"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto shouted in his usual annoying, happy-go-lucky voice as he entered her office.
Tsunade sighed upon hearing his voice, and seeing him pop up in her office. His entire persona was a beam of happiness and light, and she was the complete opposite. She wasn't having the best of days due to her encounter with Jiraiya the day prior, and she still felt like a horrible human being for withholding the secret of her miscarriage from him. The last thing she needed was for Naruto's happy self to remind her that she herself was far from happy, "What is it now Naruto?" She sighed while trying to concentrate on the document before her. She has been trying to focus on her work, but the only things that she could do all day were draw squiggly lines on a blank sheet of paper, and wonder how her life became so screwed up so quickly.
"I heard that the Pervy Sage was back in the village" He smiled, and her heart sank, "So I came to ask you how his mission went."
"Naruto-"
"He found Orochimaru didn't he." He said without allowing Tsunade to give him a direct answer, "That means that Sasuke is back in the village."
"Naruto look-"
"Where is he? I have one or two words I would like to say to him."
"Naruto stop." She said with a slightly raised voice, "Sasuke isn't back in the village. Jiraiya failed to bring him back." She watched as the boy's happy expression turned into one of both shock and disappointment. She knew how much Naruto wanted his friend back, and perhaps if she told Jiraiya her secret sooner, he would have had a chance to get to the boy. She felt even more horrible now.
"But how can that be?" Naruto asked. The only reason why his hopes of Sasuke returning were so high was because he knew that Jiraiya was a highly skilled ninja. If he couldn't bring his friend back, who could?
"Orochimaru managed to escape." Tsunade shrugged her shoulders, deliberately not revealing the truth to the young ninja. She didn't want the boy to know what exactly happened between herself and his teacher. That too was a secret that was exclusive to Jiraiya, Shizune, and herself, "These things happen Naruto. Sometimes we just don't get what we want in life." She walked over to Naruto and placed her hand upon his shoulder, "I know how you feel. Loosing a friend is never easy."
"How could you possibly know how I feel?" He grumbled.
"Because I was there for Jiraiya when Orochimaru left." She started, "Orochimaru and I were never the best of friends, but he had a bond with Jiraiya, and when he left, Jiraiya was so depressed that I guess I felt exactly what he was feeling. I sympathized with him, because I know what it's like to loose someone dear to you."
Naruto turned to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" Tsunade asked.
"I'm going to find Pervy Sage and ask him why he screwed up and let Orochimaru get away."
She was going to stop the boy, and tell him not to confront Jiraiya, but he was already out the door. The last thing she wanted was for Naruto to disturb Jiraiya when he was probably trying to calm down.
"Damn it." She muttered under her breath and reluctantly went back to work.
Jiraiya stepped out of the shower feeling less refreshed, and no better than he did before he decided to make an attempt at improving his foul mood. He felt terrible, terrible about the fact that Tsunade didn't tell him about his son, but also terrible that he reacted the way he did. In his heart he knew that her intentions were pure, but why couldn't he stop himself from shouting at her? Perhaps he was angry about something else. Maybe angry at the universe for preventing his son from living. Whatever his reasons were, Tsunade didn't deserve to be treated in that manner when she was only trying to protect him from hurt. He figured he should apologize to her, but at the moment, he couldn't face her.
He ran a towel through his tangled mess of hair, and wrapped another towel around his waist before stepping out of his bathroom, and into the bedroom. He had no intentions on venturing out into whatever was beyond his apartment, so he dressed himself in a plain, white, cotton shirt, and a pair of gray sweatpants. He couldn't even bother try to tame his wild hair, so he laid his hair's towel on his pillow and placed his head on it to prevent his pillow from becoming soaked.
Minutes passed and he was in the same position; lying flat on his back and staring up at the ceiling. His dark eyes focused on a tiny crack in the ceiling, and he sighed in frustration upon realizing that eventually he would have to get up and fix that before his entire roof caved in on him. That was a task that he didn't want to perform, but a broken down roof, was a more complicated and taxing task. He sighed again and rolled onto his side in an attempt to not think about his household repairs.
Some more time has passed, and he found himself drift off into a deep slumber...
"Mommy, Daddy, wake up! Wake up!"
Jiraiya immediately opened his eyes upon hearing the cheerful voice of a child. Directly in front of him was a boy who was no older than five years old who was presently jumping up and down on the queen sized bed in a strange room that Jiraiya found himself in. The boy had spiky, almost untamable white hair, and big hazel eyes. Who was this child, and why was he calling him daddy?
