"You ain't supposed to drink a coffee.." mumbled honey-haired chuunin from somewhere inside of his arms.
"You ain't supposed to sleep here.." said his wild-haired friend, successfully imitating his voice. His face slowly started to creep into the wide grin.
The first of them just mumbled something and let his head fall back to his arms, slowly drifting back to his half-asleep state.
The wild-haired one exchanged evil smile with another chuunin in the room. The coffee drinker titled his head towards their sleeping friend in a silent message, he was answered with small nod from the pony-tailed brunette.
He silently sneaked towards the sleeping one and bowed his head until his lips were just inches from the other one's ears.
"ALERT!" he shouted suddenly and his sleeping friend almost jumped from his skin. He looked around wide-eyed, searching for any sign of danger, his heart wildly pounding in his chest. When he spotted his two laughing friend, he groaned irritated.
"That's 'at I's talkin' 'bout.. wh'n I said you ain't suppos'd to drin' coffee, Ko.." he mumbled sleepily.
The wild-haired chuunin looked at him with hurt expression on his face.
"How come you always blame me? It was Ruka.."
"Nah.. Don't trust you.. too innocent.." the honey-haired one said and halfheartedly glared on his friend, called Kotetsu.
Iruka tried hard not to laugh.
"See, Kotetsu, I told you, you should have let him sleep.." said Iruka with his innocent expression and sweet smile.
Kotetsu jumped down from his position on the table and started pacing around the mission room.
"Seriously.. this is sooo boring, not even Naruto would believe it.." sighed Kotetsu with sneaky sight towards his childhood friend.
"Shut up." snapped Iruka as expected. He always snapped when someone was talking about his blond pupil.
"Awww... don't tell me Iwuka misses his wittle munchkin!" teased Kotetsu.
"If you are so bored, you can do the paperwork." said Iruka sternly. Kotetsu groaned, teacher's tone.
"No, thanks. I am not that bored." Seriously. He had had enough paperwork for the rest of his life.
"Than wake Zumo up.." the teacher said again, his gaze on the pile of papers on his desk. He sighed and started to write something on the one closest to him.
"Wake... Zumo up..?" Ko asked confused. Wasn't he awake already? He looked towards the desk and saw his friend curled on the top of the wood, his knees under his chin, arms on the desk and the only thing visible from his head was his ruffled hear. He was breathing loudly, peacefully sleeping.
"Seriously.. what were you doing at night, Zumo.." said Kotetsu somehow softly and patted his friend's head. It was rare, seeing Izumo like this.
"I think I will let him sleep.. for now. What do you think, Ruka?" asked Kotetsu and sat next to his other friend.
"I think.. are you finally growing up?"
"You are one to talk.. I know that Zumo doesn't believe it, but you are the worst, sensei."
"Why, thank you." Iruka grinned. "Working with children, am I not? I can't help but act like them, sometimes." he smiled.
"I guess..." Kotetsu looked around the mission room. No one was there, just the three of them, so why did he have the feeling that someone was watching him?
"It's the same with you.. The reason why are you so insane. Working with jounin and all.." Kotetsu gave him playful punch and frowned. The feeling didn't get away.
Now that he was thinking about, it was there almost all afternoon, growing stronger and weaker every moment.
He looked pointedly on Iruka and let his hand fall down, under the table, so the only one who could see it was the teacher. He waited for the confirmation, that his friend noticed.
Iruka was ignoring him, looking trough some papers.
"Seriously, you are even more crazy than Shirunai Genma.." mumbled Iruka and it was all what was Ko waiting for.
He curled his fingers to something which looked like the child's shadow-play for a rabbit, slowly changing it to the sign of 'peace' with his fingers towards floor, then narrowed palm pointing to his leg and something which looked like a scissors – he moved his fingers twice – and a fist with narrowed little finger, brushing against his trousers.
It was a code, something like the Inteligence, not like any of them could tell for sure, they didn't know the Inteligence. They made it up, when they were genins.
The signs Ko made, meant: Did you notice.
Iruka slowly nodded. He did. He glared pointedly towards his friend with raised eyebrow. If someone was watching, they were acting suspiciously, not talking and all.
Kotetsu inwardly cursed. He always forgets to act as if nothing is happening, when using their code.
"Crazier than Genma? Ouch, now I am hurt.." it wasn't very intelligent answer, but Iruka had already started to answer him. He was making signs with his left hand, which was supporting his head, so it would look natural. His fingers were slightly covered with one curl, which escaped the hair bun.
All day from morning. Trough the window.
"Never thought you have some feelings.. Never acted that way." Iruka grinned.
"Hmm.. By the way, where is Genma..?" Ko asked aloud, fingering the message: You think Z knows?
Iruka quickly looked towards their sleeping friend.
"How should I know? Probably choked on his senbon while sleeping.." he mumbled. No.. he wouldn't sleep, if he knew..
Kotetsu sighed. "Let it be.." he said, answering both Iruka's sentences.
The schoolteacher nodded and finished signing the paper in front of him.
"Ne, Ko.." he started with a grin. He sometimes called his friend like this, it almost sounded like neko which pissed Kotetsu off.
"What." he groaned.
