Jiraiya, age 17
Did I somehow die on my way back home?
I can't help but think this to myself as a sharp pang of anxiety takes root in my gut. That's the only explanation my foggy mind can come up with that somewhat verifies why the girl of my dreams is in my bed right now, kissing me. I quivered and fought to catch my breath while Tsunade strokes my hand softly.
Maybe I slipped off a high branch somewhere and fell to my death...
"What's the matter, do you feel okay?" she implored, her naturally high voice now low and edged with worry in the darkness. Hime looked at me with innocent concern in those enchanting, moon-lit eyes.
She had single-handedly invaded every one of my senses, dimming the very last of my resistance. Rational thought, speech, even breathing were all unavailable to me at this time. Without thinking, my tongue swept over my lips, desperate to taste and savor any leftover traces of her sweet mouth. Simultaneously, two pairs of eyes locked on to each other in the semi-darkness of my bedroom. I would've died from embarrassment right there if it weren't for her quiet little hitch of breath. Tsunade broke off our stare, appreciation in her eyes as she fixates on my wet lips. I think she liked what she saw because her own mouth was parted as she glanced back up at me, a momentary flash of hunger disrupting her vacant stare. That one look added more sexual tension to this second than every moment we've ever shared combined.
"I feel like a princess just kissed me," I said with a voice that's almost comically detached from reality. Breathe, you fool! Before I could even consider stopping myself, I cradled her burning face with my palm. The pad of my thumb skimmed a feather-light touch along the smooth surface of luscious, velvety lips. Her sigh was pleasantly warm... all I could think about was how much I wanted her to kiss me again.
"You've always made me feel like one," Tsunade whispered, not even sounding like herself. Her soft, muted voice was ethereal to my ears. Suddenly she's no longer my childhood friend. In my absence, she'd transformed into a goddess of desire, like one from the book lying open on my bed.
It's like I have a short-ass Aphrodite lying on top of me right now.
Hime closes her eyes, as well as the distance between our faces again. "Oh, Jiraiya," Tsunade purred slowly, lips grazing mine lightly. I'd never loved the sound of my own name so much. Tsunade-hime's voice prolonged each syllable, almost as if to savor it. "You're so precious to me," she moaned airily. Plump and delicious, our lips connected again. Not innocently, like a tease, but ardent, blazing, and demanding.
Not even in my wildest dreams could I conjure up a more bewitching scenario. And that's coming from a young man with a damningly vivid imagination. It takes a second or two for the last remnants of shock to leave my system long enough for me to relax into her touch once again. Her gentle caresses and all-around closeness made this night larger than life. My lips stretch wider into a goofy grin against her mouth, and I can feel her smile back in response. I fucking made it. I'm here.
And in the seconds that follow, I can feel her squeezing her arms around me and my own reciprocating. No longer is she a ghost from my past, the aggressive pint-size beauty that still haunts my dreams. Tsunade is right fucking here; she's warm, sweet-smelling, and soft.
My strikingly beautiful teammate kissed me so fervently that my eyes rolled back in rapturous bliss. The languid rhythm of our mouths left me spellbound beneath her. My poorly concealed moans tell me it's time to pull away before I lose myself, but I can't seem to summon the will.
Until Tsunade-hime's thigh nearly collides with my stiff arousal.
From little acorns, mighty oaks do grow...
I choke back a whimper, trying to break away from her but only managing to move my head back slightly. On the nightstand next to me, red numbers glow in the darkness.
12:11 AM
I pull away to whisper a distraction.
"Happy Birthday, Tsunade," I murmur against her lips. She lets out a lustful sigh, her fingers playing with the ends of my bangs. With a final press of lips, she breaks away to run her fingers along my jawbone.
"Jiraiya, did you come all this way just to see me on my birthday?"
Caramel orbs search my eyes for something, but for what I'm not sure. Tsunade sits up, her weight resting on my lower stomach, expression unreadable. I reached into my kimono to pull out the tiny notebook snugly nestled in the military-grade netted armor shirt I wear under my robes. One of the first sleeves contains a loose paper calendar. I remove the page and hand it to her, August 2nd circled multiple times in ink with a big fat Hime (姫) in the middle.
"Fuck yeah, I did." Her eyes leave the paper and hone in on me. Trying to ignore her intensity is even trickier than I imagined. The decision was made to ramble on and shake the dirty thoughts from my mind before acting upon them.
"I assumed I would see you way later on in the day, though. I wanted to surprise you at your house— which I guess, technically, I did...only a lot sooner than expected..."
Tsunade gave me an annoyed look.
I was too dumbfounded to react when her hand grabbed my chin and swung my head to the side. Delicately, she brushed my hair out of the way, exposing my neck to her intense scrutiny. Hime bent down, and suddenly I'm feeling hot breath on my neck, then the tender touch of a kiss. My skin burned when she made contact. A hand runs through my hair as Tsunade's gentle kisses become firmer and more urgent. Another hand slides in my kimono to graze the skin peeking from my mesh armor. I groaned, filling my quiet bedroom with the goofy sounds of unrestrained joy. Tsunade's kisses are now on my collarbone, deft hands reaching down to tug boldly at the obi of my kimono. She tore it away, casting the fabric aside with a satisfied smirk before letting my robe fall open. I watched her gleefully part the front panels, gasping loudly as she traced the flushed skin of my chest with a polished finger.
Hime flattened her candy-scented body against my chest, her lower body inching backward to meet the tent in my martial arts pants.
"Ah!" I cried out, both in delight and alarm. "Hime, get off!"
"Hmmm... No," she says simply in response, sighing. She sat upright, placing a fantastic pressure on my hard-on. I nearly started suffocating from the surprise of it alone.
She'stouchingyourdickshe'stouchingyourdick!
"Raiya," Tsunade's musical voice called my name in a sweet moan, gazing down on me with so much emotion my breath caught in my chest. "I want you..."
I could feel my psyche shatter into literal pieces.
My body moved on its own, jerking into a sitting position, with Princess Tsunade still in my lap. She moaned again as my hands made their way down to cup that captivating ass, forcing a barbed grunt out of me. Small, calloused hands braced my shoulders, and I watched with equal parts of ecstasy and horror as she rolled her hips against my hard cock, driving it home in between her legs.
We both wailed in unison.
"Aaarggh!"
"Oooohh!"
I saw stars, my vision blotting. When my sight fully returned, Tsunade rolled her hips again, repeating the entire process twice over.
"Fuuuuck!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
Yeah, you're dead. It's the only logical explanation for any of this.
I throw my head back after another onslaught of pleasure from Tsunade circling her hips.
