Gen Summary: Dorea picks Naruto world to fall into, tries to seamlessly ingrate herself in Konoha and end causing trouble. The good sort.
Warnings: Kiss cannon goodbye. Fem!Minato and male!Kushina. Mentions of genderbent HP characters like Susan Bones (who is now Dave Bones). Shifting POVs. Dorea/male!Kushina (because why the heck not?). Meddling Mikoto.

Notes: This was made purely to help me grasp conversation flows… I suck at those, so if you have any pointers, feel free to add!

Intro

Red Heads

A little what if story.

Or the story in which Namikaze Minato is actually Namikaze Minako and Uzumaki Kushina is actually Uzumaki Shinaku and he meets Dorea Potter who is addicted to red heads.

Part: The Fourteenth
Try

The next morning dawned dewy and dark, but Shinaku woke up with a new resolution. He pumped himself with courage, smiled at his reflection on the mirror and tried to think positively.

"Minako-chan. Go out with me" He asked as soon as he met Minako-chan waiting for Bakakashi on training ground 9. They met there sometimes (Shinaku and Minako) to go to his apartment when Minako finished whipping her disciple into shape.

The blonde jonin in question just stared at him confusedly, though there was this delighted light in her eyes that made him certain she'd agree "Oh… Uzumaki-san! That caught me by surprise, where is it coming from?" She asked, waving at Kakashi, who was skipping out on them as soon as he saw the approaching redhead.

Good. Kid learns fast.

"I… I like you, go on a date with me" Shinaku repeated with more conviction, but faltered when Minako's face fell, that light in her blue eyes dimming. She looked frustrated about something which didn't mean anything to him.

"I can't right now and you know why" His blonde friend answered a bit defensively after a moment of staring blankly at one another "I have piles of things to do and Kakashi-kun needs attention, maybe next time" She finished with a head shake, excusing herself and leaving him there with his shattered confidence. Shinaku felt his stomach drop to his feet…

How… why… what?

Rejection hurt.

Shinaku thought to himself, shoulders dropping. It hurt and it made no sense whatsoever. After spending the night gathering his courage to confess to Minako-chan and she shrugs his feelings off like they were nothing… Dorea made this look ridiculously easy.

Oh dear, his chest constricted with even more guilt.

Mikoto, his dark haired Uchiha teammate chose that moment to drop in surprise on him. She pulled his right arm and tucked it with her right elbow, forcing him to fall into pace with her as she led them away from the training ground.

He just wanted to curl up somewhere and sulk "Did you get dumped by Minako?" Mikoto asked, drawing his attention away from the beaten down dirt road.

"None of your business, leave me alone" He snapped at her, dodging expectedly when she tried to swat his head with her left hand for his big mouth. He couldn't bring himself to feel sorry about mouthing to Mikoto though.

She did mind his attitude, however she chose a meaner way to get even "No need to get catty… Did Dorea-chan visit you last night?"

His mouth tasted like ash, though Mikoto's words made something click in his head "So it was you who sent her tebane!" Because Dorea, passive, docile Dorea would never have the balls to go to him under normal circumstances.

She said she liked him… so would she just sit back and watch as he pranced about with Minako-chan? Now he felt even more a jerk.

What must have taken out of her to prompt her to act that way… she must have been feeling quite desperate or reckless. Or heartbroken. Feh…

The Uchiha woman waved him off, ignoring his words and concentrating on their meaning "Then she did visit you! How did it go?" she caught on, making him flinch slightly – which she most assuredly felt thanks to their linked arms.

"Wha? How do you-" He sputtered inelegantly, shaking his head and waving his free arm.

Mikoto cut him off "We talked, now answer the question, how did it go?" Once more his chest felt tight with a dark sentiment at what Dorea must have felt last night, he kept his lips clinched shut "If you don't tell me I will hunt Dorea-chan down" His (ex) friend asked/threatened quite effectively.

But Shinaku was undeterred in this case, he tried another way out hoping to succeed in escaping Mikoto on a mission. "Since when has she become Dorea-chan to you?"

