"Then, if I come back alive..." Jiraiya's amused expression turned serious as he glanced at Tsunade's deceptively young face. She was as beautiful as ever, perhaps even more, as the sunset bathed her in the colors of the fire their land was named for. The corners of his lips turned briefly downwards, before he closed his eyes and turned to face her shocked expression.
When she saw his sincerity as he opened his eyes, she quickly schooled her expression to match the seriousness of his own. "Tsunade." He gulped nervously, but she could tell that he had no plans to back down from what he had to say. She felt her heartbeat speed up. She knew what was coming. "You know how I feel about you."
Damn it! "Jiraiya, I- you old pervert, you know why- you stupid jerk, always having to get your hands on every woman you lay eyes on, never sticking-"
"TSUNADE!" Shouted Jiraiya commandingly, "Damn it, I'm sorry, I- I was just joking, calm down, please." As Tsunade followed her own medical advice and forced herself to slow her breathing, she noticed the tears forming in her eyes and hastily wiped them away with her sleeve.
"No, no." she took a shuddering breath, "I'm fine. I- I overreacted. I'm fine now. Keep talking. She had to control herself. She was the Hokage. The Hokage doesn't have emotional outbursts.
"If you're sure." He watched as she nodded and brought the controlled expression back onto her face. "Well, okay. I know how you feel after- after Dan." He carefully watched as she took another shuddering breath, before she seemed to calm again. Here goes nothing. "I love you, Tsunade. You know I do."
Her face twisted up like she was about to cry, before it turned back into the mask of calm. "Jiraiya, I can't. You know I can't, you know why."
His expression was solemn as he said his next words. "All joking aside, Tsunade, we both know the risks of my next mission."
This time, she couldn't put the mask back into place. "That's why I can't, Jiraiya! I can't lose you too, not after Nawaki, not after Dan!"
Jiraiya tried to hide his sorrow by closing his eyes. His voice was subdued. "I can't keep kissing strangers and pretending that they're you. I'm in my fifties, ancient for our line of work, and I have never had a meaningful relationship. After all we went through together... my heart belongs only to you, Tsunade."
Finally, going against everything her broken heart told her, she nodded. With damp cheeks, their faces met, and they kissed in the golden light of the sunset. When they finally pulled away, Jiraiya stood bathed in crimson light, his towering form casting a shadow over Tsunade's smaller one.
"If anything goes wrong, send me a message with your toads! I will come immediately!" She said, grasping his hands tightly.
"You know you can't do that. You need to stay in the village. Hokage." A small smile tugged at his lips as he slowly let go of her fingers. "You need to be here to bring up the next generation. I can tell how you have bought into the idea of Naruto becoming hokage. I can see why. Nawaki, Dan, and now him."
"Speak for yourself, I can see the way you are with him, Jiraiya."
She watched as a wistful smile spread across his face. "It reminds me of the time when I trained Minato. Hasn't been a genius like him in a while."
"Naruto isn't much like him, is he?" She said in amused tone. "He's more like his mother, Kushina. Both in his personality, and his ninjutsu style. Although Naruto definitely looks like his father."
"Yeah, he does." said Jiraiya happily. "I've even started thinking of him like my own grandson." He closed his eyes briefly, recalling fond memories from the far and recent past, before opening them once again. Stepping away from Tsunade, he walked over to his things and began to gather them.
"Please, Jiraiya, you have to come back." pleaded Tsunade. "Please."
Jiraiya sighed as he pulled his bag onto his back. They both knew he couldn't promise anything. "How about this." He said with a smirk on his face. "You bet that I will die." Tsunade's jaw dropped. How can you say such a thing? "I will bet that I will come back alive. We both know what your luck with gambling is like. And then, if I come back..." He puckered his lips and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Tsunade frowned, but she couldn't help but blush, too.
"Well, I better be going." stated Jiraiya, as he began walking off. "Oh, one more thing." He looked back seriously. "Keep an eye on ROOT."
"Yeah. I know." She didn't need a reminder.
"See you later!" He said cheerily, in place of a goodbye. As he turned a corner and she could no longer see him, tears streamed down her face. As the last light faded, she finally turned to walk away. Maybe she would go gambling.
She was feeling lucky.