"So… Miwa-chan, what do you want to do today?" Kushina asked as she served up a plate of pancakes for me.
I cast my eyes down and shrugged.
"Come on, there's got to be something that you want to do." Kushina nudged me as she walked past me, taking a seat at the chair opposite of me. "Do you want to go to the mall? Maybe visit some sites? Come on, Miwa-chan, help me out."
"I don't know, Kushina-san." I mumbled, poking at my food.
"Eat up, it's not going to bite." Kushina teased me, "Don't tell me that Itachi-kun was right when he said that you were anorexic,"
"I am not anorexic!" I threw my hands into the air, "A girl doesn't eat and automatically she's anorexic!"
Kushina chuckled, her sea-foam eyes twinkling. "I'm just teasing Miwa-chan. At least, now I finally got a reaction from you."
I smiled back at the woman, her laugh infectious.
"Well, we can go shopping," Kushina suggested, "What do you say?"
I nodded, taking a bite out of the quickly cooling pancakes.
"Ohayou…" Naruto walked into the kitchen, yawning. "What's for breakfast, Kaa-san?"
"Whatever you want." Kushina stood up, taking her dishes to the sink.
"Really?!"
"Yes, as long as you make it." Kushina smirked at the blonde teenager. "If you wake up late, don't expect me to cook for you."
Naruto pouted, opting to riffle through the fridge for something edible to eat.
"We're going to the mall. Do you need anything?" Kushina asked as she got started on the dishes. Naruto's voice was muffled as he took a bite out of a rice-ball. "Nah, I'm good. Kiba's going to pick me up and we're going out."
Kushina eyed his clothes in distaste. "You've got until I finish these dishes to change and brush your teeth, or else."
I stood up, wiping my mouth. "Thank you, Kushina-san. The food was delicious."
I carried the dishes to the sink as Naruto groaned and walked back to his room.
"You go get ready, as well. We'll leave when you're ready."
I nodded, as I walked back up the stairs.
The walls of the house were filled with framed photos, mainly of Naruto, Kushina, Minato, a redhead male who seemed to be a bit over twenty year old, a white-haired old man, an older woman with two pig-tails, and even some with Mikoto and Fugaku.
I stopped in front of two wedding photos, side by side.
I stared into the first one and smiled softly.
It was Kushina and Minato's wedding.
Kushina looked positively radiant.
It wasn't her dress, or her make-up that made her look so beautiful. It wasn't the veil or the bouquet. It was something that came from within, it was an inner beauty that radiated outwards.
The two of them were standing in front of the church, their lines of bridesmaids and groomsmen lined up on either side of them. Groomsmen on Minato's left and bridesmaids on Kushina's right.
But the two weren't even looking at the camera.
They were looking at each other.
Their faces leaning in towards each other, foreheads touching, eyes half-lidded and soft smiles on their faces.
I almost felt like I was intruding on a very intimate, private moment by just looking at the picture.
I blinked as I looked closer to the picture, was that…?
Yes, my mother was there in the picture as well.
The bridesmaid right next to Kushina, the Maid of Honour.
My eyes hungrily gazed on Mikoto's face, my heart aching as I took in her porcelain, heart-shaped face, her kind obsidian eyes.
I missed her.
Just like the wedded couple, Mikoto wasn't looking at the camera.
She wasn't even smiling.
Well, she was… just not a happy smile.
She staring at Kushina and Minato. A sad smile on her face, she was sad… why?
Why was she sad? Why did she look at Minato and Kushina like that? Like she was sad? Like she was jealous? Like she was…
Like she was so…
Like she was so lonely.
My eyes drifted over to the second wedding photo.
It was my parents' one.
Fugaku stood proud and tall, next to my mother. His handsome face stern as he looked at the camera, his expression completely devoid of emotion.
My eyes shifted over to the woman next to him.
Beautiful and elegant, Mikoto was dressed in the finest wedding dress, the most precious jewels and she had the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. Mikoto was indeed the epitome of beauty and elegance, she was the very picture of a perfect bride.
But she didn't look like a wife.
Comparing the two wedding pictures, Kushina and Minato was by far the happiest couple, whereas Fugaku and Mikoto were the richer one.
But even with all the silks and the jewels that Mikoto had, Kushina was still the more radiant bride, and it had nothing to do with the dresses or the make-up. Kushina looked happy and like she was truly in love whereas Mikoto…
Mikoto looked like a bird that had just been caged. One that no idea about cages or captivity, one that was always free, like her wings had just been clipped and she was sold on auction.