The Uchiha she-devil caught on that as well and squeezed his arm painfully until his cheeks colored in anger "Don't change the subject. And since we talked" she snapped with temper. Her answer to everything was 'since we talked'…

"Tsc…" The growl that escaped his throat was utterly heartfelt.

"That bad?" Shinaku nodded empathically slowly.

Then shook his head a moment later, as if trying to find words to describe the emotional disaster (maybe he should just pretend to have gynophobia completely and be done with women!) "Not… really… but…"

"You refused her feelings" Mikoto understood right away and…"Now at least you know how she felt last night"… crushed the rest of his spirit in the next sentence.

"It sucks tebane" Shinaku confessed sulkily, cheeks puffed out in a pout "But Minako-chan said maybe next week…" There had to be a silver lining in all this, right? And the more he thought about this, the more cheerful he managed to make himself. Maybe there still was a chance!

"Does it matter?" His (ex) friend asked, butting into his hope bubble and popping it mercilessly (again) "It hurts the same, doesn't it?" she pointed out, managing to convey how big of an idiot he was in six words.

"Yeah" He agreed reluctantly, but added as soon as he could just to keep positive "… I can wait for Minako-chan, though" Was he so willing to dismiss Dorea like that? Even Shinaku didn't believe his own words.

As if reading his mind, Mikoto argued "Yes, you can, but how long do you think Dorea-chan will wait for you?" Shinaku tried to imagine how he'd feel in Dorea' shoes, and found he had new empathy for her as of sudden "She is starting to make new friends, soon she won't need you anymore and you will be left behind by Dorea-chan too" And there went his head, imagining both Dorea and Minako leaving him behind.

It wasn't fair.

And also hurt like hell.

"I'm not! I'm not being left behind by anyone!" His words were heated and insecure – Shinaku hated himself just a bit for it (and Mikoto too) "Dorea likes me, she won't… forget me"

"Don't be even more of a block head than usual. Dorea-chan is a beautiful young woman who has moved to the village, already has her own business and is fairly successful. She is friends with us, who are ninja, thus she has connection to the future Uchiha-clan matriarch and the Uzumaki-clan heir – others will notice her value soon, and then she might forget you when someone who really likes her comes along" He knew that. He knew that. But…

"That's not fair datebane!" Shinaku cried out, wrenching his arm free of his (ex)friend's and turning around to face her. His eyes were hard, icy shards. He really liked her, can't they understand that?

Mikoto ignored his anger and pushed further "It's not fair to Dorea-chan. You've been stringing her on all this time, and if you keep pushing her she will eventually get the idea that you don't want her around" He knew that damnit!

"I don't push her away" He didn't! Did he? A new wave of dark feelings made his head sag slightly "Just a bit… because Minako-chan needed help with a couple of seals this week and…" excuses he told himself and Mikoto. At the time, that really seemed like such a good idea.

Why does things need to be so complicated?

"And last week you had a mission and barely any time to spare on her, but you at least made an effort. Girls notice these things" Mikoto continued relentlessly, finishing in a soft, understanding voice.

Shinaku reeled somewhat by Mikoto's change of tone, but nodded nonetheless despite his bad humor. "Oh, right, you're a girl…" He noted with a touch of maliciousness.

Her right eye twitched at his brilliant observation, but she did smile (poisonously) sweetly "Yes. Oh… Shinaku. Just tell me, since you're willing to ignore Dorea-chan to spend time with Minako, you won't mind when she moves on. You won't mind when you see her on the streets beside another guy, will you?"

His mind conjured the images on its own. He 'saw' Dorea hanging out with another guy, 'saw' her being lovey-dovey with someone else, 'saw' as she passed him by without even recognizing him… It made his blood boil and every instinct he possessed screamed about the wrongness.

Yes, he would mind.

Deeply.

He was a jealous bastard, he realized, not liking the picture Mikoto painted in his head. If he left Minako-chan alone, she'd move on without him and be awesome on her on – if he left Dorea alone, she'd move on without him and leave him alone… why can't he have both of them?!

"I… don't know" He mumbled at last, escaping Mikoto's presence and fleeing to the top of the Hokage monument to think.

Part: The Fifteenth
War

And think he did. A lot too. And in all his immature wisdom, he also had a spark of brilliancy.

