if you were hoping to marry him, you must have known each other for a long time. What changed?" Questioned the woman, with the redhead sighing and rested her hand on her cheek.
"Yeah, we knew each other since the Academy, I honestly thought he was pretty flaky and girly when I first saw him. Though that changed when he saved me from being kidnapped." Replied Kushina, with the woman squealing in delight.
"Childhood sweethearts?! Ooooh, those are my absolute favorite! Even better that he swooped in and saved you! Is that what made you fall in love?" Said the woman, with Kushina looking at her, blinking a few times when it looked like her eyes glowed pink only for them to return to their normal black color.
"Uh…partly. What really made me love him was that I had left a trail of my hair behind, and only Minato was able to find it. I had actually hated my hair when I was younger, I was made fun of for it, because of the color and my round face. Everyone called me Tomato, at least I started beating them into the ground. But Minato…he actually loved my hair, the one thing I hated about myself was the one thing he loved. Since then I loved my hair, I considered it my red thread of fate for bringing us together." Kushina said with a small, sad smile, while the woman looked at her in disbelief and awe.
"…Why would you ever end things?!" The woman asked, wondering how a love story like that could ever end, the Uzumaki Matriarch shrugging sadly.
"We just…had different views and beliefs. We both wanted a family, after I lost my clan and Minato was an orphan, I had been raised to believe that family came before everything, even the safety of one's village. While Minato, he valued family and would do anything to protect it, but at the end of the day he'd always put the safety of the village first, no matter what. After that we saw that we didn't agree on that and had really different views on certain matters, we decided it'd be best if we ended things before something happened that'd make things worse." Said Kushina, making the woman frown.
"I guess that makes sense. Though I do hate seeing such an epic romance come to an end, with them unfortunately becoming more and more rare to find." Said the woman, making Kushina look at her with a raised brow.
"Are you some sort of matchmaker or something?" Kushina asked, with the woman merely smirking slyly.
"In a way." The woman said before smiling at the redhead.
"And for the record, I've only just met you, yet I can say with complete certainty that it's his loss. And perhaps another's gain, wouldn't you agree, Gem?" The woman said as she slowly reached over and began playing with a strand of her Kushina's hair, making the Kunoichi gulp and laugh nervously.
"Ehehehehehe, um…I-I gu-gu-guess. But u-um…maybe not right this moment. Es-es-especially since we don't even know each other's name." Said Kushina, not used to anyone being this forward or that she's actually considering the woman's offer.
"Well that's easy enough to fix. My name is Aphrodite. Now may I have the pleasure of knowing my Gem's name?" Aphrodite asked, confusing Kushina at the strange name.
"Kushina, Kushina Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you Aphrodite." Kushina introduced while holding out her hand, with Aphrodite taking it and kissing it.
"You as well Kushina." Said Aphrodite.
"So um…what brings you to Tanzaku Gai? And the Land of Fire, if you aren't from here." Said Kushina, doubting she's even from the Elemental Nations, sure that word would have spread more on such a woman being seen before.
"Vacation. I needed to get a world away from my family. While I usually enjoy some drama, it gets so tiring dealing with the same thing over and over." Aphrodite replied while rolling her eyes.
"I'm guessing you have siblings." Kushina stated, figuring she had siblings that fought a lot.
"Nope. Well, I mean I do have several half-siblings, but I don't really see them. Instead, they left me with several nieces and nephews. Mostly my sister's children." Said Aphrodite, surprising the redhead.
"She has you taking care of her children?" Questioned Kushina with a frown, not liking the idea of a mother not looking after her own kids.
"She visits every now and then, but she's mostly become withdrawn that we usually don't even talk about her. But that certainly doesn't stop her two youngest sons from fighting over which of them is her favorite, I personally believe it's their big sister since it's impossible to even dislike her. Her oldest son actually does the smart thing and stays far, far away and doesn't get involved with their fights. While the two youngest girls, one of them I think is a little crazy since she's obsessed with cereal and constantly criticizing her daughter's husband. And the youngest girl…we don't really like each other, doesn't stop her from wanting to borrow my stuff, though." Aphrodite said, letting out a huff at the end, while Kushina looked at her with wide eyes.
