(A/N) Yeah, I know, bout time I got around to it, right? I know, I know. But here it is, finally, the tale of how Kakashi caught Iruka! This is based off the world in my fic Kits! So, if you haven't read that, you probably won't understand the changes I made in this one. Okay? Good luck!

Catching A Dolphin

Pairings: Obviously, KakaIru, as well as a little bit of SasuNaru, though it's through the adults eyes. Have fun with it, people!

Warnings: Much flirting, a little bit of strangeness, and YAOI!! If you don't like, then you might want to go the fuck away! Thank you.

Description: Kakashi decides he wants to "catch" that fiery little teacher, Iruka. But he finds that it's a lot harder than he thought to catch a Dolphin. Is it worth it, just to let it go? Or will he find, he'd much rather keep it?

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Kakashi and Iruka so would have christened Iruka's desk by now.

Catching a Dolphin Chap. One of Five

Yukie moaned against the kiss, utterly entranced by the designs the invading tongue drew on his own. He was unprepared when the lush kimono the brothel mistress had forced onto him was pushed aside, a hand tracing up his thigh, completely unexpected.

Oh, yes, he had known that this was what it would come to, if he sold himself to save his sister, but still, so soon? Unthinkable...

A dirty thrill ran through him, as this large man carressed his thigh, fingers teasing the skin, pulling ever closer to the heated extremity between his legs. He was shocked, and whined against the mouth closed around his own. The man sat back, dark eyes confused, and worried.

'Is something wrong?' his gaze seemed to say, only to be stilled when he saw the look of fear that graced Yukie's beautiful face. The hand that had been invading the cloth folds retreated, instead placing the warmth onto Yukie's snowy cheek, a look of concern pervading those unfamiliar dark eyes.

"Don't worry, Yukie. I'm not some...monster, who would hurt you...I'm...I'm-"

"Kakashi, what a surprise!" The voice ripped Kakashi out of his book with a silent groan. It had just gotten to the good part! The guy had been stalking Yukie for weeks, and now they were going to figure out who he was!! Dammit. He looked up, cursing whoever it was that had brought him out of the dream world.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei, a pleasant surprise." Kakashi deadpanned. He'd really rather not see the brunette. Especially since he seemed intent on forcing a team of Gennin onto the silverhaired Jounin.

"Um..." Iruka looked confused, until Kakashi realised where his legs had taken him on his unusual elipse through town. You see, when he read, he tended to let his body wander around, so that he wouldn't get out of shape. He then realised what it was he had just said. He sweatdropped.

"Well, it is, you see? It is a pleasant surprise that my journey through life has led me to this book."

Iruka face-faulted, before sending Kakashi a glare to rival all glares. Gods, how the silver haired man infuriated the school-teacher. He was like nothing he had ever experienced, and it didn't sit well with Iruka at all.

Iruka prided himself on classifying humans. After all, he saw enough of them in their forming stages, that he'd gained the ability to figure out how each one of them would turn out. In fact, most turned out exactly as he predicted, not that he told anyone about his little predictions. But Kakashi...

Now, Kakashi was an enigma. Always late, yet never for any real reason. He just...dissapeared. It was as if he didn't exist, unless you ran into him, or were waiting for him. And, on top of that, he had to admit, sad as it was, the jounin was exceptionally goodlooking.

All in all, Iruka was rather jealous.

Kakashi on the other hand, was rather annoyed with this little...teacher. Although the teams he sent at him were always of exceptional quality in the areas of their training, not a single team had yet to pass the bell test. Just what was this little brunette teaching them?! Not a single one knew the meaning of teamwork!

But...Well, it was just as well. If they all failed, it meant that Kakashi would have a lot more free time, and better paying missions.

"So, did you have any reason for coming to the academy, Kakashi-san?" Iruka asked, over polite, and quite formal. He was never comfortable around the slacker, and really didn't want to be here right now.

"Oh...No, not really." Kakashi said, before smiling, and turing around, leaving the brunette twitching with repressed anger, and a laughing class behind him. Iruka turned his frustrations on the children, not meanly, mind you, but still giving them twenty extra laps around the school. They groaned, expectedly, but got on with it.

Before the end of class, Iruka made sure to check on Naruto. The little boy, barely seven, and still living on his own. Giving the boy a small smile, he made sure that Naruto didn't need any groceries picked up on the way home, or that he'd done laundry that week. The blonde gave him a huge grin, and once again, Iruka forced himself to ignore the whisker marks on his cheeks.

