Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"So…" Konan's blue eyes were sharp as they fell on her sensei's face. "Who exactly is the child?" She was of course referring to the tiny little girl currently asleep on the couch of the apartment Jiraiya shared with all his students. Also, Konan had by now become convinced that Jiraiya was incapable of not taking in strays, since there could be only one explanation why the grand total of dependents living in his apartment had just risen to eight.
Jiraiya grimaced and sat down at the kitchen table, the primary meeting place for anyone happening to live in this apartment. "Her name's Katou Shizune."
Konan's eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. "'Katou'. Any relation to Tsunade-san's dead boyfriend?"
The toad sennin groaned. "Uh-huh. She was his niece. Only living relative too, as it turns out." Now it was Konan's turn to grimace. "Dan was taking care of her up until he died. After that Tsunade was taking care of her, if you want to call it that. Now that Tsunade's gone…"
Again, Konan raised an eyebrow. "Now that Tsunade-san's gone…"
Jiraiya shook his head. "She's a sweet little girl. The orphanage system would eat her alive and we'd never see her again."
Smiling gently, Konan probed his hand with her fingertips. "Just can't resist the chance to take in a stray, can you Sensei?"
He snorted. "'Course not. Why else are you, Nagato and Yahiko here?"
"Point."
.
Shizune was a resident of Chateau Jiraiya for a grand total of two months. In those two months, Konan found herself watching the child's progress.
She was shy, but bright in her manner. She tended to stick closer to Kakashi, who was closer to her age, and smiled a little foolishly whenever Minato was in the room. Kakashi seemed a little weirded out by the fact that suddenly someone wanted to spend an extended amount of time with him, but all agreed that the experience was good for him.
Shizune seemed to adjust well.
Konan couldn't help but notice, though, that the four-year-old girl tended to stare out windows when she thought no one was looking and pensively watch the walkers on the street go by. She was pining, and it was no question as to whom Shizune was pining for.
Jiraiya noticed to, because at the end of two months he packed a bag for him and the girl, marched out of the house with Shizune in tow and declared that he was going to find Tsunade.
Konan watched them leave from the porch, arms folded over her chest.
She knew it couldn't last.