"You…definitely seem to have a…unique family." Kushina stated, unsure what else to say.
"You don't know the half of it, Gem. But what I really want to hear about is you." Said Aphrodite, looking at Kushina with a smirk.
"Oh. Well what do you want to know?" Questioned Kushina, only to blush when Aphrodite leaned closely while her hand trailed down her side.
"Everything. I want to hear every. Little. Dirty. Secret. Every. Fantasy~." Aphrodite said slyly, giggling when Kushina let out an "Eep!" after putting her hand on her thigh.
"Th-th-th-tha-that's n-no-no-no-n-no-not-not f-fu-fu-fun-fun-funny!" Kushina stuttered, only to freeze when Aphrodite cupped her chin.
"I had a very different idea of the fun we could have." Aphrodite stated, making the Uzumaki gulp before quickly moving her hand.
"I-I-I wa-was-was se-se-ser-serious, I-I-I'm n-no-not lo-lo-lo-looking f-fo-fo-for s-so-so-something r-ri-ri-right th-thi-this mo-mo-mom-moment." Said Kushina, admitting that she did find Aphrodite attractive, but she also wasn't about to jump into bed with a woman she just met.
"That's fine, I can be very patient. And the wait can make the reward so much…sweeter~." Purred Aphrodite, with Kushina's face turning bright red at her words.
*Timeskip-One Week*
A week has passed since Kushina met Aphrodite, with the Uzumaki having begun feeling much better than she has in a long time. Having started spending all her time with Aphrodite and telling her everything she wanted to know, along with learning more about her as well.
Having already learned when they first met that she enjoyed flirting and teasing, along with having no shame and being very forward. Much to Kushina's embarrassment, whenever Aphrodite would touch her, sometimes subtlety to get a reaction and other times just blatantly touching the redhead. Though she also showed to be rather good-natured and looking on the bright side of everything.
But one other thing Kushina had learned was that Aphrodite also seemed to be very temperamental, having seen it when someone had tried hitting on her and even tried grabbing her. The Jinchūriki wasn't entirely sure what she did, only that Aphrodite looked at the guy before he simply walked away in a trance. Later learning the same guy had nearly been mauled to death by a pack of wolves, the strange, and disturbing, part being he'd been found completely naked and…aroused.
While Kushina wasn't sure if Aphrodite had anything to do with it, if she'd cast some kind of Genjutsu on the man or did something else. Only that whatever power she seemed to have wasn't Chakra or anything like it, and that it was incredibly powerful. The redhead didn't say or do anything though as she still enjoyed spending time with the blonde woman.
Currently the two were sitting outside a café and telling each other more about themselves.
"Wait, you actually did all that?!" Aphrodite said, smiling in disbelief while trying to muffle her laughter from Kushina telling her about a prank she once pulled during her time in the Academy.
"Yep! The entire Hyūga Clan with their heads shaved, their soap being replaced with body paint, all their clothes replaced with brightly colored spandex filled with glue and itching powder along with seals that revealed some very interesting messages once they were put on, while all their regular clothes were thrown around the village plus their underwear being modified with seals, turning them into thongs once they were picked up, and of course I spiked all their food with laxatives." Said Kushina proudly, having gotten tired of the Hyūga Clans attitude and believed she did them a favor in pulling the collective sticks out of their asses.
With Aphrodite laughing loudly at this, not believing she'd do something like that.
"Oh gods, that's amazing! I'm surprised, they'd even still show their faces in public after something like that!" Said Aphrodite, with Kushina smiling at her words.
"Oh, they try to act like it never happened, but I make sure they don't forget, it helps that I took lots of pictures and release copies every year on the day it happened. Sometimes giving them moments of peace, before dropping hints that I have something else planned, just to watch them squirm. You should hear what I did to the Nara Clan, I'm pretty sure some of them still hate me for that prank." Kushina stated with a smirk, much to Aphrodite's amusement.
"That's the clan of lazy yet intelligent people that manipulate their shadows, right? What did you do to them?" Aphrodite asked eagerly.
