Author's Note: Hmm…I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this little side story. I originally wrote it because my cousin wanted to know about the "incident" Emiko mentions to Kakashi in Chapter 6. Originally, I planned on this being completely goofy (like a random Naruto filler episode) *laughs* but it turned a little bit more serious towards the end. ^^; So, now I'm not sure what to make of it. Either way, I hope y'all enjoy. :)

Oh! And although this story can feasibly be read on its own, it will probably make more sense if you've read up through Chapter 6 of my main story, Catch Me If I Fall.

Catch Me If I Fall

Side Story #1 – Just Friends

I'm standing outside the village gates, backpack stuffed with food and anxious to get away. Although not typically a morning person, I can't help but enjoy the cool spring breeze and the lazy clouds floating high overhead. Father knows I'll be gone for the day, but I'm still anxious for Iruka to arrive as a small worm of anxiousness wriggles its way through my mind. Birthdays have never been a very enjoyable time of year for me, and as my 16th creeps ever closer, I've found myself wanting to be away from the shop more and more often.

Fortunately, I now have the perfect excuse! Iruka, after years of me wheedling him, finally decided to take the Chuunin exams again…and he passed with flying colors! To celebrate we both decided it would be fun to try out the new onsen that recently opened near the village. It's pretty high in the mountains, but getting there will be half the fun…if Iruka ever shows up.

I'm beginning to wonder if I got the time wrong, when I see him racing toward me, his normally immaculate ponytail hanging loose and disheveled.

"Hey, Emiko. Sorry I'm late," he pants, hands on knees as he tries to regain his breath.

I look at him with one eyebrow arched in curious bewilderment. "What happened? You look like you just wrestled an Onbaa off your back."

Rolling his eyes at me, he straightens up and begins to fix his ponytail. "Very funny. Next time I'll let you babysit Naruto for a week and see how you look afterward. He has got to be the most hyper-active six-year-old I've ever met…"

"Well, I think it was very nice of you to offer to watch him…"

"Only because you guilted me into it," my friend grumbles under his breath.

"Oh, stop complaining - you know he only gets excited like that because he likes you, right?"

Iruka stares at me with incredulity. "Why on earth would he like me? All I ever do is yell at him…"

"Maybe, but you're forgetting how perceptive Naruto is - and unlike so many others, you yell at him for the right reasons…not the wrong ones."

My friend pauses for a moment, mulling over my words. "But if he likes me so much then why does he insist on being so difficult? Couldn't he give me a break once-in-awhile?"

"He just enjoys getting your attention, that's all," I chuckle, suddenly noticing several blades of grass sticking haphazardly out of my friend's hair. Moving closer, I carefully begin to pick them out, which he allows with a small smile. Suddenly, I detect a faintly familiar scent hovering over his clothes and whisper teasingly, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but you smell like ramen."

Iruka groans, resting his head on my shoulder in apparent defeat, "Please don't mention that…word. It was all he wanted ALL WEEK LONG! Breakfast, lunch and dinner – they all consisted of nothing except those horrible instant noodles."

Snickering at my friend's melodrama, I pat him softly on the back, "Aww, poor baby…Well, you'll be happy to know that there's not a single noodle in the lunch I packed us for today."

Iruka's head shoots up off my shoulder, delight shining in his eyes before hugging me fiercely. "Oh, thank god! You're the best, Emiko!"

Laughing, I begin to make fake gasping sounds. "Can't breathe…vision getting dark…"

Suddenly a voice, loud and resonate, says from behind us, "Young love is so inspiring!"

Iruka immediately releases me and we both begin protesting at the same time, but the stranger interrupts us. "No need to explain - the sun is bright, the air is clear – a perfect day for a romantic escape!"

"Really," Iruka tries again. "We're just friends…"

But the man continues as if he hasn't even heard. "So, where are you two lovebirds off to today?"

I lean slightly closer to Iruka and whisper, "Let's just play along so we can lose this guy, okay?" He nods slightly and I let Iruka do the talking, examining the stranger more closely in the meantime. There's something familiar about his long white hair and strange horned headgear, but I can't quite place my finger on it…I'm jarred from my thoughts by his booming voice.

