Okayyy

Okayyy! Here's chapter 2! I've decided to make it longer than just one or two chapters…XD

Jitenshi, you'll have to wait some time for the chapter I promised to write…! Sry!! Anyways, I am going to write it!!

Disclaimer – Naruto or any characters from the series/manga are not mine!!

How Could You?

Chapter 2: Memories From The Unforgotten Past

The busty woman groaned in frustration. The girl behind her winced when saw the looks on the men's faces. Smirks, smirks, and smirks. Gulping, the black-haired girl extended a small hand and tugged the blond's jacket's sleeve. "Tsunade-sama…?"

"What, Shizune?" The blond woman named Tsunade murmured under her breath. She was too concetrated on her cards, planning her next move.

Looking from one face to another, Shizune glanced at everyone in the room. There was no more women, just the two of them. "With all of my respect, Tsunade-sama, but I-I think we should go back to hour hotel… I mean, you have played for hours with nonstop, and it's not that your luck is getting better." Shizune said weakly.

Some men inside the room whom where playing shot her devil looks sending a shiver fown her spine.

"Hush Shizune! I'm going to make my move!" Tsunade exclaimed. She lifted a hand and passed it through her cards. Caerfully and with a profesional look, she chose two cards—a five and a four—and threw them in the table in an arrogant way.

Tension filled the room. Shizune was looking with fear as her master's fingertips brushed the cards she was going to take. The other men playing were also looking at her "endless" movement. They had heard the Sannin always lost, but what if she got to win right now?

Tsunade finally took them but didn't look at them instead pressing them against her chest. Sighing, she closed her eyes. Letting another sigh escape her lips, she reopened and saw her final cards. Her eyes widened up, and all the men strted to sweat. But then the Slug Princess frowned.

All the five men in the room sighed in relieve at the same time. Tsunade glared at them. Throwing her cards on the table, she stood up without saying a word and left. Shizune stood up and as curious as she was, she carefully looked at Tsunade's last cards. Her eyes widened in surprise. All four cards were hearts, all of them a number ten. That might not have been the best, but hello! Tsunade? That woman with famous bad luck!? With those four cards she could have continued playing and maybe even won!

"Shizune…! Weren't you the one complaining? C'mon!" Tsunade said. She was getting pissed off.

"H-hai! Gomen!" Shizune exclaimed surprised. She ran towards her sensei dropping the cards on her way.

"Hey you little brat! Pick up the cards!" A man shouted from inside.

"Gomen!" Shizune turned around and was going to go to pick them up when Tsunade caught her sleeve and dragged her.

"C'mon, stop wasting time! Let those lazy idiots pick them up themselves."

"H-hai! Gomen!"

"You're too gentle, Shizune."

On their way to the hotel they didn't talk. Shizune decided to break the sinlence off. Looking up at her sensei, the black-haired girl was about to ask her why Tsunade had stopped playing, but stopped when didn't find the exact words to ask the question; with Tsunade, it was really hard to talk about her luck on gambling without being hit with her inhuman strength.

Tsunade whom noticed theyoung woman staring at her, she stared back. "What is it now, Shizune?"

Surprised by getting caught, Shizune blushed. "Umm… I was wondering why you stopped playing, Tsunade-sama."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked giving her a suspicious look.

"Well, I saw your cards and they were fairly a good group."

Tsunade frowned and looked ahead again. "I-I didn't feel like continuing playing…" She answered nervously. "And what do you care anyways?"

"I'm sorry for asking, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said, now really surprised that her sensei, yeah, that strong powerful scary mad woman was stammering! Unbelievable, never seen!

When they got to the hotel, Tsunade decided to leave Shizune alone while she went in search of a cheap bar to get a drink.

She went to the cheapoest bar in town. When she opened the door, the air stank of unwashed bodies and cheap alcohol. She took a deep breath of the smell, desiring to feel some of that hot liquid inside her body, melting the ice left from the game.

Sitting in a desk and ordered sake. When the waitress arrived with her drink, she lifted the bottle and looked absently inside at the liquid. Twirling the bottle between her hands, memories ran through her head. She had forgotten what today's date meant until playig poker. Ugh, she was disgusted with herself. Four tens... Ten years had passed since she had left behind the Village of her four loved ones; Sarutobi-sensei, Nawaki, Dan... And Jiraiya. Heart cards... Her heart had been broken four times: When Nawaki died, when Dan died, when she left Jiraiya alone... and right now. She was regretting about her leaving. She should have had run away. How she missed his warm, he callous hand touching her shoulder, his bear-hugs... Although she could have been able to win that poker game, she wasn't able to hold those cursed cards sent from Hell to torment her.

Memories of her closest friend—and maybe even more—Jiraiya came back to her. She remembered the day she left, knowing that it would hurt her favorite Baka too much.