Shinaku came to the conclusion that the best way to deal with things was to be upfront. He'd lay out his idea and brace himself for the reactions. (At this rate he'd have grey hairs before long – that or give up on girls forever).

"Dorea, we need to talk" The red head approached his target precisely at eleven fifty five. "I… would like to ask if that date invite is still standing" His chin tucked out defiantly, daring her to reject him – hoping she wouldn't.

Dorea blinked, before a wide, welcoming smile blossomed on her face making the very around her sparkle beautifully. "Of course it is!" She exclaimed with a welcoming expression, shoulders relaxing as she read him for his state of mind and found comfort in his eyes. "Just let me close up and we can go grab lunch"

Shinaku perked up some more, light filling him at Dorea's easy acceptance, as if erasing all the drama that happened the past days.

"Ramen?" He asked hopefully, making his green eyed companion giggle with mirth at his predictability.

"Yep, as if it could have been anything else with you!" Dorea agreed, poking his sides and making his cheeks flare with color. Focus, he told himself. He was on a mission here.

Feeling a bit bad about making her eat Ramen every time they went out, he allowed reluctantly. "Eheh… if you want, we can go visit one of those frilly cafes you like so much"

His green eyed friend shook her head understandingly. "Nah, ramen is fine" It was all the encouragement he needed. The red head bend down and scooped Dorea in his arms, pressing her against his chest and marveling at her softness without conscious thought. "Shinaku!" The victim in question protested laughingly, finding in herself to have fun instead of being irritated.

He appreciated that. A lot. He did put her down when they approached his favorite food stand though.

"Hey there Ichiraku-ji-chan, for two!" Shinaku bellowed, catching the ramen stand's owner attention and waving an arm at himself and his 'date'. It left a weird, sweet, fluttering sensation in the cavity where his heart was located. "The usual for both of us tebane!"

They both settled on side-by-side stools. Dorea's legs didn't reach the ground, he noticed absently as his eyes raked over her sitting form. She felt his stare and looked up at him, smiling softly. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

His face actually heated in shame. Shinaku had to swallow a couple of times before the cotton left his mouth. "Ugh… er… I'm sorry about the other night, and about avoiding you until now"

Dorea just blinked, eyebrows furrowed and smile losing warmth. "I must have freaked you out huh?" she sighed to herself, absently waving a hand as if wanting to spare his feelings and diminish her own. "Don't worry about it" she said, and he'd have believed had Mikoto not made him look into Dorea a bit deeper.

Her eyes were dark and her smile made of plastic. Shinaku picked up her hand, holding it between his own. "No, I'm going to worry. You know why?" He asked, staring deep into her befuddled, but hopeful eyes. "This is going to sound totally stupid"

It sounded stupid in his head, must sound stupid out loud. "Hm?" Dorea queried, tilting her head and making her unbound hair slip over a delicate looking shoulder.

Shinaku stilled in response to the cute picture, but braced himself and continued. "I… I like you Dorea, but I also like Minako-chan" He admitted shamefully, wholly expecting reproach in her mien but finding only understanding.

"Ah…" Dorea nodded slowly, in that particular manner of hers, accepting his words in tandem. "Um… Mikoto-chan talked to me the other day and-"

The red head grimaced, interrupting Dorea before she could finish, already guessing what she was about to say. "Told you to go knock some sense back into me? Yeah, she's let me know about that, and also told me how stupid I was" He squeezed her hand, drawing a sad little grin out of her. "I just can't decide between you and Minako-chan, I thought about things a lot and it's not fair to you, nor to Minako-chan" His words were urging her to understand.

She didn't. Selfless little bint. He thought half exasperated and half fondly.

The green eyed girl's voice shook a little as she told him. "If… If you like Namikaze-san, I won't hold you back"

"It's not about you holding me back tebane!" Shinaku hissed, giving in to exasperation in the end. "I don't want to hold you back"

"You're not. Holding me back, I mean" Dorea denied vehemently, with both words and her darkened eyes, there was this determined tilt to her lips that scared him. "Let me tell you my story… You know I came to Konoha with only the clothes on my back and what little money I managed to salvage. I came from a really far away place, beyond boundaries you can't even imagine. It was a long way but I did make it to Konoha. I did all that, sacrificed so much, because my whole world got destroyed. Everything I knew and loved taken from me. I couldn't handle the loneliness anymore and decided to move on… when I arrived in Konoha, I had the possibilities of a fresh start. And you know what I cherish more about this place? You"

The words she said, he dissected them slowly.

She was like him, was the first thing he noticed. Lost her home and was alone, struggling to build a new family for herself but hesitating because she just couldn't lose them again. She didn't want to lose him by standing between him and Minako – he finally saw why.

The second was the admission that he was the one she cherishes the most.

That was… priceless.

"Dorea…" Shinaku whispered, almost brokenly, asking without words for clarification on all she's said.

"You were the first person to extend a hand to me and I'm so happy to have met you, so don't think you owe me anything, it's the other way around! I'm happy to be your friend, and I will still be your friend no matter what you do or chose, alright?" Dorea expounded, finishing her speech by squeezing his hand instead.

"I… thank you for trusting me so much, I won't let you down tebane!" He felt humbled beyond words. He'd also cherish her feelings a lot more, for now he found what worth they have.

The ramen tasted divine and he escorted Dorea back to her shop by his arm, taking the scenic route and taking comfort in her steady presence.

A little while later, he'd need all the comfort he could get when the second part of his plans came about.

He approached his second target with a distinct optimism. If the open conversation he had with Dorea was so fruitful, a part of him was hopeful that the conversation he planned to have with Minako-chan would also go wonderfully.

He was planning on letting both girls know about his feeling, and then go from there. It was only fair, right?

"Minako-chan, we need to have a very serious talk" Shinaku found Minako by the training grounds, she was finishing a lap around her favorite training spot, but stopped dutifully when she heard him. "I like you a lot, you know, but I can't wait for you forever… it's been a couple of weeks and we're about to be deployed. I need to know if we can make whatever that is between us work" He began. "I also have Dorea to think about and-"

Minako cleared her throat and raised a hand, stopping him midsentence. "I don't think we should be having this conversation right now" She said succinctly, making him blink confusedly.

"Then when should we?" He demanded quietly, staring at her the same way he did Dorea. He couldn't read her.

"War is breaking out between Konoha, Iwa and Kumo. A lot can happen in the meantime, we don't have time to worry about these kinds of things! If we're going to have a serious relationship, you have to grow up" Minako's words cut him deeper than he'd have liked to admit to himself.

It also made something within his chest give.

"Is that how you really feel tebane?" Shinaku asked one more time, just to be sure, clinging to a last remain of hope that wouldn't be snuffled by Minako's callous words nor his own feelings.

The blonde sighed tiredly, for once showing him her weariness. He swallowed deeply. "You're cute and smart, and really nice to spent time with, but I just can't concentrate on you right now" She said, and something in her face was urging him to understand. To give her a chance. To wait.

"Alright, I understand"

And he spoke the truth.

"Thank you" Minako whispered, leaving him behind one more time.

He understood. He really did.

Didn't mean he had to accept being dismissed, nor did it mean he had to take it quietly.

Even if Minako ever liked him at all, he'd not wait for her… like Mikoto said, life moves forward, and plus, he was not feeling all hung up on the estate Minako left him. Shinaku actually felt relief invade his being, for now, for the first time since he met Dorea he could allow himself to truly care for her.

It was going to be fun.

If he ignored the bittersweetness. And assured Dorea she was not second best.

Part: The Fifteenth/1
Love

He pounced. Literally.

She was there, curled on her bed with a book and a cup of tea sitting on the side table, all adorable with an orange, flower printed dress – hair damp as if she's recently took a bath, and that made his nose twitch as he remembered the last time he caught her unaware after a bath.

That particular shirt of his still smelled of her shampoo. For some demented, possessive reason, he was unable to wash it and kept the thing buried in his closet… That was disturbing and stalkerish… so Shinaku shrugged and broke into her house with shameless abandon.

"Dorea, get up tebane!" He ordered, she squeaked, he got impatient and pulled her off her bed. "We're going out" Shinaku let her know before carelessly tossing himself and his precious cargo out the window whence he came from.

