Some advice would be good right about now... //Private. Possible chocolate milk?//

A small nod. "If you don't make it in spring break, there's the start of the summer, too, I told you. No worries." a crooked smile.

"Ah. Right. I'm.. not sure what she's gotten herself into this time," Jiraiya laughed unconvincingly, and then immediately scowled as he realised he'd overspoken.

A knowing smile was what he got in return. "I figured it was her. Go do your thing, then." he grinned and began walking to the door. "And good luck with it."

"Huh? How do you know Tsunade?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me she's started fucking little kids!"

"You really don't remember?" he chuckled. "I guess it makes sense, with how wasted you were and all that. Last time you got shit drunk and I was in the room, you started babbling about her."

"....oh." Jiraiya's frown deepened. "I did, did I. You shouldn't listen to me when I'm that drunk. I don't make sense."

"You do. You just talk about other things than usually." he shrugged.

"Yes, and that's what doesn't make sense." Jiraiya sighed and went to pour himself more alcohol. "So. What did I say?"

"A whole lot about being an idiot and not good enough for her."

Jiraiya groaned and closed his eyes as if in pain. "I really don't make sense when I'm drunk," he washed down his full glass of whiskey, then followed it up with a chaser of more whiskey.

"I think you make perfect sense when drunk," he shrugged. "You just talk more openly about things. That's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Not if I said that, because that's a load of nonsense." Another drink.

"Says you. Just admit it already. You're as hopelessly in love as I am."

Jiraiya scowled. "You don't know shit about love, kid."

"I still know it when I see it." he shrugged.

"No. No, you don't. You've still got this grand idea that love is beautiful and someday you'll find your true love, and if only that blond little kid would come to his senses, everything would be dandy..." the drink went down. "It isn't. Love's a piece of shit."

"I know it is, 'cause I know it won't go away, and I know he'll stay with her. I do know it's not all light and fluffy as most teenagers think it is."

"Great. Fantastic. Come back in forty years and tell me the same thing, and I might believe you."

A small sigh. "yeah, I know, I've only been there for a few weeks, I know. But I've never been that optimistic. Especially not with this. So when you say that I hope for the 'one true love'... I've never believed such a thing exists." he shrugged. "But I believe that we still need a partner sometime to keep ourselves happy. Just a little bit. So... I just hope for you that you figure something out." Before it's too late and you probably die alone, went unsaid. "Not that much more to be said."

"Oh, kid," Jiraya laughed bitterly. "It does exist. It exists, and everything else, everyone else, is not the same. No matter how much you try."

A small shrug. "I'll believe it if I ever find someone like that. Not until then."

"I hope for you that you don't." More whiskey.

"Haven't been anywhere near, so far." he shrugged. "It's all been crushes. A couple months in and things didn't work."

"Yeah. You're young. Hasn't any of them been different? Like.. You felt like you belonged together with them?" Jiraya poured more whiskey and sloshed it about for dramatic effect. "Like - they were your other half. That you never knew you were missing."

"... Kinda. But I think it's more because, well... When we're not at school, me and Rin... We've only got each other, now. I just... Don't want to cause her unnecessary pain. And I do, every time she sees the discolored eye. Everything felt almost goddamn perfect when we were together, but... Then she'd look me in the eyes and burst into tears. Because... Because we miss the last piece." he choked up at the end. Goddamn it.