Jiraiya paced the apartment he shared with Tsunade. It had been an almost natural thing for his few possessions left to migrate here, to have his tooth brush sit besides her's in the bathroom and his getas in the same pile her heels were by the door. It made him dizzy with the knowledge that he was finally where he wanted to be and with the woman he pined for since he was a child.

Of course, all the words he had for her, all the promises he wanted to make were on hold until the Hokage actually came home. Time ticked by until frustrated, Jiraiya jerked open the door only to be face to face with a startled Shizune.

"Lord Jiraiya," she squeaked before her voice leveled out. "I have a note for you from Lady Tsunade."

He reached for and raised an eyebrow as Dan Kato's niece scampered away. Did he scare her, or did it have something to do with the note? Curiosity piqued he unfolded paper to read the slanting scrawl.

I don't know when I'll be home. Idiot chunin forgot which of his kunai was tipped in poison and a genin tried to spit a senbon and swallowed it instead.

-Tsunade

Jiraiya set the note aside. He was less than useless in a hospital, healing beyond his skills. Still the Toad Sage had been around Tsunade enough to know two things, one it took massive amounts of chakra to heal multiple people and two she'd be starving when she got out. He hummed to himself as he pulled out what was needed. Hokage or not she'd at least have a simple meal to come home to.

Tsunade yelled out for the basin to set the punctured tonsils in. She wasn't sure how the child had managed it. He'd sucked the senbon so far into his throat the point stuck out the back of his head. It was the grace of the Sage himself that his spinal cord hadn't been punctured. Still there was damage enough and he wasn't close to the last patient she'd be doing the surgery on this night.

Hands covered in the cooling green of her chakra pulled out the tonsils and sealed blood vessels. She worked each movement precise and measured. This child would be fine as would the rest of the people on her surgery list.

It was nearly four in the morning when the last case was settled. The Sannin swayed as she left the hospital, each step feeling as though she was walking through mud. Her body was a wreck, the 5th Great War taking pieces that never came back, one being her stamina. It had her sinking down on a bench outside the tower and leaning forward to rest her head in her hands.

Five minutes later she was snoring sound asleep on the bench as the sky slowly lightened and the world woke up around her.

He found her there and sank down beside her sleeping form in relief. When daylight had hit and Tsunade still not back, Jiraiya hadn't panicked or at least he wouldn't admit that he panicked and left to go to the hospital only to see her outside and covered in the dew that had fallen, snoring away.

"Hime," he said quietly as his heart resumed its normal rhythm. "You are a piece of work, you know that. You work so hard to heal others and leave nothing for yourself." His hand, the one that was his reached out to run a finger across her cheek. She scarcely moved, only sank down deeper on the stone her body trying to rest and recover what was lost.

When Tsunade woke, it was to her darkened room and the faint sounds of Jiraiya's typewriter. She sat up yawning as her eyes adjusted. Her body felt tired still and there was a gnawing pit in her stomach saying that she needed to eat and soon. There were questions that needed answered as well. How did she get home from the hospital and why, why was she stark naked?

Jiraiya heard her moving and walked to the small fridge to pull out the plate he had fixed her the night before. A quick run in the microwave and it and a glass of milk was on the table, water already set to boil for tea. His feet padded silently down the hall to the bedroom before leaning against the doorjamb.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," she replied reaching for her robe. "Why am I naked?"

He ran his tongue around his teeth, tempted to tease her. The shadows still under her eyes after a day of sleeping stopped him though. "You fell asleep walking home from the hospital. When I found you this morning, you were covered in dew. I took the liberty of stripping and drying you off before putting you to bed. I have a plate for you. Come sit and eat before you fall down."

She hissed, chafing a bit a being told what to do. The Sannin wanted to tell him to stuff it and that she needed to go to the office, but the growling in her stomach was becoming a roar.

"Fine, I'll eat before going up to the office."

"You're not going to the office today Hime. I found you on a bench this morning and you are still shaking after sleeping all day. You're going to eat and we're going to have a talk about you not taking care of yourself."

Whiskey colored eyes narrowed. "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what to do?"

The Toad Sage was tempted to say that he was the man in love with her stubborn ass, but he wanted her to eat and not storm off when she could barely walk. "Please Tsunade, I'm not asking lightly."

She stomped past him to the table, sitting down with ill grace to eat. He unnerved her and pissed her off, but she'd do what he wanted for the moment, biding her time to tell him off.

It was the milk that set her off, or rather the comment that she could have tea after she finished the glass. All at once it didn't matter that he was worried or that he cared enough to cook and heat it up for her. Tsunade felt her back stiffen and the glass, milk and all was hurled across the table nearly taking his head off if not for a quick dodge.

"Can you not?" he snapped in response. "Can you for once in your life let someone take care of you?"

"I'm not letting you or anyone else telling me what to do Jiraiya. I'm the Godaime Hokage not some child and I swear my Grandfather's bones try to boss me again, I'll feed you your teeth."

Said teeth flashed in a mirthless smile. "Really now Lady Hokage, your temper is still the same as when you were six. Are you sure you're not a child?"

The fist flew, and for once didn't land. Whether it was her own exhaustion slowing it or Jiraiya refusing to placidly take her temper didn't matter. He shifted catching her wrist and twisting it back into an arm bar behind her. She stomped down hard on his instep to try and loosen his hold but he didn't relent.

"I'm serious Tsunade, I'm not going to idly stand by and watch you kill yourself with exhaustion and ill life habits."

It made her shoulders sag, those quiet words. "Let go of me Jiraiya, and we'll talk."

Slowly his fingers loosened and gave her back control of her wrist. It was a relief that she hadn't broken her wrist and taken the injury to turn around and keep fighting. He wouldn't have put it past her. Tsunade was a hell cat when angry, and fought like a demon.

Dark eyes stayed on her small frame as she moved to the couch, sinking down on the cushions with a tired sigh. "I'm hurt. When I was defeated fighting Madara, I drained nearly all my chakra to try and heal the other Kage. I planned on holding Katsuyu there long enough to heal them and then forcing the rest of my chakra into them so that they could go after Madara.

Orochimaru came before that happened, but for me to have fully healed my insides and replace what chakra I lost… it would have killed the Uzumaki girl with him, so I healed enough to scar over my wounds and then healed the other Kage to keep fighting. Chakra that I gained back was siphoned off when I was in the Tree of Life. I'm hurt. I'm hurt in ways that I'm not ever going to recover from."

Tsunade closed her eyes. "I'm just trying to make it until Naruto takes the hat."

His hands reached to take hers, lips pressing against her knuckles. She was the best of them, and whatever means possible he was going take care of her like she had so many others.

"Hime, why didn't you tell me earlier? Never mind, stubborn woman I know why."

She laughed and opened her eyes to focus on him. "I am stubborn, and I'm bossy. Don't tell me you've forgotten that."