"Fuck, Raiya, please touch me," she whimpered illicitly. Her eyes were so tenderhearted and full of longing I could feel them destroy what little resolve still left inside me. I shoved her backward, covering her body with mine and wrenching her knees wide apart so I can plunge myself in between. Tsunade's eyes widened, and I thought I had frightened her for a brief moment.
Only that wasn't the case at all.
Smooth legs secured themselves around my hips, shoving my hardness against the apex of her thighs deliciously. I froze, paralyzed but still somehow able to keep myself from collapsing on top of her. Looking down at Hime in this position... amazement doesn't quite cover it. It's like every neuron of my brain is trying to fire in both directions at once. I must have looked like an absolute dumbass to her.
"You don't know how much I want this, do you?" she asks, dreamily.
I look at her, dazed, physically unable to formulate a response to that. The only thing I could truly grasp onto is that this is true paradise, and fucking this up was not an option.
I kissed her again, trembling as I felt her open her mouth up to me. My tongue outlined her lower lip gently. An uncertain touch at first, not wanting to cross any lines and get my ass stomped out. She jumped somewhat but only pressed herself even closer, humming a low moan into my mouth. I did it again, but with an added suck to her bottom lip. She shivered against me lewdly, making me throb painfully between her parted thighs. I attacked her mouth with vigor, almost forgetting how to breathe from how fucking good everything felt.
Tsunade threw her head back, pulling away from me breathlessly as my mouth left hers to leave kisses along her jaw, leisurely making my way to her ear. My tongue traced the skin behind her ear, earning a squirm from her as I nipped her lobe gently, ragged breaths escaping me unbidden and wild. Her eyes clamped shut when my tongue made small circles on the thin skin of her throat, inhaling her scent as I felt her pulse drum rapidly.
My hand slipped up her side, marveling at the dip of her waist and the overall feel of her delicate curves. When the palm of my hand grazed the side of her breast, something inside Hime seemed to snap.
"Fuck—" Tsunade's breath hiccuped before she pushed herself up and swirled her tongue at the hollow of my throat. Our lips met again with identical, needy moans. The hypnotic rhythm seemed to build and build, our desire feeding into each other savagely. Then, without warning, she let go of my bottom lip with an audible 'pop.'
"What do you need, baby?" I whisper as she pulls away slightly to catch her breath.
"Mmm," was her only answer as she rutted a lazy roll of hips against an extremely interested dick. Euphoria threatened to call this off prematurely if I wasn't too careful.
"Tell me," I bit out, my voice dropping.
Tsunade brought her mouth to my ear, but nothing could've prepared me for what she was about to say.
"I want you to fuck me, Jiraiya."
I peered down at her with horrified wonder at her clouded, distracted expression. I choked, my mind descending into madness at the surrealness of this night.
"Baka-chan... what is it?" she whined from beneath me. My gaze darted around my dark bedroom, avoiding her confused expression. I despised myself for getting stuck in my own head, but I seriously needed answers. Tsunade reached up and grabbed me by my collar, a flicker of uncertainty in her hooded eyes. "Do you-not... want me?"
Get your shit together, you idiot! Do not mess this up for us!
I gave her a look of appalled shock as if that was the most preposterous question she could've ever asked me. I bucked my hips roughly, making sure to hit that touchy little bundle of nerves with my hard cock.
She cooed, and that little noise was so fucking beautiful, I was desperate to hear it again, and again, and again.
"Still think that's the case, Hime?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice low and measured as I drove my hips against her repeatedly.
She purred in reply.
"Ohhh..." Her pink lips formed a little 'o' as her eyes fluttered shut.
I leaned down to attack her neck with kisses, inhaling deep lungfuls of her candy scent while I splayed open-mouthed kisses along the ridge of Tsunade's shoulder in reply.
"What happened?" I ask, lips grazing her earlobe. She craned her head, giving me a hazy look. "W-what made you change your mind about me, Hime?" I leaned back to read her expression.
Tsunade's face fell faster than a corpse in concrete shoes.
She gave me a pointed look, as if answering my question was the last thing on earth she wanted to do right now. I started to get tired of holding myself up by my forearms, but I ignored the slight burn in my muscles while waiting for her to talk to me.
Something in her eyes softened, her hands reaching up to cradle my face. She took a deep breath before looking at me with pure reverence. I could feel the breath leave my lungs instantly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever see such a lovely look on that face, let alone have it be directed at me.
"I've... always wanted you, Baka."
Wait...
"You have?"
Tsunade pushed on my shoulders, making me climb off her and snuggle up next to her instead. I rested on my side, pulling her by the waist so that she's snug against my rapidly beating heart.
"The reason I've held it all in for so long is, well... I want you all to myself. But for years, I was convinced that wasn't possible."
"Huh?" The fuck is she talking about?
Hime's fingers found the ends of my ponytail that was trapped underneath the weight of my hip. She still fiddled with it absentmindedly, looking uneasy and vulnerable as she spoke.
"Ever since I met you, you've always treated me like your special girl. I pretend I hate it, but really... that's what I want to be. Your girl." She placed her hand on my face to stroke my cheekbone with her thumb, a melancholy look in her eyes. "My worst fear is that I give you everything I have, only for you to decide I'm not so special after all."
She's had feelings for me all this time... and this is what stood between us?
"Ohhh... Tsunade," I breathed, squeezing her tight against me until I hear her grunt in discomfort. Even then, I didn't let her go. "Don't you know I worship you? That would never happen."
She hid her face in my neck, broken words softened against my buzzing skin. "What if I end up not being good enough? I'd lose everything."
I've gradually noticed that both Princess Tsunade and I suffer from severe, crippling anxiety throughout the years. Apart from her beauty, it was of the things that made me gravitate toward her. She's just always understood what it's like to live like this.
I am aware that our situations are entirely different. Tsunade-hime is a prodigy of arguably the most famous and influential clan in the Land of Fire. I'm just a guy who is so afraid of looking like a fucking loser, I uphold absurd expectations for myself. With the hope of one day being regarded as a hero of the Leaf. But Hime? She doesn't have anything to prove to herself. Her expectations were forced on her by abusive parents attempting to pass her glory off as their own feats and live vicariously through her. The irony is Tsunade's grandparents are both the most powerful elders in the whole land, yet they're too oblivious to know what actually goes on in their own home. In all honesty, it made me respect Lord Hashirama and Lady Mito significantly less, despite them both being childhood heroes of mine.
It's apparent to me that years of paranoia, stress, and self-loathing have really done a number on poor Tsunade. She exhaled tremulously against my skin, bringing me back to our plane of existence. "Raiya, please say something."
