Tsunade sat drowsing in a chair, the alcohol having gone to her head. Everything that had just happened kept replaying in her mind, and regret welled up inside her. She felt she should have insisted harder and not let Jiraiya go alone.
"Big Sister Tsunade, why are you here all alone? You look so down!" Kikyo's voice came just then.
Tsunade forced a smile, pulled Kikyo into a hug, and said nothing.
Sensing that something was wrong, Kikyo asked softly, "What happened?"
Reeking of alcohol, Tsunade said, "I'm just a little sad. I feel I shouldn't have let Jiraiya take that mission."
Just then, Shizune, who had gone out looking for Tsunade, arrived as well. Seeing the Hokage herself in such a state gave her a headache, and she approached, saying, "Oh, Lady Tsunade, you're the Hokage now. You can't drink in broad daylight and sit somewhere so conspicuous, too. The ninja returning from their assignments won't feel too good seeing you like this."
Kikyo agreed. "Big Sister Shizune, she's had a bit too much. Take her back for a bath and let her rest early."
"Don't worry, Kikyo. Leave her to me."
Shizune was already quite practiced at this sort of thing. She hoisted Tsunade onto her back in one motion, then turned to ask, "What about you, Kikyo? Where are you staying tonight?"
Kikyo smiled. "Oh, I'm all grown up now. You don't need to worry about me. You should give yourself some thought, though."
Touched by her words, Shizune said, "That's true. Time flies. You've grown so much in the blink of an eye. All right, I'll be going. Bye."
After they waved goodbye, Kikyo gazed into the distance in the direction Jiraiya had left.
*What kind of mission could make Mom this upset? Maybe I should