Prologue: Stickies
DISCLAIMER:I don't own them, okay? If I did...I'd need a bigger bed!
Iruka's chin slid from his palm once again. He caught himself before he smacked his head against the table as any good ninja would, but then decided better of it. Izumo jumped slightly next to him, his one visible eye widening in mild concern. He didn't dare touch the tanned man next to him, but he was beginning to wonder if he was alright. "Um, Iruka?"
"Hm?" Iruka looked at him out of the corner of his eye, not bothering to sit up again. He simply didn't have the energy—or motivation—to move. The mission room was slow, he hadn't had an academy class that morning, and it seemed like all the jounin that usually made his life the hellish side of entertaining were out in the field.
Izumo remained hesitant to speak until the chuunin teacher sat up and looked at him squarely, "Are...are you alright?"
"I'm bored." Iruka sighed. Usually around this time there was someone being rather annoying to chuck pen caps and paper clips at, but his luck had just seemed to run out. He was nearing desperation and would even settle to having a row with Hatake Kakashi over something menial, like a messy mission report. (Not that a messy mission report was menial in Iruka's book, but Kakashi always seemed to find a different topic that would set Iruka over the edge of a cliff and deep into a volcano.)
"Well, we could always—" Izumo's always was interrupted by a small poof of chakra smoke. Before them was a scroll that had seen better days. The bandanna'd man glanced over at his dark-eyed partner and raised a sandy brow. This was unusual, even by their standards.
Iruka reached for the scroll, but didn't touch it immediately. His chakra brushed over it gently and nothing noteworthy jumped out at him screaming, 'It's a TRAP!' He took it in one hand, undid the seal and lightly tossed the roll to the other hand, opening it. It was a simple mission form with check boxes done and the rank neatly labeled. Under the parameters and missions details however were few words in a messy scrawl that Iruka knew only too well.
I found them. They died. The End.
Iruka, against his better judgment, chucked the scroll across the room with a frustrated growl. He felt better after hearing it thunk against the far wall, but only a little. That was when a small piece of paper that had been overlooked caught his attention. It was bright orange—much like the color of Kakashi's blasted Icha Icha—and sticky on one side. It must have fallen from the scroll. Curiosity got the better of the teacher and he opened it, his chocolate eyes running over the surprisingly neat handwriting:
Iruka-sensei,
Fancy picking up some ramen at Ichiraku with me, Friday at eight?
It was signed with a henohenomoheji and he knew it couldn't be anyone but Kakashi, the scarecrow himself. Iruka ignored the blush that washed over his cheeks. He was sure that this was just some sort of joke, especially since today was Saturday. Iruka leaned down and grabbed his own pad of sticky notes—green—and wrote his reply quickly.
Seems like you're late, again. Friday was yesterday.
-Unimpressed Chuunin
Izumo, who had been leaning over his shoulder the entire time and now knew as much of the situation as Iruka did (if not more, since he listened to all the gossip Genma had to spare), laughed at Iruka's brazen reply. "Is that a no?"
Iruka was shocked to find out that he didn't necessarily want to say no, or yes for that matter. He just felt the need to lash out at the man so lazy that he couldn't both to turn in a mission report in person. 'Or done correctly,' Iruka added sourly. He sighed, figuring that a summon would be the easiest way to find him, and bit his thumb. A minute later a ruffled striped kitten glared up at Iruka, not liking the feeling of a sticky piece of paper in her mouth. "Please Shima?" Iruka asked. The kitten glowered. "I'll get tuna..." with a pop the kitten was gone to find the irritating copy nin.
--
The next morning, Iruka found the next sticky note resting gently on top of a hairball on the pillow next to him. He had forgotten to leave out the tuna. Iruka sat up with a groan and read the next reply.
Unimpressed Chuunin-
Is was? Well, how about the Friday. Eight. I won't be late.
-Punctual Jounin
After many scathing replies ran through his mind, Iruka settled with a quick and simple:
Punctual Jounin-
You? Not late? Seems like an apocalypse is on its way.
-Skeptical Chuunin
He hoped his next summon wouldn't be so temperamental as the last, but they were cats. He made sure to have a little catnip to offer before calling the spotted short-hair that was always in a happy mood. Hopefully luck would be on his side and Fuiri wouldn't mind at all. The adolescent tom stretched as he appeared and looked disdainfully at the note. "Again?" He meowed.
