Anko flipped on the light of her messy apartment and grimaced at the sight of it. Laundry day tomorrow. 'But it's mondaaaayyyy' inner child whined in her mind and she almost scoffed. There was no day of the week that would seem less troublesome for work.
Warming a leftover grilled cheese sandwich, she sat down with the sorry excuse of her dinner. In her mind she was calculating. How many more missions to get the rent out for this month? How many for the household expenses, and how many extras to save up a little, so she could finally buy a small apartment instead of renting one?
She almost laughed when she thought of buying a place. Hell like she could buy a place. She'd be lucky to keep renting a place like this in next years. As she silently put away her plate, she once again went trough the competition in the market. There weren't many missions for grabs with jonin's like Hatake Kakashis around.
But she could never be mad at that guy. He spent almost all of his money in those dogs of his. They had a more luxurious life then the man himself. He took good care of them. The rest of his money went to feeding his brat team and those cheap porn books...He lived in simplicity. It was impossible to envy him.
There was Iruka. Steady income, council providing house but the income was too low. She felt bad for him. But thankfully Iruka wasn't into dazzling lifestyle. Once or twice a week he would hang out with friends, or treat some academy brats to ramen, namely Naruto most times... Anko wanted to treat the man one day. To a really nice place. Iruka though never dreamed too big, deserved good things more then any of them.
Hyate often used to come around asking for a cup of cough syrup. As much as he liked to have his medicines, he didn't have all that much money to spend. Anko never said no. She bought a cough syrup a month just to share a cup with the guy. It was like their own version of a champagne party.
Kurenai was always doing good. She often gave Anko a chap stick. The kind that says 8 hours moisturizing, soft pink lips and subtle shimmer. Never the makeup person, Anko still puts a layer on her lips before attending council meetings and big parties. It has been a year and she has only used a quarter of it. Call her stingy but she would never spend so much money on a chap stick. She could buy four dressed with the same price as the damn thing. But ever since Kurenai got pregnant, Anko often visited her with the healthiest snacks and little clothes for the future baby.
She couldn't wait to be an aunt...
And finally there was the hokage. The blond lady who had inherited a lot and lost more then what she had inherited in her shitty luck of gambling. Anko would laugh every time she thought of her. But she adored the lady, she really did. As grumpy as the old woman was, there was always enough sake in her cupboard to share.
So every month there was a little gathering of some shinobies in the hokage's tiny kitchen. In the crowd Kakashi would be crouched in a corner reading his porn. Genma and Ibiki would discuss politics. Iruka would be discussing the progress of the academy children with Itachi, who was probably the richest of them all but came there for some strange reason. Free sake was hard to put down, or so Kakashi would tease.
The owner of the Kittchen would be drinking silently as Jiariya would babble and Anko would be the bar tender for the night, with a little help from Shizune. They didn't have the best life, but Anko won't complain. It could have been worse, it could have been better.
But whatever it was then, it brought them closer.
She couldn't think of it any other way.