Yes, Iruka knew that the boy was the Kyuubi's vessel, but...Well, ever since that time, Iruka had been unable to see the boy that way. He was unable to channel the hate he held for the fox to the boy.

After all, if he did, he'd be no worse than those bastards fleeing the alley, when Iruka had found the boy. A whimpering, bloody mess he'd been, and Iruka's rather wellhoned maternal instincts had kicked in. Before even fully registering that the child was in fact THE child, he had picked the boy up, cradling him and taking him back to his own home, and a warm bath and meal. It was only while the small blue-eyed creature was devouring a whole pot of steamed rice and soy-ed veggies, that he saw the whisker marks, and the tell-tale seal on his belly.

But he'd done his best to care for the boy that day, and wasn't about to fail a child now. He'd taken the small jinchuriiki under his wing, cleaning his apartment for him once a week, and after finding out that the shopkeepers refused to sell anything but ramen and orange jumpsuits to the boy, took up bringing him groceries every week, as well.l

What a strange coincidence, then, when Naruto got transferred to his class the next year? He was hard on the boy, perhaps harder on him than the others, but it was for his own good. He'd been sure that Naruto had the potential to be a great shinobi, and he still was.

So, after the strange occurence with Kakashi, it was nice to see that great big grin, and those wide blue eyes, as they walked home. Iruka had offered the boy a home-cooked meal, and Naruto had accepted readily. The blonde was chatting away about the trouble he, Kiba, Akamaru, Chouji, and Shikamaru had gotten into that day, and the scarred man was hard-pressed not to laugh. Now that he wasn't a "teacher" for the rest of the day, he could laugh at Naruto's trouble making, at his attempts to gain the attention of his peers.

"And then Shikamaru went all, "Troublesome" on us again, so we all had to just veg for a while, but we managed to get Chouji to share his snacks! But Uchiha-san glared at me again today..." Naruto's sunny disposition shifted again, and now, he was brooding. Iruka picked the little boy up, smiling at him, even as Naruto blushed, still unused to physical contact that wasn't a punch, or a kick.

"Sasuke-kun is just...He's still in mourning, Naru-chan. You can't blame him for being angry with the world right now, and sadly, you're a rather easy target for that kind of anger. Just...Just be nice to him, okay?"

Naruto shook his head no, burying his face in the crook of Iruka's shoulder, causing the older male to sigh in defeat, but smile, nonetheless.

"So, how'd your wooing of Sakura-chan go today, Naru-kun?" Iruka asked, changing the subject. This however, started the youngling on another wild tangent, and set the Chounin to laughing.

Dinner went by far to quickly, and then Iruka walked Naruto home. After Iruka hugged the boy a final time, he left the small boy in the confines of his small apartment, promising some help with his shuriken practice tommorrow after school, the teacher headed to the practice grounds himself. After all, in order to work with little children with sharp objects, he had to be at the top of his game.

It was a hot summer night, and he was already stiflingly hot, so Iruka shrugged off his chuunin vest as well as his shirt, and ran through some quick katas, to start. He was aware he had watchers. He always did, especially after he had just spent time with Naruto. It didn't help that every single member of the male gay ninja community of Konoha seemed intent on being his Seme.

He was lucky. Kurenai and Anko came to meet him, halfway through his kata's. They decided to hang around, help him with training, and do a little bit of their own. Kurenai and Anko made up his two best friends in the whole world. They always supported him, even if they gave him the nickname that haunted him to this day...

"So, Princess, pick anyone out of your suitors lately?" Anko said, sporting that evil smile that reminded him so much of Naruto's. He sighed.

"No, Anko! And I don't intend to! I'm not looking for a boyfriend, and I really don't want one!" He cried, loud enough he was sure his suitors heard him as well. But God's only know that that wouldn't stop them.

"Well, Iruka, it really would go easier for you if you just gave into them. Knowing a few of them, you'll end up raped, if you don't do something. Just find yourself arm candy, you don't even have to like them." Kurenai piped up, still in the middle of her backwards bend, the back of her dark-haired head touching her calves.

