The moon was shining over Konoha, and the village roads were practically empty. The night was a deep shade of blue and somewhat cloudy; it was late. The only person to be seen walking through the village was a tall man in his fifties, whose most prominent feature was his long, white hair. Jiraiya had gone for some drinks, and was now walking aimlessly through the village, pondering whether to go home or leave for good. He cared deeply for his student, Naruto, but the boy was getting older and was now becoming one of the best shinobi in the village, and soon would not need his help any more. The sake had made him remember things he thought he had gotten over, his feelings for a particular woman, and the pain (emotional and physical) he felt every time she rejected him. He decided then and there that loving a woman who would not love him back for more than forty years was not healthy; and that if he wanted the rest of his life to be as normal as it could be, to have someone to care for and who cared for him, he should leave the village. He turned to his house to pack his clothes, to leave the village once and for all and start a new life, when he noticed someone sitting on a bench under a streetlamp. It was strange to see somebody up so late, and especially the Hokage. The orange light shone on Tsunade from above, and she had let her hair down. To him, she looked beautiful. It seemed that she didn't sense him coming, so Jiraiya approached her, and seeing no resistance towards him, sat beside her.

"So, Tsunade, what are you, the Hokage, doing up so late?"Jiraiya asked.

She looked up, startled "Oh, hey, it's you, I didn't see you, I guess I was just thinking, what about you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked

"Jiraiya" said Tsunade; with a hand on her forehead "I'm not in a state fit for obvious right now."

"Been drinking too?"

"A little, but that's not the point." She answered, a little annoyed

"So why are you up at this hour of the night?"He asked

"It's nothing, really" She said, looking down. Her hair fell on her face, so Jiraiya could not read her as he usually did.

"Tsunade, you're obviously upset about something, if you weren't, you would not be here, in the middle of the night, clearly troubled, and unable to sleep."

"Fine" She looked up, at his eyes and immediately looked back down and said

"Anyway, I guess you are the only person I can tell, though I don't expect you to understand me. You see, today I was thinking about Dan, because his death's anniversary was yesterday, and I realized that unless a miracle happens I will not love or be loved (in that way) again, and I guess I just realized what that meant. To never have someone who, just by hugging you and giving you a kiss, can make you forget all your troubles. Or at least that's what I like to imagine he did."

Jiraiya understood her much better than she thought, and after listening to that, he knew he couldn't leave the village. It was masochism, he knew, but he was happy just being her friend.

What the hell, he thought, I haven't got anything to lose, and with that in his mind, he began "Tsunade, I know you think I am a pervert…"

He didn't finish his idea because he noticed she was crying, it was not much, at first, she only started weeping silently and Jiraiya didn't know what to do, because if he hugged her and she didn't want that, he might not live to tell it. Tsunade started sobbing and tears were streaming from her eyes, so seeing her like that, he approached her and took her in his arms, kissed her on the top of the head and told her it would be ok. After a short while, her crying ceased, and her sobs were quieter.

"God, Jiraiya, you must think I am pathetic, to be mourning a man for thirty-some years" said Tsunade, much more controlled.

"Well, maybe I do, but I really couldn't judge you, because I have been in love with the same woman for about forty years, and she has never loved me back. That's why I became a pervert in the first place." He said, half smiling.

"Jiraiya, after all I've done to you, you still love me?" She asked, looking a bit shocked.

"Who said it was you? Please, ha! Me in love with you, an old lady like you!" He laughed "Please, don't make me laugh!"

Tsunade's shock was even bigger "Oh, so you have been in love with the same person since I met you?" she asked, looking disappointed.

Jiraiya was surprised by the answer to his joke, did that mean she cared? Or was he just another addition to the collection of men who had been in love with her? Anyway, he thought she knew him better. He had not completely lost the thought he had had a while ago, and with that in mind, he tried again, now a bit more serious

"Tsunade, I thought you knew me better, after all, I have been your friend for more than forty years" He could see her starting to look up at him under her bangs "And yet you can't tell when I'm serious and when I'm not."

"I already told you, Jiraiya, I'm not in a state fit for anything right now" She said, probably feeling a bit cross.

"Anyway, if you really want to know what I was doing, I was getting ready to leave the village." He had her full attention now. She was looking up at him, a surprised look on her face

"But I thought you liked it here, and you still have Naruto to teach, so why were you leaving?" she asked

Inside, Jiraiya was disappointed, but he was determined not to show it, so he decided to go for a joke.

