Summary: Nothing is more blinding than veils one chooses to wear. Of course the protection/delusion never lasts and two particular souls face reality… And embrace it.

AN: Some lime towards the end of this chapter.

...ooO Bondings Ooo...

Namikaze Minato was furious. He was beyond furious. He was enraged.

"Minato."

He continued to work on altering the seals to his private office and meeting room.

"Minato."

All meetings would be in the public, cold, sterile meeting rooms. Only the most trusted would be permitted to enter his private sanctuary. And alone.

"YO! MINATO!"

The blonde jumped, nearly upsetting his ink well. "What is it Jiraiya-sensei?"

The Gama Sannin blinked then smiled more widely. "Relax brat. You're taking it too seriously."

Minatos face turned red. "Too SERIOUSLY? They attacked Kagome! They attacked my Guest! Someone under My Protection!"

Jiraiya flinched. "They would not have harmed her permanently."

"Because if they did I would have killed them." Minato tagged on coldly. "If they show such disrespect towards those in my care I definitely do not trust them to look after Naruto."

Jiraiya tried a different angle. "They only wanted to get your attention. You only have three focuses: Konoha, Kagome, Naruto. Kagome looked like the best bet."

"I find their logic faulty! If they intended to get my interest by attacking Kagome they have succeeded... In the most negative of ways!"

Jiraiya frowned. "I don't understand Minato... What is Kagome to you?"

Minato stilled. "Kagome is Kagome. She is... a friend."

"Nothing more?" Jiraiya leered. "You aren't interested in her?"

Minato frowned. "That is none of your concern."

"But it is Konohas concern." Jiraiya spoke in unexpectedly serious tones. "If she is distracting you from your duty to Kono-."

"And how has she done just that?" Minato spoke in biting tones.

Jiraiya recoiled from his former students fierceness. "There is some talk... that she has been influencing you."

"How so?" Minato relaxed, mouth half curved in humor.

"Well, her promotion of the renewed Uchiha tradition-."

"It existed long before she did for a reason. A very valid reason."

"And your sons... gift."

"You mean his kekkai genkai. A Gift from Aoshi because Kagome helped ensure all the guilty were caught and she worries for Narutos well-being."

"Some of the shinobis are interested in having similar Gifts-."

"NO!" Brown eyes resembled agate chips. "I swore I would protect her. If anyone dares to force her I will Kill Them!" The air swirled around the Yondaime in sharp blades. "I will slaughter all who dare to instigate such activities."

Jiraiya froze very still as the air blades sliced at his clothing. His old student resembled nothing more than a vicious predator at just that moment.

Then Minato spoke in icy precise tones. "Tell those who even dare consider such a plan of what I will do to anyone who forces Kagome into what she does not want."

Jiraiya forced his fear down. "This is exactly it Minato! You are placing her above Konoha!"

The Yondaime spoke. "Jiraiya, I ordered the execution of those who tried to steal and control power they had no right to. Your old team-mate included. I will not change my choices. If fools persist then I Will Leave! I will not tolerate Anyone breaking the laws of the Three Realms! Such foolishness will bring the wrath of youkai and the kamis upon us!" Then he sighed. "Ningens have forgotten too much. If you choose not to believe me and Kagome then go do your own research. Find old shrines and monasteries and talk to their caretakers. If you find any that survived the Ages. I can give you the directions to two. One is in Iwa, the other is in Kusa."

Jiraiya stared at his old student. Minato was so certain he was right... Was he? Firmly he pushed that thought away and went to his next point.

"Okay. You've said she is just a friend, and under your protection. Now, about you... Sarutobi-sensei believes you should get married."

"No." The word was weighty. "I wed once for Konoha. I will not wed for Konoha alone a second time."

"But you aren't meeting any of the potential-."

"I do not care for brainless or ambitious civilians or kunoichis." Minato hissed.

"You just need to sort through the chaff to find a few good ones."

"They are all chaff."

"Nonsense!"

The argument went on until Jiraiya finally broke and exploded.

"The way you are acting you seem unwilling to consider anyone but that Miko!" Then the Sannin stilled seeing something in the younger mans expression. "You are, aren't you! You want her!" Jiraiya shook his head. "No. No. No! You can't marry her Minato!"