"The hot springs?!" He's nodding with approval. "An excellent place for young love to blossom." Suddenly his eyes glaze over and drool begins to form on his lower lip. "Youth…blossoming…buxom…bouncing…"

Rolling my eyes, I gently squeeze Iruka's hand to get his attention and begin tugging him lightly towards our intended destination, hoping to escape while the man is…distracted. We're slowly inching away when he snaps back to attention.

"Yes, an excellent place! It's such a shame they're closed today…"

"What?!" we both cry in dismayed unison.

"Yes, it was tragic…a rampaging troop of baboons, or so I've been told…the entire onsen is a complete disaster. Fortunately for the two of you, I know the perfect spot – there's a small natural hot spring and field flowers and a charming waterfall…and I just so happen to have a map!" With more flourish than necessary he whips a small piece of paper out of an inner pocket and waves it at us happily.

"Is this guy for real?" I whisper to Iruka. He shrugs his shoulders, eyes dancing with barely-contained laughter.

"Okay, let's just take the thing so he'll leave us alone."

Accepting the proffered scrap of paper we quickly make our escape as the man shouts after us, waving and grinning manically, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

As soon as we're out of sight, I stop to examine the map more thoroughly. "So what do you think?" I ask Iruka. "Should we follow it?"

He eyes the scribblings on the page warily. "Well…he seemed harmless enough…and the place on this map IS a lot closer. We'd have more time to just relax…"

I nod in agreement. "Plus, if we get all the way up to the onsen and it really IS closed, then we've wasted the whole day. Still…I think we should be careful – there was something not quite right about that guy…and I could swear I've seen him somewhere before…"

"Really? Do you remember where?"

"I'm not sure…he's just looks…familiar - but, then again, I see so many people coming in and out of the shop everyday. He's probably just a random customer…so, should we check this place out or not?"

Iruka shrugs. "I'm game if you are."

With a new destination decided our leisurely walk quickly turns into an analysis of the recent Chuunin exams. I'm in the middle of play-enacting one of my favorite moves when I catch a metallic glint out of the corner of my eye.

"Iruka! Get down!" I shout, pushing him roughly out of the way as a small dagger lodges in a tree directly behind where my friend's head had been only seconds before.

Adrenaline immediately heightening my senses, I'm quickly able to pick out at least six people closing cautiously in around us as Iruka and I, back-to-back, stare out into the surrounding trees.

"Bandits, judging from the weapon," I whisper to him, quickly pulling the dagger from the tree to use for my own.

"But why attack us?" he whispers back. "We don't exactly look like rich merchants, do we?"

"Well, since they don't seem to be too keen on revealing themselves, why don't we ask them?" I'm about to call out to our hidden attackers, when all five men appear at once. They're big and muscled, but hardly a single leaf is misplaced as they make their silent arrival.

"Umm…I think they may be a bit more than normal bandits," Iruka whispers.

Shaking my head even though my friend can't see it, I reply, "But look at how they're dressed – it's like they just stepped out of a bad action movie. No one really wears clothes like that…It's got to be some sort of joke. Maybe…

As if in response to our whispering, each man, in perfect unison, slowly pulls out a long, curved sword from his waistband. Stifling a laugh, I nudge Iruka lightly. "See! They can't possibly be for real - I mean seriously….perfect unison? You've got to be kidding me."

One of the men, apparently the leader, steps forward and calls out, "We've come for the girl! Surrender or die!"

This time I can't help it - letting out a sharp bark of laughter, I don't even bother to conceal my voice this time. "We're definitely NOT surrendering, and why would you want me if I'm dead…unless you guys are into that sort of thing - which, if you are, is REALLY gross, by the way…"

"Umm, Emiko, you're really not helping here!" Iruka interrupts in exasperation as the group begins to close in.

"But it's just so hard to take these guys seriously. I've read dime-store novels that had better lines…"

"Well, then," he interjects with emphasis, "perhaps we should enlighten them a bit?"

"Huh? How are we…? OH! Right…enlighten - one brilliant ball of enlightenment coming right up!"