"Daddy, stop staring at me and get up." He whined, "And tell mommy to get up too. I'm going to get ready." The boy hopped off the bed and ran out of the room to apparently get ready. Get ready for what?
Jiraiya was confused, but his confusion only increased when he felt the bed shift. Beside him was supposedly that boy's mother. Curiosity got the better of him and he leaned over to see who was laying beside him. He saw a woman with blonde hair, but her face was buried in her pillow, so he could not tell who she was.
"Hello?" Jiraiya said as he gently shook her shoulder.
"You get in the shower first Jiraiya." She said in a groggy voice.
She knew his name, but how? Who was she?
"Where am I?" He wondered out loud, "Who are you people?"
His questions caused the woman to get up and face him. Now he knew who she was. He could never forget that perfect nose, those thin lips, and those hazel eyes. The woman sitting beside him, and the mother of that child was Tsunade.
"What are you talking about Jiraiya? We're your family." She said with a raised eyebrow and questioning eyes, "Exactly how many drinks did you have last night?"
"Ts-Tsunade?" He choked out.
"Yeah, that's my name." She said.
"And that boy?"
"That boy is our son."
"But he died. You had a miscarriage." He reminded her.
She was perplexed for a second, and then she burst out in laughter, "Did you go downstairs to sneak more alcohol when I went to sleep?" She laughed and got out of bed to walk over to his side, "Come on, let's shower and then I'll make you some coffee to help you get over this crazy hangover." She took hold of his hand and looked in the direction of the bathroom.
He understood what she was implying, and quickly shook his head, "No, I'll shower first."
"No, you always take long and we're running late. Besides, you love it when we shower together." She said before kissing his cheek, "Come on." She said with a smile and led him into the bathroom.
"Exactly what are we running late for?" He asked and watched her shut the door and locked it. He brought it up because he was confused, and also because he wanted to keep his mind off of what Tsunade wanted to do.
She walked in front of him and started to unbutton his shirt, "Riku's first day at the Academy."
Riku. She was referring to that boy who was jumping up and down on the bed and calling him 'daddy'. So that's what his name was.
"You really are out of it." She giggled, "No matter, I'll make you feel better." She slid the shirt off his back to expose his chest and kissed the spot where his heart was situated as she began to fumble with the button that prevented his pants from falling off of his body.
He was having a hard time trying to contain himself, but she actually thought that they were together, and that Riku was their child. He didn't know what exactly was going on, but for some reason, he wasn't panicking. He didn't want Tsunade to stop kissing him, and actually, he wanted to kiss her. He cupped her cheeks with his hands, and brought her face up to his. He stared intently into her hazel eyes, the same eyes that Riku has, and watched her lips transform into a smile. His heart skipped a beat, and then he pressed his lips to her's. Their lips meshed together as if they were made for each other. As they continued to kiss, he undid the string that was keeping the robe around her body together and pushed it off her shoulders. At the same time, she managed to get his pants off. They now stood in front of each other, completely exposed, and all Jiraiya could do was think about how gorgeous she was. Not a stitch of makeup was on her face, her hair wasn't in it's usual neat ponytails, and yet she looked incredible. He never saw her like that before, and yet he liked it.
"You're so gorgeous." He gasped, and she smiled.
"You're not so bad yourself." She said and stepped in the shower. He joined her and turned on the water.
She grabbed a wash cloth and soaped it up before lathering it all over Jiraiya's body, paying attention to detail. This was a first for him, and he enjoyed every moment of it. When she was done, he did the same to her. They stood under the water together and allowed it to was off all the soap on their bodies. She kissed him again, but this time with more passion than before. He lifted her into his arms and pressed her back against the wall of the shower. From there, she looked deeply into his eyes, silently giving him permission to join them together as one. He positioned himself, and with one swift movement, he entered her, and she let out a small gasp of delight. He thrust in and out of her until they came to a finish at the same time. She panted onto his shoulder and he just held her close.
"We really should be getting out of here now." She panted, and he found himself nodding his head in agreement.
He set her down and they stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off as he watched her do the same. Was this really happening? Was he really getting ready for the day with Tsunade? Once they were dry, they stepped into their bedroom and dressed themselves. How did his clothes end up in that room? He watched as she sat herself down at the vanity and brushed her hair, applied her makeup, and then put a sparkly ring on the finger reserved for special rings on her left hand. He walked up to her and held her hand to closely examine the ring. It was a wedding band.