"Fuck, I'm so sorry. My mind is going a mile a minute right now." I clutched her even tighter in my arms, needing to reassure her that I'm just stupid and not at all trying to dub her. "It isn't your fault you have these fears, and I understand why you even have them in the first place. You were born with parents who destroyed your self-esteem rather than nurture it." Glistening eyes met mine in question, her brow furrowed in resentment. "What I mean to say is, you are Princess Tsunade of the Hidden Leaf. I'm just fucking... Jiraiya. That's it. The notion that you'd lose sleep over whether or not you're good enough for a dumb meathead like me is so... tragic, honestly."
Tsunade removed herself from my arms, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The thought that I'd insulted her after she was brave enough to share something so personal with me had me wishing I really was dead. She slung her legs over the bed, abruptly turning her back to me. There was so much I wanted to say to her as ice water sprang through my veins.
I settled myself in next to Hime, making sure to keep a little space between us so that our legs didn't touch. She said nothing, just crossed her arms and stared straight ahead at the wall. Her legs were nearly two feet from the floor, swinging precisely like a child's would. I tried not to laugh at how much it undermined her sullen form.
I fucking love this silly girl.
Somehow, I was able to sit with her and keep my mouth shut without filling the room with unnecessary bullshit. We sat in silence for some time, long enough for me to zone out, before she finally said something.
"I may call you Baka... but you are not dumb, Jiraiya."
My body started at the sudden sound of her voice.
"Huh?"
"I said, you may be a fucking idiot— but you're not actually stupid. Do you get what I'm trying to say?" Her tone sharp and irritated, only with a playful edge it.
"You know I'm pretty lost if I'm being real with you."
She rolled her eyes and nudged her shoulder with mine. "I'm saying that you need to stop thinking you're this big, blundering dumbass. Okay? You're—" she huffed out an annoyed, measured sigh. "You're easily the wisest person of our age." I gawked at her, but Hime avoided my gaze. My hand went to her shoulder, just really wanting to touch her again more than anything. The fabric of my old kimono felt shabby and worn against my fingertips. I couldn't help but wonder why she'd choose to sleep in something so threadbare every night. Looking down, I could see the red flames on the bottom were also faded and ragged at the ends.
And to be honest—the way it stretches, straining to cover her breasts—it doesn't look all that comfortable, either.
I gave the muscle at the juncture of her neck a small squeeze, startling her enough to look me in the eyes again. "Do you really feel that way about me?" I asked, my voice small.
Hime paused before reluctantly bobbing her head, grimacing up at me nervously. "It comes through all the time and not just during battle. You innately possess this like... intrinsic knowledge of how people think and how the world functions. I've always respected that about you."
I blinked rapidly in disbelief.
"Excuse me, what is that look for?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, sheepishly. "I didn't mean anything by it. You're just being so nice to me... I kinda like it."
"I'm not trying to be nice. That's how I genuinely feel. But it's more than all that." My heart began pounding when she started inching closer, but I'd officially moved past being terrified of her touching me.
"Jiraiya," she began, turning into me and threading her fingers in the thick hair at the nape of my neck. I rested one of my hands on the low point of her hip, reveling in the fact that I'm doing so without getting my teeth knocked out. She continued on as if it were no big deal, so I let my thumb stroke the bare skin of her thigh. "You're that guy, the guy who makes me laugh, makes me question everything I thought I knew." She spoke so tenderly I almost felt like I could cry. "I know I've treated you like shit ever since we were little. Years without you at home were years spent... not laughing. The only people to make me laugh, or feel any sort of comfort, were Kagami and Sanjiro. And, ugh, I'm fucking embarrassing myself right now, you know how I am with like... sharing things like this. I'm just so tired of keeping my mouth shut and regretting not telling you... h-how you really make me feel."
Holy fucking shit.
I snaked my arms around her smaller body, situating her in my lap. She yelped, and it was such a cute sound I couldn't help but chuckle at her. "You know, for a girl who hates to use her words... you sure have a beautiful way with them." Tsunade burned up, looking bashful, but said nothing. She only kept holding onto my neck, absentmindedly rubbing and massaging it. "I could wrap myself up in your words and sleep more soundly than a baby."
She snickered, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "Is that so?"
I brought a hand up to caress her cheek. So beautiful.
"I mean it. You're like a walking, breathing lullaby. Even when you're cussing me out, it's still a sweet melody to me." She smiled and kissed me on the cheek, humming while she did. "I've missed your singing voice, too."
Hime pulled back, eyeing me suspiciously. "Uh... I've never sang in front of you. It's pretty much only been for Kagami-sama and Sanjiro-sama."
My hand drew circles on the outer part of her thigh, drumming my fingers playfully along the silky skin. "Nuh-uh. You always sing in the bath."
Her eyes widened with embarrassment, swatting my hand away with muted fury. "Yeah, when I think I'm by myself, you son of a—w-wait, no..." Hime narrowly stopped herself from insulting my mom, doing that little huff she always does when she's irritated. "Fuck you, Baka!"
"I couldn't help it, I'm your biggest fan." She rolled her eyes at me and tugged on my hair lightly. Too light for it to feel really good. "You better sing me to sleep every night, now that I'm home," I threatened gleefully. The look on Hime's face said hell no. "Or else," I added, now stern.
"Or else what?"
"Or else I'm kicking you out of my bed. Your ass can sleep on the floor like you used to do at your house." Tsunade snickered, pushing me back and toppling on top of me.
"Psssh... not all of us are rotten brats with giant beds. Spoiled ass."
"Spoiled? I love sleeping on the ground. I just chose to do it for like 3 years straight, how am I spoiled? You know what—" I cut myself off, deciding then to tickle her relentlessly. The sounds of her screaming and my chortling almost drowned out the stifled boom of my dad calling us downstairs.
"Kids!"
"Fuck," Tsunade coughed, hands splayed over her ribs in protection. "Your folks probably hate me now for hogging you up here this long."
"Doubt it. They're more likely to be miffed at me than you."
If they're anything like me, then they believe Hime can do no wrong.
I stood up, holding my hand out for her to take it. Tsunade went to grab it, but midway she pulled it back and pretended to run her fingers through her hair instead, saying "Oooh," like a total dick.
"Whatever," I scoffed. "Told you earlier that my folks already knew I was back."
"Race you downstairs, jerk off."
God, I fucking love her so goddamn much.
"It's on, loser."
"Butthole."
"Brat."
Tsunade-hime was still sitting at the edge of the bed, her hand quickly shooting up to cover her mouth. Her eyes traveled down to my crotch and pointed.
You're still hard, asshole.
