To prevent teenage pregnancies contact YOUR family planning clinic NOW. [Private, English.]

Minato opened the door to his room for Kushina. He was carrying her books, since she was still on crutches. And now, pregnant. Wow. This was so.. This time, he was really in way over his head, and yet he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot and thinking about a baby with her hair and an apartment of their own.

Kushina crutched her way inside, sat down on his bed, sighed, and - looked completely lost, biting her lip and glancing down at the floor again. She only saw the child as a problem. She couldn't afford to have any children, at least not as of now.

Blissfully unaware, Minato walked to sit beside her, dumping the books. He took her hand and just held it. "That's... it's incredible." He was just smiling at her, so unbelievably happy. "How.. when?"

"Incredible?" she glanced up at him, her panic clear in her eyes. "It's awful." she simply spoke her mind. "I.... I can't... Not now, I... I don't want a child. I can't."

That hit him like a punch to the gut. "But.. but.. why not?" He honestly couldn't see the problem. "I'll drop out and get a job. I'll take care of the money, we'll manage," he poured into his words all the conviction he felt that this was just fucking awesome.

"It's... I..." she sighed. "'Nato, remember when I said my career comes before everything else? This'll destroy it. It's... It's not that I don't want a child, like, ever. I just... Can't afford to get one so soon. I'll be set back for years... Can't go pro... I'd be thrown out of school which'd mean I won't get any martial arts until I'm 18 and can decide for myself..."

"...oh."
He knew that, of course. He'd known from when they first got together that she had a dream. And he was just along for the ride.
And the more he thought about that, the angrier he felt.
"That's... that's... That's not fair." He shook his head and bitterly spat the words. "So. You're going to. Get it removed?"

"It's the only option." she muttered. "It wouldn't be fair to the child, either. Can you see me as a mother? I'm nowhere near mature enough, even I know that. And the child would have to do with a mother that's away to train, like, half of each day."

He didn't answer, just sat next to her with a horrible dead feeling inside.
Did he even know Kushina?

"It's not fair..." he whispered desperately. Then, with more conviction... "It's my child too."
...
"..isn't it?"

"It... It is." she sighed, bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just, I... It's not that I don't want it with you. It's... It'd just ruin everything for me. Everything I've planned for the past 6 years."

He did hear what she was saying, that she wanted children with him.. but that was vague, in the "someday" of a distant future. Here and now, she was going to kill something he desperately wanted. He raked a hand through his hair in frustration, which only made it even more of a mess, of course.
"You can still train," he tried. "I'll take care of him. Her, I mean. The baby. We'll get daycare. Don't. Don't you want it? At all?"

"... I do, but not now. I've always wanted to wait at least four years more from now." she muttered, bit her lip, a tear escaping one of her eyes. "I just... Can't. Can't cope it now. I don't have any space in my life for a child."

"Can't." He swallowed. "Can't you make that space? It'd take some more time for your training but.. This is just, just something unexpected. A little setback. Like, like an injury." He realised he sounded like he was begging. Which he was. "It's not.. I mean, it's a child. It's a living thing..."

"Minato... I... I just can't. I don't want a child now. No matter whose it is." she turned her head, looked at him, another tear sliding down her cheek. "I can't handle it. Maybe you can, but..." she sighed. "The mother is the most important figure in a child's life during the first two years. And I'll barely be there."

"No.." he said, and he felt cold all over as he realised something: he didn't know her at all. Or maybe he did, but he'd just been too blind to see. "Not if you don't make the time to be there." His voice was shaking, but the words were clear. "The choice to be there."

"But I can't, Minato, I can't... I made a promise..." the last part was whispered as more tears fell.

"A promise? What promise?" He wanted to hold her, but anger wouldn't let him.

"I promised... Obito. I promised him I'd never back down from my goal... That I'd keep going until I was were I wanted to be, until I'd gone pro... That I'd do whatever it takes. He... He wanted me to be happy. And he knew how much it means for me. That's why he made me promise."

Oh. He sort of got that. But... not really...
"And I'm just lucky that I happened to not distract you from that goal?.. No, forget that. I'm sorry..." But he wasn't. "I mean.. damn, Kushina. I don't understand.. That.. I just think that this.. The child. It's alive, it's real.. and you're going to kill it."

She shook her head, bit her lip as she hid her face in her hands. "I wouldn't if I saw any other way out of it."

"Do you really think.. this is what he'd want, too?"

"I... I don't know, 'Nato. We never talked about this stuff." she took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm just thinking.." he swallowed his own tears. "That.. He's not here anymore, and.. I respect that, that you l-loved him. But.. So do I. And.. The child's here. And me."

"I..." she bit her lip, sighed. "Mom and dads been sacrificing much for me to be able to go here, as well... They'd be furious if I was thrown out. And they'd probably try to stop us from seeing each other at all. I... I don't want to lose you, 'Nato."

The next second, he held her in his arms, tightly, his own tears spilling into her hair. "No.. me either. I.. I dunno how, I just wanna make this work. Us.. and th- the baby."