"Besides the day Riku was born, that was the happiest day of my life." She smiled while focusing her gaze on the ring on her finger, "I love you Jiraiya."
He didn't know what to say. He was married to Tsunade and had a son. Why didn't he find himself panicked and uneasy? Instead he bent down and kissed her cheek, then her nose, and finally her lips.
"Will you guys stop kissing and get downstairs?" Riku said as he appeared at the doorframe of their bedroom.
"We'll be down in a few minutes honey." Tsunade giggled as she pulled away from Jiraiya, "Did you eat something?"
"Yeah, I had cereal." He said, "I just don't want to be late. It's a big day for me."
"And you won't be. Just give us a few minutes." She said.
"Okay fine." He sighed and went downstairs again.
That boy reminded Jiraiya so much of himself when he was that age. Not only personality wise, but he looked almost identical to him with the exception of the color and shape of his eyes.
"Our baby is growing up so fast." Tsunade said as she brushed through her hair again, just to ensure that it was tangle free, "I can't believe he's in the Academy already." She got up from her vanity, "I'm going to make your coffee now. There's some aspirin in the bathroom cabinet if you feel like you need it." He watched her walk out of the room. He was now alone.
Did the things that happened in a matter of an hour really happen? Did he actually wake up with Tsunade and have sex with her in the shower. Did he actually have a son that was alive and well and entering the Academy for the first time? He didn't know what exactly was going on, or which universe he found himself in, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying himself.
He walked downstairs and saw his wife putting on a pot of coffee, and his son sitting at the dining table coloring in a scrapbook. He didn't know why, but the sight of those two warmed his heart. Was this what it was like to have a family?
"Your coffee is almost ready Jiraiya." Tsunade said when she noticed that he joined them in the kitchen.
"Thanks Tsunade." He smiled and walked over to his son, "Are you excited about your first day?" He asked the spiky haired boy.
The boy looked up at Jiraiya with his hazel eyes beaming with excitement, "I can't wait!"
That was exactly how Jiraiya reacted when his father asked him how he felt about his first day at the Academy, "You know." Jiraiya started and placed his hand upon the boy's tiny shoulder, "You remind me so much of myself when I was your age."
A smile graced the boy's face and Jiraiya couldn't help but smile himself. Here he was, standing in the kitchen with his family, smiling with his own flesh and blood. This was the life he had with his parents. This was the life that he secretly craved.
"Careful, it's hot." Tsunade said as she placed a cup of coffee on the table before Jiraiya.
"Thanks darling." He said. Darling. That was new. Never in his life did he ever dare to call her darling.
"Do you want something else to eat Riku? You have a long day ahead of you." Tsunade asked her son while smoothing his wild hair back with a gentle palm.
"No mom. I'm fine." Riku ensured her.
It was amusing to see Tsunade take on the motherly role that was denied to her. She actually made a good mother, ensuring that her son wasn't hungry.
"Can we go now?" He asked, unable to contain his excitement.
"Wait until your father finishes drinking his coffee."
Jiraiya shook his head and walked over to one of the cabinets in the kitchen, "No, we can go now. I'll take this to go." He found a portable coffee mug and threw the steaming hot liquid into it, "We wouldn't want Riku to be late for his big day."
"Thanks dad." Riku smiled and ran out of the house in excitement.
"Hold on Riku!" Tsunade called after the boy and walked out of the house behind him.
Jiraiya did the same with butterflies in his stomach. This was what true happiness was.
They arrived at the Academy that was buzzing with children and their parents. Some children were excited, and some were nervous. In fact, more parents were nervous about letting their children go off on their own for the first time than the children themselves. Tsunade and Jiraiya walked into the crowd with Tsunade holding Riku's hand tightly. They weren't nervous about letting Riku go, for they knew how ready he was. He was ready to work hard to become a great ninja, just like his parents.
"Tsunade! Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya turned in the direction of the voice that called out to them, and saw his old sensei emerge out of the crowd. His sensei was walking towards him, looking healthy as ever, and wearing his Hokage robes. He was alive, and he was still the Hokage. That only led him to wonder what he was, and why he was in the village. Was he still a faithful ninja of the Leaf Village. And what about Tsunade? Why did she return to the village after swearing never to return. He had so many questions, but upon seeing the man he looked up to alive and healthy, almost moved him to tears. He walked up to the old man and embraced him in a warm hug full of longing. He missed his sensei more than anything in the world, and here he was, hugging him and feeling him take steady breaths.