"Ah shit," I sighed. "Let me handle this real quick," I said, a little rushed as I hunkered back down at the foot of the bed and closed my eyes. I inhaled deeply through my nose, taking measured breaths.
"TSUUNAA! RAAIYAA! "
My mom's call was even more clamorous than dad's, coming from the bottom of the stairs.
"COMING!"
"Hurry up," she whispered down at me, hushed and irritated. "They're probably wondering what's taking us so long."
I peeped an eye open at her, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice as I exhaled.
"My dick is still on beam, Tsunade. I can't just greet them like this. Gimme a sec."
"Ugggghhh, oh my god," she groaned, standing up and crossing her arms in front of me as she scrutinized my patient manner.
"Listen, Hime, you making noises isn't exactly helping it any, so how about you shush?"
Her pout said that she wanted to 'hmph' at me, but I was grateful she stayed silent because that'd only help make this situation worse. I sucked in another greedy lungful of air, conjuring up a traumatic memory I revisit whenever I need to deflate myself during times like these. I haven't had to do this since the last time I got a boner during training with Tsunade-hime, and we were like 15.
"Whoa..." She blurted, eyeing my lap with wide-eyed wonder. "What could possibly make it go down so fast?"
There was no way I was telling her what I was actually thinking, so I went with a half-truth instead.
"I just reminded myself what it was like being sexually harassed by armies of female frogs at any given moment, for years on end. I was like a piece of meat to them. Even bathing was absolute hell."
Hysteria slowly started to creep its way onto her face as I realized what I just fucking said.
Tsunade brought her hands to her cheeks, mocking me with a crybaby gesture, and pouting her lip in exaggeration. "Oh no," she said in a baby-like voice. "Does the pervert now know what it's like to be sexually objectified without his consent? How sad, boo hoo," she teased before cackling at my hypocrisy.
"You know what? I ain't even gonna argue with you because the moment I said it, I felt dumb as shit."
"As you should," she reached out to help me up, even though I didn't need it. "I skipped dinner earlier, so I'm actually starving. Can we go now?"
XXX
We barrelled down the first flight of stairs, shoving each other harshly into the walls as we attempted to get ahead of one another. All the lights in the living room were on as the TV played for nobody. It sounded like a samurai movie. My ears could pick up the faucet in the kitchen running and the deep murmurings of my dad as he cooked.
I leaned against the banister and cleared my throat, preparing to use a distinctive voice that always made my mom cringe. A sickly sweet croon that never failed to make my dad double over with laughter at her reaction. "Mommy? Daddy?" I sang from the staircase. "Your darling baby boy is home!" Tsunade gave me an amused but weirded-out look out of the corner of my eye as she bent forward against the wood.
My mom groaned loudly from the kitchen, and dad's booming laughter quickly followed. "Get in here, Raiya, we're making your favorites!"
I turned to Hime, smugness seeping from every pore on my face. "Told ya."
She pouted.
"Best…son…ever," I mouthed silently. Tsunade swung her legs over the banister and slid stylishly the rest of the way down. I hoisted myself over it with one hand and jumped it entirely, landing silently on the living room's soft carpet.
Mom's voice called for me in the kitchen. "I can't believe my stinky baby is finally back!"
Tsunade turned to me, her turn to be smug and annoying. "Told ya."
I flipped her off.
"Yeah, yeah," I yelled. "I bet you missed this stink, Ma! But don't you worry—I have a whole bag full of ripe laundry upstairs with your name all over it!"
Dad's voice was loud and stern. "Don't you go pawning your dirty laundry onto your mother, you little shit!"
My mom walked through the door beads that hung in the open doorway leading to the kitchen. Seeing my lovely mother after being without her for so long brought tears to my eyes. I upset her deeply right before I left, and it's stuck with me this entire time. Years I've spent, tormented with regret over how I left things between us. "Mom…" I said, my voice thick with shame. She saw fat droplets fall heavily and freely from my eyes and rushed over to me, using her thumbs to wipe them away.
"Ohhhh, honey. Don't you cry... you're home now." Despite her words, they only made me weep harder. She held my face in her hands gently, looking as though she wanted to start sobbing too. "I take that back," she said, stroking my face. "Cry all you want. Let it all out, Jiraiya."
I sobbed into the crook of her neck, my tears soaking the collar of dad's black cotton yukata she had on. "I'm alright, Mom. I just hate myself. I disrespected the coolest, funniest, most perfect mom in the world and never once made things right." She placed her hands on my shoulders and pulled back to look me in the eyes.
"Honey. You were overwhelmed and very hurt. I didn't like the things you said either, but they helped me understand how you've been feeling. Mistakes I've made in the past not only follow me but now my own son as well, and you've suffered dearly because of it. I am so sorry, baby."
My brow furrowed. "Ma, please don't apologize. I was out of line. I'd give anything to be able to take it all back. You don't make my life harder, Mom. I am not suffering. I only suffer when you're not around... I'm so sorry."
Her blue eyes started to overflow as she threw her arms around my neck and crushed me in a warm hug. It was so bizarre, finally being taller than her for the first time in my life. I disregarded it, though, concentrating instead on the soothing sound of her voice I've missed so much. "Raiya, I'm so glad you're finally home."
Dad walked over to us and wrapped his thick arms around mom and me. "Alright, alright. Everyone is sorry. Now let's hug it out and make some food. Tsuna, get in here."
Tsunade chuckled and lodged herself in the space between my dad and me, her left arm coming around my dad's upper back and her right snaking around the small of my back. Even Toro tried to get in on the action, butting his head against the back of my thigh and whining.
Mom was still sobbing. "I'm so blessed to have you all here with me. Every single one of you makes life worth living," she sniffled, wiping her eyes messily with the back of her hand. From the kitchen, something sizzled loudly, causing Taro to growl and bark in answer. "Shit, the lobsters!" Mom disengaged herself unceremoniously from the group and ran into the kitchen.
Tsunade and I pulled away from Dad's hold slightly, but he maneuvered himself to grab and pull the both of us against his sides. "Your mom may have said you're forgiven, but expect retribution from me when we resume your weapons training." I gulped at the serious tone of my father's voice. Tsunade watched us awkwardly, caught in the middle of it all. "How dare you say those things to your mother and leave without so much as a goodbye to anyone. Clearing it with Lord Third alone isn't enough. If it weren't for Tsunade here, your mother would still be an absolute wreck. You owe Tsuna your utmost respect and gratitude. I'm glad you're home too, son, I've sincerely missed you. But if you step even a toe out of line... then I'm beatin' that ass until I don't feel so angry anymore."