"Oh, well, because I'm tired of looking at the same girls all the time, after all, the famous author of the Icha-Icha series must have new inspiration every once in a while, don't you think?"

"I know I told you I was in a state not fit for anything, but even I can see that you are not leaving because of that."

Well, at least she can see that, he thought. Telling her was much more difficult than he had imagined, he just kept on looking for excuses not to. Finally, he decided to tell her the truth, so he began "Look, Tsunade, I don't know just how drunk you are, but I'll tell you anyway. Since the first time I saw you, I felt something special for you, and it grew even bigger when I got to know you better. You hated me because I was a pervert in training, but it was only a façade, and it still is, you see, if I am a pervert, people will not wonder why I have always been alone, people will know me as the legendary pervert and never wonder who I am inside. Anyway, when I grew older, I knew I didn't only think you were the most beautiful girl I ever saw, but I loved you. When you started seeing Dan, I tried to make myself understand that you loved someone else. I was happy for you, but I couldn't help wishing it was I who you were holding, not him. When he died, I left my feelings for you aside and became the friend you needed. When you left, I desperately wanted to tell you not to go, that I loved you, but I knew you didn't feel the same way about me, so I kept quiet and watched you go with your love's niece. We didn't see each other for a long time, but when I saw you again, I felt the same way I had felt years before. I thought that maybe, maybe… I don't know what I thought; I just hoped you had forgotten him enough to be with me, even though you had sworn you'd never go out with me even if I was the last man on earth." He chuckled at this last part, and she smiled, remembering all the times she had said that.

"Well, that's basically it. I fell in love with you since I first saw you and I never stopped loving you ever since."

She started weeping silently again and said "Jiraiya, what did I do to deserve this? I mean, if it weren't for me, you would never have had your ribs broken and several internal organs ruptured."

"If it weren't for you I would not have survived that" He reminded her, smiling a smile he saved only for her.

She made a sound between laughing and sobbing, and he wiped one of her tears, and a flower from a nearby tree fell on her hair.

Jiraiya took it and put it above her ear, "There," he said "beautiful".

She smiled, they were both feeling better now, and Jiraiya got up, held his hand for her and said "It's really getting late now, so why don't I just walk you home?"

She had some trouble getting up "Damn, my leg fell asleep" she explained. She tried to walk but couldn't do it very well, so, since Jiraiya had decided to be bold that night, he said "I normally wouldn't dream of asking you this, especially since you can break every bone in my body, but do you want me to carry you?"

He could have sworn he saw her blushing, even in the dark, but he could never be sure. She nodded and he swept her off her feet. While he was carrying her, he noticed she was really light. He couldn't help thinking how delicate and harmless she looked like that, and, honestly, he liked carrying her. He was walking under a streetlamp and when he looked at her face, he saw that it was a light shade of crimson.

He couldn't help but laughing and saying "You're blushing in my arms, Tsunade; any other man would take that as a sign that you feel something for him."

She blushed even more. Now, the color of her face could be seen even under the little moonlight there was. He smiled, happy. They finally reached her house, and she had him open the door and turn the light on.

The whiter and more abundant light of her house made Jiraiya realize that he was actually carrying Tsunade, and she was not even in danger or unconscious. He held her a little bit tighter, cherishing the moment, a first in his life.

Tsunade directed him to her bedroom. Jiraiya was surprised that she had let him into her house, and that she was actually letting him go into her room. "Tsunade-hime, are you sure you don't want me to lay you on the couch? I'm sure your leg isn't asleep anymore."

"I wish, but it still is, so I'm sorry, you'll have to carry me all the way up to my room"

"Yes, Hokage-sama" He said mockingly.

"Baka" she answered, not angrily, though she was not meaning it as his childhood nickname but as the literal meaning of the word.

"Come on, I'll take you to your room" He said, while climbing the stairs that led to it.

Jiraiya opened the door and approached her bed. He didn't know what happened next, one second he was laying Tsunade on it and the next he was on top of her. As soon as he saw what was happening he tried to get off her, apologizing, blushing, but she was holding his shirt, so he couldn't move much. He was puzzled and about to express it when she silenced him with a kiss (another first for them, a sober – more or less – kiss) while removing his forehead protector and holding on to him as tight to him as possible.

Another fanfic, yay!!!!! I just finished this one and am thinking about making it a chapter fic! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! I made some more edits, because, having read it again, I thought it was missing something, so enjoy!