Chapter 12: Yondaime-sama

Kushina had the distinct sensation of being a fish out of water as she aimlessly wandered around the little clothing shop. This particular shop specialized in formal-wear, especially kimonos. She really hated kimonos.

Why do these things have to be so damn expensive? And so complicated? And come in so many colors and patterns?

Her head was swimming with prices and colors and designs and—

"I so don't belong in here," she muttered and massaged her temples.

"Then why are you in here?"

She glanced up and found Nara Yoshino, Shikaku's girlfriend-turned-wife of just over a year looking back at her, vaguely amused. "Oh…hi. I'm, uh…shopping."

"Kimono shopping? You?" Yoshino raised a dark eyebrow. "…Why?"

"Well, there's going to be that big celebration in a few weeks and…" Kushina shifted anxiously. This is so embarrassing…

"And you want to wear a kimono to that?" Yoshino folded her arms over her chest. "You know your kunoichi gear is perfectly acceptable, or even just a yukata."

"I know!" Kushina huffed and scowled off to the side at a particularly gaudy collection of fabrics.

Now both of Yoshino's eyebrows went up. "You actually want to dress up?"

Kushina scowled. "Not really."

"So…" Her dark eyes lit up. "You want to look extra special for someone, eh?"

"No!" was her immediate response. Then she reconsidered. "…Well, maybe."

"I can help," Yoshino smiled. At Kushina's wary look, she chuckled. "Relax! Be glad that I'm not Inoichi's wife. She'd have you all in floral prints and spend hours agonizing over your 'season' and such."

The red-head paled and shuddered. "Ew."

"So let's get this part over with," Yoshino invited.

"This part?" Kushina muttered.

"Well a kimono is only part of fixing yourself up," the other woman grinned. "There's the rest of your look too: hair, make-up, maybe a little jewelry…"

Kushina wrinkled her nose. "Right." I was going to worry about that stuff later.

"But first things first," Yoshino mumbled and started poking through the racks. "Find the dress…"

This is gonna suck…

But it should be worth it…I hope.


I am awesome!

Kushina could feel the corners of her mouth twitching as she smothered back a smile. Yoshino had been a great help in locating a good kimono—a deep forest green number with leaf outlines embroidered in gold thread and a black obi and under-layers. And then the dark-haired woman had persuaded her to get her hair and make-up done with Inoichi's young wife. That had been a bit of a struggle, the bubbly blonde had wanted to do some very ambitious things, things Kushina didn't really want. In the end, things worked out just fine.

I think he's drooling! she cackled to herself as she eyed Minato from across the room.

The Hokage Manor, normally a private residence for the Hokage and his family only, had been transformed into a celebration of the new Hokage. The large formal dining room now housed a huge buffet table, provided by the Akimichi clan of course. The rest of the rooms that were open for the party were draped with streamers, little red paper lanterns decorated with the kanji for fire, and little notes wishing well the new Hokage's reign.

The guest list was something of a who's-who of the Konoha elite. There were high-ranking members of every ninja clan in the village as well as numerous important civilian officials and friends of the newly-minted ninja leader. Add to it a number of party-crashers and most of the ninja in ANBU and it was a packed house.

It was well into the evening now. Everyone was on a bit of a high from the festivities that went on earlier in the day. And of course from Minato's official coronation and wildly successful acceptance speech, too. The plentiful sake also helped boost the mood.

Kushina rested her hip against the buffet table by the giant punch bowl and pretended to be fascinated by her drink. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Minato. He was surrounded by a small crowd of young women, all done up in their finest, trying desperately to catch the eye of the new Yondaime—and Minato just stood there and stared over at her like they were the only two people in the room.

A wonderful shiver vibrated down her spine and despite her stubborn attempt at a cool composure, she blushed.

All that shopping was so worth it, she mentally squealed. And the make-up and the hair… Hehehe!

I can't wait for this party to be over!


Minato's brain had short-circuited. He could do nothing but stand there and stare at her. He heard nothing, he sensed nothing, he saw nothing but her.

Wow.

And then his brain rebooted with a single idea in mind: pin her to the wall and kiss her senseless. It seemed like a very good idea to him; it certainly sounded like a lot of fun. He almost did it.

But then some girl tugged insistently on his arm and distracted him.

"Hokage-sama!" she whined and pouted in what she probably thought was a cute manner. "I asked you what you thought of my new dress!"

"Ah…" He blinked and wondered just when five girls had clustered around him; last he knew there had only been two pestering him. "It's nice," he commented vaguely. "Could you ladies excuse me for a minute? Thanks!" And he was off before they could respond.

"It's just so awful to be popular, isn't it?" Jiraiya chuckled as Minato took shelter out in the hallway with him. The older ninja had a drink in his hand and Minato could tell that his former teacher had already enjoyed several others.

"Feel free to go hit on them, sensei; I'm not interested," Minato huffed.

Jiraiya ignored him and peered back into the dining room. "My, my Kushina certainly looks nice tonight! What a kimono!" He flashed his old student a lecherous grin. "That'll be a lot of fun to take off, eh?"

"J-Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato choked.

