The classroom really was a very comfortable place. The desks were firm enough that if you happened to be sleeping on them, you wouldn't slip off and alert your sensei to your slumbering. There was also a decent amount of space between yourself and the child next to you--enough so that you wouldn't be disturbed, and none of the small amount of spittle you produced could reach him or her.
However, this was not the case with Namikaze Minato, whose drool seemed to have the appearance of a small lake.
At the moment, the said boy was snoozing gently on his desk, utterly dead to the world. Drool was starting to dribble down his chin and pool around by his throat.
It was at this time that a certain someone tossed a kunai in his general direction, clipping off several fine, blonde hairs.
"Wake up, moron!"
Minato struggled to rouse himself and peered uncertainly at the figure in front of him. There stood a petulant looking girl around his age, her arms firmly folded over her chest. Her eyes seemed to be narrowed in a sign of anger, but as Minato peered closer, he could see that the irritation was masking slight amusement. And her hair...it was cropped short and was colored a deep, blood-red shade that glinted in the dimmed sunlight. It looked so much like a juicy apple that Minato had to steel himself as so not to leap across the desk and gnaw on the girl's hair.
He snapped to. "Hi. I'm Minato, Namikaze Minato."
The girl scoffed. "Like I give a crap."
There was a pause, but then she countered, "Uzumaki Kushina. Not that you need to know."
Minato shrugged and looked at his desk. It had never seemed more inviting. "Okay," he replied simply. With a tremendous yawn that nearly split his jaw, he stretched his arms above his head and gazed outside the window. To his surprise, the sun had all but disappeared.
"It's getting dark out." he said, getting up to squint at the quickly fading sun. The girl snorted. "No, really? God, you really are a dumbass." she said in a lofty, patronizing tone. "Sensei told me to come back and find you. If it was me, I woulda let your sorry carcass get attacked by some rogue shinobi."
Minato blanched.
"But I guess Sensei thought your body would stink up the room. So, here I am."
The towheaded adolescent blinked. "Um. Thanks? "
She shrugged. "Whatever."
As Minato hadn't eaten anything since a hasty breakfast that morning (he was late, and had forgotten to create a bento lunch box) , and his redheaded companion was now demanding a meal for her "perfectly polite services", the pair lollopped off to the Ichiraku Ramen Stand for noodles. Minato wasn't stupid--he knew you had to treat such a young woman like a lady.
Even if she was kind of violent.
Kushina surveyed the noodle stand with a large, beaming smile. Plopping herself down in the front section, she pounded the bell until it sounded as if it was dying.
"Raaaammmmennn," she sang with obvious delight, "Delicious, and lovely. A worthwhile treat that won't be paid for by meeee."
She turned halfway in her seat to glance at Minato, who was currently fighting off a smile. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and then softened as she smiled herself.
"It's gonna suck to be you," she gloated. "I eat a lot."
"Miso ramen, please," Minato informed the harried young man who had arrived. The man nodded before shuffling back to the kitchen. The younger boy turned back to his 'savior' and added, "I thought you might."
Kushina's bright eyes narrowed. "You talkin' smack, blondie?"
Minato shook his head earnestly. "Nope."
"You better not. I'll nail your ass to the wall."
He didn't doubt it for a second.
letters 'A.D.D'.
"Ahhhh, kami, that was good. " Kushina breathed, rubbing her stomach with a sleepy sort of delight. To Minato's gentle encouraging, the pre-teen girl had downed at least five bowls of Ichiraku's famed Naruto ramen. Even now, she needed to hold herself up on the Namikaze boy's arm as so not to topple over.
If there was such a thing as being intoxicated by ramen, Uzumaki Kushina was the perfect paragon of it.
"Nectar of the gods." she informed the blonde, leaning heavily on him.
He nodded seriously. As if he could hear a single word she was muttering.
He absently rubbed away a morsel of fish cake that stuck to her cheek with his thumb, his appendage lingering on her face a little bit longer than Kushina felt comfortable with. She wobbly batted it away.
"Don't touch me...ya...ya-" she snapped, unable to form a single coherent sentence. She flung herself away from the prodigy and proceeded to waddle down the opposite street.
"Kushina-san! Where are you going?" Minato said worriedly, watching her wobble uncertainly.