"Good to see you too Jiraiya." Sarutobi said, amused that Jiraiya randomly hugged him.
"I've just missed you."
"But you saw me yesterday." Sarutobi chuckled, "Anyhow, it's nice to be missed." He looked down to see Riku and placed his aged hand on the boy's head, "Starting the Academy for the first time today?"
"Yes Lord Hokage." Riku said respectfully, "I'm really excited."
"You'll do well, just like your parents." Sarutobi smiled and looked at Tsunade, "You did a great job with him."
"Thank you sensei." She smiled, "But I didn't do it alone." She looked at Jiraiya after saying that and smiled.
"It looks like it's time for you to go inside now Riku." Sarutobi said while looking at his watch, "Good luck."
Riku grew even more excited and gave Tsunade a hug before wrapping his small arms around Jiraiya. Jiraiya was hugging his son, his own flesh and blood.
"See you guys later."
Jiraiya's heart swelled up with pride as he watched his son walk towards the Ninja Academy. There was no doubt in his mind that his boy wouldn't excel in all he did. He had so much faith in that child, and also found himself loving him unconditionally. Whatever world he was in, he didn't want to leave it to go back to a world full of pain and anger.
"Well I should be getting back to my office." Sarutobi said, "If I need you two for anything, I'll send for you." Sarutobi walked away from them with his security guards. It was just Tsunade and Jiraiya again.
"So what are we going to do now?" Jiraiya asked Tsunade.
"Well." She started, "I'm going to meet Shizune at the hospital and check on my patients. By the time I'm done, Riku should be done with school. I guess I'll pick him up and-"
"No need for that." Jiraiya said, "Take your time with your patients. Grab some lunch with Shizune. I'll pick up Riku."
"Okay sure." She said before kissing him softly on the lips, "I'll see you at home then."
Jiraiya went to the house he woke up in. As he walked through the empty house, he noticed that there were pictures of his family plastered on the walls. If there were so many pictures of them on the walls, there must have been a family photo album somewhere. He decided to devote his time before having to collect Riku from school into finding that album.
He searched the draws in every room in the house, but came up short. Then, he decided to go up into the attic to find that photo album that he longed to see. He climbed up into the dusty attic that was occupied by old, boxes, filled to the brim with winter coats, baby clothes, and other things that were of no use to them at the moment. He searched every box, until he came across a medium sized box that was filled with old photo albums. He smiled and looked through the first book he got his hands on. It was a photo album of his wedding with Tsunade. He seemed to have been so happy that day, if only he remembered it. He paused on a photo of Tsunade in her wedding dress. The dress was a gorgeous, strapless piece, with a sweetheart neckline, carefully placed beading, and the look was complete with a long vail. She looked stunning, and glowed with happiness. That was the day that they vowed to share their lives together. How did they end up marrying each other? Did the series of unfortunate events that they lived through in the 'real' world transpire in this world?
The next photo album was Riku's baby book. It was complete with his height and weight when he was born, a piece of his umbilical cord, and even his first haircut. However, the photo that touched his heart the most was the one of all three of them. It was when Riku was first born. Tsunade was laying in the hospital bed, clearly exhausted, but full of joy. She was holding newborn Riku, and Jiraiya stood beside them, gleaming with pride. That was the beginning of them, the beginning of their family. He smiled and held the book close to his chest. He decided to put the photo in his pocket, in case he returned to his world. He wanted to remember his family exactly the way they were from the very beginning.
He suddenly remembered that it was time to pick up Riku from school. He placed the photo album back in the box and headed out of the house to collect his son from the Academy. He got there just in the knick of time, for when he arrived, Riku was just walking out of the building. Riku smiled upon seeing his father and ran over to him.
"How was your very first day?" Jiraiya asked, eager to know his child's answer.
"It was awesome. I made new friends, and my teacher is really nice." He answered.
"Well let's get some ice cream to celebrate."
"But dad, mommy doesn't like it when I eat sweets. She says that all sweets do is rot my teeth and make me hyper."
"What your mother doesn't know can't hurt her."
"So you're telling me to lie to mommy?"
"No, I'm telling you to deliberately forget to mention that we went to get ice cream."
"Fine by me!"