I hung my head in disgrace. I deserved this reaction, understanding it to be perfectly justified. Nobody gets away with hurting his woman, not even me.
"I accept that, Dad. I'm gonna do everything I can to make it up to everyone, and I promise not to give up until that happens!" I leaned into his side, feeling vulnerable and ashamed. "I know how Mom downplays things whenever she's hurt. That's why I still feel so fucking terrible even when she says everything is okay. Plus, I've been so focused on what happened with her this whole time, I never even considered that I hurt you too, Dad. I just want to make things right again, I feel so scummy and shitty."
Dad gave me a pointed look. "Raiya, c'mon kid. Watch the language."
"My bad. It's just the truth," I sniffed.
Dad sighed and pulled me in tighter, crunching my ribs in the process. My arm that was wrapped around his waist brushed up against Tsunade's, where she was also holding onto him. I peeped over at her with watery eyes. I expected to see her looking uncomfortable with all this hugging and crying, knowing she hates being in situations like this. Instead, I saw her face snuggled up to my dad's shoulder, tears falling silently down her cheeks as she watched us thoughtfully.
Wow... Mom and Dad managed to turn Hime into a total softie.
"Jiraiya?" Dad asked, his voice kind of small. It was very unlike him.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for coming home," he whispered brokenly. "I couldn't stand another minute without you here with us." He started to cry softly, his chest stuttering and vibrating. Tsunade shifted, reaching out to me with her free hand. I embraced her from my other side, and Dad encased us fully against his broad chest, crying onto the top of Tsunade's blonde head. We stayed there like that, crying silently until Dad calmed down.
"I love you kids so goddamn much."
"I love you too," we both said against his thick red yukata.
We all broke apart at last to gather ourselves. "We should see how Kagami is doing," he said, clearing his throat. "It's been chaos in there, she's cooking dinner for you while also prepping for Tsuna's birthday."
Chaos was an understatement. The moment we walked through the door-beads, Tsunade gasped and hustled frantically to the sink to wash her hands. My mom was chopping vegetables like a madwoman, covered in flour. Every burner on the stove was occupied with a pot full of seafood.
"Want me to do the pork cutlets?" Tsunade asked while drying her hands. Dad scooted in to wash his hands as well. I just stood there, watching everyone scramble to prepare this giant, late-night meal.
"Please!" Mom answered, sounding appreciative. "I'll fry them up when the seafood stew is almost done, but can you make the sauce and bread the pork for me?" Tsunade nodded happily. Mom cocked her head toward a large metal bowl on the table. "The sirloins are over here, do you remember everything in the sauce?"
Tsunade's light brown eyes moved to the ceiling as she tried to recall everything. "You blend together rice wine, garlic, onion, and... kiwi, right?"
Mom ran to the rice cooker when it started to ding. "Perfect, and what comes next?"
"You… slather the pork sirloin with the kiwi sauce and let it sit for ten minutes. Then, you season them with salt and pepper before covering the meat with flour, egg, and bread crumbs."
"Excellent."
Dad came up behind Mom as she shoveled several servings of rice into a giant bowl. "I'm still making the sushi, right?"
"Yes, sweetie, everything else you'll need is over there on the cutting board."
Dad smiled and gave her ear a little kiss. I wanted to make a loud, obnoxious cry of disgust like I've always done, but I decided to give them a pass this time. Especially since they were going through all this effort just to make me happy.
"Baka, come wash your hands and help me with the pork," Tsunade ordered, a big metal bowl in her arms.
"Hai."
"Grab me a handful of onion and a little bit of garlic from the cutting board." She poured some liquid rice wine into the blender and started chopping a couple of kiwis on the counter by the sink. On the table, my mom had already prepped for every dish she was going to make. There was a long pile full of thinly sliced veggies, both fresh and pickled. I assumed most of that was for the sushi. Among the clutter were rows of different seasonings, oils, and even various tea varieties set out for our choosing. After searching through chopped herbs, fruits, and vegetables, I finally found some minced garlic and diced onion in a pile. I scooped up a modest amount in each hand and brought them to Tsunade. "Now, put those in the blender for me and press chop."
I did as instructed, watching the chunky mixture turn into a smooth green liquid littered with black seeds. Hime cut the power, pouring the sauce onto the pieces of sirloin, her little hands slathering it all evenly before dusting it with more seasoning and washing her hands once more. "Now, we just wait a little bit, and then we can bread 'em."
At first, I didn't notice, but Hime left some extra kiwi pieces out when she had finished chopping them all. There was a modest amount on the counter, some cut into heart shapes and some into shuriken. "You did those fast," I chuckled, admiring her craftsmanship. "Very cute."
"Kagami-sama mentioned once they were your favorite fruit," she said nonchalantly. "Have some."
I held out my stinky hands. "Can't. Garlic fingers."
"I got you, dude," she grabbed a heart-shaped kiwi and stood on her tip-toes to place it in my mouth. My cheeks warmed up as I parted my lips for her fingers, going a little cross-eyed in the process. The bustling sounds coming from my parents ceased abruptly, and I glanced over Tsunade's head to see they were watching us with wide eyes. She froze, whipping her head to look over at Mom and Dad. They resumed their tasks at once, chopping and dicing with even more gusto than before. I smirked at their obvious nosiness.
"Hime," I said, trying to sound indifferent to not scare her off. "Lemme get another one before I wash my hands," I said, holding my fingertips and taking a whiff of the pungent garlic.
She grabbed two kiwi shuriken and held them in between two fingers like they were real. "Open up, Baka." She squinted her eyes, semi-poised into a throwing stance. Tsunade flung the little shuriken at me with grace. I caught it, sucking into my mouth and gulping it down. "Nice, now back up, I wanna see you catch one from all the way over there."
I backed up until I was in front of the door beads and waited for her move. I was amazed by Tsunade's impeccable dexterity. I never thought she would be able to toss something as flimsy as a slice of kiwi with deadly precision. I caught all of them but a stray heart-shaped one that hit the corner of my mouth and stuck to my chin. Tsunade giggled and skipped over to peel it off my face. She popped it in her mouth instead. "I forgot I was saving that one for me."
Fuck, she's so hot.
If I thought Hime was gorgeous in my dark bedroom, she's downright sexy standing here in this bright-ass kitchen. I couldn't help but notice those pink cheeks, her shiny long hair, the soft curves of her breasts and hips. My old clothes were so tiny and clingy on her. That skimpy kimono was barely long enough to cover her ass, putting those delicious thighs on full display.
Princess Tsunade had really gotten into martial arts as a way to balance out her medical ninjutsu. She was pretty scrawny when I left, aside from that round curvy ass of hers I've always loved. Her taijutsu training paid off; she now had defined biceps and triceps, and legs so toned I had to bite my knuckle to keep myself from ravishing her right there.
