"If this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together."
It had all gone so wrong. Just so, so fucking wrong.
That night was suppose to be happy. The best night of his life. His son was going to be born. Mikoto had been there for Kushina, two best friends who loved each other as much as anyone could.
Minato thought he had prepared for everything. He had plans one through ten in the back of his mind, A through Z as back ups. "Focus on the seal," he'd told himself, "Mikoto will take care of Kushina." So he'd done that. Had been the Yondaime, just for a little longer, up until he heard his son crying as he came into the world.
Minato was only human. He couldn't have prepared for the Sandaimes wife dying along with her assistant. Oh, Mikoto had tried, she had tried to get Naruto freed. Had managed it, while Minato stood there, struggling to keep the Kyuubi inside. Hostage, both Naruto and Mikoto were Hostages. He'd wondered how Fugaku had felt, having to watch this man - Obito, his own blood, Minato's own student - hold his wife hostage.
Mikoto had almost gotten away, but Obito had - He'd put an end to her life, just for trying to protect Naruto.
It was all a blur after that. Minato subdued Obito. Fugaku had done his own part, perhaps the biggest - used those eyes to subdue the Kyuubi, had kept a better face than Minato had while Minato sealed the demon into both himself and his son.
They'd both carried their wives to the hospital.
Itachi's face had broken his heart. Never again would the boy see his mother. Never again,because she'd given her life to save Minato's own son. Sasuke wouldn't know his mother. Neither would Naruto.
Weeks passed by. More and more often, Minato found himself going to the Uchiha compound. Having dinners, at Fugaku's insistence. Itachi was there, always there, and Minato idly wondered if this was some kind of punishment.
"Look at what you broke. Mikoto isn't here anymore. Kushina's laughter will never fill this house when she comes to visit."
Did Fugaku blame him? Did Itachi? Would Sasuke, when he was old enough to understand why his mother wasn't there?
"Don't. Just. Stop it. Stop looking at me like that," Minato wants to tell the villagers. Did they know? Were they so ignorant to think that he was really as good as they wanted to believe? Minato wasn't a saint. He wasn't a good man. He wasn't a good person. Why didn't they see that?
"You did the best you could," Fugaku tells him.
"It wasn't enough," Minato says. He couldn't even offer apologies.
Apologies don't bring the dead back to life.