Iruka flushed slightly and rubbed the scar on his nose, "Yeah. I don't know where he is." The tom laughed and told Iruka not to worry. He, unlike his little sister, didn't mind playing messenger. He promised to find out where the jounin was and tell Iruka, so they could stop passing stickies.
Fuiri came back around dinner time to inform Iruka that Kakashi was in the Konoha hospital. The cat, not sure why his summoner had gone so pale, purred and rubbed against his chin comfortingly. The jounin had smelled fine to him. He offered to take a reply back, and would keep doing so as the week went on. The most recent sticky note was placed in a notebook where Iruka would contemplate on what to respond.
Skeptical Chuunin-
No apocolypse. Just two teachers having dinner.
-Hopeful Jounin
His chosen reply at the information recieved:
Invalid Jounin-
You should be getting better, not trying to make a date!
-Fuming Chuunin
Shortly after, Taimai came back with the response before settling his brindled body on Iruka's lap and fell promptly to sleep after explaining why he had taken the tom's place. His purring was a deep thrumming that still didn't calm him as he read the note.
Fuming Chuunin-
I am better, my legs are just procrastinating.
-Invaid Jounin
Iruka chuckled as if he could hear the cronically-late ninja 'apologizing'. A rouge smile curled his lips as the perfect answer formed in his head. It would throw just about anyone off, if they didn't know any better. "Kakashi-san doesn't know me well enough to think I'd say something like this."
"Maybe that's what he's trying to do. Get to know you, that is." Taimai stretched slowly as he waited for Iruka to hand him the note. He scratched him behind the ear as a reward and he nuzzled his palm before bounding off.
Damn Jounin-
If you can't move your legs, what makes you think
you can do anything else?
-Laughing Chuunin
Taimai was intecepted by another cat from his clan. He rubbed against the tuxedo female in welcome, glad that he could go take a better nap. He wondered why they were all taking turns delivering notes, but he figured that everyone was just curious as to how this man was, to flirt with their master.
Kutsushita mewed happily as she raced off to the hospital. She nuzzled the dog-scented palm of the sleeping man. A dark grey eye cracked open and she could see the smile behind the dark blue mask. "Kutsushita." She nodded to him, knowing that he was about to ask what her name was. This poor man had met more of Iruka's summons in one day than anyone else. She curled up next to his shoulder after scampering off to get his sticky notes and a pen. She watched him write shaky cramped letters.
Laughing Chuunin-
I'm glad you take amusement from my inability to walk or get
out of bed properly. If Tsunade-sama hadn't used so much
chakra-wire, I'd have to stalk you until you apologized.
Alas, I have yet to undo all these knots.
-Hurt Jounin
Kutsushita sat in front of Iruka, with the rest of his summons as he read the note. He looked up and met seven pairs of feline eyes, the last two belonging to the leopard, Kohaku, and the panther, Suishoku. "What?" He had never had his cats so interested in his love-life before. 'Wait, love-life? Since when did passing stickies become...?' Iruka groaned and buried his face in a couch pillow. He had gotten that thought from Kohaku, he knew it. The telepathic leopard loved to plant words in his head, and was always teasing him about finding a mate. He ignored them all as he wrote his reply with a smile and hoped that Suishoku wasn't going to insist on bringing this one. His hopes were in vain.
Oversensitive Jounin-
Tsunade-sama has every right to restain infuriating and
injured jounin. I could barely read what you crammed into
that poor sticky note. Should I suggest bigger paper?
-Smirking Chuunin
Kakashi froze when the large panther slipped through his window. He bowed his head to the pale man and offered the sticky note. It was, however, the only thing that he offered. Unlike the other cats, who would ask non-stop questions, Suishoku preferred to remain silent until he trusted the person. He watched the nervous jounin read the note and watched the man reply. Hopefully, this would be the last note of the night.
Puckish Chuunin-
Just say yes to Friday and stickies will stop being
abused.
-Waiting Jounin
AUTHOR NOTE: All of Iruka's summons will appear in this fic somewhere, so I'm giving a list (in order of appearance) of their breed and the meaning of their name. The meaning is their fur pattern or eye color (lame, I know).
The female orange striped kitten is Shima (stripe)
The brown and black spotted Tom is Fuiri (spot)
The tortoise-shell male is Taimai (tortoise shell)
The tuxedo female is Kutsushita (socks)
The female leopard is Kohaku (amber)
The male black panther is Suishoku (emerald)
(the last one is the manx (bobbed-tail) male, Tansho (short and small), who will be in the next installment.)
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