"Yeah, like you and Asuma?" Iruka scoffed. That was how it had started with Kurenai's sweetheart. She had needed someone to protect her from her stalkers too, just like Iruka, and had settled on Asuma Sarutobi, sure that he'd be able to keep the creepiest of them away. And he had. But now...Well, the feelings had evolved from pretend, to say the least.

"Iruka, you are such a smart ass." Anko laughed, tossing a kunai playfully in his direction. He caught it, tossing it around his back, and back at her with deadly accuracy. Had they not been such great friends, and such great shinobi, it would have been considered a threat. But they were beyond that level. and completely fine with it.

"Well, Anko, I learned from the best." He quipped, adding in another kunai to their deadly juggling act. Soon, Kurenai threw in a shuriken, so that they were tossing the three weapons around in a triangle, and as their conversation went on, they continued adding things in.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know it. So, Iruka, you still hanging around that Kyuubi kid? What is so fascinating about him?" Anko said, batting her eyes. Kurenai grinned, matching her friends rythm, and laughing.

"Oh, I get it now! Iruka doesn't want a man, cause he's raising himself one!" Kurenai laughed, managing to dodge the furious shuriken Iruka had snatched from their play and lobbed at her head.

"Not even close! Naruto's like a son to me, that's just sick!"

"Oh? Like a son, then? That's interesting. And how does that child remind you of yourself?" Kurenai asked, her tone still light, but betraying the simple fact that she dissaproved of his choice in surrogates.

"Kurenai, don't. I know what he contains, same as you. But you aren't around him every day. You don't see the pain, the suffering, and the triumph he goes through. That boy is more human than any of us. Especially those of us who've killed before. He doesn't have that taint, he isn't evil, Kurenai."

Anko sighed. She'd known this would happen when this subject was brought up. Kurenai was firm in her hatred of the Kyuubi, and Iruka was sweet. There was nothing they could do. This argument would ruin their friendship, if she let it continue.

"Alright, Iruka, we'll let you have your pet, but just know, we won't stand it if it hurts you." She said, flippantly, as if they were discussing a dog. Iruka frowned at that, but kept up the rythm.

"He's not a dog, Anko. He's a human boy, young, fragile, and horribly mistreated. Did you know the first time I touched him he flinched away, whining like some animal? Still to this day, he refuses to let me any where near the bathroom when he bathes. He' s just a child." Iruka sighed, "And worst of all, I'm terrified of what might happen if I end up dying or something."

"Well, he'll get over it. We're ninja, it's our job to live in battle and die for our country." Kurenai said, serious, while lobbing in another kunai, making it infinitely harder for the other ninja to discern the rythm and pace of their game. Iruka sustained a small cut on his thumb from it, hissing in pain, but refusing to let the girls win.

Anko grinned, sighting this weakness, "Hey! I got an idea!" She cried.

Iruka lobbed a dagger especially hard her way, knowing what she was going to propose. She always did, whenever one of them lagged. She caught it expertly, flipping it behind her back, before adding it to the whirling circle around the three shinobi.

"Let's make a bet! Whoever loses, has to buy us lunch tommorrow!" She giggled, her grin getting bigger as she thought of all the dango she could get if either one of her teammates dropped one of the sharp instruments of death.

The long-haired member of their trio sighed, shaking her head. "Can't. I'm having lunch with Asuma tommorrow."

Iruka's turn to grin. "That's fine, Kurenai! Just means you have to treat him too, if you lose!"l

Kurenai frowned, unsure what was egging on their usually docile little dolphin. Flipping a rather long knife that had been added somewhere along the way through her fingers, it flashed silver as she tossed it up over their heads, forcing Iruka to catch it from behind his back, lest it fall out. He managed, though he had to bend nearly in half backwards to do it.

"So, strangely enough, Kakashi comes to my class this afternoon, during endurance training, and then, freaky as can be, he leaves, spouting something about his stupid little book!" Iruka said, getting to the thing that had been bothering him all night.

Kurenai sent Anko a look, which made that utterly insane grin appear, again. Anko tossed a kunai flippantly to Kurenai, who caught it, flipping it around and adding it to Iruka's growing cycle. Apperantly, the girls were trying to force their little princess out of the game. He growled, tossing two tridents to each of them, returning fire.

"Seems like maybe the Copy-Nin just got added to your list of stalkers, Princess Dolphin!" Anko laughed, her head thrown back, even as her arms were becoming a blur to keep her cycles going.

