Naruto yammers softly on Kushina's back as she traipses down the street on her way to the market. It's a pleasant day; the sun isn't too intense and the Village is coming back together nicely around her. Absently, her fingers find her stomach. So is she, for that matter.

Tsunade is very pleased with the progress of her recovery. At one point she hadn't been sure Kushina would ever be strong enough to venture out alone from her home again. However, she's put the medi-nin's fears to rest. Kushina's always been too stubborn for her own good and she's put work into being able to do things like go to the market without help.

People smile at her in relief and in sympathy as she moves through the busy block of stalls and merchants. She only gives perfunctory acknowledgment to their concern while deciding on what she wants to buy. Everyone recognizes her. She's the Fourth's widow and nearly died herself. They feel sorry for her but are happy too she's survived to raise Minato's legacy — Naruto — into a strong shinobi like his father.

Kushina's never been bothered by the attention but she wishes at times people didn't stare at her and Naruto every time they left their apartment. It's a bit unnerving and she isn't sure if it will be good for her son in the long run. What if he gets a big head? That won't be good for his future survival.

As Kushina reaches for a bell pepper at one vegetable stall, her fingers bump into a smaller, gloved hand. She looks up; Kushina is ready to apologize and almost does before she falls back a step instead. It's Minato's surviving student.

"I want to ask Kakashi to be Naruto's big brother. What do you think? "

Kushina pushes her late husband's words from her mind as she meets the lone gray eye of the teenager. It's void of emotions. Kushina isn't fooled though. Just because the kid knows how to keep them from his face doesn't mean he has no tells. She's known him since he was waist-high.

Taking in the rest of him; the slouch in his shoulders, the way he leans more heavily on his right foot over his left. Kushina knows he's hurt and tired. Uncomfortable too if the tense line of his jaw is any indication.

"Kakashi," she whispers at last.

The teenager nods. "Kushina," he murmurs.

Kushina glances away and at the peppers. They are a very deep and lovely green. She hopes they're not just pretty but flavorful too. When she returns her gaze to Kakashi she winces upon seeing his attention has remained steadily on her. "How… How are you?" she tires. "I haven't seen you since—"

"Busy," he cuts in. Straightening himself out, he grabs one of the peppers. "I'm busy. Look, I've been away on a mission for two weeks. I just want to get stuff for dinner and go home."

For a moment, Kushina is stunned. The kid hasn't changed much, has he? Still a rude little shit. Then one of Naruto's fat hands snags a lock of her hair and tugs as he gives a heartfelt screech.

"Shh, shh," soothes Kushina.

All the while, Kakashi's eye does not waver from her face. 'Oh,' Kushina thinks, 'he won't look at Naruto.' Her heart falls deeper into the cavern her chest has become since losing Minto.

She wonders if he even can. Minato meant a lot to Kakashi too. Her husband was Kakashi's teacher for almost a decade. Looking at little Naruto with his sunny blond hair and cerulean blue eyes would hurt (does hurt but she presses on because she's Naruto's mom).

Feeling pity for the boy before her, she says, "Sorry for keeping you."

He swallows visibly. "It's okay," he croaks.

Kushina worries her lip. "You could… Come by some time, you know?" she offers. "Meet the baby properly? Maybe I could give you something of Minato's too." She reaches over her shoulders to rub Naruto's tiny, drool-dampened knuckles and distract him from his hair-pulling. "I think there's a couple of scrolls and books he'd have liked you to have if nothing else."

Kakashi averts his gaze at last. As he rubs a circle with his thumb on the pepper in his hand, he hedges, "I don't know. I'm—"

"—Busy?" cuts in Kushina with a superficial smile. "I know."

The teenager sighs.

They've never been close, her and Minato's student. In fact, they've at times been adversarial. Each of them was jealous of the other and how they cut into their precious time with Minato. Her husband used to despair over their contentious relationship.

"He's more than my student, Kushina. "

She shakes off the guilt trying to find perch in the walls of her stomach. Maybe they couldn't get along for Minato while he was alive but Kushina is going to try now. It's what he'd want her to do.

"Well?" she pushes when Kakashi fails to say anything.

His eye flickers to her and then away again. "Maybe," he answers. "Not soon," he adds. "I've got a mission tomorrow."

She frowns; confused. "You just came home from one?"

He shrugs. "So?"

"Don't let the Sandaime run you ragged," she lectures. "You deserve breaks like everybody else, you know."

A sharp edge comes to his eye. "I volunteered," he tells her.

She cringes. "Ah," she says. Kushina should probably tell him off. Going on mission after mission isn't healthy. In fact, it's downright dangerous. Stupid too. In the past, she wouldn't have hesitated to scold the teenager.

Now… Kushina feels like she has to be careful. Their connection is fragile without Minato to smooth things over. If she wants Naruto to have Kakashi around as he grows up she can't piss him off.

"Good luck, I guess," she offers.

He huffs. "Thanks." He lifts the pepper. "I'm gonna… Go."

"Oh," she mumbles. "Yeah," she stammers with a vigorous nod. "See ya around, Kakashi."

He rubs the back of his neck. "Uh-huh," he replies awkwardly before turning away from her and going to pay the squat old lady in charge of the vegetable stand.

While inspecting the peppers left, Kushina watches Kakashi from the corner of her eyes as he walks away and gets lost in the traffic of the market. She covers her eyes with a hand once she's sure he's gone and groans.

"That could have gone better," she mutters to Naruto.

Her son swings his little feet and babbles, "Yah."

Kushina chuckles. "Let Mom buy these peppers and we'll go see if I can't find some nice tofu for you, hm?" she coos. "Would you like that, baby? Yesterday you seemed to like the rice I fed you…"

Thank you all so much for reading and let me know what you think!