Hey! Little one shot here, hope you like it. I own nothing 3 Please review.

He sat cross legged on a cushion in front of a small table by the window in his apartment. On the table was a fresh stack of crisp white paper and a type writer. Jiraiya's eyes where shut and his face was calm and relaxed. The long red lines that ran down his face added a strong look to this peaceful look on his thinking face. A twig outside broke. He could feel her chakra before she even spoke.

"Jiraiya… what are you doing?"

He felt his right eye begin to twitch with irritation. "Mm, what do you mean what am I doing?!" his eyes shot open and he glared at the woman outside his window. "I'm working on my mater piece!"

The blonde woman standing on the tree branch outside laughed at him obnoxiously, like she always did when he said something idiotic. "It looks like you fell asleep on the way to that master piece,"

Jiraiya crossed his arms defensively looking her up and down, "what do you want Tsunade? I have work to do,"

She smiled nodding, "oh, yeah. Hard at work. Come on, we are going for a walk," her green jacket blew around her waist as the spring air wafted her sent through his window.

Jiraiya sighed. She still used the same body soap as when they were younger he mussed as the smell of milk and honey filled his nose. Taking a deep breath he stood, "I guess I could take a little break," the tall shinobi stepped up on the window ledge and jumped down from his second story apartment landing in the grass below. Tsunade followed walking beside him down a little warn dirt path through the dirt leading away from the house.

They walked in silence towards the monuments. It was a peaceful quiet. Her shoulder brushed his arm lightly a few times as they made their way up the mountain. Jiraiya enjoyed her company. Rarely did she call on him like this anymore. Despite there bickering as children they had spent a lot of time together over the years just like this. Walking. Being together. She would call on him from his window and request he walked with her. Even if he never won over the blonde, he always loved her dearly and could never deny her when she needed his attention.

As they came to the top, they sat on the head of the third Hokage and looked out over the village. Tsunade took his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What happened?" Jiraiya asked slowly looking down at her with tender eyes.

"Nothing," Tsunade sounded defeated. He knew it was a feeble attempt to cover up hat was bothering her.

"I can see right through you Tsunade. I don't even know why you try to cover it up sometimes." Jiraiya chuckled sliding his arm around her shoulders.

She laughed halfheartedly, "You're the only one," Tsunade lifted her head and hugged her knees. "I- there is a lot of work that goes into being the Hokage… a boy died last night at the hospital. He was only three Jiraiya." Jiraiya watched her as her face fell in total sadness. "He was sick with a fever. All he had to do was break it but the fever won out. There was nothing I or anyone else could do for him,"

Jiraiya nodded understanding the situation having seen it happen when he was younger in a small village off the boarder of the land of fire. "That's sad indeed… I'm sorry you had to be a part of that," he watched as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Jiraiya reached out his large hand and wiped them away gently with his thumb.

"I sat with his mother for hours. Her husband was away. He's a merchant and it was their first child…" Tsunade shook her head, "Three years… and her life was upside down in the matter of hours after losing her son."

"Death is a powerful, powerful thing. Yet so is life… and love." Jiraiya said in a soft tone leaning back on his arms. He turned his head looking out at the setting sun over the village.

Tsunade nodded, "I've lost so many I've loved and now I'm responsible for every life in the village. Even yours, Jiraiya." He looked at her surprised as she rested her chin on her arms, "I thought about you into the early morning. You have known me since we were six years old in the academy. Stood beside me as a member of team six, fought as a comrade in a war… you have saved me more times than I think you know," Jiraiya stared at her unsure of where she was going with this, "You oved me when I hated you, Hit you and pushed you away. You loved me even when I didn't choose you. When I had no one else to love me you were always there…."

"Tsunade," Jiraiya set a hand on her shoulder.

"I-I just can't believe I've never told you I've loved you for all these year," his dark eyes widened as her soft brown eyes fell on his own, "I mean of Corse I care about you. That really went unsaid… but I realized last night… I can't remember when I started loving you. As that mother mourned the loss of her child she wanted her husband so dearly and as I felt her sadness. I wanted you. I wanted you to hold me and tell me it would be okay. So, here I am sitting on sensei's head, after all these years, in fear of never getting the chance to say it again. Before life takes one of us away. That I'm in love with you Jiraiya."

Tsunade looked down at her hands as her heart hammered in her chest. The first time she said it Jiraiya thought he had simply heard her wrong but there was no doubting she had sad what she said and meant it. Jiraiya didn't even try to fight the small smile that played on his lips, "I never in a million years expected to hear you say a thing like that Hime," he chuckled.

Tsunade scoffed," me either. Here I am though saying it,"

He bumped into her with his shoulder, "it took a lot of courage to that. Believe me I know."

She looked at him with a half-smile. "I'm sure you do. I can only imagine how I felt to have me tell you to get lost so many times and now I'm here telling you how I really feel…."

Jiraiya chuckled nodding," I stopped over time you got to let the girl go sometimes. If she comes back, she's meant to be with you, "he shrugged his broad shoulders looking at her his face content," if she doesn't she wasn't yours to start with." Jiraiya slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side. "I got to say it took a lot longer than I ever thought it would. I really didn't think I'd ever get the chance to love you," he looked down into her eyes as hers searched his, "I'm just glad you realized I'll always be here and I'll always love you too, Tsunade."

Jiraya smiled down at her and his eyes crinkled in the edges, just the way she loved. Tsunade threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard rolling on top of him flattening hm to the ground. Her teeth bumped his lips roughly as she fell onto him. Jiraiya let out a heartfelt laugh as their lips fell apart. She blushed scarlet. "Tsunade," Jiraiya cupped her perfect face in his hands and she leaned into his warm touch, "I've waited my whole life for today." He leaned in and kissed her slow and sure as the happiest man in the land of fire.

THE END