Iruka spluttered, blushing horribly, at the thought of another pervert staring through his window. Kurenai shook her head, smiling as well. The quiet woman knew how it was, to be so wanted, though she was lucky, regular males weren't nearly as creepy as gay ones (This is Kurenai's beleif, not my own! Don't lynch me! I actually think gay males and straight ones are equally creepy...-Otaku).

"Oh! I wanna change our bet!" Anko said, giggling and hopping up and down like a schoolgirl. It was amazing how she was able to do this, all while juggling what was now nearing the triple digits worth of sharp weapons. Iruka gave a sudden forward handspring, and tossed a couple more shuriken that he was about to miss into the air. He was lucky he saved them, or he would have lost.

"What bet?! And to what?!" he screeched, terrified that she thought they had a bet going.

"This one, silly! And I want to change it on your side! If you lose, Iruka, you have to ask Kakashi to come to lunch with us, tommorrow!"

"But you won't have to pay, okay? That'd just be too cruel, even for one of Anko's bets. Not even Tsunade would take that bet..." Kurenai huffed. Anko pouted, but agreed.

"Fine, you won't have to pay. If you lose, you have to bring Kakashi to lunch tommorrow, but Kurenai and I will split the tab. If Kurenai loses, she'll...She'll finally sleep with Asuma!" Kurenai gave a scandoulous snort at this, but Iruka grinned, when he noticed she didn't refuse the bet. "And if I lose, I'll...I'll...-"

"You'll swear off dango for a week!" Iruka cried, wanting to torture his friend. She pleaded and begged, but Iruka simply reminded her that she hadn't lost for the last five rounds. She grinned, and just continued the game.

It was a spectacular game. They had finally run out of weapons to add, at a grand total of two hundred and thirty three flying weapons, including exploding tags, and a couple of summoning scrolls. When they ran out of random weapons to toss in, they began with simple acrobatics, ducking, dodging and flipping, in the midst of this spinning, whirling death-trap. After they got the hang of that, they began switching sides, barely beginning to sweat. Then, when that got boring, they began trying to score each other with the weapons, launching random, surprise attacks, which had to be dodged. It was a dangerous and deadly game that most ninja very much enjoyed playing.

In the end, Anko lost, tripping on a rock, and nearly getting scored by the huge amount of weapons she had been supporting at the time. However, she was shinobi, and so the training didn't hurt her, but her pride was in peices, and she wailed for her precious dango. Not only did she have to pay for lunch, she had to swear off the sweet dumplings for a full week...

Iruka just laughed, thankful he didn't have to approach Kakashi. He was creepy enough as it was.

"Don't worry, Yukie. I'm not some...monster who would hurt you. I'm...I'm the one who was leaving you those gifts...The haircomb? And those buns. I knew she was punishing you that day. I didn't want you to get sick, since you'd already been missing so much food."

Yukie looked up in utter surprise. He felt his fear of this man diminish, replaced instead with gratitude, and total trust. This man had litterally saved his life. He smiled, and the man blushed, pleased.

"What's your name, sir? I...I'd like to know your name..." Yukie's voice was soft, very soft, as he moved closer to the other male, a pale hand straying to push back some of his patron's blue-black hair.

"I'm...I'm Tobi Amesa!" The bigger man whispered, awed by the gentle beauty the younger male portrayed. Yukie's large, blue eyes opened wide, surprised.

"The lords...Son..." Yukie's mind flashed back to all the times the lord had visited their small farm, to collect on rent they never had. Their feilds had been barren, and utterly inhospitible. The lord had always been a cruel, heartless master, but his son...His son was a little slow, but sweet, and kind. He'd played with Yukie, and his sister Umi. They'd always had fun, and they had been friends, until big, lumbering Ame-chan had been taken away by his father.

"Ame-chan?" Yukie whispered, his voice failing, as he pushed off the tatami mats, his small, pale hands, soft now, where they had been hard from working in the feilds, cradling each side of the young lords face. "We missed you, Ame-chan...You never came back. I'd thought...I'd thought you'd forgotten me." Yukie gently kissed the giant on the lips, tears of releif coming to his long-lashed eyes.

"Never...I never forgot you..." Ame-chan whispered, pulling Yukie's slight frame against his massive one, silencing the silver tears with heartfelt kisses. The lithe male trembled in his patron's arms, before opening his mouth slowly, to allow the other male to penetrate that dark, moist cavern.