Quickly, before the group can get any closer I make the hand signs and my Kousai no Jutsu flares to life, rapidly blinding our would-be attackers and allowing Iruka to easily take out the nearest thug. Once the first two men are disarmed and unconscious, Iruka shouts at me to release the jutsu. I do so, the light fading quickly, and immediately go after the closest bandit. Still blinded, arms flailing comically around in front of him, it's almost too easy, as are the next two men I lay flat. In fact, it's almost suspiciously easy…I'm ruminating on that fact when I hear Iruka cry out behind me. He's managed to take out a third man, but the group's leader isn't going down so easily and I can see blood running freely from a gash on my friend's partially-exposed chest. With practiced ease I throw the dagger acquired earlier, deftly striking the man's sword arm and giving Iruka enough time to deal a swift, bone-crunching kick to the jaw, knocking him out cold.

Adrenaline still pumping, we wait in silence to see if any of the men stir. Even if they're still conscious, I doubt they'd be dumb enough to try messing with us again. Finally allowing some of my tension to ebb, I turn to Iruka with a lop-sided grin on my face and say, "Well that was random…and weird…" Eyeing his wound warily, I ask, "Can you walk a bit further? We're almost to the map's location. I could heal you here, but…"

"..but it would probably be best if we weren't around when they wake up." Iruka finishes, nodding in agreement. "It's really not as bad as it looks; let's just keep walking."

The rest of our walk isn't long or hard, but I can tell my friend is struggling, trying to keep me from noticing his hunched shoulders and labored breathing. When he doesn't say anything, I lean over, scooping his hand casually into mine, whispering my Mukankaku no Jutsu and allowing chakra to flow gently through him. Iruka's shoulders loosen; the pain and tension slipping away as he smiles softly at me.

"That's a pretty impressive healing technique."

I shrug, slightly embarrassed. "It's not really healing you - just something to numb the pain until we get to wherever this stupid map is leading us…after that I should be able to do more."

We walk the rest of the way in comfortable silence, but I'm grateful when we finally arrive; it might just by my overactive imagination, but Iruka's beginning to look a bit pale. He settles himself down against a tree and I quickly unpack my bag, setting the food pack to one side and digging out the first aid kit. Gingerly, he peels his shirt off, wincing as the dried blood from the cloth clings to the wound before being pulled away. I can see the cut better now; it's deeper than I expected, but not deep enough to cause any real concern.

Working quickly and efficiently, I wash it and apply an antibiotic salve. Then I begin tightly wrapping gauze around the injury. As I work, I mumble some minor healing jutsu – one for pain relief, one to stop infection and another for some water-proofing in case he still wants to make use of the hot spring. As I tie-off the gauze, I notice Iruka staring at me with a strange look on his face.

"What?" I ask - something about his stare immediately making me feel both defensive and insecure.

He shakes his head. "It's just been a long time since I saw you with such an intense look on your face…it suits you…"

Blushing slightly, I choose not to respond, asking instead "Do they feel okay – the bandages, I mean?"

He nods, cautiously testing his mobility, ignoring my change of subject. "Now, how about some lunch? After all that work I'm hungry enough that I'd even eat ramen again if I had to."

Laughing, I twist behind me to get the pack, but there's nothing there. "My bag! It's gone!" I stand, turning a quick 360 around the clearing, but see nothing. Helplessly I look back at Iruka. "It was right here! It couldn't have just walked off!"

He's about to say something, when his eyes widen in what appears to be a combination of humor and shock. "Umm…Emiko, I think I found your pack."

Turning to look in the same direction, I'm horrified to see, sitting on a rocky outcrop at the top of the waterfall, a baboon rummaging through my stuff with the quick paws of a practiced thief.

"Why that little...!" With skilled precision I pick up a nearby rock and toss it at the creature, targeting a point directly to the right of its head. Unfortunately, the action does not have the desired effect. Startled, the primate bolts, knocking my bag over in the process and sending all of its contents tumbling into the falls below.

I collapse on the ground, groaning in defeat. "I spent over two hours making that lunch!"

Chuckling, Iruka slowly stands, walks over and kneels down beside me. "Hey, don't worry about it." He gestures around us. "This clearing obviously has everything else - let's see if we can find something to eat."

Over twenty minutes of searching doesn't get us nearly as much as we'd hoped – barely a handful of berries, nuts, and some pretty pathetic-looking tubers. We eat slowly, chatting about random things, but I don't do much more than pick at my portion. This day was supposed to be perfect - relaxing….fun…a much-needed rest, but instead it's just been one problem after another. There's a hard lump of misery building in the pit of my stomach, and I can't seem to get rid of it…

"Umm…earth to Emiko…are you there?" Iruka throws a berry at me which bounces off my shoulder and into the grass.

