- Imagine Dragons: "Round and Round" (Continued Silence EP)

41. Hope

There were risks. He already knew that; why was she reminding him?

"Other risks, Minato," Kushina said, looking up at him with a meaningful expression.

Minato didn't reply. He waited for her to continue while his hand absently ran through her tangled hair.

She sat up, and his hand continued to glide through her hair. He looked at the red strands running through his fingers.

Only when she reached out a hand and stroke gently over his still drying cheek with her thumb was he called back to reality. He sat up as well; she looked nervous, and he decided to lean in and give her a small kiss, just to remind her that no matter what risks there were, he had already told her none of them bothered him. The kiss tasted salty.

"What risks?" he then asked.

"All right," Kushina began. She had then told him. The risks of being a jinchuuriki carrying a child.

Minato leaned his head and arms against his knees, staring at the wall.

"When Mito-sama gave birth, her seal almost failed … Or so I was told."

Kushina had then gone quiet for a while.

"Maybe it's for the best," she mumbled. "Maybe it's better that I won't be able to …" She swallowed. "Maybe it would've been too dangerous."

"But you want it, don't you?"

Kushina nodded quietly. "Ever since my parents … I just wanted to recreate everything. Make a family of my own. Keep them safe."

"You said almost."

Kushina frowned at him. "Huh?"

"The seal almost broke. That means there still are ways, right?"

"Yeah, but …"

Minato looked at her, and for the first time that night managed to smile genuinely. Still leaning his head on his knees he reached out a hand and let his hand glide through her hair again.

She had looked confused, but couldn't help smiling too.

The rain had finally stopped. A few streaks of sunlight peeked tryingly through the dissolving clouds, and the morning birds of the border post glanced up at the warm light. The trees were still dripping, but the atmosphere was something quite different.

For Minato, it didn't really matter if it rained or not. He hadn't fallen asleep that night, but the girl resting on his chest had. Half of him wished to stay like that for a long time – he felt drained of all energy and was really not in the mood for talking – but half of him hoped Kushina would wake up soon; her breath was beginning to tickle.

When she shifted her head, drew a particularly deep breath and released it all down his neck, sending unpleasant shivers down his spine, he decided it was good time to get up. As carefully as he could to not wake her up, he pulled himself away from Kushina and dragged his arm back from underneath her. After covering her more thoroughly with the blanket, he walked over to the sink. Leaning on it and glaring in the stained mirror in front of him he could see just how tired he looked; his eyes were red and his face lacked any kind of expression of engagement. Turning on the sink, he splashed some cold water in his face before he reached for a towel and buried his face in it with a sigh.

This was going to be a long day.

Despite having all night, the hooded jacket was still wet. Minato would have preferred to hide underneath it, but was forced to leave Kushina's room in his stained black T-shirt only, which was still damp enough to cling to his body.

He was not allowed to see Rin, who was currently under careful observation, and instead had a rather quiet breakfast with his team. Obito merely looked at his food as though it made him nauseous, and Minato had to admit his appetite was pretty low at the moment as well, but forced himself to eat. He needed the energy to keep his concentration at its best – which was difficult enough with all the things going through his mind – and to not fall asleep. The only thing that kept him working at all was the fact that Kushina had not yet let go of any sort of hope, and he'd naturally have to do the same. For her.

While Kakashi and Obito had been exempt from missions that day, Minato had to spend the first part of the day by the cells, keeping watch. The six prisoners he had delivered the day before had been healed and woken up, but only sat in the shadows quietly while Minato placed a chair in front of cell number eight and sat down, leaned his elbows against his legs and started reading through a long, tiring report the general of the post had made about the new prisoners.

Ikue and Itani. Twins. Occupation: bodyguards. Jailed for kidnapping Aria of the Wind. Outani. Newly promoted jounin. Jailed for kidnapping Aria of the Wind. Three unknown soldiers. Brothers. Jailed for attempted kidnapping and poisoning of Nohara Rin. All originating from the Land of Earth. All jailed for attempted sabotage of the peace between the Fire and the Wind.

Naiki had previously been the only one watching the cells, sometimes changing shifts with other chuunin who had the time. Though now, when the prisoners had gone from two to eight, stronger security was provided. She sat by her table by the wall, reading through a newspaper with the regular cup of coffee, and Minato could sometimes feel her eyes on his neck, but tried to ignore it. Flipping through page after page, he reached the end of the report.

"You're worth a few million, aren't you."

Minato didn't bother to look up from the report and into the shadows; neither did he bother make a reply.

The large twin, Ikue, with a bandage covering the fresh stab wound on his chest, got up from the floor and with remarkable speed suddenly stood by the grid separating the inches between them, disturbing the air and making hair, clothes and papers rustle. He crouched, resting one knee on the floor, and he was still somewhat taller than Minato; he clenched the grid, and the chains between his hands made a sharp noise as iron hit iron. Naiki's eyes were now piercing his neck anxiously, yet Minato was still busy reading the report.

"If you're delivered to Hanzou of the Salamander, the reward is even bigger."

Minato flipped to the last page of the report. "And?"

"Well, one can hope."

"Don't hope too soon."

Ikue grinned, and Minato merely shifted his eyes from the second sentence on the page and up to the wicked face of the prisoner. It was visible in the large man's eyes – Minato was ready before it happened.

A thick arm shot out through the grid towards Minato's throat, tearing the chains apart, but Minato had already tossed the report to the floor and was getting up, avoided the hand by inches and aimed at the still healing wound on Ikue's chest. With sharp speed, Minato shoved his fist towards the wound and the result was as predicted; the pain distracted Ikue for seconds in which Minato grabbed his shoulder and twisted it, sending him towards the ground. Ikue lay on his back groaning, shoulder stuck between the iron grids, staring up at a pair of ice cold eyes.

Naiki had in the few seconds it lasted managed to get up and throw her paper away.

"I'm curious," Minato said, yet his voice sounded darker than usual and he even surprised himself. "After you'd killed me, what were you going to do?"

Ikue, despite the pain Minato had inflicted on him, chuckled; an unpleasant laugh.

"I killed her, didn't I."

"No."

Ikue looked somewhat disappointed. "Really. Well, she's a first."

Minato gave the large man's shoulder a hard kick, releasing his dislocated shoulder from the grid, before he picked up the report again and sat down to read through it once more. Ikue staggered to his feet, and with a painful move fixed the shoulder on his own, before he retreated back to the shadows to think out strategies.

Minato checked the clock hanging on the wall. Nine in the morning.

He sighed.