"So is it true?" Hayate Geko whispered, leaning close to Kakashi at one of the meetings. (I don't know what meeting, don't ask me. I made it up, okay?! -Otaku) He seemed to think Kakashi knew what he was talking about so, when the silver-maned male looked at him like he was insane, he clarified, "Is it true you're stalking Iruka?"

If Kakashi had been someone more normal, like, perhaps, Naruto, a loud, "WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!?" would have inturrupted the Hokage's nice, long speech. As it was, Kakashi's head-chibi (the chibi-him that lives in his head. See my other fic, Naruto Speaks His Mind! -Otaku) was running around his head, screaming, "WTF?!?!? WTF?!?!" and crying.

All that showed on the outside however, was a single, wide eye, and a cough to cover any lingering embarrassment.

"No, I'm afraid that isn't true." He said, low, so as to hopefully avoid the school-teacher's wrath. Iruka was famous for his beatings, especially when one didn't have the whole, small, cute, kid thing going for them.

"I heard it from Tite Aburame, who heard Iruka, Kurenai, and Anko talking during their last joint training session, and apperantly, Iruka thinks you've joined his legions of stalkers." Hayate continued to whisper to the copy-nin, who was trying to get back to his book, but sadly, was unable.

"Well, I haven't." Kakashi said, simple and final. 'Wait, Iruka has legions of stalkers? Why?' Kakashi thought, turning the puzzle over and over in his head.

He had to admit, the teacher did have the whole, innocent, schoolboy thing going for him, and when he took his hair down, he was quite fetching, but...No...That didn't warrant stalkers, did it? (Said he who was utterly oblivious to his own group of stalkers. -Otaku)

Hayate took the hint, and the rest of the meeting passed in peace, but sadly, he was unable to focus on Yukie, and his new...well, old really, friend, due to the thoughts and images swirling in his head, all centering around the cute little school-teacher.

Iruka was about to go to lunch, curtesy of Anko, when he was stopped, by the appearance of an Anbu black ops.

It was Horse, one of the few he usually had missions with. She had a scroll, and apperantly, it was for him. He took the scroll, smiling happily at her. She didn't know he was Dolphin, same as he didn't know her true identity. ANBU refused to acknowledge any of their comrades identities, for the simple fact that if one of them was tortured, no one could know the other members. They were black ops, and they didn't exist.

The only way to know an ANBU was by the tattoos on their shoulders. He always kept his hidden, under his t-shirts. That way, no one would even suspect who he was. He smiled at Horse, and waved her way.

"I'll have a reply for Lord Hokage in an hour." With that, she nodded her masked head, and dissapeared. He had no doubt that she'd be back in an hour, promptly, for the reply.

Opening the scroll, he read it, slow, and careful, memorising the words. It was a mission. Apperantly, one of the Inuzuka's had gone berserker again. Inuzuka Tsume, father of two, husband, and a Tracker-Nin. Three Nin-Dogs, and an extensive knowledge of the areas around Konoha. Great. That explains why they were putting ANBU after him.

Iruka sighed. He hated this kind of mission. It really was more suited to Tracker-Nin's, but...the target being one forced it up to ANBU level. Ah, well. He quickly drafted an affirmative reply right on the scroll, closing it when he was finished.

He had no doubt Horse would find him when the time came, so he went to the door of his classroom, about to go to lunch again. If Anko asked, he could always say it was just the Hokage checking on Naruto. However, he was interrupted again, this time, as he was about to open the door.

"It's rude to spread rumors you know."

He sighed again, turning to look at the silver-haired Jounin, irritation in his eyes.

"I don't spread rumors, Kakashi. It's not right. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to lunch. Goodbye." Iruka turned, and left, causing the copy-nin to widen an eye in surprise.

Now Kakashi wanted to figure out who started the rumors...

End Chapter

Otaku: Okay, this kind of sucked, but it set up the premise. I'm working on a time schedule here, cause there are bits of this that are hints for the Kits! plot, and I need them established before hand. Anywho, hope you guys like it.

Kakashi: Is there gonna be smut?

Otaku: -Sighs- Yes, Kakashi. In the final chapter, you and Iruka will have a nice smut scene, okay? Now, go away.

Kakashi: -Squeals-

Nighty-night!