"Yeah, that's them. And it was for an entire year, every other week I would do everything I could to keep them from doing anything relaxing, even sleeping. I would set up Alarm Seals around their compound that let out a loud siren every ten minutes, fill their food with the hottest peppers I could find and energy drinks, anything at all to disturb them I'd do it. A few times when they'd start wising up and being on guard, I'd wait a while until they believed they were safe, then hit them even harder! It got to the point they even locked themselves away in their compound, thinking they were safe, only to realize that made it easier for me with them all in one place. The best part was even after I really stopped, they were so paranoid and terrified that something else would happen, they spent six months waiting to see what would come next!" Said Kushina, making Aphrodite laugh again.
"You're brilliant and cruel Kushina! And I honestly love it!" Said Aphrodite, amazed at her creativity when it came to tormenting and pranking people.
"They should be thankful really, I was at least not trying to hurt them, possibly mentally scar though." Kushina said, having enjoyed tormenting everyone in Konoha during her time in the Academy and as a Genin.
Though the Uzumaki Matriarch soon frowned, knowing that she'll soon be returning to Konoha, much to her disappointment as she's finally starting to enjoy herself again.
"Is something wrong Kushina?" Questioned Aphrodite noticing her expression, with Kushina shrugging.
"No, I'm fine. Just that I'll have to return to Konoha in two days." Replied Kushina, making Aphrodite frown.
"Is that it? Or is there something else going on?" Aphrodite said, being able to feel that's not the only reason she's upset, with Kushina biting her lip, wondering she should say anything.
Before she looked at Aphrodite and saw the genuine concern in her eyes, making her smile slightly and decided to take chance.
"Well…there is one other thing. I took some time off to get away for a while, but there's also the…Rinne Festival that'll be coming up soon." Kushina revealed with a faint blush at what she was going to do.
"Rinne Festival?" Questioned Aphrodite with a raised brow, the redhead nodding in response.
"Yeah, it's a holiday held during winter. Originally it was just a time to pray for and honor the deceased, but it eventually grew into a holiday where friends and loved ones exchange gifts." Said Kushina, only to stop when Aphrodite laughed lightly and shook her head.
"Sorry, just remembered something funny. But why would you be upset over that?" Aphrodite said, only for Kushina's blush to grow.
"Well, usually the festival is attended by groups of friends to spend time together along with…couples. And…you know I don't have anyone to go with anymore, while my friends will be going with their husbands. But I was…wondering if…" Kushina said before seeing Aphrodite smiling slyly.
"Why Kushina…are you asking me out? And to such a special occasion? Would you perhaps be hoping to get a very special gift from me?" Said Aphrodite, leaning forward and giving the Uzumaki Matriarch a view down her shirt, much to her growing embarrassment.
"I've never asked anyone out, okay! I'm new to this, 'ttebane!" Said Kushina, her blush intensifying at her verbal tic, wishing the ground would just swallow her up, not helped as she heard the Kyūbi laughing at her embarrassment.
Before she fell silent as Aphrodite giggled and grabbed her hand, smiling at the redhead.
"I would certainly love to be your date, Kushina. When will the Rinne Festival be?" Aphrodite said, surprising Kushina before she smiled happily.
"Really?! Great! And um, it'll be in three weeks. Will that be enough time?" Kushina asked, worried it may be a little short notice for Aphrodite, given it seems like she didn't know about the Rinne Festival.
"More than enough. I already have the perfect gift in mind for you." Said Aphrodite with a suggestive smirk, with Kushina looking at her warily.
"Please tell me you won't just wrap yourself up for me to "open"." Said Kushina, feeling that's something she'd do, while blocking out the part of her eager for such a thing to happen.
"…Would you believe me if I said no?" Aphrodite asked after a few moments, much to Kushina's exasperation.
"You are definitely one of a kind, you know that." Kushina stated, making Aphrodite smirk.
"Believe me, I know it. Now, we still have two days together and I plan to make the most of it." Said Aphrodite, with Kushina smiling and nodding in agreement.
