Love might be the closest you get to the happiness of death.

Kushina was by my side. We ended up sleeping next to one another, clothes strewn to the side.

We slept, the entire night I realised. I have memories from our clones popping after I awoke, which is fair enough. I certainly didn't expect what happened, especially just then.

I liked Kushina. Too much, maybe. There was a part of my mind that told me 'Push her away, else she dies like your team did, abandons you like Orochimaru did.' But I dismissed it. I felt too good, desired her too much.

Loved her.

And that was scary wasn't it. Once a time I thought myself incapable of loving, of seeing another as a partner and not just as a sexual object, but every smile, every laugh, every look. That was more than attraction, that was enamour. And I was terrified.

But Kushina would be safe, I thought, cuddling closer to her nude form, because she was strong. A jinjuriki, budding sealmaster, swordmaster, and Uzumaki. She would never die from any of these scum.

I held her tighter. And if any were strong enough to even match her, I would wipe them off the face of this planet.

"Good morning, Kizashi." Kushina spoke, her eyes looking at me, with adoration.

I kissed her on the head.

…

"So uh…"

She seemed to be happy. Very. But there was something on her mind. Something she couldn't stop thinking of.

"Are we partners now?"

Ah, that.

"Yes. Well, partners as ninja."

"That isn't what I meant."

I smiled at her, teasing, crawling closer to her sat form.

"Well, I would say yes, but I want you to say it to me. Say you're my girlfriend, only if you want to of course."

Kushina scoffed.

"Of course I want to, dumbass. I like you, a lot. Wouldn't have... done what we did otherwise."

She gained a blush from her lingering thoughts and I laughed. I reached up my hand, and rubbed her cheek with it, as she looked at me questioning but enjoying the touch.

"You're so cute when you're flustered."

She turned as red as a pepper (Not tomato, never tomato) and turned away, me being clearly too much for her.

Amusing that a woman who had shown me everything still shy'd away.

I loved her. Each time I thought that my heart skipped a beat, the same beat as when she looks into my eyes, the same when our lips touch.

I wondered if she thought the same.

Girlfriend and boyfriend. How long until we were more?

…

Kushina's outfit was scarce, but she had a jonin vest kept in her inventory. I assumed she didn't wear it because she found it too constricting. The way she moved, fought, danced, you'd think her body was built of ribbons, near misses barely avoiding her pale, beautiful skin. How many of those scars were from failing to avoid the cuts of her opponents, and how many were from training? The vest wasn't needed, as it would only end up sliced to bits in the end.

It was a vest, bare arms and shoulders, and trousers, stretching down her legs. She was tall for a woman, though still shorter than me by about 20cm. She walked, sure of herself, at least when she had her composure. I had seen her take a man's head of his shoulders with a furious kick when he ended up barely cutting her hair. She could afford to make mistakes like that, with that strength and balance. With that beautiful rage.

We fought out way through the rapidly arriving Iwa assaults, making our way further and further into Iwa. Truth be told, I had no idea if this would work, but it was really the only way out. Kill anyone and everyone in our way.

Kushina and I made a plan after… meeting each other. We said we would use the information I had about the land and the weaknesses of the line, and burst through with as much speed as we could handle.

Hence why right now I was rushing behind Kushina, scattering explosive note after note behind us, proximity mines she had made herself. We were both soaked in blood and sweat, yet neither of us had even gotten a cut. Only a few chunin and a single Jonin. Kushina held him down whilst I walked over, subjecting him to sadistic genjutsu one after the other before ending him by crushing his eyes with my grip. It was nice of her to do.

A brown missile came hurteling at me, which I swerved around using my perception and agility, changing my direction mid-air. I got my sights on the would be assassin, aiming my kunai, and launching it with a sonic boom. The blade stabbed right into his neck.

Taken out easily, but just enough to distract me long enough for me not to notice the hidden snake of chakra underneath the ground set in front. I had spent long enough fighting Iwa to know what that meant for me and Kushina.

"Kushina!"

She turned around, but couldn't slow down quick enough to avoid the explosion, knocking her out and to the side.

And that made me livid.

I charged, fury building up in every single part of myself. The hurt her, mine!

Barely had I started to see the man's face before I sunk my arm into his torso, stabbing a fist through his heart with a single punch. The next moment it was twisted in a weak pain, his heart failing him like his reflexes.

