The night was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kushina lay awake.
The ceiling above her, yet her gaze was empty.
"…Listen to him."
She made a face.
"Yeah, sure… great idea…"
She turned onto her side.
"As if I'd willingly talk to something that almost killed me…"
Silence.
A moment.
Another.
Kushina closed her eyes.
Slowly.
"…Just for a moment."
A deep breath.
Then another.
She placed her hand on her stomach.
Warm.
Heavy.
There.
"I know you can hear me."
Nothing.
"And I also know you weren't exactly… quiet yesterday."
Silence.
Then
A slow pulse.
Kushina's body tensed immediately.
"…So you are there."
A low growl.
Deep.
Barely audible.
But there.
"…you are loud…"
Kushina's eyes snapped open.
"…You just spoke."
Silence.
Then a low, quiet laugh.
"…finally…"
Kushina sat up.
"Okay… I really don't like this."
"…neither do I…"
Kushina blinked.
"You have a problem with me? YOU are inside me!"
A quiet snort.
"…a prison is still a prison…"
Kushina's gaze sharpened.
"I didn't lock you in here."
"…you did…"
The voice turned colder.
"…all of you did…"
A brief moment.
Heavy.
Kushina pressed her lips together.
"I'm not 'all of you.'"
Silence.
Then
"…they all say that…"
A low growl ran through her body.
Kushina felt it.
Directly.
"Stop that."
"…stop what…"
"That… pressure!"
A short pause.
Then the voice grew calmer.
But not kinder.
"…you are afraid…"
Kushina glared into the darkness.
"Of course I'm afraid."
"…good…"
Kushina frowned.
"What's good about that?"
"…fear makes you careful…"
A pause.
"…without it… you would die…"
Kushina fell silent.
That hit.
A little.
Too much.
"…you talk like you know me."
A low, dark laugh.
"…I can feel you…"
Kushina's hand clenched slightly.
"I don't like that at all."
"…neither do I…"
Silence.
Kushina exhaled slowly.
"So… what do you want?"
No answer.
Then
"…to be free…"
Kushina's gaze hardened instantly.
"Forget it."
A low growl.
Stronger this time.
"…I wasn't asking…"
The air around her grew heavier.
Kushina's body tensed.
"Careful."
Silence.
Then, calmer
"…you are weak…"
Kushina narrowed her eyes.
"Say that again."
"…you are not strong enough… to hold me…"
A brief moment.
Then
Anger.
Not his.
Hers.
Kushina straightened.
"Then I'll become stronger."
Silence.
"…you want to control me…"
"No."
Kushina's voice grew firmer.
"I want you to stop controlling me."
A quiet laugh.
"…that is the same thing…"
"No."
A pause.
Then
"I'm not like the one before me."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
For the first time
No immediate answer.
Then, quieter
"…Akane…"
Kushina's heart skipped a beat.
"You know her."
"…I remember…"
A brief moment.
Then the voice darkened again.
"…she was weaker than you…"
Kushina's gaze narrowed.
"Don't talk about her."
"…she broke…"
A sharp sting.
Direct.
Kushina clenched her teeth.
"I won't end like that."
A low growl.
Not mocking.
Not angry.
More like
Evaluating.
"…we will see…"
Silence.
Then
The feeling inside her shifted.
Not gone.
But calmer.
More aware.
As if something was watching her.
Waiting.
Kushina slowly let her shoulders relax.
Her breathing steadied.
"…Fine."
A pause.
"We'll do it like this."
No answer.
"You hold back."
A quiet snort.
"…and you…"
Kushina's gaze hardened with determination.
"I will get stronger."
Silence.
Then
A low, deep growl.
This time
Not hostile.
But not friendly either.
Agreement.
Maybe.
Kushina slowly closed her eyes.
For the first time, it did not feel like a fight.
But like something else.
Something unstable.
Something dangerous.
Something that could turn at any moment.
And deep inside her
Two eyes remained open.
Watching.
Patient.
And far from trusting her.