*Timeskip-Three Weeks*
Kushina bit her lips nervously as she stood within Senju Park, having told Aphrodite that they'd be able to meet here. The redhead feeling nervous as she looked for any sign of her, having not seen or sensed her anywhere nearby.
'Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so dressed up? Would that be too forward?' Kushina though looking down at her outfit, having decided to dress up for the festival.
With her now wearing a dark red kimono held closed by a dark yellow obi and decorated with cherry blossom petals and rotating blue waves, along with red sandals. As well as putting her hair up in a ponytail with a pink scrunchy, two bangs hanging down to her shoulders, and her usual hairclip keeping her hair out of her eyes.
She'd already delivered the gifts she'd gotten for Mikoto, Hitomi, Tsume, Yoshino, and her other friends, having even gotten a gift for Minato as well. With her having also gotten her gift for Aphrodite, having made it specially for her.
'I really hope she likes it.' Kushina thought, before slapping herself lightly, refusing to sound or act like some schoolgirl with her first crush.
'Get a hold of yourself! You've killed dozens of enemy Ninja and can face down anything, even Kage and other Jinchūriki! This is nothing, just a girl you like! A really, really, really, really, inhumanly beautiful one, but still! Of course she'll like the gift, you spent so much time working on it, it'll mean more than something I'd just buy! Just stay calm and relaxed, that's all you need to-' Kushina thought to try and help herself relax.
"Oh Kushina~."
Hearing the familiar voice, Kushina turned only to feel any confidence she had vanish when she saw Aphrodite and how she looked.
With her having straightened her hair out, and looked to have gotten it cut to just below her shoulders, putting it into a bun with a braid wrapped around it, leaving a few curled strands hanging out over her face. While her attire consisted of a very short light pink kimono that stopped at her midthigh with a white obi around it and had white feathers decorating it, and geta sandals with pink fabric. Along with her holding a paper fan with splashing waves and shells on it in front of her face, before closing it showing her satisfied smirk.
'Uuuuuuhhhhh…' Thought Kushina, looking at Aphrodite with her mouth hanging open.
"I'm definitely pleased I can still leave you speechless. And please, Gem, close your mouth before I decide to start using it myself." Aphrodite said walking up to Kushina, who quickly closed her mouth with a growing blush on her face.
"Y-yo-yo-yo-y-y-yo-you…y-yo-yo-yo-yo-y-y-yo-you…u-u-u-u-u-u-u-um…" Kushina stuttered, making Aphrodite giggle.
"I'll take that as a compliment. You certainly look amazing as well, I could just eat. You. Up~." Purred Aphrodite while trailing a hand down Kushina's side, making her gasp and quickly step back.
"Th-th-tha-tha-th-th-th-thank y-y-yo-yo-y-y-yo-you! L-le-le-le-l-l-l-le-le-le-let's g-g-go-g-g-go en-en-en-enjoy th-th-th-the f-f-fe-fe-fes-festival!" Said Kushina quickly, with Aphrodite merely smirking slyly.
"Hopefully not the only thing we'll be enjoying tonight." Aphrodite said, with Kushina's face turning bright red while trying to give her an annoyed look, only amusing Aphrodite further.
*Later*
"So you live here by yourself?" Aphrodite asked as she and Kushina walked through the Uzumaki Compound, after spending the entire tonight together at the festival.
Having enjoyed the different stands set up for food and games, along with Kushina showing Aphrodite around the village and all her favorite spots. Before heading to the Uzumaki Compound once it started getting late.
"Yeah. It used to be the Senju Compound, but the only one left is Tsunade and she left the village years ago and is unlikely to ever return. And the Uzumaki Clan shares distant connections to the Senju, so ownership of the compound was passed to me." Replied Kushina with a small frown, as she personally didn't like the compound due its size and how empty it was.
The only reason she really stayed here was it gave her some privacy away from the rest of the village and that the seals she works on can be rather…volatile…and sometimes explode.
"Do you and your family live in a compound?" Kushina asked, looking at Aphrodite curiously.
"Sort of, we all have our own places to live, though most of them hardly show up, preferring to be off doing whatever they want. It's rare for all of us to be together, and that's usually just to argue with each other over one thing or another." Aphrodite said, making the Uzumaki Matriarch frown before they reached her home.
