Chapter 25: Keep Her Away From Me

Anko looked at the wooden door in front of her, which seemed patched together, and no matter how she looked at it, it just seemed ugly.

"Why does your door look so terrible after being fixed?"

"Give me the money, and I'll replace it."

Inside the room, Kurenai was sitting by the window, casually sipping a drink, wearing a loose nightgown.

Anko took a cup from the fridge and sat across from Kurenai, pouring herself a drink.

"Did you have a mission today?" Kurenai asked.

"Yeah, with Genma and the others. I just got back a little while ago," Anko replied nonchalantly.

The clock on the wall showed it was already 11 p.m., and the streets outside were empty. The sky had only a few scattered stars, and the dim streetlights barely illuminated the ground.

"Oh, by the way, Genma and the others told me today that they're planning to apply for the Special Jōnin exam," Anko suddenly said. "They suggested that the two of us prepare for it as well."

"Jōnin is probably out of reach, but we might have a shot at Special Jōnin."

"Special Jōnin?" Kurenai paused for a moment.

Anko nodded. "Guy and Asuma from our class are already Jōnin, and here we are, still stuck as Chunin."

Kakashi was automatically excluded from that comparison.

Kurenai thought about it carefully and agreed it was feasible. She nodded in agreement. "Alright."

"Your genjutsu is so strong. If you take the exam, you'll pass for sure."

Anko downed her cup of sake and laughed.

"After all, you are a genjutsu master."

The compliment didn't seem to make Kurenai feel any better. Instead, her expression darkened slightly, as if it reminded her of something unpleasant.

"What's wrong?" Anko noticed something was off and asked.

"Nothing." Kurenai quickly composed herself and took a small sip of her drink.

Anko raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.

A bottle of wine was quickly emptied between the two women.

"How much have you already drunk? The bottle's empty," Anko said as she tried to pour more wine, only to find it was finished.

"There's more in the wine cabinet," Kurenai replied casually.

Anko stood up and walked to the cabinet, opening the door to reveal rows of various wines across three shelves.

"Tsk, tsk, you're such a wine lover," Anko chuckled. She knew her close friend had a habit of enjoying drinks in the evening.

"You always give me a hard time about not being 'girly' enough, but what kind of girl has a collection like this?" she teased.

Kurenai just rolled her eyes.

"You love drinking so much, so why are you so reserved when we're out with everyone?" Anko asked as she selected a new bottle and sat back down, pouring more into their glasses.

"Like you and Shizune?" Kurenai countered. "I don't want to get drunk and lose control in front of others."

Anko smirked. "Yeah, you're the type who'd never let herself do anything that embarrassing."

"By the way, I wonder how Shizune is doing. It's been so long since we last saw her," Anko mused, her tone suddenly nostalgic.

"Following Lady Tsunade around is quite impressive," Kurenai smiled. "After all, she's one of the Sannin."

Anko froze for a moment, falling into silence.

Kurenai realized she had said something wrong and stopped talking, quietly sipping her drink.

"Ahh~," Anko stretched her arms, leaning back in the chair, making it gently rock.

"Shizune... I hope when she comes back, she's not all old and single like Lady Tsunade," she joked.

"That won't happen. Shizune is quite charming," Kurenai replied with a soft smile.

"I wish I could just travel somewhere," Anko sighed, "No responsibilities, doing whatever I want."

After drinking another half a bottle of wine, Anko rested her head on one hand, absentmindedly tapping her cheek with her finger as she stared out the window.

Kurenai, now slightly flushed from the alcohol, glanced at the wine in her glass, realizing she had reached her limit.

"Are you going home?" she asked.

Anko turned her head, looking dazedly at her.

Seeing her in this state, Kurenai sighed. "For someone who criticizes me for being reserved, you can't even handle your alcohol. I'm more restrained and can still drink better than you."

Anko shook her head, glancing at the clock on the wall—it was midnight.

She rubbed her face, stood up, and came behind Kurenai, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

"What are you doing?" Kurenai asked, irritated.

Anko just nuzzled against her cheek, mumbling, "I don't want to go home."

"I don't have any clothes for you here. You'll stink of alcohol, and I'll have to change my bedsheets tomorrow," Kurenai pushed her away.

"Go home. I'm going to bed."

"Let's sleep together," Anko whined playfully.

Kurenai, exasperated but still firm, refused. "No, get going. Your house isn't far, just a short walk."

Kurenai pried Anko's arms off her and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're so heartless!" Anko pouted dramatically.

She acts like a little girl when she's drunk...

Kurenai thought, looking at Anko's posture, before pushing her toward the bathroom.

"Wash your face and go home."

Anko, standing in the bathroom, stared at herself in the mirror. She turned on the tap, and the water splashed onto her hands before she threw it over her face, making her feel a bit more awake.

She took off her hair tie, letting her hair fall loose.

When Kurenai noticed it was quiet for a while, she walked into the bathroom and saw Anko applying Kurenai's lipstick in the mirror.

"What are you doing?" Kurenai asked, her face puzzled.

Anko smiled and said, "I think if I put on some makeup, I'd look pretty good, right?"

"You're already pretty. Now, get going. I want to shower and sleep," Kurenai laughed.

"And remember to get a new door; this one's so ugly."

"No money!"

Anko went downstairs, and the door closed behind her, leaving Kurenai alone in the room.

The silence felt vast, and Kurenai suddenly felt a pang of loneliness after the company had left.

She turned to tidy up the drinking glasses but then noticed a figure walking slowly down the previously empty street.

It was someone in an ANBU uniform, carrying a short sword but without a mask, likely just returning from a mission.

The wine glass in Kurenai's hand tightened.

It was that bastard…

She knew that Ren lived nearby, and he passed by here almost every day. She had often seen him around.

Down below, the figure seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up toward Kurenai's window.

Kurenai felt her heart tighten with panic, and she quickly moved away from the window.

Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, and she found herself gasping for air.

Damn it, why am I scared?!

Kurenai clenched her fists, biting her lip angrily.

Taking a deep breath, she cautiously moved back to the window.

Outside, Anko had bumped into Ren after coming down the stairs.

The two seemed to exchange a few words, causing Kurenai to frown.

Why is she even talking to that jerk?

But then, just as quickly, Anko stomped off angrily, leaving Ren standing there.

While Kurenai was still wondering what had just happened, her vision blurred for a moment, and suddenly Ren appeared right outside her window.

Kurenai was so startled she instinctively stepped back and fell into her chair, knocking over the bottle of wine, spilling it onto the table.

Drip, drip...

The wine trickled off the table and onto the floor.

"Spying on other people's conversations isn't a good habit," Ren said, squatting at her window, his tone cold.

Kurenai gripped the sides of the chair, trying to regain her composure.

"I... I wasn't," she stammered, her voice lacking confidence as she avoided eye contact with him.

"What do you want?"

"You'd better not try anything. I..."

Ren cut her off calmly, "Your friend."

"She's annoying."

"..."

Kurenai finally started to calm down a little.

"Keep her away from me."

"Okay... okay."

She nodded, staring at the puddle of spilled wine on the floor.

There was no more sound or movement, and after a while, a cold breeze blew through the window.

She looked up to find that Ren had disappeared without a trace, leaving her to wonder when he had gone.

Standing alone in her nightgown, Kurenai suddenly felt cold.