It was heart-breaking.
"What are you doing here?" A deep voice spoke right behind me.
I whirled around to face the person, I stumbled back slightly, when I saw who it was.
"N-Nii-san!" My hands trembled slightly. "Wh-what're you doing here?"
Sasuke looked down on me, both literally and figuratively. I could feel it, and I could see it in his eyes.
"I'm here for a friend," Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Where were you yesterday?"
The conversation between Fugaku and Kushina flashed through my mind. I bit my lip and turned my face away.
"I went for a walk," I mumbled. "I found a library and… I lost track of time."
"Why?"
"I wanted to go out."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to!" I snapped, "What's it to you anyways? It's not like you actually care!"
Sasuke stared at me for a minute or two longer than what would be deemed comfortable, I broke our eye contact, knowing that with my outburst, I had pissed him off a bit.
It's always easy to piss this guy off.
"Fine," Sasuke walked away.
I sighed, Miwa… why are you such an idiot?
~XXX~
"This is fun, isn't it?" Kushina chuckled as we sat in a café just outside of the mall.
I grinned at the older female as I rubbed my aching calf muscles. "If only we didn't feel so tired."
"Well, at least we got our daily exercise." Kushina shrugged, stirring her coffee.
I drummed my fingers on the table as I let my eyes drift around the café.
We sat next to the window of the café, so I was able to see the people walking by. It was funny, how I had the time to watch people rush about with their busy lives, I could see them. Business men rushing by in their suits, carefree women strolling along the pavement, children running ahead of their parents, entertaining themselves by simply running.
I smiled.
"So… Miwa-chan, when do you leave?" Kushina brought her cup to her lips, "Next week? In two weeks?"
"Tomorrow."
Kushina spluttered, "Tomorrow?! You just got here!"
"I know, but I've got school and all that." My smile stayed frozen on my face, "Might as well not overstay my welcome."
I saw Kushina open her mouth to say something, I stood up.
"I'm going to go get a muffin." I laughed, "Do you want one?"
At the shake of her head, I strode to the register, not wanting the conversation to carry on.
I stood at the end of the line, behind a middle-aged woman, drumming my fingers on my thighs as I waited.
A shine caught my eye, right next to my right foot. A ¥100 coin.
I bent down to pick it up, slipping it into my pocket as I stood up.
Only to see some idiot in a hoodie that had pushed in front of me.
"Uhm, excuse me?" I tapped my foot, "I was here first."
The idiot ignored me.
"Excuse me." I pursed my lips, pissed off. "Dude, I'm talking to you."
Still he ignored me.
"Mate! Are you deaf or something?" I shook his shoulder, "Mate, I'm talking to you."
The guy finally turned around, his eyes confused and surprised.
"Mate, I was here first." I placed my hands on my hips, "You pushed in front of me."
The guy pulled off his hood, and took out his earphones that were in his ears.
Oh… that's why he couldn't hear me.
"Sorry?" He asked me.
"I was here first," I said it again, suddenly being aware that he was so much bigger than I was. "You pushed in front of me."
"Sorry, little girl." The guy grinned at me. "Didn't see you since you were so tiny."
I bristled at the comment. "I am not tiny. Neither am I a little girl."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He gestured for me to go in front of him. "Hurry up, my friends aren't patient people."
"Hypocrite." Another voice was heard from behind the two of us. "You're the most impatient."
I turned to see a male, a couple years older than me, with long dark hair and pale eyes. Those eyes were interesting, were they contacts? I couldn't tell.
"Kiba, you're taking too long." The pale-eyed male said. "Hurry up."
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." The first guy, Kiba, waved his hand. "Just go and wait in the car."
I chose a muffin, paid for it and left the two teenagers to their conversation.
I walked back to where Kushina and I were sitting and saw Kushina picking up our bags, getting ready to leave.
"Satoru-jiji just called." Kushina pouted, "You're supposed to be going home now. Since you're leaving tomorrow."
I wrapped up the muffin in a napkin to eat on the way back, and helped the red-haired woman with the bags.
"I can't believe you're going tomorrow," Kushina sighed as she and I left the café, "I really wanted to spend more time with you."
I smiled sadly as we walked back to the car.
'Same here, Kushina-san.'