"Well…I had a really great time tonight, something I haven't had in a while. Thank you for coming." Said Kushina, smiling at Aphrodite, which she returned.
"I know the feeling. While it's not the usual fun I prefer, it's…been better actually or maybe it's made better with such lovely company." Said Aphrodite winking at the redhead.
"Maybe. But there's just one last thing to do, I still have to give you your gift." Kushina said, opening the door and motioning Aphrodite to come in.
"Now you really have me excited." Aphrodite stated, following Kushina into the living room where they sat down next to each other.
"It's nothing like what you're no doubt thinking. But I hope you like it." Said Kushina before pulling out two scrolls, handing one of them to Aphrodite who smiled in thanks.
Her smile growing brighter when she saw the gift was a green and gold necklace made of intertwining thorny vines, with intricate designs of doves, swans, dolphins, and whirlpools carved into them. While hanging from it was a matching colored rose pendant, with a pearl embedded in the center.
"You said that you love roses and that those are some of your favorite animals. I also put several seals on it, making it so they can't break, keep you safe from Genjutsu and other illusions, and…they can teleport you to me or me to you if you're in danger or if…we want to see each other." Kushina said with a faint blush, making Aphrodite's smile widen.
"Giving me the power to summon you whenever I want, that can be pretty dangerous, Gem." Said Aphrodite teasingly before putting the necklace on, liking the sight of it, with Kushina smiling as well.
"It really suits you." Stated Kushina, Aphrodite nodding in agreement before smirking.
"Now that just leaves me to give your gift. And while I was very tempted to make it so you had to "open" me to get it, I thought it needed to be more…special. But first, you have to close your eyes." Aphrodite, making the redhead a little nervous and wary, and even excited, before closing her eyes.
Seeing this, Aphrodite smiled before cupping Kushina's cheek and leaned in closely, making Kushina tense slightly, only to relax when she felt Aphrodite's lips pressed against hers. Not expecting the sudden kiss, but also not complaining, Kushina hesitantly put her hand on Aphrodite's face and began returning the kiss. Smiling at the redhead returning the kiss, Aphrodite pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, before she then pulled Kushina onto her lap, surprising the Uzumaki.
Kushina being further surprised when Aphrodite took the chance to slip her tongue into her mouth, unable to stop herself from moaning as she took control of the kiss. And despite feeling it was starting to go too fast, Kushina didn't care and wrapped her arms around Aphrodite's neck, pulling her closer as well.
The continued making out for several moments until finally separating, with Kushina looking at Aphrodite in surprise, while Aphrodite had a pleased smirk on her face.
"That…was…" Kushina said, not sure what to say to the unexpected kiss and how good it felt.
"Amazing? Fantastic? Mind-blowing? Erotic?" Said Aphrodite, with Kushina letting out an "Eep!" when she suddenly pinched her butt.
"Don't do that!" Said Kushina in embarrassment, smacking Aphrodite lightly, making the women giggle.
"I can't help it, if I want to see that cute look on your face!" Aphrodite replied, the redhead merely pouting at her and looking at Aphrodite in annoyance, which was ruined with growing blush.
"So…was that my gift or just a distraction?" Questioned Kushina, with Aphrodite idly playing with a strand of her hair.
"That was your gift. I wasn't sure what to get you, so I thought the easiest thing would be something we both enjoyed. You did enjoy it, right?" Questioned Aphrodite, a little worried she may have gone too far, only to be pleased when Kushina's blush grew even more.
"W-w-we-we-well I definitely wasn't expecting it, but…I also can't say I didn't enjoy it. Plus I'm still sitting on your lap, if that tells you anything." Kushina replied, making Aphrodite smile brightly before wrapping her arms around the Uzumaki.
"In that case, perhaps you wouldn't mind getting an even better gift." Aphrodite said slyly as she began pushing Kushina's kimono up, only to be stopped as the redhead looked at her sternly.