"I'm going home!" she bawled, determined to make it home on her own, even if it killed her. She certainty didn't need Minato's help...stupid, push-over, altogether-too-mellowed-out, rookie ninja that he was.
"It's not safe for a girl to be out this late."
The crimson haired girl turned, a fierce scowl printed onto her features.
"You can take your sexist comments and shove 'em up your-"
A large hand descended on her shoulders. "I do hate to interrupt such a romantic scene," a voice breathed, "but I'm afraid I can't pass up such a delicious chance. It's been a while since I've had a little cash to spend. Pray let go of your purse..."
A kunai leveled herself at her jugular vein.
"...or I might have to slit your cute little throat in front of your boyfriend over there."
Her lip curled. "Look, crusty, he's not my boyfriend. He's just some weirdo from my class. Sheesh. Do you guys get stupider with age, or what?"
The
"Kushina! Don't move!" Minato shouted, racing towards them. Kushina rolled her eyes.
"Oh, goody," she deadpanned. "Here comes Prince Charming. I sure hope my funeral's decent."
Minato whipped out a handful of kunai knives, twirling them expertly around his fingers of his left hand. At the same time, he fetched a shuriken from his pocket and sent it flying towards the thief. The purse -snatcher raised his hand to seize the shuriken and in doing so, his grip on the kunai went a bit lax...
Simultaneously, Minato's kunais pierced the thief's apparel, nailing him to the wall, just as Kushina sunk her fist into the man's abdomen. He coughed uproariously, and then tugged free from kunai restraints and sprinted off.
"Sucker!" cackled Kushina, shaking her fist at the man's retreating back.
Minato hurried over to the redhead, his eyes scanning her unhurt body.
"You okay, right?"
Kushina chuckled. "Of course, stupid! I'm a kunoichi of some serious caliber. No crusty ol' moron like that is gonna throw me off!"
Minato grinned. "Of course."
Kushina's eyes narrowed again as she seized her companion's face, stretching it taut. Minato's eyes watered; her nails were quite sharp, and were beginning to pierce his face rather painfully.
"You talkin' smack?"
"N-no ma'am!"
"You better not!"
"I'm not! You were brilliant, Kushina." Minato whimpered, struggling free. He rubbed his face and winced at the irate redhead. Surprisingly enough, she blushed slightly and turned to the side.
"...Whatever."
Minato straightened up. "Let me walk you home."
"No way, man."
"C'mon. You don't want to run into another thief, do you?"
Kushina stared at him, took a step forward...
...and promptly keeled over.
"Kushina! Kushina! Are you alright?"
"Obviously not, stupid. I think I gotta a cramp or somethin'."
"I can carry you home if you'd like."
"Step off, freak. I'll eat you!"
Minato strolled down the street, a sleepy looking Kushina balanced precariously on his back. She felt warm, and was lighter than she looked. He hadn't thought she was heavy, exactly, just...sturdy. But she felt surprisingly frail.
"I guess everyone's like that." he thought aloud. Kushina stirred slightly, tickling his bare neck as she did so.
"Mmmm?"
"Nothing. Where's your house?"
For the first time, Kushina was feeling a bit reluctant about going home.
Usually, she ached to go home after the adventures of the day, but now...
Minato was so warm.
His back was sturdy.
She could feel the wiry muscles underneath his shirt, just beneath her fingertips. Hard, she thought with slight shock. But she should've known from the way he defended her tonight.
He didn't have to. He could've let her get harmed.
But...
"We're here." Minato announced, easing her off his back. She tripped a bit before regaining her poise and walking up to the doorstep. Kushina opened the door, and then stopped.
"Hey. Minato?"
"Mm?" He turned around, and smiled at her curiously. Kushina tapped the wood of the door with her index finger.
"D'you wanna come in? I guess I owe you, and stuff. For, uh, the meal. I could cook for you."
Minato blinked.
His smile widened.
Kushina's heart pulsed in her chest.
"Wow. I bet you could make something really disgusting, Kushina-san." he said cheerfully, stepping towards her. Furiously, she slammed the door in his face.
"Kushina, what's the matter? I thought I could come in!"
"Not anymore!"
"But I-"
"Beat it, Minato!"
We're tryin' to keep our eyes open, just for one more day.->
..I'm exhausted now.
Thank you very much for reading. :D I hope you enjoyed this, Rainna-girlie.