"Hey! I was paying attention…sort of…"

My friend looks at me, one eyebrow arched in disbelief. "Well, you have a funny way of showing it…is everything okay?"

I'm about to respond when suddenly a big, fat drop of water lands directly on my nose. We both look up in surprise as more drops began to fall, slapping against our clothes and skin.

Iruka stands, pulling me up after him. "C'mon, I saw a small cave when we were looking for food earlier; we can wait there until the rain stops."

Nodding, I follow him in a sort of daze – could this day possibly get any worse? By the time we get to the entrance, we're both drenched and the high spirits I started the day with have completely vanished. Once we've made our way inside, I sit down slowly, pulling my legs up so I can rest my forehead on my knees. Iruka says something, laughing ironically, but I'm not really paying attention. He walks over and sits down beside me; but it's not until he wraps one arm comfortingly around my shoulders that the dam of emotions I've been building up collapses and I start to sob. I try to make the tears stop, but that only seems to make things worse and Iruka just holds me softly, knowing instinctively that words will only make it worse.

When the tears finally slow, I mumble a muffled, "I'm sorry" into my friend's shoulder.

He gently pulls away from me, just enough so I can look into his eyes. "Feel better now?"

Still sniffling, I nod and slowly pull the rest of the way out of his arms, scrubbing harshly at the grit in my eyes. "I'm sorry today was so awful…"

Iruka cuts me off before I can finish. "Emiko, it's okay; none of this is your fault…and…well, we don't get to spend as much time together as we used to, so...I've had fun just being here."

I look at him cautiously. "Really?"

He nods, smiling and then, with a twinkle in his eye, says, "You can use your Kekkei Genkai if you don't believe me."

Returning his smile, I shake my head. "No, I believe you…Thanks, Iruka."

Suddenly a shiver runs through my body and for the first time I realize how cold I am. "The rain really cooled things off, didn't it?"

My friend laughs. "I don't think our wet clothes are helping much either; Hang on and I'll see if I can build a fire."

Wincing at the suggestion, I stop him before he can rise to look for tinder and ask softly, "Do you have to? It's not really that cold…couldn't we just do without?" I've barely finished my request when another shiver makes my teeth chatter.

Iruka rolls his eyes at me – we've had this conversation before. "Emiko, I know you're not a big fan of fire, but be logical. We need to stay warm. I'll do my best to keep it as small as possible, okay?" Rising, he begins to gather debris from further back in the cave.

It doesn't take Iruka long to get a small flame going and I watch it warily, wanting to back away, but instead allowing myself to be drawn in by the flickering light. My friend thinks it's the physical flames I fear, but in truth it's the memories they bring – memories of a mission gone horribly wrong and a brother who shouldn't have died…

I'm jerked from my trance when Iruka sits down directly in front of me, cutting off my view. Taking my hands in his he says, "Emiko, don't freak out on me, okay? The chilly weather may be unusual for this time of year, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous if we can't stay warm."

"I know…I just…bad memories…" I trail off, choosing, instead, to focus on his hands holding mine. We're both silent for awhile; it's comfortable, but I suddenly find myself wanting to fill it with…something. Opening my mouth to break the mood, I'm interrupted by a familiar voice coming quickly towards us – confusion is followed quickly by surprise as I realize it's the strange man we ran into earlier.

"Well, this hasn't gone according to plan at all! You there!" He cries, gesturing at Iruka in apparent disdain. "If our positions were switched I'd have had that girlfriend of yours in the throws of mad, passionate…"

"That's enough!" My friend's outburst stops the man in his tracks, and I have to admit that even I'm a bit shaken by the anger distorting his features. His hands tighten convulsively over my own before releasing me and standing to face the intruder. "Are you the one that's been causing us all this trouble? If so, you're going to regret it!"

I stare up at my friend in shock. It's true, I've seen him mad before, but never like this; his whole body is trembling and it's definitely not from the cold.

The stranger either doesn't notice or doesn't care as he holds up his hands in a placating gesture and says with a stupid grin on his face, "There's no need to get so defensive; I was only trying to get material for my new book; the scenario was perfect…I just had to make a few adjustments…"

As soon as those words are past his lips, recognition finally hits me. I stand quickly, grabbing onto Iruka's arm, hoping it will get him to stand down. "Iruka, I remember now; I know who he is!"

