After dinner, they set the plates aside. Naruto had intended to take a shower, but Anko suddenly suggested they shower together. Naruto didn't object and agreed right away.
"Lead the way?" he said.
"You've been here before." Anko grumbled.
"That was then, and I didn't bring any clothes. You've got a dryer here, right?" Without waiting for a reply, Naruto pushed her toward the bathroom.
"Yeah, you just didn't notice." Anko said as she opened the bathroom door, pointing to a small machine next to the washing machine, "Hehe, it's compact, but it's enough for me."
Anko's bathroom wasn't small, and everything was spotless, probably because she lived alone. The layout, with both a shower and a bathtub, was quite similar to Naruto's place.
Perhaps because all the construction teams in Konoha were the same group of people, so the structure of the houses was similar. Anko's house wasn't large, but it had everything she needed.
A small place like this felt more secure, at least for sleeping alone at night.
"Shall I serve you? You can leave your clothes here. I found the detergent." Anko said as she expertly tossed both of their clothes into the washing machine.
"Right here?"
"Do whatever you like," Anko replied. "Ah, I forgot something. Wait for me a second."
"These clothes…"
Pfft.
The two of them simultaneously opened a couple of sodas from the fridge, tilting their heads back and taking a gulp, feeling instantly refreshed.
"Ah, refreshing."
"A cold drink like this is just perfect after a bath. My whole body feels relaxed." Anko said, holding her soda as she walked back to the room. Naruto followed suit.
"Can you drink cold drinks like this?" Naruto suddenly asked. "Doesn't it affect your health?"
"What health issue? I've always drunk them like this, and I haven't had any problems." Anko was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Naruto, "Why, is it bad?"
"Nah, you're probably fine." Naruto grinned, 'Maybe being a bit clueless had its perks. At least she was tough.'
As they entered the room, Anko suddenly stopped and asked with a mysterious look on her face, "Do you feel it?"
"What?" Naruto tilted his head back and took another swig of soda. He had long been accustomed to Anko's mysterious and quirky behavior.
"I'm hungry again." She said, clutching her stomach with a pitiful expression, "I burn through energy too fast. My appetite kicks in even faster than everything else."
"I'll head out and buy something. It's almost morning." Naruto gestured toward the window, where the dark sky was beginning to lighten.
"Alright, there's nothing left in the fridge." Anko sighed in defeat, flopping onto the bed and staying still. "Sorry to make you run out again, I'm just too hungry."
"Why don't we go together?" He suggested.
"That's not a good idea, right? What if someone sees us? How are you going to explain that?" Anko turned her head to glance at him from her sprawled position on the bed.
"It's not that much of a problem. The odds of someone seeing us are pretty slim." Naruto said, sniffing the air, "Are you sure you don't want to come?"
"Fine, I'll go. I'm starving to death." Anko relented, then got up and started to change clothes.
Naruto found the whole situation amusing and began changing into his freshly dried clothes as well. They quietly snuck out into the night, bought some food from a small stall, and wandered over to another spot to eat.
After stuffing themselves, they leisurely made their way back home. By the time they returned, the sky still hadn't fully brightened. Between showering and eating, they had spent the entire night awake.
They had eaten two meals in the span of a few hours, including breakfast.
Fortunately, neither of them seemed bothered by this bizarre schedule. Anko, being the carefree person she was, didn't hesitate to cancel her work for the next day, giving herself a self-declared holiday.
She claimed it was to commemorate an important day.
Naruto didn't buy it for a second, 'A woman who could get up to make food even after... well, even after that, was clearly just using any excuse not to go to work.'
They both freshened up once more before collapsing into sleep, not bothering to cuddle, but instead each sleeping in their own disorganized way.
When they finally woke up, it was already the afternoon. Both of them, groggy and out of sync with the world, exchanged sleepy glances, blinking at each other in silence.
"Want to find something to eat?" Naruto suggested.
"Sure."
With a new goal in mind, the two lazybones finally dragged themselves out of bed. They squeezed into the bathroom to brush their teeth, but one small distraction led to another, and they ended up wasting a lot of time.
By the time they left the house, it was already dark outside.
"Let's split up to get food, so it won't cause you any trouble," Anko suggested, "We have different tastes anyway, so it'll save time."
"That makes sense," Naruto nodded. "Are we meeting up later?"
"I'm down, what about you?"
"Yeah, let's meet back after we eat. And remember to grab some extra food, just in case we get hungry again later tonight." Naruto said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, already considering the second half of the night.
"Your stamina is impressive." Anko complimented sincerely.
"And your endurance isn't bad either." He responded.
"Haha, alright, see you later." Anko waved her hand before disappearing into the night.
Naruto stood there watching for a moment, smiling to himself. He felt oddly light, understanding what Anko meant. This was nice, in its own way.
Without realizing it, Naruto found himself at the village ramen shop. He sat down and habitually ordered a large bowl of char siu ramen. The first bite hit his taste buds with that familiar salty, savory flavor, instantly lifting his mood.
What was rare and precious about their time together was that there was no pressure. He didn't have to think about anything else. Being with Anko felt like a part of his everyday routine.
To Anko, maybe the ordinary things like eating and sleeping were just simple parts of life. With Naruto, there was just an added layer of happiness to it.
As the moon rose high above the treetops, the two of them returned to Anko's small apartment. The curtains blocked out the faint light. Naruto felt a surge of warmth, like a burning ember within him, igniting the atmosphere.
They kissed, slowly at first, moving from the sofa to the TV stand, sharing gentle, lingering kisses. It wasn't about romance, just instinctive affection. And slowly, a sense of peace settled in.
In the long, dark night, they clung to each other for warmth and comfort.
…
The next day.
Anko came up with another lame excuse to skip work. This time, she was genuinely exhausted and spent the entire day sleeping at home. When she finally woke up, Naruto was already gone.
She blinked in mild surprise, then turned over and went back to sleep.
Life offered many choices, but she knew her path as a Shinobi was already blocked. Her future no longer held any light. She was just borrowing Naruto's radiance to catch a glimpse of the stars… to see the beauty of the world once more.