The Yondaime glared at the older shinobi. "And why not?"

"She is nothi-."

"Nothing? Nothing with the power to stop a bijuu? Nothing with the knowledge of the Ages? Nothing with the respect and trust of allies with the power to destroy whole countries? Nothing with the connections to those who can Create kekkai genkai?" Minato smashed his old senseis arguments and protests to shreds. "Nothing, you say? If she is nothing then every kunoichi in this village is Less than Nothing!"

With that the Yondaime turned on his heel and stalked out of his office ignoring the small pile of paperwork waiting his attention. He needed to calm down. He needed Kagome.

..oo..

Kagome very carefully spooned the prepared stir-fry over the noodles. She wasn't sure if Minato would be back in time for dinner but she could prepare a plate for him and seal it.

Naruto was becoming more active, staying awake for longer periods of time. She couldn't carry him in a sling like usual. He needed a portable playpen and toys. Perhaps a proper carry-saque that could be worn as a backpack. She'd have to talk to a shinobi outfitter to make something like that. And a collapsible playpen that could be carried around easily.

"Tadaima!" A familiar masculine voice called out.

All her tension faded. Naruto chortled hearing his fathers voice.

"We're in the kitchen!"

A few minutes later a familiar blonde, tanned form appeared in the doorway. Kagome smiled and gestured to the Western-style small dining table.

"Relax. Eat. We can talk after Naruto is settled."

To her surprise his tension did not fade but continued to draw out. The meal was quiet, only broken by polite small-talk.

Once Naruto was fed, changed, and sleeping snugly the two retreated to the small study. It was lined by shelves and square compartments for storing books and scrolls. The entire floor was covered with tatami mats. At one end of the room was an oversized desk and chair. A smaller chaise and two easy chairs formed a conversation nook at the other end of the room.

Kagome settled on the chaise lounge arranging the material of her yukata around her legs. Suddenly she wished for the layers of a kimono, or the formality of her miko garb. Forcing the uncertainty away she lifted her chin to meet the troubled eyes of the Yondaime standing a few feet away.

"What is it Minato-kun?"

"Do you know?"

Kagome stilled. "Know what?"

Minato gestured angrily. "What the bitches are trying to do. The Clans."

Kagome relaxed minutely. "Of course." She looked faintly amused. "I've had no less than a dozen proposals since Sesshoumaru and Aoshi left. And the women… I've had deluded women attack me before in the hopes of attracting the attentions of an uninterested male."

Minato glared. "I mean the rumours. That you are-."

"A slut who consorts with youkai and betrays her own kind?" Kagome spoke in distant amused tones. "I've gone through all this before and I don't care."

Minato stared at her then spoke with complete certainty. "You are lying. When you say you don't care. You care... too much."

Kagomes calm splintered. Her eyes showed her turmoil and her voice trembled. "Then what do you expect me to do? Beg for their forgiveness? Force myself to ignore my true friends and allies to placate the ignorant masses? I did that once and was betrayed, I won't do it again!"

Minato did not falter; his expression was only slightly troubled.

"I'm worried about you." He admitted freely. "Words can hurt. They can inflict wounds that last a lifetime."

Kagome smiled, a faint bitter expression. "You are speaking to the choir, Minato-kun. My scars still hurt."

Minato shook his head and settled on one bent knee before Kagome, so he could meet her eyes on the same level.

"They would not be so vicious if it wasn't for me."

Kagome shook her head. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. But for me it is best to see the ugliness from the start. I would rather not trust and have it betrayed."

"Do you always expect betrayal?" Minato was truly disturbed.

"Always." Was her unhesitating reply.

"Even from me?"

She hesitated. "You do not owe your first loyalty to me." She replied after a long pause.

"I promised to protect you." He protested.

"But not forever. I would not expect you to." She chewed on her lower lip. "In fact I should be making plans-."

"NO!"

Kagome started. "What?" She gasped when he caught her chin in one hand.

"No." He replied firmly. "You are not leaving. You are not leaving me." And with those words he pressed his lips to hers.

Kagome froze, her lips pressed tightly together, unwilling to give way. To her surprise he was content with exploring the seam of her lips, the corners of her mouth, her cheeks. When he tasted the sensitive skin of her jaw line she gasped, parting her lips.

