Kushina looks at Ichigo, and she see's a boy.
Kushina looks at Ichigo, and she wonders what exactly the world's going to take away to turn him into a weapon to win a war against a wanna-be-god.
(Kushina remembers the feeling of loosing everything and only being accepting because of what use she is.
Kushina doesn't remember names or faces, but the aching loneliness of being considered a weapon and not a person eats at her even in death.
She doesn't want that for Ichigo-for no child-she would shoulder the burden again if she had to but life isn't fair and-)
"Lady."
Kushina blinked, snapping her head down at the little, orange haired boy.
"I gotta go home now," he says, eyeing her carefully. "My sisters need me to make dinner."
"I told you to call me Aunty Kushina," is her automatic response, then-
"Why are you making dinner? I've seen your bento."
Ichigo scowls, but Kushina's own puts his to shame. Ichigo may play it off, but she's seen how most of his lunch of rice and burnt vegetables. Better than most kids, sure, but not the best.
And maybe this plays into Kushina's plan, and maybe her brand of caring is vaguely more scary than others, but Kushina snags the back of Ichigo's shirt with little warning.
"We're going to the store," she says firmly, dragging the squawking boy behind her.
"I told you, lady, I can make dinner by myself."
"And I told you, brat, it's Aunty Kushina to you. And i'm making dinner."
Ichigo has that look in his eyes that Urahara often has when he's questioning her sanity, but Kushina pays him no mind and bounces up to the door of the Kurosaki house. "Come on, dattebane! You're so slow!"
Ichigo drags himself up, scowling, eyeing her one bag to his three.
(It's strength training, Kushina said, dropping all but one bag in his arms. Plus it's good for building character, what kind of man would you be if you left a lady to carry everything.
Bullshit, Ichigo thinks.)
Kushina practically throws the door open the moment Ichigo appears at her elbow, walking in like she owns the place. Ichigo once again looks like he's questioning every life decision he's made up to this point.
Or maybe he's wondering what good deed he did to deserve such an awesome person like herself to come into his life.
"Ichi-nii," a girl all of seven asks, peeking her head around a door frame, and Kushina can't help but beam.