"Wanna prank someone?" and there it was. Iruka's evil grin. He looked like a wolf, bared teeth, shining eyes and curled fingers. He looked like a wolf, hunting his prey. Kotetsu put on a grin mirroring Iruka's expression.
"Yeah.."
"Wanna prank Hatake?" he asked again and his grin even widened. Kotetsu titled his head and realized, that the copy-nin's chakra was close to the mission room.
"Yeah.. just wait a moment, I will wake Zumo.." he said and closed his eyes, sending little of his chakra towards his sleeping friend, touching back of his head. He caught weak reflection of Izumo's dreams and backed away, not wanting to disrupt his privacy. He lightly tapped the honey-haired head with his chakra and Izumo jerked awake.
That was something what Kotetsu learned, when they were all kids. He was able to link their minds, through his chakra.
"What's up?" Izumo asked, blinking his sleepiness away from his eyes.
"We're gonna prank Hatake." said Kotetsu with grin. "Iruka's idea." he added when Izumo started raising his eyebrows.
"Bullshit. Too innocent." reacted Izumo, slowly starting to smile. "Any ideas how?" he asked towards his friends.
"Donno.. the easy ones? Paper on the back? Pink hair? Genjutsu?" Kotetsu scratched the back of his head.
"Pink hair..? He wouldn't mind.." mumbled Iruka. "Hell, he wouldn't even notice."
"Got a point there.. paper on the back?" said Kotetsu again.
Izumo nodded. "What to write there? Something like 'Insert head here'?" he started to grin.
Iruka growled, while Kotetsu just started to laugh.
"Nah, save it for Genma-san.." answered Iruka evilly. "It should be something... something with his name or the sharingan, or something.."
"Yea, something special for him.." agreed Kotetsu.
Izumo thought for a moment.. "With sharingan, you say.. hmm.. 'Gonna copy your..'" he started thoughtfully.
"Gonna copy your ass." mumbled Kotetsu, when he thought no one would hear him. He failed.
"Doesn't even make sense.." frowned Iruka, with his grin still on it's place. "But I like it."
Izumo winked on them. "Agreed. It's so stupid it's awesome."
Iruka took a paper from his desk and wrote the words there.
"How are we gonna put it on his back?" thought Kotetsu out loud.
"Leave it on me.." Iruka was the one who answered, and took one more paper, writing large red 'IDIOT' there.
"Good idea, if it is you, he probably won't kill you.. he likes you." mumbled Izumo, watching curiously the two sheets of paper. Iruka finished the writing and put the papers on his lap to hide them.
"Don't think he likes me, but he won't kill me. He won't even know.." Iruka grinned and suddenly started to look very busy with his paperwork, his face tired.
Izumo and Kotetsu took it like a sign, that their pray was close. Kotetsu got back to his coffee-drinking and drawing something dirty on random papers and Izumo took his almost-sleeping position.
"Yo." said a voice from behind them. Izumo fell on the floor and Kotetsu did everything to look startled, not to raise any suspicion.
They all turned around to see the happily smiling jounin, sitting on the window, his nose buried inside his book as always.
Iruka coughed, looking angry. After all, he was supposed to act that way.
"Kakashi-sensei.." he growled and the jounin just turned his one-eyed smile towards the teacher. Iruka could swear, that Hatake was doing that just to piss him off. "..would it kill you, if you, for once, went trough the door?" he gritted trough his teeth, trying his hardest to do his infamous killing-glare.
"Maa, Iruka-sensei.. I don't know, it's possible. Wouldn't want me to die trying it, would you..?"
"Don't worry, Ruka.. We will get him back.." mumbled Kotetsu loud enough for Kakashi to hear him, but the copy-nin didn't comment.
Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Kakashi-sensei.. if you want a mission, you will have to come here.. or even better, there." Iruka pointed to the other side of the desk.
"Hai,hai, Iruka-sensei.. If you say so.." Kakashi said mockingly and with a puff transported himself just in front of the teacher.
Iruka handed him a scroll with two-days-long B mission, with a murmur of 'Hokage-sama's order'.
Kakashi gave him one other of his smiles and turned around to walk away from the room.
"Wait, Kakashi-sensei!" Iruka shouted after him and stood up, gripping the two sheets of paper.
Kakashi turned around with curious expression.
"What is it, Iruka-sensei, I have work to do." he said coldly.
"I am sorry Kakashi-sensei, but you have something on your back."
"Is that so.." Kakashi mumbled and tried to touch the 'something' with his hand. He didn't find anything. Was the teacher making fun of him? Nah.. Iruka-sensei was way to polite to do so.
"Can you take it away, sensei?" he asked with a smile, looking like a lost puppy. Iruka sighed, the jounin surely was acting like a kid.
"Come here, Kakashi-sensei and turn around." he said in a tired voice, Kakashi obeyed without hesitation.
Iruka started to grin in his evil way again, when he was sure the jounin couldn't see him and pinned one of the papers on his back with his chakra.
"Here is it.." he smiled nicely and handed the other paper to the jounin, acting as if he just took it from his back.
"Thank you, sensei." Kakashi smiled, not even bothering to look at the paper with red sign of 'idiot' on it.