Flashback

Tsunade opened slowly her eyes, trying to adjust them to the light that came from the window. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stretched feeling a little rusty. Looking around the room, memories flew back to her mind.

"Jiraiya!" She exclaimed jumping from the bed. She calmed down when saw he wasn't inside her room. Rubbing her eyes she opened the door and walked through the hall passing his dear brother's room. It was locked since the first day he died.

Caressly she walked through the lounge towards the kitchen. When she passed near the couch, she heard something snoring. No, someone was snoring. Soundlessly, she looked down at the couch and gasped. There was him, his sweet expression melting her being. His long white mane was falling down the couch. She wanted to touch him, to feel him. Standing up she got to control herself.

Tsunade went back to her bedroom, not wanting to wake him up when preparing breakfast. She was going to dress up with her Jounnin uniform, but then she thought better and threw it to the garbage. Instead she wore simple clothes for journeys. Closing her bag with the clothes inside, she took it and went to the front door. Before she could open the door, Tsunade heard him snore again.

She closed her eyes as her heart beat faster and faster. Calming down Tsunade went to her room and taking a sheet of paper she wrote a letter addressed to Jiraiya. When she finished writing it, she reread it. Frowning, the young Sannin could see how many things this letter was missing. Ahh! She was so confused! Her heart wanted her to express her feelings towards him in that letter, but her mind wouldn't let her. She put the letter down on the table. Tsunade then noticed her hitae-ate on her bedside table.

Taking it carefully like if it was a fragile kid, she brushed her fingertips with fondness over the cold surface. She wanted to keep it, but she had to give it back. Placing it next to the letter, Tsunade stared at it for a couple of minutes before taking her bag again and heading to the lounge.

Smiling sweetly, she squatted to be at his level. Taking some strans of white hair from his face, Tsunade just looked at him, thinking that he was handsome in a way. There was nothing special about his face, but she liked his strong features that gave him a certain degree of charisma. She could fight it no more, and leaning over the clond beauty kissed his cheek warmly.

Sighing soundlessly, she carefully stood up, and headed towards the front door. Opening, the morning's cold hit her in the face and body. Placing the bag on her back, she ran off to the Gates, never glancing back.

End of Flashback

Shizune looked again at the clock. Even if Tsunade was every night late, the black-haired young woman felt that day weird. Sighing, she stood up from the chair, and putting her putting her coat on, she headed to the "bars' street" as she called it since in that street there was only bars and pubs.

There were always drunk people laughing and having fun. They were usually around twenty, really young. Even though Shizune was only seventeen, she could hit pretty hard, maybe not like Tsunade's punches, but she could leave a red mark. Ignoring the whistles that she got from the boys, she marched to the cheapest bar. She knew by experience that when the Slug Princess lost a lot of many in gambling, she wouldn't have much money left inside her pockets.

When the black-haired young woman stepped inside, she could hardly breathe. The air was making her sick. Wrinkling her nose and trying her best to ignore the odor, she looked around. She spotted the busty blond almost passed out. For God's sake! She couldn't even sit in the chair correctly, looking as she could fall from it in any second. She had buried her face between her arms that were resting on the table. Next to her a group of guys were leering at her in a shameless way.

Walking quickly to Tsunade, Shizune placed her hand on her shoulder. "Tsunade-sama...?" Her only reaction was to grunt. "Tsunade-sama, let's go home, alright?" Shizune said softly.

Shizune helped her to stand up and going to the bartender she paid for the older woman's copious amount of alcohol.

When they finally got to the hotel, Shizune laid her down on the bed and took of her heels silently. When she finished, Shizune took a better look at her sensei. Her face was red and her skin was warm. But the most surprising thing that she found was dried tears on her cheeks. That was new to the young woman, she had never seen the female Sannin cry, not even a tear. When she was little she thought it was because Tsunade was so strong, brave and perfect that wouldn't never cry.

Once she told her sensei that she thought the blond was her hero, her role model, that she was perfect. Tsunade had said she wasn't

Flashback

A ten years old Shizune walked happily next to her master. Tsunade looked down at her smiling. "Why are you always so happy kiddo?"

Grinning at the blond woman, Shizune pointed at her. "It's because of you. I mean, you had done so many things for me! When I grow up, I want to be just like you! You're strong, smart, and perfect."

Tsunade stopped walking frowning at the little bouncy girl next to her. "No Shizune. I'm not and I will never be perfect. No one is, and I'm the worst one of all." Looking at Shizune's sad expression, she sighed. "Don't try to be me 'cause you're just going to get hurt. And also remember this, be yourself. Alright kiddo?" The Slug Princess had said softly.

Shizune nodded and smiled a little. "Hai Tsunade-sama." 'I'll become a person you will be proud of, although I will always be steps behind you!' She thought.

End of Flashback

"Am I getting closer to you, Sensei?" She murmured under her breath. She hoped so.