Dad cleared his throat, a painful reminder that we aren't alone.
"Tsunade, add the red pepper paste to the seafood while you wait on the meat, will ya?"
"Hai."
When she pulled the pot off the lid, I peered in to admire the shiny abalone, scallops, tiger shrimp, lobster, and squid. Tsunade grabbed the metal net, separating the seafood from the boiling water underneath and pouring its contents into the pot. She gathered a giant dollop of red pepper paste onto a wooden spoon and stirred it into the boil until the sauce was a thicker consistency, and the seafood was coated entirely in the deep red mixture. She squeezed lemons into the wide pot before covering it once again and lowering the heat.
"Jiraiya, can you grab the rice flour and bread crumbs from the table?"
I nodded and collected two bowls of ingredients from Mom, ignoring my parents' smug looks, most likely aimed at my dutifulness to Tsunade's orders. Mom was biting her lip, and Dad looked like he was in pain from stifling giggles. I rolled my eyes. Dicks.
In Tsunade's little cooking area, she made a spread of empty platters next to her bowl of sirloins. She was emptying eggs into a small mixing bowl, whipping them together.
"Dump the flour on one platter and bread crumbs on the other," she instructed as she kept mixing the eggs until they were completely yellow. I left the other one empty and leaned my hip on the counter to watch her work. She hummed to herself as she started to grab each cut of sirloin, rolling it in flour, slathering it in egg before packing it in bread crumbs and placing it on the empty platter. I followed suit, making sure every piece of meat was evenly covered during each step of the process. Before long, the platter was covered in a pile of breaded pork. My mouth watered thinking about how they'll taste once they're fried.
"What else can we help you with?"
"We got it covered, guys. Why don't you two go catch up or something." Dad said distractedly while rolling the sushi on the bamboo. Hime and I washed our hands in the sink's warm water, egg and bread crumbs swirling down the drain.
Mom crinkled her nose teasingly. "Or better yet, you could go take a shower, Jiraiya." From across the room, I saw her sniff again, nonchalant, before her eyes suddenly widened, bewildered. My blood ran cold. The look of astonishment on her face told me she must have caught Tsunade's scent on me or vice-versa. She may have been too distracted in the heat of the moment to notice earlier while we all embraced. Pursing my lips, I turned on my heel before she could say anything about it to me.
"Let's go upstairs, Hime. I can show you the new video game I bought in that one really bougie part of Fire Country." I grabbed two cold water bottles from the fridge and left the kitchen.
Tsunade trailed behind, sounding confused. "A video game?"
"It's awesome. You get to play as this frog, and you need to hop over things before they crush you. It's rad."
When we got upstairs, I shut the door and started rummaging through my giant bag. "Okay, I lied about the video game. I have to buy a new TV that has the right inputs for the cords, and mine is way too old for that." I gestured to the tube TV across from my bed.
She shrugged. "Uhh, okay?"
"Here's what I really wanted to show you."
I handed her a heavy bag with an ounce of stinky weed from the Land of Waves. She squinted. "I don't know what I'm looking at."
I nodded my head at the bag. "Try smelling it, then."
She brought the bag to her nose and inhaled. "Ew! Is this the skunky shit Sarutobi-sensei is always smoking whenever he watches us fight?"
"Yes," I admit reluctantly. "But just hear me out! You're absolutely gonna fall in love with it."
"I don't think this is a good idea. There's no way Kagami-sama won't smell it."
"She told me long ago I was free to partake in this once I turned 17. Besides, she smokes all the time. Mom would be a hypocrite to get mad at us."
"Lady Kagami smokes?"
"Duh! Have you seen my mom?" Hime's eyes were wide with stunned curiosity. "Her and Sarutobi-sensei were super tight growing up, they used to get high with each other on the regular. I'm sure to this day they still do when they find the time."
She scratched her chin, considering my argument. I knew I had her the moment I mentioned Mom likes it. It's no secret to me that Tsunade idolizes her.
"Hmmm. Okay, Baka. I'll try it. But what should I expect?"
I grabbed a thin elastic headband from my pocket and placed it on my head to tame the shaggy bangs that always get in the way. "You should anticipate being really hungry, and for food to taste a million times better. You might see some shit too, but for the most part, it's just this fantastic fuzziness that kinda washes over you. I guess everyone is different, but that's the best way I can describe it."
"I guess I do wanna see for myself…" she said bashfully, scratching her eyebrow.
"Sweet. I want to do this in the bathroom, though, so we don't smell up my room," I say as I skillfully roll some herb into a cone-shaped joint. I began working on another, wanting to roll three perfect ones and take them all to the head before my folks finished cooking. "I'm also gonna be taking a bath while we smoke."
Tsunade shook her head. "You perv, I'm not gonna do this while you're in the bath!"
"The steam of the water will mingle with the smoke and carry it out the window. Plus, I'm sick of everyone reminding me how bad I smell. I don't wanna see my mom gag at me while we all eat." Not to mention the need to scrub off Hime's leftover scent covering my mouth, neck, and chest before my mom starts asking questions. I finished rolling the third joint, admiring my handiwork. "I'm smoking in there whether you join me or not, so it's your choice. I promise to be a gentleman as long as you don't take a peek at me while I'm... indecent." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, making her cheeks flush red.
I grabbed the last set of clean clothes from my bag, hearing a resigned sigh from behind me. "Okay, fine," she relented. I set my clothes on the counter and opened the small window by the toilet. I tossed her a cold water bottle.
"Your throat might get too hot, or you might start coughing a lot. If that happens, start drinking."
"Hai," she said quietly as I let the hot water in the shower run.
I set the other two joints on top of my folded clothes and sparked the other one up with a lit match. I puffed in and out rapidly to get the smoke to travel down and burn evenly, before inhaling. I held it in the back of my throat, savoring the taste and feel of the smoke before blowing it all out the open window.
"When you put it to your lips, inhale steadily and let the smoke gather in your mouth and the back of your throat. Only inhale for as long as you're comfortable. Then suck it all in and hold it for a few seconds so it can work its way into your lungs. Then, you just let it all out and pass it back to me."
I demonstrated again before placing the lit joint in her outstretched fingers. She took a deep breath and brought it her lips cautiously, sucking it in casually before sputtering and coughing. She handed it back to me and wiped her mouth. "It tastes funny."
I exhaled and handed it back. "It eventually becomes an acquired taste. If you end up liking it, that is." Tsunade took a bigger hit this time and held it in for 5 seconds before blowing it out, a look of unadulterated calm on her face. She took a sip of cold water.