They stopped at an ice cream stand and got two ice cream cones. Jiraiya got vanilla, and Riku got chocolate chip. They spent the afternoon eating their cones, and talking about all the hard work it takes to become a great ninja. Jiraiya loved hanging out with his child. He felt a strong connection to the boy, and only wished that he could have been there when he was born, when he took his first step, and when he spoke for the first time. This was his son, and he loved him more than life itself.
As soon as they got home, Tsunade walked in. Riku greeted her with a hug and promptly told her about his fantastic day at school. Afterwards, she made dinner and they ate together as a family. They spent the rest of the night talking and watching television. Soon, Riku fell asleep on the couch and Jiraiya took him upstairs and gently smoothed his hair back before leaving him to slumber in peace. He walked into his bedroom and saw Tsunade sitting on the bed. He sat beside her and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"I have something to tell you Jiraiya." She said and took hold of his hand.
"What is it?" He asked, and held her hand a little tighter.
"You know how we've been talking about having another baby?"
He had no recollection of any conversation of the sort. After all he did just appear in that world where they were married and had a healthy five year old son together. Instead of explaining all of that to her, he nodded his head, urging her to continue.
"Well I'm pregnant." She said while being completely unable to stop herself from smiling so wide.
"You are?" He gasped.
She nodded her head, "Aren't you excited?"
He had no idea when this child was conceived, but he couldn't help but live in the moment and be happy. He was going to be a father again. Already he could picture himself being present for the birth of that child. Would that baby look like Riku, or would it look more like Tsunade this time? There were so many things he was thinking about that caused him to become so excited, so he nodded his head and wrapped his muscular arms around her tiny body.
"Yes Tsunade, I'm ecstatic." He smiled and hugged her tighter.
They spent the night talking about how they were going to tell Riku, what the baby would look like, and possible names for their new bundle of joy. Soon, however, they became tired, and Jiraiya was struggling to stay awake. Tsunade noticed this and cuddled up beside him.
"Just close your eyes and go to sleep sweetie. You're clearly tired." She whispered in his ear.
"I'm afraid to go to sleep." He admitted.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to wake up and lose all of this." He said solemnly, "I don't want to lose Riku, and I don't want to lose you."
She smiled softly and wrapped her arm around his torso, "You'll never lose him, and you'll definitely never lose me. I love you, and I'll always be here right beside you."
With her words of comfort, he allowed himself to fall asleep, but he silently hoped that when he opens his eyes again, that she would be right beside him, and that their son would be just down the hall...
Jiraiya woke up only to find himself back in his apartment. He quickly looked beside him and saw that unforgiving empty space on the other side of the bed. He was all alone, and it was all a dream. He wasn't married to Tsunade, in fact he was far away from even getting close to her, and their child was buried somewhere. He had no connection to his child whatsoever and he never would. Riku did not exist. He was just a figment of his imagination that appeared in his dreams.
It felt so real though. So real that he almost started to believe it. It sounded strange, but he was actually happy in that life. Now, it was back to reality where he was anything but happy. He was miserable, and bitter, and waking up only to find that the happiness he felt was just an illusion, made him feel even more bitter and angry.
He rose to his feet and walked into the bathroom to wash his face in an attempt to forget about that dream he had. He didn't want to remember that happiness, because it only hurt him when he realized that it was all fake. He didn't have a wife, he didn't have a son, and he definitely didn't have another baby on the way. It was just him and his loneliness.
An annoying knocking sound pulled him out of his deep thoughts and filled him with annoyance. Who was that disrupting him from wallowing in pity? He grumbled, cursed expletives under his breath, and walked over to the door to see what whoever was standing on the other side of the door wanted from him.
With a grumpy look on his face, he opened the door only to see Naruto standing before him, looking up at him with a angry look on his face. Jiraiya rolled his eyes and started to close the door in the boy's face, but Naruto stopped the door from closing with his foot.
"What do you want Naruto?"
"Why did you let Orochimaru escape with Sasuke?!" He shouted, and Jiraiya sighed in frustration, "You're supposed to be the best and yet you couldn't stop Orochimaru!"
"Naruto-"
"Granny Tsunade should have sent someone more capable to bring Sasuke back!"
"You wouldn't know what to do or say if you just found out the the woman you once loved was pregnant with your child but had a miscarriage!" Jiraiya shouted, not realizing what he was actually telling Naruto.
"W-What?" Naruto gasped.
Jiraiya sighed and opened his door, allowing Naruto to enter. His secret was already out, there was no use in lying to the boy, "Come in." He said and walked into his kitchen to make a cup of tea for himself and Naruto. The blonde didn't ask for anything, but Jiraiya just wanted to busy himself with the preparation of tea.