Dorea didn't even bother struggling, she just settled in his arms and glared balefully at him from behind annoyed green eyes. He cooed mentally, pulling the girl closer so he could rub their cheeks together. "Shinaku! What's going on?" The girl accepted his cuddle, and that made a grin the size of Suna's walls nearly break his face in two.

"You will see tebane!" He sped up, hopping over rooftops until finally reaching the set destination.

The top of the Hokage mountain.

A glower made sure pesky genin scampered, and he gently settled Dorea on her feet. She didn't even need to hold onto him to regain her bearings anymore, but she did whack his shoulder in admonission.

"You've taken me away from a really good bock" She grounded between her teeth "So this better be good" Her glare was adorable.

Not resisting anymore and tittering with nervous energy, Shinaku manhandled Dorea one more time, this time grabbing onto her arms and smacking their lips together.

A second later, both were dazedly staring at the other. "I like you, not Minako. Will you give me a chance?"

Dorea's cheeks burned. He felt proud of himself for growing the balls to kiss her first. "Fine… as long as you work on your kissing techniques" She grumbled, but was smiling brightly up at him. "I think you need to try again, practice, you see?"

Shinaku complied happily. Training never felt so nice.

Part: The Fifteenth/2
Life

…Goes on.

"So Minako has two more students" Shinaku told Dorea over their customary cup of ramen. If she was a normal woman, she'd be worrying about her waist line with all the extra calories daily consumption of noodles brought. But witches had naturally higher metabolism that allowed them to channel magic without risk to their bodies. "I dunno if I will ever taken on brats like she did… what do you think?" Her very own personal red head asked, spying her from underneath his fringe and grinning unrepentantly.

Dorea grinned back, reaching out with a hand to mess with the fascinating strands of blood colored hair, when she had Shinaku a purring mass of contentment, she answered carefully. "I think you would be great with kids" She said honestly "You might come off as irresponsible at first, but I know you take your responsibilities seriously"

"You really think so? I can only have my own team when my promotion goes through tebane" He shook his head, looking put out when she stopped her ministration and leaning down on her lap in retaliation – throwing the ramen plastic cup carelessly over the couch they were sitting on. "What do you mean with 'irresponsible'?" Shinaku's cheeks puffed out, Dorea only blinked innocently.

"Mikoto-chan might have told me a couple of stories…" She admitted freely, to his sputtered protest. "So you still speaking to Minako?" Dorea's curiosity had a tinge of darkness in it.

"Yeah, she's always been a friend for me" Shinaku eyed her then, as if noticing something important since his eyes widened comically. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Nope, you're mine" Dorea spoke with confidence, finding it easier every time to admit this to herself.

It's been almost a year since Shinaku kidnapped her from her home (again) and sprung the biggest, wettest, most awkward kiss in the history of kisses on her – on top of the Hokage monument, which was apparently a hot spot for love confessions if the gossip she heard was anything to go by. Shinaku was such a shameless closet romantic it wasn't even funny teasing him about it now.

It was also the best kiss she's ever had.

Since then Dorea managed to drag his ass to live with her – after the first really painful month during which they 'dated', and then the even more painful following month in which his friends and colleagues realized they were dating. After everyone and their mothers knew, it was only right that Minako also heard about the relationship in the rumor mills.

She was oddly alright about it too, giving Shinaku her blessings to move on.

Well, Dorea smiled like the cat who cot the canary. This cat had the canary curled on her lap and nuzzling into her stomach, while the other cat was left licking its chops. A small part of her felt guilty at having butted in what was supposed to mean a really deep romance between Minako and Shinaku.

But the larger part of her, the one that was so tired of being alone embraced this nice, cuddly feeling and said 'to hell with following the timeline' and just did what she wanted to. She'd do her darnest best to make sure this version of the timeline didn't go to shambles.

"What are you thinking about?" Shinaku asked, poking her forehead. Dorea rolled her eyes fondly and leaned down to kiss him, prodding his lips with her tongue and wasting no time to descend into a passion filled moment that made her toes curl. "I love you" She whispered against him when they parted for air. "And I'm glad I have you".

"I love you too" Her lover reciprocated, raising his hands to weave them in her hair. Dorea groaned when he started an impromptu massage.