"I don't CARE who he is! Did you hear what he said?! All of this is his fault!"

Wanting to diffuse the situation, my speech softens as I respond, "I know, I heard, but there wasn't any real harm done, and you need to know who…"

Iruka whirls on me, anger still storming in his eyes. "I TOLD you I don't care! He made you cry! That's all that matters!"

The words are so unexpected that I'm literally left speechless. "Iruka…I…"

"That's what I'm talking about!" the man I now know to be the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, exclaims, beaming broadly. "Passion – Angst – Drama! All this story needs now is a kiss!"

Iruka turns back to face our unwanted guest. "A kiss?!" His voice is incredulous. "All of this was so you could write about some stupid kiss?!"

"Well, I was hoping for a bit more than that…" Jiraiya mutters, almost under his breath.

My friend is absolutely fuming. "Fine! Here's your damn kiss!"

So fast I almost don't see him move, Iruka jerks me towards him and our lips crash together. At first I'm too surprised to react, but as I grow accustomed to the foreign feeling, my mouth can't help but respond in kind.

Now, I'm perfectly willing to confess that I've fantasized once or twice about what kissing my best friend would be like, but whatever I imagined before is completely washed away in that moment. Its heat and anger, passion and apprehension, all rolled into one searing instant. What surprises me most is that despite its intensity, I know with complete certainty that something's…missing. But before I can figure out what it is, we break apart and I'm left feeling breathless and somehow…exposed.

Iruka turns to Jiraiya again, breathing harshly. "There! You got what you came for, now GET…OUT!

Maybe the Sannin can sense that my friend is about to lose it or maybe a kiss really is all he wanted – whatever the reason, he promptly vanishes with an unhappy grimace and a nod. Now we're once again in silence, but the mood is far from comfortable this time. Iruka is standing defeated, like a little boy who's lost his way…and he won't look me in the eyes.

"Emiko…I'm…I…" He suddenly bows to me very low and mumbles, "Please forgive me…" before making a hasty retreat out into the now-glistening clearing.

"Iruka, wait!" I call, chasing after him, but although it's only a short distance to the cave's entrance he's nowhere in sight by the time I make it outside.

"Let him go; he'll come around," a voice chuckles.

Turning behind me, I find Jiraiya leaning against the cave's rocky wall with a smug look on his face. "You think this is funny? You had no right to interfere! We were perfectly happy just being friends. If you've ruined that…"

The Sannin shrugs. "Don't be so melodramatic. Like I said, he'll come around."

Feeling my anger beginning to bubble up, I clench my fists tightly at my sides. "Listen, I don't care who you are, you can't just go around doing what you please – messing with peoples' lives – it's not right!"

He arches an eyebrow at me in amusement, "It was just some harmless fun…"

My eyes narrow. "Your 'harmless fun' may have cost me my best friend!"

"Was the kiss really that bad?" He smirks at his own joke.

Staring at him in disbelief, I ask, "Why can't you just acknowledge that you made a mistake and stuck your nose in where it didn't belong?!" Getting no response, I continue, "So, legendary Sannin don't make mistakes – is that it?!"

Jiraiya sighs, his smile vanishing as he moves in closer and leans down to look me in the eyes - I resist the urge to back up. "Apparently, I've – misjudged - your relationship. In my defense, it's not often you see two teenagers that are 'just friends' going to an onsen…ALONE…However, I feel obligated to mention that if your bond with that young man is as strong as you say, then the two of you should have no problem getting past this…If you can, you might just find that your relationship has become that much stronger than it was before."

Glaring at him, I'm about to respond when he grins and vanishes in an elaborate puff of smoke. Part of me knows that he's right, but I still shout out to the empty clearing, "That doesn't excuse anything, dammit!" Kicking uselessly at the wet grass, I grumble, "You could have at least have offered to help me find him…"

I've probably checked over half of Iruka's usual haunts before I realize that he's not going to make himself that easy to find. With darkness setting in, I decide to call it a day, but even after I've turned in for the evening I can't seem to get any sleep. His kiss keeps replaying itself in my head - something was definitely missing, and it isn't until I've been staring mindlessly at the ceiling for most of the night that it comes to me. Although the kiss itself was nice…okay, very nice…my feelings for him haven't changed. I care about him, that will always be true, but I just can't picture the two of us together…not like that… With this realization worry washes over me – what if he doesn't want to just be friends any more? What if he wants something else? Will he understand if I don't feel the same way? These questions and more circle endlessly through my head and the sun rises far too soon.

