♫ This love has taken its toll on me ♫ (Private, English, Kushina's room, feel free to sing along...)

Well. He supposed it didn't make any sense to keep avoiding her. And he did miss her. Sort of. Minato sighed and knocked on the door to Kushina's room.

Soon enough, she answered the door, after a noise of complaint. When she saw it was him, though... First, she looked kind of surprised. And then... Red hair allover his face as she hugged him. ".... I missed you..." she muttered into his shoulder. "Thought you... Thought you were going to keep avoiding me..."

Oh dammit. He wanted to stay mad at her but it was just so hard when his heart melted every time she touched him. "Yeah.. you too," he said, burying his face in her hair gratefully.

"I.... I love you, 'Nato." she muttered, bit her lip. "I... I could see how much you hated it. My choice." she muttered. "I'm... So sorry for putting you through all of this..."

He swallowed and shook his head, then he nodded. "Yeah.. I.. oh damn.." and then he just kissed her, hard and deep.

"... Wasn't my int-mm!" she was effectively shut up, soon forgetting what she was about to say, instead pouring her feelings into that one kiss, hugging him closer to herself.

He stepped forward, forcing her back, and closed the door behind them before he buried his hands in her hair and continued the kiss, harder, deeper, a small noise escaping him when he felt her holding him.

A small moan against his lips, eyes closed and giving back just as good as she got. She'd missed him so much this past week - or was it two weeks? - and now she almost felt like she needed to prove exactly how much.

"Love.. you.." a small moan against her lips, then he was back to kissing her, turning them around so he could press her against the door and kiss her deeper. A desperate bite of her lower lip, his hands digging into her hips.

"Aah... You... Too... 'nato..." she gasped, then, somehow, managed to pry her lips away from his, to look him in the eyes. "I... I know what I said in the start. You'd never be on the top of my list. But... 'nato... I... I've realized... You've climbed your way to the top long ago." she almost whispered.

He laughed, and then he was crying, all the emotions from the past weeks spilling out of him. "I just.. Kushina, why.. I still can't... I can understand it, but.. but why.."

"I... I love you, 'Nato. More than anything." tears overwhelmed her, too, and she was sobbing as she spoke. "I-I do want a child with you. I w-want to live with you. B-But, it was just... 'Twas all s-so sudden, t-too soon..."

"We.. we could have.. but I didn't want it if.. oh dammit.. why.. I just can't... can't think of anything else.."

"We couldn't, 'Nato... You... You've gotta be realistic 'bout these thing, 'ttebane. We'd... We'd have been in s-so much debt and everything, t-the child would've had a h-hard time growing up 'n all, 'ttebane..." she rambled between her small sobs.

"But... but we.. we never even gave it a chance.. not a chance to live.." he started shaking, holding her close to his chest.

"... Which in s-some cases, might b-be better for the c-child." her hand began gently rubbing his back.

"I don't... we could have.. made it.." his tears dripped down into her hair. "Don't care what.. what they say.."

"I... I'm sorry, 'Nato. 'Twas... 'Twas just too s-soon for me." she sniffled. "I... I should've just remembered that stupid pill... We'd have avoided all of this chaos, 'ttebane..." she sniffled.

"Yeah.. I.. I didn't want it when you didn't.. I just.. I miss.. Fuck.." he wiped at his eyes angrily, then cried again.

"... Sorry." she whispered, again. "'S all my fault... 'M so goddamn stupid..." hiccuping a little, too.

"I guess.. I'm stupid for.. thinking you wanted it. Not.. not listening to you in the first place," he said bitterly. "I was.. just.. just so happy..."

"Heh..." the weakest grin, sniffling again. "Perhaps we're both stupid."

"I.. yeah.. I guess so.." He tried to smile, but it was just too hard. "I dunno.. dunno how to feel."

"Me too..." she wiped away som eof her tears. "But... But for now i'm just... happy." she told him, honestly.

"...that you don't have to bother with a kid?" Yeah, maybe that wasn't tactful of him.