"Even if the world ends because of me?" He eyed her oddly, quirking an eyebrow.

"Someone thinks a lot of herself" Dorea kissed him again. "But right, if the world ends, it will be because of us both, cause we're awesome like that, yeah?"

'It may as well happen like that' Dorea nodded instead, deciding to forgone guilt and just give into her addiction.

…

A few years later.

"Get out of the way woman"

A masked man glowered down at her. She was hunched over her fallen red haired husband who just had the grace to drag himself back home after helping save the Hokage.

"If you think you will put your filthy hands on my husband, you are sorely mistaken"…

Dorea growled, bending protectively over Shinaku, eyes glowing with her power.

"Dorea… You can't…"

He protested weakly. If only he'd been stronger…

"Shut up. You got yourself beaten up rescuing Yondaime Hokage – Minako-san – in the first place"

She hissed, not looking away from the masked man… who was this, she didn't know. Obito still suffered the accident at Kannabi bridge. But he returned home and was contently dating Rin, who has become the Three tails jinchuriki after another plot by the bad guys went wrong.

"But you're not… a ninja… you…"

…

"Listen to him and step out of the way"

Wasn't this remotely familiar, Dorea thought.

"Are you mad? I won't let you here to die you idiot"

"Then you will die together!"

Attack.

"NO!"

Her stupid ass husband pushed her out of the way and took on the enemy's power on his own. Dread pooled in her belly as she saw the red spread through the floor beneath his body.

"SHINAKU!"

The masked man tossed a look at her, mockingly cleaning his sword against her husband's torn clothes.

"…"

Dorea saw red.

…

"And that's how mummy saved daddy from certain death" Dorea finished with a small smile, wincing in pain as she remembered what happened that fateful day.

The masked man came anyway, he was a fixed point – couldn't be helped – and attacked with two tailed beasts (The seven tails and the four tails), intent on leveling Konoha into a crater. Minako, being the genius sealer speared the defenses against the chakra beasts, showing herself to be quite the badass Hokage. Only the villain was planning on releasing a final bijuu – Kyuubi, and almost succeeded.

He didn't count on Dorea's presence.

It took almost all the power she had to keep the kyuubi inside Shinaku (the moment it escaped was the moment her husband was lost for sure), then it took even more to heal him. She died, he told her later when they were sharing a hospital room. Her heart had stuttered to a stop by the time help came to them.

She gave her life for his…

It had the odd advantage of ridding her of that pesky immortality. Apparently, she's used what was left of the Philosopher Stone in her system as a catalyst to channel her powers into Shinaku, restoring his own life.

They still haven't caught onto the masked man yet. (it's been five years since that day).

Konoha was still on her ass for hiding what they thought a 'kekkei genkai' for so long.

And Shinaku was even more cuddly – the older he got, the more adorable he became.

Oh… and she had kids of her own! In her old world – even in this own, Dorea felt divided about having children… she'd outlive them in the best of hypothesis… but now, now she could embrace life to its fullest. Little Kotome made sure of that. He was also a red head.

"Oooh!" Kotome giggled. "Mummy is cooler than Daddy tebani!" Shinaku sneaked an arm behind Dorea and pinched her bum for spreading lies.

"That's so not true! Daddy is a lot more badass than mummy tebane!" He grumbled.

Dorea chuckled behind her hand and peeked at her husband from beneath her lashes. "Want to bet on that?"

"Name your price" He rose up to the challenge.

"A foot rub"

"Deal!" Shinaku nodded resolutely, shaking Dorea's hand. "Now how do we go about proving my awesomeness?" Kotome laughed, jumping into his daddy's arms. "Right champ?"

Dorea grinned sharply, blinking innocently when the father and son pair looked at her. "I'm more awesome, just admit it"

"Why should we?"

"Well… Then I guess me and baby-chan will be going elsewhere, somewhere people appreciate us…" There. Clue given.

A few seconds went by.

"What?" Shinaku's mouth hung open. Kotome patted his red hair understandingly.

"I'm pregnant, silly"

In the end she received her foot rub.

...

FIM! :)

What do you think of this totally whacky pairing? I had fun! xD