He and Kushina had been together almost one year exactly. Things had worked out amazingly well. His only real complaint is that sometimes they just didn't seem to have the time together that they wanted. But that was the downside to the ninja lifestyle—odd working hours that made it practically impossible to make any long-term plans. That, and the high likelihood of early death; that was a problem, too.

But, hectic schedules aside, things were fantastic. Whenever they were together, even if it was just for half an hour, it was great. There was usually a good dose of cuddling, walks in the park or runs through the trees or a meal at a restaurant, and always a good amount of kissing. They would talk about the most random things; she would tell him stories and he would ramble on about jutsus.

How did I ever get along without her? he wondered idly as he leaned against the wall near his mildly intoxicated teacher.

What would I do if she didn't return my feelings? That thought was simply too terrible to contemplate any further and he immediately pushed it from his mind. She adored him. She had to.

"The day that you make Hokage is the day that I pledge my undying love to you!" she'd said. "The day that you get that silly Hokage hat for keeps is the day that you hear any sort of pledge from me," she'd said. And she would keep her word. All the hugs and touches and kisses and warm, cuddly moments of the past year told him that she'd keep her word. Although she'd never said the words "I love you" to him, not even when he'd said them to her, she would say it tonight.

I can't wait, he grinned faintly, staring off into space. I don't care if she says it in front of everyone or when we're alone… I just want to hear it.

Closing his eyes, he slipped a hand into his pants pocket and fingered the small, velvety bag that was tucked in there. It was his late mother's ring. A fairly plain gold band with a small emerald in it. It had been the best that his father could afford; his family had never had much money. But it would be perfect for Kushina, she hated gaudy jewelry (well, jewelry in generally actually).

He wasn't sure why he'd started to carry the ring around with him. It was too soon to ask her. But he would ask her. One day he was going to marry her…

"What's that silly grin for?"

Minato opened his eyes to find Kushina standing right in front of him…and his brain seized up again.

Her long, fiery red hair was coiled up on top of her head and held in place with a pair of black hair sticks, revealing more of her smooth, pale neck than usual. She'd swapped out her usual plain barrette for a polished metal one with leaf patterns engraved on it. She was actually wearing make-up—a little bit of mascara and eye shadow with lip gloss and maybe a hint of blush on her cheeks. The green kimono that she wore complimented her in every way.

He thought that she'd looked great from across the room—up close she looked even better, if that was possible. Now he really wanted to kiss her. And she was so close, he could just—

"Hey!" Kushina hissed and whirled around to smack at Jiraiya's hand. "Touch my ass again and I'll cut that hand off!"

"Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato sputtered. She's my girlfriend!

"It wasn' me!" Jiraiya frowned, flexing his smacked hand.

"Hi-i-i!" a very drunk voice slurred.

Kushina turned to the other side…and sighed. "Arata-baka, you pervy bastard! You try to cop a feel again and they'll be dragging your busted ass out of here!"

"Aw c'mon!" the man giggled, rubbing at the thick black line tattooed over the bridge of his nose. "Ya look hot t'night." He brushed the dirty blonde hair from his eyes, swayed, almost spilled his mostly-filled glass of booze, and turned to fix Minato with a naughty grin. "Blondie-Hokage-sama's gonna git laid to-night!"

"You…" Kushina growled, her head bowed and a black aura of pure death radiating from her.

Minato was speechless, and an egg probably would've fried on his hot face.

Jiraiya giggled like a five-year-old.

"You've had enough!" Hachiro muttered as he hurried past, catching Arata by his shirt collar and dragging him off as he went. "Bye-bye and congratulations!"

"Remind me to kill him later," Kushina hissed icily. "…With a rusty spoon!"

Minato could only swallow.

"Ugh!" she sighed and rubbed at her temples. "Forget him… That's a nice jacket, by the way."

"Huh?" Minato blinked and glanced down at himself, briefly at a loss as to what she was referring to. "Oh, thanks."

While he'd been fitted for the traditional Hokage robes, Minato doubted that he'd ever wear them much. Instead, for everyday wear, he'd come up with this cross between a jacket and a cloak that he'd wear over his regular jounin attire. It was long and white with short sleeves, a high collar, red flames along the bottom hem, and the kanji for "Yondaime Hokage" embroidered on the back. He probably wouldn't wear the traditional hat much either, but he did have it with him currently from the coronation ceremony earlier in the day.

"It's only got one tie," Jiraiya snickered, leaning in, "so it's really easy to take off…if you catch my drift."

"Can't this conversation stay out of the gutter for more than five seconds at a time?" Kushina complained.

Minato scratched at the back of his head and stared fixedly at the floor while he tried to will his blush away.

Then, before more awkwardness and innuendos could happen, the freshly-retired Sandaime Hokage came up to him with some important officials and distracted him with business. With work to distract him, it was easy to regain his composure and keep himself focused. When they wandered off and he could relax again, he found himself alone. Kushina had slipped off. Minato squeezed at the rim of the red and white, veiled 'Kage hat.

Later, he thought and pushed off the wall to go and see if either if his students were still present at the party. The party's still going strong. When things wind down…I'll see her.

He smiled at the thought.


Kushina yawned so hard that her jaw ached. It was almost three in the morning and the party was finally dispersing. The last few hours had been nothing but a bunch of drunks hanging around and a few sour old people who were up way past their bedtimes, so she'd retreated to the spacious back yard of the manor to enjoy the warm night. And enjoy it she did.

The moon was full, the sky was clear and full of stars, and the warm air was choked with winking lightning bugs. She loved these kinds of warm nights; it was one of the best things about living in the Land of Fire. So even though she was getting tired, she didn't mind staying up to sit near the koi pond and watch the flickering insects float through the air.

"This brings back some memories."

"Oh?" she blinked and turned to see Minato materialize out of the night and walk up the path towards her. "Does it?"

"Yeah," he grinned, fingering the rim of the distinctive Hokage hat. "A long time ago, after you beat up a bunch of guys at a bar, and then went out for a run in the woods. You remember?"

She tilted her head thoughtfully until the proper event came to mind. "Oh yeah, when those dorks thought I was a lesbian." She snorted. "It's the fireflies, isn't it?"

"Mm-hm," he nodded, stopping a few feet away from her. "A beautiful woman among the fireflies…like some kind of forest spirit, or something out of a fairy tale."

Kushina laughed. "Is that why you looked at me with that stupid look on your face back then? You thought that I was a forest spirit? Ha!"

"Something like that," he chuckled.

"Here," she patted the open space next to her on the stone bench. "Come sit with me."

He came and sat as directed, settling his hat in his lap. The design of the traditional piece of headgear was the same for all 'Kage hats and based on the basic round straw hats commonly worn by farmers. Instead of making the hats from straw, though, they were made from thin strips of lacquered and painted wood that formed a smooth circle that rose to a slight peak in the middle. There was a white veil that hung from the rim—to add to the mystery or something—that only left the face visible when it was worn. And as this particular hat was made for the Hokage, the color scheme was red and white with the kanji for fire painted on the front. Sandaime-sama had always worn it, and it looked strange just sitting in Minato's lap now.

"I have the hat now." Minato flashed her a nervous, expectant smile. "Don't you have something to tell me?"

"Hmm…" She turned away to stare over the koi pond and watch the dance of the fireflies, her hands sweating and clenched inside her voluminous sleeves. She knew what he was waiting to hear. But if she said it, there was no taking it back, no suddenly deciding that she'd made a mistake. Once she said it, there was no going back.

He'd said the words to her before. She'd never said anything back, partly because she intended to make him wait until he'd officially achieved his dream of Hokage. But also partly because…she was afraid. Heck, sometimes she was too afraid to even think the words…

But she felt a squirmy sense of guilt every time she let silence fall between them after he'd say it to her. And even though it had been a joke way, way back then when she'd first made her oath to him, she would follow through. She'd follow through with it because it wasn't a joke anymore.

"Well, you're a workaholic and a jutsu-nerd and so talented that it's ridiculous…" She trailed off for a long minute, letting him squirm just a little bit more before continuing. "…but, for some funny reason, I love you anywa—eee!"

Kushina barely finished her sentence before he pounced on her, very nearly knocking her off the bench in his enthusiasm. Gone was the hesitant, nervous man who had to be coaxed at times to kiss her. After one year of breaking him in, he was more than ready to mess around with her any bit of "alone-time" they could muster up. And now that the party was over, and the guests gone, he was finally able to do what she knew he'd wanted to do the moment he'd seen her all dressed up.

"Mmm, I love you, too," he muttered, panting when they finally separated for air. He held her close and stroked her face and just smiled. "I've waited forever to hear you say that."

"I know," she sighed breathlessly. "It was worth it, though, right?"

"Mm-hm," he grinned a little, and then started up again.

She blissfully melted under his touch and responded in kind. At some point he'd managed to pull the sticks from her hair, sending the long red locks spilling over her shoulders and down her back. Clothing got looser and tugged out of place and the temperature seemed to rise. It seemed just like any other time they managed to work in a heated make-out session, but she had the feeling that this time would end up different.

"I don't think this night could get any more amazing," Minato muttered between light, teasing kisses to her neck.

"Really?" Kushina breathed, clinging to the front of his un-zippered flak vest. "I could think of a thing or two else to do."

He froze, then slowly pulled back to look into her eyes. "Oh?"

"Yeah," she grinned and glanced over at the back of the Hokage Manor, just barely visible through the trees in the dim light. "Have you moved in there yet?"

"No, I'll be moved in and Sandaime-sama will be moved out within the week." He swallowed hard. "What did you have in mind?"

She chewed at the inside of her cheek for a moment before deciding: Aw, why the hell not? "Take me back to my apartment, and I'll show you."

His mouth worked for a minute, but no words came out. "Are—are you sure?"

"I wouldn't suggest it if I wasn't," she replied, tamping down a few nervous butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

Minato blinked, then managed a nervous, but warm smile. "Alright. Hang on tight!"

There was a flicker of yellow light and they vanished from the well-groomed back yard of the Hokage Manor. The drifting lightning bugs swirled towards the spot they'd vacated for a moment, confused. But when they found no female waiting there for them, they returned to their aimless spiraling, seeking their mates…