He was quick to take advantage of her vulnerability, to explore the sensitive flesh, to coax her into responding. He was unwilling to let go, he felt like he was drowning and could die happy kissing her.

If kissing her made him feel like this what would it be like to have more?

Kagome was slightly dizzy, confused, flushed, aroused, and yearning. Her hands were clenched in his thick blonde hair, one loosening to fall on his shoulder as her head fell forward panting. She could feel his hands, at her back and in her hair, drawing her close.

She felt tears spring to life.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She begged in a choked sob.

"Because I care for you. I cannot bear to just stand by and watch you leave as I originally planned to. I know I have no right to ask for more, to make demands after all you've done, but I find I cannot deny what I feel." He rested his forehead against hers. "Jiraiya saw it. Soon Sarutobi will. Then others will as follow."

Kagome pulled away. "How long?"

"I don't know." He admitted freely. "All I know is I cannot bear losing you."

Kagome steeled herself. "What If I said I cannot bear living in Konoha? That I wanted to leave?"

"I'd hope you know of a place outside the Elemental Countries." Minato admitted freely. "If I leave Konoha I will most likely be marked as a nukenin and hunted by other Villages as well as Konoha."

Kagome blinked. "You are willing to leave your village? Your position and privilege as Hokage?"

"I am shinobi first and foremost. I became Hokage because I wanted to protect Konoha. After Aoshi and all that I've uncovered... my faith in Konohas goodness has shaken. The way the civilians and shinobi have been behaving... it is trying my patience and belief and goodwill. After seeing Konohas dark depths I wonder if other villages have hidden light. I would not mind moving to another shinobi village but it is doubtful they would ever trust me."

Kagome felt tears rise. "I'm not asking you to-."

"But I am willing to." He spoke firmly. "After all that's happened I am not willing to let what I want pass by without reaching out." He cupped her face in one hand. "I was an orphan Kagome, for the longest time the only thing I ever wanted was a family, someone to love and protect. When I was young it was everyone in the village but now..." He kissed her, a brief almost chaste kiss. "I will not let duty and cold logic dominate my life. Not when I can have so much more."

Kagome cried. She cried noisily, loudly, messily. By the time the tears slowed Minato was sitting on the chaise lounge, Kagome cuddled on his lap, his coat and flak vest were discarded and his shirt was slightly damp.

"They are not going to be happy." She spoke finally in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Yes."

"They will try to change your mind."

"They will not succeed. I want to marry you Kagome. As soon as possible." Kagome stilled and kept her head tucked under his chin. "This isn't a trick. I want to marry you. I want to hug and kiss you without wondering if it is acceptable. I want to wake up knowing you are sleeping beside me. I want us to be a family. I want to have more children with black hair and wide blue eyes. I definitely want to practice getting those children. I-."

"Enough!" Kagome was aghast and blushing. "You don't know..."

"If we are sexually compatible?" He continued helpfully.

"Well... Yes!"

Deft light fingers slipped inside her yukata casually stroking the curves of her breasts, brushing against the tips, teasing them into stiffness.

Kagome jerked, feeling the fire dance from her nipples to her groin, a liquid heat between her thighs.

Minato smirked. "I do believe the lady doth protest too much."

Kagome glared at him, sliding off his lap and to the end of the chaise lounge. Her yukata was gaping exposing the inner curves of her breasts and skin to her waist. Gingerly she retied the material. The cotton fabric aggravated her sensitized tips. She bit her lip as fresh arousal surged through her from the delicate friction.

"I'm not going to just say yes to your proposal."

"Take your time Kagome. It is a life-altering decision." He smirked and slid across the chaise lounge towards her.

"I will fight you if I feel you are making the wrong choice."

"You are not a shinobi, you do not have to obey my orders." He edged closer.

Her temper flared. "Just because you have every single female in Konoha willing to agree to anything, it doesn't mean I feel the same!"

"I've always admired your independence." A few more inches.

"I won't just give in because I'm attracted to you."

"Of course not." He was inches from her face.

Then something gave way inside of her psyche. "I'll kill you if you betray me and our family." She whispered.

"You are more than welcome to do so."

His lips touched hers. It was the first of many kisses and touches, the prologue to other deeper intimacies.

...ooOoo...

TBC…

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