AN: Banged this out in about a day or two because I felt pretty guilty for taking so long to upload the last few chapters. :) So please enjoy!

Disclaimer: nothing cooler than Chuck Norris' old socks belong to me. (Even those would be like the Holy Grail to me!)

"For a legendary drunk, you sure know how to spill your guts." He was trying to be funny, but she wasn't exactly in the mood for jokes, seeing as how she was momentarily throwing her innards up.

"Shut up." Tsunade managed between breaths, then going back to her vomiting. Jiraiya rubbed her back and felt her muscles contract and tighten as everything came out. He quickly grabbed one of her pigtails before it swung into the stream of sick that flowed from her.

"Lets go find someplace to rest for a bit." As she wiped her mouth, Tsunade looked up at Jiraiya, tired eyes searching his face for an emotion regarding their earlier talk.

Nothing.

"You know, I think I've told you this before but you must not have been listening. You're dumb, you do dumb things and dumb people shouldn't go charging off to do very dumb things."

"Oh how sagely you are, princess." Jiraiya's chuckle was deep and loud, shaking her a bit from the vibrations traveling through the wooden bench.

The moment turned to silence, and soon it became tense as Tsunade started fiddling with the ends of her shirt.

"Just don't die." Jiraiya didn't look at her, just focusing his eyes more intensely on the fence a few yards away.

Of course he knew she would say that, but what he wasn't expecting was the emotion, the tremble in her voice as the words came out. That kind of weakness from her was like getting a fish to walk around on land, it just didn't happen.

That didn't mean he didn't find it funny.

"Stop laughing you idiot. I'm serious, if I lost you too-."

"What? You'd cry? Aww, that makes me all fuzzy inside, Tsunade." An angry pout spread over her face, and her eyes turned to lasers as she bored them into his head.

"Hush."

Jiraiya smiled, looking over his blonde princess one more time, knowing this might be the last time he got to be close to her, to take in the nice smell of her perfume, to watch the light wind lift her hair.

I love you.

It was too heavy for his jaw, his tongue went rigid the moment the thought of the words came to him. No, you'll put her in a panic, don't.

You were never meant for happiness.

"Thank you."

"For what?" He watched the way her nose scrunched in confusion, how her eyes twinkled in the dimming light, the highlights of honey bursting from the sea of whiskey. She was a sight to behold, a muse with fingers like silk, hair woven of gold, a smile blessed by angels themselves.

I love you.

"For making me a better man. I'm tougher now because of you, Tsunade." She laughed, tiredly and wearily. Her eyes left him and she spread herself out on the bench, hanging her arms on the back and crossing her legs over again.

He decided it was a good time to leave, so he hefted his scroll onto his back and turned his cheek to the north, staring at the sky.

"Jiraiya." He stopped, heart pounding from his foiled escape plan, it would have been so cool, like the ones in the movies.

"Hmm?"

"Out of all the women you've claimed to have 'rocked', how many did you actually love?" Jiraiya's cheeks darkened at the tone of her voice as she passed over her words.

"Claimed is such a tiny word, more like proven."

"Whatever, just answer my question dammit." She set her lips in a line, that cute little upset face she'd been making since they were kids. Jiraiya figured she wasn't even aware of it.

"None of them." Tsunade snapped her eyes to meet his, incredulous.

"Seriously? None of them?" He shook his head.

"They weren't who I wanted." She snapped her mouth shut at this, knowing where his words would take them soon enough.

I love you.

She wanted to say it, but the sound of her heart pounding was enough to block out any and all thoughts traveling from her brain to her mouth.

A cool breeze passed through the part of the park they were in, lifting some dead leaves and scuttling them to and fro, and rays from the red hot sun started to trickle beneath the horizon, calling for an end to the day.

"Tsunade-!"

"I love you." Like a child that had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Tsunade sat on the bench with her head low, face a mess of red and hands fiddling with the hem of her shirt once again.

His knees rattled for a millisecond and he could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment, but it was the greatest moment of his life.

"I love you too."

"Then don't go, just stay with me and Naruto and we can deal with Akatsuki some other way. Just please don't go!" Her tears were like bombs going off inside him, the worst things he would ever see. They stung him and he was standing five feet away, watching his beloved fall apart.

"Please Jiraiya, don't go, I want you here with me, stay please!" Her shoulders were shaking so hard she couldn't breath and her tears blurred her eyes so much she couldn't see.

"But I'm the only one who can-!"

"I don't care!" She shook her head and some of her tears went flying, glistening in the sunlight like diamonds.

"What about Naruto? You're putting him in danger by being selfish." Jiraiya stepped forward, eyes focused on Tsunade as she wiped her eyes, a new expression crossing her features.

"I don't care if I have to set the world on fire, I will keep that boy safe! Those bastards will have hell to pay if they want to come in here and take him from me." A fire with the wrath of hell behind it flashed in her eyes, lighting them up.

Jiraiya was taken aback. In all the years of him knowing her, she had never been that firm, never been so dangerous with just her words alone.

It was that fire he had been waiting to see brew in her.

"What I'm doing is the same as you, only more proactive."

"I'll break your legs."

"What?"

"I'll break your legs so you won't be able to walk for a month. I'll break your arms so you can't weave signs. I'll grind every bone in your body to dust with my bare hands if that's what it'll take to keep you with me."

"Stop it, Tsunade, you're starting to cry again."

"I don't care!" She shot up from the bench, anger rolling off her in waves as she stepped over to Jiraiya, intent on fulfilling her earlier promise.

Jiraiya caught her by the wrists and pinned her against his chest, feeling her squirm against him and bury her face in his chest.

"Please, please, please." Her face deepened into his chest, wanting so hard to just fuse with him and have them together forever.

"Better me than you, Tsunade. He needs you more."

"How do you know that?" Jiraiya sighed and smiled, waiting for his blonde princess to look up at him.

"Have you seen the way he looks at you? Do you even realize what you do around him? You're his family, his surrogate mother and no one else will ever be able to come close to what you can do for him." Jiraiya, with his large hands, took Tsunade by the shoulders and held her firm in his grip, eyes pouring into hers.

"If we lost you, who knows what us barbaric men would do in retaliation. But you would bring a calm to him, I know you would hold him up until he could do it on his own again." Tsunade nodded and wiped her eyes, sucking up some light congestion.

"I promise to be as safe as I can, and I promise you two will always be on my mind. I really love you a lot, Tsunade. Just remember that." He kissed her on the lips, pulling her in and holding her.

Then he vanished, leaving Tsunade standing there, watching the sunset and praying for the first time in a very long time.

I love you.

It just really makes you wish it had happened that way. Damn you Kishimoto! *shakes fist* Well, another one is done!

Alright, so I'll go wait in my little corner for reviews, love you guys!

PEACE :P