Naruto sat at the table, still finding it hard to believe what Jiraiya just blurted out. He said that the woman he loved had a miscarriage. But who exactly was the woman?
"Pervy Sage?" Naruto said.
Jiraiya out a steaming hot cup of tea in front of Naruto, and sat beside the shocked boy, "Yes Naruto."
Naruto looked down at the tea, then up at Jiraiya, "Who was pregnant?"
Jiraiya took a deep breath before answering the boy, "Tsunade."
Naruto paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in, "I didn't know that you two had that kind of relationship."
"We don't." Jiraiya said quickly, "We never did. The conception of that child was long ago. Exactly eighteen years." He explained, "You see Orochimaru told me. I was shocked, and angry that Tsunade didn't tell me herself, but I handled the situation wrong. I shouted at her, and called her a bitch. I shouldn't have done that, especially since she told me that she withheld the truth from me only to protect me from feeling unhappy."
He took a sip of his hot beverage, "I just wish that I could feel a connection to my child. I never will though..."
"Maybe you can still feel that connection Pervy Sage." Naruto said, "Just visit where the baby was buried. If you do, perhaps you can feel some sort of connection to your child."
"Maybe you're right."
Jiraiya took a deep gulp before he entered the building where all the Hokage's situated themselves. He made the decision to ask Tsunade to take him to where she buried their child. He wasn't entirely sure that he would feel even a speck of connection to the deceased little one, but he wanted to at least try.
He walked into the building and walked it's halls until he approached the Hokage's office. He knocked twice, but received no answer. Against his better judgement, he opened the door, only to find that Tsunade was nowhere to be found. He walked further into her office, and peered onto her desk. On it was a sheet of paper that was addressed to some other nation. It seemed to be important, but it was unfinished. More than likely she wasn't able to devote her undivided attention to her work. He was probably to blame for that. He thought about where she might be, and remembered that she always used to climb up onto the mountain where all the stone carvings of the Hokage's faces were situated. That was the only place in the world where she could peer out into the vast distance and be completely lost in her thoughts without any interruptions from her assistant, all her security guards, and those annoying village elders.
He found himself climbing up the mountain, feeling as if he was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. He was now going to face the woman who he shouted at and treated like an insignificant bug, when she only had his best interest at heart. After finally reaching the top of the mountain, he could feel the cool wind against his cheek, and looked down only to see the twinkling lights of the Leaf Village. It was beautiful, almost completely tranquil. No wonder she liked to go up there. He walked around, until he found her slender frame sitting on top of the stone monument of the very first Hokage of the Leaf Village. She looked as if she was deep in thought, and it was almost criminal to disturb her, but he craved a connection to his son, and the only way he would get that, was if he visited his burial site.
"Tsunade." He said as he stepped behind her. He watched as she shuddered as he said her name, and turned her head around to look up at his face.
"Came all the way up here to yell at me some more?" She said and turned away to continue looking out at the village, "I get it okay. I was wrong for not telling you."
"I'm sorry." He blurted out, and caught her attention.
"You're sorry?" She asked, hardly believing her ears, and rose to her feet.
"Yes." He said, "Your intentions were pure. You were only trying to protect me."
"Yeah but I should have told you anyway."
"But you were too afraid to hurt me again." He said for her, "I respect that. I respect you."
She didn't say anything, she just looked at the ground and smiled to herself.
"I want you to take me to where you buried our son."
She looked at him with an expression that was hard to read. The last time she visited the site where she laid her son to rest for all eternity was the day she had the miscarriage. She deliberately did not go back there because the very thought of it made her weak at the knees and full of grief. Now here he was asking her to show him where their son was buried. She didn't want to go back there, for she didn't want to feel sad, but after keeping the secret of their child from him for so long, how could she possibly deny his request?
Hey guys! I didn't take too long to update this time!
A lot of you guys thought that Jiraiya's reaction in the last chapter was harsh and unfair, and I think so too. But remember, his rational thinking was clouded with shock and anger (not specifically at Tsunade, but at the fact that his child was denied a chance at life). At least Jiraiya was thinking clearly in this chapter right?
So the dream sequence wasn't supposed to be that long, but when I started to write it, I just couldn't stop. At least now we know what life would have been like for our duo if things worked out in their favor. I hope you enjoyed it regardless of it's length.
Thank you for reading and always leaving a review. I love your feedback.
Excited for the next chapter?
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo