[ He was happy, once upon a time. He had smiled around her, loved being around her, looked forward to the days where their free hours would overlap so he could take them for himself. He may not remember... but that doesn't mean those times were not real.

That love was real.

It's still real.

It's just a little different, soft thoughtful looks as Minato stares down at their hands, feels his heart pattering against his knuckles. ]

...The sort of love that's hard to be put into words. The sort where you love a person's existence. Their essence. The way one loves clear blue skies, or a cool ocean breeze... That's what I hoped, anyways. That's what I felt.