"I wasn't kidding before Aphrodite; I'm not just going to sleep with someone I barely know. And while I like you and I'm hoping you like me too, that doesn't mean we're going to have sex. So, did that kiss mean something or was it just a gift and excuse to get me to sleep with you?" Kushina said, surprising Aphrodite, having thought she'd be eager for the chance to go further.
Now hearing Kushina genuinely liked her and didn't want to just have sex, originally assuming that was the goal when asking her out. Only to see it seems like she wanted to try and have an actual relationship with her, which really surprised Aphrodite.
"Oh…" Said Aphrodite, making Kushina look away and get off her lap, assuming she just wanted sex.
"I see. Sorry to disappoint but I don't plan on just being a notch under anyone's belt." Kushina said, hiding her own disappointment, having hoped they could try to have a relationship together.
"Wait!" Aphrodite said grabbing Kushina's hand before she could get up, with the redhead turning to her.
"Okay, I'll admit, when I first met you I really was just looking for a good time, nothing more. Only it actually started being nice just spending time together, I liked just sitting down and talking, getting to know you more, then when you asked me out to this festival I thought you wanted to have sex. But…you surprised me again, with this and wanting to have an actual relationship. That's…actually something I'm not used to." Admitted Aphrodite, with Kushina looking at her with frown.
"You've…never been in an actual relationship?" Kushina asked, finding that hard to believe.
"Not really. I've been with different guys and girls before, but they're usually one time things, and nearly all the time they only focus on what I look like and everything below the neck. I didn't really care since I was never looking for a serious relationship, only some fun before moving on. There've only been very few that I genuinely cared for, but they still didn't really last." Aphrodite replied, Kushina's frown deepening at this.
"And you thought I was the same." Stated Kushina, with Aphrodite nodding, feeling a little guilty at just assuming her intentions.
"Yeah. I'll…understand if you want me to go." Said Aphrodite, only for Kushina to squeeze her hand and smile at her.
"I never said I wanted you to leave. And if you've never really had a real relationship before, then it'll be even better that you'll have one with me. I-I-I me-me-me-mean, i-i-i-if you wa-wa-want to tr-t-tr-try ha-having one th-th-that is!" Kushina said, only to blush and quickly add the latter part, not wanting to assume Aphrodite wanted a relationship with her, before she was silenced when Aphrodite kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I'd love to try having a relationship with you, mon chéri." Aphrodite said smiling at the redhead, making Kushina smile as well before blinking in confusion.
"What does…mon chéri mean?" Questioned Kushina, having never heard that before.
"It's a language from where I'm from, and it means my darling~." Aphrodite said slyly as she leaned closely while moving her hand up Kushina's leg, only for the Uzumaki Matriarch to stop her.
"None of that, we'll see how things go first and if it'll work out between us." Kushina said, only to gulp when Aphrodite's lips brushed against hers.
"Does that you mean you wanna wait to kiss me, again?" Aphrodite asked, smiling excitedly when Kushina pulled her into another kiss.
So, what did you think, good. Yep we see an interesting start with Kushina having, mutually, broken up with Minato, after their relationship fizzled out due to their different beliefs on family and peace, eventually leading to Kushina encountering Aphrodite, and seeing her version of ideal beauty (for the time being). With the two spending time together until Kushina has to return to Konoha, but not before asking Aphrodite to be her date to the Rinne Festival, much to her enjoyment, before getting a timeskip to them meeting and going on their date. Finally we see them returning to Kushina's home where she gives Aphrodite her gift, and the goddess giving her own special gift, leading to them entering an official relationship. Also in regards to Kushina's behavior, given the fact she's only ever had one relationship in her life it's unlikely she'd have experience in being flirted with, teased, and asking someone out, combined with Aphrodite's own forward nature. One other thing, this is going to still be a Naruto or Naruko story (still deciding which, and it's confirmed gods can have children with those of the same sex, Apollo has a demigod daughter with a mortal man), but for now we'll be seeing Kushina and Aphrodite as their relationship develops, leading up to Naruto or Naruko being born. So, for those that like the story, thanks for your support. For those that don't or at least don't like the direction taken, you're more than welcomed to drop the story. But thanks for giving the story a chance anyway.
Storm out