"I feel kind of heavy… it's intense but also nice." She tried to hand it back to me, but I shook my head.
"I gotta wash out all this dirt in my hair before I actually start a bath. Go ahead and finish that one off, it's almost done anyway." She did as I suggested, perching herself on the sink and eyeing me while I removed my robe, leaving me in just my white martial arts pants and the wired armor top underneath. I removed the fishnet shirt to find her watching at me as she took a long drag. "Don't go peeking on me while I bathe, I know that shower curtain is see-through."
"The nerve of you to tell me not to peep," she chuckled, moving to the floor of the bathroom to sit criss-cross on the rug in front of the tub. She made sure her back was to me so I could finish disrobing. I tried not to get myself too worked up, gazing at the back of her head as I took the rest of my clothes off.
I stepped into the running hot water, toes flinching as they made contact with the cold porcelain floor. I rolled my sore neck under the spray as the room filled with steam.
"Shit, Tsunade. You really took over my bathroom." I muttered as I looked at all the shelves full of colorful bottles, beauty products, and soaps.
"I made them myself," she says as she enters a coughing fit. "The white and red bottles are for your hair specifically. The formula shouldn't interfere with that permanent jutsu you have on your hair, while still keeping it shiny and healthy. Feel free to try it out and tell me what you think." I reached to grab them but knocked over like a hundred bottles in the process, producing a ruckus of noise. Tsunade coughed before chuckling to herself. "Spazzy Baka-chan."
"Shut up," I murmured as I hurried and washed my hair and body with the refreshing sudsy liquids. Once I was adequately rinsed off, I plugged the drain with a stopper and began running the bathwater, warm water pooling at my ankles. "Which one's the bubble bath?"
"The big gold one."
"I'm pouring all of it, so the bubbles protect my modesty."
I could practically hear Tsunade roll her eyes. "Oh my god, whatever."
Once it was bubbly enough for my liking, I sat down and pulled the shower curtain open, startling Tsunade and making her jolt slightly. Her bright eyes were now pink and glassy.
"You are so high," I chuckled as I sank in, the water sloshing slightly with my movements. "Can you grab the other two? I'm finally ready to relax," I sigh, leaning back against the tile wall, my arms behind my head. Tsunade sat on the edge of the bathtub, evading my eyes. She held the joint up to her face and made a one-handed sign with her free hand. She shut her eyes and spit on the joint, but instead of saliva coming out, a small fire jumped from her mouth and landed on the end of the doobie, lighting it instantly. She passed it to me.
"I feel amazing. Everything feels kinda wavy, though. It's also really humid in here." She said, wiping her brow of sweat.
"Yeah, I prefer smoking outside. I just know the neighbors will watch and judge and us."
I hit the joint so hard that some of the ash fell into the bath with me. "Oop." I leaned over to place it in her outstretched fingers, grazing one of them intentionally just because. "Tsunade-hime… these soaps are marvelous. My skin feels so soft and creamy."
She hiccupped smoke and gave me a thumbs up. Her eyes were pink and half-lidded, I've never seen her look so dopey. "Whatcha thinkin' about, babydoll?"
"About how I'm gonna fuck that food up," she said quietly.
I started cracking up, choking on my hit, nearly dropping the whole thing in the water.
"I'm cool on that, Jiraiya."
"Yeah, you look blazed as shit. Enjoy," I say, flicking the ash on the edge of the bathtub. I stretched out my tired body, the heat of the water seeping into my aching muscles, making me groan with relief. I leaned my head all the way back, my hand on my chest grazing the skin absentmindedly while I simply enjoyed the high. As soon as I was fully relaxed, my eyelids started twitching. I opened my eyes to find Tsunade staring at me openly as she leaned back on her palms.
"You must really like what you see," I tease, my hand rubbing aimless circles into my sternum. Hime opened her mouth like she was gonna cuss me out, then she snapped it closed, going with nothing instead. She pouted, turning her head away from me.
"It doesn't matter if I do or not," she fired back. "Either way, your mouth ruins everything."
Geez, I was only messing around.
"How would you know? You've never let me use my mouth to its fullest capabilities."
It may have been quiet, but I made out her incredulous gasp.
"Stupid, pervy-Baka," she whispered.
"You're the pervy one… sleeping in my bed, wearing my clothes…" Hime swiveled back around to give me the finger. My eyes went straight to her cleavage, finally able to marvel in their majesty in the bright lights of an empty room. Even though she slept in that heavy netted armor, my robe's lavender panels still failed to contain those supple breasts, providing me with an exceptional view. The thick, purple obi that ties it all together looked strained like any minute it would no longer be able to accommodate her luscious flesh. She's still pretty short compared to me, but her growth spurt was apparent in those defined legs. My lips parted as I ogled the skin of her shapely thighs.
"No, Jiraiya, you're still the pervy one. I'm not the one sitting there drooling. Literally."
I ignored her, still gawking at her legs ardently. "You have nice gams." My hand shot up to my face, meeting a nice little puddle of saliva at the corner of my mouth. Goddammit, she wasn't exaggerating. "Okay, fine, I'm the perverted one! But have you seen yourself? It's like you're trying to tease me. How come my parents let you walk around like that?"
Her hand reached in the water, and my mouth fell open in horror, my mind working to prepare me for the unexpected. For a lurid moment, I assumed she might just grab my dick in the water. My body went slack involuntarily, anticipating the unlikely. But instead, she splashed me in the face while my mouth was open.
Should've known.
"Maybe because, unlike you, they don't see me like I'm a piece of meat!"
There was an unexpected, jarring bang on the other side of my bathroom door. Tsunade and I both flinched.
"Uhhhhhhhh… come in?" I call out numbly.
Mom entered the bathroom with an amused smirk. If she was shocked to see the two of us in here, smoking dope while I take a bath, she doesn't let on. On the other hand, Tsunade's eyes bulged out of her head as she glanced back and forth between Mom and me. I can hardly imagine what I'd do if the situations were reversed. If Lady Niwa caught me getting high with Tsunade while she's naked in the tub, I'd probably become a rouge-nin and never come back. Mom's hands went straight to her hips as she swung her wild silver hair over her shoulder with an austere look.
I grimaced. "Heyyy... Sup?"
"Jiraiya, if you're going to smoke in my house, you're going to have to at least pay the Mommy Tax."
"Way ahead of you. Tsunade, could you give her the last one?"
Tsunade went to the sink, plucked the joint from the pile of folded clothes, and placed it in Mom's upturned palm. My mother's face scrunched up in offense.
"What's wrong?"
"This is it?" She complained, pointing at her hand in confusion.