I tossed the body attached to my arm still at the rest of the contingent, the body smashing into another with a resounding speed, turning both into a bloody mist of broken bones and sliced flesh. My feet then twisted, bending a fluid like body around another foe's thrust, grabbing the blade and stabbing it into his own stomach, before slicing it across, extracting a hellish scream from him. The next didn't even know he was dead before I completely destroyed his head with a single high kick.

I switched my vision to Kushina's limp body, surrounded by imminent attackers, swords and spears and jutsus pointed at her. I don't think I moved any faster than that in my life before. In fact, I made sure I was faster, pumping 50 points into strength in a single second. Then, I moved.

In a single second I killed 3 men, huge splatters of blood where their head and torso used to be. The next I body flicked again, axe kicking down a kunoichi into the ground so hard her body exploded. The next, I positioned myself in front of Kushina, taking a blade to the stomach for her.

It ripped into my lungs, but not my heart. I clapped my hands against the man's ears, shattering his ear drums, destroying the bare ends of his brain.

Then I collapsed, the sword ripping through me, oxygen cutting off from my brain. My last memory was a red-haired angel rippling with chains of golden light.

…

I awoke, to white walls and bright lights.

Then a body of red tackling my side.

It mumbled half sentences about worry and care and whatever before I even realised it was Kushina.

I took my arm, clasping it on her shoulder first, then pulling her chin up to meet my eyes.

"Kushina, I love you."

It was risky, insane to me to say, but I wanted to, needed to tell her what I thought. Even if she rejected me or whatever, I needed it.

"I love you too." She said, tackling me in another hug, somehow stronger than before.

And that felt good, wonderful that I had someone. I didn't feel like I could ever, after my first death, feel anything again. How can you, when everything you did, you realise didn't matter. Couldn't have mattered. But I wanted, so much, so desperately, to be with Kushina.

And nobody could get in the way of that.

She squeezed harder, and I hissed with a bit of pain, and she sheepishly drew back, embarrassed.

"Sorry, medics said you needed more bed rest even though all your bruises were fixed by the time we got here. They said your lungs were healing fast but not as fast. They did what they could but the wound is still tender."

"Well, I'm alive aren't I?"

She had a smile on her face, a bit of a sad one. "Sorry Kizashi, if I had recognized that bomb you'd-"

"Don't say something like that. It's ridiculous. You made a small mistake, but I was there for you, and you there for me. We're partners, in both ways. And we're safe."

She nodded. Smile turning true and happy now.

"Thank you. Oh! I forgot to say, we're back in Konoha. I tried to ask around for your sensei but he's still on the front apparently."

I don't know if that was a good or bad thing. God, I desperately wanted to go right to his face, and tell him I lived. That I was better than he expected, than he could ever be. Or kill him, or punch him in the face, or hug him. Honestly, if he was in front of me now, I don't know if I would cry from rage or happiness. I shouldn't have to confront that right now.

"Oh, this is embarrassing Kushina but… I don't have a house."

Lightbulb went off in her head.

"Oh, shit yeah. Orphan. Well, I still have a house in the Senju district. Owned by my late great aunt, Mito. Uhh, you could stay?"

She clearly wanted me there, with her.

"I'd love that."

She smiled, then leaned over, kissing me on the head, separating and walking away, whilst talking.

"I have to arrange some things, but I'll be back to help you move in. See you later Kizashi. I love you."

Then she left, right out the door.

Bedrest. Wasn't the most pleasant thing. Already had only been a few minutes and I wanted to leap out the nearest window.

But then a head of bright blond hair dropped in a blink, a blue suit under a jonin vest.

In front of me, stood Minato Namikaze, and he didn't look happy.

…

A/N, cliffhanger, woohoo. Anyway, Kizashi finds love, and love finds Kizashi. I wanted their relationship to be a pretty simple one. They like each other, and so they decide to be together. It fits Kushina, and it fits Kizashi because he doesn't give a fuck. The question, and conflict, is external. Minato being one of those external factors. The question now is how will he react to Kizashi and Kushina. Sure, he is meant to love her romantically, but earlier Kushina stated she was his best friend, so perhaps there relationship was never romantic, and Kushina and Minato only got together later.