Sluggishly, I drag myself out of bed to fix breakfast and get ready for work, my mind still mulling over the events of the previous day. Even after I've opened the store I can't seem to focus on anything else and it's a good thing that business is slow because my hands feel unsteady and lethargic on the register keys. Shortly after lunch I see a familiar high-tied ponytail walking casually past one of the big bay windows; it's definitely Iruka. As he disappears from view I wait expectantly for the door to open and his smiling face to appear…but the shop's entrance stays still and silent. Rising to peer out the window on the other side, my friend is no longer anywhere in sight.

I try to tell myself that he must have had somewhere else he needed to be, but that doesn't stop the unease beginning to build in the pit of my stomach. He didn't even look in the shop's direction – usually he at least waves when he walks by. Does he blame me for what happened? Is he really that angry? In the end, I decide to leave it alone, convincing myself that when Iruka is ready to talk he'll come see me.

However, over a week passes without a single word. I want to be angry, but my own self-doubt prevents it. Besides, avoidance works both ways – it's not like I've actively gone looking for my friend. But all of that changes today! The shop's been mostly dead all morning, so I've made the executive decision to close up early and go searching. Iruka's routine is pretty set when he's not out on missions, so I head for the one spot where I know he'll show up sooner or later.

It's nearly sunset when my friend finally appears in front of the memorial monument, looking sad and distant. At first, all I can do is watch silently from a concealed tree branch; I want to reveal myself, but I know that when I do there won't be any going back…

Suddenly, Iruka speaks, "You know, it's not nice to spy on people,"

Is he doing that on purpose? Repeating his words from all those years ago? Helpless to prevent it, a small smile flits across my lips as I jump from my perch down into the clearing and walk towards my friend. "I wasn't spying…." I hesitate, and then decide to deviate from the conversation we first shared. "No…that's a lie…I was spying. You've been avoiding me…"

"I could say the same thing."

"I'm here now…can we talk?"

He looks at me uncomfortably, with tired and worried eyes before quickly turning to leave. " I…I can't do this right now. I'm sorry."

But before he can walk away, I'm at Iruka's side, my hand wrapped around his wrist in a vice-like grip. "Please don't go. We need to talk."

When he doesn't respond right away my grip tightens nervously. Iruka winces and I quickly remove my hand. "Sorry…I just…I didn't mean…" Cursing under my breath, I give up and simply stand there, feeling flustered and guilty and filled with unease.

He laughs softly, sounding almost relieved. "Same old Emiko…"

"It's been a week, not a year; why wouldn't I be the same?"

Iruka goes silent again.

I sigh softly. "Alright, fine, I get it - you don't want to talk - but I've got something to say, so please…just hear me out." He tenses as I speak, but doesn't try to leave. Heart beating wildly in my chest, I take a deep, shuddering breath, and, before I can lose my nerve, continue, "Iruka…you're my best friend. I don't want to lose that. What happened in the cave…well, I…maybe…"

My friend somehow manages to finish my thoughts as a look of relief and understanding washes over his face, "Maybe…it didn't happen?"

Breath that I didn't even realize I was holding, rushes out in a whoosh. "So, you felt it, too?" I ask, still unsure.

"I knew the second we kissed - it was a mistake…I'm so sorry…"

Shaking my head, I interrupt, "Please don't apologize; none of this was your fault. Let's just forget it happened…okay?"

He nods slowly, a smile finally removing the tired look from his eyes. "Agreed; it never happened."

I'm about to reach out and hug him, but I hesitate, looking at Iruka with uncertainty. "It's okay if I still hug you…right?"

Eyes twinkling, he responds, "As long as there aren't any pervy old men around to see us…"

I snicker, pulling my friend close. Feeling perfectly at ease in the embrace, I grudgingly come to the realization that, although annoying, the stupid Sannin had been right – my friendship with Iruka could only get stronger from this point on. Grimacing at the thought of the smug look he would be sporting if he could see us right now, I squeeze Iruka a little tighter and say, "Let's go get some ramen – my treat."