"Ma, it's from the Land of Waves."
She held it up to her nose and sniffed it. It was apparent she gathered it really was the good shit because Mom smiled and tucked the joint behind her ear. "I'll take it. They've been working on this shit like it's the cure to cancer over there." Mom's eyes darted between the two of us, her lips twitching slightly. "Food will be ready in ten."
She left without another word, closing the door behind her with a small click. Tsunade looked mortified, so I tried to distract her with a subject change. Poor girl.
"One day, Hime, you and I are gonna vacation together in the Land of Waves."
She gave me a funny look. "Oh really?"
"Mhm," I breathe, popping my neck. "There's so much to do. We could drink sake, gamble, get high... go surfing. It's paradise over there."
"I do love the beach... I'd be shit at surfing, though."
"I thought the same thing, but I tried it, and it's actually fucking easy. You would love it."
"Okay. I'll go with you someday," Tsunade said quietly, playing with the ends of her blonde hair. I tried to imagine her words had a different meaning than what she actually meant.
Tsunade lifted herself off the edge of the tub. "I'm gonna help Kagami-sama set the table."
"That'll be nice because she's definitely getting high with Dad as we speak."
She chuckled as she exited the bathroom, leaving me to my own devices. For one desperate moment, I considered jerking myself off to relieve all this overwhelming tension. Maybe then I'd be able to think straight.
Instead, I drained the tub and dried my hair and body off. On the sink was a small round bottle full of lotion. It looked homemade, exactly like everything else in the shower. I didn't hesitate, slathering the cream all over my body. It smelled like Tsunade-hime when we were tangled in bed earlier. Ripe peaches...
I put on a baggy black T-shirt, with a fat smoking toad emblazoned on the back, paired with navy blue basketball shorts. I stepped out of the foggy bathroom to find Tsunade sprawled out on the bed. So much for helping with the table. She was way too fucked up at the moment for anything like that. I jumped on the bed, belly-first directly on top of Tsunade. Only, she vanished in a puff of smoke the moment we made contact. "Shadow clone," I said bitterly.
Something heavy landed on my back with a thud, two arms snaking around my neck and putting me in a chokehold. They tightened their grip around my windpipe and compressed, forcing all the air to flee from my body.
I felt firm breasts against my shoulder blades. Fuck, they are so nice…
"Fight back, you fucking weirdo!"
If I hadn't let her get all this leverage, I probably could've grappled my way out of it. It was too late for that, now I could barely breathe. I just concentrated on the feel of her breasts while my face was smashed into my mattress.
"Ugh, you're no fun." She let go of me and rolled onto her back.
"Kids! Food!" Dad's voice shouted from downstairs.
The low table in the living room was completely covered with plates and bowls of food. My mom was sitting on her knees in front of it, looking a little dazed and exhausted. She had a Polaroid camera in her hands. "Before you eat, I wanted to get some photos of my two precious babies."
I also want to get some photos of my two precious babies—Tsunade's titties.
I couldn't resist glancing over at the fishnet-covered flesh orbs out of my peripherals. Suddenly, a flash of light almost blinded me. When I looked up at Tsunade's face, she was posing. She grinned cutely, winking an eye, with a dainty hand throwing up a peace sign, her chopsticks almost sliding out of her hand's grip. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen her look so carefree and delighted.
Gods, she's beautiful.
"Jiraiya, you were being gross in that one," Mom complained. "Now, let's try again. I want some silly ones first."
I squared my shoulders and exhaled. I would make my mom regret ever unironically asking me to be silly in front of one of my friends. I sucked in my top lip, curling it inward to expose my gums and teeth atrociously. My fingertips swiftly reached up to flip my eyelids inside out. I struck a macho man pose, flexing my arms obnoxiously.
Click.
"Sheesh. I can't tell which one of you is worse." Dad chuckled.
I looked over at Tsunade, who was holding up devil horns in both hands. Her eyes were rolled so far back into her head that you could only see the whites. Only her eyes were still pinkish because she was high as fucking balls. Her tongue was pushed out as far as it could go, and I never realized, but it was kind of freakishly long? I filed that down for later contemplation and tried to memorize the look of her eyes rolling back into her head, for... uh, posterity reasons.
"I said silly, not terrifying," Mom bemoaned.
"Let's do some hand signs," Tsunade whispered.
I gave an exaggerated pose to the camera, my eyebrow raised, and my eyes dopey. My left hand came up to make the 'shocker' gesture, extending all my fingers, all but the ring finger and thumb, to signify the act of slipping a pinky finger in someone's butt.
Click.
"Both of you cut it out."
Tsunade had an impish smirk on her face, her fingers making the sign for intercourse. We both started cracking up, my mom choosing then to take advantage of the moment and snap a few more photos.
"Alright, ditch the jokes. Give me some sweet ones, and then I'll be out of your hair." We gave her what she wanted, posing and smiling like two kids on their first day at the Academy. I threw my arm around Hime's shoulder and tried to summon the charm of a five-year-old through my grin. "Aww, my little babies," my mom fawned, setting the camera down on the table.
"Mom, Dad… Thank you so much for going to all this trouble. As much as I love Shima, I felt like dying eating her cooking. I'm just not used to your home-cooked meals anymore."
"Well, you'd better start getting used to it. I thought you would be much, much bigger by now. You're tall, but you're still skinny from eating bugs all these years. I wanna make my widdle baby chubby again," Mom said in that weird little baby talk voice she knows disturbs me. Only right now, hearing it just makes my heart feel like its overflowing with love as I try not to explode with laughter.
"God, I was hoping you'd say that," I beamed while we broke apart our chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu," we all chimed with buzzing anticipation.
So much food to choose from, but what I wanted most was already served up in front of me: thick, crispy pork cutlets on a steaming bed of rice. The dish Tsunade-hime and I prepared together. One giant bite and tears were already falling down my cheeks. My face buckles and tears roll unchecked, washing a path to my chin. I feel a hand grab mine gently on the table, glancing over to see Princess Tsunade studying me; there was no judgment in her eyes, though— only a tenderness that stole the breath from my lungs.
You've finally made it, dude. You're home.
XXX
i wanted to thank everyone for checking up on me while they waited for the next chapter. ive been struggling hard these past few months with depression. my family is both emotionally and physically abusive and i had to be hospitalized for some time. im doing my best to stay positive and keep writing, but some days are just really fucking hard. ill try to post as often as i can, but my mom smashed my computer so i have to write using my phone now. idk... shit just sucks right now. feel free to tell me your thoughts on the story, because reviews and messages melt my heart and give me life. love you all and thank you so much for reading.